NO MATTER what kind of music turns you on, you’ll enjoy it a hundred times more with the latest on-ear Bluetooth headphones from Marshall – the Major III Bluetooth.

The much-loved British brand has excelled itself with its new take on the Major phones, giving the Bluetooth headset a collapsible design that makes it convenient to carry around to use as a smartphone headset with very good battery life.

And Marshall has incorporated a clever design, allowing you to share the music that is Bluetooth-streamed from your smartphone via the headphones’ 3.5mm connector. The connector is normally used to link the phones’ cable when the Bluetooth connection is turned off so that you can use them as a wired pair of headphones. Now, with the Bluetooth linked, the streamed music can be passed on via the same connector.

The Major III has been re-engineered for a cleaner, more refined design, while the silhouette stays true to its original form. Slimmed down ergonomic 3D hinges add a more streamlined look, while thicker loop wires with reinforced rubber dampers contribute to a solid build quality unsurpassed by others. This combined with its rebuilt on-ear cushions and plush straight fit headband provides hours of comfortable listening. Major III is covered in time-tested durable vinyl and proudly stamped with the iconic script logo.

The phones use wireless Bluetooth aptX technology and it comes with some 30 hours of playtime on a single charge that needs about three hours to be completed. It is recharged via a micro USB port on the right ear cup and the charging cable is provided.

Major III Bluetooth uses custom-tuned 40 mm dynamic drivers for enhanced bass response, smooth mids and crystal clear highs that will immediately remind you why this headphone is an icon in the making.

The headphones have 32 ohms of impedance and 97 dB sensitivity plus a frequency response of some 20Hz to 20kHz.

The right ear cup has an LED indicator along with the 3.5mm stereo input for connecting to a headphone cable, which is also provided. And the headphone cord comes with-built in remote and microphone so that you can use Major III as a headset even when the battery is low.

The LED indicator serves to let you know the current status of the headphones. For example, the LED is red when the battery is being charged and turns solid white when the battery is fully charged. It blinks in white when the audio is paused and it turns blue when the Major III is in Bluetooth pairing mode. The LED turns off when the Bluetooth is off or when the music is being streamed to the headphones.

The left ear cup, meanwhile, has a multi-purpose control knob that also functions as a power on/off button, volume control, and play and pause button.

You push the control button once to play or pause the music. Push it to right to skip to the next track, holding it down if you want to fast forward. Push it to the left to move to the previous track and hold to rewind the current song.

When you push the button up, the volume is increased while pressing it downwards decreases the sound level.

To answer an incoming call, push the control button once and repeat to hang up. You can also push the button twice to reject a pesky incoming call.

When Major III Bluetooth is paired with an iOS smartphone or a macOS notebook, you can also use the control button to activate or stop SIRI giving voice commands by pushing the button twice.

I found Major III Bluetooth has powerful and solid bass despite its compact design and the mids and highs are also very clear.

Because of the powerful bass, I enjoyed using Major III Bluetooth to listen to rock music with good bass and good details of musical instruments. The headphones also provided good left and right isolations.

For example, when I listened to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”, I could hear the melody of the guitar on the left and the synthesiser on the right with the vocals in the middle. The drums and bass sounded powerful and solid.

During the test, I enjoyed using Major III Bluetooth to listen to rock music with Joox and Spotify apps for hours without feeling uncomfortable, thanks to the light weight of the phones.

I also found that the control button could be used intuitively and effectively for controlling the music playback.

Major III Bluetooh is available from ASH Asia at http://www.AShop.Asia for Bt5,490.

>> Drivers: 40 mm

>> Driver Type: Dynamic

>> Driver Impedance: 32 ohms

>> Driver Sensitivity 97 dB SPL

>> Frequency Response: |20Hz-20kHz

>> Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth aptX

>> Wired Connectivity: 3.5 mm Input

>> Bluetooth Range: 10 m

>> Battery: 30 hours play time, 3 hours recharging

>> Weight: 178g

>> In the box: Major III Bluetooth Headphone, Micro USB Charging Cable, Removal 3.5 mm Cable with Mic and Remote, User Manual with Legal and Safety Information

AMID THE tremendous popularity of online bookstores and e-books, an unmanned bookstore in Nara’s traditional Naramachi district is attracting an ever-growing number of customers.

