BWG Bangkok Contact Magazine October 2019 Part 2

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THE MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH WOMEN’S GROUP BANGKOK

October 2019 Part 2

Bookworms - October

How to be Human: The Manual by Ruby Wax

Seven of us sat down to share thoughts on this months pick - a book written by a successful highly educated (Oxford university) comedian with discussion with a monk and a neuro scientist searching for the answer to the question of ‘How to be Human.’ In the book, along with other conversation, mindfulness is discussed, explored and embraced. There is a whole chapter on mindfulness which I actually skipped to come back to when I have more time to concentrate on this subject and is the passion of Ruby Wax. The book got a mixed reception from our book club members. -‘ I read it but only because it was for book club’; ‘I read most of it , went to the meditation exercises and then on my kindle couldn’t get back: I liked it because it was very funny’; ‘she makes jokes all the time’; one bookclub member didn’t read the book - she has worked with a lot of mindfulness and in particular likes the work of Deeprak Chopra and has read all of his books. One member read two chapters and gave up. One member was enthusiastic about Ruby Wax and this book. She had seen Ruby Wax and that had improved her view of her and contributed to her interest in the book. She was disappointed in the section on sex - two blank pages!

We had a good discussion and not only learnt more about mindfulness , letting go and clearing the mind but also about forest bathing which to me was a new idea.

Scores:

4/10 -1, 5/10 -2, 6/10 -1, 7/10 -1

Future picks: October 1st———-The Girl from Aleppo by Christine Lamb - meeting at Urbana 55, Lang Suan November 3rd——My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - meeting at The Loft, 7th Floor, Central Chitlom (at the very back of the food hall on the left hand side)

For those ladies who would like to join the book club:

Meetings are 10-12 am on first Tuesday of the month Normally at 28/06, Urbana, 55 LangSuan, Pathumwan , bkk 10330 Ask the guys on the door or reception to assist you into security lift.

BTS Chitlom is closest sky train. Follow signs to Mercury Ville and go down to ground floor and out of the door onto LangSuan. ( the door is just along from Taco Bell). Urbana is just a bit further towards Lumphini after Hotel Muse .

Jane’s phone number is 08 1946 7364

Celebrating 60 Years A proud tradition of learning excellence

We oer a British-style education for an international community, from Nursery through to Graduation.

Find out how our approach to learning and outstanding teaching sta develop global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking.

Contact us at admissions@patana.ac.th www.patana.ac.th | +66 (0) 2785 2200 | 643 Lasalle Road, Bangkok 10260

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit, IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

30 November 2019 10 am - 9 pm AT BANGKOK PATANA SCHOOL

Childrens’ Games and Rides, Raffle Shopping Bazaar, Food and Drinks Meet Father Christmas

Adults THB300 Children Under 12 years THB150 ALL PROCEEDS TO SUPPORT THAI CHARITIES UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF BCTFN

รายไดทั้งหมดเพื่อสนับสนุนองคกรการกุศลไทย

(BRITISH COMMUNITY IN THAILAND FOUNDATION FOR THE NEEDY)

www.bctfn.org www.ploenchitfair.org

COME AND AND JOIN JOIN US US COME

Photos from the Wine and Cheese party kindly hosted by Clare and David Nevin

The BWG would like to say a huge thank you to Clare and David who hosted this special event. It was very much enjoyed and appreciated by all who attended. A special thanks must go to Jane Williams who not only brought along all the cheese fresh from the UK, she also brought her husband Dai who gave us a fascinating insight into the cheese making process. Dai is a chief judge at the Nantwich International Cheese Festival, which is the largest in the world.

BOGS in Bath 2019 BOGS stands for BANGKOK OLD GIRLS but there are quite a few young ones too, those who no longer live in Bangkok but who made the effort to join up in Bath for this, the third such gathering. Thanks to Sharon Moore for being the instigator who collated the names – great job!

Folk came from as far afield at Hull, Norwich and London and Angela Stafford with Nicholas the Bear and a wig for me to don later on!

We dined once more at the Thaikhun restaurant where the manager who was called Ian had previously worked at The Londoner in Bangkok! Small world!

Once again Sue Steel and myself as well as Sue Woodcock, a friend of Wiff’s were guests of the Johnstons at their lovely home in Corsham. We travelled into Bath by bus all using our bus passes and were pleased it was not cold and raining as it has been in the past! There were 22 in total including 4 husbands! The food was excellent and we just ordered and shared along with copious amounts of Singha beer!

Afterwards (about 2-3 hours!) we made our way to the Cosy Club where afternoon tea or G&Ts were partaken and again the decibel level was soaring but we had so much to catch up on. In true tradition, Sue Steel and I were the last to leave and we laughed all the way back to Wiff’s on the bus like a pair of schoolgirls!

Sunday we went on walkabout in Bath which is a truly beautiful city with lovely, historic buildings – well worth a visit if anyone hasn’t been!

BOGS IN BATH already has a date for 2010 – 18 JULY so watch out for more details – an event not to be missed!

