The odd surprise or two from politicians really do make Thailand look like a country where there's never a dull moment. The sad thing, though, is that those surprises always end up with taxpayers' money being washed down the drain.
There are two current cases that fit the bill: one is down south and the other right in the environs of the capital.
The southern surprise involves the troubled province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, which has been selected to host the first "rubber road". It is 19km long, passing through the three districts of Thung Song, Thung Yai and Bang Chan.
The man behind this innovative project is Nattawut Saikuar. Last month he chaired a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the construction of the road in his home province and proudly declared that after months of searching for a solution to the price slump for para rubber to appease voters in the South, this is it.
Normally, asphalt is the primary material used to pave roads. But the Nakhon Si Thammarat road will be special as 5% of the asphalt mixture will be rubber.
Although the construction cost will rise by about 15%, that should not be the main factor to consider.
The rubber mix will last longer and, more importantly, it will shore up demand for rubber once construction and renovation of roads across the country starts using rubber as part of the material. Here is an example: 1km of a two-lane road needs about two tonnes of rubber to be mixed in with the asphalt.
Mr Nattawut dreams of organising the World Rubber Expo on the road next year to show it to global investors interested in this innovation.
Nakhon Si Thammarat would be the centre of the rubber world by the time that expo is organised. Rubber planters could end the misery of declining rubber prices.
The red-shirt leader kicked off his pet project on Oct 19 when he was still deputy agriculture and cooperatives minister. Less than a week later he was moved to the post of deputy commerce minister and nobody has talked about that road since, including Mr Nattawut.
If Mr Nattawuat's idea is right, the country should have had "rubber roads" long before he came up with the idea. And he just might not appreciate having to ask construction firms why they are not that keen to use a rubber mix.
Just a reminder. The road is being built at a cost of 85.5 million baht, the budget being allocated by the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry courtesy of the taxpayer.
It isn't too hard to predict what the future of this road will be after the one who initiated it is gone.
Perhaps the most controversial of the "surprises" sits smack in the middle of Bangkok's Nong Chok district. It is, of course, the highly politicised Bangkok Futsal Arena.
The public was mistakenly given the impression that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration built it to be the main venue for the Futsal World Cup tournament, which is currently under way.
Nobody knew the real intention, kept secret by City Hall for months until Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra revealed last Wednesday that the 12,000-seat stadium was, from the very beginning, not built solely for Fifa. It is for people in the capital to use for concerts and sports events once completed, he said.
It is a surprise "gift" for Bangkokians given that it was never in his policy and mentioned when he decided to run for Bangkok governor four years ago.
So MR Sukhumbhand did not care much when Fifa ruled the stadium out as a venue for the world futsal competition because football's governing body is worried about safety after its hasty construction and missed deadline.
It can be a place to organise concerts and other sport events for the capital which already has other stadiums close to the city and concert venues which have better and easier access. So it is not easy to predict what its future will be.
Just a reminder. The price tag for this venue is 1.3 billion baht.
Stories eventually end, but some, like those two examples will reverberate for a long time.
Saritdet Marukatat is Digital Media News Editor, Bangkok Post.