The store is filled with books carefully selected by eight owners chosen from the public, and offers a cosy atmosphere in which customers can leisurely browse through various kinds of books, an experience that cannot be replicated online.

The bookstore, Fusenkazura, opened in August on the renovated premises of a traditional Japanese-style house built more than 100 years ago. Twelve shelves about three metres tall stand in the roughly 30-square-metre interior.

People register as members to shop at the store in Nara’s traditional Naramachi district and are on their honour to punch in the right purchase price at checkout. 

Customers register as store members through a website and input a passcode to enter the store. Once inside, they can focus on selecting books without having to worry about the time or shop clerks.

Two-thirds of the books on the shelves are owned by eight people aged from their 20s to 50s, who were chosen from 37 applicants to become co-owners of the enterprise.

There are about 2,000 books, including foreign literature, children’s books, movie reviews and even a practical guide to restoring cultural properties, each of which reflects the owners’ love of books. About 1,000 of the publications are essays, photo books and other works published by individuals at their own expense.

Koichi Hirata, 57, from Gojo, Nara Prefecture, founded the unmanned bookstore. After working as a human resources consultant in Tokyo, he returned to his hometown five years ago with the aim of finding a job locally.

A lover of books, Hirata had opened flea markets in Nara featuring books. One day, he came up with the idea of opening an unmanned bookstore with no labour costs.

Customers input the prices of books into a device at the cashier and can pay by credit card or other means. According to the store, more than 500 books have been sold since its opening, with about 700 people registering as members. Sixty per cent of sales go to the book owners, while the remainder goes to Hirata.

Rena Sasaki, 19, a sophomore in Nara who visited the bookstore, said: “It’s nice, as I can take my time picking something out. I think I’m developing a love for books.”

One of the store owners, Natsumi Takagi, 31, from Chuo Ward, Osaka, has contributed novels and children’s books.

“I hope the books here make the readers feel like having another good day tomorrow,” Takagi said.

“I want our customers to enjoy the texture and smell of books, which can’t be experienced online,” Hirata added. “You’ll discover something new every time you come.”

EVERY SO often, 33-year-old Masaki Kitakoga slips into a tiny booth with a desk and a chair and belts out karaoke tunes for 90 minutes – completely on his own.

Kitakoga is part of a growing trend in Japan favouring solo activities that is now so widespread it has its own name: ohitorisama, meaning “on your own”.

Analysts say that Japan’s demographic makeup – more than one third of households contain just one person – makes it perfect for the solo market, with many also craving “me time” in a fast-paced, interconnected and workaholic society.

Karaoke, in many ways the archetypal social activity, is a case in point.

Kitakoga ends a pleasant everything spent in one of the tiny booths reserved for individual singers. 

Six years ago, the Koshidaka karaoke chain realised that some 30 per cent of its customers in certain locations came on their own, so it set up 1Kara – tiny booths for solo singers.

Now the firm runs a network of eight speciality karaoke parlours that each sees “tens of thousands” of crooners flock to its solo booths, according to Daiki Yamatani, a spokesman for the chain.

“It’s a truly liberating experience,” says Kitakoga. “I like to sing. But beyond that, this lets me shake off stress.”

As demand for such services grows, the stigma of doing activities alone has decreased, adds Kitakoga, who also sings karaoke occasionally with friends.

Many lone karaoke singers say they like singing just the songs they want to, without bowing to peer pressure for sing-along classics that everyone else knows.

Signs of the ohitorisama phenomenon are everywhere in Japan, from cinemas offering seats with partitions to theme parks that let singles jump the queue at certain rides.

Grocery stores sell condiments and vegetables for single diners while travel agents design itineraries aimed at the solo voyager.

