Necks don’t lie. If there’s anything that shows the creeping effects of age, it’s the saggy skin on your neck. This delicate area develops wrinkles quite fast, yet has been one of the most neglected spot on the body.

But there are steps you can take to minimise the damage.

When it comes to neck lines and mild skin laxity, Botulinum Toxin can make an ageing neck look more youthful. The procedure that diminishes the neck lines and tightens the jowls is called “the Nefertiti Lift”, aptly named after the Egyptian queen famous for her very defined jawline and long neck.

The Nefertiti Lift technique involves multiple tiny injections of Botulinum Toxin into the neck and jaw to relax the platysmamuscles enveloping the area, and relieve that downward pull. This results in softening the horizontal wrinkle lines and lifting the jawline, allowing for a younger-looking neck and chin.

If your problem is loose skin and there is not much fat in that area, Ultherapy, an ultrasound-based technology will probably be the answer. It’s the only technology with US Food and Drug Administration- approval for neck and under-chin lifting.

The technology uses micro-focused ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen production both in the dermal and SMAS layers without injuring the outer skin. The SMAS is a fibrous network connecting the facial muscles with the dermis. It also consists of collagen and elastic fibres. Prior to the introduction of the micro-focused ultrasound technology, only plastic surgeons could reach such a depth. With this non-invasive treatment, a dermatologist can deliver energy to a precise depth and layer of the skin resulting in the building of new collagen and the firming up of a supporting structure of the neck skin.

Lastly, if there is a collection of fat under the chin, then you may be a candidate for a cryolipolysistechnology. The procedure involves selective fat freezing, causing fat cells to die. With the new applicator design, the technology offers the dermatologist a new treatment for a difficult-to-treat area like the under chin. The device pulls the fat bulge into the applicator where cold plates reduce the temperature of the fat to its freezing point. Fat cells die and are eliminated by the body’s natural mechanism. During the clinical trial, patients saw results at three weeks but the best result were observed after one to three months.

THANISORN THAMLIKITKUL MD is a member of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery and certified in dermatological laser surgery. Send your questions for her to info@romrawin.com.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

TO PARAPHRASE Canadian poet and author Shane Koyczan, “Opera is the original marriage of words and music with a decided dramatic element”. Narrating a story through emotions evoked by music is what opera does best, and the Helikon Opera, which is scheduled for a September staging during Bangkok’s 18th International Festival of Dance and Music, excels in this area.

With a reputation of being innovative and known for putting magnificent soloists, artists and conductors on stage, the opera house certainly raises your expectations. In store for Bangkok is the two-act “Un Ballo In Maschera” on September 18, followed by the two-act “Carmen” on September 20. Both are electrifying productions, bringing together passion, music and drama.

The brainchild of Dimitry Bertman, Helikon Opera – founded in 1990 when he was only 23 – has challenged the traditional opera establishment with his take on the art form. He soon made a breakthrough and a host of prestigious awards followed, including nine Golden Masks and several Gvozd Sezona Awards (Russian Union of Theatre Workers).

Adding to this tale of excellence, its world-class 95-member symphonic orchestra and chorus is recognised as one of the best in the world. It was a finalist at the prestigious International Opera Awards in 2013. The orchestra is directed by the theatre’s chief conductor, maestro Vladimir Ponkin, a Golden Mask laureate and People’s Artist of Russia.

With the Helikon Opera’s destiny firmly in his hands, Dmitry Bertman, the general-director and artistic director, was honoured as a People’s Artist of Russia. He has won the Golden Mask three times, and also won the Russian Union of Theatre Workers Award GvozdSezona on three occasions. He has staged over 100 performances, including a number of Russian and world premieres.

As well, the opera theatre has several Honoured Artists of Russia and winners of international competitions and awards among its ensemble of soloists. The brilliant sets and costumes are by Igor Nezhny and Tatiana Tulubyeva, both Honoured Artists of Russia. The light designer is Damir Ismagilov is an Honoured Art Worker of Russia. And the choreographer, Edwald Smirnov, has won several international competitions.

As for the operas themselves, first up is Giuseppe Verdi’s two-act “Un Ballo In Maschera” (“The Masked Ball”), with a libretto by Antonio Somma. It premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome in 1859.

A love triangle, where love becomes a bargaining chip in a political power play, it is inspired by the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden at a masked ball. The similarities end there.

The fictionalised story of the opera is about the romance between a governor and the wife of his best friend and how conspirators plot to turn a faithful supporter into the enemy. Conspiracy, betrayal and forgiveness are all grist for this emotional opera.

On September 20, be prepared for the passion of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen”. Also a two-act opera, “Carmen” has been one of the most popular performances of Helikon Opera and has travelled the world, playing in all the leading opera houses of the world – Paris, Rome, Berlin and New York – and festivals in France and Spain.

In 1996 it was awarded the prestigious Golden Mask, in two categories: “Best director in musical theatre” and “Best Actress”. Vibrant and edgy it is set in present-day Seville where the cigarette girls have been transformed into prostitutes, the gypsies into street gangs dealing drugs and the soldiers are regular law enforcement officers. A fast-paced narrative, the drama doesn’t stop until the last note has been sung.

For those worried about following the story line, subtitles in Thai and English will keep you abreast of the nuanced plots of both operas.

The Festival is sponsored by Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, BMW Thailand, B. Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Multimedia Group, PTT, Singha Corp, Thai Airways International and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

– The Helikon Opera from Moscow will stage |”Un Ballo In Maschera” on September 18 and “Carmen” |on September 20 at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

– Seat are available www.ThaiTicketMajor.com |and (02) 262 3191.

– Find out more at www.BangkokFestivals.com.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

AMID THE increasingly frequent demise of women’s magazines – Preaw, Image, Volume and the Thai editions of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen have all succumbed in the last nine months to soaring printing costs and slumping ad revenue and circulation – at least one new title has appeared, even if it’s not in print.

While the hard-copy publications are dying off, online beauty and lifestyle bloggers are thriving, and Anon Poungtubtim, who edited Volume, is taking them on at their own game, declaring, “I haven’t quite given up yet!”

Anon is today launching the chic digital magazine The Editors Society, a compendium of stories by experienced editors, with the aim of taking back his throne from the bloggers and rising to the challenges of the new technology.

“You can’t get stuck in one time period,” he says. “If you do, you’re outdated.

“I’ve lived through the age of public telephones, pagers and handheld mobiles. Admittedly I love print, but I’ve also spent plenty of time swiping my mobile screen and engaging with people on the social media. It’s all part of the modern lifestyle – people prefer getting their information through the digital media and it reaches more people faster and easier, even if the information disappears just as quickly.”

Anon wants to counter the fleeting nature and often-dubious factuality of the stories and gossip shared online, as well as the sloppy grammar in which they’re typically couched.

“I believe there are many people like me who want to read useful, creditable content in correct and beautiful language, not necessarily just like you find in print but creative and standardised. So I thought, ‘Why not turn this crisis into an opportunity? Why don’t I simply change platforms?'”

One of the pioneers in the Thai women’s-magazine field, Anon got a degree from Sorbonne University in Paris and worked for an advertising agency before moving into publishing. He started as a guest columnist at Lalana and Preaw and was art director at Image before founding Lips and Volume.

During his 30 years in the trade he witnessed the boom times for print media, when lifestyle journalists led five-star lifestyles, jetted off for fashion shoots overseas, chummed around with famous foreign designers and sat in the front row at Milan runway shows. They were spoiled, it was excessive – and it made for excellent experience, something the new generation of bloggers simply can’t match.

“Time flies and everything changes,” Anon says. “In the print media we used the language beautifully so that readers could close their eyes and see the image as if they were right there with us. We had incredible pictures they could enjoy while sipping their coffee.

“Online these days, it’s more like ‘Please get to the point!’ The new generation doesn’t like to wait. They scan the story and move on – unless it’s something they really want to read and then they click on the link. We want to get their attention and make them click the link.”

Women’s print magazines that also have an online presence tend to lose readership for the hard-copy edition, Anon says. “The team works incredibly hard, but the readers see what’s online and don’t buy the print issue unless it’s a really special edition or has a star they like on the cover. So all the magazines on the shelves end up looking very similar.”

With online content rocking the social networks, the Editors Society is looking for an edge in its presentation of hot trends, hotter fashion brands, cool travel and dining features and the coolest advice on beauty. Party events and celebrity news will add to the site’s liveliness, and a partnership with online shopping portal Lazada means there’ll be deals from across Asia.

One of the editors populating the “society” is Aomsin Saenlom, the former beauty editor at Cosmopolitan (Thailand) and author of the blog Oh La La Story. Anon’s concept appeals to him, he says, because it has all the superior writing of a print magazine in a catchier format.

“I wrote for Cosmo for 20 years and I can’t change my writing style,” Aomsin says. “I can’t ‘chat’ with my online readers as if they were my pals, using lots of slang. What I can do, though, is share my experience and expertise in a friendly way.”

Vorasit Turongsomboon, who handles brand publicity in the beauty and grooming division at Procter and Gamble Trading (Thailand), cautions that there are crucial marketing factors to consider in the shift from print to digital. It comes down to how effectively the consumers are targeted and how well they respond, he says.

“These days the challenge in marketing is really about content. Once you identify the target consumer, you see what content they like and then blend the product advertising into that that so they don’t feel like they’re being sold something. You need an ‘influencer’ – a key opinion leader – and finally you decide which communication channel would be most effective in reaching that consumer, whether TV, newspapers or blogs.”

While it’s apparent that readers do absorb the content of the traditional media, it’s trickier to measure when it comes to blogs, Vorsasit says. You have to assess the “engagement rate” – the number of likes, shares and reader comments, and the quality of the comments too – to determine whether the marketing message is getting through.

Supranee Janthapaiboonkajon, country manager of Sephora Thailand, says digital content is extremely important for her retail store – “the future”, in fact. Sephora customers are Net-savvy, grabbing their gadgets as soon as they wake up to check what’s been happening.

Bloggers on beauty and fashion who write about Sephora products become crucial, she says, “and since we have limited resources, we set priorities. We don’t want to work with every blogger – only those who share the same aim, which is to be sincere with our customers and not get overly commercial. Integrity and having a real passion about beauty is a must.”

One of Thailand’s biggest “influencers” when it comes to beauty trends is Napassorn “Momay” Buranasiri, who hosts the “Momay Pa Plearn” telecasts on the SpokeDark TV website and, as “Dailycherie”, has 730,000 followers on Instagram alone.

Momay started out seven years ago posting videos of her sampling different makeup products. “I don’t call myself a blogger – I’m a consumer. I don’t write,” she says.

