Bangkok Trader – Volume 6, Issue 2 – January 2012

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VOLUME 6, ISSUE NO. 2

JANUARY 2012

You are cordially invited to join us to celebrate our 5th anniversary of Bangkok Trader.

We’re having our annual blowout at Zanzibar at Sukhumvit Soi 11 on Friday, November 25th, from 6:30-9pm, with lots of food and drink, a DJ, dancers, and all of you there!

For more details, go to http://goo.gl/UBsgo or http://goo.gl/EnNbR Over the Border: Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Page 4

BANGKOK TRADER Volume 6, Issue No. 2 JANUARY 2012

Published by Siam Gazette Co., Ltd. Publisher and Managing Director: Kaewta Verstein kaewta@thebangkoktrader.com Executive Assistant to the Managing Director: Pla Jaiyen Tel. 02 655 0941 pla@thebangkoktrader.com Sales & Marketing: Alan S. Verstein Tel. 081 761 9302 alan@thebangkoktrader.com Business Development Manager: Andy Hyde Tel. 080 814 9080 andy@bangkokbusinessbrief.com Creative Director: Reid Nixon reid@thebangkoktrader.com Ad Traffic: Joke Chaymanee thailandmagazine@gmail.com Delivery: Cha Lormnak

Siam Gazette Main Office

Ground Floor, Vanissa Bldg, 29 Soi Chidlom Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tel. 02 655 0940 Fax 02 655 0941 Cover photo of Vietnam’s Phu Quoc provided by Dave Stamboulis, who can be contacted at pedallerdave@hotmail.com

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Over the Border Lazy Days on Phu Quoc

By Dave Stamboulis While plenty of expats make the visa run over to southern Cambodia and the beaches of Sihanoukville, few continue take the easy two-hour drive down the road to the newly opened border at Ha Tien, Vietnam, where just offshore, the tranquil island of Phu Quoc makes a short holiday seem like a blissful eternity.

cals are mostly too busy engaging in the booming pepper farm and fish sauce industries to be bothered fleecing tourists, and the isle retains this exceptionally sweet and simple welcoming feel to it; and after a few days, one feels like staying much, much longer.

Phu Quoc, despite being a sleepy backwater, has had a rather colorful history.

The island was occupied in the late 1800s by the French, who created coconut and rubber plantations around the small fishing villages. Following a brief period of independence after WWII, Phu Quoc was taken over by the Americans, who housed 40,000 prisoners at the Coconut Tree Prison, which still serves as the island’s lockup facility today.

The main town on Phu Quoc, Duong Dong, is built around the river of the same name, where dozens of laden fishing boats set off each evening for trips into the nearby sea. The town is small enough to explore on foot and is comprised of its busy market, along with a collection of pleasant enough cafés to sit idly in and watch the world go by, savoring the sweet and ultra-strong Vietnamese coffee, which takes 15 minutes just to filter down from its drip cup. There are also lots of simple streetside eateries throughout town, offering Vietnamese staples such as bun cha (vermicelli noodles and grilled pork served in soup) or bun bo Hue (beef noodle) soup, where friendly locals will pantomime to teach one the correct eating techniques and bring their children out to shake hands with foreigners.

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge took over the island, but were soon overrun by the Vietnamese, and Phu Quoc became a major military base for the ensuing Cambodian-Vietnamese War, thus it wasn’t until the 1990s that Phu Quoc transitioned from garrison to potential tourist hotspot.

These days, Phu Quoc eagerly welcomes tourists to its sandy shores, and in fact, construction of an international airport is in progress, with a lot of resort development projects on the way, leading to fears that the island will undoubtedly be transformed into another overcrowded venue like its Andaman Pearl sister, Phuket, has been.

But for now, Phu Quoc remains a fascinating place for an escape. Not only does it have some dynamite white sand beaches, but it is also home to a bustling local port town with a colorful market, a jungle interior to explore, and some excellent seafood. It’s also one of those rare island paradises where lo-

Some of the highlights of Phu Quoc are either in Duong Dong or just a short motorbike ride out of town. The island is renowned for its fish sauce and fish paste, and throughout the countryside, you’ll find women in their conical hats laying out huge straw baskets of tiny anchovies to dry out. Back in town, one can drop in at the local fish sauce factory, where free tours are offered, taking visitors into a chamber that slightly resembles a wine cellar and where huge wooden vats of the fermented delicacy sit waiting to come to age. Just like a vineyard, tasting is part of the tour, and surprisingly, the small sips we were given straight out of the vats were actually a lot more palatable than I ever would have imagined.

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Another large industry on Phu Quoc is pepper, and throughout the island are pepper plant farms with large sheets of green and black peppercorns laid out to dry in the sun. Pepper is the most widely traded spice in the world, and Vietnam is the world’s largest exporter, controlling around a third of the market.

Exploring Phu Quoc’s jungle interior is yet another option, yet your average visitor is here for one reason alone, to laze on the island’s gorgeous white sand beaches. Nearest to Duong Dong, Truong or Long Beach is a strip of sand that runs almost ten kilometers. The northern end is packed with resorts, which peter out into some quiet patches of sand as one wanders further south. The odd fruit vendor wanders the beach, and there are some operations offering beach umbrellas and cold beer, but otherwise the modus operandi is that of the sleepy kind.

The best beach on the island, and possibly one of the top three in Asia, is sleepy Bai Sao Beach, some 30 kilometers south of Duong Dong. White powdery sand, crystal clear turquoise water, and a beckoning sandbar are just a few of the reasons to linger long at this gem. Several resorts have sprung up, and undoubtedly, this is one paradise that won’t remain a secret for much longer. Better to get your Phu Quoc pearl now, while it is still fresh.

Travel Tips: • Phu Quoc can be reached by air on Vietnam Airlines or by hydrofoil from Ha Tien or Rac Gia in the Mekong Delta.

• There are an abundance of good guesthouses ranging from US$20 and up along Long Beach, but don’t show up during Vietnamese holiday periods without a reservation, as the island has become very popular destination for the middle class in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dave Stamboulis is a freelance photographer and travel writer based in Bangkok. He is the author of Odysseus’ Last Stand, which received the Silver Medal Book of the Year award from the Society of American Travel Writers.

He can be contacted at pedallerdave@hotmail.com.

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The Future is Here

JANUARY 2012 - 7

Why TCDC holds a key

By Shei Sanchez

It’s like walking into a space that Apple architects may have mapped out. Sleek and urbane, it welcomes anyone who wants a little tickle of the imagination or a mini-nudge of the entrepreneurial soul. Toggle a bit here, scroll over a pace or two there, and soon, a pervasive surge of coolness with a dash of creativity begins to surface.

That was my first impression of TCDC (Thailand Creative and Design Center) a few years ago. I was in search of a semi-public place that didn’t churn out irritating Musak while I worked away on my laptop. To my astonishment, TCDC not only had many quiet areas that instilled the scholarly scribe in me, but it also provided several comfy couches that beckoned me to take a break, all snug with a book straight from their library. As if with a flick of a switch, I felt the weight of work deadlines dissipate.

In fact, this impressive workspace/library allows patrons and visitors to indulge in various subjects, from canons delving into art and design to volumes exploring a wide range of contemporary issues, in areas like economy, politics, and education. In the back, if the mood struck me, is a multimedia section that houses films and documentaries rarely found on the streets of Silom. For film geeks, this is like discovering a closet full of once-forgotten classics bundled with the newer avant-garde barely played in Bangkok cinemas. Unfortunately, these DVDs can’t be taken home. There are two small, spherical-shaped rooms designated for viewing films. Inside each room is a couch with a large flat screen television in front of it. Curtained off from others, the exclusivity of these rooms generates a feeling of red carpet razzmatazz. Whether it may be too chic for the viewer or not, it is nevertheless a space that recreates cinematic ambience – without others chitchatting or chewing loudly on popcorn during the screening. I certainly didn’t mind this customized den at all.

Yielding to that hip progressive, artsy vibe isn’t the only thing that happens to an enthralled visitor. Kiosk, a concept café that gives off a voguish, bijou tenor, serves pleasant Western-flavored fare. One enthusiastic fan of Kiosk calls this ‘an oasis for all designers,’ as well as for any TCDC guest. This concept aspect underlines the overarching goal of this design center. It is supposed to awaken those creative senses and spur people into making what they envision into a real, viable product. Kiosk is just one paradigm of this goal. The café offers a variety of products coming from local entrepreneurs in Thailand to imported goods. If you happen to crave Dean and Delucca’s from New York, it’s here.

Also represented in the milieu of mouthwatering edibles is The Bangkok Bread Boys, a small operation that regularly delivers savory loaves and biscottis.

Of course, this all-embracing futuristic flavor is not just translated in their library and work spaces. It’s all part of the center’s vision. Established in November 2005 under the aegis of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development, the TCDC has been this country’s ‘premier learning resource center’ that offers wide-ranging opportunities and knowledge for subjects related to creativity and design. It champions and promotes innovation that is both pioneering and self-sustaining. As a leader in teaching and sharing the multitudinous facets of design, the TCDC encourages anyone with the gumption and drive to make that idea into reality. In short, it tries to find ways for people to understand that design is universal, reaching and affecting all of us. Projects, workshops, and exhibitions are strong foundations that continually shape the objectives of TCDC. For over five years, this government-supported center has held exhibitions that probed notions of ingenuity both inside and outside of Thailand.

What is Design​? is a permanent exhibition featuring ten countries that present interpretations of ‘cultural uniqueness,’ vis-à-vis industrial design, within each country and with that of Thailand. With this concept of a ‘genius loci,’ in which

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the talent of the country is a point of departure, the exhibition aims to share this extraordinary convergence of creativity. Thailand’s locus, in particular, is its influence from the dichotomy of royal craftsmanship and lay-folks’ playfulness.

This country’s fecundity and way of life have defined the nature of design in almost every aspect of life, from the use of silk and bamboo in weaving and basketry to the detailed finesse of carving. Other featured countries include Japan, Spain, France, and the Netherlands.

This remarkably brilliant permanent show is a solid indication of why TCDC holds a key to what the future holds for the successful development of Thailand. Though many of the uninformed public may view this as purely art, TCDC expresses more than that. It embodies what Thailand can be. With regards to entrepreneurship from almost any walk of life, this learning center is a golden door to progress. Another exemplar of this is the Material Connexion Bangkok.

This program emphasizes the belief that there is a solution to every idea, the kind of solution that offers sustainable alternatives. Material Connexion is an opportunity for Thais to work with other materials specialists around the globe, increasing their competitive edge.

Educational programs and workshops are added hallmarks of TCDC. Lectures in Thai and English showcase how creativity in economy can lead to a better-developed economy of the country. Talks led by current impresarios and professionals discuss ideas ranging from how to create more eco-friendly

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crafts to how critical thinking fosters higher performance in schools. Some exhibits are highlighted with a workshop for all visitors. These fun booths are similar to activities that apply what was presented during the exhibit.

This interactive component cultivates the belief in the future of design, as well as in the value of the individual making something that can be beneficial for all.

This center has provided a bright future for many and, hopefully, inspiration for all. Just walking beyond the threshhold is an injection of insight. Indeed their symbol, the khanom, or snack, is the best representation of TCDC’s core values of cultural imagination and resourcefulness. Something as simple and local as the banana-leafed khanom births ideas of how inventiveness is a key to development.

TCDC (www.tcdc.or.th) is located on the 6th floor of the Emporium on Sukhumvit Road, Soi 24. It is easily reached by reaching the BTS SkyTrain Phrom Phong station and getting off at Exit 2. Visit their website, or just go and see for youself. Perhaps you will walk out as a regular patron.

Shei Sanchez is a full-time educator, some-time writer, former professional photographer, gastro-fiend, and budding gardener. She teaches at a university in Bangkok and can be contacted at orangesimple@gmail.com.