The “super solo society” has become a buzzword among social scientists and marketing gurus.

“Businesses are offering various goods and services to meet the trend of people enjoying solo activities,” says Motoko Matsushita, senior consultant with Nomura Research Institute.

“The depth and range of such services reflect the expanding nature of the consumer trend.”

The growing phenomenon is also helping to liberate individuals from feeling like they have to conform to peer pressure, Matsushita adds.

 Masaki Kitakoga, 33, sings alone in a tiny booth at a karaoke parlour in Tokyo. Kitakoga is part of a growing trend in Japan favouring solo activities that is now so widespread it has its own name: “ohitorisama: or “on your own.” 

Surveys show Japanese consumers – especially younger ones – rate quality time alone above hours spent with family and friends.

Official data show the ratio of households with parents and children is gradually shrinking as fewer adults form relationships.

In 1980 in Japan, only one in 50 men had never been married by the age of 50 and one in 22 women. That ratio is now one in four and one in seven respectively.

The demographic shift comes as Japan also grapples with a rapidly ageing population, with nearly 28 per cent of Japanese people over the age of 65.

And the pace of modern life with ubiquitous social media is also pushing this trend, experts say, as fatigued people seek relief from round-the-clock contact.

“Our data show sociable individuals tend to seek solo activities,” says Matsushita, a married mother-of-two, who says she too is partial to a spot of solo karaoke.

Restaurants are also cashing in. At the Ichiran ramen noodle chain, it is possible to enjoy a meal with barely any human interaction whatsoever.

Customers order from vending machines and then sit in a partitioned booth to slurp down their noodles, unlike the experience at many ramen joints, where orders are shouted by teams of chefs behind greasy counters.

“We were doing this even before the solo activities trend started. This ‘personal space’ concept has been well received in foreign markets too” explains Satomi Nozaki, spokeswoman at the popular chain, which also has outlets overseas.

Karaoke fan Kitakoga also enjoys solo travel, taking himself off alone to a remote island in southern Japan last year.

“Sure, it would have been fun to travel with friends too. But I knew what I wanted to do there and it was fantastic because I was able to do everything I wanted to do at the pace I wanted to do it,” he says.

Pet cafes are all the rage now in Hong Kong, especially in the livelier districts such as Mong Kok and Causeway Bay. They’re places to lounge with adorable canines and felines while enjoying all kinds of delectable food, drinks and desserts.

Garden Meow Cafe on the ground floor of Block B Hollywood at PMQ – the old residence for policemen and their wives – now purrs with cats and their human customers.

PMQ is a hub for designers and other creative types, whose workspaces occupy the same historic buildings after considerable upgrading for modern uses. The former residential units are now mostly studios and shops, although some visiting designers also camp there overnight. On top of Block B is a rooftop restaurant.

Around half the tenants are designers of clothing and household products, with the rest conceiving fashion accessories, food and furniture. They share exhibition space and event facilities.

All sorts of illustrated books and magazines provide newcomers with guidelines to the feline world.

Vivian Yang, a Taiwanese who co-owns Garden Meow Cafe with a Hong Kong partner, explains that most local apartment dwellers aren’t allowed to keep pets, and she happens to be a cat lover, so she set up a place for furry friends and their cuddle-deprived human admirers. Folks are welcome to bring in their own cats, she says, “but they mustn’t disturb the other customers, because then I’d get negative reviews”.

All sorts of illustrated books and magazines provide newcomers with guidelines to the feline world.

The first cats you see are guarding the front door – they’re neon lights in the shape of cats. Then, beyond the traditional fabric curtains at the doorway, is a small library of books and magazines in Chinese and English filled with feline art and illustrations.

All the pillows and mugs are invariably decorated with similar art and on the floor out front is a depiction of one cat skateboarding and another one reading, two activities not closely associated with cats but sure to put you in the mood for fun or relaxation.

Tree branches and cat amulets adorn the walls.

