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Family Money: Leaving it all behind you - Part 1
By Leslie
Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.
Whenever the thorny subjects of estate planning and
inheritance tax are raised, many clients respond with a shrug and the
blithe comment that they don’t give a fig what happens to their money
after they’re dead. If only it were as simple as that.
With property prices in Britain at record levels, and
Chancellor Gordon Brown in his Budget 2003 speech in April having raised
the inheritance tax threshold by just 2% to ฃ255,000, an increasing
number of people are falling into the UK inheritance tax net.
Your family home in UK - as a ‘principal private
residence’ - may be exempt from Capital Gains Tax (‘CGT’), but it
could easily push the value of your estate into the Inheritance Tax (‘IHT’)
bracket.
IHT is charged when assets are transferred from one
person to another or into trust. Usually, the charge is levied on the
estate when someone dies, but it also applies when assets are gifted
during one’s lifetime.
It all depends on domicile
Whether someone falls into the UK IHT net - be they a
British resident, a UK expatriate living abroad, or a foreign national
resident in the UK - all depends on their domicile.
As I have written before, many British expatriates
think that by virtue of their non-residence in UK they have protection
against UK IHT, but this is not the case.
If they are UK domiciled and live overseas, when they
die they will be subject to IHT on their worldwide estate unless they have
gone to great lengths to change their domicile.
Anyone not UK domiciled but with property or assets in
the UK will be taxed only on their UK-based assets.
Many people confuse domicile with residence, but
domicile is not just about where you have your home, it’s much more
tenuous than that: it goes to state of mind. Domicile is difficult to
change unless you settle in a country with the intention of remaining
there permanently and even then, there are no hard and fast rules. The
matter is finally decided by the courts only after you’ve died - and of
course it’s too late then for you to do anything about it.
Changing the rules?
For many years the UK government has talked about
reforming domicile laws, mainly in an attempt to end the favourable basis
of taxation for foreign nationals resident but not domiciled in the UK. In
this year’s Budget, there were no concrete changes announced, although a
background paper was issued inviting responses.
A change in domicile rules is likely at some point.
Such a reform would be designed to catch wealthy foreigners in the UK,
whereby after a few years in the UK - perhaps five or ten - foreign
nationals will be deemed UK domiciled. This might similarly benefit UK
domiciled people living abroad. At present, however, it is not easy to
shed one’s domicile - hence IHT liability. What is easier is to reduce
that liability.
Fortunately, IHT is not taxable on an entire estate.
The first ฃ255,000 of assets is exempt: called the ‘nil rate
band’. After ฃ255,000, IHT of 40% is chargeable on the balance,
which could trigger a large tax bill. For instance, if someone has assets
worth ฃ500,000, the first ฃ255,000 is tax free but they would
have to pay ฃ98,000 IHT on the balance.
Inheritance tax now affects more people than ever
before - partly due to the dramatic rise in house prices in recent years.
The smaller the better
How can you reduce your IHT liability? Fortunately, if
you do your planning early enough, there are a number of ways in which you
can manage your liability. These include making gifts, making transfers
using a will, and making transfers into trusts. It’s essential that you
take advice, though, as setting up wills and trusts requires financial
expertise.
Most IHT planners agree that the first thing a client
should do is to ensure their estate is as small as possible by giving away
their assets.
Making gifts
All sorts of bequests carry tax exemptions. When gifts
or transfers are made by individuals - whether directly or into certain
types of trusts - they are treated as Potentially Exempt Transfers (‘PET’s),
which are a useful way of gifting assets during a lifetime without
incurring IHT provided you live for seven years after making them. If
death occurs before then, IHT is charged subject to taper relief and the
nil rate band.
There is a way to use this exemption, though, and
retain flexibility over when the gift is made: setting up a gift trust and
transferring the gift into it. You can then choose to vary the
beneficiaries, the amounts given and when they benefit. It’s a simple
plan for people who aren’t yet ready to give, but want to make the most
of exemptions during their lifetime.
Smaller gifts that you are ready to make can be kept
tax-free using the annual gifts exemption: this allows individuals to give
away up to ฃ3,000 a year and married couples up to ฃ6,000 a
year, as well as any number of individual gifts of no more than ฃ250.
