newnative

I got 80/100. Missed the question on suburbanization. Thought the interstate transportation system promoted it more than Levittown.

I just completed this quiz. My Score 80/100 My Time 116 seconds  

Excellent proposals and long overdue.

That is a mystery--maybe someone on the Forum knows. My only guess is they already had VT3A and VT3B, and a 5 and a 3 can sometimes be confused in handwriting. And, memory--"Did he say to meet at 3A or 5A?" So, possibly they chose 5C and 5D as a better way to distinguish the 4 large buildings. They would skip 4 as an unlucky number.

VT6 and VT7 empty shells were more expensive than the other View Talays from the get-go. I think they were more expensive due to their direct beachfront locations, a slightly more upscale design, better doors, more elevators, underground parking, etc. I don't know that much about View Talay Residences, as we always wanted highrise seaview. I do know that the projects have fewer units and they offer more than just small studios. They are scattered all over Pattaya, from Jomtien to Wong Amat.

Absolutely agree. Cliche or not, you do only go around once in life so why spend your priceless time in someone else's space. Cheers to you for getting exactly what you want. My spouse and I always do the same thing as you; even if we think we might be selling at some point, we always design for ourselves. It sounds like you put a lot of thought into your design and have created something special, with quality materials. You might be surprised that there will be buyers who will gravitate to that, who also want something special, and not the same as everything else.

Just a couple corrections. Later VT condos, 3 thru 7, were also empty shells, as was VT8 initially--I think they later finished some of them or had packages to finish them. I know because my spouse and I renovated empty shell studio units at all of them except VT6 and VT8--we looked at studio shells at both but decided not to buy. VT3 was the first VT project to have 48sqm studios, not VT5. The View Talay company did, at one point, finish some of the studios at VT3--we were living there at the time. I think they were planning to rent them out but I don't know what became of that idea. VT5C and VT5D both have their own pools, they do not share a pool. They are also independent of each other and have their own Juristic offices. There is not a VT4 because the number 4 is unlucky in Chinese culture. You are correct that with empty shells you get thousands of different-looking condos. Someone years ago remarked that the View Talays were like boxes of chocolates, you never knew what you'd get when you opened the door. When we lived at VT7 we peeked in at a condo renovation project on the top floor. I think it was at least 4 studio condos plus a corner unit that had all been put together to make one massive condo. You could easily do things like that starting with empty shells. You are also correct that for years View Talay condo owners and renters have had to put up with renovation noise, as the empty shells were finished. Renovation noise can be found in newer projects, too, though. My spouse and I tore out a brand new kitchen at Centric Sea because we didn't like the cabinets or the kitchen layout. My spouse and I loved the VT empty shell concept--being able to do whatever we wanted to an unfinishedspace. However, most buyers didn't want to do all the work and they wanted a completed condo, including furniture in some cases. Newer developers, such as Riviera, came along and offered just that, very successfully.

The first condo my spouse and I bought when we moved to Pattaya from the Rayong beach area in 2010 was at VT3B. We also owned and lived for periods of about a year at VT5C, VT5D, and VT7. The VT3 condo was a very large corner unit 1 bedroom and the others were 48sqm studios. VT8 was developed by, I believe, another family member and is a separate project and had its own separate sales office on-site. At one time it had a hotel component; I don't know if that is still the case. We didn't see much difference between VT5C and D. One was closer to the ocean, the other closer to the street. We had better seaviews with the 5C units we owned. All the condos we bought were empty shells, without even a finished floor. We liked the blank slate to do what we wanted. I think our favorite renovations were the VT3 and the VT7. I think the View Talay company learned a few things with each project. By the time they got to VT7, they had likely heard a number of complaints about the ratio of elevators to the number of units and entrance doors that weren't the best quality. So, VT7 has a few more elevators and the condo doors are much better Scorpion-type doors. The project had a slightly more upscale feel to it, with its materials, different design, and more unit size choices. But, as with the others, little in the way of amenities other than a pool. We liked the great location of the VT5s and VT7 but our favorite was VT3. It's beachfront and has a very nice, quieter location. it's a smaller project than the others with more of a residential feel. The only drawback for us, as mentioned, was the lack of public transportation, but we did have a car.

