Pilot Frixion Pen

I had heard a lot about this pen. I saw it for the first time while watching a Japanese documentary. I was quite amazed by this pen. When I found it Sapna Book Store, I had to buy for myself.

What makes this pen amazing?

Well, the pen comes with a thermosensitive ink which becomes colourless in high temperatures and regains colour at lower temperatures. Due to this, one can actually erase what one has written. The back of the pen has a plastic like eraser which helps in erasing the writing. Now, the writing of any random pen cannot be erased with the eraser. It can only erase what has been written using the thermosensitive ink which comes with the pen. There is a big disclaimer on the cover in which the pen comes in stating that the pen must not be used for any official or legal documents.

The rear end of the pen with the plastic-like eraser

How does the eraser work?

The answer is in the name of the pen. The heat produced by the the friction caused by the erasing of the plastic eraser on paper, causes the ink to become colourless. You can check out this video. (This video was created by me and I wanted to insert it directly into the blog but it did not work as it exceeded the size limit allowed on blogger, so took the YouTube route)The only question that comes to my mind is, is it worth the time and effort to erase your writing? A conventional strike off works well for me. However, the technology is amazing. I actually froze the book in the freezer for sometime and the ink did reappear, although I must say, it was not as dark as it was before erasing. In the video you can see that the erasing is also not 100%.

Apart from the technology used in the pen, it is a smooth writer, with a good grip and considerable amount of ink. The pen comes at Rs. 100 and the refill at Rs. 58-60 each. I wonder if it is worth the investment. Years before, I had read a story in Tinkle in which a secret letter is written using undiluted juice of a lemon and when the recipient of the letter wanted to read the letter, he just held it over the flame and the alphabets emerged on the letter. Though it is not quite the same, this pen reminded me of the story. If I think of a specific use for this pen, playing a prank on somebody is the only thing that comes to mind, although, it is generally a good pen to write with. 

Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds by Joy Adamson

I found this book during my recently concluded vacation. It belongs to my relative. I just picked it up while lazing around at my  relative's place. I did not know what to expect. Not being a big movie buff, I was not aware that there was a movie based on the book. Apparently, this 1960s movie was a well known one.

This book is about a real life account of author and her husband, who adopt 3 lion cubs and their lives with them. Of the 3 cubs, they name the smallest one Elsa and domesticate it. The 2 other larger cubs are sent away to a zoo. The author's family lives close to an African forest (if I remember it correctly...sorry getting a bit forgetful) and her husband, George, works as a Game Warden in Africa. Anyway, Elsa and Joy, the author, develop a close bond with each other. Elsa is initially tamed, however, as time progresses her natural instincts come to the fore but her domestication has trained her to be ignorant about things which are otherwise natural to her species. For example, she kills another animal, but she does not know what to do with it. She was always given her meat cut up, so she could not associate it with any animal. It was done, so that she does not go about attacking cattle of the African tribesmen who lived in the vicinity. The first part of the book is all about taming Elsa.

The second part of the book is about the adult life of Elsa. As she grows up, Joy and her husband observe Elsa. During the mating season, she disappears several times and seems to be alone and not a part of the pride. Joy and her husband think it is best to free her into the wild instead of sending her off to a zoo as she has grown up in that environment. The challenge then begins for Joy and George. They had trained Elsa to be tame and as a consequence, she was not completely fit to live in the wild where one has to protect and feed oneself. So, begins the journey of Elsa, Joy and George to help unlearn and prepare for her life in the wild. Being her foster parents, they train her to hunt and protect herself to the best of their ability, something which her biological parents would have probably taught her. The book is the story of her journey to freedom.

The book is written in a very simple language. Parts of it is humorous and parts of it is heart-rending. I specially felt very sad when, in their attempt to help Elsa live all by herself, they abandon her in the middle of the night, only to find her waiting for them in the very same place. The book is a good reflection of the loyalty and love of animals towards their caregivers. Even after years of living in the wild, Elsa would never forget the love she received from the Adamsons. It is kind of a slow-paced book but you will savour every moment of it. The book has several pictures of Elsa and her human family and adds to the enjoyment of the read.

Coming to the movie, I have not yet watched it but I have viewed the trailer. Based on the trailer alone, I think the movie is way too dramatic than the book. Also, the reasons to free Elsa appeared to be different. It is just my perception. I am looking for the movie and will watch it when I find a good print of the same.

