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Perfect paper models replicate wood
Talented Thai lady creates new products
A Pattaya lady, Miss Virat, has found a method of
making miniature boats & temples from paper that look exactly like real
wooden models.
 Virat
is an expert in making paper models.
Virat grew up in Bangkok and gained her primary school
certificate before coming to live in Pattaya 20 years ago. Right from her
early years she exhibited a great talent for arts and crafts, which ranged
from tapestry pictures right through to her unique talent for producing
practical gift items. Even though she has had no formal education or
training in these areas, Virat exhibits an amazing talent for creating a
wide variety of new products, which are all saleable items for both the
local Asian markets or for export overseas.
Miniature
boats & temples come to life.
After 2 – 3 years of careful experimenting, she has
come up with some very lifelike models of wooden boats and temples, which
are constructed of nothing but ordinary paper. There is a range of around
six traditional boats plus a few temples, with each one generally taking 2
– 3 weeks to complete. These should not be looked upon as mass produced
gifts, but as works of art, similar to the effort that an artist puts into a
painting.
Virat’s creative talents do not end there, though, as she has come up
with an extremely nice soap, hand-made from a base of fruit, which smells
absolutely delightful. In addition to this she produces and sells her own
brand of fresh fruit juice, and no doubt Virat and some of her close friends
have more unusual products on the way.
Banbung man wins 3rd crocodile egg eating competition
Devours 10 croc eggs in 5 minutes
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Amongst the Labor Day celebrations in Pattaya was a crocodile
egg eating contest, staged at Million Year Stone Garden and Crocodile Farm, and
presided over by former deputy minister of health Santsak Ngamphichet.
Contestants
stuff their faces with croc eggs, hoping to win the 10,000 baht first prize.
This was the third year the contest has been held. A 10,000
baht prize was up for the taking, with 40 competitors, amongst them last
year’s winner Payap Pansaengthong.
Noppanan
raises his hand to signal he has just devoured 10 crocodile eggs, a feat he
accomplished in just 5 minutes.
Despite Payap’s confidence in winning again, it was his
older brother, 37-year old Noppanan Parnsaengthong, who beat everyone by eating
10 eggs in five minutes. What a family! Noppanan, who is from Banbung, modestly
said he hadn’t been in training, but that he had a lot of experience in other
eating competitions, such as rambutan and fruit juice. He hadn’t had much to
eat before the contest, he admitted.
Amongst the other activities was a stage show from Kung Sutthirat, Pornsak
Songsaeng, Ekarat Suwannaphum and Nong Mai Puanmuang.
Jazz on a summer’s night
Narisa Nitikarn
Jazz fans enjoyed a real treat on April 30 at the Jazz Pit
Pub, at PIC Kitchen on Soi 5, when Dr Sunya Viravaidya, executive president of
the PIC Group, staged an evening of music under a concept he described as
“international summer jamming.”
This was the third show of its kind organised at the Jazz Pit Pub. Present
was Wannayos Mitranon, vice-president of the Thai Musical Association, which is
under the sponsorship of HM the King, with invited musicians including Marat
Jouldybaev, Roustem Gallioulin, Igor Sutckov, Brad Icenning, John Bilnghzzo and
James from the UK. One of the highlights of the evening was a saxophone and
trumpet duet.
The invited
musicians play a saxophone and trumpet duet with the Jazz Pit Quartet, the
resident band at the Jazz Pit Pub.
The special
‘Jam Session’ enthralled the audience.
Diana Group awards scholarships
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A scholarship presentation ceremony was held on May 3 at the
Diana Garden Resort Hotel, with the scholarships going to children of Diana
Group employees. Sopin Thappajug, managing director of the group, was presenter.
Students from the Interaction Club at Banglamung School also attended the
morning part of the festivities.
Sopin
Thappajug, Diana Group managing director, is photographed with the scholarship
students.
Scholarships from the Diana Group are an annual event, this
year being the 17th they have been awarded. The scholarships are divided into
kindergarten, primary class and secondary class levels. This year there were 66
scholarships awarded. In the kindergarten category, 1,800 baht was given to 11
scholarships, 2,100 baht went to 29 in the primary class and 2,400 baht to 26 in
the secondary class categories. Total amount awarded was 122,910 baht.
Lunch was provided for employees and their children, and
afterwards the children were taken to the Sea Turtle Cultivation and
Conservation Centre. They also visited the HTMS Chakri Nareubet aircraft carrier
at Sattahip Naval Base.
Sopin said that apart from scholarships, the Diana Group also conducts a
summer training project for employees’ children in the 14-year age bracket.
The concept is to ensure the children use their holiday time constructively,
along with supporting family relationships. The children receive pocket money
during their training period, in line with government policy.
Marines, sailors deliver supplies to less fortunate Thais
Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado
Four Marines and three sailors delivered food, clothing and
toys to the residents of three local less fortunate villages here in Pattaya
April 28 as part of exercise Cobra Gold 2005.
