Pattaya Today Volume 8 Issue 18 Property Section

Pattaya Today 23 PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 1/23

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

The Lighthouse Club - Lighting the way for a Brighter Future in Pattaya The tough times from this global recession are showing little sign of respite here in Pattaya made evident in recent hotel occupancy rates that are currently less than 50%. Unfavourable exchange rates, fewer tourists, political demonstrations to name a few of the compounding issues to our local economic downturn.

How do we as individual business people respond to such conditions?

Although not a solution to the economic issues, in the Lighthouse Club we have a beacon of light that not only serves as an informal networking evening for those within construction and real estate, but a charity that gives back to the community through helping orphaned children of construction workers through an organisation called SANUK. Last months event was generously sponsored

by Paradise City Property, whom has real estate offices not only in Pattaya but Rayong and Hua Hin too. Managing Director, Gavin Perfect, probably sums it up best

when he states ‘It feels great knowing that when you attend these productive networking evenings, mixing with like minded business people discussing opportunities and issues in the market place that you are also having a very positive impact on children far less fortunate than

us. The Lighthouse club currently covers the cost of one full time member of staff that looks after these children and we have also provided art and craft to help stimulate their minds’.

On the fourth Friday of each month they hold an event at either Jameson’s or one of the two Shenanigans and it is open to all, both member (200bht) and non mem-

ber (500bht). A generous buffet and supply of beer and wine is included in your entry fees. With in the region of sixty attendees each month it really is the place to come and meet some key players in construction and real estate in Pattaya whilst also supporting a fantastic cause.

- A terrific opportunity to network with a significant group within construction and real estate You may have a business that you wish to come and sponsor an evening with them, previous sponsors have seen real benefits in getting a group like this together and spending time sharing information on their operations over a glass

of wine or bottle of beer!

This really is a rare and scarce - there are only 12 events a year - chance to showcase your business in front of the right people.

So, if you are in business and want to light the way to a brighter future for you and others less fortunate then the Lighthouse Club should be an essential monthly event for your schedule.

In today’s tough business climate the ‘do nothing’ is not an option, creating opportunities however is a must and in the Lighthouse club you have a ready made event to create such an opportunity.

Paradise City Property have extensive property listings, both in sales and rental across Pattaya, Rayong and Hua Hin, on their state of the art web page www.paradisecityproperty.com well worth checking out if only for a browse of the different properties across the region. They can also be contacted on 038-373966 or pattaya@ paradisecityproperty.

For details of forthcoming Lighthouse club

events including sponsorship contact Mark

Thompson at mark@ rayongproperty.biz.

24 Pattaya Today PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 2/24

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

Hope on the global economic horizon Although this financial crisis is generally agreed to be the worst since the Great Depression and the worst global economic downturn in decades, the signs are that, slowly but surely, economic recovery is actually beginning to occur, although full recovery will be slow and ‘U’rather than ‘V’ shaped, being essentially led by the USA. Evidence for this is that  economies are still contracting but at a slower rather than an accelerated rate  although unemployment in the US is still rising, more are employed today then in December 2007, at the beginning of the financial tsunami  aggressive monetary and fiscal policies are starting to impact  many economic conditions are no longer in a free fall  there is a large decline in business inventories  the Canadian central bank is beginning to see a rebound in consumer confidence, with some

positive moves in the housing market.

In some sectors, however, things will worsen before they start to improve.

Global trade volumes, for instance, are expected to contract 12% in 2009 because of the severe and prolonged global demand slump, excess capacity across supply chains and the continued reduction in trade finance. While the rate of economic contraction is slowing compared to the free-fall rates of Q4 of 2008 and Q1 of 2009, the economic bottom has not yet been reached, nor has a sustained recovery of growth commenced yet, particularly in Europe and Japan. And the levels of unemployment, whilst slowing, will still continue to rise in the short-term; however, it is employment which is indicative of recovery and that can even start, albeit with the economy is still in chaos, with as many as half the US population being unemployed.

However, major pundits are optimistic. Janet

Yellen, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said “I am hopeful that the (US) recession will end in the second half of this year due

once it does get started,” adding that unemployment will probably take “several more years” to return to long-run equilibrium levels.

to aggressive monetary and fiscal policies, and the operation of typical business cycle mechanisms, but it will likely not give way to a robust rebound in growth.”

Ms Yellen cautioned that “I expect the U.S. recovery to be frustratingly tepid

“My forecast that output growth will turn positive in 2009 and proceed near trend in 2010 implies that the unemployment rate will rise from 8.5% now to around 9.5% by the end of this year.” Ms Yellen also remarked she’s seen

some positive signals such as the large decline in business inventories that are seen as a prerequisite to a turn in the economy.

“The first-quarter data suggest that the necessary inventory correction may be quite far along,” she said, adding that recent data also hinted at a stabilization in the housing sector.

Bank of Canada governor, Mark Carney, was apparently in accordance with Ms Yellen’s appraisal, saying that the bank continues to see adjustment in business inventories.

“Firms got caught with a lot of extra product that they need to sell and they seem to be adjusting to that quite quickly.

It makes this half of the year bad. But once you’ve cleaned out the inventory stock then it means you start producing more. Some of this difficult restructuring, if handled well, can get us back on our feet much more quickly,” he said.

As for Thailand, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said that the government

is committed to a new 3-year investment plan to revitalize the economy, amounting to Bt1.4 to 1.5 trillion and Korn is currently working on the details of investment projects in a wide range of industries.

Economic and financial guru, George Soros, asserts that to prevent the US, and by implication the global, economy from sliding further into a depression, President Obama must embark on a radical and comprehensive policy package that has five major components: 1. a further fiscal stimulus package 2. a thorough overhaul of the mortgage system 3. recapitalization of the banking system 4. an innovative energy policy 5. reform of the international financial system If these measures become policy, not only in the US, but worldwide, then global economic recovery can be sustained in the long-term.

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

PATTAYA STYLISH LIVING

Raimon Land completes home for underprivileged children in Klong Toey with Mercy Centre Luxury property developer Raimon Land has completed the construction of the Baan Mercy Ruamjai Pattana building for the Human Development Foundation in Klong Toey to house underprivileged children from the area.

months at a cost of THB 9 million, donated by Raimon Land and other suppliers who work with the developer. These include contractors Bouygues Thai and NET, concept designer Graham Lamb, architect Stephen J. Leach, and

Henri Young, Director of Marketing Raimon Land PLC with children and Father Joe Maier, Human Development Foundation Founder and Director (6th left), at the inauguration of the Baan Mercy Ruamjai Pattana building, Klong Toey

Announced in May last year, the project has been finished in just over twelve

engineers Meinhardt and EEC Lincoln Scott.

The aim of the develop-

ment is to create a safe and non-abusive environment for 40 children, with ages ranging from five to late teens, and to provide them with an as near as possible to normal upbringing considering their circumstances.

The realisation of this project reaffirms Raimon Land’s long - standing commitment to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, which continues to plan despite the global economic slowdown.

Raimon Land Chief Executive Officer, Hubert Viriot, said: “Supporting the community, with children at its heart, is very much in line with our vision of developing a better environment, to which we remain completely dedicated.”

The children at Mercy Centre have been engaged in the initiative from the beginning, with a compe-

Insurance has never been more important Economic pressures should never be at the expense of good insurance cover

by Dan Cheeseman

Pattaya is the epitome of multi-cultural living across both expat and tourist alike, and in Global Solidor Real Estate and Insurance Brokers they are ideally placed to serve every one of them due to recent changes to their business.

Global Solidor is a division of the trusted and well respected German-Thai Group that was originally founded in Pattaya in 1986. GermanThais objective was to support foreign clients with qualified information and help in the fields of legal advice and management consultancies as well as in real estate and insurance business. Since then the group has continued to flourish with success largely based on its commitment to deliver first class customer service and in its ability to deliver to its customers’ needs.

