It's been a while since my last post. I have not tried any new pen or notebook until today.
Below are the tools and the writing sample.
Rhodia paper is probably the best for this pen, but I took some notes on regular A4 paper in class and it turned out great as well. I love the smooth nib with a slight sharpness to give it some edge while writing. The ink is really dark black on the shiny Rhodia paper, which is adorable to me.
Ranking of paper preference: plain > ruled > squared.
When I was in elementary school, pupils were not allowed to use ball point pens or gel ink pens because someone believed that those pens "damaged" handwriting. We had to use fountain pens. Of course pupils could not afford Waterman, Parker, or any other fancy brands, so we all used the Hero fountain pen.
Now if you haven't noticed from the previous posts, my pens are always under a lot of pressure. Literally. I tried not to put too much pressure because I've broken so many nibs in my writing life. I felt like fountain pens were not for me because the nibs were so delicate. Then, I graduated from elementary school and went to middle school (a.k.a. junior high school a.k.a. grades 6-9.)
Middle school. Almost everyone switched to the gel ink/ball point pen because fountain pen was no longer mandatory. Such a revolution. My first was either a uni-ball or a Pilot. I preferred gel ink pens to ball point pens and was constantly trying to find a gel ink pen I loved. After my affair with the uni-ball UM-100, I sort of stopped looking. I changed for short periods of time but always came back to it. There were not many brands to choose from. uni-ball was pretty much the only one I recognized because I loved it so much. Look at how beautiful the UM-100 is:
I'm wondering, if you already picked the best alternative among the very few that you had, would you be totally contented? Or would you still unsatisfied and keep looking?
Well... I was happy for the most part, yet of course I had my fantasies. I was dreaming of a uni-ball that had the darkest shades of ink with the sharpest nibs (smaller than 0.5mm.) Such en was simply unavailable at that time.least in my tiny little world of two or three stationery stores and bookstores. I can't really recall all of my alternatives back then. Some of the notable ones were:
uni-ball Signo DX with grip
Can't beat the UM-100.... I tried Pentel too but the pens were too thin for my hand. I wasn't a huge fan of Pilot either.
Then I went half around the world to college with a stuffed pouch of pens in my luggage. In Staples and CVS and Target I found a bunch of pens. Very interesting, but I felt like something was still missing.Then I saw Bob Slate while I was wandering around Harvard Square in Cambridge. I thought I found the stationery heaven. Pens, pencils, all kinds of notebooks and paper, arts supply, cards, customized totes, etc etc.. I bought the Pilot VBall Liquid Ink Roller Extra Fine and these uni-ball micro:
Happy? Not exactly. They both didn't meet up to my expectations. My outrageous expectations. I contained by disappointment and kept my eyes (as well as my search) open for the next spark of hope.
JetPens was love at first navigation. I couldn't help it. When I got my first order in the mail it was like receiving roses in your first Valentine's: you feel a mix of happiness, excitement, shyness, scariness, curiosity, pride... everything. And for the next one. And the next one. Different pens, different experiences. Every pen is unique. I can take one look at each pen I own and remember exactly how it feels to write it on a piece of paper. Each type of paper feels different too but that's another unwritten chapter. People have written and talked a lot about the art of writing. For me, the act of writing is also very important, meaningful, and personal. Pens are the tools of such act. You might not need the most state-of-the-art tools to create a masterpiece, but finding the right tool increases the chance to improve efficiency and quality. I trust myself on that one.
There are many many pens I have tried that aren't included in this post. For practical reasons, you know, just like how you wouldn't list all the people you've grown feelings for and vice versa. They've changed your life in their own unique ways, but only one or two or three or... well, actually stayed in your heart. And hopefully one stays not only in your heart, but by your side. In my case of pens I have a bunch by my side. Here's my top 5 fav pens at the moment:
1. Sharpie pens
2. Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm
3. Pilot Hi Tec C 0.4mm
4. Paper Mate Flair Ultra Fine
5. Pentel Slicci 0.3mm
Among these current favorites, the Pentel Slicci is a bit small but I love the quality so much it's gotta be there. The Paper Mate is a new surprise to me. I feel bad rating it higher than the Slicci because the orders are interchangeable. My next post would be a super brief review of my #4, the Flair UF, and a charming mechanical pencil. Stay tune for the reviews and the next Stationery Story whose topic I haven't decided yet.
