On Mont Blanc, BMW and Rolex...

Any brand conscious person will know what this pen is. I personally would not buy such a pen; it was a present from a friend. You might notice that the pen is also inscribed with President SR Nathan (of Singapore) and his signature. It must have cost my friend a bomb to acquire it.

But why has the end-piece become dislodged?

Since it is “valuable”, I have been treating it like a collectible rather than a pen. I have used it so sparingly that I can count the number of times I have used it with the fingers of my two hands.

 

Yet, its pumping mechanism could break down soon after I had it. I had to send it for repair. It ran out of ink a couple of weeks ago and as I was trying to unscrew this end-piece to take in ink, it just came off! The repair bill will cost as much as a new Parker pen. I don't think I am going to spend that sort of money on a pen.

Ever try to change a bulb on a BMW? We are all suckers of brand names. Mont Blanc and BMW take pride in making things complex. Maybe people like me are not qualified to use Mont Blanc or BMW. Users of these brands are not supposed to dirty their hands!

When I was climbing the corporate ladder, one of the things I coveted was a Rolex watch. Everyone who has “arrived” seems to be wearing one. I decided to pamper myself with one. But you know all these mechanical watches; you have to wind it if you have left it idle for a couple of days. Soon the winding crown got jammed. When I sent it for repair at the Rolex centre, they told me: You also need to service your watch regularly! As for the bill, you simply have to dig deep into your pocket – without questioning!

I was careless enough to leave the watch on my study room’s desk when a removal team was in the house to unpack my stuff. Sure enough, it was flicked by one of the men. Sure he knew it was a Rolex!