BEOPLAY P6 by Bang & Olufsen is a compact but premium design Bluetooth speaker that comes with amazingly big sounds.

It has a footprint of 170x130x68mm but its sounds can fill your room with both clarity and powerful bass.

B&O says the P6 is designed under the concept of “My Sound – My Space” as its sounds can be adjusted with an app to suit your music tastes.

The P6 has a strong and premium built with a mostly aluminium body and a leather handle-strap on one side. It comes in natural grey or matte black. I thought the black one I had my hands on looked really sleek.

The shape of the speaker allows for safe and stable standing, and with its smooth aluminium surface it can be easily gripped from any angle. The anodised and pearl blasted aluminium shell comes with the characteristic hole pattern that shapes elegantly around the corners fir 360-degree sound dispersion, while the double layered premium leather strap adds a warm contrast and provides a touch of exclusivity and reliability.

Moreover, the splash and dust resistant design makes it possible to use the speaker in any room around the home and outdoors as well, since it’s also dust proof. It conforms to the IP54 rating.

The P6 comes with five flex buttons to offer full control of speaker functions including play-pause music and speaker phone. The five buttons are Volume up Volume down, One touch, On/Off and Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth button is used for initiating pairing with your smartphone or a music player that supports Bluetooth connection. You simply press and hold it for two seconds and use your phone to find and connect to the P6. When the P6 is ready to pair, its status LED blinks blue, and when the connection is made, it turns solid white.

The One touch button has multiple functions that can be selected and customised with Beoplay app that is installed on the phone to which the speaker is Bluetooth-linked.

By default, the One touch button is used to control music playback on a phone or music player connected to the speaker. You press it once to pause or play music as a toggle button. You press it twice to go the next track and three times to go to a previous track.

Or you can customise the button to play the last-played track on your playlist when you press the button once.

Best of all, you can use Beoplay app to customise the functions of the button. For example, you can use the app to change the button’s function to launch Voice command depending on the phone the speaker is linked to. If you use it with an iPhone, it will activate Siri. If the speaker is connected to an Android smartphone, it will activate Google Assistant to receive your voice commands.

The One touch button can also be customised to activate your choice of sound setting that can be customised and selected via the app.

The sound customisation is called the ToneTouch function of the app. When you bring up Tone Touch, the app will display a screen with three concentric circles in a square. Two lines divide the circles in the middle horizontally and vertically into four main parts, called Warm, Excited, Relaxed and Bright. The speaker will adjust its tone of sounds in accordance with the touch of the screen in each section.

For example, if you touch the middle of the screen, the sound setting will turn flat. If you press the far right part of the Excited section, the speaker will boost the bass sound.

You must try selecting the various parts of the screen until you find the sound setting you like and you can save it for future use. If you select the One touch button and ToneTouch option, it will act as a toggle switch to turn the sound setting of your choice on and off.

The Beoplay app also provides four pre-set sound settings to select – Lounge, Party, Podcast and Clear.

The app can also be used to pair two P6 speakers together to generate stereo sounds.

During the test, I found that P6 really has good sound quality with prominent mids and highs and also deep bass.

It uses two 1.5-ihch full-range drivers and one 4-inch woofer. The woofer is powered by a Class D amplifier with 36 watts of power while the full-range drivers are powered by two 30-watt Class D amps.

So, the P6 has a 215 watts of peak power, which is very high for this size speaker. The speaker has an effective frequency range of 55 to 20,000Hz.

I enjoyed playing rock music for hours during the test as it blared out powerful bass and clear mids and highs.

The P6 has built-in 2,600mAh battery that can last up to 16 hours per charge.

Beoplay P6 is distributed by RTB Technology and available at Studio7 shops and IStudio, .life, Siam Discovery, Jaymart, Munkong Gadget, Betrend, Power Mall, and Lazada for Bt16,900.