During my flight to Boston from Ho Chi Minh City this January, I had a stopover at Narita International Airport. As usual, I wandered around to be amused by many wonderful Japanese things in the stores. I ended up buying, besides the delicious sweets and unsweetened green tea cans, a nice three-in-one pen that looked a lot like the famous Pilot Dr. Grip. Here it is:
It's called the Zebra Dirfit 2+S. It is a pencil/black pen/red pen - three in one. I haven't used it much because I prefer wooden/graphite pencils, but I thought it was too cute to pass.
Now comes my favorite of the semester... the Progresso graphite pencils!!!
These were extremely hard to find... My sister found one in Viet Nam and insisted me looking for more. I found them on MisterArt, a super cool site selling many arts items:
Progresso Koh-I-Noor Woodless Graphite Pencils
Progresso Koh-I-Noor Woodless Colour Pencils
They look absolutely adorable. As the name suggests, their bodies have a shiny, elegant graphite coat rather than wood. Therefore, they feel a bit heavier than the usual pencil. Though they're commonly used for sketching/shadowing, I'm using them to take notes. I tried using a 2B graphite one to doodle and here's the result:
I can't draw or paint, but I love doodling. Above is my attempt at a self-portrait =) The face definitely doesn't look like mine but the hairstyle is pretty much similar :-)
If you're looking for a beautiful pencil that can assist your basic sketching, shadowing, taking notes, or doing those SAT-like exams where you have to fill in so many circles, this Progresso graphite pencil is a good choice.
Take these two and a pad of paper/notebook and you're ready to travel to write and draw! :-) That Staedtler mini pencil sharpener is definitely my favorite. Very good-looking, handy, and blade-sharp.
I also brought with me some ball point pens from home.
These are the highly affordable ball point pens made by Thien Long, a Vietnamese brand. Each pen costs you about 12 cents, so well, it's a no-brainer. I put them everywhere - at least one of them in every bag/backpack or coat I have and several on the desk, for the sake of convenience. They're not the best ball point pens in the world, but all things considered (price, function (including length of use), look), they hit big on the "bang for the buck" category.
So, the Progresso pencils and Thien Long pens are the two items I want to introduce in this post. I'm still missing on my reviews of the Rhodia notepads and the Rhodia ePure notebook. They might take another quite-a-while because school work is piling up before the long President's Day weekend.
On a side note... this is not stationery-related but I just love it so much I have to put its portrait up here to share with you:
It's been a long long time since my last pair of headset (which btw was a Logitech), and now since I'm taking a hybrid course that allows students to attend each class session from any location with a wireless/wired connection and a pair of headphone/mic. I did some research and ended up ordering this Sennheiser PC151 headset. It took me a short while to get used to that cushion part over my head, but it worked out lovely. The mic is noise-canceling, and the headphone is not open air so I shouldn't bother anybody while enjoying my music. Love it, absofreakinglutely.
Recently I lost my iPod at the school's gym. I put up a note on our online bulletin board but no one has returned it to me... so sad :-( I do look around to see what other choices of portable music players there are, but financially, I'm not in the best condition to buy a new one yet. Well, should be watching out for either a good-hearted person to return my poor little iPod or the economy to brighten up allowing me to get a new iPod. Both of these things are not happening any time soon, I feel.
I know it's a bit late, but I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your families and friends and other beloved souls.
My Vietnamese friends and I had dinner at Top of The Hub, a lovely restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower in Boston. Here is the view you get from the observatory on the 50th floor:
The four-course meal was a pleasant feast (the pix include my friends' dishes).
I haven't had any updates on stationery because of exams and ways to celebrate the short break before finals. I did get some Rhodia items in the mail the other week though, so the next review is very likely on Rhodia stuff :-)
Look what I got today!
The Barcelona Paper Size Bag in Black, by International Arrivals!
