Almost a year ago Bloomberg was listing the Kingdom as the world’s happiest place to live (and play) on its annual “misery index” and, for young visitors, a significant factor in that had to be the full-moon parties on Pha Ngan Island. How could anyone be unhappy when they’ve got these all-night rave-ups in such a blissful setting?

Well, the generals generally don’t go in for dancing on the sand half-naked all night, but someone on Koh Pha Ngan has boosted the happiness quotient even higher there by offering the cheap drunks a cheap place to sleep.

Yes, some full-moon party people do sleep – typically face down in the sand under a picnic table. Now there’s a proper place where they can crash for a while, long enough to recharge their batteries, anyway. In theory it’s something like the pit stop at a car race. In practice it’s a duck coop.

“The problem is solved now,” the Fullmoon Party fan page on Facebook has announced, providing photographic proof. “Sleep Area – Free” says the sign near the security centre on Haad Rin Beach. It’s basically a wooden deck with a perimeter of poles supporting a screen of mesh far too thin to offer any privacy.

The posted picture reveals that the sleep area is already popular, showing it strewn with unconscious revellers. Even our older readers will recall that excessive alcohol intake renders one carefree about comfort once the body collapses. Those wooden planks beneath their heads could well be the fluffiest pillows in the most luxurious hotel, the mesh as protective as a mother’s womb.

Pha Ngan’s full-moon parties have joined the unholy Holy Ship bashes in Miami Beach, Florida, and the irreverent raves of Benirras Beach in Ibiza, Spain, on the bucket list of party animals everywhere. The Thai event routinely draws 30,000 revellers per full moon and demand is such that there are now half-moon and crescent-moon parties as well. There’s even a “posh edition” of the full-moon party on Koh Samui, where the well-heeled kick off their heels while their Champagne flutes bubble over.

But back at Haad Rin, home of the original lunar bash, DJs, jugglers, fire-eaters, dancers and fireworks punctuate the evening as the moon’s reflection shimmers on the sea. The bars stay open not just late but forever, and mighty amplifiers deliver a constant thrashing of techno and acid house while the mob writhes in costumes comprising swimwear, body paint or much less. The euphoria is absolute and misery doesn’t stand a chance.

Plenty of folks survive the passions of the boozy night and are still awake to watch the sun rise. Plenty of others succumb to the rigours and only regain consciousness hours later, discovering what a picnic table looks like upside down. Now they’ll be making their “pit stops” in the designated lullaby zone – for the duration of the night if necessary, but more likely just for an hour or two, a brief intermission in the happiest play on Earth.

ACTOR JIRAYU “JAMES” Tangsrisuk has started the Year of the Monkey with a bang by shedding the monkey on his back – not an addiction but the widespread belief that a guy who’s so good-looking couldn’t possibly act well (Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp being mere flukes).

James’ just-ended TV drama series “Padiwarada” turned out to be a hit and he earned high praise for his acting, finally shutting up the sceptics. Viewers could almost see his talent blossom before their eyes, confirming suspicions that there’s more to him than just boyish charm.

Meanwhile he’s also doing well with the half-hour travel show “Tabi Japan with James Jirayu”, airing on Channel 3 SD Sundays at 5pm. That came out of a two-month odyssey around the Land of the Rising Sun last year. The way he showcases the various destinations and interacts with the locals makes the show another winner for him, garnering even more recognition back home.

Meanwhile James has signed on with the record label Universal Music Japan – voice unheard, as it were. And his rising popularity in Japan is such that our embassy in Tokyo invited him to help promote the events it sponsors, such as “The Thai Fair” to be held in the capital’s Yoyogi Park on May 14 and 15. James will be there both days.

None of this has gone unnoticed by the Japanese media, of course, which are watching gape-mouthed as this foreign kid takes Tokyo by storm. He’s appearing at endless events around the country, plus a runway show in Paris last month for Japanese fashion designer Yoji Yamamoto. Last weekend he was a guest on a Japanese TV show featuring scenes shot at the Japan Expo in Bangkok.

It’s been a whirlwind of valuable new experiences and a turning point in his life, James tells GM magazine, adding that he greatly admires the Japanese for their punctuality and self-determination.

