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Family Money: Keeping
Your Head
By Leslie Wright
One of the questions I’m most commonly asked is how
to go about constructing an investment portfolio. Especially one that,
without taking on undue risk, achieves or betters the offshore industry
long-term average return of 10% p.a. in US$ terms and 12% p.a. in
Sterling.
Is there a magic recipe? Well, no, there isn’t.
Is it easy? Of course not, otherwise anyone could do
it.
It’s partly a matter of having access to the right
information, and enough of it to make an educated guess of how the
world’s markets are likely to perform over the next several weeks or
months. And being dispassionately objective. And taking several factors
into account before you start.
Getting the timing right
Most direct investors plunge into a market and buy a
few shares on a whim or fancy, or because of some news they heard on the
TV (always a reliable source of information if you want to throw your
money away) or read in the newspaper (except here of course.)
If these whim-&-fancy investors are really lucky,
they may indeed make a profit. Maybe even a big one. I don’t get to meet
many of these, though. Obviously they do well enough not to need my humble
assistance.
The vast majority of people I meet professionally have
not been quite so lucky with their investments, and quite often managed to
lose money even though at least some of the world’s markets were rising
quite nicely.
Some believe they understand how it all works and dive
into the market once they believe the bottom has been reached. That of
course is the ideal time to go in.
But how do you know when that’s happened?
Investors are easily confused during a drop in one or
another of the world’s markets. All three principal categories of
investment - equities, bonds and cash - are often talked down as soon as
they are recommended. No sooner does an investor do a ‘flight to
quality’ than someone else yells, “Don’t”.
“No-one is more vulnerable than the private
investor,” admitted one American dealer when the markets experienced a
dip a few months back, and - according to some of the Talking Heads on TV
- global economic prospects were suddenly looking gloomy.
But sure enough, within a couple of months everything
was back to normal and the markets had bounced back (as some of us had
predicted). People who had invested into a strategically-diversified
equity-based portfolio in September were rubbing their hands with glee by
Christmas.
The main mistake everyone makes in a bull market is to
build up an equities-only portfolio and claim, “I can ride out the
storm.” But at the first sign of trouble these investors are heading for
the exit and usually selling somewhere near the bottom. This is
self-defeating.
Understanding risk
Whenever there is a dip in the markets, the most
important thing not to do is panic.
Investors owe it to themselves to construct a portfolio
that is commensurate with their real tolerance of risk - and most people
are a lot less tolerant of risk than they care to admit. It is vitally
important to make sure one has a mix of assets one is comfortable with
over the long term.
The basic choice is equities, bonds and cash. And the
mix comes down to the proportion you hold of each of these asset classes
in your overall investment portfolio (which in my profession’s jargon is
called the ‘Asset Allocation Matrix’).
Historically, equities have always out-performed other
asset classes over extended periods of time. In the short term, however,
there will always be periods of volatility which affect the returns on
paper. Thus an investment in equity markets should always be viewed as a
long term commitment - a time frame of at least five years.
During a market correction, it is only those people who
invested recently and found they suddenly need cash who will suffer a
reduction in their asset value. For longer term investors, it is worth
remembering it is only the paper value which has fluctuated.
But all too often, nervous investors (those who either
don’t really understand how stock markets operate, or who have taken on
more risk than their nerves can accept) will track their investments very
closely, and sometimes be simply too close to the wood to see the trees.
They’ll tend to dwell so much on day-to-day fluctuations that they lose
sight of the overall investment objective - if they had even set one in
the first place, other than a vague desire to make money.
Equities out-perform the rest
In bars and cafes one will always meet people who claim
that investing into equities is too risky - that they always lose money in
the stock market. Well, perhaps that is because they did what many who
don’t really understand stock markets do: wait until the market has gone
up and up and up before tentatively buying in, and then when it dips down
again (as stock markets frequently do after the ‘big boys’ take their
profits), they nervously watch the downward slide and then sell out in a
panic, thereby locking in a loss. Of course these people always lose money
on the stock market!
However, the long-term figures speak for themselves.
For instance, a study published last year showed that
if you had invested ฃ100 in UK equities back in 1945, and assuming
gross dividends had been reinvested, by the end of December 1997 - (yes, I
did say 1997 - the year of the Asian Slump) - that sum of money would have
been worth ฃ73,657. By comparison, ฃ100 invested in UK
government bonds over the same period, again with gross income reinvested,
would have been worth only ฃ2,503.
Similarly, over the 15-year period between 7th
September 1983 and 7th September 1998, the S&P 500 index (a good
measure of US equities) had risen 479%. Over the same period, the UK’s
FTSE All Share Index was up 444% and Germany’s DAX 30 Index was up 594%.
While it is quite true that equity markets frequently
have bumps and dips in the short term (called ‘volatility’ in my
industry’s jargon), there is no question that capital growth over time
is most effectively achieved by an investment in equities.
But how does an investor sleep soundly when he fears
that the news the next morning will be of a market crash which has
stripped billions off the value of the world’s equity markets, and his
hard-won nest-egg has turned into a shrivelled omelette?
If you are certain that your asset allocation matrix at
commencement was truly tailored to meet your own financial needs and
objectives, and if you know you can rely on the financial advisor or fund
manager to whom you entrusted that task, then there should be little cause
for concern.
Getting proper advice
At my firm for instance (since I cannot speak for
others), when an investor comes to us and outlines his or her financial
needs and objectives, the portfolio we recommend to them is structured
according to what we are told.
For instance, we would only recommend equity-based
investments if the investor shared with us long-term investment
objectives. So regardless of what happens to equity markets in the short
term, we remain concerned with providing a portfolio that meets those
long-term needs.
An example would be a client whose main objective is to
build up a capital sum for his children’s education. This might be from
an existing sum of capital, or from regular savings over time, or a
combination of the two.
Whatever the route taken, the client’s satisfaction
rests in achieving the objective: paying for education at some specific
date in the future. Then, the real risk would be to put that money into
low volatility instruments such as cash deposits and bonds which have a
poor chance of delivering the capital growth required to meet the stated
objective. So at least a goodly portion of that sum has to be invested in
equities.
Given the higher risk nature of the resulting
investment portfolio, it would be fully explained to the client what we
are recommending and why, and how the strategic balance should be
restructured as the time draws closer to drawing down the accumulated
capital, which would need protecting against potential volatility.
Given that the rationale for equity exposure is clear
from the start and that the money is either locked away (in the case of
capital) or building up long term from regular savings, the investor
relaxes knowing that his investment needs and objectives have a better
chance of being achieved.
On the other hand, if a client says the need is for
income (a pension, for example), then we structure his or her portfolio
with a commitment to meeting that aim.