The café has a cosy yet eclectic atmosphere, mostly wood-trimmed and with vintage tables and chairs both inside and outside. The walls are covered in real tree branches and dry leaves, several banners and more cat-inspired signs and posters. A beckoning cat of the Japanese-Chinese variety says your money is always welcome here.

Vintage tables and chairs add to the homey feel.

Between the bookshelves and dining area are displayed an ancient transistor radio and antique turntable, the property of the owner, a long-time collector of vintage gadgets. The counter bar is lined with many bottles of craft beer on sale. It all feels endearingly charming, evocative of simpler, homier times.

Follow the fur from one room to another.

“Most of our customers are either local people or tourists from America, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand, because Hong Kong is now promoting PMQ heavily,” Yang says beneath a crop of hair dyed green. “The books and magazines are there to read or buy.”

Taiwanese cuisine dominates the menu, appealing dishes such as drunken chicken with cold noodles. The tender meat of the chicken is a great match for the smooth and lightly flavoured thin white noodles.

Taiwanese-style Ginger and Wine Sauce Chicken

Taiwanese Manchu Noodle Soup with beef tendons is packed with spicy flavour, as is the Ginger and Wine Sauce Chicken with rice. I’m most astonished with “Walk Over the Cloud”, a bright-blue soda-and-cream drink topped with fluffy cotton candy. It’s pretty to see – obviously begging to have its picture taken – and sweet to eat.

Walk over the Cloud

Also available is Taiwanese brown-sugar-milk tea with rectangular herbal jellies, plus all that beer in bottles and cans imported from around the world.

This isn’t Yang’s first animal café. She’s lived in Hong Kong for many years and opened a pooch palace five years ago, then another place that boasted an owl and another with a giraffe theme.

Banners and posters sing the praises of the pussy.

“I have a passion for pets,” she says with evident understatement. “I open cafes with themes that match my favourite animals. The giraffe cafe was the most popular. The one with the owl is located in Wanchai district, where there are trees along the footpath. The cat idea came along when I noticed that a lot of Hong Kong people can’t keep pets in their apartments.”

Yang is planning to open another pet café. The only question is which animal gets the nod this time.

Actors Sukollawat “Weir” Kanarot and Praya “Poo” Lundberg joined the celebration, while “Hunz” Isariya Patharamanop, “Earth” Patravee Srisuntisuk, SB FIVE and “Atom” Chanakan Rattanaudom performed mini concerts.

Prasert Sriuranpong, the managing director of LH Mall & Hotel, the developer obehind Terminal 21 Asoke, Terminal 21 Korat, Fashion Island, The Promenade RamIntra, and Life Centre Q House Lumpini, said: “Pattaya welcomes more than 16 million visitors each year and generates Bt135 billion in revenue. Terminal 21 Pattaya is the latest project by Land and Houses in the regional market. The project size is 33 rai and the location is in the heart of Pattaya and is designed as a shopping terminal with a World Market Street style and around the concept “Happiness East”. The shopping complex offers everything for every lifestyle need. We are confident that it will become the new landmark of the East and expect to welcome more than 50,000 Thai and foreign visitors a day.”

Highlights feature floors modelled around major cities –Paris, London, Tokyo, Italy, San Francisco and Hollywood  with each city’s respective icons. They are all connected through a dazzling design. A real plane is parked in front of the shopping complex, on a 250metre runway next to a manmade beach with a jet bridge. Another highlight is the 39metre freestanding escalator connecting Level G – Paris and Level 2  Tokyo, which is the longest shopping mall escalator in Thailand.

Terminal21 Pattaya is located near the Dolphin Roundabout on North Pattaya Road, accessible via three main routes: Pattaya Sai 2, North Pattaya and Pettrakul roads and is surrounded by the highest density of 4 or 5star hotels in Pattaya.

Find out more at Facebook.com/Terminal21Pattaya and Instagram.com/Terminal21Pattaya.

“When We Were Young”, which runs from Friday through November 25 in the shopping centre’s main atrium, will show how youngsters of school age spent their days 50 years ago.

