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Frame specialises in bug shots
Some people may be into mug shots, but Ian Frame
specialises in bug shots. Ian takes a daily morning walk on Jomtien Second
Road to spot and photograph all manner of creatures - from bugs to snakes;
lizards, praying mantises, centipedes and everything in between.
Ian shared some of his excellent photos with fellow club members and guests
at the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Sunday, September 8. This was an
encore presentation; Ian first spoke to the Club about his nature
photography a little over a year ago. Ian explained that he takes about 50
photos a day of the creatures he comes across during his walk, which
translates into 15,000 a year. He said he has over 100,000 photos in his
collection.
MC Richard Silverberg introduces
fellow member Ian Frame, from Scotland but now living in Jomtien. Ian’s
hobby is photographing the wild creatures living in the bush near Jomtien
Second Road.
Ian, originally from Scotland, spent thirty years working
in Brunei on the edge of a tropical rain forest. Exotic wildlife such as
monkeys and snakes were regularly found in his garden and in the office car
park; which allowed him abundant opportunities to practice his favorite
pastime - the photography of nature in all its glory. Ian was interested in
photography. Since his last presentation, Ian mentioned that as more and
more green spaces are replaced by condo buildings and shop-houses, the
creatures are becoming scarcer. It also doesn’t help that the green areas
are becoming home to more and more rubbish.
The pictures he shared along with narrative about the particular creature,
be it a snake, butterfly, beetle, praying mantis, and many more, were
interesting and informative. If you were not there to enjoy them, you can
see many of them on his daily blog http://www. pattayadaze.wordpress.com.
The photographs posted on his site are mostly of the wildlife found in the
undergrowth adjacent to the pavement outside his Pattaya condo - his “blog
walk.”
Ian encounters quite a few
snakes on his walks, such as the Golden Tree Snake, the Blind Snake and the
Long Nose Whip Snake, which has an elongated triangular head.
He said that on his blog walk, lizards and frogs are
becoming particularly hard to find. In showing pictures of some he did
encounter, he noted that green-coloured lizards change colour when
frightened, from their usual dull green to a very bright green. For example,
the garden fence lizard, which normally has a rusty colour, will change to a
bright red colour to attract a mate.
Ian said that he found a praying mantis once and let it climb onto his
finger. Once the praying mantis determined that there were no insects to eat
on Ian’s finger, he departed for greener pastures. On another occasion, at
Jomtien Beach, Ian said that a large praying mantis fell on his shoulder and
then jumped to the top of his head. Tourists quickly snapped up photos. Ian
mentioned that there is a video on You Tube of a praying mantis eating a
snake. (You can find it at www.youtube. com/watch?v=U5xx6804zCw).
Good to see board member and
former chairman, Richard Smith, returned from his annual trip to the US -
here updating members in the activities of the smartphone special interest
group.
Here are some other interesting things we learned as Ian
showed us his photos: (1) Geckos have pads on their feet enabling them to
stick to walls and windows; (2) Tokay lizards, which are nocturnal
creatures, are named for the loud sounds they make; (3) hornets can cause
more pain than any other insect or snake that bites or stings - they can be
fatal; and (4) to get good photos, you need to have a lot of patience. Ian
also said that snakes, one of his favourite photography subjects, are very
useful creatures. They kill rats and mice, which helps to protect the rice
crops in Thailand; that in turn helps to prevent the rats and mice from
spreading disease.
It was clear from his presentation that he enjoys taking photographs of the
various creatures that many pass by without notice and sharing that natural
beauty with others, including holding a number of Wildlife Photographic
Exhibitions.
After Ian’s presentation, Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg brought
everyone up to date on upcoming events and then called on Roy Albiston to
conduct the interesting and informative open forum where questions are asked
and answered about Expat living in Thailand.
Learn more about the many activities of the Pattaya City Expats Club at www.
pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
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Wines at The Beach Club
The venue was their Beach Club
deck out over the beach.
Dr. Iain Corness
The Pullman Pattaya Hotel G is trying very hard to attract Pattaya residents to
its Beach Club, with rotating specials and frequent wine tasting evenings. A
couple of weeks ago it was the turn of Anuchit Saeng-on, the MD of the i
easywine company, who supplied wines from Italy, Chile and Australia for
tasting.