However, if the client will be needing capital in the
short term - less than a year away - we suggest keeping a cash reserve on
secure interest-bearing deposit or money funds sufficient to meet those
requirements, rather than placing this capital into equities which might
indeed grow better or may suffer a dip right before it’s needed.
This may all seem just common sense; but common sense
isn’t too common - especially when it comes to how many people view
their investments.
A particularly frustrating example of how things can go
awry is when a client who has not divulged his need for short term
liquidity - despite this point having been addressed during our
discussions, and his leading us to believe he can take a long-term view -
suddenly wants to access his capital within a very short space of time
after establishing a medium or long-term investment strategy, which then
either has to be unravelled or restructured (which inevitably involves
quite a bit of time-consuming paperwork, not to mention international
communications costs), or worse, encashed at perhaps the wrong time in a
market cycle, and perhaps suffers costly penalties as well.
While an ethical financial adviser will always work on
a ‘best advice’ basis with his clients, such best advice can only be
given to any client who is willing to go through the time-consuming and
sometimes boring process of identifying, quantifying and prioritising his
financial needs and aspirations, and clearly establishing his investment
goals and criteria. When the client fails to disclose important pertinent
information or moves the goalposts afterwards, it is hardly the advisory
broker’s fault.
Doing your homework
Investors can best serve themselves through market
fluctuations by adequately researching the companies to whom they entrust
their assets, or dealing through a reliable broker who is in a position to
do this for them.
Simply comparing best-performing funds gives a
distorted picture. You have to know what has created that performance. Did
it come from just one stock? Just one sector? Was it down to the fund
manager’s good guidance, good management or just luck? Last year’s
best performer may be next year’s worst.
The art of choosing a best-performing fund company, or
any particular fund from that company’s ‘menu’, is to understand how
the fund is managed, what/who is driving it and what it aims to achieve.
Look for consistency, constancy and persistency.
If you go through the correct process of clearly
identifying your investment goals, your investment time-frame, your
risk-aversion profile, and then either judiciously select and manage your
own portfolio of appropriate funds, or get an experienced broker or
portfolio manager whom you can rely on to do it for you, then sitting out
a market crisis will be far less painful.
But as has been noted in this space before, most
amateur investors simply don’t have access to the quantity nor quality
of the information needed to make these judicious decisions objectively,
nor in most cases the ability to monitor and manage their portfolio
dispassionately, even if they have the time to do so. Choosing the
appropriate mix for not only your given circumstances, needs and
objectives, but current and projected market conditions, takes
considerable amounts of time, skill and experience.
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. If you have
any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning
investment matters, contact Leslie directly by fax on (038) 232522 or
e-mail [email protected].
Further details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website
on www.westminsterthailand.com.
Editor’s note: Leslie sometimes receives e-mails to which he is
unable to respond due to the sender’s automatic return address being
incorrect. If you have sent him an e-mail to which you have not received a
reply, this may be why. To ensure his prompt response to your enquiry,
please include your complete return e-mail address, or a contact phone/fax
number.
The Computer Doctor
by Richard Bunch
From Bob Lee: Yes it’s me
again! I seem to be having a problem of late in trying to print from web
pages. I have an HP printer; have windows 98 2nd edition upgrade in my
system. I don’t seem know what the problem is. I have always managed to
print information in the past from most web pages. The printer IS installed
correctly and the port is open. I have no problems when printing from Word.
Can you help?
Computer Doctor replies: You are becoming a regular
contributor, but don’t worry, I like to help you! There are a number of
issues here from what at the outset appears a pretty innocuous question. I
am assuming you are using Internet Explorer 5 of which the latest version is
5.01, downloadable from www.microsoft.com. It is not clear if you have been
able to print from web pages since you installed Windows 98 Second Edition.
In any event, I suggest you try the following: try deleting the Printer from
the system, then, rather than re-installing it using the default Windows
driver, download the latest version from the printer manufacturers web site.
If this cures the problem, all well and good otherwise re-install IE5, which
will repair any damaged files. That should resolve the problem. If it
doesn’t, feel free to come back to me.
From Phil Mabtatoe: I have a Pentium 166Mhz and am
running Windows 98, which I know is fairly slow, but this last week it has
slowed down significantly. Now it can take up to 15 minutes to open a
program like Photoshop, then once opened to try to do anything is nearly
impossible. Have you any suggestions I could try or do you think it is just
old age, the PC that is.
Computer Doctor replies: As you say, your system is
fairly old and is probably reaching the end of its useful life, particularly
if you are doing any significant quantity of graphics. Nonetheless, it is
probable that some system files have become damaged and in the first
instance, you can try to re-install Windows 98 over the top of the existing
installation, taking care to re-install into the same directory as your
existing Windows. If this doesn’t do the trick then the Registry itself
could be damaged and if this is the case, then the best solution is to save
your data then format your hard disk and do a clean install. If you are
still experiencing problems then the chances are that you have a hardware
problem and depending upon what this is, it may not be economic to repair a
system of this age.
Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or Fax to 038 427 596 or
E-mail to [email protected]
Richard Bunch is Managing Director of Action Computer Technologies Co.,
Ltd.
Successfully Yours: Sitthichoke
Adinan
by Mirin MacCartthy
The first time I spoke to Captain Sitthichoke, Master
Mariner, I asked how I would recognise him. “It will be easy,” he
said, “I’m Thai but I have white hair.” That phrase alone makes
Sitthichoke a very different sort of man. Getting to know him over many
years has confirmed that initial feeling. He is very different.
He was born in Chiang Rai to a father who came
originally from Yunnan (so he was a Shan) and a Mon mother. The eldest of
five children, he was also the only boy, a family responsibility that
would change his life in some ways later.
However, at six years of age, his father packed him off
to boarding school in the U.K. “My dad worked for BOAC (British Overseas
Airways Corporation) as a ticketing agent and felt it would be good for us
to have an overseas education. Even in our home, we spoke English 95% of
the time.”
Sitthichoke
received his schooling in Southampton, and it was there, with the bracing
sea air, that he began to find himself becoming enthralled with sea life.
His father had other ideas and wanted his son and heir to become an
airline pilot. Sitthichoke was told to present himself for the airline
exams. Rather than refuse, he didn’t go! In fact he did not go four
times and after the final attempt by his father, Dad gave up and let his
19 year old wayward son follow his natural bent.
So at 19 years of age, this young fellow from Northern
Thailand became an O.S. That is an Ordinary Seaman in the Merchant Navy.
While the sea faring life may be thought of as romantic, when you start
from the bottom it is all hard work and drudgery. In those days, the early
60s, being different from the other Ordinary Seamen was also not an
advantage. “They would look at me and call me the yellow monkey.”
Sitthichoke said wryly. “I had to clean the Captain’s toilet every
morning, and sometimes more times, if he just felt like giving me a hard
time.”