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Jellyfish vs. a Thai Hospital Still deciding which is worse…

By Voicu Mihnea Simandan

Some time ago, while swimming in the murky sea of Bang Saen beach in Chonburi province, I was ‘attacked’ by a jellyfish. To be more exact, it brushed against my upper left arm. I really don’t understand why it was me who ran into the jellyfish. I mean, there were hundreds of half-dressed Thais splashing water in the sea. It is true, I also ventured further away from the beach, into waters deep enough to allow a proper swim. Maybe now I understand that the T-shirts everyone was wearing were not only for protection from the sun, but also for the unseen creatures of the sea.

By the time I swam back to the safety of the beach, the pain and the numbness had extended to my shoulder. It was not a sharp pain, but I was still a bit panicked, as I had no clue to what had happened. My brother, who was in Thailand on his honeymoon, found this as the perfect opportunity to test his close-up feature on his camera, while my wife was looking at me with a I-toldyou-so expression on her face. “Why do you always have to swim so far out in the sea?” was the question that almost came out of her mouth. But, seeing the shock on my face, she saved the remark for later.

By now, I had already guessed that a jellyfish had stung me, but it felt like I had brushed against some animal with vicious spikes. After I calmed down, I went to the public showers across the street and cleaned the contact area with a cheap bar of soap I purchased at the entrance. My brother showed up with a bottle of Singha soda (the kind you mix with your Mekong whiskey) and instructed me to pour it on my cleaned wound. I looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but he mentioned that he was only acting on my wife’s orders. No more words were said. I complied.

We left my brother with his betrothed under the beach umbrella, and my wife drove me to the nearest hospital. While she was filling out some forms at the reception counter of the Burapha University Hospital, a student, who was probably there on practice, cleaned my wound and applied some sort of ointment. This went pretty smoothly, and although the hospital looked more like a soi clinic, I felt relieved that I was under some kind of treatment. We paid a mere 220 baht and waited some more for the extra documents I needed to

claim back the money from my insurance. Most importantly, I wanted to have a record of what kind of treatment I underwent. With the wound bandaged and walking away with a small supply of cream and more bandages, we returned to our beach chaise lounges.

My brother and sister-in-law gave me a hero’s welcome, and our beach neighbours (an extended Thai family) suggested other ways of taking care of the jellyfish wound. According to them, among the most effective was dousing the wound in whiskey or urine. For better results, both!

By the next day, back in Bangkok, the wound had started to itch once again, and the pain returned in full force on Monday morning. I spent all day applying the cream I got from the hospital in Chonburi, but to no avail. On Thursday, I was worried. My arm started to swell and the rash seemed to get larger and larger. It was time to go to a ‘real’ hospital.

So, after work, I got on my motorbike and rode to a fairly big hospital located on an important road artery in Bangkok. I parked my bike in the parking lot behind the hospital, and as there was a second entrance and reception right across from the hospital’s parking lot, I chose this one. The main entrance was on the other side of the building, at the main road, and quite far away for a man who had had a third degree encounter with a marine monster.

I had been at this hospital not long before when my wife was hospitalised for a night with some sort of anaemia, so I thought I knew the ropes. I told the short-skirted receptionist that I wanted to have my bandage changed and a doctor to look at the ‘damage.’ She sized me up and smiled. What a fool I was to just expect her to understand my English. A guy operating the other side of the reception booth intervened and mediated the translation. I had no desire at all to blunder my way through in my awkward Thai, so I just pretended my knowledge of the local language was non-existent. Time: 17:15.

Once she got the picture of what was going on, she asked me to write my name on a small piece of paper. She then checked my name in the hospital’s

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database. I told her that I was a new patient, but I guess she didn’t understand what I was saying. After the computer screen showed no records under my name, she asked for my passport. As I never carry my passport on me, she accepted a crumpled photocopy I always wear in my wallet (but had never had an opportunity to use until that day). Luckily, she accepted it and asked me to take a seat.

With nothing else to do, I picked up an English-language newspaper from the newspaper rack and started flicking though it. I got caught up in an article and lost track of time. When I finally raised my eyes from the newspaper, I saw that the reception area was quite crowded and that the reception lady was talking to everyone at the same time. I approached her, but I didn’t have to say anything really. She knew what I wanted and asked me to wait a few more minutes.

I nodded and went back to my seat, wondering if she was surprised by my sudden ability to comprehend the Thai language.

Ten more minutes later, a young man in a white shirt (could he have been another student in practice?) asked me in broken English to follow him. We went to the lift where two other people were waiting. My escort started pressing several buttons, but the lift doors wouldn’t open. I looked up and saw a message displayed right next to the emergency speaker. I told the Neanderthal that the lift had been blocked and that a special card was needed in order to use it. All of a sudden, the young man decided we should take the stairs. In less than thirty seconds, we were on the second floor!

Here I was told, once again, to sit down and wait. A minute later, a pleasantlooking lady in a white gown (she was not wearing the nurse’s cap!) checked my blood pressure and my weight. It was just another reason for the hospital to charge me an extra couple hundred baht. She asked me to follow her, and we went down to the first floor, where I was informed by a nurse that the doctor was not in this part of the building. So, we went on trotting the entire length of the hospital, going up and down passages and corridors. Through a glass wall, I saw black clouds gathering in the sky. I told the nurse that it was going to rain soon, so we’d better hurry. She just smiled and continued at her own pace.

JANUARY 2012 - 11

We reached a waiting area full of patients. “This doesn’t look good,” I thought.

She asked me to sit down and went inside a room labelled ‘Dermatology.’ At least I was finally in the right place. Some time later, I was invited in. The room was tiny. Behind a desk, an equally tiny woman asked me whether I would like her to speak English or Thai. I had enough Thai for the day, so I said, “English, please.”

Although the bandage covering my wound was under my shirt, I was expecting her to know why I was there. She just looked at me, and after an awkward moment of silence, she said, “Would you like me to ask the nurse to wait outside?” Dumbstruck, I looked at her and asked why. “I understand that you have a rash, and maybe….” Then I got it. “It’s not what you think of,” I said and got up, unbuttoned my shirt and pointed at the bandage on my arm. “Oh, right,” she said, opening the folder the nurse had brought with her. “I see.” I just wondered why didn’t she just check the admission form before she decided I had contacted some sort of venereal disease.

She touched the affected skin with her un-gloved hands, and then to my horror, she picked a pen from her desk and started poking the wound with its end. But hey, maybe the pen had been previously sterilized, right? After she inspected my wound, she assured me that it was nothing unusual and that it might take one month, or even more, to heal completely.

She prescribed some medicine (steroids ointment and pills for the itching sensation), and then we agreed on a date for my next visit. While she was writing down all these details in my file, I asked her why I had to come all the way from the other side of the hospital to see her. She looked at the nurse and spoke to her in Thai. Apparently, the doctor on duty on the floor where I had my blood pressure checked called in sick! Obviously, the receptionist who sent me there had no idea. Actually, she didn’t seem to know much of what was going on around her. Probably she got hired for her looks. I guess it doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, image still matters.

As I was leaving the dermatologist’s office, I was shocked to see the dark sky. “I’m gonna get all wet!” I thought. I knew the drill from my previous visit.

12 - JANUARY 2012 I would have to collect the drugs from the hospital’s pharmacy and then pay at the cashier booth nearby. I was on my way to do exactly that when I hear the clicking of high heals on the hospital’s tiled floors. “Mistah, mistah!” the nurse shouted while running after me. I turned around and forgot all about the Thai ways and said quite rudely, “Now what?” A combination of hand signs, Thai blabbering, and some English words made me understand that the doctor wanted me back in her office.

“Can I take a picture of your wound?” asked the doctor. “I want to show it to my students. It is a perfect example of what a jellyfish can do.” She was a lecturer at a local university, teaching at the Institute of Tropical Diseases. I told her that if she hurried, I didn’t mind. So, there I was, unbuttoning my shirt once again, waiting for the doctor to remove the bandage and take her shots, doing my part for the education of future Thai doctors. I just hoped that the next generation would be a bit more on their toes!

My medicine was tucked into a fancy bag with the hospital’s logo on it and, after the insurance papers were completed, I gave the cashier 848 baht. Less than half was for the drugs! Nurse handling and doctor’s consultation accounted for the rest. I left through the back door of the hospital at exactly 18:15. It took them one hour to put me in a room where, for five minutes, the doctor found me a ‘cure.’ The rest of the time was spent chilling out in the lounge and sightseeing the hospital’s corridors. And, let’s not forget, the photo shoot and the opportunity I was given to get an update on what was in the news.

By the time I started my motorbike, it was already pouring. There was no way I was going to get home with a dry bandage. Half an hour later, including the time I spent in the guard’s booth with a toothless guy from Isaan who just loved to whistle, my wife picked me up. A few hours later, when both the weather – and I – had calmed down, I returned to the hospital to pick up my motorbike. My toothless buddy was gone. The night shift guard lifted the barrier for me. Boy, was I glad to be out of there!

Voicu Mihnea Simandan is a Romanian writer who has been living in Thailand since 2002.

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I Became a Neanderthal

...and you can too in just 30 days!!!

By James Fortzman

So I was a caveman for a month.

Yep, you read that correctly – please let me explain. A few months ago I got a strong urge to get my health in order… in a big way. I yearned for more energy, to feel sharp, sleep less and resolve many of my lingering health issues. My goal was to upgrade from feeling below average all the time to feeling great.

A pretty lofty goal, indeed, but thankfully, during my research, I stumbled on something called the Paleo diet.

The Paleo (or primal) diet advocates eating foods that are more in line with what our cavemen ancestors ate, as opposed to the standard American diet that is so common today. Remember the food pyramid we were taught in school that has mostly grains at the base? Well, with the Paleo diet, that is all scrapped – completely! The Paleo diet consists of zero grains, dairy, legumes, and processed foods – basically all that yummy stuff we’re completely addicted to.

Now, why would I be dumb enough to consider an ancient, forgotten diet?

Well, besides their rudimentary fare, these Neanderthals supposedly enjoyed zero cancer, degenerative diseases, cavities, heart disease, and obesity. They had very high bone density, great musculature, and their health was perfect, well into old age.

digest them properly. It’s only when the studies of the Neolithic (post-agricultural) and Paleolithic (pre-agricultural) people are compared that one can clearly see a dramatic change in our health. The introduction of these offending foods rapidly caused health to decline, resembling something closer to what we see today – obesity, heart disease, etc. In Robb Wolf’s book, The Paleo Solution, he recommends testing the theory for yourself by eating a strict Paleo diet for 30 days and then seeing how you feel. He also suggests getting blood tests before and after if you’re so inclined to a more scientific approach.

This was exactly what I decided to do (I wanted some actual hard science to back up these claims).

So, I ordered seven blood tests from Samitivej Hospital to get a snapshot of my overall health. As it stood, my diet consisted of mostly Thai street food, as well as the occasional Snickers bar, ice cream, or plate of pasta. I was actually eating very well by most people’s standards – no alcohol, bread, sugar, dairy, or processed foods, but somehow I was still feeling subpar health-wise.

To be honest, I was expecting to have totally pristine blood, but here’s what I got back:

So what’s so bad about grains, dairy and legumes?

They’re said to contain various anti-nutrients that irritate the lining of our gastrointestinal system, causing our body to repair the damage all day long. This saps our energy, increases our white blood cells, and causes all sorts of complications down the line, such as whole food particles entering the bloodstream.

For millions of years before this, the Paleolithic caveman’s diet consisted of fish, meat, nuts, fruit and vegetables, and… …and that’s it!

Once our prehistoric brethren discovered agriculture, this was the first time we were exposed to grain-based foods, such as breads and rice. We’ve only been eating grains for 11,000 years, and that’s not nearly enough time to evolve to

Unfortunately, the most important cholesterol test, LDL particle size, wasn’t available in Bangkok, as far as I could find, otherwise I would have got that

BANGKOK TRADER done too and had a much better picture of my real cholesterol situation. To summarize these results, compared to the average Stone Age Grok, I wasn’t doing that great, however, these results are still way better than the average person today, which is a little scary. What’s also very clear from these tests is that my body’s inflammation is somewhat high and on constant ‘red alert.’ If left untreated, this state might slowly lead to a manifestation of one of the modern degenerative or inflammatory diseases like heart conditions, cancer, or even Parkinson’s disease.

