TWO YEARS AGO TODAY, a whole nation was plunged into grief as the official announcement was made of the death of the beloved monarch His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13. Many Thais have sought comfort since then by going around the country as well as further afield to visit the Royal Projects initiated by the late King and the many countries he visited along with Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

On July 19, 1960 Their Majesties visited Westminster Abbey./courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

Apisit Supakitcharoen is one of those who have continued to travel back through time. The 37-year-old became something of an online celebrity last year when his photographs showing him holding an old photo of the late King in front of the same location where the image was captured went viral. Using a technique known as Dear Photograph, which allows the space to “talk” to the overlapped photograph, he has not only shown his love and loyalty to the late Monarch but has brought comfort to the more than 40,000 followers of his Facebook page “Tee Tee Por Pai”. For the second in the Dear Photograph series, Apisit visited five countries – Japan, Malaysia, England, France, and Switzerland.

King Bhumibol and King Ananda skiing on Mount Riffelberg in Zermatt. /courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

“When I started this project, everybody was very sad and I wanted to do something different that would connect younger Thais to the places His Majesty used to go while also showing what that same place looks like today,” says Apisit.

The late King spent his much of his childhood and adolescence in Lausanne, Switzerland, living there for 18 years from 1933-1951. While Lausanne has changed over time, the apartment building at 16 Avenue Tissot, in one of the most picturesque of Swiss settings and where the royal family lived from 1933 to1935, remains largely unchanged. And it is this building that Apisit has used to give one of the most nostalgic images a new life. The photo shows the three royal siblings – King Ananda Mahidol and Her Royal Highness the late Princess Galyani Vadhana, and their youngest brother, King Bhumibol on a bike – in front of the apartment. The original appeared in the book “Chaonai Lek Lek – Yuwakasat” (“Little Royals – Young Kings”) written by the late Princess.

One of the most nostalgic images shows the three royal siblings in front of the apartment building at 16 Avenue Tissot. /courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

During his time in Switzerland, His Majesty acquired his lifelong interests in photography and music. He also learned to ski and how to sail. Apisit headed to Champex Lake in nearby Valais, described in the book as a place where the family liked to spend time during July and August, hired a boat and set out on the water, snapping an image alongside one of the late King as a young boy rowing a boat surrounded by the mountains.

During the winter months, the siblings and their mother would head to Zermatt to ski and take in the spectacular scenery of the alpine world. A photo from that era shows King Bhumibol and King Ananda enjoying themselves on the slopes of Mount Riffelberg in 1935. And even though there is no snow in Apisit’s shot, it is obvious that he is standing more or less in the same spot.

The background has barely changed in these two photos, the original showing Their Majesties the Queen and the late King in Switzerland in 1960. /courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

In 1960, King Bhumibol returned to Switzerland this time with Queen Sirikit and the Royal children, using the country as a base during their six-month state tour of 13 European countries. One of the most impressive pictures shows Their Majesties relaxing in the yard at Villa Flonzaley, Puidoux. The overlapped picture perperfectly matches the backdrop, with the shape of the trees the same and the electric post still standing high 58 years later.

On that same tour, Their Majesties received a warm welcome from the British people during their state visit between July 19 and 23, 1960. One of the photos from the English capital shows the historic moment when Their Majesties arrived at London’s Victoria Station, where they were welcomed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the royal family. Travelling in a carriage, the royal couple were driven slowly through part of the city and Apisit managed to identify the same spot as the original photographer to take his photograph of the gate of the Westminster Abbey where Their Majesties laid the wreath at the tomb of the unknown warrior on July 19, 1960.

Their Majesties were welcomed by the British monarch at London’s Victoria Station during their State Visit in 1960. /courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

And Apisit is far from finished with his project. “I’ve been to only 26 provinces and five countries over the past two years. So there are 50 more provinces to go and that’s why I’m carrying on with this project. The main problem is that many beautiful photographs are inaccurate so it is hard for me to take a picture of the exact location in the present and juxtapose it with that of past. For example, while I have information that the original photo was taken in a certain area of Thailand, I can’t find the place unless there is an unchanged landmark or other persons in the picture that I can reference and most of those are officials who have long since retired,” he says.

