Telemedicine, which involves the use of technology to diagnose and treat patients, has been around for a while but now local private hospital Samitivej is taking it to a whole new level with the launch of Samitivej Virtual Hospital.

This next-generation healthcare service leverages the latest in digital technology, allowing users to consult a doctor anywhere, anytime via their smartphone.

Samitivej teamed up with Advanced Info Service, LINE Thailand, Muang Thai Life Assurance, Siam Commercial Bank, Sansiri and SCG Cement–Building Materials in developing the service, Dr Chairat Panthuraamphorn, chief executive of Samitivej and BNH Hospitals, explains.

“Samitivej Virtual Hospital is an online solution that provides 24-hour healthcare services, enabling patients to see a doctor without the need to go to a hospital. Developed with telehealth technology that is linked with existing medical services, Samitivej Virtual Hospital can be accessed from anywhere, anytime, even from overseas. Samitivej Virtual Hospital offers patients the easiest way to access healthcare services, thereby reducing travel time and expenses through direct video calling with Samitivej doctors.

The concept behind this virtual hospital is aligned with the needs of the new generation who place importance on time and prefer speed and fast services. This innovative solution underscores Samitivej’s position as a leader in healthcare innovation,” he says.

Samitivej Virtual Hospital offers patients the following key service conveniences:

Teleconsultation: A remote telemedicine consultation service that provides 24-hours medical advice via video call with Samitivej doctors and nurses. The service is currently available from 8am to 8pm with 24-hour operations starting on April 1.

Test@Home: This offers patients a convenient blood sampling service at home, with blood samples being sent to the laboratory immediately.

Medicine Delivery: Convenient delivery of medicine to patients. The service guarantees absolute data security. Samitivej adheres to the data protection standards mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Muang Thai Life Assurance (MTL) is providing an online consultation service for group insurance members via the MTL application, which allows customers to claim medical expenses as if they were receiving treatment in a hospital while Advanced Info Service (AIS) is supporting the programme with its online payment platform.

LINE is connecting Samitivej medical personnel with patients and putting its LINE MAN delivery service to work in taking medicines and medical products to patients.

For its part, Siam Commercial Bank is promoting its customer care service, offering healthcare advice for SCB Wealth customers; travel insurance with teleconsultation as a bonus, and providing SCB Wealth customers’ health checkup services at home courtesy of the multidisciplinary team and nurses from Samitivej Hospital.

Sansiri brings the virtual hospital to its Wellness Residence, the first lifestyle condominium with comprehensive health solutions, as well as offering all residents in Sansiri projects access to Samitivej Virtual Hospital through Sansiri Home Service Application.

And SCG introduces a new platform called “SCG Smart Living Platform” to provide a health and safety monitoring technology for patients and the elderly though IoT technology.

Samitivej Virtual Hospital can be accessed via the Samitivej Plus app (Android and iOS), online at http://www.SamitivejHospitals.com, @Samitivej LINE and through other online channels provided by Samitivej’s alliance partners.

The event is being held in partnership with the Thai Association of French Teachers and Lycee Francais International de Bangkok with support from the Embassies of Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, France, Luxembourg, Morocco, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Switzerland, Vietnam and Belgium plus the Honorary Consulate of Moldova,

Kicking off on Wednesday is the art exhibition hosted by the Embassy of Belgium, “Spirou4Rights & Marsu4Nature – Comic books at the service of human rights and nature”. The exhibition is made up of three parts.

The first section presents the drawings produced by the authors of the Spirou newspaper on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Each of the 30 articles of the Declaration is illustrated through a plate featuring the famous characters from the Spirou newspaper.

The second part of the exhibition invites visitors to discover 25 original issues of the Spirou newspaper published between 1939 and 1977. These collector’s pieces, unique in Thailand, reveal the evolution of the character of Spirou from Rob-Vel (with a 1939 issue where Spip became Spirou’s companion), through Jije (1946), to the stories of Andre Franquin and his famous “Idees Noires” published in the Trombone Illustre (1977). A series of 9 issues dating from 1957 features many plates from the prepublication of the album “Le Nid des Marsupilamis”. All the great heroes of the Belgian comic strip will be there and presented in their period publications! Texts in French, English and Thai) offer anecdotes from each of the copies on display.