>> Power amplifiers: 1x36W Class D for woofer; 2x30W Class D for full-range drivers

>> Drivers: 2×1.5-inch full-range, 1×4-inch woofer

>> Effective frequency range; 55-20,000Hz

>> Connection: Bluetooth 4.2

>> Microphone: One electret type, omni-directional

>> Battery: 2,600mAh, 16-hour playback, 3-hour charging time through USB-C port

>> Dimensions: 170x130x68mm

>> Weight: 1kg

Since its inception 18 years ago, the World Gourmet Festival has grown in prominence to feature an extraordinary line up of some of the best chefs, wine-makers and food experts from across the globe, all gathered together under one roof for a week-long celebration of outstanding cuisine and superb wines.

This year, Anantara has joined hands with Sanpellegrino and Gastronauts Asia to create two dinners in its award winning Biscotti, Madison, Spice Market and Shintaro restaurants.

The international chefs include Jose Avillez from Belcanto in Lisbon, Portugal; Bernard Bach from Le Puits Saint-Jacques in Toulouse, France’ Ryohei Hieda from Shoun Ryu-Gin in Taipei, Taiwan; Jeong Ho Kim from Jungsik in Seoul, South Korea; and Martin Dalsass from Talvo by Dalsass in St Moritz, Switzerland.

The festival will also joined by Alessandra del Favero and Oliver Piras from AGA Ristorante in San Vito di Cadore, Italy; Srijith Gopinathan of Taj Campton Place in San Francisco, USA; Han Li Guang from Labyrinth in Singapore; Giuseppe Iannotti from Kresios in Naples, Italy; Shinji Ishida from Nogizaka with Shin Shinya Otsuchihashi from Craftale in Tokyo, Japan; and Luigi Taglienti from Lume in Milan, Italy.

On September 6, the two visiting Japanese chefs and Japanese born chef Ryohei Hieda will team up to present a master class of six dishes, each paired with sake by chef and sommelier Seju Yang from S’accapau, Tokyo.

On September 8, celebrity chef Paul A Young will present two chocolate master classes followed by a chocolate-inspired afternoon tea, while the inimitable Bobby Chinn will host the Diageo Night at Aqua Bar.

The festival will donate Bt600 per dinner ticket and proceeds from the auctions to HRH Princess Soamsawali’s AZT Fund for Pregnant Women under the Thai Red Cross Society.

Check out the programme and ticket prices by calling (02) 126 8866 extension 1707 or visit http://www.WorldGourmetFestival.asia.

Written by Meik Wiking, chief executive of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and one of the world’s leading experts in happiness, the book offers inspiration and suggestions for achieving greater happiness, by practising Lykke – pursuing and finding the good that exists in the world around us every day.

The talk is hosted by moderator Salaithip Jaruphum, together with Dr Decharut Sukkumnoed, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Kasetsart University, Sivaphak Jienwanalee, an editor of a day magazine, and Lalita Polpala, translator of the book.

Admission is free and the event runs from 3.30 to 5.30pm.

Find out more by calling (02) 257 4300 extension 136.

Yoga in the air

Lifestyles on 26 at Centara Grand at CentralWorld offers a variety of fun fitness classes designed to suit all levels of ability. One of its most popular is the weekly “Yoga Fly” class that lets you stretch it all out while dangling from the ceiling using specialist equipment and techniques.

The yoga classes, held every Monday from 89pm, offer a whole new take on the activity. As you are lifted off the floor, less pressure is exerted on your limbs, allowing you to stretch deeper and for longer. The price is Bt400 per hour for both members and non-members.

Book your stretch at (02) 100 6299.

Sounds of sweetness

DJ Reeve, one of Malaysia’s most prominent rookies and 2014 champ of the Red Bull Thre3style, drops into Sugar Club on Sukhumvit Soi 11 on August 23.

The Malaysian, who is currently the official DJ for rapper Vibe, will share the decks with local DJs Ethemiz, Mizz G and MC GSpark, the Next Level band and a dance group of Sugar Babes.

Entry is Bt300 for men and Bt200 for women including one drink. For more information and table reservation, call (061) 391 3111.

White Castle hands out keys

White Castle Music Festival 2018 will be back in Thailand for its second edition in the last quarter of this year, but is gearing up for the event with an exclusive preparty, titled “Key To White Castle 2018” at Beans/Nunglen in Ekkamai Soi 5 on August 10.

