|
Rotarians present scholarships to needy students at annual fellowship
Suchada Tupchai
The Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya played host to more
than 170 Rotarians from 20 clubs in the eastern region of Thailand at an
annual fellowship party. The function was held on November 23 at the
Community Hall of Banglamung district. Guests of honour were District
Governor Jin Srikasikorn, of District 3340, Rotary International and
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh.Other guests in attendance included
Rattanachai Suttidachanai, member of Pattaya City Council, Council
Secretary Ekasit Ngamphiches, and Nittaya Patimasongkroh, president of
YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya.
 Wannapa
Wannasri organized the presentations of scholarships.
Past President Pratheep Malhotra, chairman of the
organizing committee, said in his welcoming speech that the objectives of
the get-together were to foster closer relationships among Rotarians and
members of the various organizations in Pattaya and the eastern region of
Thailand and also to learn more about Rotary ideals of service.
Education for our children being one of the many worthwhile projects of
Rotary, the Rotary Clubs jointly presented 25 scholarships of 2000 baht
each to Pattaya school children to help them further their studies.
Additional grants were donated by Poramet Ngamphiches from the office of
the prime minister, and presented by Ekasit Ngamphiches, secretary to the
mayor of Pattaya City.During the evening Acharn Jumbot entertained the
guests with his music played on the unique Bamboolin as children from
Pattaya School No. 2 performed a classical dance followed by a rockin’
good time with the Elvis Show. Raffle prizes were drawn and many valuable
prizes were given out.
Sumon
Jaikid, Charter President of the Rotary Club of Plutaluang with Past
District Governor Premprecha Dibbayawan.
Ekasit
Ngamphiches presents a scholarship on behalf of his brother.
Dennis
Stark (right) presents a ‘valuable’ raffle prize to Aart Scholtes.
(l-r)
District Governor Jin Srikasikorn, Pratheep Malhotra and Deputy Mayor
Ronakit Ekasingh.
President
Chris Gibbins and Past President Judy Hoppe of the Rotary Club of
Jomtien-Pattaya presenting scholarships to the children.
Rotarians
Judy and Alvi Sinthuvanik (seated) pose with Nittaya Patimasongkroh and
Malinee Suwansaenee, ladies of the YWCA.
Rotarians
from Sattahip enjoying the fellowship.
The
ladies couldn’t keep their eyes off Elvis.
PILC Charity Ball 2005
A romantic journey through Golden Siam
By Zena Tarasena
Golden Siam was the theme for
this year’s Pattaya International Ladies Club Golden Siam Night Charity
Ball, the annual social event of the year at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
Saturday November 26. The motto this year was Secure a Child’s Future.
All money raised from this event will be used to help make life better for
the underprivileged children in this area.
Sharon
Tibbitts gestures as she speaks about unity, strength and love amongst the
PILC members and the community.
The glittering evening began in the reception area, where
272 persons gathered for cocktails, pictures and interviews. This is the
largest number ever to attend a PILC Ball. Residents and visitors, both well
known and new to Pattaya, met and conversed. The lobby was adorned with
women wearing some of the most beautiful gowns seen at any such event and
the men looked dashing in suits and tuxedos. This wonderfully produced
golden event was a fantastic success, raising 600,000 baht, which will go
directly to the charities supported by PILC such as the Baan Jing Jai
Home for Street Kids, drug rehab centers, and educational scholarships for
under-privileged children. The total now raised by the PILC from this
year’s PILC Ball and Bazaar amounts to an amazing figure of over one
million baht.
The guests were called into the Ballroom by the
traditional Thai Tom Tom drums, which set the scene for the Siam setting.
The tables were elaborately decorated with beautiful flower arrangements.
The menu, as always, was exquisite. Walter Thenisch, the Royal Cliff’s
executive chef, and his team, orchestrated it. The wine served with dinner
was superb with thanks to the generous wine sponsors VS Classic Wines,
Landolt Wines, and Jomtien Boathouse. A special thank you goes to Ambrose
Wines who not only sponsored wines at cost but also Cointreau, Vodka and
Scotch whisky, which were served as after dinner drinks.
