Family Money: Leaving it all behind you

By Leslie Wright

Last week we looked at the first two items that should be included in a Will - what you want done with your remains, and the appointment of an Executor.

The third item is to do with distribution of your assets to your heirs. Who gets what, in other words.

If you fail to make a Will this ensures you won’t have any say in who gets anything: the State will decide for you. And you won’t be around to argue.

In some regimes, even making a Will doesn’t ensure your wishes will be carried out as you would like.

In some countries (the Philippines, for example), it is written into law what minimum percentage of your assets goes to each child born in wedlock, and what percentage goes to each natural child born out of wedlock whom you have recognised as yours. Also, if you’re the father of such a child, a stipulated minimum will go to the mother of that child or children.

This can cause all sorts of interesting problems, which can keep the lawyers in clover for years.

In the meantime, your assets are frozen, and no-one can touch anything - including your bank accounts. How your family is supposed to survive in the meantime is not the legal fraternity’s problem, nor yours now that you’ve passed on. But it could and perhaps should have been addressed while you still had the opportunity.

Potential solution

One of the ways not only to minimise the potentially high cost of administration of your estate upon your death, but perhaps even more importantly to ensure your wishes will be carried out exactly, is to place your assets, during your lifetime, into a suitably worded Trust with a professional Trustee who has a transparent charging structure.

However, each individual’s personal circumstances and objectives should always be thoroughly analysed and expert legal and tax advice sought and taken before embarking on this course.

This is especially important for expatriates living here, inasmuch as in some countries - and Thailand is one - the concept of Trusts as we know it in the West is not recognised. (And the concept of trust as we know it in the West is perhaps a bit more dubious here, also...)

Keep it simple

If your estate is simple - a house, some cash in the bank, a modest portfolio of investments - and your family comprises a spouse and a few children, distribution is relatively easy.

You simply state in your Will that you wish your house to go to your spouse for the remainder of her lifetime, and can either specify bequests to the children (which will save any bickering over which painting or personal effect goes to whom), or simply divide it up by percentages.

It would then be your Executor’s job to ensure this was done correctly and fairly (which it is worth noting in some cases may require liquidation of your investment portfolio.)

You could in theory specify that your house thereafter is to go to a specific child, but again in theory, your spouse would have had to agree to this in advance, inasmuch as he or she should have his or her own Will, stipulating distribution of his/her assets after death, so could legally leave the house to anyone he/she wishes, thereby negating your wishes, which wouldn’t hold up in law (unless the estate had been put into Trust, and real property cannot usually be placed in Discretionary Trusts, as it is too difficult to administer. Some type of US Trusts do, however, allow for land or buildings to be placed into Trust, but these are a special variety and usually specific to that item, and differ from the general Discretionary Trust discussed earlier.)

And you thought it was all so simple, didn’t you?

Taxes don’t stop even for death

The tax man loves it when people die. This always creates what they term "a chargeable event", which means something has happened on which they can levy a tax.

However, they only take some of your hard-earned assets, and let your family inherit what’s left. Aren’t they kind?

In the U.K., for example, your spouse may inherit the principal residence without tax, and your heirs (including your spouse) may inherit £215,000 tax free (under current legislation) before paying any tax on the remainder.

However, the tax man will take 40% of whatever’s left, across the board. Crunch!

However, if your spouse is domiciled overseas, she/he has an exemption of £55,000.

On the other hand, transfers to and from certain trusts attract inheritance tax at only 20%.

Therefore, if you have a substantial estate, it may well be worth while considering placing those assets into Trust, simply for the potential tax advantages, not to mention the other potential benefits - confidentiality, avoidance of probate procedures, protection of minors, avoidance of forced heirship, avoidance of forced repatriation of assets to regimes where exchange control regulations apply, avoidance of sequestration by creditors... the list goes on.

And don’t imagine that just because you’re not British nor living in U.K. you could escape U.K. inheritance tax if you happen to be holding U.K. assets when you die.

A Thai (or anyone else for that matter) with a property or bank account in the U.K. will, upon death anywhere, be subject to U.K. inheritance tax on those assets.

