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Joint Chambers of Commerce at Holiday Inn
(L to R) John Howarth, MD,
Wareeya Paochai, Officer and Gloria Jones, Marketing Manager of Asia Pacific
Pensions.
Dr Iain Corness
This month’s combined chambers meeting was hosted by the American
Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) and held in conjunction with
AustCham Thailand, the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) and the
South African-Thai Chamber of Commerce (SATCC). In addition, members of the
Automotive Focus Group (AFG) helped to swell the numbers even more in the
Ballroom II at the Holiday Inn on Beach Road.
The principal sponsor of the evening was the Efficient English Services
company, trading as the Wall Street English group, who were advising
everyone on the need to be prepared for the AEC in 2015. Vincent Pourre, the
Corporate Account Manager for Wall Street (a Frenchman!) highlighted the
fact that Thailand is lagging behind its ASEAN neighbors, something which
will hold Thailand back after 2015, unless the English speaking ability of
this country improves. To spread the message, Vincent had several of his
office and teaching staff present and presented English training courses for
three lucky draw winners. (George Strampp thought he had won one, but the
organizers thought it better that he retain his Italian/American drawl.)
(L to R) Benchamat
Phudthiradvittaya, Senior Sales Manager of Holiday Inn Pattaya, Ron
Grigaras, Engineering and Program Manager of MHG (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and
Vassachol Khrueasan, Sales Manager of Holiday Inn Pattaya.
John Howarth (Asia Pacific Pensions) introduced Reeya, a
new staff member, while the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya did the same with
Yolly.
The Hilton Hotel had sent in a couple of spies, dressed fetchingly in
matching black outfits in Meaw Chaivorawat and Eve Namkhammee.
Ramesh Ramanathan (Visteon) was introducing a new member of his staff in SK
Banerjee, hailing from the same neck of the woods as himself.
Regulars at AMCHAM meetings were the Executive Director Judy Benn and
Hemaraj’s David Nardone, who in an exclusive interview with Pattaya Mail TV
expressed great confidence in Thailand’s infrastructure which will overcome
any threats from the immediate neighbors, and incidentally, the Hemaraj
industrial estates were flood free. No wellingtons required!
One of the Hemaraj estate tenants is Air International Thermal Systems,
represented by the GM Nicolas Duke, seen chatting with Pattaya’s awarded
inventor Stuart Saunders (EsDesign).
The venue sponsor was the Holiday Inn, and everyone was very complimentary
over the finger food for the event. The mini-hamburgers were particularly
appropriate for the American chamber!
(L to R) William Fantozzi, MD of
FustTech United Ltd., George T. Strampp, Managing Partner of AMS and David
R. Nardone, President & CEO of Hemaraj Land and Development PCL.
(L to R) Mark Butters, Director,
RSM Advisory Thailand Ltd., Judy A. Benn, Executive Director of the American
Chamber of Commerce in Thailand and David Cumming, Director of the British
Chamber of Commerce Thailand.
(L to R) Joseph Chappel,
Executive Recruitment Manager of PRTR Recruitment and Outsourcing (Eastern
Seaboard) Co., Ltd., Chonlatee Nakamadee, Guru of DusitD2 baraquda pattaya
and Mark Bateman, Executive Business Manager of PRTR Recruitment and
Outsourcing (Eastern Seaboard) Co., Ltd.
(L to R) Ashley Griffiths and
Chattiya Mahuttanasopol.
(L to R) Neal Brazel, Principal
of Bladerunner Consulting Asia Co., Ltd., Ben Mitchell, MD of Off Road
Accessories Limited and Trevor Ian Dick, Chairman of Australasia Holdings
Ltd.
(L to R) Florent Parisot,
Operations Manager of EuroKera (Thailand) Limited, Damien Kerneis, Key
Account Manager of Geodis Wilson Thai Ltd., and Ralf Alber, MD of Guehring
(Thailand) Co., Ltd.
(L to R) Marcus Inamine, Quality
Premises Manager of Efficient English Service Ltd., Rattikarn Tepinya, Janya
Rattanaliam, Deputy Head of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya International
Marketing Department and Dr. Iain Corness.
(L to R) Ramesh Ramanathan, MD
of Visteon (Thailand) Limited, Frank Holzer from General Motors and Uli
Kaiser, Business Development ASEAN of EMAG Group - Thailand Office.
(L to R) Neil Maniquiz, Head of
the International Marketing Department at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, Grover
Preston, Engineering Manager of the PAC Group China Operations, Okko Sprey,
Consultant of Plus Exploration Co., Ltd., and Janya Rattanaliam, Deputy Head
of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya International Marketing Department.
(L to R) David Cramond, Deputy
Director Corporate Sales, Orrapim Patarapatipat, Bongkot Sawatdikul,
Corporate Senior Center Director and Vincent Pourre, Corporate Account
Manager of Efficient English Service Ltd.
