DAILY

XPR

ESS/

WAN

CHAI

KRA

ISO

RNKH

AJIT

Blessing in disguiseBy Mayer DaluBusinessman

Economic crisis hastaken the world by

storm, but I believe it’san opportunity for positive change.For people who have lost moral direction by assuming that “specu-lation”, not hard work, is the onlyway of getting rich, these timesshould be an eye-opener.

Throughout history, power andgreed have always overshadowedhonesty and sincerity, but right nowthere’s a chance to reverse that domination. Let’s look at the presentsituation as a blessing in disguise.

GOOD MORNINGBANGKOK!

XPRESSDA

ILY

FREE COPY

LOOKING FORA JOB?

SEE PAGES 19-20

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 VOL 1, NO 245 dailyxpress.net

Are you a customer wanting to break your Bt1,000 note? Well, you may find it’s not easy:

small vendors and shops are refusing to accept the bills, fearing they are fake

NOTE THIS:>PAGE 2

Tasty treatsTired of cookies? Well,strap on an apron andmake yourself some New Year’s nibbles –classy macaroons with chestnut cream >PAGE 12

D A I L Y X P R E S S

It’s getting difficult to break aBt1,000 banknote these days.

Small-scale vendors are refus-ing to take them, spooked bythe number of fake Bt1,000banknotes found lately.

Part of the problem is thatthe fakes look so real.

“As soon as I produced aBt1,000 note, the fruit sellertold me she didn’t have enoughmoney to give me change,” anoffice worker complained.

To avoid turning away a reg-ular customer, the vendorasked nearby stall ownerswhether they had any smallernotes to exchange for theBt1,000. A resounding “No”was the answer.

The office worker said shedropped by a Se-Ed bookstoreto break the note.

“I had to go book shoppingto get useable denominations,”she fumed, after paying Bt200.

Another office worker, “Tai”,says she’s had to get streetwise.

“I know that most small-scalevendors are worried aboutcounterfeit notes, so I makesure that I have small denomi-nations for payment,” she says.

A diner reports that a restau-rant recently asked him to payby credit card after he handedover two Bt1,000 notes.

“It’s okay. I understand thatthe restaurant owner doesn’twant to take the risk,” he said.

Can ATMs be fooled?Some people are even wor-

ried about the possibility of re-ceiving fake notes from ATMs.

“That possibility is nil,” ThaiBankers’ Association secretarygeneral Thawatchai Yong-kittikul insists. “Banks have effective systems to detectcounterfeit notes. Our auto-matic machines can distin-guish the fake from the authen-tic too.”

Members of the general pub-lic are being asked to look outfor the forgeries.

How to spot oneAccording to a Bangkok

Bank source, notes with serialnumbers starting 9A650 and2D150 should be examinedcarefully.

2 HAPPENINGS Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

THE CITY

FEAR OF THE FAKEIs that a real Bt1,000 note in your pocket– or just a worthless piece of paper?

Animal crackers

>>DAILY XPRESS is edited by Tulsathit Taptim and published by NMG News Co Ltd, at 1854, Bang Na-Trat Road, Bangkok 10260, and printed by WPS (Thailand) Co Ltd, Tel (02) 338 3000, Fax (02) 338 3334. EDITORIAL: Tel (02) 338 3333. ON THE WEB: DAILYXPRESS.NET>>DAILY XPRESS is a supplement to subscriber copies of THE NATION with bonus distribution in selected areas of Bangkok and its environs every Monday to Saturday. The Sunday edition of DAILY XPRESSincorporates THE NATION. Subscription rates: one year Bt4,900 within regular delivery areas; please contact Customer Service on (02) 338 3000. For bulk copy subscription rates please call (02) 338 3532.

FOR DISPLAY ADVERTISING, PLEASE CALL (02) 338 3000 # 1

19,000COUNTERFEIT BANKNOTES

have been found in the country this year.

Editor: Tulsathit Taptim / Managing Editor: Thanong Khanthong / Deputy Managing Editors: Kumar Krishnan, Jintana Panyaarvudh / Design Editor: Leroy A SylkWeb Co-editors: Marisa Chimprabha, Paisal Chuenprasaeng / The City Editor: Chularat Saengpassa / The Fun Editor: Veena Thoopkrajae / Sport Editor: Preechachan Wiriyanupappong / Group Editor in Chief: Suthichai Yoon XPRESSD

AIL

Y

Dusit Zoodirector SoponDamnui, left,in a SantaClaus costumeoffers an elephant a guava at a press conferenceyesterday promoting the zoo’sChristmas and New Year festivities.

DAILY

XPR

ESS/

PRAS

ERT

THEP

SRI

DAILY

XPR

ESS/

NU

TTAP

ON

E TI

PVAT

EEAM

ORN

>> For detailed tips on how to identify genuine notes, visit:www.bot.or.th/English/Banknotes/production_and_security/Pages/identify.aspx

‘Sorry,nochange’Vendors who refuse totake Bt1,000 notesare breaking the law –but police can’t doanything about it

Refusing banknotes for pay-ment is against the law as laiddown in the Currency Act.

That’s bad news for shopowners who refuse to acceptBt1,000 notes, fearful that theymight be fooled by one of thefakes in circulation.

“If a customer lodges a com-plaint against you, you riskbeing prosecuted,” MueangKhon Kaen Police Stationsuperintendent Colonel SujinNijpanic confirms.

A large number of small-scale vendors have refused toaccept Bt1,000 banknotes ongrounds of rampant counter-feiting. Vendors at a major mar-ket in Khon Kaen, for example,are seeing fake banknotes on adaily basis. Moreover, a suspectjust arrested has admitted hesold counterfeit Bt1,000 noteswith a face value of several mil-lion baht in recent months.

Deputy Metropolitan PoliceCommissioner Maj-GeneralAmnuay Nimmano says thatthough the Currency Act makesit an offence to deny paymentby banknotes, it fails to men-tion a punishment. “We willhave to use the ConsumerProtection Act,” Amnuay says.

The relevant section of theConsumer Protection Act bansunfair adverts and stipulatesthree months in jail and a maxi-mum fine of Bt30,000 foroffenders. “So it’s clear anyshop owner putting up a boardsaying that their shop does notaccept Bt1,000 banknotes aspayment will face legal punish-ment,” says Amnuay. “But it’snot clear how we can takeaction against vendors whoverbally decline the banknotes.”

A woman shows her fake-detecting machine. Whenpressed against a violet light,an authentic note will showsmall scattered watermarks.

Court: GiveBritney’sfather $75 an hourA court has put a higher valueon being Britney Spears’father this year: about US$75(Bt2,600) an hour.

For helping his daughterthrough her turbulent period,Jamie Spears has beenawarded an additional$51,000 pay-out, reflectingan increase in his monthlypayments since he took overhis 27-year-old daughter’saffairs in February.

Jamie Spears had beenreceiving $10,000 a month forhis work, but Los AngelesSuperior Court CommissionerReva Goetz increased thatamount to approximately$16,000 per month andagreed to give him backpay.

He was also granted anadditional $1,200 monthlypayment so he can maintainan office, which Goetz saidwas justified by his work getting his daughter’s person-al life – and music career –back on track.A P

4 GLOBETROT Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

Bear facts

AP

The Tokyo Tower,a favoured back-drop for film directors and aromantic spot for young lovers,yesterday turned

50THE WORLD

A P , Philadelphia

Aperplexing new chapter isunfolding in Barack

Obama’s racial saga: manypeople insist that “the firstblack president” is actuallynot black.

Debate over whether to callthis son of a white Kansan anda black Kenyan biracial,African-American, mixed-race,half-and-half, multiracial – orin Obama’s own words, a“mutt” – has reached a crescen-do since his election shatteredassumptions about race.

Obama has said: “I identify asAfrican-American – that’s howI’m treated and that’s how I’m

viewed. I’m proud of it.” In oth-er words, the world gaveObama no choice but to beblack.

But the world has changedsince the young Obama foundhis place in it.

Other than blackIntermarriage and the de-

cline of racism are dissolvingancient definitions. The candi-date Obama, in achieving whatmany thought impossible, wastreated differently from previ-ous black generations. And many white and mixed-race people now viewPresident-elect Obama as

something other than black. One book, “Black People and

their Place in World History”,by Dr Leroy Vaughn, evenclaims that five past presidents– Thomas Jefferson, AndrewJackson, Abraham Lincoln,Warren Harding and CalvinCoolidge – had black ancestors,which would make Obama thesixth of his kind.

Mix in a few centuries’ worthof Central, South and NativeAmericans, plus Asians, anduntold millions of today’s UScitizens need a DNA test to de-cipher their true colours. Themelting pot is working.

“We do not have our firstblack president,” the authorChristopher Hitchens said onBBC’s Newsnight. “He is notblack. He is as black as he iswhite.”

Is Obama black,white...or neither?I identify as African-American – that’show I’m treated and that’s how I’mviewed, says president-elect

4,300-yr-oldtombs foundin EgyptA F P , Cairo

Egyptian archaeologistshave uncovered two

tombs at Saqqara south ofCairo dating back more than4,300 years to the lastpharaoh of the fifth dynasty.

“The two tombs belong tothe pharoah Ouna’s supervi-sor-general of expeditionsand to the head of the royalsingers,” antiquities chiefZahi Hawass said.

The tombs were foundnearly 400 metres southwestof the massive bulk of KingZoser’s step pyramid, the firstever built, at the Saqqaranecropolis 30 km south ofCairo.

In November Egypt’s cul-ture minister announced thediscovery of the remains of a4,300-year-old pyramid at theSaqqara necropolis, an an-cient burial ground datingback to 2,700 BC.

HE WAS ALSOGRANTED $1,200MORE EACHMONTH FOR ANOFFICE TO GETBRITNEY’SPERSONAL LIFEBACK ON TRACK.

Taiwanesebreeder YouXueyin feedsgiant pandas

Tuan Tuan andYuan Yuan at a

breeding base inYaan City,

southeast China’sSichuan province,

before the pairleft China on along-awaited

goodwill journeyto their new

home in Taiwan.The gift of

pandas comesamid warmingties between

the rivals.

A P , London

Aformer butler to QueenElizabeth II was sentenced

to at least six years in prisonafter admitting he molestedthree children, including onewho accompanied him to aroyal Christmas party.

