The Japanese legend performs in English, Japanese and Korean and is capable of reaching the hearts of millions with his savvy skills on the mic. He’s well known in Bangkok, having won the Stand-up Bangkok International Comedy Competition in 2015 and in the USA he came fourth in a Stand-up Competition in 2016.

Zenjiro has hosted numerous TV programs in Japan, and was also featured in TV shows such as “Just for Laughs”, “Ed Byrne Comedy Gala:, and “Japanorama” presented by Jonathan Ross on the BBC; the US Comedy Arts Festival on HBO; and “Raymann is Laat” on Dutch TV channel NTR.

Zenjiro has performed at various comedy festivals around the world, including the Just for Laughs Festivals in Montreal; HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen; the Melbourne Comedy Festival; the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; and the Tokyo International Comedy Festival. In Japan, he won the ABC Manzai Competition and other prestigious prizes, and, in the US, he came in second place in the LA Comedy Store Stand-up Competition.

Expect him to discuss politics, race, sex, and even religion in his comedy routine as he provides his own, often hilarious, interpretation of the world we live in.

Tickets cost Bt300 at http://www.TicketMelon.com/event/raw-comedy-presents-zenjiro. Live Lounge Bkk is in the Trendy Building on Sukhumvit Soi 13.

The cases are engraved with the “Die Mannschaft” official logo in the frame on the back as well as four stars representing the 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014 World Cup wins on the zipper slider. The Lite-Box suitcases in the sporty and elegant Eclipse Grey colour are ultra-light and durable and come with colour-coordinated laptop cases from the Samsonite Openroad collection. They too are embellished with the logo of the National Team. And now you too can own the “Die Mannschaft” special edition. Check it out on the Samsonite website, in Samsonite shops, and in selected dealerships.

Clothes that score goals

Blackbarrett by Neil Barrett is another brand making the most of the World Cup with a themed active collection. Integrated with graphic design, the style is modern and sporty and the patterns are inspired by the ball and goal net. Based on a palette of white on black and dark blue, the collection includes a windbreaker with an attached lanyard, shorts over leggings, tees, sweaters and sweatpants.

Walks on the wild side

Wild checks and wild stripes representing the rough feel of wild animal fur make up the theme of the new Homme Plisse Issey Miyake Yasei collection. Guys can walk on the wild side in outfits boasting a camouflage design of owls and bears concealed in the woods, opt for the stripe in handcrafted herringbone or choose kagami, a dynamic circle pattern inspired by bronze mirrors. Pleats reminiscent of wild animal fur complete the fashions for the autumn/winter season along with totes and mini-shoulder bag versions of the Flat Bag series.

Keds gets lively

Keds iconic Champion lace-up sneakers have made the perfect blank canvas for the footwear brand’s collaboration with Rifle Paper Co’s Lively floral print. The artistic and on-trend floral twist on the canvas sneaker upgrades all your favourite casualwear, but also plays nicely with more dressed up pieces. Every casual outing turns into an Instagram-worthy moment with the Triple Decker in Rifle Paper’s Juliet floral print. Pair these stunning canvas slip on shoes with your favourite denim, summer whites, or sundresses and bring a shine to your walk.

While everyone instantly recognises Coke, Coca-Cola today offers drinks across many beverage categories, several of them designed especially for Thai consumers.

To introduce the company’s products that are currently available in Thailand, the Coca-Cola system in Thailand recently hosted an exclusive workshop to showcase a wide array of drinks across many categories.

The sparkling category includes Coke Original, Coke No Sugar, Coke Light, the newly introduced cross-category innovation Coke Plus Coffee, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and A&W Root Beer. The ready-to-drink juice category covers Minute Maid Splash, Minute Maid Pulpy, Minute Maid Vita Kids and the recently launched Minute Maid Orange Fibre and Minute Maid Honey Lemon.

