Easy to use,Dopod C800

The C800 is a new PDA phone from Taiwan-based Dopod, featuring side-sliding keyboard, slim body and a very large, bright screen.

it is easy to type messages and input data on the Dopod C800, using a sliding QWERTY keypad.

Or course, if you prefer, you can also use the provided handwriting recognition to input data by writing on the PDA's screen.

Its slim body measures 109mm x 59mm x 17mm in length, width and thickness and it has an acceptable weight of 168 grams.

The C800 features a very bright 2.8-inch screen at a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels in 65K colours. However, the test found that under bright sunlight, the screen was hard to read.

Dopod C800 is driven by the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, allowing you to check e-mails and browse the Internet on the go.

The operating system package provides all the necessary applications for accessing PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on the go.

The C800 does not provide a dial-up networking feature but it comes with an Internet Sharing feature, which can provide an Internet connection to your notebook or desktop computer using a USB cable or Bluetooth link. The Internet Sharing feature allows a very easy connection.

It has built-in Bluetooth v2.0 and WiFi 802.11g adapters. The C800 has 64 megabytes of useable memory, which can be expanded using a Micro SD card.

The C800 is powered by a TI OMAP 850 processor, which runs at 201 MHz. The PDA could have been perfect had Dopod used a much faster CPU. The test found that the PDA handled most applications fast enough but it crawled when browsing its own Windows folder, which has several sub-folders.

On the phone feature, the C800 featurse Quad-band GSM at 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and supports the fast EDGE or Enhanced Data GSM Environment connection apart from the GPRS data connection.

The test found that the sound quality of the phone very clear and the microphone was able to reduce environmental noises. The PDA phone also features a two-megapixel CMOS camera.

Reference By: The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com

Dreaming on China Beach in Vietnam

Vietnam's most cultured beachside resort fulfils the wildest desires.

Some say never go by first impressions. Well, it was the Nam Hai Hotel's black stone signboard at the entrance that gave me the shivers, and I didn't know what to expect as my car swept into the driveway.

But as I got out and walked past reception, that first negative impression instantly disappeared. Spread before my eyes were three huge "infinity" swimming pools, their edges merging with the majestic South China Sea in the background. It did nothing but fill me with a sense of tranquillity.

Vietnam's most exclusive oceanfront resort occupies 35 hectares of landscaped tropical gardens overlooking the South China Sea, along a kilometre of the famous China Beach, voted by Forbes magazine one of the world's 10 most beautiful beaches.

The all-villa resort, managed by General Hotel Management (GHM), features 60 one-bedroom villas and 40 pool villas ranging from one to five bedrooms, each with its own luxurious infinity pool.

All villas feature large bedrooms and living spaces, bathtubs, walk-in closets and bathrooms with an outdoor area. Each occupies its own landscaped garden and boasts views of the sea and nearby Cham Islands.

These spacious, split level rooms are contemporary in design with Vietnamese-style red tiled roofs and white rendered walls.

Interiors feature rich timber floors and distinctive Vietnamese decor that add to the strong sense of place.

Elegant furniture, also in dark wood, is complemented by sumptuous cream silks and other natural fabrics creating a setting of cool, calm, opulence which is framed by the breathtaking, unspoiled beauty right on the doorstep.

It's interesting to have a raised wooden platform set in the middle of the room, enclosed in the evening under the canopy of a cosy mosquito net and surrounded stylishly by generous walkways and ample lounge areas.

This section serves as a room within a room and features a king-size bed, writing desk, divan and long eggshell-lacquered bath within.

The lavish bathroom opens into a private

garden with an outdoor rainforest shower with no worrying over issues of privacy. Double sinks and a dressing area with a chaise lounge and boudoir deliver a distinct sense of elegance. It's odd that despite the big space in the bathroom area the restroom is quite small.

All villas are equipped with flat screen LCD television and Bose sound system, iPods and sound dock, wi-fi access, in-room bar, espresso machine and tea making facilities, and a safe.

