Laor Thongpradap
Dennis James, owner of Pattaya’s Universe Gym and
former Mr. Universe professional body builder, and his lovely bride
Rattikal Thonghom celebrated their wedding June 29, 2002 at the Amari
Orchid Resort. The bride and groom’s families and close friends attended
the festivities.
Dennis
and Rattikal (center), Dennis’s parents (left), Rattikal’s mother
(right, with glasses) and the bridesmaid pause for a moment to take a deep
breath after the happy occasion of their wedding.
Dennis held the titles of Mr. Universe, Mr. USA, Mr.
Europe and won the Professional Body Building Championship in Hungary. He
married Rattikal after six years of courtship.
The fun reached its peak when the groom, following an
old German tradition, tried to take off the bride’s blue garter using
only his teeth.
After her husband was successful, Rattikal threw her
bridal bouquet into the crowd of waiting, unmarried girls. The lucky lady
who caught the bouquet happily showed it to her farang friend, but we
didn’t ask if he was happy, too, since we didn’t see him trying to
catch the blue garter that Dennis threw towards the unmarried men.
Dennis and Rattikal are planning to move to Florida
where they hope to start a family. We wish them the best!
Laor Thongpradap
Emirates Airlines, the national carrier of the Untied
Arab Emirates held their annual road show at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
on June 30, during which they announced a successful year, achieving
profits of 6.9 billion baht.
Suntorn
Suree (left), Emirates general manager for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos,
and his sales team presented information on the airline’s plans for the
future.
The Emirates road show, held annually in Pattaya, is
aimed at thanking all tour companies and travel agents in the region for
their support as well as informing them of Emirates’ new packages and
updated information.
The road show began with a seminar, with speakers
announcing the airline’s new packages, featuring the Skywards frequent
flyer program, Dubai Bargain Breaks, Dubai Stopover program, and Dubai
Summer Surprises. This was followed by information on Emirates’
services, including the new online booking system, expected to be up and
flying within the next month, and plans to extend the airline’s
capabilities by adding another 5 destinations around the globe.
Once the formalities were over the fun began with the
crowd gathering around to watch the finals of the FIFA World Cup. Tension
and excitement ran high.
After the match, Suntorn Suree, Emirates general
manager for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, ably assisted by his sales team
began a prize drawing with the top prize of an air ticket.
Suntorn said, “In the past 12 years, Emirates has
found innovative ways to improve their services and the quality of the
travel experience for its passengers. Despite the airline crisis last
year, Emirates have constantly been at the forefront of striving to
provide services. The number of flights has increased every year and we
will add an extra 3 flights per week to the UAE, bring the total to 10. We
are proud to be at the center of relations between Thailand the United
Arab Emirates.”
Emirate Airlines is the national carrier for the United
Arab Emirates and to date has received over 200 awards for their efforts
in the providing service and convenience to passengers.
The head office in Dubai was opened in 1985. The
airline now has 58 offices in 41 countries and a staff of 82
nationalities.
PILC July luncheon at Henry J. Beans
A twin billing of Canada’s National Day (July 1) and the
USA’s Independence Day (4th of
July) were the featured themes of the Pattaya International Lady’s Club (PILC)
July luncheon at the Amari Orchid Resort’s Henry J. Beans Pub and
Restaurant. The extensive buffet featured cuisine indigenousness to both the
USA and Canada.
Professor
Jane Vallentyne and her PAW team gave the appreciative audience a
demonstration of how they perform for the children.
The club seems to always find ways to celebrate something
fun at their monthly luncheons. Laurence Fatus, PILC’s energetic
president, said that the National Days celebrations were part of the
club’s program to provide as much opportunity as possible for its
diversified group of members to experience each other’s different
countries and their cultures.
All this fun also serves a benevolent purpose, as
proceeds from the PILC monthly luncheons go to support various charity
projects.
Professor Jane Vallentyne from the University of Alberta,
Canada, was the perfect choice as this month’s guest speaker, as she was
born and raised in Canada but later moved to stay in the USA.
Professor Jane also manages the “Play around the
World” (PAW) project, a team of eleven young students from the University
of Alberta who work as volunteers at the Pattaya Orphanage and at a refugee
camp in Chonburi. These young people specialize in dancing, singing, drama,
recreation and sport, all of which they use to work with orphans and
underprivileged children, focusing on the expansion of mind, body and soul.
Through this program, volunteers hope to develop these aspects of personal
achievement for disadvantaged youths.
During her speech, Professor Jane not only explained
certain Canadian and American habits and ways of life, but also shared with
the audience her experiences as the leader of PAW.
The young PAW team received a rousing ovation for giving
the audience a demonstration of how they perform for the children. Their
Canadian folklore dance was especially appreciated.
During the celebrations, the Family Reunion Band from
Royal Cliff Hotel played, naturally, the Canadian National Anthem and the
USA’s “Star Spangled Banner”, after which toasts were made to both
countries.
Before the festivities came to a close, man-about-town
Peter Malhotra was seen handing out copies of the Pattaya Mail’s
new Dining Out Guide, a useful reference for the PILC ladies, their
families, friends and anyone who visits Pattaya’s many culinary venues.
The next PILC luncheon will be held at the Au Bon Coin
Restaurant on July 16th to celebrate French National Day.