Due to its continual growth the group has split its services with Global Solidor now representing all real estate and insurance brokerage, whilst the German-Thai will maintain its specialism in legal.

So, what does this mean to the customer? In short, very little, with customers still able to enjoy the high standards and trust created from the German-Thai Group through Global Solidor, whilst now also able to benefit from multi-national consultants. Whether English, French, German, Russian or Thai, Global Solidor has professional consultants to help you.

It is important to choose a company that you can have confidence in and can rely on, this is why Global Solidor will not compromise their standards and will always be ethical and right for our customers. They are also members of the Real Estate Broker Association, a group that conforms to official Thai Government policies as well as international real estate standards.

Don’t overlook the importance of good insurance Part of Global Solidors offer is with insurance. Recent advice in America from a leading consultant on managing the recession placed Health Insur-

ance as one of the top five things you must do in order to successfully manage your finances. Imagine having an accident or falling ill in Thailand and then having to pay for your medical costs, it does not come cheap and could very easily bankrupt you (or even worse, what if you could not afford an important operation?). Other insurance services offered include Motor, Liability, Property, Corporate, and Marine/Hull. Global Solidor partner with major international groups to ensure you get the very best products around - from AXA to QBE, from BUPA to LMG. They would love to have the opportunity to see how they could help you with any of your legal, real estate or insurance needs, so why not give them a ring or go see them at their office?

Global Solidor can be contacted either by telephone on 038 427 364 or visit them at 157/143 Moo 5, PattayaNaklua Road, Chonburi 20150. www.global-solidor. com Email: info@globalsolidor.com

tition run amongst them to decide what the home should be called – with 7 year old Voravut Charoenthai winning. Other activities include involvement in artwork and interior fittings to ensure a personalised feel and a sense of familiarity and belonging.

Human Development Foundation Founder and Director, Father Joe Maier, said: “We are extremely grateful to Raimon Land and their partners for their support and wholehearted involvement in

Pattaya Today 25 PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 3/25

creating Baan Mercy Ruamjai Pattana. It is a very high-quality and much needed addition to our facilities.”

Baan Mercy Ruamjai Pattana houses individual bed and storage facilities for the children, as well as games, kitchen and laundry facilities, a homework area, an on-site guardian and a garden on the second floor to grow herbs and vegetables.

Thongchai Solokkoo, one of the children who will move into the house

said, “We like this house a lot. It’s beautiful with plenty of space for us as well as trees and a lawn to play on. We promise that we will take good care of this house.

The original idea to build the house was inspired by the inaugural Thailand Property Awards in 2007, for which Mercy Centre was the beneficiary. Raimon Land was acknowledged as Best Developer at the awards organised by Thailand Property Report.

26 Pattaya Today PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 4/26

Chikungunya Disease Epidemic in South Over 15,000 people in 15 of Thailand’s southern provinces have been infected with the mosquito virus, Chikungunya disease. The Public Health Ministry, however, is certain the outbreak can be controlled, despite a woeful lack of qualified health staff throughout the region. Precautionary measures, including widespread spraying with anti-mosquito chemicals, increased watchfulness and a public information campaign have been put into place, according to Disease Control Department Head, Somchai Chakrabhand.

Stream Of Culture Fair Bang Muang village at the confluence of three canals recently staged the ‘Stream of Culture’ Fair to celebrate the ancient culture of Thailand and the populace’s relationship with water.

Events included mask-making and vegetable-and-fruit carving, traditional dancing to bless the monarch, gong or local drum performance by the youth, the work of artists depicting local scenery, traditional boat songs, poetry recitals, displays of traditional children’s games, Thai musical instruments and Thai classical mask plays.

Rainy Season Increases Swine Flu Risk The Public Health Ministry is concerned that the rainy season could produce perfect conditions for the spread of H1N1, the Mexican swine flu virus. To date 12 patients in Thailand are

suspected of having contracting the virus, though none have been confirmed.

Foreign athletes attending the Youth World Weightlifting Championship in Chiang Mai, are being seen as potential carriers and will be screened whilst coming through Suvarnabhumi or Chiang Mai airports.

Practical Joke Rebounds On Aussie Woman An Australian mother, whose friends played a practical joke on her, hiding a souvenir bar-mat in her bag, was arrested and jailed for 4 nights in Phuket, charged with “night time” theft. Currently out on bail, she was to remain here until her trail in 14 weeks, but is now to be repatriated. Annice Smoel asserts she was victimized because she was in a group of women without a man to bribe police, though witnesses accuse her of insulting a high-ranking policeman.

Flood Warnings Issued to 18 Provinces The Meteorological Department has issued a warning of dangerous flash floods and the likelihood of inundation in 18 provinces around the country, which are liable to reoccur throughout May and early June, due to heavy and sometimes torrential rainfall. The provinces likely to be affected are Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Uttaradit, Phetchabun, Uthai Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Chainat, Sing Buri, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Phetchaburi, Rayong, Trang and Satun.

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

International Property Analysts Predict Price Drop International property analysts are predicting a fall in property prices, especially in Bangkok, and warning that there are potential risks in this region of Asia and that investors should exercise caution and be wary of investing. John Evans of Tractus Asia said “I think we are going to see a big decrease, maybe even 25 to 30 per cent in residential property in Bangkok as there is an oversupply and more supply coming online.”

Bangkok Rapid Response Unit to Instill Fear in Hearts of Villains The recently launched Bangkok Rapid Response Unit project is the brainchild of Metropolitan Police Division 1 Commander Wichai Sangprapai. It currently stands at 18 police officers on Honda Phantom choppers tasked with deterring crime in inner-city areas and boosting public confidence in the law enforcement authorities. The black-clad officers underwent a training programme designed to combat crime, cope with hostage situations and act speedily against bag-snatchers and other thieves.

Central to Open New Shopping Complexes The Central Group will open a new Bt4.6-billion shopping complex in Chonburi on May 29. The latest addition to the Central super shopping malls will cover an area of 165,000m2 and contain 200 shops, including Robinson Department Store, Tops Market, PowerBuy and SF Cinema City. The company also intends to build new shopping complexes in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Rama IX in Bangkok and renovate its Central Plaza Lat Phrao.

Western Frontier Rife With People and Drug Smuggling The Kanchanaburi-Burmese border districts of Sangkhla Buri, Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok and Si Sawat are popular with traffickers bringing in migrant workers and drugs from Burma , both of which are later smuggled into Malaysia, or taken to other areas in Thailand, according to a source in the Surasi Security Task Force, who maintained

“the problems are more serious than meets the eye as the illegal activities involve many interest groups.”

Shirts Responsible For Loss of ASEAN Confidence The failure of the planned Phuket ASEAN Summit Conference, which was to be held on June 13, is being seen in some quarters as an indication that Thailand has lost the confidence of the leaders of ASEAN and its six Asia-Pacific partners as being able to host an orderly and safe summit. Consequently, the country is now suffering the consequences of the irresponsible actions of both the Red and Yellow Shirts.

Medecins Sans Frontieres To Cease Helping Hmong Medecins Sans Frontieres is to curtail its relief programme in Northern Thailand where they provide all the food and medicine for approximately 5,000 ethnic Hmong asylum seekers from Laos. The Hmong have been engaged in a stop-go insurgency against the communist government in Laos ever since the Vietnam War. The Thai military have been trying to repatriate them, against UN advice because they face almost certain prosecution if returned.

US Study Of Thai SexWorkers and AIDS The US National Institutes of Health is undertaking a US$178,000 study to investigate the sex habits of Thai prostitutes, using a sample of 60 sex-workers -36 women and 24 katoeys.