No IHT is charged either on marriage gifts up to ฃ5,000, gifts to
charity or to recognised political parties.
(To be concluded next week…)
Snap Shot: Don’t become blinded by familiarity
by Harry Flashman
A few weeks ago I wrote about getting a different
viewpoint on the subjects you photograph - this week I am suggesting you
find some different views as subjects. As a serious photography project,
this is one time you do not need wide angle lenses, special filters or off
camera flash guns. Any old camera will do - even the disposable ones! And
you will get photographs that will keep your friends overseas interested
and green with envy. Guaranteed!
So where are these earth shatteringly different
subjects? Actually, they are all around us. You see, living in Thailand,
we have a wonderful opportunity to photograph subjects which are totally
beyond the reach of the average photographer in the US, UK, or EU. There
is only one problem in recognizing these. It is called familiarity.
Think back to when you first came to this country - a
Thailand newbie. Everywhere you went you saw something different,
something new, something totally off the wall, something hysterical,
something crazy and something totally appealing. Now after a few years you
don’t see anything like that any more. Why? Because you have become too
familiar with the everyday, but still incredible, sights in this country.
They have become commonplace. Four people on a motorcycle - see that every
day in America? Never. A dog in the carrier of a bicycle. See that in
England? Never. Somebody walking down the street in the rain with a
plastic bag on his head? See that in Germany? Never. A motorcycle with a
banana leaf as a rear mudguard in Maine? Absolutely never. Those
incredible sights are still here, but you have forgotten how incredible
they are.
Now even if you personally have decided to live your
life out in Thailand, you will still have relatives and friends back in
your own countries who will be as awed as you once were when you saw
Thailand for the first time. It is your responsibility to pass on that
magical feeling to the ‘folks back home’. And the best way is with a
photograph - as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
So for the kinds of subjects you should try and capture
I will suggest a few different ways to show them at their best. Again, no
special equipment is required, only a good eye! First, for all those
incredible shots of people on motorcycles, complete with the family and
the family pooch, try getting someone to drive, while you photograph from
the passenger seat. You will get all the action, hair flying, dogs with
their ears laid back and the like, and you do not have to worry about fast
shutter speeds or anything even vaguely technical. Since you are
travelling at the same speed as the motorcycle, from the camera’s point
of view the subject is still. Simple! And you will get great shots that
you cannot get anywhere in the western world. Only trick is to wind the
window down first (or the autofocus won’t work) and don’t drop the
camera. Always have the camera strap around your neck!
If that all sounds too difficult, then don’t worry,
there’s still plenty of subjects to place in front of your lens. The
local Wat is one of them. Quite frankly, I could spend a day in some of
the temples and still not cover it all. However, here are some ideas. Some
close ups of the ornately painted pillars. The boat shaped containers with
the lit candles. A follower shaking the fortune telling sticks. Buddha
images themselves - the shot with this article was taken with available
light at 1/30th of a second, so easily hand-held. There is also the
advantage that you are not disturbing worshippers with bright flash
bursts. (By the way, I deliberately left the figure in the shot, to show
some idea of the scale.) The orange robed monks walking through the area -
there is just so much.
Now you have a photography project for the weekend. Go and photograph
all the things that have become common-place, and amaze your friends!
Modern Medicine: The grumbling appendix - are you next!
by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant
A “grumbling appendix” is a very common condition,
and the ultimate cure is removal, called Appendicectomy (if you come from
the UK or Australia) or Appendectomy (if you come from America). The
condition is simply inflammation of the appendix, which we medico’s call
appendicitis (remember that “-it is” at the end of the word usually
means inflammation).
The appendix is a little “finger” shaped appendage
that hangs off the bowel and connects with it. It lives down in the right
hand lower side of your belly, so that is where you get the pains.
Ruminants such as cows have large ones, if size really matters! For us, it
is also one of those cute “vestigial” organs which has no apparent
functional use these days, but can give us lots of problems if things go
wrong. And things often do go wrong, with appendicitis being experienced
by about 1 person in 500 every year. Males suffer from this more than
females and it can strike at any age, though under two is exceptionally
rare. The most affected age group is between fifteen and twenty-four.