She’s also a musician, singer and dancer, familiar with show business since her mother Suda Cheunban and sister Patcharida Wattana are well-known singers. She’d always do her own makeup for concerts and television shoots. When the Internet began creating its own stars, she and her friends decided to get into Web-based television.

Momay says the focus of the telecasts is always on the consumers rather than the brands, so being sincere is essential. She had no sponsors to begin with, since it took a while for marketers to recognise the potential in what she was doing. She still pays for all the products she tests and feels free to criticise those she doesn’t like. Viewers thus know they can trust her and their numbers have grown steadily.

Marketers now understand the importance of creative content, Momay says. “There are plenty of lipsticks out there, so you need to be creative in the presentation. Whether bloggers survive or not very much depends on whether they can really teach people anything. The consumer is smart enough to see whether they’re only in it for the fame or to get stuff for free. They have plenty of choices in who to follow.”

GET A DIGITAL ‘DO’

-The Editors Society is at www.TheEditorsSociety.com and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube as “theeditorssociety”.

– Keep up with Aomsin Saenlom at www.OhLaLaStory.com and “ohlalastory” on Facebook.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

The main house of the Bangkok Folk’s Museum is a two-storey teak wood house with a hip roof (panya in Thai) paved with red kite-shaped tiles. It is the work of Chinese workers. The house was built in 1937 with a budget of 2,400 baht according to a house catalogue from famed architect Luang Burakamkowit. This property was donated to the city by biologist Assoc Prof Waraporn Suravadi for use as a local museum. Pichaya Svasti

Nestled behind trees on a 1,700m² plot of land near the congested Charoen Krung Road is the Bangkok Folk Museum. Donated by biologist Assoc Prof Waraporn Suravadi to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in 2003, this museum features three houses in a lush tropical garden with a pond.

The museum, also known as the Bangkok Local Museum Bang Rak, was established under a BMA pilot project to set up local museums in all Bangkok districts.

Built in 1937, the museum is the former residence of the Suravadi family. Waraporn turned her property inherited from her mother Sa-arng Suravadi (Tanboontek) into a museum for the new generations to learn. This week, she accomplished her goal to seek public donations totalling 10 million baht to add to her down payment of 30 million baht to buy an adjacent land plot where a tall building project was planned.

The compound’s three houses, furnishings and accessories provide a glimpse into the lifestyles of Bangkokians between 1937-1957.

The main house of the Bangkok Folk’s Museum is a two-storey teak wood house with a hip roof (panya in Thai) paved with red kite-shaped tiles. It is the work of Chinese workers. The house was built in 1937 with a budget of 2,400 baht according to a house catalogue from famed architect Luang Burakamkowit. This property was donated to the city by biologist Assoc Prof Waraporn Suravadi for use as a local museum. Pichaya Svasti

“Everything is displayed as it was — closest to reality. Nothing new was bought and added. We just fixed broken stuff. There is no trouble about termites since the houses and furniture were made of teak wood,” Waraporn, 81, noted.

The characteristics and decoration of the three houses reflect the influence of Western architecture and culture on Thailand in the 1930s and some years earlier. The various rooms in the main house are decorated in European fashion of the 1930s. Outstanding items include an old-fashioned Western-style toilet and European-style wooden furniture, such as dressing tables and four-poster, canopy-draped beds.

“Almost all the furniture in these houses belonged to Dr Francis (Dr Francis Christian, the first husband of Sa-arng). I believed it was made-to-order by Gerson & Sons Company since I found copies of cheques issued for this company,” added Waraporn, who was born to Sa-arng and her second husband Bunphum Suravadi.

Stepping from the veranda with its wicker chairs into the main house, visitors will reach the living room, which has a piano, wooden furniture and a cabinet displaying crystal bottles and wine glasses from Europe. Next is the TV room, which is presented as the dining room.

If you walk across the hallway, which has a large gramophone and mother-of-pearl cupboards, you will find an old-fashioned Western-style toilet next to the staircase. A connected room is a grandmother’s former bedroom, which also holds the medical books of Dr Francis.

Walking up the wooden stairs past a cloth presser, you will later see the ancestor room and three bedrooms with European-style wooden furniture and mixed Western and Thai decorations. Among highlights are an art deco dressing cabinet in the mother’s bedroom, a large safe, a modern bathroom and a huge European wardrobe in the bedroom of Wanida Suravadi, Waraporn’s elder sister.

Behind the main house is the second building dedicated to the memory of the life and work of the British-educated Dr Francis Christian, an Indian physician and British subject.

The third building was modified from a row of eight commercial buildings. The ground floor displays the family’s household objects while the upper floor keeps Waraporn’s rare books and shows the “Overview Images of Bangkok Metropolis” permanent exhibition, which focuses on Bang Rak district where this museum is located.

Rapeepat Ketkosol, secretary to the Thai Tourism Society, said the museum is a living museum that mirrors the lives and stories of dwellers and also the social condition of the elite before World War II. It is outstanding for serving as a learning centre and focusing on ecological management.

“A must-see there is an exhibition of people’s lives from waking up, giving alms, cooking, working to doing housework, maintenance and hobbies. It is comprehensive,” Rapeepat noted.

The living room also served as a piano room for Sa-arng, Waraporn’s mother, who would normally call her children for a singing gathering during leisure times. The piano was imported from Denmark, bought and given to Sa-arng by her father Sart Tanboontek. The glasses and bottles on view here dated to 1897-1927 and belonged to Dr Francis Christian. Pichaya Svasti

According to museum volunteer Thananchai Anantachaiyakorn, the Bangkok Folk Museum attracts about 1,000 people, both Thai and foreign, each month. The visitors like the atmosphere and shade trees, as well as rare items, such as a wooden icebox.

Thananchai has continued volunteering even after his employment as staff volunteer was recently terminated by the BMA due to budget reductions. Staff volunteers are paid 360 baht a day by the BMA.

According to Waraporn, the Bangkok Folk Museum might be one of the very last museums donated by civilians to the BMA. Earlier, there were a number of people who wanted to give their houses for use as local museums. However, red tape and failure to take good care of local museums caused potential donors to change their minds.

“I wonder why the BMA prefers constructing new museum buildings to keeping old houses-turned-museums in good shape,” Waraporn questioned.

According to Rapeepat, this museum is a role model for others, with a founder who is unselfish and shares what she has with society. A similar local museum donated by civilians is the Ban Chirayu-Poonsapaya Discovery Learning Library on Sukhumvit 101/1.

At present, the museum is under the supervision of the Bang Rak District Office. Rapeepat suggested that the best way to ensure operational efficiency there is to either hire the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre Foundation or authorise the In-Sart-Sa-arng Foundation to manage the museum.

Participation of the people and business sectors, academics and youth in management should be allowed.

“I cannot say a word about the value and importance of this place. It was a nice, comfy place for me to live,” Waraporn said.

The living room also served as a piano room for Sa-arng, Waraporn’s mother, who would normally call her children for a singing gathering during leisure times. The piano was imported from Denmark, bought and given to Sa-arng by her father Sart Tanboontek. The glasses and bottles on view here dated to 1897-1927 and belonged to Dr Francis Christian. Pichaya Svasti

The living room also served as a piano room for Sa-arng, Waraporn’s mother, who would normally call her children for a singing gathering during leisure times. The piano was imported from Denmark, bought and given to Sa-arng by her father Sart Tanboontek. The glasses and bottles on view here dated to 1897-1927 and belonged to Dr Francis Christian. Pichaya Svasti

In the dining room, you will see a dining table whose legs are decorated in the shape of a lion’s paws. It is accompanied by eight Western-style wooden chairs engraved with floral patterns and wickerwork. On the table is a glass box for keeping imported kitchenware and utensils, such as Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelains, green-glazed earthenware, European porcelain by England’s Johnson Brother Company and Persian ceramic bowls. Pichaya Svasti

Opposite the dining room is the former bedroom of Somboon Dechakaisaya, a younger sister of Sa-arng’s mother In Tanboontek. As Somboon was disabled, she had to use an old-fashioned Western-style toilet although the house had modern toilets and running water. Such an old-style toilet was made of glazed zinc plates, had a wooden seat and cover and was placed on an iron three-leg base. It was widely used when Bangkok had no tap water and modern toilets. After use, users would have to discard the waste, which would be picked up by employees of Onweng Company, a cleaning company, who would ride house-drawn carriages to each house. Pichaya Svasti

Opposite the dining room is the former bedroom of Somboon Dechakaisaya, a younger sister of Sa-arng’s mother In Tanboontek. As Somboon was disabled, she had to use an old-fashioned Western-style toilet although the house had modern toilets and running water. Such an old-style toilet was made of glazed zinc plates, had a wooden seat and cover and was placed on an iron three-leg base. It was widely used when Bangkok had no tap water and modern toilets. After use, users would have to discard the waste, which would be picked up by employees of Onweng Company, a cleaning company, who would ride house-drawn carriages to each house. Pichaya Svasti

The Grandmother’s Room on the upper floor served as the bedroom for Grandma In Tanboontek and later for Waraporn. It consists of a Western-style bed with four posts for holding a mosquito net, a dressing table with perfume bottles and cosmetics, a wardrobe and a large safe owned and used by Sa-arng’s father, Sart Tanboontek, at his rice mill. Also on view in this room are Buddha statues, amulets and several styles of fans. Pichaya Svasti

The Grandmother’s Room on the upper floor served as the bedroom for Grandma In Tanboontek and later for Waraporn. It consists of a Western-style bed with four posts for holding a mosquito net, a dressing table with perfume bottles and cosmetics, a wardrobe and a large safe owned and used by Sa-arng’s father, Sart Tanboontek, at his rice mill. Also on view in this room are Buddha statues, amulets and several styles of fans. Pichaya Svasti

The Mother’s Bedroom is the house’s biggest room. It is shown only as a dressing room for Waraporn’s parents Sa-arng and Bunphum, who preferred to bring a mattress to sleep on the floor in the hallway to enjoy breeze in summer. The furniture in this room comprises an art deco dressing cabinet with three-sided mirrors, a red and white crystal receptacle set and a dressing table with a washing porcelain bowl. Adjacent is the ancestor room with the precious Benjarong bowls with the Thepphanom design and a small Benjarong jar with a gold-adorned lid (five-coloured ceramics with a design of the Deva (guardian spirits)) and a green crystal jar with a lid dating to the reign of King Rama V (1858-1910). Pichaya Svasti

The bedroom of the foreign-educated Wanida Suravadi is an extended part of the main house. In this room are a bed with four removable posts, a huge European-style wardrobe with curving door panels and oval shape mirrors. The two bedrooms on this wing share a modern bathroom, which had running water and also several big water jars in Thai style. Pichaya Svasti

The second building was relocated from its original location in Soi Ngam Duphi, Thung Maha Mek. Built in 1929, this teak house was intended to be a clinic for Dr Francis Christian. However, it was never used since the doctor died of heart failure at the age of 40. The ground floor keeps the family’s old silverware and new paintings. The upper floor is exhibited as Dr Francis’s bedroom with his belongings and a small medical examination room with the 1910s-1920s’ medical equipment. A highlight is Dr Francis’s bust statue cast by Thai contemporary art master Prof Silpa Bhirasri. Pichaya Svasti

The middle part of the third building’s ground floor displays earthenware, glassware, baskets, old cameras and photos, a collection of rare goods, old trunks and sewing machines. The right section of the third building’s ground floor shows household items, including jars, bowls, animal cages, gardening tools. A highlight is a small room displaying Sa-arng’s dressmaking tools and clothes. According to Waraporn, her mother tailored clothes, even student uniforms, for herself and her children by buying fabrics from the Phahurat area. Pichaya Svasti

Travel Info

Located in Charoen Krung 43 in Bang Rak, the Bangkok Folk’s Museum is open 10am-4pm from Wednesday-Sunday. Admission is free. Call 02-233-7027 or 02-234-6741.