L’Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysees in Paris. /courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

Working overseas is made even more difficult as both time and budget are limited. “I have to really study the original pictures in advance to make sure that I can identify the best place for the picture. Like when I went to the ski resort there was no snow, so I relied on former staff for advice. Or the picture at Villa Flonzaley; I didn’t know the exact location of the trees and electric post or even if they were still there. I’ve walked a lot, round and round, and luckily found the place. For the visit to England, I watched the video records of His Majesty several times. In Japan, I requested permission from the Thai Embassy as I knew that the original photo was taken in the backyard of the residence. I also printed many images beforehand to try and ensure the best definition.

The original photo was taken at the beautiful backyard of the residence of the Thai Embassy in Japan, which remains very much the same today. /courtesy of Apisit Supakitcharoen

“Then, when I came back home, I searched for more information about the original photographs so as to acquire the date and source, which can serve as references,” he explains.

“We can learn a great deal from the projects His Majesty’s initiated and this brings great joy not just to me or my followers on the social media but also to my parents and my wife who are accompanying me on this journey. They let me take all the time I need and are as delighted as I am when we discover these very special locations. I’ve learnt a great deal following the remarkable royal trail including perseverance and the importance of thinking systematically. Every photograph speaks for itself.”

SKINNY, sleek and at 1.7 kg weighing next to nothing, the new Lenovo ThinkPad P1 is a powerful workstation class computer that’s highly portable.

Boasting a premium look and feel with good construction and components, it comes with the signature black finish of the ThinkPad series, a glass touchpad and seamless keyboard.

And to add to its mobility, the ThinkPad P1 comes with a power supply that is 35 per cent smaller and lighter than its predecessors.

The ThinkPad P1 is powered by 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8850H 6 Core Processor and comes with 32 gigabytes DDR4 2666 MHz working memory allowing a multitude of tasks to run smoothly. Moreover, it comes with fast 512 GB PCIe SSD (Solid State Drive) storage.

The Intel UHD Graphics 630 integrated graphic processing unit shares the RAM though some models have the fast professional NVIDIA Quadro P2000 graphic processing unit with 4 GB of video memory.

And the ThinkPad P1 comes with a beautiful display that allows you to turn the mobile workstation into a mobile home theatre. The ThinkPad P1 uses a 15.6-inch IPS multi-touch, anti-reflective display with 4K UHD resolution of 3840×2160 pixels. The display is bright with 400 nits and it supports the Adobe colour gamut so you can use it as an authentic display for creating graphics.

Dolby Atmos audio technology provides the sound and when used with headphones, the computer creates an amazing surround-sound experience with the audio flowing above and around you.

Although the ThinkPad P1 is sleek and thin, looks are deceptive as it has the durability you’d expect from any Think model. Lenovo says the ThinkPad P1 has endured 12 military-grade testing requirements and passed more than 200 quality checks to ensure it performs in extreme conditions. From the arctic wilderness to desert dust storms, from zero gravity to spills and drops, you can trust this mobile workstation to handle whatever life throws your way, according to Lenovo.

The ThinkPad P1 comes with all necessary ports. It has two Intel Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C) ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, a mini Gigabit Ethernet port and a headphone port on the left. The HDMI port is really useful as you can quickly switch a presentation from the mobile workstation to a large screen TV.

On the right side, there’s an SD card reader, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type A or full size) ports, a Kensington Lock slot as well as a slot for an optional smart card.

The Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports are useful as each port provides up to 40 Gbps data speed and it allows you to connect as many as 6 devices, daisy chained, through a single compact port. Each port supports 4K 60Hz displays and you can charge the laptop with up to 100W.

The mini Gigabit Ethernet allows the P1 to retain its slim size and the package comes with an adapter with which you can connect to a LAN cable.

The P1 also has fast wireless connection with Intel dual band 9560 Wireless AC (2×2) adapter and it also comes with Bluetooth 5.0.

To fit the workstation class, the ThinkPad P1 has been tested and proven to seamlessly render data-intensive applications. The P1 has received dozens of major independent software vendor (ISV) certifications. The ISV certifications earned by the P1 include ArcGIS, AutoCAD, Microstation, NX, PDMS, Revit, Solid Edge, SolidWorks and Vector works.

The ThinkPad P1 also supports power saving or green certifications of Epeat, Energy Star6.1, GreenGuard and RoHS compliant.

The P1 comes preloaded with Lenovo Vantage, McAfee LiveSafe (30-day trial) and Microsoft Office 2016 (trial). The Vantage is useful for keeping the driver software of the mobile workstation updated all the time.