But perseverance was one of Sitthichoke’s long suits
and he began to slowly work his way up through the naval hierarchy. As a
mariner he travelled the world, with shore bases in Europe (Bremerhaven),
Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia (Fremantle).
During that time he met a number of different people
and found that he had a flair for languages - much more than just Thai and
English. “I really like to study, so that’s why I learned so many.”
And he certainly did! Hindi, Malay, Burmese, Indonesian, Tagalog and
Mandarin. “I’m not too good in Mandarin,” he said quickly, “but
I’m good enough to get myself around.”
He also applied himself to the practical side of his
sea life and continued climbing the ladder - all the way through to
becoming a ship’s Captain. He is very proud of that achievement. “I
never dreamed I could do this without going to nautical school.”
It was after being at sea for 20 years that his family
responsibility came to him. His father and mother were both dead and his
two youngest sisters were still at school. As a dutiful Thai man, he
turned his back on his first love, the sea, and returned to shore to carry
on his parent’s work in looking after the family.
With his experience and background, he took on the
positions as Operations Manager for shipping companies in Bangkok, staying
there for 13 years while his sisters completed their schooling.
In 1996 he then found his way to the Eastern Seaboard,
starting his own shipping agency in Laem Chabang, and two years later
moving it to the new deep water port facility at Map Ta Phut where he is
today.
But this man of the sea has another love and that
involves dry land. That other love is 4x4 Off-Roading. “When I was a
boy, my dad had a short wheelbase Land Rover and an ex army Willy’s
jeep, but it wasn’t till I saw the Australian Safari in 1976 that I got
hooked.” Since then he has really gone into Off-Roading in a big way,
running the Asia Off Road Centre and organising many treks and 4x4
rallies, including one to Yunnan, his heritage, in May and June this year.
Sitthichoke’s father’s advice was to love the world
and be fair and honest in your dealings with people. Sitthichoke agrees
with those words and suggests that the world would be a better place if
everyone followed those dictums.
According to him, the most important quality to have is
the ability to “strive”. And Sitthichoke knows the meaning of that
word. To go from an O.S. to Captain means you have certainly had to strive
very hard.
I asked this white haired man at the end of the interview what
nationality he felt he was. “I am Thai,” he said easily, “but I
think in a farang way!” The seafarer from Chiang Rai is certainly very
different.
Snap Shots: Black
Velvet!
Low budget special effects photography is the subject
this week. And when I say “low budget”, that is exactly what I mean.
In my personal library I have books that claim to do just this and then go
on for one chapter about the “low budget” equipment required - like an
enlarger, registration table with registration pins, copy stand and photo
floods and studio strobes. If that is “low budget”, then Harry will
eat his overcoat!
However, it is possible to produce many special effects
photos without having to purchase expensive equipment, work with slides
only or have studio strobes. The first item you need is a roll of black
velvet.
Black velvet is a very important part of photography,
and in his studio, Harry here used to keep several metres of the stuff.
Why? Because it is one of the easiest ways to introduce some very
different effects into your photographs.
The secrets behind the use of this material include the
facts that it is non-reflective, it does not affect exposure values when
taking the shot and shadows do not register on it. Mind you, fluff, dust
and dirt does, so you have to keep it scrupulously clean!
Because it does not affect the film, this makes black
velvet the ideal material to use as a background when you wish to combine
images, or do other special effects.
Here are just a few ideas you can do with black velvet.
Simple double exposure becomes very easy with this material in the
background. Set your camera in the double exposure mode (or if you have
not got one, select “B” for time exposure). Position the subject to
one side of the picture and pop the flash to take the shot. Now reposition
the subject on the other side of the picture and shoot again. You will
have two perfect shots on a perfectly black background. (For those using
the “B” setting you have to have the room dark and the camera on a
tripod. Cover the lens between taking the shots to stop extraneous light
coming into the camera too, but it is possible to get excellent double
exposures in this way.)
Another use for black velvet is in making pictures of
light trails. These can be very spectacular special effects pictures and
are very easy to make. Stick the black velvet on the ceiling and suspend a
torch from the centre. With the camera facing upwards, twirl the torch and
record its movement for ten seconds or so. You have just made a totally
original print!
Photo montage is another simple effect you can produce
using the black velvet as the background. Here you let your creative self
run riot. You can produce any picture you want, whether it be yourself
standing on top of the Statue of Liberty or three elephants standing on a
beach ball - you are in total control!
With this type of special effect you have to cut out
the elements you want from other pictures, be they prints or magazine
photos or whatever. Cut carefully and then run a black felt-tip pen around
the edges (See why? It will sit on black velvet!) and you are ready to
combine all your subjects.
Put your composition (photo montage) together and
positioning your camera above the montage, look carefully through the
viewfinder. This is how the shot will look, remember. Reposition any items
at this stage. Next important item is to keep the camera back (film plane)
parallel with your background as this will keep all the elements in focus.
Now shoot!
If you find the direct flash gives you a reflection problem, you can
use household “floodlights”, one each side at 45 degrees to the
surface. You will get a “warm” colour cast, but since you are
producing “surreal” photographs, it does not really matter. Have fun
this weekend!
Modern Medicine: Worms!
by Dr Iain Corness
Unfortunately, worm infestations are very common all
over the world, and particularly common in Thailand. These little beasts
can take up residence in your gut and other assorted innards and live
parasitically from you for many, many years.
They also have wonderful romantic names, even if they
do not have romantic natures, although they do like to live close to you!
Try these on for size: Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Enterobius
vermicularis (threadworm), Ancylostoma duodenale (hookworm), Strongyloides
stercoralis (dwarf threadworm), Taenia saginata and its brother and sister
Taenia solium (hermaphrodite tapeworms) and Echinococcus granulosus (hydatid
cysts).
To get worms, you generally have to eat their eggs, and
they’re not soft and easy over either. The eggs are found on the food
you eat, hatch in your gut, then migrate into your blood stream where they
go for a merry-go-round through your body, including a romp through your
lungs, back into the blood stream and eventually end up in your bowel in
most instances. Hydatids are somewhat different, as they end up in your
liver and produce cysts which can last for years.
There are a couple of them, however, who just get in
through your skin and migrate under the dermal layers to produce peculiar
creeping eruptions just under the skin.
These worms range in size too. Little threadworms and
hookworms are about one centimetre long, while roundworms are about 20 cms
long and our friend the tapeworm can reach up to 10 metres in length.
The eggs may be found in uncooked meat, especially beef
or pork and the liver flukes are found in uncooked fish. There is
certainly a message here, isn’t there!
