Thammasat University’s Social Administration Faculty and South East Asia University are joining up for the “Photo in remembrance of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej” project, which invites members of the public to have their photos taken while paying respect to the late King.
“The passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was a very great loss to the Thai people and the state and private entities have been organising various activities to show their condolences and undying loyalty,” notes Asst Prof Kowit Puangngarm, Dean of the Social Administration Faculty.
“Thammasat’s Tha Prachan campus is close to the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang where people come to pay respect to the late King and is equipped with various facilities including restrooms and the coordinating centre for volunteers while the area around the Social Administration Faculty offers food and beverages to the public and volunteers.
“The faculty and South East Asia University are thus introducing this ‘Photo in remembrance of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’ project to help those come to pay respects take home a memento of their visit while simultaneously raising awareness about the faculty. The project will provide 200 photo shoots a day for 5 months of people paying respect to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The photos measure 6×8 and are in colour with 11 backgrounds from which to choose including His Majesty the King’s activities and the Grand Palace. This project is expected to be another landmark for volunteer activities during this historic event.”
Those who are interested in having a photo taken of themselves paying respect to the late King can visit Room 108 of the faculty every day until October 19. Find out more by calling (02) 613 2500 between 9am and 4pm.
For the third year running, Chivas Regal is setting out to reward the world’s most promising social entrepreneurs and its Thailand office is now encouraging members of the public to vote for local winner Siam Organic in the global campaign.
The contest is designed to find a business whose innovation and enterprise strives to make the world a better place under the concept of “Win the Right Way”. Following a tough selection process, Peetachai Dejkraisak, co-founder and chief executive of Siam Organic, a social enterprise that aims to solve the problem of farmers’ poverty through innovative organic products, including specialty organic rice, Jasberry, was picked for the final round.
Siam Organic realises that although Thailand is the number one rice exporter in the world, Thai farmers are among the lowest income earners in the ASEAN region. Siam Organic has developed a line of “Jasberry” products with the aim of ending small-scale farmers’ poverty by giving farmers access to the global organic market. Jasberry rice is a purple variety of rice with three times the antioxidants of blueberries. By providing farmers with rice seeds, micro-financing and training them in organic farming methods, Siam Organic has already enabled farmers to earn 14 times more profit compared to the average Thai rice farmer. Currently, Siam Organic works with approximately 5,000 farmers in about 1,000 households. But it needs help if it is to grow its operations and reach 20,000 new farmer households over the next three years, assisting even more farmers grow their way out of poverty.
As part of the $1 million (Bt35 million) Chivas Venture fund, people around the world will have the chance to vote for their chosen social enterprise in a five-week online voting campaign that continues through June 12. The public’s vote will determine how the first $250,000 in funding is split among the 30 global finalists. Show your support for Siam Organic through a live vote at https://www.Chivas.com/th-th/the-venture/finalists/people/th-siam-organic.
The winner(s) of the remaining $750,000 in funding will be decided on July 13 at the Chivas Venture Final in Los Angeles, after a high-stakes pitch in front of the judges and a live audience.
Days after announcing a new property in Vietnam, Thailand-based hospitality company Dusit International continues to spread it wings by signing a management agreement with Omstone Asia Capital Nepal Pvt Ltd to operate Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort & Spa, the first Dusit-branded property in Nepal.
Located in the heart of Nepal’s central region, just over an hour’s drive from Kathmandu and Tribhuvan International Airport, the luxurious mountaintop resort will have 44 well-appointed guest rooms and 20 exclusive villas, each providing magnificent views of the majestic Himalayan range.
Taking inspiration from the natural beauty of its surroundings, the pristine air and the year-round good weather, the new property will have a wellness spa concept created by Dusit’s signature Devarana Spa, which provides luxurious, personalized treatments to promote emotional and physical well-being. Other facilities will include an all-day-dining restaurant, a bar and lobby lounge, meeting facilities and a swimming pool.
Namo Buddha, a small village that’s home to the ancient Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery, one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal, is less than 10 minutes away by car. Dhulikhel, the administrative centre of Kavrepalanchok District, whose old town is home to many Hindu shrines and Buddhist stupa, is also nearby. The extension of the highway linking Dhulikhel to Kathmandu is expected to be complete by 2020, reducing travel time between the capital and the resort to less than 45 minutes.
“Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort & Spa brings wellness and well-being to the fore in a magnificent setting that invigorates the mind, body and soul,” says Suphajee Suthumpun, group chief executive officer of Dusit International. “In keeping with our brand promise to deliver gracious hospitality to the world, we will do all we can to ensure our resort has a positive impact on the local environment and community, and we look forward to making it a huge success.”
“This is not just a commercial relationship, it is more of a spiritual collaboration between two companies that share the same beliefs and values, and which want to do something positive and meaningful for Nepal. It also marks the start of a long and fruitful relationship because we aim to explore more opportunities to work with Dusit, both within Nepal and beyond,” adds Vishnu Mor, principal partner of Omstone Asia Capital Nepal Pvt Ltd.
With 29 properties currently in operation across four brands in eight countries, Dusit International is in a growth phase which will see the number of Dusit properties reach 70 within the next three to four years across key markets worldwide.
With the summer wedding season now in full swing, online tour operator Backyard Travel is offering romantic honeymoon trips to Japan and Vietnam.
Encapsulating all that is poetic and romantic about Japan, the eight-day Shinto Shrines and Steaming Onsen: Honeymoon journey begins in Tokyo to take in the ancient amidst the ultra-modern.
Couples will visit the traditional tea house Nakajima No Chaya and soak in an onsen spring in a lovely old ryokan, and wander through the iconic red Shinto gates of Fushimi Inari shrine. That’s followed by a trip to Hakone national park at the foot of Mount Fuji before speeding off to Kyoto on the shinkansen bullet train.
In Kyoto, newlyweds can enjoy walking tours to visit historic shrines, castles and the wooden townhouses of Sannen-zaka.
For couples preferring something more tropical, the 12-day Live, Love and Laugh in Vietnam encompasses urban adventures, breathtaking landscapes and idyllic islands.
From Hanoi to Hoi An and Halong Bay, this honeymoon programme includes unforgettable experiences including cruising between limestone karsts, lazing on the powder-fine sands of Phuc Quoc, scooting around on a Vespa in Saigon and more.
The new Jabra portable speakerphone makes sure everyone is heard clearly
A must for any small company that holds regular conference calls but can’t afford to invest in heavy-duty equipment, the Jabra Speak 710 is a premium portable speakerphone with a foldable stand and a built-in USB cable that wraps around the back of the speaker when it is not used.
The Speak 710 can be used either as a Bluetooth speaker or a USB speaker and can easily be paired with a second Speak 710 to create stereo sound and or to provide wider coverage for a conference room. Connecting the two is easy too: just press the Link button on both speakerphones when they are within two metres of each other.
The Speak 710 uses Bluetooth 4.2 technology with headset profile version 1.2 and hands-free profile version 1.6. Wireless range is up to 30 metres and the built-in omni-directional microphone has a signal to noise ratio of 70dB.
A PC USB Bluetooth dongle (Jabra Link 370) is provided that you can plug into your PC to stream music to the Speak 710.
The Speak 710 has 10 watts of peak output power and 2 RMS watts. The 500 mA battery provides talk time of up to 15 hours and takes about three hours to recharge.
Weighing about 298 grammes and a mere 131mm, the speaker is very portable and even comes with a carry pouch.
It has frequency response of 150 Hz to 20 kHz.
During the test, I had no problem using it with my notebook computer. I simply plugged it to a USB port and the driver was installed automatically all ready to play music.
Connection with a smartphone using Bluetooth connection was also a breeze.
The speaker has touch sensitive buttons around its edge. I simply held the Bluetooth button down to make the Bluetooth link.
There are also volume up and down buttons and two speakerphone buttons for receiving and hanging up calls.
When the Speak 710 is linked to a smartphone, you can use the Smart button to activate voice assistant, like Siri of iOS, Google Now and Microsoft Cortana. You can also set the Smart button to speed dial instead of activating a voice assistant.
The Speak 710 has good sound clarity. It highlights the highs and mids and has just enough bass.
Jabra Speak 710 has a suggested retail price of Bt11,000 and it will be available from Ingram Micro (Thailand), RTB Technology, and SiS Distribution (Thailand).
