Save Energy Save Gas - More TBH

John LINDGREN


With gas or petrol, benzene, diesel fuel prices going through the roof, here are some advice that can help you to save your hard earned TBH, and extend the time before your next pit-stop, "top-up" at the Jet-Jiffy, the PTT or the Caltex pump.

I. Avoid High Speed Driving!

The faster you go the more wind resistance you'll encounter and the more fuel your vehicle will consume. As your acceleration and speed increases, your aerodynamic drag also increases in an exponential mode. Driving 100 km/h versus 120 km/h will reduce fuel consumption by about 15 percent. Also higher RPMs (revolutions per minute 'engine speed') the engine, the cylinders work harder and need more fuel supply. That's why the red hot F-1 Ferrari's need pit stops - for refueling (tire changing) up to five times during one race.

II. Progressive, Smooth Driving

Fuel efficiency is all about smoothness, and keeping calm is absolutely crucial to achieve fuel economy. By anticipating the traffic, controlling your breathing, applying slow and steady acceleration and smooth braking, fuel economy may increase by as much as 20 percent. Plus your passengers will feel significantly better and in case you’re hauling pets; the dogs and the cats will not get car sick.

IV. Keep the Pressure, the Tire Pressure

Keep the tire air pressure at the level recommended by your car manufacturer. It's marked on a sticker on the doorjamb of the driver-side door, or in the owner's manual (if you can find it). A single tire under inflated by 2 PSI, increases fuel consumption by 1-2 percent. Check your tire pressure every two weeks.

V. The Air Conditioner a Necessary Cooling Device

If you don't want to sweat your butt off you must use the air conditioner. But the A/C compressor puts extra load on the engine and burns up to 20 percent more fuel. Do drive al-fresco, sans A/C sometimes. The late afternoon in the sunset by the sea is recommended. Open the windows, (if you have a moon-roof open it) and activate your olfactory senses.

VI. Service Your Car Regularly

Take your car to the service center: whether it is the Mercedes Benz authorized garage or Somsak's un-authorized "Auto-Fixx" behind the "Aroy" noodle shop. Poor fuel economy can be related to simple items such as dirty air filters, old spark plugs or low lubrication oil levels. This applies specially to second hand (pre-owned) cars.

VII Use your " Tom Cruise Control"

Today's modern saloon cars, especially the coveted European sedans have a feature called the cruise control this gizmo will maintain a constant speed over long distances saving liters fuel and letting you take your foot off the accelerator (gas pedal).


VIII. Avoid Unnecessary Loads
Remove the golf bag, all the shoes, the camping equipment, the skateboard and old the newspapers and magazines you carry in your trunk (boot) or in the rear seat. A lighter car consumes less fuel. And the trunk, the back seat looks nice and orderly.

IX No Excess Idling

If you anticipate being stopped for more than one minute (60 seconds), turn off the engine! In the ueber environmentally correct, zero tolerance Sweden drivers will get a 6-12 months prison sentence if the car is idling more than 60 seconds. And if caught idling outside a kindergarten, primary school most likely death penalty. And remember re-starting the car uses less fuel than letting the engine idle.

X Buy a Fuel Efficient Vehicle

If you buy a new car don't get carried away by the cool styling, the free tires, the new car leather scent or the crispy PVC smell, the cruise control, the CD, the DVD, the MP3 features, the moon roof and the ultra smooth and sweet talking sales consultant. Check at the fuel consumption! Simple: How many kilometers per litre! How many? A manual transmission (stick shift) will give 20 percent more mileage. That’s why all the pick-up trucks and all commercial vehicles have stick shift. The bigger the engine the more it consumes. Super cars drink enormously. A "Lambo" Lamborghini Murcielago less than 6 kilometers per litre. The little Honda Jazz can get about up 13 kilometer per liter.

DRIVE & RIDE Safely: Take a Deep Breath! Buckle up! Wear Helmet! Do Not Drink and Drive! (Drink Yogurt- Low Fat)

The Egg - The Republic of Fritz Hansen

John LINDGREN



Embassy of the REPUBLIC OF Fritz Hansen opens in Bangkok

Have you ever heard about REPUBLIC OF Fritz Hansen? Fritz who? A furniture company! The organization behind the Ant, the Egg, and the Swan, an exclusive, Danish, design driven minimalist furniture company.

To investigate this intriguing republic, Prestige Magazine meets one of the Ambassadors of this republic a fit, slim and youngish, impeccably suited and booted Vee Pee. His ROFH business card reads: Frederick Moller Vice President International Sales, Asia -Pacific Region. Singapore.

Fredrick Moller recently flew into Bangkok for the ribbon cutting of the first republic of Fritz Hansen /AVIVA showroom in Bangkok located at the All Season massive grey M-Tower.

Moller explains: “Our the company employs 215 people and our turnover is approximately 400 million (DKK) Danish Kronor. Around 70 percent of our production is exported, and we have designer showrooms in Amsterdam London, Milan, New York, Oslo Stockholm, Tokyo and now in Bangkok, voila! We are expanding”, says Moller.

“At University I read liberal arts; English, French, German and also marketing. After graduating Fritz Hansen was my very first job. I started in the customer service department. After that I was sent to Japan. We are big in Japan”, says Moller. “Today we’ got twelve dealers and a flagship a store in Tokyo. And my wife is Japanese so my son is half Samurai and half Viking. And, I am also a warrior – a road warrior with 200 days per year on the road – working for the republic.”

Thailand’s first contact with Fritz Hansen was in the 60s when HM King Bhumipol visited the small furniture factory situated thirty minutes north of Copenhagen, the Danish capital. From that visit there is a black and white photograph dated 1961 of a young Nai Luang sitting, relaxing in the Egg chair.

Could it be the same unit he received as a gift from Arne Jacobsen the designer of the Egg, the Ant and the Swan. Look for the photo it’s on the wall in the showroom.

Fritz Hansen was a master cabinet maker who established the company bearing his name in 1872 in Copenhagen.

In 1915 the first Danish chair in steam bentwood manufacturing technique was launched at Fritz Hansen's new factory. But, it was the laminated light weight, stacking chair, the Ant rolled out in 1952 that became the biggest global hit in Danish furniture history. The Egg and the Swan also by Jacobsen were launched in 1958.

“Today, our key focus is still beautiful and original design and supreme quality. We highly respect our heritage and history” Moller explains. “But also branding. We have thirty persons working in the branding department, also looking after our website www. fritzhansen.com site”, says Moller.

“You’ll find our furniture on “youtube”, MoMA Museum of Modern Art, New York as well as in government institutions such as the Danish embassies round the world, they all have the Ant, the Egg and the Swan chairs and also Bang & Olufsen audiophile equipment and Louis Poulsen designer lighting. The Royal Danish embassies are our government run showrooms” explains Moller”

“And Brad Pitt is an Egg owner! Pitt has a steady taste”, says Muller. “He bought his Egg at the Sotheby’s auction and Jennifer Lopez, ‘Jay Lo’ is also a citizen of the Republic of FRITZ HANSEN.

Frederick Moller’s interview is over and his Bangkok business agenda is almost complete. In few hours he will be bound for S’pore - his residence and regional office.

And in Bangkok there is now a new Embassy on Wireless Road, beside the Vietnamese and opposite the Dutch diplomatic corps - the REPUBLIC of Fritz Hansen. Open every day from 10.00 to 20.00 hours. 2nd floor All Seasons Place.

