Despite our best efforts, life in the big city can get pretty complicated, trying to juggle work, social life, personal problems - not to mention the never-ending stream of stressful traffic. We can talk to friends and family, but their involvement might be a little too close to home…sometimes a professional opinion really helps to put things into perspective. Calling our concrete therapists to the rescue for some solid advice! 
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Do you have a question for one of our counsellors? We will never print your real name, you can ask anything anonymously! Just send your problem to: info@ncsbkk.com or message @ncsbangkok on IG, FB, or Line.

After arriving in Bangkok 15 years ago as a talented young golfer, Michael Moir came up with a business plan to supply shirts for local golf tournaments. Today he heads up Fenix XCell, a successful international golf apparel company.

Originally from Aberdeen, this friendly 35-year-old Scot still plays a mean round of golf, and often partners with some of the stars on the European, Asian or PGA tours.

We caught up with Michael at his Bangkok HQ, to find out how he managed to successfully enter this very competitive world.

So why back in 2006 did you choose to fly half way across the world to arrive in Thailand?
Mike: Originally, I moved to Singapore in 2002 to spend time with my father, loved Asia, so decided to stay. I met my future wife just two weeks after arriving, and eventually I moved to Thailand.

How did you start Fenix XCell?
Mike: I met a couple who were in the golf business at a tournament, and after a brief spell working together, decided to buy their half of the business and Fenix was born.

Do you remember your first retail customer?
Mike: Yes it was Muang Kaew. Luckily, I knew the GM there and he took a chance with us. At the same time, we got our first custom order from a Singapore finance company, and delivered shirts for their golf event in Thailand.

What were the challenges back then?
Mike: Finding the right materials, while keeping to the suppliers’ minimum orders was tough. We were a small company, so had to rely on leftover fabrics.

The other main challenge was keeping all our customers happy. I remember I even took orders for just five shirts with multiple logos, and delivering them myself!

By Maxmilian Wechsler

As pointed out by renowned scientist Carl Sagan, ‘You have to know the past to understand the present’.

If for no other reason, the events that    shaped modern-day Thailand are worth revisiting to get an understanding of how the country has developed. Starting this month, The BigChilli will recap important news stories of the past 50 years, from 1967 to 2017,  a period in which Thailand made the remarkable journey from Southeast Asian backwater to one of the world’s premier tourist destinations. Each    issue will cover a five-year period and is sure to offer surprises for even the most knowledgeable Thai history buffs.   

1967 was the year Thai Rung Engineering Company was founded by Vichien Phaoenchoke. It was the first and only Thai automobile manufacturing company. Other major news stories of 1967 include:

•Chulalongkorn University, Thailand’s first university named after King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), celebrated its 50th anniversary. Their Majesties King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit opened the festivities which took place on the campus over a three-day period. 

June
•A fascinated crowd watched the first Thai colour TV show on eight 24-inch colour sets placed outside the Royal Hotel in Bangkok. TV sets were sold in the shops but cost at least twice as much as black and white sets. 

September
•Thai security forces arrested 37 members of the Communist Party of Thailand, both males and females, including some alleged leaders. Most of the arrests were made in Bangkok. Under the Article 17 of the new interim constitution those arrested faced a possible death sentence.

October
•An emotional ceremony was held for the first two Thai soldiers killed in Vietnam. The soldiers were reportedly killed by a booby trap while on patrol near Saigon. Their bodies were flown to Don Muang airport.

•Establishment of Prince of Songkhla University, the first university in southern Thailand. The King christened the university in honour of his father, His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkhla. An initial plan to construct the university in Pattani province was scrapped and Hat Yai in Songkhla province was chosen instead. 

November
•Establishment of the Association of Thai Industries (FTA), a private sector organization designed to assist and promote Thai industries.  

•The Dalai Lama arrived in Bangkok at the invitation of the Buddhist Association of Thailand. While in Thailand he met with local religious leaders and government officials including Prince Dhani Nivat, president of the Privy Council, and Prime Minister Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn.

•According to the Public Health Ministry, the incidence of venereal diseases had increased in Thailand by 50 percent over the previous five years. The ministry said most infections were contracted through prostitutes and asked the United Nations for assistance. The UN Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization promised to help.

•Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of assassinated US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, visited Thailand. She met with the King and Queen during her short stay.

•The first Thailand National Games, also known as Phra Nakhon 1967, were held in Bangkok. The multi-sport venue hosted 103 events in 15 disciplines. A total of 716 athletes from all regions of the country participated in the games.

American entrepreneur Greg Lange, owner of the Sunrise Tacos chain of Mexican restaurants and a number of Subway outlets in Bangkok, is a volunteer providing hot meals, bags of rice and other supplies to hundreds of needy families during the current Coronavirus lockdown. He volunteers with the group “Dinner From the Sky” and shares the experience on a personal Facebook blog called “ Bangkok Community Help “ where he also reaches out to those on a individual basis who may need help. 

It’s an experience that has filled Greg with a range of emotions. One moment he’s talking of the “heartbreaking” visit to the slums in Klong Toey and other lesser known but equally deprived areas of Bangkok, and the next he’s relating how he’s moved by the kindness of his fellow volunteers and the genuine gratitude expressed by the people who wait in line quietly and patiently for these vital supplies. “They are so desperate, but so thankful,” he says. “People are always extremely polite, even when we run out of food to give them,” says Greg, adding that he tries to keep a few ‘extras’ on the side so as not to disappoint the last few in the queue.
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Sadly, there’s no sign of the current situation easing in the near future, which will require Greg and others to continue their good work. “One meal doesn’t solve the problem,” he says.

