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Women With a Mission say
Thank you to Canon Thailand
Rosanne Diamente
With the overwhelming generosity of our supporters throughout the
year and the goodwill of Canon Marketing (Thailand) Company Ltd, Women With
a Mission has been able to purchase a digital copier at a substantially
reduced price to assist children at risk living on the Thai/Burma border
gain access to educational materials.
 Rosanne
Diamente (2nd left) and the Canon Marketing (Thailand) Company Ltd team
present the donated copier.
The digital copier is being used to print text books in several languages
(Burmese, Thai and English), as developed by World Education
(www.worlded.org), for distribution to 54 (mostly make-shift) community
schools struggling to meet the educational needs of 8,000 children.
Women With a Mission is a non-affiliated, not for profit, private group
committed to providing children of all ages, social and cultural backgrounds
the necessary tools to receive a proper education and access to daily
nutritional needs.
Women With a Mission has a long-term commitment to this project and
assisting these children reach their full potential. We are always grateful
for your support.
To find out more about Women With a Mission or to contact: www.womenwi
thamission.blogspot.com and/or [email protected]
Guests treated to traditional Austrian varietals during
wine tasting at Wine Cellar
Michael Albers
Reinhard Murer, managing director of Food com (Thailand) Co., Ltd., recently
invited local wine lovers to a wine tasting at his noble Wine Cellar, where he
presented a selection from Austria’s Spätrot Gebeshuber winery.
 (L
to R) Reinhard Murer, managing director of Food com (Thailand) Co., Ltd., his
spouse On, Hans-Peter Blumer, distributor, and vintner Johannes Gebeshuber.
Austrian viticulturist Johannes Gebeshuber and his spouse Johanna are
specialized in Zierfandler and Rotgipfler varietals. The area at the foothills
of the Vienna Woods provides excellent growing conditions for the grapevines,
which can be seen by the numerous international awards the winery has won. That
evening, connoisseurs could taste 6 of the finest Gebeshuber wines - 4 whites
and 2 reds.
Marking the beginning were 2 dry vintage wines (red/white), which quickly put
the illustrious guests in high spirits. To each wine served, Gebeshuber gave
detailed information about its characteristics and fermenting process.
In-between the servings, tasty appetizers were distributed, neutralizing the
palate for the next sample.
Next was a white Zierfandler/Rotgipfler ‘Reserve’ 2005, multi-layered and with a
long finish. A gentle aroma of coco and lemon grass can be sensed, making it a
complement to Asian cuisine.
They subsequently served ‘Grosse Reserve,’ a white also from 2005, matured in
oak barrels over 18 months. It has a refreshing scent of tropical fruits with a
touch of vanilla.
Another ‘Grosse Reserve’ presented is the full-bodied red Pinot Noir/St. Laurent
2005. It captivates with its intense taste of cherry and berries as well as its
smooth tannins and is best served to venison and goose dishes.
The tasting was completed with a white Zierfandler/Rotgipfler ‘Spätlese’ 2006.
Its exotic fruit aroma coupled with its perfectly integrated residual sweetness
make this one of the winery’s favorites, unfolding its full potential after many
years of maturing.
All mentioned and many other fine wines are available directly at the Wine
Cellar in Naklua Soi 12, tel. 038 226 054.
Finding out about skin cancer at weekly PCEC meeting
Sarayut Sanguanpokai, PhD, Superintendent of Pattaya
Police, was the first honored guest speaker for the December 14 Pattaya City
Expats Club meeting at the Amari’s Henry J. Beans Restaurant.
 PCEC
member Sermsak (right) welcomes Police Colonel Sarayut Sanguanpokai, PhD
(left), the new Superintendent of Pattaya Police, and Dr Nada
Tephawattanasuk, M.D. (center), head of the dermatology section at Phyathai
Hospital Sriracha.