JANUARY 2012 - 15 2. I no longer got these debilitating energy crashes from eating rice. Usually, about 40 minutes after a big bowl, I would get slow and lethargic – sometimes to the point where I would need to take a nap.

3. I also quickly realized that I used to have this really heavy feeling in my stomach after a rice, bread, or noodle-based meal. Not anymore. After every Paleo meal, it feels like I never ate anything. I feel light as a feather.

4. My energy is now very constant throughout the day.

Not good.

5. My mood has definitely improved, and I feel more positive.

This got me really motivated, so I started immediately. I quickly realized I’d have to take note of the few places I could get safe Paleo food in my neighborhood so I wouldn’t be tempted to cave in and eat a burger when hunger-struck.

I also had to get back into the swing of cooking at home, something I hadn’t done in over two years since moving to Thailand. Thankfully, my saving grace was the fact that I had a little street restaurant a mere 30 seconds walk from my place that made the best, fried vegetables with chicken and egg in the world.

So every day I would get some fruit, BBQ chicken, papaya salad, avocados, bacon and eggs, BBQ pork, steak, stir-fried vegetables, or whatever else I could rustle up. My housemates joked that I’d get a heart attack from all the meat and eggs I was eating and even started a bet about my cholesterol levels.

So far so good, I guess!

However, it wasn’t all peaches and sunflowers. There were definitely times where I was starving and unbelievably tempted to just have a nice, simple, cheap bowl of fried rice. But I didn’t. I was determined to do this experiment 100%-honestly. That’s not to say I didn’t make the occasional mistake, like forgetting that papaya salad contains peanuts (they’re actually legumes and, therefore, not Paleo) and that a lot of Thai street food contains MSG. Oops!

But I soldiered on, hoping that a few bumps (okay, many bumps) on the track wouldn’t derail my whole train.

6. In the past when I felt really hungry, I was totally unable to think straight. All I could focus on was getting food, and I felt irritable. I considered this normal at the time, but now I realize that my food choices were reducing me to a barely coherent, annoyed zombie three times a day.

7. Twelve out of fourteen of my weird health anomalies, from cold hands to dry skin, are either gone or have improved.

It seems most people who do a 30-day test of the Paleo diet experience similar things (as well as losing loads of weight, but I’m skinny already). So as the month-long eating experiment came to a close, it was time for Round 2 of the blood tests.

The tale of the tape…

I was right! Interesting things started happening right away: 1. On day 3, I never felt the urge to use my asthma pump, not even once. I would normally use it between 2 and 6 times per day but suddenly, it was like my asthma had completely disappeared. I felt great.

So, the overall outcome is positive. ‘Good’ cholesterol is up, ‘bad’ cholesterol didn’t, and triglycerides and c-reactive protein are down too. This was exactly what I was hoping for. Glucose is the tricky fella of the group, as he rises and falls throughout the day quite significantly and needs to be tested over a longer period of time to get an accurate picture. What’s really interesting to me is that both of these test results are considered very much within average, safe ranges according to traditional, modern medicine. By historical, Paleolithic standards, however, I still have a bit of work to do.

Even though it was a very imperfect experiment, I feel it was a great success.

I feel a lot better every day, thanks to Paleo, and that’s all that really matters.

I am definitely sticking to the diet for the rest of my life, and I will keep getting blood tests done every six months to make sure I stay on the healthy side. After more than a month of this diet, it feels completely natural, the meals taste great, the science is solid, and it makes sense. In fact, I feel a little dumb for eating the way I did for so many years. It’s the exact same feeling I had when I got my first Apple Mac after my bad PC diet, but that’s a subject for a different article….

If you find this stuff interesting or want some more information, here are some truly great Paleo/primal blogs for you: • www.robbwolf.com • www.marksdailyapple.com • www.primaltoad.com James Fortzman is a traveller, writer, musician, serial life experimenter, and watcher of Youtube. Contact him at wildingp@gmail.com

BANGKOK TRADER

JANUARY 2012 - 17

MARKETPLACE

Advertise or announce anything for...

FREE! Maximum 75 words.

Listings run as space allows until cancelled or extended.

Email your ad to:

freeclassifieds@thebangkoktrader.com

18 - JANUARY 2012

BANGKOK TRADER

MARKETPLACE HYPNOTHERAPY can help you make the changes you want. I offer cognitive-behavioural therapy and hypnosis for smoking cessation, weight loss, social confidence, anxiety & phobia elimination, stress reduction, habit reversal, motivation, emotional control, concentration and much more. This is brief yet powerful, solution-focused and effective therapy for people ready to make lasting changes from the inside out. See www. hypno-therapy.net for more details or call me to find out how I can help you: 088-227-0553 (Tom) (J) SCUBA DIVING: R4, are these the world’s greatest reefs?

David Espinosa words: Papua’s Raja ampat islands are remote enough that each dive is a guaranteed seat-ofyour-pants adventure. In fact, the diving is so good it begs the question: Are these the world’s greatest reefs? Yes, they are with Dr. Gerald Allen’s record of 283 species on our house-reef in a single dive. M: 085-8290800 RUDE & 086-5528770 NOTE, email: go.raja.ampat@gmail.com (K)

USA VISA: We specialize in the United States Visa for Thai Nationals. Fiancee (K-1), Marriage (K-3, CR-1 or IR-1), Tourist or Student. Web site: www.americavisa4thai.com Office just of Phloenchit BTS station within two minute walk.

American owned and operated. All English speaking staff.

02-651-4364. We also do visa’s for Australia and NZ. (K) VIDEO IS THE FUTURE of the internet. Whether you need to promote your business, educate, inform, or entertain, if you don’t yet have a professionally produced video for your website, we can help. Visit www.sitca.com, or for a free consultation with no obligation write info@sitca.com. (K) AMERICAN ENGLISH TEACHER – Private and group classes available for children. 300BHT hourly for group classes, 600BHT hourly for private one-on-one class.

Speech, conversation and pronunciation specialized. Located near asok BTS. Email at brianestradaifa@yahoo.com or call 0844632123 (K)

THAI COTTON CLOTHES FOR LADIES, Men and kids Naturally Handmade clothes from 100% Thai cotton by Tong95 Shop. There are variety and unique designs for wholesale and retail. Please visit www.tong95.com for more details. (H) THE COVENT GARDEN BAR COMPLEX located at Soi 16, PROM CONDO FOR SALE: at Phraholyothin soi2, Walking Street, Pattaya has some available space for you to set 56 SQM, 5th floor, 2 bedrooms, 2 showrooms, 1 living up businesses. We have 5 available spaces, suitable for a Beer room, swimming pool, near BTS. Please contact Bar, Sheesha/Beer Bar and/or Take-out counter. There are also 4 spaces suitable for a Night Club or an Ago go Club. I like to b9club@hotmail.com (H) invite people to visit the complex and decide if you wish to expand 20TH CENTURY HISTORY books for sale in excellent condition your business. For inquiries call Joseph 088-737-8013 or email and reasonably-priced at 40 percent of full price once read in joseph_euperio@yahoo.ca (L) virtually new condition. There are about 50 books with some wellread older books all less than 200 baht each. There is also a wide CURTAINS, WALLPAPER, blinds, shades & interior painting selection of historic discs of all sorts from 1888 onwards to 1960.

– sales and installation, in English, free in-home consultation, Please contact me to view the collection at nigelinseychelles@ measurement, and quotations. Showroom on Soi 23 in Sukhumvit, gmail.com (A) free parking. Condos, single-family, commercial. Reasonable PARTNERSHIP WANTED: smm participation. Highly SEO- prices, fast service and professional installation. Interior decorator rated museum-quality website already has plenty of traffic. with 10 years experience. www.PKCurtains.com. E-mail: Ron@ Now owner wants to build sales with successful proven social PKCurtains.com or 0807706741 (mobile). Liven up your home or media marketing participation. Can you do it? Good % of business, add some color and pizzazz. (K) sales for you depending on results. Please send your CV to Tom@Jade-Carvings.com or call 02-635-7157 (H) PRIVATE TEACHER: TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, GRE, LSAT, or NEED MOTIVATION to work out? See results as quickly and Conversational/Business English. Experienced, professional and efficiently as possible? Want to achieve your goals? Want to get one who is already teaching at one of Bangkok’s most exclusive fit, healthy and stronger? Manage your weight? Stay focused prep companies. Degree in Computational Physics from Harvey and have more energy? Want individual attention and direction Mudd College, one of the top engineering schools in the US. 1000 during your workouts? Personal Training is offered for all ability THB/hr. I’m not the cheapest, for a reason. Bad grammar and levels. For more information please contact TK: (M) 0817315427, irregular accents are nearly impossible to undo, sound like a native 0846968922 or Email: tkpt77@gmail.com. (A) instead. Contact me at private.tutor.bangkok@gmail.com (J)

BANGKOK TRADER

PLATINUM 200CC MOTORCYCLE – small enough for Bangkok traffic, large enough to maintain 130 kph on the highway. Almost new. Half the price of a Honda CBR 150cc. I ride to my health club sometimes and I’ve gone to Pattaya twice.

It was a foolish purchase since I just haven’t been using it. But maybe perfect for you.

Located near Ekamai BTS. Ask for John, 084-558-4788 (H) LEARN TO COOK THAI, fun, affordable, convenient, educational. Don’t be a lost farang in the market anymore, save money by cooking Thai. 12 four hour courses, only 1,250B/course. Price includes market tour, making coconut milk, sticky rice, curry pastes, 5 meals, recipe book, free coffee, tea, water. Located on Soi 23 in Sukhumvit. Western managed, taught by English-speaking Thai chef. www.BangkokThaiCookingAcademy.com Email: Ron@BangkokThaiCookingAcademy. com or 0807706741 Fruit carving classes also available. (K) FULLY FURNISHED studio/room with free high speed internet (in Ploenchit townhouse) for rent. Baht 6,800- 8,800.

Size 23/35 sqm. A few minutes walking from BTS Ploenchit and close to big embassies and expressway. near all wellknown offices, shopping malls / super markets / fitness centers: AllSeasons Place, Fruits court, Central Chitlom / World, Foodland, Gaysorn, Silom Complex, Siam Paragon, Lumpini Park. To view room, please contact Ms Penny Chan.

Tel 081-926-9198 come first, serve first! (J)

JANUARY 2012 - 19

AMERICAN FEMALE ENGLISH TEACHER - Private English lessons for all ages. Experience with ages 3-59 years old. TESOL certified, communication degree from the University of Washington, pharmaceutical & medical supply manager from USA. Professional resume’/ CV assistance.

Speech, conversation, phonics, pronunciation specialized.

Experienced English, math & science teacher for government, private and professional language schools in Bangkok.

Meet at home or in public place. 300-500 BHT per hour. E-mail reneeeverest@ gmail.com, call 084 608 9045 (A) CONDO FOR SALE (By owner) on Sukhumvit Rd, and Rama 4 Rd only 5 mins walk to BTS Phrakanong, 1B/R, 1B/ TH, Pantry, Living Rm fully decorated, Wall adjacent fr oth rooms, Clean, nice, private, prime location, Facilities: Swimming pool, Sauna, Library, Children room, Fitness, Parking lot, Sale Baht 3.45 million (Cheap & Good) by owner (08 4433 2272) (A) LUXURY CONDO at Pattaya for sale in high standing building on Wong Amat Beach, best location in Pattaya. 163 sqm fully furnished 3bed 3bath European kitchen. Every room has balcony with stunning views on the sea and the islands.

Direct beach access. Infinity swimming pool Jacuzzi sauna fitness centre tennis squash snooker communal gardens restaurant minimart covered car park laundry 24H security Price 14,5 mio Baht Phone 0811535117 (Thai-English) (K)

STERLING SILVER CIGARETTE box 11x9x3cm hallmarked by royal jeweler Mappin & Webb. Approximately 70 years old. Baht 3,500 ono. Rare antique book “Bangkok Siam” published 1928 by Royal State Railways of Siam. Superb condition.

