MAGIC OF THAILAND IN MILTON KEYNES

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Lockdown has brought many people closer and kinder to one another. It also has an effect of appreciating and valuing more the familiar "things" we used to plan, enjoy and explore in life. I.e., the priceless freedom of travelling or choosing a holiday destination that was once at the reach of our fingertips. When the national restrictions (e.g., meet up, travel guidance, etc.) have been lifted, we thought that life's activities are going back to its normal grounds. However, the conventional approach of visiting sweat-inducing countries to many of us is still a wish list. It's because travelling abroad could costs someone exorbitant fees on top of their flight tickets; accommodation prices and expenditure. That is why, for most of us who can afford to travel before do yearn for hassle-free and reasonable means of booking a vacation of our own choice. 

On the 07^th and 08^th of August this year, your Quidnunc Queen was able to travel to Thailand on land and not by air. Her expedition for 2 days happened here in the United Kingdom and the town was halfway between London and Birmingham, Milton Keynes. Where she experienced once again the diverse culture and awe inspiring tradition of Thailand as well as their friendly community at Campbell Park on Silbury Blvd., MK9 4AD. This all became possible because of the toil people and heartwarming organisers behind "Magic of Thailand". 

At the event, she was mesmerised by the presence of a group of monks who chanted for blessings and healing on stage before the planned programme convenes; 

she was drawn in at the for sale displayed stuff and interestingly nosy about the flavoursome cuisine of the transient stalls surrounding the venue;

she was baffled and curious about the erected Muay Thai's boxing ring on the park; 

she was fascinated by the graceful hand movements and body language of the Thai Traditional dancers who dolled themselves in colourful clothing, chut thai, and wore ornate headdress, makuṭa; 

she was electrified by the exhilarating performance of the “Ladyboys of Thailand” on stage. Who have stage names as Vivienne Westwood and TK ThaiKisschen. One of the creative impersonators, TK ThaiKisschen, is an entrepreneur who owns the fledgling business, Thai Kisschen; 

she was impressed by the upbeat singing voice and charismatic personality of urban pop singer, Geri Love, on stage; 

and she was entertained by the resilience (taste buds) and sportsmanship of nominees for “I'm British, Get Me Out of Here” eating competition demonstrated on stage. 

Magic of Thailand was established in 2012 and was first introduced in Southwest England, Dorset. Its main aim is to bring over to our respective towns or counties the diverse culture and awe inspiring tradition of Thailand as well as introduce more engaging surprises. More importantly, it functions as conveyor belt for a charitable cause, which has been raising and donating funds to various organisations and schools in Thailand. The production is headed by a team of organisers, namely Daniel Biggs, who has been the single-handed host for 5 years to date; Jackie Winitkun, who has been the moderator for “I'm British, Get Me Out of Here” eating competition; and Sal Dengate. Moreover, the success of the event last weekend “come rain or shine” weather condition was because of the invaluable reinforcement provided by a team of legwork staff. 

If you would like to know more supplementary information as to when they are coming around you or for more underpinning update, just click on the links below, 

 http://www.magicofthailand.co.uk 

 https://www.facebook.com/MagicOfThailandFestivals

The magnetic needle of your Quidnunc Queen's compass is pointing its direction towards north-east of London. This is where the Magic of Thailand is heading to this upcoming weekend, 14^th and 15^th of August.

MISS LADYBOY MASQUERADE 2015

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

(Miss Wawa Mismosil and photo courtesy of Joel Ryder Photography Facebook Page)

Sawadee ka and welcome to Thailand... What I mean is, welcome to Mango Tree Restaurant located at 46 Grosvenor Place, Belgrave, SW1X 7EQ.

There are growing numbers of spacious hotels and restaurants in London and across the U.K. functioning as gathering places. Such as, an art exhibition which enables gifted artists to sell their masterpieces to eccentric collectors; a couture catwalk fashion show for young and professional designers letting them flaunt their creations to the elites or a pageantry venue for beautiful women and handsome men, willing to display their charisma  on stage.

(Photos courtesy of Mango Tree Restaurant Facebook Page)

On the 27th of September 2015, Mango Tree Restaurant held their annual pageantry with the evening's theme being, MASQUERADE!