One of Paul Kidd’s victimscontacted police after readinga newspaper interview withthe ex-butler on last year’s 10thanniversary of the death ofPrincess Diana. The victim,now in his 40s, said he hadbeen indecently assaulted byKidd at the butler’s home inthe early 1980s.

Kidd pleaded guilty inOctober to nine counts of in-decent assault and six countsof sexual activity with a child.He also pleaded guilty to caus-

ing or inciting a child to en-gage in sexual activity, 11charges of making indecentimages of a child and two

counts of possessing indecentimages of children.

At a hearing at ManchesterCrown Court in northernEngland on Monday, JudgeMushtaq Khokar said Kidd still posed a risk to young peo-ple.

Kidd, 55, was a butler to thequeen from 1977 to 1979, thenwas senior footman to the lateQueen Mother until 1984. Anumber of offences date fromhis time in royal service.

One victim said Kidd intro-duced him as a “friend” to thelate Queen Mother during aChristmas party at herClarence House residence.

After leaving royal employ-ment, Kidd charged up to£4,000 (Bt250,000) as an after-dinner speaker, and alsoworked on cruise ships, talkingof his experiences in thequeen’s household.

Buckingham Palace declinedcomment on the case.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS THE WORLD 5

brieflyEX-ROYAL BUTLERGETS SIX YEARSPaul Kidd, who worked for QueenElizabeth from 1977 to 1979,admits he molested three children

Living it up? BewareA Nanjing government officialcaught in photos wearing a priceywristwatch and smoking expen-sive cigarettes is now the targetof a government investigation.

Zhou Jiugeng, director of thereal estate management bureauin Jiangning, came under fire fromInternet users who saw photos ofhim sporting a 100,000-yuan(Bt520,000) Swiss-made watchand smoking Nanjing 95 Imperialcigarettes, which cost 150 yuan apack.

Government officials said thatZhou’s financial assets are underinvestigation. – AP

Crying wolfA wolf has been spotted near apopular tourist spot along theGreat Wall of China, with offi-cials rushing to catch it before itattacks anyone.

The wolf was spotted lastweek near the Badaling sectionof the wall, a destination forhundreds of thousands oftourists every year.

It is rare for a wolf to appear

in the area, which is only 50 kmnorthwest of Beijing.

Mosquito trapPolice in Finland believe theyhave caught a car thief thanks toDNA taken from a sample of hisblood found inside a mosquito.

The car was stolen in Lapua,380 km north of Helsinki andsoon found 25 km away. “Policeinspected the car and noticed amosquito that had sucked blood.It was sent to the laboratory fortesting, which showed the bloodbelonged to a man who was inthe police registers,” inspectorSakari Palomaeki said. – AFP

Striking goldIsraeli archaeologists say theyhave unearthed more than 250gold coins from the seventh cen-tury on the edge of Jerusalem’swalled Old City.

A British tourist volunteeringat the dig discovered the trove.

The coins bear the image of Byzantine emperor Heraclius,who ruled between 610 and 641 AD. – AP

Kidd charged up to £4,000(Bt250,000) as an after-dinnerspeaker, and also worked oncruise ships, talking of his experi-ences in the queen’s household.

Watch those dietpills sold on the NetA P , Washington

The US governmenthas warned prospec-

tive dieters to avoidclose to 30 weight-lossproducts that containunlisted and possiblydangerous ingredients.

The pills are adver-tised as “natural” fatbusters and have intrigu-ing names like ImeldaPerfect Slim and Zhen deShou. Some are promot-ed as new versions of“ancient remedies” fromAsia.

They promise an easyfix to weight problems,but the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA)said on Monday the con-coctions contain unlist-ed ingredients, includinghigh doses of a powerfulanti-obesity drug, as wellas a suspected carcino-gen.

“When consumers arebuying these productsonline, we’re tellingthem that if it sounds toogood to be true, it is like-ly to be too good to be

true,” said Michael Levy,an FDA lawyer.

“These tainted weight-loss products pose agreat risk to publichealth because they con-tain undeclared ingredi-ents and in some casesprescription drugs inamounts that greatly ex-ceed their maximum rec-ommended dosages,”said Dr Janet Woodcockof the FDA.

THEY AREADVERTISED AS‘NATURAL’ FATBUSTERS WITHNAMES LIKEIMELDA PERFECTSLIM AND ZHEN DE SHOU.

By Kitchana LersakvanitchakulD A I L Y X P R E S S

The seaside resort ofPattaya aims to bring a lit-

tle cheer in these times of po-litical and financial blues witha week-long festive event thatkicks off tomorrow at Bali HaiCape.

Pattaya Countdown 2009,says Wittaya Khunpluem, chiefexecutive of the Chon BuriProvincial AdministrativeOrganisation, not only cele-brates New Year’s Day butshould also go some way to-wards rehabilitating theKingdom’s declining economy.

“It will bring smiles back to

the faces of the Thai people,”he says. “We expect to wel-come 500,000 Thai and foreigntourists to Pattaya and increasethe city’s revenue of Bt500 mil-lion during the countdown pe-riod.”

“The event marks an un-precedented collaboration be-tween Pattaya City and thePAO,” adds Pattaya MayorIttipon Khunpluem.

“With its picturesque moun-tain backdrop and the giantsignboard for Pattaya, Bali HaiCape pier is becoming knownas a ‘world meeting place’ likeSydney Harbour in Australia orTimes Square in New York.”

Starts tomorrowThe countdown begins to-

morrow and runs through NewYear’s Eve, featuring concertsand fireworks. On the lastnight, 20,000 fireworks willlight the sky.

Among the artists are TikShiro, Boy Peacemaker, SoCool, Blackhead, Paradox,Pancake and winners and run-ners-up of “The Star” includingGaem, Ruj, Ton and Dew.

There’ll also be arts and cul-tural performances. The enter-tainment runs nightly from 7 to1am on two stages. Satisfy yourhunger at the food stalls on thesidelines.

“Not even a global creditcrunch can stifle Pattaya’s won-derful hospitality,” insists themayor.

NEW YEAR’ S COUNTDOWN

GOING OUT WITH A BANG

ROB SCHNEIDER, DENOUNCINGGEORGE CLOONEY AND OTHER STARSFOR OPPOSING A STRIKE VOTE BY THESCREEN ACTORS GUILD.

“It’s a shame these high-profileactors are undermining their ownunion.”

6 ENTERTAINMENT Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

THE FUN

Pattayawavesgoodbyeto 2008with aweeklongfestival ofmusic andfireworks

XTRA

>> “Countdown Daily”,which previews the event, willbe broadcast on GMM Media’sradio stations from 5 to 5.30.

M I N U T E S T O M I D N I G H T>> Pattaya’s New Year’s Evecountdown ceremony will betelecast live on Modernine TVfrom 10.30 to 1.

Pattaya countdown artistsinclude Tik Shiro, BoyPeacemaker, So Cool,Blackhead, Paradox, Pancakeand winners and runners-up of“The Star” like Gaem, Ruj, Tonand Dew.

Thai movie fans have two gifts to unwrap for Christmas. RSFilm’s Avant studio pokes fun at the K-pop trend with the musi-cal-comedy “Super Hap-Sap-Sabud”, starring Film Rattapoom.Meanwhile Sahamongkol seeks to charm viewers with “Fan-

Waan-Aai-Joob” (“4 Romance”) – four love stories by directorsChukiat Sakweerakul, Prachya Pinkaew, Bhandit Thongdee andRachan Limtrakul with star Mario Maurer and many others.Both movies are in cinemas tomorrow.

The mirror has two facesJust how far do you want totake this Abhisit Vejjajiva-Barack Obama thing?“Obamark” is the rather art-less nickname being kickedaround by people who think“Brangelina” is convenient.

They’re both young, Democrats and Leos(Obama’s birthday is August 4, Abhisit’s August 3).

The Thai PM’s got a problem, though: Accordingto ngoa heng – the ancient Chinese system of pre-dicting your fortune from your face – Abhisit’scrooked two front teeth will cut short his time inoffice.

Obama smiles the smile of permanence. Abhisitneeds a dentist, fast.

Hey, don’t blame usThere they were, beamingfrom the cover of the Baby andKid’s Digest magazine: Met 107FM manager Jamorn “Toh”Jirapaet, his sweet wifeSaraichat (“Ning”) and theirbaby girl, Bella.

“Unfortunately the maga-zine shut down right afterthat,” Toh laughs. Strange – ithad just celebrated its eighth anniversary andseemed to be doing so well.

If there was some sort of curse, you sure can’tblame the cover family.

Bella has already appeared in a TV commercialand Ning is a newspaper columnist, has written abook, emcees events and hosts a show on Met 107.

Abhisit

By Dave McIntyreS P E C I A L T O T H E

W A S H I N G T O N P O S T

What do we pay for when we buya bottle of expensive cham-

pagne? Wine critic Robin Goldsteinrecently described a series of tast-ings in which about 60 people wereasked to rate two unidentified glass-

es of sparkling wine. Two out ofthree preferred a US$12 (Bt500)Domaine Ste Michelle fromWashington state over DomPerignon, the famous luxury cham-pagne that sells for $150.

So if more people prefer the cheap-er wine, why buy the expensive one?Goldstein concludes that when wepurchase Dom, we’re not buying justwine but also the experience ofdrinking something exclusive and ex-pensive. We enjoy the taste of money.

Money seems to taste sour thesedays. The champagne trade associationCIVC has announced that global ship-ments of champagne have plummeted20 per cent compared to a year ago.

Ning and Bella

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS ENTERTAINMENT 7

25 MILLION COPIES ofStephenie Meyer’s‘Twilight’ vampirenovels have beensold worldwide.

VIRTUAL LICKSIn the battle of ‘Guitar Hero’vs ‘Rock Band’ there’s noclear winner.> Page 8

TASTE TE ST

Money in a glassIf more people prefer thecheaper wine, why buy theexpensive one?

Christmaspresence soopsip

Contact Soopsip at veenxpress@gmail.com.

Obama

By Mike Musgrove T H E W A S H I N G T O N P O S T

W A S H I N G T O N

The American people havean important and historic

decision to make this holidayseason: Guitar Hero WorldTour or Rock Band 2?

For about $180 (Bt6,200),you get a large box containingvideo game controllers shapedlike drum kit and a guitar alongwith a microphone and a gamedisc. Get a few friends togeth-er, and you can put together afake rock band. Hit the rightnotes on the guitar controllerand sing the right tones intothe microphone, and you andyour friends can briefly live avideogame version of the rock-and-roll dream.

