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Life in the writer’s slow lane
The regular Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expats
Club got underway at the Amari’s Henry J. Bean Restaurant on Sunday, June
14. After the usual announcements, Master of Ceremonies Judith Edmonds
introduced the guest speaker, Jerry Hopkins.
Jerry is a well known author currently residing in Bangkok. Jerry in his
early days was a writer for Rolling Stone magazine in the USA, which led to
his published biography of rock singer Jim Morrison (No One Here Gets Out
Alive - which was on the New York Times best seller list as number one in
1980 and back to number two in 1991). He has written other biographies as
well as books on a wide range of subjects including music, history, the
environment, humor, journalism, food, and Polynesian culture.
 Popular
speaker at PCEC meetings, Jerry Hopkins, a well known author currently
residing in Bangkok.
Jerry started by mentioning that this was his fourth appearance before the
Club. For the past few months he has not been actively writing a book. So,
he thought he would talk about the bestsellers he didn’t write and time and
effort he spent not writing them. Otherwise the life in the writer’s slow
lane.
Jerry said that much of the time is spent in coming up with an idea for a
book, researching it, and writing up the concept on what the book will be
about. Then he sends it to his publisher to see if they are interested in
publishing it.
Although it may sound simple, he said it does take time and effort to get
the necessary information to pitch it to a publisher. So, he said he has
been constantly meeting and conversing with people and doing research to
gather sufficient information to develop the idea into a concept.
After spending this amount of time, the publisher can still reject the idea.
He said this happened several times when he was in the USA. Since he had met
Sonny and Cher when they were still performing together, he thought Cher
would make a good subject for a book. But, he said, his idea was rejected
and he was told that she might be a good topic for a tabloid, but not a
book. So, he wrote a biography on Yoko Ono instead.
Jerry also mentioned that to get published in the USA, one needs to have an
agent - today, it would need to be one with a track record. But agents will
also reject ideas. He mentioned that he really wanted to do a biography on
Willie Nelson, a very popular U.S. country and western singer. However this
idea was rejected by his agent. This caused him to have a falling out with
his agent and his getting another agent - even so, he still did not do a
story on Willie Nelson.
He went on to describe some ideas he has been developing regarding Thailand
and how they came about. For one, he thought about using the title Thailand
Bizarro. He came up with the word Bizarro because the subject matter would
be about some of the bizarre things he has encountered since moving to
Thailand. He said the idea first came to him when he saw the Heaven and Hell
Garden at a Wat in Bang Saen, not too far from Pattaya. Until then, he said,
he wasn’t aware that there was a Buddhist “hell,” which he said was a
temporary place where one was punished for their transgression. He said for
those that haven’t seen it, they should as it makes “Freddy the Slasher”
seem tame.
When he started doing his research, Jerry said he discovered there are seven
or eight such gardens around Thailand. Another bizarre item was a monk that
has collected over 8,000 buffalo skulls. However, he said his Singapore
publisher rejected the idea and told him that they were not interested in
doing any stories on Thailand at this time. So, after spending time and
effort to work up that concept, he had to begin again.
In essence, Jerry said that getting published is a guessing game; trying to
find a topic that the publisher wants. Although some ideas may hit a dead
end, Jerry said that he still enjoys doing the research, including meeting
and talking to people, to develop the idea. In closing, he said that it is
comparable to dating, fun while it lasts. Jerry then responded to many
questions from the audience.
Four new scuba instructors from Aquanauts professional dive training center
New PADI instructors from
Aquanauts Dive Centre. From left, Master Instructor Gary Tytler, IDC Staff
Instructor Sally Rathbone, new Open Water Scuba Instructors Justin Mah,
Christian Holmes, Becky Maxwell and John McGraw and Course Director Roger M.
Smith.
While Pattaya is well known for playing host to foreign
tourists and retirees, it’s also a major center for professional scuba diving
training. Aquanauts Dive Centre, a 5-Star Career Development Center under the
Professional Association of Dive Instructors, last week saw four more of its
dive students become PADI instructors.
Christian Holmes, 35, and Becky Maxell, 18, of the United Kingdom; Justin Mah,
23, of Canada and John McGraw, 25, of the United States all earned top marks in
the three-day PADI Instructor Exam held at Pattaya’s Discovery Beach Hotel June
19-21. They now can go to work anywhere in the world introducing people to the
underwater world.
Aquanauts’ June graduates are but four in a long string of divers - young and
old that have embarked upon new careers through the Soi 6 center’s Diving
Instructor Training internship program. The 2-6 month training packages include
accommodations, equipment, courses, materials, testing fees, a one-year visa,
unlimited diving and job placement.
