Hot! Exclusive Father’s Day 2020: Up Close With Your Favourite Personalities As They Pay Tribute To Their Dad

Father’s Day 2020 Exclusive

CONTENT: Andrew Kho

As we mark Father’s Day on Sunday (21 June), this is a special day for everyone, and with the current pandemic situation, this is an opportunity to celebrate and express just how much your father mean to you.

To mark this special day, we have interviewed various renowned personalities from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand – from the father who single-handedly raised Singapore Lifestyle Bloggers Benjamin and Randy Toh, to the doting dad of Malaysian Singer-Songwriter Yuna who encouraged her to have a mind of her own, to Thai Actor (JJ) Kritsanapoom Pibulsonggram whose father contribute and share to people in need without question.

Meanwhile, owner of community restaurant Penlaos and modern day hero from the “Food for Fighters” project Panchana Vatanasathien father believed that with knowledge, everyone will be brave, confident, survive and eventually help others, to Thai Actress (Thanaerng) Kanyawee Songmuang whose father likes to show off his culinary skills to his family.

Benjamin and Randy Toh

Benjamin Toh and Randy Toh, Lifestyle Blogger, Singapore

Benjamin and Randy are both lifestyle bloggers known for their BenRanAway YouTube channel wherein the brothers post vlogs, tutorials, challenges and reactions for over 50,000 subscribers. They also manage their digital marketing and design agency called BRAFIC as well as their own Instagram account @Typicalben and @Randyys.

What has your Father done that made you proud?

Ben and Randy: He single-handily raised us when he was only in his early 20’s

What has your father done for your family and/or to the community that you are proud of? (If Any)

Ben and Randy: He helps people in need without asking for anything in return. He is a kind person in our heart

How did his teachings shape your personality to who you are today?

Ben: He motivates me to constantly improve and be a better version of myself
Randy: His way of teaching is communicating with reasoning

Who are you in your Father’s eyes?

Ben: Innovative and lazy
Randy: Creative and lazy

Yuna

Yuna, Singer-Songwriter, Malaysia

Los-Angeles based Yunalis Zara’ai, or professionally known as Yuna, began writing songs at age 14 and rose to prominence via social media in the mid- to late 2000s. Her breakthrough hit, “Deeper Conversation,” won Best Song at the Malaysian equivalent of the Grammys after its release in 2008 and continued on to international success, recording with Pharrell Williams and touring with Lollapalooza in 2012, a third studio album ‘Chapters’ featuring American singer Usher in 2016, and her nicety blend of R&B and pop with her fourth studio album Rouge, released in 2019.

What has your Father done that made you proud?

He worked really hard taking care of me and my mom… he was also an honorable man, a lot of people look up to him, and I’m proud that as a man he didn’t take any shortcuts to get success, he really earned his stripes.

What has your father done for your family and/or to the community that you are proud of? (If Any)

He was never stingy with money. He would always help out the poor in our community, I grew up watching him sending his sisters to college, helping fix our grandparent’s house, and he’s a very helpful person.

How did his teachings shape your personality to who you are today?

To him it was always important for me to be my own person. My dad never taught me to be a part of a group or a clique in my life. He always reminded me to not be easily be influenced, i think that really made me who i am today. I was really okay just being on my own and trying something different.

Who are you in your Father’s eyes?

Definitely I’m still his little girl!

JJ-Kritsanapom Pibulsonggram

JJ- Kritsanapoom Pibulsonggram, Actor, Thailand

Kritsanapoom Pibunsonggram is an actor, model and singer under Nadao Bangkok and is seen in popular films such as the top-grossing Suddenly Twenty & Diary of Tootsies as well as dramas such as Great Men Academy, Angel Beside Me as well as TV commercials in Thailand.

What has your Father done that made you proud?

About his health, he always take care of himself and that is why I try to take care of myself as well.

What has your father done for your family and/or to the community that you are proud of? (If Any)

He shares and contributes without hesitation when he see’s anyone in need.

How did his teachings shape your personality to who you are today?

His act of kindness made me learn how to take care of other people.

Who are you in your Father’s eyes?

Best Kid Ever!

Panchana Vatanasathin

Panchana Vatanasathien, Restauranteur, Un-Yang-Kor-Dai Singapore/ Penlaos, Thailand

Panchana Vatanasathien operates PenLaos restaurant in Nakhon Ratchasima, Un-Yang-Kor-Dai restaurant in Singapore and also spearheaded the Food for Fighters project in Thailand which has helped to provide frontline workers with food and aims to raise two million Thai baht for the provision of lunchboxes for medical staff at various hospitals nationwide, with food carriers to help reduce waste and be environmentally friendly.