I found during the test that P1’s keyboard was comfortable to type on. The keyboard retains the TrackPoint, which is a pointing stick located among the keys G, H, B, and N. It allows you to move the cursor around while typing without the need to use the trackpad. If you find the trackpad is more comfortable to use, you will find it under the spacebar. The trackpad is very responsive.

Anyway, the touchscreen also makes it fast and convenient to interact with the information on the screen.

I found that Microsoft Office 2016 applications, like Word and Excel ran very fast and smoothly.

Photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop also was responsive and photo filter rendering was done very fast.

Lenovo ThinkPad P1 has a starting price of Bt79,900.

Key Specs

OS: Windows 10 Home |(64-bit)

CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8850H 6 Core Processor with vPro 2.60GHz

Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666 MHz

Storage: 12 GB PCIe SSD

GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 630

Display: 15.6-inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS multi-touch, anti-reflective, 400 nits, 100% Adobe colour gamut, 10-bit colour depth

Connectivity: Intel Dual Band 9560 Wireless AC |(2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.0

Ports: 2 x Intel Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C), 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type A), HDMI 2.0, Mini Gigabit Ethernet – includes RJ45 Ethernet Extension adapter, Mic/headphone combo jack, Smart card reader (optional)

Battery: up to 13 hours of usage

Dimensions (WxDxH): |361.8 x 245.7 x 18.4 (mm)

Weight: 1.7kg

While many countries have decriminalised the use and possession of the drug, abandoning prison sentences for consumers, just a handful have gone as far as to make it fully legal, including for medicinal purposes.

Here is an overview:

Latin America

– Uruguay in 2013 became the first country in the world to legalise the production, distribution and consumption of marijuana.

Under Uruguayan law, citizens and residents can buy up to 40 grammes (1.4 ounces) of pot a month from pharmacies, grow it themselves at home, or join cannabis clubs where members tend to the plants together.

The government has licensed two private companies to produce and distribute marijuana.

– Several other Latin American countries have legalised cannabis for medicinal use: Chile in 2015, Colombia in 2016 and Argentina, Mexico and Peru in 2017.

– North America –

– US federal law prohibits the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana.

However eight states and the national capital Washington, DC have legalised marijuana for recreational use, with the last to date, California, becoming on January 1, 2018, the biggest legal market in the world.

Twenty-nine states and the capital have legalised marijuana for medical use.

– Canada will on October 17 become the first Group of Seven (G7) member and second country in the world to allow the recreational consumption of cannabis.

The legislation will limit personal possession to 30 grammes and four plants per household.

Europe

– The Netherlands in general, and Amsterdam in particular, have tolerated the sale and use of marijuana in iconic coffeeshops since 1976.

That year the Dutch decriminalised the sale of small amounts of cannabis — less than five grammes — and allowed individuals to legally grow five plants each for personal use.

Dutch coffeeshops generate hundreds of millions of euros in sales annually, and in major hubs such as Amsterdam they have proven a major tourist draw.

In recent years, however, politicians have pushed back against these tolerant policies.

A controversial 2012 law bans the sale of marijuana to non-residents and tourists in three southern provinces.

The capital The Hague banned cannabis from the city centre in April this year.

But in July the Dutch government gave the green light to a wide-ranging experiment to allow up to 10 municipalities around the country to legally grow cannabis.

– Spanish law allows for the private production and consumption of cannabis by adults, though its sale is still illegal.

– The Czech Republic imposes only fines on people in possession of up to 15 grammes of marijuana or who have only five plants at home.

– In July 2018 the Constitutional Court in Georgia abolished fines for using marijuana but stipulated that growing and selling it would remain an offence.

– Several other European countries have legalised cannabis for certain medical purposes including Austria, Britain, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.

– The French government has announced plans to soften penalties for cannabis use, swapping potential prison sentences for on-the-spot fines, but it remains opposed to legalising the substance.

South Africa

In September 2018 South Africa’s top court ruled that private, personal cannabis use by adults was legal. The court ordered parliament to draft new laws within 24 months to reflect the order.

They said millions of women each year may be putting themselves and their babies at unnecessary risk by undergoing C-sections at rates “that have virtually nothing to do with evidence-based medicine”.

In 2015, the most recent year for which complete data is available, doctors performed 29.7 million C-sections worldwide — 21 percent of all births. This was up from 16 million in 2000, or 12 percent of all births, according to research published in The Lancet.