The hydration category includes the latest Aquarius Grapefruit and Aquarius Citrus, Namthip and Zico 100-per-cent coconut water.

The workshop also featured a testing activity featuring products under Coca-Cola brands recently launched in the kingdom plus several innovations introduced from other countries such as Japan’s Ayataka Tea and Georgie Coffee.

The event wrapped with a mocktail workshop demonstrating the versatility of products from Schweppes – namely Schweppes Manao Soda, Schweppes Dry Ginger Ale and Schweppes Tonic Water – and of course Coke – led by well-known mixologist Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn.

Claudia Navarro, marketing director of Coca-Cola (Thailand and Laos) Limited says, “Coca-Cola aims to give people more of the drinks they want through constant innovations in product development no matter where they live. Coca-Cola always listens to consumers, then responds to their needs by offering products best suited to their tastes and which meet their moods at different times of the day. There are a multitude of reasons that motivates Thais to grab beverages – as a basis to make different culinary treats more enjoyable, to refresh themselves, or to mark celebratory moments and occasions”.

In addition to these efforts, the company acknowledges that health and well-being trends are a reality in today’s social context. So in response to these trends, The Coca-Cola Company seeks to provide choice in its portfolio, including no sugar options and a wide variety of products for Thais to enjoy and is actively promoting the consumption of sugar in moderation. Globally, the company is reducing sugar in more than 500 of its products worldwide. In Thailand, many Coca-Cola’s products have been certified with the ‘Healthier Choice’ logo by the Food and Drug Administration and the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. These include Coke No Sugar and Coke Light with zero calories, Aquarius Grapefruit and Citrus, Coke Plus Coffee and Minute Maid Orange Fiber and Honey Lemon.

Globally, 40 per cent of Coca-Cola’s sparkling brands are now available in smaller packs. In Thailand, the 180ml serving size for all Coke variants and Coke plus Coffee in 240ml are being introduced.

The aim, says the company, is to make Coca-Cola become the brand that not only “understands” but also “stands” at the very centre of the consumer’s heart

Located along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, this new 10-floor museum has adopted the retail concept from A Muse by the Sea and will bring together world-class experiential retail, art, culture, entertainment and dining under one roof.

It takes inspiration from research that reveals Asian millennials as “Super Consumers”, prominent drivers of global consumption with spending power set to reach US$6 trillion by 2020 as they grow to account for 45 per cent of Asia’s millennial population.

The museum will house an extensive selection of international brands – many of which will be concept stores and flagships debuting in Hong Kong with a brand new image – and promote itself as an aspirational destination merging art, culture and commerce in Hong Kong and Asia.

Visitors can explore the outdoor Sunken Plaza, modelled on amphitheatres and installed with programmed water patterns and a misting system for a cooling effect. Equipped with a large eight-metre-tall LED screen, the plaza will offer a range of cultural events ranging from outdoor movie screenings and live music, to art and design related performances.

Find out more details at the K11MUSEA page on Facebook.

The event, which is held on the first Thursday in July, offers plenty of fun, the chance to make new friends and an opportunity to hone your craft with exercises to figure out how to add that extra oomph to your next performance. The workshop will be hosted by actor and director Ricardo Hizon. Attendance is free for all BCT members and Bt100 for everyone else. No outside food or drink is permitted.

Find out more by emailing Ric at rh.helix@gmail.com

Treasures from the deep

The World restaurant at Centara Grand at CentralWorld offers a special seafoodthemed buffet every Saturday night through the end of August featuring allyoucaneat river prawns, fresh raw oysters on ice, delicate rock lobster, steamed crab, tasty sashimi cuts and much more. The buffet is priced at Bt1,890plus and gets underway at 6pm.

Book your table at (02) 100 6255.

Dumpling delights

Fook Yuan Chinese Restaurant at Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel Bangkok serves up mouthwatering dim sum for lunch including steamed stuffed wonton sheet with shrimp, crab meat or foie gras, Chinese steamed bun stuffed melt lava, steamed shrimp dumpling and deepfried tofu sheet stuffed with shrimp. Prices start at Bt75 and from Monday to Friday, you get a 20percent discount on food only.