What has your Father done that made you proud?

At work, my father always mentioned about Phra Dharmakosacarya 1’s quote “Dharma is duty and duty is to practice dharma.” He kept saying that while focusing on his work, for the entire of his life.

My father was a law lecturer, book writer and legal advisor. Most of his work was all about reading books and preparing lectures. We rarely had personal conversations about life but he raised me by working together with him. I helped him proofread his books which was a challenging task for me since I was young, as every legal word in the books matters. The other way round, he raised me up through his work life.

He was born and raised in Amphoe Banloem, Nakhon Ratchasima where people recognize as “Isaan” (North Eastern region of Thailand). Looking back at 70 years ago, he was the first student in his village that got a chance to study in town and later he also was the first student that moved to Bangkok in order to attend Law school at Thammasat University. He later won a scholarship from Thai Ministry of Justice to pursue his higher educations at Wisconsin University, Michigan University and Harvard Law School. This brought himself lifetime pride. Everyone in our family is also very impressed though none of his children including me, unlike him, was smart enough to get a scholarship for studying abroad.

What has your father done for your family and/or to the community that you are proud of? (If Any)

My father has been interested in politics. After he finished his work contract as a judge with Ministry of Justice, he turned his career focus to be a lecturer, lawyer and of course, a local politician at his hometown. Although he never won a seat in the parliament, he never leaves his political passion. He, still, has been joining political campaigns and recently at age 88 years old, still, he becomes an advisor for political parties in Thailand.

My father has a strong belief in education. Since he was young, he helped raise his younger brothers and sisters because he is the oldest son in the family. He supported all of them to go to school and finish the highest education level as much as they could. It was very difficult for villagers like them to access to proper education during that time. My father also tried to open a law university in Thailand when he came back from the states. Though it failed, he still believes knowledge is the best resource for everyone because he believes if one has knowledge, he will be brave, confident, able to survive and help others eventually.

Lastly, what I am proud about my father is not only his ability to graduate at Harvard University (of course, I am totally opposite to him in term of academics), but also he was the one who made me fall in love with law study. I, therefore, chose to study in law school for my undergraduate. Even though I only worked as a lawyer just 4-5 years after graduation, law expertise offers me the essential thinking foundations to become a person with strong reading, writing, analysis and critical skills. And I think that is the most significant foundations for life.

How did his teachings shape your personality to who you are today?

My father is not rich. He never told us to seek for financial stability when we were growing up which seems he is a different kind of dad compared with other dads in general. I think this approach made us became black sheep. My siblings and I do whatever we want in life. We grew up in the environment that we argued and criticized each other all the times. We all become ourselves with unique individuality and hence I became who I am.

Our father never forced us to do things we don’t want. He gave us freedom when he raised us. Sometimes he tried and he failed but that was how he floated a trial balloon. He rarely spoke but he showed us by his actions as he believes action is louder than a word.

When I was in the early year at high school, my parent divorced. All of us stayed with mom, still I have been always close to my father. I did not meet him very often but I have been mindful he has powerful influence on my way of thinking.

My father is an example of men who is kind, rational and always listens to others. He thought me to remember full names (both first and surname) of people who I met whist other Thais normally remember only nicknames. He told me this is charm and I found it so useful especially when I stepped into the PR industry where I meet a lot of people everyday till now.

Who are you in your Father’s eyes?

Through My Father Eyes: I am his child who got high self-confidence, self-free, solitary and loves to help others. I know he makes me this way and that is why I am different (I am also different from him and that is not a surprise). I have so many friends in my life because he told me to be friends with different ages. And that is why I adore him as my first best friend of my life.

Thanaerng -Kanyawee Songmuang

Thanaerng -Kanyawee Songmuang, Actress, Thailand

Kanyawee Songmuang is a Thai-Chinese actress and model under Nadao Bangkok and is known for her role in Hormones the Series and has since appeared in numerous Thai drama such as Kiss Me Again and last year’s My Ambulance.

What has your Father done that made you proud?

It will absolutely be his foods! He is my masterchef, he cooks very well and when anyone think of him, we will think of his cooking.

What has your father done for your family and/or to the community that you are proud of? (If Any)

For my family, it will always be food! (laughs) he is actually very good at this.

How did his teachings shape your personality to who you are today?

He’s been teaching me to care and treat and think of other people like how we love ourselves.

Who are you in your Father’s eyes?

I will always be her little girl

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