It is estimated that the operation — a vital surgical procedure when complications occur during birth — is necessary 10-15 percent of the time.

But the research found wildly varying country rates of C-section use, often according to economic status: in at least 15 countries more than 40 percent births are performed using the practice, often on wealthier women in private facilities.

In Brazil, Egypt and Turkey, more than half of all births are done via C-section.

The Dominican Republic has the highest rate of any nation, with 58.1 percent of all babies delivered using the procedure.

But in close to a quarter of nations surveyed, C-section use is significantly lower than average.

Authors pointed out that while the procedure is generally over-used in many middle- and high-income settings, women in low-income situations often lack necessarily access to what can be a life-saving procedure.

“We would not expect such differences between countries, between women by socioeconomic status or between provinces/states within countries based on obstetric need,” Ties Boerma, professor of public health at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, and a lead author on the study, told AFP.

Jane Sandall, professor of social science and women’s health at King’s College London and a study author, told AFP that there were a variety of reasons women were increasingly opting for surgery.

Legal concerns

These include “a lack of midwives to prevent and detect problems, loss of medical skills to confidently and competently attend a vaginal delivery, as well as medico-legal issues.”

Doctors are often tempted to organise C-sections to ease the flow of patients through a maternity clinic, and medical professionals are generally less vulnerable to legal action if they choose an operation over a natural birth.

Sandall also said there were often “financial incentives for both doctor and hospital” to perform the procedure.

The study warned that in many settings young doctors were becoming “experts” in C-section while losing confidence in their abilities when it comes to natural birth.

It also identified an emerging gap between wealthy and poorer regions within the same country. In China, C-section rates diverged from 4 percent to 62 percent; in India the range was 7-49 percent.

While the US saw more than a quarter of all births performed by C-section, some states used the procedure more than twice as often as others.

“It is clear that poor countries have low C-section use because access to services is a problem,” said Sandall. “In many of those countries, however, richer women who live in urban areas, have access to private facilities have much higher C-section use.”

‘Alarming’ trend

C-sections may be marketed by clinics as the “easy” way to give birth, but they are not without risks.

Maternal death and disability rates are higher after C-section than vaginal birth. The procedure scars the womb, which can lead to bleeding, ectopic pregnancies (where the embryo is stuck in the ovaries), as well as still- and premature future births.

The authors suggested better education, more midwifery-led care and improved labour planning as ways of ensuring C-sections are only performed when medically necessary, as well as ensuring women properly understand the risks involved with the procedure.

“C-section is a type of major surgery, which carries risks that require careful consideration,” said Sandall.

In a comment accompanying the study, Gerard Visser of the University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, called the rise in C-sections “alarming.”

“The medical profession on its own cannot reverse this trend,” he said.

“Joint actions are urgently needed to stop unnecessary C-sections and enable women and families to be confident of receiving the most appropriate care for their circumstances.”

Residents and visitors to Pattaya will have a new attraction to enjoy at the end of the year – the first cultural theme park the city has ever seen.

Known as Legend Siam, it is designed to immerse the visitor in a Thai experience from past to present all in the space of a few hours.

“We will provide exciting activities for adults and those of retirement age from Monday to Friday, as well as on the weekend. We have many foreign retirees coming on holiday to Pattaya and are delighted to offer them an alternative way to spend their time. Here they can learn about Thainess and Thai way of life as well as practise meditation in the quiet of our replica of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the temple on the site of the old royal place in Thailand’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya. This explains dharma through a 3D projection mapping showcase and invites visitors to pause and be mindful for three minutes,” says Siriya Thepcharoen, the chief executive of Nusa Legend Siam, who recently led members of the media on a trip to Shanghai to publicise the new attraction to the Chinese tourist industry.

Siriya admits that she originally planned to create a new water park with a Thai theme but changed her mind after realising that Chinese tourists preferred learning about Thai culture to splashing around on water slides, while Western visitors were more interested in meditation.

Costing around Bt4 billion, the park has been created by Nusasiri Company and brings together Thai history, arts and culture and shopping under one roof. Legend Siam is spread over 10,000 square metres and features three zones. “Siam Vilize” showcases the Siamese civilisation; “Araya Thai” presents Thai traditions and culture; and while “Bhumi Pan Din” focuses on local wisdom.