The third part brings together 50 unpublished tributes to Franquin’s Marsupilami by 34 Thai artists and 16 students in Communication Design at Chulalongkorn University. From oil painting to three-dimensional works, from monotypes to collages, from comic strips to oil pencil or watercolour illustrations, these 50 works pay tribute to the Belgian illustrator and his Palestinian marsupial in his roles as herald and hero of the defence of Nature.

The Canadian Embassy is participating by bringing French Canadian artists, Maryse Dubuc and Charles Officer. Maryse and her husband work on the famous comic series, “Les Nombrills” and are showing the drawings they developed for the #Spirou4Rights, created for the 150th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights last year.

On March 22, the embassy will screen the documentary “The Invisible Essence: The Little Prince” at 6:30pm in French and English with French subtitles.

First published in 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince” has been translated into 300 languages, sold nearly two million copies annually, and has become one of the best-selling books in history. The new documentary attempts to get to the heart of what makes this story so special.

Admission is free for both events. For more information, visit bit.ly/LittlePrinceEN.

The campaign, which launches today, March 18, aims to reach thousands of business leaders with messages about the legal, productivity and security benefits of using licensed software.

BSA suggests that thousands of companies in Thailand continue to use unlicensed software assets, posing serious business and security risks. It hopes that the campaign will encourage thousands of companies will legalise their various software products, moving from unlicensed and insecure software to legal software assets.

“Today is all about legalising software and protecting companies from the dangers of unlicensed software,” said BSA I The Software Alliance Senior Director Tarun Sawney. “Our goal is to help business leaders understand the imperative to legalise and to recognise that investing in legalised software is good for their security, good for corporate reputation, good for corporate productivity and good for their bottom line.”

BSA is working with governments in major Asean markets to help the business communities understand the economic benefits of using legal software.

Research suggests that businesses gain an average increase in profits of up to 11 per cent based on legalised software assets and good management of software assets. As a matter of national competitiveness, government leaders are encouraging the business community to convert to legal assets.

“We recognise that companies using legal software perform better, protect data better and bring more benefits to a country,” said Tarun. “Good and profitable corporations must use licensed software assets to protect the interests of their clients, their data and ultimately the health of their business.”

BSA is launching the “Legalise and Protect” campaign this week in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This follows on from a similar campaign in cooperation with the Vietnamese earlier with positive results. Companies targeted in the campaign are in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to manufacturing, IT, finance, professional services, construction, healthcare, consumer goods, engineering, architecture, and design.

In the months ahead, BSA will launch public education efforts to ensure business leaders are aware of the risks of using unlicensed software. This will include marketing, communications, social media content and in some cases, direct appeals to businesses to ensure their software assets are fully licensed.

The Asia Pacific region has the highest rate of unlicensed software use in the world at 57 per cent.

Around the world, CIOs are finding unlicensed software is increasingly risky and expensive.

Organisations now face a one-in-three chance of encountering malware when they obtain or install an unlicensed software package or buy a computer with unlicensed software on it. Each malware attack can cost a company US$2.4 million on average and can take up to 50 days to resolve. To the extent that the infection leads to company downtime or lost business data, it can also seriously affect the company’s brand and reputation. The cost for dealing with malware that is associated with unlicensed software is growing too. It can now cost a company more than US$10,000 per infected computer and cost companies worldwide nearly US$359 billion a year.

BSA has long collaborated with governments to educate business leaders about the negative consequences of using unlicensed software. And this cooperation has brought positive results with annual reductions in the rate at which companies use unlicensed software. However, according to BSA, the problem continues to persist at unreasonable rates.

