A NEW ultra-light notebook computer that packs a powerful punch, the Xiaomi Mi Laptop Air 13.3” will look good on any desk thanks to a sleek dark grey magnesium-alloy body that’s a mere 14.8 mm thick. The 13.3-inch Gorilla-glass laminated Full HD display has narrow bezels of only 5.59 mm, contributing to the laptop’s high screen ratio of 80.1 per cent and enhancing its premium look and feel.

The display has 1920×1080 pixels resolution with pixel depth of 166 pp and boasts a 170-degree viewing angle, meaning that you can see what’s on the screen no matter where you’re standing. Brightness is good too, with 300 nits and a high 800:1 contrast ratio.

All these factor combine to make the Mi Air an excellent choice for watching HD movies, viewing photos as well as browsing web pages.

And despite being ultra-light, its graphics performance is not compromised as the Mi Air uses NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card with 2 gigabytes of GDDR5 dedicated video memory rather than graphic power embedded in the chipset and having to share the main memory for the graphics display.

Performance-wise, the Mi Air gets it power from Intel’s latest processor, the 8th Generation Kaby Lake-Refresh Core i5-8250U with a clock speed of 1.6 GHz and maximum speed of up to 3.4 GHz. Adding to its impressive performance is an 8 GB DDR4 working memory or RAM running at 2.4 GHz and superfast 256GB SSD storage. The laptop also comes with an expandable SSD slot if you want to increase the storage capacity. Using an SSD drive enhances its performance because the PCIe SSD used by Mi Air is three times faster that the SATA hard drive widely used in laptops.

The fast quad-core processor, fast and high capacity of RAM and fast storage plus fast graphics translate into an impressive performance for an ultra-light laptop.

Moreover, the Mi Air comes with a fast wireless connection 802.11ac 2×2 Wireless AC adapter. The laptop has the ports you need –a USB-C, two USB 3.0s, one HDMI port and one 3.5mm headphone jack.

The USB-C port is mainly for charging the laptop but can also used simultaneously for data transfer with an optional dock attaining a transfer speed of 5 GB/s. With the high data transfer speed and optional dock and cables, you can output the display to 4K, thus allowing you to use the laptop as a movie player for your large 4K TV.

The Mi Air also has good sound quality whether you’re watching movies or listening to music. That sound quality is achieved by incorporating two 2W custom speakers developed by AKG and adopting Dolby Audio Premium Surround Sound technology. The Dolby Audio allows you to select preset sound settings of Dynamic, Movie, Music, Game and Voice and personalise your own sound setting by adjusting the equaliser.

The Mi Air laptop runs on easy-to-use Windows 10 Home operating system with Cortana, Microsoft’ personal digital assistant that allows you to use voice command to interact with the notebook computer.

During my test, Cortana guided me step by step through how to set up the laptop for first use.

I found that the Mi Air handled business applications, like Microsoft Word, fast and smoothly. Microsoft Edge web browser also ran fast and smoothly.

Photos editing and video rendering was speedy too thanks to its dedicated graphics adapter and video memory.

Video clips also ran fast and beautifully on the 13-inch display and the games had no glitches.

The backlit keyboard was responsive and easy to type on.

And the Mi Air comes with a large Windows precision glass touchpad (110 x 67mm) that feels smooth to the touch and supports multi-touch gestures for swift and precise controls.

What I liked most was the fingerprint scanner, which is integrated with the touchpad’s top right corner. Cortana guided me to scan my fingerprint that allows quick unlock of the laptop.

The Mi Air has good battery life with about nine hours of online video playback, 7.5 hours of local video playback, and 7.5 hours of web browsing. It uses a 40Wh high-density lithium polymer battery.

The battery charger is not large and can be carried along with the laptop easily. Since it uses the USB-C port for charging, you can also use it to charge your flagship Android smartphone. And Mi Air supports 1C fast charge technology, allowing up to 50 per cent of battery recharging in just 30 minutes.

