A TRANQUIL oasis at the very heart of the chaotic Thai capital, Panpuri Organic Spa at Park Hyatt Bangkok is the perfect place for a spot of unadulterated pampering.

In operation for just under a year on the 11th floor of the five-star hotel atop Central Embassy, the spa is spread over 472 square metres and boasts eight treatment rooms, including two double suites, in a sophisticated and minimal decor of cream and brown to promote wellbeing and relaxation. Natural wood and marble blend for further elegance with individually hand-sculpted lotus flowers taking centre stage in the treatment rooms, symbolising purity.

Panpuri’s state-of-the-art relaxation massage brings a sense of peace to both body and mind. 

In an added bonus, guests coming to the spa can avail themselves of the hotel’s other luxury wellness facilities crystal-steam rooms, laconium dry-heat rooms and whirlpools plus female and male only lockers,

Service is, as one would expect, impeccable, with guests welcomed to the organic foot ritual with a refreshing rice tea, and warm lotus tea and fresh organic seasonal fruit served after the treatment.

True to its motto, “Everything that touches you is organic”, the range of bathrobes, towels, sheets, fresh fruits and refreshments are carefully selected for their organic properties, as are the products used in the treatment, all of them made with hypo-allergenic, natural plant-based ingredients.

The soothing treatment room

Working at a desk all day causes stiffness and even pain in different parts of the body and these respond well to the 90-minute personalised massage (Bt4,200). Guests can choose between three types of massage –relaxing, deep tissue, or Thai aromatic oil – as well as select the organic massage oil that appeals the most. More importantly, though, they can specify a focus on the body areas they feel most requires treatment. That helps the therapist get to grips with the muscle tension, meaning that every minute of the massage truly counts.

Just as at other Panpuri spas, the therapists are highly trained and have a good knowledge of anatomy.

The personalised facilities

Unlike other branches though, the spa here offers a Signature Equilibrium Therapy with Hot Oil and Thai Herbal Compress (Bt4,500) massage.

Panpuri recently launched a new facial skincare line called Lotus Defence, a certified organic collection made from natural ingredients. The facial oil, which is billed as deeply nourishing and lightweight, is derived from precious flowers and botanicals, suits all skin types and is particularly beneficial to dry, sensitive skin. The 75-minute “Lotus Defence Signature Rejuvenating Facial” (Bt3,500) promises a radiant complexion.

All Panpuri’s products are created from natural ingredients.

For those with only a brief time to spare, the 30-minute express treatment is ideal. The menu includes Back De-stress (Bt1,500), Mini Facial (Bt2,000), and Skin Polish (Bt4,200), the latter taking slightly longer at 45 minutes.

After their treatment, the guests are escorted to the private relaxation lounge, which offers a view of the hotel’s lush landscaped garden and the Pool Deck.

GENTLE STROKES

Panpuri Organic Spa at Park Hyatt Bangkok (is opens daily from 10 to 10.

To book a session, call (02) 012 1234 extension 1150 and (096) 818 8870 or email: panpuri.parkhyatt@panpuri.com.

Follow Panpuri on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Line@ and Weibo through @Panpuriofficial.

THAILAND’S ORIGINAL Note Printing Facility, sitting alongside the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, used to be a highly restricted facility enclosed within walls, its windows reinforced with thick iron bars.

Now it’s welcoming visitors as the Learning Centre, with glass walls and open spaces, housing the Bank of Thailand Museum, a hi-tech library, and one of those new-fashioned “co-working spaces”.

Opposite Bank of Thailand headquarters on Samsen Road next to Rama VIII Bridge, the 49-year-old building, designed by ML Santhaya Israsena and Dr Ratchata Kanjanavit, ceded its 12,900 square metres to the Learning Centre, which opened earlier this year to commemorate the central bank’s 75th anniversary.

The Bank of Thailand has transformed its former, high-security Note Printing Facility into an open-plan Learning Centre for the public.

This was the national Note Printing Facility from 1969 to 2007. Banknotes have since then been produced at a bigger facility in Nakhon Pathom.