Someone with, for instance, £350,000 invested in the U.K. - say a house worth £150,000 plus bank deposits of another £200,000 - will have to cough up £54,000 (40% of £350,000 less £215,000) to the U.K. tax man before his/her heirs could touch those assets. Plus the cost of going through probate proceedings in the U.K.

Having put the cash deposits into Trust before your demise would reduce this liability to no more than £40,000, since the property value falls within the £215,000 nil-rate band, and the 20% tax on trust transfers would apply (assuming those assets were withdrawn in the U.K. If drawn outside the U.K. your heirs might even be able to escape tax altogether, depending on the assets in question and the circumstances.)

And this is perfectly legal tax avoidance, as opposed to the non-legal variety, which is called tax evasion, and to which most authorities take a dim view.

The legalities

Okay. Now you’ve thought out who you want as your Executor, and who’s going to get what, how do you write this out so it’s legal?

It is important to pay attention to the legal formalities required in the execution of your Will.

A Will may be handwritten or typed. It really doesn’t matter so long as it’s legible.

If you’re writing your own Will, write plainly and concisely how you desire to dispose of your property.

Use plain words and avoid legal phrases or words which you do not understand unless you’ve sought professional advice on the subject.

Alternatively, get a professional to do it for you, but make sure he fully understands your wishes, as it is surprisingly easy to miss something out that was clear in your mind, but wasn’t made clear to the person making your Will.

Omissions cannot be rectified if you’re not around any more to make things clear!

Also, many ‘professionals’ are not equipped to write wills that would stand up in court in another regime, and a Will should always be able to stand up in court, as you won’t be able to.

While a Will can technically have alterations put into it before it is executed, every alteration must be signed & witnessed, and the fact of these alterations having been made should be noted in the attestation clause (about which more in a moment).

Nothing should be scratched out or erased, or the Will might be invalidated.

It is better therefore to rewrite the whole Will than to have any alterations in it.

Witnesses

Next, you need to date and sign the Will in front of at least two witnesses, who in turn must also sign it in front of you and each other.

Your signature should come right after the last line of writing, which is typically the attestation clause *, and the witnesses’ signatures should come directly underneath yours.

(*For those who want to know, the attestation clause is the legal phraseology immediately preceding the Testator’s signature which typically runs like this: "Signed by the said Testator (your name) in the presence of us, present at the same time, who at his request, in his presence, and in the presence of each other, have subscribed our names as witnesses." So now you know.)

However, the witnesses don’t need to know the contents of the Will; they are only witnessing your signature.

Their names and addresses should be written in directly after their signatures, and should also be clearly legible, as they may be called upon at a later date to testify that the signatures are indeed theirs, and they did indeed witness yours, so need to be contactable in that event.

However, it is important that neither witness is a beneficiary under the Will, as bequests made to them would be invalid.

Also, your spouse or the spouse of any beneficiary should not be a witness, as the gift would be altogether void.

Similarly, Executors should not witness a Will, as any bequest made to them would then be void.

If the Will runs over two or more pages, and especially if it’s typed, it is wise (although not legally required) to sign at the bottom or in the margin of each page.

No stamp is required on a Will in English law.

Points to ponder

Persons under the age of majority (18 years in U.K.) cannot make a Will.

A Legacy to a friend is made void by his death before the Testator’s.

A Legacy to a Testator’s child or other issue does not lapse by his or her death if he/she has any issue living at the time of the Testator’s death, but the legacy takes effect as if he had died immediately after the Testator.

Under English law (and most others), a Will is revoked by marriage of the person making it.

Except by marriage a Will can only be revoked by another Will, or writing executed like a Will, or by destruction - that is by tearing or burning.

Drawing a pen across a Will does not cancel it.

Changing your mind

So now you’ve made a Will, and got it all straight about who takes care of your affairs after you’ve gone, and who gets what.

A few years pass, and you have a falling out with one of your children, or divorce your wife in favour of the younger lovely you met one evening in Pattaya who is going to make you feel special and take good care of your every need for the rest of your days, and has managed to produce one or more offspring in the process.

So now you want to change the distribution percentages you’ve specified in your Will, or exclude someone altogether. How do you go about this?

I fact it’s quite simple.

All you need to do is write another Will.

Do not attempt to make a Codicil to your Will - that is, an addition or alteration of its provisions. It is better to rewrite a Will than alter it, since this may invalidate the Will altogether.