It takes a day just to learn your way around the room.

With the pool villas there's a courtyard entrance that leads into a living and dining area. Each also has a kitchen, a maid's room and a private temperature-controlled swimming pool.

This reporter was fortunate enough to stay at a beachfront villa, so I sat back and relaxed on a day bed in the outdoor seating area, enjoying an unobstructed view of the South China Sea, outlying Cham Islands and nearby mountain peaks.

The resort's restaurants offer a selection of international and Vietnamese cuisine, with appealing indoor and outdoor seating areas overlooking water gardens and the ocean. Fresh seafood and grills are served in a wonderful beachside setting.

For recreation, the resort amenities include a clubhouse, tropical spa and extensive recreational facilities that offer guests the chance to satisfy every holiday desire.

Dreaming of a unique, romantic and memorable place to stay? The Nam Hai resort might have what it takes to fulfil those dreams. If anywhere deserves the label "paradise", for me this is the place.

Nam Hai Hotel at a glance

High point: Spacious surroundings and the rooms' facilities make for a romantic and relaxing atmosphere, offering a perfect place for honeymooners.

Low point: The variety of Vietnamese dishes is limited.

Pay for it: Prices start at $550 per night for one-Bedroom Villa and $2,300 per night for five-bedroom, beach-front villa with a private pool.

Find it: Hamlet 1, Dien Duang Village, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. The hotel is about 30 minutes from Danang International Airport.

Phone it: (84 510) 940 000 Browse it: www.ghmhotels.com.

Reference By: Jintana Panyaarvudh ,The Nation

GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED GRUB

Although raw food is in fashion, cooked food is the way ahead

Terry Durack, food critic, restaurant reviewer and cookbook author, posed an interesting question in his column in BBC's olive magazine, "What do you call cooks when they don't actually cook?" He was referring to the new sweeping popularity of eating uncooked food. My personal knowledge of raw food extends to sushi, sashimi and beef carpaccio, which I do eat, and to steak tartare, which I do not have the courage to eat, so far. But now crudo, Italian for raw, is the word to watch out for in a sophisticated menu. You could be offered cockles marinated in passion fruit, sea urchin served in the shell with olive oil, or pink snapper with black Hawaiian lava salt, to name just a few. And of course, carpaccio is no longer confined to beef. There are carpaccios of tuna, salmon, even beetroot.

You are not much amiss if you conclude, like me, that this new trend is fuelled by the obsessive desire, led by celebrities and followed slavishly by their devotees, to be thin. Raw food is indeed lower in calories, amazing in its magnified flavour and it does demand absolute freshness, but to say that eating uncooked food is healthy without further qualifications is maybe a touch irresponsible. The standard of freshness varies, and therein lurks the danger. I will also disregard Durack's musing when he said he realised with a shock that, "... cooking is a degradation, apply heat and you are, in fact, speeding up the process of ageing and decomposition." I don't think we have seen the last of the saucepan and frying pan just yet. Hardcore flavour junkies may adore uncooked food for the moment, but they will move on, and cooks will continue cooking.

To celebrate that very fact, I am reaching back to some very old-fashioned grub, the very opposite of sophistication. These are of the shepherd's/cottage/fish pie genre, the bangers and mash persuasion and the treacle tart varieties. Fish pies can sometimes elicit an involuntary "yech" out of family members and friends, especially if they've experienced a-tinned-tuna-and-Vegemite-sauce type of fish pie before. This is a chance to replace the horrible with the heavenly. The red snapper fillets in my creamy fish pie are poached in a wine bath fragrant with bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stalks and celery leaves, which is then reduced and used as the stock for the sauce. The best thing is the topping, which is buttered bread cubes tossed with parsley and Parmesan, and baked to a crisp on top of the tender fish pie.