Reserve your seat at (02) 641 4777.

Dusit dining

Every three months as it prepares to close, the Dusit Thani Bangkok offers alltime favourite dishes series from its awardwinning outlets. From July 1 to September 30, tuck into Fried Egg Noodle with River Prawn and Black Pepper at The Pavilion, Stirfried Lotus Root at The Mayflower, Thien Duong’s famed Fried Rice Red Curry Paste, Fermented Ground Pork and Pork Sausage or try the western special at Hamilton’s Steak House of President Salad with Panfried Scallop, Duck Liver and Smoked Duck.

Make a reservation at (02) 200 9000 extension 2345.

Mooncake magic

A limited range of The St Regis Bangkok Mooncakes are available for preorder from today, before the official launch on August 1 at The Lounge on Level 1. Earlybird orders, prepaid before August 15, will also benefit from a 10per cent discount. In addition, all orders for at least 100 boxes of mooncakes come with a 20percent discount and free delivery within Bangkok and the surrounding area. Presented in a tastefully decorative box, The St. Regis Bangkok Mooncakes are priced at Bt1,288 net per box of four and come in four flavours –chestnut and macadamia; durian (monthong) with double egg yolk; mixed fruit and nuts with double yolk; and green tea red bean.

Find out more at (02) 207 7777.

SITTING JUST across from Siriraj Hospital on the opposite side of the Arun Amarin Bridge, the Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics might just as well be invisible for all the recognition it receives from the general public. Founded in 2002 and part of the hospital’s medical faculty, it is the only facility in Thailand, indeed in Southeast Asia, training the clinicians known as prosthetists and orthotists in the prescription, design and production of customised legs, arms, hands and other limbs.

“We all know medical professions like nurse, physiotherapist and medical technologist, but people look blank when we talk about a prosthetist or orthotist,” says Assoc Prof Dr Nisarat Opartkiattikul, the director of Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (SSPO).

Students from different countries including Japan and Germany practise producing artificial limbs in the school’s lab.

And while she was aware of the disciplines and was long involved in the medical faculty’s education policy, Dr Nisarat, a pathology specialist by training, admits that she knew nothing about the production of prosthetics and orthotics when she assumed the position of school director in 2010.

“I was worried when I was offered the job because I don’t like working in a sector I know nothing about. But I believe that God sent me to do this work. I am happy working here, which is why I have enjoyed such a long tenure,” she says, though she acknowledges it hasn’t been an easy path. Back in 2010, the school was not in good condition and enrolment was low – 16 students for the first year of the course, dropping to just five for the second year.

Dr Nisarat took two years to get a full grasp of her new job, some of it spent visiting prosthetics and orthotics educational facilities at overseas universities and institutions. An accident during a trip to Chiang Mai in which she broke an arm and suffered a spine injury that left her temporarily paralysed in her lower body provided first-hand if unfortunate understanding of the need for such training.

Though it took less than two months for the feeling to return, she came to understand how people felt when left disabled. “I didn’t know when I could get back to normal; it could have been months or even years,” she says.

“I’m happy working here. Even though our job has both lower recognition and lower income compared to other medical-related professionals, seeing our patients able to move around or perform daily tasks with the new limb we have made for them is overwhelming. It’s like we have given them their life back,” she explains.

Prosthetics is a medical speciality that designs and produces an artificial device to replace a missing body part, usually a leg, foot, arm or hand. Orthotics, meanwhile, refers to the making of devices such as braces that are used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system.

Assoc Prof Dr Nisarat Opartkiattikul, director of the Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics.

While prostheses are often associated with soldiers who have lost limbs in battle, here in Thailand most of the people needing such devices have been left handicapped by road accidents, diabetes, congenital anomalies as well as injuries sustained in the restive south.