“The Asean region is among the most dynamic economic areas of the world, and both domestic and multinational companies are growing and benefiting from the many opportunities in Southeast Asia,” said Sawney. “But for companies in the Asean region to truly meet their ambitious goals, they must use safe, secure, licensed software. Unlicensed software is a liability that is no longer acceptable anywhere.”

BRING SOME colour and cheer to your home as the hot season arrives and you move into summer vacation mode. Ikea’s new Sommar 2019 collection has now arrived in its Thai stores and features edgy graphic designs and vibrant colourful prints on a huge selection of home decorating items, from bright and bold towels, pouffe, plates and bowls and chic picnic hampers designed in collaboration with Lotta Kuhlhorn and Malin Unnborn, who are known for their geometric and colourful graphic patterns, together with designers from Textilgruppen & Papperian, well-recognised for their paper and textile works.

Here are six ideas to freshen up your home, turning it into the perfect place to chill out this summer.

Small spaces for big beginnings

No large backyard? That’s okay. During the summer, even the smallest balcony can be turned into a great place to start the day. Catch your summer mornings with a cup of coffee along with the sunshine. Plus, this is a great space to put all of your wet swim gear to dry-off, or stuffy fabrics to air out in the summer sun.

Turn it inside out

Create a little corner under the tree to breathe some fresh air and sunbathe as though you were on vacation. Just move your small sofa to a quiet corner to sip some afternoon tea, or to catch a glimpse of the sunset. Add an exciting vibe and a stylish touch with a colourful rug or lamp with printed patterns.

Afternoon tea

Do you know that drinking warm beverages in warm weather can actually help the body cool down? Sounds counter-intuitive, right? However, by increasing your body temperature, you’re also letting more heat evaporate from your skin, thereby cooling the body down. Pretty cool, don’t you think?

Comfy, come rain or shine

Decorate your living corner to enjoy some ice-cream under the summer sun, and support your back with a small but comfy cushion. The trick is using cushions that are water repellent and fade-resistant. You don’t have to worry about them getting wet, just simply shake them off and they’ll be ready to use again.

One pouffe, many possibilities

Whether you spend your summer vacation indoors, watching a late-night TV series, or reading outside in the sun, the pouffe doubles as a comfy spot to sit or as a foot stool to rest your feet on an extra soft surface.

The more, the merrier

When it’s time for the weekend, Ikea invites everyone to the cook-out. Don’t keep yourself in the house, because eating together means more delicious dishes, louder laughter and a wider smile on your face. So, whether you’re in your backyard, at the nearest beach or in the city park, just ask your loved ones to join you – the more, the merrier.

UNDER THE SUN

>> The summer collection is available at Ikea’s two outlets at Mega Bangng and Bang Yai at CentralPlaza Westgate.

>> Visit Ikea.co.th for details.

NEW FROM Taiwanese network storage appliance giant Synology is its Mesh Router MR2200ac, and intelligent mesh gizmo that expands Wi-Fi coverage to include your entire house and comes with efficient parent controls so you can also protect the kids while they browse.

The MR2200ac is easy to set up using the Synology Router Manager (SRM) software, which supports the new WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) protocol for secure networks.

Synology has built the mesh router with cooperation from Qualcomm Technologies, using the Qualcomm Mesh Networking Platform.

Based on the Qualcomm IPQ4019 quad-core system-on-chip, MR2200ac leverages a tri-band Wi-Fi design to eliminate dead zones and deliver your broadband Internet speeds to the farthest corners of the house. Everything in the network is managed by the SRM and the router itself is intuitive to use.

With the intelligent mesh technology, the MR2200ac dynamically chooses the best route (2.4GHz, 5GHz or Ethernet) for communication between each MR2200ac and with client devices so that you will get the fastest possible path to the Internet.

The MR2200ac is powered by a quad core processor running at 717MHz and it has 256 megabytes of memory.

It uses 2×3 MIMO high-performance internal antenna for 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands. The new MU-MIMO technology makes sure that all of your devices can fetch data from the Internet simultaneously without sluggish performance.