Funnily enough, the symptoms of worm infestation in the
gut are not very great. They can cause a little abdominal discomfort and
may often present as an anaemia and weight loss. (In fact, tapeworm eggs
were taken by women in the early 1900’s as weight reducing pills!) With
threadworms, you can get an itchy bottom as well.
To demonstrate their presence it is necessary to
examine the faeces (stool) and look for eggs, tapeworm segments or even
the worms themselves. This requires three samples, as very often one
sample may not have enough eggs to show up in the microscopic testing.
The good news is that we do have something to attack
most of these blighters and kill them. The other good news is that usually
it just takes one course to eradicate the worms. The bad news is that if
you get tapeworms you may need long term therapy and with hydatid cysts in
the liver it will be necessary to slice you open to cut them out. Some
surgeons also like you to have a one to two month course of tablets before
surgery.
So that’s the slippery story on intestinal worms - you don’t want
them! Scrupulous hygiene practices will ensure your family does not
harbour them. Wash your hands, Jeffery!
Dear
Hillary,
I am a regular reader of the Pattaya Mail and am
impressed with the wisdom of your advice to others. Hopefully you will be
able to help me. I am a successful Australian businessman who has worked
hard, accumulated a high level of wealth that provides me with a very
comfortable lifestyle. Despite my financial successes, I have failed
miserably in finding true love. In my quest to achieve loving happiness, I
have commenced a worldwide trek for that elusive female butterfly. One who
will be able to fill that void in my life, love me, marry me and produce
our children. Australian women are not suitable. I have always believed
that any relationship is a 50 - 50 proposition, but Aussie women don’t
understand fractions. I flew to America. I met an attractive girl and took
her to Disneyland to enjoy the rides. She took me for a ride. In Canada I
met a beautiful librarian but she spent most of her time reading my
bankbooks. In Paris I met a very tender person, but true to her character
she was only interested in legal tender. In Rome I went out with a dog
breeder. She not only took her dogs for a walk but took my wallet for a
walk too.
I am now here in Pattaya, still searching for my
butterfly. I have met a cute local girl named Noi who works at a beer bar.
One of the drinkers at the bar informed me that Noi is a real butterfly;
in fact she has the image of a small butterfly tattooed over her heart.
She doesn’t seem interested in taking my money for herself though and
only insists that I give her one thousand baht every morning for her taxi
ride home. It seems that both of her parents are always ill, as she needs
additional money to send to them.
Please tell me about the local girls. Could Noi be my
elusive butterfly? She wants me to take her away from it all but could she
take it all away from me? Could the fact that her parents are always ill
have any detrimental genetic effect on any children we may have? Awaiting
your advice.
Mick
Dear Mick,
My heart breaks for you, you seem to be hell bent on
being taken for a ride! Aren’t you a little dear! Or should I say a
little pricey? How long have you been in Pattaya? I am just surprised you
don’t appear to be familiar with the meaning of the euphemism, “You go
butterfly?” Be aware, perhaps Noi may be your elusive but not exclusive
butterfly. Don’t worry about Noi’s health though - she will only get
sick later in life when the daughter you have between you meets a rich
Australian, who has worked hard and accumulated a high level of wealth and
is looking for an elusive butterfly. In the meantime, I suggest she takes
a cheaper taxi home, that Rolls-Royce is a little over the top. Give her
40 Baht for a motorcycle taxi and see how she goes! Or should I say
“disappears”. Have you considered having yourself cloned? Us girls all
over the world need more of you!
Dear Hillary,
The girl in my office is driving me nuts. She fights
with everyone and gets very moody every month. In between times she is
just grumpy. All this I could stand, but she thinks she can put any of her
paperwork, files, etc., on my desk and expect me to work around her
rubbish. Do you have any suggestions before I burn her bookkeeping?
Jack
Dear Jack,
I suggest you smile sweetly every time she deposits
papers on your desk and say, “I need to keep my desk free for myself. I
would be very happy if you put your papers somewhere else.” (Notice the
“I” words here and no implied criticism.) If this does not work after
several smiling attempts, simply put her papers on the floor and if she is
Thai she will certainly get the message. Funeral pyring the books should
be saved for a last resort.
Dear Hillary,
How come there are so many golf tournaments in Pattaya?
With the extremely hot weather here I thought golf would not be popular.
Perhaps it is a case of mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun?
What do you think?
Rudy
Dear Rudy,
You may be right. Although there appears to be approximately 6000
members of the Pattaya Sports Club, the majority of whom are involved in
golf. I couldn’t say how many of them are English though. There are
quite a number of mad dogs out in the midday sun here too, as you must
have noticed. It has been suggested that the golf tours are a way to raise
funds for the disadvantaged and change the image of Pattaya from one of
sex tours to a family destination. These factors, plus the number of great
golf courses in the area and the comparatively low fees, are possibly what
induces people to chase little white balls over long distances under the
hot sun. That and perhaps sheer masochism could play a part as well.
GRAPEVINE
Chicago
style dessert
The drums rolled and the music reached a
crashing crescendo, but the exotic go go dancer failed to jump out of
the giant cake on cue. A group of friends of about-to-be-married
Lucien Darlan, 37, had hired stripper “Marlene” to make the
impressive appearance as the sugar coated highlight of a wild stag
party organized at a Jomtien Condotel. At first, it was assumed that
the cake had been carelessly assembled without Marlene actually being
inside. But the mystery was resolved after one of the guests heard
grunts coming from within the almond paste monstrosity. In all the
excitement, the poor girl had resorted to snoring in her deep sleep.
Really taking off
There’s an increasingly brisk trade down
at Seaside Two on Soi Chaiyapool, between Soi Bukao and Third Road,
where budget conscious farangs assemble for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. The British breakfast, a generous plateful of ham and eggs at
that, weighs in at no more than 65 baht. Sausages and mash, followed
by bananas and custard and a cup of coffee sets you back a mere 115
baht. Not fancy, but the English speaking Thai management makes you
feel at home. An added bonus is that they provide newspapers,
including Pattaya Mail, for free. If you’re lucky, you might even
hear incisive farangs mercilessly pulling this column to bits.
Anti marketing
Farangs are increasingly angry about the
growing practice in some shopping mall stores to claim there is a 10%
discount on the contents of your shopping trolley on that particular
day. One well known chemist’s store in town actually had a salesgirl
going round the aisles telling browsers about this special offer. Once
you get to the check-out, it’s a different story. Only marked items
carry the discount and there are precious few of them in reality.
Several farangs were observed dropping their shopping trolleys and
walking out. There is, or certainly ought to be, a difference between
a sale and a scam.