“The renovations took about two years, retaining much of the structural foundation because of its historical value,” says Sumit Glumsiri, the bank’s assistant director of financial literacy.

“Despite its location on the riverside and the fact it contained massive printing machines, the structure remains strong, with solid grid columns that showed no sign of damage. Most of the oppressive outer facade has been removed and replaced with glazing and steel mesh to reveal the interior and offer a picturesque view of the river.”

The Learning Centre combines the Bank of Thailand Museum, a hi-tech library and a co-working space.

The museum at the centre traces the history of Thai currency and economics. It includes the high-ceiling hall where the printing presses used to roar as they churned out banknotes. You can see the metal struts on the ceiling that held them in place, but there are also three presses on exhibit. Multimedia displays show how they operated.

“The presses used to run almost all the time and were very loud,” says Sumit. “The convex, ‘beehive’ roof was cleverly designed to absorb the noise, and we’ve replicated it in the pattern of the mesh facade and the centre’s logo.”

The Note Printing Hall displays three presses that were churned out banknotes starting in 1969. 

Series 1 – the first Siamese banknotes, issued in 1902 during the reign of King Rama V – was printed in England by Thomas De La Rue & Co. The same firm handled the job until World War II, when Thailand’s alliance with Japan barred any dealings with Britain.

Instead, Japan printed Thailand’s money, but again, the war intervened, preventing the bills from being transported, resulting in a scarcity of notes that affected all sectors of the economy. That, says Sumit, is when Thailand realised it needed a printing facility of its own.

Also on view in the old building are five hong munkhong (security vaults), one atop the other. Only top officials got near these because of the amount of money stored there as well as the master printing plates and papers.

The vaults now hold wonderful illustrations on the history of Thai currency, from the lydijunan – which Sumit says is the oldest currency in history – to pieces used in the Dvaravati, Lanna and Ayutthaya eras. There are also the first paper money, mai, introduced by King Rama IV, and gold-bond bars issued during World War II.

Sumit Glumsiri of the BOT points out the steel door of the former vaults – now the gateway to the museum’s exhibition area.

“This area had maximum security, and the great steel door was electronically controlled and secured with pass-codes given to three security officials,” says Sumit. “Each one had his own pass-code, and the door only opened when all three codes were used.”

There’s a mobile-phone app, of course. “BOT Museum” features an audio guide and can be used in scanning QR codes for videos.

Chiang coins were once used in Lanna Kingdom.

“In 1893 the government printed paper Ngoen Kradat Luang – Treasury Notes,” Sumit says. “There were eight denominations in various colours and sizes. Unfortunately they never went into circulation due to inefficient management. They were eventually destroyed, except for 10 sets, and our collection has more than anyone else.”

The gold-bond bars and coins issued during World War II amid severe inflation matured after eight years, when the owner could redeem them for gold or cash. There were four denominations – Bt10,000 in the form of 1.7-kilogram of bullion, and Bt1,000, Bt100 and Bt50 in the form of coins.

Gold-bond bullion and coins were issued during World War II, when the country was coping with severe inflation. 

Another room is devoted to the Bank of Thailand’s mission to safeguard the country’s financial stability and promote sustainable economic wellbeing. The bank’s governors are depicted in miniatures, from the first, His Highness Prince Vivadhanajaya, to the present, Veerathai Santiprabhob. Several governors appear in video interviews talking about conditions during their tenures.

A room promotes the key roles of the Bank of Thailand.

The glass-wrapped, 150-seat Prince Vivadhanajaya Library has a superb view of the river and Rama VIII Bridge. It has 30,000 books, mainly about economics and banking, that can be searched with a hi-tech touch-screen. All the reading tables have sockets ready for laptops and the Wi-Fi is free for an hour.

Prince Vivadhanajaya Library has a superb view of the river and Rama VIII Bridge.

“We also have journals from financial organisations like the International Monetary Fund, Bank for International Settlements and the central banks of many countries, and books by Nobel Prize economics laureates from 1969 to the present,” says Nantana Krodtem, also an assistant director of financial literacy at the bank.

