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Oh what a Night! Pattaya Blatt blasts off!
The launch party for the new German language weekly
newspaper, the Pattaya Blatt, was held at the Thai Garden Resort
with the Cristina Bien-Betourne concert. Not only was this a joint effort,
but the proceeds from the evening and the charity auction were donated to
local aid organizations.
 Phra
Khru Patrakijviboon (Acharn Kan) annoints and blesses the Pattaya Blatt
signboard during religious ceremonies on the July 15 2002.
White blossoms decorated the stage, which featured a
backdrop of King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s fairy-tale castle. Little
German, Austrian and Swiss flags grew out of flower baskets and maps of
Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland floated on the surface of
the pool. More than 360 guests including journalists and Pattaya Mail
staff turned out for the gala launch party.
Elfi Seitz greeted the guests as the first program of
the evening got underway, a dance of blessing performed by students of
Pattaya school No. 3, followed by a presentation by young students from
Canada dressed in the traditional German dress called the “Dirndl”
complete with suspenders of the various colours of the German speaking
countries. They danced a modern version of the “Schuhplattler”, a
famous native Austrian/Bavarian dance, much to the delight of the
audience.
The
Pattaya Blatt team proudly pose with the first edition of the newspaper as
it runs hot off the press.
The launching of the Pattaya Blatt was done in a
most dramatic fashion when Prince and Tony Malhotra broke through the
large paperboard of Pattaya Blatt newspapers followed by Peter
Malhotra, signifying the birth of the German language newspaper.
Publisher of the Pattaya Blatt (and incidentally
the publisher of the Pattaya Mail) is Peter Malhotra, who showed
amazing restraint by only addressing the huge poolside party for 10
minutes - however, he did this in three languages (Thai, English and
German), which brought him up to his usual 30 minutes of impassioned
inspirational prose! The guests were impressed by his ability with tongues
and conviviality was certainly the order of the night. Beer “towers”
were plentiful, a novel device to keep 2 litres of beer cold at the
tables, not that it lasted long! The buffet was also highly recommended,
and Miss Terry Diner was seen hopping up and down more than once.
 Prince
Malhotra welcomes the guests of honour, while father Peter and brother
Tony look on.
When it came time for the ribbon cutting ceremony, as a
special effect, German sausages were used instead of the normal ribbon.
Guests of honor which included Sansak Ngampichet, head advisor to the
minister of science, technology and environment, Chanyut Hengtrakul,
advisor to the minister of science, technology and environment and owner
of Sophon Cable; Sopin Thappajug, associate judge of the Family Court in
Chonburi and managing director of the Diana Group; Nittaya Patimasongkroh,
president of the YWCA Pattaya Chapter; Walter Kretschmar, director of TGI;
Hans-Dieter Westphal, managing director manager of Rieckermann Thailand;
Surat Mekhavarakul, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism
Association, Manit Boonchim, director of TAT Central Region 3, Pattaya,
Khun Virasakdi Vongkositkul (Tik), Sales Manager of Emirates Airlines,
Brian Sinclair-Thompson, country manager of Swiss International Airlines
along with many other dignitaries form the public and private sector,
brandished large knives, sliced through the sausages and with much mirth,
declared the new German language newspaper officially open.
VIPs
sliced through the ribbon of sausages to declare the Pattaya Blatt
officially open.
The
dance of blessing performed by students of Pattaya school No. 3.
The
winning bidder Hans Dieter Westphal, managing director of Rieckermann
Thailand, receives the round-trip ticket to Germany from Virasakdi
Vongkositkul (Tik), sales manager of Emirates Airlines. Elfi, Peter and
Dr. Iain seem pleased with themselves.
Andrew
Wood (2nd right), GM of Royal Cliff Beach Resort presents a boquet of
flowers to the Pattaya Blatt team (L to R) Poo, Brendan, Sue und Peter
Cummins.
Brian
Sinclair-Thompson, country manager of Swiss International Airlines
presents a round-trip ticket to Singapore for the raffle.
Bruno
Keller, president of the Rotary Club Jomtien-Pattaya, representing Swiss
International Air Lines, presents the Singapore round-trip ticket to
Supaporn Kamman.
The YWCA will receive half
of the evening’s proceeds for their “Happy Family Project” and Rene
Pisters, the GM of Thai Garden Resort will present the other half to the
Camillian Center for AIDS infected children.
Above (L to R): Peter, Elfi, Dr. Iain, Premruedee Jittiwutthikarn, Rene
Pisters, Nittaya Patimasongkroh and Surat Mekhavarakul, president of the
Pattaya Business and Tourism Association.