So what causes appendicitis? It is a form of infection
which is generally from the food passing through the bowels and can be
bacterial or even viral. Sometimes the poo (nice medical term) in the
intestine gets jammed into the appendix and causes the initial problem.
Just for the record, we call it “inspissated faeces”, just to make it
sound grander than it really is.
While the signs and symptoms of appendicitis are
straightforward, the diagnosis is not so easy as a number of other
abdominal conditions will mimic the symptoms of centro-abdominal pain
which radiates to the right lower side, nausea, low grade fever and
occasional diarrhoea. There is also the problem that the signs and
symptoms can come and go - that’s why it is sometimes called a
“grumbling” appendix. From my medical student days I can even remember
the last ailment in the list that could mimic appendicitis was the
abdominal crises of Porphyria! I must admit that in 35 years of medicine
I’ve never seen one!
There are some laboratory tests which can be done,
especially a blood test to see if the white cell count has gone up, and
some centres will perform ultrasound to try to differentiate what is going
on inside the belly.
The definitive “cure” is to whip out the offending
organ, and this is usually one of the first operations a young surgeon
does on his own. (Mine was a Russian seaman in Gibraltar and I think I was
much more worried and apprehensive than he was, but then, I knew how
inexperienced I really was. He didn’t!)
My old surgical boss always told me to make sure the
skin incision was as small and as neat as possible, because that was all
the patient had to go by to judge one’s competency. It didn’t matter
what went on inside - just make sure the outside looked good! This was
particularly important with young females and a 1 cm scar, level with the
top of the bikini bottom was the ideal.
Post-operatively the vast majority of patients do well
and are up and about in a few days, happily living without their appendix,
but if you’re having some grumbling gut pains, perhaps you should let
the doctor cast his practiced eye over it.
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
Last night I performed an honourable act of swatting a large
mosquito that had settled on the shoulder of a bargirl. I used a rolled up
edition of the Pattaya Mail but I didn’t kill it on the first strike so I
whacked it again. I was then surrounded by a dozen angry Thais wanting to punch
my lights out. How was I to know that the ‘mosquito’ was actually a tattoo
of a small butterfly? Why do girls have tattoos and think it fashionable to
turn themselves into walking comic books? I recently went home with a girl that
had so many pictures tattooed all over her body that I didn’t know whether to
cuddle her all night or frame her and hang her on the wall. Do you have tattoos
Hillary?
Mighty Mouse
Dear Mighty Mouse,
You always have so many questions you want answered, I
sometimes think you must have been a detective in your last life. Or even in
this one! Why do girls have tattoos? For the same reasons guys do, my Petal. It
isn’t gender specific. It is just to make life easier for her relatives to
identify her body after she falls off the back of a song taew. To be serious,
if you look at profiling, you will see that the age to get the tattoo is
between 18-20 and the common factor is a bellyful of beer at the time. As far
as your question, does Hillary have tattoos - I’m sorry Mighty Mouse, but I
do not have one blemish on my flawless body, so you can’t walk around town
trying to identify me from tattoos!
Dear Hillary,
What with all the suspicions of late as to who you exactly
are I am wondering if I witnessed your graceful presence whilst shopping at Big
C? Are you by any chance a rather striking, long legged woman who wears glasses
and has just had a blue rinse? The other reason I paid so much attention was
because you are a dead ringer for Dame Edna Everidge. Only curious Hillary but
if it was you then my advice is get your roots done as it’s gone a bit
two-tone. By the way they are all cleared up now thanks to your wonderful
advice a couple of years ago. Much love.
Baz (formerly the wart man)
Dear Baz,
So the wart man returns! Though I am not sure I should
say welcome back. If I remember correctly, we had to destroy your emails last
time, just in case they had some of those nasty wart viruses on them. I don’t
know why there is this pressing need for readers to identify me? Dickens 44 a
few weeks ago draws me as Kevin, some dreadful half-wombat creature from
Australia and now you want me to be Dame Edna from Down Under too? I can assure
you, warty Baz, that I do not wear Edna style glasses (and especially not in
Big C) and I have never waved a bunch of gladioli in my life!