The Mi Laptop Air 13.3” is available for Bt35,990 at Mi stores, IT City, Advice shops, and other major IT shops.

Key Specs

OS: Windows 10 Home

CPU: Intel 8th Generation Core i5-8250U quad-core processor 1.6 GHz

Memory: 8GB DDR4 2400Mhz

Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD plus expandable SSD slot

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card, 2GB GDDR5 video memory

Display: 13,3-inch 16:9 FHD Corning Gorilla glass screen with 1920×1080 pixel resolution

Connectivity : Intel 2×2 Wireless-AC at 2.4GHz, |5GHz Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.1

Ports : USB-C port (up to 5GB/s transfer speed, supports charging, data transferring and video output) x 1, USB 3.0 x 2, HDMI x 1, 3.5mm headphone jack

Battery: 40Wh High-density lithium polymer battery , 1C fast charge supported

Dimensions: 309.6mm x 210.9mm x 14.8mm

Weight: 1.3 kg

THE NEW Bang & Olufsen Earset is a pair of premium Bluetooth earphones with good sound quality and a design that’s inherited from B&O iconic A8 wired earphones.

B&O says the Earset have been crafted for comfort, precision and flexibility and respect the Bang & Olufsen design heritage. Although the iconic A8 was released in 2000, the original lines for the design were drawn in the 90s, with a strong focus on the basic shape architecture of the arm, piston and earhook.

Well-known industrial designer Anders Hermansen is the brains behind the Earset, which adapts to the ear thanks to a flexible adjustment system that lets the wearer change the angle of the earbud, the height of the piston and position of the curve of the earhook to ensure a perfect fit.

The Earset is made of durable anodised aluminium, which achieves a fluid and frictionless movement of the telescopic piston. The anodisation allows colours to be integrated with the core of the material, providing more depth and durability.

The Earset has good sound quality. It uses electro-dynamic drivers, each of 14.2 mm diameter. It has a frequency response of 20 to 20,000 Hz and impedance of 32 ohms and a high sensitivity of 105 dB.

The acoustic performance of Earset has been optimised for better delivery and reduced sound leakage. The design of the earbud assures a comfortable fit, while allowing ambient sounds to be heard without affecting the quality of sound.

Moreover, you can use the Beoplay app to adjust the digital equalisers of the earphones. The app provides four equalisers presets called Commute, Clear, Workout and Podcast. You can also use the app’s ToneTouch function to create your own equaliser setting.

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

For example, if you touch the middle of the screen, the sound setting will turn flat and f you press the far right portion of the Excited section, the speaker will boost the bass sound. You won’t get the perfect sound immediately so just select the various parts of the screen until you find the setting you like then save it for future use.

The Earset has an in-line remote with three buttons that can be used to control music play and call functions. The remote is on the left side of the neckband.

The centre button has various functions, among them turning the earphones on and off. While playing music, press it once to pause and again to resume. Pressing twice will skip to the next track and three times will return to the previous track.

During incoming calls, short press the centre button to accept or long press to reject. During a call, long press to terminate and double press to transfer audio from Earset to the device.

You can also long press the centre button until a sound is heard to activate voice recognition of Google Assistant or Siri.

The two other buttons are for increasing and reducing volume.

During the test, I found the Earset had good sound quality and clarity. When the earphones were adjusted properly, they also delivered good bass. They were comfortable to wear and I enjoyed listening to rock music for hours without feeling discomfort.

The Earset has five hours of battery life. It takes about two hours to fully charge and about 20 minutes of charge for one hour of playtime.

The B&O Earset is distributed by RTB Technology and it is available at Studio7 shops and IStudio, .life, Siam Discovery, Jaymart, Munkong Gadget, Betrend, Power Mall, and Lazada for Bt12,900.