The organizing committee was co-chaired by Arlette Cykman
who provided overall organizational support and took care of certificates
for the sponsors and many other details; Helle Rants้n who helped with
ticket sales, promotional activities and over-all organization of the ball
in cooperation with Arlette; and Chitra Chandrasiri who designed the
promotional materials and made all the food, wine, and room d้cor
arrangements with the Royal Cliff Resort staff.
This year’s president, Sharon Tibbitts organized the
major sponsor gifts, and presided over the ball. The full committee
included: Judy Hoppe, who helped secure the band, wrote letters to potential
sponsors and helped with miscellaneous details including securing the
auctioneer for the evening; Roseanne Diamente helped arrange door prizes,
auction items and helped during the night of the ball; Judy Clausen helped
collect lucky draw prizes and donated wines and Apple Hoar who helped secure
the band for the evening. They all devoted their time and dedication to
create this glorious event.
The Master of Ceremonies, Peter Malhotra, of the Pattaya
Mail welcomed the guests and described the good deeds of the PILC
members with their international flair; bringing a sense of well being to
themselves and their families and with that helping to improve the lives of
the underprivileged in Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard. Peter then went on
to introduce the president, Sharon Tibbitts. Sharon distributed certificates
to the sponsors for their most generous donations: Hugh Parker from Volclay
Siam; Fouad Abou-Chakra, managing director from Cardinal Health; John and
Sukanya Seaton; Michael Diamente, plant manager from Dana Spicer; Molly
Zhang from SCC-Dow Group; Tom Zofkie, operations director from Copeland -
Emerson; Anil Singh, general manager from LCB Container Terminal 1; Roger
Cribb from Foster Wheeler; and Prince Malhotra from Pattaya Mail.
 Prince
Malhotra - Pattaya Mail.
Each sponsor also drew a number for the nine door prizes
which included a 5,000 baht voucher from Pattaya Boat Show Emporium donated
by Jean Luc, dinner for two at the Amari Hotel, a dinner voucher for 2000
baht at Balcony Restaurant, a BBQ dinner for two at the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort, one bottle of white wine with two crystal wine glasses and one
bottle of red wine with two crystal wine glasses donated by Chitra and Lotus
Crystal, a 2,000 baht voucher from Desert Diamonds, a one year membership at
Pattaya Sports Club and two VIP tickets for Tiffany’s Show.
Hugh
Parker - Volclay Siam. |
Tom
Zofkie – Emerson Climate Technologies. |
Michael
Diamente - Dana Spicer. |
Roger
Cribb - Foster Wheeler.
|
Molly
Zhang - SCC-Dow Group. |
Anil
Singh - LCB Container Terminal 1. |
Sukanya
Seaton. |
Fouad
Abou-Chakra - Cardinal Health. |
Peter then invited President Sharon and her husband Peter
Tibbitts to open the ball with the first dance of the evening. The Pattaya
All Stars Band played an array of different styles of music to suit all age
groups and tastes, keeping the guests dancing until the early hours of the
morning.
One of the most exciting events of the evening was a
dance demonstration by Jojo Alfonso and Jitrapun Moore from the Salsa
Amante dance studio. They danced the Salsa and Cha Cha Cha and amazed
everyone with their skill, leaving the audience longing to learn; just like
Richard Gere in the movie Shall We Dance.
 Peter
and Sharon Tibbitts get the ball rolling.
The main highlight was the auction, which owes its
success to Peter Malhotra’s winning style as an auctioneer. Thanks to
Peter and all those who bid and purchased, an incredible 303,000 baht was
raised. The seven items on offer at auction were as follows: a gold, pearl
and diamond brooch donated by Arlette Cykman from her treasures was
purchased by Phillip Stewart for 36,000 baht; a bottle of Domaine de la
Romanee Conti Grand Echezeaux Greand Cru 1995 was donated by Ranjith
Chandrasiri and purchased by Jack Khanijou from Indian By Nature for
40,000 baht; a mini suite for two nights at the Royal Cliff donated by the Royal
Cliff Resort was purchased by Dinie De Vries for 6,000 baht; a hand
crafted wooden model ship donated by Pattaya Boat Show Emporium Art
Gallery was purchased by Visa of Pattaya Today for 45,000 baht;
a Temple of Dawn mosaic picture donated by the North Estate
was purchased by Ib Ottesen from the Boathouse for 30,000 baht; a
mystery tour donated by Massic Travel and Sheraton Hotels was
purchased by Gerry and Supaporn Hudson for 37,000 baht; a Chinese antique
cabinet donated by Ursula’s Antiques was first purchased by Richard
Cromwell for 70,000 baht and was then generously donated back and
re-purchased by Rosanne Diamante for 40,000 baht.