Game industry analystMichael Pachter figures that

the two titles will divide themarket fairly evenly in thecoming year. “You can argueover whether this guitar is bet-ter or whether these drums arebetter, but at the end of the dayyou’re doing the same thingand the music is similar,” hesays.

Odd as it sounds, this is a bigbusiness we’re talking abouthere. The Guitar Hero fran-chise did around $1 billion insales last year. When a newversion came out this pastsummer, dedicated to the mu-sic and career of Aerosmith,first-week sales of the gamemore than tripled first-weeksales of Aerosmith’s most re-cent studio album.

While some fans, but not all,feel that the latest Guitar Herooffers the superior “instru-

ments. Rock Band’s fans saythe title has the clear advan-tage because of the amount ofcontent available for down-load for people who want toexpand their collections.

Both game discs feature simi-lar batches of songs from bandsincluding Bon Jovi, FleetwoodMac and Modest Mouse, butRock Band has a wide library of500 songs available for pur-chase online. Guitar HeroWorld Tour has only 41 li-censed tracks for sale so far.

Game reviewer Ben Croshaw,an Australian who has becomefamous among regulars atwebsites like Digg for hissnarky takes on the latestgames, recently summed itup that sounds about rightto me.

“Playing Guitar Hero is stillas inherently entertaining andshamelessly pathetic as it’s al-ways been,” he said. “Get ei-ther this or Rock Band, be-cause it honestly doesn’t mat-ter which.”

Elliott Yamin Elliott Yamin (Hickory Records)

He finished third in the fifthseason of “American Idol” andthe Virginia-born Elliott Yaminhas hit the big time with hisself-titled debut album, a soul-ful outing that illustrates hiscommercial approach to popand R&B mainstream. It openswith the popular single “WaitFor You”, a slow ballad withbeautiful piano that does jus-tice to his R&B vocals. “Movin’On” has a jazzy and funkyrhythm while "Take My BreathAway” is a gem of a numberwith a great groove. Elliott is athis best on the cover of his heroDonny Hathaway’s “A Song forYou”.

The Promise Il Divo (Sony)

For their first album in twoyears, the four members of thisbest-selling vocal group onceagain lend their powerful,beautiful operatic voices to 12popular romantic songs, open-ing with Frankie Goes ToHollywood’s “The Power OfLove” as if to remind their fansof what they’ve been missing.Other gems include an emo-tional version of LeonardCohen’s “Hallelujah”, Abba’s“The Winner Takes It All”, andthe exquisite “She”. Il Divo arestill frontrunners in the pop-operatic genre and if you arestill searching for a festive giftfor a loved one, this will make aperfect present.

8 ENTERTAINMENT Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

soundbytes

By Mr BadboySo you wanna be a rock starTwo video games go neck to neck in the battle of the fake bands

WHAT’S ON/WHAT’S UPWednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS EVENTS 9

see it!Giant ‘Madagascar 2’Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, King Julien,Maurice along with the penguins and thechimps are back on the screen tomorrow in“Madagascar 2”. Find out how the New Yorkersare faring in Africa in 3D with digital surroundat Krungsri IMAX Theatre.

Beauty in the darkUntil January 3, Boaz Zippor reveals the the-atrical beauty of darkness in his photographicexhibition “Butoh” at Patravadi Theatre Gallery.The Israel-born artist displays a series of figura-tive shots that depict the beauty and mysterysurrounding this Japanese dance form. Theexhibition is on view daily from 10 to 6.Call (02) 412 72878.

Scenes of SiamNational artists Pichai Nirund and PreechaThaothong, Teerawat Kamana, NetikornShinyo and Jintana Piamsiri, illustrators of HisMajesty the King’s book “Mahajanaka”, portrayThai culture in “Siam Scenes” showing atNumber 1 Gallery until January 1. The gallery isin the basement of Silom Galleria on SilomRoad. For details, call (02) 630 3381 or (081) 567 9671.

Rocking with the BullKrathing Dang (Thailand), makers of the pop-ular energy drink, is making sure that rock fansoutside Bangkok don’t miss out on festival funthis year.Taking part in the KTD Rock Festival 2008 areModerndog, Slot Machine, Flure, ApartmentKhunpa, Ebola, Harlem Belle, Hop Beat, andRichman Toy, and they’ll be in Chiang Mai onDecember 28.

Jiggle those joysticks

Cyber-gamers take note, the Thailand Game Show 2009 will be held from January 9 to 11 in

Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre’s plenary hall. Expect the launch of new games

and exciting competitions featuring the “Winning Eleven” game and cosplay fashions. The

highlight will be an appearance by Hironobu Kageyama, the singer in the animation “Dragon

Ball Z”, who’ll be meeting his Thai fans for the first time. Entry is Bt50. For more informa-

tion, visit www.TGS.in.th.

Cuddle up to some cute dolls

Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon, Rainflower, St Andrew, Chonza,

Garfield and more are playing leading roles at Central Plaza Rama 3’s “Gift

Wonderland Star of Dolls” until January 5. Enjoy discounts of up to 30 per cent

along with daily workshops and costume shows. Call (02) 667 5555.

Crazy for comedy

The economy won’t get any better in the next

month, so you might as well have a laugh about it.

Punchline Comedy Club is bringing three comedians

– John Gordillo, Kitty Flannagan and Roger

Monkhouse – to the Bull’s Head on January 23 and

24. For a Bt1,500 ticket,

call (02) 233 4141 or (02) 234 3590 or book online

at www.GreatBritishPub.com/comedy.htm.

The LadyreturnsOne of the world’s great

jazz vocalists, Alice Day

returns to Bangkok for a

string of performances

with the Shawn Kelly Trio

at Sheraton Grande

Sukhumvit’s Living Room.

“The Lady” sings every

night until February 1.

The trio features Shawn

on drums, Taurey Butler

on piano and Therdsak

Wongvichien on bass.

Showtimes are 9 to

11.45pm Tuesdays to

Thursdays and Sundays;

9.30pm to 00.15am

Fridays and Saturdays.

The cover charge of

Bt750++ can be

redeemed for food and

drinks.Call (02) 649 8641.

WHAT’S ON/WHAT’S UP10 EVENTS Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

New look for 2009Romrawin is offering a discountof up to 60 per cent to cus-tomers at all branches from nowuntil January 15 as part of itssixth anniversary celebrations.The offer is good for all skin,slimming, hair and laser services.For more information,call (02) 678-2947-9.

Xmas in Chiang MaiAkaligo restaurant at theMandarin Oriental Dhara Dheviin Chiang Mai offers a ChristmasEve buffet dinner of festive dish-es including roast turkey with allthe trimmings at Bt5,500 perperson, and a five-courseEuropean set menu at FarangSes restaurant for Bt6,800. Formore information,call (053) 888 566.

Turkey with thetrimmingsTonight, celebrate Christmas atCafeG, Holiday Inn BangkokHotel with a Northern Europeanbuffet dinner and a glass ofsparkling wine at Bt995 or enjoya Xmas brunch tomorrow forBt790. Call (02) 656 0360.

Calling futureleadersAre you a leader of the future? Ifthe answer is yes, why not applyfor one of the British government’s prestigiousChevening scholarships.Deadline for applications isJanuary 20, For more information, visitwww.UKInThailand@fco.gov.uk.

Listen to the sound of LumpiniChill out this winter with theBangkok Symphony Orchestra’sConcert in the Park series in therelaxed atmosphere of SalaBhirom Bhakdi, Lumpini Park.Enjoy popular tunes, pop clas-sics, music from the movies andBroadway plus old Thaifavourites performed by the BSOand guest vocalists everySunday except January 4 at5.30. Admission is free.The programme runs through February 15.

do it!

Forget 2008 atHoliday InnOn December 31, every bar and restaurant at

Holiday Inn Bangkok joins up in a chain of good

cheer. The New Year’s Eve Dinner is Bt1,200++

per person for food only in all areas, while

there’s an all-you-can-drink deal for Bt800 ++

per person. A buffet of international favourites

stretches all the way from the swimming pool

to Charm Thai restaurant and the revelry spills

into the Lobby Bar with a ’70s disco party and

onto the street at Cafe G. Located at the

Rajprasong intersection, Holiday Inn Bangkok is

a step from the largest New Year countdown

site in the city.Call (02) 656 0360 or e-mail at rest-

concierg@ihgbangkok.com.

Sushi by the seaAuthentic Japanese flavours are being

served beachside at Hyatt Regency Hua

Hin’s You & Mee poolside restaurant by

guest chefs Masahiko Miura and

Hirokazu Nakazato from Tokyo’s

Roppongi Hills Club between January 9

and 18. Guests can also discover the art

and secrets of sushi making with

Nakazato. Call (02) 254 6200 or

(032) 521 234 or e-mail

huahin.regency@hyatt.com.

A buffet with stuffing

The Conrad Bangkok wishes everyone a merry Christmas

with a festive buffet at international restaurant Cafe@2

priced at Bt1,600 this evening and Bt1,900 for lunch

tomorrow. If a snack is more what you had in mind,

drop by Diplomat Bar this afternoon for the afternoon

Christmas Tea Set at Bt500 per head, or Bt800 per cou-

ple. For a more oriental flavour, set dinner for 10 at Liu

Chinese restaurant costs Bt19,800. For reservations,

call (02) 690 999.

Fresh from the sea

“All-You-Can-Eat Fresh Oysters” from the US

and other seafood specialities are on offer

every Tuesday to Friday at the Colonnade, The

Sukhothai Bangkok for just Bt1,099 ++ per

person, including a classic fruits de mer

seafood platter. For details and reservations,

call (02) 344 8888.

Xmas Eve bythe riverThe Shangri-La Hotel celebratesChristmas with a giantSpeculoos-style cookie for all thefamily at Bt970. You can alsoenjoy a Yuletide feast tomorrownight at the popular AngeliniRestaurant & Bar, which is offer-ing an Italian set, at Next 2, whichfeatures a buffet, or opt for Thaiat Salathip. All are priced atBt3,500. Otherwise board theHorizon Cruise and enjoy an inter-national buffet on the river forBt4,000. Children under 12 yearsold pay half price. For reservation,call (02) 236 7777.