Visitors can see replicas of a classroom full of old study tables and chairs, as well as a blackboard and chalk sticks; a library full of old lesson books; a canteen where holetype lunch trays were used in the old days; a playground where children gathered before morning assembly; and snack vendors in front of school,” says Rossaporn Khiewwan.

The highlight is the Sanam Luang flea market where teenagers flocked every weekend and where bicycles of all sizes were available for rent by the hour. Kids used the area to fly kites while older shoppers would head to the community flea market on the canal.

Enjoy shopping for once popular toys and collectibles that are rare to find these days, such as models of Government Savings Bank’s piggy banks that were given out on Children’s Day only, oldday school books, popular toys that were sold in front of schools and toys that were given out for free with a shoe purchase.

The exhibition that tells stories of important locations in the past, such as Coliseum Cinema, Chalerm Khet Cinema, Sala Chalermthai Cinema and Nailert buses.

And don’t miss “Plays in the past”, which showcases fun activities that have all but disappeared including the rubber band jump rope, Mak kep (tossing pebble and picking sticks), Tang tay (hopscotch), pitch and toss, blowing oilbased clay, blowing rubber bands, Pop Pop boats, string figures and board games such as Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders. You can have a go at them every day from noon to 1.30pm, 2.30 to 4pm and 5.30 to 7pm.

For more information, head to Facebook.com/SeaconBangkaeFanPage or http://www.SeaconBangkae.com.

The Pink Legacy, which once belonged to the Oppenheimer family which for decades ran the De Beers diamond mining company, was snapped up by American luxury brand Harry Wilson, part of the Swiss Swatch group.

“$2.6 million per carat. That is a world record per carat for a pink diamond,” said Francois Curiel, head of Christie’s in Europe.

“This stone is for me the Leonardo da Vinci of diamonds,” he added.

The stone was immediately rechristened the “Winston Pink Legacy” by its buyers.

Christie’s international head of jewellery, Rahul Kadakia, described The Pink Legacy as “one of the world’s greatest diamonds”.

The rectangular-cut diamond has been graded “fancy vivid” — the highest possible grade of colour intensity.

The stone was discovered in a South African mine around a century ago and was probably cut in the 1920 and has not been altered since, Christie’s said.

– 1920s gem –

“Imagine a domino that you have cut the corners off of,” Jean-Marc Lunel, an international jewellery specialist at Christie’s, recently told AFP.

He pointed out that the cut is a “classical so-called emerald cut”, which stands out from the typical, more rounded, multi-facetted cuts used today.

The classic rectangular cut is traditionally used for white stones, but is rare for pink diamonds.

Christie’s said the Pink Legacy is “the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond ever offered at auction by the company,” calling the stone “incomparable.”

“It is probably the most beautiful (specimen) ever presented at public auction,” Lunel said.

Christie’s, which had refused to reveal the name of the seller, said only four vivid pink diamonds or over 10 carats have ever been offered at auction.

One of them, the nearly 15-carat Pink Promise, was sold last November at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong for $32.5 million. That amounts to $2.176 million per carat, which was previously the world auction record price per carat for any pink diamond.

Lee, the face of comic book culture in the United States, died early Monday in Los Angeles after suffering a number of illnesses in recent years.

“With a heavy heart, we share our deepest condolences with his daughter and brother,” said Marvel Comics and its owner The Walt Disney Company in a statement.

“We honor and remember the creator, voice and champion of Marvel… Every time you open a Marvel comic, Stan will be there.”

The New Yorker, known for his distinctive tinted glasses and impish grin, ended up in the comics business by accident, thanks to an uncle who got him a job when he was a teenager filling artists’ inkwells and fetching coffee.

“I felt someday I’d write the ‘Great American Novel’ and I didn’t want to use my real name on these silly little comics,” Lee once said, explaining why he had forsaken his given name, Stanley Lieber.

Lee rose through the ranks to become a comics writer — making millions of superhero fans dream of his fantastic universes and humans with extraordinary powers — and eventually led the Marvel empire for decades as its publisher.

