See our tips and tricks to beat the forces of nature.

Pisit, 46, manager
55. That’s the average age when company employees start to think of retirement.

Jiraporn, 24, sales assistant
Being 38 counts as “old” for me. At 35 you can still be seen as somewhat trendy and youthful. But once you near the big 4-0, people should dial it down and become more serious in appearance.

Kalawut, 29, mobile phone shop owner
I think people over 50 are old. Unlike when they were younger, they now start becoming more dependent on so many things, like society and their family and friends.

Panitang, 30, restaurateur
I think that when you reach the 40 plus mark, there comes a time when your body and its power starts to physically decline. You also aren’t at the top of your game mentally anymore.

Nattapong, 37, career consultant
I would say 60, the age of retirement. But then again, age is also a matter of personal mindset. Someone can be 50 years old, at the peak of their health and still be called “old” by others.

Vachira, 19, product design student
In my opinion, you start to look old at around 36. And nothing’s worse than those people who try to cling to their youth by dressing like they’re still teenagers and using new slang wrongly. It’s so embarrassing to watch.

Gingkarn, 50, accountant
Even at 60, one still has sharp mental facilities and can still work, but after that the gears start slowing down and there are no new impulses or real development happening anymore. So, I’d say that 65-70 is “old” for me.

After Bakery Music was sold to Sony BMG,
I worked as a consultant at Sony for a couple of years. I wanted to produce a second album for B5, but the company turned me down. Well, they didn’t actually say no, but they kept rescheduling a meeting because of their “internal” problems.

Of course, I was upset and disappointed. But I had gone through a lot worse, so it was fine.

Staying put is very difficult for me. Leaving Sony BMG, I planned to take a year off simply to stay home and enjoy a much-needed rest. But it turned out to be very tiring and boring. To me, taking a break is even more exhausting than working.

I also dabbled in publishing. I launched Katch magazine, but I had a fight with the staff. I asked them to make some adjustments in the magazine layout and they got so upset they all walked out. You know what; kids nowadays, you can’t scold them that much.

Last year was my turning point. It was a bad time for both music and politics. There was the coup and the music scene was pretty dead.

I reached the point where I really needed to go back to work. Plus, I felt that dance music was finally making a comeback after letting hip hop reign for a few years.

I want to create a stir. These past few years, no one has truly stood out. The music scene hasn’t seen a real big act for a long time. Even now, P’Bird still grabs the best male singer title at almost every award show that exists. Come on, we don’t have any new faces?

For Academy Fantasia, music is just a tool used to butter up their real business, which is a reality TV show.

These days, audiences have no connection with music. They listen to a song, but they don’t know who is singing it. It is probably because artists come up with music that all sounds the same. Or maybe because the audiences just download music from the internet and don’t pay attention to the artists behind it at all.

Plenty Music is my new baby. It is a big change for me. I was surrounded by friends when I worked at Bakery, but now it’s only me and my sisters. Plus, I have to find new talented songwriters and arrangers because the ones I used to work with are all working on their own projects now.

Food, fun, family and friends are my four main inspirations. That’s why my new album is called 4F=M. Without them, I can’t create music.

I need to dust off my skills. I haven’t released a single for six years, and a lot of things have changed during that time.

Just before the album came out, I listened to the tracks that I finished and I felt that they were already outdated, so I had to go back to make some changes.

As a remixer, I add new twists to old, classic songs so that the new generation gets to rediscover them.

The Wizard of Dance Music is just a nickname that the media gave me. It is flattering but it is just a part of the media blitz. I would be happier if fans walked up to me and told me they like my music.

I used to have an enormous ego. I thought what I did was so awesome and I didn’t care about the feedback. When I read my old interviews, I almost puke. I was so full of myself back then. I am more mature now.

I plan my future day by day. Each morning I set a goal for myself and try to achieve it.

I still prefer to have my personal space. I am happy to sign an autograph and pose for a photo for the fans, but sometimes I am just not in the mood.

Without music, I would die. In 2003, my parents passed away. Not long after that, Bakery Music went bankrupt. I was very depressed and locked myself up at home. Usually, I was the one who played music for my friends to listen to, but at that time my friends had to come over to my house and play The Beatles and Paul McCartney songs for me.

Music cheered me up and encouraged me to move on. Be honest. That’s my advice to aspiring artists. The more honest you are, the better your music sounds. This might sound like the easiest thing to do, but I don’t see many people doing it.

BK: Why Vie Trio?
Pae: It’s a pretty straightforward name. Vie is French for life and trio means three, so basically Vie Trio stands for our three lives.

BK: Tell us more about how this album began?
Parn: Last year, I was playing cello in the musical Fah Jarod Sai and Pae just came back from the US. Both of us met Boy Takonkiet [the musical’s director] and he asked Pae to play the violin for him. And it was Boy who first came up with the idea of releasing an album together.
Pae: We are very lucky to have this opportunity. It allows us to truly express ourselves without any limits.