By Lerpong Amsa-NgiamD A I L Y X P R E S S

What do you mean youhaven’t finished your

holiday shopping yet!? Okay,calm down – do you have anoven?

Chef Fabrice Danniel of LeCordon Bleu Dusit Culinary ishere with a recipe for green-tea macaroons that are sure tomaintain your hero statusaround the house.

These delightful cookies, aseasonal favourite but greatany time of year, combine achewy inside and a crunchyoutside, and if you serve themwith chestnut filling over theholidays, 2009 will begin on avery high note indeed.

The recipe isn’t complicatedand the procedure doesn’t takemuch time. Just follow the di-rections below attentively, andyou’ll see that valuable thingsdon’t have to come at a highcost.

For the macaroons

250 g ground almonds250 g icing sugar

90 g egg whites90 g egg whites

(a second batch)225 g sugar

75 g water10 g green-tea powder

For the chestnut cream

60 g softened butter 300 g chestnut paste

75 g chestnut cream20 g milk10 g rum

12 EAT IN Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

DAILY

XPR

ESS/

NU

TTAP

ON

E TI

PVAT

EEAM

ORN

ThemacaroonmiracleEasy to make and way classier than cookies,these treats are the key to a great 2009 launch

DIRECTIONS

Boil the water and sugar to-gether until the temperaturereaches 116C.

Meanwhile beat the firstportion of the egg whites in anelectric mixer on mediumspeed until the mix is foamy.

Reduce the speed and pourin the boiled sugar syrup, thenincrease the speed back tomedium to bring down thetemperature to 50 degrees.

Whisk together the groundalmonds, green-tea powderand icing sugar and add themto the egg-sugar syrup mix, us-ing a rubber spatula to com-bine everything.

You might need a helpinghand with this. The battershould turn sticky.

Gently fold in the secondportion of egg whites untilthey’re completely incorporat-ed. Sift the batter twice until itlooks shiny.

Fit a pastry bag with a No 8or 12 round tip and fill it withthe batter. Pipe two-inch disksonto a baking sheet lined withparchment paper, leaving twoinches of space between thedisks.

Bang the baking sheet a fewtimes on the table to make

sure the macaroons flattenout. Set the tray aside at roomtemperature for 15 to 30 min-utes.

Meanwhile preheat the ovento 180C. After 12 to 15 minutes,the batter’s surface should bedry to the touch.

Place the baking sheet in theoven and reduce the tempera-ture right away to 150C. Makesure there’s no humidity in theoven, otherwise the maca-roons’ surface will crack.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes,until the macaroons are com-pletely dry. Remove the bakingsheet to a wire rack and let themacaroons cool completely.

Then transfer them to therefrigerator for three or fourhours.

To make the chestnut filling,beat the chestnut paste in anelectric mixer on slow speed.

Add the milk and chestnutcream and increase the speedto maximum. Reduce again tolow speed, add the butter atroom temperature and contin-ue mixing at maximum speeduntil everything is well com-bined.

Pour in the rum and beat themixture for a few minutes.

Instead of chestnut creamand chestnut paste, you can

use icing sugar and apply adrop of food colouring and theimitation flavour of yourchoice.

Flip half of the macaroonsover. Fill a pastry bag with thechestnut filling and pipe it on-to the these macaroons, andthen top with the remainingmacaroons, flat-side down,pressing slightly to squeezethe filling out to the edges.

Voila, holiday treats! Cakesand regular cookies are such acliche at this time of the year,so macaroons pack extra de-light for your family or yoursweetheart.

Danniel

By Warren Brown T H E W A S H I N G T O N P O S T

Somewhere between birthand what is now the possi-

ble demise of the domestic au-tomobile industry, “American”became a bad word.

There is little doubt that theindustry had much to do withthis transformation. It has away of snatching mediocrityfrom exceptionality. Just lookat the 2009 Ford Focus SEScoupe.

It is one of the best subcom-pact cars sold in the UnitedStates, but it has exceptionallygood disc brakes up front andmediocre drum brakes in therear.

It is the kind of self-defeat-ing, cost-cutting craziness thatFord and its Detroit siblingshave engaged in too often.

The good news is thatthey’re doing much less of thatkind of thing nowadays, a farcry from the really bad olddays when, unchallenged byforeign rivals, they became fatand careless, more interestedin pleasing Wall Street than inbuilding quality cars.

Now it’s a matter of avoid-able gaffes, the kind of thingthat opens the domestics tounfair ridicule, casting a longshadow over New Detroit,

which is genuinely dedicatedto product innovation and im-provement.

In the front-wheel-driveFocus SES coupe, overall con-struction is solid, fit andfinish are excellent, interiormaterials – although not asgood as Volkswagen and Audi– are better than they’ve everbeen.

It’s also a joy to drive, won-derfully agile in city trafficand willing on high-speedhighways, with a modest ap-petite for regular unleadedgasoline.

Critics are fond of accusingthe domestic industry of beinga laggard in innovation. It is abogus charge.

General Motors pioneered amobile emergency-communi-cations system that is the envyof the global industry. Ford’sMicrosoft/Sync infotainment-emergency communicationssystem allows drivers to con-trol a variety of devices withtheir voice alone.

Here’s hoping the domesticsweather the financial stormand Ford will get rid of drumbrakes in the Focus SES assoon as it understands thatconsumers don’t mind payingextra for something that isdemonstrably better.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS AUTOMOBILE 13

Light on Detroit’s horizon?The Ford Focus SES reflects the penny pinching that hurts US carmakers, but it’s an improvement

,,W

ASH

INGT

ON

POS

T

Ford’s designers have given the 2009 Focus SES coupe a little jazz, nicelyrestyling the front and giving the rear something approaching funk.

FORD

IT IS ONE OF THE BESTSUBCOMPACT CARSSOLD IN THE UNITEDSTATES, BUT IT HASEXCEPTIONALLYGOOD DISC BRAKESUP FRONT ANDMEDIOCRE DRUMBRAKES IN THE REAR.

HappyBirthdayDirector PongpatWachirabunjong’s fol-low-up to “Me … Myself”stars AnandaEveringham as Then, atravel photographerwho becomes close toPao (ChayananManomaisantiphap), atour guide. The two vowto stay together untildeath do them part andwhen Pao falls into a

coma, Then proves he isa man of his word. WithEnglish subtitles atsome cinemas.

Ong Bak 2Phanom “Tony Jaa”Yeerum co-directs hismagnum opus, starringas a fierce young warriorwho has only a taste forvengeance. WithEnglish subtitles atsome cinemas.

Saw V Jigsaw might be dead,but his grisly traps liveon. Costas Mandylorstars as a detective try-ing to piece thingstogether. At SFCinemas.

TwilightA teenage girl (KristenStewart) risks every-thing when she falls inlove with a vampire(Robert Pattinson).Based on the first bookin a series of novels byStephenie Meyer.

Beverly HillsChihuahuaA pampered lap dognamed Chloe (voiced byDrew Barrymore) findsherself accidentally lostin the mean streets ofMexico.

TO SEE14 THE SCREEN Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

on tv

Lady in the WaterAn apartment manager (PaulGiamatti) sets himself up for apeculiar adventure when herescues a seemingly normalyoung woman from the poolhe maintains.Cinemax (TrueVisions), 8pm

The Polar ExpressOn Christmas Eve, a doubtingboy boards a magical trainthat’s headed to the NorthPole and Santa Claus’ home.True Movie Hits(TrueVisions), 7pm

Shanghai NoonJackie Chan plays a Chineseimperial guardsman namedChon Wang who travels to theold American west to rescue akidnapped princess. OwenWilson co-stars.Star Movies (TrueVisions),8pm

Ben HurCharlton Heston stars in thisclassic swords-and-sandalsepic, as a Jewish prince in theRoman empire who is sen-tenced to slavery and vowsrevenge.TCM (TrueVisions), 6.40pm

Channel linkswww.NationChannel.comChannel 3 – www.ThaiTV3.comChannel 5 – www.TV5.co.thChannel 7 – www.CH7.comModernine – www.MCOT.netNBT – TV11.prd.go.thThai PBS – www.ThaiPBS.or.thTrue – www.TrueVisionsTV.com

‘Happy Birthday’stars AnandaEveringham.

Pride and GloryA family of New York City Police officers are pittedagainst each other in the investigation of a drugbust that went horribly wrong. Stars EdwardNorton, Colin Farrell, Noah Emmerich and JonVoight.

The Day the Earth Stood Still In this update of the 1951 sci-fi classic, Keanu Reeves plays an alien whocomes to warn Earthlings of their impending doom. Jennifer Connelly alsostars. Also at Krungsri IMAX.

Transporter 3Driver Frank Martin (Jason Statham) has anew assignment: deliver the feisty daughter ofa Ukrainian official from Marseilles to Odessa.For added excitement, Martin is fitted with abracelet that will explode if he fails to makehis delivery on time.

Tokyo SonataKiyoshi Kurosawa’s darkdrama is about aJapanese family thatdisintegrates after itspatriarch loses his job. InJapanese with Thai andEnglish subtitles atHouse and the Lido.

The DuchessKeira Knightley playsGeorgiana Cavendish, abeautiful and cleverwoman who becomes acelebrity of British highsociety when she marriesthe Duke of Devonshire.At the Lido.

Burn AfterReadingIn this black comedy bythe Coen brothers, a diskcontaining the memoirsof a fired CIA agent(John Malkovich) endsup in the hands of twounscrupulous gymemployees (Brad Pittand FrancesMcDormand). At theLido and ParagonCineplex.

20th CenturyBoysHapless convenience-store clerk Kenji (ToshiakiKarasawa) finds he is atthe centre of a mysteryinvolving a powerful cultled by “Friend”, who ispossibly one of the closecircle of friends he had inelementary school. InJapanese with Englishand Thai subtitles atthe Lido.

KidsAsato (Teppei Koike) hasthe power to transferother people’s wounds tohis own body. His strangehealing powers lead to afriendship with the trou-bled Takeo. In Japanesewith Thai and Englishsubtitles at House.