But bear in mind that your amended wishes may be contested by aggrieved parties, and court wrangles can take years and a great deal of money to fight.

One solution to this potential problem is to place your assets into a Discretionary Trust.

This will ensure your wishes are carried out efficiently and discretely, without anyone - individual or government - having access to or knowledge of your assets other than the Trustees.

While you are legally relinquishing ownership and control over your assets to the Trustees, your Letter of Wishes (written at the time of establishing the Trust and which can be amended any time thereafter much easier than making a new Will) enables you effectively to control the distribution of these assets exactly according to your wishes, and even long after you’re gone.

If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning investment matters, write to Leslie Wright, c/o Family Money, Pattaya Mail, or fax him directly on (038) 232522 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Further details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com.

Leslie Wright is Managing Director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd., a firm of independent financial advisors providing advice to expatriate residents of the Eastern Seaboard on personal financial planning and international investments.

Successfully Yours: Mark Laurence

by Mirin MacCarthy

Mark Laurence, at age forty, is young to be director of the Laem Chabang School of Engineering. Even a short perusal of his background, though, gives clues how he managed this. One factor stands out - in mid stride Mark discovered that the solution to advancement was education. "I am passionate about education, because it is the key, the answer to well being as an adult."

Mark Laurence.

He has certainly proven this by personal example, as Mark says, "How else could I go from leaving school at fourteen to becoming the director of an educational institution in a foreign country?"

His initial feeling for his school in Sussex England was not passion, however, but more of a love/hate relationship and he left early. Mark was not impressed by his teacher’s parting shot to his father, "Mr. Laurence, your son will either end up in prison or unemployed on welfare."

Keeping clear of the police and dole queues, he joined the navy at age fifteen and spent the next eleven years afloat, progressing from rating to chief petty officer. It was there he became involved in electronic engineering, maintaining navigation and guided weapons systems. It was there, too, that he discovered he could not progress any further without a degree. "I believed I was as good as many of the officers but in the navy the only thing that stops you from getting the rings on your arm is a degree."

Mark left the navy to ponder his future, but immediate domestic problems took precedence. "I lost my job, my car, my wife, my house, all in six months." A complete break was called for and since yachting was always something Mark was interested in, having crewed on two Fastnet Races before he joined the Navy, he spent six months crewing on an ocean going yacht in the Caribbean. However, six months and some severe weather were enough for Mark to decide to return to the U.K.

After a short time as technical sales rep., his lack of the magic degree became apparent again and he took the plunge and signed up for a four years science honours degree in technology and design at the Brunel University. While there he also completed a supplementary certificate in education.

Now armed with degrees and certificates Mark emigrated to Australia in 1991, having been impressed with the photos of Australia he had been shown as a child and never forgotten. "I thought Australia was the best place on earth. It has clean air and water you can drink, wide open spaces, good food and a huge middle class standard of living with not much extremes of poverty."

Mark took a position coordinating the Open Learning Project for the Eastern TAFE (Technical and Further Education), now part of Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology. He has not looked back since, progressing to teaching electronics and then deputy head to head of the department of manufacturing electrical electronics.

The academic connection between Swinburne University and the Laem Chabang School of Engineering made his next move fairly logical. He has been here for six months now and loves it. "For me, this is success: being able to run an institution that changes people’s lives. Here we aim to provide a learning environment that is meaningful and provides an answer to students’ problems. I place an importance on trust and respect that goes two ways. I believe that everyone, regardless of age, colour, or creed, has the right to a fair go."

Mark’s advice to students of today is: "Do what you enjoy, don’t listen to suggestions from anyone. Go with what you enjoy." Invaluable advice from a contented young man and much more telling than the "wise words" his teacher gave to Mark’s father all those years ago.

Snap Shots: Bad hair days

by Harry Flashman

Harry Flashman showed his latest batch of photographs to she who must be obeyed and was told "You were certainly having a bad hair day then, weren’t you?" Now since Harry here has this concept in his mind that he is an artist, criticism of his art can hurt. Like down to the quick.

