Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul, Miss Tiffany's Universe 2008

Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul (Noang) is the winner of the 11th Miss Tiffany's Universe 2008, Thailand's most popular transsexual beauty pageant. She was named Thailand's most beautiful katoey (ladyboy) late Friday night in a glamorous event that was telecast live on Thai TV Channel 7 from Tiffany's Show Theater in Pattaya, Thailand's most popular tourist destination. She receives a Honda Jazz car, 100,000 Baht in cash, a crown, a trophy & sash, and gift sets from sponsors.

Below is a photo of Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul

She was asked the following question:

"If you win the Miss Tiffany Universe 2008 contest, who is the first person you are going to meet the next morning, and what will you to say to that person?". To this she answered that she would meet her parents first thing in the morning to thank them for giving birth to her and for always being there and supporting her throughout her life, for standing by her every decision.

Last year's winner of Miss Tiffany's Universe 2007 was Thanyarasmi Siraphatphakorn, a 21 year old Kasetsart University student named Thailand's most beautiful kathoey or ladyboy, winning a cash prize of 2,900 US Dollars and a brand new Mercedez Benz.

Miss Tiffany 2008 contestant photos

Following are the names and photos of the 30 finalists of Miss Tiffany Universe 2008 transsexual beauty pageant as selected by the committee of Miss Tiffany's Universe Pattaya on May 25, 2008:

Believe it or not, they are all ladyboys!

1. Pawita Thipapada ภาวิตา ทิพย์ปภาดา น้องอาร์ม



2. Pornpreeya Thep-pang ภรปรียา เทพแปง น้องปิน



3. Areeya Ree อารียา รีย์ น้องยะ



4. Dolkamol Konthan ดลกมล คนธรรภ์ น้องกอล์ฟ



5. Panadda Pipat-ratanakul ปนัดดา พิพัฒรัตนะกุล น้องบี๋



6. Janisa Pipatprapai เจนนิสา พิพัฒน์ประไพ น้องจูน



7. Banthita Pekasut บัณฑิตา เภกะสุต น้องแชมป์



8. Siriyukon Wechkama สิริยุคล เวชกามา น้องเป็กกี้



9. Pemika Rojanabusaranon เปมิกา โรจนบุศรานนท์ น้องแพรว



10. Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul กังสดาล วงศ์ดุษฎีกุล น้องโหน่ง



11. Nat-thanya Prasomsak ณัฐธัญญา ประสมศักดิ์ น้องอุ้ม



12. Nichapat Wanapityaporn นิชาภัทร์ วรรณพิทยาภรณ์ น้องไอซ์



13. Pailin Denfahnapapol ไพลิน เด่นฟ้านภาพล น้องแบงค์



14. Piraya Siripreeya ไปรยา ศิริปรียา น้องกว้าง



15. Kanisorn Prasertsak คณิสร ประเสริฐศักดิ์ น้องแอน



16. Surasawadee Thanabordee สุรัสวดี ธนบดี น้องเกรซ



17. Warinee Kumpaipuen วาริณี คุ้มภัยเพื่อน น้องอ๊อปแอ๊ป



18. Natharat Suwanaleka ณัฐรัฐ สุวรรณเลขา น้องนัท



19. Natharika Gaewgietjajuen ณัฐริกา แก้วเกียรติ์เจริญ น้องเจเล่



20. Thaksaorn Nilthawornkul ทักษอร นิลถาวรกุล น้องเอส



21. Chotiros Chaimongkol โชติรส ชัยมงคล น้องนิว



22. Pemika Siripataraglom เปมิกา ศิริภัทรกมล น้องรถเมล์



23. Kulathida Ratanarangsi กุลธิดา รัตนรังษี น้องแคท



24. Yanisaraporn Prom-in ญานิสราภรณ์ พรมอินทร์ น้องต้นอ้อ



25. Pasarankorn Kemapitak พัสสรัลกร เขมาภิรักษ์ น้องพลอย



26. Manaschanok Utama มนัสชนก อุตมา น้องดา



27. Preeyaporn Wanichakornkul ปรียาภรณ์ วณิชชากรกุล น้องเก่ง



28. Pimwaran Watanakul พิมวรัญ วัฒนากูล น้องนิว



29. Krithara Monthathong กฤตธีรา มณฑาทอง น้องอุ้ม



30. Natharika Krisanananon นัทชา กฤษณนานนท์ น้องนัท

Giant Panda Xi Xi found alive after Sichuan earthquake

Xi Xi, a giant panda which went missing from the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Wolong after the May 12 Sichuan earthquake was found alive on Monday, May 26, 2008. The protected animal was spotted alive in the woods about 200 meters downstream of a river, and was anesthetized, and sent and caged back to the center. A total of 6 pandas have disappeared from the Wolong center after the quake, 4 of which have been returned but one is still missing.

