It's tough to be the PM!

Like her or scorn her, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra seems to be always struggling to get it right when it comes to public appearances.

She was at the premiere of the new film "The Lady" at the Paragon Cineplex this week - and the lady looked awkward.

She was of course expected to greet Michelle Yeoh, who plays Aung San Suu Kyi in the movie, and director Luc Besson, and it all had to be done in the bright glare of the television spotlights.

More stressfully, the photographers put the trio through the usual drawn-out death by a thousand snaps. Yingluck seemed least at ease among the trio, so the shutterbugs kept telling her how to pose, shouting out requests and directions.

After it was over she turned to one of them and said good-naturedly, "See, I do whatever you guys want!"

Oh, dear. Cue the critics for another round of "She's only good at following orders!" Yingluck just can't win.

Isaan at heart

Araya "Chompoo" Hargate might strike you as too much the hi-so celebrity type to play a look thung singer in the Channel 3 soap "Tomyam Lam Sing", but actually it's a pretty nice fit for the Bangkok-born Thai-Briton.

As well as her character being a Thai-American returning to Thailand to find her mother, Chompoo is quite a good singer. And, crucially, she's addicted to somtam pla ra, which automatically makes her an upcountry girl.

Her co-stars have discovered she's a somtam pla ra connoisseur. "She can tell if it's going to be tasty or not just from the look and colour!" marvels Trisadee "Por" Sahawong, who hails from Buri Ram.

Chompoo takes delight in her "Isaan expertise" and even adds that the dish really ought to have slices of papaya for authenticity.

So, if the Tourism Authority needs a somtam pla ra ambassador to promote the dish overseas, it can do an ad with Chompoo, grinning in delight as she mops her brow and fans her mouth with her hand.