To get there, travel by car or bus No.1, 16, 35, 75 and 93. Surasak is the closest skytrain station.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

In recent years, magazine closures have become so common, it is anticipated that print media will come to the point of extinction as 21st century readers move completely to consuming information from computers and digital devices.

The Editors Society The Editors Society

A legion of online magazines will then have to fiercely battle it out to attract visitors and advertisers to their responsive platforms and social media in order to survive the digital game.

Debuting today, The Editors Society considers itself as having a competitive edge because it is uniquely operated by a batch of veteran editors, who have migrated from print to digital media.

Managing editor Anon Poungtubtim is a notable fashion and beauty guru with over 30 years of experience in publishing, which included the co-founding of Lips and Volume local magazines.

The Editors Society aims to raise a new standard in digital content, Anon enthuses, as timely and engaging articles by the experienced editors will emphasise quality writing deemed missing in cyberspace.

Today’s launch at Anantara Siam Bangkok will have Anon introducing his team as well as influential guest editors: Sethpong Pawwattana (Town & Country Thailand consultant); Nichakul Kitayanubhongse (Harper’s Bazaar Thailand editorial director); Supicha Sorndamrih (Cleo Thailand executive editor) and Pimra Kampanardsanyakorn (Vogue Thailand beauty editor).

Crowned as the prestigious editors of leading international magazines, the contributors will bring their rich experience, writing flair and insider’s perspective on the latest lifestyle, fashion and beauty trends to the new website, whose prospective readership are mostly female in the 25-45 age group.

The rare gathering of the country’s top-notch editors strengthens the website as an exceptional online read, assures Anon, who allocates 60% of the content to fashion and beauty stories; leisure, lifestyle and social issues comprise the rest.

With a link to the Lazada e-commerce site, visitors can also “Shop with Guru” with editors’ selections of trendy fashion, beauty and lifestyle products helping readers update their wardrobes to stay in style.

Offline, The Editors Society will launch trend books and organise workshops and events to physically reach out to its followers.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

The Moo Moo Field Photo: WICHAYA ARTAMAT

After two-year hiatus, Jaturachai Srichanwanpen is back with his new play The Moo Moo Field, an adaptation from American playwright Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation, and in it, actor Khalid Midam shines.

It’s a comedy: five people — Kittiphon Udomrattanakulchai, Kriengkrai Fookasem, Khalid Midam, Nualpanod Khianpukdee and Punika Rangchaya — meet in an acting class and, week by week, we follow as stories of each character progresses, the main plot being the romance between Chart (Khalid), a bashful divorcee, and Sarin (Nualpanod), a lively and aspiring actress.

The choice of play echoes Jaturachai’s previous work in 2014, The Comments: Kam Kid Hen, in a sense that it again reflects the director’s own fascination with the actual experience in theatre-making and the work that is built up from some of the elements or structures in theatrical creation.

The Comments, Jaturachai’s original script, led the audience behind the scenes as we watched the director, actors and staff turn against each other with insulting and hurtful criticism before the story spiralled into surrealism with a case of a mysterious murder.

The Moo Moo Field, meanwhile, is more pop. We watch as actors participate in some of the exercises in an acting class — becoming objects or animals, acting out and telling life stories of a classmate — and through these games, the characters’ backgrounds and feelings are gradually unveiled.

We learn, for example, that the relationship between acting coach Mutt (Kittiphon) and Samart (Kriengkrai), her husband who is also in the class, is in a rocky stage when they are asked to act out as parents of a classmate and end up really arguing with one another. We watch as a romance between Chart and Sarin grow — love messages are passed through another classmate when she acts out, as an exercise in acting, as Chart.

True, The Moo Moo Field is pop — romance growing and fading or old relationships collapsing then being rekindled — but it is with the techniques these stories are told that the show is enjoyable and sharply funny. The credit for that is to the original script by Annie Baker, but also to Parnrut Kritcharnchai who has adapted and given a Thai feel to it.

One of the persistent problems with comedy in the Thai theatre is how directors — Parnrut Kritcharnchai with her recent play Ni Kue Satarn Hang Phab Kanglung (This Is The Place Of The Hidden Picture) or Jaturachai’s previous adapted work The Plastic Girl — often rely too much on the actors’ own comic personalities, with the accustomed audience too readily responsive to that rather than the actual content. In The Moo Moo Field, however, actors like Khalid or Kittiphon have managed to pull off the balance between jokes prepared and the sense of humour that flows out just through acting naturally as their characters.

The Moo Moo Field continues until Aug 15 (except Tue and Wed) at 7.30pm at Democrazy Theatre Studio. Tickets cost 550 baht. For reservations, call 086-899-5669. There are English subtitles.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Its radical look and whopping dimensions made Corum Bubble a stunner when introduced at Baselworld 2000. The edgy 21st century timepiece stood out with an imposing sapphire crystal dome that alluringly drew eyes to the underlying dial, which would later provide endless possibilities for new renditions.

“The dome, made of an oversized sapphire crystal, which magnifies the dial and boggles the mind, makes the watch instantly recognisable. You can spot a Bubble from across the room, on any wrist, or on any photo,” said Soipetch Resanond, managing director of Baechtold, distributor of the Swiss brand in Thailand.

Soipetch Resanond. Baechtold

Last year, Bubble’s 15th anniversary was marked by reinterpretations, with the revival placing the model alongside other icons in Corum’s watchmaking heritage.

Recently unveiled at Central Chidlom, the new variations, according to Soipetch, continue to be cool, creative and colourful, in attracting young and trendy wearers aged 17 to 70-something collectors, who appreciate playful designs and timekeeping performance.

“Bubbles create excitement and anticipation, and transcend age,” she said. “As Corum brings on board artists and celebrities in designing their own versions, this further drives the Bubble movement.”

Two nude portraits by Dani Olivier have been reproduced using high resolution printing on Bubbles housed in black PVD-treated stainless steel cases to match the background of the images.

The Paris-based photographer specialises in “abstract and psychedelic nudes”, with human bodies covered in striations of coloured light. Not a digital manipulation, the effect is achieved by projecting light patterns onto nude bodies set against a jet-black background, creating completely surreal forms.

The Corum logo at 3 o’clock is applied in the same vivid colours of the images while the rhodium-plated hands have been filled with matte black lacquer, allowing them to stand out legibly, but not distracting from the artwork on the brass blackened dial.

Five other 2016 novelties come under the Heritage Bubble Gaming series, which revives original themes like Roulette and Joker. The collection additionally includes Bubble 8 Ball, Bubble Casino Chip, and Bubble Dice.

Playing with the figure eight, the Bubble 8 Ball features a relief eight-ball rising from the surface of the dial while the Bubble Joker whimsically replaces the 3 o’clock marker with an oversized “8” — just to add luck.

Housed in 47mm cases, Heritage Bubble Gaming and Dani Olivier limited editions are available in 88 pieces — doubling the lucky number for the Swiss brand based in La Chaux de Fonds.

Back in 2000, the original Bubble was 44mm in diameter. Fitting smaller wrists, 42mm models have now been released in some of the same themes with identical dials as their larger versions.

However, 42mm-only models such as the green Python, and mother of pearl in steel or diamond-set cases, are also limited editions of 88 pieces.

“Size doesn’t matter! The 42mm may be too big, and the 47mm may be too small. Like its unlimited design potential, size is to be explored,” Soipetch said.

Allowing everyone to be a part of the Bubble movement, Corum initiated the campaign #customizeyourbubble, to challenge creativity in redesigning the dial.

“Corum is thereby entering into an interactive relationship with customers, that goes to the core of the brands philosophy. This is a highly avant-garde step in a basically traditional industry,” she added.

The 42mm green python Bubble.

Bubble Gaming.

Bubble Dani Olivier. Corum

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

The Siam Paragon Watch Expo 2016.

Siam Paragon is once again staging the Siam Paragon Watch Expo 2016, Thailand’s biggest watch fair under “The Icon of Timepieces” concept. The grand watch event runs daily at the Hall of Fame, Watch Boutique, Crystal Court and Watch Galleria on M floor of Paragon department store and at Fashion Hall and Star Dome on the first floor of Siam Paragon until Aug 15.

The 2016 expo showcases world-class timepieces, horological innovations and latest designs from more than 180 of the world’s leading watch brands, worth more than 350 million baht in total. Among the 180 participating brands include Breitling, Baume & Mercier, Corum, Franck Muller, Frederique Constant, Graham, Grand Seiko, Gucci, Glashutte Original, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Maitres Du Temps, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc, Nomos Glashutte, Oris, Parmigiani Fleurier, Tag Heuer, Zenith and more. Together, there are more than 30,000 timepieces divided into three categories — Masterpieces, Luxury and Trends.

The highlighted timepieces in the Masterpieces include Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Editions; Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 47 Worldtimer; and the unique Breitling Bentley B06 Midnight Carbon Limited Edition. The Luxury features prestigious watches decorated with brilliant-cut jewels, including Franck Muller Vanguard Lady; Longines Equestrian collection; Grand Seiko Black Ceramic Chronograph GMT Limited Edition; and Charriol St-Tropez 35. Under the Trends group are modern, trendy and innovative timepieces such as Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss Mach 9 Limited Edition; Tag Heuer Carrera-Calibre Heuer 01; and Rado Centrix Open Heart.

