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Hard Rock switches on Christmas lights
Donates 800,000 baht to the Chai Pattana Foundation
Winning bidders Robert and
Kanyanee Passmore who exclaimed that they were thrilled at the sum of
money raised receive the prized photo of Their Majesties the King and
Queen from General Kanit Permsub as Mayor Niran looks on.
Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn (right) donates his own money for the cause, to
Andrew Khoo, MD of the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya.
Khun Busyarat Permsub
thanks everyone for their generosity in helping to make the function a
resounding success.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Hard Rock Hotel organized its 5th Christmas Charity Light Up on December
1, with General Kanit Permsub, Deputy Chief Aide-De-Camp and General to
His Majesty the King, presiding over the ceremony. Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn and Deputy Mayor Werawat Khakhay were also present.
Proceeds, which totalled 800,000 baht, will go to the Chai Pattana
Foundation for His Majesty the King’s development and environmental
preservation projects.
The event is organized annually in the grounds of the hotel, whose
employees this year donated 100,000 baht. Mayor Niran donated 5,000 baht
of his own money.
Other than the switching on of the Christmas lights, photos of Their
Majesties the King and Queen were auctioned.
The Chai Pattana Foundation is one of His Majesty’s Royal Projects, and
he is the patron. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is
chairman. The foundation provides financial and other assistance with
agricultural and Royal development projects where the government is
unable to provide immediate assistance.
Funds were raised through tickets (292,800 baht), the auction (234,900
baht), donations (28,200 baht), Hard Rock staff donation (100,000 baht),
and in June from every ‘walk in’ guest, 60 baht for every 1000 baht they
spent was donated, which amounted to 144,100 baht.
General Kanit Permsub
presents a photo to top bidder Apple Thamcharoen.
General Kanit Permsub
presents a photo of HM the King to the winning bidder Thanet
Supornsahasrungsri.
Tony Malhotra and
Rungratree Thongsai kept the ball rolling and the donations coming.
Saratama Chaovanit charmed
the guests into bidding for the auction items raising a considerable
amount of money, seen here are Jan and Khun Noi in there exciting mood.
Andrew Khoo (4th right)
presents a cheque of 800,000 baht to General Kanit Permsub (3rd right)
for presentation to HM the King to benefit the Chai Pattana Foundation.
Present at the ceremony were (l-r) Kamolthep and Pratheep Malhotra,
Rosalind Khoo, Busyarat Permsub and Suwanthep Malhotra.
(l-r)Andrew Khoo, Rosalind
Khoo, Werawat Khakhay, Deputy Mayor, Thanet Supornsahasrungsri,
President of Pattaya Business & Tourism Association, Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn, General Kanit Permsub with Khun Busyarat, Pol. Col.
Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, Superintendent of Pattaya Immigration,
General Mana Prajakjit and his wife Jirapha perform the Christmas tree
light-up ceremony.
Madame Butterfly sets the stage
for talented young performers
Paul Strachan
The art scene continues to develop in Pattaya, with one of the world’s
most popular operas, Madame Butterfly, recently staged at the Sheraton
Grand Hotel by the European Chamber Opera.
 The
show begins.
This is a company whose policy is to seek out the most talented young
performers, singers and musicians, directors and designers. Many of them
are on the threshold of major careers and the shows provide them with
support and opportunities early on, preparing them for the great
international opera houses.
The Sheraton proved to be a very suitable venue for the performance with
a delicious meal served beforehand and then with the diners satisfied
the curtain rose to relate one of the most beautiful stories ever to be
put to music.
Puccini’s Madame Butterfly was perhaps the ideal choice for Pattaya. It
tells the story of a foreigner (Pinkerton) trying to embrace a different
culture and of course a woman (Butterfly) who is culturally very unlike
him.
 The
music was provided by a piano, and the richness of the singers’ voices
soared through the room with the piano comfortably holding all together.
He is an officer in the US Navy serving in Japan where he enters into a
marriage to a geisha, Butterfly. He considers this a temporary union but
she regards it very differently, renouncing her religion and family in
her adoration for him.
The music was provided by a piano, so no orchestra unfortunately.
However, the richness of the singers’ voices soared through the room
with the piano comfortably holding all together.
It’s a brave move to host this type of event in Pattaya, but it seems
that the times they are a changing. If the audience could only have had
some respect by silencing their mobile phones it would have been a
perfect evening.
Pinkerton tries to embrace a different
culture and of course a woman (Butterfly) who is culturally very unlike
him.
The Sheraton proved to be a very suitable
venue for the performance.
Dreaming of a White Christmas at the PILC Christmas lunch
Elaine Poole
It had always been a popular lunch, and so it proved to be again this
year. 130 people attended the Christmas lunch, which this year was held
in the Grand Ballroom at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel.
 Happy
presented a special cheque to PILC. It was her request that this money
be used to provide musical instruments for the children, and fund a play
area at the home.
First, there was time to do some shopping! Business was brisk at the
stalls set up by vendors, selling Christmas items, jewelry, and many
other things ideal for last minute Christmas presents. Charity stalls
were there too with special fruit cakes baked by the Rayong Bakery
Project; beautiful Christmas crackers made by the PILC handicraft group;
cards made by the children at the Fountain of Life; and much more was on
sale, all proceeds going to the charities.