END TEXT

Sin to Hel by Finnair

Finnair’s Silk Road from Helsinki to the Far East

By John Lindgren

Kuala Lumpur will in May 2007 be added to Finnair’s Asian destinations. Vietnam may soon get on the list of destinations too! And there will be more flights on the existing Bangkok and Singapore route. “Starting December 4th we will increase our flights to Singapore via Bangkok from 7 flights a week to 13 flights a week due to high demand from both leisure and business travelers,” says Markku Oravainen, Finnair’s Sales Director South East Asia & Australia. By he end of this year Finnair will also introduce the new fuel efficient Airbus 340 to replace our current MD-11’s on this sector, he adds. Finnairs Asia expansion started with scheduled Helsinki-Bangkok flights some twenty years ago followed by Singapore, which resulted in a rather unique advertising campaign: From Sin to Hel fly Finnair. “We are negotiating landing rights in Seoul, Korea and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam. Finnish companies have a strong presence in Vietnam since the last twenty years,” Mr. Markku Remes, Finnair Product Manager, Intercontinental routes, explains to ScandAsia. “Flights to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, via Bangkok will start in May 2007 with three flights a week. This will bring the total number of Finnair flights to Asia from eight flights to ten,” he elaborates. Today, Finnair ranks third in terms of passenger numbers between Europe and Asia, exceeded only by the big players Lufthansa and Air France/KLM. “In 2005 Finnair flew totally 708 000 passengers to Asia and 70 percent of our passengers are non Finnish nationals,” Christer Haglund, Senior Vice President Corporate Communications Finnair told ScandAsia during a recent interview in Helsinki. “Our Asia market share has grown with 30 percent last two years. Our balance sheet is strong and we are one of the few debt-free airline companies with over 9,000 employees. Our passenger load factor was 73 percent last year,” Mr. Haglund elaborates. “A key part of Finnair’s Asia strategy is Helsinki’s geophysical position; closer to the North Pole than the Equator. Closer to Asia than Europe. Helsinki is unique as a link between East and West Europe,” says Christer Haglund. “Another factor is our super short transfer times - approximately 35 minutes from gate to gate – from intercontinental to inter European flights. This is what makes Helsinki International Airport Vantaa and Finnair the fastest and most direct connection between Europe and Asia.”

Dijon Burgundy

John LINDGREN

A Gastronomic Heaven in the Heart of Europe - Bangkok to Dijon


"Final call for Mr "Linngleenn " AF 169 destination Paris – Final call…" “Final call for…”


I heard my name announced and left the ultra modern and luxurious new Air France business class lounge after my second glass of Champagne Duval Leroy Fleur de Champagne, non vintage, and headed swiftly for Gate E65, Suwarnabhumi International Airport. Air France 169 the “night flight” is the daily service to Paris departure at 23.05 hours.

As soon as we reached cruising altitude of 10.000 meters, the food trolleys rolled out of the galley loaded with a choice selection of gourmet meals. Impeccable service by a cabin crew smartly dressed in Christian Lacroix haute couture uniforms. The in-flight menu and wines are absolument, veryy French! Hors d'Oeuvre: Duck foie gras terrine with gingerbread and marinated dried fruit. To match the goose liver I chose Nicolas Fuillante Blancs de Blancs, Champagne.
Main Course: Lamb noisette accompanied by bean puree and snow peas with olive oil the tender lamb was washed down with a red Bordeaux Haut-Medoc Chateau de Villambis 2005 Cru Bourgeois. And for dessert: Selection des Fromage, of course; Camembert, Comte and Saint Maure with a glass of Port Tawny 10 years old. The Illy coffee and XO cognac was tempting but I decided to have another glass of the Nicolas Feuillante Champagne, nv produced entirely from the vitis vinifera Chardonnay grape.

Approximately 10 hours later Captain Jean-Paul Bouchard smoothly lands the white tricolor liveried Airbus 340-300 with a full payload at "CDG" Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, the ever expanding hub and HQ of Air France/KLM one of world's largest air carriers since the merger with the Dutch airline Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, in 2004. Paris ground temperature: 7 degrees Celcius or 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Bonjour Paris!


Off the plane and on to the train. But, first a steaming hot shower at the AF arrival lounge "Salon de Arrivee " at Charles de Gaulle hall-B. A comfortable, secluded business class area with wood paneled changing rooms, high tech shower facilities cubicles, big fluffy white towels and delicious RogeR&Gallet bathroom accoutrements.


The lounge snack/breakfast counter shelves filled with freshly baked chocolate croissants, fruit and hot coffee, muesli, yoghurt, juices, and a plethora of glossy French, international magazines and newspapers and complimentary a high-speed internet access. I think to myself "arrive in better shape” the old Cathay Pacific (CX) slogan as I bounce out of the arrival lounge showered, shaved, booted and suited.

The underground train station is situated next to the CDG arrival hall. A 35 minute train ride to the legendary Gare de Lyon and hop on the TGV "Train de Grande Vitesse" the original French version of what the Japanese call the bullet train "Shinkansen". The British may have invented the locomotive but it was the French who smashed the 300 kph barrier for passengers trains. The TGV high tech network now serves all corners of France. For the wine aficionados and gourmets there are 2-3 hour high-speed train connections from Paris to the coveted vineyards of Bordeaux, Strasbourg (Alsace) and Dijon (Burgundy). From my window seat, 1er classe on the TGV Dijon-Lausanne (Switzerland) I notice as we as we shoot down the tracks running parallel with the auto route motorway that the cars driving in slow motion at 120 kph and we overtake like a wind in speeds 250 to 300 kilometers per hour.


As I step down from the train at Dijon station (La Gare) I see my man from Burgundy Tourist promotion Board. Monsieur Claude on the platform with his sign held high. Mr LINDGREN, correctly spelled in upper case. " Bonjour Monsieur, he exclaims, surprised that I speak the language of Moliere and Rabelais. “Monsieur. No! English, please!” I refuse to communicate in English, when I am in France. “Francais s’il vous plait, Monsieur ”!

My first impression, emerging from the grey, nondescript railway station, was of another dreary, congested bleak modern city. But alas, I was wrong. Dijon (Dee-sho-onn ) the ancient capital of Burgundy was a city of a hundred Gothic churches, palatial splendor, medieval timbered villas and cobble stoned narrow alleys and also the seat of power for one of the mightiest states in Europe.
Led by the Valois dukes les ducs, these lands stretched through present day Belgium and the Netherlands. The guide book tells me and Monsieur Claude adds "the dominance of the Valois dukes lasted for 113 years and through the Hundred Years’ War and ended when finally falling to France in 1477."Five hundred-thirty years ago. But more than 600 of the Romanesque castles, thousands of churches and chapels have miraculously survived the urban development”.


He adds: "And look how well we have preserved the old Dijon!” No high rise office towers, no condominiums, no mega-Cineplex shopping malls – and no Starbucks - yet”! "Today our peaceful and still provincial Burgundy is one of the most prosperous regions in France, historically, gastronomically and culturally. Our logo is the escargot, the snail (Helix pomatia) he says. "The logo of Burgundy Regional Tourist Board (CRT) www.bourgogne-tourisme.com " It's here on my business card. Voila! - Escargot!" After being delivered by Mr Claude to my hotel, Sofitel La Cloche. I write in my notebook: "Another vintage four star Sofitel property. La Cloche dates from 1885. A "Grand Hotel" par excellence with flags flying from the balcony, grey stone, fin-de-siecle conservative elegance, complete with high ceilings, pink-and-gray marble floors, Oriental carpets, comfortable and elegant rooms and a guest list as impressive as Sofitel Hanoi including King of Belgium Albert the I st, Ferdinand de Lesseps (Monsieur Le Suez canal), Joan Baez (60s folk singer), the Sultan of Morocco and Grace Kelly, the iconic movie star who became the Queen of Monaco).


The hotel décor was favored by Napoleon III who checked in on the 1st June 1856". I checked in on 19th of September 2007 and my guest room is certainly smaller than the emperors – but has a balcony overlooking Place Darcy, a park and a bus-stop.