“These resources were previously only available to bank staff, but this place is meant to be a knowledge-sharing centre.”

Access to certain resources requires membership, which costs Bt1,500 per year. The centre is affiliated with the Online Computer Learning Centre, a global knowledge-sharing network, so members get access to digital resources at more than 7,000 libraries. They can also borrow books, get free Wi-Fi and museum access, and pay half the usual price of using a co-working space.

The co-working space has rooms for individuals and groups of eight or more.

The co-working space is called the “Idea Box”. There are four rooms suitable for individuals, rented at Bt300 an hour, and three big enough for groups of eight or more for Bt500. All have multimedia equipment.

There are two auditoriums – one fitting 90 people and the other 300 – for seminars or other events related to economics and finance. There’s even a riverside cafe, Pacamara, that serves a good cup of coffee and baked items.

BANK ON LEARNING

The Bank of Thailand Learning Centre on Samsen Road of Bangkok is open daily except Monday from 9.30am. The museum closes at 4.30pm and the library and co-working space at 8pm.

Admission to the museum is free until June. Guided tours are conducted six times a day, at 9.30, 10, 10.30, 1.30, 2 and 2.30. The tour lasts an hour and 45 minutes.

Find out more at (02) 356 7766 or visit http://www.Botlc.or.th.

Surface Laptop is a balance of portability, performance and elegance. Powered by Windows 10 S, it is engineered to start fast and stay fast with a 7th generation Intel Core processor and up to 14.5 hours of battery life to last through the day. At just 1.25 kilograms and less than 14.5mm thin, the Surface Laptop can fit nicely into your bag, and is lightweight enough to tote around.

“We are excited to be bringing Surface Laptop to Thailand for customers who are seeking a different laptop experience,” said Tatiana Marushevskaya, marketing & operations director, Microsoft Thailand.

“Meticulously crafted to deliver a portable and performance packed experience, Surface Laptop empowers our customers to unleash their creative potential by bringing the best of Windows and Office together, while redefining its category.”

Every detail is crafted to bring new form and function to the classic laptop design. The vibrant 13.5-inch PixelSense Display is optimised for touch and inking for an immersive experience, and the optically bonded Corning Gorilla Glass 3 makes it as durable as it is beautiful. The product will also support the new Surface Pen, which will unlock new creative scenarios for users.

The keyboard is covered in luxurious Alcantara material and features a quiet and responsive keyset, large precision trackpad, and soft palm rest for a new level of typing comfort.

Shipping with Windows 10 S, a new Windows experience streamlined for security and superior performance, it starts up and runs faster with InstantOn and an OS optimised for sustained performance.

With Windows 10 S, applications that are downloaded from the Windows Store are first verified for security, and then locally run in a safe “container” to ensure that Windows 10 S offers the power of full-featured applications, including experiences such as the full version of Office 365, among others. In addition, the laptop is fully integrated with OneDrive to keep your content safe in the cloud and comes with one TB of storage for a year.

Another product, Surface Book 2, is a portable powerhouse with up to 17 hours of battery life. Featuring the latest 8th Gen Intel Core Processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics, it runs the demanding applications customers rely on, the PC games people love, and even Windows Mixed Reality experiences.

Surface Book 2 also supports Surface Pen with tilt and 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity for a great inking experience, and like its predecessor, the ability to instantly transform from a laptop to a digital canvas to a sleek tablet.

They are available at the authorised retailers including Banana IT, IT City and PowerBuy and at www.Microsoft.com/th-th/store.

For more information, visit http://www.Microsoft.com/surface.

This year, the concept is “Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Thai Red Cross Society and the Elegance of Giving”.

The event, which takes place on February 24-25 at Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, presents famous products of various countries, sold to raise funds to support the Red Cross Society.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the society’s executive vice president, will preside at the opening ceremony and visit the booths and activities on February 24 at 8.30am.

“The bazaar this year has great support from diplomats and their spouses, as well as officers from various embassies,” says Janprapa Vichitcholchai, deputy director of the society’s fund-raising bureau.