To mark the beyond traditional watch fair, many celebratory collections are also launched at the event to commemorate its long historical success. They are Montblanc celebrating 110 years; Tudor celebrating 90 years; Seiko celebrating 135 years; Rolex celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Day-Date models and the 60th anniversary of Oyster; Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrating 85th anniversary of the Reverso; Tag Heuer celebrating 40th anniversary of the Monza; and Citizen celebrating 40th anniversary of the Eco Drive. The latest collections of fashion watches are set to be launched throughout the event.

Not to be missed is the exhibition of museum pieces flown in directly from the Basel World 2016. Among the “must visits” is the Grand Seiko Avant-Garde exhibition showcasing Japanese contemporary art pieces created by two renowned artists, Daido Moriyamo and Nobuyashi Araki.

Gucci also unveils its “Cabinet of Curiosity”, the brand’s travelling exhibition of the year, on show for the first time in Southeast Asia. The exhibition showcases the brand’s new image under the direction of Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s new creative director. This travelling exhibition is on view at Hall of Fame, M floor, Siam Paragon until Aug 15.

The expo also keeps its unique profile and new image by joining hands with the luxury Swiss timepiece brand, Breitling to bring watch admirers and collectors the best ever aviation experience by transforming Parc Paragon into a mini-airport to park the original 12-metre jet plane for the first time in Asia. The aviation showcase can be viewed daily until Aug 31.

The Siam Paragon Watch Expo 2016, Thailand’s biggest watch fair under ‘The Icon of Timepieces’ concept.

Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim.

Breitling Bentley B06 Midnight Carbon.

IWC Big Pilot.

Hublot MP-05 La Ferrari.

Franck Muller Vanguard Lady.

Baume & Mercier Capeland.

Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 47.

Grand Seiko.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Me, Myself, And The Mind Of The Insignificance. Photo: Setthasiri Chanjaradpong

At the beginning of the play Me, Myself, And The Mind Of The Insignificance, Pathipon Adsavamahapong’s directorial debut, which finished last Sunday at Crescent Moon Space, actor Pathavee Thepkraiwan proclaimed: “This is a place within oneself. I speak yet I have no voice…What am I?” And we realised that we were about to go on a trip straight into the character’s mind, and the show was not supposed to be fully comprehended but simply felt.

It turned out to be just the case. Dialogue merged with physical movements while real incidents clashed with those happening only in the mind. Pathavee played a woman, a struggling writer who’s damaged both physically and mentally. As expected, the audience were moved erratically from one piece of painful memory, to the current struggle in life, and then to an enactment of what the character is imagining.

Pathavee’s monologue with movements at the beginning had managed to set a melancholic tone to the overall show. He was soon joined by Nattipong Boonpuang, the other actor in the show, who played various different roles to re-enact those scenes.

With any play attempting to project the working of mind and memory, random shifts of scenes and elusiveness on the storyteller’s part are expected. When Pathavee came out as a melancholy singer and performed a heart-rending ballad, we forgot to stop and ask ourselves where did this character come from. This is just the same when Pathavee played a patient who was obviously plagued by some sort of domestic violence or when he played a heartbroken woman reuniting with her ex-lover.

The spare setting was impressive in the way that every slight rearrangement of chairs or desks, we felt transported to a different scene. Still, there were times when the shift was too fast. At one point we were at a scene of investigation, and then suddenly the two characters were old people sitting in a cinema, watching and eating popcorn.

Then the two actors were engaging in an absurd conversation at a train station, one was talking about the possibility, in the futuristic world, of being killed by a computer virus while the other pondered on feminism by humorously giving birth repeatedly in a robotic manner.

Enjoyable, and even touching, though these sketches were, we sometimes wished there was a simplified and rearranged version of what was going on in the character’s mind.

True, in a case like this, it’s usually the intensity of emotion and honesty through acting, rather than the lucidity of the storyline, that actually counts, and Pathavee and Nattipong have managed to pull that off. The question that still remains, however, is how much should the director keep to himself and how much do we as an audience deserve to know?

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

San Francisco’s Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, named for its biggest donor, is billed as one of the largest such showcases in the world – and home of a priceless Buri Ram lintel. (Photo via asianart.org)

A Buri Ram-based conservation group has kick-started a campaign to press for the return of a “lintel”, a decorative object above a gate, believed to have been smuggled out of Thailand decades ago.

Tanongsak Harnwong, leader of Samnuek 300 Ong conservation group, said the pre-Angkorean lintel, which was made of white sandstone in the Kleang-Baphuon style and featured Lord Yama, or the god of death, surrounded by flowers, was on exhibition at the Chong Moon Lee museum in San Francisco. It was believed to have been stolen from Nong Hong temple in Buri Ram’s Non Din Daeng district some 50 years ago.

He said the group obtained a photo of the lintel and compared it with one taken by the late archaeologist Manit Vallibhotama, who took the photo of the famous Vishnu reclining on the Serpent Ananta lintel at Phanom Rung sanctuary, and found the two were identical. “They look like the same item,” said the businessman-turned-conservationist who was involved in the restoration of Nong Hong temple in 2002-2003.

More importantly, Mr Tanongsak said, Chong Moon Museum said the lintel is from “Nong Hong temple, Buri Ram province” which is in the lower part of the Northeast.

“With that information it’s clear the lintel belonged to us. We believe it must have been smuggled from Thailand at the same time the Vishnu reclining on the Serpent Ananta lintel was stolen from Phanom Rung sanctuary,” he said, referring to the lintel that Thailand retrieved from the Chicago Art Institute and reinstalled at Phanom Rung Sanctuary in 1988.

According to Mr Tanongsak, Manit took the two photos, among many others, during his exploratory trip of the Northeast and were included in his report in 1960. It was Manit’s photo of the Vishnu lintel that Thailand used as key evidence to prove the country’s ownership of the invaluable lintel, eventually winning the case.

Manit’s photo of the Nong Hong lintel showed the object was attached above the gate on a building on the southern side of the temple which is from the same period as the 12th century Prasart Muang Tam in Buri Ram, he said, adding the group was studying the Vishnu lintel case and would follow suit.

“It’s the right move as the public wants the piece of national heritage returned to the country,” he said.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

A scene from Train to Busan. Photo: Sahamongkol Film International

Zombies overrunning a high-speed train, what more could you ask for.

Rabid half-corpses, cross-eyed and gurgling blood, chase the warm flesh of human survivors in a moving vehicle. The dead is after the living. Inhuman organism in hot pursuit of humanity. The soulless vs the struggle to save the soul, and so on. After decades of resurrection, after the lumbering, Vietnam War-era Night of the Living Dead to the fast-running Golems of 28 Days Late, zombies have become a permanent member of the universal pop-lore — a global monster untied to any cinematic race and an American B-movie staple now crossing into an A-team Korean blockbuster. Here the Koreans have shown that they can cook a first-rate zombie saga as impressively as Samsung’s riffs on Apple; in a reverse traffic, Hollywood and French studios are now competing to get the remake rights of this smash hit in South Korea.

Train to Busan looks and feels familiar, which is good because we waste little time in getting into the neck-chomping. A mysterious viral outbreak has spread a zombie epidemic — no explanation is given, which is again very good since we don’t have to endure another nonsensical pontification disguised as science. Cue in the human drama: A banker — a “bloodsucker”, get the pun? — is escorting his young daughter to the port city of Busan when a passenger on his train gets infected and soon half of the well-dressed commuters are transformed into a frothing swarm of flesh-eating creatures. The father, who previously ignored his daughter because he was busy making money, now has to prove his worth as a parent and as a person.

The moral message is familiar: in a stampede of monsters, the scariest creature is the human. Sticking to the playbook of disaster movies, Train to Busan is about a group of people stuck together in an enclosed space and a life-and-death situation where their true selves are revealed. The train — as in Titanic or in Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, which is superior in its metaphor and ambition — is a microcosm of humanity at its best and worst: We have the selfish father looking for redemption, with his little daughter in tow; there’s a burly, big-hearted husband trying to protect his frail pregnant wife (a film about death has to have a symbol about birth); there’s a group of baseball-playing high-schoolers; there’s a homeless man to remind us of the democratic nature of the zombie threat; and there’s the “elite” class led by a transport tycoon who’ll trample on the corpses of everyone to make sure he’ll stay alive.

Then there’s the croaking horde of zombies — a perfect metaphor for the universality of death because Korean zombies, Japanese zombies, American zombies and Thai zombies look the same, at least in the movies. Here on the high-speed train hurtling through fallen cities, the creatures are locked in separate bogies after the survivors find out that despite their voracious appetite, the zombies don’t know how to press open the door. One of the set pieces — there are many — is when some of the humans have to bolt from a station and hitch on a moving train, then battle their way through the zombie-infested carriages to join the rest of the survivors.

In short, Train to Busan sticks loyally to the genre convention and yet makes it slick. The film has been directed by Yeon Sang-ho, who made a splash from a 2011 brutal animation The King of Pigs, an intense look at high-school bullying and structural violence in Korean society. With this high-budget blockbuster, Yeon brings in a skilful staging of sudden, irrepressible savagery of this unnatural disaster (that’s debatable anyway, since the virus came from an industrial factory). Yeon is deft in handling the interplay of space: the interior of the train compartments, the cramped toilet, the gaps between the seats. And while we still remember the stomach-churning swarms of zombies in the Brad Pitt-starring World War Z, this Korean film designs the visual to make the terror more personal: it’s not a World War the Americans seem to love fighting, but a Korean civil war between the living and the dead, which is hairy enough.

The film’s closest reference, however, is not any of George Romero’s zombie romps. It’s another Korean film, Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, in which the last survivors of humanity live on a futuristic train incessantly hurtling through the new Ice Age. In this highly conceptual thriller, the survivors — Korean and Western including Chris Evans — are divided into classes, and the conflict isn’t between the dead and the living, but when the lower class at the back of the train stage a bloodied revolt against the ruling elite snug in the front (Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton also star). For pure adrenaline, Train to Busan will chuga-chug you all the way. But to see how some Korean film-makers are cooking up some of the most interesting works, Snowpiercer is your weekend viewing.

Train to Busan

Starring Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Choi Woo-sik.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho.

In Korean with Thai and English subtitles.

Sneak preview at 8pm this week.

Wide release on Aug 11.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

In a special screening, The Sound of Music will screen at noon at Scala in Siam Square on Sunday. Yes, it’s referendum day, but fans or Julie Andrews and the Trapp family can perform their democratic duty first then head out to catch the show of this classic film — it will be the first time in 51 years that The Sound of Music is playing on the big screen here.