Key Specs

Drivers: 14.2mm electro-dynamic drivers

Frequency range: 20-20,000 Hz

Impedance: 32 ohm

Sensitivity: 105dB

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.2, AAC codecs

Microphone: Omnidirectional, MEMs

Battery: 95mAh rechargeable Lithium-ion, five hours playtime, two-hour for full charge

Dimensions: 40x55x24mm

Weight: 30g

In the box: Earset Pouch, USB-C to USB-A-cable, Foam Pads x 3 pairs, Quick Start Guide

The findings, published in The Lancet, challenge a trend in Europe and North America toward so-called Paleo diets that shun carbohydrates in favour of animal protein and fat.

Proponents of these “Stone Age” diets argue that the rapid shift 10,000 years ago — with the advent of agriculture — to grains, dairy and legumes has not allowed the human body enough time to adapt to these high-carb foods.

For the study, under 40 percent of energy intake from carbohydrates qualifies as a low-carb regimen, though many such diets reduce the share to 20 percent or less.

At the other extreme, a 70 percent or higher share of carbohydrates — such as pasta, rice, cakes, sugary drinks — can also reduce longevity, but by far less, the scientists found.

“Low-carb diets that replace carbohydrates with protein or fat are gaining widespread popularity as a health and weight loss strategy,” said lead author Sara Seidelmann, a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“However, our data suggests that animal-based low carbohydrate diets might be associated with shorter overall lifespan and should be discouraged.”

Replacing meat with plant-based fats (such as avocados and nuts) and proteins (such as soy products and lentils) reduces the risk of mortality, Seidelmann and her team found.

The optimal balance of food groups for longevity remains hotly debated.

Many studies have concluded that eating carbohydrates in moderation — 45 to 55 percent calories — is best, but others report improved short-term, cardio-metabolic health with high-protein, high-fat diets.

Measures of metabolic health include blood pressure, good and bad cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

Seidelmann and colleagues poured over the medical histories of nearly 15,500 men and women who were 45-64 when they enrolled — between 1987 and 1889 — in a health survey spread across four locations in the United States.

Participants filled out detailed questionnaires about their dietary habits — what foods, how much, how often, etc.

Over a 25-year follow up period, more than 6,000 of the men and women died.

People who got 50-55 percent of their calories from carbohydrates outlived those with very low-carb diets, on average, by four years, and those with high-carb diets by one year.

A review of medical records for an additional 432,000 people from earlier studies yield confirmed the results, which are also in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

“There is nothing to be gained from long-term adherence to low-carbohydrate diets rich in fats and proteins from animal origins,” said Ian Johnson, a nutrition researcher at Quadram Institute Bioscience in Norwich, England, commenting on the research, in which he did not take part.

But carb quality, not just quantity, is crucial he added.

“Most should come from plant foods rich in dietary fibre and intact grains, rather than from sugary beverages or manufactured foods high in added sugar.”

Fibres also help maintain a healthy gut flora, now considered to be a major player in health and disease.

Supported by Dai Nippon Printing Company, West Japan Railway Company, and Mirairo Inc, the project helps to connect people in need (wheelchairs users, parents with strollers, elderly people, foreign tourists, or people who are not familiar with Osaka Station) with supporters (volunteers). The field test utilises LINE as the communication tool and LINE Beacon for location tracking to match supporters with those who need help.

Supporters can give the situation of the person who needs help through a chatbot and take concrete action. Last December 2017, the first field test of “Smart Maternity Mark” a movement to offer seats to pregnant woman, was conducted and led to a seatgiving rate of 86 per cent.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics approaching, more infrastructure is needed to support the rising number of foreign tourists. #ArigatoGuide project is expected to relieve the workloads of train station workers and wait times at different tourist information centres by introducing the force of local volunteers.

How to Use #ArigatoGuide

1. Register ‘&HAND’ account

To participate in the field test, add the ‘&HAND’ account as a friend on LINE. When adding, you can select to be on either the “side that needs help” or the “supporter side” and register.

2. Matching supporters with for support request

When someone who has added the ‘&HAND’ LINE account enters the designated area at JR Osaka Station, a message will be sent automatically from &HAND account to inform the user that they have entered the target area from LINE’s chatbot. Those who are in need of assistance can put out a request for support and supporters in the same area will receive help requests through LINE. The chatbot will also send over the type of assistance needed while guiding the supporter to the location where the person who made the request is located. This chatbot operates in Japanese and English so it can be used by both locals and foreigners visiting Japan.