The router uses simultaneous tri-band Wi-Fi with one 5GHz channel providing 867Mbps bandwidth, another 5GHZ 867Mbps and one 2.4GHz 400 Mbps.

Synology says one MR2200ac has a coverage of 185 square metres. If your house has two floors, you should buy two MR2200acc and link them to provide a wireless network throughout the house without any dead spots.

I tested the MR2200ac using two MR2200ac – one functioning as the router placed on the ground floor and the other functioning as an access point.

The setup was the mesh network was a breeze using the DS router app.

You simply need to use an Ethernet cable to connect the first MR2200ac to your modem and then place the second MR200ac unit on the upper floor and power both of them up.

Or you can first place both of them in the same room and finish the setup first and later move the second unit to where you want it to be. Just observe the second unit’s signal light to make sure that there are at least two bars.

Then, you can use DS router to set up the primary router by searching for it and enter password at its back. Or you can use the app to scan the QR code at the back of the router. I opted for the latter and found it both easy and quick.

I followed the wizard guide and installed the new SRM software then changed the default Wi-Fi name to my previous router’s names so that all of my clients could automatically connect to the new router with a breeze.

The app also guided me to register for a QuickConnect account with Synology to allow me to remotely manage the router later on.

I then used the DS router app to add the second MR2200ac as a Wi-Fi point. You can given it any name you like, just as Bedroom if you are placing it in your bedroom and not feeling particularly inspired.

The primary router and the Wi-Fi point will take sometime to automatically configure Wi-Fi settings and other configs. The app will also require you to update the firmware in case your MR2200ac units have not been upgraded with mesh-support SRM yet.

I placed the second unit in my bedroom on the second floor to boost the Wi-Fi coverage on the second floor. I found the second unit got the full three-bar signals and movie streaming via my Android TV on the second floor was smooth thanks to the mesh system. The two MR2200ac units linked to each other, using one of 5GHz bandwidth.

I tested the MR2200ac system on True Online’s 50/20 Mbps True Super Fibre Internet connection. I measured the speed of connection on a notebook connected wirelessly to the second MR2200ac unit on the second floor and I got s download speed of 55.74 Mbps and an upload speed of 21.24 Mbps.

Apart from using the DS router app, you can also use the web browser to set up or manage the router. The app and management browser provide transparent information on which devices, such as notebooks, smartphones or smart TVs are downloading data at what speed.

For security, MR2200ac is one of the very first routers to be certified by WPA3, the newly announced Wi-Fi security standard. With new options including WPA3-Personal, WPA3-Enterprise and Enhanced Open, MR2200ac equips home, business, and public Wi-Fi networks with the latest defences against snooping and other attacks.

The latest SRM 1.2 release also comes with a brand-new Safe Access package that brings together best-in-class parental controls and automatic security at the network level, so that you don’t have to look for a solution for each individual platform.

You can create user profiles based on IP addresses assigned to each device and then you can decide when and for how many hours your children can use the Internet.

You can also use web filters and SafeSearch to protect your children from adult-only content. Web filters can also be scheduled to limit a teenager’s social media usage to specific hours. For younger netizens, the simplest is to put together a white list of approved websites for them to access.

The parental control system lets you understand how kids are exploring the Internet: when they’re online you can see which devices they’re using, and if they accidentally stumble on inappropriate websites. They can submit a request for you to unblock a website.

You can also set Network profiles for family gadgets and IoT devices or anything connecting to your local or guest network in the future and all abnormal activities are carefully stopped and logged.

Synology MR2200ac has a suggested retail price of Bt4,450.