“A total of 53 booths will be presented, offering high-quality products from their respective countries at a special price. Additionally, we have designed special trolley bags to reflect the society’s four pillars – Heal, Relieve, Give and Prevent.

“We also have designed other items for the 125th anniversary, such as bags with a tag, caps, shirts, umbrellas and key chains, and they will be available at this event. I would like to invite everyone to come and shop. The proceeds will be presented to Princess Sirindhorn to support the Thai Red Cross Society in helping the underprivileged.”

Olga Barskaya, chairperson of the organising committee and wife of the Russian ambassador, lists the items on sale at this year’s event.

“There are many interesting products, such as Russian nesting dolls – Matryoshka dolls – lacquered boxes, Russian Gzhel ceramics, Belgian crystal accessories, chocolates and cocoa powder, Norwegian salmon, Australian vitamins, bedding and duvet pillows, Moroccan argan oil, Mongolian cashmere shirts, scarves and shawls and leatherwear, Bhutanese jam, honey, mineral water and natural products, Brazilian sandals, gems and stones, Canadian frozen seafood and maple syrup, Portuguese egg tarts, Czech glassware and crystals, Myanmar tanaka, tea, coffee, rubies, jade, jewelry and cashew nuts, Swiss chocolates, cheese, ice cream and kitchenware, and Israeli dates and apricots.

“This year Turkey, a culture-rich country, will present ‘evil eye’ nazar ornaments made of glass. It is typically used to make necklaces and key chains. The eye-shaped blue amulet is believed to protect against the evil eye. Delicate Turkish rugs, ceramics, drawings, dried fruit, nuts and silverware will also be available again after three-year absence.”

One of the main attractions every year is the raffle draw. Tickets cost Bt50, available at the venue, and the prizes will be drawn on March 15 at the fund-raising bureau.

Learn more from the Thai Red Cross Society at (02) 251 1218, (02) 251 6994 or (02) 256 4289.

Several improvements and new features help ensure that Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) 2018 will provide peace of mind when you have valuable data stored on multiple Internet-connected devices.

Having determined that the average Thai home has 6.3 devices connected to the Net – and that Thailand ranks 33rd among countries in terms of risky surfing, Kaspersky Lab Thailand is offering multiple-device packages to address specific concerns.

Between last July and September, Kaspersky Lab products detected nearly three million Web-borne malware incidents on Thai computers linked to its security network. It says 17.6 per cent of users were attacked via the Internet during that period.

So the Thai Kaspersky Service Centre (iCom Tech Co Ltd) has come up with the following one-year offerings:

Kaspersky Total Security 2018 for one device, Bt990; Total Security 2018, three devices, Bt1,890; Internet Security 2018, one device, Bt890; Internet Security 2018, three devices, Bt1,780; Anti-Virus 2018, one device, Bt690, and Anti-Virus 2018, three devices, Bt1,380.

Anti-Virus is recommended for computers not connected to the Internet.

Total Security has three features lacking in Kaspersky Internet Security.

Safe Kid Extra Security shields young computer users. Secure Password Manager stores passwords for easy access. File Backup and Encryption is ideal for making backup copies of files.

But KIS also has four new features – Wi-Fi Security Notifications and Secure Connection for a MacIntosh, protection against infections during forced reboots for a PC, and App Lock for Android devices.

Improved in the 2018 suite are URL Advisor, System Watcher, Trusted Application Mode, support for Safe Money scenarios in Microsoft Edge and the latest macOS 10.12 and Windows 10 Creators Update, and an all-in-one browser extension for Macs that works with Safari, Chrome and Firefox.

If you use a Macbook and work outside the home, you’ll appreciate the Wi-Fi Security Notifications. When this new feature detects an unsecured Wi-Fi connection, it will advise you on how to easily improve the situation.

Secure Connection is also useful. It protects you while using public (unsafe) networks, providing a secure and encrypted communication channel. It secures the computer’s Internet connection to guarantee that all data sent and received are protected.

Secure Connection is installed as a separate app from the Mac App Store on the user’s device and is accessible inside the security solution application via the “Privacy” tile from the main screen.

