Six Inches of Kick Ass

Footwear deserves more respect than we give it. After all, we’d all have vastly different feelings about delving into Mother Nature for a Sunday hike if we had to do it barefoot.

Let the Retro Reincarnation Begin

The weather can catch many expats, new to Hong Kong, off guard like a backhander from Mr T. During summer we all find ourselves perspiring quicker than school boys at Goodfellas, and newbies have to re-engineer our entire wardrobe to cater for the tropics – light weight suits for those ‘wet towel’ summers, a few layers for sudden winter mornings, and of course, suitable attire for days on the harbour. It’s enough to drive a man to drink improperly decanted merlot.

A Real Grilling

Since cave men first stabbed sticks through antelope flesh and held it over an open fire, we’ve loved to barbeque. We know very little about how our food goes from farm yard to specials board, and barbeques offer a sense of community and self-sufficiency, to ‘bring home the bacon’ so to speak.

Time for Some Self-Discipline

Luxury is a funny thing. No matter how much money we make, there’s always a range of every day items catering specifically to us – or at least our income bracket.

Getting the Gyst of It

Summer is around the corner, and that means bronzing with the lovelies on Shek O, rum-soaked junk parties off Lantau, and perhaps even a spot of camping at Plover Cove.

And Open For Business

So you like knowing what’s going on? You’re a man of the world with your ear to the ground and, like so many savvy-canvassers, you’ve discovered Monocle, the stylish creation of Tyler Brulé, is the media outlet for you.

Get ‘em Up, Move ‘em Out

Leather. There is nothing quite like it. Whether you’re wearing it to protect against the elements whilst riding a purring Ducati, or sprawled on a patent Chesterfield doing the horizontal frog dance with some newly-met femme fatale, there’s something instinctual and undeniable about pure pelt.

Time for Ingenious Iceblocks

Everywhere you turn these days, there’s talk about global warming. The arctic icebergs are breaking up and melting at an alarming rate, the Canadian government is spending millions on over-sized ray bans for polar bears, CFCs have become the new anthrax, and in the Pacific, prime ocean front properties will soon be sold as over-water bungalows. It seems that heat is the enemy; an enemy that must be stopped at all costs.

Your mother always told you, if you look into the sun you’ll go blind…and possibly crazy, and there’s a good reason for that. The sun may warm the skin, golden the lovelies and keep keep life on earth ticking along, but it also has a dark side;

It’s a man’s prerogative to change his mind

Don’t you just hate it? You move to a new city, and your old furniture doesn't fit. Or you spend time procuring furniture, buying art work, finding matching cutlery, glasses, bowls, a sofa and a bedroom throne, only to be told by your company that congratulations, you’re moving to head up the Bangladesh office?

As Prescribed by the Doctor

According to rap legend Dr Dre, his greatest talent is knowing exactly what he wants to hear. But once you’ve found that perfect mix – whether it’s classical or hip hop, a Canto pop star or a northern Canadian lesbian jug trio- you need to make sure you’re able to hear the music as it was intended. In an age where we’re increasingly strapped to music players, the importance of good technology through which to hear them has never been more critical.

Write in the Footsteps of Literary Greats

Despite the digital age, where we all seem to be married to our Blackberrys, many of us are still writing all the time, from alimony cheques to naughty notes to cute PAs down the hall, and of course, the flourished signature on important contracts, in view of our peers and mentors. So if you’re going to do it, why not do it with style and finesse, like literary greats gone by?

For the Bobble Head That You Are

Many of the greatest men and women of the past - people who changed the world we live in or the way we look at it - have been immortalised. Some, like the Communist leaders Lenin and Mao, were embalmed, so that their memories could live on, encased in crystal and photographed by tourists. Others are remembered in towering bronze casts, with street signs and college scholarships or in moving poetry.

Time to Mass Customise

Of all the items in your wardrobe, which would be the first you throw into an overnight bag? Jeans, simple denim trousers popular since the 1950s, are like dogs – hardy, reliable and always ready to roll. But as popular as they are, as comfortable as yours might be, and as much time as you spend wearing them, jeans come from cookie cutters; they’re made for the masses, for models with cheese-grater six packs, for guys who look like LL Cool J in the Paradise video. They’re never going to fit like the proverbial glove.

Like a Box of Chocolates…

We’ve all heard of stories of trapped genies in old brass lamps that when rubbed the right way grant you a wish. But what if you found such a mythical beast whilst walking along the Shek O shoreline and were stumped as to what to wish for? After all, the possibilities are endless. If only genies came with one of those Google “I’m Feeling Lucky” buttons.

More Mr Spock Than 50 Cent

Technology is a great thing. It helps us across every aspect of our lives, and is developing faster than Liu Xiang can jump farm fences. These days we watch news bulletins, youtube videos and even movies on everything from wafer-thin cell phones to tiny MP4 players. But instead of sitting on your next long-haul flight perched over a tiny screen, why don’t you let technology take you to the next level?