Visitors enter through a magnificent arch where they are greeted by mammoth statues of Totsakan and Sahassa Decha before making their way to “Siam Vilize” where the glories of old Siam are showcased through historical architecture and the stories of Indra and the Erawan elephant are told through the “Legendary Royal Elephants” parade, which portrays ancient Thai ceremonies.

Visitors can enjoy with the amazing “Legendary Royal Elephants” parade in the Siam Vilize zone of Legend Siam.

“This zone underlines the prosperity of Siam. Visitors are transported back to the Ayutthaya Kingdom. There are two-storey houses in the Lanna style and an entrance like Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Temple). Beliefs, culture and the old ways of life are the highlights of this zone, so we have built a statue of Indra, the king of the Tavatimsa Heaven riding Erawan the elephant god,” explains Siriya.

Araya Thai brings the fun of the temple fair to visitors.

“Araya Thai” focuses on the traditional Thai temple fair, mythical creatures from Thai literature, and Wat Phra Si San Phet from the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which has been brought back to life through a 3D experience. There’s a floating market and a traditional market offering locally produced goods and, for a hair-raising experience, a recreation of the home of Mae Nak, the legendary female ghost from the classic love story “Khlong Phra Khanong” (“Phra Khanong Canal”).

The battle of Bang Rajan is recreated with stuntmen and explosions.

“The market has products from all 77 provinces. In this zone, which is subdivided into the four regions, visitors can enjoy a foretaste of what these areas have to offer – the traditional houses, important monuments and the Thai way of life,” Siriya explains.

“And while the focus is on the past, this is brought to the visitor through the very latest in technology. In the first zone, tourists travel back through time through a 3D mapping showcase. The second zone is equally as interactive with Mae Nak’s house providing the shivers and a recreation of the battle of Bang Rajan complete with stuntmen and explosions. The temple fair meanwhile incorporates the creatures of forest of Himmapan,” she adds.

The romantic legend of Mae Nak is told interactively in the Araya Thai zone.

The last zone is called “Bhumi Pan Din” and invites visitors to learn about sustainable agriculture under His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s philosophy of a sufficiency economy through a hands-on experience. There’s also the chance to witness the glory of the legendary royal elephants in an ancient tradition no longer practised today.

Legend Siam presents local products from all 77 provinces of four regions of Thailand as well as a floating market.

Located at kilometre marker 162 of Sukhumvit Road in Na Jomthien and just 20 kilometres from South Pattaya, Legend Siam has been built with Chinese tourists in mind and meets their interest in Thailand’s architecture, culture, food, and local souvenirs. It is expected to attract 20,000 visitors per day. Visitors can enjoy the atmosphere around Legend Siam seated on a vintage train or take a river cruise.

“You could easily spend more than a day visiting all of Legend of Siam but it can be covered in five to six hours without any activities,” says the chief executive.

“We have Thai costumes to serve at least 5,000 visitors a day much in the same way as the Japanese offer national costumes such as kimono or yukata.

“At Legend Siam, we are delighted to welcome all tourists, whether from China or elsewhere, with the Thai smile and an experience they will never forget.”

Back to the future

– For updated information on Legend Siam, check out its social media sites as well as http://www.LegendSiam.com.

Held in parallel with the 12th Book Festival for Young People at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, it will feature more than one million books from 376 publishers manning 931 booths. This year, the theme is “Read Aloud”, which aims to encourage a strong message about reading.

The book festival features several exhibitions and seminars and continues through October 28. It’s open daily from 10am to 9pm.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/Bookthai.

Talking art

John Hockney, David Hockney’s brother, shares a 120-minute lavishly illustrated talk about David Hockney and the family and friends he has painted, photographed, iPadded, etched, and lithographed in “Hockney on Hockney”, the first  in the “Lesson Abroad Series” being held as part of Art Talk 2018 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on Tuessay rom 6-8pm.

With humour and an intimate understanding, John examines the many genres David Hockney has mastered during his life of making pictures. The talk embraces his early life, the man, the artist, and his pursuance of knowledge.

The lecture is conducted in English, with summary translation in Thai and free of charge. No reservation is required. Only 40 seats are available.

For more information, call (02) 214 6630 extension 519 or email: education@bacc.or.th.