The easy rider is here
An incredible eight function machine from
China is now on sale in the Made in Thailand market. After assembly,
you twist various levers and hinges so that the versatile vehicle
becomes a tricycle or bicycle which travels backwards, an exercise
machine, a wheelchair, a sofa, a desk, an easel or a tripod for
cameras. But Mr and Mrs Tom Muir from Glasgow have e mailed us to say
they are very disappointed. They were asked to open the unusual and
bulky package at Heathrow Airport by curious customs officials who
asked them how The Easy Rider worked. They had to admit they did not
know. Alas, the only instructions inside were written in Mandarin. |
Re-entry
trip to Cambodia
Good reports about “in-out” visa runs
from Pattaya to Cambodia organized by Borrow House, on Soi 13, where
prices start at under 3,000 baht inclusive. You can be at the
Cambodian border and back in Pattaya on the same day. They can also
suggest budget accommodation in the capital if you need to travel to
Phnom Penh to get a new Thai visa. Or, if you have a few days on your
hands, consider a trip to the island of Koh Mak, near Koh Kong, which
is idyllic though basic as regards services and amenities. Off limits
for many years, Cambodia is now emerging from its dark past and is an
inexpensive place for a short trip away from the bright lights and
increasingly awful traffic of our fair city.
A word to the wise
Thai authorities have always been sensitive,
and understandably so, about foreigners working here without Labor
Office approval. It’s fine to think you might pass your golden years
in Pattaya giving hired private tuition in English or repairing
desperate expats’ computers at a knockdown rate. But, if you don’t
have a work permit, best not to be tempted. All it takes is one
jealous phone call or tip to Immigration and your world will collapse,
howbeit temporarily. Recent farangs imprisoned, fined and deported
have included a naive manager of a language school, an American
sighted repairing the electrics at a Royal Garden ride and a Frenchman
just “helping out” to create web sites.
Readers’ queries
JK asks whether there is a test on cars in
Pattaya to ascertain whether they are roadworthy. Actually, there is
one of sorts. When you take your car to have the government tax disc
renewed once a year, there will very likely be a mechanical check once
the car is five years old or more. How this system actually works in
detail is not absolutely clear to mere farangs like us... LW asks
whether there are national regulations for a farang wanting to own a
mobile phone. No, each company sets its own policies. Buying a phone
is easy enough, the problem actually being to obtain a SIM card to
make the thing work. Companies tend to be very suspicious of farangs
without a work permit. Case of once bitten, twice shy. If a Thai
defaults on payment of the bills, prosecution follows. If a farang
skips the country, the phone company has no recourse... Reader VH from
New York sends us an e mail to inquire if there is a comprehensive
textbook in English about current Thai criminal and civil law as he
wants to feel safe as a new tourist in Pattaya. Sorry VH but you’ll
have to use your common sense. Basically, don’t drive a vehicle
uninsured, take drugs or invite young people under 18 to your hotel
room. Avoid transacting any business on your first trip and don’t
overstay your visa. Most importantly of all, don’t get into
arguments with the locals. Then, chances are, you’ll have a great
time in our party city. |
Dining Out: Paradise
Café and Grill - Heaven sent?
by Miss Terry Diner
This new restaurant has only been open for one month, but
the Dining Out Team had already heard good comments about the Paradise Cafe้
and Grill, so we felt it was time to visit.
It is the brainchild of Hans Banziger, who up till recently
was one of the top management people at the Dusit Resort. What many folk did
not realise, and we were some of those, is that Hans Banziger is actually a
graduate European chef. The countries Hans has worked in - Bermuda, South
Africa, Tahiti and Florida - also give an inkling of the direction of his new
restaurant and its name - Cafe้ Paradise.
The tropical, exotic theme is carried throughout in the d้cor,
with painted wooden slatted feature pieces stretching up to the very high
ceiling, with huge “Rousseau” like murals in between. On a central table
is a large vase with Bird of Paradise flowers to complete the effect.
The menu is not an extensive one, with 21 items in the
western section and 20 in the accompanying Thai food selection. Two appetizers
(60-75 Baht) are followed by three salads (60-70 Baht) and two soups (55-60
Baht).
The next sections of the menu cover Chicken (135-150 Baht),
Pork (145-165 Baht), Beef (250-495 Baht), Fish (all 160 Baht) and Prawn
(345-355 Baht).
The Thai menu (60-90 Baht) covers the usual soups (Tom Kha,
Tom Yum) and then the normal stir fries, omelette, noodles and fried rice
dishes.
Hans
suggested he produce small sample dishes for us so that we could try more than
just the single sitting items. We began with Crepes Mauritius - a crepe
stuffed with seafood chunks with a mustard brandy lobster sauce which was very
nice and we began to look forward to the next offerings from Hans’ kitchen.
This was the soups, a Wild Mushroom and a Bermuda Fish Chowder. The chowder
was excellent, but the mushroom was just sensational! I gave it 10 out of 10,
but Madame said it really was 11 out of 10. Best mushroom soup either of us
have ever had.
Next out were the salads - three portions on each plate for
us to sample. Now I must admit that salads are not my most favourite dishes,
but these three were something else. The chicken salad had a sesame oil and
honey and mustard dressing, the Sunshine salad was a Caesar style with egg,
bacon, parmesan and sunflower with just a little hint of spice and the Feta
cheese salad had an olive citrus dressing. For some one who is not all that
keen on salads, I literally licked the plate clean. Again 10 out of 10.
By this stage we were getting a little apprehensive - it
had been so good up till now, could Hans maintain this standard into the
mains? Again we had a choice of samplers and again the Paradise Cafe้ and
Grill came through with flying colours. The grilled pepper steak had a sauce
that Madame said was so good she was not going to leave the restaurant till
Hans gave her the recipe! Hans smiled and said, “White wine, flamed with
brandy, a little brown sauce and peppercorns and simmered for as long as
possible.”
The other dishes, sesame chicken breast and pork fillet
with mustard sauce were also good flavoursome and different dishes.
If that were not enough, after a breather we polished off
Hans’ dessert crepe with strawberry mousse and a pineapple sauce - a
beautiful contrast between the sweet and the tart.
Hans says that he has not attempted to place his restaurant in the “fine
dining” bracket, but wants to provide good food and service at the right
price. The Paradise Cafe้ and Grill is all that and more. It has the
right atmosphere, great service and fabulous food. Hans - you have the right
formula here. Try this place, without hesitation!
Animal Crackers: Rescue
by Mirin MacCarthy
The concept of a Pattaya Animal Refuge Association was
proposed a few weeks ago in this column. There are already vets and others
who have pledged support for this. We still need community help. Will you
join in?
The
objective is to receive stray, injured and unwanted animals, dogs, cats,
monkeys, birds, the lot, provide temporary housing and veterinary treatment,
rabies inoculations and spaying before release, raising sponsorship and
running adopt a pet programmes. Many of us do have something we could
contribute to help; time, expertise, care, organizational ability,
promotion, fund raising, housing, writing newsletters, telephone answering,
volunteering, feeding, cleaning, whatever it takes.
