Canon EOS 450D DSLR camera, top on my list!

The Canon 450D (Digital Rebel XSi) is finally here with the Thai price at 27,900 Baht (Kit includes Lens 18-55 mmIS + 1GB SD card). One of my friends is getting one for just 25,500 Baht somewhere in Ladphrao, I think he said Powerbuy Central Ladphrao. I just can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Here are some highlights that make this one interesting:

• 3.0" LCD with Live View shooting
• 12 megapixels
• DIGIC III image processor
• New and improved 9-point wide-area AF system
• 3.5 fps continuous shooting
• SD/SDHC storage
• New higher capacity battery with built-in secondary battery
• Built-in, retractable, auto pop-up flash
• Flash-ready Indicator
• Compact and Lightweight body - 475g (body only no battery)
• Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites
• User-defined My Menu tab for instant access to frequently used settings

All these features make it highly recommended and irresistible.



The EOS 450D is designed to make photography a fluid experience for photographers of all levels and experience. It features an improved grip design that provides a natural, ergonomic fit with the user’s hands. Several custom functions are available to optimise the quality of photos captured in a range of situations. Photographers can also enable additional noise reduction for shots captured at high ISO speeds. A new high capacity battery extends shooting time on a single charge to a maximum of 500 shots!

Miss Tiffany's Universe 2008 transsexual beauty pageant

The 11th Miss Tiffany's Universe Contest 2008 is scheduled to be organized during 27th - 29th May 2008. The 1st round screening will take place at Tiffany's Theater on Monday, 26th May 2008 where 30 most beautiful contestants will be chosen for the final contest which will be broadcast live on Thai TV Channel 7, on 30th May, 2008 from 22.30 - 00.30 hrs. The Tiffany's Show Theater Pattaya has a capacity of 1,000 seats.

To apply contestants must be transvestites of Thai nationality, aged between 18 and 26 years. During the first round screening, Miss Tiffany's Universe Judging panel and the committee will judge on personality, beauty, and of course intelligence, in search of the most 30 suitable contestants for the final round. All applicants will dress in a polite short white skirt for the screening, and compete for the final round in evening gown and Golden Cocktails dress.

For the final round contest "Miss Congeniality", "Miss Best Costume", "Miss Photogenic", and "Miss Ripley's Most Beautiful Wo-Man 2008" will be chosen among the 30 contestants. The winner of Miss Tiffany Universe 2008 will receive 100,00 Baht in cash, crown, trophy & sash, car, and gift set from sponsors.

Last year's Miss Tiffany Universe 2007 winner was Thanyarasmi Siraphatphakorn, a 21 year old Kasetsart University student named Thailand's most beautiful kathoey or ladyboy, winning the cash prize of 2,900US Dollars and a brand new Mercedez Benz. His real name is Disanee Jitrapajin and he was crowned based on his 'charming lady-like appearance' and 'brilliant' answers to the judges probing questions. In the intelligence contest, when asked whether its was possible for a "katoey" or "lady boy" to become a politician, Thanyarasmi answered, "Sure, it is. In the future, there might be a prime minister who is a lady boy."

King Cobra 2008 Speed LD F driver review

The all new King Cobra Speed LD F driver 2008 which is designed for the fast-ball-speed players, delivers an impressive 5000+ MOI for greater distance, accuracy and consistency. The square alignment and precisely tuned clubhead and shaft generates a high launch and a low-to-mid spin, along with a slight draw bias, giving a much higher level of performance to maximize distance and accuracy. The Cobra Speed driver 2007 has added about 15 to 20 yards for some folks.

Average Drive: 220 - 275 yards
Swing Speed: 97 - 108 mph
Current Ball Speed: 125 - 155 mph
Head volume/face angle: 460cc/Slight Draw Bias

Light Dimensions, Enhanced Fast-Back Crown and Deep Dimples
By taking the clubhead dimensions to the USGA limits of 5" * <5", style="font-weight: bold;">Large Face with milled Dual Rhombus Face Insert
The King Cobra Speed LD face utilizes a dual rhombus face insert technology to maximize COR. These technologies provide the ultimate in ball speed and distance.