TO SEEWednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS THE SCREEN 15

ApexLido: (02) 252 6498Siam: (02) 251 3508Scala: (02) 251 2861www.ApexSiam-Square.com

Century – The Movie Plaza(02) 247 9940www.CenturyTheMoviePlaza.com

House(02) 641 5913-4www.HouseRama.com

Major Cineplex/EGVBangkok: (02) 515 5555www.MajorCineplex.com

Major HollywoodBangkok: (02) 718 7999www.MajorHollywood.co.th

Paragon Cineplex(02) 129 4635IMAX: (02) 129 4631www.ParagonCineplex.com

SF CinemasBangkok: (02) 268 8888www.SFCinemaCity.com

Critical consensus = Must see! = Solidly entertaining = It’s okay = Barely watchable = Don’t bother

REGION 3

on dvd

James Bond:Pierce BrosnanPierce Brosnan keeps the Bondfranchise alive with his por-trayal of 007 in this nine-discbox containing “Goldeneye”,“Tomorrow Never Dies”, “TheWorld Is Not Enough” and “DieAnother Day”. Special featuresinclude “Bond Girls AreForever” and lots more.Languages are English,Spanish, Portuguese and Thaiplus Mandarin and Koreansubtitles. Prices start at Bt820.– Daily Xpress

IkigamiImagine an ugly future in which the government randomly selects indi-

viduals under the age of 24 for sudden death – and taps others to deliv-

er the death warrants. Such is the vile realm on display in this dark and

disturbing Japanese science-fiction saga from director Tomoyuki

Takimoto. In Japanese with English and Thai subtitles at the Siam.

Toi et Moi

The lovelorn Ariane (Julie Depardieu) scripts word

balloons for a photo-novella in the magazine You

and Me. She’s used to seeing love in her fiction, and

this colours how she sees her own relationships.

Meanwhile, her cellist sister Lena (Marion Cotillard)

is dealing with her own budding romances. In French

with English and Thai subtitles at House.

The OrphanageAn adopted child awakens old memories for Laura (Belen Rueda) andher husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and the couple buys the creeky oldorphanage where Laura was raised. Soon the past begins to haunt herand what’s real and what’s imagined are difficult to see. In Spanishwith English and Thai subtitles at the Scala.

16L

EIS

UR

EW

ednesday, Decem

ber24, 2008 D

AILY

XP

RE

SS

Close to HomeBy John McPherson

AdamBy Bryan Basset

Calvin and HobbesBy Bill Watterson

The BucketsBy Scott Stantis

Pooch CafeBy Paul Gilligan

Red and RoverBy Brian Basset

Co

mics&

Ga

mes

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS LEISURE 17

Games&YourStars

ASTROLOGYSUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Complete the grid so that every row,column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

The last word in

By Eugenia Last

Today’s Birthday: Take a long hard look at your situation -be prepared to jump ship if necessary or take on whatever ap-pears to be your best bet financially. Rely on your personalityand good track record to get you what you want. A personal de-cision regarding your health and lifestyle will ensure you stay ingood shape for things to come.

ARIES ***** March 21-April 19Quiet time must be scheduled in. Pace yourselfand don’t turn down any help being offered.Someone will criticise you if you spend too muchor take on too many duties.

TAURUS *** April 20-May 20See as many of your friends as possible. Book atrip or surprise everyone with an early arrival andyou will gain some quality time with people youlove. Now is the time to have fun.

GEMINI *** May 21-June 20Love and romance are in the stars. Share your joyand your plans with someone who is just as muchinto you as you are into him or her. If you are sin-gle, you are likely to meet someone new.

CANCER *** June 21-July 22Don’t worry about the money aspect of the holi-day season if there is nothing you can do about it.Enjoy what’s being offered and offer what you canin return. This is not a contest, it’s a time of love.

LEO ***** July 23-Aug. 22Don’t be tricked into thinking that someone is onthe same page as you. Consider if you have beenfair in the way you presented your intentions. Afriend may require a little space.

VIRGO ** Aug. 23-Sept. 22Enjoy the younger people in your life. You maywant to get back into an old hobby or activity. Acouple of quick changes and you will have every-one you wanted to do something nice for covered.

LIBRA *** Sept. 23-Oct. 22Visit friends or get out with colleagues. Stayinghome or dealing with personal problems youhaven’t been able to resolve will be a waste oftime. Overindulgence will set you back every way.

SCORPIO *** Oct. 23-Nov. 21If someone is playing games with you, take a pass.A change may be required. You’ll be upset ifsomeone isn’t truthful with you. Talk your waythrough problems.

SAGITTARIUS *** Nov. 22-Dec. 21If you need to travel to be with the people you en-joy most, do so. It’s up to you to be the go-be-tween if someone isn’t getting along. Your abilityto be a team player will help even things out.

CAPRICORN *** Dec. 22-Jan. 19Volunteer your services or donate to a cause youbelieve in. Your generosity will enhance your repu-tation and introduce you to people who can assistyou in the future. Open your doors to friends.

AQUARIUS **** Jan. 20-Feb. 18Spending time with people who mean a lot to youwill give you an opportunity to show how muchyou care. An opportunity to get involved in some-thing different will help you down the road.

PISCES ** Feb. 19-March 20Don’t let your emotions give away a secret youmust keep. You have to be fair to the people whocount in your life by sharing with them and themalone. Your strength will help someone you careabout.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY

Jazz pianist Ray Bryant is 77.Actor John Levene is 47.Bassist Lemmy (Motorhead) is 63.Actor Mark Valley is 44.Singer Ricky Martin is 37.TV host Ryan Seacrest is 34.Singer Robert Carmine is 26.

Ricky Martin

WAREHOUSE FOR RENTSuitable for Store or Business/SMEs

- Ramintra outer Ring Rd., Km. 9350-2,500 sq.m.

- Near by Rama V Bridge, Nontaburi- Tiwanon Rd., (Soi Tiwanon 27)- Tiwanon Rd., (beside Soi Tiwanon 43)

Special Price

Ramintra Factory Co., Ltd.Tel. 02-914-2022, 02-914-2311, 081-806-1975

www.thailandfactoryrental.i8.com

1) 675-3,330 sq.m. : Laem Chabang Industrial Estate, Chonburi (EPZ)2) 1,200 sq.m. : Amata Industrial Estate, Chonburi3) 1,620 sq.m. : Lard Krabang Industrial Estate, (EPZ)4) 2.3 rais Raw land : Lard Krabang Industrial Estate, (EPZ)5) 700-1,000 sq.m. : King Kaew Project, km.126) 1,620 sq.m. : Hi-Tech Industrial Estate, Ayuthaya7) 2,500-5,000 sq.m. : Tonglow Industrial Land, Chonburi8) 1,000-8,500 sq.m. : Samutprakarn Factory

For sale & LeaseFor sale & Lease

Tel: 02-676-4031-5, 081-732-8242http://www.tfd-factory.com

Land 8-0-13 raiWellgrow IE

near Bangna-Trad Rd. between P&G and TOAnext to a canal7.7 MB/rai !!

(081)639-4693, (081)988-8901

Land near Natural Creek 7 Rai and 11 Rai

Surrounded by mountains of Khaoyai, cold weatherduring winter, with natural creek on the rear side,Amphur Kaengkoy, 100 km. from Bangkok, near

community and agricultural areas, suitable for fruitplantation and resort, ready to transfer

1,400 Baht/sq.w. Khun Mol 081-907-9783, 081-860-1442

Store Manager & Assistant Store ManagersResponsibilities:• Manages the store, performs to achieve sales target.• Maintains store's standard performance.• Develops services and ensures effectiveness.

Qualifications:• Bachelor's Degree in any related field with at least

10 years experience in retail operations.• Dynamic, team player, leadership skill and work hard.

Sales & Customer Service Responsibilities:• Advises customers and offers right products and

services solutions.• Maintains store's standard performance, performs to

achieve sales target.

Qualifications:• Bachelor's Degree in any related field with 2 years

experience in retail operations.• Dynamic, self-disciplined, high responsibility and

work hard.

Sales CoordinatorsResponsibilities:• Summarizes sales ordering documents, plans and

coordinates all logistics.• Coordinates all sales activities within the store to ensure

customer satisfaction.

Qualifications:• Bachelor's Degree in any related field with at least

2 years experience in coordinating sales activities or logistics.

• Dynamic, well-organized, self-disciplined & responsible.

Section Managers Responsibilities:• Manages sales floor, schematic, replenishment, stock

availability, performs to achieve sales target and maintains store's standard performance.

• Trains and develops staff for operation effectiveness.

Qualifications:• Bachelor's Degree in any related field with at least

5 years experience in retail operations or similar. • Dynamic, team player, leadership skill and work hard.

Interior Designers / Visual Display Professionals Interior Designer's Responsibilities:• Provides 3D services, including interior design housing

and residence.• Advises customers about interior design, furniture

and decorative items.

Visual Display's Responsibilities:• Interior design, display room setting in the store.• In store communications (e.g. design, placement of

POSM in points of sale, etc.)

Qualifications:• Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design, preferably interior

housing, visual merchandising in housing or retail business.• Dynamic, self-disciplined and high responsibility.

CashiersResponsibilities:• Handles cash and registers sales transactions.• Process and control documents.

Qualifications:• Vocational or Commercial Certificate in any related field,

preferably with experience in retail business.• Accurate, self-disciplined and high responsibility.

If you are seeking a dynamic, exciting work environment and everyday challenges, apply now!

Human Resources - Recruitment Index Living Mall Co., Ltd. 43/15 Moo 7, Rama 2 Road Soi 50, Samaedam, Bangkhunthien, Bangkok 10150, Thailand Tel: 0 2898 5544 ext. Recruitment Fax: 0 2898 4377

Email: recruitment@indexlivingmall.com Visit: www.indexlivingmall.com

Index Living Mall : Special Mall for Home Furnishings.Challenges... opportunities... come alive at Index Living Mall in Dubai Got potential and self drive? Take it now!

Attractive salary, great benefits await you!

- Service minded with good personality., Good command of English, preferably writing skills.- Can work in Dubai, UAE for a minimum of 2 years.

All positions require:

Listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Laguna Resorts & Hotelsis Thailand’s largest integrated resort operator in Phuket comprisingBanyan Tree Phuket, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, Sheraton GrandeLaguna Phuket, Laguna Beach Resort, Laguna Holiday Club Resortand a wide range of resort amenities and services. Our Phuket opera-tions are complimented by Banyan Tree Bangkok hotel, centrallylocated in Bangkok’s central business district. We are currentlyseeking candidates for the following positions.