Peter warmly welcomes our
Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, Chanyuth Hengtrakul, advisor to the
Minister of Science, Technology and Environment and managing director of
Sophon Cable TV, while Ib Ottensen joins in the fun.
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Cristina-the return of a star
The Cristina Bien-Betourne concert
was a large part of the launch party for the new German language
weekly newspaper, the Pattaya Blatt, held at the Thai Garden
Resort. Not only was this a joint effort, but also the proceeds from
the evening and the charity auction were donated to local charity
organizations.
 “...and
I will always love you!” Yes, Cristina, we all love you too!
After the gala launch of the Pattaya Blatt,
the guests waited eagerly for Cristina Bien-Betourne to arrive. When
she did, she received thundering applause. With her exciting voice,
her beauty and a perfect program, she was able to keep the audience
under her spell.
Lovely, sexy Canadian girls filled her chorus
line during two songs, and made many male hearts beat faster,
especially with the song “Man, I feel like a woman”.
One of the highlights of Cristina’s show was
her duet with Nazim, the lead singer of “What’s New”.
Cristina looked stunning in her all her costumes,
which she changed into during her performance. Yet, when she slowly
moved down the stairs of the stage in a white dress, she looked like
a princess straight out of a fairytale. With the romantic castle at
her back, one could believe they were seeing Cinderella, enchanting
all the people who watched her.
 Walter
Kretschmar, director of TGI, didn’t win the bid for the ticket,
but instead won Cristina’s heart.
Cristina sang the song “Live” on her knees,
looking like a fragile porcelain doll, but for her mighty voice. The
applause rose to a crescendo when four white doves were freed and
flew into the night sky.
Cristina’s concert was the usual powerful
professional performance we remembered her by, but full marks should
also be given to the Thai Garden’s resident group, “What’s
New” who gave a stunning concert on their own as well as backing
Cristina.
At the end of the show, all the performers were
presented with flower bouquets – and indeed, Cristina was
inundated with them. After the concert, there were still lots of
raffle prizes to give away. The two main raffle prizes were a ticket
to Koh Samui, sponsored by Min Travel and a ticket to Singapore,
sponsored by Swiss International Airlines.
“Man,
I a feel like a woman“ – yeaaahhh and you all are so beautiful!
The evening’s stage entertainment was completed
by the Pattaya Mail’s Dr. Iain and Elfi Seitz of the Thai Garden
Resort, who had the onerous task of presenting raffle prizes. Dr.
Iain then assumed the position of auctioneer and auctioned off the
return ticket to Germany on Emirates Airlines, with Virasakdi
Vongkositkul (Tik), their Sales Manager, on hand to make the
presentation. Since the proceeds of this went to charity, many
bidders made this a spirited event, with finally Hans-Dieter
Westphal (Reickermann Thai Engineering) and Walter Kretschmar (TGI)
slugging it out, aided and abetted by the impassioned performance
from the auctioneer! 64,000 baht was the final bid, with Hans-Dieter
the deserving recipient.
At the end of this presentation, Peter Malhotra
called up onto the stage Premruedee Jittiwutthikarn and Nittaya
Patimasongkroh president of the YWCA Pattaya Chapter, together with
Surat Mekhavarakul, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism
Association and Rene Pisters, general manager of the Thai Garden
Resort. The YWCA will receive half of the evening’s proceeds for
their “Happy Family Project” and Rene Pisters, the GM of Thai
Garden Resort will present the other half to the Camillian Center
for AIDS infected children.
“What’s New” then continued into the small
hours, while the hardy dancers continued the party dancing around
the pool. It was a night that the German speaking residents of
Pattaya will remember, and one that the beer drinking Pattaya
community will try and remember!
Congratulations, Pattaya Blatt! |
Battling the Crab
Part 3 of a 6-part series about fighting cancer
By Leslie Wright
Dispensing negativity
The next morning I met my medical oncologist for the first
time. A highly regarded consultant and teaching doctor, I found her manner
imperious and domineering.
But I’m not alone in this opinion: another of my clients
coincidentally had had an unpleasant experience with her two years earlier.
Indeed, it seems she adopts the same attitude to all her patients.
Her first words to me were not the expected “Sawasdee kah”
or “Good morning,” delivered with the ubiquitous Thai smile, but: “You
know what you have?” And when I told her what the professor the night before
had told me, and that I had less than two years to live, she interrupted: “Oh
no,” she said. “Between 9 and 13 months.” I had just had my shortened life
expectancy effectively halved, and the sentence delivered as if she were
counting cabbages.