No one vet or no one individual can do it all. For it to
become a reality it will need public support - both money and manpower. We
are now looking at forming a Pattaya Animal Refuge Association (PARA).
Please send in your expressions of interest to Mirin at email <animalcrackers@pattaya
mail.com>, fax 038-427 596, or direct email <mirin@ hotmail.com>.
Let’s see what we locals can do for our local animals - Please Help!
Below is just one reader’s response to date
Yesterday I read your article and decided to mail you,
then last night I witnessed a little dog that I’ve been feeding and
watching out for run over by a bus. I held her head and tried to calm her as
she was dying. Now I am writing because maybe I can offer you some of my
time in some way to help. I have a B Sc degree in chemistry and was a
laboratory manager in the UK. Maybe I can help with admin or newsletter
production. Please contact me and we can talk.
Kind regards
Clive Metson
A different reader’s response
Tukta, the lucky doll.
Karola Barlow had an entirely different holiday here than
she expected. She had come from Scotland and was on a tight budget. She was
just sitting quietly one afternoon at a friend’s house in Naklua when a
tiny tortoiseshell kitten walked inside and mewed at her. “The poor wee
thing. It was if to stay, well the buck stops here,” laughed Karola.
“She looked pitiful, starving and dehydrated. After I fed her she just
curled up and went to sleep overnight. She was so exhausted she slept for 24
hours.”
Karola didn’t realize that the kitten had a fractured
shoulder until she put her out on the grass next day and it fell over when
it tried to chase a butterfly. So she took it to the vet, Dr. Nop in Naklua
and agreed to send it to Bangkok to have it’s shoulder pinned. That ate up
most of her holiday budget!
The little kitten is rather cute and purringly affectionate, not more
than four months old. Karola fell in love with her and named her “Tukta”
which means “Doll” in Thai. After agonizing for days over Tukta’s
fate, Karola decided to undertake the even more expensive process of taking
Tukta back to Scotland with her. Though in her own words, “The moments
I’ve spent with this wee cat are worth every penny. It has a wee life now,
it had no chance before, not at all.”
Auto Mania:
The ideal car to be in to fall over a cliff?
by Dr. Iain Corness
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week we spoke about the emotive name for the
Mercedes McLaren team - the Silver Arrows. The question was when did
Mercedes race cars first get this name, and why? The clue was Manfred Von
Brauhitsch, who by the way, was present at the release of the new “Silver
Arrows” McLaren Mercedes race cars a couple of years back.
Quiz
car
The correct answer came from the Nurburgring race of
1934. During scrutineering it was found that the M-B’s were 1 kg over the
weight limit, and following a suggestion from Von Brauhitsch, they stripped
the paint off the cars, leaving them gleaming and shiny in polished
aluminium. They were then within the weight and the name the Silver Arrows
was given to them, and it stuck!
And so to this week. Study the picture of the old car.
This was taken in 1933 and it was built in Germany. It has features which
made it well advanced for its day. I want the brand and the designer. It is
actually not all that hard and the brand is known by initials only. Enough
hints! First correct answer faxed to 427 596 or emailed to [email protected]
wins this week’s free beer. Good luck! Correct answer will be published
next week.
BMW X5
At long last! The ideal car to be in to fall over a
cliff? BMW have produced the X5 off-roader, a vehicle they call an SAV or
Sports Activity Vehicle. On paper this jigger just has to be the duck’s
guts for all the 4x4 brigade.
Can you imagine a 4x4 that has 10 airbags and does over
200 kph? With a close to 300 bhp 4.4 litre V8 and rear suspension nicked
from the 7 series. All sorts of “intelligent” silicon thingys that stop
skidding, downhill sliding and divide the power between front and rear drive
as required. This beast will carry a payload of over 500 kgs as well. If
that is not enough, it also has a 5 speed auto transmission with Steptronic
manual over-ride control. Another feature is electronically activated
pneumatic self levelling suspension to maintain the ground clearance.
However, it is the passive safety that is particularly
impressive. After putting the X5 through all the crash testing procedures
and standards world wide, it comes up with some of the best grades around.
Even the side impact studies show that this is one helluva safe car to be
in. Complex engineering in the A and B pillars spread the load into the side
and floor structures to dissipate the intrusion forces. As I said at the
start of this article - this is the car I would like to be in if I have to
fall down a ravine.
BMW
X5
Also fairly impressive is the list of optional extras
available for this American built machine. Try an infrared reflecting
windscreen that reduces instrument panel temperatures by 10 degrees C. You
can also get double pane insulating glass for the side windows and
self-dimming rear vision mirrors! You can get a GPS navigation system,
probably a great idea for off-roaders so you get to identify which mountain
you actually fell off.
BMW have also perfected “parking by ear” with an
optional echo sounder to enable the driver to park within 20 cm of solid
objects. The Tyre Pressure Control system monitors inflation and lets the
driver know when a tyre is running at low pressure, and then there is voice
control of the telephone and navigation system. However, before you put your
hand up for one of these options, it currently only recognises German! Other
languages are being worked on at present. The Australian Concept Car which
was demonstrated at the Oz Embassy last year had one of these voice
recognition systems. Like BeeEmm’s single language voice control, the
Aussie one only understood English, and Aussie English at that. This was
fine for the G’day Mates, but left the others cold. It will be interesting
to see if the BMW factory can get over these problems in voice recognition.
If the X5 is not gutsy enough for you, you can also order
the optional sports package. This comes with sporty front seats, sports
suspension and some twiddly bits and an increase in neddies to give the X5 a
top speed of some 230 kph. In this guise it is more than just a Sports
Activity Vehicle - it is more like a Sports Racing Activity Vehicle that can
carry 4 people and 500 kgs of payload!
The price? Ah, I knew you’d ask that so I rang
BeeEmm’s lovely PR lady in Bangkok, Khun Sopapim who said coyly, “Ah, it
would be expensive with Thai import duties.”
In the US, the base price is $49,000 (that’s around
2,000,000 Baht for those of mathematical bent), now add on the horrendous
import duty, some freight and tea money and there’s precious little change
out of 5 mill I reckon! Undoubtedly, with all the features the X5 has got,
and being a fully imported beast too, it has to be expensive, but it still
would be a great thing to have in your garage.
Hopefully, BMW Thailand might bring one out for
evaluation purposes and I am more than happy to put it through its paces,
Khun Sopapim! Other than the crash testing, of course!