From Spidey to Black Panther to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, Lee collaborated with other authors and illustrators to put his lively imagination on the page.

Iron Man, Thor and Doctor Strange would follow — and today, all three heroes have multi-film franchises that rake in hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “A superhero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain, and to connect.”

‘The King’ and ‘The Man’

Lee has appeared in cameo roles in nearly every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — including as a bus driver in “Avengers: Infinity War,” a film that united many of the indelible characters he brought to life.

“I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers,” Lee said.

“And then I began to realize: entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it, they might go off the deep end.”

Born on December 28, 1922 to Jewish immigrants who migrated to the United States from Romania, Lee got that first assistant’s job at age 17 at Timely Comics and began rising through the ranks.

After a stint in the US Army during World War II Lee returned to comics, teaming up with illustrator Jack Kirby in the 1960s to invent the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.

It was a partnership for the ages — Kirby, the artist, was “The King” and Lee, the writer, was “The Man.”

Together they would pioneer new ways to tell stories, with deeply flawed heroes and serious themes — all while maintaining the wonder of traditional superhero lore. Even villains showed complicated feelings.

“When the time came to create a teenaged hero for Marvel Comics, I decided to depict him as a bumbling real-life teenager who by some miracle had acquired a super power,” Lee wrote in a 1977 column, “How I Invented Spider-Man.”

“If you suddenly gained the muscle power of a hundred men and could outwrestle King Kong, it doesn’t mean you still wouldn’t have to worry about dandruff or acne, right?

– The Marvel Universe –

Lee and his collaborators churned out hit after hit and he took over at Marvel in the 1960s, creating the “Marvel Universe” — all of the heroes existed in the same time and story crossovers were frequent.

It’s a model now adopted by the Hollywood producers beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe — which releases its 21st film, “Captain Marvel,” in March next year.

Lee formally left Marvel in the 1990s but remained chairman emeritus. He was the brand’s most recognizable face, giving lectures and speaking at comics conventions.

“My father loved all of his fans,” his daughter JC told Hollywood celebrity news portal TMZ. “He was the greatest, most decent man.”

In recent years, as Lee reached his 90s, he ran into legal troubles and scandal. A massage therapist sued him for sexual assault, accusing him of inappropriate touching during two sessions in 2017. Lee denied the allegations.

There were also claims that people around the Marvel legend — who was worth tens of millions of dollars — were trying to access his wealth, and that he was the victim of elder abuse at the hands of his manager and his daughter JC.

Lee’s wife of nearly 70 years, Joan, died in 2017.

Hollywood quickly took to social media to pay tribute to the late superhero of comics.

“My youth wouldn’t have been the same without him. So grateful to have met the guy, and told him how thankful I was for his work,” tweeted Australian filmmaker James Wan.

Edgar Wright, the British director of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Baby Driver” used Lee’s catchphrase in his eulogy: “Thanks for inspiring so many of us to pick up a pen or pencil and put your dreams onto paper.”

“Excelsior!”

AIA Thailand turns 80 this year and to mark the occasion, it flew its global ambassador, former top footballer David Beckham, to Bangkok to help promote its #WhatsYourWhy campaign and also kick a ball around with kids at Impact, Muang Thong Thani.

A true family man and health influencer, Beckham plays a leading role in motivating and encouraging people to live a healthy life by changing their behaviour, adopting better eating habits and taking regular exercise.

The star of #WhatsYourWhy has long had a soft spot for Thailand and says he’s thankful for the support he has always enjoyed from his Thai fans.

He recently sat down for an informal chat with the Thai press. Excerpts

AS AIA’S GLOBAL AMBASSADOR, YOU TAKE AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PROMOTING THE #WHATSYOURWHY CAMPAIGN VIDEO, WHICH HAS NOW BEEN VIEWED MORE THAN 16.2 MILLION TIMES ON THE SOCIAL NETWORKS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

I believed in #WhatsYourWhy from the first moment I heard about it. The campaign focuses on what you care about and what you feel is important. The campaign has been such a success because people really see what you care about. My ‘why’ is always my family. It all revolves around the kids. They are our future. You have to set the right example as whatever you do, children will follow. The campaign resonates with people; family, friends, children and loved ones.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN IN YOUR OWN WORDS WHY YOU WANT TO BE HEALTHY AND LOVE YOUR LIFE?