On another occasion she told me that I should be more like
the Thais. “In what way?” I asked. “You should learn to accept your
destiny,” she declared in her typical matter-of-fact way. Yes, ma’am.
Forgive my low person still being alive, ma’am. So sorry to take up space in
your office, ma’am. Let me just curl up in the corner and die, ma’am.
If you ever get this sort of treatment from your doctor, I
would strongly urge you to get rid of her or him. One of the secrets of success
in fighting cancer is to fight it both medically and mentally - not simply
accept that it is going to kill you. Just because your doctor has degrees which
you don’t, and is successful and respected in his or her profession, does not
make him or her omniscient or omnipotent. Remember that he or she works for you,
not the other way round.
I put up with this oncologist’s doom-&-gloom attitude
for six months because the other doctors kept telling me what a good doctor she
is, and that’s just her manner.
But everything I read about fighting cancer told me to
maintain a positive attitude at all times, and surround myself with positive
attitudes - and here was my own consultant doctor exuding negativity!
What really distresses me is that someone with less fighting
spirit than I - especially a Thai who culturally has been brought up not to
question a doctor’s authority and pronouncements from on high - might easily
have just given up hope.
One example of this doctor’s negative attitude that
particularly sticks in my mind was at the end of February, three months into the
treatment, when a CAT-scan showed that my tumour had got smaller. My radiation
therapist - a bubbly lady doctor with a radiant personality (if you’ll forgive
the awful pun) - told me: “I have good news - your tumour has shrunk!”
Immediately afterwards I had to go in to see my oncologist, who as usual sat
there like a slender icicle. I said: “I’ve been told the tumour is
shrinking.” To which she responded: “Yes. I expected that. But it’ll come
back in three months.” Dig hole, enter grave. Lay still, quietly.
At the end of April, upon completing my sixth and final round
of in-patient chemotherapy, I was given another CAT-scan and MRI-scan, which
showed that the tumour had shrunk further, to the point where my friendly
radiologist came especially up to my hospital room to give me the good and most
unexpected news that my cancer was effectively in remission. In remission! I had
never expected to hear those words. Only 5% of carcinoma patients go into
remission - which is statistically such a small number that the doctors usually
don’t even mention it. I was of course delighted and my morale boosted no end.
Indeed, it was like a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
But a fortnight later, immediately after a positive review
meeting with my friendly radiologist, I raised this good news with my
oncologist, Dr Doomengloom (as I had nicknamed her), and asked her whether I
might now last longer than her predicted 9~13 months. As I had rather expected,
she curtly answered: “Who knows.”
Then I asked her what she thought were the chances of the
tumour coming back. She said, “Oh it’ll come back for sure, or metastasise
elsewhere.”
So, just to goad her a little, I asked: “When do you think
it will come back, statistically speaking?” To which she shrugged and said,
“Could be any time.” Lots of hope and encouragement there. And even though I
fully expected her to be typically negative, these responses destroyed the good
mood I had gone into her office with, and depressed me for three days. It was
then that I decided to dispense with her services and request another oncologist
to monitor my progress in future.
An important lesson I’ve learned during my Battle with The
Crab is to think positively and surround oneself with positive influences, and
eliminate negative thoughts and influences - which includes all doomsayers.
As I have experienced first-hand, your doctors’ attitudes
will have a marked effect on whether you feel positive about your fight with
cancer - that you can beat it - or negative, and accept that it is going to kill
you.
You don’t have to - and indeed, shouldn’t - give up hope
just because a doctor tells you to. Many people beat the disease against all the
doctors’ dire predictions, which after all, are only statistical
probabilities, not certainties.
(To be continued next week)
Film star opens new branch of
Vienna and Jamone products in Pattaya
Laor Thongpradap
Thai film star Arunya Namwong recently opened a new direct
sales center on Central Pattaya Road. The new center offers Pattaya ladies a new
selection of Vienna lingerie and Jamone sewing machines as part of its wide
range of brand name products.
Film star
Arunya Namwong (2nd from right) recently opened a new direct sales center on
Central Pattaya Road.
During the opening ceremonies, Arunya was joined by TV stars
from Thai Channel 3 to wish her well in the new venture.
As an opening special the center is offering free membership
cards for all those who apply, entitling members to special deals.
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital to be on station at the Children’s Fair
by Mike Franklin
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is going to be on station at
the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive Children’s Fair on Sunday
September 15th at the Diana Group Driving Range. We really appreciate the
International Department supporting the event once again and being part of
the team.