>> CPU: Quad core 717 MHz

>> Memory: 256 MB DDR3

>> Antenna type: 2×2 MIMO high-performance internal antenna (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz)

>> LAN port: Gigabit (RJ-45) x 1

>> WAN port: Gigabit (RJ-45) x 1

>> External Ports: USB 3.0 x 1 (5V, 0.9A power output)

>> Button and switch: WPS, Power, Reset, Wi-Fi On/Off

>> IEEE 802.11ac: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Simultaneous tri-band Wi-Fi, 5GHz-1: 867Mbps, 5GHz-2: 867Mbps, 2.4GHz: 400Mbps

>> IEEE 802.11ac wave 2: |MU-MIMO

>> Wi-Fi Encryption: WEP, WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA3-Personal/Enterprise, Wi-Fi Enhanced Open (OWE)

>> Size (Height x Width x Depth): 154 mm x 199 mm x 65 mm

>> Weight: 0.45 kg

DELL Inspiration 14 5000 2-in-1 is a sleek portable notebook computer that turns into a tablet with just one flip. The Dell Cinema display can be folded back on the keyboard and it comes with a touch panel and an active battery-powered stylus pen.

It can also be used in “tent mode”, with the edges of the keyboard and display serving as stands for you to tap on the touch display and make presentations from the display.

I got my hands on the 5482 model, which is powered by an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U Processor running at 1.8 GHz and it comes with 8 gigabytes working memory or RAM. The Inspiration 14 5000 also comes with a fast 256 GB SSD drive that allows fast writing and reading of data.

The Dell notebook has a beautiful 14-inch display using Dell Cinema technology so the computer is also good for entertainment. It has 1,920×1080 pixel resolution.

To enhance the movie-watching experience, Dell uses CinemaColour technology for the display and it provides vibrant colours and details. And the display comes with CinemaStream technology that uses SmartByte channels for maximum bandwidth of your videos and musics.

The notebook computer also uses CinemaSound technology to make watching movies even more enjoyable. Its Waves MaxxAudio Pro boosts volume and clarifies sound details.

During the test, I found that the Inspiration 14 5000 ran business applications like Microsoft Office very fast and smoothly. HD video clips flew and the movies looked really good.

Its touch screen was responsive and its active stylus pen worked efficiently for note taking and for drawing on supported apps.

The Inspiration 14 5000 also comes with Dell Mobile Connect that allows you to wirelessly access your smartphone. The software brings a new level of smartphone-to-PC integration beyond text messages and phone calls to include integration with Android and iOS apps notifications, such as WhatsApp messages, calendar reminders and more.

The notebook also boasts plenty of ports. It has one USB Type-C port on the left side that enables single-cable docking, meaning you can plug into a variety of multifunctional configurations with one, easy connection. Plug in multiple monitors, a keyboard, mouse and printer into a compatible dock for an easy home office setup.

It a USB 2.0 port on the right side and two USB 3.1 ports as well as an HDMI port and headphone jack on the left side. An SD card reader is also provided on the right side.

It comes with fast Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2×2 connection.

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 2-in-1 (5482) with Core i7 processor retails for Bt40,990 inclusive of the Active Pen.

>> OS: Windows 10

>> CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U Processor 1.8 GHz

>> RAM: 8GB, DDR4, 2666MHz

>> HDD: 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

>> Optical Drive: N/A

>> Display: 14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED Backlight, Non-touch Narrow Border IPS Display

>> Video card: Intel UHD Graphics

>> Ports: 1 x HDMI 1.4b, 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C (DP/PowerDelivery), |1 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x Power, 1 x SD card, 1 x Universal audio jack

>> Battery: 42WHr, 3-Cell Battery

>> Dimensions: Height: 19.95mm x Width: 328mm x Depth: 232.8mm

>> Weight: 1.75kg

Perched high in the hills of Chiang Mai’s Chom Thong district on Doi Inthanon, the small village of Baan Nong Lom has reason to stand proud.

That wasn’t always the case though. Fifty years ago, this impoverished settlement, much like the hamlets around it, was home to fields of opium poppies, its residents labouring to care for the attractive but insidious crop so as to be able to eat. It did however boast the only coffee plant in the entire province.

In 1974, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej paid a visit to the village while on a tour of Thailand’s north and changed its fate forever.