On a scale of 5, I will rate the book 4/5.

Mid Year Review of Goals

In the beginning of the year, I set aside some goals (click here). I also reviewed my performance in the first quarter (click here)It was time I reviewed my performance on these just to see where I am in the middle of the year:

Health: Keep up my daily exercise routine and ensure that I work-out atleast 5 days a week. Eat healthy meals every day- monthly once cheat day would be allowed. I would also go to bed at a pre-defined time and wake up everyday at the same time.

Mid year Update: I have worked hard towards this goal this year compared to any of the previous years. I must admit, sometimes I fall of the wagon for weeks but then I find myself bouncing back. I have to just control my portion sizes to be healthy.

Sharpening My Culinary Skills: I have decided to not just cook regular homely meals but push myself to prepare more gourmet dishes. I have made some in 2017 as well but would like to take things to another level. I have decided to cook 10 gourmet savoury dishes and 10 gourmet sweet dishes in the year. I will be scheduling this in my monthly planner. It will take an effort to get the recipes and ingredients together. It is a little ambitious but I will do my best.

Mid year Update: While I have gathered enough recipes to kick start this goal, I just have not been able to. However, I found myself subjected to a new kind of a challenge quite unexpectedly. In a span of 1 hour in the morning, I had to prepare an elaborate breakfast and a 3-4 course lunch for 3 whole months. I was amazed to find myself in the thick of planning and also rapid execution. Planning and speedy execution is a new dimension to my culinary ability now and I must say, I impressed myself. I still believe, in the 2nd half of the year, I should be able to work toward my original goal.

Blogging: I have decided to blog once a week in 2018. I do not want to blog sporadically but keep to a schedule. I have been inspired by Mr. Vinod Ekbote who has been blogging for the last 10 years and has been posting every Friday on his blog without fail- click here to check out the blog. I just think I need to set time aside for it and do it every week. I have a diary that is full of things that I would like to put up on my blog but due to several reasons have not been able to do so. However, I am determined to do it in 2018.

Mid year Update: I had been quite consistent until May. May onwards, I went through a downward spiral. While I wrote a lot, I could not find the time to edit and publish, being caught up at work in office and home. However, in the month of August, I am catching up quickly and hope to clear up the backlog by mid- September.

Watercolour Art: I am enjoying learning watercolour art from various online resources. I would make at least 10 proper watercolour paintings in 2018. It just must be scheduled in my monthly planner.

Mid year Update: I must admit, I have not focussed on this goal at all. However, I have some ideas up my sleeve, so I hope to achieve what I set up for myself.

Launching my Youtube Channel: This has been on my mind for some time. I have still some way to go. I am not sure if it will be possible in 2018. I have to shoot some high quality videos and do some high quality editing. This is a good-to-do goal for 2018 and not must-do as I do not want to rush into it and put up some shoddy videos out in public.

Mid year Update: I am not working towards it too much. I do not feel prepared yet for this. I have created some private video content but there is still a long way to go. I might not actively pursue this goal this year. If it happens, well and good but I will not beat myself up if it does not work out.

Writing: in my journal everyday and at least one page a day. The goal I had in 2017 was to finish writing on all pages of the journal, which in the hindsight, did not make much sense. The goal for 2018 will not only ensure that I keep to my habit of writing, but also as a bonus, would help me finish writing on all the pages. I hope I will not get demotivated like 2017 and give up.

Mid year Update: I have been doing this quite regularly but to be honest, I really do not have much or anything to write on certain days. However, I am doing way better than 2017. I would say I have written on 90% of the days. In the last couple of months though, I have not been writing regularly. I actually forgot all about this goal. This review has found to be beneficial again. I will actively write again.

Reading: I have lowered the number of books to read in 2018 to 10. As you can see, there is a lot on my plate and I do not want to make the activity that I love so much to be one that induces stress. I would also like to read some good literature, and not just fun-light reading books. I think reading before bed works for me great and I think a good 15-30 minutes before bed would be great.

Mid year Update: I am happy to have made good progress after a slow start, I have completed reading 6 out of the ten and I am reading everyday- I am confident of achieving this goal too.

Travelling: It is my goal to travel to 5 different places in 2018. I better get started on my vacation planning soon.