Dear Hillary,
You recently responded to a reader who insinuated that Thai
women that socialise with foreigners were prostitutes (Heart to Heart 13 June).
You suggested to this reader that he take a “quick trip to Soho in London,
Kings Cross in Sydney or Amsterdam.” These places are well known red light
areas where sin and debauchery is the norm. What attraction would these
locations have for a sweet and innocent choccie munching, champagne guzzling
female such as yourself? Does Hillary have a sordid past of frequenting dens of
iniquity? I must admit that I’m tingling with lurid excitement awaiting your
reply.
Mighty Mouse.
Dear Mouse (again)
Read the answer again, Petal, and put a cold towel on the
lurid excitement. I didn’t say that these places held any attraction for
Hillary, I said that these were places where the enquirer could find
prostitutes. As for frequenting dens of iniquity, I leave that to people such
as yourself.
Dear Hillary,
Thank you for your suggestion re the pig prodder. Wee Nit
(the adorable) is now in receipt of five electrifying prods per day, and her
Mars Bars have been deep frozen, pending possible despatch to yourself.
However, all is not quite bona. Wee Nit now drops her aitches causing
‘Hillary’ to sound like ‘Ee Willy’! Or even on occasion, ‘Ee Willy
too much!’ And follows this with ‘mai pen rai’! What can I do?
Indefatigably,
Mistersingha
(P.S. ’Tis now the 50th anniversary of your namesake
‘Sir Edmund’ standing astride a massive peak. I wonder if you have ever
stood astride a massive peak and if so, have these achievments (sic) been
celebrated?)
Dear Mistersingha,
I shall refrain from suggesting that you have been
imbibing a little too much of the beer named after you (or was it vice versa)?
Perhaps you and the adorable Wee Nit might be better off discussing someone
else, other than my good self. Have you tried getting her to say Reveille? That
should be a good ‘levelling’ exercise for the young lady. By the way, your
spelling is not getting any better either, so again I suggest that some hours
be spent on that, rather than Nit’s elocution lessons. P.S. Sir Edmund stood
‘atop’, not astride Mt. Everest. Hillary is not into such achievements,
just because they are ‘there’.
A Slice of Thai History: A foreign journalist’s view
of Thailand in the
decade of militarism
Part Two: The rise of state-sponsored
militarism and socialism
by Duncan Stearn
The question as to whether Japan was dominating
Thailand, Gareth Jones believed the answer was in the negative. He claimed
Thailand was riding the wave of nationalism that was then sweeping the
world and they were not willing to ‘...bow down before any nation ...
They are afraid of being dominated by the Japanese and they are too wise
to place their fate in the hands of Nippon, when they have the French on
one side of them and the British on the other.’
The vast numbers of Chinese immigrants in Thailand made
up the backbone of business in the country and they hated ‘the Japanese
and would fight any policy of placing Siam beneath Japanese protection.’
Jones commented that when Japan invaded Manchuria, some Chinese servant
boys in Bangkok smashed all Japanese-made crockery in the homes of their
employers while storekeepers refused to buy or sell Japanese goods.
Jones made the point that ‘British advisers still
quietly control the finances of Siam and the Siamese money, which has the
comic name of “ticul” (about 50c) is linked with sterling. “Does
Japan dominate Siam?” I asked a leading Englishญman in Bangkok. He
laughed quietly: “Have you any Siamese money?” he asked. I drew out a
five-ticul note (about 2 dollars 50c). “Read what is printed at the foot
of the note,” he commanded. I read, “Thomas de la Rue and Co.,
London”. With calm confidence he said: “As long as the word
‘London’ stands on that Siamese bill, it is not Japan but another
little island which will have the larger say in the Kingdom of Siam.”’
He also claimed the prospect of the Kra Canal being
constructed by the Japanese as ‘... one of the biggest myths of the
century ... For the Japanese to build a canal in Siamese territory across
the Isthmus of Kra would cost a vast amount of capital. London would never
lend the money for an anti-British scheme. Wall Street would not be so
foolish as to put its finger in the pie. Tokyo is too impoverished to
finance the Canal. Even if by some financial miracle the money were
forthcoming, the Canal would be a failure, because no vessel would pay
vast dues to save only two day’s voyage and many ships round South
Africa in order to save the dues on the Suez Canal. Nor would captains
avoid such a rich free-trade port as Singapore, where they can pick up
valuable freight. No, Singapore can rest calm as a symbol that Britain
dominates the North from the Pacific to India.’