The study is particularly concerned to find the relationship between drug-taking and HIV/AIDS. A preliminary investigation has indicated there is a higher incidence of HIV/AIDS among drug taking sex workers. The United Nations estimates that almost 1% of Thailand’s population is infected with HIV/ AIDS – proportionately almost three times that of the U.S. Phuket Tourism Association Predicts A Bleak Low Season The Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) is not optimistic about the resort’s chance of pulling in the tourists this year. It predicts hotel occupancies of 25-30% compared to 60%

in last year’s low season, largely due to the A(H1N1) flu virus scare. Revenues for Phuket operators could be less than 50% of those in 2008. The PTA only expects tourists from Australia, the Middle East and India, everyone else staying away.

Bangkok Legal Agency Offers Free Property Info Downloads For investors or purchasers interested in buying land or a condo in Thailand, a Bangkok legal agency (www.siamlegal. com/ThaiProperty) is offering excellent free guides to the ins and outs of this often thorny problem. The company aims to relieve prospective buyers of the headaches associated with these important issues by giving free downloads on such things as the pitfalls, condo ownership, renting, selling and letting, legal requirements, foreigners rights, etc.

Big Dope Bust in Nakhon Ratchasima Police recently busted 4 dope-traffickers trying to smuggle 600 kilogrammes of marijuana from Mukdahan to Ayutthaya and arrested them after intercepting their Toyota van at a trafficflyover police checkpoint in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Muang district, according to Deputy Police Commissioner-General Pol Gen Jongrak Juthanon who announced the arrest at a press conference. The ringleader, Thawee Phosim, confessed to having been hired by an Ayutthayan for Bt15,000 to make the delivery.

Army Boss Gives Assurances Over Sea Container The mysterious container recently found dumped in the sea off the coast at Samae San, Chonburi is continuing to cause controversy and suspicion. To clear up the matter, the Chief of the Thai Army, General Anupong Paochinda, has given an undertaking that stringent tests will be carried out on its contents. There is a supposed relationship between the container and a number of citizens who mysteriously disappeared during the Black May incident in 1992.

Phi Phi Tourists’ Death Controversy Continues The cause of death of two foreign tourists on Phi Phi Island continues to be

a matter of speculation, exacerbated by assertions by news columnist, Nitipoom Navaratna, that the tourists died of food poisoning. The island’s governor, Siwa Sirisaowalak, advised that judgment should be reserved until all the necessary tests have been carried out and he castigated the writer for inflaming the matter and giving reason to defame the island.

Canadians Want Thailand for Their SE Asian Mining Base According to the Industry Minister, the Canadians, the world’s largest mineral exporter, are currently negotiating with the Industry Ministry to radically expand the Thai mining industry and to promote investment in the mining sector by establishing joint ventures with the Thais and making Thailand their mining base in SE Asia. The Canadians want to explore for zinc and tin in Kanchanaburi Province and gold in Loei, Pichit, Petchabul and Prachinburi Provinces.

March Unemployment Figures Grim Unemployment rose to 711,000, 1.9% of the country’s work force, at the end of March, according to Thailand’s National Statistical Office. Esarn has been the hardest hit, with 301,000 job losses, whereas Bangkok only suffered 56,000. The sectors affected were: industrial 480,000, commerce and service 170,000 and agricultural 80,000. Secretary-General Thananut Trithipphayabut said the figures represented an increase of 182,000 on 2008’s total, and attributed the majority of the lay-offs to job cuts.

Brit Embezzles US$154 Million from Dubai Bangkok police arrested a British national, Michael Bryan Smith, in a central Bangkok restaurant on May 21. Smith, a personnel manager for a property company in Dubai, allegedly diverted US$154 million of fellow workers’ salaries into his personal bank account between March 11May 31, 2008. He’s married to a Thai and frequently travels around Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand. He’s not been granted bail as authorities fear his escape and Dubai has requested his extradition.

Pattaya Today 27 PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 5/27

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

Managing markets in a downturn... and winning

by Simon Philbrook Not many investors can look back on the last 12 - 18 months, having achieved a positive return. A recent visit to Bangkok by Martin Gray, Fund Manager for Miton Asset Management, provided an insight into what it takes to do exactly that. Martin was among the very few fund managers to anticipate economic trends. From July 2007 until December 2008, Martin’s Special Situations Fund secured an 11.4 % return for investors while the MSCI World Index fell 45%.

During his visit Martin spoke exclusively to clients and guests of MBMG International at private, invitationonly briefings. ‘The Brief’ is now able to bring you an exclusive overview of the key points Martin shared with MBMG clients behind closed doors.

Active management the key “Ninety percent of our returns come from analysis of global economic trends. Only

when we have decided which assets, in which sectors, in which markets, we want to invest in, do we then look for the most appropriate fund managers in specialist areas to exploit these for us.

Diversification in itself is not a panacea. It’s the commitment to actively manage the portfolio and follow your instincts which produces results. We always invest with a long term horizon in mind.

I try to evaluate if an asset class has more upside opportunity than downside risk.

If you’re active you can find opportunities for profit even when in declining markets. I roam where I get the best return for the funds.”

Adaptive, long term Investment philosophy Martin isn’t wedded to any particular style or focus, considering every asset class and methodology -

Frankly, you have to be prepared to admit when you’ve made a mistake and get out…the themes I am following are on a 1-3 years basis. Some may be shorter than that, but I am not a trader. At the same time, we’re not wedded to any particular benchmark, sector or asset allocation model. I look more at the fundamentals and the big picture rather than technical charts showing short term movements. I think fund management is 90% art and 10% science. Fund management for me is more about applying your experience, knowledge and intuition.”

What is clear to Martin is that the easy credit of recent times is now history.

“We’re going through a major step change in capital markets. It will mean a

complete lifestyle change for our children who will not have the easy access to credit which has been a feature of our generation. The savings culture is well and truly on the way back.”

But what lies ahead ?

Martin starts from a very conservative premise - is there anything better than cash? If not, just hold cash.

As a result, the risk-adjusted performance of his funds has been exceptional.

“It’s too early in the cycle to know where the bottom is.

There is still too much debt out there which has yet to be quantified. We have still got a long way to unwind and I think it will take at least a few years.

What makes this period different is that we are beginning a deep recession with a banking sector already on its knees. Historically, corporate failure has led recessions, with banks only getting hit at the end as a consequence of corporate collapses in value.”

About Martin Gray: Winner of the 2009 Thompson Reuters Award for 5 year performance in the cautious mixed asset sector has won numerous industry accolades over his many years in the industry.

Finally, Peter Douglas, the

Principal of research firm and GFIA, and the Asia-Pacific representative region on the Council of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), and Director of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association recently pointed out more reasons to avoid private banks “The......bulk of assets in Asia came in to hedge funds through the private banking industry. One of the big changes over the last ten years between the last crisis and here and now, has been the growth of the Asian private banking industry. So, in the ten years since the Asian crisis, we have had a huge growth and very aggressive penetration of private banks; in particular those based here in Singapore, which has become a major wealth management centre. The default model for a private bank trying to gain market share rapidly ...has been by offering more leverage to its clients.

As a consequence, a large chunk of Asian demand for alternatives came through private banks. The private bank risk manager looked at the recent performance of hedge fund aggregates which, up to 2008, had a very low volatility and therefore looked like a ‘safe’ asset. So the credit committees signed off on applying leverage to private

clients’ hedge fund portfolios. As a result, the industry ended up with a group of sophisticated and professional investors (hence unprotected by distribution regulations), who still did not really understand hedge funds, who bought portfolios of hedge funds, typically through fund of funds, with three times, four times leverage. And clearly that was a recipe for all sorts of unhappiness last year. That money is not going to come back quickly, and to be honest, probably neither are those private banking relationships. So the perception that Asian investors have of hedge funds is noticeably more tainted than the impression I get from talking to comparable investor bases in the US and to a lesser extent in Europe. In my view, the Asian hedge fund industry is going to produce some great performance numbers; I completely buy the argument that there are massive inefficiencies at the moment.

Asia is cyclical, it is volatile, and if you are prepared to commit to Asian hedge funds right now, you’re going to be very, very well compensated over the next two to five years. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

But I don’t think Asians are going to play in that party - it is going to be global money coming in.”