Mid year Update: I am happy to say that I have already been to 5 (or more) different places this year already and I would blog about them soon, and, I would love some more travel. I hope before the end of the year, I can visit some more places.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

This is another book that I read during my recent vacation. I found this book in the room I was staying in during my vacation.

All books of John Grisham that I have read so far have been legal dramas. This book came as a surprise to me as it was not one. When I picked up this book for reading, I did not know that and kept waiting for some event to unfold which would lead to a lawsuit but that never happened.

The book is about a couple Luther and Nora, whose only daughter of 18 years, Blair, moved to Peru on a humanitarian mission around Christmas time for a period of a year (I think). Luther and Nora decide to take a cruise during the Christmas break to the Caribbean. So, they decide to save up all the money that they would have otherwise spend on Christmas (parties, presents, cards etc) on the cruise and the preparation for the cruise. Now, they live in a close knit neighbourhood where Christmas is a big deal. Luther and Nora manage to fight their temptations to do anything Christmassy even at the expense of disappointing, if not offending, their neighbours. On Christmas eve, the day before the planned cruise, Blair calls and informs them that she will be home with her fiancé- a Peruvian doctor. The book then shortly dwells on the dilemma that Luther and Nora are in before moving on to what they do next. Read the book to know more :-).

The book serves as a reminder of what Christmas has become and what it is supposed to be. Grisham has attempted humour but it is not very funny, it would probably extract an occasional smile from the reader.

It is a small, simple book with very simple language, a quick read. I appreciate Grisham's attempt at something different. It was not his best book though. I like his legal drama much better. It is a good book to read just before Christmas, reading it in northern hemispherical summer probably did not have the same kind of effect. I rate this book 3/5.

The Class by Erich Segal

I have been writing a lot about stationery. I have some more drafts on stationery but I thought it would be good to take a break from it and discuss some of the books that I read during my recent vacation. I will discuss one of these books in this post. 

I bought "The Class" by Erich Segal from The Book Point in Himayatnagar in Hyderabad. It was on my bookshelf for a long time and I never got around to reading it. I started reading it slightly before my recent vacation but read a big part of it during my vacation and on the flight to my vacation destination.

I picked up an Erich Segal after a long time. I have previously read his "Man, Woman and Child", "Doctors" and "Love Story". "Doctors" is my favourite Erich Segal book. I am quite amazed by the variety in his writing ranging from lives of doctors to intricate and complex relationships. 

This particular book is about a few Harvard students and what they live up to be 25 years on. The book has 2 parts, which in turn has 2 been conveyed in 2 ways. The book focusses on the lives of a bunch of students in the Harvard's class of '58, mainly- Andrew Eliot, Daniel Rossi, Jason Gilbert, George Keller and Ted Lambros. The story of the book is conveyed in 2 ways as mentioned earlier- one is through the writer and another through the diary of Andrew Eliot. 

The book starts with an introduction to the background of these 5 students and how they managed to get into Harvard and then moves on to their lives at Harvard. 4 of the 5 students- Daniel Rossi, Jason Gilbert, George Keller and Ted Lambros are portrayed as exemplary students with several achievements under their belt, while Andrew is shown to be this everyday, average guy whose only achievement is the influential family into which he is born into. There are a few other friends and some girlfriends/wives of these characters that also make a significant appearance in the book by virtue of their relationship to the main characters. The second part of the book focusses on how these students have made it in a life after Harvard which culminates in their reunion after 25 years. This is the gist of the book and any more information would definitely be a spoiler.

Erich Egal has beautiful woven the key current affairs of the time into the story and characters. He has boldly used real people as characters of the story, such as Henry Kissinger, Ron Reagan, Yonathan Netanyahu etc making the reader feel very close to reality and wonder if this is a true story. These are some of the characters which have a significant appearance in the book. What struck me was the kind of prejudices that have been said to have existed in the US/Harvard at the time, such as - prejudices against Jews. It was kind of strange to think it could have existed in institutions like Harvard. Of course the story is based in the 50s and reading the book in 2018 startled me a bit and made me realise how much life has changed. 

Most of the characters have been developed quite well with several aspects of their personalities being explored. However, at the end of the book, Andrew Eliot is declared as the best man in the class of '58; somehow I felt his character could have been built some more, different facets of his life could have been shown which could make the readers convince that he was the best in a more whole-hearted manner. I think this was one character who could have been explored more.