The 30 beauties competing for the “Miss Thailand World 2018” title joined workshops yesterday in Phetchburi and Prachuab Khiri Khan provinces on their second day in camp.

In the morning they gave alms to the monks then headed off to a fishing village in Soi Hua Hin 55 to collect garbage as part of a CSR activity organised by the pageant organiser and non-profit organisation Trash Hero Hua Hin.

“Trash Hero aims to raise awareness of marine conservation and stress the need to reduce garbage in order to save marine life. Sea animals die of eating plastic and the garbage in the sea is one of the main concerns. The only way to solve this situation is to reduce or stop the use of non-decomposing waste,” said Pennapa Kradtarn.

The candidates then travelled to Ace of Hua Hin Resort to exercise with the Fit-Training course led by trainer Anoma “Mayji” Saransikarin.

The public can follow the girls on the “Miss Thailand World 2018 The Reality” programme airing on Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30 to 10.30pm on Channel 28 from August 25. They can vote for their favourite candidate in the People’s Choice Award, the winner of which will automatically go into the last 12.

Voting can be done through SMS by typing MTW followed by the number of the candidate that you like and send to 4838433 between August 26 and September 14. Or vote online at http://www.MissThailandWorld.net, where you can also check the results.

The winner of Miss Thailand World 2018 will receive a prize valued at Bt1 million. The crown for the winner, runner-up and second runner are from Siam James Heritage and valued at Bt3 million. Other prizes include an A Space Sukhumvit 77 condominium from Areeya property worth Bt2.4 million and a Hyundai IONIQ Electric priced at Bt1.749 million. The final takes place on September 15 at Paradium Hall The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam, and will be broadcast live from 8.30pm on Channel 28.

“Manila”, which won the Kim Ji-Seok award at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival, is about Pitch and Shane, who are trying to heal the pain of their contemporary lives by reviving their old romance through the fabrication of a traditional Thai ornament made of leaves and flowers that symbolises love and virtue. “Leitis in Waiting” is the story of Joey Mataele, the leader of an intrepid group of leitis, or indigenous transgender women, who are fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga.

Admission is free but reservations are required. Call (02) 225 2777 extension 410 or visit http://www.MuseumSiam.org.

Talking about love

Boys Kosiyabong and Nop Pornchamni introduce “Love Mentortainment”, an activity of first project in their newly-formed LIFEiS social business, at M Theatre on New Petchburi Road on August 25 at 1pm and 7pm and August 26 at 7pm.

It brings together couples for a talk show, coaching, musical and workshop led by lyricist, Boyd, and consultant Wara Meechuthon, as well as a show by various artists.

Tickets for two are Bt5,000 and Bt6,000 at Thai Ticket Major outlets. Find out more at http://www.LIFEiSgroup.org.

Rapping on 18

Thai-American hiphop outfit Thaitanium celebrates 18 years of making music with the concert “Unbreakable” taking place at Hall 105 of Bitec Bangna on October 12.

The hip-hop pioneers of Thailand, Khan, Day and Way, has never stopped following their dream. For the show they are teaming up with MC Big Calo and DJ Buddha as well as other veteran and new generation hip-hoppers.

Tickets are Bt1,500 and Bt3,200 (VIP) at http://www.Thaitanium.biz.

Boney M in the ring

Boney M – a Euro-Caribbean vocal group who achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s – brings back the disco sound with a concert, “The Legend of Disco Bony M Featuring Liz Mitchell Live in Bangkok 2018”, at Hall 105 of Bitec Bangna on September 15, as part of their “Greatest Hits” tour in Asia.