For a first time visitor, a Burgundian dinner should commence with a with a kir because Dijon is the birthplace of Canon Felix Kir, a priest who was both mayor of Dijon and a resistance fighter during the German occupation of France.

The famous aperitif which would later carry his name kir consists of two parts dry white wine, traditionally aligoté, a lesser Burgundy varietal and splash of crème de cassis, a sweet liqueur made from the local blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) that grow on the Burgundian hillsides. His favorite drink was a mix of white Burgundy wine and cassis. The dinner venue is the elegant dining room of Sofitel La Cloche overlooking the a small garden with a pond ans a statue. My aperitif, kir is accompanied by a selection of amuse bouche; foie gras, canapés and Burgundy's picnic classic, jambon persillé. jellied ham with parsley which is or ham cooked in a terrine with fresh parsley and served cold. A short walk in the garden and the hors d'ouvre: 12 escargots or edible snails , swimming in butter garlic and parsley on a hot, black heavy cast iron pan. A chilled bone dry Chablis 1er cru Vaucoupin, 2005 Domaine Alain et Cyril Gautheron to wash down the mollusks and the main course Beef Bourguignon ( "bour-gunn-gjonn") sounds complicated but it's simply a stew with a bit of red wine thrown in. You can't beat a good, hearty, rustic meal which is as French as La Baguette, Le Peugeot and the Eifel Tower. To match the slow cooked beef a Pinot Noir, of course. Our maitre d’hotel chose Moray-Saint Denis, 2005 Domaine Alain Jenanniard. Burgundy in the glass and on the plate. Gastronomic heaven: Vive La Cuisine Bourguignonne!


Since I am in the land of cheese Fromage I reminiscence Charles De Gaulle who said “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” So a cheese platter for dessert, a must. There is the Époisse, the grand cru of Burgundy cheeses with an overwhelmingly strong smell and 'melt-in-the-mouth', velvet texture.

Emperor Napolen Bonaparte was a particular fan of Époisses and the legendary epicure Brillat-Savarin classed it as the "king of all cheeses". Another classic stinker is the semi-soft cheese Citeaux produced by the monks at the Abbaye de Cîteaux. Annual production 70 metric tons. Also a raw cows milk cheese but with milder aroma than it’s cousin Epoisse.
So the adage "Bonne appetite et large soif " fits perfectly for Burgundy. A tad lost in translation it means: "Good eating and good drinking". Hence, when in Dijon, you should do as the Dijonnais are said to do - eat & drink. Burgundy, Dijon has the ambiance, the food and the wine. Trust me .



The wines some of the finest in the world – such as Romanee Conti, La Tache, Richebourg, Le Musigny and Le Montrachet. One bottle of the ‘78 vintage of this Grand Cru “super Chardonnay” was sold at a Sotheby's New York auction in 2002 for whopping 23. 929 dollars.



Even Bob Dylan mentions Burgundy wines in his 60s Tom Thumb’s Blues: “I started out on Burgundy but soon I hit the harder stuff”.
Today, Burgundy has 3.000 estates (or domains) 113 vine merchants (or negociants) and produced 1.5 million hectoliters or 200 million bottles with 63 percent white wine and 37 percent red wine. But only two grapes. Chardonnay for the white and Pinot Noir for the red. The wines being divided into four quality/price levels: Regional Appelations, Communal Appelations, Premier Crus and the super star Grand Crus accounting only 2 percent of the total production.
One of the Grand Cru labels is Chateau Romanee Conti or Domaine Romanee Conti (DRC) a legendary Burgundy red wine; 100 percent Pinot Noire produced in small quantities, 7.000 bottles per year creating a huge worldwide demand.


That is why a bottle (75 cl) of Chateau Romanée Conti will set you back USD 3,000 and even more. A well stored bottle of the DRC 1978 vintage was sold at USD 25. 000 in at an wine auction also in New York.
Last, but not least the Dijon mustard Le moutarde de Dijon, the "condiment of kings". Dijon has reigned as France's mustard capital since Gallo-Roman times. Burgundy still produces about 70 percent of France's premium mustards.

Today, Dijon mustard comes in many different flavors including walnut, blue cheese, raspberry, cognac, tarragon and colors such as yellow, blue, green red and a super strong lime green tarragon blend which will immediately make your legs tremble, your scalp and throat itch and your eyes water. The most sought after brands are Grey-Poupon and Maille.


My favorite since my student days in France is “GP” Honey Mustard made with white wine. Its fat free, low carb loaded with a powerful mustard seed flavor. Delicious on hotdogs and turkey or ham sandwiches. Not every one would appreciate this strong flavor but it is certainly worth a try if you like the true, natural unadulterated mustard seed flavor.

Make no mistake; Dijon the capital of Burgundy is a charming pedestrian and bicycle friendly town with filled with landmarks of Romanesque architecture the perfect ambiance be a gourmand, a hedonist and wine bibber at a fraction of Paris restaurant dining and wining prices. After my dinner I retired to my room and started digesting my first day impressions of Dijon, Burgundy, France.
I closed my notebook, capped my ball pen and fell asleep on the heavenly featherbed with duvet and four pillows in room 101 Sofitel la Cloche.
RESOURCES:

AIR FRANCE KLM
www.airfrance.co.th
www.airfrance.com

Sofitel La Cloche
14 Place Dijon
2100 Dijon
www.hotel-lacloche.com

Maison de la France
French Tourist Office South East Asia
541 Orchard Road # 11-02
Liat Towers Singapore 238881
www.franceguide.com/sg



END TEXT

Haute Horology

Bruno Grande of Wyler-Genève - the Watch that fell from the Eiffel Tower

In the rare, fine stratosphere of Haute Horology filled with matte platinum limited editions, COSC chronographs,
grand complications, double tourbillions, timepieces selling at astronomical retail prices there is a lesser known yet exclusive star by the name of Wyler, established in 1896 by a Swiss master watch maker and the 'Inca flex" inventor Monsieur Paul Wyler.

In 1954 two Wyler Incaflex wrist watches were dropped from the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris, a 300m vertical plunge. The time pieces survived the highest wrist watch free- fall in the world putting the Wyler Incaflex balance wheel concept firmly in the horology history chronicles.

Today, Wyler-Geneva is a prestigious Swiss watch marque still manufacturing the most robust, complicated, mechanical and shock-resistant timepieces.

Prestige Magazine recently interviewed Bruno Grande, Deputy-CEO of Wyler-Geneva. Mr Grande is an Italian married with two kids who has been living and working across the border in Switzerland for seven years.

Extracts from the Prestige interview:

Do you remember your first wrist watch? "I remember receiving my first watch from my godmother - but unfortunately I cannot remember which brand it was”.

What is your latest watch purchase? Bruno Grande says "since I started working with Wyler-Genève I am not buying any watches. I am constantly experimenting by wearing different prototype Wyler-Genève models, changing the dials and the bracelets in order to gauge opinions among my friends and business partners."

All watch professionals are inveterate collectors and Mr Bruno Grande has his private horological acquisition of 250 pieces.

About this year's BASEL WORLD THE WATCH & JEWELRY SHOW April 3-10 what about the trends in sport & dress watches?

Bruno Grande explains, "in the run-up to the BASEL WORLD watch fair, all of the world's major watch brands like to play their cards very close to their chest. As such, the trends only become apparent after the fair and it is difficult to predict them. However, I think there will be a continuation of the trend towards "tone-on-tone" models, which maintain a consistency of colour tone in all aspects of the watch; case, dial, hour markers and hands, bracelet etc."

Regarding the materials; gold, steel and platinum Wyler-Genève Deputy CEO explains "my favorite material is titanium, for it's light weight, it’s robustness and anti-corrosion properties. I also particularly like its "self-healing" property".