Sue Kukarja of the Pattaya Mail on TV was busy
interviewing some of the committee members and guests. The first was
President Sharon Tibbitts who described the evening as the most memorable
event and explained the charity work of the PILC. Next was Kannikar Ottesen
from the Jomtien Boathouse who looked stunning wearing an exclusive
golden Thai silk gown; she described her impression of the Golden Siam as:
gold representing the wealth of smiles and kindness of the people and the
Thai silk for the skills of Siam.
Kim Schnyder from the Casa Pascal Restaurant
looked extremely elegant in a beautiful gold trimmed Thai style gown. She
stated that she felt proud to wear the national dress of Thailand. Chitra
Chandrasiri from the Royal Cliff Resort talked about the menu
selection, especially pleasing Sue when she mentioned the vegetarian menu.
Ralampra Singh encouraged people to join the PILC. Judy Hoppe explained her
role in recruiting sponsors from companies. Rosanne Diamente described the
auction items and who had donated them. Tom Zofkie from Copeland-Emerson
proudly talked about his wife Susie’s contribution as a member and Trisha
Folsten, the newest member of the PILC, who has lived in many foreign
countries described how joining such organizations has helped her to meet
people, learn the cultures and settle down into new surroundings.
As all Ball’s must come to an end so did our Golden
Siam, it was an evening to remember. Guest left the Ball with smiles and a
warm feeling in their hearts that this evening was not only a fun event but
an evening that people getting together and giving would make a difference
in a child’s life. I do hope that also next year we can again show these
children that there is hope for their future and there are people that do
care.
The Peak opens with a bang
Miss Terry Diner
The Dusit Resort must have known that Chinese cuisine is
an international favorite, and judging by the large throng who came for the
unveiling of the new restaurant (many in elaborate brocade Chinese
costumes), they are quite correct.
Chonburi
Governor Pisit Ketphasook popped the cork on the ceremonial champagne to the
enjoyment of the other honoured guests.
The new Dusit outlet is called The Peak (after Victoria
Peak in Hong Kong, one imagines), and is where their previous Chinese
restaurant, The Empress, was situated on an upper floor of the hotel.
The location is always superb, with sweeping views across
Pattaya Bay, but following the refurbishment, the venue is even more
spectacular than ever. With two glassed-in private dining areas and the main
dining section arranged in a semi-circle to follow the window line, the
unique views are maximized. The seating is also in very comfortable winged
dining chairs which reminded me of the similar seating in the Dusit
Bangkok’s upscale D’Sens Restaurant. Chairs like these invite you to
linger and enjoy the view. The Dusit Pattaya invites you to do the same.
Chonburi
Governor Pisit Ketphasook (right) presided at the opening ceremony of “The
Peak”. Joining him are (from left) Saensuk Mayor Somchai Khunpluem, Dusit
Resort Pattaya GM Chatchawal Supachayanont, and Pattaya Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn.
The celebration was marked by Chonburi Governor Pisit
Ketphasook accepting the invitation from Dusit Pattaya GM Chatchawal
Supachayanont to pop the cork on the magnum of champagne that had been
reserved for the occasion. He was assisted in this onerous task by the
Mayors of Pattaya and Saensuk, Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Somchai
Khunplome, and local political figure Santsak Ngamphiches, plus many Dusit
executives such as executive director Chanin Donavanik, and group director
Vipada Donavanik and the legion of the actors and models that always seem to
appear at Dusit functions.
Following this, the multitude descended to the Dusit
Point area where a buffet had been arranged around the pool, with several
more bottles of champagne, so all the guests could join in the celebration.
Dusit
Resort Pattaya GM Chatchawal Supachayanont surrounds himself with beautiful
people.
During the dinner, a spectacular and very loud fireworks
display was held, with the GM’s of the nearby Amari Orchid, the Woodlands
Resorts and the Hard Rock Hotel, Dominik Stamm, Stephan Bringer and Andrew
Khoo, wondering if the Dusit had declared war and opened fire on their
properties! However, peace was soon restored, though all the Chinese
restaurants on the Eastern Seaboard will be anxiously following the new Peak
after it becomes fully operational later this month.