It’s important because you need to set the right message as a role model. One of the reasons I wanted to partner with AIA was to send the right message to many people and help people to live longer and better. I have four young children, I want to set the right example to them. I’ve always said it’s about the small things and sometimes it is the smallest things that actually make the big changes.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON LEADING A HEALTHIER LIFE?

I’m quite lucky. I’ve had a career that has been going on for 22 years, a long time for a footballer. I have to be healthy, I have to look after myself but I also grew up in a world where players didn’t look after themselves as much as they do now. I’m lucky because I’m the generation that started to be concerned about being healthy –eating the right things and doing what we can to stay fit and to prolong our careers. My children were born when I was young too, so they’ve lived my career with me, they’ve watched what I do, what I eat, watched me work hard as a footballer and hopefully that set the right example for them.

WHAT DO YOU CALL A HEALTHY DIET? DO YOU LIKE THAI FOOD?

I love to eat. I think it is down to the individual. If you make small changes, you can eat whatever you want but you need to be balanced. I love Thai food, I love spice, of course. (Laughs) At the end of the day, we all have a busy life. At home I have four children to get to school on time. They need to eat breakfast, it can be difficult, but I always ask them to grab a banana or something to eat on the way. It’s a choice. Diet is such an important part of your life.

I’ve been to Thailand many times and I always love coming back. The fans always welcome me here. Many of my visits were with my team so I understand people loving me because of the team I played for. Now I come on my own and it is nice to see the real support I enjoy. I love visiting other countries. This is one of my favourites as I am always welcomed with open arms. I don’t need an excuse to come back here; every time is incredible.

There are so many memories but each trip is different. The highlight is always working with the kids because children are so honest, they do exactly what they think without any filters. That’s the great thing about kids. I think just working with the kids, making smoothies with them, trying to make them understand broccoli, strawberries and bananas are great, for me, this is the biggest reward. And we get to play a little football too!

THAILAND HAS NEVER QUALIFIED FOR THE WORLD CUP. HOW DO WE DO IT?

It’s hard work. There are many talented players in Thailand. I’ve played against many teams, many players from Thailand. It’s always tough opposition. So I think it’s down to hard work. That said, it starts at the grassroots level. You have to look at the academies, the coaches; when there are good and stable structures in place, then you can be successful, but it takes time. You have to be patient.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT REAL MADRID AND MANCHESTER UNITED, BOTH OF WHOM SEEM TO BE FACING MANY CHALLENGES AT THE MOMENT? DO YOU THINK THEY CAN OVERCOME THEM?

Every team goes through challenges, even the biggest clubs with the best managers. They go through certain changes and all big teams go through difficult times. I wouldn’t say it’s a crisis but when you’ve been so successful and you have a couple of games where you don’t play well, people start talking about it. They’ll both be fine.

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO SUCCESS?

I don’t really have many secrets. My career, everything I’ve done in business has come from hard work. I saw that from a very young age with my parents. I saw them work hard. That instilled a set of values in me and I have tried to pass that on to my children. I want them to see that even though I have had a long career in football, I’m still working very hard. To be successful is to work hard, I always tell children that these great football players around the world playing in the [English] Premiere League and La Liga, or other leagues. They are not great because they are lucky. They work hard and it’s the same in business and in life in general. You want to be successful, you have to work hard. There’s a little bit of luck along the way, but you have to be dedicated. The biggest thing is you have to enjoy it. A smile on the face, and eye contact changes a person’s day.

AMERICAN-EGYPTIAN Professor Emeritus Dr Afaf Ibrahim Meleis has won this year’s Princess Srinagarindra Award for her contribution to nursing, healthcare and public health.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided at the October 17 award ceremony at the Grand Palace.

