GPW #1: Pilot G2s

Here's Gel Pen(s) of the Week (GPW) #1: My set of 0.7 Pilot G-2s.

This it it. This is where GPW starts. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I will do a GPW project. GPW, or gel pen(s) of the week is a project I thought of while cleaning out my pen boxes. I realized that even if I want to, I cannot fully shift to full fountain pen use due to the following reasons: (a) I got a lot of non-FP pens; (b) i need a GP or a ballpoint to fill out forms, or sign documents; and (c) finding FP-friendly notebooks and paper in this corner of the planet is just way too difficult. But really, the main reason for the GPW project is that I have too many (and still hoarding) GPs and I want to use them.

And so here's GPW #1, and for this week, my featured pens are my Pilot G2 0.7mm retractables.

I met (or bought) Pilot G2s at the same time I got my first Moleskine. Before my Mollie, I've read excellent reviews about these pens from various websites and blogs, and the most interesting articles and posts (even photos) finally convinced me to get these pens for my Molie. To test them, I bought a 0.5mm black and red to use on my new notebook, and true enough, it's an amazing experience to write with these pens. Later on, I got the 0.7mm G2s as I am more fond of thick, wide, dark lines.

Now, a lot has been said about these pens, and as a G2 user, I agree to all the rave about them. These GPs are very smooth and reliable writers, and their ink is very friendly to Moleskine notebooks. I did not experience any skipping or thinning lines ever since I used them not only on the Moleskine, but also on different papers. The rubber grip on the section is just perfect for my discriminating fingers, and the durable plastic clip is excellent to just clip them anywhere-on my bag's tag, my jean's back pocket, etc. Lastly, I am not a person who loves to post their pens. I hate posting my pens, and the fact that the Pilot G2 uses the retractable system makes it a home-run winner!

Through time, I set aside my G2s as I got fascinated with, and of course, used fountain pens. But I also realized it's difficult to move to full FP use. And so I got back to using the G2s. I even found a better use for them in my GTD (getting things done) kit. It helps that I got these GPs in other colors aside from the black/blue/red inks available here. A friend who went to the United States brought me a three-pack of G2s in turquoise, purple, and pink. Now I got six colors out of the 15 available ink colors that Pilot made for G2s.

Here is my GTD kit, opened. The left flap has pen slots, but only for four pens, so the other two pens are clipped to the paper slots on the other flap. This kit, as I call it, is like a wallet, but with more compartments. I got it from NBS for my FPs, but the garterized pen holders are too tight, that I got scared my FPs will be damaged later on. And like the G2 rediscovery, I found a better use for it. *Wink.*

Both the left and right flaps of this pen holder have big slots which can accommodate other stuff, mostly the multi-colored index cards I use for my GTD system.

The back pocket is also roomy enough for bits of paper, and here I got stamps and tea tags.

So here is my GPW #1. I'll dig into my box again and let's see what I'll come up with next Monday. For now, I'm happy with my G2s.

How I Started Writing on My Moleskine

Early this month, Pastor Joe Thorn wrote about setting up a Moleskine and how he uses these precious notebooks to store ideas related to his ministry work.

I love reading stories like Pastor Joe's because it reminded me of another Moleskine story, this one by Sir Butch Dalisay. I cannot find Sir Butch's article online anymore, but that story introduced me to the elite world of Moleskines. Soon after, I was smitten.

Surprisingly, my journey to Moleskine ownership took longer than I expected. At that time, the notebooks weren't offered locally here, and the only way I could get my hands on a notebook was to purchase it online. It was a frustrating pursuit. Then I got my lucky break several months after. A friend saw an online bookstore selling Moleskines, and the company is actually located in the Philippines! And that is how I got my hands on this precious notebook. Finally, I have my own Moleskine to show off. But I did not write on it until last week, six months after I bought it from Avalon.

I started using my Moleskine by using its last page to test my pens. Yup, the last page is a tester page, and that's what I do with all of my notebooks. I do that all the time to choose the perfect pen for a particular notebook. And for my Moleskine, the perfect pen is the black Pilot G2 0.5mm.

After that, I wrote my name and contact details on the inside cover page. No rewards for me, though.

Now I tied a small knot at the end of the page marker so it won't fray and look ugly.

And I started writing on it, precisely on the front face of the third leaf. To start writing an entry, I used a red G2 to write the date and day of the week. An entry usually takes up a page or two, and with the large Moleskine's 240 pages, I figured one notebook is good for three to four months' worth of letters.

Today, my Moleskine is already five entries full. When I fill it up, I'll get another Moleskine and fill it up again.