This upcoming exclusive preparty will consist of multiple music genres of hip hop, trap, hard trap, dubstep and bass and will be headlined by Dubloadz, who turned the dubstep world upside down over the course of only a year. Support acts include DJs Zamasta, JWP and Babyscash as well as the top Thai rappers Ling of King, Lil Ice, Nicecnx, and Master Mind. Tickets costing Bt300 are available at Facebook.com/ WhiteCastleMusicFestivalTH.

Kneeling before his homemade metal scuba helmet, Bhoomin Samang prays for good fortune before he dives into the day’s work – scouring the bed of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river for sunken treasure.

The 62-year-old is part of a small community known as Thailand’s “Indiana Jones” divers, who brave the inky-black underworld of the trash-filled waterway in search of coins, china, jewellery and scrap metal.

“We look for old coins, sometimes we are hired to find lost objects in the river,” says Bhoomin, a veteran diver who has been scouring the river for 30 years.

Sometimes the find is more macabre – the divers have stumbled across skulls and skeletons as they feel their way along the river bed in total darkness.

“If you’re afraid of ghosts, you can’t go in because you can’t see anything. But we’re used to it,” he explains.

Trained foreign and Thai Navy SEAL divers were recently at the centre of global attention for their daring rescue of 12 boys and their coach from a waterlogged cave in northern Thailand.

But the “Indiana Jones” divers use more makeshift equipment and operate under the radar in the middle of the country’s urban metropolis.

Wearing shorts and T-shirt, Bhoomin jumps off his motorised skiff into a river strewn with city sewage and debris.

He is able to breathe thanks to the boxy helmet that weighs around 20 kilos and is hooked up to a rubber tube that connects to an air tank aboard the boat.

The tank pumps oxygen into the helmet to keep water out, allowing the most experienced divers to drop down to 30 metres below the surface.

After 15 minutes underwater, Bhoomin resurfaces with a cotton bag stuffed with mud.

He pans it out on a metal dish, revealing several 200-year-old copper and bullet coins with pictures of 19th century Thai kings Rama IV and V on them – artefacts divers call “regulars”.

The coins trace the history of the Thai capital’s lively waterfront, whose traditional stilted homes are increasingly being knocked down for development.

“In the old days, we lived on rafts and had floating markets. Villagers lost their jewellery and money in the river,” he says.

An unfinished small Buddhist amulet was also hidden inside the mud. The divers can turn a decent profit. Selling a few copper coins can make them some Bt500 – nearly twice Thailand’s daily minimum wage. If lucky, a piece of jewellery or a rare coin in good condition can be sold for up to $300 (Bt9,300) at Bangkok’s antique markets, while their loot is fattened out by scrap metal.

But the divers’ fate is in limbo as urban development threatens their riverside community, which stands on weathered wooden stilts.

Bangkok officials have ordered the families to relocate away from the river as part of the junta government’s gentrification plan for the city. The divers fear that without direct access to the river, up to “90 per cent” of them will lose their livelihoods.

But that’s not their only tension with the law – taking artefacts is technically prohibited and can be punished with fines or jail time.

Bhoomin, however, defends the trade, saying divers only go for the small stuff.

“We don’t take big artefacts like Buddha statues… (if officials really want something), they can go down there and take it,” says Bhoomin, who dips into a box of salvaged spectacles and sunglasses whenever he needs them.

Then again, the lure of something special is always just around the river bend.

“We don’t know what we will find or where we will go today, says 29-year-old Somsak Ongsa-ard, another diver. “It’s exciting.”

Paula Mary Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organisation, confirmed at a press conference in Bangkok yesterday that the pageant will be held in Thailand again, on December 17.

Last year, the contest was held in Las Vegas in the US and in 2016 it was held in the Philippines.

“Sawasdi kha [good afternoon],” Shagart greeted the audience in Thai. “I’d like to thank the Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat and the Thai government for allowing the Miss Universe Organisation to host the pageant contest in Thailand again.