By Gale Bailey MBE

Thank you message from Joan Bartlett We have just had the Triple Whammy Coffee morning and I would like to pay tribute to friends and relatives here in Bangkok, England and Australia.

Many of you know me as one of the ladies that crochet squares for the blankets. I have lost count of the number that I have done over the years.

JANE RODGERS who brings me back wool from England when she visits, she also delivers the squares to the Fatima shop. SUE STEEL for storing the squares that have been made. SALLY VORAVAN who buys wool on my behalf at her local wool shop.

ANN Mc KINNON for passing on her unused wool. And the COMPANY MAID who saw me making squares so brought in her unused wool.

I crochet in the back of taxis and whilst awaiting my turn at the doctor or dentist.

Thank you ladies and my relatives and friends abroad.

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September Activity at Indus After fighting our way through the hustle, bustle and challenging footpaths of busy Sukhumvit Soi 26 we were pleasantly surprised to enter the quiet oasis of Indus. Housed in a 1960 Art Deco Bangkok residence and compound, Indus has been serving the needs of the adventurous, discerning palates of Indian food lovers here since 2005.

Our mission today, or so we told ourselves, was not so much about indulging our gourmet appetites but learning to recreate some of the delicious delights of Indian cuisine – the breads! Lucky for us, as we stepped through the majestic front doors of Indus both were a possibility.

Not everyone has a special tandoor oven to bake Naan…but luckily not all breads are Naan! With the help of the manager of Indus - Yash, and their executive chef - Amit, a program had been prepared for us to include breads that we could “attempt” to recreate in our own kitchens on our simple cooktops.

Amit and his team capitivated us with their skills and kneading abilities. Some of us with concerns about our waning powers of the wrist were most relieved to learn that the same effects could be achieved with a food processor with a dough hook! Many of us felt that the secret to the magic of the bread making had a lot to do with the big white mixing bowls… apparently to be found somewhere “in Chatchuchak”, and so another adventure begins!

We learnt how to make the typical breakfast breads plain paratha, stuffed paratha (potato, oninos, cumin and chilli), puri and phulka.

Unlike these breads that are made with wholemeal flour, the next breads demonstrated -Kachori, Bhutura and Malabar Protta are made with refined flour. All passed our rigorous taste testing standards – delicious!

And much to our delight the tasting did not come to an abrupt end with the lesson – there was lunch to follow and it did not disappoint!

What a wonderful time we had at Indus! So many thanks to Yash, Amit, Ankita and the Indus team for making our learning adventure such an enjoyable experience and of course, much gratitude to Alison and the ANZWG activities committee for organising such fun and delicious day!

By Louise Weaver

October Activity - Whale watching in the Gulf of Thailand 31st October 2019

We are delighted to confirm that we will once again be joining up with Wild Encounter Thailand for a day of whale watching in the Gulf of Thailand.

It is the perfect time of year to see the whales as they come to feed from the nutrient rich rain waters which flow into the Gulf

The cost of this is 2,300 bht for the day which includes lunch and afternoon tea on the boat.

Those that went last year will tell you what a fabulous day it is, with one husband saying it was the best day he had spent here in Thailand. Husbands, friends and family are once more invited to join us.

A deposit of 1,000baht is required to secure your place, with the remainder payable on the day. If you would like to join us, please email activities@bwgbangkok.org

The Mahjong Club needs You

By Becky Adderley

I wonder if you have ever thought about playing mahjong. Maybe you have played before but a long time ago or maybe you have never even heard of the game. Either way we would love you to consider giving it a go again or consider joining as a ‘newbie’.

The BWG runs two mahjong groups - one which meets at the British Club every Monday 10am to 1pm and one which meets at Bistro 33 on a Wednesday afternoon from 1pm to 4pm.

You really don’t need to have any experience of playing previously as all the ladies who meet at both of these venues will be most willing to teach you how to play and are very friendly and patient teachers. I guarantee by the end of the first session you will feel confident enough to have a go playing as an individual and certainly if you have played any card games before, you will pick this game up very quickly. There are straight forward ordinary hands that you can play but once you get the hang of that you could develop an understanding of the more complicated set hands. I’ve been playing now for nearly two years and I’m still learning some of these so there is no necessity to grasp all of the alternatives on day one.

I was invited to join by Michelle Lavin (I’m sure some of you will remember her) but I had never played before. However, I had seen the game previously as a child in a dusty box up in the attic of my house and been fascinated by the beautifully decorative tiles but no one in my family had any idea what to do with them. My dad had been in the RAF and had had many postings in SE Asia. He had brought them back from Singapore (I think) but had never taught us how to play.

I was hooked by the end of that first session and now frequently play both on a Monday and a Wednesday.

I would really encourage you to give the game a go. Its an excellent opportunity to socialise and chat as well as develop new new skills as a mahjong player. If you would like to come to either the Monday or the Wednesday session just send me a message on +66988312970.

Looking forward to meeting new members