The venue was their Beach Club deck out over the beach, which is a rather
romantic place to hold functions such as the wine tasting. This actually worked
well in dividing the guests into those who were there for the wine tasting, and
those who just wanted a meal in the Beach Club.
The tasting of the five wines, for me, began with the Italian Montasolo Treviso
Prosecco, a pleasant example of the genre, medium dry and not sweet at all. This
was a good start to Anuchit’s wine evening.
The second wine was a Quincho Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. My tasting notes read
“pleasant, with a very short finish.” Probably a disappointment for my palate,
but always remember that wine tasting is an individual experience. There is no
one wine which will suit everybody.
We stayed in Chile for the next wine, a Quincho Cabernet Sauvignon, but again,
this was not a wine for me, as I experienced little body and no finish. But note
my remarks in the previous paragraph.
Next up was the Ironbark Chardonnay, an easy drinking wine, without being
memorable, from Australia. This was more to my taste with a little fuller body
and a short finish.
The final wine was the Australian Ironbark Shiraz, and my tasting notes read,
“Very pleasant drinking. Nose and palate and finish all acceptable.”
I thank Anuchit for presenting these wines and allowing us to imbibe and
pontify. For me it was still the Prosecco Nontasolo, followed by the Ironbark
Shiraz.
(L to R) Tony Malhotra, Asst MD of
Pattaya Mail Media Group, Anuchit Saeng-on, MD of i easywine, Janjira Buanlee,
PR Manager, Laurent Scire, F&B director, Marc Merhej, F&B marketing and events
manager and Dmitry Chernyshev, EAM of Pullman Pattaya Hotel G.
(L to R) Laurent Scire, F&B director
of Pullman Pattaya Hotel G, Anuchit Saeng-on, MD of i easywine, Darunee Worasit,
marketing executive of i easywine, Som Corness and Dr. Iain Corness, Pattaya
Mail’s wine & dine specialist.
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Jesters Gala Party Night Is Tomorrow!
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive 2013, Sponsored by Glencore International
and Canadian Jackalope Open
Ross Halfin signed photo of Led Zeppelin about to go on
stage for their 2007 reunion Celebration Day.
Lewis Underwood
As soon as the fair was behind us on Sunday, September 8th, we started to ease
off on the throttle to take a deep breath and pull over. After all, we had
negotiated the most difficult part of the ride and wanted to take advantage of
the small window we had to decelerate. We knew it was but a fleeting respite
before we would have to hit the road once more. And now that time has come; our
destination is only a day away and its time to twist the throttle again.
Tomorrow, Saturday, September 21st, will be the third year since our Pub Night
morphed into the Gala Party Night and moved to the Aranda Ballroom at the Amari
Orchid Pattaya. The evening is a celebratory one with great food, drink,
entertainment and mingling. And, of course, it will be this year’s second major
fund-raising event for underprivileged children in need of safe shelter,
education and special schooling for the disabled.
Diamond ring 18 carat white gold with 70 diamonds
surrounding center stone, 90 points in total donated by Steve Hanchon.
One of the ways we will be raising funds on the evening, besides the charge of
admission, will be through the bidding on auction items. Only 10 will be done
live, like last year, while the remaining 17 items will be bid on silently. If
you would like to make a pre-bid on any of these items, please go to our
website.
The other way to help us raise funds is by buying grand raffle tickets at the
gate and/or inside the ballroom during the festivities up until 10:30. Soon
after that, we will draw the top prizes publicly and the rest will be posted on
a whiteboard. By the way, you do not have to be present to win; just be sure you
have your name and contact on all of your tickets.
Once again Russell Jay will be the emcee for the evening, Mark Rogers will do
the auctioning and Richy, our entertainment coordinator, has another great
line-up, not only musically, but also a bit of comedy too.
Oh, by the way, our host, the Amari Orchid Pattaya, is putting on complimentary
hors d’oeuvres and drinks for the reception between 7 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. And
then when you enter the ballroom for the buffet dinner, the drinks, beer and
wine, are on us.
Once again we are revving up for the next ride tomorrow night and hope you can
make it too. By the way, there are still seats available, so if you want to come
along too, please contact Debs at vicechairperson@care4kids .info or call Debs
at 089 9825814.
