As its name suggests, the Long Table restaurant has one of the longest dining tables in the city as well as some of the “longest nightcaps”.
Perched on the 25th floor of Column Bangkok overlooking the lush garden of Queen Sirikit National Convention Center with Bangkok’s skyline as a backdrop, Long Table first opened its doors in 2008 based around the 24meter long dining table.
Patrons flock to the venue early in the evening to catch the sunset, and stay on for sumptuous Thai and Asian dishes served on the elongated table that inspires conversation and sharing experiences.
Now with its fully stocked bar and masterful mixologist, the restaurant is a good choice for a latenight drink, offering several palatable cocktails at special prices.
Aiming to have the longest promotion of nightcaps, the menu comprises four cocktails, which are fundamentally classics with slight twists. If you feel like something fruity and tangy to cleanse the palate after a tasty meal, try Spritz Passion. Using vodka instead of wine as a base, it is a concoction of vanilla syrup, sweet and sour (half simple syrup and half lime juice), Schweppes lemon and lots of fresh passion fruit. While you don’t get a heavy  aroma of fruit, there is a nice balance both in the nose and palate of sweetness, sourness, fruitiness and a faint hint of vanilla along with the fizz of the lemon juice.
Another palatecleansing recipe is Schiedam Mule with ginger ale and ginger. The vodkabased cocktail is  sweet and sour, with a slight sharpness and peppery aftertaste of the fresh ginger that also gives off an earthy, soothing aroma. If you like your drink a bit dry, ask the bar to ease off on the sweet and sour as they tend to make it sweeter.
Whisky lovers might want to try Striding Collin, a Collins makeover with Scotch whisky, ginger ale, elderflower syrup and bitter. The whisky is not too overpowering while the floral note from the elderflower makes it a smooth and easytodrink cocktail. That little dash of bitter adds depths and aromatic tartness to the combination.
If you want to treat yourself to something a little more sugary, try Bob’s Bramble. With gin, sweet and sour, elderflower syrup and a dash of creme de cassis, the drink is pleasantly sweet and very fragrant, with tangy red berry flavours. Garnished with bramble and fresh strawberries, make sure to take a bite at add some fruitiness and even more aroma to the drink.
The cocktails are priced at Bt260 each. The menu also includes Carlsberg bottle at Bt180 and Chang at Bt150.

The figures are shocking. Somewhere in the world, one per¬son will die by his or her own hand every 40 seconds. More than 800,000 people commit suicide each year and up to 25 times that many make a suicide attempt. And, perhaps more worryingly, global suicide rates have increased by more than 60 per cent since the 1970s and are continuing to rise, according to the World Health Organisation.
The Public Health Ministry’s National Centre for Suicide says that, in Thailand, more than 5,000 people commit suicide each year, putting us in an unenviable third place behind South Korea and Japan.
WHO has also found that committing suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world, and is ranked in the top three causes of death among people aged 1535. Men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women in many countries.
And suicide, which is preventable, has become such a problem that tomorrow the world is again marking World Suicide Prevention Day. An initiative of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and WHO, this year’s theme is “Connect, communicate, care”.
Dr Somrak Choovanichwong, a psychiatrist from Srithanya Hospital, and president of the Thai Family Link Association, says depression, the economy and social circumstances are the main factors for suicide in Thailand. A better understanding of depression is essential if these abysmal statistics are to be reduced. And reduced they must be, particularly now that the act itself is in some cases being filmed and posted on the social networks where it quickly goes viral.
“There are many factors that cause depression yet the majority of people do not want to consult a psychiatrist to receive treatment. This leads to about six people in every 100,000 being at risk of suicide,” she says.
“Committing suicide also has a knock-on effect. For example, if someone has a bad temper and is prone to act violently and one day is no longer to handle that anger, then they may commit suicide or even attack others, which could in turn lead the victim to commit suicide. The worst-case scenario is that these people kill their family members before killing themselves and we are seeing increasing reports of this in the news. Therefore, it is important that we create a better understanding of depression and help those who suffer from it. We all need to create a space for them to connect with other people so that they understand each other,” Dr Somrak adds.
Statistics from research carried out by the National Centre for Suicide reveal that suicide rates are highest in Lamphun Province and lowest in Pattani. Other figures bear out international trends, with 78 per cent of suicides among men, compared to 22 percent among women. People between the ages of 4044 years old were the most likely to commit suicide. Sixty to 90 per cent of the successful suicides were suffering from depression (with some cases also involving drug use) yet only 30 per cent sought advice from a psychiatrist.
One of the most efficient ways to prevent people from committing suicide is to help those in need and help the right treatment from a psychiatrist while simultaneously creating a culture of care and understanding in the community.
“There is a high chance that those who try to commit suicide will repeat the action until they succeed. If we do not help them the right treatment from a qualified professional, both the economy and society will be damaged. It is encouraging that thanks to improved knowledge about mental illness, particularly bipolar problems, being caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, people no longer hesitate about being stereotyped as mad if they consult a psychiatrist,” Dr Somrak.
“For young people, it’s slightly different. They might attempt sui¬cide as more of an impulse but it’s important to remember that they are suffering from the same feeling of hopelessness and regard life as no longer worth living.”
Depression manifests itself through a variety of symptoms ranging from a lasting feeling of sadness and hopelessness, to losing interest in the things people do or used to enjoy. Physically, patients feel constantly tired, sleep badly, have no appetite, complain of various aches and pains and sometimes suffer from anxiety.
“During difficult times, when people feel sad, nature gives them time to heal. A low mood may improve after a short time but depression is more than just being sad, it is a intense feeling of sad¬ness that persists for at least six weeks. People with a family histo¬ry of depression are also more likely to experience it themselves. When patients become severely depressed, they can become suicidal. Depression is a medical illness, not a sign of weakness. It is treatable with the right treatment and support from professionals and loved ones. It is extremely important for patients to have someone they can hold on to. It means that they still have someone who cares for them and tells them that life is worth living. Many patients have been able to pull back from the brink because of that care,” she says.
“And because Thailand is seriously short of doctors and professional caretakers, with just one psychiatrist per 250,000 people, we have put together a support group known as the Shining Club. This is made up of volunteers who have experience of people with depression or even suffered from it themselves and recovered. Patients, family members and caretakers should join and take part in the courses we offer so that they can learn what type of questions they should ask those suffering from depression and how to listen to them. Fostering connections with those who have lost a loved one to suicide or have been suicidal themselves is crucial and equips people to communicate effectively with those who might be vulnerable to suicide,” she says.
“A healthy and loving environment for raising young children is very important. We know kids are at risk and as they grow into their teens, they become even more vulnerable. The family lifestyle is being eroded as each member spends most of his or her time engaged with a smart device instead of with each other. Society is very competitive and material¬istic so it is crucial that parents ensure their child understands that life is worth living.
They need to be taught how to face up to problems. Good exam¬ples from parents are very important. In the large families of the past where there was often as many as eight kids, parents taught by example. They presented a solid family unit, one where the parents were hardworking, careful with money and considerate of each other,” she says.
Depression is a silent danger to society. It is a mental health problem, and one that experts feel could one day come almost as common as cardiovascular disease. But medications with little or no side effects are available and with the right treatment and support, most people can make a full recovery.
Isn’t it time you took your life in hand?