(L to R) George T. Strampp,
Managing Partner of AMS, Judy A. Benn, Executive Director of the American
Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, Graham Macdonald MBE, Managing Director of
MBMG Group, Peter Malhotra, MD of Pattaya Mail Media Group and William
Fantozzi, MD of FustTech United Ltd.
(L to R) Graham Macdonald MBE,
Managing Director of MBMG Group, Frank Holzer from General Motors, David
Cumming, Director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, Judy A. Benn,
Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, Vincent
Pourre, Corporate Account Manager of Efficient English Service Ltd, Mark
Butters, Director, RSM Advisory Thailand Ltd. and David R. Nardone,
President & CEO of Hemaraj Land and Development PCL.
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Where would we be without imagination?
Can fantasy be rooted in reality? Where would we be without
imagination? These were some of the considerations that Desmond Bishop presented
in his talk to the Pattaya City Expats Club’s meeting on Sunday, October 6.
Desmond was speaking about his recent book, “The Wizard of Zee;” a fantasy
taking place 150 million years ago, but is set in places that still exist today.
Author Desmond Bishop explains how
he based many of the characters and locale in his fantasy novel, “The Wizard of
Zee,” on his own life experiences; creating fantasy out of reality.
Desmond described how he drew on his past experiences and
wilderness travels for inspiration in creating the characters in his novel. In
the novel, 11-year-old Demki ventures out of the comfort zone of his own family
into the wilderness. There, he meets an array of somewhat bizarre characters.
Although it takes place in the ancient continent of Gondwanaland, this locale is
based the Zambezi River, one of Desmond’s favorite places in Africa. For the
book’s illustrations, Desmond said he engaged a Thai artist, who used some of
Desmond’s photos of the Zambezi River in making them. Also, in the book, he
calls the main locale, the Valley of Zam (shortened from Zambezi).
Desmond previously spoke to the Club in June 2011 about his book “Goodbye,
Africa...” which is an autobiography of his life growing up and living in
British colonial Africa. He said he used the fictional name Raymond Spenser for
himself and other aliases in lieu of the real names of the people he wrote about
as he wanted to protect their identities. During that talk, he described his awe
in seeing Victoria Falls for the first time as an 11-year-old boy traveling by
train. Perhaps not by coincidence, the main character is an11-year-old boy,
Demki who is incapable of resisting the adventure of going off into the
wilderness on his own.
Steven Rouse holds the first-place
trophy his film production company won recently at the Toyota 9FilmFest 2013 in
Bangkok, beating out over 200 entries (they also won a Toyota car). Steven will
be the PCEC guest speaker on November 3. He will present the 9 minute video and
talk about making this prize winning film “The Guardian,” which is about a man
that lives by the river and knows he is old but teaches himself to swim.
In the story, despite the warning from his family and
friends, Demki makes his way into the valley of Zam where he meets the Wizard of
Zee and countless other characters he could never have dreamt of. The Wizard
becomes Demki’s mentor and teaches him to believe in himself and he gets
involved in many adventures. It is the time of the Spring Equinox Festival and
Demki gets to meet shamans from far and wide, as well as many wild creatures.
Desmond commented on many of the characters that Demki meets and how they are
based to some extent on people or composites of people he has known in his past.
The Wizard is based to some extent on a person who had been a mentor to Desmond.
Mhondoro, the lion-man, is based on a shaman (spiritual person) that Desmond
knew during his time in Africa. The villain in the novel is Bogaar, who styles
himself as the Prince of Vulcana. Bogaar is a mutant buffalo and has plans to
attack the folks and creatures that live in the Valley of Zam. Desmond showed a
picture he took while exploring the wilderness in Africa and described how it
inspired him to make the villain of his novel a mutant buffalo.
The PCEC arranged with Bangkok
Hospital Pattaya (BHP) to provide this year’s flu vaccine at the Club’s October
20 meeting. Nui and Ann from BHP were busy during the meeting signing up members
and guests as registration is necessary prior to the date the vaccine will be
given.
Desmond also talked of his interest in wildlife, which is
probably the reason after returning to Australia, he decided to live in an
underdeveloped area where one could be closer to nature. He said that in Africa,
he often camped out and came across wild animals. There he learned to “read”
their body language so he knew when he didn’t need to worry about danger as well
as when he did. The main thing he said, was don’t show fear. He described some
of his encounters with buffalos, lions, and elephants.
Desmond received his Bachelor degree from Rhodes University, South Africa. He
has been a TV and theatre director, radio producer, teacher, lecturer, and
author. He writes because he wants to engage the world around him. He started
writing educational documentaries for the ABC in Sydney in 1975. Now retired,
Desmond’s career included acting, teaching and directing theatre, radio and TV.
He divides his time between Asia and Nimbin, Australia, where he has a deep
connection to the community. You can learn more by visiting his website www.
desmondbishop.webs.com.
After Desmond’s presentation, Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg brought
everyone up to date on upcoming events and then called on Roy Albiston to
conduct the always informative Open Forum; where questions are asked and
answered about Expat living in Thailand.
