|
Famous singer joins the military
Patcharapol Parnrak
Famous singer Jason Young, 25, recently presented himself
to be a relief sailor in group 4. Jason is from Bangkok and is a well known
singer and actor with the Grammy Company. He is best known for his show
titled “Sai Yai Rak”.
Guard
dogs inspect the new arrivals for drugs and weapons; one of the new arrivals
is famous Thai singer Jason Young (seated left).
Jason arrived at the Navy Training Center, Navy
Directorate of Education and Training in Sattahip along with 3,800 others
from Bangkok and the provinces. He was appropriately dressed; hair cut short
and totally prepared to become a sailor.
Guard Dog Officers, led by Lieutenant Athorn
Amornwattana, Guard Dog Chief, inspected all the new arrivals for drugs and
weapons with their guard dogs, which is a routine check.
Jason Young was born on January 31, 1990, his father is
Australian and his mother is Thai. He has a BA from Columbia College in
Hollywood, and he majored in Movies/Film and Television in the USA.
He came back to stay in Thailand a year ago, and now must train 2 months
in the Public Sector at the New Navy Training Center before entering another
sector under the Royal Navy. Jason Young would like to be a Marine, but the
Naval Secretary Department intends to put him into the Royal Thai Navy for
public relations.
Hard Rock Hotel rocks
in the year of the rooster
Suchada Tupchai
A grand celebration filled the pool area of the Hard Rock
Hotel Pattaya on February 8 as staff and management hosted traditional
activities to rock in the year of the rooster.
Andrew Khoo
(center), Hard Rock Hotel general manager led the way during the celebrations.
The fun began as Moses Lim, Singapore’s most popular TV
artiste played emcee for night’s activities. A variety of shows from local
performers featured the Lion Dance, an acrobatics display, along with the golden
dragon and dazzling fireworks.
Hotel guests were also treated to special a Chinese New Year
buffet featuring Salmon Yu Shang, Chinese Roasted Meats, Seafood On Ice, Steamed
Drunken Prawn, Stewed Dried Oysters with Black Moss, Roasted Chicken with Nam Yu
Sauce, Pork Rib with Champagne Sauce Mongolian Beef Steak, Braised Shark Fin
with Fish Maw to name a few. Moses Lim urged the lions to deliver golden wrapped
chocolates in the shape of a dragon.
The following day, which saw the new year of the rooster, had hotel
management leading the array of ceremonies and procession with firecrackers
being let off as part of the celebrations with yet more lions and dragons
bestowing good luck on guests and staff.
Royal Garden celebrates Valentines Day by giving young women a chance
to win dream date with Thai star
Suchada Tupchai
On February 12 at the Royal Garden Plaza a special Valentines
Day activity took place where one lucky woman had the chance to win a dream date
with “Aonn” Sarawoot Marthong. Aonn has starred in the well-known Thai movie
“Last Love” and recently made further headlines by surviving the Boxing Day
tsunami. Over 30 eligible bachelorettes lined up to take part in the
competition.
 Aonn
Sarawoot places the diamond necklace around the very happy winner, Buen’s,
neck.
The fun event was part of the plaza’s Valentines Day
festivities and the numbers were eventually reduced to 5 lovely ladies. The
winner, however, was Buen-Noppamas Wiyapat, 18, who won the young star’s
heart. She received a diamond-studded necklace amongst other things as well as
dinner with the star on Valentine’s Day. Buen said she followed Aonn career
and is a big fan.
A myriad of colorful activities took place at the plaza with a hefty donation
being given to Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn towards further aid for the
nation’s tsunami affected south.
Jesters ‘Care For Kids’ 2005 commits
to helping the south while maintaining full commitment to the needy
on the Eastern Seaboard
Woody Underwood
The tsunami tragedy at year’s end expanded our scope of
focus from not only the Eastern Seaboard, but to the south of Thailand as well.
The Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive 2004/05 has already donated over a
half million baht to specific and urgent needs down there, in addition to food
and clothing. Our goal at this point is to continue assisting projects in the
South that will (1) Directly benefit the survivors, (2) Be in accordance to
their specific needs, (3) Focus on long term recovery, and (4) Support projects
that can be closely monitored.
Children at
the school in Sangka Oo on Koh Lanta say thanks. The Jesters Care for Kids,
along with PILC, will be sponsoring school lunches for the year.
