The Last Word: on unsolicited advice 17 May 2012 0 comments It's an early morning flight. You're tired, grumpy and regretting not grabbing a coffee before boarding. The seatbelt sign is turned off and the mouth of the person sitting next to you is turned…
The Last Word: on reporting your guilt 8 May 2012 0 comments Have you ever done something awful, something that causes you a sense of shame and then felt an irresistible need to recurrently report your guilt? There should be an English word for this feeling.…
The Last Word: on meanness 3 May 2012 0 comments I don't know whether you've noticed it, reader, but I reckon these days we are too mean to each other. I'm not talking globally, although there is patently a strong sense of mean-spirited behaviour…
The Last Word: on A Fortunate Man 26 Apr 2012 0 comments Because I had just finished a couple of books by Jo Nesbo, the Norwegian author and musician, I felt a need to read something serious on the plane. I took Niall Ferguson's latest book,…
The Last Word: on referral letter etiquette 19 Apr 2012 0 comments I received a letter from a thoracic surgeon that was signed off, "With love and truth". This caught me off guard. The letter was on a normal-looking letterhead. It started with the conventional…
The Last Word: on odd sports 12 Apr 2012 0 comments What is the point of golf? Why hit a small white ball down long, grassy fairways until, after many excursions and expletives, it plops into a hole in the lawn? Is this an activity for grown-ups? Is…
The Last Word: on an interesting ride 4 Apr 2012 0 comments Reader, I have conquered the Otago Rail Trail. Yes, I have walked the walk and pushed the pedal, defeated pain and endured adversity, and then finally reached the summit as a victor.
The Last Word: on one-joke columns 28 Mar 2012 0 comments In the first years of my writing this column, it used to be 1200 words long. It has now shrunk to 600 words. I would like to have back the blank bit on the page, which the designers like but seems to…
The Last Word: on being GAY 22 Mar 2012 0 comments I'm GAY, and have been since birth. I'm not referring to sexual orientation or to my propensity for being optimistic and cheerful in the face of adversity.
The Last Word: on art 15 Mar 2012 0 comments I am firmly of the view that the best time to attend art exhibitions is before the footy season really gets going. One can take in a bit of wisdom of the ages, have something useful to say if…