Kavintra Phothijak crowned Miss Thailand Universe 2008

22 year old Miss Kavintra Phothijak from Chonburi was crowned Miss Thailand Universe 2008 on Saturday, May 24th 2008 at King Power Complex, Bangkok.



Her Personal Details:
Name: Kavinthra Phothijak (Thai: นางสาวกวินตรา โพธิจักร)
Nick name: Cam (Thai: แก้ม)
Vital Statistics: 31-25-36
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 56 kg
Education: 2nd year B.A. Communication Arts student at Bangkok Univesity

She receives the following prize package:

• Cash prize of 1,000,000 Baht
• Diamond crown and jewelry from Beauty Gems
• Sash and a crystal trophy
• Honda Civic Car 2.0 EL AT (AS)
• Singha drinking water for the entire year
• Scott Collagen-E soup for the entire year
• Sealect Tuna tin cans for the entire year
• Mobile phone with an attractive SIM phone number from AIS
• Laptop Notebook from HP Compaq
• Cosmetics from BSC Cosmetology for the entire year
• Life Insurance from Ayudhya Allianz C.P. insured upto 5,000,000 Baht
• Gift Voucher for hair-dressing, facial massage & body massage worth upto 150,000 Baht at Qi Shiseido Salon and Spa (Jasmin City branch Sukhumvit Soi 23) for the entire year
• Other prizes to be announced further

Cock fight sign at Chatuchak Weekend Market

Here's a signboard that says "Fighting Cocks and Birds" in a small section of the Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok where some of the finest and toughest cocks used to fight one another, while being cheered by some serious and amused spectators.



Cock Fighting is an ancient sport in Thailand which was said to be popular since Ayutthaya was the capital of the Thai Kingdom of Siam.

After the Bird Flu Outbreak in Thailand a few years ago Thailand imposed tough restrictions on the transport of fighting cocks, which travel around the country for their matches. The birds were given their own passports with a photo, certifying that they were healthy. But after the resurgence of bird flu in 2005, authorities banned cock fighting altogether, which drew strong protests from cock owners whose businesses suffered.

One 2 Go Airlines adds a new aircraft to its fleet

One 2 Go Airlines, a low-cost airline based in Bangkok, Thailand unveiled their new aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 which was designed to handle a capacity of around 270 seats and max take-off weight of 140,000 lb (64,000 kg).

On 16 September 2007, an ill-fated One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269, an MD-82 flying from Bangkok with 123 passengers and 7 crew members, crashed in strong winds and heavy rain after attempting to land at Phuket International Airport. The aircraft was mostly destroyed in the blazing inferno that soon developed after the crash as the fuselage tore in two. 90 people were killed most of whom were foreigners. You can read about the Phuket Plane Crash here.

Asian Food Festival at THAIFEX - World of Food Asia 2008

The 5th THAIFEX - World of Food Asia 2008 takes place from May 21-25, 2008 in Bangkok at the IMPACT Exhibition Center, Muang Thong Thani (Challenger Hall 2-3: 40,000 sqm). The 5 day event organized by Koelnmesse GmbH will feature more than 1,000 exhibitors from 28 countries, covering:

• Food & Beverage featuring Halal and Organic Food
• Food Catering
• Hospitality Services
• Food Technology
• Retail & Franchise

The event expects to attract a huge crowd with major visitors from Europe, USA, India, Japan, Middle East, etc.