Buyer turnoffs can impede the sale of your home

by Khun Dee Pattaya’s inventory of unsold homes—both new and previously occupied— may be at an all-time high, and the financial climate may have reached new lows. But neither factor fully explains why your particular house or condo has not yet sold. After all, other homes are selling in this slow market. Just why have you not yet received any offers on your perfect two-bedroom two-bath corner condo with a spectacular sea view? It may be something other than location that is keeping buyers away. Or you might question why your two-story house with Olympic pool has just been sitting on the market for months, despite your low asking price.

Maybe it’s not price alone that is putting buyers off.

We routinely advise buyers to look beyond the superficial when home shopping.

We have stressed that deals are available if shoppers focus on quality, location, size, layout, and even the potential of the homes they are looking at rather than being distracted by outrageous furniture, bizarre wall colors, or unsanitary living conditions. Being

human, however, many buyers simply are unable to overcome their visceral reactions to common turnoffs. They may literally turn around and walk out the door.

What sparks such reactions?

Unpleasant odors are the most common and repulsive offenses. Usually the stench is caused by cigarette smoke and pets, but it could stem from mildew, trash or poor housekeeping practices.

You may not recognize such odors, but if you smoke indoors your house smells like cigarettes. Bet on it. If you have pets, the house probably stinks. Ask a trusted friend, your real estate agent, or anyone who doesn’t live there to take a sniff. Don’t get angry when they tell you that your place reeks…and that you do too.

Do not try to cover up unpleasant odors with sprays, incense or perfumes. Eradicate them. Determine the source of the smell and eliminate it.

Present potential buyers with a clean, fresh atmosphere.

Airing out your home and not smoking indoors will help eliminate such odors, but you probably don’t want to eliminate Fido. At least not

permanently. But do get him out before prospects come by for a viewing. It is not wise to have your dog or any other pet running out to greet or attack buyers. Some people are legitimately frightened by dogs; others are irritated by pets of any kind. You’ll have a much better response from showings if you control your pets--dogs, cats, whatever.

But don’t just confine pets to a bedroom or backyard, and then ask people not to open the door to that room or not to enter the yard.

Would you buy a home you have not fully inspected? Of course not. Remove pets during showings. If you cannot hand them off to friends or put them in a kennel, contain them in pen or other enclosure for their own safety and to show respect for the feelings of potential buyers.

Another common turnoff is a dirty bathroom. It’s imperative that you scrub your sink, shower, tub, toilet, walls and floors before showing your home. Paint the walls if necessary; buy a new shower curtain, rugs and towels; do whatever it takes to make the bathroom bright and attractive. If you are serious about

selling your home, the extra work is a must.

Most buyers are negatively influenced by dark homes.

Brighten rooms by replacing dim light bulbs; installing additional light fixtures, and even consider installing skylights. If you now have heavy drapes in the living room, open them to let the light stream through windows. If some walls are painted dark, repaint with colors that reflect light. Do tree limbs or other vegetation cast shadows on your home? Trim them. And while you’re at it, clean all windows, inside and out, to allow more light to enter. Besides, dirty and fogged windows are another buyer turnoff.

Got wallpaper? If it’s busy and omnipresent, get rid of it. Even people who love wallpaper will be repelled if it’s unattractive, especially if it’s in every room. Odds are they will not like the patterns you’ve chosen. It’s a personal decorative touch that they want to select themselves.

When you’re selling a home you must appeal to the masses—visitors from around the world as well as local Thais and farang, so take a hard look at your wallpaper

and decide if it should be removed and replaced with paint. Don’t paint over it because it will be obvious that you did; most buyers know that painted wallpaper is even more difficult to remove.

Dampness or damp smells in a room or any area is another red flag to buyers. They think: Water leaks. Plumbing problems. Faulty foundation.

Determine the cause of the dampness and resolve the problem before putting your house on the market.

Bugs are ubiquitous in Pattaya and throughout the tropics and we will never be rid of them. But while your house is on the market, bring out the roach traps, the insecticides and all the other ammunition to help you present what appears to be a bug-free domain.

But do it well before you entertain visitors to ensure there are no lingering telltale odors.

As you no doubt know, curb appeal is vital. You must grab a buyer’s interest from the curb if you want to sell quickly and at a good price.

Buyers often refuse to go into a house with an unkempt yard, sagging doors or peeling paint. If you can’t afford

to paint, at least clean up the yard, trim the growth, and make all necessary exterior repairs.

While on the topic of exterior improvements, look at your rain gutters.

If you have never cleaned them out they may be home to questionable growth as well as vermin, refuse and debris. Such sights always make buyers wonder what else hasn’t been maintained.

Clean the gutters.

Finally, and no less important, do not be an intrusive seller. Leave the house during showings. If the seller is home, buyers feel awkward about opening closet doors and lingering for a really good look at the house. Let your estate agent handle the showing. If you’re selling without an agent, give the buyers some space; don’t hover.

Consider these turnoffs and make corrections now, before you put your home on the market, because if your home develops a reputation among agents as the condo that smells, the house with the huge barking dog or the home where the owner won’t leave people alone, it will be too late.

28 Pattaya Today PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 6/28

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

ership continues to grow, Government figures showed.

Over ten years the proportion of households without access to a car has fallen from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

And 32 per cent have two or more cars, up from 25 per cent a decade ago. The biggest increase in car use is among women and the over 70s.

The Department of Transport found 58 per cent of Brits walk for 20 minutes or more at least once a week, but 24 per cent did so less than once a year, or never.

Prince Charles wants to speak out as King PRINCE CHARLES will break the monarch’s traditional vow of silence when he is King, his biographer has claimed. Prince Charles, who has voiced strong views on climate change and organic farming, is set to break with convention when he takes the throne.

The Queen has now opened to the public the gardens of Buckingham Palace for the first time to raise money for their upkeep. The Queen has given permission for the 39 acres of lawns, lake and flowers to be opened to groups from next spring. The £20-a-ticket tours could raise up to £70,000 a year to help pay for repairs and maintenance to the crumbling palace and its grounds. The tours will be run in April, May and June and only when the Queen is not in residence.

Think big....and get fat SOME PEOPLE claim you can think yourself thin, now it appears you can also think yourself fat. Scientists found that people crave more food after stressful thoughts.

Researchers counted the food intake of 14 students after relaxing summarising text, and completing memory tests on a computer. They consumed 203 and 253 more calories after the text and computer tests than after relaxing, the Canadian study is published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Diabetes to hit 4 million MORE THAN four million Brits will suffer diabetes by 2025 in an ‘explosion’ of the disease, it was claimed last month. The number of sufferers will soar by 46 per cent due to rising obesity, said charity Diabetes UK. Sufferers risk complications including blindness Handwriting may give clues to heart problems HANDWRITING may give clues to heart and heart disease. Charity Chief Douglas Smallproblems it was claimed last month. Graphologist wood said. “Awareness and prevention are cruChristina Strang spent four years studying ‘resting cial.” dots’ in people’s writing at Poole Hospital, Dorset. She found people who rested their pens, Drinking red wine DRINKING red wine in middle age makes life for just milliseconds, as they wrote, the more ill they were. Ms Strang 53 said. “These resting better as you get older.

Researchers found mice given the chemical resdots can be because the heart misses a beat or a veratrol found in red wine, had healthier hearts, sudden pain.” better bone density and improved motor co-ordination.

Free passports Dr. Rafael de Caba of the National Institute on MORE THAN 519,000 people have received a free passport since October 2004 in a government Ageing said the finding suggested “resveratrol scheme to give every Briton born on or before may extend a productive independent life.”

September 2, 1929, free travel documents to recognise their efforts in the Second World War, And a cup of green tea a day “good for the whether a veteran or a civilian the Identity and heart” A cup of green tea a day could help keep your Passport Service said.