Weekend Loot (Last Part)

This is it. The promised post for what I called 'massive weekend looting' in my two earlier entries. I call it that because I bought so much pens I'm wondering now how I'm going to use them. Besides, I have never in my life bought as many pens as the ones I bought last weekend. Add to that the Stradmore notepad and small reporter notebook I bought, plus the green shotglasses from Korea, and all the stuff EJ brought me from the US, Canada and China. I got three new shotglasses: my first US State shotglass (from Las Vegas, Nevada), a unique Hollywood shotglass, and another one from Canada. He also bought me a small pocket notebook in China. All of these items are in the photo below:

Saturday morning brought me to San Pablo to visit my niece Laicka who was in the hospital for dengue fever treatment. After a short visit, I grabbed lunch over at my parents' house and went back to San Pablo to look at the Pilot G2s my sister-in-law told are available at OSC Bookstore. Alas, the G2s are there, but what caught my attention are the MonAmi 'Love Pet' gel pens. They're just amazing. The product line has eight available colors, and the pens are square compared to the usual round shape. I love these pens so much I bought two sets!

After that, I hopped over to another supplies store, Expressions which is located at the city mall. I saw the MonAmi pens there, too. At Expressions, I bought a Stradmore notepad and a small reporter notebook.

After the pens and notebook/notepad shopping spree, I went to a thrift shop and saw the two green shotglasses from Korea. Ha. I had to buy them, too.

And not long after, I saw jelly cellphone housing for both my Nokia 1100 and 3100.

Ayayay, what a weekend!

Back to Basics

People are probably confused why they now see me use an old Nokia 1100 and an even older Nokia 3100. I’m tempted to ask, what’s wrong with these phones, anyway? Friends are surprised to see me enjoy these two phones nowadays because they used to see me with high-tech phones and gadgets.

Barely a year ago, I carry in my backpack a small purse that contains, more or less, the following: a Nokia N70 (a craze at that time), a Sony Ericsson K608i, an HP1940 iPaq (with a wireless keyboard), a 6GB iPod Mini, and a Creative Zen Nano Plus. Also in the backpack are: Kodak digital camera, my 80GB external hard drive, two USB flash drives, USB card reader, USB port hub, three Phillips headsets, and an assortment of Cross, Parker, Sheaffer, and Inoxcrom pens. For safety reasons, my backpack’s zippers are always locked using two Master combination locks. Whew!

Fast forward to today.

I still carry the same backpack, and the same purse. (Grin.) But in the purse now are: two Nokias (1100 and 3100) and the iPod Mini. I still bring along the camera, external hard drive and flash drives, because clearly, they constitute a reasonable necessity. The card reader and USB port hub are either at the office or at home, but I have stopped carrying them with me.

There are new additions, though. (Big grin.) In my bag are my Starbucks 2007 planner, a personal journal that still needs a name (Grin. Grin. Grin.), and another notebook for what else, note-taking. (Big grin.) Also, there are more pens in my bag now, as I love to color code (and I love to hoard, according to Lilia). I purchased a set of three Pilot G-TEC-C4s (Bigger grin.) and a set of five HaloZee twin highlighters. Currently, I am drooling over the set of available-only-in-the-US Pilot G2 gel pens.

In terms of data management, I can say that I have truly gone back to the basics now. It didn’t take me overnight to do that, though, and quite a number of reasons contributed to this ‘historic’ change.

My iPaq. The PDA that is supposed to make life easier for me (and for others, too) only made things worse. I had an earlier version (1930) which worked well, and so I thought the 1940 will work along fine, if not better. But I was wrong. Sometimes it doesn’t synchronize with either my PC or laptop. At times, the battery is suddenly drained of power even after a full charge. But what busted my patience was when it didn’t turn on minutes before an important presentation at a staff meeting. All of my notes were in the iPaq, and I had to reconstruct everything out of memory. So after seven months of using an iPaq1940, I decided I had to part with it.

My 3G phones. Like so many Filipinos, I liked to keep up with the growing trend in cellphone fashion. So that when the first batch of 3G phones came in the market, I immediately grabbed not one, but two new handsets. For the price I had to pay for them, they were clearly a big investment. And so when the time for need came along, I was forced to ditch them and learn a hard lesson: I only need a phone that can send and receive calls and messages. Period. It was a big heartbreak for me and it was a lesson learned the hard way, but still a lesson, anyway.

Going back to the basics did not come to me overnight. And it obviously became possible through a variety of reasons. But for several months now, I have been immensely enjoying a less-electronically-constipated life. My Nike backpack is heavier with three notebooks and dozens of pens inside, but I have no regrets. Not one bit. It’s a little tough for my back, but the satisfaction I get when I read my notes and journal entries is indescribable. Call it OA, but it's an amazing experience. I admit missing TextTwist and Bejewelled in the iPaq, but I guess I'll just consider it one among my life's big (and not-s0-big) trade-offs.

For now, at least. (Biggest grin.) Tomorrow is another day.