Services in prosthetics and orthotics were initiated in Thailand prior to 1960 by the Princess Mother, mother of the late King, who set up a prostheses factory for those who had lost their legs in wars. Lerdsin Hospital assumed the training component, running a three-year course, lower than degree level, for prosthetic and orthotic technicians, which shut down after producing around 170 technicians in 10 cohorts. The Sirindhorn Institution then worked with King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok on a similar three-year course for four intakes. Sirindhorn School took up the relay by launching a four-year course under the Faculty of Medicine and upgraded it to graduate level by adding anatomy and pathology to prosthetics and orthotics studies.

“Prosthetics and orthotics professionals require not only technical skills for making the artificial limbs but a good knowledge of medicine, engineering, rehabilitation as well as a level of artistic skills to make the right artificial limbs for each patient,” says Dr Nisarat.

As no two amputations are totally alike, each device is customised to the individual patient. The prosthetist or orthotist will design the new limb based on the amputee’s need and lifestyle and taking account of the muscle and tissue remaining, fitting the device so it can be worn without pain or discomfort. Each device incorporates sockets built from hard epoxy or carbon fibre that are softened as necessary through padding around the bone.

Certified prosthetist and orthotist Sarawanee Phaipool explains how an artificial leg works.

The Sirindhorn School has two clinics, one on the first floor for those who need an artificial device and wish to pay for it through the universal healthcare system or social security. The Centre of Excellence for Prosthetics and Orthotics on the second floor is for the better heeled and fashions devices from more expensive materials, usually replacing the standard wood and metal with carbon fibre. The clinic also has a service for cosmetic prostheses and podiatry treatment, producing customised insoles or inserts for special shoes.

Prostheses generally last three to five years before a replacement is needed. Prices vary depending on materials, components and design, ranging from thousands of baht for a wooden device to more than Bt1 million for the more sophisticated.

“A prostheses is never 100-per-cent the same as the real limb but it can make all the difference in leading a quasi-normal life. However not everyone gets the type that they want even if they can afford it. We have to consider what is most suitable for them,” Dr Nisarat explains.

For a middle-to-high income country like Thailand, the World Health Organisation recommends 10 prosthetists and orthotists for every one million of population. The kingdom is home to some 69 to 70 million souls, meaning it should have 700. However, in the 16 years since the school opened, just 170 prosthetists and orthotists have been trained and even if the 200 technicians who completed the earlier three-year courses are added in, the shortage is still significant.

The leg prosthesis cast is customised for each amputee.

Currently the Sirindhorn School can produce around new 18 prosthetists and orthotists every year and is at the same time providing tele-education for technicians working across the country so that they can improve their knowledge skills and become qualified prosthetists and orthotists after finishing the course.

Certified by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) as a Category 1 facility offering a four-year formally structured education leading to a university degree or equivalent and thus recognised for producing qualified prosthetists and orthotists, the SSPO is now attracting students from other countries. “We not only have technicians from around the world enrolling for our course here at the school but also for our tele-study programmes,” says Dr Nisarat.

The students hail from Africa (Malawi, Senegal and Rwanda), Europe (Macedonia and Serbia) as well as from Afghanistan, India and Vietnam and have all undergone three years of technical training with the support of international organisations helping casualties of war. Now, with that support all but finished, the technicians wanting to be fully certified in their chosen profession can do so at the Sirindhorn School.

It’s another story for Thai students. Dr Nisarat admits it’s hard to enrol a higher number as the costs, both in equipment and technology terms, are high. And although the SSPO now has both a Thai and an international curriculum as well as a recognised graduate programme, plans to promote the school as a faculty are still very much in their infancy as the facility requires more lecturers and a PhD programme.

“We need more experience and more time before we can be promoted as a faculty,” says Dr Nisarat.

>> For more information, check out http://www.SSPO.ac.th.