And Keep All Your Memories

From the moment we rode our first bike, to the last time we did a drunken, naked, down-hill slalom run, we’ve been putting our brain boxes in jeopardy. As if we weren’t losing enough brain cells with all the hay fever sneezing, head bumping on red MTR handles, and late nights at underground Connect Four dens, we have the self-audacity to try extreme sports without sufficient cranial coverage. As our mothers used to say, this is only going to end in tears.

Filling a Void in Your Man Armour

So what do you do when you meet a guy for the first time? Even if it’s not a business meeting, it’s pretty natural to give him a cursory wardrobe verdict – Judge Judy styles.

Luggage for Lusty Weekends

Twenty-four hours can seem like a moment, a flash of the eye. Or it can seem like an age, a vast desert of time and space cast before you - it all depends on where you are and what you’re doing. With 24 hours, you can scream around France’s Le Mans circuit, kill three terrorists and one Washington mole (apparently), have refractive eye surgery in Bangkok, mow the lawns at Arlington Memorial Cemetery, mix 1,200 martinis, and fly from Newark to Beijing return. And for that you’ll need the right luggage.

Time to Zontik the Opposition

Playwright and author W. Somerset Maugham was a man who faced his challenges head on. Having served in WWII, he also spied in Russia for Mother England and travelled the world, chronicling his endeavors. When it came to gambling, there was only one game in town. “Poker's the only game fit for a grown man,” he said. “Then, your hand is against every man's, and every man's is against yours. "

Home Grown Glamour

Despite all the discussion and negativity over smoking, especially with the recent in-door ban here in Hong Kong, cigars seem to have gotten off scot free. There is something utterly elegant about a well-rolled Cohiba – so long as you’re not in a confined space with non smokers, Colombian drug lord limo styles. Cigars have a heritage that you don’t get with a cigarette, and matched with a nice cognac or single malt and a well stuffed Chesterfield, there are few better things in life for a gentleman at leisure.

Get into Social Speculation

Feeling good in a pair of prescription glasses doesn't come easy; even models wearing the trendiest of labels in photo shoots seem to be struggling, and don’t give the impression they wear a pair normally. That’s not to say some people don’t pull it off – very few of us don’t have a secretary fetish somewhere in the back of our minds and horn rims can be great for ‘playing Doctor’ but it seems for guys at least, it’s a tough call.

Become Foot Loose & Fancy Free

You know what they say about men with big feet, right? They’ve got big socks. And while buying socks in Hong Kong doesn’t seem to be a life-threatening dilemma, finding shoes that fit, for many of us, is like finding a Hong Kong politician with a local passport – trickier than you might imagine. Fortunately the age-old art of modelling your clog-hoppers in wood, so you get the perfect fit every time, remains alive and well in our fair city.

Using the power of science for the sake of fashion

Science has permeated almost every aspect of our lives; Marketeers track our purchases so they can recommend products; microwaves cook our popcorn and send our emails; we clone sheep, keep Larry King alive and there’s even talk of breast implants with GPS. But when it comes to fashion, the most scientific we get is the deduction algorithm that says it’s smarter to put on our jeans first, before our sneakers.

USBe connected with these CK sunglasses

Ever been in one of those everyday situations when you need to print important documents but the toner is dead, download e-tickets for your next weekend away, grab great tracks from a friend’s computer or pass on pictures from last night’s romp in Macau without the Love Police finding out? Although tiny memory sticks have become the new corporate gift of choice, like nunchucks, Chupa Chups and cigar cutters, they’re never around when you need them.

The Urban Flame presents a green alternative

Many of us remember the smell of wood-burning fireplaces as winter months approached. There's something homely, something hopelessly romantic about an open flame (like a Tom Hanks film), especially if it comes with a good thick throw rug.

Head to RC Outfitters for all your outdoor sporting needs

Anyone who’s seen “Deliverance” or “The Deer Hunter” will know how important wrapping up is when it’s just you and Mother Nature (and the Clampetts). 

Burton's got you covered for all your winter action

It’s that time of the year again, when the best snowboarding in the northern hemisphere is about to arrive, and the likes of Whistler, Mount Blanc and Lake Tahoe will have more white powder than Kate Moss’ dressing table.

Avoid window shopping fatalities at Franklin & Gower

Shopping can be utterly exhausting, especially if you’re out busking for brownie points with your better half, trudging from window to window, buffeted by herds of jabbering shopaholic Ewoks scrambling for deals from the bargain bin. It feels like you’re walking through molasses, before you’re beaten to the last bench by two frisky octogenarians, armed with walking canes and false teeth.

Gieves & Hawkes makes it easier for you to put on the Ritz

As men, we all know how important a good suit is, and would all love to indulge in a shopping spree at the menswear Mecca, London’s Savile Row (if you wouldn’t, you’re a liar), where wizened tailors pass sewing secrets from generation to generation. Short of forking out a lump sum for an airline ticket or hiding in an aircraft’s undercarriage (not advisable), it’s hard to benefit from the years of tradition and pomp of this suit-sewing street.