Key specs:
– Connectivity: USB 2.0 & Bluetooth – USB cord of 90cm
– Bluetooth standard: Bluetooth 4.2 – Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE)
HP makes the Elite x3 connectable to a keyboard, mouse and monitor
With the HP Elite x3 smartphone, you’ve already got a desktop or laptop computer running Windows 10. This clever design makes things a lot easier for people who work on the go. Mind you, it costs Bt30,000.
The “x3” signifies the three configurations – phone, desktop and laptop – but to use it as a laptop, you need to also buy the HP Elite x3 Lap Dock, which looks like a laptop but doesn’t have a CPU. It just mirrors your phone’s apps and functions.
Using the Elite x3 as a desktop computer is a given, though, because the phone comes with an HP Elite x3 Desk Dock for connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse and even an Ethernet LAN cable.
The phone makes use of a fast USB-C port and the Continuum component of Windows 10 to connect to the monitor, mouse, keyboard or a mirrored laptop.
Business executives and other high rollers who want to double down on computer time without having to switch between machines need only save their work in cloud storage, since the Elite x3 has just 64 gigabytes of internal storage.
Although a microSD expansion slot is provided, it’s shared with the second nano SIM. You can use it for one function or the other, not both.
As a smartphone, this is quite a powerful unit, and nice-looking in black, too. The multi-touch display is a large 5.96 inches with 2,560×1,440 pixels of resolution, protected behind anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
The power comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor running at 2.15GHz. Working memory (RAM) is a generous 4GB. For graphics, a Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU is your able servant.
I tested the device with the Microsoft Office applications that come with Windows 10 Mobile – Word, Excel and PowerPoint – and got through my tasks quickly and smoothly, with the same speed and confidence shown for games, videos and music files.
Since the Elite x3, like most Windows 10 mobile phones, is designed for business uses, there’s a no-nonsense look and feel to it. In place of attractive wallpaper and themes, you have a minimalist tile display of the apps and functions most commonly used, awaiting your tap.
Still, this “business phone” comes with multimedia apps, like Grove Music and Movies, and the sound is good too, thanks to an audio system and speakers designed by B&O Play. Two front-facing 0.6-watt stereo speakers and HP Noise Cancellation software ensure that phone conversations are easy to hear.
The 4G LTE connection is a fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi that, as I found on TrueMove H’s LTE network, will download apps and back up files as if the cops were on their way. The Ookla Speedtest app measured downloads at 52.52Mbps and uploads at 14.69Mbps.
I got connected in a hurry through a Linksys EA8500 router and could fetch files from my other home computers with no problem.
Managing the dual-SIMs issue isn’t difficult. I designated one SIM for data and it was automatically set to a 4G connection, while the other was ready for a 3G connection. The home screen shows tiles for using either SIM to make phone calls and send SMS, all very convenient.
The security seems pretty sound. The 2.4MP “iris camera” integrated into the front-facing camera will check the irises of your eyes before unlocking the phone, and there’s a fingerprint reader at the back, below the main camera. In my test, both of these security functions worked well.
The cameras do a nice job. The main camera is 16-megapixel resolution and uses phase-detection auto-focus. It’s capable of shooting Full HD video at 30 frames per second. The front-facing camera is 8MP. Both can get decent images in low light and overall produce good quality for a mobile device.
Configured as a desktop computer, the phone handily connects to a monitor, keyboard and mouse using the provided Desk Dock.
My only gripe is that the dock comes with a display port instead of the more common HDMI port. If you don’t have a monitor with a display port connector, you’ll have to buy a cable with a display-port connector on one side and an HDMI connector on the other.
HP’s Elite x3 has a suggested retail price of Bt29,900. The Lap Dock costs Bt18,990.
The millions of flowers being cultivated for the royal cremation are artificial, but the love is genuine
MILLIONS OF artificial flowers being assembled around the country will be the final expression of love and reverence for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej when his remains are cremated in October.
Leaves from the corn plant are being folded and sculpted into the artificial flowers called dok mai chan, but they were traditionally made from the fragrant wood of kalamet trees (Mansonia gagei, locally known as mai chan hom).
The tree is now, however, protected under the Forestry Act – anyone can plant it, but cutting it down requires official permission. The only kalamet to be used for the late monarch’s funeral will appear sparingly in the crematorium structure itself.
