Mr Allergy, Mr Old in happy unison

I am sorry I have not been with you much lately. I have taken on a new job, which is fun, but exhausting. I look in the mirror and ask myself: ‘Who is this old man you have become?’

Boyfriend Maiyuu is generally supportive, but finds it hard to understand why I must bring my work stress home with me. ‘Work is over...why can’t you just leave it at the door?’ he asks. I tell him that farang carry these things around with them because work is not just something we do in the allotted hours, for a company which just happens to employ us.

It is in fact an expression of our identity, or the way we feel about ourselves. ‘If I didn’t think about these things while away from work, I could arrive at the office unprepared for whatever the day throws at me,’ I say.

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A farang engineering friend for whom I did some website work a few weeks ago showed me his iPAD 2, which convinced me to buy one for Maiyuu.

I am not a fan of technology, but these things are too beautiful not to have. He went into town a few days ago with a couple of friends to buy one.

He bought it from an Apple dealer at Central department store in Rama III. ‘The staff were utterly indifferent, perhaps because we were not dressed as hi-so Thais, but as ordinary customers,’ he said.

The Apple store did not furnish them with even a basic instruction manual on how to use the thing, nor simple advice on Sim cards, or how to open an account with Apple for buying on-line applications, songs and the like.

The rot might well extend to other Apple stores as well, in which case, I am sure they will suffer for it in the end. No customer deserves to be treated with contempt, no matter how plainly he is dressed.

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The mother and youngest son of my friend Ball from the slums have been injured in road accidents, neither seriously.

The accidents occurred within a day of each other, and were probably set off by the rainy conditions. Youngest son Beer hit the road when his motorcycle skidded and flipped on a wet surface. He suffered abrasions to his arm and leg.

His mother, injured a day later, was sitting in the back seat of a taxi which hit the car in front. She suffered injuries to her leg and sternum.

Mr Ball, girlfriend Jay and baby Min are well. Ball has just two months to go before he starts life as a military conscript. He plays football occasionally with friends, but other than that takes little exercise.

He will need to do better before his departure for the army camp arrives, or the long days of training – conscripts spend the first three months performing arduous physical drills – will come as a shock.

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Out with the old...

Maiyuu and I are preparing to buy a couch, after he developed an allergy to the dust in our place.

We bought our present couch two years ago, which sits next to double doors leading on to a narrow veranda.

A pair of mesh screen doors provides partial protection from dust which enters our place during the day, but it is not enough. The veranda looks over the posh side of our neighbourhood, where construction activity is a constant bugbear.

Someone is always having his condo done up, or building a new one. The construction work throws up dust, which enters our place, embeds itself in the furnishings, and gives Maiyuu his allergy. He coughs and sniffs daily.

The couch is hard to clean. The next one will be better.

We have decided to buy him a new couch (so-fa in Thai) , so at least he can rest in peace. Maiyuu sleeps on the couch, which is outside my bedroom, rather than his own bedroom, so he can be closer to me at night.

That’s a sweet thought, but also leads to his allergy condition, as it's ridden with dust. A new couch might help, especially if we can clean it regularly. However, ultimately we may be forced to move, as the dust menace just will not be stopped.