Any highlights at the coming 2008 BASEL SHOW?

"For the reasons I have already mentioned, it's difficult to predict the highlights at the Basel Show, because all the brands will be competing against each other to set themselves apart. But, Wyler-Genève will be presenting an interesting world-first-in-the industry that will be difficult to match".

We all know the big automobile exhibitions of the world: the Detroit, the Geneva, the Frankfurt and the Tokyo motor shows. What about the watch fairs do you attend except Basel?

"Aside from Basel, we are also present at the JCK Show in Las Vegas, the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition in Qatar and the Antalya Jewelry, Silver & Watch Fair in Turkey, says Grande.

Prestige Magazine being an Asian based magazine asked Bruno Grande how important is Asia and the Thailand Wyler-Geneve?

"Both Asia and Thailand are very important markets for us. The keen interest in the W-G brand after our Asian launch in Beijing last year which coincided with the 100th anniversary of the 1907 Wyler-Geneve, Paris-Beijing car race, for which we were the official timekeeper. And our recent Singapore launch in resulted in significant number of regional orders, including Thailand.

How many percent of your business is in Asia? "The Asian markets account for 20 percent of our business" explains Bruno Grande.

Tell us about the Wyler-Genève collection? "This collection is based on a unique three-piece shock-absorbing case that houses the movement in a titanium container. All the models in the current collection use this case: a limited-edition of 3,999 self-winding chronographs featuring the inimitable Incaflex balance wheel invented by Paul Wyler in 1927, which is available in 18-carat red gold, titanium and stainless steel; a manual-winding Tourbillon with manufacture movement available in 18-carat red gold and titanium with a limited edition of 24 pieces, including 8 special Paris-Beijing units and also the limited edition of 25 Wyler-Zagato watches, featuring a dial designed in co-operation with the famous Italian super car designer company Zagato.

The watch uses a new manual-winding movement with an 8-day power reserve". With "F" for full and "E" for empty (tank). Just like the fuel gage of a red Ferrari 250 GTZ.

"I'm very proud of the Wyler-Zagato watch. We signed the partnership with the automotive design consultancy Zagato, known for the design of the Spyker C12 at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2007. The first watch was launched in October at the Atelier Zagato in Milan”. From super cars back to watches. “Your favorite watchmakers”? Bruno Grande answers "I like Patek Philippe, Omega, Hublot and Jacquet-Droz".

“You have not yet visited Thailand but you say you like the Thai cuisine – which are your favorites dishes”?

"My favourite Thai dishes are Pad Thai and Panaeng Muu" explains Monsieur Grande.

And finally what would be your business philosophy - your motto?

Personally I like the adage: "the best strategy for the future is to ensure that there is a future" this motto has meanings on different levels, for example that we should always be looking ahead long term, but we should consider the future of our planet, mother earth in a wider context.

This is why W-G became the first Carbo Neutral watch company in the world. And Wyler-Genève will continue to carefully consider the environmental impact of all its actions with proactive reductions of all carbon dioxide emissions".

END TEXT

Vee Rubber Steel Radials

John LINDGREN

Vee Rubber Steel Radials 15’

Test Drive Report

The mileage on my midnight black Nissan Sunny Neo reads 150.000 km. The new car smell has long disappeared. Driving my Sunny is no longer as exciting as it used to be, even after the weekly TGIF double Macciaho Espresso from the new Nawamin Starbucks.

Now, how to get the “the new car feeling” back? Simple, new tires! Four new pneumatic tires (tyres), front and back. That’s all it takes. Trust me on this one.

End of Feb 2008 at the B-Quik service center beside the TESCO LOTUS Rama IV Khun Paiboon outlet manager showed me my Nissan Sunny Neo 1600 shod with four shining, brand new Veee Rubber Steel Radial 15 inch tires. The wheels electronically aligned. Ready to rock and roll.

I pushed the shifter to D (drive). Tap on the accelerator. Wow! As soon as I hit the tarmac on the Rama IV it was like driving a new a Nissan Sunny Neo! First of all the traction and the grip. What a major difference. Now, it was fun to drive again with maximum control and tight traction. And less noisy, too. Up on the Raminthra Express Way, Khlong Toey tollgate: BHT 40. Acceleration, speeding up to 90 kph. Wow! Overtaking confidently. Less lateral roll. “ I’ve max got grip, I’ve got brand new tires”! I say to myself and step on it.

Near, the new suburban ‘hi-so’ life-style center Crystal Park on Kaset-Nawamin road a rusty, semi broken down Isuzu appears from a dirt road and drives on to K-N four lane main road – without looking. Without stopping. I slam on the brakes. The grip again this time with stopping power! And easily I steer away from the pick-up avoiding an accident. Breaking with new tires – can be lifesaving.

Verdict: The Vee Rubber tires passed the driving test with flying colours. All departments: 10/10.

END TEXT.

Thai slang L' argot Thai - Thai slagia & Thai Slang...

Thai Slang A-B-C &&& A B C…

Everyday Thai – Thai Tammada

Thai Chao Baan, Thai Baan Nookk,

Thai Wai Runn, Thai Borann,

Thai Aray go-dai

This is the outline for the script:

Usuful Thai words and Thai Slang – Colloquial the modern man and the modern woman.

From A-Z … ay 2 zedd…

Start with AAAAA

“Arai wah!!!” Arai? Arai? Arai? In English What, what the ….?

“Anakott” THE FUTURE Sanskrit

One of the few words in know in Cambodia:
“Anakott” and Pol Pott or Paul Poutt, Monsieur Paul Pout

“Anakott – arai wah”!

Antarai – is the antarai? DANGEROUS.

“Aii Jaah”. Thai Chinese expression


ngat: to bring some long-kept thing out


Nawtlut: to lose one’s temper

Chae, poetpoong: to reveal or to divulge a secret

“Diew, diew”: to cut in when a friend is speaking

Ma: policemen
Puan-sanitt. Puan mai japp puan


“Khun Pan”: Kind of the Thai equivalent of Don Juan, this term for a ladies man comes from a work of literature by Thailand’s most famous writer, Sunthorn Pu. Most Thai men will take it as a compliment.

“Mao sut”: drunk as a skunk Literally, drunk animal, it is used to describe a state of extreme intoxication. Definitely don’t try this one out on the parents of your Thai girlfriend or boyfriend.

“M 16” Some Thai dog owners have named their after the assault rifle: M16 howabout “aka” Kalashnikov AK 47

Dek Theep

Dek Pum Namaan

Dek RCA


Mia Noi and KIK

Korea number one shipbuilder in the world and now making good cars, too

John LINDGREN

Hyundai SONATA 2.4

Korea. South Korea or the Republic of Korea is on everybody’s lips these days. There are Korean soap operas (la koon) galore on government television, Korean made IT & home entertainment products at the Mall and Emporiums, Korean restaurants serving kimchi and Rain the Korean mega star, singer and dancer with a huge Thai fan base and last but not least the new Hyundai, the Korean car!


I recall, when I was in Korea years ago there was not one single Japanese car, nor a Japanese truck neither Japanese bus in the capital Seoul. No Toyota’s Nissan’s, Honda’s or Hino’s! Only Korean made vehicles.

Here in Thailand Hyundai made a come back after leaving Thailand ten years ago in the aftermath of the painful economic meltdown in ’97.
The largest Korean auto maker is back in the showrooms and on the Thai tarmac with a new importer/distributor Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co., Ltd with a comprehensive line-up consisting of the Sonata 4-door sedan, the 2-door Sonata sport Coupe, the SUV Diesel powered Santa Fe, and the H1 the 8-seater “the Mobile Living Room” van.


The Sonata four-door saloon was the pick for the TTO Motoring February 2008.