The protection against infection during forced restarts is useful for Windows because some malware use this phase for injection into the system processes. This feature is the default setting for the Windows application of KIS 2018.

App Lock for Android helps guard your private communication and financials with a secret code to access apps you’ve selected. You can secure Gallery or other apps containing your pictures and videos and lock access to your Facebook, WhatsApp, Gmail, Messages and other apps.

With App Lock, you won’t need to worry when somebody is playing with your device and curious about the data stored on it or when you share your device with your kids and want to avoid unnecessary clicks or messages.

Secure Connection for Windows now supports Total Force Upgrade mechanisms. It now delivers regular notifications on IP-address protection.

Secure Connection also suggests a list of website categories in order to increase the accuracy of automatic activation of Secure Connection.

System Watcher is useful for protecting against ransomware that might lock your devices or encrypt your files.

Trusted Applications Mode offers advanced proactive protection from even emerging online threats, ensuring only trusted software is allowed to run on your PC.

The improved version applies more thorough security checks for the files with electronic signatures. Security checks are done using an internal, widening database of certificates and the KSN database.

I tried KIS 2018 on a Mac. The installation was smooth and the package didn’t slow down the computer.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

– Internet connection: For product activation, updates and access to some features

ON WINDOWS DESKTOPS, LAPTOPS

– Processor: 1GHz or higher

– Memory: 1GB 32bit or 2GB 64bit

875MB free space on hard drive

– Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or higher

– Microsoft .NET Framework 4 or higher

– Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise

– Microsoft Windows 8 & 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise / 8.1 update

– Microsoft Windows 7 Starter / Home Basic & Premium / Professional / Ultimate — SP0 or higher

ON WINDOWS TABLETS (with Intel processor)

– Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise

– Microsoft Windows 8 & 8.1 / Pro (64bit)

– Minimum screen resolution: 1024×600

ON MAC DESKTOPS AND LAPTOPS

– 970MB free space on hard drive

– Memory: 2GB

– OS X 10.11 – macOS 10.13

ON ANDROID PHONES, TABLETS

– Android 4.1 – 8.0

– Minimum screen resolution: 320×480 pixels

IPHONE, IPAD

– iOS 9.0 or higher

WINDOWS PHONE

– Windows Phone 8

While many parents are in two minds about letting young children play video games, studies would seem to indicate that they do, when used in moderation of course, improve hand–eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and the ability to process information.

With this in mind, a Thai developer has just released a free life simulation game, “Friendship21s” which, it says, is designed to boost young children’s EQ and their social skills.

The free game, developed by Mirin Innovation, is essentially a graphic adventure with a lot of missions and mini-games, all of which are designed to teach young children to interact with others while building communication skills in daily life.

The game’s development was financed by the firm called Chiang Mai Charles Michels as a way to give back to society. The company says the game aims to teach youngsters to interact with others and be conscious of their duty to help others through missions and conversations with game characters.

It is a single-player game so all game characters are AIs or robots that interact with the player as programmed.

To play the game, which is available for both Android and iOS platforms, you need to download and install the game software. The Android version requires about 150 megabytes of download. You then name your character and select its gender sex, hairstyle and outfit.

During the game, you or your child can further change the hair style by tapping on the dressing table in the bedroom and change clothes by tapping on the closet. More decorative items will be earned on completing missions.

The game, which has colourful graphics, starts with the player being a member of a family that has just moved to a small town.

The main goal is for the character to get to know and make friends with all the characters in the town. The player must carry out missions assigned by neighbours or NPCs (non-playable characters).

All in all, there are 200 missions from 20 types NPCs to carry out. For example, one of the first missions is to buy toilet cleaner for mother and your child will have to walk the game character to a shop in town. If your kid knows how to read a map, it won’t be hard to navigate through the town to the shop.

Certain missions need game coins and these can be earned by playing a lot of mini games inside the  main game.

Your child will get to learn about the problems faced by characters in the game and must find out how to help them through talking with them. He or she will have a book to record the characters befriended and each character has a bar to show friendship level from minus 100 to 100.

As part of the game’s interface, your child will be given tablets and a bag.

