newnative

Huh? Seems you completely missed the point, and ended up concluding the exact opposite of the intention regarding the old woman's story and her take on how she has tried to live her life, her take on how to face adversity and aging, her take on choosing to be positive, even before the get-go, rather than negative, when life throws you a bad curve ball. All of which first starts in your head, with your outlook, before anything else. You did get that one thing right--it does involve your head. For the record, I am here because my spouse is Thai. I am American. We have also lived for a number of years in the USA. We are now living here, which we prefer for a variety of reasons, one being his career; I am retired. Had my spouse been Spanish, we might be living in Spain. Vietnamese, perhaps Vietnam, or maybe the US. We have been here since 2010 and are still loving it. We have been making some wonderful memories here, I know I have, for our 'memory banks'. The point, though, at least for me, is not where you are living your life, it's how you are living your life, what you are making of it, where you are.

Yes, get going immediately, if not sooner. I suspect, though, that you will come to be unsatisfied and unhappy with wherever you end up. And, wherever you end up, I won't be surprised if you'll soon find something, other than yourself, to blame for your dissatisfaction with your life. Then, you'll likely start looking around for the next place to move to--thinking that if you can just find the right place, your life will finally be hunky dory. I think that is apparent to most of us who have been reading your posts on the Forum. Brace yourself for a hard truth. It's you, not your environment, that is the root of your unsatisfied life. You have been living in Pattaya and have found it wanting. Now, you've decided, it's not just Pattaya, it's also the Thai people. It's anything and everything, but certainly not you. Yes, unfortunately, it's you. Pattaya is a huge city. You can be in town with all the entertainments, if you want to. You can be in any of the many quieter beach areas, anywhere from south Jomtien to Wong Amat, if you want to. You can choose to be on the Darkside, with hundreds of housing projects to choose from, if you want to. Ditto with the huge selection of condos to rent or buy all over town, from low-rise to high-rise, in big projects and small. Wherever you end up in Pattaya, the city offers plenty in the way of entertainment, shopping choices from huge malls to fresh markets, services for just about anything, and health care facilities--certainly much more than the American city I lived in. There's plenty here to make every day interesting, but you first need to have some interests--true wherever you hang your hat. There's all sorts of sports available, from badminton, golf, cycling, bowling, hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, volleyball, yoga, working out at a gym, swimming--just about anything is on offer. For socializing, there are expat groups, clubs, and volunteering opportunities. Bangkok, with everything it has to offer, is less than 2 hours away to explore and enjoy. Just scratching the surface and, meanwhile, doing all this with year-round nice weather. In a nutshell, if you can't be satisfied in a big city like Pattaya, with all its variety, how is the next place going to be any different? Any better? You seem to have no apparent interests that have been mentioned in your posts, other than spending a lot of time at the bars, where you seem to meet people you find unsatisfactory, to go with your new view of Thai people, also falling short of the mark. Yes, I think it's definitely time for you to move on, but think a bit on this: Today's Facebook related a story of an old woman, recently widowed, going into a nursing home. The attendant escorted her to her new room, describing it on the way. "I love it!", she exclaimed. The attendant asked her how she could love it, having not seen it yet. She replied that seeing it didn't matter. Happiness, she said, is something that you decide on, ahead of time. Whether she likes the new room or how the furniture is arranged, is not important. What matters, she explains, is not the arrangement of the furniture, but the arrangement of her mind. In her mind, she already decided to love her new living arrangement, no matter what it turned out to be. In her mind, she has arranged it to put aside all the negatives of her now very-changed life, and, instead, focus on, and fully embrace, the positives. At this stage in her life, she tries to disregard what may not work well in her old body, and rejoice at what still does work. That, essentially, is how she has lived her life, greeting each new day as a precious gift, to be made the most of. She relates that, as she has lived her life, she has deposited wonderful memories in the 'memory bank' of her mind. Now that she is in her twilight years, she can withdraw those wonderful memories to savor. She also wryly notes that, even at her age, she is still making deposits in her memory bank. Some might find all this silly and sappy to the max but I do try to live my life--especially as the years advance--along those same lines, to try to accent the positive, rather than the negative, and to try to appreciate the time I have been given, and make the most of it. I'm not sure what you have in your 'memory bank', JT, but, from your posts, your account seems negative. Maybe, starting tomorrow, try beginning the day with a positive attitude, and do something memorable with your day.

Hopefully, sooner.