If you would like more information about this event and/or the charity drive,
please go to www.care4kids. info and www.facebook .com/jesterscare.kids. And
don’t forget, you can still make a donation, year-round, at
[email protected]
Antique Burmese tattoo needles in frame donated by Mark
Gorda.
| The 10 items for the live
auction and the bids on them, as of September 5th, are as follows: |
| Item |
Donator |
Bids 15/09/13 |
| Jimmy Page signed Lucifer Rising vinyl |
Jimmy Page |
10,000 baht |
| Kiss signed poster from Sonic Boom Euro Tour 2010 |
Ross Halfin |
3000 baht |
| Ross Halfin signed photo of Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes |
Ross Halfin |
5000 baht |
| Ross Halfin signed photo of Led Zeppelin at O2 reunion |
Ross Halfin |
20,000 baht |
| 18 Karat white gold Diamond (1.75 karat) ring |
Steve Hanchon |
17,000 baht |
| Ross Halfin signed Cleveland Rock n Roll Hall of Fame |
Ross Halfin |
6000 baht |
| Derek Jeter signed New York Yankee jersey |
Rick Moren |
18,000 baht |
| Replica of Jimmy Page’s dragon electric guitar |
Niven Walters |
15,000 baht |
| Michael Jordan signed photo in case |
Howard Appledorf |
5000 baht |
| Jimmy Page signed Celebration Day set of CD/DVD |
Jimmy Page |
5000 baht |
| Here are the top raffle prizes: |
| Prize |
Donator |
| - Honda PCX 150 |
Jesters MC |
| - 32" Samsung TV |
Neil Sandilands |
| - Trip for 4 to River Kwai |
Judi McNamara |
| - Samsung Galaxy Tab II |
Jeff Paladeau |
| - Nirvana Resort, Koh Chang. 2 nights, inc. |
|
| ABF and dinner for 2 PAX |
Nirvana Resort |
| - Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa, |
|
| 2 night stay in a Superior Bungalow including ABF
Voucher |
Pinnacle Hotels |
| - Bangkok Pattaya Hospital voucher worth 5,000 baht |
BKK Pattaya Hospital |
| - Wine & Dine Menu including wine for 1 PAX |
Casa Pascal |
| - Pattaya Pickle Hamper |
Pattaya Pickle |
| - Casa Pascal Daily BBQ Breakfast & BBQ Lunch Buffet
for 4 PAX |
Casa Pascal |
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Rolling out the
red carpet for charity
Rayong-Pattaya Ladies Circle and Women With A Mission plan to throw a fabulous
party while raising funds for the very worthy cause, Women With a Mission (WWM),
which is a private voluntary organization based in Pattaya. Their mission
expands from providing food and shelter for displaced tsunami victims to
teaching area Chonburi residents how to grow their own food and farm their own
fish. WWM is continuously busy with the numerous projects that extend to the
homeless, orphaned and mentally and physically handicapped.
Organizers have obtained some generous sponsors who have contributed to date in
excess of 150,000 baht towards this event and they include American Axile, Gheco
One/Glow, Caterpillar and The Regent School.
All profits from the event will go to charity.
The RLC are bringing back the glamour and glitz that Pattaya desires so it’s
time to sparkle like a starlet and party like a rock star. An exciting evening
is planned which includes a local debut designer fashion show by Zuckerbraun
Design, a dance show by Steps & Rhythm Dance Academy with Stephanie Moorhouse
who are based in Pattaya, and an art exhibition by local artist Ingrid Van Der
Heyden. The evening will finish with dance music presented by Mr. Pattaya -
Chris Parsons who is well known to expats in the area.
RLC & WWM’s Red Carpet Pattaya - Charity Dinner Dance is on for Saturday
November 2 at Hard Rock Pattaya Beach, Hall of Fame. Red Carpet rolls out at
7.00 p.m. - carriages at midnight.
Tickets are 2200 baht and include champagne reception, a-list international
buffet dinner and soft drinks with free flow of wine and beer throughout the
evening.
Tickets are available from RLC Michelle 082 179 1037; WWM Kylie 087 482 3520;
and Hard Rock Hotel 038 428 755.
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