The bag is for keeping items in the game. The Key item tab is for storing items needed for completing certain missions while the Seed tab is for storing seeds for growing and the last tab titled just Item is for keeping other kinds of things found in the game.

Tap on the tablet and six menus come up – News, Photo, Column, Contact, Map and To Do.

In news, you get to read announcements and various activities of the games while the To Do provides a list of missions that have been assigned. The completed missions will be moved to the “Complete” tab.

The Photo is a book for collecting photos of animals you will encounter while wandering in the town.

The column is for keeping articles from flyers and pieces of inscribed stones found in the town.

The map is useful for navigating as it gives current location in the town. And when you use the map while standing at a bus stop, it will show all available bus stops in the town. Tap on another bus stop mark on the map and a bus heading to the selected stop will turn up.

Interact with an NPC to buy or sell items and give the character a gift. The coins earned from selling items can be used to buy other items so that you can complete the assigned missions.

The 10 mini games are to teach the child to practise concentration, memory, observation as well as imbuing in him or her a voluntary spirit to serve the society.

The mini games include a garbage sorting game, one that involves cleaning a temple toilet and a restaurant where you have to memorise the food orders from three customers at a time. Pictures of ordered dishes are displayed for just three seconds. The florist mini game also tests the memory as it requires you to memorise the colour of flowers ordered by a customer and learn to mix colours to paint flowers to fulfil the order.

Find out about the game at Facebook.com/Frienship21s.

Key Specs

– Developer: Mirin Innovation

– Game type: Single-player life simulation

– Available platforms: Android, iOS

– Android requirement: Version 4.1 or later

– iOS requirement: iOS 8.0 or later

– Price: Free

Turn your house into a disco (relax, the neighbours will love it) with Sony’s MHCV90DW Muteki speakers. You get four five-centimetre tweeters, two 25cm subwoofers and four 13cm mid-range woofers, collectively weighing 50.5 kilograms and costing Bt21,990. That includes a DVD player and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities.

That’s some smart watch

Samsung’s Gear S3 Frontier smartwatch has a 1.3-inch Super Amoled display with Always on Display technology so it’s constantly refreshed and looks like a real watch dial. It’s preloaded with 15 dials to choose among, has builtin GPS to go with health-tracking apps, and can also function as MP3 player. It retails for Bt12,900.

Superfast phone charging

With Energea’s Widock 2 Coils desktop wireless charger, you can zap up a phone vertically or horizontally. It’s only 185 grams. It can house any phone five to 10 millimetres thick. Compatible with Qi-enabled devices, it comes with Fast Charge technology. LED lights show the charging status. Get one from RTB Technology for Bt1,690.

Sounds like a RockStar

The Deamware RockStar is a portable Bluetooth speaker with 80 watts of output power. A professional DSP vocal processor is built for karaoke. The 2,600mAh lithium battery is good for up to 12 hours of play and the speaker doubles as a power bank. Splashproof and with eight audio inputs, this beast costs Bt24,900.

Self-portrait of the artist

Canon’s EOS M10 interchangeable-lens mirrorless camera boasts an 18-megapixel CMOS APSC image sensor and fast Hybrid CMOS ASF II system. The 180-degree tiltable LCD display is ideal for self-portraits, complete with four modes. With builtin Wi-Fi, NFC function and an EFM 1545mm kit lens, it sells for Bt17,210.

Chicago jazz singer Tammy McCann jets into Bangkok later this month for a residency at The Living Room of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit that runs from February 28 to March 31. She’ll be backed by the Randy Cannon Group Tuesday to Thursday from 9.15pm and on Friday and Saturday from 8.45pm. Internationally recognised for her powerful, sultry, and emotionally charged voice, she combines classical, gospel and jazz vocal techniques to create her own distinctive sound and style.

Boom your table at (02) 649 8353 or email: dining.sgs@luxurycollection.com.