Somehow, though, he’s still found time to turn his lifelong interest in photography into a full-blown obsession. When he first got involved in show business he was struck by the way professional photographers work and started buying cameras. From his jobs as an actor and model, he’s learned all about composition, angles and lighting.

Now James can be seen taking pictures all the time, especially of people on street, and he spends hours at home touching up the shots and printing them. His latest amusement is collecting old cameras, the kind that work with film (ask your granddad), but he’s still buying digital models too. And where better to buy cameras than – in Japan! His favourite shop is called Map Camera in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.

There are no plans as yet for a James Jirayu photo exhibition, but you can always tune in to “Tabi Japan”, where he routinely shows off his favourite shots.

Not bloody likely for a girl from Udon Thani with a dark complexion and a flat nose, they snickered.

You know where this story’s going, though. Opal, now 22 and a third-year law student at Thammasat University, is sharing the runways with the most famous of Thailand’s supermodels and is in demand among European photographers working in the Kingdom.

“I’ve always been self-conscious about my looks, which are typically Isaan – the low bridge on my nose and the square face – which don’t match the ideal in Thai feminine beauty, so I had no confidence at all,” says Opal.

But then one day at a promotional event in a Bangkok department store she met Rojjana “Yui” Phetkanha, who in her time was perhaps the most successful Thai model of them all – “our own Chanel Girl”, they called her. Yui was on the cover of international Vogue, for Heaven’s sake. And Yui came from Isaan too.

“I was totally stunned when I first saw her,” Opal says. “My hair stood on end! She had the same facial features as me and she’d become a successful international model. So she sealed my inspiration to become a model. Without her I wouldn’t have come this far.”

Her dream reinvigorated, Opal entered a slew of “you-too-could-be-a-model” contests and even some beauty pageants – but most of the time got bounced out in the first round.

“It was really hard getting to this stage,” she admits. “I’m tall enough, but people kept saying I couldn’t be a model because I look ‘too rustic’. My worst experience was when a famous commentator scolded me onstage, saying I looked like a country katoey.” Other folks calling “termite face” didn’t help either, of course.

“But all the harsh criticism just drove me on and brought the best out of me. If I’d accepted what they said, I’d have tossed aside my dreams. But I stood my ground, refusing to let the harsh words ruin my self-respect. If I had let the criticism destroy my dreams, I wouldn’t be who I am now.

“I believe everyone has an inner strength and his or her own charm, some unique potential. We simply have to find a way to boost it. I just pushed myself harder to develop my skills and my modelling qualities.”

Opal says she was frequently advised to have cosmetic surgery on her face and take concoctions that claim to lighten the skin. “I just kept saying ‘no’. I want to show the world my unique facial features. I’m proud of my authentic look, which is getting rare in Thailand these days.”

She’s certainly come a long way from the days she went around hunched over so she wouldn’t loom over her school friends. Having managed to straighten out that towering 175cm frame, she’s got great posture and has the walk and the poses down pat.

“I’m still studying, so I have to juggle my time between my textbooks and my fitness regimen,” she says. With Yui in mind, Opal plans to distribute her portfolio around Europe in the hopes of working there and – who knows – maybe becoming the next “Face of Asia”.

 

At the grand old age of 41, Joey Boy has signed on as chief creative director of Tan Thailand, the country’s first magazine devoted to “outdoor culture”. It’s been a going concern since December, but waited for its third issue to stage an official launch, a star-studded affair held on Tuesday at CentralWorld.

“Tan is a fashion-and-travel magazine with a fresh format for working people who enjoy a hedonistic lifestyle,” Joey Boy said. The hedonism part no doubt explains his involvement.

“It not only offers guidelines about beautiful tourist attractions and extravagant journeys but also inspires travellers to find meaning in their journeys – whatever that may be. Tan will be the bible everyone will grab when they’re on their way somewhere.

“Thailand is one of the world’s top travel destinations, so it’s a great opportunity to promote tourism among Thais as well,” he rattled on. “And there’s an English-language edition available about interesting excursions in Thailand.”

So why is it called Tan? “The word ‘tan’ by my definition doesn’t refer to tanned skin, but rather inspires people to enjoy outdoor activities together.”