After emcee John Fishback welcomed our distinguished visitor, Colonel
Sarayut greeted the mostly expat audience as welcome guests of Thailand. He
said that although he has been the Pattaya police chief for about two weeks,
he was very familiar with the area as he was previously the Banglamung
police chief. He said that if any of us had a problem that we could call on
him at anytime.
Emcee John Fishback then introduced the featured speaker Dr. Nada
Tephawattanasuk, M.D., head of the dermatology section at Phyathai Hospital
Sriracha, who is also a very beautiful lady that brightened up the meeting.
Dr. Nada is well experienced in her field having received her medical degree
from Khon Kaen University and having further studied in Sweden, the UK, and
the USA. With the aid of pictures and diagrams, Dr. Nada provided some very
interesting and useful information about detecting skin cancer, a subject of
great interest to fair skinned expats living in Thailand. She then followed
with a description of Thermage, a beneficial non-invasive procedure for
tightening up the skin to remove unwanted wrinkles.
Dr. Nada explained that skin cancer is one of the most common forms of
cancer. Skin cancer, if left untreated, can be very dangerous. However, she
assured the audience that if detected early, it is curable. The two most
common types of cancer are basal cell and squamous cell cancer. Basal cell
is the most common and accounts for around 90% of skin cancers diagnosed in
the USA - one million cases annually; whereas, about 250,000 squamous cell
cases are similarly diagnosed.
She told the audience that as we age, the more likely it is we will develop
basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma. She explained that Actinic Keratosis
is a pre-malignant condition of thick, scaly, or crusty patches of skin and
is most often caused by exposure to the sun. The face and scalp are the most
common areas affected. It can be scratched off, but it usually grows back. A
cutaneous horn is a single overgrowth (protrusion) that develops over time,
which may overlay a skin cancer.
Another skin area that should be carefully watched for is atypical moles.
She noted that moles may be brown, tan, pink, or the same color as the skin;
but the entire mole is usually one color. She described the ABC’s for
detecting skin cancer: A - Asymmetry - draw a line down the center, both
should be similar in shape and size; B - Border - blurred edges are a cause
for concern; C - Color - is more than one shade present; if so, a cause for
concern; D - Diameter - if it is larger than 6mm (size of a pencil eraser),
it is a cause for concern; and E - Elevated - if the mole is elevated, it
needs to be evaluated.
Dr. Nada recommended that you do a self examination once a month and see a
dermatologist once a year as a means of detecting skin cancer. If skin
cancer is suspect, the dermatologist will usually remove the growth and send
a portion for laboratory examination. The key is prevention and early
detection. For prevention, she said if you are going to be out in the sun
you should use a sunscreen - water resistant and rated 15-30 if minimal
exposure and at least 50 if exposure will be more than 2 hours. She then
asked for questions, of which there were several.
Dr. Nada then discussed Thermage treatment as a non-invasive way to tighten
skin and contour tissue. Thermage is a treatment that works by using heat
from a radio frequency device to tighten or lift skin. It does not replace a
facelift, but has facelift benefits without the cost, pain, anesthesia,
incisions or down time. In fact, Dr. Nada explained that Thermage is usually
one treatment (although there may be many “passes” in the process) that
lasts from 20 minutes to two hours. Although some benefit is quickly
noticeable, it continues to improve the skin over time with full benefit
taking about 6 months. She showed several before and after pictures for the
face, eyelids, mouth, and abdomen.
Following Dr. Nada’s presentation, Gavin Waddell, our fellow member with the
Phyathai Hospital Sriracha’s International Department, had a brochure handed
out listing the hospital’s December promotions. He also briefly described
the benefits of calcium scoring for detecting calcium deposits and plaque
that might be affecting one of the four main heart arteries. This procedure
is done with their 64 slice CT machine. It is done in about 20 minutes and
unlike more in depth CT scans, does not require any contrast medium (dye) or
other preparation. The special price for this scan, good till December 31,
is 1,500 baht.
Emcee John Fishback then updated everyone on upcoming events and called on
Hawaii Bob to conduct the always informative and sometimes humorous Open
Forum where information is shared on living in Pattaya and Thailand.
