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Aside from the boiling political waters whose scalding overflow can spill on anybody, people scratch their heads every day over the ceaseless spikes in oil prices. Car drivers are fretting that petrol prices could hit Bt50. (Don't worry, that day will definitely come if crude oil reaches US$150, or Bt4,871, a barrel). Commuters without cars are worried about rising bus fares. And when a fare increase is halted, rather than being happy, they have to suffer from a bus strike.

Not all share the suffering. There are some who are enjoying life well above the poverty line. One is Poomtham Vechchayachai, former transport minister in the Thaksin administration, who is one of the 111 executives of the Thai Rak Thai Party banned from politics for five years.

Poomtham did suffer on the first days of the coup. A person close to him said that he rushed to leave for Quebec in Canada where his kid was studying. There he

developed a sudden love for entertainment.

We learnt from the source that Poomtham fell in love with stage plays in Quebec and bought tickets for all the shows in town including "Phantom of the Opera". Back home, with that lingering hankering for showbiz, Poomtham, who seldom leaves home, entertained himself by watching TV programmes.

Soap operas are what he enjoys the most. He watched them all from "Nang That" (The Slave) on Channel 7 to "Sawan Biang" (Diverted Route to Heaven) on Channel 3. Both were the big hits, boosting the ratings of the two TV channels. Now, he enjoys "Awajee See Chomphoo" (Pinkish Hell) and "Harb Khong Mae" (Mother's Coolie Basket) on Channel 3. He also likes Academy Fantasia on True Visions and is more than happy to show up at AF concerts. He bought tickets for the musical "Don Quixote" starring famous singer Ruangsak Loychusak.

"He even told me that on Friday, May 30, don't even think of calling him at his house," the source said. "He needs to be home on that day as the last episode of "Harb Khong Mae" will be screened."

Enjoying TV entertainment these days is better than reading newspapers, with constant headlines about people's sufferings.