“Phor Luang [the king] saw the poverty and hardship in this village and asked me how they lived and whether they grew enough rice for their own consumption. I explained that they worked as labourers. When Phor Luang heard that this village had a coffee tree, he insisted on walking along the trail to see it. He told us we must take good care of this coffee plant, which came to the village via a missionary, so we could collect the seeds and give them to other villagers to plant,” recalls Bunthong Kajeewongwilai, former headman of Baan Nong Lom.

A poster in the Baan Nong Lom village shows the late King Rama IX looking at the first coffee plant in 1974.

“We had little success with the coffee plantation at the beginning because we didn’t have the skills or the possibilities for marketing the beans. Phor Luang told us not worry about it, predicting that many more Thais would turn to drinking more coffee within the next 10 or 20 years,” he adds.

King Rama IX encouraged the villagers to plant coffee bushes to replace opium poppies and took some coffee beans to the royal project for research. The government turned its attention to development of this area and the quality of life gradually improved. Today, Baan Nong Lom is a strong community growing a variety of vegetables as well as coffee and has launched a community-based tourism project. Most importantly, the villagers live a sustainable lifestyle.

The villagers show off their coffee beans.

During our visit, we are shown the way the coffee is harvested and processed by Tan, the nephew of a 78-year-old hilltribe resident known as Phayo Taro who greeted the King that year and accompanied him to observe the village’s sole coffee plant.

“The process of Arabica has seven steps. The first step is removing the beans from the fruit after picking the ripe coffee cherries. The second step is soaking the beans in water for a day or two. Any that float to the top are either hollow or are unhealthy and defective beans so can immediately be removed. The third step is removing the pulp from the cherries. The cherry skins are used for making the compost for the foundation’s vegetable plots. After that, the beans are soaked again then dried in the sun for seven to 14 days,” Tan explains.

Thai Smile Airways’ Charita Leelayuth and PTTOR’s Jiraporn Khaosawat place the cherries in the pulp remover.

A few years ago, the Royal Project Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the PTT to jointly implement the “Research and Development Project for Coffee Cultivation and Production in Natural Resource Conservation System for Sustainable Development”. The project, which ran from 2014 to 2017, had four main objectives. The first was the study, research and development of Arabica coffee cultivation and production technologies of the Royal Project Foundation for internationalstandard qualification; the second was supporting and promoting coffee cultivation along with natural resource conservation and the third, developing and promoting occupational skill competence in coffee cultivation and production for hilltribe farmers. The last objective was to encourage villagers to participate in self-development and become a strong model community with economic stability and a sustainable society according to the sufficiency economy philosophy.

Coffee bean cherries

This year, the Arabica coffee beans from the Royal Project Foundation will be enjoyed by a much wider group of coffee lovers, both here and overseas, thanks to a partnership between Thai Smile Airways and PTT Oil and Retail (PTTOR) that brings a typically strong Cafe Amazon coffee to all passengers on every flight.

“We selected Cafe Amazon because it’s a Thai brand and the project is a collaboration between Thai Smile and PTTOR, which are both state enterprises. We are also delighted to take a Thai brand and make it better known to the global market,” says Charita Leelayuth, acting chief executive officer of Thai Smile Airways.

“PTTOR focuses on sustainability and has several community-based CSR programmes dealing with production. Cafe Amazon has many coffee sources but we have chosen to collaborate with the Royal Project Foundation. Our visit to Baan Nong Lom has shown us that villagers grow and produce coffee sustainably, which matches the objectives of both Thai Smile and Cafe Amazon.

“We fly regularly across the region including to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos where Amazon already has several branches. Amazon is very popular in Cambodia with more than 100 branches. So joining up to bring the rich taste of strong coffee to all our passengers makes a lot of sense. Some passengers will get to taste Amazon coffee for the first time on our flight.”

“But having a coffee brand on board isn’t as important as having the same objectives and government cooperation. We didn’t select this coffee brand just because it is from Cafe Amazon but because we have the same vision and want to cooperate with government in making community life sustainable,” she adds.

Cafe Amazon currently has 2,450 branches here in Thailand and a further 200 spread over Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Myanmar, Fukushima in Japan, and Oman. Cambodia has the most with 111 branches and with the country’s economy growing and people having more money to spend, they are doing a roaring trade. Today, Cambodians from all walks of life  family and teenagers consider Cafe Amazon coffee the No 1 coffee brand.