As part of the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne, Thai Film Archive (Public Organisation) has programmed seven classic films from the 1960s that His Majesty watched in cinemas when they were first released in Thailand. The Sound of Music is one of the films in the programme. Titled Monrak Pleng Sawan in Thai, the film was first released in Thailand in 1965. HM the King went to see it at Krung Kasem Theatre in Oct 29 of that year.

Directed by Robert Wise, The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Trapp Family Singers. Maria (Andrews), a free spirit and music lover is studying to become a nun in an Austrian convent. The Mother Abbess does not believe she is ready and sends her to the villa of Capt George Von Trapp, a retired naval officer and widower, to be a governess to his seven children. Maria attempts to use music and kindness to win everyone’s heart, as World War II breaks out and the Von Trapp family is threatened by the Nazi army.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

In July 2004, House RCA opened its doors as Bangkok’s alternative cinema. Twelve years on, to the surprise of many including the owners, it’s still standing as a home for small movies, indie darlings, overlooked hits and second-run titles, an anomaly in the near-monopoly market of theatre chains that dictate public taste with big movies.

“You want an honest answer? No, I never thought we would last this long,” said Chomsajee Techarattanaprasert, one of the founders.

“After a year, I realised it wasn’t a good business idea. Then every year onwards, people kept asking me when we would close shop because they could see we weren’t doing that great. But we kept doing it because we wanted to.”

Celebrating its 12th anniversary with a splendid renovation, House RCA is a cultural as well as a business case study: Can Bangkok sustain a stand-alone cinema that focuses on small movies, a haven of films that function as an antidote to loud blockbusters and neon-splashed multiplexes? Before House, the city wasn’t totally devoid of arthouse (or alternative) venues, and cinephiles weren’t starving to death — there were weekly screenings at cultural institutions such as Alliance Francaise and the Japan Foundation, while regular cinemas like Lido sometimes catered to indie titles.

But House, starting off with 35mm projection and now in digital, presented the first permanent movie house with a clear mission to promote small titles, Thai and international alike.

Enthusiasm ran high among film buffs. Over the years, the two-screen House boasted gems such as the director’s cut of the hit Thai film Rak Haeng Siam (Love Of Siam); the Chinese erotic thriller Se, jie (Lust, Caution) (the uncut version); the French lesbian drama La vie d’Adèle (Blue Is The Warmest Colour); the Iranian drama Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation); and the phenomenon of the Thai independent hits 36 and Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy, which packed the screening room and drew thousands of young viewers to the venue for over a month.

But those are bursts of glory. Chomsajee — who’s better known as an executive of Sahamongkol Film, one of Thailand’s biggest movie studios and distributors — admits that times have been tough. Each month, the attendance number is a few thousand at best, and far fewer on average. House’s location in the RCA strip, near Soi Soonvijai on Phetchaburi Road, has always been a shortcoming. Today, the cinema is a fashionable space next to an abandoned bowling parlour, while downstairs, apart from Tops supermarket, the atmosphere can feel glum.

Chomsajee admits that on a balance sheet, House can still stand, though barely, because of its affiliation with the richer Sahamongkol Film.

House RCA has been renovated for its 12th anniversary. Photos: Chanat Katanyu

“But House is not Sahamongkol Film, and our programming is independent,” says Chomsajee. “We screen films from every studio, Thai and international. We accept second-run titles [to prolong the life of a film after a week or two at multiplexes]. We show small Thai independent films that we know would hardly attract viewers.

“As a business, it’s not always a good idea. But when we started out, we knew we wanted to make this an alternative space, and when it got tough, we kept going because we believed it would create diversity in the moviegoing scene.”

The founders besides Chomsajee are Pongnarin U-lit and Pornchai Wiriyaprapanon, as well as Yuthana Boon-orm and Arunee Srisuk (though the latter two are no longer involved).

The lesson, Chomsajee says, is that running a stand-alone cinema with alternative programming requires lots of patience, physically and financially. And she says this despite the fact that she has had support from a bigger firm.

Another lesson is that the growth of the cinema business only means the expansion of big-scale multiplexes housed in shopping malls that show the same medium to big Hollywood titles — it doesn’t accompany the growth in diversity of taste and audience perception. Major Cineplex now has 600-plus screens and plans to open 60 more this year. SF Cinema, the other key player, has around 320 screens and plans to open a dozen more this year. This weekend, both chains expect to do brisk business from just one movie, the superhero flick Suicide Squad.

House, meanwhile, will screen Woody Allen’s Café Society, which has already had its run at multiplexes, and the French drama Un + Une.

Chomsajee says that she expected the segment of audience interested in so-called alternative movies would grow when she opened House. But over the past 12 years, that growth is not as substantial as she had imagined.

With the swanky renovation and a pained decision to up the ticket price to 140 baht after holding the 100-baht mark for several years, House seems committed to play its role, however small. “We started out because it’s our passion,” says Chomsajee. “Now we hope we can keep on doing this.”

Bangkok Screening Room. Photo courtesy of Bangkok Screening Room

The new kids on the block

Stand-alone cinemas in Bangkok nowadays are largely known as places where porn is screened. Scala Theatre or House RCA aren’t exactly thriving; the future of the former is still unclear while the latter trudges on. So it seems a reckless idea that a 50-seat alternative cinema, Bangkok Screening Room (BKKSR), is opening later this month right in the middle of the city.

But the plan isn’t an act of impulse. The trio of founders — Sarinya Manamuti, Nicholas Hudson-Ellis and Wongsarond Suthikulpanich — have been mulling over the plan for over two years. Back in 2014, they organised a pop-up open-air film screening programme at Hof Art Space which was met with great response from the public. They did a similar programme at Wonderfruit Festival last year.

“Every time we come back to Thailand, the choice of films to watch is so limited,” said Sarinya.

She and Hudson-Ellis were previously based in Australia, working at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. “There’s no space for alternative films, and most of the stand-alone cinemas are gone. With the chain cinemas we have in department stores, it’s not balanced at all. You have only a few films that are repeatedly screened in all cinemas.”

Situated in Saladaeng 1 off Rama IV, in the same building as Whitespace Gallery, the aim of BKKSR is to support emerging Thai filmmakers and provide an opportunity for local audiences to see films not usually screened in mainstream theatres.

Even though the ticket price, set at 300 baht, may seem high, it’s understandable considering the location and the selection of films to be screened. Opening late August, the programme is already set: the Contemporary Film Seasons category includes the 2012 joint British-Belgian-North Korean romantic comedy Comrade Kim Goes Flying, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Palme d’Or-winning film Loong Boonmee raleuk chat (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives). The Classic Film Seasons include Ishiro Honda’s 1954 classic Godzilla and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

The venue plans to screen two films on week nights, and four on Saturdays and Sundays.

To support emerging Thai filmmakers, the ticket revenue will be split 50/50 between the cinema and the filmmaker (it’s 55/45, or less generous, for filmmaker at cinema chains). Bangkok Screening Room also invites Thai independent directors to submit short films to be screened instead of commercials before every film.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

For the first 30 minutes or so of its two-hour duration, Suicide Squad genuinely reminded me of the zany, outlandish humour of Marvel’s Deadpool and Guardians Of The Galaxy, even if, ultimately, this one is not remotely as good. With zany, self-aware text introductions, a largely 80s-inspired soundtrack, excellent costume designs and enough one-liners to fill a book, Suicide Squad’s first act was a fun, neon-splashed ride that made me believe DC’s supervillain team-up would — ironically — be the comic label’s first good film. This all dissolves by the second act, however, as the film begins to disintegrate into predictable, by-the-numbers story complete, with all the pitfalls that held back its predecessors, becoming yet another mediocre entry in DC’s cinematic franchise.

Taking place shortly after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, black-ops director Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) uses the death of Superman to force the US government to greenlight a secret project dubbed Task Force X, a programme that coerces captured supervillains into working as black-ops operatives in order to combat threats from other super-powered individuals while giving the US government plausible deniability should things go wrong. The team’s very first mission goes awry, however, after team member Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) goes rogue, resurrecting her demonic brother in a bid to take over the world. In order to save the world — and their own heads from getting literally blown off — the once-villains become the unlikely heroes.

Even with a premise that sounds straightforward enough on paper, there are more plot holes here than Deadshot has bullets. The first thing I noticed is that the film never explains the reasoning behind the selection of each squad member. This is strange when you consider that four of the original eight members of a squad formed to deal with super-powered threats are regular (albeit very skilled) humans. Furthermore, Enchantress’ scheme to free her brother and rid herself of Waller’s control was executed so easily, you can’t help but wonder why she hadn’t done so long before. There are many more inconsistencies and unexplained events in the film (what is up with that unicorn plush that Captain Boomerang keeps in his jacket?) and you’ll have a much better time with it if you consciously choose to not think about the logic of the plot too much.

Despite having an ensemble cast of eccentric and interesting characters, Suicide Squad is largely the story of Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). As such, much of the character development that happens in the film is dedicated solely to these two characters, rendering almost every other character in the film into plot devices or comic relief. This isn’t to say that the film is entirely devoid of fun, as the portrayal of the two characters remains enjoyable throughout. Will Smith’s Deadshot in particular is probably the most well-developed character in the film, as the character’s love for his daughter conflicts with his murderous occupation and selfish attitude. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, while not as solidly developed, is still an enjoyable presence in the film thanks to her endearing portrayal of the character, who is as adorable as she is dangerous. You can’t help but wish you knew her in real life, even if she’ll most likely stab you in the face and laugh about it.

The rest of the team — from the reptilian Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) to the Australian Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) — are woefully underdeveloped, with only the pyro-kinetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) receiving any kind of development at all. This means these characters are also there to serve as plot devices and comic-relief at best, and utterly inconsequential at worse. Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) do and say almost nothing of any significance besides doling out the occasional one-liner. They could all be replaced by any other villain of the same archetype and it would have very little impact on the film as a whole.

Another character probably at the front of anyone’s thoughts is Jared Leto’s Joker, whose fresh interpretation makes him an immediate scene-stealer every time he appears. Granted, we’re only given a very limited look at the Joker, with the film treating him more as a part of Harley Quinn’s character development. Still, the film also seems to be setting up the character for future instalments, and I’m keenly interested in seeing more of him in the future.

When all is said and done, Suicide Squad is saved from being an utter disappointment by virtue of the performances of its two central characters, Deadshot and Harley Quinn. The film’s first act, which makes use of various editing and shooting techniques in collaboration with its bright neon art-style, is undeniably one of the better superhero film first acts out there, though the logical holes, uneven character development and uninspired plot hold it back, resulting in a film that’s easy to get into but hard to really appreciate.

