With my father, we attended the 2023 West Australian Football League [WAFL] at Optus Oval. I am a Fremantle Football Club supporter and their alignment club in the WAFL competition qualified for the Grand Final. The team I supported as a child was East Fremantle, they qualified as well so it was a win/win day for me, no matter who won – I was going to be happy.

We decided to book a hospitality area that we do not normally attend, so this gave us a look into a different match day area. Ironically, this hospitality area is directly below our normal seats, so whilst the view of the ground did not change, we saw the hospitality area we normally miss. So we went to indulge in the game day food, it wasn’t that great to be honest, but the food and drinks package was reasonable for the price we paid.

When the game ended, I asked the security if they would open the doors to the ground at the lower viewing area to let us onto the ground. This is not too bad a request as they had let the crowd onto the ground for the premiership presentation. What made it difficult was our doors opened to the restricted media area and match day officials. However, as I had asked the security guard nicely, I had been treating him respectfully all afternoon, and we were neither threatening nor showing visible influence of alcohol, security was more than happy to let us through.

So as we were wandering around in the restricted area, the official holding the premiership cup was waiting patiently with the trophy in hand. I asked him nicely if my old man could hold the Dixon Cup before it was presented to the premiership captain of the East Fremantle Football Club, to my surprise, he was more than obliging. So I whipped my phone out and got a series of snaps of my old man holding up the Dixon Cup.

The Dixson Cup is the oldest premiership cup in Australian Rules history, inaugurated in 1885, the cup was created and promoted by Sir Hugh Robert Dixson. The cup was made in the United States to the specifications required by Dixson. The cup was to go to the first club to win the premiership three times. The first premiership was Rovers [now West Perth] in 1885, and Fremantle in 1886 with Unions [now East Perth] winning the Premiership in 1887, 1888, and 1889 and claiming the Dixson Cup.

The Dixson Cup was lost after Unions awarded the cup to the premiership captain Paddy Knox, in the 1960s the Dixson Cup was privately purchased at auction in the 1960s. When the whereabouts of the Dixson Cup became known to league officials in the 1980s, the Western Australian Football League [WAFL] first attempted legal action, this failed and after decades the Dixson Cup ended back at the WAFL where it is now presented to the premiership team as a perpetual trophy.

There is no mixing for me, I like Cointreau just as it is, I don’t even drink Cointreau on ice, instead keeping my bottle of Cointreau in the refrigerator. It is better to drink from a crystal whiskey tumbler, but these days I just sip from a crystal shot glass. My whiskey tumblers were all broken by people staying in my house in the trail of destruction that they usually leave behind.

So what I learned is when researching this post, Cointreau is a form of Triple Sec, so I need to ask, what is Triple Sec? Firstly, there is a liqueur named Triple Sec, it is an orange flavoured liqueur containing 20% – 40% alcohol by volume. Triple Sec is typically consumed in Margarita, Long Island Iced Tea, Sidecar, White Car, Mai Tai, and Cosmopolitan cocktails and is a form of orange liqueur that is perfect for blending in cocktails. Apparently, the term Triple Sec was removed from the bottle between the world wars to differentiate the liqueur.

So I needed to learn a little about Cointreau, they source sweet and bitter oranges. The bitter oranges are peeled and paired into single ribbons whilst the sweet oranges are quartered. The peels are sun dried for three to five days to achieve a moisture content of 11% to meet the balance of sweet and bitter orange flavour. From there, pure water, sugar and neutral alcohol are the only other ingredients in the natural liqueur that is my favourite liqueur.

The official state visit of US President Donald Trump to China had already raised concerns even before his flight touched down. The bilateral attack on Iran would feature high on Trump’s agenda. There are some tankers allowed transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a number bound for China.

The concern is the ad hoc and undisciplined approach of the Trump presidency including the late night and early morning tweets on his social media platform. What an administration requires is predictability and reliability, Trump offers neither. Nor is Trump playing three dimensional chess as his supporters claim, a staffer once famously leaked that they are flat out trying to stop him from eating the pieces. Given the recklessness shown in the Iranian attacks and the inability to foresee or plan for Iranian forces blocking the Strait of Hormuz, his judgement is seriously questioned.

So what are the concerns related to the China state visit? Firstly, there is the independence of Taiwan, given Trump’s predictability to listen to the last person he spoke to, President Xi will cherish the ability to talk directly to Trump. Given Trump’s child-like admiration of autocrats and authoritarians, Trump is likely to be persuaded by Xi Jinping if he appeals to Trump’s ego. Any mention of a change of long-term US policy will likely be seized upon by Chinese leadership, this will have significant impact on Taiwan’s independence and self defence.

Whilst Trump believes he is respected by world leaders, the exact opposite is true, these world leaders hold him in contempt. They know Trump is easily manipulated and changes his mind frequently, these leaders know he can be compromised and will attempt to gain favour with him based on his lack of direction and morals. Red carpet on arrival, lavish state dinners and meetings massaging his ego is likely to score concessions. They know Trump is a big talker on social media, once they get to him in a face-to-face setting, they know they can get results and concessions. They know a TACO backdown is easily negotiated, all they need to do is appeal to his enormous ego.