However, criticism is the Mother of Excellence, and we should never be afraid of it. This can be difficult when you have the deeply in-built conviction that there are only two sides to any discussion, yours and the wrong one! To improve, you have to be able to look critically at your own work and see what you can do to improve your standard.

Photography and photographs are the judged by the subjective response of the viewer. They either like them or they do not. Successful photographers know how to take photographs that are more pleasing to the majority of viewers than otherwise.

This ability is not something that they were born with - it is something they learned over the years. This skill is yours for the asking. Believe me!

One of the greatest sources of all knowledge is in the written word. There are lots of books published to assist the novice photographer who would like to improve.

There are three authors Harry can really recommend. John Hedgecoe, Michael Freeman and the Kodak "How to take better pictures" series. All of these books are written in plain English, without excessive use of Photographic Jargon. Sure, you have to know how to recognise your f stop from your elbow, but you know that already. (If you don’t, write to Harry Flashman, c/o the Pattaya Mail and I will send you the answer confidentially in a plain unmarked brown paper envelope.)

Here is a simple and easy way to change your photographs for the better this weekend. Harry’s Hot Tip - place the subject of the photo to one side rather than dead set plumb in the centre. Ideally this should be one third in from either side, but just not putting it in the middle is a start. Now, working on the principle that westerners read from left to right - you will find they "read" photographs the same way. So items in the left of the photograph represent the past and items in the right represent the future. Still with me? Take a picture of a car on a road for example. Place a car pointing to the right in the right hand side of the picture and it means the car is going away. All the items in the left of the shot have already been passed and left behind. Conversely, place the car in the left of the shot and the car has not yet reached the items on the right.

Now imagine a hitch-hiker with the car shot. With the person on the left and the car on the right, the car has passed, the hitch-hiker has been unsuccessful and this is presenting a "sad" photograph. With the person on the right and the car approaching from the left, the hitch-hiker is still hopeful. A "happy" shot.

Can you now see just how your photographs can tell a dynamic story, even though one picture only represents a fleet split second of time? (Probably 1/125th of a second!) Just by offsetting the main subject you have managed to improve and add interest to your photograph.

All these tips, and lots more are available in the bookstore and it makes good sense to buy a couple of decent reference books. In the meantime, place your subjects off-centre this weekend and see what you get. Happy snapping.

Modern Medicine: Epilepsy

by Dr Iain Corness

The term "Epilepsy" strikes fear into the hearts of many people. However, with modern treatment Epilepsy should not be thought of as an insurmountable problem. It is also much more common than most people would imagine, with roughly around 1 in 200 adults having this tendency towards recurrent seizures.

The precipitating factor for an epileptic seizure is a disordered electrical discharge occurring in the brain. This can be caused by many factors, including heredity, trauma, tumour and a host of other factors including flashing light, temperature and a vast number we just cannot explain.

The International League Against Epilepsy has divided epileptic seizures into two main categories - Generalised and Partial Seizures.

The Generalised Seizure results from an acute discharge that affects the whole of both cerebral hemispheres (the two halves of your brain) seemingly beginning simultaneously on the surface of the brain.

A small discharge may produce only a momentary loss of consciousness with very little muscular jerking. This used to be called "Petit Mal" seizures.

A larger discharge will produce muscular spasms, loss of consciousness and a loss of sphincteric control (you pee yourself!).

With Partial Seizures, there is a defined area in the brain from where the electrical discharge occurs. The pattern of the seizure then depends upon which part of the brain the discharge starts from. This type is about twice as common as the Generalised Seizure, and generally comes from a local disturbance in brain tissue, be it bruising, thickening, tumour or disease.

Diagnosis does depend upon a complete history taken by a Neurologist (a specialist physician) and special tests such as Electro-encephalograms (EEG’s).

Treatment is mainly through a range of anti-convulsant therapies including the drugs Clonazepam, Phenobarbitone, Carbamazepine and Phenytoin. The one(s) to use depend upon the type of seizure, severity and the frequency. Plasma levels are now done regularly to ensure that the drug levels are within the therapeutic range, so things are not so "hit and miss" as they used to be.

The outlook for an Epileptic patient is so much better than it was before, with improved diagnosis and superior medication and monitoring. The important factor is not to treat yourself, but get your local Neurologist to monitor your medication.

