The Phuket International Blues Rock Festival in its seventh year moves to its new host venue at Laguna Phuket,  Asia’s finest destination resort on the weekend of 24^th and 25^th February 2012.

Byron Jones for Phuket FM Radio says, “The momentum for 91.5 FM continues with this announcement as 91.5 FM will bring another dimension to the event, as title sponsor we will broadcast some of the weekend LIVE along with show highlight features  the following week. This enables not only Phuket people to enjoy and relive the event, but with 91.5 FM’s  global reach via free internet radio streaming, Blues Rock music fans  throughout the world can also enjoy the show on  www.phuketfmradio.com”

Ryk Orion breakfast show host at 91.5 FM commented “Blues Rock is a new genre for me and I am excited to meet and interview the artists and learn more about this festival, 91.5 FM’s ability to broadcast LIVE events is certainly one of the reasons I joined 91.5FM”

Andy Andersen, founder & organizer of the Festival says: “My team and I are very excited about the new partnership with 91.5 FM. They have done a great job in the past as exclusive radio partner, and now with the new level of involvement of their expertise, together we will bring the Festival to a new stratum. Combined with our move to Laguna Phuket, the island’s premier resort, we are entering a new chapter in the book of live blues rock music in Thailand. Our 2012 headliner, Chris Thomas King, has sold more records and appeared in more successful movies than any other blues artist this century and has no less than three Grammy Awards to his name. This is all very exciting!”

www.phuketbluesfestival.com

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Phuket FM Radio Co Ltd now in it’s fourth year of operation on air throughout Phuket on 91.5FM and online at www.phuketfmradio.com is independently owned and operated and continues to lead the broadcast environment in Phuket with innovative marketing and listener interaction.

For more information and expressions of interest in 91.5FM promotions please contact rung@phuketfmradio.com or call the studio on 08 9000 46 64.

“91.5FM, not just a radio station, but a lifestyle” www.phuketfmradio.com

The 91.5FM – Phuket Island Radio player is the only Android App that broadcasts everything that is going on in and around Phuket, Thailand. With great dj’s and fantastic music the 91.5 FM radio player is perfect for you to listen to whilst you are sitting on a Phuket beach, taking a tour, or just relaxing in your hotel. 91.5F M – Phuket FM Radio broadcasts live, in English, everyday with fun packed shows, live international news from the BBC, Phuket Weather and all the latest highlights from the paradise island of Phuket.

Where ever you go bring 91.5 FM with you!!

Phuket FM Radio Co Ltd broadcasting on 91.5 FM in Phuket and online at www.phuketfmradio.com is pleased to announce a new Phuket Schools radio initiative.

Commencing November 2011 each and every Saturday from 10am through to noon the 91.5 FM radio broadcast is being handed over to local Phuket Schools and education establishments.

Each participating school with have the opportunity to create and format their very own Saturday Morning Show once a month, whereby a teacher or members of staff will create their own content, including school and student achievements, events, listeners inter action, requests etc and with the assistance of the full time radio hosts and engineers at 91.5 FM broadcast LIVE throughout Phuket province and online at www.phuketfmradio.com

Byron Jones for Phuket FM Radio Co Ltd says “ whilst 91.5 FM is a commercial operation we have a community focused strategic plan for 2012 and 91.5 FM wants to give something back to the Phuket Community. The Saturday Schools Radio fits right into some of those objectives. Phuket FM Radio Co Ltd was incorporated in early 2008 and Phuket FM Radio on 91.5 FM has supported a number of community projects including some of the International Schools in Phuket, all the 91.5 FM staff, presenters and supporters of 91.5 FM have enjoyed this participation and look forward to further developing these arrangements”.

Show Format.

91.5 FM market research indicates a Schools format on a Saturday would be extremely popular to the community with educational, fun, competitions and informative light entertainment as its base.

Saturday Schools will start after the 8AM BBC News. Programmes provided by the BBC in London such as Healthcheck, Discovery, Science in Action along with other educational content including the innovative series Click that will run through to 10:00 AM.

The hourly BBC News which is supported by many corporate brands here in Phuket will then be followed by a two hour show format sponsored by invited schools based on Phuket Island.

For more information and expressions of interest please contact rung@phuketfmradio.com or call the studio on 08 9000 46 64.