But the number of British passports given to heart healthy, a study shows. The drink was found migrants reached a record high last year, with to widen the artery which runs from the shoulder one awarded every three minutes. Some 164,635 to the elbow by 4 per cent within 30 minutes, reapplications were rubber stamped in 2007 despite ducing the risk of blood clots.

This is a good indicator of improved blood flow the Government’s attempts to make the process around the body, says a report in the European tougher.

It means the total number of passports awarded Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehato foreigners since 1997 has now reached 1.2 bilitation, it is the first time green tea has been shown to have a short-term beneficial effect on the million.

The percentage of applications refused, 9 per large arteries. cent, is now lower than in 2005, when it stood at 11 per cent. Just 2,365 people were turned down EU trial in absence BRITONS could be convicted in their absence last year for having an ‘insufficient knowledge of by foreign courts, under proposals approved by English’. the European Parliament. The Government has backed the ‘mutual recognition of criminal law’ Atheist adverts to go on the buses LONDON’S bendy buses will carry atheist that could see Brits extradited after a guilty verslogans in a campaign against religion. The words dict. Ministers say it will increase legal co-opera‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying tion and stop criminals fleeing to the EU. But Tories say it ‘goes against’ British justice. and enjoy life,’ will appear on 60 buses in January, after atheist Professor Richard Dawkins said he would match public donations to a maximum of We drive not walk One in four Brits hardly ever walks as car own£5,500 to pay for the adverts.

Getting on your bicycle.....

RECORD numbers of Britons are getting on their bikes to beat the credit crunch. Supermarket chief says demand for bicycles has shot up 130 per cent over the last year.

With rising fuel costs, concern about the environment and a desire to keep fit they say more and more people are taking to getting around on two wheels.

Tesco bike buyer Ben Allen said “The rise in bike sales this year has been phenomenal. People are buying basic bikes right through to more hightech models.”

Labour can’t manage 2012 BRITONS believe Labour is incapable of managing the Olympic Games in London. Only 11 per cent of those questioned in a poll said the Government was up to handling the 2012 project.

Britain’s most successful showing in a century in Beijing has generated excitement about hosting the event. But Gordon Brown has missed out on any reflected glory, 60 per cent said that it had not made them feel more confident about the Government.

Opinion research’s study questioned 2.000 adults Black women now earn more than white BLACK women are earning more than white woman in Britain for the first time, official figures suggest.

On average women who described their ethnicity as ‘Black Caribbean’ have taken home more pay in 2008 than their white counterparts. The pay gap grew to 6 per cent in the three months to October when black women earned an average £462 per week, against £436 for white woman.

It is a reversal on the figures for 2007 when white women earned over 7 per cent more than black women on average. The trend emerged in an analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics based on the authoritative Labour Force Survey.

Women convicted of drink driving THE NUMBER of women convicted of drink driving has nearly doubled over the last 20 years.

A total of 10,849 women were convicted in 2005 compared with 6,300 in 1987.

And the number has risen by 60% in the last decade alone, according to the Ministry of Justice figures.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the number of male convictions dropped from 106,989 in 1987 to 82,869 in 2005.

Motoring groups called for anti-drink campaign targeting women. Sheila Rainger, of the RAC Foundation said “These figures are really worrying.” gerd.treuhaft@btinternet.com

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

by Richard Bunch Windows 7 RC1 Reviewed This widely anticipated version comes with some slick new changes to the interface and some important refinements at the back.

For practicality, in this review, we’ll look primarily at changes made between the beta that was released in January and RC1.

Windows 7 will have similar system requirements to Windows Vista, 800MHz processor; 512MB system memory blah, blah. Microsoft’s website says that if your PC will operate Vista then it should run Windows 7, but if in doubt there is an upgrade advisor tool that will check the compatibility and highlight any potential problems.

On the whole, Windows 7 found the and installed the hardware drivers, on the Quad Core and the Netbook, no issues whatsoever, but on the Notebook, the wireless driver and VGA driver were not found, after doing Windows update though the wireless driver was correctly identified and installed, that just left the VGA driver which was a little more daunting, Acer website didn’t even have the drivers for any Operating System after XP. This

was an ATI driver and the generic Beta driver from the ATI website worked fine.

There are some improvements to speed over the Windows 7 Beta which also was snappier than Vista. I installed it on a NEC Netbook with 1Gb RAM, a three year old Acer Notebook with 1Gb RAM and a Quad Core Desktop with 2Gb RAM. Even on the Netbook, the operating system was surprisingly fast, seemingly even faster than the pre-installed Windows XP Home.

A number of security tweaks have been incorporated; these include some minor changes to User Account Control (UAC). The prompt now blacks out the desktop and as an additional security measure, AutoRun has been disabled for USB flash drives and other nonremovable optical security.

The rationale for this is that scripts can transfer malware using this type of media Windows 7 comes with Internet Explorer 8, which we have previously reviewed. It is slick and offers may improvements over its predecessors.

There have been some changes that are applicable more to corporate networks.

The Direct Access feature for connecting to corporate

The IT Guru

networks remotely has been enhanced and this now includes smart card support. A nice feature which is really helpful to people like me who are always on the move is that folders can be deleted and renamed when in offline mode.

The Jump Lists add a handy submenu to many applications; this allows you to see items that you recently worked within a given application. For this feature to grow and become more useful then application developers will need to ‘buy into the process’ in their future releases and upgrades.

The taskbar has been tweaked and includes a new feature Microsoft calls “task bar thumbnail overflow”. This is really useful if you frequently open many files in a single application.

Highlight any file on the list, and you get a preview pane at the highlighted window, just as you can do in thumbnail view, and you can close any window by clicking the traditional “X. Windows 7 adds a few networking improvements that Vista and XP misses.

One of these is HomeGroups, which give structure to the process of sharing devices and media files over a home network. Setting up a HomeGroup between two or more Windows 7 PCs automates the sharing of Libraries (collections of pictures, music files, movies, or documents), printers, and storage devices. Windows 7 also increases the number

of SMB network connections that you can have in a single network. Windows 7 generates a secure passkey that must be entered on every computer added to the HomeGroup.

The Windows Sidebar has gone and the new Desktop Gadgets seem to be less resource hungry. There are some slick new Themes for the Desktop, which are a real departure from the staid norm that Microsoft usually bundles.

The new Action Center’s naming convention makes it a breeze to set your system security preferences, manage backups or return to a previous restore point if things go badly wrong.

It also flags any issues that require attention. It flagged Antivirus as an issue, we had originally installed the latest release of Kaspersky but although this appeared to work the Action Centre didn’t recognise its presence. We then installed the preview of Kaspersky which was recognised and in a stand-alone environment would be fine but on a network, accessing server resources was to say the least slow, we’re talking minutes here. We then tried F-Secure’s offering for Windows 7. This took an extraordinary amount of time to install on all systems, once installed though, initial performance was good, however during the following 12 hours programs began to crash on all computers until finally there were no resources left

Pattaya Today7/29 29 PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY

and there was no alternative but to push the button. After the system had restarted, the Outlook PST file which was open at the time of the freeze refused to open and was corrupted beyond recovery. We then tried Panda’s Antivirus and so far over the past 3 days this has not caused any problems.

We have as yet not tested the other compatible products approved by Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/ windows/antivirus-partners/ windows-7.aspx.

Another slick thing is the simplified Shutdown control on the Start Menu. Gone is the unhelpful icon; in its

place are clear, concise textual menus, with Shutdown being available without expanding the branch.

If you need any further information, you’re welcome to call into my office located at 194/182 Moo 9 Paniadchang Soi 11, Central Pattaya, adjacent to Carrefour. I am also happy to see you personally, but to avoid a wasted journey it is best to telephone me first on 08 3540 5220 as I am often out at client sites these days.

Send your questions and to contact me by e-mail itguru@itsthailand.org, you can also visit our website www. itsthailand.org

Asian economies begin the economic turn around

At long last the economic tide as begun to turn in this region as the Asian economies begin to show signs of recovery, pulled out of the doldrums by the regional super-economy, China, as it did after the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98. Optimistic analysts consider the strongest economies of the Asia-Pacific, namely China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, will begin to show positive growth this year and all of the Asian economies will have begun on the upward spiral by 2010, the nadir having been reached earlier this year.