Baht 4,500 ono. Classic used man’s watch

by Phillip Charriol. Mother of pearl face with small diamonds on numerals. Baht 9,000 ono. Please email me for picture(s) or appointment to view/buy (Silom) SALE SUKH 24 – 3b 3b ff low fl. 174m <martinrowleya@yahoo.com> (K) 10.5 mill. Rent sale Sukh 26 2b 2b.

75m low fl. FF 22,000.00 - 5.2mill. Cell: THE NICHE CONDO SUKHUMVIT 49, 43 sqm, 4th floor, Fully furnished 0850731972. (A) 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room & TEACH CHA CENTER: Learning Thai kitchen. Free shuttle service to Prompong for foreigners, Translator, interpreter. Fun & Thonglor BTS. Fitness with swimming and High Quality. Free!! Trial Lessons, pool and sauna. Rent B.16,000 / month Worksheets. Skype. Indoor, outdoor, your with a 1 year contract. Contact Vickie company by experience qualified teachers 089 897 0017 (L) team. Conversation, Reading and Writing.

Well organized curriculum. Can adapt CONDO FOR RENT - Pattaya, the course to suit individual careers. beachfront jomtien, Dong tan beach, (CEO, Business Owner, Manager, Doctor studio 48m2, fully furnished, european etc.) Our offices: Banglumphu Khoasarn kitchen, sea view, big balcony, 9th floor, and Petkasem. Please Contact Kru 24 hours security, big swimming pool, Tisha: www.facebook.com/teach.cha, available for short and long term rent. tisha.tutor@gmail.com 0845696000, Please, call 087 6117 001 or e-mail 0870853455, 022825832 (J) dst_zg_po@yahoo.com (J) HOT SALE! Condo Penthouse Suk. 53 Thonglor area. 257sqm 3br. 4 ba, 3 balconies, kicthen, maid’s room. Really nice decoration, 100% condition. Fully furnished with electric appliances. Well maintenance Condo, Good neighbours.

Peaceful area. please see pictures at www. chosenmarketing.com/habitat . Full facilities.

Negotiable price! Please call 0891062240 or email to 2purelife@gmail.com (I)

CONDO FOR RENT @ LUMPINI CONDOTOWN – Bodindecha – Ramkhamhaeng, 43/1 RamKhamhaeng Rd., 1 bedroom 28.28sqm 8th floor with an air-conditioner, a wardrobe, Refrigerator, Bed (5ft), dining table, 2 chairs, two screen door, small shoe shelf. nonsmoker desired, rent 5,800B/M, (If long stay, discount). Contact e-mail:bblbbl@ livedoor.com (name: Toshi) (K) STUDIO FOR RENT – easy access to BTS National Stadium, fully furnished, air con, telephone, cable TV, hot shower, refrigerator. parking and laundry service available. 30,000 Baht per month (includes water and electricity). Contact Pariya on 081-8474736. (K) CONDO FOR SALE / RENT – Pattaya. New 45sqm studio (building just completed).

Located Cozy Beach Pratumnak Hill in prestigious area of Pattaya. 200m to beach. Close to shops, bars, restuarants.

Fully Furnished, A/c, kitchen, Oven hob, microwave. Balcony overlooking swimming pool. Includes sauna, pool bar, restuarant, gym, library, rooftop garden, concierge facilities, 24hr security, cctv, underground parking. TV, internet, telephone. Price only 2.5m Baht or 12,000b month rent. Contact Nick 0800959002, email nickgreen3@hotmail.com Visit: www.emerald-palace.com (K) TEAM BUILDING cooking parties are a fun way to promote staff and manager bonding, better communications, and improve camaraderie. Cooking together requires team effort; eating together is fun. We can cook Thai or Western— it’s “up to you.” Available day or night, 7 days a week. Classes and activities are in a quaint Thai home, located on Soi23, Sukhumvit, near BTS Asoke and MRT Sukhumvit stations. www.

BangkokThaiCookingAcademy.com.

E-mail:Ron@BangkokThaiCooking Academy.com or 0807706741 (K) DREAM BUNGALOW – land 272 sqm, house 120 sqm, 2 bedroom, big bathroom with Jacuzzi, 1 small room, marble floors, teakwood doors and kitchen, outside thai kitchen, design ceiling with spotlights, superblock walls, water well with filter system, small garden house (app. 4,5 sqm), Carport (app. 16,5 sqm), Garden, government water, Telefone, ADSL-Internet, 1,3 km from sea and golf (Phoenix Golf) 10 km from South Pattaya (Ban Amphur). Price: 2.199.000 Baht Tel 0806419742 Mail: andithai@gmail.com (A) FOR SALE - 228 sqm 3br condo near park and BTS – Located Crystal Garden in Soi 4 near Park entrance. Great view, large balcony. Asking: THB 13.5M. (Negotianable). More info contact: 081-8180796 or email siamtc@ji-net. com (J)

20 - JANUARY 2012

BANGKOK TRADER

MARKETPLACE BUSINESS / FINANCIA consultants, estate planners, will writers & paralegals are required to join our organization. Full/ Part-Time vacancies are available. (If you don’t have the qualifications, then you may attend our seminars and be certified).

Franchises/Agencies are available. For further information and to send your resume/ CV to: legalalliance777@gmail.com Mobile No.(087) 9915655 (L) FLOOD SALE - Urgent resale NEW Ideo Verve Sukhumvit Onut BTS, 2 BR condo.

Asking original price 6,400,0000 THB. No Commission. Unit 2702 at IDEO Verve.

Ideo Verve 2br, 57.60 sqm, 27th floor, facing southeast. Unfurnished, Brand New building, This is a beautiful condo in an excellent location. Call 086 797 3712 Brian (L) DESIGNERS OWN HOUSE for sale in Bangkoks green, flood free peninsula “Bangkachao”. 2-story house 192 sqm, 100 twl land, built 2008. Minimalist Scandinavian style 2 bed, 3 WC, front / back garden, solar heated water in all taps, double walls, CCTV. Only 30-40 min. to Asoke / Sukhumvit, it’s truly an undiscovered oasis in city. See www. bomancreative.com/house - 10,7 mill baht by owner. Call 08 3859 3336. (L) CHEAP SHAVING, shaving products ,top quality shave brushes 150 baht, Old Spice shaving lather 100 baht a tube. After shave lotions at 200 baht, these products are unobtainable in Thailand and are a one off,only very limited quantity . Pattaya area 0832931821 jb4446@hotmail.com.

Reduction for two or more (L) HOUSE FOR SALE! between Bang Saray and Sattahip, 55 twah, close to Sukhumvit Road, 2 bedr. 1 air, 2 bathr. 2 kitchen, large terrace and carport, own well and water tank, phone line and cable TV. 1,39 Mio. THB. 0898681718 engl. 0850745196 thai. (L)

LARRYS RESTAURANT SOI 22 Sukhumvit , has one of bangkoks best burgers, the Tijuana Burger. Go to bangkok burger blog.com. Larrys has American cusine with BBQ RIBS from 299.00 friday nights and Larrys famous Rueban sandwich at 275.00. Also with zorbas Greek restaurant next door. The Greek Pita bread Burger is a delight at 250 baht.

Open for Breakfast from 630am and lunch and dinner. telephone 026634563 (L)

VICTORIAN SILVER FOR SALE: various victorian silver items for sale all with authentic hallmarks.milk jugs, spoon sets, ash trays, cigarette and cigar cases, sugar sifter amongst others. For collectors.

Contact David on 0818327325 (H)

I AM LOOKING FOR SMALLER PROTOTYPE / short run shops that can make stamped sheet metal parts, prototype plastic injection parts 100-500 pieces, presssed glass parts, rubber parts, etc and also looking for old style Blacksmith, Bangkok area would be nice so I can visit and see work progress, if you have seen shops like this a treasure map location would be nice! Please email me at lax2bkk@gmail.com (H)

delivered by special service in Bangkok.

Legal, reliable & cost effective. Also newly established language lessons for companies and/or private students by native teachers.

Contact Gary at aglenn6@gmail.com for in-depth info. in both. Thanks in advance. (J)

MODERN CONDO FOR RENT near BTS - great price – 86 Sqm, 2 B/R & 2 Bath.

Newly renovated & F/F in modern and bright style ( LCD & washing machine), 7 mins. Walk distance to Ploenchit BTS. Only FITNESS ACCESSORIES for sale. I have THB 26,000 per month. (Negotionable).

TRX, kettle bells, club bells, lebert buddy More info contact: 081-8180796 or email system, undulation rope and resistant siamtc@ji-net.com (J) bands for sale in a special rate for more information please contact TK: 0817315427 2 YONEX BADMINTION racquets for or email tkpt77@gmail.com or visit http:// sale, little use, very good condition.

B760 plus model , large head and full www.bangkokkettlebells.com (A) strings, developed in Japan light steel FOR SALE: Horse riding saddle with reins shaft and racquet covers for both. and bit and riding helmet. All purpose 500 baht for both ph 0828128226. (L) saddle all leather in good condition.

Contact K.Jazz 02-271-0987 ext.333. (K) EXCLUSIVE CONDO in chiangmai 1 THE NICHE CONDO SUKHUMVIT 49, bed 1bath and kitchen, best panoramic 63 Sqm, Fully furnished 2 bedroom, 1 mountain view, no opposit room, good bathroom, living room & kitchen, will environment and quiet, pool and sounar, all electrical appliances. Free shuttle 84sqm, wifi, 5 min to city near international service to Phrompong BTS. Fitness with convention center only 3.6M .silpaphat@ swimming pool & Sauna. Rent 28,000/p.m. gmail.com 083-424-9090 sek (L) with a 1 year contract. Contact Mukhlis STUCK WITH YOUR VISA and tired of the 084-0772518 (H) v-runs ? ED + Retirement (over 50) visa

FULLY FURNISHED STUDIO 33 SQM, 16,000/month condo for rent at “Raintree Villa” Sukhumvit Soi 53. Can walk to Thonglor BTS. Swimming pool and fitness room. Contact me for further details.

Call, 081 929 1681. (I)

BANG SARAY LAND for sale Two plots 135 talang Wah and 285 talang wah (5,000 baht per talang wah) stunning mountain view Call Orasa at 081-083-4683 (J) GUITAR FOR SALE Fender Stratocaster bought in Austria 5 years ago, off white color, very good condition for only 14,500 Baht. Please e-mail music4all@yahoo.com (K)

BANGKOK TRADER

NOBLE ORA - Nice 1 bed for rent (Thonglor) – one of the best unit located at area thonglor. Luxury condo fully furnished, modern design, 1 bed, 79 sqm, 15 floor, facilities are swimming pool, fitness, security. Surrounded by many amenities, playground, j avenue, villa market, au bon pain. close to BTS Thonglor. Rental price: 45000 B/Month. for more details call kay: 081-825 4363 or visit our website: www. rentcondoinbangkok.com (A)

JANUARY 2012 - 21

THE MET SATHORN 4 RENT 198 Sq.m.

3 Bed 4 Bath with maid quarter high floor.

Rental 110,000 THB. More info. Please contact Jenny 085 071 8396 or visit www.bangkokcondoonline.com (K)

IF YOU ARE BASED in Bangkok and a member of the transgender community we would like to invite you to join The Katoey Connection. This is a non-profit group for socializing. Visit us at: http://members. go-tranz.net/group/TheKatoeyConnection CONDOMINIUM IN SILOM AREA – *Note: This is not a sex or dating group.

Royal Saladaeng corner unit – 3 Br. 3 It is only for meeting new people in our Ba. 145 sq m, fully furnished, selling community. (L) price THB 18,800,000. Contact Unchulee EXCELLENT HOUSEKEEPER – 089 771 3621 (H) Looking for two days of work per week.

