BANGING HER OWN DRUMS

       Jureeporn Gamontummagul of band Abuse the Youth talks about the hands that rock the sticks Astereotype exists in rock music about girls being sexiest with a bass guitar. Yet, they never seem to be associated with the drums. The drums are a masculine instrument. They require the biceps, triceps and shoulder muscles of a man to master. And let us tell you that "mastering" is as much about the weight of the sound measured by the intensity of each stroke as it is about rhythm and timing.
       Jureeporn Gamontummagul, drummer of indie rock outfit Abuse the Youth, seems to have such muscles and they seem to have enabled her to beat the stereotype and become a rare gem of the Thai indie rock scene - a female drummer who can really bang the drums. "It's down to two tricks," she said, smiling proudly while showing us her toned forearm.
       "I have worked a lot, rather than work out. My family runs a factory that produces and distributes sweets. Like all Chinese families, we all have to work. I've been helping my parents with everything, most of all with manual tasks such as carrying huge sacks since I was young. That's how I don't get tired easily on stage."The second trick is practice. I have been practising every day for years and when you do that, your muscles remember and become familiar with the intensity and the stroke. Then, you become comfortable with it."
       In person, the 28-year-old drummer is polite and courteous. She's communicative, but not chatty. During conversation, she would drop some funny remarks, but not tell a long joke. Jureeporn is not the type of charismatic rock personality who commands great presence onstage and glides like a white swan amongst a flock of rock chicks and the wannabes at an after-show party. She looks more like an ordinary music enthusiast until she grasps the sticks. Buried behind her Ludwig kit, the brand for which she was hand-picked as the ambassador for by local distributor Intermusic, Jureeporn provides the beat that is the backbone of Abuse the Youth's much-revered raw and intense live energy.
       Growing up in a large, extended Chinese family, Jureeporn has familiarised herself with her music lover uncle's instruments since she was seven, playing first the guitar and later settling with the bass in a band comprised of family members. Her stint with the sticks began during her middle school years when a cousin and former band member quit and left a drum set at her home. Jureeporn started playing with them and learned the basics from a friend.
       "I never took any official drum courses," she said. "Apart from informal lessons from a friend, the rest was trial and error. I would listen to a song and figure out how the drum part was played and copy it. I learned to play it by heart."
       The nearest thing Jureeporn had to a formal music lesson was a three-year training scholarship awarded to her and her all-girl band by GMM Grammy's Meefah Music School. The programme trained the band to play better together. Jureeporn, back then a student at Abac University, travelled for kilometres from her university to the city centre every evening to take the invaluable lessons.
       "The training focussed on music theory and practical things such as how to make music and play together in harmony. I never got tired of it. Once, I had to take a motorcycle taxi all the way from my university to the school at [Soi] Nana to be on time."
       It was also during this period that she met her mentor, Crescendo drummer Ekpong Cherdtham, who Jureeporn credits as the one who taught her about the theoretical knowledge that enabled her to become a professional musician. When Ekpong was occupying the studio next to the one she was practising in, Jureeporn would knock on his door and beg for a drum lesson.
       "I learned a lot from him, both about theory such as drum notes and, more importantly, something that he never actually verbalised - to enjoy playing music. He taught me this just from the way he would play the drums and I took it that if you enjoy playing, the audience enjoy it, too."
       When her scholarship was discontinued after three years, which coincided with her graduation, Jureeporn put down her drum sticks and started working as a graphic designer for a year until she was summoned to audition for Flure when the band's drummer took leave to study abroad. She got the part, quit her full-time job and has since become one of the most sought-after drummers in the Thai music scene, playing back-up drummer for the likes of Flure, Ornaree and Crescendo.
       Despite playing with various top groups, Jureeporn didn't find a band of her own until she was introduced to Mick Voranisa and Suppaphong "Toonz" Preunglumpoo who would soon become her Abuse the Youth band mates.
       "I was told about this rock band who was looking for a drummer. Mick sent me some samples of songs he had written and I was soon hooked. They have this 1990s indie rock feel that reminded me of the very first time I heard the sound.
       "From the very first time I played with them, I knew this was the band I would be committed to."
       Unlike playing as a hired drummer for other bands, her commitment with Abuse the Youth requires much more professional and personal chemistry.
       "We had a honeymoon period of about six months," she recalled with a laugh. "I would be doing everything they wanted and after six months, I had more courage to voice my opinions and ideas. We would argue more but the good thing about boys is that once we left the rehearsal room, we would drop any work-related arguments and start having fun. They would not hold a grudge."
       Although Jureeporn and Abuse the Youth have already earned a five-year contract with indie record Mind the Gap, released one album, titled Under Skin, and toured extensively in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, the drummer insists to young music aspirants who would always come to her for advice after gigs that they do not need to give up everything to do music, nor do they need to obtain an official music degree in order to be a professional musician.
       "It's still difficult to make a living as a professional musician," she said, not with a sigh of regret but with an understanding of a person who sees and accepts the realities in life.
       "If playing music is your dream, you don't need to give up everything for it. You might need to work and make a living doing something else in order to sustain that dream. I still work as a freelance graphic designer and also help my family with their business from time to time and I still play in this band."
       Relate Search: Jureeporn Gamontummagul, GMM Grammy Meefah Music School, Abac University, Ekpong Cherdtham, Mick Voranisa, Suppaphong "Toonz" Preunglumpoo