Expect to hear “Rasputin”, “Daddy Cool”, “Gotta Go”, “Sunny”, “Ma Baker”, “Rivers of Babylon”, “Hooray! Hooray!” and “It’s a Holiday.” The Palace, featuring Saichon Radomkij, Anchalee Chongkhadeekij, Wasu Sangsingkaew, Sunthorn Sucharitchan, and Wongsakorn Rasamithat, is the opening act.

Tickets are from Bt1,500 to Bt6,000 at Thai Ticket Major. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

 Available only at its boutique at the EmQuartier, the PS1 tote is inspired by traditional school satchel, integrated with luxury and active vibes and is a favourite with such celebrities as Dakota Fanning, Jessica Alba, Gigi Hadid and Kirsten Dunst.

Clothes that roar

“Rare Stripes”, dubbed a “Collection with a Purpose”, is the latest collaborative effort in support of the global wild tiger conservation campaign led by French luxury fashion house Kenzo, Tiger Beer (Thailand) and WWF. The limited-edition campaign, which was inspired by a trip to Cambodia by Kenzo co-creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim and four Asian artists, is made using Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) compliant organic cotton and comprises 16 items, which will soon be available for purchase online. In addition, each piece of clothing will have a QR Code. When scanned, the reader can access stories and learn more about wild tigers. Tiger Beer Thailand is also introducing a Scarf Collection, designed in three Thai tiger patterns by three Buppha, Khaojee, and Veeraphong available from today until August 31 for Bt300 at http://bit.ly/tigerxwwf. Additional information is available at facebook.com/TigerbeerTH. All proceeds from the sale of scarves will go to the “Home for Tigers” project in Khao Yai mountain while funds from the sale of the limited-edition collection go to WWF.

The buzz on daisies

Burt’s Bees, a leading natural skincare brand introduces its brightening collection using sustainably collected extract of wild white Daisy blossoms, a natural skin brightening agent. This Skin Perfecting Serum is clinically shown to even skin tone and diminish the appearance of dark spots and discoloration, leaving a luminous glow.

INSPIRED by Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s much-loved poetic tale, Montblanc, the German maker of luxury writing instruments, recently celebrated the launch of the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Special Edition pen.

With design elements based on Saint-Exupery’s hand-drawn illustrations, the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Special Edition evokes the themes of one of the world’s most translated novels –a story about the power of imagination, friendship and the transmission of ideas.

“Who doesn’t know about the Little Prince? This beautiful story about companionship, friendship, and love is available in 250 languages. We show our pride in the storytelling through what we do best, which is the writing instrument,” says Matthieu Dupont, Montblanc’s president South East Asia

“The pens are handmade and features a lot of exquisite details such as the engraving, the fox, and the Little Prince’s quote ‘To me you are unique in the world’ on the cap.”

On the market since April, the pen was officially launched recently in Bangkok at the brand’s revamped boutique in Siam Paragon. The first series of the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince edition features the inspiring and tender characters of the young prince and the fox who enlightens him about the importance of close bonds and human relationships, revealing the core wisdom learned from his own life’s experiences. Subsequent editions, which are due on the market in the next three years, will highlight other characters from the book and the powerful messages they carry.

In a first for Montblanc, the cap and barrel of the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Special Edition are made of night-blue resin evoking the deep blue sky of the universe around the prince. The milled cap is decorated with a fox face pattern, with platinum-coated fittings contrasting with the deep blue of the writing instrument. Before travelling back to his asteroid, the little prince tells the pilot he will be able to hear his laugh any time simply by looking at the stars and remembering. As a reminder of the laughter in the stars, a golden star adorns the clip of this edition.

The delicate character of Le Petit Prince is immortalised along with his friend the fox on the handcrafted 14K rhodium-plated nib. the sentence from the original novel has been laser engraved into the crown of the writing instrument, which is available as a Fountain Pen, Roller Ball and Ballpoint Pen.

The Classique Edition, meanwhile, pairs the deep blue of the lacquer barrel with the luminosity of a platinum-coated cap elegantly decorated with engravings of the fox pattern. The shiny surface of the platinum is repeated on the metal cone, cap and the pen clip adorned with the yellow star. Collectors can |choose between a Ballpoint Pen, a Roller Ball and a Fountain Pen with an 18K bi-colour nib embellished with the outline of the Little Prince and the fox.