“The Miss Universe [contest] has come here every 13 years. Thailand hosted the contest twice – in 1992 and 2005. Thirteen is a lucky number,” Shugart said at the press conference at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).

Shugart also thanked Tanawat Wansom of TW Investment Group who has sole proprietorship of the 67th competition.

Supported by the Tourism Ministry, the contest helps promote the Kingdom and is expected to earn millions of baht during the country’s tourism high season.

Weerasak said, “It’s a great opportunity for Thailand to host Miss Universe 2018. During the one-month contest, over 6,000 people, including beauty queens from around the globe and their crews and army of media, will be in Thailand.

“It’s a great opportunity to promote Thai culture and its beautiful destinations, especially to boost the economy of the secondary cities. We will support cultural and tourism facilities for this special event.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said after the weekly Cabinet meeting that the government was glad that the organisation chose Thailand to host the contest again and it will help promote a positive image of the Kingdom.

Shugart said pageant queens from across the globe will be in Thailand in early November for pre-contest activities.

“In December, about 90 contestants from all over the world will spread global messages about Thailand. All will be the ambassadors for Thailand,” she said.

She said that the event is about women coming together and doing their best to support each other. Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, the former Miss Universe 1965 Apasra Hongsakula and Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova were also present at the announcement.

Thailand has also produced two winners – Apasra Hongsakula in 1965 and Porntip Nakhirunkanok (Bui Simon) in 1988. Thailand’s representative Sophida Kanchanarin will vie for the country’s third crown.

Inspired by the Royal Ascot races, Saja has utilised his masterful embroidery techniques to embellish and elevate silk and cotton toile for the collection that will look great for a day at the races. Each piece is rendered in a unique colourway with embroideries positioned in different places on a thigh-length overcoat of silk organdie, a cotton piquet blouse with voluminous sleeve detailing, cropped cotton trousers with a slight kick-flare, and a cotton poplin shirt.

Your life on your wrist

Swiss luxury watchmaker Frederique Constant has launched a special edition smartwatch, the 3.0 Hybrid Manufacture, which fuses tech with the best mechanical manufacture-made movement. Distributed in Thailand by C Thong Panich, the watch boasts the FC-750 hybrid calibre to enable the smart functions of the watch, which update the activities of the wearer, including their daily steps, daily calories burnt and sleeping patterns. There’s also an analysis function that tests the accuracy of the watch’s calibre, which results in a graph that is shown on the mobile application.

Shiny hair, healthy scalp

Based on the concept that beautiful hair starts with the scalp, Japanese skincare brand Three launches Orderange, a new line of shampoo and conditioner. The daily shampoo routine leaves the hair ravishing and keeps it nourished by restoring the day-to-day scalp and hair damage. In addition to the botanical ingredients that help maintain the hair’s resilience, body, colour and shine, it is formulated with selected plant-based extracts that effectively control the deterioration of the scalp condition to build the foundation for healthy hair.

Dressed to kill

Emporio Armani’s pre-autumn 2018 collection is designed are for today’s fast, connected and always changing world. Sartorial-cut jackets are paired with cotton cargo trousers or jeans, suits are matched with sweatshirts and silk blouses are worn with basketball sneakers. Pure, functional lines are contrasted with stud inserts and kidassia goat fur patches. The typical Armani masculine and feminine contrast is evident in the alternating combination of impeccably cut jackets with flowing trousers and short embroidered dresses.

HER ROYAL Highness Princess Sirivannavari Narirattana, who’s earned a global reputation as a clothing designer, is among seven winners of the Silpathorn Award bestowed on artists by the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture.

She becomes the first member of the royal family to earn the award – and, at 31, the youngest recipient in its history.

Also honoured are curator Ark Fongsamut, architect Twitee Vajrabhaya Thephakham, writer Uthis Hemamoon, dramatist-theatre director Theerawat Mulwilai, film producer Soros Sukhum and violinist-conductor Nora-ath Chanklam.

