theufo8mycow

Greetings and salutations.

Currently, I am a Senior Art Buyer at Redworks Singapore, handling all art buying projects for The Ogilvy Group of Companies in Singapore comprising of Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Advertising, O&M Advertising Regional, Redcard, Redworks, Ogilvy Public Relations, OgilvyOne and Ogilvy Interactive, and also Bates141.

By working together with commercial photographers, illustrators and retouchers and various agency teams, I manage all print-related photography, illustration, retouching, digital imaging & 3D, above-the-line, below-the-line & online projects, and stock imagery purchases for all clients of the Group. I have produced ads for various regional clients such as Castrol, Kodak, Unilever, KimberlyClark, GlaxoSmithKline, American Express, DHL and IBM.

In my past experience as a Producer in a photography production house, I have worked on projects for various for brands such as Nokia Asia Pacific, Sony Asia Pacific, Levi's, Panasonic, Epson, Osim, Philips, Heineken, Tiger Beer, Pan Pacific Hotels, O2, HSBC Bank, Durex, Nine West, Mont Blanc with various agencies and clients such as Bates Asia, 141 Worldwide, Batey Red Cell, BBDO S'pore, DDB S'pore, Dentsu S'pore, M&C Saatchi, McCann-Erickson, Y&R S'pore, Lowe Worldwide, OgilvyOne, Osim and Cheil Communications.

I am now seeking new opportunities to progress in my career and relocate in Bangkok where the Thai creative advertising industry is something I have always admired.

Please feel free to send me a private message to discuss further and where my resume and portfolio is readily available upon request.

Thank you for reading this and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Isara.

thanks for the replies! I'm actually in the advertising industry (think Leo Burnett, Saatchi, etc) and looking for opportunities in Bangkok...

it's ok I'll try those that was mentioned. Thanks!

anyone have any recommendations for headhunters in bkk?

yeah try out Western Union. It's easier and faster. Perhaps try doing Western Union at the Thai Post Office, not banks as they might fluctuate the currency rate. You may want to compare the admin charges and the currency exchange but as far as I know, the Western Union admin charges is pretty standard. Other charges is solely dependant on the agent/ merchant.

Receiver of the money does not have to pay for anything. Only the Sender. Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for reading.

Does anyone know or can recommend any reputable headhunters/ HR vendors in Bangkok for foreigners/ expats, especially for the advertising/ media industry?

Any suggestions and comments will be much appreciated!

ufo

Hmmm is that cheaper than using Western Union (www.westernunion.com)?

Western Union - No need for ATM cards, money will reach person within 15-30mins guaranteed. I just had to pay around USD$10 admin fees but it might have changed then and exchange rates would depend on where you use it.

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Thanks for all the replies everyone. Your replies and comments are extremely helpful!

Hi there, thanks for reading my post.

I might be relocating to Bangkok due to work but I am unsure about the monthly expenditures in Bangkok city. I'd like to know what's your average monthly expenditure in Bangkok because the info would be very helpful when I review the salary package given to me.

How much do you roughly spend monthly on:

- Apartment rental 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom near train station.

- Electricity, gas, water, etc.

- Home phone

- Home Broadband/ Cable Internet

- Groceries

- Mobile phone

- Transportation (taxi, train, etc.)

- Insurance, if any

- Entertainment (movies, eating out, drinks, etc)

- Any other things that I may have missed out

Also what's the taxes imposed on foreigners working in Bangkok:

- Taxes (how many percent % of gross/ net salary)

- Any other taxes

Any inputs, comments and opinions is very much appreciated. Thanks again.

Best,

ufo

Thailand is no place to be sick. Your friend will be much better off with the support of his family and medical care in his home country. AIDS is an awful disease if it is not very carefully managed, and you do need a very good doctor to manage it properly.

My friend is Thai in Bangkok. Thailand is his home country. Not everyone is fortunate to be able to afford to travel to have access to better medication. So he cannot afford overseas medication. The nearest most reputable place to go to is Singapore which has excellent medical facilities but very expensive. Singapore has yet to determine the subsidy for HIV medication. Right now it costs a &lt;deleted&gt; "SGD$1500 per month not including consultations and other care situations and only one in four affected individuals can afford the medication." That's like 35,000 baht! Most HIV+ Singaporeans go to Thailand for affordable medication.

HIV medication now subsidised in Singapore (Sort Off)

www.groundreport.com/articles.php?articleID=2875558

My friend just have to make the best out of the current situation and the situation he's in right now, get the best help and support he can.

Thanks everyone.

I thank all of you for the support and the discussion about this.

FYI, he's a local Thai in BKK, and most likely got it through unprotected sex about 2 years ago. He might lose his job as his job requires a yearly medical check-up unless they skip the HIV test this year. He's been trying to find another job just in case.