As of this writing, the English, Irish and Scottish are still clashing over ownership of the original shepherd's pie recipe, but one thing is unanimous. The pie consists of minced lamb and vegetables with a mashed potato topping. Make it with beef mince, and it becomes a cottage pie, which is what I've cooked today. This pie has the usual base, but the mashed potato is outstanding. It has butter, cream, Italian parsley and a lot of Cheddar cheese all blended in. Choose a pork sausage that you like for the bangers and mash, and if you hate sausages that split when fried, parboil them first. This recipe wraps some bacon around the sausages for extra flavour. The main attraction however, is the onion and sage gravy. Do go out of your way to get some fresh sage - it makes all the difference.

Treacle tart, the byword for extreme sweetness, is here modified and enhanced with the addition of lots of macadamia nuts. If this is your first taste of it, you might well turn into a fan. The blend of molasses and golden syrup is tempered with a generous measure of cream to give you a tender sweetness on top of a crust so crisp and crumbly. Bite into it and abandon all hopes of stopping at one slice.

So, keep raw food as special treats, but for daily, cooked is best.

--

Creamy fish pie

To serve 6-8

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter

2 leeks, white part only, sliced

500g fennel bulb, finely sliced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1kg boneless, skinless fish fillets, such as snapper, grouper

80ml dry white wine

2 bay leaves

1 tsp white peppercorns

40g all-purpose flour

250ml milk

250g sour cream

2 tsp mustard

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped dill

A few parsley stalks

A few celery leaves

- Topping

16 slices of white bread, crust removed

75g grated Parmesan

1 handful of Italian parsley, finely chopped

Softened unsalted butter for spreading

Preparation:

1. Melt a third of the butter in a saucepan, add leek and fennel. Cook, stirring, until soft. Add the celery and garlic and saute' until the celery is tender. Remove the vegetables and set aside.

2. Put the fish, wine, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stalks, celery leaves and one teaspoon salt in a large saucepan, then add enough cold water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil, removing the fish with a slotted spoon as soon as it becomes opaque. Continue to cook the stock for a further 15 minutes, then strain and keep warm over low heat. When the fish is cool enough to handle, break it into large flakes.

3. Heat the remaining butter in the fennel pan; when melted, stir in the flour and cook for one minute. Gradually whisk in 750ml of the warm fish stock until smooth. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until smooth and thickened slightly. Stir in the fennel mixture to heat through. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sour cream, mustard, lime juice and dill. Season well. Carefully fold the sauce through the fish without breaking it up too much, then pour into a large, well greased baking dish.

4. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C. To make topping, spread the bread with softened butter, cut into small cubes and toss with the parsley and Parmesan. Scatter evenly over the top of the fish mixture. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is crunchy and golden, and the filling is hot.

--

Cottage pie

To serve 6

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, finely diced

1 large celery stalk, finely diced

1kg minced beef

2 garlic cloves, crushed

80ml dry white wine

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

2 Tbsp tomato paste

500ml beef stock

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

100g thawed frozen peas

1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

80g unsalted butter, melted

185ml whipping cream

1 handful Italian parsley, chopped

85g sharp Cheddar, grated

Preparation:

1. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a big saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and saute' until lightly golden, then remove to a bowl. Increase the heat and add the remaining oil. Brown the minced beef in two to three batches, remove each batch and add to the vegetables.

2. Add the garlic, wine, rosemary and tomato paste to the pan, stir well and cook for 30 seconds. Return the mince and vegetables, along with the stock, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the peas. Season to taste and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wide, shallow, non-metallic four-litre baking dish. Refrigerate until completely cold.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C. Cook the potatoes until very tender and drain well. Add the butter and cream and mash together until very smooth. Stir in the parsley and cheese, and season to taste. Carefully dollop the potato over the chilled beef mixture and smooth it over or make decorative patterns over the surface. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.