The Grand Ballroom looked beautiful - all decked out in silver and
white, with beautiful flower arrangements on each table. The hospitality
co-coordinator, Kavita Singh, with Stephanie Moorhouse and several
helpers had done a great job organizing the lunch.
Each guest received a Christmas table gift, a towel and face cloth, from
the special merchandising range developed by Stephanie Moorhouse, which
have raised thousands of baht. There are many items in this range and
with all profits going to PILC charities make great presents.
Before lunch, a large group of children from the Baan Jing Jai home sang
a selection of songs. All dressed in their blue PILC tee-shirts, they
seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be stars for the day, and especially
as the television cameras and press were there!
After the singing, Gillian Thom, president of PILC, welcomed everyone
and started by thanking Rosanne Diamente and the Special Events
committee for all their hard work arranging the Gala Ball. It was agreed
that the Ball had been a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by those
who attended. So far well over 550,000 baht had been raised.
Gillian told members that Susan Farrar, part of the Special Events
organizing team who had done such a great job organizing the raffle
prizes for the Holiday Bazaar back in October, and had also worked hard
on organizing the Gala Ball, would be leaving Thailand very soon.
Gillian said Susan had been a great asset to PILC and thanked her for
all her hard work. Susan was presented with a farewell gift.
Helle Rantsén, PILC Welfare chairperson, then made a special
announcement. Allegra Baistrocchi, who is known to many as Happy, had
collected an amazing 100,000 baht for the Baan Jing Jai Home. Happy then
presented a special cheque to PILC. It was her request that this money
be used to provide musical instruments for the children, and fund a play
area at the home.
When interviewed Happy said, “I collected the money in Italy. I
organised a Thai dinner (I did a Thai cookery course in Thailand so
could do this) and sold tickets for this. Also, we made jewelry and sold
this at fairs in Italy. 30 percent of the money raised went to charities
in Italy and 70 percent to the PILC for the Baan Jing Jai home.”
Happy’s mother, Giulia Tucci also worked hard to help raise this money
and Gillian Thom on behalf of PILC thanked her too. But the children of
Baan Jing Jai wanted to have the last word, to say something themselves
to Happy, to her mother Giulia and to all those in Italy who had helped
them; they held up cards that spelt out THANK YOU.
It was then time to start the delicious buffet lunch prepared by the
Royal Cliff, which included traditional turkey, gammon ham and cranberry
sauce. The noise level seemed to reduce by several decibels as the
feasting began.
After the lunch, candles were lit as Christmas songs and carols were
sung by the Sea Breeze Choir. Pianist Ben Hansan introduced the choir;
Chizuko, Dinie, Marianne, Pat, Roberta, Sue, Theresa, Yumiko and Ursula,
some of whom are familiar PILC members, and Robert Hutya, the conductor.
Led by Ben Hansen, all were encouraged to join in with the singing.
“White Christmas” was a firm favourite, as many remembered the classic
film with Bing Crosby. The choir’s rendition of “Oh Tannenbaum” in
English, German and Japanese was wonderful and with a little
encouragement from Ben Hansen, the vocal volume rose as everyone joined
in the singing.
Finally, the numbers of the lucky draw door prizes were picked, and the
lucky ones went home with beautiful prizes donated by the vendors of the
2006 Holiday Bazaar.
It felt like Christmas, albeit not “White”, had arrived.
Charity stalls were there
too with special fruit cakes baked by the Rayong Bakery Project;
beautiful Christmas crackers made by the PILC handicraft group; cards
made by the children at the Fountain of Life, all proceeds going to the
charities.
Business was brisk at the
stalls set up by vendors, selling Christmas items, jewelry, and many
other things ideal for last minute Christmas presents.
The children from Baan
Jing Jai held up cards that spelt out THANK YOU.
Alangkarn Theater turns on Tree of Father lights and celebrates 1,000 shows
Narisa Nitikarn
Nong Jeab, the current Miss Thailand, visited the Alangkarn Theater on
December 3 for a ceremony to turn on the lights of the Tree of the
Father and to celebrate Alangkarn’s 1,000th performance.
 Beautiful
fireworks lit up the night sky and wowed the audience.
The ceremony took place at 6 p.m. with Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn,
Alangkarn managing director Sutthikorn Jienpaitoon, and Sutthikorn’s
father Sawaeng Jienpaitoon joining Nong Jeab, Miss Lalana Kongtoranin,
in switching on the lights.
The Tree of the Father represents the tree under which the Buddha
taught, and visitors are able to write on its leaves words of tribute to
His Majesty the King on this the 60th anniversary of his accession to
the throne.
More than 1,200 people attended the ceremony, with Thai and foreign
visitors alike crowding into the theater, along with special guests from
the Redemptorist Employment Center for the Handicapped who had helped to
create the project.
Nong Jeab said that she was very grateful to return to the location in
which she had won the Miss Thailand 2006 crown, and she was one of the
first to write her message and attach it to the Tree of the Father.
After the ceremony for turning on the lights a special show called
“Miracle” was staged, with 18 performers wearing gold colored clothing
and dancing in a spectacular display of light and sound.
(L to R) Sawaeng
Jienpaitoon, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, “Nong Jeab” (Miss Lalana
Kongtoranin, Miss Thailand 2006), and Sutthikorn Jienpaitoon, managing
director of the Alangkarn Theater, turn on the lights for the Tree of
The Father.
The special show called
“Miracle” was performed by 18 actors, wearing gold colored clothing, who
danced with light, color and sound.
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