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Buried In Splendid Company
I’m running out of space. Old and new books accumulate around the floor of my study, unruly stacks that threaten to tumble and destroy my world. In desperate need of shelf space, for there’s nowhere else I can squeeze more bookshelves, I sort out books in heaps to disperse among the local library, the book… Continue reading
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Infantino and Trump: A World Cup Bromance Update
As the bromance between FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino and president Donald Trump deepens with mutual respect and admiration, the rest of us hurtle towards the Football World Cup 2026. In May, I posted The Golden Phallus of Football: A Tale of Trophies, Triumphs and Turmoil. Now I rant about updates on that entry and more.… Continue reading
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Happy Halloween!
You can revisit my previous Halloween post with renewed illustrations: Continue reading
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Dictatorship Where?
The shock retrieved my memories of armoured trucks, cars and military personnel patrolling public spaces and residential areas. Tanks stood at road intersections surrounded by armed soldiers in times of relative peace. It was Brazil during the old dictatorship. And it was America, 2025. Mine was a bitter smile, “ They’re using their manual… Continue reading
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That Nobel Peace Prize Malarkey
Alas, Nobel Prize season is upon us. This week, from Stockholm, Sweden, the Nobel Committee will announce the prizes for Medicine or Physiology, Physics and Chemistry, Economic Sciences, and Literature. From Oslo, Norway, the much-awaited Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, 10 October 2025, at 11:00 CEST. The prizes are coveted by scientists,… Continue reading
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Boundaries in Jakarta: Charm and Chaos in a Day
When I arrived in Jakarta in 1992, Indonesia comprised over 13,000 islands. In 1998, modern aerial surveys revealed a new total of 17,500 islands. The island of Java, where Jakarta is rooted, corresponds to only 7% of the Indonesian surface, but it cradles 156 million people, equivalent to 56% of the Indonesian population. In the… Continue reading
Algarve, asia, Bread Man, Bread Vendor, Clove Cigarette, Construction Work, Dogs, Earthquake, food, Gossip, High Boundaries, High Walls, Home delivery, Indonesian food, Jakarta, Jamu, Jamu Vendor, Kue Putu, Laughter, life, Mango Tree, Memoirs, Mosquitoes, Neighbourhood, Noisy dogs, Noodles Vendor, Piano Player, Pinky nail, Pondok Indah, Recycling, Satay, Sewers, Street Vendors, Toy Vendor, travel, Vegetable Vendor -
Rub It In: Love, Sex, And Money Luck
Who hasn’t believed in the supernatural power of a black cat as bringer of bad luck or a rabbit’s foot as saviour from unfortunate events? These beliefs hark to when the supernatural could not be explained, when a person fought one myth with another. With galloping developments in the sciences, and computer access, I’d expect… Continue reading
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English as He/She/It/They is Spoke
11 minutes’ read I was a devoted student in the early days of my English language learning adventure. So much so that, as a teen, I managed to gather a few like-minded colleagues and we embarked on a frenzy of extra-activity translations. We translated words and expressions directly, searching in musty dictionaries and demanding attention… Continue reading
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The Antimatter Wedding Anniversary
In reality, it’s called the Golden Anniversary, and I can’t imagine why. Half a century together deserves to be likened, if at all, to a substance more valuable than gold or merely golden. But do bring out gold coloured tat: balloon arches, ribbons and giant bows, dainty plastic forks and spoons, sparkly cakes, streamers, sequin… Continue reading
American Gothic, Antimatter, Antimatter Anniversary, Can Can, CERN, Durian, Elon, Golden Wedding Anniversary, Granite Anniversary, Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Longest Marriage, Matter, Northeast Brazil, Oak Anniversary, Pearl Anniversary, Porcelain Anniversary, Ruby Anniversary, Shortest Marriage, The Kiss, Tin Anniversary, Upstate New York, Wedding Anniversary, Zermatt -
The Golden Phallus of Football: A Tale of Trophies, Triumphs, and Turmoil
He was full-blown on the telly: gloriously orange face and splendid platinum blonde hair that lent him a smidgen of gravitas for a fraction of a second. The Thingy (henceforth TT) sat at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, facing the camera that he so adores. I did a double take while TT spewed… Continue reading
Brazil Football Champion, Canada, Chinese Football, Estadio Centenário, Fake World Cup Trophy, FIFA, FIFA Founding, FIFA World Cup, Football, Golden Phallus, Jules Rimet, Jules Rimet Trophy, Maracanã Stadium, Meso-America Football, Mexico, O Sole Mio, Pickles, Replica World Cup Trophy, Stolen World Cup, The World Cup, Three Tenors, USA, Winners of the World Cup, World Cup 1930, World Cup 2026, World Cup Audience