--

Bangers and mash

To serve 4

Ingredients:

- Onion and sage gravy

2 tsp olive oil

20g unsalted butter

2 tsp finely chopped sage

2 large onion, sliced

1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp beer

375ml beef stock

1 tsp tomato paste

- Mash

1kg potatoes

100g unsalted butter, diced

185g sour cream

8 good-quality thick pork sausages

8 slices bacon

Preparation:

1. Gravy: Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a saucepan. Add most of the sage and cook for one minute, then add the onion and cook, stirring until the onion is softened and golden. Remove the onion and set aside.

2. Add the remaining butter to the pan, then stir in the flour and cook for one minute. Gradually whisk in the beer and stock, then whisk in the tomato paste and allow to come to the boil. Return the onion to the pan and mix well. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, until gravy is thick, rich and flavoursome. Stir in the remaining sage and season well. Cover and set aside.

3. Mash: Cook the potatoes until very tender, drain well. Add the butter and sour cream, and mash until very smooth. Season to taste and keep warm.

4. Wrap a slice of bacon around each sausage and secure with a toothpick. Fry the sausages in a large, lightly greased frying pan for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the thickness, until cooked through. Remove the toothpick before serving. While the sausages are cooking, reheat the onion gravy. Spoon the mash onto four plates, sit two sausages on top and spoon over a little sage and onion gravy. Serve hot.

--

Macadamia treacle tart

To serve 4-6

Ingredients:

- Pastry

250g all-purpose flour

150g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

55g sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

- Filling

2 eggs

1/2 tsp lime zest

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

130g molasses

130g golden syrup

125ml whipping cream

40g breadcrumbs

80g macadamia nuts, slightly toasted and roughly chopped

Preparation:

1. Pastry: In a food processor, process the flour, sugar and butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and one tablespoon water and process until mixture clumps together. Gather into a ball, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Put the pastry into an eight-inch (20cm) loose-based tart tin, and press out to cover the base and sides evenly. Line the pastry with foil and fill with uncooked rice or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights, and bake for a further five minutes or until the pastry is pale golden. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 160C/fan 140C.

3. Filling: Whisk the egg, zest, juice and vanilla until foamy, then mix in the molasses, golden syrup and cream until smooth. Add the breadcrumbs and macadamia nuts, and mix until combined. Pour the mixture into the pastry tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the filling is slightly puffed and dry to the touch - it should still be slightly wobbly, not set firm. Let cool in the tin for 15 minutes before unmoulding. Serve slices warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Reference By:
STORY BY PRISNA BOONSINSUKH, PHOTOS BY LOUIS BOONSINSUKH
Bangkok Post,http://www.bangkokpost.com/Outlook

A research project between Thailand and Cambodia

A research project between Thailand and Cambodia sheds light on the ancient Angkor-Phimai road, which has been shrouded in mystery for centuries.

The air was full of mystery and danger as we hiked the lush forest in the no-man's-land along the Thai-Cambodian border looking for archaeological remnants of the long lost Angkor-Phimairoyal road.

"Stay on the path," Col Surat Lertlum solemnly warned, pointing to a cluster of what looked like round plastic lids near a thicket two metres away. "The forest is still full of land mines and we can only guarantee your safety if you stay on the path."

Obediently, we followed him along the narrow path until the moist earth under our feet turned rocky as we stepped onto a raised laterite walkway supported by an embankment made of layers of laterite rocks.

We were at the Ta Muean mountain pass on the Phanom Dongrak mountain range, a natural boundary between Surin province in Thailand's northeast and Oddar Meanchay province in northern Cambodia.

"This is where the ancient road, which passed through the plains in Cambodia, climbed up the mountainous forest of Phanom Dongrak to the plateau in Thailand before heading toward Phimai," explained Col Surat.


Apart from the laterite embankment, other archaeological evidence of the ancient Angkor-Phimai route at the heavily-mined Ta Muean Pass includes stone pillars that once lined the road, remnants of decorative sculptures, a small laterite bridge and a laterite cutting site that provided building materials for the road.

This connecting point at Ta Muean is one of the important discoveries made by the Living Angkor Road Project, a Thai-Cambodian joint effort supported by the Thailand Research Fund to explore the 254-kilometre route that linked Angkor and Phimai when the Khmer civilisation reigned.