We are able to achieve this by working closely with other
organizations that are committed to similar goals.
However, simultaneously, we will continue to sponsor new
projects in Chonburi and Rayong provinces, while maintaining support for our
ongoing beneficiaries involved with the education and betterment of
disadvantaged children.
So far in the South, we have given 120,000 baht for the
immediate relief of the tsunami survivors in Takua Pa (Khao Lak area); 220,500
baht to the mayor of Pattaya’s “Help the South” efforts, and a further
200,000 baht in a joint venture with the Rotary Club and The Sportsman for the
construction of a school building at Thap Lamu (Khao Lak area). Also, working
with ‘Helping Hands’ (PILC), we will provide school lunches for one year to
the children of the Sea Gypsies on Koh Lanta Yai. We hope this will eventually
segue into the development of a kitchen garden and a poultry farming project, so
that they are able to grow and raise their own food.
Locally, on the Eastern Seaboard, we have recently joined an
emergency shelter project at Huay Pong. This is a new construction plan to
provide a refuge for boys who are being abused and living under austere
conditions. This will be a joint venture with the Rayong Ladies’ Circle, the
Pattaya International Ladies’ Club and the Pattaya Sports Club.
Under our ‘Next Step’ Program we will be providing
scholarships for seven children from poverty-stricken families who, despite
their living environment, are excelling at their educational studies and wish to
take their education to the high school level. The program will monitor their
progress.
Another new beneficiary in 2005 is the Choon Chee Boarding
School in Ban Bung, Chonburi, where we will provide lodging, food, tuition and
school supplies for twelve of the children living there.
We cordially invite you to join us this year in not only helping the south,
but also our ongoing and new projects in Chonburi and Rayong provinces. Please
visit our website at www.care4kids.info for more detailed information. There you
will see that we now have an online donation facility on our homepage, already
generating valuable donations from abroad to support the South and the wide
range of charitable projects funded by the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Charity
Drive, 2005.
(L to R)
Bernie Tuppin, Woody Underwood, Helle Ransten and Sharon Tibbitts take part in
the ground-breaking ceremony at Huay Pong last Thursday.
The Bees Knees
Ian Frame
A few motorcycle drivers from the nearby taxi stand shuffled
around behind me trying to see in my camera viewfinder what I was photographing.
They seemed to approve of my subject because I received some thumbs up signals.
The
combination of bee and flower makes for fascinating and colourful photographs,
especially if your camera has a macro facility. (Photo by Ian Frame)
Have you ever stopped to look at the colourful water lilies
(Thais refer to them as bua) growing in large pots beside many of
Pattaya’s temples, spirit houses, businesses, and private houses? If you have,
more than likely you will have spotted dwarf bees (apis florea) crawling
round inside the flower heads in a nectar and pollen collecting frenzy. In some
cases pollen sacs like pannier bags can be seen bulging on the bee’s hind
legs. These insects are most active in the morning when the flowers first open,
probably the time when pollinator attracting fragrances are at their strongest.
 Have
you ever stopped to look at the colourful water lilies growing in large pots
beside many of Pattaya’s temples, spirit houses, businesses, and private
houses? (Photo by Ian Frame)
There are many varieties of water lilies (nymphaea lotus)
growing in pots and ponds around Pattaya. At first glance these flowers may all
appear to be identical except for colour variations, but upon closer inspection
differences will be noticed. Parts of some water lily species can be eaten, but
the growers would probably object to you devouring them, and the bees may
protest at losing their sweet prize. Water lilies have inspired many artists
over the ages, including the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet.
The combination of bee and flower makes for fascinating and
colourful photographs, especially if your camera has a macro facility. Over the
past few months I have built up quite a collection of such photographs.
My usual sites for photographing water lilies and bees are
the jewellers shop opposite the police box at the junction of Walking Street and
South Pattaya Road, and the spirit house at the traffic lights on 2nd Road and
South Pattaya Road - the site where I encountered the taxi drivers.
Anyone wishing to know more about Thailand’s water lilies can find facts
and photographs at http://www. thaiwaterlily.com/, while Dr. Zachary Huang’s
web site http://photo.bees.net/gallery/ will provide you with everything you
ever wanted to know about bees.
|