Dear Hillary,

I have a problem. Don’t we all, but mine is a specifically annoying one. If I were back in the efficient United States, I would just throw a fit. But I realise that’s a no-no in Thailand. (Unless you’ve been drinking a lot and then you can kill anyone and get away with it.) Oh, sorry.

Well, my husband and I have been in Thailand for about a week now and it certainly is amazing. So very labour intensive. This is what mystifies me.

My husband and I go into restaurants, which are often empty, or only have 2 or three customers. We are greeted with delightful Thai smiles at the door. There are usually about 15-20 waiters or an average of about 5 per table.

Then our menu comes. Our waiters and waitresses have the loveliest arguments about who is going to serve us.

My husband, the cynic, says they are actually judging our ‘tip potential’ and if it is not good, they will force the newest employee to wait on us.

That wouldn’t be so disturbing if they did wait on us. After being very nice and giving us a half-hour to take a leisurely look at the menu, they take our order.

We usually like to have a drink so we order that first so that it may come beforehand and give us time to relax before our meal.

But the food usually comes about 1 minute after the drink. That’s not the real problem. The problem is when we would like to order additional coffee or egg rolls, the serving staff seems to have ‘had their plugs pulled’. They all station themselves at various corners of the restaurant and stare out the window with their backs to us.

This looks very charming when the beings in question are statues on a Greek temple but it can be quite trying in a restaurant when one wants service.

I’ve tried waving my arms but the staff is so clever. They manage to turn ever so slightly just when I get my arms going at ‘windmill’ magnitude. This is very embarrassing, as the waiters don’t see me but passers by outside do and often stop to watch my gyrations.

My husband finds this all very amusing. Being an old Yale man, he always gets the staff’s attention by pretending he is throwing up.

Hillary, help! There must be a better way.

I’m trying to be,

Dignified and Decorous

Dear Dignified,

I know your problem well and you’re in luck. Having lived here so long, I’ve developed some cunning stunts for getting the staff’s attention. One is the accepted Thai way of raising you voice just slightly and calling ‘Nong’. This is the proper term for addressing serving people, if you are one year older than they are. The problem is that if pronounced on the wrong tone, it can mean ‘pustule’, which is not very appetising.

The best way to get attention in a ‘non crowded’ restaurant is to clink your fork ever so gently and melodiously against your water glass. Of course you must beckon quickly, as serving staff often has a way of looking away very quickly once they’ve identified the source of the sound. You are then left without.

If there should be some Thai customers seated near you, you could give them a pleading look and they will call the staff for you.

But I feel that you must understand that ‘labour intensive’ is rather self-defeating. The more staff a restaurant has, the easier it is to blame faulty service on a colleague. I was shocked when I went to Germany and saw 2 waitresses taking care of ten tables with ferocious efficiency.

Of course, you didn’t get the Thai grace or smile.

Enjoy your stay.

GRAPEVINE

Animal Crackers: Buying Pets

by Mirin MacCarthy

Don’t Fall in Love

If you decide that you must have a pet in your life the worst thing you can do is rush off to a pet shop or weekend market and fall hopelessly in love with that cute little ball of fluff over in the corner. Pets always have an impact in your life, some of them can live long and be more expensive and disruptive than children. Read up on your prospective adoptee first.

Do you have room for a dog?

Dogs, similar to horses, need adequate housing, training, constant grooming, veterinary care and daily exercise. Look at your reasons for wanting the animal and choose an appropriate breed for your lifestyle. A longhaired dog will need air-conditioned quarters in this climate and is out of the question if any of the family has allergies or is unprepared for the daily brushing and combing routine. Like rabbits, young puppies are surprisingly destructive and need lots of play and supervision. Large, active dogs need constant exercise that may not suit apartment living or a busy lifestyle. Try to buy from a breeder, see the whole litter if possible and choose the strongest and boldest. The breeders’ or shop premises should be clean and the pups bright eyed, with clean ears, cool moist noses, and clean, unsoiled bottoms. They should move steadily, have firm bodies with elastic skin and clean coats. Never take a shy, sickly or undersized pup because it is offered cheap. Dogs are the only animals that live their whole life for man. Make sure you understand the commitment and responsibility before taking it on.