Zsa Zsa, sporting a hot pink collar and matching nails for her moment in the spotlight, came out on top of a tough field of fourteen.

The nine-year-old Zsa Zsa came from a hardscrabble background, spending five years in a puppy mill in the US state of Missouri and being sold at auction before she attained ugliest dog immortality.

Other competitors included Rascal Deux, a Chinese Crested who wore sunglasses and a leopard print coat to cover hairless skin, and Wild Thang, a Pekingese all but hidden by a mass of fluffy hair.

Martha, the jowly Neapolitan Mastiff who took first place in the competition the previous year, was on hand to pass the baton to Zsa Zsa, whose winnings include a trophy, $1,500 and an appearance on NBC’s Today Show in New York.

The Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 and the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 are also offered with a large selection of new dials and a redesigned case, whilst the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona in 18 carat Everose gold is presented in a gem-set version with sapphires and diamonds.

The GMT-Master II range comes with a new version in Oystersteel, equipped with a bi-directional rotatable bezel and a 24-hour graduated

two-colour Cerachrom insert in red-and-blue ceramic. The lugs and sides of its Oyster case have been redesigned, and the watch is fitted on a five-link Jubilee bracelet.

The new generation of Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36, in either Everose Rolesor (combining Oystersteel and 18 carat Everose gold) or yellow Rolesor (combining Oystersteel and 18 carat yellow gold) versions, each available with a large selection of dials. The new Datejust 36 watches are equipped with a 36 mm case featuring redesigned lugs and sides, and calibre 3235.

The Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 is also presented in redesigned case sides and lugs and new versions of calibre 2236. Amongst the many combinations available, one, in 18 carat white gold, is fitted with a white mother-of-pearl dial and a diamond-set bezel. Another, in 18 carat yellow gold, features a malachite dial with a Roman VI and IX in 18 carat yellow gold set with diamonds, and a version in 18 carat Everose gold is introduced with a diamond-paved dial inlaid with pink mother-of-pearl butterflies.

Rolex is also introducing a scintillant gem-set version of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. Created in 1963, this watch has established an extraordinary track record in the world of motor sport, rising to the rank of an icon. On this new 18 carat Everose gold version, in lieu of the emblematic tachymetric scale, the bezel is set with a gradation of sapphires in rainbow hues. The case is adorned with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the lugs and crown guard, and the dial features 11 baguette-cut sapphire hour markers, each of which matches the colour of the corresponding point on the bezel. The chronograph counters are in pink Gold Crystals, a material with a particular shimmer effect, created during the crystallisation of a pink gold alloy by means of a special process developed by Rolex.

Check out the timepieces at http://www.Rolex.com/th

AT A REMOTE temple in Japan cradled by a croissant-shaped mountain range, Akinobu Tatsumi leads a rare double life – as a Buddhist monk who preaches about DJing.

The amateur music enthusiast has been dabbling in hip-hop since he was a teenager and makes clandestine recordings of his own ambient music while his temple, located in deepest Kyushu, western Japan, sleeps.

After keeping his nocturnal hobby a secret from fellow priests for years, the 38-year-old Tatsumi now gives record-spinning tips to his ageing temple-goers.

Japanese monk Akinobu Tatsumi speaks with local residents after praying in their house in Kagamimachi, Kumamoto prefecture. /AFP

“It’s true a monk does usually deliver a regular sermon,” Tatsumi says at Syousanji temple. “When I first began playing the grannies music and showing them how to scratch, they did look a little bemused.

“Around here people call me the funky monk,” the wannabe DJ saus after chanting a sutra.

Tatsumi isn’t your typical Buddhist monk.

He has long hair, tied in a ponytail, and fancies himself as a human beatbox – a genre also steeped in hip-hop culture.

Tatsumi, centre, does some beatboxing with his DJ friends./AFP

“I was influenced by hip-hop – I started listening to Run-DMC and Public Enemy,” says Tatsumi, nimbly side-stepping the issue of rap music’s explicit lyrics.