It's all rather short on details--what's considered petty and what will be the fines charged, rather than prison time. I imagine the police are going to love it. Likely the criminals, too. The actual crime victims, not so much. Steal something and sell it for, say, 100,000 baht. Maybe a few days later get caught for the theft. Pay, I'm guessing, maybe a 1,000 baht theft charge, net profit, 99,000 baht. A penalty fine, if they even catch you, but no jail time. Someone could possibly get a nice little earner going, depending on the details. Perhaps mot quite as good as parts of the USA, though, as I've posted before. In my brother-in-law's jurisdiction, you can steal up to $150 from a store and the police will not respond at all if you phone to report the theft. Nada. Don't bother to even pick up the phone. They don't want to hear it, and certainly don't want to investigate it. So, make the rounds of a couple dozen or so stores each day in that jurisdiction, steal $150 or less worth of merchandise at each, and, there you have it, another nice little earner, with no penalties at all. Use what you want, sell the rest. Some of the CEO's of the biggest retailers are starting to finally publicly squawk about the huge theft problem, cutting deeply into their bottom lines, so maybe things might change a bit--but I doubt it.

. . . . rinse and repeat

My partner and I are impatiently waiting for the Seal U suv. We like the Atto 3 but need more space.

I'm calling BS. As I posted yesterday, the earlier procedure, and the latest one, were to pierce his ears, specifically those wonderful lobes that were just made to sport wonderful diamond sparklers. He's not fooling anyone by posting a pre-pierced ears photo--there's a Christmas tree in the background, for heaven's sake! I once again consulted--no charge to any of you for my time--with his superstar ear-piercing surgeon to the stars and he assures me he should be fully recovered and out of hospital by no later than February, or possibly even earlier depending on how certain 'get out of jail free' cards are dealt, which can so often help a patient psychologically and contribute to an extra speedy recovery after traumatic surgery such as this--and under the knife not once but twice!

Looks like he was crossing where he shouldn't have been--so bad on him. But, maybe he can negotiate his injury and upgrade it for a nose job and it will all turn into a big plus. Glass half-full!

It sounds like only you want to be in Europe. Your kids don't even want to go out and play. Contrary to what you say, your wife does seem to be taking some interest in the kids--she dresses and feeds them and I assume gets them off to school--plenty of work right there, by the way, and she takes enough interest that she wants them to have tablets so they can keep up with their peers and new technology. You mention your shelves are a mess. Clean them up, then! It's the 21st century--there's no such thing as 'woman's work' anymore. Sorry to say it but you sounds like you were raised a bit spoiled if you can't even clean up after yourself. Clean the rest of the house, while you're at it, and throw a load in the washer. As Dear Abby or Ann Landers used to say, 'wake up and smell the coffee'. But, that's just my take, from your one side of the story--and it doesn't even matter, anyway. Either Dear Abby or Ann Landers also used to answer questions such as yours with this: Ask yourself if you are better off with or without this person, in this case, your wife, and go from there. It really just comes down to that, in the end, and doesn't matter whether you both are saints or anything else. I will just add, be brutally honest with yourself when answering that question. Once you have your answer, either way, you need to make the necessary changes to accommodate your answer.

Well, I have been secretly laughing about all the speculation regarding his first medical procedure and now, here we go again, with the second operation. At this point, I might as well put all the speculation to rest and give you the full scoop, which I am privy to--don't ask me how, my sources always demand, and get, my total secrecy and discretion. The first operation was to have his left ear pierced. As many may have noticed, he has wonderful ear lobes that have been crying out to be pierced, to be highlighted, and to be rightly shown to their best advantage. No, they are not in the Lyndon Johnson class, by any means, but still quite nice specimens, thank you very much. And, as one ages, it is nice to be able to call attention to something striking one possesses, is it not? The noted British surgeon, Dr. Earl Anthony Rutherford, yes, that Dr. Rutherford, was called in to perform the delicate, no to mention, intricate, procedure. Many of you, of course, will know he also did the ear piercings for the late singer George Michael, which really put the good doctor on the map, at a relatively young age, as the 'go-to' surgeon for these dicey operations. And, of course, Princess Diana's piercings, to correct the amateur pokes done by an inept childhood friend, with a potato and a needle, of all things, vaulted him into true superstar status in the rarefied world of celebrity ear-piercing So, with something this potentially life-threatening, you go for the best, no questions asked. The operation, we are happy to report, was a complete success. But, of course, with major surgery, and this is major surgery involving penetrating the skin, for heaven's sake, and let's face it (small pun), with visible results on display for everyone to see--from hardened murderers to petty pick pockets-- it's only natural that a long convalescence in hospital was de rigueur before subjecting the patient to the possibly withering scrutiny of his fellow inmates, many not known to possess a wild abundance of human kindness. The second operation, as you have probably guessed by now, was to do the other ear. What could be better than one? Two! And, of course, twice the sparkle with those multi-caret diamond twinklers highlighting the still so youthful-looking lobes, and nicely drawing attention away from that not so youthful-looking dye job. As with the first procedure, a long hospital convalescence is expected, likely into the beginnings of 2024. Better safe than sorry.