Our demo Sonata parked in the Q-house Convent road car park was immediately spotted with it’s gleaming “sleek silver metallic” paint job and red “new car” number plates.


The 5th generation Hyundai Sonata might not win the Grand Prix de Concourse d’ Elegance contest.


But it has clean lines and uncluttered surfaces. It looks like a modern styled executive cruiser and a tad expensive, too.

The Hyundai slogan says “Drive your way”… Our way was the Bagna-Expressway destination Chonburi province, the Eastern Seabord.
As we leave the tollgate the 2.4 litre DOCH 16 valve, smooth four cylinder, four-speed 161 horse power engine was engaged - flat out! And in fifteen seconds: 180 kph on speedometer and my navigator says “do we have to go 200 again?”
“What about the Police? And the fuel consumption? ”

“About 10 kilometers per litre around town and up to 14 kilometers on a longer run of mixed motoring – but not at 180 kph” I answer.


Even at this speed the ride is steady and cabin is amazingly silent.A nice place to be. The big, soft leather seats are comfortable and supportive with a power for the driver. There are acres of space cup holders galore, and a user friendly two-tone instrument panel with a good looking green compact LCD touch screen in the middle connected to the in-car entertainment system.

This is year 2008 no more fiddling with tape cassettes! This Sonata comes with the DVD, the CD, the MP3 and the good ol’ AM/FM stereo with six speakers.
When are we going to have high speed internet in our cars? On-line internet and with you tube and facebook for the passengers – hopefully not for the driver! The fax machine in the car never took off, anyhow.

Apart from audio the new Korean Hyundai Sonata is loaded with a multitude of features and systems: the Electronic Stability Control (ESC), a Traction Control System (TCS), ABS with EBD, four-wheel disc brakes, six standard airbags, active front head restraints and 16-inch alloy wheels with those fine Michelin MXV tires – the silent tires with amazing gripping power.

In French “Mich-e-lengg.” The brand is also a respected French restaurant guide. Did I forget to mention the oh-so-nice-to hold high quality firm and cool grey leather wrapped steering wheel. A wheel made for long distance highway cruising as well as rush-hour Bangkok zigzagging and u-turning.
As we descend from the long and straight elevated Bagna-Trat express way it’s suddenly down to the urban stop-and-go lane shifting and occasional honking mode driving.

Welcome to Chonburi province.

With a length of 4.8 meters, 1.8m width and a turning radius of 5.46 meters the Sonata is easy to drive even in the busy commercial hustle and bustle of South Pattaya. The fully independent and well balanced suspension a comfortable ride.

Parking and reversing piece of cake thanks to the audio parking sensor the. Like a u-boot sonar: “bip, biip, biiipp’. Most of the minor and major dents on rear bumpers are results of parking sans parking sensors. Often alcohol is involved.

Late in the afternoon it’s time to time to top-up before the return drive to “Krungtheep” or Metropolitan Bangkok.


This Hyundai uses 91 or 95 octane, fossil fuel. No Diesel model available yet. At the Caltex pump it is thumbs up from the attendants “dek-pumm na-mann”. And a pick-up driver in a red ball cap asks “is this a Honda Accord?”
As I fire up the engine I answer “no! this is not a Japanese car – this a Hyundai Sonata” a Korean car! Hi asks “Sonn-ata - Tao raii?” How much?”

I answer “1.285 million TBH” as I grab the wheel with both hands and step on the accelerator. And the sleek silver metallic Hyundai Sonata disappears into the balmy Pattaya twilight heading for the Chonburi-Bangkok motorway.


END TEXT

Glass, glass and Stephen Gormley

John LINDGREN

Pattaya’s Glass Meister: Stephen Gormley


In the verdant, semi-residential Soi 16 area of Na Klua, far from the hustle and bustle of South Pattaya, sits a quiet two storey house with tall bamboo fencing and a discreet glass sign, which reads, “Stephen Gormley & Associates.“ This is the workshop and home of a talented and successful glass sculptor whose trademark laminated and often massive, tall glass sculptures are renowned and sought after throughout Asia. My first meeting with Stephen Gormley was in 1997 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. In the old Siam Havana Cigar shop beside the narrow lobby bar, he handed me his embossed business card: Stephen Gormley – Glass Artworks for Architectural & Interior Design, and bought an entire cedar box, 24 sticks of ultra premium fat Cohiba Robustos bundled in a yellow silk ribbon. Ten years later his designer cigar glass ashtrays have become collector’s items with more demand than he can supply. “I wish I had more time to design and produce these types of personal glass works,” says Gormley, who today is an ex-cigar aficionado and enjoys the greens and fairways more than the posh cigar lounges.
Apart from the cigars, I remember the new BMW’s. He once said, “I like the engineering – it’s so precise.” He now commutes between Pattaya and Bangkok in a grey compact soft-top Porsche Boxster. Gormley was born in New York and studied art in California, U.S.A. “As a young man, I always wanted to be a craftsman, to work with my hands.” The materials he favored while he was in school were metal, wood and glass. Glass in all forms became his focus because of its endless potential. “I was so interested in my glass projects that I stopped attending classes at the university,” explains Gormley. From California he went to the mountains of Vermont in 1971. He became a freelance glass designer and made stained glass windows in his studio next to a river, in the middle of the sleepy ski resort town of Londonderry. “In Vermont I lived in a cabin up the mountain with no road access in the winter. I put large glass windows in the cabin facing south, looking down the whole valley and across the private 30 acre lake. Mornings were spectacular and I would finish up my designs after breakfast, stick them in my back pack, put on the cross country skis, and ski down the hill, across the lake and up the hill to the van.” After a pleasant long day at work in town, finishing usually at 2:00 a.m., I would drive to the end of the road and ski back home through the magnificent frozen stillness of the forest, zooming out onto and half way across the lake, if I didn’t wipe out on the downhill. I remember the stars would seem to hang on strings and you could almost touch them. Ah, those days. Romantic Vermont memories. To this day I still get most of my inspiration for design, from nature”
“Ten years in Vermont, and 40 below zero on the cold nights, finally got to me, and I moved to Hawaii. The cold weather was gone forever”, he adds.
Knocking on some doors in Honolulu, I met some busy international designers, and was commissioned to produce some large decorative glass ceilings for the American-Hawaii cruise ship lines, of which their S.S. Constitution was being re-fitted in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. After completing the glass ceiling works in my Hawaiian studio on the Big Island, I traveled to the east and completed two weeks of glass installations in Taiwan.
“It didn’t take that much for the fascination of the East to impress me. After a two week holiday stop in Thailand in 1981, on my way back to New York, I became completely intrigued with Thai culture. My next stop was Singapore, where I found a city booming with hotel development, extremely friendly international interior designers, and no one making glass to fulfill their many concepts. With their urgent need for a glass designer I was persuaded to stay in the region, and found myself back in Thailand two weeks later, setting up my glass workshop.
“Although it was a bit difficult to get to Chonburi in those days, I did not like the City of Angels, so I chose Pattaya. It was more relaxed, clean air by the sea, and closer to nature. This is where I set up my home, and workshop”
Most of his work in the last 25 years has been with the largest and most renown interior designers and architects in Asia.Today, Gormley’s glass installations can be seen in the lobbies, dining rooms and bars of the world’s most luxurious hotels such as the Grand Hyatt’s, Ritz-Carlton’s, Peninsula’s, and Sheraton Grande Hotel’s. From Istanbul to Bangkok, to Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

