A New Pelikan

I’ve always wanted to own a piston fill demonstrator. Like a magpie that’s magnetically drawn to shiny things, my pupils just widen at the sight of this polished piece of blue plastic with silver trimmings.

Appearance & Design
There are those who like Pelikan piston pens for their conservative aesthetics, and then there are those who think they look too uninspiring. The coloured demonstrator adds an element of fun to the pen and makes it more appealing to a younger crowd. I wasn’t sure about the shade of blue based on photos on the Internet, but it turned out to be a sky blue. Depending on the lighting, it can look like cobalt blue too. Being coloured, this M205 demonstrator does not show ink stains and condensation as clearly as the colourless version. I’ve never been a fan of ornate pens and prefer my pens to have minimal or no bling, so the M205 suits me just fine.

Construction & Quality
The pen feels reasonably solid even though it is made of plastic. The section, however, has a slightly prominent manufacturing seam.  The clip of the pen appears to be sturdy and tight, but I don’t clip my pens so I’m not the best person to determine that. The section has just a slightly raised instead of over-pronounced lip at the edge, and that is what I prefer for my pens. I’ll say that the pen is very well constructed in general.

Weight & Dimensions
Capped: 12.4 cm. Without cap: 12.1 cm. Posted: 14.9 cm. Diameter of middle part of section: 1 cm. Using a flimsy letter scale, the pen appears to be about 15 grams with almost a full tank of ink. Most people consider this a small sized pen, but the dimensions and weight are just nice for me as I have small hands. While I do not usually post my pens, the cap sits in place nicely without shifting the balance of the pen much. Here’s one more gratuitous shot of the pen.

Nib & Performance
I got an EF nib as I think finer line widths complement my writing better. The nib is made of stainless steel and this particular nib feels a little toothy, and I’ve tried it with both Parker Quink and Sailor Jentle Blue. It is also little too wet for my taste, making the line width closer to 0.6mm instead of 0.5mm. There is also some bleedthrough on the lecture pad that I use, which is usually tolerant of all but the wettest nibs. This can probably be improved by using a drier ink, but I like how the Noodler’s Ottoman Azure looks with this pen!

For both inks that I tried, some of my strokes are not fully formed, especially at the beginning of a downstroke. This is not reflected in the bad poetry that I got inspired to write, but it’s occured often enough for me to be sure it’s due to the nib, not the ink or the paper. Using my 30X loupe, it seems as though the left tine facing me has a slight baby’s bottom. I’m a little disappointed with the performance of the nib, but I’ll be contacting Pelikan for a replacement. The good thing is that I got the pen from an authorised distributor and replacement nibs are readily available on the Internet. That’s one of the reasons why I like Pelikans.

Filling System & Maintenance
This piston filling pen holds between 1.3 to 1.5 ml of ink, acording to this thread. I first filled the pen the usual way by dunking the entire nib and section into the bottle of ink, but ink got into the double-walled section. While it doesn’t bother me very much, it does obscure my view of the feed, which kind of defeats the pen being a demonstrator. For my second filling with the Ottoman Azure, I rinsed out the pen and used an eyedropper instead, so the section is now clean. Since the nib can be unscrewed easily, cleaning the pen is a cinch. Being a demonstrator makes it even more fun.

Conclusion
The M205 demonstrator in blue is great if you like small pens that hold a lot of ink. I’ll be using it as a daily pen once I get the nib replaced. I’m looking forward to the white M205 as well, and hope that Pelikan will offer more exciting colours for their pens in the future. I’m enamoured enough with this pen to vaguely consider getting another one for safekeeping just in case I lose or damage it!

Refilling a Pilot

As a fountain pen geek (not nut, freak, or maniac, thank you!), I’ve read about rollerball pens that accept fountain pen inks, such as the Kaweco Sport, but they inevitably have fairly broad tips, which I’m not fond of. I’ve also seen the German vintage Pan rollerball which looks interesting but doesn’t perform very ideally, according to some comments on FPN.

So when I chanced upon a handful of old V5s and V7s in my drawer recently, I thought: why not refill the V5s with fountain pen ink? As a student, I used to like the V5 and V7 pens, and used the latter for exams, scrawling out my answers in big, bold handwriting. Although I find the V7 to be smoother than the V5, I’ve always prefered the finer line produced by the V5, as it made my handwriting appear neater.

To dismantle the pen, I grabbed the conical grooved part that sticks out and gave it a slight twist downwards. There is a plastic-like “wick” sticking out from the hole in the middle of the pen, which is similar to the collector in fountain pens. As you can see from the picture below, the conical part also has a hole, and it is through these two holes that the wick goes.

 

 Next, I flushed the pen by forcing water through the hole in the collector. I used an eyedropper with a thin blunt-ended syringe needle that I got from Daiso. Then I soaked the conical part and wick in water for some time. I did that for several days–changing the water every day or more frequently–until the water turned clear. Next comes the exciting part. I filled the pen with ink by using the same eyedropper, aiming the needle through the hole in the middle of the collector. I’d mixed some Pelikan Turquoise with a bit of Sailor Jentle Blue, to make the turquoise ink a little more waterproof. After fixing the pen back, here’s what I got:

I was pleasantly surprised that the pen writes wetter than it used to, giving me a smoother and broader line than the original V5, that’s still thinner than the V7. Looks like I’ve got the best of both worlds! Next experiment: use a more saturated ink for the V7 and see if I get a thinner line!

The Hi-tecpoints have been around for more than a decade, and are now available in various newer models such as the retractable and the grip. I’m not sure whether they’re refillable, but if you can find the classic style ones, you should be in luck! Have fun refilling your Hi-techpoints and let me know if it works!

Lessons from the animals

BBC discovers a colony of penguins that can fly. Is that cool or what?

If not for the Internet, I would not have found this amazing documentary by BBC about a newly discovered colony of penguins. I enjoy using the search engines to trawl for information; the convenience is just incredible compared to the days of CD-ROMs and print catalogues. In fact, I often use Google when helping students with their research queries. Some of them are surprised that librarians use Google “for research”.  Afterall, they have been warned by their professors about using the Internet for their assignments, ad nauseam. So I will explain to them when I use Google, and also show them the more advanced techniques that they can use, such as enclosing phrases in inverted commas, and limiting of websites to .gov or .edu.

Type some words into a search box and–voila–the information appears in a few seconds. It’s easy for students–and adults–to believe that they are good at searching for information. But the Internet is not the answer to all research questions, or rather, it does not always give the answers that you want. Consider the above video: the beautiful scenary, the grand orchestral music, the grey-haired presenter, the BBC brand…this video shows how the Internet can be a source of eye-opening information that is not readily found in other sources, at least not in such an easy and enjoyable manner. The problem? Some of the information is false, either deliberate or unintentional. This penguin video was created by BBC as an April Fool’s joke in 2008. Penguins can’t fly; and just because the information is posted on the Internet–by a supposedly reputable company–doesn’t mean that you can believe it.

The Internet contains much–note the uncountable quantifier–valuable sources of information as well as what can be charitably called “garbage” or at least stuff that you’re not looking for, or worse, stuff that looks good for you but turns out to be bad. So before you accept information from a website, consider the following criteria: authority, objectivity, reliability, currency, and authenticity (A ORCA). For more pointers about evaluating websites, check out this website. And don’t miss the making of the BBC flying penguins video here.

Natural beauties

Three photos which I dug out from my archives:

Eyedropper Preppy

The Platinum Preppy is a cheap and cheerful fountain pen that comes with a cartridge. The nib feels a little stiff but the tip is smooth and it lays a fine-medium line similar to the Lamy Safari F. The blue-black ink is a pleasant hue that is not too dark, but the brown ink is too pale for my liking. The pink turns out to be very bright, almost fluorescent. There are other colours available such as yellow, light blue, red and purple.

When I first bought the Preppy, I had difficulties getting it to start. Although I hardly use cartridges, I had no problems inserting it. But when I scribbled, no ink came out. I shook the pen gently, but nothing happened. I blotted the nib with tissue–which is how ink is usually drawn out from nibs–but that proved futile as well. Exasperated, I put the pen aside.

Days later, I came across a few FPN posts about the Preppy. Many praised the pen as being fun to use and value-for-money, but some folks also had problems starting the pen. The solution: do the “thermometer shake” by grabbing the tail end of the pen and giving it a few flicks. Keep the cap on as some ink may collect there, and that’s better than getting ink all over the wall, curtain, pc or you!

I had fun with the Preppy for a few weeks, but it mostly stayed home and played second fiddle to my favourite pens. Yesterday, out of boredom, I decided to convert it into an eyedropper. This means that the pen draws ink directly from the barrel of the pen, without any converter or cartridge. This is a well-known modification on FPN. It’s popular as demonstrators are usually quite expensive (with few exceptions, like the Pakistani Dollar Industries’ piston fountain pen), and it’s fun to see ink sloshing around.

The steps are simple. First I removed the cartridge and gave the barrel and section a good cleaning. (I usually dunk the section into water several times and also flush with running water.) Then I wrapped the section with tissue paper and used a flicking motion to force out any remaining ink. Next, I coated the threads of the barrel and section with shea butter to prevent the ink from leaking. The proper stuff to use is silicone grease but I don’t have that, so I used the most convenient alternative. Lastly, I used an eyedropper to fill the barrel with ink. Some people add O-rings to reduce the gap between the section and barrel.

So far the Preppy seems to be holding up well to the abuse modification. If you intend to stick the eyedropper Preppy in your shirt or pant pocket, I suggest carrying the pen in a pencil case for a few days, to see how it copes with travelling. My pen is still back in the pen holder on my desk, so I can’t vouch for its travel-worthiness.

The Preppy is a good and reliable writer. It’s a great way to introduce your friends and family members to fountain pens. My ballpoint wielding friends like the stiff nib, so I’ve given a few away and intend to get a couple more for myself. You can find it at Jetpens, JStationery, Shopwritersbloc and even some brick & motar shops. In Singapore, it’s available at the ANBC stationery shops. Reviews on the Platinum Preppy can be found at FPN, Amateur Economist and Pen Addict.

Glossary:

barrel: body of the pen

section: the part which is screwed to the barrel and holds the nib, also the place where most people hold the pen for writing

demonstrators: fountain pens with clear (see-through) barrels and usually cap as well. They were first created so that those selling fountain pens could show potential buyers how that particular fountain pen works.

Lost or squandered

I thought I was smiling, but I was wrong.

I was sending a private message to someone on a forum, and decided to add an emoticon. It looked like a smiling face, but it turned out to be an animated yawning one that ends with a smile. When I saw his reply, together with the emoticon that I had used, I laughed out loud. I had selected the emoticon so hastily that I didn’t even bother to check.

What is it with our lives that we hardly have time to pause? I wondered, and still do every now and then. I often feel crunched for time, like I’m running a marathon and lagging way behind. I barely have the patience to join a long queue for food; I want my email replies now or in a matter of hours. I charge in and out of labs, tutorial rooms, canteens and libraries, and I don’t have time to explore the campus.

The lack of time, or the perception thereof, appears to be an epidemic of sorts. Even the students whom I serve at the library are not immune. They want their questions answered now. If they ask for document delivery today, they want the document by tomorrow. Or, as my colleagues and I used to joke, they want it yesterday! I don’t blame them, because the stress of modern living is such that many people have short fuses and have come to expect instant gratification. At the same time, many of us are juggling so many balls–metaphorically of course–that we find it hard to correctly prioritise what needs to be done. And this leads to a mad scrambling to do things right at the last minute. Few of us are immune.

“I’m running late” and  “I have no time” are my constant refrains. So much so that I blurt out these statements even before evaluating the situation. Am I really running late, or am I just not as early as I want to be? Do I really have no time, or is that just an excuse? Where has all the time gone? To be sure, there are time gobblers. The internet for one, is where I squander most of my time. One hyperlink leads to another, something which I’m pondering about has to be “googled” now. And I check my emails and Facebook account a squillion times an hour, which is about a zillion times more than necessary.

I wish that time will slow down. I want a return to the age of enlightenment, when folks had the time to develop themselves, into what we now refer to as ”renaissance” men. (Of course there were renaissance women too, but being the darker ages, hardly anyone bothered to write much about them.) I want to be proficient in many subjects, be it the sciences, arts or languages. I want to be more than the Jane-of-all-trades-and-mistress-of-none which I have become.

It will not happen of course, this is just wishful thinking. Now, to get back to the assignment that I was working on, before I got distracted by these meandering thoughts, which I just couldn’t resist blogging about. Talk about time gobblers!

Vintage pen

On Saturday, the friend who introduced me to fountain pens let me try his father’s Parker 51s. After inking the pens and writing a few words, I found myself completely captivated, hook, line and sinker! 

I’d been hunting for a Parker 51 ever since I read about the legendary smoothness of their nibs on FPN. After trying the pens, I became even more determined to get one at a reasonable price (read: well-within two digit amount for a lightly-used pen). The next day, I decided to check out a flea market at a mall, where a middle-age gentleman was said to be selling fountain pens every Sunday. Mr Goh turned out to be really helpful and patient. After hearing my preferences, he recommended a few pens for me to try. I selected two pens for inking, and finally set my heart upon a smaller sized Parker 51, which he said is a lady’s pen with a smooth and fine nib.

Back home, I did some research and discovered the name of the pen: Parker 51 Demi. The colour is cocoa (which is a light, almost dusky rose kind of brown), and the pen has an aerometric filler with a U-shaped pressure bar. Given the various incarnations of the Parker 51, it is a little mind-boggling to date the pen, but mine appears to have been manufactured sometime after 1950.

After flushing the Demi and polishing the furniture–I just love this word when used with pens!–I inked the pen with my favourite Ottoman Azure. True to its reputation, the pen wrote really smooth, but there was slight staining of the section until I washed it with detergent. I changed the ink to the Sailor Jentle Blue, but after reading about it staining someone’s demonstrator, switched to the Waterman Florida Blue which my friend had given me a vial of. The ink is a little pale as I’m used to the super-saturated Noodler’s but at least I no longer worry about staining the pen.

The nib produces a fine line similar to that of my Lamy Safari’s EF. I like the size and ergonomics of the pen: the barrel is thick enough for comfortable use without being too thick, and slightly heavier than what I’m used to, but still acceptable for extensive writing. The pen is not too small for me even though I prefer to use it unposted. I do, however, have two slight problems when using the Demi. I sometimes turn the pen a little while writing (probably a bad habit from my ballpoint-totting days), and find myself wondering why the pen is not writing. The nib is so small and mostly concealed that the first time that happened, it took me a while to figure out what I’d done! Another problem I have is with the aerometric filler. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to fill beyond one-third or one-quarter of the sac, which seems like a huge waste!

Nonetheless, these are small issues and I shall persist in learning to use the Parker 51 Demi properly, as it is a sweet little pen which I’m honoured to be using. For more information on the Parker 51, visit http://parker51.com/ and http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/51_profile.htm.

Pilot prera

The Pilot Prera is a classy looking pen with chrome plated trims. At 12 centimetres and 17 grams, the Prera is a small pen which looks a lot more expensive and heavy than it really is. It can be used unposted by those with small hands, and with the cap posted, it measures about 14 cm. The barrel is thicker than that of an average ball pen, so it can be held with a more relaxed grip.

The pen comes in fine and medium nibs. I got the one with fine nib, and it writes more like an extra or extra extra fine (that is, finer than the Lamy Safari’s extra fine). The pen accepts Pilot cartridges, as well as two Pilot converters, the CON-20 and the CON-50. The CON-20 looks like it might have larger capacity, but I prefer the CON-50 as I find it is easier to use.

I tested the pen on 80 gsm copier paper with the Pelikan 4001 violet ink, and it produced a very fine line close to that of a 0.3 mm gel pen. Using Noodler’s Ottoman Azure–which is a wetter ink–produced a line of almost 0.4 mm. When I tested the pen on lecture pad, the violet ink wrote smoothly with minimal feathering and bleedthrough, but these increased a little with the Ottoman Azure. With the same ink, the pen performed flawlessly without feathering or bleedthrough on my Kokuyo and Maruman notebooks.

The Pilot Prera is a beautiful pen that is a delight to see and use, and it joins my Lamy Safari as my daily user pens. A huge thanks to Ms Yoko for ordering this pen for me, and for your friendly and efficient service!

Toying around

The photo: usually blurry, often with dark corners, sometimes exhibiting light leaks.

The camera: plastic, manual, few features and controls, usually plastic lens. In a word: unreliable.

An interesting tree; I like the shape of its crown, its lankiness, and its inexact symmetry. It’s now almost full-grown.

Pinhole photograph of a dog. It’s not a real pooch, but a number of people visiting a pinhole site thought it was! I had some problems winding and taping the film, resulting in those white marks.

Vase of orchids at a hospital. I like that the orchids are not very visible. This photo can be printed with either low or high contrast. I’m sure you can tell my preference.

Display promoting a Spiderman movie at a cinema.

Friend’s daughter on a playground “rocking horse”.

Strange family tree

While at the sewing machine 3am this morning, I had a strange thought. I get unusual thoughts quite often, and this particular one was triggered by adrenaline, lack of sleep and a curiously jumbled mind.

See, I was trying to modify a pencil case that I bought around a decade ago, so as to fit some fountain pens. When you get “proper” pens, it’s impossible to just put them into a case with assorted flotsam and jetsam, and expect them to remain in pristine condition! I had seen what might be the perfect pencil case on the internet but the site is in Japanese and my chances of procuring it are really slim.

Creating one from scratch would take far too long as I’m painfully aware that I need to resume work on a school project real soon–like, today!–and I’m what might be called, charitably, a slow sewer. So I decided to unpick some parts of the existing case and sew on my own pen-securing bits. Ergo the early morning spinning at the sewing machine.

The strange thought I had was this. It’s often said that ”Necessity is the mother of invention.” So who’s the father? Desperation? And who’s the other child, if we follow the traditional nuclear family ideal of father, mother and at least two children? I thought it might be crime, who is the black sheep of the family:

It seems like an interesting, philosophical cum linguistic question to mull over. What do you think? And crime itself, would perhaps attract someone, and form its own (dysfunctional) family tree, I suppose!

Gosh, I’ve got a pretty strange brain I think, and this I blame on higher education and the goggle box, the former for irrevocably overstimulating the grey cells, and the latter for constantly implanting subliminal ideas!

In praise of the Safari

The Lamy Safari is a great pen.

Now, I’m usually picky about my adjectives. “Nice” is taboo as it’s too bland to mean anything, while “great” is just as vague while promising too much. But that’s precisely what the Lamy Safari is to me. Excellent in an almost all-encompassing way that makes it challenging for me to pinpoint exactly why I like the pen!

The first thing you’ll notice about the pen is the range of colours it comes in, many of them eye-catching (or eye-wrenching, depending on your taste) and some in limited edition (produced for that year only), such as the lime green. If you don’t want to look like an adult toying with a kid’s pen or an in-your-face upstart who may threaten the very foundation of your organisation, go for staid colours such as black or grey.

The next thing you’ll notice about the pen is how lightweight it is compared to some of the juggernauts masquerading as pens. This makes the Safari highly suitable for extensive writing, unless you’re the type who happens to like heavy pens. At 13.1 cm from the nib to end of the barrel, it is long enough to be used with the cap mounted at the end of the barrel (also known as “posted”). It feels a little top heavy for me when posted, so I don’t. The pen is made of ABS plastic, and I keep reading that this makes the pen very durable and practically “indestructible,” which is probably part truth and part urban legend. Well, I can’t vouch for that yet because I take good care of my things!

The Safari has two windows in the barrel for you to monitor the amount of ink. For the new fountain pen user, this helpful feature reduces the chances of you being caught with a pen that leaves behind a trail of anemic ink before abruptly stopping. The Safari accepts both Lamy cartridges and converters. In Singapore, when you purchase the Safari, it comes with a free cartridge and converter. Cartridges are more convenient to use but also more expensive and less environmentally friendly. Converters allow experimentation with different ink brands and colours, and you’ll soon discover the strange and uneasy chemistry that exists between nibs, inks and papers.

A cut-out area indicates where the fingers are supposed to go. Fountain pen nibs have to be held at a certain angle relative to the paper, before they will write. If you’ve been weaned on ball or gel pens, you may be turning the fountain pen while writing without being aware! The Safari’s grip ensures that the nib makes proper contact with the paper. That said, if you do turn the pen a little bit while writing, it will still lay a line. I’ve used many fountain pens that are less forgiving; you need to find the nib’s sweet spot before it writes. Some people find the grip annoying but I consider it another indication of the pen’s good design.

So what does the nib look like? It’s shockingly utilitarian, more like a piece of steel hammered into shape. It lacks the engraved curly-whirly lines flaunted by many fountain pens, even some that are cheaper than the Safari. The nibs come in two colours, either black or silver, to match the colour of the clips. They are interchangeable and inexpensive, between S$10-S$15 depending on where you get them from. Available nibs include extra fine (EF), fine (F), medium (M), bold (B) and left handed (LH). Changing the nibs is easy and all you need is a piece of tape, your fingers, a little force and some commonsense, as can be seen here. I have the EF and F nibs, and prefer to use the EF on thin paper such as lecture pads, to minimise feathering. The EF lays a line that is similar in thickness to that of a gel pen between 0.5 to 0.7 mm, depending on your angle of writing. The nibs are smooth without being overly smooth and hard to control. On a scale of 1-6 with 1 being nails-on-chalkboard-scratchy and 6 being butter-smooth, I would say it’s a 5, which is probably just nice for me!  

I’ve been using the Lamy Safari almost everyday for more than a month. It’s a fun and reliable pen that will appeal to both novice and more seasoned fountain pen users. In fact, I may get another one just to give the lime green pen some company! By the way, if you find that you like fountain pens, or need to learn more, go to the Fountain Pen Network. The friendly folks there will gladly share with you what they know!

Christmas

Christmas is almost here! Amidst all the frenzied running around and jostling to get cards and prezzies for our loved ones, I hope we’ll remember the real reason why Christmas is celebrated.

I’m exceptionally happy today as I’ve spent the entire day doing next to nothing, other than surfing the net. It feels good to let inertia and lassitude take over once in a while. And I received my exam results: I passed all the modules, even the one which I struggled with the most! Praise God!

Was trawling through the Fountain Pen Network when I read about the Art of Manliness’ Holiday Gift Guide at http://artofmanliness.com/2008/12/08/gifts-for-men/. What amused me the most was the bristle brush. I couldn’t decide whether it’s for the man or his horse!

Finally, here’s something I found on youtube. Enjoy, and have a joyous Christmas!

A touching story

I do not usually like receiving and propagating “chain” emails, but was touched by the story below. The version I received had each paragraph in Chinese and English. I believe the story was originally written in Chinese, as the English translation was quite awkward. I’ve cleaned it up a little, but it should be a fairly close translation of the original:

Going on a date with another woman

After being married for twenty-one years, I found a unique way to refresh my love.

Not long ago, I went on a date with another lady, and the idea came from my wife.

One day, my wife said, “I know you love her.” I was shocked, “The one I love is you!” She said, “I know, but you love her too.”

The lady that my wife asked me to visit was my mother. She had been alone for nineteen years. However, I had been busy with my job and two children, so I seldom found time to visit her.

That night, I called her and invited her for dinner and movie with me the next day.

“What’s the matter? Is everything okay?” she asked.

My mother is the type who thinks that a late call and an urgent request to meet her must be bad news.

 I replied, “I was just thinking that if I have chance to date you alone, it will be very meaningful.” She thought for a while and said, “I’m most willing to go.”

That Friday after work, I drove to her place, and felt a little nervous, because I had never gone on such a date before.  When I reached her place, I found that she seemed a little nervous too. She was waiting for me, and wearing the jacket which she wore during her last wedding anniversary with my dad. She had styled her hair, and was smiling like an angel.  

After she got into the car, she proudly declared, “I told my friends I was going on a date with my son, and they were very envious. They can’t wait to hear how it goes.”

We went to a restaurant which was not expensive but had a warm and cosy ambience. Mother held my hand as though she were the wife of a president. After we were seated, I helped her to order her food, because she could only read words in large print. Halfway through our dinner, I looked up to find her staring at me.

She smiled and said, “I remembered when you were young, I always ordered from the menu for you. I answered, “Now is your chance to take a break and let me to serve you.”

While eating, we kept chatting and sharing about our lives and some of the events that happened to us in recent years.  We chattered for so long that we missed the movie. When I brought her home, she said, “I’ll like to go out with you again, but can I treat you the next time?” I agreed. 

When I went back, my wife asked, “How was your date with mother?” “It was very meaningful and completely exceeded my expectations,” I replied.

A few days later, my mother passed away from heart failure. It was very sudden, and I could not do anything.

Not long later, I received a letter with a receipt from the restaurant that I went with my mother. On it was a note, “I‘ve already footed the bill in advance. I know I will not have another chance to go on a date with you, so I’ve paid the bill for two persons: you and your wife. You would never have known how much our date meant to me. I love you.  

From that moment, I understood the importance of spending time with our loved ones, and telling them “I love you” before it is too late.

Nothing is more important than your family, so spend time with them before it is too late. We may want to show filial piety, but we may not have a chance to do so. This is one of lives’ greatest regrets for many people.

There are many types of love, and there is sufficient love to go around. Forward this to your friends and family members, because we should share good things with them.

With this letter, I send my warm wishes to you.

Marshmallow suit

The other day, a friend showed me his collection of fountain pens. One of the pens had a rubber band tied around it, to improve the grip. Later, when we hit a shop to look at fountain pens, he was interested in the Pilot Birdie but decided not to get one because it’s too slim and hard to hold.

I’ve used pen grips before, but always ended up engaging in a tug of war between the grip and the pen. Then I had a brainwave! Why not make a slit through the pen grip and wrap it around the pen? Most grips are rubbery, so that should provide sufficient friction to keep the grip on the pen despite being cut open.

The eureka moment came at an inconvenient time when I shouldn’t be daydreaming. Nonetheless, when I reached home I found two grips: a soft foamy one which I bought some years back but proved to be a pain to put on and remove, and a Lacknock ballpoint pen grip from my collection of pen parts. This is what they look like:

The photo on the left shows the Pilot Birdie, looking really comfy in what I’ve dubbed as the “marshmallow suit.” The dimpled cobalt blue grip next to it is from the Lacknock. On the right, the Hero pen is wrapped up in the marshmallow suit and looking a little disgruntled by the ignominy of it all. It is a Hero afterall, not Michelin Man! :p

Both grips seem to work well, and neither of them will budge unless you deliberately move them. I do prefer the foam grip because it’s softer and thicker, compared to the Lacknock one which is harder, thinner and a bit of a lint-magnet. I also find that using the foam grip encourages me to hold the pen with lighter pressure instead of my ususal “death grip.”

I’m sure you can find lots of grips just waiting to be recycled within your pen collection. The Uni-ball ballpoints, Pilot G2 and Pentel Energel, all have nice grips that can be easily removed. It’s also common for free pens to come with grips nowadays.

Well, hope this trick works as well for you as it did for me!

Help children via JetPens

Doing a good deed is just a few mouseclicks away! From now until Christmas, for every new person who joins its Facebook group, JetPens will be donating a pen to Pens for Kids.

Pens for Kids is a nonprofit organisation that aims to assist African children with getting an education. Right now, it’s reaching out to Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania. You can collect all the pens you want and send them to Pens for Kids, help defray shipping costs by donating, or easiest of all, join Jetpens’ Facebook group!

JetPens is an online shop that specialises in Japanese stationery, most of which are not available in brick and motar shops in the US and UK. It offers free shipping on orders over US$25 (US orders only) and it provides international shipping at reasonable rates as well.

Sounds cool right? Whether you’re from the US or other parts of the world, go spread some cheer to the children of Africa by helping them this Christmas!