That explains nothing, but then Joey did say readers should expect “the unpredictable” in the magazine, because “it’s not just another lifestyle magazine”.

“Life isn’t about being rich or earning money,” he said, setting off on another tangential voyage. “It’s also about living your own way. If you’re young at heart you’ll stay young and be able to embrace the unpredictable in life.”

Easy for him to say – he raps for a living.

Por’s fame carries on

It looks like Tridsadee “Por” Sahawong’s daughter Nong Mali, who won the public’s attention while reporters were waiting out her dad’s long stay in hospital, is likely to step into the limelight and become a star in her own right.

She’s all of two years old, but she’s already made a couple of “public appearances” (beyond the hospital coverage), raising concerns about whether she’s too young to handle stardom.

Vanda “Bow” Muttasuwan, widow of the popular actor who died last month after a long battle with complications arising from dengue, reckons the family has everything under control. She tells Thai Rath that Mali has the perfect manager – Por’s uncle Sornmontra “Nam Oy” Pichaisornphlaeng, who’d handled Por’s show-business career.

“I don’t want to rush Mali into showbiz,” Bow says. “She’s still very young and there are more important things to think about, like growing up and getting an education. I just want it to progress naturally so that Mali can adjust, and we’ll see if she’s really up for it.”

Mali was among the celebrity guests at a press conference last week promoting the upcoming environmental-art show “1600 Pandas World Tour”, and Nam Oy assured reporters he’s being cautious.

“I carefully select the events where Mali appears, and most of them involve children, education or animals. Her father was into these same causes and I’d like Mali to continue that.”

In fact Mali has been approached to star in several TV series, though nothing’s been finalised. “Mali’s starting school in a few months,” Nam Oy says, “so we’ll have to work around her school schedule.”

SINGER-ACTOR Surachai “Add” Sombatcharoen, who’s 60, shocked everyone just before Valentine’s Day with the announcement that he was about to have plastic surgery.

In this day and age, when you can get a nip-and-tuck in about the same time it takes to make a caramel macchiato, that’s no big deal, of course. But Add said he was going to get a nip, a tuck, a hairline pull and a hair implant, plus sundry liposuction work. The surgery ended up taking nearly nine hours.

He said he wanted to turn back the clock so he’d look 20 years old again. “I have no confidence – I look so old!” the smooth-voiced luk thung crooner told our sister newspaper, Kom Chad Luek, just before going under the knife. “I hope to look younger so I can feel good about myself and get more work in show business,” he declared, not beating about the bush.

Add’s daughter Kamolchanok was by his side after the operation and says he kept asking, “Am I handsome now?” “He was worried he wouldn’t look too good and the media would make fun of him.”

We won’t get a chance to see him for at least two weeks, but once the sutures heal and the hair implant takes root, we can start making fun of him. That is, of course, unless he comes out looking like George Clooney, in which case we’ll want the surgeon’s name and number.

But Kamolchanok says the effort does seem to have been a success. “So far it’s very satisfactory. Even with bruises and scars, Dad looks much younger and wrinkle-free. Now my mum’s worried that she’ll look like a grandma next to him!”

Feathers but no tethers on Bird

Superstar Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre is certainly in no need of improving his looks, even at age 57. He’s probably one the few men of that age in Thailand who youngsters still called pi (big brother) rather than loong (ancient uncle). And he’s as busy as ever, too. He’s just shot a TV commercial for a coffee brand that was supposed to have put Bt100 million in his bank account.

“Are you crazy?” he objects strenuously when asked to confirm the figure by Siam Dara. “I never get paid that much!” Though unwilling to reveal the true amount, Bird says it was “very fulfilling work”.

There’s no word yet when we’ll see the ad, but of course Bird’s got a pair of big shows lined up for Impact Arena on February 27 and 28, his “Ruam Wong Thongchai Concert”.

“We’ve been rehearsing very hard, even during the commercial shoot, because everything has to be perfect for the fans,” he says. “I’ve been wearing a headset every free moment to help me prepare and I’m 120 per cent ready. I could put on the show right now!”

