Montblanc Rouge Et Noir Coral

Sometime in 2019 I accidentally stumbled upon this pen in a high end watch shop in Sunway Pyramid . I was mesmerized with such a stunning beauty from a pen. Being a Montblanc I dare not ask anything. So upon reaching home I googled to learn more about the pen. Prices for a used unit was in the region of RM3,000+. 

On my second trip to the same shop, I queried further and found out they only had the ballpoint version retailing at RM2,400+. 

After many months of searching, I found a local reseller willing to let go a new fountain pen at RM2,600. But I did not purchase as we could not agree on a price. 

Finally last week my wife went to high end brand retailer who had a MCO sale and she informed me that their are Montblanc pens. I send her a few pictures of pens I’m looking for, not expecting much. She informed me they had the Rouge Et Noir Coral (only one piece) and also the M edition. So I grabbed the Rouge Et Noir Coral first. 

I have always wanted to own a Montblanc pen, way back in the early 2000’s but it was simply out of reach. It was the ultimate status symbol. With the price always being illusive, I simply thought I may never own one. 

The Rouge Et Noir was released in 2016 as part of their Heritage collection. 

The original Rouge Et Noir was Montblanc first fountain pen and was released more than 100 years ago in 1906. It was inspired by the novel Le Rouge Et Le Noir by Stendhal. Loosely translated from French as the Red and the Black. Figboot on pens in his YouTube channel 4 years ago informed that there was one for sale in eBay for USD$16,000.

Such a beautiful gorgeous pen, the Rouch Et Noir Coral. A sight to behold 

The position of the Montblanc logo on the cap may not to everyone’s taste but it pays homage to the original emblem 

The Montblanc snow cap emblem is rather big for the size of the pen but it pays homage to the original Rouge Et Noir

The snake clip is truly unique and it has a bit of a curvature to give it a more naturalistic image.The eyes are green spinel stones 

The nib is 14 carat 2 tone gold. Very smooth nib and does not skip at all, which was a bonus point in my book. The snake head is clearly visible on the nib and the line to the feed looks like a snake flickering its tongue. This pen is a piston filler. It gives such a satisfaction unscrewing the cap. You can tell it is precision engineering

Bleach Nirvana

15th May 2020 Julain’s Auction announced that up for auction from19th July 2020 would be Kurt Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E guitar used in Nirvana’s 18 November 1993 MTV Unplugged in New York performance. 

That performance would be one of their most defining and went down in history as one of the greatest live performances of all time. 

Cuts of the album would go on becoming iconic, celebrated and defining versions of their songs, winning best Grammy Awards performance for Alternative Music in 1996. 

Kurt purchased the guitar at Voltage Guitars in Los Angles. 

The hammer dropped for a solid tune of USD$6.1 million, breaking the previous record held by a 1970 black Fender Stratocaster belonging to Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, which sold for USD$3.95 million. 

This brought renewed interest in the troubled and tragic life of Kurt Cobain. 

Nirvana burst into the scene with Nevermind selling an unprecedented number of records at that time for a grunge band. The total records sold todate is in the region of 30 million copies. 

But Nirvana broke into the scene with their first album Bleach in 1989. The thirty hours of recording by Jack Endino cost the band USD$606.17 and was paid by Jason Everman. a guitarist who was impressed by Nirvana's demo with Dale Crover, Everman was credited as a guitarist on the album sleeve and is the other guitarist on the cover of the album, even though he did not perform on the album. 

The album cover was photographed by Kurt’s then-girlfriend Tracy Marander during a concert at the Reko Muse art gallery in Olympia, Washington 1 April 1989.  The album's working initially called Too Many Humans was renamed Bleach after Cobain found an AIDS prevention poster while Nirvana was driving through San Francisco. The poster advised heroin addicts to bleach their needles before use, featuring the slogan "Bleach Your Works".

The layout was created by Lisa Orth through a reversed-out process as if it were a film negativ, in her office The Rocket. Lisa asked The Rocket’s typesetter, Grant Alden, to set the band’s name in whatever already installed in their typesetting machine. And thus Nirvana’s logo was born, mostly by accident using Onxy. 

The original by Tracy. Featuring Kurt, Novaselic, Channing and Everman 

Transformation to black and white inverted

Finally the negative effect

Penmanship in the 21st Century

During my student days in Sekolah Tengku Abdul Rahman 2 (STAR 2) and secondary schooling in English College (Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar), Johor Bahru, my handwriting was literally like chicken scribbling. It still is now. Albeit a better version.

