joel quenby reports on bangkok’s latest news
TAILOR-MADE TRASH
Love teak furniture but hate illegal logging? Eco-friendly Th ai company Osisu creatively fashions stylish furnishings from reclaimed teak and discarded junk to sell in Bangkok, Paris and Los Angeles.
Osisu was founded when architect Singh Intrachooto (left) noticed trucks regularly hauling tonnes of refuse from one of his sites. He says, “It occurred to me that, while I am designing an energy-efficient building, I’m still producing a lot of waste.”
The garbage (which consisted mostly of discarded teak) was either incinerated or dumped, so Singh starting making furniture from it and sneaking his impromptu pieces into offices that he had designed.
Clients approved, so Singh and business partner Veeranuch Tanchookiat set up Osisu (from the Finnish “sisu”, meaning “gutsy”). The pieces are now on sale in Bangkok’s multi-brand store Playground! (818 Sukhumvit Soi 55 Th onglor, tel +66
(0)2 714-7888/714-9616).
While sourcing primarily from construction sites, Singh also scoops materials from scrapyards, lumberyards, factories, and even juice bars for used bottle caps. With constantly changing raw materials, no more than 20 pieces of each design can be made.
“I want to celebrate life and the imperfections inherent in my materials,” Singh explains. “I believe that if I keep doing this, this world will be a little nicer.” www.osisu.com
SEVEN STEPS TO HOTEL NIRVANA
Intimate boutique hotel Seven feels miles away from the throng, but it is actually just a five-minute walk from Phrom Phong skytrain station in the heart of Bangkok. Scheduled to open this July, the hotel will feature a reception and lounge bar alongside six differently coloured, themed and decorated guest rooms.
As an additional perk, guests will be provided with a local network mobile phone which is pre-loaded with the hotel’s number on speed dial, as well as contacts for tourist police and other amenities, for personal use during their stay. www.khachu.com/sleepatseven/
SKYTRAIN DELAY
The good news is that the opening of Bangkok’s 2.2km cross-river Skytrain extension, running from Taksin Bridge to the Taksin intersection, is almost complete. The bad news is that commuters on the Thon Buri side of the Chao Phraya river will have to wait until early 2008 for it to open, says deputy city governor Panich Vikitsreth. Log on to www.bts.com for more.
GRAND SLAM AND A MA’AM
Thailand’s number one tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan has not exactly set the court alight lately – but his love game is on fire. “Super Ball” announced his engagement to Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova at a packed “private ceremony” at The Sukhothai Bangkok hotel.
“Natalie is definitely going to be a daughter-in-law for the Th ai people,” said Paradorn, after his proposal in Bali this April. The couple will wed in November at the Royal Th ai Navy Convention Hall in Th on Buri.
Russian-Canadian model Glebova met the tennis star last year at the Thailand Open 2006, setting tongues wagging by publicly kissing Paradorn after his quarter-final victory.
She has plans to launch a beauty business in Thailand while Paradorn hopes to open a sports complex aft er retiring around 2010. www.paradornsrichaphan.com
RAIN CHECK
Should we be creeped out by a recent special package from Bangkok’s Pathumwan Princess Hotel? For the princely sum of 100, 000 baht, one “lucky” devotee was allowed to lounge in a suite last occupied by their idol – before the room was even cleaned.
The star in question was Asian pin-up Jung Ji Hoom – better known as Rain (right), the Korean popstar who played a brace of sold-out Bangkok shows in June.
He may have been named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People Who Shape Our World”, but that still does not mean that we would like to peruse Rain’s used tissues and bed sheets!
The fan also received a set of Rain Collection in-room amenities, “ordered especially for Rain”, as a special memento. The fee will be donated to charity. www.pprincess.com
CELLULOID CELEBRATION
More than 100 films from about 30 countries will be shown at the fift h Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF), taking place from 19 to 29 July at the swanky SF Cinema complex at Central World shopping centre. Th e two-week affair is moving away from last year’s American and European focus – and looking closer to home.
“Asian films make up more than half of this year’s festival,” reveals event director Kriengsak Silakong.
The Lifetime Achievement Award for 2007 will go to special effects legend Ray Harryhausen (of Jason and the Argonauts fame), complemented by a workshop on clay animation. For ticket prices and screening times, visit www.bangkokfilm.org
MOS TASTY
Shoppers craving Japanese fast-food sensation MOS Burger are queuing round the block at the chain’s first outlet in Th ailand, which recently opened on the third floor of Central World shopping centre. MOS Food Thailand’s managing director Yasunori Yoichi cites similarities between Japanese and Th ai cuisine as the reason for its unprecedented popularity.
Cooking-to-order rather than stockpiling burgers, MOS Burger first expanded to Taiwan in 1991, where it now has 121 branches along with 21 outlets in Singapore and two in Hong Kong. Next up are Australia and South Korea. www.mos.co.jp/english