Daniel Melser, spokesman for Moody’s, the ratings agency, maintained that “For many economies, January and February marked the nadir for exports. A modest recovery has been apparent in March and April”.

The regional economies will be stimulated by the US$120 billion emergency

stability fund, which is to be created by the 10 ASEAN members, plus China, Japan and Korea, by the end of Q4,2009. However, the MD of the business analyst agency, IMA, Richard Martin, asserted that “strong commercial links into China will play a critical role in determining the speed and strength of the recovery in parts of Asia”.

All the regional economies have trade surpluses with China and now that China, the pacesetter, is starting to rebuild a growth momentum, the prospects look good. Another key contributor, according to IMA’s Martin, is “the speed and scale of fiscal stimulus” - “Every government in the region is reporting a sharp drop in revenues, but most have been able to lift spending from reserves or a mix of foreign and domestic bond auctions. Relatively low public debt burdens and good fiscal track records have helped.”

The characteristic orientation of the Asian economies, however, has largely shifted away from exports towards domestic-led demand. IMA Asia is confident there will be a new economic growth of between 2.9- 3.1 % for Asia-Pacific in 2009, while Standard & Poor’s is confident that China can maintain growth of 6.3-6.8%. The Asian share markets are also displaying signs of recovery: Taiwan up 45%, Indonesia up 35%, and Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand all showing increases of approximately 20%. In Thailand, foreign investors have once again begun to participate in the SET. Two factors which will spur growth are the experiences drawn from the 199798 Asian economic meltdown, with banks less eager to lend without firm collateral and the fact that similarly, unlike Western economies,

the Asian economies are inventory-constrained, rather than balance-sheet constrained. Asian Financial Westpac’s Senior Economist, Huw McKay, asserts “The deep financial system/ household quagmire evident in key Western jurisdictions and in emerging Europe is just not present in Asia. Indeed, the overall projections look positive; Bill Belchere, Macquarie’s Regional Economist, maintains “Financial volatility is declining and confidence is rising. Asian domestic demand looks set to rebound as well”.

Malaysia and Thailand, however, are lagging behind the regional norm because of unstable and apparently rigidly divided political situations. As regards Thailand, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has stated that he is determined to bring about political reconciliation by promoting justice, democracy and political reform,

including the amendment of the constitution. PM Abhisit is apparently intent on inviting all concerned parties to discuss ways for Thailand to move out of the quagmire it has found itself in.

Sommart Khunset, Deputy Secretary-General of the Federation of Thai Industries assets to restore confidence in the country, the Foreign, Commerce and Industry ministries should collaborate, post haste, through trade activities, overseas road-shows and better communications. For its part, the government must inject more money into the system to create jobs and keep business operators afloat to revive the economy, Sommart opined. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij seems to be thinking along similar lines with the proposed Bt1.5 trillion stimulus package to fund a new three-year investment plan to revitalize the economy.

For her part, Atchaka Brimble, the Board of Investment’s Secretary-General, has said that the BoI will continue to explain to foreign investors that Thailand’s economic fundamentals remain competitive and other commentators have cited the return of foreign investors to the local stock market, lower-than-expected job losses in Japan, and the improving US economy as encouraging factors suggesting significant economic improvement.

Realistically, however, the economic growth pattern of the Asia-Pacific region as a whole will continue at a slow, but gradual pace, and, whilst avoiding the financial chaos of the West, the region remains sufficiently dependent on exports to Western consumers to slow growth to a comparative crawl, but at least the signs of recovery are there and most analysts are very optimistic.

30 Pattaya Today PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 8/30

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

Look who’s running the country!!

A travel agent for thirty years in our nation’s capital has this to report: “This is why we’re in trouble! I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window.

I got a call from a candidate’s staffer, who wanted to go to Cape town. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, then she interrupted me with, “I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape town is in Massachusetts. Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, “Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Cape town is in Africa.” Her response.( click).

A senior Vermont Congressman called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an oceanview room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, “Don’t lie to me. I looked on the map, and Florida is a very thin state!”

I got a call from a lawmaker’s wife who asked, “Is it possible to see England from Canada?” I said, No.” She said, “But they look so close on the map.

An aide for a Bush cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas.

When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, “I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between the gates to save time.”

do you ask?” She replied, “Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I’m overweight. I think that is very rude?” After putting her on hold for a minute while I “looked into it” (I was actually laughing), I came back and explained the city code for Fresno, CA is (FAT), and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

A Senator’s aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, “Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?”

I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman who asked, “How do I know which plane to get on?” I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, “I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them.”

A lady Senator called and said, “I need to fly to PepsiCola, FL. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?” I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola, FL on a commuter plane. She said, “Yeah, whatever!”

A senior Senator called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him that he needed a visa. “Oh, no I don’t. I’ve been to China many times and never had to have one of those.” I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, “Look, I’ve been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!”

An Illinois Congresswoman called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20 a. m. and got into Chicago at 8:33 a. m. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones.

Finally, I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!

A New Mexico Congresswoman called to make reservations, “I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York.”

The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent said, “Are you sure that’s the name of the town?” “Yes, what flights do you have?” replied the lady. After some searching, the agent came back with, “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’ve looked up every airport code in the country and can’t find a Rhino anywhere.” The lady retorted, “Oh, don’t be silly!

Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!” The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, “You don’t mean Buffalo, do you?” “That’s it! I knew it was a big animal,” she said.

A New York lawmaker called and asked, “Do airlines normally put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?” I said, “No, why

Now you know why Government is in the shape that it’s in!!!!!

Cheap Therapy

Joan went to a psychiatrist. “Doc,” she said, “I’ve got big troubles. Every time I get into bed, I think there’s somebody under it. Am I going crazy?”

“Just put yourself in my hands for one year,” said the shrink, “Come to me three times a week, and I’ll cure your fears.”

“How much do you charge?”

“A hundred dollars per visit.”

“I’ll sleep on it,” said Joan. six months later the doctor met Joan on the street.

“Why didn’t you ever come to see me again?” asked the psychiatrist.

“For a hundred bucks a visit? No way! Instead, I went on one of those ‘Dude Ranch’ vacations, and an old cowboy cured me for the price of a bottle of whiskey.”

“Is that so! How?” “He told me to cut the legs off the bed!

Ain’t nobody under there now!!!”

Baseball in Heaven

Two ninety year old men, Joe and Sam, have been friends all their lives. It seems that Sam is dying, and Joe comes to visit him every day.

“Sam,” says Joe, “You know how we have both loved baseball all our lives, and how we played minor league ball together for so many years. Sam, you have to do me one favor. When you get to Heaven, and I know you will go to Heaven, somehow you’ve got to let me know if there’s baseball in Heaven.”

Sam looks up at Joe from his death bed, and says, “Joe, you’ve been my best friend many years. If it is at all possible, I’ll do this favor for you.” And shortly after that, Sam passes on.

It is midnight a couple of nights later. Joe is sound asleep when he is awakened by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calls out to him, “Joe.... Joe....”

“Who is it?” says Joe sitting up suddenly. “Who is it?”

“Joe, it’s me, Sam.” “Come on. You’re not Sam. Sam just died.”

“I’m telling you,” insists the voice. “It’s me, Sam!” “Sam? Is that you? Where are you?”

“I’m in heaven,” says Sam, “and I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got really good news and a little bad news.”

“So, tell me the good news first,” says Joe. “The good news,” says Sam “is that there is baseball in heaven. Better yet, all our old buddies who’ve gone before us are there. Better yet, we’re all young men again.

Better yet, it’s always spring time and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play baseball all we want, and we never get tired!”

“Really?” says Joe, “That is fantastic, wonderful beyond my wildest dreams! But, what’s the bad news?”