Princess Sirivannavari attended last week’s opening of a Silpathorn Award exhibition at the Rajdamnoen Contemporary Art Centre. All of the recipients have examples of their work on view, in some cases presented in videos. Her fellow awardees will also be giving talks as part of the show continuing until September 9.

Seventy-four people have received the award since its introduction in 2004 as a way of recognising mid-career artists who have garnered international acclaim.

Princess Sirivannavari, whose clothing carries the Sirivannavari Bangkok label, graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a degree in fashion and textiles, first-class honours, and from l’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in France.

Her first collection, “Red Hobby”, appeared in 2004, three years before she founded her brand. In 2008 she made her international debut during Paris Fashion Week at the invitation of famed French couturier Pierre Balmain. Ever since, she’s been a familiar face on the global fashion scene.

Sirivannavari clothing is distinguished by unique prints and patterns and by avant-garde yet luxurious and elegant concepts. The embroidering is impeccable and typically features a peacock – the brand’s logo and the Princess’ favourite motif.

The Princess has also designed fine jewellery and leather goods including bags and shoes and creates men’s clothing under the brand S’Homme. About three years ago she established the Sirivannavari Atelier and Academy to pursue embroidery design and other techniques.

There have been 10 collections to date – Viva Victorian (in 2005), Fly to Nouveau (2006), Presence of the Past (2008), Ethnic Rock (2009), Cruise Collection (2010), Human DNA (2014), Napoleonic (2015), Mystical Garden (2016), Serenity (2017) and this year’s Horse, Helen, Henri.

Her designs reflect her keen interest in art history, embracing Thai traditional and Western classical art, Romanticism and Impressionism and even going futuristic. Princess Sirivannavari is also a gifted equestrian and draws inspiration from that sport as well.

The result is outfits that harmoniously combine both feminine and masculine qualities and are sophisticated, cultured and full of subtle nuance.

In the Art Centre exhibition, some of her clothing is on display along with live demonstrations by artisans of the techniques used in embroidering with gold thread, lace, crystals, feathers and flowers.

In a video interview, Princess Sirivannavari says she’s always admired embroidery, whether in the Thai, French or Indian style. She likes to experiment in both techniques and patterns and to apply modern graphic designs to traditional Thai crafts.

“We can set goals, but the question is how to reach them,” she says. “There is no shortcut – only perseverance. I’m like a captain of a ship. To direct my crew in the same direction, the foundation has to be strong. Every year I look at the strengths and weaknesses of each collection so I can improve. I don’t rush into something. I want to have a strong base first.”

Composer Nora-ath Chanklam, conductor of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, enjoys a variety of musical genres, including Thai contemporary music. He currently also conducts the Symphony Orchestra and String Orchestra at Chulalongkorn University.

Growing up in a family involved with the popular Soontraporn Band, Nora-ath studied violin at the Collage of Dramatic Arts and completed his studies in Germany.

Captured on video in the exhibition is one of his most memorable moments, the 2017 concert “Journey through the Music of the Great King: Suite for an Orchestra”, Chula’s tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol.

“What is most important is to create my own voice in terms of technique, so that the modern audience is able to enjoy beautiful Thai traditional music blended with the perfection of Western instruments. It is very unique and I’m quite proud of it.”

Twitee Vajrabhaya Teparkum co-founded Department of Architecture Co, a private firm, in 2004. She earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Virginia Tech and her master’s from Princeton and worked in Chicago and New York before returning to Thailand.

It was Twitee who conceived the manner in which the Thailand Creative and Design Centre could be relocated to the historic Grand Postal Building. Her multipurpose pavilion the Flow in Chonburi is renowned for its eye-catching folding floor that allows various activities to be oriented towards the great sea view.

As a child, Twitee loved both science and art and asked her father what she should be when she grew up.

“He said, ‘An architect!’ Architect- ure requires you to be quite well versed, with a sense of aesthetics and a basic knowledge of construction.

“The core of architecture is that you need to understand people – their activities, needs and livelihoods – in order to design spaces for them and the society around them.”