And then there’s the possibility that Bird might get back to acting, as he hinted late last year, mentioning a sensational drama series. “I’ve been thinking about that seriously,” he reaffirms. “I’m waiting for the right time and the right role to come along, but you’ll definitely see me in an exciting role this year.”

 

Singer Karinyawat “Foet” Durongjirakan, bassist Atirath “Gak” Pintong, guitarist Janevit “Vit” Chanpanyawong and drummer Settharat “Auto” Pancgchunan have been holed up at Karma Sound Studios, housed in a luxury residential complex in Pattaya, where famed British bands the Libertines and Jamiroquai earlier recorded.

The Slots are still working on their first full-length, English-language album, “Spin the World”, which is due to hit the stores and airwaves sometime in the next few months. We got the first preview in October when the single “Give It All to You” was released to a warm reception both at home and abroad.

Response has been keen in Taiwan and most recently Singapore, where the band was named the best Asian act in the “Visual and Pop Culture” category at the Prudential Eye Awards, which promote contemporary art. Fans gave it all to “Give It All to You” on YouTube, where it’s had more than 250,000 views, and the latest single, “I Know I Know” is fast catching up, topping 165,000 views despite just coming out on January 28. The Thai-language version, titled “Khon”, has capped them all with 4.7 million views.

Besides giving their homeboy fans a taste of the new material on a national tour, Slot Machine and producer Lillywhite – who’s previously worked with U2, Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel – are deep into post-production on the album.

Lillywhite happily sets them free to go out and play the music – he’s evidently enjoying life on the Thai coast – so if you haven’t caught them lately, they be playing in Chiang Mai on Friday, Nakhon Ratchasima on Saturday and Chiang Rai on February 27. For more dates, keep your eyes on the “slotmachine” page at Facebook.

It’s hard to believe that these are the same guys who emerged in 2004 with the self-titled debut album, but it was a dandy piece of work, with the great tune “Ro” (“I’m Waiting for You”). The follow-up CD was recorded with a Canadian producer, so hints of international stardom were already in the air a decade ago.

Then they warmed up the audience for Linkin Park in Bangkok, and meanwhile the awards started pouring in – song of the year, record of the year, best group, a nomination as best Southeast Asian act, and finally the best “contemporary art” band in all of Asia.

Successful gigs in Laos, Myanmar and New York and a sell-out show at Impact Arena last year proved to be the final incentives to “go inter”, and their label, BEC-Tero Music, agreed to put them on the launch pad. Prepare for take-off.

Woody can be merciless in inflicting his self-styled “60-day Challenge” on the chubby. Chalermpon “Jack Fan Chan” Thikampornteerawong, his sidekick on the morning chat show “Tuen Mah Kui” (“Wake Up and Talk”), was his first victim – and quite reluctant, since he owed his fame to his girth. A decade earlier Jack had been the bulbous child bully in the hit movie “Fan Chan” (“My Girl”).

He wasn’t “Fan Chan” anymore, Woody insisted – he was just plain fat. So, under threat of losing his job if he didn’t accept the challenge, Jack went to work on his high cholesterol and high blood pressure and a passion for sweets that had rendered him diabetic. His exercise regime was torture for him and torture to watch, but he managed to drop from 126 kilograms to just under 100.

With Jack skeletonised, Woody turned his attention to actor-singer Pisanu “Boy” Nimsakul, who was actually quite svelte but wanted to get those six-pack abs that make the girls swoon. Woody’s “victims” were soon volunteering for the treatment. TV host Surivipa “Mam” Kultangwattana, politely referred to as “jolly”, dragged along her husband, Robert Poonpipat.

The latest recruit undergoing the challenge is Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee, who’s put on 20kg since she was Miss Thailand, the result of her metabolism-wrecking workaholic lifestyle and poor eating habits. Boom is no dummy being talked into a weight-loss spectacle – she has a PhD from Rangsit University and works as a lecturer.

She says she doesn’t care about people calling fat because her 100kg husband still loves her, and he used to be a personal fitness trainer. He once assured her she didn’t need to work out, saying if he wants to touch a well-muscled arm, he’s got two of his own. And anyway, Boom points out, her brain makes up for whatever she might lack in trim beauty.