Cats and Kittens

Cats are companionable, loyal, playful and sometimes even possessive. Stroking a cat is reputed to be stress and blood pressure lowering. The only choice to be made is pedigree and shorthaired or longhaired with the resulting constant grooming needed. Thai cats, Korats or See Sawat’s, with their short, single, non-shedding coats are ideal for this country.

Choose kittens that are bright eyed, active and alert with no discharge from eyes, ears or nose. Avoid premises that are dirty, overcrowded or with any sick kittens as disease spreads rapidly.

Hello Cocky

Before choosing a bird it is vital to research the different breeds characteristics, care and feeding.

Macaws and cockatoos can be horribly noisy, destructive and attention seeking. Other cute small birds are insect eaters, lovebirds and conures make ear shattering shrieks and lorikeets an extravagant mess. Good choices for apartment birds are cockatiels, canaries, budgerigars, and moustached, plum headed or Indian ring neck parrots. Don’t buy from dirty, diseased premises; check to see that the birdcages have been cleaned in the last twenty-four hours. Stand back and observe - healthy birds are always alert, watchful, even a little nervous. Fluffed up sleepy birds moping in a corner are extremely ill and/or dying. Choose a bird that is sleek and fully feathered with no soiled vent or tail feathers and not sneezing or with laboured breathing.

Avoid impulse buying and select your pet carefully and then years of shared fun can be the result.

Auto Mania: Benz goes round the bend?

By Dr. Iain Corness

Made one of my rare visits to Bangkok the other day. Many years ago, Bangers was my favourite city - it certainly is no more. It’s the city that strangled itself with its own exhaust pipe. It is such a hassle to go anywhere that you’d rather stay at home. Even on Sunday the traffic is horrendous. At least in Pattaya the traffic always moves.

This time I didn’t even take the mighty Mira up to the capital - it’s even too hard to try and park in Bangkok, let alone the problems of driving with road maps on your knees.

But back to the story - saw the new A Class baby Benzes on display. Is this some huge practical joke being played on the unsuspecting public? It is probably the ugliest looking new car I’ve seen in the last decade! And a Benz?

Remember the Suzuki Swift hatch-back of a few years ago? The rear end is pure Swift. The front, however, looks like a Swift that’s gone under the back of an 18 wheeler and has been pushed in all the way through to the windscreen.

Plastic Ice Bucket.

For my money this car does nothing but cheapen the "image" of Mercedes. Karl Benz must be revolving in his grave over this one. For many reasons, they should market the little pus-bucket as a Chrysler, not as a Benz.

Knit your own.

It reminds me of the gaffe Porsche made some twenty odd years ago when some bright marketing person suggested that the new sports car they had designed as an Audi should be rebadged and sold as a Porsche. This was how the dreadful 924 made its presence on the streets. It was roundly derided by all Porsche enthusiasts and the factory hastily threw away all the cheap Audi bits and substituted 911 brakes etc., and renamed it the 944. Even today, all but the unknowing will turn their noses up at a 924, despite its Porsche badge - even the 944 is only just acceptable.

Look Mum, no straps (no brains?).

The A Class Benz is one of these cars. At 2.8 million Baht, it is an expensive way to buy a three pointed star. You would do better to prise one off the back of a Nissan Diesel bus, all of which seem to have the famous badge. No, with the recent merger, call it a Chrysler Light Bulb and let it die a natural death. It’s horrible!

A good image!

Must make mention of the taxi service up and back - we arranged for Image Car Travel to take us. A clean, fully fuelled car arrived ON TIME at our home. The driver was courteous and spoke English, so there’s a turn up for the books for starters.

Fashionable strapless number.

As you can imagine, after 32 years as a motor racer, if anyone can be critical of driving habits, it is me. Our driver read the road ahead at all times, so there was no savage braking and accelerating. It was one smooth trip all the way. He did well.

Little touches like reading material (no Pattaya Mail though, must speak to them about that!) and grooming items on board meant we arrived in Bangkok as neat as when we left home.

The trip back was just as good. Picked up at the Amari Boulevard on time again and another easy trip. We both slept half the way, it was all so smooth.

BYO Bandages.

It cost only a few Baht more to have the best, but for my money it was well worth it. When you have tired of smelly cabs, smelly drivers and lack of service, give Image Car Travel a call (038) 303087. Has my personal recommendation!