Bubbles and Tinsel Town

Dusit Thani Bangkok’s popular “Return to Bubbles” series returns on February 23 with a special Hollywood night party featuring classic disco tunes from the ’70s and ’80s. Return to Bubbles is part of the hotel’s 48th anniversary celebrations and is dedicated to its first ever pub and discotheque, Bubbles, which opened in 1977 inspired by the hit movie “Saturday Night Fever” and western disco culture. Entry fee is Bt480 per person inclusive of one selected drink and the fun kicks off at 9.

Find out more at (02) 200 9000 extension 2998.

Wedding daze

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok invites all brides and grooms-to-be to come along to its “Wedding Open House 2018”, which takes place at the Authors’ Lounge on February 24-25 from 10am to 7pm. Dedicated professional wedding specialists will be on hand to assist you in planning your dream wedding and there’ll be a range of exclusive packages on offer too.

Learn more at t(02) 659 9000 extension 7421 or email mobkkweddingsales@mohg.com.

All about innovation

The Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (IDE) 2018 Competition gets underway on Thursday at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok on Sukhumvit Road. Running through February 24, the event features an MIT Enterprise Forum, Global Social Venture Competition, and a round on ideas and innovation). Alexander Rendell, chef Thitiwat Tantragarn, Lao film director Mattie Do, inventor and entrepreneur Solveiga Pakstaite, fashion designer Phannapast Taychamaythakool, musician Vahakn MatossianGehlhaar, scientist Panu Sukitpaneenit, and Alicia Noel of Cultivati Inc will speak at the symposium on the theme “Think Big Act Small” on February 24 starting at 12.30pm. Find out more at https://www.EventPop.me/e/2870ide2018.

OMG it’s OMI

DJ Omi spins in Thailand for the first time on February 21 performing live at Levels Club & Lounge on Sukhumvit Soi 11 from 9pm to 2am. He is best known for “Cheerleader”, a worldwide hit for him in a remixed version by German DJ Felix Jaehn with over 800 million streams on YouTube alone.

Book your table at (082) 308 3246.

Dubbed the “Ninja Maze … The Big Adventure presented by est Cola”, it will be at Westgate Hall on the fourth floor of Central Plaza Westgate from March 17 to May 31.

Ninjas have been a part of Japanese culture and guerrilla warfare since the 12th century. A ninja is someone who practises ninjutsu, an independent art of warfare developed in the regions of Iga in Mie Prefecture and Koka in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

In times of peace, ninjutsu is referred to as the art of “entering from afar”, while in times of war, it is the art of “entering from nearby”, where the ninja gathers intelligence concerning the enemy and devises ways of beating him, without necessarily having to actually fight him. Ninjas consider the arts related to espionage and assassination and as valuable decrying war reliant on military strength (weapons) as foolish. The ninja who use their swords are sometimes regarded as the lowest of the ninja.

Visitors will make their way through a ninja house, full of hidden passageways and traps. The exhibition also includes a mini theatre, where a video reveals secrets of how the ninja are able to infiltrate and escape undetected. Visitors can also learn about the tools the ninja use to carry out their missions.

Entrance fee is Bt450 and tickets are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Rhythm Cycling is a workout like no other where participants ride to the rhythm of the music as if they’re dancing on the bike, creating motivation that fills the room with positive energy. With an ability to burn up to 500-800 calories in a 45-minute session, Rhythm Cycling is one of the hottest fitness trend in the United States and all over the world.

“Absolute Cycle is the next step for Absolute You, as we were looking for another type of exercise besides Yoga and Pilates Reformer to add to our brand. Rhythm Cycling is a perfect fit because it combines an intense cardio workout with fun and energetic beats of music and lights so the clients can have fun without thinking that it is a workout at all,” saus Benjaporn Karoonkornsakul, founder and chief executive of Absolute You.

“When you’re in a Rhythm Cycling class, it is more than just riding, you can feel the energy and it’s almost as if you have the time to look inside yourself, to find that strength to be a better you. As of now, we have a total of eight branches in Thailand and 1 in Singapore and we’re planning to introduce 3 additional branches this year,” she added.

Find out more by calling (02) 252 4400, visit http://AbsoluteCycleBangkok.com or join the conversation at Facebook.com/AbsoluteCycleBangkok/