Throughout her career, Dr Meleis, 76, has advocated for vulnerable women and promoted nursing to address their and their families’ and communities’ needs.

Her passion for nursing and women’s health came from her mother, who was the first nurse from the Middle East to study in the United States.

Seeing her commitment to the development of nurses and strengthening of their impact on society, the young Afaf realised that nursing could make a significant difference.

The World Health Organisation says nurses and midwives account for nearly half of the global health workforce and play a critical role in health promotion, disease prevention and primary and community care.

“Ninety per cent of the nurses in the world are women,” Dr Meleis told The Nation. “If you empower nurses, you empower women. And we should be educating women anyway.

“Most recent research shows that, if you have nurses who graduated in a baccalaureate programme or were educated in the hospital sector, you decrease the hospitalisation period overall – you send patients home earlier. It also enhances team spirit when people have equal knowledge and abilities, and it affects the outcomes. Patients get better faster and they stay well longer.”

Nursing education is crucial for a healthy society. A UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth concluded that investments in education in the health and social sectors tripled the success of medical outcomes, global health security and economic growth.

“What we care about and develop knowledge about is different from other fields,” Meleis said. “Nursing is about the human being, not about illness. Nursing is about the human being’s experience and their responses to the illness. It’s the profession that focuses on the people, on the family and the community.

“The phenomena about which we want to develop knowledge are very particular to human beings’ reaction and relationship to the environment and how the environment influences how they cope and deal with the situation. Many communicable diseases have been conquered, so life expectancy is much longer, but lifestyles have changed, with less walking and fewer activities, leading to chronic illnesses. Nursing is not about curing disease – it’s about living in spite of disease.”

Since nurses do most of the work at a health clinic, they know the clinic best. They provide and manage personal care and treatment and, most importantly, they are part of their local community, sharing its strengths and vulnerabilities, making them key persons to meet the needs of the ill and their families.

Yet for all this, nurses are often treated as inferiors to doctors and those in other medical professions. They’re paid less, work more inflexible hours and enjoy fewer benefits.

“The gender difference is there because originally most physicians were men and most nurses were women,” Dr Meleis said. “But you can’t separate the oppression of the nurse from the oppression of women in general. They are very much interrelated.

“Nursing began with Florence Nightingale, and in the Islamic world with Rufayda al-Aslamiyyah. There was no education for nurses – they learned through apprenticeship. The gender gap comes from legend, from culture, from history – the same reasons nurses are in this position.”

She cited an international government commission that sought methods to improve the health of women around the world.

“The commission came up with a plan, saying, ‘If you improve nurse education, you improve women’s health and you improve the economy.’

“I see the changing face of nursing today. We will see nurses in parliament. We will see nurses sitting on hospital boards. We will see a nurse become minister of health. Nurses are making an impact.”

As she coaches future researchers, educators and clinicians, Meleis acknowledges that teaching and mentoring are both important – but believes mentoring is more sustainable.

“Mentoring involves really knowing the capacity of the person and how you can help them function up to the full capacity,” she said. “My mentoring goals are facilitating them, connecting them, continuing to the full support and really knowing them as an individual.”

Healthy, give-and-take mentor-mentee relationships have enabled her to steer Thais into the nursing doctoral programmes at Mahidol and Chiang Mai universities and the four-university curricular consortium programme.

That experience led Dr Meleis to co-found the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing, a non-profit professional association whose mission is to advance quality doctoral nursing education globally.

n The Princess Srinagarindra Award Foundation was established on October 21, 2000, in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Her Royal Highness the late Princess Mother Srinagarindra Mahidol.

n The foundation enjoys royal patronage, with Her Royal Highness the late Princess Galyani Vadhana serving as president from 2000-2007 and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn since 2008.

n The Princess Srinagarindra Award is conferred annually on a registered nurse, registered midwife or groups of either who have made significant contributions, through direct care, research, education or management, within or to their professions and contributed to the health and wellbeing of people around the world.