“I got into beatboxing in that way. I used to practise on the edge of a cliff, where there was a lovely echo.”

Tatsumi’s digression from Buddhist writings to scratch sermons was fraught with risk –he kept his monastic life hidden from nighttime venues where he performed.

“I didn’t tell other priests about my music, and I also hid the fact I was a priest from the bars and clubs.”

While the likes of Calvin Harris or the Chemical Brothers have little to fear from his recreational activities, Tatsumi’s love affair with music began very early – before he was even born, he claims.

“My mother used to hold a speaker to her tummy and play me classical music or ’70s disco. Later, when I discovered those records and played them, I felt I had heard them before, which was weird.”

Tatami maker Hatsuko Inazumi listens to Tatsumi performing a prayer before an altar at her house in Kagamimachi, Kumamoto prefecture./AFP 

Tatsumi takes care not to anger his fellow priests, using headphones when he mixes his music – which combines electro and dubstep with Buddhist chanting – to avoid getting into trouble.

Even when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis four years ago, he persisted with his hobby, making music from his hospital bed.

“I used to use the beep-beep of the heart monitors to make club music,” says Tatsumi, who now walks with a cane.

The one-time skateboarding monk believes his illness has brought him closer to his fellow devotees.

“I suddenly felt a connection with the aged and temple-goers who were suffering from illness or injury. These days I get on famously with the old folks!”

With 4K broadcast is now available in Thailand from TrueVisions, the next time you buy a TV set, settle for nothing less than 4K resolution.

Beginning with broadcasts of World Cup matches from Russia, TrueVisions has become the first TV operator in Thailand to beam and stream a 4K signal to subscribers.

The subscription TV provider broadcasts its channels to subscribers by beaming down from a satellite and by streaming via a fibre-optic network (CATV).

Now, TrueVisions has provided Channel 400, broadcasting wholly in 4K. It started on June 14 with the opening ceremony of World Cup 2018.

It is now using the channel to broadcast all World Cup matches in very sharp 4K resolution at a refresh rate of 50Hz. If matches are going on at the same time, TrueVisions will select one for live broadcast and the other for taped broadcast.

Current subscribers of Gold and Platinum packages are eligible to receive a 4K receiver box from TrueVisions by paying a Bt2,000 installation fee. If you subscribe for any other package, you must upgrade first.

New customers must subscribe for at least the Gold package to be eligible for a 4K receiver and must pay the installation fee and Bt1,000 deposit on the box. The deposit will be returned when your subscription ends and you hand over the box.

I recently had a chance to test the 4KOP10S box and found that it generated beautiful and sharp pictures from Channel 400. I tested it on the Sony 55-inch 4K TV 55X9000F also reviewed on this page.

The default factory setting has the box displaying in 1080 pixels, so you must have a technician switch the display to 4K 50Hz to enjoy the best-quality picture. And of course, you will need a TV that supports 4K 50Hz resolution as well.

The picture quality is very impressive. It showed a lot of details sharply, the colours were vivid and the motion was smooth. When you watch the 4K channel for a while and switch to Full HD channel, you really notice the drop in sharpness. It’s in fact half the level of 4K.

While the picture quality is terrific, I do have one gripe about the new box. It doesn’t come with a PVR function like that found on previous 1080p Full HD receivers from TrueVisions. I’m hoping TrueVisions will soon come up with new 4K receivers that also provide PVR function.

TrueVisions has said that, after the Word Cup ends next month, Channel 400 would broadcast sports and documentaries in 4K. I hope it expands that to premium movie channels as well.

KEY FACTS

– Receivers: CATV/Satellite TV

– Maximum resolution: 3,840×2,160 pixels 50Hz

– Package required: Gold or Platinum

– Installation fee: Bt2,000; new subscribers also pay a Bt1,000 deposit on the box