Additionally, the rise of militarism in the East,
reflected throughout the region, was just as strong in Thailand. The
revolution that had removed the absolute monarchy in 1932 ‘...had led to
a military dictatorship and that the Army was the real master of
Siam...’ He reported that soldiers were being sent to schools to
demonstrate the use of military weaponry and asked the Education Minister
why. “We believe in military drill and military training for the youth
of Siam, because they give discipline and build character,” the Minister
is said to have replied.
Running parallel to the rise of militarism in Asia was
the growth of state-sponsored socialism. ‘Throughout the East the rulers
are watching Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Roosevelt and they are trying
to make the State all-powerful. They wish to build factories and dig mines
controlled by the State. They are battling against private enterprise and
are creating all-mighty Government machines to dominate economic life.
They are saying good-bye to the Nineteenth Century era of capitalism and
opening the doors to State control, just as President Roosevelt is putting
business under the watchful eye of the Government. The countries of Asia
are working out their New Deal. The ideas of Hitler varied with the ideas
of Stalin are finding a fertile soil in the countries of Asia. A fiery
nationalism is wedded with Socialistic ideas. Militarism rampant marches
side by side with hatred of capitalism,’ Jones informed his readers.
Jones finished his series of articles on Thailand with
the following statement: ‘The Siamese want with the help of the State to
push forward the building of industry. Just as every nation in Asia now
wants to buy less from America and Europe and produce all themselves, the
Siamese want to see smoke stacks and factory walls rearing proudly above
the shacks of Bangkok.’ Half a century later, that scene was a reality
in the Thai capital.
Sadly, Gareth Jones was killed by bandits in northern
China in late 1935. He was just thirty years old.
Personal Directions: Challenges and obstacles fuel our existence
by Christina Dodd
This week I would like to share an article with you
that came to me through a reader in the States. The article is by John
& Melody Anderson and I think you may find it an interesting read. It
deals with the subject of challenges and obstacles in life and brings to
light the reality of their place in our existence.
Rocks (March 1996)
We employ the use of an analogy here to demonstrate the
requirement for challenge in life and to show that without obstacles in
life, much of the enjoyment we get from overcoming these obstacles, and
thus our purpose, would be lost.
The world is filled with rocks of all shapes and sizes.
Some are large, some are very small, some are immovable and some are not.
Yet the rocks that prove to be the most significant obstacles are those
that do not exist. Invisible non-existent rocks can be hazardous. They can
cause mild abrasions when walked into by an unsuspecting pilgrim. They can
inflict rather more serious injuries if the pilgrim is running or moving
at considerable speed. And if a pilgrim is endeavoring to clear an area
for planting, invisible rocks continue to surface, usually it seems, when
the pilgrim is making the most progress. Just as an area seems to become
clear, more rocks appear, apparently from nowhere and the pilgrim must
begin all over again. This would seem to frustrate the pilgrim who is
eager to expose a clear space so that they can build, but until such time
must continue to struggle with multiplying rocks.
Little does the pilgrim know that the multiplication of
those rocks is crucial to the fulfillment of their initial vision for the
piece of land. Commonly, pilgrims misperceive this vision and incorrectly
assume that the vision is a piece of land devoid of rocks and stones upon
which something may be built. Just what this is, however, remains somewhat
of a mystery.
The part of the assumption that is incorrect is that
the vision is a piece of land devoid of rocks and stones. In fact, it is
more correct to hypothesize that the vision is the rocks and stones and
indeed the moving of them. It is the interrelationship of these elements
that defines such a vision. Move and dispense with the very last rock and
stone and the body stagnates, the mind remains unchallenged and what the
pilgrim is left with is very little reason to exist at all.
Imagine a world without rocks and stones. Bliss the
pilgrims cry. But no, far from it. Imagine again, what then is the
substance of the vision? What gives the vision its special appeal?