Suicide Squad

Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis.

Directed by David Ayer.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

The inadequate T-E transliteration often leads to accidental jokes. Therefore, Kinkao can mean “to eat rice, number nine or a knee (ouch!)” but the intermediate learners of the Thai language know it actually means to have a meal. Rice is such a staple in the Thai diet that it comes to symbolise food in general, you see. And yes, you can have more than rice at Kinkao, a new restaurant opened at Wishbeer about one month ago. To say that Kinkao is brand new isn’t 100% accurate as it started out as an online business which matches talented home cooks with customers. Kinkao 2.0 evolved into a service providing chefs to cook for you at your home. In its third version, Kinkao has partnered up with Wishbeer to set up its kitchen there and create a symbiosis, complementing the latter’s arsenal of craft beer with international flavours.

The vast and spacious venue of Wishbeer is best described as warehouse-chic and not in a bad way. We dig the rustic yet relaxed atmosphere of the place. It’s a place where you perch on high chairs around a big round table with beer in hand while shooting the s@%# with besties who have seen you drunk before. There are armchairs and sofas for when you’re in the mood for a low-key dinner too.

THE MENU

There are dishes from a surprising number of different cuisines — from French, Thai and fusion — contained in the two-page menu of Kinkao. The blackboard is where specials-of-the-day dishes are written on.

We’re off to an appetising starter with Spicy kurobuta (B200). Eight round pieces of pork retain a faint pinkish glow, showing signs of not being overcooked. The usually spicy dressing has been dialled down but still is quite potent. Another plus is that the veggies are so crunchy and refreshing. For this kind of price, we think the portion is a tad too modest, though.

The other Thai dish we give a thumbs-up to is Crispy morning glory (B250). The morning glory is battered and fried to an uber crunchiness. The tasty jumble contains bursts of flavours and textures. The dressing nicely blends sour, salty, spicy and sweet notes but those used to the light and spicy version may find it too mild. Not overly cooked prawns and minced pork lend some sweetness into this diverse and delicious mix.

We go for something from a different timezone next with Duo French sausages (B400). We have mixed feelings about merguez (lamb) sausage but lap up chipolata (pork) sausage. Merguez bursts with so many sparks of spices and offers some chewiness, while the pork sausage is just delightful with juiciness and herb aromas. The side of fries are good but not outstanding.

Baked raclette cheese (B270) hides warm chunks of potatoes sautéed in white wine underneath a delish layer of gooey cheese. Fried bacon adds a crunchy and salty touch to this comfort food. We would have scored it higher, had the potato spent a bit more time in the oven.

Bacon cheese burger (B300) is one heavyweight dish, giving you many mouthfuls. Conkey’s brioche never disappoints and the juicy patty is handmade with 120-day dry-aged Aussie beef. What’s more to love about this burger are the caramelised onions, fried bacon strips and cheddar cheese.

There are no desserts on the menu at the time of our visit. However, we reckon a bottle of fruit-flavoured beer or cider could do the same job.

INSIDER’S TIP

Samuel and Pakki, Kinkao co-founders, are cooking up new services. Their Master Kitchen gives an opportunity for professional or aspiring chefs to take over their kitchen at Wishbeer and offer a special menu. This could be a great way to taste their new creations on customers. Soon, Office Lunch will be launched too.

If you want to pair Kinkao food with beer, then definitely consider Wishbeer’s happy hours from 5-7pm every day except for on Thursdays when it occurs between 5-8 pm. Half pints and full pints are available for B120 and B200 from the normal prices of B160 and B290, respectively.

VALUE & VERDICT

Kinkao is about one-month old and in restaurant terms that is still embryonic. There is room for improvement here but it’s off to quite a good start. A night out with food and beer here shouldn’t disappoint. g

Kinkao

Thai/International ,Sun-Thu 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-11pm ,Wishbeer Home Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 67, BTS Phra Khanong Exit 1, www.facebook.com/kinkao.co, 089-779-8168

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

“Without music, life would be a mistake”, said existentialism’s darling, Friedrich Nietzsche. Guru does solemnly agree. And who pushes a significant portion of music in this city? Bangkok’s live DJs, of course! They’re like our unsung heroes, our hidden gems. They really do hold the keys to our city!

We have them to thank for getting us through our darkest hours. Without them, there’d be no fun, no late night kao man gai, no 7-11 cheese toasties of the carbonara variety and no waking up the next morning being like “WTF???” Most importantly, there’d no life and soul to any party, period. Shout out to all the DJs out there spinning for a living or out of pure passion. Without you, Bangkok would die.

And, here’s 12 fly AF DJs Guru can’t get enough of right now.

MENDY INDIGO

STYLE: Techno
SOUND: “Deep. Dark. Dirty”
PLAYS AT: Beam, Glow
WEAPON: Allen & Heath xone 92; CDJ 2000 nexus
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Have a passion for what you do. And if you’re good, get in touch with me via facebook. I’m always looking for local talent to play for my monthly night, “Dark and Dirty”, at Glow”
FOLLOW: http://soundcloud.com/mendy-indigo; http://fb.com/Mendy.Thailand

Photo: Coco

♦ Ms Mendy is one of Bangkok’s leading female Techno DJs. Her musical journey started aged eight with her love for singing, something reflected in the melodic vocal beats she’ll weave into her sets. She started DJ’ing after a trip to Nepal changed her life when a German friend introduced her to electronic music. It wasn’t long after she returned to Bangkok that she was spotted playing in top clubs. “My second home is Glow, where I developed a lot of my style”.

NOXRO

STYLE: Future Sounds
SOUND: “Boundless — I play what I prefer in that moment”
PLAYS AT: DND, Beam
WEAPON: Pioneer CDJ-2000NX; DJM-900NX
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Do. Instead of saying ‘I will do it’, just do”
FOLLOW: http://fb.com/NO10RO/; http://fb.com/whvck

Photo: Rapter

♦ Noxro, dare we say it, gives one of the biggest eargasms. As one of the founders of the creative music community WHVCK, he believes that music is a universal language that binds all. He’s famous for his futuristic hip hop sound, yet he’s also been known to delve into house and techno. Coming from turbulent beginnings in Bang Saen, music was always something that centred him, especially after he dropped out of high school. “I’ve always had to take care of myself and my mum; I did every possible job under the sun as a kid”. His DJ’ing career in Bangkok started off as a long commute every week — he’d board a bus and travel for two hours to come and play a two-hour set and then catch the 4am bus back to Bang Saen. Word spread like wildfire about his awesomeness and those commutes have now stopped. He’s relocated permanently to Krungthep because he’s just getting gigs left, right and centre now!

22 BULLETS

STYLE: EDM
SOUND: “High energy music”
PLAYS AT: All over. Follow upcoming gigs on his FB page
WEAPON: 4x CDJs 2000 Nexus; DJM 900 Nexus
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “If you want to take a career in DJ’ing seriously,
do your own production. Be patient and keep going. There’s no shortcut to success”
FOLLOW: http://soundcloud.com/22bullets; http://fb.com/The22bullets

Photo: Northfest and Chang

♦ Usually captivating audiences at festivals with his energetic mash-ups — his performances at S20 and Northfest this year had listeners gasping for air — 22 Bullets has been DJ’ing since the tender age of 14. He recently played in Myanmar and is expecting a lot more worldwide gigs this year. As a producer for Thai celebrity Dome Pakorn Lam, he also has had releases on labels such as Panda Funk and Dirty Dutch. This year will see his release of collaboration tracks with international DJs such as Robert Falcon, Makj and Ftampa.

DOTT & JUNESIS

STYLE: Deep House Techno
SOUND: “Seductive. Groovy. Energetic”
PLAYS AT: Glow, Dark Bar, Mustache, Whiteline
WEAPON: Allen & Heath Xone92; CDJ 2000 Nexus
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Always do your best at every gig no matter how small your audience is. You never know who’s watching!”
FOLLOW: http://soundcloud.com/junesis, http://soundcloud.com/dogsontheturns, http://fb.com/junesiss, http://fb.com/dogsontheturns.

Photo: Senyai

♦ When you watch this duo perform, you can’t help but smile. Introduced to each other through DJ/Producer King Kong three years ago, they were the youngest DJs at the time playing house music at Grease and naturally gravitated towards one another. And they’re like this ying and yang force spinning towards the centre of Bangkok’s underground house and techno scene. Junesis (right) draws influences from the island life, evoking a “deep house by day” sound and DOTT complements it with a city-centric techno “by night” one. The energy created between them is inimitable and you’d never expect such musical stamina from such an innocent looking pair. We hear they’ve been caught spinning on the decks for 10 hours straight. Apart, they’re insane DJs, but together, they wreak havoc — in a good way.

CLEO P

STYLE: Electro Bass / Trap / Hip Hop
SOUND: “Swag. Bounce. Hi-Octane”
PLAYS AT: She keeps things fresh so follow her FB. Gogrrrls parties at Dark Bar are her “favourite” though.
WEAPON: Pioneer CDJ-2000; turntables.
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Be true to yourself and develop your own style”
FOLLOW: http://fb.com/djcleop1, http://soundcloud.com/cleo-p, http://cleo-p.com, http://fb.com/gogrrrls

Photo: fb.com/djcleop1

♦ Cleo P’s musical journey started off six years ago when she was signed with Thaitanium ENT as a dancer, choreographer and rapper. Although she loved rapping, being stuck in one style of music bothered her so she started DJ’ing, being the first female DJ for Bangkok Invaders and also co-founding Bangkok’s “queer hipster” club night, Go Grrrls. She was then playing whatever music she liked from a mix of genres. Starting off as an electro DJ who would add elements of hip hop into her sets, as trap music developed she quickly found the genre combined her two preferred styles, electro and hip hop, which made her instantly fall in love with it. “I love trap music because it has few rules. You can combine all sorts of genres which always seem to get the crowd moving”.

DELOREAN

STYLE: Drum and Bass / UK Bass / Dub / Reggae
SOUND: “Fast soul music”
PLAYS AT: Right now the monthly night “Kontraband” by Phatfunk at Dark Bar.
WEAPON: Pioneer CDJ-2000; Technics SL-1200
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Unfortunately it’s all about who you know so get down to every gig, set or party you can. You gotta be there to be noticed”
FOLLOW: http://fb.com/DeLoreanDJ, http://soundcloud.com/jgilbody, http://mixcloud.com/jamesgilbody

Photo: Kontraband

♦ Delorean is the perfect example of someone who spins purely for passion, working by day as Digital Director for his creative video production agency. As one of the founders of Bangkok’s famous drum and bass (D&B) night, Phatfunk, you’ll always catch him behind the decks mixing in some dirty liquid D&B and dub that’s seeping with London and Bristol sounds. He started off as a jazz/blues pianist and guitarist at his school in the UK and in his teens played in metal bands. The older he got, the more difficult it became for him to get people to practise. Thus, DJ’ing was a natural substitute. D&B was an instant fit with his tastes as it had far reaching influences and he was able to get his fix of jazz, hip hop, metal, funk and soul all into one genre. #musicalgeniusalert.