The Mercy Ministries Slum Outreach Program headed by the
Victory Family Church routinely delivers donated items to families living in
Thai less fortunate villages. The service members donated drinking water and
milk, as well as more than 35 bags containing rice, cooking oil, sardines and
instant noodles.
 Navy
Lt. Glenn A. Fleming puts shoes on a Thai boy in a slum village here April 28.
Fleming explained that the children living in the Pattaya slums were in
desperate need of shoes. Fleming is the chaplain for Combat Logistics
Regiment-7, Combined Marine Forces Headquarters, Cobra Gold. (Official U.S.
Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado)
“We wanted to give food that is closer to the traditional
Thai way of eating,” said Navy Lt. Glenn A. Fleming, the chaplain for Combat
Logistics Regiment-7, Combined Marine Forces Headquarters, Cobra Gold. “With
the lack of electricity in their homes, the majority of these families are
forced to cook over an open flame, and we wanted to provide food that could be
prepared without the use of ovens or similar conveniences.”
 A
Thai woman wipes tears from her eyes with a dress given to her by service
members with the Mercy Ministries Slum Outreach Program during a visit to one of
three slum villages here April 28. The service members handed out bags of food
as well as clothing and children’s toys. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by
Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado)
The families also received clothing and toys that were
donated by service members and their families at Okinawa, Japan.
“The donated clothing was a big part of the deliveries,”
said Fleming. “There was definitely a need for children’s shoes among the
families. Kids who live in less fortunate conditions spend their days walking
over broken glass and sharp objects. It’s unimaginable to think that many of
them are walking barefoot over that every day.”
Fleming emphasized the need for this type of humanitarian
assistance.
“There’s a huge need in Thailand for projects like this,
which have the ability to lessen the burden for these families, even if it’s
just a little,” said Fleming. “I’m proud of the service members who
recognized and took action.”
“It’s really unfortunate that there’s still people in
the world who have to live in these conditions,” said Lance Cpl. Django V.
Quintos, a food service specialist with Combat Logistics Company C, CLR-7,
CMARFOR HQ. “This helped me to see how lucky we are to have all the things we
have.”
Fleming will continue to seek volunteers for the humanitarian assistance
projects during the course of the exercise. He plans to take several service
members to revisit a house and conduct minor repairs next week.
Marines and sailors deliver supplies to Thai orphanage
Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado
Twelve Marines and six sailors delivered much-needed
clothing, hygiene kits, strollers and toys to Victory Family Church Mercy
Ministries here April 27 as part of exercise Cobra Gold 2005.
The church will deliver these supplies to the Children’s
Center House of Prayers, an orphanage in the church’s ministry.
 Petty
Officer 3rd Class Christian Camacho offers a 1-year-old Thai boy a stuffed doll
at the Children’s Center House of Prayers orphanage here April 27. The
orphanage is home to 10 children whose ages range from 10 months to 7 years old.
Camacho is a corpsman with Combat Logistics Company C, Combat Logistics
Regiment-7, Combined Marine Forces Headquarters, Cobra Gold. (Official U.S.
Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado)
The event was organized by Navy lieutenants Edward D. Bass
and Glenn A. Fleming, chaplains deployed here in support of Cobra Gold.
The donations for the event came from service members and
families stationed on Okinawa, Japan.
“People don’t realize that it took more than just this
small group of people to carry this event out,” said Fleming, the chaplain for
Combat Logistics Regiment-7, Combined Marine Forces Headquarters, Cobra Gold.
“The Marines and sailors here were gracious enough to donate their time to
deliver supplies, generously donated by families at Okinawa, to these
children.”
 Navy
Lt. Edward D. Bass pushes a 3-year-old Thai boy on a swing set at the
Children’s Center House of Prayers orphanage here April 27. Bass is the
Pharmahachetsadaradchao Camp chaplain. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by
Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado)
The service members delivered more than 100 bags and boxes of
supplies in two trips between here and the church. They visited the orphans
after the first delivery.
“(Humanitarian assistance) means a lot more when you put a
human face on it,” said Lance Cpl. Bryan Vanboxel, an event volunteer and
electronics technician with Combat Logistics Company C, CLR-7, CMARFOR HQ. “It
feels good to know that when I leave Thailand I’ll have had part in improving
the conditions here, even if just a little.”
The primary purpose of this year’s Cobra Gold is to better
equip participating nations to respond multilaterally to regional contingencies,
and Fleming explained how community relations events are important to building
these relationships.
“We organized this for two reasons: to impact those Marines
and sailors participating, and to impact the local community,” Fleming said.
“Cobra Gold is so much more than just an exercise. (Service members) are here
to prove that Americans care about the people in the countries they deploy
to.”
The orphanage is home to 10 children whose ages range from 10 months to 7
years old.
Call centre project nears acceptance
Narisa Nitikarn
Integrated Communication Technology Co Ltd on May 2 submitted
details of the PTSC (Pattaya Tourist Service Centre) project to Pattaya City
administration, with Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Thanet Supornsaharungsi,
president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, present along with
city councillors and representatives of relevant departments.
 Workers
demonstrate the call center for city hall.