Songs from the musicals

Three of the best known musical actors from London’s West will be in Bangkok for one night only on January 19 for a show at the Thailand Cultural Centre. Daniel Koek, Hugh Maynard and Oliver Tompsett will perform songs from such internationally recognised classics as “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Les Miserables”, “Wicked”, “Chess” and “Miss Saigon” accompanied by the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

They will be joined on stage by special guest, Harriet Jones, who played the lead role of Christine for three years in the London production of “The Phantom of the Opera” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, and recently received rave reviews for her part in the revival of “Guys and Dolls”.

Tickets cost from Bt500 to Bt4,500 and are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters and http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Govan talks guitar

English virtuoso guitarist and guitar teacher Guthrie Govan, who has played with The Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship, is coming to Thailand for a workshop at Black Box Theatre, Building 17 of Rangsit University Conservatory of Music on November 10 from 4-6pm, as a part of his Asia Clinic Tour 2018.

Guthrie, also known for his solo project Erotic Cakes, is one of the hottest guitarists on the international music scene today, and his 2006 solo album Erotic Cakes was widely recognised as an instant classic.

Tickets cost Bt1,000 at Thai Ticket Major. Only 300 seats are available.

Now the largest healthy living community in Asia and the Middle East, GuavaPass is a subscriptionbased service offering flexible fitness memberships starting from Bt1,390. It provides access to more than 100,000 premium classes every day in Bangkok, at 100 fitness studios, with workouts like HIIT, boxing, Pilates, yoga and more.

“The past three years have been an incredible journey for us in Bangkok. Since last year we’ve seen a whopping 62 per cent growth and this year itself we’ve seen an average growth of 25 per cent month on month growth! It’s amazing to see a business grow from zero and thrive in a market where it’s clear that the fitness trend is on the rise. GuavaPass has clearly established itself as an authority in the fitness and wellness space and I have plenty of fun facts to share. For instance, we’ve noticed that the top favourite workouts for Thai customers are yoga, Pilates and HIIT and the most popular fitness day is Tuesday at 6pm to be absolutely precise,” says Benyapa Uafua, General Manager of GuavaPass.

The “Be Like Tuck” Challenge is a celebration of a top user – in this case, Tuck Thanchanok Arnurakprakarn. Since joining GuavaPass three years ago, she has booked, has sweated through and has completed more than 710 classes! She will be featured as the face of this transformation challenge.

It takes members on a fitness journey from October 16 till November 26 and is open to everyone no matter what their fitness level is. All they need to be is a GuavaPass member. The goal is simple: they need to book and complete three classes at different studios per week, and they will receive an exciting prize weekly from sponsored partners like Chope, Shopee and PurelyB, plus perks from GuavaPass.

Top customers from each market globally will stand a chance to win the grand prize, which will include US$50 (approximately Bt1,619) worth of GuavaPass credits and other exciting perks!

“You don’t have to wait for 2019 to kickstart your journey to achieving your health and fitness goals, just register for the ‘Be Like Tuck’ Challenge by October 16 and get started now. Plus, all of those prizes will surely keep you incentivised to stick with it. We’re rewarding you for getting fit and sticking to your goals,” adds Benyapa.

GuavaPass is also extending exciting birthday offers for new Guava customers with 30percent off the first month on the threemonth unlimited membership; 50percent off the first month on the sixmonth membership; 30percent off the 15class package and 20percent off the 10class package.

Founded in 2015 in Singapore by Jeffrey Liu and Rob Patcher, GuavaPass has revolutionised the fitness and wellness landscape in the region, and has since grown to become the largest healthy living community in Asia and the Middle East, offering members a curated selection of unlimited fitness classes.

Popular studio partners in Bangkok include: Divine Yoga, NewMoves, F45, The 1Derland and SurfSet among others. GuavaPass is constantly vetting new studios to offer its members more fresh and exciting workouts.

The service offers its members a little extra with GuavaPerks, a system that includes member benefits with access to spas at Sofitel So and St Regis as well popular dining establishments including Polpa, Benefit, Let’s Relax, Health Land, honestbee, Paleo Robbie and lots more!

For more information, visit http://www.GuavaPass.com or download the app.

Chinese students are flocking to universities in the United Kingdom in record numbers as British educational institutions increase their overseas marketing efforts to secure funding amid Brexit worries.

A report by the lobbying body Universities UK International ahead of the new academic year found that nearly one in five overseas students at UK universities comes from China.

In the 2016-17 academic year, UK universities welcomed 95,090 Chinese students, by far the biggest international group. The second-biggest overseas group, from the United States, comprised 17,580 students.