No Google in NZ? Pew Research, April 2024, pegged it at 63% support for Trump from white voters without a 4-year degree. This group is likely feeling the most marginalized and the most apprehensive about a rapidly changing world and their place in it. They have gravitated to Trump, in the false hope that he cares about them and is interested in bettering their lot. Why they would think a rich, spoiled Republican with the mantra me! me! me! would have their best interests at heart is beyond me. During his term as the worst president in history, he only managed to pass a big, fat tax cut for himself and his fellow billionaires. Sadly for the 63%, in one of Trump's only recorded instances of being truthful, he admitted he has no interest in them and only wants their vote. Every time I read that the crocodile tears just flow. It's my turn, somebody pass the kleenex.

No, actual FACTS. Which, I know, Trumpets detest. In both the 2020 and the 2016 elections, the voters, to use your term, 'liked' both Clinton and Biden more than Trump, by 2.8 million and 7 million votes. You claim that Biden was 'appointed' President by the EC, and the Trump voters, in your words, 'simply didn't count'. The implication being that Trump won the popular vote but his votes 'didn't count' and the Electoral College, in your words, 'appointed' Biden president. As I pointed out in my earlier post, you have it completely backwards. The reality is, the FACT is, in both elections the popular vote was won by the Democrat candidate, not Trump. The reality is, the FACT is, that Trump was the one who was 'appointed' president by the EC in 2016, over the wishes of the actual voters. If there ever was a glaring case for votes 'not counting', it was the voters who 'liked' Clinton more than Trump, to the tune of 2.8 million. Ditto for the 2000 election, when the actual voters 'liked' Gore more than Bush but Bush was 'appointed' president by the EC, with an assist from the Supreme Court. Had Trump won the popular vote in either 2016 or 2020, and the Democrat candidate won the EC, then, yes, you would have a claim of the voters 'liking' Trump but the EC 'appointing' the Democrat. Not the case. Trump lost the popular vote very badly in both elections. Not 'liked'--sorry. The reality is, the FACT is, that if only the popular vote was considered, Trump would have never been 'appointed' as president in 2016 and the US would have been spared the worst president in history. Yet another reason to ditch the EC.

Huh? 'Only the voters like Trumps, and they simply don't count.' ??? I think you got it backwards. The voters 'liked' Biden more than Trump in the 2020 election by more than 7 MILLION. In 2016, the voters also 'liked' Clinton more--by 2.8 MILLION. In that 2016 election, you are totally right, the actual voters 'didn't count'. But, Trump was the one who was, in your words, 'appointed by the EC', even though the actual voters wanted Clinton, by 2.8 million votes. Trump has never even won 50% of the vote so, clearly, the majority of the voters don't 'like' the worst President in the history of the US.

If they will kill once they will kill again. Put them down immediately. Owners got off way too lightly.

Great! Now it really needs to be all hands on deck for all the democratic stars, full-tilt campaigning everywhere, especially the swing states, and encouraging voter registration and early mail-in voting. No let-up until election day. This election is just so important.

Exactly! Donald, Donald, you are making a huge mistake not 'debating'! Do the very same thing you did in the first 'debate' with Biden! Like the first 'debate', don't even think about actually debating--way, way, way above your skillset, buddy. Instead, like the first 'debate', simply regurgitate big, smelly chunks of your campaign speech with every question asked of you. Remember your answer to the chlld care question in the first 'debate'? Do the same thing! No studying needed! No facts needed! No statistics needed! Even lazy, brain-addled you can do this! As Captain Monday says, 'Just spew a load of codswallop (witn no fact checking), and avoid every question.' What could be easier? It's what you live and breathe. Like the first 'debate', your great unwashed, who have all lost any reasoning they might have ever had, will eat it up with a big spoon. Donald, Donald, Donald, who in their right mind turns down free prime-time tv exposure in a presidential campaign??? (But, speaking as a Democrat, thank god you are an idiot. However, I still can't believe even you can be that dumb--I sense a dirty trick lurking somewhere.)

Agree. And crush the motorcycles and turn them into coffee tables.