I took calligraphy in school but never took it passionately. I always envied my friend who had immaculate handwriting. His handwriting in his homework book was like typewritten, all font was perfectly shaped and symmetrical. His calligraphy was literally the bomb and out of this world. It was like scriptures from the heavens. Ridzuan was his name, if I’m not mistaken. A small handsome nearly organized and friendly dude.

In the age of the keyboard warriors, one may think that the age of beautifully handwritten notes are lone gone. You are forgiven. I don’t blame you. But if you take a little time and search internet. You will be amazed that there is a huge movement out there keeping the art of penmanship alive. Each handwriting style is unique to that particular individual. Like your signature, it identify you and is unique to you. You might say it is you thumbprint. 

Jake Weidmann, Peter Deligdisch (Peter Draws), David Parker (Figboot), Brian Goulet (Houlet Pen Company), Neil deGrass Tyson, Stephen Brown (Sbrebrown), Matt Armstrong, Michael Waltinger (Scrively) and Amanda Rach Lee, to name a few. Their passion simply inspires you.   

Here are some of my arsenal. From the left, a Waterman pen, Faber Castell mechanical pencil 0.7, Faber Castell Blitz RT ball pen pearl white, custom pen by Tuan Ab Majid Bujang, Faber Castell Blitz RT pen gunmetal, Selangor Pewter keris letter opener and Faber Castell metal pencil sharpener.     

Lamy 2000, Lamy Tourmaline (belongs to my son) and Onishi Seisakusho Sakura (belongs to my daughter)

My Brassware EDC, Thomas Tool Brass pen, Kaweco Brass Sport Fountain Pen with Raw Bronze Clip, Kaweco SKETCH UP Brass 5.6, Liverby TTLB X Rainier Brass mechanical lead pencil holder, Traveller’s Company Brass Pencil case and Ruler. Although heavier than other types of material but they are a beauty in their own right and will achieve natural patina in due time

The beautiful case the Thomas Tool Brass pen comes in wonderfully inscribed. The inscription by Terry Pratchett is typed at the bottom of this article

Last but definitely not least, Hasbro Black Series Lord Vader with Faber Castell WRITink black fountain pen. It has a wonderful thumbprint logo barrel of the pen. It peels though. Don’t know if it happens to all WRITink pen or only mine due to manufacturing defect. It is definitely well looked after, never dropped and when not in use it’s housed properly  

The final arsenal which is ever expanding is the Tumasek Pewter Arowana Note Holder and Letter Opener    

The pen is mightier than sword if the sword is very shorty and the pen is very sharp Terry Pratchett 

Muhammad Ali in Malaysia 1975

Muhammad Ali the “Greatest Heavy Weight Champion of the World”, was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr on 17 January 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. At 18, Clay won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympics and became the world heavyweight champion at age 22 in 1964 by defeating Sonny Liston. 

Clay predicted victory, boasting that he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and knock out Liston in the eighth round. 

Picture from internet

In 1975 Muhammad Ali came to Malaysia for a friendly warm up match with Joe Bugner before his main bout with Joe Frazier dubbed the Thrilla in Manila.  

Here are some pictures of his visit to Malaysia in 1975. Circled in red is my dad 

Ali taunting Joe Bugner (seated right)

A souvenir given by Muhammad Ali to my dad...his personal name card

The Great Champ passed away on 3 June 2016. RIP and God bless 

Hasbro 2008 Legacy Millennium Falcon

Dear Readers,

Greetings and Salutations. With today’s lockdown

NO

I talking about the MCO lockdown. Ha ha ha

I Resolved tiding up my 2008 Hasbro Legacy Millennium Falcon. Yup the big ass MF or more commonly known as Big Millennium Falcon. A hefty more than 2 feet in length.

I purchased it a few years back at a bomb. With no research done, I did not realize that there were many parts missing and ended up 3D printing them. The cost of the 3D printing totaled to the price I paid for the MF. All in all I ended up paying double and I am still missing a few parts.

If I can find the pictures of the 3D printing, I will post them in another blog. But from the pictures below, the 3D printing parts are pretty evident. They are all the ones in Grey color.

The 3D printing alone took 6 months to do by a friend due to problems borrowing the original parts to copy and also through modifying to ensure they fit properly.

So if like gives you lemons you make lemonade 🍋  right, so that’s what I did. I made the best of the situation.      

During this MCO lockdown that’s what I did, I made my simple display with the figures I had. I will keep adding and making it nicer as time proceeds.