NANA CONDO FOR RENT bts sukhumvit HAVE A WIDE SELECTION 1200 She is a good cook. She speaks fair soi 4, 57 sq. mtrs. 1 bedroom 1 bathroom vintage films pre-1960 era worldwide English. Please call her direct number at fully furnished 2 air-conditions, hot for sale as well as a large selection 081 286 3134 (J) water, kitchen, microwave, hot plate of 20th century books reasonably LUXARIOUS CONDO for sale at Aree, 300 hood, refrigerator, sofa, television, priced in newish condition. Contact m. from BTS Aree. 116 sq.m. space with 2 swimming pool, lift, gymn, cctv, 24 nigelinseychelles@gmail.com (L) bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and fully high hrs security, keycard, minimart rent quality furnished, ready to move. Look baht 13,000 per month interested CONDOS AND HOUSES on prime/ best more info at www.prakard.com/default. locations for rent in Bangkok areas on aspx?g=posts&t=451282 tel: 081-3519680 peter. (I) or contact; resonable price include free service. More 087-577-4806 (Van) or 089-513-7635 SV CITY CONDO for rent (Rama 3 Road details contact 08 3 7017059 (Boy). (I) in front BRT station, 15 min. to Sathorn & or pavillion@gmail.com (L) Silom Roads,Chongnonsri BTS station).

Area 75 sq.metre,17th floor,Chapharaya 81 SQ METER, two bedroom, 5/17 fl. 1km ONE NEAR NEW Rocking Bassinet River view. Nicely & fully furnished. 1 from BTS On Nut at Sukhumvit 50. Newly ideal for putting baby to sleep in very master bedroom,1 sitting room convertible renovated with Index furniture. Quite good condtion, 1000 baht. 2 baby to bedroom with movable partition. dining location and nice open view on balcony. rockers with pillows, 300 baht each. area,1 kitchen & 1 bathroom. swimming 24 hr camera and security, swimming Portable cot very good condition without pool,jogging track,fresh air,food court pool and gym. High-End condo with mattress can see assembly, 1000baht for residents,banks,convenient stores. quality neighbours Photos: http://bangkok. Ph 0828128226 (L) Contact : Narumon Tan 089-9252510. craigslist.co.th/apa/2740072335.html -IMMO DE BANGKOK CO.,LTD – narumon.tan69@gmail.com (J) posted by owner. Tel 089-202-4866 (A) Real estate Agency. Welcome to PHUKET LUXURY POOL VILLA (NAI PRIVATE ENGLISH teacher Immodebangkok. If you want to sell, rent HARN) – 3-4 bedroom, 3 en-suite, Experienced, professional and reliable. or buy condominium, we can help you private pool in extensive gardens, All ages and all levels welcome. Native to reach your objective. just visit to our fully furnished, pool table & western speaker from UK. Contact Emma for website: www.immodebangkok.com or kitchen. Maid, pool and garden service further details 0860878173 or e-mail call us. Khun Kay: +66 081- 825 4363 (A) supplied. Short walk to restaurants & emz_798@hotmail.com. (L) SUKHUMVIT 26 – Condo One-X, 50m2, shopping. Contact: Johny, 0878-237371, 1 bed 1 bath, fully furnished, 32”LCD TV + www.villa-sophia-phuket.com (K) SUPER-CHARGE YOURSELF ! See home theater, cooking range/hood, washing yourself as a more elegant communicator! machine, refridgerator. High floor, bright PHUKET: BUNGALOW for rent/sale Does NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) unit. 25,000 Baht/month. plese contact – area Thalang/Paklok/Palm Garden. ring a bell? No matter if you studied it from 085 480 4618 Pete (J) 3 bedrooms,2 bathrom,2 aircon, warm books or already attended life seminars water, unfurnitured, quiet residentail area, or not, you still desire practicing it, don’t INVESTMENT – Interesting to invest in monthly Baht 10.000 negotlated/choice. you? Luckily NLP has helped millions of Thai stock market with listed broker? call: sale price Baht 2,3 Mio, under market people achieve greater success, increase 081-3070618 (Lee) (H) value possible. mobil 0816063525 Orasa / confidence, relationships and overcome CLOSE UP SKY Train-corner unit Dieter. Email: boyorasa@hotmail.com (A) fears! Now join 4-Free www.Meetup.com/ Condominium 3 bedroom 167 sq m SHIPPING CONTAINER going to the NLP-Bangkok . Check out the monthly THB 14,000,000. Contact unchulee UK mid-March 2012. Have plenty of NLP practicing meetings. (A) 089 771 3621 (J) space for anything legal. Please give BRAND NEW CONDO for rent: perfect me as much notice as possible. Tele WIDE RANGE OF HIGH QUALITY LED location - green, Bangkok, easily in and out lighting available – We have a large range # 081 490 6275. (L) of quality LED products for home, office, of town. Modern, urban chic, fully furnished RARE & OUT OF PRINT BOOKS (bold outdoor and industry. We can supply any incl. all electricals, glass balcony, 30 sqm, caps). U.S. Aniquarian will buy and sell. size order, from a few LED replacement 1-bedroom, bath tub, 15/F. Enjoy 2 roof-top 1-George Staunton. An Authentic Account bulbs for your home to container loads of pools and gyms. Directly at BTS Udom Suk! Of An Embassy From The King Of Great LED downlights for large developments. BITEC exhibition center within view. Free include LED dimmable parking, in-building shopping on 2 floors.

Britain To The Emperor Of China. (caps) Products London: 1797, 2 Volumes. 50,000B downlights, LED replacement bulbs LED THB 15,000/month, minimum 6 months.

2-Riley. Birds Of Siam And Malay. (caps) spot, track and floodlights, LED striplights, Contact Mark on 089-067-5300. (A) Wash.: 1938, 581 pp. 1600B. Many other LED streetlighting and much more. PHOTOGRAPHER looking for all titles re Thailand and Southeast Asia. Please contact info@eco-ledthai.com types of people to photo for project! www.eco-ledthai.com 0841609683 (I) 083-80-79610. (A) hotmodels2000@hotmail.com (J)

22 - JANUARY 2012

BANGKOK TRADER

MARKETPLACE ANTIQUE RESTORATION SERVICE – Restoring antiques to their former glory.

House trash & debris hauling service.

Can call me anytime but any job can be done during weekends only. Kindly contact K. Sam at 081-3030822 or email: sam_weekendjobs@yahoo.com (H) SUPREME ELEGANCE, 2 bedroom apartment, 178sqm, 2 parkings, bright and airy with balconies at sitting and master bedroom, one ensuite and one guest bathroom. 3M filter windows, low rise with nice neighborhood, accessible with BRT, supermarket closed by and only 8 minutes to Silom by taxi. One kitchen and working area, built in closets and blinds. Outdoor swimming pool, gym and sauna in the building. Contact Holman at 0843265266, direct sale. (J) MAZDA 2, New Modell 2010, 28.07.2010, Foreigner name, color: sparklinggold, Typ: Sedan, 1.498 ccm, 103 PS, Automatic, allow-wheels, sport antenna, sport exhaust, First class insurance till 28.07.2010, all inspection done (Mazda) , AIRBAG, ABS, Window rain protector 4 x, Back drive sensor, Film, elct. Windows 4 x, elec. Mirror 2 x, Underground and much more, approx. 14.600 km, only 499.999 Baht Tel: 0806419742 Mail: andithai@ gmail.com (A) PRIVATE TEACHER: Experienced, professional and one who is already teaching at one of Bangkok’s most exclusive prep companies. TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, GRE, LSAT, or Conversational/Business English. Degree in Computational Physics from Harvey Mudd College, one of the top engineering schools in the US. 1000 THB/hr. I’m not the cheapest, for a reason. Bad grammar and irregular accents are nearly impossible to undo, sound like a native instead. Contact me at private.tutor.bangkok@gmail.com (I)

SUPALAI PARK (Phaholothin 21) Condo for rent – 60m2, 1bed/1bath, high floor, balcony, fully furnished, pool/ gym, convenient location (near Central lad prao, MRT, Ratchayothin major cineplex). ready to move in. cleaning/ laundry service available. special price for only 18,000baht per month. plese contact 085 480 4618 Pete (J)

WANT TO BUY OLD THAI HOUSE – Dream of living in Jim Thompson-style antique house! Will to renovate. Will consider all areas, inc.outside of Bangkok. Please send full details: photos, location and price to Peter – grumbler6@gmail.com (I)

LAZY BOY Leather Rocker/Recliner Chair For Sale – Model: Dream Time.

Color: Cognac. 18 months new with 10 MORNING WALK PRAYER – Christians year warranty in excellent condition. of any nationality/sex/age/denomination Asking 25,000 thai baht. Call Greg are invited to join morning walk prayer 089-762-2731 (A) ministry which will first start once a month as flw. Day: First Sat. of each month NEED A QUIZ? Professionally prepared (cancel if rain). Time: 7.00-8.00 a.m. with additional themed and novelty rounds.

Venue: Lumpini Park (exact meeting Suitable for weekly or one off special point to be advised). Dress: Sport or events. Contact David. Tel: 0800451580 casualwear. Please register your name at: or e-mail ddickinson_uk@yahoo.co.uk (A) w.newt@yahoo.com (I) CONDO FOR RENT - BTS Baring – only I AM A QUALIFIED and respectable thb 5’900 per month , 1 Bed / 1 Bath / Living business negotiating Consultant, with Room - 34 sqm. Pool / Parking / 200 m to excellent credentials and references, BTS, Fully Furnished + A/C + TV. www. travelling regularly between BKK and stefan.asia for more details, Call: Stefan India, Middle East, Australia and Europe, 084 111 3977 (H) I can professionally represent you or your company on any PC business matter THE ALCOVE THONGLOR, New 1 bed within any of the above areas please for rent – In brand new condo for rent contact: Dr. John on jas@rainconsult. at The Alcove Thonglor 10 an urban com. Or 00447855546299 for further exclusive living lifestyle in Thonglor area, 1 Bedroom, 40 sq.m., 8th floor, Fully information. (A) INTERNET HELP NEEDED – Can I get furnished. Facilities include 25-meters help from fellow expats in Bangkok? I ‘ve long swimming pool with panoramic city been turned down for an Adsense account view, fitness with sauna & steam room. six times. I’m told it is because I live in For rent at 30,000 baht/month. If you need Thailand. Please help me get traffic levels more info, please contact me K. Kay: up so they won’t deny me again. Sign on 081-825 4363 or visit our website: www. to WWW.OldSchoolTriathlon.com - look immodebangkok.com (A) around, “like” something, maybe write a REPLACE YOUR ENERGY HUNGRY comment so I get extra traffic at just the bulbs with Eco-LED bulbs and save Money right time. Thanks (J) – Make the switch from Flourescent, OFFICE STAFF URGENTLY required Halogen and Incandescent lighting to (female): can speak Thai, medium low energy and very long lasting LED knowledge of English, typing (preferably equivalents and start to save from Day1.

Thai national), age: 30-40 yrs. Office With energy saving of up to 90% and a location: Sukhumvit area (tour / lifespan of up to 25 times longer LED is travel / internet office). Contact email: the way to go. Contact us for catalogues havelada30@yahoo.com (with resume and prices today. Call 0841609683 email and salary requirement). (H) info@eco-LEDthai.com (J)

BANGKOK TRADER

BEAUTIFUL LAND OF 20.5 RAI at Huay Yai Gin. Complete with new chanotes and company. High ground fully fenced with four wells, various trees. Ideal for large private residence mansion or village development with concrete road and electricity. Quick access to 331 link road to Bangkok and Rayong, only 15 minutes to heart of Pattaya. Only 29,000,000 for quick sale. Possible part exchange for house. All offers concidered. email carolandcarl@hotmail.com or 038030049 or mobile 0811578760 (J) EXPERIENCED PRIVATE LANGUAGE teacher & interpreter (Thai / English / Chinese / German) for business, or personal requirement.

Lessons are for one-to-one / small group with. (Conversation / Reading / Writing). Price: 400-700 THB/hour.