Executives Charita and Jiraporn are a picture of concentration as they learn how the grain moisture tester is used to measure parchment.

“We have, as you would expect, conducted customer surveys and interviews and adjusted the taste and strength of the coffee accordingly. We are now planning to expand our business to China and are sending a team there to work on the flavour that will best suit Chinese consumers. The Chinese are known for their love of tea, but coffee drinking is a trend and one that’s growing fast. We will start in the south because its culture and traditions are similar to those of Thais. We are also looking at Shanghai. This year, we will open three Amazon branches in Singapore in such prime areas as the airport and shopping malls. And here at home, we are always looking at creating new products and improving our services, both of which are vital to attracting new customers,” says Jiraporn Khaosawat, chief executive officer and president of PTT Oil and Retail Business.

Jiraporn confirms that the Thai love of coffee is growing stronger. “We undertook a comparative survey on how many tonnes of coffee are consumed in a year. Thailand came in lower than Vietnam but revealed massive growth. Coffee consumption is now part of Thai people’s lives.”

Nan is a great province and lovely to cycle around, but you had to forgive the mixed feelings among the 50 riders on the recent International Bangkok Bike tour – they were just as exhausted as they were exhilarated.

Nan was the latest destination on a cycling trek covering five “secondary tourist cities” in the country’s five regions, put together by NCC Exhibition Organizer.

Nan perches at the far east of the far North, bordering Laos, and boasts the spectacular mist-draped mountains of Doi Phu Kha National Park.

There are lots of venerable temples and communities of indigenous hilltribes, and the town of Nan itself is peaceful, laid back and charming.

The cyclists’ starting point was the Phu Resort in Pua district. Sub Lieutenant Phanuwat Khatnak, director of the Tourism Authority’s local Office, gave a pep talk and then signalled the launch for a 40-kilometre jaunt. Ahead of us were four designated stops with their own interesting attractions and planned activities.

We reached the first one after just 7km – the Ban Tai Lue Café, which overlooks vast rice fields set against a mountainous background.

Thatched-roof pavilions on stilts, connected by an interlacing network of bamboo and wooden bridges, formed Ban Tai Lue. Rustic waterwheels and bolts of fabric gently fluttering in the breeze completed the amazing scene as the bikers paired off to solve four quizzes.

Another 12km on, we pulled up at Wat Si Mongkok, which was founded as Wat Kong. The cyclists were separated into five groups, each with its own colour, to play a pair of fun games.

One involved whispering a long sentence to one another and having a laugh at the end result, and the other required us to transfer spoonfuls of water from one container to another, separated by several metres.

In the midst of all this, we still had time to admire the temple buildings, including one with a beautiful, intricate mural depiction a long-ago flood that struck the province.

Nan is deservedly famous for its gorgeous natural environment – and for its hills. Yes, there were some steep climbs on the bikes and more than one wearied rider hopped off and turned into a walker.

Going slow was nice, too, since you could enjoy the fragrant yellow flowers blossoming on White Meranti trees (Shorea roxburghii, ton phayom in Thai). The scent reminded me of khanom kleep lamduan, the traditional baked cookies formed into the shape of lamduan flowers.

A further 13km on and we were at Wat Phuket, a long way from that famous resort island but just as welcoming with young students treating us to a traditional dance.

Once settled in, we pooled our talents to complete jigsaw puzzles depicting several tourist destinations.

It was only 6km more back to the resort, where another jigsaw puzzle awaited us to complete our mission. Backs were slapped, muscles massaged, and we hungrily headed off for a much-anticipated lunch.

It has been four years since Citi Thailand introduced Citi Prestige, offering exclusive rewards and global travel privileges. Raising the bar for the premium credit-card segment, Citi Prestige enables travel-loving card members to see the world.