For more information on the Club and its many activities, please visit their
website at:
www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
Author Desmond Bishop explained how
this photograph he took long ago of a menacing buffalo was the inspiration for
his mutant buffalo villain in his book “The Wizard of Zee.”
Desmond showed this picture of the
cover of his novel “The Wizard of Zee” showing the Wizard, the boy Demki, the
Lion Man, and other characters in this fantasy for teens and adults. He pointed
out that the background in this illustration was Victoria Falls in Africa.
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Buddhist blessing ceremony opens Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort
Dominique Ronge (center) GM of
the Centara Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya, along with Chananchida Wongsa-ard
(center, left), Sales and PR manager of the Centara Grand Resort and Spa and
other staff take part in the blessing ceremony of the Centara Grand Phratamnak
Resort Pattaya.
Veechan Souksi
Centara Hotels & Resorts last week prepared for the “soft opening” of the
Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort, its second property in Pattaya, with a Buddhist
blessing ceremony.
General Manager Dominique Ronge hosted the Oct. 7 ceremony at the 165-room
Pratamnak Soi 5 hotel. The “Keun Baan Mai” service held to bless the new
structure and its inhabitants was administered by nine monks from Chong Lom
Temple who chanted in Pali while holding white “sai sin” string. Buddhists
believe the monks’ voices reverberate through the string and bring good luck to
anything and anyone within range of the waves.
After the prayers, the monks blessed the guests by sprinkling lustral water upon
them, followed by lunch offered by the hotel.
The Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort is the second of three Grand-label
properties planned by the hotel chain. The third, the Centara Grand Modus Resort
on Naklua Soi 12 is scheduled to open Dec. 1.
The Pratamnak Hill property offers suites and family residences stocked with
electronic amenities. The halls were built with modern tile and the ceilings are
well-decorated. The reception area and the Oceana all-day dining restaurant
carry an underwater motif, decorated with shells, paintings of waves and
saltwater aquariums stocked with sharks. Furnishings are from Fendi in Italy.
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Germans celebrate Day of Unity in Bangkok
The Brandenburger door is sculptured in ice.
Elfi Seitz
Germans in Thailand celebrated the country’s Day of Unity at a grand
event in Bangkok.
The Oct. 3 event commemorated the anniversary of German reunification in 1990
and the anniversary for the re-founding of the five states Brandenburg,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringen.
Ambassador Rolf Schulze and his wife Petronella welcomed the guests to the Hyatt
Erawan Hotel. A buffet featured German and Thai food and German wine.
In his annual speech, Schulze noted the many years of good relations between
Germany and Thailand and assured guests that recent elections in German won’t
change that. He said a trade agreement between the two nations is in progress.
Pictures are taken during the end of
the ceremony.
Germany remains Thailand’s largest trading partner in the
European Union and more than 700,000 Germans visit the kingdom each year, he
said.
The European nation also has begun a new initiative to train Thai youths in
German companies. Many German companies in Thailand are specialized in renewable
energy, with help from the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce, he said.
After Schulze’s toast to HM the King, Napat Mingniwun, a Thai opera singer, sang
the Thai anthem. A toast to the German President followed as well as the singing
of the German national anthem by Greek Mariangela Chtzistamatiou, who teaches
music at the Mahidol University in Bangkok.
German ambassador Rolf Schulze
welcomes the guests.
Members of the German Embassy are
waiting for the guests.
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Crazy games give Dusit Thani employees laugh on sports day
GM Chatchawan Supachayanont presents the Employee of
the Year 2013 award to Yuphin Tochaona (left) from Housekeeping.
Warunya Thongrod
Crazy games highlighted the Dusit Thani Hotel’s annual sports day with
employees enjoying a fun break from work.
The Oct. 2 celebration at the Pattaya resort saw four teams of staffers engage
in harmonious rope-jumping, blind make-up, ping-pong with carrots, three-legged
balloon race and crazy running, along with a cheerleading contest.
General Manager Chatchawan Supachayanont said the activities are held each year
to enhance the staff’s physical and mental health in a relaxed, social
environment. It leads to a better work and social environment, he added.
The staff party that followed let workers put their hair down. This year it
followed a theme of “Country Cowboy,” featuring costume contests and employee
awards to Yuphin Tochaona and Tanatorn Udomrat of the housekeeping department.
“I had fun participating with my colleagues enjoying and relaxing myself after
having worked hard for an entire year,” said public relations staffer Arwuth
Tiampakdee.
The party also featured game booths and charity fundraising with workers raising
20,682 baht for Operation Smile Thailand, which helps children with cleft
palates.
GM Chatchawan Supachayanont (center)
presides over the opening ceremony for Dusit Sport Day 2013.
Pink team employees bust some moves
for the judges at the staff party.
Employees and Dusit Thani
administrators pose for a picture during the staff party.
Some of the women are declared as
wearing the best cowgirl costumes.
Now that’s using your head!
The Friendly purple team races
across the finish line in the 3-legged race.
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