The program has seen considerable success. Last week’s successful exam gave
Aquanauts a 100 percent pass rate on the PADI test for the past two years, a
mark that is unrivaled in Central Thailand.
For more information on Aquanauts’ internship program, dive courses or trips,
see the company’s professional training website at www. DivingInstructorTraining
.com or its tourist-centric site at www.AquanautsDive.com.
Pattaya VFW Post 9876 builds
Mercy Center canopy
Members of Pattaya’s VFW Post 9876
pose with Fred and Diane Doell and children from the Mercy Center during the new
canopy dedication ceremony.
Kavita Lamba
On June 11, members of E.S. Hamilton Post of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States took part in a dedication ceremony for a large canopy
built at Pattaya’s Mercy Center children’s shelter. The canopy will allow the
children to move directly from their home to school busses in the parking lot
without getting rained on. The children previously had to run through portions
of the Center’s buildings but were still soaked with rain for several yards
before they could board a bus.
The Mercy Center is situated in Soi Nong Yai in a building which used to be a
diamond cutting factory. Due to the generous donations of various organizations
within Pattaya and abroad, different areas of the building have undergone
renovation.
The aim of the Mercy Center is to bring hope to those in need and so ultimately,
the desire is to have areas within the building where the underprivileged can be
involved in livelihood projects, enabling them to work and earn an income. There
is still much to do, so any donation to help with these renovations is greatly
appreciated.
The contributions to build the canopy came from individual American war veterans
and a generous gift from the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Pattaya. Al Serrato,
the VFW Post Commander, presented a plaque to Reverend Fred Doell, director of
the Mercy Center, which was mounted under the canopy near the entrance. The
plaque notes the local Post’s gift and carries the registered logo of the VFW.
Other VFW members in attendance at the dedication ceremony included J.J.
Karwacki, Eric Larson, Don Ratcliff and Bill Kelley.
Membership in the VFW is open to any American veteran who has served overseas
during an American war. Pattaya Post 9876 enjoys a membership of 380, the
largest VFW Post in Thailand, and meets at the Hog’s Breath Saloon on the second
Tuesday of each month. Further details may be found at www.vfwpost9876.org or by
calling 038 423-462.
On the rebound, Lamphun
silks get showcased in Pattaya
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The choice of Thai royalty since the late 1800s, silk from Lamphun
Province has long been long known for its detailed workmanship, high price and,
recently, its dwindling number of producers. But eight months after winning
special copyright protection, the unique brocade fabric is making a rebound and
authorities from the far northwest region are taking their most famous export on
a multi-country road show, with Pattaya as the first stop.
 Lamphun
Gov. Direkkot Panakornkleep hosted celebrities at the “Colorful and Delightful
Exhibition of Lamphun Silks” exhibition.
The “Colorful and Delightful Exhibition of Lamphun Silks” exhibition, which ran
June 13-18 at Central Festival Pattaya Beach, showcased the unique use of
hand-spun silk, silver and gold threads to create fabrics with the area’s unique
“yok dok,” or raised flower blossom patterns.
Most of Thailand’s silk is made in the Korat Plateau area. But since 1868
artisans in Lamphun have carved out their own niche creating high-end fabrics
favored by kings and queens, especially HM Queen Sirikit, who features it
prominently in her wardrobe. However, the combination of the high raw-material
costs, an onslaught of machine-made copies, and falling prices had pushed
Lamphun’s silk industry to edge of extinction.
Salvation may have come last October when Thailand’s Commerce Ministry awarded
Lamphun silk a little-used form of intellectual-property protection called
“geographic indication.” Recognized by the World Trade Organization, GI
certificates are used to protect such things as French champagne and other
products that can only be produced authentically in specific areas. The
protection is better than a trademark, as a Lamphun silk trademark could be sold
to an overseas company to produce silk there, GI protection means Lamphun silk
can only be made in Lamphun.
Producers and provincial officials say the GI recognition will both allow
producers to raise prices to a sustainable level and create a unique tourist
attraction for the region.
Lamphun Gov. Direkkot Panakornkleep, at last week’s show, hailed his area’s
materials for brocade that requires more skill than most silk products. He noted
that Lamphun silk has earned the Gold Peacock certification from the government,
deeming it “royal grade.” It is also showcased at the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Center in
Paris.
Lamphun Commercial Officer Maethee Buaphung said the fabric fair is traveling to
a number of cities in Thailand before heading overseas next year. Pattaya was
selected as the first stop due to its high number of foreign tourists. The silk
show not only shows off local products, but a range of unique Thai crafts, he
added.