Applicants are invited to submit a detailed resume in English, stating current as well asexpected salaries, and a recent photograph. An attractive remuneration package will be

offered to the successful candidates. Please mail, fax or email to:

Human Resources Department, Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited21/11, 21/12B, 21/13, 21/65B, 21/67, 21/68A, 6th Floor, Thai Wah Tower 1, South Sathorn Road,

Bangkok 10120Tel. 0-2677-4455 ext. 272, 862 Fax: 0-2677-4455 ext. 265

Email: janpen@lrh.co.th

SENIOR MANAGER - PROPERTY LEGALRequirements

Thai, age 35-40 years

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Laws

Strong legal knowledge with experience in laws of property and

land development

Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently and under time pressure

Proficiency in written English and communication skills

Good computer skills

Based in Phuket

SECRETARY TO ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT - LEGALRequirements

Thai, female, age 25-35 years

Bachelor’s degree in Secretarial, Laws or related field

Minimum 3 years working experience in executive secretarial work with international companies

Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently

Good computer skills of Microsoft Office Program

Mature with pleasant personality

Based in Bangkok

1. Director Assistant2. Sales Manager for Medical Product & Medical SoftwareFor positions 1&2 - Age 25-35, MBA, B.Sc. in Pharm., MedTech.- Fluent in English, 3 yrs successful sales & management experience.- Analytical & creative skills, computer competence, Japanese is an advantage.

3. Sales & Marketing Manager for IT (Data Capture ICR)- Age 25-35, MBA, B.Sc. in Software/Electrical Engineer, Computer competence.- Fluent in English, 3 yrs success in sales & marketing. Analytical, Creative skills

4. Installation Engineer for Medical Software- Age 25-35, B.Sc. in Software/Electrical Engineer. Fluent in English.- UNIX competence, Japanese is an advantage. Can travel local & abroad.

5. Secretary- Age 22-30, Secretary Dip., English fluency. Microsoft Office, Access, Outlook or Eudora.

6. Accountant- Age 25-35, BA. (Account), English fluency. Microsoft Office, Access & Express.

Send resume to 123/209 Rajvithi Rd., Wachiraphayabarn, Dusit, Bangkok 10300Tel. 02-6697501-3 E-mail: interfocus.thailand@gmail.com

INTERFOCUS (THAILAND)

∫√‘…—∑ Õ‘¡æ’‡√’¬≈ Õ‘π¥— ‡µ√’¬≈ ‡§¡’§—≈ å (ª√–‡∑»‰∑¬) ®”°—¥‰¥â√—∫¡“µ√∞“π ISO 9001: 2000 ‡ªìπ∫√‘…—∑ ∑’˺≈‘µ°√¥‰¢¡—π µ—ÈßÕ¬Ÿà„ππ‘§¡Õÿµ “À°√√¡π«π§√µ.§≈ÕßÀπ÷Ëß Õ.§≈ÕßÀ≈«ß ®.ª∑ÿ¡∏“π’ 12120

µâÕß°“√√—∫ ¡—§√∫ÿ§≈“°√¥—ßπ’ȺŸâ™à«¬ºŸâ®—¥°“√ΩÉ“¬∫—≠™’·≈–°“√‡ß‘π 1 µ”·Àπàߧÿ≥ ¡∫—µ‘¥—ßπ’È- «ÿ≤‘°“√»÷°…“ª√‘≠≠“µ√’ “¢“∫—≠™’ À√◊Õ°“√‡ß‘π- ¡’ª√– ∫°“√≥å∑“ß∫—≠™’ 3 ªï¢÷Èπ‰ª- ¡’§«“¡√Ÿâ‚ª√·°√¡ Win speed ®–æ‘®“√≥“‡ªìπ摇»…- „™â§Õ¡æ‘«‡µÕ√å∑”ß“π‰¥â¥’∫ÿ§§≈„¥ π„® ¡—§√‰¥â¥â«¬µπ‡Õß/ ¡—§√∑“ß®¥À¡“¬/ ¡—§√ß“πÕ’‡¡≈≈剥â∑’Ë

ºŸâ®—¥°“√ΩÉ“¬∫√‘À“√ß“π∫ÿ§§≈∫√‘…—∑ Õ‘¡æ’‡√’¬≈ Õ‘π¥— ‡µ√’¬≈ ‡§¡’§—≈ Ï (ª√–‡∑»‰∑¬) ®”°—¥101/61 π‘§¡Õÿµ “À°√√¡π«π§√ µ.§≈ÕßÀπ÷Ëß Õ.§≈ÕßÀ≈«ß

®.ª∑ÿ¡∏“π’ 12120 ‚∑√. 02-529-0326, 02-529-0114 ‚∑√ “√ 02-529-0329

Õ’‡¡≈≈å phommin@iic.co.th, phommin3@hotmail.com

Nippon Consulting Recruitment Co., Ltd. “Let us be your professional Career Consultant”

We are looking for many positions according to our clientsrequirement as follow :

• Japanese Interpreter / Translator• Accountant• Engineer• Secretary• Human Resources• Customer Service• Logistics / Shipping• QA / QC / ISO / BOI• Purchasing / Warehouse• Import & Export• Sales & Marketing

All positions required : Thai or Japanese Nationality Good command of English or Japanese With computer literacy

Please send your resume, present photo together withrelevant documents or apply in person at:

Sino-Thai Tower, 16th Floor, Unit B,32/41 Sukhumvit 21 Road (Asoke), Klongtoey-Nua,

Wattana, Bangkok 10110Tel. 02-261-7165, 02-665-2505 Fax: 02-665-2510

E-mail: info@ncrecruitment.comWebsite: www.ncrecruitment.com

‡≈¢∑’Ë„∫Õπÿ≠“µ π 1059/2546

Bears rally to beatPackers in OT Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yardfield goal with 11:28 left in over-time and the Chicago Bears beatthe Green Bay Packers 20-17 yes-terday to stay in the running forthe play-offs. Chicago’s AlexBrown blocked Mason Crosby’s38-yard field-goal attempt with18 seconds left in regulation topreserve a 17-17 tie and send thegame into overtime. The temper-ature at Soldier Field wasannounced at 2 degrees, makingit the coldest home game inBears’ history since records start-ed being kept in 1963. The long-time rivals known for their abilityto play in cold weather were test-ed by the elements. – AP

Yi denies agediscrepancy claimsChina’s Yi Jianlian says there is notruth to reports that he is threeyears older than the age listed inhis passport. The New JerseyNets forward is the subject ofreports that says he is actually 24and not 21.“I’m 21,” Yi told the New York Postnewspaper. “This story started along time ago. Some guy justwanted something to writeabout.” – AFP

Sanchez appointedAlmeria coachStruggling Spanish Liga clubAlmeria announced the appoint-

ment of Mexican Hugo Sanchezas coach.Sanchez takes over from GonzaloArconada, sacked on Sunday withthe club fifth from bottom.The favourite to replaceArconada was Argentine HectorCuper, but Almeria presidentAlfonso Garcia opted for Sanchezin the end. – DPA

Zokora flatteredby Real talkTottenham midfielder DidierZokora is ‘flattered’ by interestfrom RealMadrid – butinsists he ishappy at WhiteHart Lane.“It’s fantastic tobe associatedwith RealMadrid as theyare one of thebiggest club sidesin the world – show me the play-er who would not want to belinked with them. But I’m veryhappy here at Spurs and inEngland. I love England and theEnglish people. My team is doingmuch better under HarryRedknapp and I am enjoyingevery minute of it. For me, this isa win-win situation. I cannot lose.I love playing for Spurs, but to beassociated with Real Madrid is, ofcourse, very flattering. I was upsetwhen Juande Ramos left becausehe gave me a chance in Englishfootball and for that I'll be forev-er grateful.”– AFP

brieflyBryant gives Gasolhappy homecoming Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers relied ontheir experience to make Pau Gasol’s return toMemphis a successful one. Bryant scored 36points, including the go-ahead three-pointerwith 34.8 seconds left, and the Lakers snappedtheir first two-game losing streak of the season,rallying past the Grizzlies 105-96. After starringfor the Grizzlies for 6 1/2 seasons, Gasol made his

first appearance at the FedEx Forum since February. – DPA

22 THE SPORT Wednesday December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

HOUSTON ROCKETSvs NEW JERSEY

114:91Yao Ming dominated the showdon with fel-low Chinese Olympian Yi Jianlian as theRockets routed the Nets. Yao had 24 pointswith 16 rebounds and Aaron Brooksmatched a career-high with 22 points.THE SPORT

AFP, Liverpool, England

Chelsea manager Luiz FelipeScolari took a vow of si-

lence after captain John Terrywas sent off in a goalless drawaway to Everton which deniedthe Londoners first place in thePremier League.

Instead it is Liverpool,Everton’s city rivals, who holdthe Christmas number one posi-tion in the English footballcharts following Monday’s stale-mate at Goodison Park.

The draw saw Scolari’s sideclose to within a point of theleaders ahead of Chelsea’s clashwith bottom-of-the-table WestBromwich Albion on Friday.

Not that the Brazilian wantedto comment on that, or indeedmuch else, after referee Phil

Dowd showed England captainTerry a straight red card 10 min-utes before half-time for a reck-less challenge on Everton mid-fielder Leon Osman.

Scolari failed to turn up forthe post-match press confer-ence, as did any of his backroomstaff, for fear, according to a clubspokesman, of saying somethingthat would land him in troublewith the Football Association.

“None of the managementteam feel able to come up,” thespokesman said.

“They have issues with anumber of decisions and feel itwould be better if they did notcomment.”

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech,who made several fine saves,was rather more forthcoming. “I

think it’s a pity because we hadmore chances to be top of theleague and we drew somegames,” the Czech internationalsaid.

“But that’s the way this seasonis going. If we won our games athome we would have been topwith some gap.

“This year the PremierLeague is such a good competi-tion and Aston Villa are pushingup and everyone is trying to staythere.”

Commenting on Terry’s send-ing-off, Cech added: “It was hardto see from where I was.

“It’s hard for the ref to see ex-actly what happens because hehas only a split second and thecrowd are behind so it makes itmore difficult.

“He made a decision and wehave to live with it. It’s a pity be-cause we wanted to win thegame and go top of the league

Manager Scolari keeps his mouth shutas Terry’s red derails Chelsea bid

Zokora

Bryant

AWAY-DAY

BLUES

Wednesday December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS THE SPORT 23

AGENCIES, London

Football Association chair-man Lord Triesman has

hailed Fabio Capello for get-ting rid of the “funfair” cul-ture surrounding theEngland side.