Event Details:
Trade: 21 – 23 May 2008 (10.00 – 18.00 hrs)
Public: 24 – 25 May 2008 (10.00 – 20.00 hrs)

Ticket Price: Free

Contact Info:
Department of Export Promotion

Food and Health Products Export Promotion Center
22/77 Rachadapisek Rd., Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand
Tel: (662) 512-0093-104 Ext. 296, 484
Fax: (662) 512-2670

E-mail: thaifex@depthai.go.th
Website: www.thaitradefair.com

Chinese Earthquake YouTube live video from Sichuan

A major earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Sichuan Province in China on May 12th, 2008. Here is a live YouTube video shot by a college student in his dorm just 50 kilometers away from the earthquake zone at the time of the quake.

China earthquake felt in Bangkok, Hanoi, Taipei

An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale was reported from Sichuan province in Western China which was felt as far away as Thailand and Vietnam. The quake struck 57 miles (92 kilometers) northwest of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu on Monday, May 12 2008, at 2:28 p.m. local time in China (06:28 GMT), as reported on the U.S. Geological Survey website. The quake was centered 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) below the surface, on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, where mountains rise sharply and the population density is generally thin. The tremors could be felt in cities hundreds of kilometres away including Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi and Bangkok.


Image taken from U.S. Geological Survey.

In the Chinese capital Beijing, about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) away, buildings swayed for more than 2 minutes but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Scores of frightened office workers and shoppers evacuated buildings, including offices of the organizing committee for the Beijing Olympics. People lingered outside buildings in the central business district for over 30 minutes after the shaking stopped.

In the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the southeastern Chinese, buildings swayed when the quake hit.

The quake was felt as far away as the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, where some people hurried out of swaying office buildings and got out into the streets. Some high rise office buildings in the Thai capital of Bangkok were also evacuated after the quake was reported to have caused those buildings to sway.

Thai Buddhist monks at Royal Plaza Bangkok, photo shooting

Pictured below are a pair of Thai monks in saffron robes taking photographs of each other at the Royal Plaza, Bangkok near the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall. In this information age, even monks carry digital cameras for capturing memorable moments of monkhood. Since my camera "Fujifilm FinePix S6500" was in the camera bag, I just had enough time to snap this picture using my mobile phone camera.

Both monks review the picture just taken (below)


A monk poses for his picture being taken by another monk (below)

Top Thai movie on YouTube - Chocolate 2008

The most popular Thai movie on YouTube right now is Chocolate (2008). Chocolate is the latest Thai martial arts movie from director Prachya Pinkaew with martial arts choreographed by Panna Rittikrai, the same pair behind Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong starring Tony Jaa. Chocolate stars Yanin Vismistananda aka "Jeeja" who has been training for years to prepare for this role as her debut. Jeeja is Thailand's new female martial arts star with amazing skills. In Chocolate she plays an autistic girl who's father is a Yakuza boss, and she goes on to develop martial arts skills by watching television, and from living next door to a Muay Thai academy. She then beats up Thai and Japanese gang members to collect debts to help pay her sick mother's cancer treatment bills.

You can watch this video at YouTube - Chocolate Thai Movie with English Subtitles.

Old & rusty classic Thai taxis with parking space in a busy Thai street

While it's so difficult to find parking space in most of Bangkok's busy streets especially around the business districts, these two old and rusty classic Thai taxis with all their tires punctured-flat and missing glass windows enjoy their prime parking space outside a home, parked one in front of the other in a busy street just outside a multi-national bank near Rama 4 Road.

Their owner must be pretty proud of them, at least it could remind one of the good old days when driving a Taxi in Bangkok was more fun without much traffic, noise & pollution around.

Traditional Thai Tattoo & 2nd World Tattoo Arts Fesitval 2008, Pattaya

This Thai-style mermaid Tattoo by Jimmy Wong is very beautiful and vibrant. Jimmy Wong is a very famous artist for doing these kind of tattoos. Jimmy started to tattoo during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s on the border of Thailand and Laos outside a US airbase in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. The Wong family tattoos a mixture of western and Asian designs and have a deep understanding about Thai tattoo history and he has passed this knowledge on to his children. You can check out his website at www.jimmywongtattoo.com

The above Tattoo picture set can be found at this Flickr Pool.



The 2nd World Tattoo Arts Festival & Exhibition 2008 by Jimmy Wong will be held at Pattaya Beach, Thailand on 16-17-18 May 2008, during which "World Class Tattoo Artists" are going to showcase their amazing tattooing talents.