Samart Chansoon, now retired from the Ministry of Culture, explained the history of the wood’s use on state occasions at a recent seminar, one of a series being hosted by Siam Commercial Bank at its Bangkok headquarters. Partici- pants in the seminars learn how to fashion the funeral flowers from corn leaves.
The appealing scent of kalamet and a light colour believed to signify purity long made it an obvious choice for use in royal funerals, Samart said, as did its utility as a timber for fires.
“But, following the cremations of Kings Rama V and Rama VI, it was clear that kalamet trees were becoming scarce, so the venerable Prince Damrong Rajanubhab decided they should be conserved and invented this artificial flower, dok mai chan.
“He had the kalamet wood shaved into thin slices so that it could be shaped into a ‘flower’ called dok mai chan. People would attach an incense stick and candle to the stalk for burning at funerals.”
At one time every woman of nobility knew how to make dok mai chan from kalamet, keeping a block of the wood in a box at home to maintain its fragrance. They would slice off just enough for each funeral they attended and store the rest for later.
Commoners were apt to use any kind of wood to cremate the remains of loved ones, but the idea of dok mai chan made with corn leaves became popular. Temples these days keep a stock of the artificial flowers ready for funerals, made from different types of materials. They can be single “blossoms” or whole bouquets.
“Corn leaves aren’t always easy to find either these days, especially at this time of year,” Samart said. “The best for dok mai chan is the pang species grown mainly in Kam- phaeng Phet. It’s good for crafts – smooth and fine in texture, with a creamy complexion.
“When I teach people how to make the flowers, I’ll use corn leaves in the morning and banana leaves in the afternoon. You can actually use any material, because it’s the flower itself that symbolises respect for the dead. The flowers give us our last chance to say goodbye to them.
“The idea of using fragrant wood was that, no matter where the deceased travelled in death, they would still smell lovely – an echo of the Buddhist belief that, even in death, our goodness survives.”
The process of making dok mai chan is not difficult, and many businesses and agencies are hosting classes ahead of the royal funeral (see information box).
The flowers can be any of seven types – daffodil, lily, orchid, rose, cotton rose, Chinese rose or petit Chinese rose.
The daffodil (dararat in Thai – dara for “star” and rat for “jewel”) was one of the late King’s favourite flowers. He often made a gift of them to Her Majesty the Queen while they were living in Switzerland. It’s customarily a flower given to a loved one with nothing expected in return, and also symbolises honour, |bravery and hope.
Samart explained that the rose represents the “pure love” of the Thai people for the late King and their loyalty to him. The cotton rose signifies stability and abundance and is auspicious to the Chinese because it changes colour three times a day, as if mimicking the human life cycle.
The lily and white rose represent pure love. The orchid stands for stability, love and grace, all attributes of the late monarch. The Chinese rose conveys impermanence and divinity, and small blossoms can be see to represent people’s hearts as they pay worldly tribute to the King for the final time.
Belief dictates that dok mai chan given to mourners at a funeral should not be taken away and used for another purpose, since it’s intended only for the deceased. Passing it on to a living person might bring him sadness.
Nor should you praise the funeral flower for its beauty, because doing so suggests you desire an object meant for the dead. It’s sufficient to say the flower is nicely crafted.
TENS of thousands of dok mai chan have already been made for the royal cremation in October, but millions will be needed, so volunteers are being sought to lend a hand. Look for workshops and demonstrations being held at shopping malls, government buildings and private businesses.
– Siam Commercial Bank is hosting a demonstration of “Wood Floral Arrangements” (actually corn leaves, not “wood”) for the late King at its Mahisorn Hall on Ratchayothin Road on May 25 and 26, and materials will be sent to its branches across the country.
– The Mall Group and its business partners have prepared materials for creating the artificial flowers and are rallying volunteers for craft sessions at every branch and at the Emporium, EmQuartier, Siam Paragon and Bluport Hua Hin through July. Call (02) 310 1527.
– The Central Group aims to contribute three million wooden flowers by holding “Dok Dararat Tan Jai Tawai Dare Poh” craft sessions at every Central Plaza and Central Department Store, Central World, Central Embassy and all 19 Robinson Lifestyle Malls through August.