Mrs Karen Wainwright, a long-time resident of Thailand and a horse owner, is understandably deeply concerned about the outbreak of a deadly African horse sickness in Thailand. In an effort to spread awareness of the disease, she recently spoke with.
Maxmilian Wechsler.

Please briefly describe your background.
I’ve lived in Bangkok for 28 years, having arrived here in 1992 from Northern Ireland (although lived most of my life overseas in Sudan, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Australia). My husband was employed here by a UK-based company, from which he has since retired.

What is your involvement with horses?
I’ve been horse riding in Thailand since 1992, and at one point had three horses. Two have sadly died, but lived long lives and died of old age/illness. My current horse, Tango, is a dressage horse imported from Denmark. He has won me trophies and many rosettes during the years we competed in dressage competitions but more importantly he is a very sweet natured and friendly horse with lot of character. He is now retired, aged 23 years, and leading a quieter life.

Where are you keeping your horse now and how are you protecting him from the AHS virus?
Tango is stabled at Horselover’s Club in Bangkok. So far the stable buildings have had to be enclosed in fine netting (32 eyes per inch) to protect the horses from the midges that carry AHS which are as small as 1mm. Because the net is so fine it restricts air flow and makes the stables very hot when we are already in hot season and experiencing soaring temperatures. Heat stress is a real concern for horses behind nets for all the horse owners around the country that have horses behind nets.

Fortunately our stables has an overhead cooling system installed, and a lot of extra fans have been put to use to try to keep the horses as cool as possible. The stables also have to be sprayed regularly with insecticide inside and outside. Currently, for us, our horses can be outside the stables between 9am and 4pm as the midges are at their most active within two hours of dawn and dusk.

The riding arena is in the process of being enclosed with netting to protect the horses when being exercised. Visitors to the stables have to be restricted e.g. feed and hay deliveries from the outbreak zones cannot be allowed, and essential visitors such as vets which may have been near an outbreak zone must have their cars and themselves thoroughly disinfected before entering the premises.

Thai media first reported the mysterious deaths of 42 horses in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima province on March 27. The deaths were soon attributed to the African horse sickness (AHS) virus. News of the outbreak spread quickly around the world, causing grave concern in several countries.
 
In fact, it was back in February 24 when the first horse died from this viral disease. The death toll in 12 Thai provinces now stands at 550 and counting.
 
Coming as it does in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the appearance of AHS is yet another source of public concern. Fortunately, unlike COVID-19 it poses no danger to humans. While the rate of new AHS infections and deaths has gone down significantly, experts caution that for now emergency measures put in place to halt the spread of the virus in Thailand must remain in place.
 
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), with headquarters in Paris, France, was notified of the emergence of the AHS virus in Thailand on March 27 by Dr Sorravis Thaneto, Director General of the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
 
Dr Sorravis, who supplied the OIE with vital information, has since been sending regular weekly updates to the organization.
 
Dr Sorravis told reporters on May 15 that the first horse death occurred on February 24, but horse owners and veterinarians did not report it to the livestock department. “Once informed, we immediately sent the team to investigate the incident and collect samples on March 26. Then we enforced restrictions on the movement of equine species and introduced biosecurity measures, including vaccination,” he said.
 
He also mentioned that his department acquired 4,000 doses of AHS vaccine from Maxwin, an animal feed company, and has recently imported the next batch.
 
“There are around 13,000 horses nationwide. We have vaccinated nearly 4,000 horses and we inoculate another 4,000 in the epicenter of the disease and its 50-km radius,” added Dr Sorravis.

He assured that the investigation must be thorough and the department needs more information to determine the cause of the AHS outbreak.

The 5G rollout in Thailand is rapidly gaining momentum, with thousands of towers and transmitter masts suddenly popping up right across the country in all kinds of unlikely locations where they’re changing the skyline.
 
The visual impact and lack of consultation about their installation has caught many citizens by surprise.
 
Promoted under the slogan ‘5G The Future. is Coming for You’ in a nationwide campaign featuring Thai superstar Lisa Blackpink, these countless randomly designed antennae have appeared atop shopping malls, houses, offices, factories and warehouses, on empty plots of land and hillsides, along motorways and in the middle of rice paddies.
 
Some buildings have transmitters placed on all four corners, though it is not always clear which may be for 5G transmission.
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The 5G rollout in Thailand is rapidly gaining momentum, with thousands of towers and transmitter masts suddenly popping up right across the country in all kinds of unlikely locations where they’re changing the skyline.
 
The visual impact and lack of consultation about their installation has caught many citizens by surprise.
 
Promoted under the slogan ‘5G The Future. is Coming for You’ in a nationwide campaign featuring Thai superstar Lisa Blackpink, these countless randomly designed antennae have appeared atop shopping malls, houses, offices, factories and warehouses, on empty plots of land and hillsides, along motorways and in the middle of rice paddies.
 
Some buildings have transmitters placed on all four corners, though it is not always clear which may be for 5G transmission.
 
You can also come across these giant structures, bristling with a startling array of electronic components that wouldn’t look out of place on the latest aircraft carrier, in the grounds of a hotel or in a temple compound.

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During these difficult times, many people are now working from home to help stop the spread of COVID-19 - so the daily commute or small trips are not necessary for them. So, while being socially responsible by practicing social distancing and limiting non-essential trips, vehicles that are stationary in garages, driveways or parking lots still require care and upkeep.
 
To help share knowledge of car care during this time, Nissan in Thailand has created five easy steps to protect your cars, and maintain their value and condition. As the leader in EVs in Thailand, there are also extra tips for EV cars, so owners please read on!