Frequency Tuning
Furthermore, the new Speed LD drivers feature an internal Frequency Tuning for the perfect combination of satisfying sound and power.

After the successful King Cobra Speed LD F driver 2007 inertia 5000 the King Cobra 2008 Speed LD F driver has also appeared in Golf Digest's 2008 Hot List.

Heineken Moscow 2008 UEFA Champions League

Heineken is the official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League 2008 at Moscow. Heineken's Heisociety "The Road To Moscow 2008" is giving out tickets to 6 lucky winners to witness the UEFA Champions League live in Moscow! Check it out at www.heisociety.com/minisite/Sport/2007/ucl2007/ucl2007.aspx

Google's Earth Day 2008 logo

This is the logo as seen on http://www.google.com on 22nd April 2008 which is Earth Day. Google wants educators to Celebrate Earth Day in the classroom using Google Earth, Maps, and SketchUp. Google wants us to help in reducing pollution by planning our trip using public transportation on Google Transit.



Sadly, Bangkok is not in the Google Transit list yet.

Nike or Adidas sneakers, which one to buy?

I've been looking around Bangkok for Nike and Adidas running shoes as my Puma is wearing out. I've been to Central Department Store, Robinson, The Mall, Seacon, Super Sports, Sports World, FBT Sports, and some other places too but I haven't found an impressive pair so I have yet to buy one. All these places have lots of running shoes but I don't see that much variety under Nike and Adidas. They also have lots of other brands like Reebok, Puma, Diadora, and stuff.

There was a "Adidas Grand Sale 2008" in Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in March but the sneakers there were not cool. I'm wondering if there is going to be a Nike grand sale somewhere. I am more impressed with Nike shoes now.

I have a list of sneakers below which I'm trying to locate but so far I have only been able to spot Nike Shox, Nike Air Max, and Adidas MegaBounce.



Below are some of my favorites:

Nike Shox Turbo VI



Nike Shox Turbo VI



Nike Air Max 180 III



Nike Air Max Turbulence



Nike Impax Tomahawk



Nike Shox Saya



Nike Shox Experience



Adidas MegaBounce 2008



Adidas Redwood Trail



Adidas Response Trail



Adidas Supernova Cushion




Adidas Supernova Trail

Singapore Airlines Songkran Promotion

Singapore Airlines has a Songkran promotion for return airfares from Bangkok to Singapore, Jakarta, Osaka, Tokyo, Zurich, and London.

Source: http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/local/TH/promotions/Songkran_Promotion.jsp

Olympic torch snatched in Bangkok

The Olympic torch was snatched from a relay runner after he passed on the flame to the next runner.

Christopher Benjakul asked that the snatcher return the torch back to him.
After he passed on the flame to the next runner, many people came to him and surrounded him. One of them snatched the torch from his hands. "Please, please return it to me because I had been waiting for this occasion for a long time and wanted to keep the torch as a souvenir for this splendid moment," he said.

Chris was a former television star before he was hit by a car driven by a drunk driver in an accident while he was working as a rescue worker of a foundation, when he stopped to help a woman who had broken down on the side of the freeway.

He showed reporters an empty box without the torch inside.

Songkran revelers gone to Khao San Road

The road's all empty, where's everybody gone? They're all headed to KhaoSan road to celebrate Songkran festival which is the Thai New Year. Its time for a water war on the streets!

Most Thais go absolutely crazy during Songkran, getting drunk and dancing on the streets and even in the back of pickup trucks. Kids, adults, elderly, and everybody else have their buckets and guns loaded with water ready to splash water at any one that passes by be it people, cars, motorbikes, tuk tuks or even buses.

Khao San road is a very popular hangout in Bangkok, known all over the world as the backpacker's haven. It consists of people from all over the world, and you will find all kinds of interesting and strangely bizzare things here like art students, paintings, Tattoo artists, crafts, collector's items, pirated CDs and DVDs, fake educational degrees, fake driving licenses, second hand books, pubs, bars, and even con men! Khao San means 'raw rice' in Thai and the street got it's name from once being a major rice market for Bangkok. Khaosan is pretty near to China Town and Wat Phra Kaew (The Grand Palace). It has lots of relatively cheap accommodation, guesthouses, travel agents, street side food vendors, and also a night life. It is a base for exploring Thailand for the budget traveller.

