Celebrity DJ Wichian "Petjah" Kusolmanomai is preparing a spectacular wedding for his long-term girlfriend, actress Hansa "Newclear" Jungviwattanawong, but denies it goes over the top.
Wichian 'Petjah' Kusolmanomai and Hansa 'Newclear' Jungviwattanawong.
"She hasn't asked for much as a bridal price -- just the house, all my money, gold -- I'm giving her the lot," the celebrity DJ joked.
The couple are holding a Chinese-style wedding on Thursday, when they will also register their marriage, to be followed by a lavish wedding party at the Shangri-La Hotel on Jan 28.
"I'll hand her everything until there's nothing left, including our new bridal home. I want the day to go as well as possible ... I'll tip it all in her lap," he said.
The couple moved into the 100 million baht home last year. Petjah would not reveal how much he has spent on the wedding, but said he had accepted few public engagements for the past three months as they prepare for the big day.
"But after we are married, I have accepted work every day for months to come," he said.
The couple have invited more than 1,500 guests to the wedding party. However, he said the couple regularly hold parties and denied it would be one of the giant fixtures of the year.
"Friends have joked, asking why we don't hold it at the Impact Arena. I'd be worried our guests will bump into a motor show or furniture fair, and the traffic will be chaotic." Petjah, who is known for springing surprises on his partner, staged a lavish mock wedding at a Bangkok photography studio last August to ask for Newclear's hand in marriage.
The studio was done up as Princess Elsa's ice castle from the Disney movie Frozen, one of her favourites.
Puwanart 'Aun' Kunpalin and Alisa 'Ja' Phanthusak.
Petjah said this month's wedding is likely to carry on with the Princess Elsa theme. "She likes the idea of the princess, with her ice. I have no idea how it will turn out," he said.
He also revealed Newclear had many wedding outfits to choose from, including one which "changes colours".
"I have been working with the production team. I am a little worried about how it will turn out, as the hotel is giving us only six hours to set up," he said.
Meanwhile, newscaster and presenter Puwanart "Aun" Kunpalin, who also plans to marry this week, reveals he had to struggle to get his long-term love to accept the idea of marriage, as she thought he was gay.
Aun, 40, who marries Alisa "Ja" Phanthusak at the Le Royal Meridien, Plaza Athenee Bangkok on Tuesday, said the pair have been together nine years, though many Thais won't be aware of it.
"We haven't tried to hide the relationship, but nor have we made it news. Nor is it a lightning wedding, as we have been planning it for ages," he said.
"When we were first started going out, she told me she thought I was gay. As we met more often Ja changed her mind and realised I was straight. But whenever she was asked if she was seeing anyone, Ja would always say she was single," he said.
"I never understood her reasons. It shouldn't really affect her work, or family." US-educated Ja, 42, helps her family run the Tiffany Show in Pattaya, and runs restaurants in Pattaya and Bangkok.
In a television interview which was to air last night, Aun, who holds a doctorate, said Ja was initially reluctant to admit publicly the two are an item but came round to the idea eventually.
"We have been together nine years, but also argued and split up nine times over it," he said.
'Aom' Blueberry R'Siam.
Farang-loving cabbie fined
An errant taxi driver has been fined after singer "Aom" Blueberry R'Siam complained he dumped her at Don Mueang airport in favour of four farang tourists.
Aom, who left a 10-second clip of her Jan 6 encounter with the taxi driver outside Gate 3 of the arrivals terminal, said she was stunned he agreed to take her fare, but then asked her to leave the cab when he spotted the foreigners in need of a ride.
The old-style taxi had no meter, but was still able to serve passengers at the airport.
"I had just arrived from the provinces and decided to take this taxi. He spoke nicely at first, but we had barely moved from the gate when he spotted the farang," she said.
"He turned to me and said he wanted to pick up them up at the same time. I refused.
"He quickly asked the foreigners if they wanted a taxi, stopped and unloaded my bags. He told me to take the next cab instead.
"I was stunned, as I didn't know taxis could do such a thing. I took out my phone to record the incident. When he saw me filming, he tried to run into me in front, but another taxi came to my aid. I posted the clip as a warning," she said.
In the clip, the farang are seen smiling awkwardly as the driver puts their bags in his cab. Netizens said they had heard of similar tales.
"This kind of thing happens often with taxis which have just dropped passengers off and are heading out. Some passengers do not want to pay the 50 baht airport taxi surcharge or wait for taxis in the queue, so simply thumb down a cab," said one.
The department, said the driver had been fined 1,000 baht and was told to undergo three months' retraining, said Sukree Jaruphum, director of the department's inspection division.
"We also intend to ask airport authorities how they could allow a taxi with no meter to pick up passengers," he said.
Tum 'didn't know how to sit on it'
Winner of the Star 9 singing quest, Warawut "Tum" Poyim, insists he wasn't being affected when he complained he didn't know how to use a squat toilet on a recent trip to Taiwan.
Warawut 'Tum' Poyim.
Tum, also an actor and talk show host, posted an image of the Asian squat-style toilet which he said left him stumped.
"How do you use this?" he asked.
While the post gave most of his fans a laugh, some asked if he was too pampered to know how to look after himself.
Tum responded, saying he put up the post to seek advice from others who may have come across such toilets.
"It was my first trip overseas and I had never come across a toilet like this one," he said.
"I wanted to know if anyone else was as confused as I was, or knew how to use it.
"It was clean, and I have come across worse, but I had no idea how to sit on it."
Tum didn't say how he managed to find relief.