(Discount: 20 hrs: +6,000 THB, 30 hrs: +8,000 THB, 40 hrs: +11,000 THB) with all material included from 10am – 10 pm every day. Private interpreters: 400 THB/hour or 3,500 THB/day. Contact +6681-791-5621.

Or language_ wisdom_network@hotmail.com (I) TOWN HOUSE FOR RENT – Rachadapisek Soi 13. Two adjacent 3 –storey units. Suitable for residential and business. Approx. 150 sq.m. per unit. Six rooms, 2 baths each, Baht 29,000/mo. each unit. 02-271-0987 ext 301, 333 (H) MOVING – sell many items, best of small library, classic antiques art work everything musical just cool stuff. call anytime 0878103763 (A) BUSINESS/FINANCIAL consultants, estate planners, will writers & paralegals are required to join our organization. Full/ Part-Time vacancies are available. (If you don’t have the qualifications, then you may attend our seminars and be certified).

Franchises/Agencies are available. For further information and to send your resume/CV to: legalalliance777@gmail. com Mobile No. (087) 9915655 (A) LEARN ITALIAN LANGUAGE with Mr Angelo 12 years in Thailand, can speak thai, good price. anywhere, office, home, bar, up to you. call me here: 0806079635, e-mail:srikrsna108@yahoo.it , ciao (J) M.A.P MANSION for rent the convenience place in the center of Aree area that next to BTS Aree station just 300 meters. The studio in space 32 square meters included full furnitures and safety security 24 hours.

We staring price at 5000 bath per month.

Please feel free to call us at 02 6151149 or 02 2784480 (J)

JANUARY 2012 - 23

ITALIAN PIZZERIA RESTAURANT Enoteca for sell 3,8 MB included company, excellent sell and good customer, Silom Rd 300mt from Patpong Market. Fully equiped.

3+3 years. contract. Rental 37.100 b/ month. Total 120sqm 15 tables. 30 seats.

Call Luciano 084 3361713 or e-mail: bflgqn@yahoo.it (I) CHINESE LANGUAGE – Miss Cherry, Chinese native speaker, graduate from Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, has been exchange student study in Thailand last year and now work in Bangkok, can speak, write and read Thai,of course English too! Teach all levels Chines for private person, company staff and institution at home, office, shopping center. Good price. Contact Tele: 0861161799, email: charryqin@ msn.com (H)

ITALIAN PIANIST and keyboards player and singer performing standard Italian and International songs etc. leaving in Bkk. since 2000. I used to play at the Italian Restaurants - Hotels in Bangkok.

I’m willing anytime. Inquiring Kind contact Sergio on 0813641830 (L) GENIEDISTRIBUTE.CO.INT Home Biz Op! Growth in Thailand and the rest of asia accelerating at a phenomenal pace. this is virgin territory for this Biz Op so get in at the start.Full details at www. myshoppinggennie.com/youaskthegenie .

Download your free Genie and get started with this. (H) HAIR & BEAUTY SALON for sale South Pattaya. Great Location in City Walk Pattaya (next to Royal Garden plaza) on beach front. 7 work stations, 2 massage tables, Good clientele base.

Two 5 star Hotels nearby. Free parking.

No Licence required. No Key money.

Profitable Business. Accounts available.

30,000 baht/month rent. Only 780,000 baht. Relocating hence sale price. Call 080-0959002 (K)

A MUSIC/LANGUAGE teacher for your kids – I’m a Year 10 music scholar from an international school in BKK. I need a part-time job to teach your children to play flute and/or music theory, or even English or Thai languages. If you are interested please contact: 081-804-1252. (A) LUXURY CONDO AT PATTAYA for rent or for sale in high standing building LUXURY CONDO AT PATTAYA for on Wong Amat Beach, best location in rent or for sale in high standing building Pattaya 163 sqm fully furnished 3 bed 3 on Wong Amat Beach, best location in bath European kitchen Every room has Pattaya 163 sqm fully furnished 3 bed 3 large balcony with stunning views on the bath European kitchen Every room has sea and the islands Direct beach access large balcony with stunning views on the Infinity swimming pool jacuzzi sauna sea and the islands Direct beach access fitness center tennis squash snooker Infinity swimming pool jacuzzi sauna sauna communal gardens restaurant fitness center tennis squash snooker minimart covered car park 24H security. sauna communal gardens restaurant 54000/month, 14,5 mil. Baht. 0903943933 minimart covered car park 24H security.

(Thai phone number) (A) 54000/month, 14,5 mil. Baht. 0903943933 CONDO FOR RENT Lumpini Ville Pracha (Thai phone number)) (L) Uthit (Huay Kwang - Rachada) Tower ONE-ON-ONE ENGLISH tuition in the E2, 6th floor (35.6 sq.meters). Living comfort and convenience of your home. All room, 1 bedroom, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom, ages and all levels welcome. All aspects 1 balcony, parking. Furnished. 6th floor. of the language covered--grammar, Rent 9,000 baht/month. Contact : 083 833 vocabulary, usage, comprehension, and 44 49 (Thai - English) (L) speaking. Native speaker from California and graduate of San Francisco State NEW STAFF – 4-5 Reception, Waiter University. 10+ years of experience and Waitress, Bell Boy, Maid, Cleaner. offering private lessons in Bangkok. Store. Reception preper good English.

Professional and reliable. Reasonable Aria to work is Laungsuan and ratchada. rates. Let’s work together to improve your siamlilyqueen@gmail.com (I) English and make it more effective. David CONDO SALE 50 % below Area Price – 02-259-5655 #304 (early morning/late 124 sqm - 2 Bed / 2 Bath / Study Room, night) or bangtowndjs@hotmail.com (J) only THB 6’500’000, La Maison, Foreigner Quota, 4 A/C + Parking. Sukhumvit Soi 22, MORE THAN 1,000 LIST of businesses Fully Furnished, www.stefan.asia for more - for sale, very useful in tele-sales and details, Call: Stefan 084 1113977 (H) marketing. The contact list comprises golf clubs, banks, shopping malls, fitness BAR FOR SALE. Open-fronted popular clubs, restaurants, travel company, hotel and profitable Beer Bar in Sukhumvit Soi and more. With complete details like name 22. Attached ‘farang take-out’ servicing of the owner, GM, Manager, phone, e-mail other bars in the area. Excellent location in and address. The contact list is in English busy Plaza. Great returns, low overheads for 6,000 Baht only. Please contact K. – 650,000 Baht including stock and assets.

Rain cotto.en@gmail.com (L) Phone 0886 203 025. (L)

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BANGKOK TRADER

MARKETPLACE PRIVATE CONDOMINIUM for sale is in Thonglor six bedroom 642 sq m/ THB 59,968.85 / sq m. Contact unchulee 089 771 3621 (J) 93 SQM DUPLEX AT SOI 13 SUKHUMVIT two bedroom two bathrooms spare toilet flat t v very nice condo big pool new fur for only 40000 bath monthly for a year contract please call 0802736716 080268100 (A)

NICE AND COZY house in garden home village for sale/ rent (Paholyotin Rd.Km.23 , 10 Min. drive to Don Muang Air Port). Nicely and fully furnished,2 Bed rooms ,sitting room, dining area, 4 air cons., kitchen with buid-in cabinetowen, refrigerator & Amway water treatment system ,balcony, maid quarters, car parking plus garden, peaceful atmosphere and safe environment. Contact Sirinthip Tel 089-1234205 ,083-7025758 or E mail :rairatkr@ hotmail.com (J)

STUDIO AT THE MARKLAND PATTAYA 46 SQM hi flour seavew for rent studio at naklua for rent one year contract only 121 SQM AT SUKHUMVIT SOI 18 two bedrooms big kic and 9000 bath a month please call 087 800 9370 or 080268100 (A) dining flat t v very nice soi for rent only 33000 bath a month TREADMILL 4 SALE; priced to sell, like new, mod. 5020, for a year contract please call 0878009370 (A) 3.5 hp with over 6 years left on warranty of motor, bought new for 34,000 baht, sacrifice for 20,000 baht for quick sale, owner has all the paperwork. tele. 089-2033471 or 02-928-2033. richard or porntepa (J) CONDO FOR RENT/SALE – Family Park Condominium offers studio/1/2 bedroom units for rent starting from 7,000B/month and 800,000B for sale. Locate in Ladprao 48, cosy and convenient, only 10 min to MRT. More info (both Thai and English) please contact sale3@akandorealestate.com T.029298599 (K) ENGLISH NOW. English instruction at all levels English at home.

Early English classes for kids English conversation Examination preparation English at work Business English basic to advanced Specific purpose English eg Hotel English. Basic office English.

Classes where you are. Over 10 years experience in Bangkok.

Nowenglish27@yahoo.com. (K) SPANISH TRANSLATIONS AND INTERPRETATION – Spanish native speaker offers translation and interpretation services. Websites, contracts, official letters, manuals etc. Both for private companies and official institutions. Thai translations and Accounting also offered. Call 0870470590 or email: Spanish_Consultant@yahoo.es (I) CENTER-CONDOTEL in South-Pattaya, 14 TH Floor, TukcomView, 50 SQM, fully Furnished, Ready to move in, Price: 2.350.000 Baht Phone: 0896020642 Email: manfredgauff@ yahoo.com (L) FOR SALE CONTACT LIST - More than 1,000 list of businesses in Bangkok, with complete details like names of the owner, gm, manager, phone and mobile numbers, e-mail and address.

The list contains Shopping Center, Tour Companies, Hotels, Golf Clubs, Amusement Parks, Restaurants, Clinics, Spas and Massages etc. The list is in English and for 5,000 Baht only, very useful in Tele-Marketing. Please contact: iggybkk.th@ gmail.com (K)

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION 2012? stop smoking! fed up with your addiction? want your freedom back? Experienced clinical hypnotherapist helps you quit without cravings! I am an ex-smoker so I know what it’s all about. 100% money-back guarantee. Call 088-2270553 (Tom) for a free consultation, or visit www.hypno-therapy.net - This is the best time to make changes happen. Call now! (L)

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION 2012? lose weight! had enough of those extra pounds? Want to control your eating? Experienced clinical hypnotherapist helps you make those changes! It really is possible! Call 088-2270553 (Tom) for a free consultation, or visit www.hypno-therapy.net - This is the best time to make changes happen. Call now! (L) BEAUTIFUL CONDO FOR SALE by owner casa viva condo - ekamai soi 12 Total area 366 SQM, 18 floor, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, Living & Dinning area, maids room, spacious kitchen Newly renovated and fully furnished in modern. Great view from every side in the condo.. Asking price THB 19,500,000 for information or viewing please contact 082-4448499 or email to: siamtc@ji-net.com (l) MODERN CONDO for rent near BTS- great price 81 Sqm, 2 B/R & 2 Bath. Newly renovated & F/F in modern and bright style ( LCD & washing machine), 7 mins. Walk distance to Ploenchit BTS. Only THB 26,500 per month. More info contact: 082-4448499 or email siamtc@ji-net.com (L) COMPLETE SET DIVE GEAR, excellent condition, well cared for. BCD (Dive Rite), Mares-Reg & Mares-Alt, Mission gauges, Mission-wrist compass, Seacsub mask, snorkel, Cressi-fins (9-10), Cressi-full wet (80kg-m), ProBlue-shorty,booties (9)-2pr, gloves (m), Fusilier knife Sun Night-light, mini-light, dive marker, Oceanic dive bag. Bangkok (Rachadamri).. Steve.0874538018. (K) X-BANKERS: money loan consolidators, only over 1.0 mb., good credit, bad credit, no credit, everyone welcome. call 081-447-1478 (Mr.Niphon) (H)

BANGKOK TRADER

JANUARY 2012 - 25

Better than Gold

By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP®, Chief Cheetah and Founder of Cheetah Learning, and Kristen LaBrosse, CAPM®, Co-Author

This time of year, many of us are thinking about decorating for the holidays.

You might decorate your house with wreaths, your children with bows, your spouse with gold jewelry, or your table with turkey. Decorations lift our spirits, and put us in the holiday mood. This holiday season, don’t forget to decorate your name as well, with a professional certification.

