Charity Club of Pattaya says thank you to generous sponsors
Christina Bolden
Sponsors and representatives from Alan Bolton Property
Consultants, Steve Puttock, Lodge Pattaya West Winds, Northern Thai Realty,
Matvic, Lake Side Court 2, Cranes & Equipment Asia and the World of Wine on
Wednesday November 24 were greeted by the Charity Club of Pattaya at the
Queen Victoria Inn for a “Thank You Party” as a gesture of thanks for their
continued and valued support. During the party we presented the sponsors
their Certificates of Appreciation.
Alan
Bolton Property Consultants.
Many of the Sponsors turned out and had a good time and
we would like to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedule to
turn up. We also had some other guests who came along just to support the
event, so we thank those as well.
Due to work commitments Expatriate Financial Services
Ltd., C.S.P. Construction, U.T.S. and Pure Bliss were unable to attend.
Lake
Side Court 2.
The Charity Club of Pattaya, now in its 6th year, took
this opportunity to launch the Charity Club’s Christmas Appeal raising funds
to buy Christmas gifts for Children in Isaan, and, if all goes well, for 73
blind and autistic children in Bangkok.
Paper trees are for sale on the board at the Queen
Victoria each with a picture of a child needing a Christmas gift. The cost
is 300 baht, and it is up to the individual how much more they would like to
donate. All you need to do is choose a child, write your name or email how
much you have donated, put your money in the Charity Club box and leave the
rest to the Charity Club.
Matvic
Master Butchers.
Pop in the Queen Victoria Inn and ask about the Christmas
Appeal or if you would like information via email contact Christina on 089
5454185 or [email protected]
The Charity Club also takes this opportunity to announce
our projects.
We are just starting a new project in Bangkok where we
are helping 73 Blind and Autistic Children at the Christian Foundation for
the Blind in Thailand. The home is not in good repair so this may be a
long-term project. We have put aside 100,000 baht, which was raised at the
Gala Dinner. We have just ordered the beds so now all the children can sleep
on a bed rather than on the concrete floor.
Northern Thai Realty.
We have also ordered an extra 15 white sticks and some
child friendly round tables and chairs. At the moment they have square
tables with sharp corners, which are causing a few injuries.
They also need help providing Pampers for those with
incontinence. We are also “hoping” to have some money left over for
Christmas Gifts.
We have just received a wish list for the Camillian home
for the disabled in Lat Krabang Bangkok, so we are looking at providing some
daily essentials for the children there.
Cranes
& Equipment Asia.
This project will involve us raising cash, so, at the
moment this has been put on hold.
To help Isaan we will always accept donations of
clothing, especially children’s clothing and toys, bedding, shoes, towels,
toiletries, wheelchairs, walking aids, old TV’s and radios.
For the Prosthesis Foundation in Chiang Mai we accept
aluminium ring pulls off cans and bottles.
Lodge
Pattaya West Winds.
World of
Wine.
Steve
Puttock.
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“If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you”
On November 28, Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg
welcomed everyone to the regular Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club.
After the usual opening announcements, he called on fellow member Bob L’Etoile
to introduce his good friend and club member Jim Jones.
Speaker of
the Day, longtime PCEC member and Pattaya resident Jim Jones (aka ‘The Rev’),
who received two Purple Hearts while serving with the US Marines in Vietnam,
shares his ‘Adventures with a Parachute’ - on his five tandem and single solo
parachute jumps.
Jim admits he is 73 years young and has lived in Thailand for
over 8 years. He is a US Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and received
two purple hearts, which are awarded for wounds received in combat. After his
military service, he spent 30 years in the construction field, which included 3
years working in Kuwait, Israel, Egypt, and Jamaica. Bob said that Jim’s
nickname is “Rev” alluding to a certain infamous reverend of the same name.
Jim said that several friends bought him a certificate for a
skydiving venture as a birthday gift. So, on his 60th birthday, Jim decided to
do a tandem parachute jump from 10,000 feet. He remarked that this was quite an
adrenalin rush. So, he decided that he wanted to continue with this exciting
sport. In all, he did 5 tandem jumps and one solo jump. Jim said that in making
the jump, you could use a static line, which pulls the ripcord automatically
when you jump from the airplane. However, he chose to jump, dive, and then pull
the rip cord at about 5,000 feet. Jim said that on this first jump, another
jumper recorded it on video and on his solo jump, it was videotaped from the
ground.
As the video was played for the audience with the sound being
the theme from Mission Impossible, Jim began to narrate his great adventure. He
described the aircraft and identified himself and his instructor (yes, he did
need to identify himself as he did look different wearing a big moustache). He
explained how the jump was made when the aircraft reached 10,000 feet - he and
the instructor were together as they dived toward the ground. When the chute
opened, Jim’s feet suddenly went upwards. Jim explained that the instructor,
thinking that he, Jim, might not pull the rip cord did it for him. This caught
him by surprise so he wasn’t quite prepared and his feet went flying upwards
when the canopy opened and slowed the descent.