The Dining Out Team is looking forward to trying this new venue for
elegant Chinese dining, and we will be publishing the review very soon.
Pattaya Embraces Roku Ideas calligraphy exhibition
Roku Ideas calligraphy exhibition, currently being
hosted at the Art Cafe in Naklua, reflects the skill, guidance and
inspiration of Japanese artist Wakako Yamamoto and embraces the ideas and
talents from five other international artists, namely: Gabriella Fumiato
Asraf, Caroline Brown, Jilly Green, Pavi Lemstrom and Isabel Filipe-Bastos
Smith.
Jo
Stetten (right) proprietor of the Art Caf้ introduces Isabel
Filipe-Bastos Smith (Portugal), Jilly Moxey (England), Wakako Yamamoto
(Japan), Caroline Brown (England), Paivi Lemstrom (Finland) and Gabriella
Fumiato Asraf (Sweden), the 6 calligraphists whose works were on display
that evening. Peter Malhotra (left) commended the ladies for bringing this
unique form of art and culture to Pattaya.
The artwork on display seeks to illustrate Japanese
calligraphy, in conjunction with western ideas, creating an East meets
West cross-cultural style and flavour. Influences from England, Portugal,
Finland and Sweden are married with those from Japan.
 Wakako
Yamamoto expounds her energy and emotion in creating a work of art right
in front of the eyes of a fascinated crowd.
The “Six Ideas” group formed naturally from the
western artists’ interests to experience and learn Japanese calligraphy
styles and techniques, with a view to including this skill, somehow,
within their own work. Under Wakako’s guidance the group have worked
together sharing ideas and developing their calligraphy skills. Through a
journey of exploration, combining energy and fun, the artists have
discovered new talents from within and a greater appreciation between
eastern and western art has been realised.
 Guests
were able to learn more about the ancient art of Japanese Calligraphy at
the exhibition.
Calligraphy has been studied for over three thousand
years and is the most famous art form of the Orient. Knowledge of
calligraphy is an important aspect of understanding Japanese culture.
Calligraphy, an art form in itself, provides a vehicle for communication
and expression that inherently reflects the skill and persona of the
executor. However, the study and use of calligraphy is not restricted to
artists alone. In the east many people study, learn and practice
calligraphy without seeking to become notable artists.
Calligraphy cannot simply be described as good
handwriting - skill and imagination are vital in the production of quality
work. Words are characterized and brought to life by the unique style of
the calligrapher; however, the characterization should be true and
accurate.
 Wakako
finds it hard to hold back her tears as Caroline presents her with a
bouquet of flowers in appreciation for helping the other ladies develop
their skills in calligraphy.
In many ways producing calligraphy is comparable to
musical performance. In the same way a musician interprets and
personalises a score, the calligrapher enlivens brush strokes by
transferring feelings and power from within. The artist must unite body
and soul in total dedication to accomplish the work with skill, quality
and personality.
On the opening evening, by live performance, Wakako
admirably demonstrated her artistic talent in calligraphy skills and
application. From 30 years learning, dedication, practice and experience,
‘Thunder Storm’ a large format work was realised.
A piece of rice paper, of substantial proportion for
calligraphy work, was positioned carefully and weighted down. Working
horizontally, using the lawn as a base-board, she performed her brush
strokes with dynamic movements and directed energy, after initially
priming her concentration and entering the necessary mind mood.
Using what can only be described as very difficult
tools (a brush approx 18" long and a saucepan of black Indian ink)
she actively engaged herself in total dedication to the production and to
the delight of the on-looking audience.
Subsequently a volunteer from the audience attempted to
derive a piece, not quite in the same energetic manner, only to realise
that the nature of the equipment size is severely limiting in the hands of
the un-initiated.
The use of large format - large brush strokes extends
calligraphy into a different dimension not normally associated with
western perceived ‘handwriting’ techniques. However, the use of small
brush strokes and complex characters requires an equal level of skill,
knowledge and understanding.
The nature of calligraphy provides diverse appeal on
all levels of visual entertainment; this is clearly evident from the
works, currently on display, that encompass a wide range of ideas and
inspiration.
The Roku Ideas exhibition continues at the Art Cafe
through to December 18.
|