“You’re pitching next Tuesday.”

PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 9/31 Pattaya Today 31

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

Does it really matter?

by Mr Pobaan I’m doing some painting at Khao Talo Towers.

Walls, not landscapes. So today I embark on an apparently simple journey to buy some house-paint. In the course of this errand I am reminded of how different we humans are, one from another, in the way we assess the importance of things.

Take the pronunciation of the letters L and R, for example. It’s well known that the speakers of some Asian languages have difficulty distinguishing these two sounds and, when speaking English, often get them the wrong way round.

I have a Japanese friend who has this troubling condition, even with her own family name. She told me this was partly because her name, which is Mihara, used to be Mihala, until it was changed a number of years back as a result of some kind of government

decree, issued, perhaps, by a Ministry of Ls and Rs and the Pronunciation Thereof, or whatever that would be in Japanese.

The Japanese can be very thorough people, who crave regulation. Speakers of Thai do not feel the need for an act of parliament before substituting an L for an R, or vice-versa.

They do it with casual ease and on their own authority.

For example, chaps of my acquaintance use the words krap and klap pretty much interchangeably. In fact, they often demonstrate their disdain for the sounds L and R by leaving them out altogether – resulting in the really quite casual kap.

What did these poor letters do to deserve this treatment? It’s not as if they are the same, or even similar, at least not to European ears.

French speakers savour la difference by rolling the R as if it were the trembling song of a twittering bird

– something I’d do too if I had the lingual dexterity for it.

‘When pronouncing an R, feel your tongue curl in your mouth,’ I patiently instruct my dear wife during one of our very occasional English lessons. She’s humouring me by pretending that she thinks the distinction I’m trying to teach her is important, whereas of course she can’t understand why I keep banging on about something so trivial. I press on: ‘While when you’re saying an L, you’ll feel the tip of your tongue playfully tap the inside of your top teeth. Let’s try it.’

‘And relax...’

I’m beginning to sound like someone who knows about phonetics, but I’m not. You don’t need to be an expert to see that the difference between an L and an R is huge. And, for English speakers at least, it really is important. A rap dancer is not at all like a lap dancer,

as I constantly remind my beloved, musing on the occasions on which someone would not want to get these words confused. ‘Why do you insist on exhibiting such a lackadaisical attitude to L and R? They are fundamentally different sounds,’ I bleat.

‘Funda-what?’ she replies and I realise I’ve gone beyond ‘Learn English Book 1’, my teerak’s current (occasional) study text. For someone whose nickname actually begins with an L, my darling wife’s failure to see this as an important issue is hard for me to understand.

Hard to understand, that is, until I receive directions from the woman who painted our house. I want to buy the same paint that she used, to touch up scuffs and so on in the future.

‘Fine,’ she says, apparently approving of my cunning strategy. ‘You need to go to the shop in Naklua where

they mixed the original paint. Well, not exactly in Naklua, but on the Naklua Road, about 2km from the Dolphin roundabout, on the right side.’ Kwaa, ka.

‘Right? Right. Thanks.’

Off we set, my wife’s eyes scanning the shopfronts on the right of the Naklua Road as I avoid crashing (or it could be clashing - it’s not important) into other traffic on the road. We get all the way to the spirit tree by Naklua market before realising we haven’t found the paint shop. We do a loop, double back and refer to the owner of a large hardware store for directions. ‘Ah, yes, I know the place you mean,’ he says helpfully. ‘It’s actually on the right from here, so from the Dolphin roundabout it’s on your left.’

Saai, krap.

The lady must have confused her left and right.

‘Not to worry,’ says our new confident directiongiver. ‘There’s actually another shop nearby that’ll mix your paint. Just past the lights, turn left, drive past the wat and you can’t miss it, krap.’

We depart, quickly realising that turning left in Naklua while travelling north will deliver us smart-

ly into the sea, even if there is a road on the left past the lights, which there isn’t.

However, there is a road to the right. Saai.

‘That’ll be it,’ declares the sweetness of my life.

‘What?’ I cry, ‘He said go left, but there’s only one road – to the right – so you deduce that this must be the one he meant? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘Of course. It’s obvious,’ she confirms confidently.

We find the shop in the road on the right, past the wat, and buy the paint, having driven a good three times further than we needed. ‘If only people could tell their left from their right,’ I sigh. Or their reft from their light, as I swear my beloved sometimes styles it.

‘It doesn’t really matter that much,’ the bringer of joy to my life concludes ruefully. ‘Mai pen rai, ka.’

Kuhn Pobaan’s by-the-way I appreciate readers’ comments on the weighty topics raised in the View from the Hill and have ingeniously opened kuhn. pobaan@gmail.com to receive the virtual sackloads of post I now expect to receive. All emails will be responded to, and the clever ones will be woven into future columns.

British Ambassador visits Father Ray Foundation

The British Ambassador to Thailand, His Excellency Mr. Quinton Quayle, paid a visit to the Father Ray Foundation on Friday the 15th of May to officiate at the opening of the Foundation’s new Welcome Center.

Situated on Sukhumvit Road, the new Welcome Center will bring together the departments of the Foundation that look after visitors who wish to see for themselves the work of the Father Ray Foundation.

Visitors have always been made welcome at the Father Ray Foundation as they often become the long tern supporters who ensure the Foundation carries on Father Ray’s groundbreaking work. Staffs are eager

to show new visitors the facilities and the work that is being done to improve the lives of the foundation.

On arrival Ambassador Quayle was met by the President of the Father Ray Foundation Father Lawrence Patin. Also there to welcome the Ambassador and his party was newly appointed Managing Directors Suporntum Mongkolsawadi and Luksamapa Monyarid as well as members of the British Community in Pattaya, many of whom have been among the Foundation’s most active supporters.

Once the official ceremony of opening the new Center was complete, Ambassador Quayle raised the

Union flag in tribute to the support and generosity the Foundation has received from the people of the United Kingdom. Since 1992, more than 600 million baht, twelve million pounds, has been raised in the United Kingdom with the London based Thai Children’s

hundred and twenty young toddlers and children with a safe and happy day-time environment.

Then the Ambassador visited the Vocational School for People with Disabilities where he was given a tour of the school and met some of the Brit-

Trust working tirelessly to ensure that the children and students presently under its care can continue to live a life free from harm and to receive an education that will enable them to lead a normal life in the future.

After lunch, the Ambassador and his party made the short walk to visit the children at the Father Ray Day Care Center, which since September 2008 is providing more than one

ish volunteers who are currently teaching English to the students.

The Father Ray Foundation welcome Center is open every day from 8am to 5.30pm and visitors are welcome to see the work that started more than thirty-five years ago when Father Ray Brennan took care of his first child. Staff and volunteers are available to show guest around the projects.

For more information you can call 038 716 628, email info@fr-ray.org

or take a look at the Foundation website www. fr-ray.org

32 Pattaya Today PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 10/32

A Change of Habits

Caution: May be habit forming. A familiar phrase; and everyone has habits. In this article I’m not referring to chemically addictive habits that can be detrimental like smoking, drugs or excessive drinking. Not all habits are bad as long as they are kept in perspective and unlearned when the time period for the habit has ended.

For instance, the habits of saving and investing are thought of as good habits.

These are among the types of intellectually learned habits we develop over the years that benefit our lives. Since you are reading the property section of Pattaya Today, chances are you acquired the saving and investing habit years ago and are now ready to reap its benefits by considering a retirement home or condo in Thailand.

As you investigate purchasing real estate in the PattayaJomtien area you will notice quite a variety in price, age, location, amenities, quality, design and convenience.

These are all valid considerations. In addition, you may also be estimating the property’s anticipated appreciation and investment value in the years to come. This is a normal thought process when

a person is in the saving and investment habit. However, consider the fact that at this time in your life perhaps it will be more beneficial to be investing in your Retirement Lifestyle.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to break a habit.