Jim pointed out on a shot of the ground the small landing
area on the airport near Springfield, Illinois. He also noted that on their
jump, they did descend through a cloud layer, which he found out later you were
not supposed to do. Jim then explained that the next video would be of his solo
jump when his chute malfunctioned. Jim noted that for solo jumps, they used a
different landing area, which was more open. Although his chute malfunctioned
and he didn’t land where he was supposed to, he did manage to land safely in a
nearby cornfield, belonging to the local sheriff and was met by many people and
emergency equipment.
Due to some technical difficulties, the video showing his
solo jump would not play. Jim promised that he would bring it back for a second
feature at a later date. During the question and answer session, Jim was asked
about other solo jumps. Jim’s response was after the one and having the
malfunction, he decided it was time to give up skydiving and move on to
something else.
In concluding the meeting, Richard updated everyone on
upcoming events in and around Pattaya and called on Judith Edmonds to conduct
the always informative and sometimes humorous Open Forum, where questions about
living in Thailand and Pattaya in particular are asked and answered.
* Headline quote attributed to General Arthur McAuliff.
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South American wines featured at Alois Restaurant
(L to R)
Carlos Briones, sales manager for Chocolan Wines; Dr. Iain Corness; Jean
Bousquet and Natthachai Chaiyaprom.
Dr. Iain Corness
The Alois Restaurant and Wine Bar was the venue for a
South American Wine Dinner. With Natthachai Chaiyaprom, the energetic
manager of BNK Pattaya Wine Gallery on hand, plus two representatives from
the Jean Bousquet Winery from Argentina and the Chocalan Winery from Chile,
the guests were exposed to some very different wines, which were new to
most.
The reception wine, which was carried through to the
first course for some diners, was very interesting. A Cameleon Premier
Chardonnay Torrontes 2010 from the Argentines, it was obviously a very young
wine; however, despite a lack of any real ‘nose’ it was very pleasant to the
palate and had a good medium finish. This wine was accompanied by a poached
tiger prawn on a vegetable-spaghetti salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
The second course was pan-fried Norwegian salmon with a
seafood lasagna taken with the first of the Chocolan wines, a 2010 Sauvignon
Blanc. Good nose, easy on the palate and good long finish. This wine was
described by sales manager Carlos Briones as being 85 percent Sauvignon
Blanc grapes and 15 percent Reisling.
After a short break and sorbet, the main course was a
superbly tender grilled Australian beef tenderloin on soft polenta
accompanied by the Chocolan Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009. Again a little
young, and though enjoyable, even Carlos Briones agreed that another couple
of years laid down would increase the drinking enjoyment.
The next dish was a Blue Stilton cheese mousse teamed
with the Jean Bousquet Premium Malbec 2009. This mousse was universally
enjoyed, and the Malbec tried hard to overpower the Stilton, but it would
have taken an older and more robust red to challenge that cheese mousse.
Alois Restaurant and Wine Bar was very brave in its
handling of this wine dinner, as it was only the second of these which it
had hosted. We look forward to the next one.
(L to
R) Niruit Khoonthong, control & instrument design consultant for Foster
Wheeler; Natthachai Chaiyaprom; Vichai Priyatrakulruji, owner of Alois
Restaurant; and Suwit Pengsuwan, managing director of Eastern
Instrumentation and construction Ltd.
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Centara’s November Oktoberfest festive for any month
Flanked by two beautiful
frauleins, Pracha Chivapornthip, President of the German Thai Chamber of
Commerce, Stefan Buerkle, Executive Director of the German Thai Chamber of
Commerce, Mario Beyer, Director of rooms and Andrew Brown, Executive Chef, both
of Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya together with Stefan Magiera,
General Manager of Air Berlin hold up their beer mugs and exclaim ‘Prost’ to
ring in the Oktoberfest.
Elfi Seitz
The calendar may have said “November,” but at the Centara
Grand Mirage Hotel & Resort the Thai-German Chamber of Commerce’s Oktoberfest
was still going strong.
Organized in conjunction with the Norwegian Chamber of
Commerce and sponsored by Air Berlin, the festival got into full swing as the
rainy season came to a close in Thailand.
The huge garden at the Centara Grand Mirage was filled with
wooden tables and benches, the waitresses wore original “Dirndl” dresses
and carried the “Masskruege” to the tables, almost in the same manner as
the famous waitresses in Munich.
The band Anton, a group of Bavarians and Austrians fronted by
a female lead singer from Salzburg, were brought in by Air Berlin and had
already played at several festivals in Thailand. At the Centara Oktoberfest they
showed their best, playing famous Oktoberfest-songs and putting on special
numbers that were much appreciated by the audience.
The Centara management team had a few games of their own
prepared, including a beer-drinking competition won by the contest’s smallest,
slimmest - and a bit ill afterward - man.
Women joined in the beer drinking as well, except they didn’t
have to empty a one-liter jug as fast as possible. But even downing a
half-liter, they showed some women can really put away the brew.
The ladies also got into the act with the wood-sawing
contest, with some outdoing the spirited lumberjacks. The lucky draw also
generated lots of ticket sales, with hopefuls bidding for a chance at hotel
rooms and tickets back to Europe on Air Berlin.
In all, Centara’s Oktoberfest proved a very original
celebration and the chamber volunteers in costume made everyone feel festive, no
matter what month it actually was.
Fun and
Gemuetlichkeit at the Oktoberfest.
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