(Magic FM’s Angie Greeves and photo courtesy of Joel Ryder Photography Facebook Page)

It was hosted by Magic FM’s Angie Greeves who orchestrated proceedings throughout the night. Such as the sanguine and sexy ladyboys on stage and also entertained the crowd in her creative peacock ensemble. Aside from the colorful hostess, a panel of VIP and celebrity judges impartially awarded scores in each category.

(The jury and photo courtesy of Joel Ryder Photography Facebook Page)

There were 12 lovely candidates that night and of course only one brought home the coveted title, MISS LADYBOY MASQUERADE 2015, and two stood as worthy runners-up. Besides the winners, I think there were several dogged challengers too staking their claim for the title.

The night started with the contestants festively wearing elegant masks or character adaptations. This was called the MASQUERADE category, were each interpretation was shown in the design of their fantastic costumes. When I say interpretation and design, I mean that these were all very elaborate, intricate and exquisitely made costumes. See for yourself while holding your breath!

(Photo courtesy of Joel Ryder Photography Facebook Page)

The last contestant left the stage and the energetic hostess introduced the intermission show to keep the crowd  lively while waiting for the beautiful candidates to come back on. Would you agree?

They were soon back with a tune in their head which goes this way, "Hey sexy lady, I like your flow. Your body's bangin', out of control..." Can you now guess what was the next category? I will give you more inklings as this was the opportunity to boast and show-off of flat tummies, sexy booties and elongated limbs. It's the SWIMSUIT category; which everyone anticipated and just loved watching.

 

 

 

(Photos courtesy of Patcharaphol Pongvijit)

The hostess came back on stage and you could still hear the gasped admiration for the sexylicious contestants. That is why, most of their admirers rushed to the bar to replinish their drinks (LOL!).

(Photos courtesy of Patcharaphol Pongvijit)

The spotlight was turned on again and the appearance of glamorous women in their floor-length flowy gowns started. They were introduced one-by-one as you can see, their evening gowns were as attractive as their masquerade costumes. Bright colours, glistening effects, elegantly designed and mouthwatering styles.

(Photo courtesy of Joel Ryder Photography Facebook Page)

The contestants walked on stage one-by-one in their evening gowns. They were then all called to gather and face once again the high spirited crowd as well as the impartial jury. All were understandably nervous but still very composed, as this was the moment when the runners-up were announced and would stand beside the title holder. AND THE TITLE HOLDER WAS...

(2nd runner up; Miss Wawa Mismosil; Miss Alessandra Mae and photo courtesy of Joel Ryder Photography Facebook Page)

We all know for a fact that in every contest we join in life there is only 1 winner; the rest will accept the defeat and value the experience gained. Aside from that, the inevitable gaffes while under the spotlight can be exciting in a funny sort of way and it makes the whole evening more interesting too.

In my own humble opinion, they were all WINNERS as walking in very challenging high-heels for hours isn't effortlessly painless!

MR AND MISS MANGO TREE 2013

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

The combination of sun, rain and wind is just the typical weather you'd expect in September. It will either bring great annoyance or make you smile.

The sun was still shining but rain drops were already gently sprinkling down when we stepped-out of our room. We already agreed to just walk to the venue but because of the rain we called a black cab in order to save our outfits from being ruined. Just a few minutes later we had snaked through the street of London and we reached our destination at The Mango Tree Restaurant on Grosvenor Place.

The red carpet had been rolled out and at the very end, we could see an attractive canvas display panel with the restaurant's name printed on it in mango orange. Unfortunately, the heavy rain stopped us from walking on the carpet and from taking any photos in front of the display board. Instead, we rushed to the main entrance of the restaurant and were welcomed by muscular security guards.

The venue was already heaving with people and we had to queue but not for too long and soon reached the reception counter. We paid and our wrists were stamped. Before we finally mingled into the body of the crowd, I handed over our coats to the friendly and cheerful staff. Inevitably, I looked around inquisitively and soon saw lots of familiar faces. We pushed through the safari jungle while tasting their complimentary canapés.

  

Before the show started I had a few glasses of wine and felt friendlier and chatty with the people I know and those I had just stumbled upon. As far as I can remember, I was very approachable and generally complementary to most of them.