Boom says slimming clinics often ask her to be their presenter – looking for those “before and after” pictures, no doubt – but she only became interested in slimming after seeing how happy Jack and Mam Surivipa were when they successfully completed Woody’s challenge. “I want to be able to smile like they do,” she says.

Rubbing his hands with glee, Woody has vowed to get Boom back into beauty-queen shape in no time. She currently weighs 77kg and Woody has given her to goal of dropping 10kg in 60 days, coached by his own on-air trainer. Boom notes that she actually weighed 62 or 63kg when she was a beauty queen, but the trainer reckons that’s not doable within two months, at least not in a healthy way.

Woody has “capped” the challenge by ordering Boom not to wear her Miss Thailand crown until she’s finished, which adds incentive, since she’ll have to turn down paid public appearances where the crown is required.

And finally, you are hereby warned: Woody says that, once Boom completes her mission, he’ll be going after “non-celebrities”.

In fact, for a millionaire sporting sparkling diamond rings, he’s downright spiritual.

The “European-style” hotel Chuchai Buri Sri Amphawa is set to open next month in that town (Amphawa) on the Mae Klong River in Samut Songkhram. As well as rooms with lovely views, it will have a community mall, a food centre and a shrine.

Ferocious protest erupted four years because the hotel was going to stomp on 11 charming homes along the river, all decades old with weathered folding doors and galvanised-tin roofs. The locals pointed out that they represented traditional life on the canal in a locale that had been a vital hub of commerce since the 17th century and earned Unesco World Heritage status in 2008. Amphawa has a great floating market, and swarms of tourists come round to see swarms of fireflies illuminating the river.

What happened in the end was that the homes were renovated and turned into guesthouses where seminars, exhibitions and shows can be held. The fireflies seem pleased. Chuchai, no longer the bad guy, is relieved.

“It was very tough,” he says. “If any one of my people made a mistake it became a huge scandal, and that was all right, but what was said about me in the news was not true. I did no one any harm, but it was like people splashing excrement all over me and screaming, ‘You’re a bad person!’ It was horrible!

“And once your name carries a stink, it’s very hard to get it smelling nice again. Someone might give you the best detergent, but the foul smell is still there. I decided to push ahead. I wanted people to understand what I was doing. I wanted to let them know I could do this better than they thought I could.”

Chuchai wants Amphawa to be admired as “a beautiful lady who could be a contestant in a world-class beauty pageant. She’s always been beautiful, but nobody’s ever put her onstage. All you have to do is adorn her with a tiara, earrings and accessories,” explains the owner of the “Gem Peace by Chuchai” shops (yes, peace, not pieces).

He sought to preserve the old houses as best he could, but they needed better wood and stronger structures – termites had made a feast of them. “We spent more than Bt10 million in the area.”

Chuchai is proudest of the hotel’s Shiva Linga shrine, which he hopes will become a new tourist destination. He had the linga representing the Hindu god Shiva made from jade and embedded with a diamond. Next he plans to establish a dharma retreat.

“I’d like to understand the dharma as much as I can so I can get closer to nirvana. I love practising the dharma. In business there are a lot of things that cloud my mind and the dharma is like detox. Thinking about the dharma and philosophy makes me feel stronger. I don’t get obsessed about anything. In our kind of society, sometimes I have to use brand names, but my inner self doesn’t get attached to anything.”

It was only a few months ago that their fans started voicing sincere concern about the couple not appearing in public much recently. Nor had either of them posted any “happy forever” pictures on Instagram in quite a while. Casual nosiness gradually built into the ultimate social-media inquisition, and finally the brutal question was asked – are you guys still married or what?

The answer came earlier this week when Pluem announced that quite some time ago they had lowered their love-alert level from red hot to cool blue, from married to “just friends”.

“Since there’s been news and gossip about Tubtim and I, I decided to come forward and update everyone on our relationship status,” Pluem was quoted as typing in Bangkok Biz News, which is our sister newspaper, Krungthep Thurakij, taking a well-deserved break from the stock market ticker.

“It is true that we’re no longer couple, and it has been that way for a while. It didn’t make the news because we didn’t have fights or anything like that. Our marriage just fell apart naturally because we realised that what we had between us wasn’t love, but rather great care and concern for one another, like good friends have.

