muse of the moment

Flow family, emotions, and Buddhism keep Thai actress AOKBAB grounded.

-  TICIA ALMAZAN

Each year, a certain full moon keeps most of Thailand awake. The Loy Krathong festival takes place on the Thai lunar calendar’s 12th month, and people are invited to float krathong on bodies of water, a gesture signifying the release of bad luck. These circular candle-lit vessels are typically made with banana leaves and decorated with flowers; sometimes, they even include pieces of a person’s hair and nails.

The tableau is plucked right out of a glimmering Disney film. Look closer and you’ll see a 10-year-old Aokbab marveling at the scene, searing its details into a memory that remains vivid nearly two decades on. “That night in Bangkok was incredibly beautiful for me. A lot of traffic, a lot of people. Vendors came there. A lot of markets and a lot of joyful times that night,” she recounts with a big smile.

For the actress and model, growing up in Bangkok was “like chaos,” not unlike a bustling night at the festival. When asked what her favorite pastimes were as a child, she says that the “first thing that came up to me is my family. I feel like I am very fortunate to have grown up with my family, my parents and siblings who care for me and guide me all the time.”

Aokbab Chuengcharoensukying goes by the mononym Aokbab. It translates to “design” in English, and was given to her by her father. “Actually, everyone in the family has a nickname that starts with either A or O, which are single consonants in the Thai language,” she explains.