First Farang Foray for Y2K
As well as organising the Yunnan 2000 4x4 Rally, Capt
Sitthichoke is also putting together an organised caravan tour for Farangs
and Expats living in Thailand. This will be held during Songkran, from the
12th of April through to the 17th, so will be an excellent way to get away
from the wet madness of our local ceremonies. The route will take in Chiang
Mai, Mae Hong Song, Chiang Rai, Mae Sai and Burma and is open to all types
of vehicles - you won’t need a 4x4. This is a social event and not a race
or rally!
For any of you who can take some time off over this period, it will be
just the best way to explore the countryside of Thailand. Capt. Sitthichoke
is a very experienced man in this country and if possible I might even try
and get into the passenger’s seat with him myself. However, if K. Sopapim
has a BMW X5 waiting for me, I’ll take it instead! I will let you know
prices later, but if you want to talk to the good Captain, you can get him
on 01-855 4858 or (038) 431 672.
Down
The Iron Road:
‘Mallard’- The Last Steam Record Breaker
by John D. Blyth
On Sunday 3rd July, 1938, the steam locomotive
‘Mallard’ achieved a maximum speed of 124 mph (201km/hr) whist working a
test train on the main line of the then London & North Eastern Railway (LNER),
on the falling gradient south of Stoke summit, between Grantham and
Peterborough, 91 miles from London. Although closely approached, a
steam-hauled train has never exceeded this record speed and with the demise
of steam, it will no doubt stand for all time.
The occasion was one of a series of brake tests to
evaluate a new piece of equipment developed by the Westinghouse Brake Co.,
in which the LNER Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) was especially interested.
In 1935, the LNER had introduced the first high-speed train in Britain and
two more such trains had followed this in 1937. They ran between London and
Newcastle, Edinburgh and Leeds, respectively. The schedule called for
maximum speeds in running up to 90 mph (150 km/hr).
The
test train 3rd July 1938, waiting to leave the loop line at Barkston
Junction. Dynamometer car behind the locomotive. Photo by the late M.
Hoather
The existing brake equipment could not always ensure the
train stopping within the standard distances and special signalling
arrangements had to be applied, acceptable for just three trains but a
possible nuisance were there any more high-speed trains to be introduced.
Locomotive No.4468, ‘Mallard’, was one of the A4 type
‘Pacific’ locomotives of which 35 were built from 1935 onwards. They
were a very much-developed descendant of Gresley’s first ‘Pacific’
locomotive of 1922, built for the then Great Northern Railway (GNR), which
had been absorbed into LNER in 1923. Gresley had been CME of the GNR since
1911. The A4 locomotives had many internal refinements, but the outward
distinction was their total enclosure in a streamlined casing and a special
style of paintwork. ‘Mallard’ was one of the final four A4 locomotives
to be built, all of which had an additional feature, helpful to free
running, good steam production and economy alike; developed in France this
was called the ‘Kylchap’ exhaust.
All the test trains ran on Sundays and started from
London; normally they ran to Barkston Junction, a point north of Grantham
where the whole train could be turned round for the return run. On 3rd July,
some differences were noted: the locomotive was a Doncaster-based one; the
crew were also from Doncaster, and the train itself was not the usual
‘scratch set’ used on special locomotive tests but a spare 6-coach train
kept as a standby for the high-speed services. Finally, a dynamometer car
was used, which is a testing and recording car used on special locomotive
tests. ‘Guests from the Westinghouse Company were present as usual and it
was finally revealed to them that an attempt would be made to gain the
national - and if possible the world - speed record on the run Barkston to
Peterborough. The Westinghouse staff were offered a taxi to return to
Peterborough should any of them prefer not to travel on the train - there
were no takers!
Some reports have suggested the Chief Civil Engineer (CCE)
was kept in the dark as to the proposed speed attempt. I do not believe this
to be true; common courtesy would demand at least a declaration of intent
between the heads of the two departments chiefly involved. Moreover, my
friend the late Dennis Carling, one of the test engineers of the LNER who
was on the train, told me that the CCE had asked for the speed through
Essindine station to be no more than 100 mph (161 km/hr) due to the
curvature of the track at that point. The CCE may also have decided at short
notice to impose a speed restriction of no more than 25 mph (40 km/hr)
through Grantham Station where normally the test train would have been
travelling at around 75 mph (121 km/hr). This restriction would mean a
slower approach to the test section and even a lowering of the maximum speed
achieved.
The
engine crew alongside ‘Mallard’ at Peterborough station immediately
after the record run. Left to Right: Fireman T. Bray, Driver J. Duddington,
and Inspector S. Jenkins. Photo by the late M. Hoather
There are no known photographs of the test train in full
flight but one of the ‘guests’ had camera and it is from his negative
that the accompanying pictures have been made. The late Mr. Hoather’s
pictures are historic and have been reproduced many times.
The imposed speed limit at Grantham was strictly observed
and then ‘Mallard’ was driven very hard indeed up to Stoke summit; it is
possible that this hard work caused some damage to a known weak point on
some of the Gresley locomotives, a tendency of a particular bearing to
overheat. Eleven minutes after passing Grantham, ‘Mallard’ was the world
speed record holder for steam on rail... and Essindine Station and its 100
mph restriction was less than two miles away! The regulator (‘throttle’)
was quickly, fully closed and the brakes applied, but the speed at this
critical point was 7 mph over that asked for.
Just at the moment of closure of the regulator, it was
plain that the weak bearing had succumbed to the events of the day and had
overheated. Dennis Carling told me that he though the bearing had failed
just after the brake application. Others think it was before. The truth is
important here, as if it was ‘before’, then it was another routine
failure due to the hard work and high speeds - remember that all the heavy
driving mechanism, at the maximum speed would have been rotating at over 8
revolutions per second... but if it was after, another factor comes in,
which is that when the regulator is open and steam is being applied,
alternatively, to each side of each piston, the power applied thence to each
of the cranks causes the wheels to turn, but when it is closed the opposite
applies: there is no steam in the cylinders, but the pistons move back and
forth and the wheels continue to rotate, as they must until the locomotive
stops. It has been found that a bearing can become overheated as a result of
the sudden change from the piston driving the engine and the pistons being
moved not by steam but by the power transmitted from the mechanism. The load
on the bearing in question would be greater from the heavy driving mechanism
and overheating more likely. The answer has to be to close the regulator
slowly, but one fault of most Gresley designs was that this is almost
impossible as the action of opening and closing is very stiff and requires a
good pull to move it.
The train was taken down gently to Peterborough where
‘Mallard’ was removed to the locomotive depot for examination. It could
not safely run much further, much less run through to its final destination,
without attention and to that extent it has to be admitted that it failed.
Credit to the A4’s - they have run at 100 mph or over
on more occasions than any other British steam locomotive type. This may
also be partly due to the London to Edinburgh line, on which they did most
work, which has more localities suitable for high speed running than most
other main lines. I can think of at least two locomotive types that, given
the opportunity, could have run at least as fast as ‘Mallard’ in the
locality of the record run, but of course, the chance was never given.