For the pilgrim who seeks greatness the secret is
finding peace amongst the rocks, moving what he can, developing strengths
and skills to move what he cannot and greeting the emergence of other
rocks and stones with equal relish.
Many of the pilgrims who seek greatness play a waiting
game, ever hopeful of one day arriving at that glorious moment when the
final rock will be gone from the land and life can be easy at last. Rather
misguided is the pilgrim who plays this game, for their joy can only come
from an end result and an impossible one at that. The pilgrim who prospers
is the individual who is prepared not only to move rocks and stones
consistently, but whose love of life does not depend on the absence of the
rocks.
In fact, the pilgrim relies on these rocks to satisfy
the achievement of their vision. For the vision is not a thing, or even a
series of things, nor is it a particular combination of circumstances in
an individual’s life. Achievement of the vision relies on the
interrelationship between individual and rock. In exercising this
interrelationship, a way of being is expressed and this way of being
either aligns with the vision or directly opposes it.
The vision then, crucial to fulfillment in life, is a
way and the expression of that way in action. This dynamic relationship is
self-perpetuating, for as the pilgrim grows in strength, so too, grows
that which they desire and in so doing, new challenges are brought forward
- and in expressing the way, the pilgrim has cause to further desire and
so on. All the while, the love of moving and exposing rocks sustains the
pilgrim’s requirement for joy and becomes the ultimate reward in life.
(end article by John & Melody Anderson)
Rocks are our greatest motivators. With them in our
lives we find the inspiration to go on. Without them life does not reach
the levels of fulfillment that we so strongly desire and need to live.
A simple analogy and a very powerful one at that. Take
some rocks and find a space for them near to you and use this as a quiet
reminder of the need for us to have challenges and obstacles jump out at
us everyday. Just as we need to be confronted by problems and concerns to
keep us alive and awake and thinking, we need the constant state of Rocks.
I once took a group through a session that looked at
the question, “What is a problem?” They were asked to split up and
ponder this question and come up with an answer. It wasn’t until they
sat down and thought about it that they really began to understand that
their lives were filled with problems every moment of the day - for a
reason. Obstacles and sometimes unbearable struggles present themselves at
what appears to be a steady and endless stream - for a reason. We are not
meant to just breeze through life for if we did, where would be the
rewards?
Words are such powerful tools aren’t they. Challenges
and obstacles equally so. I hope you have enjoyed the article and until
next time, have a great week!
For any information you may require on personal
development training programs or professional and business skills
development, please contact me by email at [email protected] and
if you have a moment free, take a look at our website
www.asiatrainingassociates.com
Social Commentary by Khai Khem
While we are living on borrowed money,
are we also living on borrowed time?
I often find it very enlightening to find myself deep
in conversation with persons a lot older than myself. My attendance at a
recent birthday party for a friend made me the only person in the room
under 70 years old. The guest of honor was celebrating her 80th birthday,
and the festivities were held on a lavish scale. Great food and plenty of
drinks were provided for the guests. The hostess had even cleared the
receiving room of furniture so we could dance. The music provided for the
evening was popular during an era long before I was born.
Stuffing myself with food and wine, I wondered how long
I would last in this room full of geriatrics before I got bored and
excused myself. As it turned out, I was anything but bored. This age group
still retains the wonderful gift of the art of conversation.
It was a mixed group; different nationalities, races
and religions, education levels and professional fields. The only thing we
commonly shared was the English language and our residence in Thailand.
This gathering of elderly gadabouts had landed here for various reasons
and decided to spend their golden years in retirement in the kingdom that
they had grown to love.
As the weather is always a boring topic in Thailand -
because we haven’t any (it either rains or it doesn’t) - travel, money
and global politics make for lively debates. The subject of dropping
global interest rates came up. My ears pricked and I came to attention.
There were several Japanese in the room and I was
interested in what they had to say about the fact that Japan, the second
largest economy in the world has been basically in recession for more than
a decade, even though the interest rates in Japan barely register on the
screen. To borrow money in Japan now is almost free. But that nation, like
many Western countries has an aging population and retirees are forced to
live on fixed incomes. I wondered if the Japanese, like their American and
Thai counterparts live on borrowed money.