The PTSC project is in line with Mayor Niran’s idea to
install a 24-hour call centre system for tourists, to be run by a private
company.
ICT managing director A-Witsada Pattarodom presented the
project to the meeting, describing market goals and operational details. The
centre would be in service seven days a week and 24 hours a day, non-stop.
Tourists need correct data, they need it fast, and it must cover all types of
service including general information, restaurants, travel guides, and
complaints, he said.
The first year would see information being given in two
languages, Thai and English, and other languages would be added later. A-Witsada
said that all data would be updated daily, and that the system requires
co-operation from local and associated departments.
This presentation was the second for ICT on this project.
Natural beauty treatments
at one-stop Uma World Spa
Peter Nordhues
On-Uma Chuameerang opened the Uma World Spa in Naklua Rd Soi
27 early this year. In addition to spa facilities such as a sauna, there is also
a beauty and hairdressing salon, making Uma World Spa a one-stop centre for both
feeling and looking good.
Here you will find traditional Thai massage and slimming
massages, performed by well-trained female masseurs, but also there is advanced
technology available, such as the equipment that helps your muscles contract and
your skin tighten. It is rather like having a workout while lying down, making
your skin smoother and helping you lose weight at the same time.
Each of these sessions takes about two hours, including half
an hour hand massage with a slimming-lotion, then half an hour muscle
contracting, followed by the sauna and at last a jacuzzi-bath in a relaxing
atmosphere.
There are oil and foot massages, and one can have
professional facials, with the cost ranging between 300 and 500 baht. Only
natural herb products are used: chemical aids are not allowed at Uma World Spa.
Many of these items can be purchased at the beauty parlour,
including wheat grass juice, ginseng coffee, biological washing powder,
toothpaste, cosmetic products and much more. You can even buy gold jewelry. If
your hair needs styling or rejuvenating, the trained girls will give you a
shampoo, haircut and everything else necessary to make your hair look good.
Pedicure and manicure are also available.
Membership at the Uma World Spa costs 200 baht and with this
membership one gets 20 to 25 percent discount on all the offered articles and
treatments.
Uma World Spa is located at 570/Moo 5, Naklua Rd. Soi 27. Tel 038-370 866,
01-437 8088.
Party for the privileged at Marriott
Suchada Tupchai
Poolside was the venue on April 29 for Pattaya Marriott
Resort & Spa’s PP Club presentation, a promotional programme that offers
discounts and other privileges to its members.
 Supradit
Maneeratjaratsri and Anthony S Armas announce the programme.
Supradit Maneeratjaratsri, managing director of the Royal
Garden Plaza and Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa, and Anthony S Armas, group
director of marketing at the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa, were joint
presenters of the Marriott Exclusive Party, which included many celebrities and
well-known personalities.
Supradit said that the PP Club (Preference Plus Club) was
created to bring privileges to those who make reservations, and for planners and
organisers of company meetings, seminars and other events. Along with the
Pattaya Marriott, other properties within the group come into the scheme,
including the Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa, and the Hua Hin Marriott Resort
& Spa. The programme is valid until December 31, 2006.
From the poolside, guests moved into the hotel ballroom where
the party under the theme of a secret agency was being staged. Well known
singers including Jennifer Kim, Pom Autobahn and Ko Mister Sax Man performed and
there was a lucky draw. The party wound up with chill-out music from DJ Sin.
For more information about the PP Club, please contact the Pattaya Marriott
& Spa at tel. 038-412120
Singers dream of star success as music challenge begins
Narisa Nitikarn
Young singers have the opportunity to gain recognition for
their talents under a competition launched at city hall on April 28 by deputy
mayors Wuttisak Rermkijakarn and Wattana Chantanawaranont, in cooperation with
TAT Central Sector 3 and Pattaya Radio 104.75 MHz producer VC Sports Production
Co Ltd.
 Deputy
mayors Wuttisak Rermkijakarn (left) and Wattana Chantanawaranont (right) preside
over the opening of Pattaya Music Challenge 2005 – Dream to the Stars.
Pattaya Music Challenge 2005 – Dream to the Stars has a one
million baht budget and is open to young people in the 17-25 year age bracket.
Designed to help revive and preserve traditional Thai country
music, and to support Pattaya’s tourism image, the contest is divided into
three rounds and is for male and female singers. Amongst the judges will be
national artists and country music producers, and radio listeners can also
participate in the judging by voting through SMS for their favourite singers.
Initial judging will be from demo tape recordings sent in by
all contest singers participating in the first round, and five male and five
female performers will be selected. These will then go on to the second round on
May 15, to be held at Central Court, Central Festival in Pattaya. This day will
also see well known singers participating, including Peter Fodify, Taktaen
Cholada, Ying Thitikan, and Nong Ja Chalinee. The final contest will be on May
29 at Pattaya City School 8 sports field.
Prizes are cash, a trophy and souvenirs from supporting sponsors. On the
final day of the contest there will be performances from country music singing
stars including Sunaree Ratchasima, Monsit Khamsroi and Mike Phiromporn.
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