‘Mallard’ is one of the 100-plus locomotives in the British National
Collection; it is normally on exhibition at the National Railway Museum at
York.
Coins of the Realm:
A popular coin from King Chulalongkorn the Great
by Jan Olav
Amalid,
President House of the Golden Coin
In 1907 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) made his second visit
to Europe. The King was abroad for 235 days, and while in Europe he visited
Italy, France, Spain, Germany, England, Denmark and Norway.
In France, King Chulalongkorn honored the French mint
with a visit. The King had also been at the French mint on his first
European visit in 1897. At that time the French mint, in honor of King
Chulalongkorn’s visit, struck a special medal. On one side it was written
“SA MAJESTE LE ROI DE SIAM A VISTE LA MONNAIE DE PARIS LE 16 SEPTEMBRE
1897”, which means, “His Majesty the King of Siam visited the French
Mint on 16th September 1897”. The other side shows the building of the
French mint. This medal I have only seen once, and I believe it is very
rare. (By the way, the French mint today is in the same building in Paris.)
During King Chulalongkorn’s visit in 1907, His Majesty
again met the engraver A. Patey. In 1897 it was Patey who had engraved the
one medal to mark the occasion of the King’s first visit to Europe.
King Chulalongkorn wrote many letters from Europe to his
daughter, Princess Nipha Nobhadol, whose nickname was Noi. The letters can
be found in the book “Klai Ban” (Far From Home). In one of the letters
he writes about his visit to the French mint:
“It is quite impossible to do a clay sculpture of a
person when working only from a photograph, because the light and shade
aren’t pronounced enough to give the true proportions of the face. The
small model he made first was much too flat, and the larger one was
hollow-cheeked, the skin looked wrinkled and sagging, and the mouth was
rather puffy.
“But this sculptor really knows his job. As soon as
your Father sat and posed for him, he straight away grabbed a lump of clay
and started remodeling the head, then he corrected the face, putting clay on
the cheeks to make them a bit fuller and patching up the temples in the same
way. Then he smoothed out most of the wrinkles and corrected the eyebrows.
But he had quite a struggle to get the mouth right.
“At first Father didn’t like the idea of having to
sit for him, but after watching him do the first few bits of touching-up, I
realized at once that it helped tremendously, and that dispelled my
displeasure. Father so enjoyed watching him work that although he had asked
me for pose for only an hour, I actually stayed for over two, and yet it
wasn’t enough to get it quite correct. Time ran out and it had to be
continued in Hamburg.
“I must say the French sculptors can work faster than
the Italians; they are much better at getting a good likeness straight
away.”
The
obverse shows King Chulalongkorn facing left with the inscription “King of
Siam” and A. Patey on the King’s shoulder. The reverse shows the
three-headed elephant with the inscription “State of Siam” and the RS
date and denomination.
One of the results from King Chulalongkorn sitting for A.
Patey is the most popular coin from the reign of King Chulalongkorn. It is
the one baht coin with the King’s portrait on the obverse and the
three-headed elephant on the reverse. The coin was struck in RS 127 (1908),
and was going to be issued in accordance with the Gold Act of 1908.
Unfortunately, at the time the coin arrived Thailand, the King had passed
away. The one baht of 1908 was never put into circulation, but distributed
at King Chulalongkorn’s cremation.
Some of the coins were made into boxes with one or two
coins, and some were put in to plaques. This coin is not very rare since the
mintage was 1,035,691, making it very popular. Not only coin-collectors look
for the one baht coin of 1908; collectors of Buddha-images and others that
want to keep a memento from the great King Chulalongkorn do as well.
The price of this coin today in beautiful condition is
200,000 baht and up. Here I have to warn that this is probably the most
copied Thai coin, so please do not believe in bargains in the market.
I do not know if it was because of King Chulalongkorn’s nice words or
the engraver’s skills, but A. Patey became the Chief engraver at the Paris
mint.
Fitness Tips:
Rating your eating habits
by David Garred,
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club
G’day Pattaya,
Last week I gave you my top 10 tips for fat loss. This
week I want to take that one step further and make it a little more personal
with you taking an honest (hopefully) look at what you eat and how it rates
with your goal.
The Pattaya Mail is due for its annual Quiz in the Sports
Section and the prize is an increasingly healthy body. This quiz will give
you the chance to see if your eating habits are working for or against your
Health & Fitness goals. Just circle the dot next to your response and
add up your score at the end.
1. Do you use Butter or Margarine?
* A. All the time
* B. Only occasionally
* C. Hardly ever
* D. Not at all
2. Do you eat fried or battered foods?
* A. Twice a week
* B. Once a week
* C. Once a fortnight
* D. Never
3. Do you eat fast foods?
* A. Twice a week
* B. Once a week
* C. Once a fortnight
* D. Once a month
4. How many of Carbohydrates do you eat a day?
* A. Five or more
* B. Two or three
* C. Less than two
* D. Less than one
5. How many servings of vegetables do you eat?
* A. Three or five per day
* B. One or two per day
* C. Less than one per day
6. How many servings of fruit do you eat?
* A. Three to five per day
* B. One or two per day
* C. Less than one per day
7. Which dairy products do you most frequently use?
* A. Full cream varieties
* B. Mixture of full and fat reduced
* C. Fat reduced varieties only
8. How often do you eat fish?
* A. At least 3 times per week
* B. At least once per week
* C. Sometimes
* D. Hardly ever
9. Do you choose lean cuts of meat?
* A. Always
* B. Sometimes
* C. Don’t usually
10. Do you avoid foods with rich, creamy sauces?
* A. Always
* B. Sometimes
* C. Not usually
Scoring:
1. A 1, B 2, C 3, D 4
2. A 1, B 2, C 3, D 4
3. A 1, B 2, C 3, D 4
4. A 4, B 3, C 2, D 1
5. A 4, B 2, C 1
6. A 4, B 2, C 1
7. A 1, B 2, C 4
8. A 4, B 3, C 2, D 1
9. A 4, B 2, C 1
10. A 4, B 2, C 1
How did you rate?
10 - 17 - Your food intake needs some serious work if you
want to make it a healthy one. More fruit and vegetables, less take away
food and stay away from full cream dairy products.
18 - 27 - Your food intake is not bad and is heading in
the right direction, although a little more attention wouldn’t go astray.
Try increasing your fresh fruit and vegetable intake.
28 - 39 - Well done! You obviously care about what goes
into your body and will reap the benefits in years to come. Keep up the good
work.
40 - You are having a lend of me.
Carpe’ diem
Copyright 1999 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek,
assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk. |
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