Initially the plan was to have it hanging from my plaster ceiling as if it was flying, but I quickly scrapped the idea. Imagine that big ass thing falling down and that’s it.

By the way this BMF is not mine. It’s my birthday gift to my son when he was 9 years old.

So here’s what I ended up doing. This is the view from the stairs on the 1st floor of the house

These are Hasbro Black Series. Oh! Yes as like all display areas in the house you will find used bottles of perfumes around. Perfume bottles are one of my collections

Join me and together we will rule the galaxy as father and son

To hold the cockpit, compartments and create a visual flying effect, I just used straws from used pumps of shampoo bottles and Faber Castell Tack-It.

Solo in carbonite

Last but not least the hot wheels display for my lovely wife, which I will share in another blog

Covid 19 Recipe during House Arrest

Dear Readers,

These are unprecedented times. Lockdown at home. For some it is a dream come true. Quality time with family. Resolve your to do list at home, spring cleaning, the much needed rest and etc. Oh! I forgot the unkept lawn also needs weeding and trimming. Ha ha ha.

Ok now the reason for this blog. To share something new to eat. It’s a very simple recipe and I do hope you give it a try. Who knows, you may like it.

The most important thing it’s simple and flavor packed.

All you need is a Gardenia bun. It cost about RM0.90 cents per bun. They have a few flavors Vanilla, Jagung, Butterscotch and Chocolate.  If you prefer other brands, no issue. Get what you like, or more accurately in this harsh times get what’s available.

Just cut the bun in the middle and leave the cream in. That’s what give the punch 🤛.

Fry 2 eggs and when the eggs are still soggy, add salt, pepper, some fresh parsley and rosemary. Immediately put the bun with the cream side on the egg to cook as well. When the egg is reasonably cooked, toss the bun over to toast the top side.

That’s it you’re done. Eat the bun with any left over curry that have. I ate mine with some left over curry laksa from the previous day.

Enjoy and hope you like this simple recipe

Stay safe and god bless

Fountain Pen Lamy Tourmaline

My exposure to the world of fountain pens came at a very young age. My dad bought me a basic stainless steel Parker fountain pen I think back then it cost RM10.00. I think I have seen similar ones nowadays being sold at Jusco and Popular Bookstore for RM50.00. But I don’t see the stainless steel versions being sold anymore. I usually see it being sold in blue or black color.  

It became one of my daily used pen. This was in addition to the Hero fountain pen which had a more finer and sharper nib. With my inexperience, I had destroyed many writing papers due to wet ink and the sharpness of the Hero nib. Back then we didn’t have fancy special paper pads for fountain pens. I merely used by school note book.

Over the years as I progress in age, studies and career, I lost touch with my love for fountain pens. Don’t get me wrong, I never had immaculate or mastered the innate art of beautiful writing, In fact my calligraphy writing was much to be desired. But somehow when you write in a fountain pen, you feel special, dignified and your thoughts simply flow through the pen seamlessly, 

Recently over the course of a few months I started purchasing back some fountain pens to rekindle back this love affair with the beautiful and delicately designed pen. 

I purchased this pen Lamy Tourmaline fountain pen medium nib from Pengallery Malaysia for my 12 years old son just like how my dad did back in the day. So far he likes it and finds the unique color quite fancy. It is such a beautifully designed pen and a joy to hold.

Now my 8 year old daughter said she need one just like her brother. I have the Lamy LX version in mind for her.

I would like to share with all lovely readers and fountain pen lovers my simple DIY display pen holder for my kids. I got the idea when I saw a knight kneeling down on one knee holding the pen. I saw it while reading an article on fountain pens. So I did many searches online to find such display and one day, as if I was smacked on the head, I thought you know what would be cool? Darth Vader kneeling and holding the pen on a lava pit.

This is the picture I found on net about the knight pen holder. Cool huh and something very primitive and medieval about it

As I had no idea how to build a lava pit diorama, I ended up just using this beautiful piece of wood as the base. The Darth Vader figurine is a Hasbro Black Series 6 inch with the helmet removed. The figure could not kneel properly so for support I used the helmet.

The wood was purchased last week at the Kompleks Kraft expo for RM25.00

Howard feed and wax wood polish and conditioner made in the USA. Bought from ACE Hardware Sunway Pyramid. RM25.00. Picture before and after applying the wood conditioner

Found this NOS in one of the stationary shops in Raub about 4 years back its now displayed in my showcase