“We actually started off as friends and, as it developed, we thought we were in love. It recently dawned on us after living as a married couple for a while that we’re still just friends. Tubtim is my best friend and she’ll stay in my life forever.”

As if that weren’t clear enough, Tubtim spent some more time on Instagram posting goodbye-to-marriage messages. One goes, “I never thought there would be such a day like this in my life,” probably meaning the day they broke up. “There’s nothing better in life than being surrounded by those who love you,” says another. “I am blessed that I have great family and friends around me, and fans that support me.”

Tubtim seems to have left the Big Announcement duties to her ex, confining her own posts to saying she’s said adios to the online VRZO channel that Pluem founded and where they were co-hosting shows together as recently as late last month. In fact that’s where they met and fell in love – or deeply in friendship, as it turns out.

Their wedding in 2012 was an extravagant “contemporary Thai” bash, making them an instant celebrity couple and boosting their status as Internet idols. Legions of fans tuned into their shows and followed them on the social networks.

Well, at least they split up on the nicest possible terms and they’re still the best of friends, right? Let’s crank up the gossip generator and see. Ah, we notice random hints strewn around that there’s more to this than meets the satisfied eye. Why did Pluem “unfollow” his wife on Instagram if they’re still such buddies, for example? And why did he make no mention of her whatsoever for two whole months before admitting they’d parted ways? And then there was this cryptic post from Pluem’s mother, who has her own Instagram account (vrzomom, as you might have guessed): “Better to have a dog than a person.”

Was that a growl at Tubtim, suggesting she’s less loyal than a pooch (or maybe more trouble)?

KRISSADA “NOI” SUKOSOL Clapp is crazy kinetic when he’s singing onstage, endlessly dancing and jumping around, so it’s amazing how calm he looks in films when he turns his talents to acting.

Until now almost typecast in serious dramatic roles, Noi surprised everyone when he accepted a leading role in the forthcoming romantic comedy “Luk Thung Signature” directed by Prachya Pinkaew. Of course he’s done comedy before – “Luang Pee Teng 3” a few years back, which had him playing a small town’s monk alongside popular comedians – but this time there’s music in the mix, so the project must have felt like a perfect fit.

Maybe not quite: Noi tells A Day Bulletin he had to learn all about luk thung culture, which is alien to the Thai-American from a well-to-do family in the hotel trade. He was educated at international schools and in the United States and feels no connection to the funky folk music.

He’s always found it charming, though, every tune telling its own interesting story, not so different from the plays of William Shakespeare, he says. And we do know the songs are very tricky to sing properly. Fortunately Noi, who’s just finished filming, didn’t have to attempt it.

He plays Boy, chief executive at a private firm, who overhears the office cleaning lady singing as she’s scrubbing the men’s toilet, where he’s ensconced in one of the stalls. The beautiful voice belongs to Rungrat Mengphanit, who goes by the nickname “Khai Mook The Voice” thanks to her winning turn on that TV show. Boy is immediately smitten, but the cleaner vanishes just as he emerges from his cubicle, and the search begins for that amazing talent and the sweet girl it belongs to.

You wouldn’t think Noi ever gets much in the way of criticism. He was adored as the lead singer of the band Pru before jumping into acting, and then his lead role in “13 Game Sayong” won him best-actor trophies at the National Film Association Awards, the Starpics Awards and the Bangkok Critics Assembly.

Nevertheless, the 45-year-old has been stung by criticism, saying he’s easily stressed out, and has been working in the hotel family business lately. Not that he’s complaining – he feels very privileged, growing up in a wealthy family, having the chance to study overseas and then doing what he loves, like music and acting. He travels and collects antiques.

Noi could buy a luxury car if he wanted to, but he’s happy with his 12-year-old compact. He’s not big on the new technology and only recently got his first smartphone, a gift from his wife. It’s necessary these days, he admits, especially in Thai society.

“Socialising with friends and family on the social networks and Line suits Thais because we don’t like being straightforward with one another. So communicating via smartphones keeps us smiling at each other. If we do something wrong and don’t have courage to apologise in person, we can type an apology to them!”