“all sorts of music, for allsorts of people from all sorts of places” www.phuketfmradio.com

To book this exclusive whisky pairing dinner guests call 076 335 600 or email: kanokwan.thamakarn@westin.com

]]> http://www.listentophuket.com/chivas-regal-whisky-dinner-at-the-westin-siray-bay-resort-spa-phuket/feed/ 0 http://www.listentophuket.com/fun-friday/ http://www.listentophuket.com/fun-friday/#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:25:11 +0000 listen http://www.listentophuket.com/?p=381

The past few days have been busy at 91.5FM. I was given a project where I had to find out what events were happening around the island of Phuket this weekend. I have to say it really tested my internet savvy and ability to investigate as it was not an easy a task as it sounds! I managed to find quite a few exciting events in the end that I announced on the Afternoon Show with Paul. If you didn’t manage to catch what they were then here you go. On Friday the 19^th of August (tonight), the Navrang Mahal is holding an all you can eat buffet. There is also the Sabang Regatta pre-event cocktail event that will be held at Ao Chalong Yacht Club. On Saturday the 20^th, the Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket are holding their first charitable bowling tournament in order to raise funds for Dusit Smiles – Operation Smile Thailand. Skal International are also holding a Kid’s Day. On Sunday the 21^st, the Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s Racing Series is taking place. The Sandwich Shoppe in Chalong is also holding a free computer clinic that day. There’s loads to do this weekend!

The station also had two young children from Headstart International School, Brendon and Nyke, come in to do an advert. This advert was for Funstart which is a leisure center and family club in Kathu. This allowed me to sit in and watch how an advert was made. The amount of time that goes into making an advert including voice recording and editing is astounding. It was interesting as well because I learnt that people hire their voice out to companies who want to make adverts. Sounds like a great job to me!

All in all it’s been a busy week at 91.5FM and I am greatly looking forward to the weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend too

Hello there everyone, this is Alice Williams. If you don’t remember who I am then here is a quick recap: I am interning at 91.5FM for three weeks and am doing the weather every morning on 91.5FM at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am and 12.30pm, making me the Weather Girl!

I have been settling in and getting into my routine of doing the weather in the mornings and other tasks in the afternoons, one of them being updating this blog and www.todayinphuket.com. I really enjoy doing the weather and being able to have air time which gives me the chance to practice feeling comfortable on air and is just great experience in general. I got to sit in on the Afternoon Show with the Doris the other day and have a chit chat. This was a nice change from just announcing the weather as it was more interactive. I feel like I am getting better at announcing the weather especially now that I am getting more used to handling all the equipment in the studio. I feel as if I need to change things up during my weather forecasts though. I don’t always want to be saying the same things and boring people, so I need to shake it up a bit just by saying different things in my intro and outro. I just need to change what I say a little every now and again so I do not get stuck in a rut of saying the same things over and over again. I also need to stop saying ‘umm’ when I am on air!!

All in all, I am having a great time at 91.5FM. Make sure to tune in to the various shows 91.5fm offers at www.phuketfmradio.com

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway.  You might eat too much or not enough, consume foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious.

Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgement and making wise decisions.

When someone is unable to take control of their eating, they are also likely to get out of control with other aspects of life as well.  They could end up spending too much, talking too much, even going to bed later and later.

You should always remember that restricting food in any way is always a bad thing.  Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body or your lifestyle.  If you’ve thought about making your life better, healthy eating is just the place to start.  You’ll make life easier for yourself, those around you, and even your family.

On the full moon night of the 12th lunar month, the tide in the rivers is highest and the moon at its brightest, creating a romantic setting ideal for lovers. The Thai people choose this day to hold the ‘Loy Kratong’ festival, or the ‘festival of light.’ Loy Kratong is one of the two most recognized festivals in the country.

Loy Kratong is probably the most picturesque and beautiful of all Thai celebrations. ‘Loy’ literally means ‘to float,’ while ‘kratong’ refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water. Originally, the kratong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. A kratong contains food, betel nuts, flowers, joss sticks, candle and coins. The making of a kratong is much more creative these days as many more materials are available.

The Loy Kratong ritual is a simple one. One needs only to light the candles and the joss sticks, make one’s wishes and let it float away with the current of a river or a canal.

On that day, thousands of people will gather beside the canals and rivers. With kratong in hands, they light the candle, put some coins in the kratong and silently make a wish, and carefully place their kratongs in the water and release them to the current.