Recent installations include the huge 4 glass column sculpture in the main lobby of the 800-room Kunlun Hotel in Beijing. The eight-meter tall sculpture, weighing six metric tons, cost fifteen million TBH. Most recently, Gormley and his team of Thai workers completed an eight-day glass installation in the lobby of the new Le Meridien Hotel in New Delhi. Another important element in Gormley’s life is his family. A busy entrepreneur-cum-designer, he still finds time for his three sons, two of whom attend college in the US. His company is also very much en famille since most of his 15 workers and staff have been with him for more than 15 years. Like an extended family, most of the workers live on the workshop compound. And, after 25 years, he still lives in the same house in Na Klua. But, recently, he bought a 12-rai piece of land on the other side of Pattaya near the hills. Gormley’s current project, Glass Artwork Village, is in the planning stages with a new residence, swimming pool, expanded workshop and housing for his workers. Next time you are in the lobby or dining room or stylish bar of a five-star hotel and you see an impressive turquoise green glass sculpture towering above you, you’ll recognize the special talent of the singular glass designer Stephen Gormley.
END TEXT









John LINDGREN

Pattaya’s Glass Meister: Stephen Gormley,
In the verdant, semi-residential Soi 16 area of Na Klua, far from the hustle and bustle of South Pattaya, sits a quiet two storey house with tall bamboo fencing and a discreet glass sign, which reads, “Stephen Gormley & Associates.“ This is the workshop and home of a talented and successful glass sculptor whose trademark laminated and often massive, tall glass sculptures are renowned and sought after throughout Asia. My first meeting with Stephen Gormley was in 1997 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. In the old Siam Havana Cigar shop beside the narrow lobby bar, he handed me his embossed business card: Stephen Gormley – Glass Artworks for Architectural & Interior Design, and bought an entire cedar box, 24 sticks of ultra premium fat Cohiba Robustos bundled in a yellow silk ribbon. Ten years later his designer cigar glass ashtrays have become collector’s items with more demand than he can supply. “I wish I had more time to design and produce these types of personal glass works,” says Gormley, who today is an ex-cigar aficionado and enjoys the greens and fairways more than the posh cigar lounges.
Apart from the cigars, I remember the new BMW’s. He once said, “I like the engineering – it’s so precise.” He now commutes between Pattaya and Bangkok in a grey compact soft-top Porsche Boxster. Gormley was born in New York and studied art in California, U.S.A. “As a young man, I always wanted to be a craftsman, to work with my hands.” The materials he favored while he was in school were metal, wood and glass. Glass in all forms became his focus because of its endless potential. “I was so interested in my glass projects that I stopped attending classes at the university,” explains Gormley. From California he went to the mountains of Vermont in 1971. He became a freelance glass designer and made stained glass windows in his studio next to a river, in the middle of the sleepy ski resort town of Londonderry. “In Vermont I lived in a cabin up the mountain with no road access in the winter. I put large glass windows in the cabin facing south, looking down the whole valley and across the private 30 acre lake. Mornings were spectacular and I would finish up my designs after breakfast, stick them in my back pack, put on the cross country skis, and ski down the hill, across the lake and up the hill to the van.” After a pleasant long day at work in town, finishing usually at 2:00 a.m., I would drive to the end of the road and ski back home through the magnificent frozen stillness of the forest, zooming out onto and half way across the lake, if I didn’t wipe out on the downhill. I remember the stars would seem to hang on strings and you could almost touch them. Ah, those days. Romantic Vermont memories. To this day I still get most of my inspiration for design, from nature”
“Ten years in Vermont, and 40 below zero on the cold nights, finally got to me, and I moved to Hawaii. The cold weather was gone forever”, he adds.
Knocking on some doors in Honolulu, I met some busy international designers, and was commissioned to produce some large decorative glass ceilings for the American-Hawaii cruise ship lines, of which their S.S. Constitution was being re-fitted in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. After completing the glass ceiling works in my Hawaiian studio on the Big Island, I traveled to the east and completed two weeks of glass installations in Taiwan.
“It didn’t take that much for the fascination of the East to impress me. After a two week holiday stop in Thailand in 1981, on my way back to New York, I became completely intrigued with Thai culture. My next stop was Singapore, where I found a city booming with hotel development, extremely friendly international interior designers, and no one making glass to fulfill their many concepts. With their urgent need for a glass designer I was persuaded to stay in the region, and found myself back in Thailand two weeks later, setting up my glass workshop.
“Although it was a bit difficult to get to Chonburi in those days, I did not like the City of Angels, so I chose Pattaya. It was more relaxed, clean air by the sea, and closer to nature. This is where I set up my home, and workshop”
Most of his work in the last 25 years has been with the largest and most renown interior designers and architects in Asia.Today, Gormley’s glass installations can be seen in the lobbies, dining rooms and bars of the world’s most luxurious hotels such as the Grand Hyatt’s, Ritz-Carlton’s, Peninsula’s, and Sheraton Grande Hotel’s. From Istanbul to Bangkok, to Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

Recent installations include the huge 4 glass column sculpture in the main lobby of the 800-room Kunlun Hotel in Beijing. The eight-meter tall sculpture, weighing six metric tons, cost fifteen million TBH. Most recently, Gormley and his team of Thai workers completed an eight-day glass installation in the lobby of the new Le Meridien Hotel in New Delhi. Another important element in Gormley’s life is his family. A busy entrepreneur-cum-designer, he still finds time for his three sons, two of whom attend college in the US. His company is also very much en famille since most of his 15 workers and staff have been with him for more than 15 years. Like an extended family, most of the workers live on the workshop compound. And, after 25 years, he still lives in the same house in Na Klua. But, recently, he bought a 12-rai piece of land on the other side of Pattaya near the hills. Gormley’s current project, Glass Artwork Village, is in the planning stages with a new residence, swimming pool, expanded workshop and housing for his workers. Next time you are in the lobby or dining room or stylish bar of a five-star hotel and you see an impressive turquoise green glass sculpture towering above you, you’ll recognize the special talent of the singular glass designer Stephen Gormley.


END TEXT

Horrorlogy - Horology

John LINDGREN

Bruno Grande of Wyler-Genève: the Watch that fell from the Eiffel Tower

In the rare stratosphere of Haute Horology filled with platinum matte limited editions, chronographs, grand complications, double tourbillions amazing timepieces selling at astronomical retail prices there is a lesser known, yet unique star named Wyler established in 1896 by a Swiss watch maker Paul Wyler the 'Inca flex" inventor.

In 1954 two Wyler Incaflex wrist watches were dropped from the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris, a 300m vertical plunge. The time pieces survived the highest wrist watch free- fall in the world putting the Wyler Incaflex balance wheel concept firmly in the horology history chronicles.

Today, Wyler-Genève is a prestigious Swiss watch marque still manufacturing the most robust, mechanical and shock-resistant timepieces, including the titanium and gold Tourbillions.

Prestige Magazine recently interviewed Bruno Grande, Deputy-CEO of Wyler-Genève. Mr Grande is an Italian who has been living and working across the border in Switzerland for seven years previously with the giant Swiss watch group Swatch. Extracts from the Prestige interview:

Do you remember your first watch? "I remember receiving my first watch from my godmother - but unfortunately I cannot remember which brand it was”.

What is your latest wrist watch purchase?

Bruno Grande says: "Since I started working with Wyler-Genève I am not buying any more watches! I am constantly experimenting by wearing different prototype Wyler-Genève models, changing the dials and the bracelets in order to gauge opinions among my friends and business partners."

As all watch professionals are inveterate collectors also Mr Bruno Grande has his private horological acquisition of 250 pieces. And his favorite watchmakers are Hublot, Jacquet-Droz, Omega, and Patek Philippe.

Regarding this year's coming BASEL WORLD THE WATCH & JEWELRY SHOW from April 3-10 what about the trends in sport & dress watches?

Bruno Grande elaborates: "In the run-up to the BASEL WORLD watch fair, all of the world's major watch brands like to play their cards very close to their chest. The trends only become apparent after the fair and it is difficult to predict them. However, I think there will be a continuation of the trend towards "tone-on-tone" models, which maintain a consistency of colour tone in all aspects of the watch; case, dial, hour markers and hands, bracelet etc."

