Soopsip, here making its debut as a weekly essay on the meaning of life (no longer a daily rant), is forced to do likewise because the editor insists on keeping developments in Iraq on the world news pages.

So we'll start with the ongoing brouhaha over high-profile couple Krerkpol "Fluke" and Chayada "Bo" Masayavanich, neither of whom has ever been to Iraq.

The marriage, so the rumble of rumours goes, is "possibly rocky", which some might consider a welcome development now that the furore over the Chakris Yamnam-Akamsiri "Jakkajan" Suwannasuk break-up is cooling.

It says here a feud erupted when Fluke was seen one too many times in the company of his wife's elder sister. Yes, former MP Janista "Bam" Liewchalermwong, who is as much or even more popular than her sibling.

Bam and Fluke were spotted at the malls, sometimes with Fluke's son, and at "West Side Story". There was giggling and some "intimate" moments, such as when Fluke, ever the gentleman, carried her bags for her or, uh, dabbed oil from her face with a napkin. When a reporter said something to him about it, Fluke just said he's close to Bam, and now that she's free from politics (there was a coup, you may recall), it's normal to see each other every day.

"If you ask me whether I'd try to avoid being seen with Phi Bam, I'd say probably not," he elaborated. "I'm going to act normally. If I hide, they'll say there's something going on. So just let it be."

In the latest twist, however, Bo was seen (and well and truly photographed) with a male friend at an Elle Fashion Week show, and no Fluke in sight. How about that, huh, Fluke?

He says he knows the male friend in question and everybody should relax. But it was too late - the media consensus was that Bo went out with another fella in a counter-strike against her husband.

We have no idea where all this is going, but to be sure, unless someone in the swelling herd of Thai celebrities comes up with something on the scale of Britney Spears' divorce, Bam, Bo and Fluke will be in charge of feeding the gossip-hungry masses.

The haunting of Sarocha's wedding

In happier dealings, co-Thaksin Shinawatra critics Ratchapon Laovanich and Sarocha Pornudomsak were wed at the Grand Hyatt on November 9. On hand were another former prime minister, Chuan Leekpai, and all the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy, including that noisy Sondhi Limthongkul.

Sondhi's Manager website gave the many fans who dubbed Sarocha "iron lady" during the political rallies a chance to see what went down at the ceremony, displaying a stack of photos, and so far more than 400 have posted their congratulations there.

Some of the male well-wishers expressed disappointment that Sarocha is no longer single. "Today is my sad day of my life [sic, because] my ex-girlfriend wedding [sic]," wrote "exbf".

"Congratulations! Please mind the gap between the train and the platform," added "Teekae", alluding to Sarocha's taped message to subway passengers, heard at every station. The Manager messages never fail to provide linkage to the Thaksin era. "So you've finally married," says one. "Thank goodness Square Face has gone!"

"It's the most auspicious time to get married because that despicable man has gone," says another.

Like it or not, Ratchapon and Sarocha may have to admit that their love story will forever have the ex-premier as a footnote.

with veen@nationgroup.com