Despite the slow economy, Maethee said the unique nature of Lamphun’s silk
brocade still makes it a popular product and now, with intellectual property
rights protection, one he hopes will be around for a long time.
Pattaya teens receive sex education information
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Unlike in the west, sex education is virtually non-existent in
Thailand’s schools. But with sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy
on the rise, Pattaya officials and the Thai Family Institute are teaming up to
teach youngsters the downsides of underage sex.
 Dr.
Somjai Raksasri, director of the Thai Family Institute, discusses sexual
behavior at the seminar.
More than 400 students from four Pattaya schools participated in the two,
two-day seminars last week aimed at preventing underage sex. At the June 15
opening ceremony, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome blamed a lack of education, the media
and the steady incursion of western media and mores into Thai society for the
youth-sex problem.
“The conservative traditional values of Thai society have become out of date
with more western culture moving in every minute,” Itthiphol said. “Our youth
has little life experience and is still naïve and Pattaya is seeing the impact
of sexual intercourse among students. But we also need help from parents to
guide students in the right direction and acknowledge the dangers of STDs and
pregnancy.”
The mayor urged parents to better control their children’s access to potentially
explicit media.
Dr. Somjai Raksasri, director of the Thai Family Institute, said the education
sessions covered the dangers and risks of underage sexual behavior and their
impact on body, mind, emotions and society.
Rotary Club of Pattaya
donates 66 scholarships
Pramote Channgam
Pattaya students with the grades, but not the money, to move up the
educational ladder are getting some help from the Rotary Club of Pattaya.
 Students
from 11 schools in Pattaya were presented with scholarships by Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome (right) and Pattaya Rotarians.
Sixty-six scholarships of 1,500 baht for students in 11 Pattaya primary and
secondary schools were presented by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome June 17 at a
ceremony at Pattaya City Hall. On hand was Rotary International District 3340
Governor Pratheep Malhotra, club president Gerard Porcon, former Gov. Jin
Srikasikorn and other district Rotary members.
Porcon explained that one of the Rotary Clubs’ primary missions is to assist the
area’s impoverished. Many poor families have children who’ve shown good
scholastic achievement, but lack the funds to continue with their education.
That’s where the scholarships come in.
Students qualifying for the 99,000 baht pool of scholarships had a minimum grade
point average of 2.5.
In Sattahip, a hug
a day keeps the flu away
Patcharapol Panrak
At Sattahip’s Tammasirisuksa School, teachers hope a hug a day will keep
the flu away.
 Youngsters
at Sattahip’s Tammasirisuksa School are fitted for facemasks to help prevent the
spread of the A(H1N1) flu.
Concerned that the recent outbreak of the A(H1N1) flu in Pattaya will spread to
Sattahip, school officials around the district are keeping a close eye on
primary- and secondary-school students for any signs of the new bug. Each day,
when students arrive, they get a hug.
Any student felt to be too warm will be sent to the nurse’s office and their
parents will be called.
Tammasirisuksa Principal Aree Kamnungkit said students are also being reminded
to use a cloth to cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing, as
well as to wash their hands often. Teachers were also told not to share food or
utensils and wash their hands often.
Sattahip Mayor Pairoj Malakul Na Ayutthaya said volunteers have been helping to
spread information about disease prevention and people are being urged to
contact a doctor immediately in case of any illness. Everyone, he said, should
try to stay healthy by exercising, sleeping enough and keeping homes and
workplaces clean.
Alvi’s ‘Thai Cultural Home’ opens its doors
Elfi Seitz
A very special school opened its doors on Sunday, June 14: ‘Alvi’s Thai
Cultural Home’. Friends and monks joined Alvi Sinthuvanik at the traditional
prayers, followed by a sumptuous lunch in the center’s garden.
 Alvi
Sinthuvanik in the garden in front of her Thai cultural home.
Alvi’s language school, MA Center which was located at Soi Buakaw, was renowned
as one of the oldest and best language centers in Pattaya. The new school is now
located at Soi 5 and it is not a simple language school any more, but also a
Thai Cultural home where people can learn skills in preparing Thai cuisine,
fruit & vegetable carving and gain knowledge of Thai traditions, etiquette and
customs. Of course one also can learn about health food, Thai home stay and join
Thai cooking classes. People who like to meditate can join one of the classes as
well.
The languages taught there are Thai, English, German, French, Japanese and
Mandarin Chinese.
Alvi Sinthuvanik comes from the deep South in Thailand and is not only a
fantastic teacher but a fantastic chef herself - especially when it comes to the
goodies of the South.
In the afternoon her students show their cooking skills by preparing dinner, to
which they can invite their husbands and partners.
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