Capello took a bit of timeto get his feet under the tableafter succeeding SteveMcClaren 12 months ago butthe second half of the yearhas seen the national teammake rapid improvements.

Four successive World Cupqualifying victories, includ-ing a superb away win inCroatia, were followed by afriendly triumph overGermany in Berlin lastmonth, fuelling a beliefEngland can be major con-tenders at South Africa 2010.

Mindful of the times whensuch optimistic noises haveemerged from the Englandcamp, only for the reality tobe a major disappointment,Triesman is wary of placingtoo much expectation onCapello’s players.

However, he is willing togive the Italian his whole-hearted endorsement.

“Fabio has been absolutelybrilliant,” said Triesman.

“His seriousness is sotransparent. He does every-thing in a meticulous wayand the distractions are notthere.

“There is a sense that theplayers are being treated asserious athletes. It isn’t all a

funfair. They react really wellto that.”

It did not take Triesmanlong to discover Capello wasa man apart.

The Italian’s CV speaks foritself. But it was only whenhe met the man behind thetrophies that he realised howclear-sighted he was aboutthe future.

“You don’t have to spendmore than three minutes inhis company to know thatwhen he says he is going todo something, he will reallyset about it and is not goingto put up with second best,”said Triesman.“We are in agood position in our group,that is self-evident.

“But you never get thesense from Fabio that hethinks a job is over if it onlyis half done.

“He will see this through tothe very last match. Therewill be absolutely no give inthat attitude and the playerslove it.

“They all feel like winnersand I don’t quite know whenthe England side last felt likethat.”

It may be a side issue forCapello but Triesman is alsodelighted the coach is happyto pass on his knowledge toyounger English counter-parts. England Under-21coach Stuart Pearce is themost obvious example butothers are benefiting fromhis experience, too.

Lassana DiarraREAL MADRID PLAYER

“It’s an honour to be compared to[Claude] Makelele, but Makeleleis Makelele and I am Lass. We havesome things in common but I’mmy own player. They compare mewith him but he came here whenhe was a little older, I’m younger.”

Yuvraj SinghON BEING CALLED A ‘PIE-CHUCKER’ BYENGLAND CAPTAIN KEVIN PIETERSEN

“I asked a few people what pie-chucker meant, and they said itmeant a ‘useless kind of bowler’. Itshows KP hates getting out to me.Well, a useless bowler getting himout many times would be because ofuseless batting, I’d say!”

but in the end it’s a good point.”Terry has now been dismissed

twice this season. His first redcard in the 3-1 win at

Manchester City in Septemberwas overturned on appeal butthere seems little chance ofMonday’s expulsion being re-scinded.

The England centre-half whois facing a three-match ban,caught Osman on his ankle andwas shown a red card by Dowd.

Everton manager DavidMoyes said: “My first reactionwas that I thought it was reck-less.

“In my playing days I wouldhave enjoyed tackling like that,but I think the referee got thebig decisions right.”

In the last four seasons theteam which has topped the tableat Christmas has gone on to winthe title.

Yet Manchester United, cur-rently fourth, will be confidentof retaining the crown they wonlast season after watching theirrivals carelessly drop points.

MY FIRST REACTIONWAS THAT I THOUGHTIT WAS RECKLESS. INMY PLAYING DAYS IWOULD HAVEENJOYED TACKLINGLIKE THAT.David Moyes, Everton manager

A F P , West Bromwich

Un d e r - p r e s s u r eManchester City man-

ager Mark Hughes insists hewill still be at the helm comethe January transfer windowto take advantage of theclub’s financial might.

Sunday’s 2-1 defeat away tobasement club WestBromwich Albion droppedCity into the English PremierLeague relegation zone.

However former Walesand Blackburn Rovers man-ager Hughes stressed he’d begiven assurances by chair-man Khaldoon Al Mubarakand owner Sheikh Mansourthat he would still be incharge at Eastlands nextmonth.

And Hughes said thatwhile he wanted to build forthe long-term, City’s imme-diate plight would see himtry to sign new players inJanuary. “I think everyoneunderstands there are cer-tain areas of the squad whichneed strengthening and wewill look to address those inthe window,” he said.

“We need to make sure weare positive, get the rightplayers in that will have animmediate impact and, if wecan do that, very quickly wewill move forward.

“I think there is a big proj-ect and a big plan here forthe club moving forward.”

Hugheswants aquick fix

Mark Hughes is lookingforward to transfer window.

Fabio Capello has brought a winning attitude to the Englishteam that failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

Capello is fabulous,says FA chairman

EPA

AFP

EPA

Chelsea captain JohnTerry is sent off by refereePhil Dowd for a tackle onEverton’s Leon Osman.

,,

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS THE SPORT 25

FOOTBALL

FINAL RECKONING

Kitinun SanguansakDAILY XPRESS

Thailand are hoping to present their fans with an

early Christmas gift of a victorywhen they take on Vietnam inthe first leg of the AseanFootball Federation’s SuzukiCup final at the RajamangalaNational stadium today.

Three-time championsThailand, reached the final ofthe regional competition for-merly known as Tiger Cup forthe second consecutive time af-ter posting a 3-1 aggregate winover Indonesia in the two-legsemis.

The Thais are aiming to re-claim the title they last won in2002 and wipe out the memoryof last year’s defeat toSingapore 2-1.

The bitter loss came at a timewhen relations between the twocountries were strained follow-ing the multi-billion sale of ShinCorporation to TemasekHoldings, the city state’s invest-ment fund.

Between Thailand and the ti-tle stand a Vietnamese side un-der the guidance of Portuguesecoach Henrique Calisto. Theyproduced a big upset whenthey downed title holdersSingapore 1-0, thanks to substi-tute forward Nguyen QuangHai’s counter-attacking strike,in the semi-finals.

If the recent record againstthe Vietnamese is anything togo by, the Kingdom is firmfavourite to claim its fourth ti-tle. Under the helm of former

Sunderland manager PeterReid, the team has yet to lose tothe Vietnamese. The Thaisdrew 2-2 in Hanoi, going on tooverall victory in the T&T Cuplast month, the veteran coach’sfirst tournament in charge ofthe team. Earlier in the groupstage, Thailand registered acrushing 2-0 victory overVietnam.

Thailand will have to makedo without the services of mid-fielder Suchao Nutnum, who isserving a one-game ban afterpicking up his second yellowcard in the 2-1 second-leg winover Indonesia on Saturday.However, Sutee Suksomkitcould return to the side: the ex-perienced left-side midfielderhas shaken off his injury.

The 28-year-old Sutee, adeadball specialist, is relishingthe chance to face the visitors

again after he scored an exqui-site freekick to set Thailand ontheir way to a group-stage vic-tory. “I’m certain that we canwin the tournament. I’m alsoconfident that I can score,” saidSutee.

Thailand’s chances were alsoboosted by the return to form ofstriker Teeratep “Leesaw”Winotahi, who is bound forBelgium’s second-division clubLierse next month. Leesaw hasa knack of scoring vital goals forthe national team, as did he onSaturday when he led the Thaicomeback with his first goal ofthe tournament to seal the winover Indonesia.

Meanwhile, it was reportedthat new prime minister AbhisitVejjajiva would attend the gameto support the team. Channel 7and Star Sports will televise thematch live from 7pm.

High-flying Thailandtake on Vietnam forSuzuki Cup

Michael Owen has refused toextend his Newcastle contract.

DAILY

XPR

ESS/

KORP

HAK

PH

ROM

REKH

A

AFP

Owen tofly Magpienest?A G E N C I E S , London

England striker MichaelOwen will not make a

decision about his futurewith Newcastle United un-til the end of the season.

While that means Owen,29, will stay with Newcastlethrough the January trans-fer window, his long-termfuture remains uncertainwhen his current £103,000-a-week deal expires at theseason’s end.

Owen, who is now free totalk to other clubs fromJanuary 1, would consider apay-cut if he decided to stayat St James’ Park.

“I have decided to make itclear that I am committedto the club until at least theend of this season, and Ihave informed them I donot want to make a decisionabout my future until thattime,” Owen said. “I hopethis will be seen as a posi-tive step and not seen as be-ing disloyal in any way.”

The Daily Telegraph re-ported that Owen’s everymove seems to be cleverlycalculated but this latest de-cision is also a huge gamble.Should he score freely hewill have all sorts of clubsseeking his services.

The Thailand squad training for the final yesterday.

Cesc out for3 monthsArsenal captain CescFabregas could be out ofaction for as long as threemonths because of medialligament damage to hisright knee.

The north London club,which already appears tobe out of contention for thePremier League title, hassaid it will find out lateryesterday how longFabregas will be on thesidelines for. But The Sunnewspaper reported thatthe Spain midfielder is defi-nitely out of Arsenal'sChampions League match-es against Roma onFebruary 24. – A P

26 THE SPORT Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS

AFP, Mohali, India

India’s Gautam Gambhirmissed his second century of

the match by three runs as thesecond Test against Englandwas drawn yesterday, giving thehosts a 1-0 series win.

The left-hander, who scored179 in the first innings, hadmade 97 in the second knockwhen he was caught at point offby Graeme Swann soon afterlunch on the fifth day, signallingIndia’s declaration at 251-7.

The tourists, set an improba-ble target of 403 in a minimumof 43 overs, preferred to playout time and were 64-1 from 28overs when the match wascalled off at the Punjab CricketAssociation stadium.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’sIndians clinched the two-matchseries after having won the firstTest in Chennai by sixwickets.It was Dhoni’s first

drawn Test as captain after win-ning all his previous fourmatches at the helm.

A stalemate was on the cardsafter 80 overs were lost over thefive days due to dense winterfog in the mornings and badlight in the evenings.

The final day’s play yesterday,which was also delayed by two

hours and 30 minutes due tofog, was lit up by a stroke-filled153-run stand for the fifth wick-et between Gambhir and YuvrajSingh.

The duo, who resumed on theovernight score of 134-4, ham-mered 82 runs from 13 overs inthe hour-long session beforelunch.

Yuvraj hit a typically aggres-sive 86 off 91 balls, his fifth Testhalf-century studded with sixboundaries and four sixes.