FYI, 'most' Chinese are not here in group tours. Over 60% are traveling independently. Your experience living near a pool villa may not mirror what others are experiencing.

I don't necessarily think older condos are 'less strict'. I lived in one older condo project and they had a strict condo policy of requiring rentals of at least 6 months. I thiink it is more the case that many older condo projects don't lend themselves as easily to daily rentals as newer projects do and, in many cases, it is not as big a problem as a result. Older projects tend to have smaller numbers of units and the units, themselves, are often larger. Always exceptions, of course. That project I just mentioned above had less than 200 units and the smallest unit was 64sqm. These days, 64sqm would often be one of the largest units in a project. Many newer projects have 1000 units or more and many of the units are in the 25 to 35sqm range, ideal for use as 'hotel' rooms. There is a new condo project going up in Pattaya with the entire project being studios of less than 30sqm, except for a single one-bedroom unit on each floor. With new projects, an investor can more easily buy multiple units from the get-go and set up boutique 'hotels' within the condo project. That can be harder to do with older projects, with the units usually already sold. Should I ever chose to live in a condo again, I'd look for a condo in a likely older project with a smaller number of larger units.

Yes, two other negatives with these illegal renters.

Correction, Donald. You are the worst president in history. It's really pathetic when you try to offload it on to someone else. It's yours to keep. Learn to embrace your infamy. Wear it like a badge of dishonor, like you do everything else. You might get some cold comfort in that old saying, 'there's no bad publicity'. Goodness knows, you've had plenty of it--by now you should be handling it better.

I was more annoyed by having to move twice myself.

Fun for the OP to fantasize but I do love that Trump is stuck with his truly horrible pick as VP. Although, I guess he could order him bumped off and claim presidential immunity.

Watch the video. The rider either fell off or tried to jump off while the baht bus was moving at a normal rate of speed. Sorry, but an accident entirely the rider's fault.

I think the condo board should have approved the removal of the trees if this was, indeed, a large undertaking with a big impact on the look of the project. Management normally should never be undertaking anything unusual or beyond normal, everyday management tasks without the approval of the condo board, which is charged with operating the condo on behalf of all the owners. With something, apparently from your post, this significant, I think the condo owners should have also been notified for their input before the tree removal was done. You might check with a board member to see what the process was with the tree removal and the reason for the removal. Enhanced communication with the owners on important matters impacting the condo might be something to be discussed at the next annual meeting.

You have been lucky. For many others, that is not the case. My spouse and I lived at two different new projects of more than 1000 units. Hundreds of those units, not five, were being illegally rented short-term. The issue was not just hearing rowdy vacationers all the time. It was also the lobby always crowded with people and luggage everywhere while these illegal renters waited for the person to arrive to check them in. It was the elevator opening and you couldn't get on because it, too, was every day filled with the illegal renters and all their luggage taking all the space. It was lots of ill-behaved illegal renters at the pool disregarding the condo rules and doing things like drinking beers in glass bottles while in the pool. It was illegal renters overwhelming the condo staff with problems with their units or other concerns, expecting the condo staff to function like hotel staff. (I'm out of toilet paper! There's a light bulb burned out! How do I use the washing machine, internet, tv controls? Etc, etc.) It was illegal renters leaving their garbage in the hallway bcause they didn't know, or care, where the trash room was--and, surely, 'hotel' staff will be along to pick it up. It was seeing the wear and tear in the condo public spaces that were not designed for large numbers of people moving in and out every day, and not staffed by an army of 'hotel' maintenance workers to repair the damage and keep everything in tiptop shape. All of that, and more, each and every day with no break, created the very unpleasant experience of living in a too busy 'hotel', and a 'hotel' not designed well enough,and without enough 'hotel' staff to handle all of the guests. I like hotels but I don't want to live in one full-time. And, sometimes, neither do full-time renters. We owned a rental unit at a third large project, bought new when the project first opened. We had a great tenant the first year we owned, corporate rental, never a problem, rent paid like clockwork every month. Dream tenant. As the year was ending the tenant informed us he would be moving out. Reason? He, too, did not like living in a busy hotel. Seeing the writing on the wall, we sold the condo.

Second for southeast Asia, not the world.