I'm an American and I'm not planning to 'comply' either. After reading 100+ pages of mostly speculation, I haven't the foggiest idea of how I would 'comply', even if I wanted to. I'm certainly not going to voluntarily file a Thai tax return. I am retired and I don't work in Thailand--or anywhere else. I earn Social Security and a Virginia government pension, both of which I believe are protected from Thai taxation by the dual taxation agreement. I earn dividends of approximately $10,000 a year, currently maintained in a Schwab account. This, I believe, is subject to taxation, but only if remitted to Thailand, where it becomes 'accessible' for taxation. Not sent to Thailand, not accessible, not subject to Thai tax--at least that is my understanding at this point. I will not be sending any dividend income to Thailand. I will continue to send SS and pension money, from time to time, using Wise, to fund my living expenses in Thailand. At one point I was considering changing my SS deposits to my Thai bank but I think I will hold off on that for now. In the unlikely event I am ever called upon to show documentation, my USA bank statements only show monthly deposits of the SS and pension income--and I only use this bank to send funds to Thailand. I suppose if I wanted to be truly precise for documentation, I could make my Wise transfers the exact amount of the total of a monthly SS and pension payment. My dividend income, which I was going to start sending to my USA bank, will remain in my separate Schwab account.

His 'ailment' is aversion to being treated just like any other normal prisoner.

While we're at it, have they also stopped the Asean Now Daily News feeds sent to our email? I've stopped getting them for several days now.

No worries. China will have it's half of the rail line built and up and running in 6 months, while Thailand will, in 6 months, just be announcing, with much fan fair, and likely a catchy acronym, its intention to form an informal committee to study which ministries, and other interested parties, should be named to the formal, official committee to study the matter and report back, at an unspecified future date, to the main decision-making committee, tasked with giving a go or no go to the project. Such committee also to be named at an unspecified future date, but strictly no later than the turn of the century.

Parking needs to be eliminated on most of the major roads--there's just too much traffic now. North Pattaya Road is the best example--a handful or cars parked here and there block an extra lane of traffic each way. More off-street parking lots added on side streets and public parking garages are needed. There are lots of empty lots that can be quickly turned into parking lots--with the owners earning some revenue until they decide to develop the property. Traffic fines need to be steep--500 baht is a joke. Triple it, at least--and strictly enforced. Obviously, 16 policemen devoted to enforcing the parking regulations is a total joke--I personally have never seen one in 12 years here. They need a large 'meter maid' type force, out every day, patrolling every major road, and earning a portion of the fines collected for the tickets they write, in addition to their salaries, which should be funded by the fines collected. All pipe dreams, of course.

Right. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Thanks, appreciate your comment. I agree that people like JT will never be satisfied. I think that partly it is because they can't even decide what they want to be satisfied, or unsatisfied with, to begin with. Readers will remember that some months ago JT was all gung-ho about buying a very run-down looking small studio at Nirun. Was planning to fix it up to live in. That went nowhere--first he was satisfied, then unsatisfied. This week he makes disparaging comments regarding View Talay projects, saying: 'look up and you see balconies all the same' and, 'every room is nearly the same.' In a later post, he called them 'prison cells'--never mind that there is a 3 bedroom, 260 sqm, oceanfront 'prison cell' for sale at VT7 for 35MB. So, based on no more than standing outside and 'looking up', he's made his decision on View Talays. Not for him--but Nirun was perfectly ok, until it also wasn't. As I stated in a response to his post, nothing could be further from the truth regarding 'every room is nearly the same'. The exact opposite, to be exact--which he would know if he actually did any research consisting of more than 'looking up'. And, not all the units are studios--there are huge corner units and also large double units of around 100 sqm. Having been in some truly stunning, one-of-a-kind condos at various VT projects, with stunning ocean views as the cherry on top, I can say they are lightyears from Nirun. There's no denying that VT3-8 sit on some of the best oceanfront property in Jomtien. The outsides are indeed rather plain, the amenities usually only a pool, but you have a great location, an economical condo fee, and a variety of blank canvas condo sizes to put your personal stamp on. I do find myself puzzled that the same-looking Nirun balconies were ok for JT, but the same-looking VT balconies, bad. In reality, not all the VT balconies are the same--some are curved, some are much longer near the stairwells, and some are huge, wrap-around corner balconies on the end units--not that one should be judging a condo project, as JT apparently does, solely on the look of its balconies. Having lived in VT 3, 5C, 5D, and 7, I can also attest that I was not living in projects 'packed' with people, as he also claims. Yes, they are big projects--but they also have many absentee and part-time owners, and also some unsold units--the back wings of VT 7 are almost empty. When we lived at VT3, which is split into 2 buildings, I think there were only 3 or 4 other occupied condos on our floor. It never felt crowded, although VT5C was busier, in those years before the condo construction boom, and it could have used several more elevators during high season.