From January 2008 to September 2011, the number of PMP holders grew 69.7% to 464,168 PMPs in September 2011. In this same time period, the number of CAPMs grew 293.5% to 15,695 CAPMs in September 2011. Project Management credentials are now, more then ever, a standard for PM professionals in industries all over the world.

By adding a dash of PMP® (Project Management Professional) or a sprinkle of CAPM® (Certified Associate in Project Management) to the end of your name, you are showing your peers, employers, or potential employers, that you have what it takes to ring in the new year with success.

For the PMP® credential specifically, the benefits far outweigh the cost and time commitment it takes to earn your credential. It only takes a quick Expected Monetary Value demonstration – http://goo.gl/k6cAS – to see that studying for and earning your PMP® pays for itself immediately. Once you have invested your resources to obtain this credential, what should you expect? Cheetah Learning interviewed seventy Project Management Professionals with various levels of experience, and here is what we learned.

The CAPM® and PMP® are both powerful credentials, and their popularity and relevance within the Project Management industry has been growing over the past four years, as the graph below illustrates.

Life after PMP certification.

Everyone has their own reasons for sitting down to that four-hour exam and earning a PMP certification. Maybe you are a project manager who finally wants recognition for your knowledge and skills. Maybe you are seeking a new job or a new position within your company. We polled our project management group to see how earning a PMP has changed their careers. The following are the top three outcomes: 1. Enhanced reputation within PM community (21%).

2. Promoted within current organization (17%).

3. Obtained a new job (16%).

Other reported answers included increased confidence and capabilities. As these results show, obtaining a PMP certification produces not only monetary rewards, but also the intrinsic reward that comes from feeling good about your standing within your industry.

Money, money, money!

We know that many of you wish to obtain your PMP certification for the same reason that our polled group did – to earn a reputation for yourself within the PM community. But who can blame you if you also want to be compensated appropriately?

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We polled our same trusty group of PMs to see how earning the PMP credential affected their earnings, and the results were impressive. The average reported increase in annual compensation after obtaining a PMP credential was US$24,556 (ranging from an annual increase of $5,000 to $63,000). What would you do with an extra $24,556 this year?

Looking for work? Look no further.

Searching for a new job can be either challenging and exciting, or stressful and tiresome. This greatly depends on the length of time that you are looking before you are able to land a job.

When we asked our professionals how long it took them to find a job if they found themselves unemployed post-PMP certification, 77% of them said they were never in this situation, as their PMP provided job security and a career path that allowed them to be fulfilled in their current position. The remaining

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23% who did need to make a career change reported that, on average, it only took them 1.5 months (ranging from 0 months to 7 months) to find a new job.

This year, make sure to differentiate yourself with credentials that are worth their weight in gold. Decorate your name with PMP® or CAPM®, and bring on the holiday cheer.

Check out Cheetah PHAST, a great new quarterly magazine at www.cheetahphast.com

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP®, is an entrepreneurial powerhouse with a penchant for making success easy, fun and fast. She is the founder of Cheetah Learning, the author of the Cheetah Success Series, and a prolific blogger whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses.

BANGKOK TRADER

JANUARY 2012 - 27

Is There Life After Growth?

By Alex Mavro

Unlike most of my college classmates back in the last century, I opted for neither computers nor business as a major. Instead, I followed my interests, which seldom lasted more than a single school term. Two at most.

Had there been more still more terms to an undergraduate degree, I might have majored in history or linguistics or something equally impractical. As it was, I almost majored in Geography, almost majored in language (Mandarin), almost majored in philosophy, and finally, I settled on political science.

Talk about value! Not the major I finally settled on, but the exposure to a broad selection of disciplines, to varying world views and emphases. I didn’t even mention symbolic logic, which I also almost majored in, and which served as a substitute for the odious mathematics requirement.

In the late 60s, we students spent much of the time arguing. You might even say that 1968 was the year all our arguing came to a head, with students demonstrating in countries throughout the Western world. Against what, my memory’s not entirely clear. In the USA, it was linked to a general malaise over the country’s involvement in Vietnam. But in reality, the common thread linking the student ‘revolutions’ was a sweeping and unfocused discontent with Things As They Are. Not unlike today, when you think about it: Arabs enjoying spring; Europeans protesting austerity; Americans occupying whatever is high profile in reaction to financial crimes unpunished.

Discontent is in the air.

There is a pandemic sense that something is not right. Either the poor are too coddled, or the rich too highly taxed; illegal immigrants too demonized, or legal immigrants too tolerated; the climate of the earth is warming, or it is cooling.

In each case, both sides can argue from fact. Most often, they choose not to, preferring to personalize and posture rather than to prioritize and persuade.

Issues become emotional hot buttons rather than intellectual debating points.

If you deny global warming, you are in the pockets of the oil industry; if you see it as a real threat, you are a leftist totalitarian. No nuances or conditions permitted: The world is white, or it is black; you are with us, or you are against us!

Reality seems to be secondary to the fun of demonizing and remonstrating the opposition. When disputants actually compare real data, it means different things to different people, reminiscent of the quip about the three kinds of falsehoods: “Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Getting back to my classmates, the ones who were in business school all those years ago, and they were many: The economists among them began with an assumption that I found terminally off-putting. “All things being equal…,” they would begin. Which is where I would stop listening, because never have I seen a situation in such stasis that there was only a single variable to contemplate.

Another group of MBAs-to-be were fond of preaching that growth is the heartbeat of a healthy economy – a healthy capitalist economy, it went without saying. I was always uncomfortable with that sentiment, but felt that they must know something I didn’t know, being MBAs on the make and all.

To tell the truth, I didn’t know as a student precisely what it was that troubled me about the growth-is-the-only-way syndrome. Only years later did the obvious illogic of the proposition strike me: How can there be infinite growth within a finite context? In other words, how can everything in the world keep growing when the world itself is not growing? (This was before I found out that actually – in terms of its carrying capacity – the earth is not only not growing, but actually shrinking.)

The corollary to growth-is-the-only-way is that no growth means failure. But is that the case, really? Is it realistic to believe that all of the companies in the world must each and every one of them – new and old – expand, every year?

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BANGKOK TRADER And that if this doesn’t happen, then the economic system is failing? How difficult is it to grasp that where the input is limited, so, too the output?

Assuming we can all accept that there are natural limits to growth, it is logical that there will be an end to growth. Thus the question posed in my title: Is there life after growth?

According to the bestseller The Limits to Growth, a 1972 study by Donella Meadows and friends, the answer is inferentially, “Yes.” This was the first study to use computer modeling to try to predict the rate of resource depletion. While some derided it, a follow-up study done 30 years later confirmed that most of the projections made in the original study were surprisingly accurate.

The authors made a convincing case, and apparently intended to describe life after growth, but got no further than to anticipate the population ramifications, a dismal Malthusian outlook. They saw little hope that substitution or efficiency enhancements – the last defenses of the growth-is-the-only-way school – would seriously counter the negative impact of overgrowth.

But their theory did reach an audience of millions and sparked the first serious dialogue about the quandary of a finite planet haunted by humans deluded by a paradigm of unlimited growth.

The earth’s resources are in decline. We are consuming them at a rate far faster than nature can regenerate them, like rabbits in a cabbage patch. Because the low-hanging fruit is now gone, the harder-to-reach resources are more expensive to extract. Think oil, and offshore drilling.

Mankind is indeed reaching earth’s physical limits to expansion and growth.

How we cope with this reality today will determine the quality of life for the coming generations.

Alex is Chief of Operations at the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration Center for Sustainability Management. Reach him at alex.mavro@sasin.edu.

*Ask for more details.

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BANGKOK TRADER

Five Stars on the Soi Uncle John’s

By Dave Stamboulis

A lot of folks think that you get what you pay for, an adage that I have never thought had much merit, especially when it comes to food in Bangkok. How often have I wined and dined at some highly touted classy establishment, only to feel when the bill arrived that I was paying for the view from my rattan seat, as opposed to what I had just eaten. By the same token, how many times have I thought that the som tam or grilled chicken vendor at my local market stall should be up for a Cordon Bleu award or at least worthy of a mention in Thailand Tatler? And then you have places like Uncle John’s, one of Bangkok’s no-longer-best-kept secrets, where the food really is a five-star fit for a prince, in what are most certainly the surroundings of a pauper… not to mention priced for a two-star budget.

Suan Plu Soi 8 is one of those non-descript working class sois where a bevy of noodle stalls and specialty carts set up each night. Walk down it, and you will see groups of Thai workers slurping down their kuay tiao and fish ball soups. However a few shophouses in, something goes slightly awry.

Nestled in amongst all the carts is a lone Thai man, doing novel things like flambéing steaks or elegantly preparing foie gras. The man is Sanjorn, more affectionately known as Uncle John, for which his establishment is named. Uncle John is a chef at the nearby 5-star Sukhothai Hotel restaurant by day, and is a man who has turned his passion for fine cuisine into a personal art at night.

Sanjorn originally set up a stall and a few tables right out on the street and, only recently, has grown to become a small air-conditioned interior joint with which to handle his overflow clientele, who now pile in night after night to sample

5-star haute cuisine at prices several stars less. Fancy items such as crispy duck breast served with sautéed spinach and gratin potatoes in blueberry and orange sauce, or how about a pan-seared salmon served in lemon-buttered caper sauce? Maybe lamb chops with ratatouille and rosemary juice, alongside starters such as foie gras or lobster bisque? The menu features these, and most of the entrees run between 230-400 baht, so you won’t be breaking the bank anytime soon.

The joint is tiny and packed to the gills with faithful locals, alongside everyone and their mother who has heard by word-of-mouth about the food. Service is impeccably slow, so much so that you might want to bring a second bottle of wine or a Kindle along with you to pass the time. These are normally things that would kill a restaurant’s business, but at Uncle John’s, they are simply par for the course and worth the wait. After all, the man is the sole chef, and orders are prepared with tender, loving care, one dish at a time.

You don’t get a maître d’ or even a fancy napkin here, and a trip to the toilet will remind you that you are most certainly eating street food in the bowels of the city. But again, nobody seems to mind, because the ever-smiling chef outside just keeps on producing pan after pan (of which he only has two on his small double burner) of delectable treats usually not found in the City of Angels unless you are willing to wear a tie and empty out your pocketbook.

Uncle John’s is the type of hole in the wall that you only want to tell your best friends about, but let’s not go on about paradise found, paradise lost. Several local magazines have recently run stories about him, so he is no longer that off the beaten path, and hey, the guy deserves all the foodies and apprecia-

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JANUARY 2012 - 31

tive aficionados of haute cuisine he can get. In this case, your meal will most definitely be worth every last satang and then some.

Uncle Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Suan Plu Soi 8 (fourth shop down on the left). Open daily, 6:30 pm-10:30 pm. 081 373 3865 Dave Stamboulis is a freelance photographer and travel writer based in Bangkok. He is the author of Odysseusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Last Stand, which received the Silver Medal Book of the Year award from the Society of American Travel Writers.

He can be contacted at pedallerdave@hotmail.com.

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BANGKOK TRADER

Healing in Thailand Can Also Be Murder Erich R. Sysak’s Stage IV

By Voicu Mihnea Simandan

Ever since Asia Books stopped publishing fiction and concentrated solely on distribution and sales, other regional publishing houses have had a chance of making a name for themselves. And so, Monsoon Books, a Singapore-based independent publisher, has probably become the leader in quality fiction and nonfiction books in Southeast Asia. One of their books published in 2010 was one by Thailand-based American author Eric R. Sysak called Stage IV, a novel set on the resort beach of Hua Hin. The book bears the subtitle, “Healing in Thailand can also be murder,” while the eye-catching front cover image sports a gloved hand holding a syringe.