Regarding the materials; gold, steel and platinum Wyler-Genève Deputy CEO explains "my favorite material is titanium, for it's light weight, it’s robustness and anti-corrosion properties. I also particularly like its "self-healing" property".

Any highlights at the coming 2008 BASEL SHOW?

"For the reasons I have already mentioned, it's hard to predict the highlights at the Basel Show, because all the brands will be competing against each other to set themselves apart. But, Wyler-Genève will launch an interesting world-first-in-the industry that will be difficult to match".

What about the watch fairs W-G attends except Basel?

"Aside from Basel, we are also present at the JCK Show in Las Vegas, the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition in Qatar and the Antalya Jewelry, Silver & Watch Fair in Turkey, says Grande.

How important is Asia and Thailand Wyler-Genève for?

"Both Asia and Thailand are very important markets for us. The keen interest in the W-G brand after our Asian launch in Beijing last year which coincided with the 100th anniversary of the 1907 Wyler-Geneve, Paris-Beijing long distance car race, for which we were the official timekeeper. And our recent Singapore launch in resulted in a significant number of regional orders.

And how much of your trade is in Asia? "the Asian markets account for 20 percent of our business" explains Bruno Grande.

Tell us about the Wyler-Genève 2007/2008 collection.

"This collection is based on a unique three-piece shock-absorbing case that houses the movement in a ultra-strong titanium container. All the models in the current collection use this unique case: a limited-edition of 3,999 self-winding chronographs featuring the inimitable Incaflex balance wheel invented by Paul Wyler in 1927, which is available in 18-carat red gold, titanium and stainless steel; a manual-winding Tourbillon with manufacture movement available in 18-carat red gold and titanium with a limited edition of 24 pieces, including 8 special Paris-Beijing units and also the limited edition of 25 Wyler-Zagato watches, featuring a dial designed in co-operation with the Italian super car designer company Zagato. The Wyler-Zagato watch uses a new manual-winding movement with an 8-day power reserve. With "F" for full and "E" for empty (tank). Just like the fuel gage of a red Ferrari 250 GTZ – Zagato designed! The Wyler-Zagato was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2007. "I'm very proud of the watch with partnership with Zagato


“You have not yet visited Thailand but you say you like the Thai cuisine, which are your favorites dishes”?

"My favourite Thai dishes are Pad Thai and Panaeng Muu" explains Bruno Grande.

And finally what is your business philosophy - your motto?

Personally I like the adage: "the best strategy for the future is to ensure that there is a future" this motto has meanings on different levels, for example that we should always be looking ahead long term, but we should consider the future of our planet, mother earth in a wider context.

This is why W-G became the first Carbo Neutral watch company in the world. And Wyler-Genève will continue to carefully to consider the environmental impact of all its actions with possible reductions of all carbon dioxide emissions".

END TEXT

Chef from Hell. Helsinki Finland Janne Ollikainen

John LINDGREN

Chef Janne - A Finn in the Central World Convention Kitchen

Janne Ollikainen hails from North Karelia, eastern Finland, the vast, lake-dotted, dens forest hinterland bordering to Russia where maestro Jean Sibelius composed his orchestral masterpieces the Karelia Suite and Finlandia in 1899 - long before NOKIA polyphonic, camera-video-mobile phones and Finlandia vodka.

Chef Ollikainen moved to the Kingdom of Thailand 2007 to settle down. Khun Janne is the first Finnish and second Nordic chef in Bangkok among all the imported cooks; chefs, sous-chefs and patisserie & boulangerie chefs from Central Europe; Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. Including Australia, China, India, Singapore Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan.

The Daily Express meets the 35 years old slim and fit looking Finn dressed sans his toque blance (the tall, round, pleated, starched white hat worn by chefs in his white chef uniform at the spick and span high-tech Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld. Located at right opposite the Erawan shrine and Police hospital.

Ollikainen is married to a Thai International (TG) flight attendant and the Finn-Thai couple recently bought a townhouse near the Onnut sky-train, BTS-terminus. “I used to commute Helsinki-Bangkok-Helsinki (HEL-BKK-HEL) for nine years. I became a very frequent flyer or the “Flying –Finn from Hell”!

Now, I am a Bangkok resident with a BTS-card says Janne Ollikainen.

His cooking career started beside the family gas stove. He says he always liked to be in the kitchen. “There is a photograph of me when I am five years old in a white, tall, polyester chef’s hat. That must have been a sign” he clips. “I started green and yellow opinions during my summer holidays when I was fifteen”. Later Ollikainen enrolled at the Hotel & Restaurant School at Kuopio, university in eastern Finland and after 3 ½ years he received his diploma.

When Janne Ollikainen was still peeling onions and potatoes the reputation of Finnish cuisine was bleak. Unglamorous eats loaded with cholesterol, clarified butter (ghee), salty, heavy, artery blocking, and heart attack inducing fare. Breakfast: sandwiches thickly buttered (extra salted) and slabs of cheese, red sausage, fat milk, gallons of coffee and tons of sugar.

Luncheons consisting of large fried meat balls, mashed potatoes with heavy salty brown sauce, blood sausage. Desert: ultra sweet fruit soups with milk, cream and more fat milk – to quench the thirst.

The sub artic circle winter darkness required de-stress, de-compression soirees at a smoke filled pubs with a minimum of two packs of full flavored high tar cigarettes, many stiff, sugary Vodka cocktails and cases of ‘strong’ beer to go with the salty potato chips and oily peanuts. All this, not surprisingly resulted in one of the highest heart attacks mortality rates in the world. WHO cardiac arrest top ranking!

And additional insult to injury with Monsieur President Le Jacques Chirac who after visiting Helsinki, the capital said “Followed by Finland, Britain is the country with the worst food”.

The French Presidents statement was important in changing the restaurant scene of Finland. And there has been a remarkable decline in mortality from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, as well.

Enter year 2007. The Finns are healthier than ever and the country is now boasting several expensive Michelin star restaurants winning more coveted stars every year. And the menus offering season’s best and freshest fare. The cooks are called “chefs” and have TV-celebrity status and are invited to the Independence Day reception at the Presidential Palace. “The Independence Party” the one an only for the Finns ranking number two after the Hollywood Oscars Gala.


The hundreds of young chefs like Janne Ollikainen with extensive culinary training covering all cooking, food hygiene and nutrition aspects reaching a molecular level are now taking la cuisine Finlandaise to the next level.

“After my graduation I worked in Klaus Kurki restaurant a prestigious Helsinki boutique hotel, Saariselka Lapland ski-resort hotel and the Alvar Aalto designed Helsinki National Opera House Restaurant” says Janne Ollikainen.

“Thereafter I joined the merchant navy. Six years back-to-back cruise line experience most recently on the red Viking-Line luxury 12 deck floating hotels cum car ferries plying between Helsinki and Stockholm equipped with five star dining rooms, cavernous temperature controlled duty-free wine cellars, VIP Saunas, spa & fitness lounges. Plus the biggest and best equipped hot and cold kitchens in Europe. And the cleanest”.

Janne Ollikainen was the chef-de-partie “the boss of the party”, also known as a "station chef" or "line cook" in restaurant parlance. In large kitchens, like cruise ships each station chef might have several cooks working under him. But I prefer chef-de-partie. To me it sounds better that “station chef” or “line cook” adds Janne. Whose favorite movie is of course “Ratatouille”.


With twenty years experience in cooking operations, kitchen, food cost control, staff training Chef Janne Ollikainen will be in charge the new Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld monster convention centre boasting 6.000 seats theatre-style, and 3.000 sit down diners and 7.000 cocktails guests capacity.