So Bruce wrote the song on the weekend, recorded the song on Monday at Stone Hill Studio, mixed on Tuesday and released on Wednesday. The song was released just four days after the murder of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis [24/1/26], before that, Renee Good was shot by ICE Agents in her vehicle [7/1/26].

This folk rock US President Donald Trump described Bruce Springsteen as “a bad, and very boring singer”, this is a standard Trump response. This is to call that person not smart, untalented, over-rated, or some basic schoolyard bullying name calling. In relative terms, Trump is describing himself, his fragile ego cannot accept any form of criticism, he sees his own intellectual shortcomings so he tries to project them on others.

Bruce Springsteen described the Trump Administration as corrupt, incompetent and treasonous during a Manchester show in 2025. Naturally, Trump had a public meltdown and in a post called the Boss writing “importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL. In Trump style [or lack thereof] added this dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country.” This is a pretty personal attack, especially for a guy still filling stadiums like he did in the 1970s and 1980s.

So how did this song go, 2.5 million views on YouTube on the day of release, holding the number one spot on iTunes in 19 countries including the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, France, New Zealand, and Italy. A pretty decent song debut for an untalented guy who is apparently incompetent. Even better, Krisi Noem is gone, she got a starring mention in Bruce’s lyrics. Even more embarrassing to the Trump Administration, her husband is cross-dressing in Barbie clothes, another sex scandal for an Administration that appeals to right-wing Christian conservatives.

I was a frequent purchaser of Wolf Blass reds a number of years back. I think when chasing the international market, they became a little too fixated on preservatives making the wines real headache material, that was the point I dropped Wolf Blass wines pretty quick. Wandering through the departures lounge, I viewed a bottle of their 2012 grey lable shiraz and I thought I would revisit the producer – I was glad I did.

The wine was particularly complex exhibiting bold oak notes supported by ripe berries, hints of spice, chocolate overtones, and a just hint of pepper. This 2012 vintage release is from the shiraz McLaren Vale region supporting the renowned shiraz expressions of this region. The outstanding fruit grown in this maritime coastal region has been crafted with the structure and character that this shiraz is expected to age impeccably. 

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Limited Edition Chronograph x Oracle Red Bull Racing is worth a look. Whilst I am a longtime fan of TAG Heuer, I am not really into Formula One, so I do not keep up with the teams or the drivers.

So when I read the specifications, TAG Heuer stated this limited edition timepiece has a black DLC-coated case. Ok, so what is DLC coating? This is diamond-like carbon, a thin-film coating composed of a carbon-based material that possesses diamond-like properties. Right, so this offers a hard scratch resistant case with a deep colour.

A DLC coating is applied using physical vapor deposition [PVD] or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition [PE-CVD] processes. The PVD process uses a vacuum-based technique to create a thin, yet durable film by vaporising a solid source material and condensing it onto the case surface. This Formula 1 limited edition comes on a blue rubber strap to offer a sporty yet comfortable feel of this timepiece.

The Red Bull team logo is written between 7 o’clock and 10 o’clock on the dial, with an asphalt-textured dial in Oracle Red Bull Racing blue. The chronograph sub-dials are at the 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. There are red highlights on the pushers, red on the sub-dials and a yellow second hand. There is a steel bezel with aluminium insert, the caseback is engraved with 20th season logo, with a One of 3000 inscription to denote the limited edition status.

So now that President Trump has declared victory in Iran, one would expect the Strait of Hormuz would be opened again.  Yet Donald Trump continues to bang out content on his social media site that the Ranians are begging for a deal. Naturally, this disrespect irritates them, they pull out of negotiations and instead release another Lego video. If the situation was not so serious, this would actually be funny.

The first thing that needs to happen is Donald Trump gets off social media, he is not helping the situation, he is making it worse. Secondly, Trump needs to stop making media comments, he needs to hand over responsibility to Marco Rubio, and tell him to get it sorted. No more Steve Witkoff, no more Jared Kushner, serious negotiators from the State Department need to be brought in and negotiate in good faith. Trump can then concern himself with the East Wing Ballroom, and monuments to himself in Washington.

The ridiculous double blockade of the Strait of Hormuz needs to be lifted, the oil and gas needs to flow again and economic activity resume. The gulf states including Saudi Arabia are losing patience. Already MBS has blocked the US military access to their airspace, their aircraft were effectively grounded and left parked on the tarmac at Prince Sultan airbase. Now other gulf nations are looking at the Saudi stance and may impose restrictions of their own on the US military.

Gulf state infrastructure is getting hit by Iranian missiles and drones, this hurts their oil production and has damaged their reputation as a safe tourism destination. The gulf states are the ones bearing the brunt of the US war against Iran, this is costing them enormously. The Saudi leadership quickly put an end to the US operation to escort ships through the sess lanes, this operation lasted less than 36 hours before being shut down after pressure from Saudi Arabia. This is a mess, Trump needs to get out before we have a global recession, Trump needs to shut his mouth and stand aside.

