On Wednesday, Vasana apparently couldn't contain his overwhelming emotion, being under pressure as he was from the three top courts' suggestion that all of the EC commissioners quit. The former policeman reacted by showing his vulnerable side. The tears flowed while he was proclaiming he was not a street dog that anyone could chase off. Such an emotional display was very uncharacteristic of him, because after all, Vasana had a reputation - until recently - as a tough guy.

Watching the news on television, I almost cried for him myself. But taking a good look around, I decided it might not be such a good idea to let my own tears out in sympathy. I was in the middle of a newsroom after all, so I had to try to contain the emotion arising from my female hormones.

Being a woman is no excuse to cause a commotion in the office by blubbering. If you feel that lump in your throat and a welling in the corner of your eyes, best to rush into the toilet stalls, which serve as a sanctuary for us female staff to let out our emotions.

However, quite a few male politicians have recently shown they are longer shy about revealing their sentimental side in public, especially caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has openly wept in front of the cameras on more than one occasion. His voice was conspicuously shaking during his televised announcement dissolving the House. And he had earlier shed a few tears when he asked the press not to investigate alleged fraud in connection with his daughter's university's exams.

Crying has traditionally been viewed as a woman's prerogative, one that lets her get away with all manner of stuff. When we feel pressured, sad or disappointed, some of us choose to cry; it helps us compose our thoughts.

Men may choose to act tough or bang their fist, but such tactics could lead to more violence. See what happened to former Senator Prathin Santipraphob when he started a brawl in the House after declaring he was unable to tolerate an unfounded allegation made by another politician. Prathin ended up having to resign from office. It would have turned out so much differently if Prathin had only resorted to tears to show the pain he had to endure from his opponent's unfair act, instead of brawling.

Sobbing always proves more effective in drawing sympathy from the public. Tears also help add a touch of drama to the political scene.

Just recently, when Thaksin announced he was stepping down from politics to ease political tensions, he was apparently unable contain his emotions, no doubt from the thought that soon he would be on vacation abroad. The tears welled up in his eyes.

Emotions then also ran high for the politician from Buri Ram. After Thaksin's speech, a teary-eyed Newin Chidchob was the first to embrace Thaksin in a warm hug. At that particular moment, Thaksin's wife, Pojaman, appeared to have the only iron heart among the crowd, remaining cool and composed.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against tough guys weeping in public. Men should be allowed their share of letting out their anger, fears and tears of emotion like we do.

The moment that Roger Federer proved he was human was when he buried his head in a towel and let the tears flow after winning the Wimbledon trophy. And Jamie Foxx's puffy eyes scored big with his female fans when he picked up his Oscar, because they believed his emotion to be genuine.

But Asian men just don't weep in public all that often, so it was quite a spectacle to watch local politician Snoh Thienthong resort to tears earlier this year, when he announced in the middle of the parliamentary chamber that he was resigning from the Thai Rak Thai Party. People thought he must have felt he couldn't tolerate it any longer. Snoh stumbled over his words with emotion while trying to explain why he had to leave Thaksin, whom he claimed to have mentored into the premiership. He even let himself be seen patting his MP son, who was becoming somewhat emotional himself, on the shoulder, giving him moral support while at the same time making one of the most important decisions of his political career.

Interestingly, his wife, Uraiwan, chose to adopt a more masculine tactic. When she boldly made to step down as culture minister, to put more pressure on Thai Rak Thai only days before the April 2 snap election, she refused to let a single teardrop fall, apparently to show that her decision was not the result of any mood swing. Uraiwan said firmly in making her point, "I ask Thaksin to quit for the nation's interest." Not a tear in sight.

Thus, it was quite a scene to see Vasana mustering up those tears. It turned out that it - unintentionally - helped him dodge difficult questions from some sympathetic reporters who backed off and gave him some space so he could compose himself.

Now that the sentimental part is over, seeing as Vasana has already burst out in emotion, the public no longer cares to see whether Vasana can be a sensitive guy. It's time for him to act like a man.

Jeerawat Na Thalang