DJ BOMBER SELECTA

GENRE: Reggae Dancehall
SOUND: “Positive. Creative. Expressive”
PLAYS AT: Sway, Knock, Grease
WEAPON: Pioneer PLX-1000 Turntables; Pioneer PDM-S9 Mixer
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Head, hands, heart. Love what you do and do what you love”
FOLLOW: http://mixcloud.com/bomberselecta, http://soundcloud.com/bomberselecta, http://fb.com/djbomberselecta

Photo: Boatlogo

♦ As the two-time champion of the Thailand Red Bull Thre3style competition for 2015 and 2016, Bomber Selecta has been DJ’ing since the early 2000s. When he’s not DJing and winning competitions, the avid music collector is spreading his musical knowledge and instructing aspiring DJs at Kreatah DJ school. Although his favourite style of music to mix is reggae dancehall, his sound is eclectic as he also incorporates hip hop, R&B, soul, funk, house and Top40s in his sets. And boy, can he scratch. In his opinion though, “music genres are just artificial boundaries that have no meaning”. We agree.

DJ PICHY

STYLE: Old School Hip Hop / Drum and Bass
SOUND: “Funky. Heavy. Bass”
PLAYS AT: W Hotel, Beam, Mellow, Surface
WEAPON: DJM-900NXS Pioneer, Turntables with vinyl or Serato vinyl
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Do what you love and don’t quit”
FOLLOW: http://soundcloud.com/pichy

Photo: High Voltage

♦ As a dedicated and loving full time mother, you’ll also catch Pichy spinning every other night of the week. She started DJ’ing back in 2003 around the same time she was working at the record store, Jazzbah Records. With a deep love for jungle D&B that was instigated in 1998 when she started partying, she was soon playing at top venues — back in the day — such as Astra, Qbar and Bed Supperclub. 2008 saw a hiatus in her DJ’ing career when she had her baby girl but it wasn’t long before she was back on the scene DJ’ing and bringing in big names such as DJ Zinc and Onra, organising events under Quay Records which she co-founded with three friends. If it’s not hip hop or D&B she’s playing, expect to hear Jazz, Soul, Funk, boogie or garage.

HYPEFREAX

STYLE: Hype EDM Trap
SOUND: “Energetic. Uplifting. Powerful”.
PLAYS AT: Seen Space, Insanity, EQ, Sherbert.
WEAPON: Pioneer’s DDJ-SX; freestyling; bomb AF dance moves
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Always believe in yourself no matter what anyone tells you. To do what you love for a living is truly living”
FOLLOW: http://fb.com/hypefreax, http://hypefreax.com, http://soundcloud.com/hypefreax

Photo: HypeFreax

♦ When it comes down to it, no one else is doing what they’re doing right now for Bangkok nightlife and people have noticed. With DJ and producer Kriszd (right) spinning behind the decks and international rapper “Egypt” freestyling and throwing bomb AF dance moves — often joined with DJ Kriszd dancing too — these guys always put on a show that’ll leave the audience either screaming, dancing on tables, bouncing off walls or Lord knows what else. They’ve been kicking it since they were six, back in their Las Vegas days when they “were the only brown” kids in school. When Kriszd moved to Thailand, it was eight years before they saw each other but when they reunited, they both knew they were stronger as a unit than apart. You may also already know them for that song they released that went viral a few months ago, Ride It Like The BTS. If you haven’t already, youtube it. It puts a whole new spin on those early morning train rides to work.

DJ SUNNY

STYLE: Electro House & Trap
SOUND: “Shook. Fresh. Ecstatic”
PLAYS AT: DND
WEAPON: Pioneer CDJs
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Have a good personality and build real relationships with people”
FOLLOW: http://mixcloud.com/djsunnyburns, IG: djsunnyburns

Photo: Siam2nite

♦ Growing up in Surat Thani and a regular attender of the Full Moon parties, Sunny was inspired by the string of international DJs he saw and eventually played at one of the count downs, aged 22. Moving to Bangkok to study Advertising at Rangsit University, he started off playing dubstep at Cafe Democ. In the advent of the trap music and the Powderpuff community and parties that were thrown in its wake, DJ Sunny soon became “known” for trap music. He was, after all, one of the first to play it here.

ELLIE

STYLE: Deep Techno
SOUND: “Hypnotic. Desert. Journey”
PLAYS AT: Mustache, Glow
WEAPON: CDJ-2000-NXS. “Recently played on a Xone 92 Mixer. I’d like to get more acquainted with that!”
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Surprise yourself, constantly”
FOLLOW: http://fb.com/ellie.khodayar, http://soundcloud.com/ellie-bkk

Photo: Kittipong June Tangkamonkit

♦ The Thai/Persian Ellie is a mystical force to be reckoned with when she gets behind the decks, pumping a dark and seductive sound like no other. Starting off as a classic bedroom DJ mixing for friends and personal pleasure, her love for music took her to throwing underground parties for ravers where she too would play. After being spotted by techno-star, DJ and producer Sunju Hargun, one of Bangkok’s and South East Asia’s biggest, he eventually took her under his wing and started featuring her in his monthly event “Inhale Exhale” at Glow. She’s slowly building up momentum and entering the eye of Bangkok’s techno storm. Watch out for her, she’s about to explode.

DJ GUS

STYLE: Hip Hop/ R’n’B
SOUND: “Sexy. Classic. Turnt”.
PLAYS AT: Dirty Bar (Demo), Wine Republic, Knock and Darker. 
WEAPON: Everything but mainly Technics sl 1200.
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING DJS: “Practise. Listen to lots of music and always do what you want to do”.
FOLLOW: http://mixcloud.com/dj_gus

Photo: Yashigus

♦ This guy puts a whole new meaning to “turnt”. Starting off aged 17, he learned watching his brothers in the DJ booths and admits messing up many times before he got it right. Practise certainly does make perfect because eight years down the line he’s got crowds that would go out purely to listen to him. What we love about DJ Gus is he’s fully into what he does: “It’s not about playing songs from left deck to right deck. It’s all about understanding. You’re telling a story to people through music and selection is so important. It can be perfect if you understand what you’re playing and you understand your audience”. Even though it’s the classic dilemma all DJs face, he always strives to make himself and his audience happy in one night. And nothing’s ever fixed — he’ll throw in classic disco, funk, rock and even grunge into one night too.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

A LITTLE SELECTIVE TASTE of the Scottish Highlands has been brought to Bangkok.

The popular Decanter wine lounge at the St Regis Bangkok hotel has recently undergone a facelift and added a Johnnie Walker Blue Label Room to treat the city’s whisky connoisseurs.

Perched on the 12th floor of the hotel, the lounge is now brighter and more welcoming with a distinct relaxed feel. Once a single room, the floor area is now divided into three separate areas for the wine lounge, a separate dining area and now Thailand’s first Johnnie Walker Blue Label Room.

Located at the front of Decanter, the new whisky room is designed with cushioned leather armchairs in the lounge with high tables and chairs along the corridor. Members can relax in the sumptuous surroundings sipping fine malts, and keep their own precious bottle of malt in one of 26 private cabinets.

“I am very delighted and honoured to play a part in offering a superior experience at Decanter for our Johnnie Walker Blue Label customers. The room offers the first exclusive Johnnie Walker private cabinets in Thailand and features the world’s best blended and single malt whiskies from the Diageo portfolio.” Paul Sirisant, marketing director of Diageo Moet Hennessy (Thailand) said at the launch event last week.

Prices start at Bt60,000 for a six months “King George V” membership, which comes with a bottle each of the brand’s King George V, XR21 and Blue Label. A one-year “Odyssey” membership costs Bt150,000 and offers a bottle of Odyssey, 18-year-old Platinum Label, Blue Label as well as an entry pass to the Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai or Beijing.

The ultimate “John Walker” package costs Bt435,000 and lasts for three years. You get the same bottles as the “Odyssey” package as well as a bottle of the rare limited edition Commemorative 1920 Edition, plus other exclusive privileges.

All memberships include complimentary monthly tasting and cocktail sessions, exclusive souvenirs, a personalised bottle engraving and privileges at food and beverage outlets at the St Regis Bangkok. While parts of Decanter may occasionally be closed for private functions and events, the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Room will always be open and available to members.

Along with the whisky delights, Decanter also features an exceptional range of wines, from New World producers to classic Old World vintages. Selected with care by the hotel’s knowledgeable sommelier, the extensive wine cellar includes some of the world’s most celebrated vintages as well as new and engaging labels.

“Among the world-class wine offerings at Decanter is an exceptional variety of Spanish wines to complement the new Spanish Tapas menu. Furthermore, cigar aficionados can also enjoy our carefully selected premium cigars.” Joseph Lee, director of food and beverage at hotel said.

Decanter’s drink menu also offers a wide range of blended whiskies from Johnnie Walker range, starting at Bt380 per glass and Bt5,200 per bottle. The lounge also offers Scotch single malts from the Glenmorangie Collection, Highland, Islay and Isle of Skye as well as Lowlands, with prices ranging from Bt400 to Bt2,000 a glass.

Whisky cocktails, from Bt380, are also available, such as Gold Fashion with Johnnie Walker Gold Label and bitters, Season Change with Johnnie Black Label infused vanilla bourbon tea and Jack the Ripper with Johnnie Walker Gold Label and ginger ale.

Customers can also take advantage of simple, small Spanish dishes from the kitchen while they sip their choice of refreshment.

Decanter is on the 12th floor of the St Regis Bangkok hotel, adjacent to Rajdamri BTS.

For more information on House of Walker Membership, call (02) 207 7777 or visit www.StRegisBangkok.com.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

Tickle that funny bone

Laugh your socks off at the improv comedy show which returns to The Comedy Club Bangkok on Sukhumvit soi 33/1 tonight. The audience’s suggestions fuel to the performers, which can make for comedy gold right before your eyes. The night is led by award-winning Canadian funny man Drew McCreadie and other members of Bangkok’s improv comedy community. Entry is Bt500 with Bt85 beers all night.