The fox pattern covers both the cap and barrel of the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Solitaire, engraved on the deep blue lacquer. Contrasting with the blue, the fittings are crafted from platinum-coated metal.

“Traditionally the Meisterstuck collection is in black so we were being adventurous in selecting a dark blue to represent the night sky. The challenge was to get the right blue,” Dupont adds.

“Writing is our DNA and we have been guided by the pioneering spirit since 1906. When you step in the boutique, you can see how much we have evolved into a brand that manufactures different types of luxury lifestyle products. Our products are crafted to the highest standards thanks to the skills of our artisans in Hamburg for our writing instruments, the Swiss Jura in Le Locle and Villeret for our timepieces and Florence for our leather goods.”

“The writing instrument category is still growing. More people still want to write and I don’t think technology will ever truly replace this. And, in any case, one does not prevent the other,” he stresses.

“We take what is good and sophisticated and inject innovations such as the new method of treatment given to, for example, the Montblanc Ultra-black or a modern design that uses a magnet to immediately position the cap and pen,” he says.

To extend the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince writing experience, Montblanc has created special ink and refills inspired by the fox character in a dark orange colour reminiscent of the fox’s fur. A leather notebook completes the writing experience, bound in fine Saffiano leather featuring a fox print on its cover inspired by the author’s illustrations.

The story of Le Petit Prince has also inspired a selection of Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince men’s accessories including a pair of round stainless steel cufflinks in deep blue lacquer with a fox face design, a stainless steel and blue lacquer money clip, and a contemporary men’s woven leather bracelet with a stainless steel clasp decorated with a yellow star.

SOME 15 years ago, Koh Libong off the Trang coast in Thailand’s southwest, was often unable to accommodate even the relatively small number of tourists that visited. Fortunately for them, the local residents were generous enough to offer their own homes for them to bed down.

And so what began as lending a helping hand evolved into the Libong Island Tourism Homestay group. Prachum Charoenrit, then a member of Koh Libong’s Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, remembers the early days well.

Back then, the island had a single resort with a capacity for 60 people and a regulation that banned construction on land without title deeds, explains Prachum, who is today the village head of Moo 4, Ban Batu Pute.

“It was fairly chaotic during the high season. We let visitors stay at our houses and eat with us,” the 42-year-old village head says with a smile, adding that after discussion, the villagers decided to form a homestay group.

    A bungalow belonging to Libong Island Tourism Homestay group.

Last year, the Libong homestay passed an evaluation by Ministry of Tourism and Sports with flying colours and was certified as an official Thai Homestay.

These days, it offers 15 choices of accommodation for a total of 40 people. Tourists can choose to stay in one of five houses along with the residents or opt for the 10 small bungalows overlooking a calm bay.

Currently the group has around 30 members and they share both services and income.

For example, tourists eat breakfast at other local shops or at restaurants belonging to member restaurants, Prachum explains. When they want to travel by boat, they rent these from boat owners who are also group members.

Koh Libong in Kantang district is the largest island in Trang Sea and can be reached only by a 30-minute ride in a long-tail boat from Hat Yao Pier.

The island is home to a Muslim community of some 4,000 souls who earn their living from fishing and growing rubber trees. Thanks to promotion of community-based tourism by the Trang office of Tourism Authority of Thailand, they are also able to generate income from visitors.

Linda Tonwicha, 33, who used to work in the front office at a resort, saw a good business opportunity two years ago and decided to start her own business Linda Travel @KohLibong. It’s the only one-stop service travel agency in the island.

Just as the homestays do with breakfast, she shares the benefits, allocates some travel services such

as motorbike rental and boat rental to other locals.

When Libong villager Jasoa Rhonrung, 43, finishes her routine rubber tapping, she can be found at the pier ready to give tourists a motorbike ride around the island. Although the extra income is unreliable, she can earn Bt500 to Bt800 for each ride depending on the time and distance.