Closer at the real pretty brand tag:
These are sold on the site for $9.95 each. I got one at Bob Slate in Harvard Square (the larger store on Mass Ave) for $10.95. Taking shipping costs, order size, and waiting time (if I had chosen to buy online) into consideration, it seemed like a pretty good deal :-)
The ideal use for the Barcelona Paper Size Bag is to store travel documents such as a passport, flight tickets, and letters. I'm actually using it to store my pens for now. Considering the bag's size, 13 7/8''w x 9 1/4''h, there's plenty of room for my relatively small collection.
But there's more...
Sorry about the flash...
This is such a beauty to put my hands on. I love red, orange, certain shades of pink, and earthy colors, so this simple, stunning cover totally got me. Also, my fingertips tell me that this notebook of 96 sheets aka. 192 pages contains op-quality paper. I'm very artificial this way I know... should have written something on before telling you about it, but I was so excited I didn't want to hide it.
One thing I didn't like about this notebook:
You technically lose the first two and last two sheets this way... I don't know how to describe it. A little overglued??
I like the spine binding though, look:
I have this really bad habit of bending notebook/book while writing/reading. This one stood against it though. I tried to bend it; when it folded back up, I saw virtually no crease on the spine.
Niceee!
I'll put up pictures of writing samples on this paper as soon as I can :-)
________________________________________________________________________________
So the other day I put up a picture of my pencil pouch.
It looks stuffed. And it is...
Yeah... my pencil holder shares the same fate.
For next week I'll bring less pens to class... ;-)
Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, woo hoo! I'm on a 'staycation' this year... but chillaxing is a nice enough treat for me.
My JetPens order arrived today, yay! :-)
The mechanical pencils of my sister look really pretty:
Pilot Dr. Grip and Ohto Tasche - both 0.5mm
the Eraser Refill pack of 5 for the Pilot
Pentel Hi-Polymer Pencil Lead 0.55mm in BLUE.
She's gonna form her opinion as soon as she gets her hand on them, so
I'll be waiting. I like the look and the size of the Pilot Dr. Grip. My
friend has one in Blue and it is her top favorite pencil.
Me, I've never really been a fan of mechanical pencils. I prefer wooden pencils: am using a Black Faber Castell 8B -- and a Staedler mini-sharpener. During exams, I would bring with me some napkins to sharpen my pencil. It sounds kinda pathetic, but it doesn't feel good, or right, to go into the exam rooms with the unfavorite types of writing instruments. This probably applies to many things in life. For instance, you would not go into a debate with your weaker arguments, unless you have no serious intention and/or preparation to win.
Even so, I usually ask my Professors to let me use a pen, unless they:
- give out Scantron forms
- are my Economics professor, Herr Professor Snyder, who "gives the longest tests in the Bentley history" .His exams include, and I'm not exaggerating, 70-100 multiple-guess questions and 2 essay (usually one to two single-spaced pages for each essay question.) I usually used a pencil for the multiple-guess section and always used a pen for the essays. Or sometimes just a pen for the entire test because I wouldn't have much time to go back to the lengthy part anyways... He's a very cool guy though.
How do I change my answers if I use a pen? I have a correction pen, and even in this category I have a preference: fluid > tape. Why? The tape sometimes breaks easily on the page. It doesn't look as nice compared to the fluid IMO. Just because.
Why won't I use mechanical pencils? Well they break easily too... I have heavy hands. Mechanical pencils do not produce dark-enough writing for me because the tip is very often fairly small. I couldn't find good lead. The only mechanical pencil I loved was one that was quite heavy because the case was made out of some kind of metal and the whole thing looked absolutely brilliant. It actually looked like a pen. I loved it until the lead stopped coming out for some reason though I refilled it. That was the end of my love for mechanical pencils, and it's been more than a few years now.
But who knows. Maybe I just haven't run into a mechanical pencil that could totally change, not just rock, my world.
Oookay, enough on pencils for now. Here are my new pens!
Pentel Slicci 0.4mm - Dark Blue and Dark Purple
Pilot G-2 0.38mm - Black
My writing samples, using:
- Pentel Slicci 0.4mm - Dark Blue
- Pentel Slicci 0.4mm - Dark Purple
- Pilot G-2 0.38mm - Black and Pilot G-2 0.5mm - Blue
Among these three pens, I like the Pentel Slicci Dark Blue the most, the Pilot G-2 the least.
The Pilot doesn't feel smooth while writing and the ink flow is pretty bad for me.
The Slicci is great. Wonderful ink colors, great tips, nice design. Only the size isn't too suitable for my big hand:
And my notes using the Sharpie pen in Black + the uni-ball Signo DX 0.28mm in Pink, so you know I didn't just use them for my pen reviews :-)
And... last but not least, this is my pencil pouch (Jonathan Adler for Barnes & Noble.) From the look and size of it, could you tell how many items are stuffed in there? :-)
My JetPens order has not arrived, but these did yesterday. Such sweet creations.
I've used the black Sharpie pen a few days now to take notes in class and still refused to grab another pen from my box of pen supply. Hopefully Sharpie is gonna add more colors, but for now, I'm quite contented having this amazing pen in 4 essential colors.
My writing sample in all 4 colors of the Sharpie pen family:
It feels great to write on the page I just want to keep writing. Finer tip pens like the uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm and 0.28mm are fantastic, but they require more "force" to produce legible writing. My note-taking feels easier, smoother, and significantly faster using the felt-tip Sharpie pens.
Will I use the Sharpie pens exclusively from now? No. I tend to use one pen exclusively for a short period of time, but then I'll switch. Just like my blog theme - which is changed so frequently I start to feel bad for any reader that stops by more than once. I don't mean to confuse you; it's just that I'm still in my search for a theme that is easiest on the eye for everyone.
And I get bored easily. Fortunately, I'm the type that is so easily entertained - just provide me with these beautiful pens to write with and some gorgeous paper/journal/notebook to write on...
So, will this be my last post on the Sharpie pens? Ooh... I don't know about that! ;-)
While waiting for my second JetPens order (some mechanical pencils for my sister, Pentel Slicci 0.4mm and Pilot G-2 for me), I just thought of putting up here a sample.
From top to bottom:
Sharpie pen
Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm
uni-ball Signo DX 0.28mm
I got the Sharpie pens from Office Max and really like them, which surprises me since I was never able to find the right felt tip pen for my hands.
During grade 1-5 at home, we all had to write with fountain pens (the cheap Hero ones that always sprinkled extra ink), and I actually broke several of them. When I got to junior high school (grades 6-9) then senior high school (grades 10-12), we were allowed to use other types of pens, and I've been a fan of uni-ball since. A few stores there have been carrying the uni-ball Signo UM-100 pens and I rarely found any other favorites, partly because we did not have that wide of a selection in stationery stores and bookstores.
When I got to the States, my stationery addiction found its place to be.
I love stationery in general. Pens and journals/papers are the major ones.
This is my writing sample using the uni-ball Signo DX 0.28mm in three colors: red (poem title), orange (author name), and blue (poem body.)
I like the pens a lot. Though I tend to put extra pressure on my pen while writing, these 0.28mm pens handle it well. The colors are on the lighter side because of the fine tips, but I think the writing is legible enough. I've been looking for pens with sharp tips like these for so long.
As for daily writing (i.e. class notes), I'm using the uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm instead. It's been a wonderful experience, yet I'm thinking of switching to either a 0.5mm, a Sharpie fine point pen, or some other pen with darker ink for taking class notes. They, out of the things I write and read, should be most eye-catchy to me at this time.
I chose this poem by ee cummings because of its extraordinary simplicity and beauty. It's always good to read a love poem by a great author.
I bought a case of 10 uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm pens, 1 Signo DX 0.28mm, and 2 Pilot Spotliters from JetPens.
The 0.38mm one is spectacular. I've been using it since I got it. My Extra Fine Pilot V-Ball and uni-ball 0.2mm (roller ball pens) lose their top favorite positions in my list.
The 0.28mm is actually a bit too fine for me though I immediately fell in love with the sharpness. Very smooth ink flow. I tend to put pressure on the pen while writing, so the pen helps me to sort of loose it up a little bit. Still, I think 0.38mm is fine enough for heavy-hands like mine.
I'll put some pictures of my writing with these pens on here soon.
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hihi said:
[this is good]Which kind of woman do you want to be?Do u have these ten secret weapons?IT bag: yves saint laurent,christian louboutin... read more
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