My reaction exactly! Another member for the Brokeback Mountain Club. In this case, he 'never goes to the dump' but still 'just can't quit' Pattaya.

Okey dokey

And why, pray tell, are you addressing your response specifically to me, and not to the OP, who asked the question in the first place and was seeking responses, or to others who also answered no? I don't own a motorcycle, I could care less where you park your car, I don't take steroids, I am not huge, I am not tattooed, heavily or otherwise, I don't run a resort with the name PARADISE in it, and, finally, I am not named Matt.

No, nor in Bangkok, or anywhere else I have been in Thailand.

It's really whatever floats your boat, no matter whether you own it or rent it. It's that simple. Mind you, your boat, not my boat--or that guy's boat over there. Everybody's boat is different. What's perfect for you, I might hate, and vice-versa. Speaking of boats, you've probably been reading the stories about the latest trend, retirees buying a small stateroom of 35 to 50 sqm or so on a ship and spending their retirement years floating on the sea from port to port. Some claim it's cheaper, for them, than living on land. Others, instead of buying, book cruise after cruise after cruise so they also spend their retirement years in a small ship cabin, going from ship to ship, year after year. Again, whatever floats your boat. There are now entire ships devoted to living full-time on a cruise ship--I just saw a story yesterday about a new ship for this purpose getting started. Small inner cabins, without even a window, start at $100,000. If you want one with a window, add $49,000. Sounds fairly reasonable, I guess, but monthly fees for 2 are steep: $3500! Yikes! $100,000 (3.6MB) could easily get me a condo in Pattaya--with both a balcony and windows--and a much smaller monthly maintenance fee. Both the ship's staterooms, and many of the new condos being built, are small, with 1 bedrooms generally around 35 sqm, give or take. To compensate, the ships, and the condo projects, are packed with amenities to get you out of your small homes--everything from pools to gyms to yoga rooms to sky lounges to golf simulators to snooker to ping pong to libraries to theaters to jogging tracks to . . . You name it. Despite all the amenities, many could not live in a condo so small. But, there are many that can, and do, live in small spaces--note, the 'tiny house' movement. The two condos I mentioned, and showed photos of in a previous post, both have all the things you typically need and want for 2 to live comfortably--they just provide it in an efficient way, in a smaller footprint. At various times, when our finances were smaller, my partner and I resided in several View Talay studios--and lived to tell the tale. Neither of us felt we were deprived at all at the time. It was what we could afford, and we made it work. Having lived 30-some years of cold, gray, depressing, miserable, interminable winters, we welcomed our large balcony, our beautiful ocean view, and the year-round nice weather. We felt lucky to be living here. And, if for some reason, we find ourselves back living in a VT studio, we'd make it our home, and make it work for us once again. And, still count ourselves lucky to be living here

VT2 studios are generally smaller, around 37sqm vs. 48sqm for the newer projects. The extra 11 square meters were applied to making the newer rooms a true rectangle, while expanding the balcony. VT2 rooms were angled by the balcony window wall to make space for a small balcony. Lucky owners snagged units next to the fire escape stairways, which have much bigger balconies. Those extra square meters made for quite the difference. The rectangle interior room was much easier to work with than a room with an awkward angle. The truly generous balcony became a whole extra room, with space for both outdoor dining and a couple of lounge chairs to enjoy the nice year-round weather. As I mentioned to another poster, big balconies or not, we are still dealing in very small spaces, at both the VT studios and all the many new condo projects that have 1 bedrooms at around 35 sqm. The new projects mostly do have a lot of nice amenities, to help take the sting out of living in a space so small. I think large numbers of these small condos are used as weekend getaway places. Perhaps some will remember that The Base was originally marketed to Bangkokers as a getaway place at the beach--tagline in the brochures was, 'It's the Weekend!. Getaway places could be small units of 29 and 35 sqm, ideal for a weekend at the beach. Others have small condos here to escape the harsh winters in their countries. We have friends who do just that, live in a small space over the winter months but spend the rest of the year elsewhere--in larger quarters. Whatever one ends up in, It all boils down to personal preferences, personal lifestyle, and what one's budget can afford.

Yes, as I said in my post, some are ok with small, some want much larger spaces. Fortunately, Pattaya has a wide variety of both. How I wish the town where I lived in the US had offered such choice. and such reasonable rents.

Yes, rents are such a bargain here, especially compared to where I am from, the US.