Rushing headlong into oblivion?

The guide books all tell me that "Thai" means "free". Indeed, it is wonderful to be here to experience the freedoms from legislative constraints that are all so present and pervasive in the so-called western free societies. A freedom that the western world fought wars for, then legislated it out of existence!

Terylene and nylon model.

However, sometimes I do find myself caught on the horns of the proverbial dilemma. There is nothing better than riding a motorcycle along Beach Road Jomtien, the breeze in your face and hair (or what’s left of it in my case) and the feeling of not a care in the world.

Unfortunately, my medical training leaves me in no doubt of the consequences when you fall off. Brain damage is not fun. It is even less fun for your relatives who have to take care of you thereafter! Undoubtedly, a good crash helmet will stop the vast majority of cerebral catastrophes, and in the "free world" the use of helmets is compulsory.

In Thailand it has also become compulsory to wear a helmet (even if this only covers the rider and not the passenger!). My contention is then, if you HAVE to wear a helmet - why not wear a good one? If the idea of the legislation is to protect the motorcycle rider, let’s make that protection worthwhile.

Bell Helmet company over thirty years ago had the slogan "If you’ve got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet". Here in 1999 that can be translated as "If you’ve got a 178 Baht head..." My own personal brain bucket cost over $1000 in Oz, so you can see I’ve probably got an inflated idea of my intellectual worth! However, I should have a good degree of protection if I do ever step off awkwardly.

The same cannot be said for the 178 Baht model. Or for the plastic ice-cream bucket models. Even a better grade bash hat is no good if it falls off in the accident because the straps were not done up. A construction worker’s helmet is designed to protect your head from falling objects, not for taking swan dives onto the bitumen.

The message is clear. Wear a good helmet and do it up. Your relatives might just thank you later.

The following pictures are representative of some of the styles of "protective" headgear you can see on the streets of Pattaya. If you see yourself, I am not throwing off at you personally, I am just using the picture as an example. OK?

Fitness Tips: Time to step it up

by David Garred
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club

G’day Pattaya, I can’t believe that it is time already for the first intensity update for the year. Time is flying by.

Who is sticking with the program so far?

For those of you who are it is time to step it up a little.

In the interests of losing more fat, getting stronger, increasing your muscle tone or even improving your cardiovascular fitness it is time to do a little more work, or at the very least, change the way you are working out.

Why? - Ahhhh, the big question.

Let me explain this proven concept in layman’s terms.

The only way a body; loses fat, increases strength - the ability to move a mass, increase muscle tone and / or improve cardiovascular fitness is by muscle stimulation.

How does muscle stimulation help the body lose fat?

It actually burns the fat off.

The mobilisation of fat from its stores to the muscles for its use is important in the control of bodyweight. During prolonged periods of exercise at moderate intensity, fat is the major fuel source of ‘chemical energy’ within the muscle so that it might be able to continue to perform physical work.

In practical terms, this means that stored fats are readily used as fuel at low levels of exercise.

It does not matter if the muscle stimulation is voluntary or involuntary, the fuel source is the same.

How do we stimulate our muscles?

Cardiovascular fitness requires a minimum of 20 minutes continuous (no stopping and starting, racquet sports are out, sorry) exercise at a speed that makes you breathe heavily (puff).

Fat burning and muscle toning exercise requires a minimum of 30 minutes of continuous cardiovascular exercise at an intensity where you are sweating and still have sufficient breath to be able to hold a conversation.

Strength training requires a regular increase in the amount of weight you lift for the same number of repetitions. This will change both muscle size and density, bone density, tendon strength and base metabolic rate.

Take another look at the end of the last sentence "increase base metabolic rate", this means that the body, to maintain all it’s systems, requires more energy to survive every day.

If you then ask those same muscles to perform some cardiovascular exercise even more energy from fat will be burnt.

Finally, putting a regular change in the routine at every 6-week mark you will constantly keep the muscles changing and developing, again you will compound the amount of fat being burnt.

Alas, the variety is the hardest thing and this is the reason why I am putting a reminder in to my articles every 6-8 weeks, so that you will keep up to your maximum fat burning potential.

Carpe’ diem

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