As part of World Suicide Prevention Day, Shining Club, Thai Family Link Association, and Srithanya Hospital with the support of Pfizer (Thailand) are hold¬ing the “September 10, Every Life Counts” event where those who have suf¬fered from depression can share their experiences. It runs from 1 to 6pm at Grand Hall, Esplanade Complex on Ratchadaphisek. n For more information, call (099) 6191298 or visit http://www.ThaiFamilyLink.net

The 11th edition of the Little Big Films Project returns next Thursday with four movies that narrate the strength of the human heart.
First launched in 1999, the project was immediately hailed as the best platform for independent films in the country. In those days chances to catch indie productions were few and far between and film lovers were usually forced to turn to bootleg DVDs and VCDs.
That first event almost 20 years opened with a bang with a programme that included the Coen brothers’ hit The Big Lebowski”, Chinese movie “Xiu Xiu The Sent Down Girl” directed by actress Joan Cheng and “The Red Violin by Francois Girard.
More than eight LBP projects were organised over the next six years, offering Bangkok cinephiles such classics as “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, Swedish black comedy “Song From the Second Floor”, “City of Gods” and “Japanese Story”.
By then though, more independent films were going on general, if limited release, and the project came to a halt.
And now LBP is back. It opens next Thursday with “After the Storm,” the latest film from acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreeda. Koreeda was first introduced to Thai film lovers through his award-winning movie “Nobody Knows”, which enjoyed a Bangkok run of more than a month. Since then we’ve seen his “Air Doll,” “Like Father, Like Son” and “Our Little Sisters.”
“After The Storm” tells the story of Ryota (Hiroshi Abe), a successful writer who won a literary award 15 years earlier but who has written nothing since. He works as a private detective for a living and pays alimony for his son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) who lives with his ex-wife Kyoko (Yoko Maki). Circumstances mean that all three are his mother Yoshiko’s apartment when a typhoon hits. Forced to stay together all night, the family finally gets round to talking and finding ways to move with their lives.
The second film, opening on September 29, is “About Ray”. It stars young actress Elle Fanning as a woman undergoing gender-changing surgery and her attempts to make her mother Maggie (Naomi Watts) and her grandmother Dolly (Susan Sarandon) understand and accept who she is.
The third film, “Under the Shadow”, is the debut feature of Iranian director Babak Anvari. A horror film about a mysterious evil, it won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival where it had audiences grasping their armrests in terror. Set in Tehran during the Iraq-Iran war, it’s centred on Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her young daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi, who are forced to stay alone in their home when Shideh’s husband is drafted and sent to the frontline. Not long after their apartment is hit by a missile, a neighbor dies mysteriously and Dorsa’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic.    Fearing that the missile might have brought with it Djinn – malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits that travel on the wind – Shideh strives to protect Dorsa from possession by confronting the evil forces. It opens on October 13.
The LBP closes on October 27 with the French film “From The Land of the Moon”, which was selected for the main competition at the 2016 Cannes International Film Festival. Adapted from Milena Agus’ novel “Mal de Pierres” and set after World War II, it stars Marion Cotillard as Gabrielle, a passionate, free-spirited woman in a loveless arranged marriage who falls for a veteran returning from the Indochina battlefield.
All four films will be screened at House RCA, Lido, Paragon Cineplex, SF World Cinema and Esplanade Ratchada.

HIGH-END mall The Emporium joins French luxury footwear and accessories brand Roger Vivier in celebrating eight decades of fashion by hosting the photo exhibition “Roger Vivier The Retrospective”.