We do hope that you will come by to support the
Children’s Raffle stand this year, say ‘Hello’ to ‘Barney
Biker’, (this year’s giant Teddy Bear), and look at the wonderful
range of prizes sponsored by Pattaya Sports Club, the Jesters and other
generous donors.
 Bangkok Pattaya Hospital has always participated in
community projects and charity events, so the Ambulance and First Aid Unit
will again be on standby for the famous Charity Bike Ride, run by Kim
Fletcher, starting at 8 a.m. on the Sunday morning. This is just in case
the Unit is needed to deal with an emergency, or hand out bandages or ache
& pain medicines to the bikers. The Unit will later be on hand
throughout the Children’s Fair, to deal with any situation that needs
medical care and everyone is welcome to come by and have a free blood
pressure check with the duty nurse.
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital recognizes the importance of
healthcare and this year has organized a series of Saturday morning free
Health Seminars, starting with a very informative ‘Prevention of Heart
Disease’ seminar which I attended. The audio/visual presentation by Dr.
Manoon, a senior heart specialist at the hospital, was bilingual, very
clear and detailed in content. A ‘question and answer’ session
followed a refreshment break, with the opportunity to arrange for
discounted medical checks and specialized tests. This was the first of a
series of special topic seminars, followed by ‘Skin Cancer’;
‘Strokes’; Prostate Cancer; and Hepatitis/ Liver Cancer’. This month
the topics are ‘Allergies’ and ‘Hemorrhoids’, with ‘Ante-Natal
Care’ (ANC) and ‘Child Psychology’ seminars planned for August.
The seminars are co-ordinated through the very
efficient and specialized International Department located on the ground
floor just inside the entrance to the hospital. The staff speaks twelve
languages between them and the services include worldwide insurance
assistance and embassy liaison, especially important when emergency
treatment is required. There is even an International Ward, now offering
full-time International Department co-ordination between patient, nurse
and doctor.
Current expansion plans underway at the Bangkok Pattaya
Hospital include a new Heart Center, expanded ICU and Emergency Room
facilities, an Orthopedic Center and a new Eye Center that will offer
‘Lasik’ laser eye correction surgery. A Conference Center is also
planned and new parking facilities will be able to accommodate up to 800
cars.
Naturally, we hope that the Ambulance and First Aid
Unit will have a quiet day at the Jesters Children’s Fair on September
15th except, of course, for the blood pressure check that is free to
everyone visiting the Fair and to all those working there on the day. Call
by to see me, Mike Franklin, at the Children’s Raffle stand and say
hello to the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital staff.
Jimmy White officially opens the Club Sports Bar
Pattaya’s snooker enthusiasts turn out to play one of the world’s best
Last Saturday night, Pattaya’s snooker enthusiasts
turned up to take their chance at playing Jimmy White, one the world’s
best snooker players. The occasion was the grand opening of the Club
Sports Bar, located in front of the Weekender Hotel.
 Mayor
Pairat Suttithamrongsawat is shown a few tricks by Jimmy White.
The bar, having had its soft opening almost four months
ago, celebrated its grand opening in grand style, with 20 eager snooker
players itching to play the champ. Jimmy, who has been visiting Thailand
for the last 22 years, has won the title of World’s Number One 3 times
and has been runner-up 6 times in his career as a professional snooker
player.
After the first ten games, Jimmy had defeated all
competition and proved his supremacy on the table by displaying absolute
control of the table. The official ribbon cutting ceremony was then
performed, with Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat taking time out of his
busy schedule to drop in and help cut the ribbon, as well as play a quick
round with Jimmy White. Another ten rounds of snooker were played after
the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Peter McCarthy, one of the owners of the Sports Club
Bar, once played the snooker tables around Ireland. He met Jimmy a number
of years ago on the circuit and the two became good friends.
Are Haemorrhoids just a pain in the bottom?
Well yes, haemorrhoids do tend to be a pain in the butt,
and like their common name of “piles”, there’s piles of them about
the place. Yes, you are not alone - you have many friends with the
condition.
As part of their on-going medical education public
seminars, the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is presenting a free (bilingual)
Haemorrhoid Seminar, to be given by the specialist surgeon Dr. Prayuth
Diloksampant, M.D. on Saturday, July 27th between 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
There will also be special discounts on Haemorrhoid tests (100 baht
instead of the usual 300 baht) being offered.
Registration and refreshments commence at 9 a.m. with
the lecture running through to 11 a.m. followed by a question and answer
session. Reservation is necessary, so contact the hospital’s
International Department to secure your place. You can contact them on
tel. 038 427 777, Ext. 1150 or 1155, or email [email protected]
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