Jasoa Rhonrung

Dubbed the city of dugongs, Koh Libong is the only place in Thailand where you will have a chance to spot these endangered marine animals and, if you’re really lucky, get to swim with one.

There are 250 dugongs in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea and 210 of these live around Libong, says Prachum, explaining that the waters around the island are still rich in sea grass, their main food source.

The best and more environmentally friendly way to enjoy the mammals is to climb up the 150m Batu Pute Hill and watch the creatures from above,

You can also take a long-tail boat ride in the hope that these cute marine beasts will surface though the vessel will need to cut its engine and anchor. Another possibility is to climb up to the five-storey watching tower at the end of Leekpai Bridge, but be warned, it’s currently under renovation.

From Libong, tourists can travel to nearby islands but only during November to May. Using Libong as a base, visitors can take boat trips to Koh Muk, Koh Ngai and Koh Kradan in the northwest islands, and Koh Sukorn and Koh Laolieng to the southeast.

While Libong is a good example of community-based tourism, Ban Na Muen Sri is a role model in terms of conservation of indigenous knowledge.

Located in Na Muen Sri subdistrict in Na Yong district, Ban Na Muen Sri is famous for its local hand-woven fabric.

Na Muen Sri textiles have a unique structure, extraordinary patterns and specific colour pairing (always red and yellow), and are made by special smaller sized looms called gi that produce a finer detailed fabric, The fabrics are also a One Tambon One Product (Otop) of Trang.

A weaver at Na Muen Sri Community Enterprise works at the loom.

The art of weaving at Tambon Na Muen Sri has been passed down for more than two centuries, says Arob Rueangsung, president of Na Muen Sri Community Enterprise, who two decades ago researched the origins of the long-forgotten woven cloth patterns.

The Na Muen Sri textile dates back to reign of King Rama VI. Back then, Na Muen Sri textile was very popular among nobles. The textiles were made by a group of Na Muen Sri women, who kept their looms and accessories in their basements.

When they were not caring for their rice fields, these women wove for household use and distributed some textile to friends and relatives. Their skills helped generate income but the activity was suspended during World War II due to a shortage of material.

In 1971, four women decided to repair their looms and began weaving again. When Kusol Ninla-or, a daughter of one of those women, saw what her mother was doing, she joined in.

In 1973, Kusol established Na Muen Sri Weaving Group to preserve this folk wisdom and bring back the traditional woven cloth for the younger generation and for sale. It then spread out to nearby villages and became famous. In 2005, the group was developed into a community enterprise.

Grandma Kusol was a kru, or master of Na Muen Sri weaving and the creator of the Luk Kaew pattern, a unique weave in yellow and red. She passed away last year.

Initially, the group had only eight members but today that has increased to 139 in an age range of 18 to 50.

“They are still working full time as rubber tappers but when the rubber price is low, weaving earns them additional income,” says Arob.

Run as a family business, the group generates annual revenue of some Bt8 million. Expenses come to Bt100,000 per year, including salaries and free meals.

To date, the group has created 50 new patterns on top of the 32 traditional ones. They also turn the fabric into ready-to-wear attire, bags, umbrellas, headband and hats.

Arob, a fifth generation weaver, says it was hard for her textile to compete with those produced in north and northeast of Thailand in terms of price, so she introduced attractions that would draw tourists to her community.

She started in 2009 by offering handicraft lessons and homestays for tourists and later expanded to include community-based and cultural tourism.

Koh Libong mosque

Visitors can watch the weavers hard at work at the centre next to the showroom then pop up to the second-floor Na Muen Sri Heritage Museum to admire more than 100 traditional fabrics donated by village elders and weaving tools.

“Tourism plays a vital role in helping our community and products to become well-known,” says the 59-year-old president, who also plays a major role in preserving the cultural heritage.