The thoughts like "Why me?", "Why not someone else?", "Why does God hate me?", etc. runs through his mind but the thing is... that someone else can be you. Everything happens for a reason, people don't live forever. Being HIV+ doesn't mean it's the end... I've managed to talk to him a lot and he's ok most of the time. I've been trying to get him to see a support group but he's still in denial somewhat, so the only support he has is me. I guess he needs some more time.

He should be due for his next CD4 test by end of this month and he has been trying to keep his spirits up.

It's my first time experiencing a close friend who's HIV+ so I really appreciate all your inputs and comments, and very grateful for it. I would gladly update the situation in here as time goes by.

Thanks again everyone.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I'd just like to update everyone on what has happened so far in case you're curious and perhaps my info can help anyone there too.

My friend went to re-test his HIV status. He's confirmed HIV+.

He also did some examination. He has some symptoms - swollen glands.

His CD4 cell count is 331, CD4 % 20.3%. His viral load is 13,800.00.

With these results, the doctor advised to do a:

A) Hepatitis Ag and Ab test. He's clear but not immunized.

Repeat his CD4 test in a months' time.

C) Do a HIV Genotype test.

D) Urine exam for syphillis.

When he wanted to do the geno test and the Hep immunization, the nurse & doctor told him that he is currently not in a good state of mind and body because he's in still a state of shock and being in this state of mind and body would affect the results of the tests that he was supposed to do. He had no motivation, no appetite, crying all day and night and thinking about death, avoiding all friends and being in a state of panic thinking about medication straightaway. What's worse, he may lose his job due to the current recession.

Also the doctor said that he needs to do a series of CD4 tests to check whether he really needs to take medication or not. There's no point to take medication too early or else it will not be effective if it's not required.

I told him that needs to try very hard to be strong and think positive, which I'm sure is very hard to do in his situation. After days of comforting him, when I thought he was ready, I told him straight-up and said that nobody lives forever, and you should live the life you want to live and don't let this stop from doing whatever you're doing. With medication nowadays, people with HIV+ can possibly live longer if they maintain a healthy lifestyle.

He has hope and moving on slowly. He has started to eat well again, going back to the gym like his normal schedule, and smoking less to nil.

I've been giving him moral support and slowly day by day he's facing this. Hopefully in a month's time, his mood and state of mind is ready for these tests.

Thanks for your replies everyone.

My friend did a blood test at Vibhavadi Hospital. 1-2 hrs later, the results were HIV+.

He has not done the CD4 and viral load test yet, which I will advise him to do soon.

My friend and I plan to see Dr Mattana Hanavich at Bumrungrad Hospital this week.

Hope she's free and can advise what to do next.

This might be a stupid question but what are the chances if the HIV+ test is wrong, maybe because it got mixed up with someone else's? Is it worth doing the test again?

ufo

Hi, thanks for reading.

Someone extremely special and close to me has just found out that he's HIV positive.

He's in shock right now. He's feeling very lonely, hurt, confused, angry, regret, and extremely scared. I'm feeling the same too. I was even thinking about telling him to do the test again because I am still in disbelief. But getting the same results the second time might be devastating. He hasn't told anyone except me. Unfortunately I am not based in Bangkok and he is in Bangkok alone. Although I know he's a smart, strong and independent person, I question his strength to be able to handle this mentally. He's looking up to me for company and consolation, but I'm also at loss to what to do. No matter how much I try to comfort him it doesn't work because I feel the same as he.

I want to help him as much as I can.

I'd like to know which hospital in Bangkok is reputable in counselling and treatment. UNESCO mentioned these hospitals: Sukhumvit Hospital, BNH Hospital, Bumrungrad Hospital and Samitivej Hospital. There's also another hospital called Vibhavadi Hospital? I read the forums whereby the following doctors are recommended:

Dr Mattana Hanavich at Bumrungrad Hospital

Dr Mondej Sookpranee at Bumrungrad Hospital

Dr Asda Vibhagool at Rathibodi Hospital

Dr Paitoon Boonma in Bangkok General Hospital

Dr Dr Phillipe Seur in Pattaya

Any other recommendations?

Does counselling come with treatment?

Should my friend and I talk to a counsellor first or should we see a doctor right away?

Are there any support groups to help HIV+ people for moral support, to get by?

I know that some of these hospitals are private, which can be pricey. I'm not sure whether he can afford it, even though he has an ok paying job. I'm unsure if it's enough to cover the expensive medication. I am also unsure if he has any insurance.

I did read the prices of the treatment in AIDS treatnment in LOS post. But is it safe to buy the cheaper medication at the pharmacies that are not from the hospital, or are these unreliable?

I'd hear out any opinions about this. Any help and replies are much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

ufo.