The first part of the pageant was the SAFARI JUNGLE COSTUME. Candidates were asked to show their creative understanding of the theme. Most of their attires were made from scratch, RTW (ready-to-wear) or a combination of both. Before they paraded on stage, I had the chance to take a few photos of some of them.

 

The general ambiance was very bright and bustling while the candidates, men and women, showed-off on stage. Genuinely speaking, it was one of the most unique and appealing events I had attended. It wasn’t the typical costume display in which you just remain seated for the entire show. To be more specific, most of us were standing and moving around which was very free without disturbing other people. It had the feel of a cocktail party and in my opinion is a more convenient way of making the guests feel pretty comfortable.

They all walked back to the dressing room and changed for the SWIMWEAR competition. This was the sensational part as it was an exhibition of who had the most voluptuous and virile bodies behind their clothes. Was I excited to see both men and women? Yes I was as a spectator! But was I giggling like biting my lips when I saw the men? No I wasn't as my loving man was with me who had most of my attention that night!

 

The intoxicating screams and giggles were put to an end when the contenders headed back to the dressing room again. There was an intermission number in between that boosted the crowd while they all prepared for the penultimate part of the pageant, the wearing of ornate (women) and rouse (men) FORMAL DRESSES.

 

One by one they came out and flaunted their formal dresses on stage in front of the sprightly audience. The exquisite gowns of the women was the glamorous part while men, on the other hand, inflamed us with oozing stimulation.

We all got carried away and that intensified how they looked on stage especially the men's hunky bodies. Am I right?

The ultimate part of the pageant was the QUESTION and ANSWER, which helped in finalising who were the winners of the 10^th Annual Mango Tree pageant. This was simultaneously given during the formal dresses procession. I feel this is an important part of the pageant as it balances Beauty and Intelligence.

The unanimously declared Mango Tree's MR. and MISS MANGO TREE 2013 as well as the RUNNER-UPS by the jury (Daniel Lismore, Ashley Rogers, past Miss Mango Tree winners and Cliff Joannou) are the following:

MISS MANGO TREE 2013, Miss Valerie from Germany

1st runner-up, Miss Anna Mae from Spain

2nd runner-up, Miss Venus from Columbia

The Best Body, Miss Jeda from Thailand

MR. MANGO TREE 2103, Mr. Anthony from Switzerland

1st runner-up, Mr. Romario from Brazil

2nd runner-up, Mr. Tom from UK

The Best Body, Mr. Romario from Brazil

THE LADYBOYS: THAILAND AND PHILIPPINES

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

In Southeast Asia, at the centre of Indochina Peninsula, a country formerly known as Siam is located. Today this constitutional monarch country is now famous to all of us as Thailand. Its the world's 51st-largest country in terms of total area and the 20th-most-populous nation. It is also a neighbour of the Philippines which is likewise a sovereign state in Southeast Asia with a recorded 7,107 islands and is geographically divided into three major main areas: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

These sizzling hot countries have also one more 'thing' in common, their Transwomen/Ladyboys. People who were born male but with female gender identity and who have strong urges to undergo physical changes in order to align their body with their gender identity.

When I was away for a week and checked what was on T.V, I stumbled upon a series of documentaries about The Life of Ladyboys in Thailand. That caught my attention as I was very interested to know more about Ladyboys and how they live as citizens in their own country. That's why, I recorded the series rather than watching it late at night on Sky Living channel.

The night after, I watched the whole series while quaffing a glass of wine!

Highlights of Ladyboys season 2 ft Scott & Paeng by smspencer69

I thought the documentary series was a new one, but when I played the first episode the characters and their love stories were quite familiar. However, it didn’t stop me from playing the rest and I found out, they were a continuation of the episode I had already viewed. I soon became interested in following the stories of these two Ladyboys, Paeng and Annie, in Thailand who were forming relationships with their Farangs (Caucasians) namely Scott and David. Why? Because the series also tackled how most Ladyboys live and cope in Thailand. There were also interviews with a few outstanding Transwomen who were successful in their own field of endeavours.

