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With his birthday just a day away, people can't help but wonder what this convicted billionaire is up to.

The Abhisit camp had earlier feared that the big surprise would be another massive riot, much like the one organised during Songkran by his red-shirt supporters. However, some political gurus are dismissing this possibility because it would be a cliché. After all, Thaksin has promised a surprise, and another riot would just be boringly predictable.

What you are at 60 is a measure of what you have achieved in your life. Thaksin managed to garner several billions of baht in his six years in office and is running around the globe to avoid serving the jail term he was given for corruption. Still, who can blame the man? Thai prisons are notorious for bringing out confessions, and no, we are not talking about the mysterious CIA torture chamber that is supposed to be based in Thailand. Water-boarding does not quite seem to fit the character of Thai law-enforcement. The police here have a much better way of getting bad people to spill the beans. Surely Thaksin remembers the 2004 incident when a suspected thief was allegedly administered electric shocks to his testicles. Ouch!

Thaksin is not a man who will go quietly though. To build up the suspense before his birthday, his lieutenants have launched a magazine called Voice of Taksin, with Thaksin's smiling face staring at readers on a cover done up to look like Time magazine. If Voice of Taksin could make any sound, it would say: "I'll be back", the phrase that made Arnold Schwarzenegger famous in the "Terminator" films.

However, Voice of Taksin didn't create as much hype as Thaksin probably hoped. First, it is quite wrong to launch another magazine in a market where hardly anybody bothers to read. Besides, even though Thaksin is not around, people can still hear his voice, and in fact, even see him sing. Check out "Maew Rap", the original version, on YouTube.

Yet we should never assume that Thaksin will ever be at his wit's end. His promised surprise could well be even more exciting than the birth of a panda cub.

Luckily for us, even his confidants have not been able to keep things secret. Pracha Prasopdee, an MP from the Pheu Thai Party, says Thaksin plans to launch a song telling his fans about his experiences since his ouster in 2006. Apparently Thaksin will debut his musical career with a video produced with the help of a professional team in Dubai, beamed in as a hologram at the Kaew Fah Temple in Nonthaburi. It will look as if Thaksin is actually standing there singing live in front of his fans.

Apparently the temple's abbot has already witnessed a rehearsal of this "big surprise" and says it's certainly worth waiting for. "When people see it, they will be amazed, surprised and stunned with what Thaksin has done."