Glam rock with passion

Theatrical glam rock trio Chanudom is set to perform live at RE 234 on Sukhumvit soi 24 tonight. The trio is made up of an actor and two musicians who got together to narrate their unique life stories through their shared passion – music. Their breakthrough hit “Bad Blood” is produced by Jay Montonn. Chanudom will be joined by Black Bastet. Entry is free. Call (02) 117 2829.

Wish comes to an end

Tonight is your last chance to enjoy Hitachino Nest beers from Kiuchi Brewery at Wishbeer Home Bar on Sukhumvit soi 69. Now in its eighth generation, the brewery was founded in 1823 as a sake brewery in the Ibaraki prefecture of Japan. The first Hitachino Nest beer was brewed in 1996. Six draught beers and three bottled beers are served all night. Call (02) 392 1403.

A night of seduction

Live out your “Fifty Shades of Grey” fantasy at a flirty night at the Vogue Lounge near Chong Nonsi BTS on Thursday. Dress to impress and get in the game in a fashionable setting fuelled by bubbly, canapes and trendy beats by DJs Maarten Goetheer and Karl Andy. Entry is free and there is a special deal on Hennessy Cognac. Call (02) 001 0697.

Chocolate Puma to debut in Bangkok

Dutch duo Chocolate Puma is set to perform live in Bangkok for the first time at Live RCA on Thursday. Dobre and Zki from Haarlem, Netherlands, have produced multiple dance hits under various group names since the early 1990s. Their biggest international hits to date are “Give It Up”, “Damn Woman”, “I Wanna Be You”, “Always and Forever” and more.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

RATCHADAPISEK ROAD |welcomes a new addition to the Bangkok nightlife scene with the opening of Mad Club Bangkok, a venue that promises to offer wild nights fuelled with crazy electronic music to party people.

The past few years have witnessed a move away from spacious clubs with dedicated dance floors with the trend turning to cosier spaces and “chill out” spots where music is enjoyed at low volume and guests sink into cushioned sofas. Mad is setting out to reverse that.

We talked to Matthew Hammond, Mad’s entertainment director, who was previously at the now-closed Q Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 11.

WHY IS IT CALLED “MAD”?

We thought it would be an easy name for Thais to pronounce and for people around the world to recognise. We want to do mad parties, we have mad ideas about Bangkok’s nightlife, and as we all a bit mad here, so mad people will fit right in.

WHY RATCHADAPHISEK ROAD?

Most of the existing clubs on Ratchada are not very international in their style, so we saw quite a lot of potential here for our concept. Ekkamai, Thonglor, lower Sukhumvit and Silom are the hot spots and Mad will soon become a cornerstone on Ratchada. We wanted to open something that would be inviting to Thais as well as to foreigners and tourists. Ratchada is an up-and-coming area and home to a lot of expats and international students.

WHAT MAKES MAD DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CLUBS?

We have worked with the best to completely revamp the interior with a new and trendy design; we wanted to create a cool but inviting atmosphere supported by high-quality music systems and light shows. Every detail in our club is thought through and the dramatic entrance, the large outdoor space and the VIP area all will provide for a unique and different experience at affordable prices. Last but not least, we offer lots of parking and for the hungry partygoers, there are some snacks available.

WHO DOES MAD CATER TO?

We are offering a mix of Thai and international booze, beats, and people. Of course we are catering more to the Thai segment at the moment playing EDM and hip hop by Thai DJs who are well known on the Bangkok scene but also playing the more popular clubs in Bangkok, which the international crowd frequents. At the moment heavyweights like OKB Crew, Lazerface Records, Bangkok Invaders, Quay records and Tha Beatlounge have partnerships with us and we hope to give these artists and their labels a new home out of which to operate. We are also looking to attract the international crowd to come and experience Ratchada and we offer international music as well. Our highly trained staff can speak English and we serve high-quality liquors and cocktails to satisfy the more demanding customer segment.

RATCHADA HAS LONG BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH A DIFFERENT SHADE OF NIGHTLIFE. DO YOU SEE THAT AS A CHALLENGE FOR MAD?

We are trying something new in Ratchada and the area has its own reputation. Then again when Q Bar opened in 1999 on Sukhumvit Soi

11, it was definitely not the same area it is now. It was dark, hard to find, and close to Nana, but it did not take long for people around the world to find it and recognise it as one of Bangkok’s top nightlife venues. Mad will hopefully be a trend?-setter and uplift the Ratchada area for a new nightlife experience.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM A NIGHT OUT AT MAD?

Welcoming and attentive service, a wide and attractive drink selection, plenty of room to

dance but also to relax on the sofas, good-looking party people enjoying themselves. We have mad drinks, mad DJs and a mad late closing time.

Mad Club Bangkok is on Ratchadaphisek Soi 14, close to Huay Kwang MRT. The club is open Wednesday till Sunday.

Visit www.Facebook.com/ MadClubBKK or call (094) 441 9124.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

Tired of the same fitness routine and want to build your strength while working on cardiovascular health and burning off the fat? Then try lifting one of those colourful metal balls called kettlebells. According to multiple world record holder and kettlebell world champion Sergey Rachinsky, the discipline offers all those benefits and plenty more besides.

The 45-year-old Saint Petersburg native dropped into Bangkok recently to host a three-day kettlebell strength workshop at Base, Bangkok’s newest addition to the fitness scene. The undisputed leader of girevoy, as the weight-lifting sport is known in Russia, Rachinsky holds 12 world titles and seven Guinness World Records including the most 100kg barbell squats in one hour at 520 reps, and the most in one go at 212 reps. His incredible 48kg kettlebell overhead press record is 5,555 times in 12 hours. Now a sought-after coach, he spends most of his time travelling the world holding seminars on kettlebell lifting and strength training at the world’s top fitness facilities.

“It’s always a great honour to welcome a coach that is as recognised and accomplished as Sergey and we’re very proud to have him sharing his knowledge with our trainers and clients” Base’s founder and chief executive Jack Thomas, told XP.

“His feats of strength are simply incredible and, having been lucky enough to train with him a few years ago, I know how inspiring and driven he is.”

Rachinsky took time out from his rigorous schedule to chat with us about his passion for the sport that has been adopted as a workout favourite for gym rats all over the globe including celebrities Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz, Christian Bale and Jason Stratham

Have you always been a sportsman?

Yes, all my life really. When I was seven, doctors discovered that my spine was out of alignment by 25 per cent and told my parents that I needed to stay active to help strengthen the spine and build muscle otherwise I’d have a crooked back forever. So I grew up playing football and swimming. I started going to the gym when I was in my teens and used dumbbells, barbells and other equipment to build my structure. I had another x-ray when I was in my late 30s and this time the alignment was just eight percent.

When did you discover kettlebell?

In 1988, when I joined the army. I stayed in the military for five years, mainly to finish my degree. Then at 25, I decided to become a kettlebell athlete/

What is it about kettlebell that appeals to you so much?

It’s very accessible – at least in Russia. You don’t need much to practise. You can do it anywhere, even in a small apartment or in your kitchen. Also, it has many benefits for your health, and complements your performance in other kinds of sports. Thirty years ago kettlebell was not really a sport. It was still developing and not a lot of people knew about it. A small group friends and I were among the first to get into kettlebell and see the potential of the equipment. I knew even then that it would become popular one day,

How big is it now?

It’s very difficult now to find a country with no kettlebells. The last kettlebell world championship in Ireland last year had 500 athletes representing more than 50 countries around the world. I haven’t seen any kettlebell lifters from Thailand so far but I’m sure once Thai people get to know this sport, they’ll love it and do well. Thais do well in many sports and Thai boxing requires a high level of fitness. Kettlebell should not be too hard.

Can kettlebell be a team sport?

Yes. You can do it alone or with a group. In what we call a relay race, five people have to lift for three minutes. Then the scores of each member of the group are combined. Kettlebell lifting is both an exercise and a competitive sport.

So kettlebell is essentially weight lifting?

Yes. In our daily life we lift things that are much heavier than a five or even ten-kilogram kettlebell – a sack of potatoes, a stack of books or a kid’s school backpack sometimes weigh several kilos. We lift weights all the time but kettlebell lifting teaches you to lift weights properly, to benefit your structure, your core and your muscles.

What are the most attractive benefits of kettlebell lifting?

Kettlebell lifting helps develop pretty much all muscle groups, helps organise your structure and encourages willpower. I know people who have been lifting kettlebells for 40 or 45 years and they are now over 65 years old and still using them for exercise. Anyone can do it and there’s no restriction on age or gender. It’s a great way to keep fit and it’s the kind of the exercise that has very low impact. Muscle pain and injury happen very rarely. I’ve played other sports that gave me more injuries than kettlebell. I torn my Achilles tendon playing basketball and broke bones in MMA fights. I used kettlebells to rehabilitate, to restore my muscles, strength, endurance and fitness. You must start with a trainer though to avoid beginners’ mistakes, the most common of which is to rush into lifting.

Is it a good sport for kids?

I’ve seen some kids start at the age of eight and it’s not a problem. However, I would suggest kids leave kettlebell training until they are 11 or 12 when they have a bit more muscle and better endurance. Kettlebell lifting is not used to bulk you up but it does help with endurance and fitness and that makes it ideal for women who want to be strong and healthy but don’t want to have bulky arms or six packs. We work in long reps, maybe 50 up to 60, per session. It’s not likely that you will bulk up but you will definitely build strong muscles. And once you’ve developed a good body mass, the fat will be burned off, leaving you lean and strong but not bulky. You’ll see a lot of female kettlebell lifters who don’t look like they can lift heavy weights but in fact they can, because after years of training they are very strong. It just doesn’t show.

Does it require a specific diet to get the best results?

I’m one of those people who eats everything – no restrictions. Maybe because I train regularly four times a week, I allow myself to eat whatever I want – chocolate, sweets and occasionally a little dry red wine. I don’t believe in protein shakes, protein bars or any food supplements. I believe in real food. Some of my friends go to the extreme and have very strict diets. Some eat only raw vegetables and plants while others go for the Paleo diet and eat only meat. They all say they feel great. But I eat everything! I’m not saying what I do is best but it works for me.

When was the last time you saw a doctor?

[Long pause] Last time I went to a hospital was when I was still in the army, so about 20 years ago. I think I had a really bad cold. Like everyone I get the odd cold or stomach upset or catch something from my sons but the problem always clears up quickly. Exercise and you won’t remember what the inside of a hospital looks like!

The right lift

>> Kettlebell lifting training will soon be available at Base, adjacent to BTS Thonglor station.

>> Visit Facebook.com/BaseBangkok or call (083) 838 5810.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.