Phuket is not exactly a world centre of European-style classical music, but it does have its moments.

That calendar is out. At a big bash at Cape Sienna hotel in Kamala on November 5, attended by hundreds of Phuket’s local glitterati, dressed to the nines, the ladies of the Women’s Will Power group (WWP) launched their calendar for 2011, aimed at raising funds for the Phuket Shelter for Children and Families, a haven for abused women and children.

Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany heads a high-calibre field of professional triathletes from around the world who will take on not one, but two triathlons in the space of eight days – the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on Sunday, November 28

Raising Phuket’s tropical atmosphere a couple of notches, the annual fund-raising ball for the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) this year has a Latin American theme.

Local ladies tuned out in their very best traditional outfits and lots and lots of jewellery for the second Phuket Traditional Costumes Contest at the Provincial Museum near the Heroines monument today (August 8).

Jaguar Cars has chosen Phuket over everywhere else in Asia for the regional launch of its new luxury, superfast XJ model, which has an electronically limited top speed of 266 kmh and a 0-100 kmh time of 4.9 seconds.

Now here’s the deal, y’all: Ya bah a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and ya git another one free. Or, if you’re of the girlie pre-suasion, bah one of Suh-then Cumfut – and git one fer free. Or ye kin bah a Glass of Independence and git a second one free. And if all this drinking makes ye hungry, git yeself on the ahtside of 12 inches of patriotism – the classic Red White Blue Burger (nope – the meat is the red part, not the blue wun).

Laguna Phuket is about to launch its annual Summer Family Festival, with a new twist – families can now star in their own professionally-produced Hollywood-style motorbike tour of Phuket.

July 24 has been set as the date for this year’s Third Worldwide Photo Walk and, as with last year, Phuket will be joining in with at least one walk.

Western films set in Thailand up to now have all pretty much had the same characteristics: The stars are Westerners and Thailand is simply an exotic backdrop. Thai actors and actresses are all taxi drivers, gangsters or gogo girls.

Bitter/Sweet, which had its Thailand premiere in Phuket last night (June 11) as part of the Phuket Film Festival, deliberately sets out to break that mould.