BK: For many people, classical music is challenging, if not boring, to listen to. How do you feel about that attitude?
Parn: It is true that classical music is considered stuffy, fit only for the highbrow. But it’s only because people have made it that way. For example, look at how classical musicians dress.
Pae: I wouldn’t say violin is that different from guitar or bass. Classical is just one kind of music. And classical music is the root of all music today, anyway.

BK: So why do you like classical music?
Parn: We were brought up with classical music in our home. Our father [Suthin Srinarong, an executive committee member of Bangkok Symphony Orchestra] is a major influence. He inspired us to pick up classical music. But he never forced us to play, though. It’s our own decision.

BK: Apart from playing your instruments, were you involved in production?
Pae: Yes, I am the co-producer of this album.
Parn: When Pae was away, we would always work through the internet. I mean, Pae would send us emails telling us exactly what to do.

BK: What are your expectations for this album?
Puy: I hope we can help people understand that classical music is not complicated or too difficult to appreciate.
Parn: From our album, you’ll see that we’ve got rock, pop or even rap. It’s obvious that classical music can be featured with different types of music.

BK: If you were not a musician, what would you be doing?
Pae: I never thought of becoming anything else. I love music.
Parn: I wanted to be a cashier when I was a kid. I loved to play as a supermarket cashier back then.
Puy: A diplomat who also plays music.

What is the highlight of your exhibition, Life - Mind?
I didn’t plan on making one particular thing the highlight of this exhibition. I’d rather let the audiences make their own decision.

Tell us about the your technique:
I used acrylic paint; in the same way I would use watercolors—blending it with water so that the colors are more translucent. My paintings are drawn with different colors and strokes and I do it using the same pace I use when I practice my meditation.

Do you think your work can have an effect on viewers?
If influence means a power to dominate other people, then it wouldn’t be in line with my ideas and what I want to achieve. I work to ease my own suffering. I just hope that my audiences will find peace of mind after viewing the exhibition.

If you painted Bangkok, how would you?
I was born in Bangkok when this city still had plenty of greenery and was a nicer place to live in. Time has passed and now Bangkok has transformed into a big pile of chaos because of the constant supply and demand of superficial things. The picture of Bangkok today is far away from the city in my dreams. So if I had to paint this city, I would paint Bangkok in a previous time, when it was much more beautiful.

Your ideal life is:
Having my mind free from all the spiritual suffering.

What’s the story behind Heaven and Earth?
I like to think that there is not one story behind each piece but as many stories as there are viewers. My paintings speak with symbols and colors, not with words. I feel that each painting is a crystallized feeling or a moment in frozen time, a kind of picture seen through the heart, emotions captured and built up by layers of paint and color.

What’s the inspiration behind this exhibition?
I am inspired by women and by being a woman. My work is about my thoughts and feelings—both conscious and unconscious—whether from just observing people in everyday life or from dreams and my imagination, I cannot pinpoint any one source.

How should the viewers approach your work?
Anyway they wish. If it speaks to them, they will know how. I prefer that each viewer come with a fresh mind and interpret the work In a direct and personal way.

What inspired this project?
The project arose out of my curiosity and the fact that transsexuals have become more widespread than ever in the recent years. There are between 10,000-100,000 transsexuals in Thailand. While they live and work among us and their lifestyle is mostly accepted and welcomed in our culture, we hardly understand their complex psyche.

How did you choose your subjects?
I choose real people with real passion, who believe in their hearts and want to become a woman. I don’t care how old they are and how they look. I want to capture the reality of them in a provocative yet informative manner and provoke people to see the story behind each image and each person.

Are you nervous displaying these images?
No. I am excited. This is the first project that entirely focuses on Thai transsexuals and employs ethnography, sociological, and a psychological approach. So I hope that my audience will come see the exhibit with an open mind and try to understand these people for who they are without judging.

Is this your most provocative exhibition?
No. But I think it is perhaps the most educational project, the most valuable and that it deserves attention from people from all walks of life.

Any obstacles or challenges while shooting?
Trying to find subjects who love art for art’s sake is difficult and challenging. Most of them want compensation. Again, in Thailand and Asia, it’s very difficult to find people who really understand art and want to be a part of a great project. Many are worried about how to survive, which is understandable.

What’s next? Any future projects?
I am working on a calendar and a new book. But I’m still trying to expand this project so that I can start doing a traveling show internationally.

Thongin Kamlanglert, 48
Security guard
If I got hungry I would sit in front of a noodle stall, looking for food and walking around. Maybe I would look for some place cool to stay, like under an expressway.

Sakraithong Orakul, 36
Personal consultant
I would walk around the smaller sois and look for nice area to stay. I’d probably look pretty terrible with no one to wash me.