The road started at the western gate of the Angkor Thom temple and ended at Phimai, an ancient city believed to have had close royal links with the Angkor dynasties.

The knowledge of the route is not new. A 12th century stone inscription from Preah Khan Temple near Angkor Thom states that King Jayavarman VII, a great Mahayana Buddhist king, ordered the construction of 17 temples along the Angkor-Phimai road as rest stops for travellers.

Originally called agnisala, meaning "houses of fire" that travellers could see lit-up from afar at night, these rest houses have become popularly known as dharmasala through L. Finot's studies in the 1920s on the architecture of the rest chapels.

Prior to the Living Angkor Road Project, archaeologists had identified the sites of 15 of the 17 dharmasalas built along the road, but the exact route it took had never been located.

There was a widespread belief among archaeologists that the road passed through the Phanom Dongrak mountain range at the Samed pass, near the famous Prasat Phanom Rung temple. The Living Angkor Road Project has proved this wrong.

By integrating modern technology in remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS) and geophysics along with conventional studies in archaeology, anthropology and history, the project has identified Ta Muean as the connecting link over the Phanom Dongrak mountains, which leads directly to Prasat Ta Muean, the first dharmasala or rest stop on the Korat Plateau.

The project has also discovered the remains of the two missing dharmasalas on this route, which are called Ampil and Kok Phnov. The discovery of ancient stone bridges, meanwhile, plots a series of dots that has for the first time revealed the outline of the ancient route from Angkor to Phimai.

Equally important, the research has found a large number of iron smelting and ceramics production sites as well as ancient human settlements within a five kilometre radius of the road. These sites were linked to the main road by networks of smaller roads to transport labour, goods, foods and other resources to the centres of the ancient Khmer empire.

Geophysics technologies, said Col Surat, have also been used to accurately locate iron smelting sites, leading to archaeological excavation in Surin's Ban Kruad district earlier this year.

Started in 2005, the joint project to unveil the road's mystery is a collaboration between the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, the Fine Arts Department, Prince of Songkhla University, Silpakorn University and Cambodia's Apsara authority, which works to protect and manage the Angkor and the Siem Reap region.

Thailand's multi-disciplinary research team is led by remote sensing and GIS expert Col Surat Lertlum of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy's Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, who is responsible for initiating the project.

The Cambodian team is led by Im Sokrithy, an archaeologist from Apsara.

"I've long been fascinated by ancient Khmer civilisation," said Col Surat, explaining why he initiated the bilateral effort.

"Since the use of remote sensing and geography information systems have helped archaeologists pinpoint archaeological sites around the world, I thought my discipline could help shed some light on the royal road."

Col Surat began exploring the road with remote sensing and GIS in 2001. "I soon started realising that advanced technologies may significantly speed up archaeological studies, but they are not enough."

Remote sensing, for example, cannot help much when the sites are covered with jungle or when the landscape has been drastically changed by modern farming and construction, he explained.

Archaeology and history, said Col Surat, help fill the gaps by guiding scientific work in the right direction to locate possible survey sites.

For ground surveys, however, he has learned that it pays to listen to the locals. For example, scientific studies on topography and the direction of water flows suggested that Ta Muean was the least steep pass and thus the most geographically appropriate for road building.

"But it was an old man in the village who told us about an old walkway he used, which led to the discovery of the laterite royal road," said Col Surat.

Archaeologist Im Sokrithy tells a similar story about his discoveries at Cambodian sites.

When searching for the two missing rest chapels, GIS information only roughly identified an area for ground surveys. "It was the villagers' legends relating to the royal road and names of places such as preah kanlong, which means royal road, that gave us the clues as to where the sites should be.

"And it was their knowledge of their area which has helped us to identify the dharmasalas, which are always near the ancient royal road," he said.