They watch intently as the float drifts silently downstream, hoping that the candle will not go out. Its flame is said to signify longevity, fulfillment of wishes and release from sins. Altogether it is considered a romantic night for couples or lovers. Couples who make a wish together on Loy Kratong are thought to stay together in the future.

The Origins of Loy Krathong

Different legends surround the origins of Loy Kratong. The most popular version is it was an expression of gratitude to the goddess of water ‘Phra Mae Kongka’ for having extensively used, and sometimes polluted, the water from the rivers and canals. It is also in part a thanksgiving for her bounty in providing water for the livelihood of the people.

Some believe the festival originates from Buddhism. They say the offering of flowers, candles and joss-sticks is a tribute of respect to the footprint of the Lord Buddha on the sandy beach of the Narmaha River in India, as well as to the great Serpent and dwellers of the underwater world, after the Lord Buddha’s visit to their watery realm. It is possible that this is derived from a Hindu festival that pays tribute to the god Vishnu, who meditates at the center of the ocean.

Others believe that the floral kratong is offered to the pagoda containing the Lord Buddha’s topknot, which was cut off at his self-ordination and is now in heaven. Another explanation is that it is a way to pay respect to one’s ancestors.

Whatever the true origin, the practice of Loy Kratong first began in the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai in the 13th century. A young queen named Nang Noppamas was believed to be the one who made a small boat laden with candles and incense and floated it down the river. The name Nang Noppamas has been associated with Loy Kratong ever since.

Today, Loy Kratong offers a unique occasion to celebrate. It’s a good time for people to make wishes and look to the future as they float their floral offerings along the waterways.

Where to celebrate

Although celebrated nationwide, Loy Kratong is particularly delightful in the provinces of Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok.

As the place of origin of the festival, Sukhothai rightly remains the focal point of the celebrations. The festival comes with a spectacular light-and-sound show held in the ancient and traditional setting of the Sukhothai historical park.

Chiang Mai is another prime site to celebrate Loy Kratong. The festival is known in northern dialect as ‘Yi Peng.’ The largest kratongs are decorated floats, paraded through the town on trucks. The colorfully lit floats form a long glittering parade as they make their way to the river.

Meanwhile, up above thousands of ‘khom loy’ (floating lanterns) drift into the night sky. These large balloon-like lanterns are released at temples and sometimes from private homes in the hope that misfortune flies away with them.

The Chao Phraya River is one of the main waterways to celebrate the Loy Kratong festival. In Bangkok, riverside hotels organize special celebrations for their guests. In some hotels, swimming pools are turned into a temporary river for the Loy Kratong celebration.

Where to Enjoy Loy Krathong in Phuket?

Loy Krathong is celebrated nationwide. In Phuket, major hotels usually host a special evening so that guests can join in.

Guests usually set the kratongs on the sea – a delightful scene as thousands of candlelit kratongs bob on the waves. In places like Patong, little boys will volunteer for a small fee to carry your kratong out a little further for a more auspicious start.

All of Phuket’s major west coast beaches take part in Loy Kratong festivities, with a mix of locals and tourists. Nai Harn Lake and Patong Beach usually have the most activity with locals visiting beaches like Kata and Karon.

Two sites in Phuket Town: Saphan Hin Park and Suan Luang (King Rama IX) Park, are also popular places for locals to celebrate. Expect big crowds at both of these locations.

Loy Krathong 2010

Date : 21st November 2010

Venue: Nationwide

Phuket is one of the few provinces where we can see most of people are wearing in white during the Vegetarian festival. This year the festival falls into October 8-16, 2010. Year after year, there are more and more participants join this festival. Those including not Phuket-born and non-Chinese Phuketians.

Nowhere in Thailand is the vegetarian festival more colorful, exciting, and memorable than in Phuket. The origins of this Thailand festival itself can be traced to Chinese immigrants in Phuket. In the early 1800′s, Phuket was a major center of trade between China, India, and Southeast Asia. A large number of Chinese immigrants worked in tin mines and on rubber plantations. In 1825, a traveling Chinese opera visited Phuket to entertain the Chinese immigrants. At this time, the whole town became sick with malaria. The traveling opera paused to observe a strict vegetarian diet and the Chinese Nine Emperor Gods Festival. The traveling opera all recovered from the malaria, even though many people in Phuket died. The people of Phuket were so amazed that they continue to observe this Thai vegetarian festival each year along with the Chinese Nine Emperor Gods Festival.

