Monthly Archives: September 2009

Stefano Santambrogio

Just acquired a Stefano Santambrogio Smooth Freehand with Galalith Shank Extension – this novel and attractive pipe rocks on its base and sports a fine robe of straight and bird’s eye grains. Stefano Santambrogio opened a fine pipe carving shop … Continue reading

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Samuel Gawith’s 1792 Dark Kendal Flake

When I first smoke this many years ago, it knocked me out. Recently I got re-acquainted with it again. It is not for the faint-hearted. This pipe tobacco separates the men from the boys. It is one of those Lakeland … Continue reading

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Oliver Camphausen’s Bullet Pipe

Oliver Camphausen is a genius of a pipe maker in Germany who does really fantastic work. The picture above shows a pipe he has just carved for me, made with the spent shell of a .458 Winchester Magnum bullet – … Continue reading

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Studying at Starbucks

There she was – as this pic snapped by my BlackBerry shows – seated comfortably at a table, shoes kicked off, feet propped on another chair. A third chair holding a huge bag of books, table strewn with more books, … Continue reading

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Trolling

On internet forums, a troll is someone who starts a provocative thread – often off-topic – to induce people into responding, a bit like throwing chum to attract fish. Trolls are usually pathetic, lonely fucktards who crave attention. They take … Continue reading

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Toe Cleavage

At my age, I thought I know all there is to know about cleavages. Then someone introduced me to toe cleavage. Toe cleavage is the partial exposure of a woman’s toes in shoes that are cut low enough at the … Continue reading

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Brown Out

No I’m not referring to power failures in the Philippines. (The Filipinos are masters of denial – they don’t have blackouts, instead they have brownouts.) I’m referring to Dan Brown’s latest reappearance after six years of hiatus. Tuesday’s email from … Continue reading

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Goodbye, James Patterson

No he didn’t die. It’s just that I’ve decided not to read his books anymore. James Patterson is a former chairman of the advertising company J Walter Thompson. In the early 1990s, Patterson came up with the slogan “Toys R … Continue reading

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Cut Down in his Prime

In 2008 Stieg Larsson was the second-best selling author in the world, behind Afghani-American author Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner.) But the political activist by day and author by night never lived to see his books in print. After handling over … Continue reading

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An Evening with Il Divo

Tonight Il Divo performs at the Indoor Stadium. It’s a “one night only” affair. I will be at home. To listen to those dudes with the toe curling – ok, heavenly – voices, you’ll have to pay S$275 for the … Continue reading

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