Uthis Hemamoon first gained wide attention with his third novel, “The Brotherhood of Kaeng Khoi”, which in 2009 won the Seven Book Awards competition and the SEAWrite Award. The Japan Foundation then selected Uthis for the Takeshi Kaiko Memorial Asian Writers Lecture Series scholarship award and sent him on a talking tour of Japan.

He’s written four novels, two collections of short stories and two collections of movie and literary criticism.

“With a pen and a notebook, we can create whole universes,” he says.

“In the past, the pen was in the hands of only a few – the powerful and the rich. But the majority deserves a pen, to write and to create their histories. What I’ve tried to do is to make the live of ordinary people meaningful in the world.”

Theerawat Mulwilai helped establish B-Floor Theatre in 1999, but had always been involved in stage performances and especially in the development of physical theatre.

Most recently the winner of the best actor award from IATC Thailand Dance and Theatre Review, his important works include “Storehouse Collection” at Ueno Storehouse in Japan, “Something Missing” at Momggol in South Korea and “Rite of Passage”.

Theerawat’s pieces are full of wit but also political messages, as seen in “Fundamental”, “Iceberg: The Invisible” and “The Remain”.

“I like to touch on sensitive issue because it’s a challenge for both the audience and me,” he says.

“But being a performance artist in Thailand isn’t that easy. The problem is the lack of sponsorship. If you want people to remember you, it requires timing and continuing in your work. Maybe I’ll have to be stubborn to achieve my dreams.”

Curator Ark Fongsamut and movie producer Soros Sukhum are the first award recipients in their respective specific fields and grateful to the Culture Ministry for broadening the categories. The award for visual arts has always gone to artists and the award for film to directors.

Ark, who graduated from in fine arts administration and curatorship from Goldsmiths College, University of London, has been involved in the arts for more than years. He’s currently a lecturer at Bangkok University and a curator at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, where he mounted the shows “Grey Area”, “Allergic Realities”, “Immeasurable” and “Operation Bangkok”.

Soros is widely recognised as the producer of award-winning indie films, among them “Wonderful Town” (2008), which wowed festival attendees from Hong Kong and Osaka to Toronto and Rotterdam. He also produced “The Master” (2014) and “Motel Mist” (2016), and his latest, “Ten Years Thailand”, was invited to be screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

It brings work and style together in harmony high above Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong neighbourhood. Designed for “social cultivation”, it’s a co-working space where connections are fostered between businesses and among people.

Hospitality meets advanced technology in a hassle-free and pleasant environment of open spaces, meeting rooms and seminar rooms, natural lighting and 360-degree panoramic views.

Groups and individuals can enjoy the One-Touch concierge service and full office and business amenities in a Tree Pod meeting room, breakout area, sky lounge or independent hot desk.

Learn more at (02) 253 3999.

Zayed Alzayani, Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, recently visited the centre in Bangkok, which is making sure that halal food is also on offer as Thailand seeks to become “the kitchen of the world”.

Chulalongkorn president Professor Bundhit Eua-arporn and Associate Professor Winai Dahlan, director of the Halal Science Center, greeted Alzayani and his delegation.

Winai established the centre in 1995 as the Halal Forensic Laboratory, part of the school’s Allied Health Sciences faculty. It soon earned a reputation – and awards – for protecting consumers, both Muslim and non-Muslim, by ensuring that halal standards were met.

Thailand is seen to be presenting a role model for the world in bringing scientific integrity to this area of the food industry.

“Thailand has the potential to support the use of science in halal certification,” Dr Winai says. “The Bahrain ministry found the centre exceeded his expectations because the laboratory is fully equipped to gauge the highest-quality standards.”

On Sunday, every mum gets a garland mini-cake and a beautifully crafted hand garland.

The Mother’s Day spa promotion from August 10 to 15 will see the prices of all a-la-carte treatments of at least 90 minutes’ duration reduced by 30 per cent.

One that Mum must try is the Aromatic Rice Milk Foot Bath.

Prices start at Bt1,599-plus (Bt800 per child). If your mum is at your side, you get 20 per cent off the bill automatically.

Make reservations at (038) 259 888, icpattaya@ihg.com or http://www.Pattaya.Intercontinental.com.