Tickets still available for
PILC Black & White Ball
Saturday, 17 January 2009
For those of you who have not yet booked, Pattaya
International Ladies Club (PILC) members are still selling tickets!
The PILC Black & White Ball will be held Saturday 17 January 2009, in the Grand
Ballroom at the Dusit Thani Resort. The fun begins at 6:30pm with cocktails,
sparkling wine & canapés, followed by a lovely 3+ course menu with free flowing
beer, wine and soft drinks provided throughout the night.
Tickets are 3,500 baht per person, and you can contact Rachel on 08 1782 6118 or
at [email protected] or Jacinta on 08 6997 0671 or at
jacintachamberlain@gmail. com to make a reservation.
There will be a jazz band and a DJ playing alternately during the evening, a
short auction, and each guest will receive a complimentary photograph to
commemorate the night, as well as a massage voucher, and a small gift.
This is our biggest fundraiser for the year, without which we would not be able
to do so much of the wonderful welfare work that makes our club so special, so
please support us by coming along, letting down your hair and kicking up your
heels!
TAS Bangkok elects new committee
Elfi Seitz
The Thai Austrian Society has been in existence since 1985 with buoyant
women and men bringing the society to life to foster friendship between both
countries, which have culturally and socially so much in common.
 (Right-left)
the newly elected President Veronika Thanan, former President Nat Kitiyakara,
Vice-President Sophie Tanpura and Elfi Seitz, PR.
Membership consists not only of Austrians but many Thais who held high
diplomatic posts in Austria, studied there or did business there for a while.
For a few years activities have been a bit restricted due to a lack of personnel
and time. However, members now want to revive the club and many new activities
are planned including festivals, parties, cultural gatherings and much more.
Austrians like Thais know how to celebrate.
On November 26, club president Nat Kitiyakara, who has done so much for the
club, convened an annual general meeting in which she passed on the scepter to a
successor. At the same time, a vice-president and a secretary were also voted
for in order to form a committee.
The meeting was held in Bangkok at Pullman Hotel’s Glen Bar, thanks to the
active efforts of Counselor and Head of Mission Arnold Obermaier, and it was
attended by His Excellency Arno Riedel, Austria’s Ambassador to Thailand. Former
ambassador Dr Warawit Kanithasen emceed the function.
The Austrian Embassy made available many bottles of wine and a raffle was also
held with many prizes to be won. The wine was magnificent and the atmosphere was
amicable among the 30-plus guests who came to this first meeting. The hotel
provided a cold buffet which everyone pronounced delicious.
Superb musical entertainment was performed by Sophie Tanapura, one of Bangkok’s
best opera singers, and her team. It was a real feast for the ear.
Nittaya Patimasongkroh, chariwoman of the YWCA Pattaya center, Rudolf Scepka,
painter and artist, Franz Zechner and myself were also present as was Franziska
Chawla, office manager for Deutscher Hilfsverein. They also brought along
wonderful prizes. Rudolf Scepka gave away two necklaces, a ring, a pin and
earrings from his own collection. Nittaya donated 18-carat golden earrings and I
brought along six one-year subscriptions to Pattaya Mail and Pattaya Blatt as
well as 10 massage vouchers, donated by Bernd Fischer. As many more great prizes
were raffled, no-one went home empty-handed.
Finally it was time for the election. It became obvious that women’s power was
on the inevitable rise and six women were eventually chosen who then decided
among themselves who would become president, vice-president, and secretary.
Veronika Thananan, the former vice-president, who has been working for the club
since its beginning, is the new president. Opera singer Sophie Tanapura became
vice-president and I will take care of public relations. A secretary as well as
all other committee members will be appointed at the next board meeting.
Ambassador Arno Riedel congratulated everyone, and with champagne donated by Nat
Kitiyakara, people clinked glasses to the newly-elected before everyone happily
made their way home.
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