When I was still in my beloved Philippines, I thought genuinely that Thailand is the Haven for all Ladyboys. Perhaps, it was!

Transsexuals from our country who'd been to Thailand adored it so much for various reasons and even said many good things about the locals. According to them, Thai's were very warm to their visitors as well as very welcoming when it comes to all sexualities. They even raised the topic of, Thai families with a Ladyboy child were very proud and showed how supportive they were toward their child's chosen identity. It seemed that they also hoped that a Ladyboy child would be bountiful and bring fortune into their lives.

Thailand is one of the most affordable destinations for holiday makers which is also known, the world over, as an open-minded country when it comes to Transwomen. Actually, the country has an exceptional reputation in performing various types of surgical operations and many foreign Transwomen are attracted to their clinics to have surgical changes to their bodies.

Long ago, I thought Thai Transwomen/Ladyboys were more blessed than Filipinos. But I was absolutely wrong to have assumed that. Even though Thailand is a Haven for all Ladyboys there is a sad reality behind that fact. Something I grasped half way through finishing the whole documentary series.

I cannot deny the fact that Thai Transwomen are more beautiful and modest than Filipinos. But when it comes to occupations, educational backgrounds and in speaking English fluently, Filipino Transsexuals are far superior and can hold their chins-up. That is why, most outsourcing companies in the Philippines are being dominated by LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) who are often bosses of the firms or are holding executive positions. And because of these achievements, public understanding about Transsexuals in the Philippines has gaining more and more acceptance as well as respect.

The majority of schools in the Philippines have welcomed the existence of being gay despite the fact that we are a Catholic country. That is why, being gay or showing a tendency to be one at a very young age isn't a big hindrance to continue the dream of becoming a professional. Actually, many gay students have high intellect with competitive skills and often lead student organizations. And because of this acceptance at schools, there are now Transsexuals in middle and upper management of many firms. They are generally competent as an employee or excellent as a leader.

Enough of the Philippines and back to Thailand...

After watching the whole series, The Life of Ladyboys in Thailand, I learnt a few things and my eyes were opened profoundly about the real scenario. I was in a deep shocked to learn that most Thai Ladyboys earn their living by prostitution on a few touristy streets in Thailand. They are working at night and flaunting their very beauty in order to attract customers who are willing to pay for the comfort and warmth they can give.

Morally speaking, trading your body isn't a good thing as it ruins your integrity. However, most Thai Transsexuals are not as educated as those in the Philippines and also, a great numbers of them are from farms in the provinces. Where the only way of living is either by laborious farming or rearing domesticated animals under the heat of the sun. That is why, when they are about 15 years old or so, they move to the capital Bangkok or Pattaya City to find the quickest way of generating money while they are still fresh and young.

We might think of what they are doing with body and soul as diabolical but its a SACRIFICE! The main reason is not to feed their vanity or desires. They do it, as long as their bodies can endure, in order to support their families back home who treat them as breadwinners. I have to admit that, it was a very sad reality to know that most Thai Transsexuals are into prostitution. And also that their families are, more or less, playing blind about how they acquire the money which feeds them everyday.

Furthermore, the documentary also touched on the topic of sex reassignment and they interviewed a few who had the procedure in the past. And I was dumbfounded to know that Thai Transwomen who underwent sex reassignment are still not recognise lawfully as a woman. When I was watching this part of the episode, I thought Thailand would automatically allow and distinguishes these Transwomen as females in their official documents. It was a shocking revelation because Thailand performs surgeries for Transwomen (to be specific) and are very open-minded about this type of sexuality. But I was wrong to assumed at the back of my mind that their country will identify them lawfully as females in their passports or other pertinent documents. That's why, the woman (Nok Yollada ) who shared her grief about this is now fighting for the fair right that Transwomen like them should be allowed and acknowledge females in their relevant documents.

In the Philippines, Filipino Transwomen who underwent sex reassignment can file a case in order to change their birth records to what and who they are now. The procedure of changing must be proven and supported with an authentic certificate from a registered Doctor. They will then be granted the changes they are wanting and their documents can be changed. This appeal may take time but at the end of the battle, a favourable result will be worth waiting for.

*Video courtesy of YouTube uploaded by Smspencer69