Two of those sixes came offsuccessive deliveries againstStuart Broad, the same bowlerYuvraj smashed for six sixes ina single over during theTwenty20 world champi-onships in South Africa lastyear.Yuvraj fell soon after lunch,the third Indian batsman to berun out in the innings, whileDhoni gave Monty Panesar a re-turn catch before he had scored.

Gambhir, who was 80 atlunch, moved to 97 before hefailed to keep down a cut offSwann and Bell took a tumblingcatch at point.

The 27-year-old Delhi openercompiled 1,134 runs from eightTests in 2008, having scoredthree hundreds and as manyhalf-centuries in his last eightinnings. The best of Gambhir’sthree centuries this year wasthe 206 he made against worldchampions Australia in NewDelhi in October.

CRICKET

Indian openermisses century asTest is drawn

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir hits a shot during his innings of 97against England in the second Test in Mohali, India.

Gayle’s 197saves WIA masterful 197 by ChrisGayle saved the WestIndies and ensured adrawn series as NewZealand gave up their runchase yesterday with nineovers remaining in thesecond cricket Test inNapier.

Facing a target of 312in 60 overs, New Zealandpassed the 200 mark with16 overs left but droppedoff the pace whenBrendon McCullum, theirlast hard-hitting bats-man, fell to a question-able dismissal. When cap-tains Gayle and DanielVettori agreed to call theplayers in, New Zealandwere 220 for five withJesse Ryder not out on 59.

The result meant bothTests were drawn andensured the West Indiesremained at seven in theworld rankings, one placeahead of New Zealand.

But the second Testcould have gone down tothe wire had McCullumnot been given out.A F P

AP

GAMBHIR HEARTBREAK

DAILY XPRESS

Even if Bangkok fail to win asingle gold today on the fi-

nal day of the National Gamesin Phitsanulok, they will retainthe overall title.

On the penultimate day of the37th edition yesterday, Bangkokled the medal standings with ahaul of 118 gold medals, whileChon Buri trailed a distant sec-ond with 77 golds.

Twenty-eight gold medals areup for grabs today and Bangkokathletes are expected to take thelion’s share.

The capital’s athletes havemade it to the finals of themen’s and women’s volleyball,beach volleyball and basketball.They also booked a berth in themen’s tennis singles final andmen’s singles and mixed dou-bles finals in the table tennis

competition.Yesterday 62 gold medals

were on offer. Bangkok faredwell in shooting, claiming themen’s individual and team 25mstandard pistol events.

The Bangkokians alsoclaimed a gold each in women’ssoftball team, men’s doublestennis, women’s doubles tabletennis, men’s singles bad-minton, women’s individual

aerobics, wushu and men’s pin-weight class in the amateurboxing competition, where 17golds were at stake.

Bangkok failed when it cameto the amateur Muay Thaievent, though, not taking a sin-gle gold: the top honours wentto Ubon Ratchathani, whoclaimed two golds, while ChonBuri ruled the amateur-boxingring yesterday with four titles.

Phetchabun captured themen’s soccer title after narrow-ly beating Krabi 5-4 in the final;the women’s crown went toKhon Kaen following a scintil-lating 6-0 win over Chon Buri.

Phuket and Khon Kaen tookthe men’s and women’s futsal ti-tles after edging Ratchaburi andBangkok respectively with anidentical score of 4-3.

Chiang Mai and Chon Buriare battling for second placeoverall, with Chon Buri in thedriving seat, yesterday claiming10 golds to Chiang Mai’s two.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 DAILY XPRESS THE SPORT 27

NFLYesterday’s result: Chicago 20,Green Bay 17, OT

NBAYesterday’s results: LA Lakers105, Memphis 96; Houston 114,New Jersey 91; Orlando 113,Golden State 81; San Antonio101, Sacramento 85; Denver 97,Portland 89; Toronto 97, LaClippers 75

India v Englandsecond Test at Mohali, IndiaFifth and final dayIndia 1st innings: 453 (G. Gambhir179, R. Dravid 136, A. Flintoff 3-54, G. Swann 3-122, M. Panesar2-89)England 1st innings: 302 (A. Cook50, K. Pietersen 144, A. Flintoff62, Zaheer Khan 3-76, H. Singh4-68)India 2nd innings (overnight 134-4): G Gambhir c Bell b Swann 97;V Sehwag run out 17 R Dravid bBroad 0; S Tendulkar c Swann bAnderson 5; V Laxman run out15; Y Singh run out 86; M Dhoni cand b Panesar 0; H Singh notout 5Extras: (b10, lb8, nb3, w5)26Total (for seven wickets

declared)251Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Sehwag),2-36 (Dravid), 3-44 (Tendulkar),4-80 (Laxman), 5-233 (Yuvraj),6-241 (Dhoni), 7-251 (Gambhir).Bowling: Anderson 19-8-51-1,Broad 14-2-50-1 (w4), Flintoff13-1-39-0 (nb3, w1), Swann 17-3-49-1, Panesar 10-0-44-1England 2nd innings:A Straussnot out 21; A Cook c Laxman bSharma 10; I Bell not out 24;Extras: (b4, nb4, w1) 9Total (for one wicket) 64Fall of wicket: 1-18 (Cook).Bowling: Zaheer 3-0-11-0,Sharma 5-1-7-1 (nb1, w1),Harbhajan 11-3-25-0 (nb1),Mishra 8-1-16-0 (nb2), Dhoni 1-0-1-0

New Zealand v West Indies

Second test at Napier, NewZealandWest Indies first innings: 307 (S.Chanderpaul 126 not out, B Nash74; I. O'Brien 6-75)New Zealand first innings: 371 (T.McIntosh 136, D. Flynn 57, J.Ryder 57; F. Edwards 7-87)West Indies (2nd inningsovernight 7-278): C Gayle cMcCullum b Patel 197; SChattergoon c Taylor b Patel 25;R Sarwan lbw Vettori 1; XMarshall c Taylor b Patel 18; SChanderpaul c and b Patel 0; BNash c How b Franklin 65; DRamdin c Flynn b Franklin 6; JTaylor lbw O'Brien 8; F Edwards cTaylor b Patel 20; D Powell lbw bVettori 22; S Benn not out 4;Extras (lb 2, w 1, nb 6) 9Total (all out) 375Fall of wickets: 1-58

(Chattergoon), 2-61 (Sarwan),3-106 (Marshall), 4-106(Chanderpaul), 5-230 (Nash),6-252 (Ramdin), 7-272 (Taylor),8-342 (Gayle), 9-363 (Edwards),10-375 (Powell) Bowling: O'Brien 24-3-90-1 (4nb,1w), Mills 6-1-21-0 (1nb), Patel46-16-110-5, Vettori 52-21-91-2(1nb), Franklin 17-3-61-2New Zealand (2nd innings): TMcIntosh lbw b Taylor 3; J How c Gayle b Edwards 54; DFlynn run out(Marshall/Ramdin) 33; R Taylorlbw Benn 46; J Ryder not out 59;B McCullum c Ramdin b Taylor19; J Franklin not out 2;Extras (w 2, nb 2) 4;Total (5 wickets) 220Fall of wickets: 1-8 (McIntosh),2-62 (Flynn), 3-96 (How), 4-170(Taylor), 5-203 (McCullum) Bowling: Taylor 13-2-67-2, Powell5-0-30-0 (1w), Edwards 11-0-46-1 (2nb, 1w), Benn 17-2-54-1,Gayle 5-0-23-0

NHLYesterday’s results: Pittsburgh 4,Buffalo 3, OT; Toronto 6, Atlanta2; Edmonton 4, Phoenix 2;Vancouver 4, Anaheim 3

English Premier LeagueMonday’s result: Everton 0Chelsea 0

RESULTS

ice hockey

soccer

cricket

am football

basketball

Basketball

Big TenConferenceTexas v Wisconsin930am/ESPN

SoccerSuzuki CupThailand vSingapore7pm/ Channel 7 &Star Sports

ON TV Crosby guides Pens over SabresSidney Crosby scored 43 seconds into overtime to lift Pittsburgh to a finevictory over Buffalo. Alex Goligoski scored twice and added an assist.4-3

DAILY

XPR

ESS

‘End nighfor Safin’D P A , Paris

Marat Safin’s former coachPeter Lundgren says he

believes that his ex-pupil hasone more season of ATP playremaining before the charis-matic, streaky Russian finallycalls it quits.

“He is very much a playerwho relies on his motivationand if he doesn’t feel like it, hewill stop playing. If you ask meI think next season will be hislast,” said the 42-year-oldSwede who has coached Safin,Roger Federer and 2006Australian Open finalistMarcos Baghdatis.

Safin has decided to carryon in the game after threaten-ing a possible retirement lastmonth in Paris. He will teamup with his sister DinaraSafina at the Hopman Cup inAustralia from next Saturday.“Marat is still a world classplayer who has a lot more togive. On the court he can be atrue artist if he is in a goodmood – and a disaster if he’s ina bad mood,” Lundgren said.

NATIONAL GAMES

JUGGERNAUT ROLLS

Phetchabun’s Amnart Namthuang, white jersey, and Krabi’s ThanitDamdee battle it out for the ball in the final. Phetchabun won 5-4 totake the gold.

Reigning champsBangkok set to winthe overall title

Real’s Diarrarejected City A G E N C I E S

Lassana Diarra has claimed Manchester Citywere interested in securing his services be-

fore he agreed a move to Real Madrid.The midfielder passed a medical with Real on

Monday to pave the way for the completion ofhis transfer from Portsmouth, for a reported feeof £20million. City boss Mark Hughes previous-ly intimated at a potential bid for 23-year-oldDiarra, and the Frenchman has confirmed he re-ceived a lucrative offer from Eastlands.

He told L’Equipe: “Were Manchester Citykeen to sign me? Yes, indeed.

“On a financial level, I would have earned alot more. I love the Premier League, but Real arevery attractive. I believe I have earned respect.”

The former Chelsea and Arsenal enforcer al-so spoke of his time in England’s top flight,while explaining that Real’s advances were toogood to refuse amid a testing time at FrattonPark. e said: “I was in England for five years, andI have learnt a lot of things there. I became veryattached to the Premier League.

“You can’t leave it that easily. But Real came,and I was their priority. That makes you think. Itis an honour. Portsmouth have some trouble.The club is to sell. I also read a lot of rubbishduring the last days.”

TENNI S