Education sector experts said that thanks to the UK government and university strategies that are focused on China, the numbers are set to grow further.

In June, new measures took effect to simplify the student visa application process, especially for Chinese students.

Another new policy introduced this year allows graduates from 23 UK universities to apply for six-month post-study work visas. The ability to gain valuable work experience in the UK is very attractive for Chinese students and adds value to their resumes even if they return home to work over the longer term.

“Universities have been keen to attract Chinese and other international students in recent times because Brexit means many universities could lose research funding from European Union institutions,” said Colin Chen, managing director of InterGreat Education Group, a consultancy in London.

For example, British universities receive about 15 percent of their funding from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program, a research fund established to allocate 80 billion euros ($93.6 billion) to cutting-edge scientific research between 2014 and 2020.

The universities are anxiously waiting for Brexit negotiations to confirm if they are still eligible for this funding.

Faced with this pressure, the universities are increasingly investing in recruitment efforts in China, and establishing research partnerships with Chinese universities.

In recent years, more UK schools have been setting up campuses in China, effectively raising the profile of British education. Currently, 296 of the 661 international schools in China teach the British A-level curriculum to students, according to New-School Insight Media, a service platform in Beijing.

“Chinese students at these schools will, over time, develop a sense of familiarity with the UK, so the UK becomes a natural destination when choosing to study abroad,” Chen said.

Student experience

Gaining an internationally recognized degree, the opportunity to experience British culture, and developing an international perspective are among the top factors attracting Chinese students to the UK.

May Huang, CEO of UK Education Weekly, an education-focused Chinese language publication in London, said: “As China internationalizes, its demand for globally-minded talent has also grown. Therefore, many students want to study abroad to improve their employability, and to build up an international network of contacts who can help them in their careers.”

The benefits of studying in the UK are being felt by many Chinese students.

Zhang Feng, a PhD student at the University of Greenwich, said: “I’ve never regretted my decision to study in Britain. It was my UK student experience that helped me to find what I wanted to do in life.”

Zhang first went to the UK in 2013, when he was 23, for a one-year overseas experience during his undergraduate degree studies at Anhui University in Hefei, the provincial capital.

He planned to stay for just a year, but instead decided to remain for his master’s and doctorate. Looking back, Zhang said the key benefits from his UK study experience were improving his English, critical thinking and research skills, and teamwork and leadership abilities.

Yan Feifei, a PhD student at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, said the “incredibly high” academic standards in the UK pushed her to the limit.

“I was mentally prepared for a big workload, but I really did not realize how absolutely demanding my classes would be until I started,” said Yan, who majors in comparative literature.

Every week, she has to read two novels and analyze notes on one poet. All this work equates to about 1,000 pages of reading.

Xu Shuning, a mathematics student at Imperial College London, said, “I have developed self-studying abilities, time management skills and communication skills with people from different backgrounds.”

Behind the increase in outbound Chinese student numbers is the rising wealth of the country’s middle class.

Huang said, “Overseas education used to be a luxury accessible only by the elite, but now it is common and easily achievable.”

According to Education Ministry statistics, 544,500 Chinese studied abroad in the 2016-17 academic year, more than three times the 179,800 that sought education overseas in 2008.

The US dominates the Chinese outbound student market, followed by Australia and the UK. In the 2015-16 academic year, the US received 291,000 Chinese students, Australia 112,000 and the UK 91,215.

In addition to growing student numbers, Huang said new groups of Chinese students in the UK are also arriving in the country at younger ages, making more diverse degree choices.

The number of Chinese students applying for undergraduate degrees has grown faster than those applying for master’s, and the numbers for arts and social sciences courses are rising faster than for the more historically popular business degrees.

“Arriving at a younger age often enables students to stay in the UK for longer and gain a fuller British student life experience,” Huang said. “In comparison, those students coming to the UK for just one year to pursue a master’s degree may find their experience quite rushed.”

Whereas 10 years ago about 60 percent of Chinese students in the UK studied economics and business-related subjects, this proportion has dropped to about 40 percent in recent years. Traditionally less-popular subjects, including creative art and design, are now being studied by more students.

Huang said: “It is encouraging to see that Chinese students are making more varied choices of subjects. It shows that younger generations of Chinese students are perhaps more independent in their thinking and more informed about subject choices.”

Universities’ perspective

For British universities, Chinese and other international students provide a crucial source of income. A recent study by University College London’s Centre for Global Higher Education found that overseas students add about 20 billion pounds ($25.54 billion) to the UK economy each year.