When I am in Singapore I love eating at hawkers huts, the food is good quality and really simple. There is no hanging about, get in and eat, then get out. All the stalls are set up with electronic payment systems so I can just tap my card, this is simple and straightforward, I don’t need to carry too much local currency. I have had my credit card chewed up by an overseas ATM in the past, so much easier now. 

Breakfast is relatively easy, if you are eating Chinese style it is a couple of soft boiled eggs, kaya toast, that is a two sided toast with coconut jam, and a coffee with condensed milk. The Indian style is warm prata bread with a number of fillings and a Dahl, mutton or chicken curry, light and easy. I like to switch it up on alternate days when I am in Singapore, Chinese Singaporean or Indian Singaporean styles are both great, a good simple breakfast.

Russia was desperate for a ceasefire for their May 9 Parade to go ahead without the prospect of a Ukrainian missile or drone strike. So Vladimir Putin requested a ceasefire with Volodymyr Zelensky offering Vladimir Putin permission to hold their May 9 parade without disruption. This was a fantastic trolling, Zelensky granted permission for Russia to parade around Red Square.

There were no tanks rolling through Red Square, the military parade is all about weapons, there were no truck mounted missiles either, this is projecting Russian power. Russian anti-drone units were stationed just outside Red Square; they were still concerned. Even more ironic, Ukraine war veterans are marching in the parade, the Ukraine war has lasted longer than the Soviet involvement in World War II. The laughs keep coming, Ukrainians make up 25% of the Soviet force, they fought with distinction.

What Zelensky did was brilliant, he gave an assurance that Ukrainian Commanders would not target Red Square on May 9 after numerous requests and negotiations from the Americans, Zelensky decree he would allow the parade to go ahead. Even funnier, he then gave the coordinates for Red Square in the letter. Putin has increased security, he is concerned, he is coming across as a paranoid dictator who is losing control. The Russian people are seeing all this play out, the hits on Russian oil infrastructure are taking its toll, the smoke and the black rain are getting sighted.

The new Longines Hydroconquest reference L3.788.4.98.6 is a nice looking upgrade for the Hydroconquest line. The HydroConquest was introduced in 2007, had an upgrade from the aluminium bezel insert to a ceramic bezel insert to a full case and dial upgrade. I was looking to purchase a HydroConquest, but I thought the aluminium insert would soon be superseded, so I was right. The second generation was a GMT movement, this is now the third generation and I reckon it will be a hit.

I wandered into Mazzucchelli’s Jewellers in Karrinyup, they have a good range of RADO, Longines, and Tissot, just to name a few brands. They also had TAG Heuer, but lost the range in that store when TAG Heuer opened their second boutique at Karrinyup Shopping Centre. It is still available in the stores not competing against the TAG Heuer boutiques. So I had a look at the older versions and planned my trip in my mind to the Longines boutique in the city for the next day.

As this was a new reference, Mazzucchelli’s Jewellers did not have any inventory, they were waiting for a shipment to arrive. Naturally, the Longines is going to get their shipment first, they want to be first to the Perth market as they are direct competitors. Mazzucchelli’s Jewellers had the older version with the Arabic numerals at the 3, o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions for me to have a look at, the updated reference, if I recall correctly, was introduced in 2022 and I tried that on too back then.

As a dive watch rated to 300 metres it has a screw-down case-back, a screw-down crown, and integrated crown guard as one would expect. Naturally, the sapphire crystal prevents scratches and damage to the crystal, the ceramic bezel insert prevents scratches and has a really good wrist presence. The first generation used the Conquest case and had the externally mounted crown guards, that was an acquired taste, but I was ok with it.

The H-link bracelet is tapered, the older versions used a straight bracelet with a twin lock clasp. I liked the micro-adjustment, that was pretty neat, that is the first of these I have come across and I immediately loved it. There is a 42 mm and 39 mm case version, for me the 42 is perfect as I have an 8 inch wrist, the 39 mm version is perfect for most wrists. There is also a Milanese bracelet version that I am sure will be popular, but won’t work for me.

The frosted blue dial of the reference L3.788.4.98.6 uses wide index markers, with dot markers, at the 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions, the 3 o’clock is substituted with the date window. I can’t say I am a fan of the two dot markers, they should have kept geometric markers throughout. The 12 o’clock marker is an archetypal triangle, the hour hand is a snowflake type, the minute hand is straight, and the second hand is a lollypop type.

Despite the three different types, the design works. I do not like excessive writing on the dial, it is cluttered and messy, the HydroConquest is pretty clean here, just enough to identify Longines, even the hourglass logo is subdued.

The automatic movement is based on, some would argue evolved from the ETA 2892-A2 that has been internally upgraded, the Longines L888.5, a silicon balance spring enhancing anti-magnetic capabilities with a 72 hour power reserve. Beating at 25,200 vph [3.5 Hz]. The movement has 21 jewels, I cannot see the finish on the movement as the solid case-back is is laser etched globe with winged hourglass logo.