The Convention Centre opened in July 2007. The first event was booked by Hallo Kitty. The pink “naa-rakk” Japanese “King of Cute” merchandise giant.

And when does Ollikainen have time to relax?

Relax? “Not much time to relax, really. But I do play golf: 11 ½ handicap Yes, 11 ½ Soon eleven. Later seven! The Ramintra Army Club is one of my favorite courses”, adds Ollikainen.

And what is chef’s favorite tipple? “Red wine. The Burgundy Pinot Noir and Macallan Speyside single malt whisky. And a fat, long hecho a mano Cuban Cohiba if the right occasion arises”.


What is your preferred food? “Fish, simple seafood, but also the Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), and the North Atlantic crustacean, Maine lobster says Ollikainen. Chef Janne likes the Morchella deliciosa, commonly known simply “morel” a highly porous cup fungi is priced by gourmet cooks, particularly the French cuisine. The Finns are known mushroom aficionados. Every autumn is mushroom picking season, de rigueur. The amount of edible fungus growing in Finnish woodlands can reach around a million metric tons – every year. Free food for all in the forest” says, Janne.

And Thai food? “ I have a fondness for Lab Muu (sour salads containing meat, onions, red and green chillies, roasted rice powder and garnished with mint) and Gaeng Som (chili vegetable soup). And sweet and sour yellow curry. I have always been fond of the Thai cuisine” adds Ollikainen.

“In my cooking I like to blend Oriental, Japanese harmony with elements of classic French cooking. Crayfish and salmon from Finland and poached seafood. Raw materials are important so is kitchen equipment and the software; the human resources. Here have the best 25 young chefs, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese. A ambitious team. We have a great team – the kitchen dream team.”

After Kristoffer Luzcak, the first Swedish Executive Chef in Thailand at Peninsula Bangkok now in Macau came Janne Ollikainen. A chef from Suomi- Finland. And I can assure you he is using a Nokia phone.


END TEXT

Tired ? Get new tires!

Tires. Are you tired? You need new tires! Or tyres, which ever way you prefer.

Vee Rubber Steel Radials 15’

Test Drive Report

The mileage on my midnight black Nissan Sunny Neo reads 150.000 km. The new car smell has long disappeared. Driving my Sunny is no longer as exciting as it used to be, even after a the weekly TGIF double espresso from the new Nawamin Starbucks.

Now, how to get the “the new car feeling” back? Simple, new tires! Four new pneumatic tires (tyres), front and back. That’s all it takes. Trust me.

End of Feb 2008 at the B-Quik service center beside the TESCO LOTUS Rama IV Khun Paiboon outlet manager showed me my Nissan Sunny Neo 1600 shod with four shining, brand new Veee Rubber Steel Radial 15 inch tires. The wheels electronically aligned. Ready to rock and roll.

I pushed the shifter to D (drive). Tap on the accelerator. Wow! As soon as I hit the tarmac on the Rama IV it was like driving a new a Nissan Sunny Neo! First of all the traction, the grip. What a major difference. Now, it was fun to drive again with maximum grip and tight traction. And less noisy. Up on the Raminthra Express Way, Khlong Toey tollgate. Acceleration, speeding up to 90 kph. Wow! Overtaking confidently. “ I’ve max got grip, I’ve got brand new tires”! I say to myself and step on the accelerator.

Near, the new suburban ‘hi-so’ life-style center Crystal Park on Kaset-Nawamin road a rusty, semi broken down Isuzu appears from a dirt road and drives on to K-N four lane main road – without stopping. Without stopping. I slam on the brakes. The grip again this time with stopping power! And easily I steer away from the pick-up avoiding. Breaking with new tires – can be lifesaving.

Verdict: The Vee Rubber tires passed the driving test with flying colours. All departments 10/10.

END TEXT.

Bee Emm double you Diesel.

Wheels on Fire...

John LINDGREN


A Diesel BMW! Are You Kidding Me?

Roughly 40 percent of all the BMWs sold globally last year were diesel’s. Even the Euro-skeptical automobile loving North Americans are now buying the German luxury ueber diesels. No more rattling, or smoking oil burners. Today’s diesels sedans are clean, quiet, frugal, and powerful high-tech common rail machines.

Phuket Post recently tested the first Bavarian Motor Works diesel, the BMW 520d. As the metallic badge on the trunk indicates: 5 is the model: the 5-series; 20d is the engine size: 2.000 cc and the stands d for diesel, (the engine version named after the German inventor Doktor Rudolf Diesel).

Our demo unit was collected from the BMW head quarters at All Season's M-tower opposite the US ambassador’s residence on Wireless road. First impression is the lean, cool styling, the design definitely not Teutonic but more Californian; muscular fit and trimmed. The Bayerische Motoren Werke - BMW brand image is instantly recognizable: the aggressive front with the aerodynamic rounded white glass headlights, the iconic chrome lined BMW twin kidney grille. There is a touch of the predator look which is further accentuated by the short, shark fin shaped antenna on the roof.

The body is aerodynamically sculpted; a high flowing waistline and the bulging wheel arches housing the large, no-nonsense 17-inch aluminium wheels. The 520d is a full size executive saloon positioned in the BMW line-up between the compact entry level junior executive 3-series and the long, luxury, CEO cum president limousine 7-series.

Driving impressions: In the cockpit I instantly became a pilot! Not just a driver, perfectly fitted into the deliciously scented premium leather upholstery. Surrounded by dials, meters, gauges and a BMW badge in the centre of the firm and perfect multifunction steering wheel. A fine marriage of form and function. And the often joked about idrive info-tainment center was a piece of cake to operate and user friendly like an Ipod. Just click-press-turn and you everything on the 6.5-inch screen located on the centre console: FM radio, CD-tracks and pertinent driving / engine information and the best FM radio dial, by far. Our music selection during the test drive: “Disco Sucks CD Collection” ABBA; "Dancing Queen", Boney M; "Rasputin" and "Hot Stuff" plus Mary Poppins, Pokahontas and the Lion King for our daughter.

On the grey tarmac to the green hinterlands of Khampeng Phet province in the North West along the new smooth four-lane high speed Nakhon Sawan Autobahn the 520d was flying like a racing machine. Glorious raw torque power. This engine is a blast. A tap on the accelerator. Swooosshhh! A deep spine tingling sensation and the crimson speedometer going 100... 150... 180... 200 kilometers per hour. Accompanied by the BMW unmistakable high pitched mechanical engine note.

This turbocharged, inter-cooler powered German wunderwerk with 163 horse power on tap is connected to a seamless, chocolate latte smooth six-speed automatic gearbox. Passing the slow, medium slow and dead slow vehicles was a pure exhilaration until my skateboarding daughter said: Daddy, you're going too fast (185 kph) - again! Approaching the distant traffic lights. The brakes. A light tap. Yes! Supremely accurate, razor sharp and reassuring. The 520d is a safe car as the alphabet soup indicates: ABS, DBC, DST, DTC and of course EDB Electronic Brake Force Distribution system including stability, traction and anti-lock brake systems. The works.

And now the the truly amazing fuel consumption: 14.5 kilometer per litre! Only half tank 35 litres to reach Khampeng Phet, Khasikorn Thai Bank intersection opposite Siriporns ”Aroy Noodleshop” 410 kilometers from Krungtheep Mahanakhorn (Bangkok). Full tank (70 liters) will take you all the way to the North, Chiang Mai ( Sawadee – Chaoo”). No refueling!

Verdict: BMW 520d is the “ultimate (Diesel) driving machine” currently available in Thailand. And the best looking luxury diesel saloon, too. Sticker price? A cool TBH 3,6 million.

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john lindgren

Ranta Rei & Rilluma Rei

Laissez faire, laisser passer - No interference, and complete freedom of movement

Quesnay, Francois 1694-1774