The Commitments

The festival always falls on the first days of the ninth Chinese lunar month, and for nine days participants observe the following commitments:

• Cleanliness of the body during the festival
  
• Clean kitchen utensils not to be used by others who do not participate in the festival
  
• Wear white during the festival
  
• Behave physically and mentally
  
• Avoid eating meat
  
• Avoid sex
  
• Avoid alcohol
  
• People in mourning should not participate
  
• Pregnant women and menstruating women should not attend ceremonies

The Ceremonies

One of the most exciting aspects of the festival is the various, (and sometimes gruesome) ceremonies which are held to invoke the gods. Firewalking, body piercing and other acts of self mortification undertaken by participants acting as mediums of the gods, have become more spectacular and daring as each year goes by. Men and women puncture their cheeks with various items including knives, skewers and other household items. It is believed that the Chinese gods will protect such persons from harm, and little blood or scarring results from such mutilation acts. This is definitely not recommended for the feint hearted to witness.

The vegetarian dishes are not easily distinguished from regular dishes – soybean and protein substitute products are used to replace meat in standard Thai fare and look and taste uncannily like meat. Look for the yellow flags with red Chinese or Thai characters to find vegetarian food stalls – and keep your camera handy!! For more information on dates and events, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand at +66 (0)7 621 2213.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 Highlight Schedule

October 7, 2010

• 09.00 A.M. Opening Ceremony Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 at Saphanhin

October 9, 2010

• 07.00 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by CHOOR SU GONG NAKA SHRINE

October 10, 2010

• 07.00 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by SAPAM SHRINE

October 11, 2010

• 07.19 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by LIM HU TAI SU SHRINE

October 12, 2010

• 06.30 A.M. Street Procession in Sapam Village—-by JANG ONG SHRINE
• 07.15 A.M. Street Procession in Pasak Village and Baan Don Market—-by TAE GUN TAI TAE
• 07.30 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by BAN THA RUE SHRINE
• 02.00 P.M. Street Procession in Naka Village—by CHOOR SU GONG NAKA SHRINE

October 13, 2010

• 06.00 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by BANG NEOW SHRINE
• 07.30 A.M. Street Procession in Thalang District—-by CHERNG THALAY SHRINE
• 08.45 A.M. Street Procession in Maikhao Village—-by GIM TSU ONG SHRINE
• 08.00 P.M. Fire Walking—-at BAN THA RUE SHRINE, SUI BOON TONG SHRINE, YOK KE KENG SHRINE and JANG ONG SHRINE
• 08.09 P.M. Fire Walking—-at JUI TUI SHRINE
• 09.00 P.M. Fire Walking—-at SAPAM SHRINE

October 14, 2010

• 07.00 A.M. Street Procession in Ban Don Village-Ban Kian Village-Ban Sakoo Village-Ban Naiyang Village-Airport-MuangMai Village—-by GIM TSU ONG SHRINE
• 08.00 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by JUI TUI SHRINE
• 07.59 P.M. Bladed-Ladder Climbing—-at CHERNG THALAY SHRINE
• 08.00 P.M. Bladed-Ladder Climbing—-at BANG NEOW and LIM H TAI SU SHRINE
• 08.45 P.M. Bladed-Ladder Climbing—-at BANGKOO SHRINE

October 15, 2010

• 07.00 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by KATHU SHRINE
• 06.30 P.M. Street Procession in Thalang District—-by BAN THA RUE SHRINE
• 08.00 P.M. Fire Walking—-at BANG NEOW, LIM HU TAI SU, and TAE GUN TAI TAE
• 08.00 P.M. Bladed-Ladder Climbing—-at JANG ONG SHRINE
• 08.09 P.M. Fire Walking—-at CHERNG THALAY SHRINE
• 08.30 P.M. Fire Walking—-at BASNGKOO SHRINE

October 16, 2010

• 07.00 A.M. Street Procession in Phuket Town—-by SUI BOON TONG SHRINE
• 03.00 P.M. Street Procession in Sapam and Bangkoo Village—-by BANGKOO SHRINE
• 03.00 P.M. Fire Walking—-by KATHU SHRINE

More Info+