Citi Thailand recently hosted a party at the Nai Lert Park Heritage Home’s Lady L Garden Bistro to introduce the new design, which reflects a sense of stability and sophistication.

Sandeep Batra, head of credit cards and loans at Citi Thailand, greeted celebrities including Von Sugunnasil, Sarun and Phanit Limsawatwong, Jay and Jareyadee Spencer, Vorravit Siripark, Vasu Surattiantra, Peeraya Bunnag and Manvad Nakornthap, who had their pictures taken by renowned photographer Lik Sriprasert.

“Citi Prestige has now embarked on its fourth year of delivering exclusive privileges to sophisticated travellers for them to enjoy a world of experiences in Thailand and overseas,” Batra said.

“Citi has now revamped the design. The material itself has a premium and sophisticated touch. You can feel the weight of metal, which complements the luxurious lifestyle of the cardholders themselves. We want our card to be a steady-state expression that our underlying dynamic chassis product can live inside of for decades.”

Citi Prestige offers unlimited access to 1,000 airport lounges in more than 120 countries through the Priority Pass card and complimentary airport-limousine transfers at participating airports in Asia-Pacific twice a year.

Visit http://www.Citibank.co.th/th/prestige for more details.

With its timeless songs, “West Side Story” needs little in the way of introduction to global audiences. Considered one of the greatest musicals of all time, it has won multiple Tony and Academy awards (Oscars) winner and is soon to become another of Steven Spielberg’s latest cinematic adventures.

Now the Young Artists Music Programme (YAMP), the high-school division of the College of Music, Mahidol University, has become part of that rich history as one of the very first schools in the world to be awarded performance rights by the Music Theatre International (MTI) for its upcoming show of the musical’s student edition.

YAMP students are practicing the part of their singing.

A musical in which a twentieth-century Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs, “West Side Story” is set on the harsh streets of the upper west side, where two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang member falls in love with a rival’s sister.

All authorised performance materials for this production – the music by the great Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written and cocreated by Arthur Laurents, and Jerome Robbins’ original choreography – are supplied by Music Theatre International.

Students from Young Artists Music Program (YAMP) are making a rehearsal for performing at “West Side Story, Student Edition.” 

“It’s not easy to be granted license for musicals in Asia and we had to wait some time to be, as far as I know, the first school to finally be given the rights by MTI in New York,” says YAMP Principal Richard A Ralphs, who also directs this production.

“‘West Side Story, Student Edition’, is not that different from the full version. There are only a few minutes of music cut and the script is actually all the same. It is a very difficult and demanding musical. There is a lot of 1950’s New York dialogue; the music for both actors and musicians is extremely tough and the dance has to fit seamlessly into the whole production. Of course for many of our students, the hardest part will be working on dialogue. It’s hard for professional actors so you can imagine how difficult it must be for nonnative speakers.

Students from Young Artists Music Program (YAMP) are making a rehearsal for performing at “West Side Story, Student Edition.” 

“That said, our students have passion and are willing to put in the hard work to make the whole show come to life. Our voice teachers, faculty, staff and many alumni have willingly given extra time to help the students go beyond what they can currently achieve. They cannot make a professional international standard performance, because they are not yet professionals. But they can have a professional attitude, learn professionalism and create something very powerful to share with our community. This is the aim of this production.”

But “notyet professional” does not mean “lacking experience”. Many of the students, both in the orchestra and cast, have won national and international awards. Witchaphon “Pete” Onprapai, a Mathayom 6 student who alternatively plays Tony and Riff, is lead singer of the band Lingrom, a finalist of Hotwave Music Awards 2018. The leading lady, Maria, is played by Phatchalarwaree “Jasmin” Damrongthamprasert, has more than 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and was featured in a Dreambox production of “Son, A New Musical.”

Salaya, New York

– “West Side Story, School Edition” will be staged at the MACM, College of Music, Mahidol University, Salaya from March 2224 at 7pm.

– Tickets are from Bt500 to Bt1,500. For more information and booking, please visit Facebook page: YAMP Voice Production or bit.ly/YAMPWSS