Erich R. Sysak was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1967. He has authored two other books of fiction – Dog Catcher (Monsoon Books, 2006), a crime novel set in Florida, and Water Heart (Kindle Books, 2010), an academic mystery that involves a missing graduate student. He currently lives in Sakon Nakhon where he runs a small rice and mango farm. “Not only has Thailand stimulated my creativity, but has also given me a home where I have the time to write, read, and think. I had to work so hard in the States just to get by I rarely had the energy it takes to write books. Coming to Thailand was the best decision I ever made,” said Erich.

The premise of Stage IV is the concept of viatication, which involves a terminally ill person selling his life insurance to a third party who, upon his death, cashes in. Lawson Banks, a stage IV cancer ‘survivor,’ decides to spend his last months on Earth (and the insurance money cashed in advance from un-

scrupulous opportunists) in Thailand. Here, with the help of Benz, a former bargirl; Somastatin, a drug he procures cheaply from India; and the relaxed Hua Hin beachfront, Lawson celebrates his seventh year of a careless life in the Land of Smiles.

Unfortunately for him, a chain of unstoppable events unleash when Keller, the lawyer who bought Lawson’s life insurance, needs a quick flow of cash and decides that his client’s time to pay back has long been due. For Lawson Banks, that means only one thing: death! Keller will stop at nothing and so Lawson finds himself in a run-or-get-killed-race he physically has no chance of winning.

On top of that, Benz’s insistence of buying a shophouse, his dwindling finances, the regrets he feels for abandoning his son back in the States, and the mysterious influences a crippled Thai police colonel has on his life, put Lawson in a depressing state of mind. Doubts about his girlfriend’s intentions soon become a ‘certainty’ that she wants him killed too, but at the same time, Lawson feels that separation from her is worse than death itself.

Speaking of the inspiration for Stage IV, Erich R. Sysak says that “a close friend from New Orleans has battled liver cancer these past twelve years. He’s a real superhero because he’s survived so long beyond any expectations and because you wouldn’t even know he was sick. Like Lawson in the book, my friend doesn’t complain. He savors life, which in turn gives me a sense of gratitude and awe. But financially, he suffers. The chemo, the drugs, surgery, and

BANGKOK TRADER

the insurance games have wiped him out. In spite of surviving a deadly disease, the stress of living hand-to-mouth in the United States is the one sure thing that will kill him. So we often discuss the advantages of moving to Thailand as a way of economic survival.”

A long-time resident of Thailand, Erich Sysak has an acute eye for all things Thai. His narrative is littered with bits and pieces of known and not-so-wellknown trivia about what Thais are and are not. Bottom line, Stage IV promises that, although “Thailand sounded like the Wild West,” it is worth the risks, especially when an exquisite Thai woman with a passion for cooking has a central role in the entire picture, but at what costs, it rests with the reader to find out.

Reviewers have catalogued Stage IV as noir fiction, a genre/movement quite popular with writers and artists in Thailand. Erich believes that “if you write about Thailand then you will often write about crime, cynicism, and sexual motivations, which all relate to the hardboiled school of American crime writing. Social alienation is also a noir theme, and expats are, by definition, alienated from the local culture, as well as their native culture. It creates an interesting conflict that is complicated by setting, as much as plot and character. Writers like Christopher G. Moore have been exploring Bangkok, Pattaya, and Southeast Asia for many years, so if anyone has made Bangkok noir a genre, it’s him.”

Erich R. Sysak’s Stage IV has enough bargirl scenes to keep everyone entertained, but it feels like Stage IV is more than that. It’s a witty rollercoaster of a

JANUARY 2012 - 33

novel with enough blood, death, and struggles for survival to be easily shelved under the Crime Books section of any bookstore.

In Water Heart, Erich’s other novel set in Hua Hin, the beach resort becomes a town where Thailand’s upper classes come to play. Local expat Mike Bonner haunts the corridors of the town’s deteriorating Jackley International University. Classes are small and getting smaller, and revolutions in Bangkok don’t help enrollment. But where else can you find the bright and beautiful children of Burmese generals, Russian mobsters, and royalty? When Bonner wants a break from the long discussions of Huck Finn, he thinks of opening a bookshop or a café. But, a beautiful Muslim graduate asks him to help her find her missing fiancé, a sexpat named Palmer, and the investigation that follows leads them to the Giant Mekong River Catfish Camp. Here, they take on a surprising American cargo….

So, if you’re looking for some fiction with an Asian flavor, I recommend Stage IV, which is available both on the Monsoon Books website (www.monsoonbooks.com.sg) and at most English-language bookstores in Thailand. Water Heart and Sysak’s Dogcatcher are available from Amazon’s Kindle download e-bookstore; Water Heart is also available from Apple’s iBookstore.

Voicu Mihnea Simandan has been a member of the Bangkok Writers’ Guild since 2008.

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BANGKOK TRADER

The Bread the Boy Built

By Shei Sanchez; Bread pics courtesy of Chris Palethorpe and The Bangkok Bread Boys

I was dining with friends at Seven Spoons Restaurant, a modest bistro in the fringes of Chinatown, when I stumbled upon something close to an epiphany – this was really good bread. It had a crust that splendidly succumbed to a firm crunch and a soft, moist inside that gave in to a flavorful, bouncy nibble.

Fair enough, I thought. It’s an à la modish restaurant with a menu that pleases the eyes, as well as the stomach. Perhaps they made their own bread. Upon another sumptuous bite, I couldn’t help it and asked the bartender. The six degrees of separation had reached me: I came to know The Bangkok Bread Boys.

The Birth There once was a time in the metropolis of Bangkok when the alchemy of flour, yeast, and water yielded something akin to what many city folk called bread.

This food product was bandied about among would-be bakeries and protoartisans of pastry. But it seemed that only a few in this urban enclave realized how mediocre this so-called bread was.

Enter Chris Palethorpe. All he wanted was some good, affordable bread – the kind that brought back memories of simple, homemade pleasures. Of course he wasn’t alone in this desire for the ideal loaf. But he was determined. After many a disappointing rendezvous with subpar loaves, he decided that the only way out was from inside his home. Fast-forward a few months, Chris finally found his escape. He created his own good bread, right from his kitchen. Friends and neighbors became enamored of his home-baked delights and urged him to widen the circle to the greater Bangkok area. Let lo and behold, The Bangkok Bread Boys was born. Exit (from shame) other bread.

The Baker Before he was Chris rekindling good bread, he was Chris taking photos, the masterly kind that exhibited in many parts of Australia. Though he is still a professional photographer, his baked goods have been his camera’s main subject of late. To my surprise, he never made bread before. But after finding that the bread here in Bangkok was, er, not so good, he realized he should and could make it more appetizing for him and his family. “I could make this myself, and it will be better than what I find in shops.” And yes, it is better – much better.

Of course, as with any project of passion, it took practice and patience. “It took me a while to learn how to make it well and for it to come out consistently.”

After much reading and experimentation (about 50 loaves), Chris took his friends’ suggestions and undertook the process of marketing his handmade bread and biscotti. Little did he know that what first began as a personal quest for a decent loaf, blossomed into reviving a basic ideal of how good bread is deserved by all.

Admittedly, Chris enjoyed the creative process behind the advertising quite a bit. The Bangkok Bread Boys website reveals this enthusiasm. Not only does it entice you with lush, vivid close-ups of his bread products, but it also lists clearly and simply what is offered and what customers think. One look at a sparkling round loaf sitting cozily in its ceramic bowl, and in an instant, you are drafting an order in your head.

It goes without saying, the creativity extends to his breadmaking process as well. “They are all different, each with its own characteristics.” After all, bread is fairly versatile, so there is room for experimentation. Interestingly, his customers often ask for many new things, such as gluten-free bread. But at the moment, he only offers five different loaves, along with other staple confections. This is a small operation for now, and keeping it simple and delectable are key.

Besides the simplicity behind The Bangkok Bread Boys, there is also an air of open-mindedness and amiability. Chris’s good-natured sensibility is translated in his bread. With his dream of sharing the pure pleasure of the handmade edible, he is also performing that ancient notion of breaking bread as a communal bond. Indeed, his products speak for themselves. Before anyone knew or met Chris, they became acquainted with his bread. From there, the good word spread as quickly as they voraciously gulped down every morsel.

The Baked At the moment, The Bangkok Bread Boys’ loaves range from 80 to 140 baht, depending on the ingredients: white, soy and linseed, apple and cinnamon, olive and thyme, and multigrain, which has been the best seller. There are also muesli and the much-lauded walnut brownies which sell for 40 baht each.

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BANGKOK TRADER

A friend raved on these bad boys. She had them a while back, and still, she recalls the moment she had these brownies. Something tells us that these do not come from a box.

Biscotti options are almond and vanilla, chocolate and roasted hazelnut, and chocolate chip and macadamia nut. Oh, but there are more. Besides diving into these tasty treats, there are featured breads of the month. The most recent were chocolate chip muffins. An Easter holiday goodie were hot cross buns.

Warning: These seasonal gifts of goodness should be ordered as soon as they grace us with their presence. They come and go... fast.

The Bit(e) As we all certainly hope for, this story of The Bangkok Bread Boys carries on.

As people partake of bite after bite, this bread that Chris built will be passed on to more city folk who have yet to know what it is like to have damn good bread.

To cave in to your hunger and to make your first (and undoubtedly, not the only) order, visit Chrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website: http://bangkokbreadboys.com. For a look at his photography, visit http://chrispalethorpe.com.

Shei Sanchez is a full-time educator, some-time writer, former professional photographer, gastro-fiend, and budding gardener. She teaches at a university in Bangkok and can be contacted at orangesimple@gmail.com.

Networking + Ladies Night =

The Bangkok Trader

(Ladies Drink Free!)

MONTHLY LAUNCH PARTY

Tuesday, January 31st, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Señor Pico @ Rembrandt Hotel on Sukhumvit 18 For more details, check out our main Faceback page at http://goo.gl/UBsgo or event page http://goo.gl/EnNbR

It’s time to dust off our party hats for a new year of parties, celebrating the launch of our 2012 issues with all of our friends and hosts throughout the year. These make for a great opportunity for networking, meeting new people, having some great food and drinks (and discovering new places to visit on your own afterwards, as well). Hope to see you at all of them, starting with our first of the year at Señor Pico at Rembrandt Hotel. It’s a great place, and we’ll have a fantastic time, for sure. See you there!

All the details for every event will be posted, as always, on our Facebook page, so now's the right time to sign up and join our group. Go to facebook.com, search 'Bangkok Trader', and add yourself to our group.

After that, we'll automatically update and remind you about the monthly party.

f

eo v Lo ine e th lent d reat. Va p S S

F Spe ebrua cia ry lE ven t

Visit 'Korea in Bangkok' with an experience that changes the whole concept of on-stage shows in a way you've never seen before... and enjoy a special Come 2, Pay 1 promotion!

Including a 'Night to Remember' with Some Sweet Memories, Photos & a Lucky Draw for 3 Couples to Win a Free Korean Dinner at Arirang Restaurant on Sukhumvit.

Bangkok’s Only British Tailors Welcome to the World of Bespoke Tailoring.

Highly Acclaimed and Recommended by Discovery Channel Guide Books, American Express World Wide; Embassies and Diplomatic Establishments in Bangkok

Winners of this event will be announced on 29th February on our Facebook Fanpage and our website.

Cookin’ NANTA Theatre (opposite CentralWorld) Tues.-Fri.: 19.30 pm. / Sat.-Sun.: 15.30 & 19.30 pm.

Booking & Info: 02-250-5304-5

January’s

nanta in Bangkok

www.nanta.in.th

February Promotion

CUT THIS COUPON

Special Events

Embassy Suit Gallery Store Address: 29/1 Unico House Block A, Soi Langsuan Rd, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tel: +66 (0)2 252 2620 +66 (0)81 829 2006 Email: roger@embassyfashion.com Website: www.embassyfashion.com

Bring to

• Weekday Promotion (Tues.-Thurs.) – Come 5, Pay 3!

• Children’s Day

NANTA THEATRE

WATCH NANTA FREE!

a free DINNER!

with Cookin’ Nanta (Jan. 14th) Children under Age 16,

and get a chance to win