Gong Yoo featured on 7 magazine covers throughout Asia
lifestyle May 19, 2017 15:15
By Rumy Doo
The Korea Herald
Asia News Network
Actor Gong Yoo will be featured on the cover of the June issue of men’s magazine Esquire in seven Asian countries.
Gong’s face will grace the cover of the editions in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong. An in-depth interview with the actor will also be included in the issue and it will also be sold in Vietnam and the Philippines. Esquire is published in 10 countries in Asia.
It is the first time that one actor is on the cover of various different Asian editions at once, according to Gong’s agency Management Soop.
In Korea, three different versions of the cover featuring Gong will be available.
The cover shoot was held in Indonesia. The actor donned clothing from the Louis Vuitton X Supreme collection for the shoot, according to Management Soop.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) looks to the future of the tourist industry by organising a one-day seminar on June 16 in Chiang Mai to coincide with the Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2017.
The seminar will take place at Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre from 8am to 4.30pm and be divided into three groups: tourism and hospitality personnel, academic professionals, and college and university students from Northern Thailand.
“This seminar forms part of the TAT Academy’s mission to help improve Thai tourism personnel and market competitiveness as well as to attract a new workforce for this growing industry. Sessions are carefully planned to ensure useful learning and knowledge-sharing opportunities from senior tourism officials and experienced hospitality professionals. At the end of this one-day event, we hope participants will go home with new perspectives in the field of tourism and travel in the digital era within the Royal Thai Government’s Thailand 4.0 smart-economy framework,” says TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.
The sessions will include a keynote address by Yuthasak Supasorn on Thailand’s Tourism 4.0, followed by a special presentation on Digital Marketing by Tirasan Sajatsapas, adviser to Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports. Afternoon sessions will be specially arranged for each of the three groups of participants.
The tourism and hospitality personnel will have the chance to learn tips on hospitality sales and marketing from experts Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk (Dusit International’s vice president of sales) and Supodcha Swetiyaram (Gassan Legacy Golf Club’s director of sales and marketing).
Sujitra Jongchansitto and Tanes Petsuwan, TAT’s deputy governors for domestic marketing, international marketing, will share their experiences and knowledge on destination marketing, how Thailand successfully entices Thais to travel domestically and The Link partnership marketing project.
College and university students can learn about the many employment opportunities that are available in the field of travel and tourism. In addition, participants will get the chance to learn more about marketing information and market research done by the TAT Intelligence Centre from 2002 to the present. The TAT Academy will also have a booth displaying its works and projects.
The latest addition to the popular seaside town of Hua Hin, Ananda Hua Hin Resort offers the largest ballroom, top-of-the range MICE facilities as well as full services and activity programmes for participants in meetings and seminars.
The expansive, flexible room occupies 900 square metres and accommodates 700 delegates in theatre configuration or 500 guests for a banquet, conference, exhibition and meeting. It’s fitted with all the latest tools and technologies for high-tech events and presentations.
The meeting spaces are fitted out with leading-edge technology including digital PA systems, wireless high-speed Internet access, audio-visual equipment and adjustable sound and lighting The flexible venues are made all the more appealing thanks to an extensive choice of accommodation options, which includes rooms, suites and luxurious private pool villas.
These amenities are further enhanced by world-class cuisine, an expansive high-end spa and creative activity programmes designed to suit every event, from small-scale brainstorming sessions to sizeable conferences.
“Our range of resort, beach and town-based activities are designed to challenge, motivate and inspire participants to break down barriers, communicate openly and collaborate effectively to achieve results,” explains the resort’s MICE consultant David Barrett.
“Customised corporate team building activities include the Resort Challenge, which is a scavenger hunt around the grounds, and the Bike A Build Donation, where teams construct a bike and donate it to underprivileged children.”
The all-day dining restaurant Staa’s helps guests start the day the right way with 300 delicacies on its breakfast buffet line. Aqua poolside eatery serves a choice of pastas, burgers, seafood and Tex-Mex dishes as well as nachos, fajitas and pizza.
For dinner, Brezza beachfront restaurant delivers fresh seafood with an Italian touch, while the stylish Blue Biscuit Jazz and Blues Bar serves creole specialities to complement the range of top drawer drinks and live music performances.
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