Understandably, it may not be easy for you to change if you have been saving and investing your entire life.

Many people get so addicted to saving and investing they lose sight of their goal and find themselves unable to enjoy the benefits of what they were saving and investing for when their retirement arrives.

Now that you have reached retirement age and are able to kick back and relax, why not shift gears and benefit from all that scrimping and saving?

It is to your benefit to consider realigning your thinking to a ‘retirement mode’. This doesn’t mean you should suddenly become fiscally irresponsible, but it is also important to recognize if there is no longer a reason for you to continue to stay locked into believing everything has to be an investment, a monetary investment anyway. Now is the time to invest in your Retirement Lifestyle.

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

When considering purchasing property, staying in the saving and investment habit requires you to judge the property by its future value in terms of money. Why use this line of thinking when retired? Let’s be brutally honest. How many of us will be

make more sense to shift our thinking to investing in our Retirement Lifestyle?

If you are single, why purchase a huge 4 or 5 bedroom two-storey home with a lot of space you will never use because you assume it will have a larger increase in

that will bring pleasure to your Retirement Lifestyle, which is the whole reason why you saved and invested all those years.

As an example, if you are an avid golfer who has painstakingly amassed substantial savings and investments, are you turning down that fantastically located property on the edge of one of Pattaya’s golf courses because in order to buy it you have no choice but to cut into your savings

around in 10, 20 or 30 years?

Whatever Thai property values appreciate, few of us will be around to collect on it and none of us can take it with us.

If we stop and think about why we decided to retire in Thailand, wouldn’t it

value? Why not consider buying a comfortable and manageable 1 or 2 bedroom home or condo with all the amenities for ‘the good life’ so you can truly enjoy your retirement? It is totally reasonable, logical and acceptable to purchase a residence

or cash out an investment?

Why shouldn’t you? To be able to enjoy your retirement is the whole reason you saved and invested for all those years. If you have an adequate retirement income and medical coverage, what else is your money good for

other than to enjoy it? What better way to enjoy it than to live in a home or condo that truly compliments and enhances your Retirement Lifestyle?

Having a huge savings and investment portfolio is not a contest. There is no prize for having a large net worth when passing on from this world. A realistic plan that provides you with the best added value in the quality of your retired life means you are investing in the most important investment of your life, your happiness. In other words, consider changing your fiscal habit and retain only enough of your savings and investments to allow you to maintain an adequate level of income and medical insurance safety net, and then consider utilizing the rest of your money in living that Retirement Lifestyle goal you set so many years ago.

It is prudent for anyone hunting for a home or condo to expect proper value for their money. But at the same time, when retired people decide to purchase a property based on arbitrary predictions of what it may be worth 10, 20 or 30 years they very well may shortchange themselves.

You saved and invested for retirement so now consider investing in your Retirement Lifestyle. Odds are you will be glad you did.

Pattaya Today 33 PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 11/33

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009

Ask Andy

Looking for a solution to problems in or around your house?

Email questions to: andypattayatoday@gmail.com Quick Tip Protect your kitchen and bathroom sinks by covering the areas with towels or other heavy material when repairing a faucet or doing any work where a wrench, for example, might chip the basin. The protective cloth will prevent tools from chipping and otherwise damaging the porcelain, tiles or granite. Covering the basin also keeps washers, screws and similar small parts from slipping into the drain.  Moo Flu Dear Andy: Now that the World Health Organisation has warned that the so-called “swine flu” may reach pandemic levels, striking as many as one in three people around the globe, is there anything we can do around the house to protect ourselves and our children against infection?

Alyce No cases of the misnomered ‘swine flu’ [H1 N1] have been reported in Thailand as we go to press, Alyce. Nevertheless, follow the advice stressed by the WHO: wash hands with soap and warm water frequently. (Best to rub lathered hands together for at least 20 seconds, then thoroughly rinse and dry.) For additional protection, use a hand sanitiser and keep wipes handy for those times when you don’t have access to soap and water. Use common sense and follow the same protocol you would take for seasonal flu. Avoid crowds and steer clear of anyone who is ill with fever, cough, sneezing, etc. If you have those symptoms, don’t go out; get bed rest; eat a healthy diet, and protect others by covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. If symptoms persist or worsen, consult a physician. Wear gloves and a particulate mask if you are especially vulnerable or anxious.  Pattaya Unplugged Dear Andy, I live in Rungland Village and recently lost the picture on both my TVs (which effectively ruined them) during an electrical storm. Could you advise me of precautions I can take so this wont happen again.

Chris Stokes

I am sorry to learn of your misfortune, Chris, but your question comes at a good time, inasmuch as we are at the beginning of Pattaya’s rainy season. Like you, many of us here have learned the lessons of electrical storms the hard way.

TVs, computers, sound systems, land-line and mobile phones, and a variety of electrical appliances have perished during thunder and lightening storms. To avoid such needless losses, there is a simple solution: disconnect everything. Unplug all electrical and telephone cords as well as the TV cable, computer modem, etc. And do not use any phones. All such devices are designed to carry electricity; they act as conduits.

When the next storm strikes, instead of sitting in front of your TV or computer, revert to reading a good book...or the latest issue of Pattaya Today.  Clear the Air We’re thinking of buying an air cleaner, Andy, and would like your thoughts on the topic. There are so many models available in stores around Pattaya that we are confused. Please clear the air on purifiers: what do they Do? What should we look for? Should we buy one?

Thanks.

Domenic To buy or not to buy is your decision, Domenic.

Consider: Is the air in your home particularly dusty, smelly or polluted in any way? Do you live with allergies, pets, or--even worse-a smoker? If so, it may be a good idea to get an air cleaner or purifier. They can filter the atmosphere in your home by removing particles such as dust, pet allergens, odors and smoke. As you point out, there are many on the market with various filtration stages and features, so prices vary considerably. You might consider a portable air cleaner, which can be moved from room to room and even taken on holiday if compact enough. Or you might opt for a wholehome system. Before buying, measure your room’s dimensions and choose a unit that is rated efficient for that space. If you do not buy a popular brand,

be reminded that it may be difficult to find replacement filters. Speaking of which, check the cost of filters in advance. You might find any initial savings on the purchase price of the purifier is sacrificed in the long run on the high cost of filters.  Wax and Wayne As our large condo building in South Pattaya continues to age and further deteriorate, power failures seem to be on the rise.

Consequently, I’m often forced to resort to wax candles for light. That solved the problem of lighting.

Now I’ve got the problem of how to remove candle wax from my upholstery.

Can you shed any light on the subject?

Wayne The most effective solution, Wayne, involves using a brown paper bag and hot iron. But paper bags seem to have gone the way of the dial telephone; the world has ‘advanced’ into the plastic age. So, if no brown paper is handy, place a sheet of plane white paper or even newspaper over the drippings, then heat the spot with the hot iron. The paper will absorb the wax.

This also works on clothing, fabrics, and carpets.

Note, however, that if you are dealing with colored wax there’s a chance of it staining the fabric. In that

case, go cold instead of hot.

Use an ice cube or ice pack to freeze the wax. When it’s brittle, break it apart and remove or vacuum the pieces of wax. Use a non-serrated knife or old credit card to scrape off any excess wax.  Tennish Racket I have an air conditioner question for you, Andy.

What is causing my exterior

condenser to make a loud, hollow noise every time it kicks in? The racket usually settles down in about 10 seconds or so, after which the noise is not as noticeable. I think it’s coming from the compressor. It Is this a sign that the refrigerant needs to be replenished?

Mike The noise probably has

no relationship to coolant levels, Mike. More likely it is just the compressor building pressure. Some happen to make sounds like that and some don’t. If it otherwise seems to be cooling okay, mai pen rai; leave it alone. Just change filters once a year and wash out the outdoor unit fins occasionally.

--Handy Andy

34 Pattaya Today PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY 12/34

PROPERTY MISCELLANY

Vol. 8 No. 18  1 - 15 June 2009