Acharaphan Innimit, 20
Student
I would want to be the top dog in the pack. But I wouldn’t bite people.

Monton Galassi, 39
Orthopedist
I would probably be a big loner dog asking for food from people when hungry. I‘d like to walk around, explore new places and rest wherever I want.

Jeremy Sharman, 19
Student
I think I would have dreadlocks, matted fur and would stay at Lumpini Park waiting for free food and biting tuk tuk drivers.

Saowaluk, 46
Housewife
I would have to look for food and a place to live first, probably in the park for my own safety.

PLUS: Want to know what your pets are raving about these days? Our resident Dr. Doolittle, Alisara Chirapongse, delves into their world.

Could you tell us what SCAD does?
What we do here is to “re-home” these animals. We work with people in communities that need help with stray animals. We pick them up and bring them to our health center where we treat them and spay or neuter them before releasing them back in to their communities.

What about the adoption?
Sometimes we find orphans whose mothers were killed in accidents. We take them in and evaluate their health. If they are healthy and are suitable for domesticated life, we take them into the program. But we also have limited resources so we focus on the neutering campaign.

What should a person know about the adoption program?
First of all, you have to be sure that you can take care of them. You have to give them a good home and feed them and be certain you won’t just get bored of them. We will check if you have a suitable environment for them to live in.

Are there any costs?
We usually charge for the neutering and basic vaccinations which can cost you around B500-1,000. ­However, we don’t want to emphasize this as we don’t discriminate. Anyone from any walk of life with a love for animals can join the ­program.

Do you need volunteers?
We always need volunteers in many areas. If you’re not comfortable being so close to the animals, you can volunteer to help with our administrative work such as fund-raising. But if you want hands-on experience, you can help us with the basic obedience training. Or you could assist the surgeons at the health center. We will train you of course.

For more information on how you can help, check out their website at www.scadbangkok.org or call 02-713-3354. SCAD also runs ReTails (G/F, Lake Rajada Complex, Ratchadapisek Rd., 02-661-8874), a store whose proceeds fund their activities.

Here's a list of animals' welfare foundations.

Foundation for Stray Dogs (1200/174, 02-746-6498, 02-463-9283, www.2fsd.org) and Soi Cats and Dogs (www.scadbangkok.org) both help four legged strays. They accept donations in the form of food and money.

Home for Handicapped Animals Foundation (15/1 Moo 1, Soi Pramaemahakarun, Tiwanon Rd., Banmai, Pakkred, Nonthaburi, 02-584-4896, 02-961-5625, www.home4animals.org) accepts donations in the form of food, money, and anything that will help the animals. You can help by adopting a dog or donating your money towards medical expenses.

Animal Welfare Foundation (117 Moo 7, Nongbua Rd. Muang District, Kanchanaburi, 081-914-3444, www.awf-kanchanaburi.org) ­financially supports an animal shelter where more than 2,500 animals, mainly stray dogs and cats, are being taken care of.

Mah-Hua-Nao Pet Donation Website (www.mah-hua-nao.com) aims to relieve animal hunger. Check out their website and you will find the long list of projects that you can donate your money to.

Friends of Asian Elephants (350 Moo 8, Ram-Indra Soi 61, 02-945-7124/-6, www.elephants-soraida.com) accepts monetary donations that will go directly to support its elephant hospital in Chiang Mai.

The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand (65/1 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-712-9715, www.warthai.org) is seeking volunteers to work in their projects. You will help the animal keepers build and clean cages and raise awareness about wildlife protection.

So what is Ozono?
It’s a pet-friendly complex. There are two main areas. One is for pet-related businesses such as the pet hotel, the park, training school, cat and dog boutiques and spas. The second area is composed of restaurants, clothing stores, a salon and wine bar to cater to humans. And all these stores are accessible by the pets.

Why did you decide to build a park just for pets?
The problem for pet owners in Bangkok is that there is absolutely nowhere we can take our pets to—not even at the public parks. I am a pet owner myself and I knew there were other people with the same problem so I decided to set up the park just for pets. It’s also within the inner city, ideal for urban pet owners.

Is there a charge to enjoy the facility?
For the complex, no, you can walk your pets anywhere. But for the Petropolis Park, it’s an exclusive place for members only. The membership is B20,000 per year per pet for a weekday package, and B30,000 for weekends.

Are there any rules for the pets?
Of course, your pets have to ­behave and not be aggressive. Owners must also help keep the facility hygienic by cleaning up after their pooches.

Are there any more plans to expand your service?
If the economy gets better, we’re planning to build a resort just for pet lovers. There’s also a plan to build a hydrotherapy center for dogs. Humans keep themselves fit all the time by going to the gym and taking yoga classes, so why shouldn’t the dogs get the same quality of exercise?