The locals' belief that the road is sacred has helped preserve it for modern-day study, said Sokrithy. Under the scorching sun on our way to see Kok Phnov dharmasala, he pointed to an elevated dirt path flanked by paddy fields. "This part of the royal road still exists thanks to the local belief that damaging it brings bad fortune," he explained.

During the war, recounted Sokrithy, the Cambodian villagers used the little-known road to escape the Khmer rouge. "And it is still being used today to go between villages," he added.

It is also the villagers' knowledge of their localities that has helped the Cambodian team identify 32 ancient stone bridges that together form an outline of the entire Angkor-Phimai royal road.

"Remote sensing technology could never locate this bridge because it is on the same level as the road," said Col Surat while standing on Spean Top, the longest ancient stone bridge on the Angkor-Phimai route.

Measuring 149 metres in length and 10 metres high with 25 arches, Spean Top is still in use until today as part of the modern road from Oddar Meanchay to Siem Reap.

The researchers also found many bonuses in their efforts to locate the royal road.

In Cambodia, where the landscape has been not been damaged as much by modern development as it has in Thailand, they discovered Prasat Chan, another ancient rest house near the border.

"It could be one of the 17 dharmasalas mentioned in the Preah Khan stone inscription if the first rest stop adjacent to Angkor Thom is not counted. Or it could belong to an earlier period," Col Surat explained.

King Jayavarman VII, in an attempt to provide better health care to his people, had also ordered the construction of many arogyasala, or hospitals, during his reign. Three of them have been found along the Angkor-Phimai royal road, said Sokrithy, one of them a new discovery.

A large number of newly-discovered ancient settlements, industrial sites, temple ruins and hundreds of man-made reservoirs that are still in use today can also provide a clearer picture of ancient peoples' way of life and the trade and cultural exchanges that took place between the plateau and the plains.

While conventional archaeology focuses on knowledge acquired from particular sites, the multi-disciplinary approach of the Living Angkor Road Project has placed such knowledge in a systemic perspective to give a complete picture of how these sites are connected and what they meant to the ancient Khmer civilisation, said Silaporn Buasai, deputy director of the Thailand Research Fund.

"This research shows how integration of different disciplines can raise our plane of knowledge," she said. "Integration is key to creativity and innovation. It shows it is important for us step out of our fields of expertise, which yield only fragmented pieces of knowledge, and to link up with other disciplines if we want to create new knowledge."

For remote sensing expert Col Surat, his foray into archaeology has shown him the importance of local villagers' knowledge, be it in the form of folklore, legends, ancient documents or knowledge of their locality and real life experiences.

If the pursuit of knowledge leads to respect for others, can this very pursuit in the Living Angkor Road Project help tackle mutual prejudices that often strain Thai-Cambodian relations and lead to conflict over ownership of archaeological sites?

The fact that the dharmasalas had been altered and used as places of worship by different faiths over the past millennium - from Mahayana Buddhism to Hinduism to Theravada Buddhism - should inform people on both sides of today's national boundaries of the process of cultural evolution that has shaped their present societies.

Apart from developing a web site, Col Surat said the project also plans to bring Thai and Cambodian youths together to learn about the ancient road and peoples' relationships in the past. "So the locals are proud of their ancient cultural roots and common heritage," he said.

"We must remember there were no national boundaries a thousand years ago," he added. "We have to go beyond nationalism and ownership to attain knowledge that helps shed light on our past and our cultural heritage."

Im Sokrithy shares the same conviction. "Culture has no boundaries. Culture is about exchange, relationships and connectedness," he said.

"Culture also stresses similarities and common bonds. So if we want to encourage people go beyond ultra-nationalism, using culture as a tool to foster a sense of common bonds is a good way to go."

More information about the Living Angkor Road Project is available in English at: http://larp.crma.ac.th/tikiwiki/tiki-index.php and in Thai at http://larp.crma.ac.th/.


Reference By: SANITSUDA EKACHAI
Bangkok Post,http://www.bangkokpost.com/Outlook