Samsung G800: a camera with a phone that's chubby

The stylishly designed Samsung G800 camera phone is dubbed as a digital camera that makes phone calls. This most hyped handset is the first 5 megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom which is good for photography enthusiasts! The Thai price of Samsung G800 is around 17,000 Baht in Bangkok.

It has the following features:

• Autofocus
• Xenon flash
• Weighs 134 grams
• A large 2.4" QVGA 256K color display
• EDGE and 3G (with HSDPA)
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Comfortable keypad

Some of it's disadvantages are:

• Quite chubby
• Bad display processing
• Very slow memory card reading
• Weak sunlight legibility
• Volume/Zoom key is very hard to press, so you get to develop stronger fingers as you use
• Lacks WiFi

The phone is able to take good quality pictures comparable to the Sony Ericsson K850.

Solar Taxi guy arrives in Bangkok to save the planet from global warming

Swiss born Louis Palmer aka "Mr Solar Taxi" arrives in Bangkok in his solar powered taxi halfway through his "Swiss Solar Taxi on World Tour". Palmer is driving around the world without using a single drop of petrol to tell the world that we can stop global warming and that solutions are available. Palmer started on 3rd July 2007 in Lucerne, in Switzerland. Palmer will exhibit his solar taxi at Central World Plaza, Bangkok on 10th April 2008. Check out the official website at http://www.solartaxi.com

He carries a swiss flag on his rooftop along with the flag of the country he is visiting. His solar cells are powered by Q-CELLS AG which is the main sponsor with their logo on his car.

Technology highlights of the vehicle:

• Ecology: Zero CO2 emission
• Max. speed: of 90 km/h
• Light weight: 500 kg (+ 250 kg for thailer)
• Energy efficient: Consumption of 8 kWh/100 km (equivalent of 0.8 l petrol / 100 km)
• 6m2 solar cells on a rooftop yield power for 15,000 km per year
• Drive up to 400 km with the latest ZEBRA battery technology
  

In 2004, he gave up his teaching career to design a solar vehicle and asked for help from experts as well as support from private companies. He called his solar vehicle a 'taxi' as it has an extra seat for a passenger. Over 400 people had experienced a ride including the Prince of Jordan and Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett. Palmer aims to travel atleast 50,000 km through 40 countries in 5 continents in around 18 months, to lecture 40,000 people on his world trip.

Some of the big cities on his tour are:

• Singapore (25 March)
• Kuala Lumpur (31 March)
• Bangkok (9 April)
• Vientiane, Kunming (18 April)
• Shanghai (12 May)
• Beijing (21 May)
• Seoul
• Osaka
• Tokyo
• Vancouver
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• Chicago
• New York
• Montreal

He has inspired Thai engineers to develop their own solar vehicle and send it to the United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen next year.

Royal Buddhist temples around Rattanakosin Island

The Bangkok Songkran Festival 2008 between April 12 - 15 is being heavily promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Time-honoured Buddhist customs and ancient Buddhist merit-making traditions, such as the bathing ritual in which lustral water is sprinkled over Buddha images and the building of sand stupas that are decorated with colourful flags and flowers, can be seen at the nine royal Buddhist temples dotted around Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok.

Here is a list of 9 Sacred places to visit around Rattanakosin Island:

Wat Phra Si Rattanasasadaram (Wat Phra Kaew or Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Wat Phrachetuphon Wimonmangkhalaram (Wat Pho or Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawiharn (the Giant Swing nearby)

Wat Saket Ratchaworamahawiharn (The Golden Mount Temple)

Wat Bowonniwetwiharn


Wat Chanasongkhram Ratchaworamahawiharn

Wat Rakhang Kositaram Woramahawiharn

Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawiharn (The Temple of Dawn)

Wat Kalayanamit Woramahawiharn

Here is a map of the 9 sacred places: