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fountain pen

advice fail

by JennyO on June 3, 2009

A can of Pepsi Max sits in front of me and gives advice.

“I know what you want,” it whispers. Beads of cold sweat roll off  its rouge et noir exterior. “I know how you can get it. Just do what you’re thinking right now. Go for it.”

I take a sip. ” It’s not a very good plan, and I don’t have a backup.”

“You don’t need one.” Chuckles coldly.

I turn Plan A over in my mind. It is possible it could work, like any scheme using brute force.  ”Perhaps,” I say.

The Moleskine chimes in. “Wait,” it says in a rustle of paper. ” Have you thought about the consequences and possible scenarios?”

The Sheaffer Balance makes marks. Numbers, words. “Holes in the plan,” it agrees,  ”here and there, where the mission could fail.”

Another sip of Pepsi Max. “You’re right – Plan A lacks finesse. And Plan B does not exist.”

The drink rallies. “Unnecessary, I swear.”

Anxious looks from the Moleskine and the Sheaffer. “This is too important to trust to chance. Preparedness is key to achieving the desired outcome. Remember how it hurt when you smacked concrete after jumping from a plane without a parachute? You need an improved Plan A. And a Plan B. And C, and D.”

I think of what I want and how badly I want it. The prize is worth waiting for.

I drain the drink. “But…!” it squeaks. “Think instant gratifica…!” I crumple the can and toss it, open the Moley, take up the Sheaffer, and think.

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bend it like wahl and moore.

by JennyO on January 12, 2009

Vintage fountain pens are highly-prized by many collectors not just for their unusual materials and designs. For those connoisseurs who actually use these pens, not merely keep them tucked away in protective cases, the nibs are the biggest draw of these oldies but goodies.

Older nibs, those manufactured up to the 1930s with higher gold content, tend to be more flexible than steel nibs. They are also resistant to the corrosion that may be a side effect of some types of inks.

These pens hail from the 1920s. One is a gold-filled Wahl, the other a celluloid Moore vest pen.

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The Wahl has a Greek-key design. It is slim and perfect for ladies’ smaller hands. The notebook is a Ruled Pocket Moleskine.

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Its 14k gold nib looks like a stub with most of the iridium worn off. A heart-shaped breather hole in the nib helps with the exchange of air for ink the pen’s reservoir. It’s a lever-fill.

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A beautiful monogram on the cap tassie.

Moore is a lesser-known brand, yet the quality of this particular pen is admirable.

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Celluloid body, lever-fill, 14k gold nib.

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The name engraved on the barrel may be that of the first owner.

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The Moore also has a heart-shaped breather hole.

No matter how agile and lithe David Beckham is, he can’t bend it like the nibs of these vintage pens can.

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Writing samples – top, the Wahl in Private Reserve Shell Pink; center, the Moore in a plum color, a mixture of Shell Pink and Tropical Blue. The Moore’s nib gives more line variation.

Flexibility was an important characteristic for early 20th century pens because they suited the handwriting styles of the period – Copperplate and Spencerian.

Having used flexible pens, modern pens feel stiff and rigid. “Like a nail”, is how some collectors describe them. Many FP users have both a vintage flexible and a stiff modern writer in their everyday pen case for different purposes.

Photos taken with a Nikon D60.

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it doesn’t feel like Christmas at starbucks.

by JennyO on December 18, 2008

The holiday spirit seems sadly depressed this year at Starbucks here in Manila.

Oh, I don’t mean the decor. The marketing staff have done lovely things with ornament balls wrapped with green and red twine as door wreaths and table centerpieces.

Yet the powers-that-be have committed several major blunders: opting not to bring back the Peppermint syrup (which I waited the entire year for!), and having no cute costumed Barista Bears, instead foisting upon a dismayed clientele their ragamuffin reindeer that lack personality and charm.

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This year, they brought back past seasons’ Toffee Nut Latte and Praline Mocha, and introduced Dark Cherry Mocha. Those syrups are fine, but only Peppermint truly evokes a Yuletide flair.

But Starbucks Philippines has redeemed themselves – to an extent – by coming out with makabayan (patriotic) mugs and tumblers. Anything that has “Pilipinas” or “Maynila” written, engraved, or otherwise emblazoned on it inspires my patriotic sentiments and gets my stamp of approval.

Manila girl that I am, I couldn’t pass up the tumbler that proclaims my origin.

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Starbucks “Manila” tumbler, wireless phone by Uniden, and a limited edition blue-and-red Lamy 1.1mm italic fountain pen inked with Private Reserve Naples Blue – the tools of this modern-day scribe.

Note to Starbucks: to enjoy my continued patronage next holiday season, please bring back the Peppermint syrup and the Christmas Bearistas!

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gtd, my style

by JennyO on September 28, 2008

Busy people who also happen to be disorganized often look for methods on how to best manage their time and efforts to achieve optimum results within the specified timeframe. Over years, many techniques have been developed and the choices are varied and confusing. How to tell which way will work best for you?

I’ve found this to be effective: read as much as you can about time-management methods, list down the tips that appeal to you, and through trial-and-error, create your own system that will work with your personal habits and way of thinking.

After going through quite a few systems and planners, I’ve finally developed a system that increased my productivity, wasted less time, and left nothing undone. It’s loosely based on David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” (GTD) action-management method insofar that I free my mind to actually work on tasks “by moving tasks out of (my) mind and recording them externally.”

I’ve tried using large, book-type planners but found them too heavy to lug around in my bag and too unwieldy to use in the field. So I trawled the ‘Net for ideas and came up with this system:

  1. “Hipster PDA” - (bottom left) A sheaf of 3x 5 index cards held customarily by a binder clip or metal ring. I use a pink carabiner to make it easy to flip the cards. This is my “to-do” list. Color-coded cards organize the action tasks by context: blue, “@Work”, pink, “@Home”, white, Projects, because these are the categories that make sense for me.
  2. Dashed notation for action items: – : action item undone; + : done; <-: waiting for another action;   -> : delegated; (-) : moved to another list; * : cancelled/abandoned; and the division sign for ‘on hold’. It is easy to use because you always start with just a dash.
  3. Pocket Red Moleskine 18-month Weekly Diary: (bottom right) For listing appointments, meetings, etc. Its the perfect size for me – small enough to carry in handbag or tuck in pocket, I’m never without it.
  4. Desk planner – (top) With two pages allotted for each day, it’s where I list all the little bits of information that come my way - phone numbers, notes of telephone conversations, sudden inspirations – rather than write them on scraps of paper that can get lost or misplaced. In the GTD system, it’s my “bucket” where I capture the data for later processing.

I also have an 8-1/2 x 11 size three-ring binder with tabbed divisions. Each division corresponds to one project – ex. “Short Story Collection”, “Racing History Book”. It’s where I write down notes, proposals, plans, mind-maps, and the like. I review my binder weekly, and list down action tasks pertaining to current projects in my Hipster PDA.

People get frustrated when choosing one time-management system and forcing themselves to work with it rather than make it work for them. Customizing a system yields better results and will help you on your way to professional and personal productivity.

(Yes, the pen on the Moley and all the pens in the pen-case are fountain pens.)

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