Nope. They tighten their belts and their purse strings
and live within their means. “But that must be the reason the economy is
not going forward,” I ventured. “According to a lot of governments
around the world, GDP growth depends on consumer spending. If the average
citizen of a country doesn’t spend himself into debt and penury, how
will the economy sustain growth? Credit cards and low interest loans are
supposed to tempt people to spend, businesses to expand, and retailers
drool. Spend, spend, spend!”
One surly Englishman glared at me and asked me if I
suffered from amnesia. Had I forgotten Asia’s 1997 economic meltdown so
quickly?
“Yes, lots of people borrowed money - massive amounts
of it. But they never paid it back. Businesses either went bankrupt or
muddled along on a cash and carry basis. Members of the ‘working
class’ simply threw their credit cards in the bin along with the pleas
for payment and moved on,” he reminded me. His bushy brow furrowed as he
told me to stick around to watch this movie re-run. According to him,
payback time is right around the corner.
I got flack from every direction. It is truly amazing
how many platitudes and catch phrases all meaning the same thing can be
said in almost any language. Work hard and save your money. Neither a
lender nor a borrower be. A penny saved is a penny earned. All things in
moderation. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Never trust a
banker. Never eat at a place called “Mom’s”. Never trust a
politician’s promises.
As I listened to what I figured was pretty good advice
from people who’d been around long enough to see history repeat itself
over and over because most people don’t learn from their mistakes, I
decided when I got home I’d give all my credit cards a proper cremation.
Meanwhile, it was time to change the subject. After
all, these were old people and I was worried about their blood pressure.
So I asked them if they were all pleased with Pattaya’s massive efforts
to make the city user-friendly for the elderly and disabled. Icy stares
dropped the temperature in the room below freezing. Then everyone started
to shout at once. But that’s a subject for another column.
Woman's World: On the beach at the OK Beauty Salon
Part
2
by Lesley Warner
Orianne the owner told me that one of the client’s favourite
services is the body scrub, and I can understand why. You go into the
small comfortable room where there is a sauna, beauty table and shower,
strip off (you can hang on to your pants if you are shy) and lay down on
the table and the most amazingly relaxing procedure starts:
Enjoy a relaxing facial
massage.
Firstly the body is massaged with a moisturizing cream
for 10-15 minutes to lubricate and loosen the skin.
Then you must wake yourself up and go into the sauna
for 10-15 minutes to open the pores; there are herbs in the sauna making
it a pleasant experience. These herbs are picked and dried in the village
by Orianne’s mother so they are completely natural and very relaxing and
therapeutic.
Back onto the table for the body scrub, this is done
with a thick aromatic cream (coconut) that is slightly textured. The body
scrub lasts between 30-45 minutes and it’s quite amazing what dirt can
come out of a supposedly clean skin. By this time of course you will be
sound asleep dreaming of being spoilt in a tropical paradise under a clear
blue sky, by a calm blue sea, with palm trees gently blowing in the wind!
A nice
environment to relax
After the scrubbing is finished the body is massaged
with a milk lotion (eat your heart out Cleopatra), to remove the dead
layer of skin and moisturize the new layer and make it look nice and
fresh. This can take another 10 minutes.
Then you are forced to come back to reality. What a
surprise, the tropical paradise is still there, what luck! Back into the
sauna to enable the milk lotion to be absorbed into the skin. This time
it’s up to you how long you want to remain in the sauna; it makes you
feel good inside and out and can also help with weight loss.
Out of the sauna and into the shower with a special gel
to soften the skin even more.
Then the final body lotion is applied and you feel like
a new women dancing on air.
1. Shampoo & blow dry 80 - 120bt
2. Hair cut Male 100 - 200bt
Female 100 - 300bt
3. Highlights 500 - 1000bt
4. Permanent wave 800 - 1200bt
5. Straightening 300 - 1000bt
6. Permanent straightening 1500 - 3000bt
7. Manicure 100bt
8. Pedicure 100bt
9. Full wax 1000bt
10. Half wax 500bt
11. Body scrub 400bt
12. Facial scrub 150bt
13. Sauna 150bt
For more information contact Orianne on 01 519 6152
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