GOLDEN GIRL

       All things that glitter might not be gold,but investment guru Tipa Nawawattanasub believes it is certainly gleaming despite the recession, writes Napamon Roongwitoo
       Sitting amongst 150 million baht worth of gold,it was hard to say whether the radiant glow in the room was coming from the eye-catching bars of gold or from the graceful lady 'Muse'was talking to.At 28, Tipa Nawawattanasub is the managing director at YLG Bullion International. In fact, she has held this position for a few years already. Though she may be born and bred in a family that runs a jewellery business, Tipa is not the kind of business heiress who spent her earlier years studying at a privileged school overseas before returning home to take the seat in the executive chair. The young businesswoman has spent her entire life working hard in the glittering business.
       "My family has a jewellery business and I have helped out since I was a little girl," says Tipa. She recalls that every day, when school was over, she would walk back home and once she got back she was no longer a student - she was one of the staff.
       Her business mind drove her to pursue a bachelor's degree in Business Administration at Thammasat University, and later an MBA from the University of Kent at Canterbury as well as a master's degree in Public Administration from Ramkhamhaeng University. Yes, two master's degrees. And that's not all.
       "I am almost done with my PhD at Ramkhamhaeng University, too," adds the brainy beauty.
       Her lifelong experience, coupled with her education background, gave her career a strong kick-start. Upon finishing her studies in the UK, her parents discussed with her about the opportunity to expand their business.Gold trading seemed like a tempting option since the jewellery market was beginning to feel the impact from India's and China's growth spurts.
       "My career in gold trading started about five years ago. We decided to go ahead with the expansion of our existing business line to include the sale of 99.99 percent pure gold bullion products. It took incessant braincrunching meetings but finally here we are!"
       The difference between 99.99 and 96.5 percent gold is the purity, which cannot be seen with the naked eye.Gold accessories are usually 96.5 percent, which makes them a little cheaper. Gold bullions, which are 99.99 percent, are a better option for investment. They might not look as pretty, but there is no goldsmith charge.
       "When selling your gold accessories, you have to go back to the shop where you bought them from otherwise the price would drop significantly. Gold bullions are accepted anywhere, and each bar has its own individual serial number for tracking and safety purposes," she explains.
       Tipa's job is not just trading gold - her policy is to make sure that her clients know exactly what they are doing with each order so they can make the most wellinformed decision when purchasing. The minimum investment is a one kilogramme pure solid gold bullion bar, which equals about one million baht. Such a big investment should not be done in a rush. If the market is not suitable for buying gold at that moment, her staff would suggest the clients to hold off on the purchase."We don't just trade gold. We want our clients to buy and sell at the most profitable times. It's business with ethics."
       Her clients come from all walks of life. She could tell you, interestingly enough, that her biggest clients are sometimes noodle shop owners or fish ball makers."They might wear ragged T-shirts and shorts, but some of these investors have bought over 100kg of gold. My delivery boys told me that some families stock the gold bars in their refrigerator! You really cannot judge people from the outside."
       The hard-working businesswoman feels blessed that she started off so young compared to most of her elder clients who feel she is one of their children. When Tipa would make a mistake in the beginning, they would give her advice instead of picking on her.
       "Without these kinds of clients, I would not be where I am today," she says with a smile. She also adds that her staff never go hungry because her clients always bring in snacks as a treat.
       Despite holding several degrees and having many years of first-hand experience in the gold business,Tipa does not consider herself much different from other women when it comes to investment. Both women and men, she says, have different preferences when it comes to taking risks. Men are typically higher on the financial risk-taking scale than women, and so gold investment is the preferred choice for many women now."Gold prices hardly ever come down. There are more factors to push the price up than there are that would drag the price down," she explains.
       "I'm not very adventurous when it comes to financial investment. And I choose to invest mostly in gold as well because I have seen its price grow 200 percent from the first year our business opened. While making profits for the clients, I thought to myself,'Why shouldn't I invest in this, too?' and so I embarked on this path as well."
       With more women nowadays seeing investment opportunities as equally important as a good and stable career. Her advice is to find the right investment as it is a subjective matter, not a one-size-fits-all choice.
       "Think hard and research well before you decide to put your money in any investment. You can't just think,'Okay, I will invest in gold today,' and run to the gold shop without any prior knowledge. Ask yourself what kind of investor you would like to be - short term or long-term. Assess your risk management skills. And most importantly, stay in the know about what's going on in the world around you. For example, gold prices and oil prices are interlinked, so you need to keep a diligent eye on this all the time. Moreover, the 99.99 gold price changes constantly as the price is global, so sleep with one eye open!"