Later this year, they will organise tram tours with guides around the subdistrict allowing visitors to see the villagers’ way of life and take in hot spots like Tham Khao Chang Hai, a limestone cave about 4km from the village. Next year, more homestays will be offered.

Arob adds that she is working on elevating the enterprise to a company to satisfy tax and other regulations while also expanding the business. “It will help us strengthen the community as well,” she says.

For now, Arob and her group will continue to train the young generation in the old weaving ways and tell them the stories of the textile and their ancestors so they will take up the mantle and pass it down to their children in turn.

IF YOU GO

>> Koh Libong is 30 minutes by long-tail boat from Hat Yao Pier. Check out Libong Island Tourism Homestay at (086) 943 7669 or (094) 315 5445 or visit http://www.HomestayThai.net

>> Na Muen Sri Woven Cloth Community Enterprise is open daily from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Call (075) 583 524 or visit Facebook.com/trangnameunsri.

Fortunately, the on-demand economy offers those who prefer a flexible schedule to fit their work to their lifestyles, thus manage their duties as an employee and a mother however they want.

On the surface, Naruemol “Pang” Winchakunkul may seem like a regular foodpanda rider. But at a closer look, this 33-year-old plays another important role. She is the mother of a 16-year-old boy, Nong Lip. Pang says raising a teenager alone is not an easy task, but her son’s future encourages her to work hard and live life to the fullest every single day.

Now going into her fourth year as a foodpanda rider, Pang says that the job allows her to earn enough money to raise her son and to cover some personal loans. This is all possible thanks to foodpanda’s flexible working hours that fit with her roles as a mother. Delivering food by motorbike is not a simple task – the work itself is stressful and requires many responsibilities and obstacles. This includes checking the order, the condition of the food package and so on. When it rains and the roads are slippery, she tends to drive slower than usual which results in negative reviews from customers. Some of them have even splashed water on her face.

“As a rider, I want to deliver food to the hands of the customer in the best condition possible, so that they would be happy with our service,” Pang says.

Not having completed high school, she has always had to rely on jobs with limited skills to earn her money. With a helping hand from her sister, she chose to work 6 days a week and uses the rest of the week to spend her time with her son who is now studying in Hotel Management in a technical school in Bangkok. Pang said she wants to give total support to her son’s education, which is her priority.

“I didn’t have good education when I was young and I know how difficult life is without it. That is why I want to support my son fully in whichever career path he is pursuing,” Pang explains.

Thatsaniya “Ya” Saemasae, a Thai-Malay who is currently residing in Bangkok started working with foodpanda two months ago. Ya is pleased with how the company allows her to be flexible with the schedule. As an active individual, she chooses to work every day from 8.30am to 12.30pm and 3.30pm to 8.45pm. She sends an allowance on a monthly basis to her 11-year-old son, Sawan, who now lives in Yala with her mother, and manages to have some savings left for herself.

“As a delivery person, you give more than just food to the customers. A couple of weeks ago I delivered one order to the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok and I spoke to them in Malay. They were very surprised that foodpanda hires such a diverse group of employees. Aside from food, we act as an ambassador that creates a positive image for the company,” Ya says.

Ya plans to move her son to Bangkok to be closer to her. She knows that big cities have a higher cost of living, and plans to get some part-time jobs in the future to support herself further. “I am looking for jobs that allow me to apply online. It’s more convenient and enables me to adjust the job around my lifestyle and routine.”

In such a competitive world, many people are now struggling to earn a living to support their children. But as on-demand economies revolutionise society, it allows single parents to adjust their schedule however they want. Just like Pang and Ya, their duties go beyond food delivery and into bringing happiness to the customers via food. Not only that, but they create a bright future for someone waiting at home.

To thank all mums, Foodpanda is continuing to celebrate Mother’s day until Sunday (August 19), foodpanda customers can order “Mom & Me Combo set” from Pizza Hut with 50-per-cent off the price and no delivery fee! Just order from foodpanda application or website Foodpanda.co.th and you receive two medium-sized pizzas, Cheesy Pops and Garlic Bread for only Bt359.