Jonathan Pitt, international partnerships and recruitment officer at St. Mary’s University in London, said international students also contribute cultural diversity to British universities.

“Chinese students at our university act as a crucial bridge for our other students to better understand China,” Pitt said. “We are also consciously building up our Chinese alumni network. Our Chinese alumni can help our efforts to strengthen our reputation in China, and that can open doors to new joint teaching and research partnership opportunities between us and Chinese universities.”

Charles Cao Quin, deputy pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Leicester, said, “Chinese students’ respect for teachers, their learning attitude and abilities are all qualities that can inspire and encourage their classmates.”

Ding Shan, deputy general manager of the Walkite International Academy, an education company in London, said that despite the continued growth in numbers, recent terrorist attacks in the UK have worried some prospective students about choosing to study in the country.

“Chinese students and parents care very much about safety,” said Ding, who provides advice about applying for UK universities.

Last year, attacks at Westminster Bridge, the Manchester Arena, London Bridge and a mosque in north London killed 36 people.

Ding said: “Recent events have perhaps made some students feel it is unsafe to live in the UK. Therefore, it is not surprising that some choose Australia over the UK, especially if they are looking to stay permanently to work after graduation.”

The doll’s maker Mattel on Tuesday announced a sweeping campaign in collaboration with university researchers to teach young girls to believe in themselves, and not to buy into sexist gender stereotypes.

“Research has identified that starting at age five, many girls are less likely than boys to view their own gender as smart and begin to lose confidence in their own competence,” Mattel said in a statement.

The company will fund research and work on “rallying a community around supporting girls” through its multi-year Dream Gap Project.

Mattel unveiled a new ad featuring young girls holding placards that read “Close the Dream Gap” and ties into Barbie’s “You Can Be Anything” campaign.

The brand is working with researchers at New York University, and hopes to extend that initiative in other partnerships around the world.

It also will highlight “at least 10 empowering female role models each year globally.”

Though Barbie is often criticized for perpetuating negative stereotypes with her impossibly lean physique, the brand has worked hard in recent years to portray a modern image.

In early 2016, the California-based company launched Barbie versions in three different body shapes — tall, petite and curvy — and in seven different skin tones.

This year’s featured career is robotics engineer. Another new line showcased “Inspiring Women” such as aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson.

“Since 1959, Barbie has inspired the limitless potential in every girl,” said Lisa McKnight, general manager and senior vice president for Barbie at Mattel.

“We believe that empowering them at a young age is a catalyst to unlocking their full potential.”

In July, Mattel announced that it was cutting 2,200 jobs after reporting another steep quarterly loss, despite rising Barbie sales.

The company, which also produces Matchbox cars and Fisher-Price educational toys, has faced tough competition from video game makers and other electronic toys.

The move comes after Facebook also increased anti-harassment measures, following a survey which said young victims of online abuse feel social media firms aren’t doing enough to fight the problem.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said artificial intelligence is being used to detect signs of bullying and then automatically flag content for review by staff from the image-oriented social network.

“This change will help us identify and remove significantly more bullying,” Mosseri said in a blog post.

“It’s a crucial next step since many people who experience or observe bullying don’t report it.”

Rolling the technology out across the entire social network is expected to take a few weeks.

In another move, a filter that enables Instagram users to detect and hide bullying remarks from Instagram feeds or profiles was extended to comments on live videos, according to Mosseri.

In the spirit of inspiring people to be nice to one another, Instagram also added a camera effect which can be used to adorn images with hearts or the word “kindness” in a variety of languages.

“Online bullying is complex, and we know we have more work to do to further limit bullying and spread kindness on Instagram,” Mosseri said.

Last week Facebook said its users will be able to hide or delete groups of comments, including responses, instead of having to remove them one at a time.

The network also began letting people report bullying or harassment on behalf of friends reluctant to complain to the social network themselves.

A majority of US teenagers say they have been victims of online harassment or bullying, most commonly name-calling, a Pew Research Center survey found in September.

It said that 59 percent of US teens reported online abuse, and 63 percent said it was a major problem for people their age.

The survey found that most young harassment victims feel that teachers, social media firms and politicians are doing a poor or fair job in addressing the problem of cyber bullying — an issue which has drawn the attention of US First Lady Melania Trump and Britain’s Prince William.