The language in the book is nice and fluid. It is not a slow book but not too fast either. I would not call it "unputdownable" but it was quite engaging. Considering the time at which this book was published, I would say, this was not a very common concept for books so I can imagine how enjoyable it must have been to the readers in the 80s as it must have come to the readers at the time, as a whiff of fresh air. Even to this day, I cannot think of too many books with such a concept. 

There are several female characters in the book and play a significant role in the book. They have been portrayed as strong and intellectual, with opinions they do not fear to voice.

I enjoyed reading this book immensely and would rate it 4/5.

My Rambling About Fountain Pens and My Current Favourites

My school included writing with fountain pens from standard V. Ball point pens were a strict no-no  and the use of the same would attract a punishment. Fountain pens or ink pens what we called back in the day, were considered crucial in the development of a good handwriting. They were introduced at standard V as this was considered to be the time/age when our handwriting starts stabilizing. I remember well that my mother would make us practise our writing with fountain pens, at least a page every day in some old notebooks and diaries during summer holidays so that it improves for the next academic year. Thanks to that, I think my handwriting, though not the most beautiful ( but still quite beautiful and pearly), is quite legible and nice.  

A Sample of  my pearly writing

Ball point pens were allowed in my school from standard VIII. I had a book called Luxor Book of Writing (which was borrowed by a friend 14 years back, I am still waiting for it to find its way back to its true abode), which talked of how writing evolved, what can one do to improve writing, different writing tools etc. It was a very engaging book and an unusual topic to be written about. This book talked about taking our pens for a "jog" and the positive impact it would have on our handwriting. This was an amazing concept which inspired me to practise writing a lot.

Pen Jogging

Smudging and Feathering Pen Jog

Another Feathering Pen Jog

I wrote all my major exams from school days until I finished college, using fountain pens. As I was a science student, all my lab records were also written using fountain pens. Any essays and assignments which were required to be handwritten, were again in fountain pens.

Though I use ball point pens a lot, I do write almost everything in my journal using fountain pens. I have quite a few fountain pens and though I love them a lot, I cannot write about all of them in great detail. I will just write about 3 of my favourites. 

None of my fountain pens are extraordinarily expensive. The most expensive fountain pen that I own as of now must be around Rs.350. Fountain pens prices can range anywhere between Rs.25 to Rs.5 lakh or more. All of them are quite practical pens and write well with any ink on any paper. To me, this is the most important quality of a good pen. According to me, no matter how expensive your fountain pen is, it is not of good quality if it needs special inks and special paper to write on. Good fountain pens are those that write well irrespective of which ink you use in it and which paper you write on, as long as it writes legibly. I must admit some of my pens did "feather" but I got them repaired.

 

Most of my fountain pens, owned currently were bought from the Deccan Pen Stores in Hyderabad- either the Abids branch or the Ameerpet branch.

My first and most favourite pen is from Skyglory. I call it my Spaceship pen just because it looks like one to me. This pen has a fine nib, both in terms of thickness and quality. This pen requires ink cartridges. I usually pair it up with green ink cartridge from Schneider. It is my favourite due to its small pocket size and smooth writing.

My second favourite pen is from a Chinese brand- Dikawen. It has a lovely bright red body with a copper band and copper clip, and a dual toned nib. The thickness of the nib is medium. I usually like using Royal Blue or Pink or Orange ink with this pen. It can be used with a cartridge or a convertor which can siphon ink from the pot. Since it has a metal body, it is slightly heavy in comparison to pens with plastic bodies. This pen just glides on paper and brightens up my writing and makes it look beautiful.

Dual toned nib of Dikawen Pen

My next favourite is Camlin Pressa. It is a nice student friendly pen with a nice grip and transparent body. It is a pen that needs cartridge and I use it with blue ink usually. It is a very practical pen for daily use and rough work.

Just in case you are interested, my other fountain pens are from the below brands:

• Baoer
• Pilot
• Camlin/ Kokuyo
• Classmate
• Wality
• Pierre Cardin
• Flair
• Hero
• Parker
• Jinhao

I store my fountain pens in a carton that used to contain a light bulb. I am looking to store it in a suitable pen stand,but until I find it, I am quite happy with the current storage arrangement.

That is it from me now, I hope you enjoyed reading my rambling about the fountain pens.

My Diaries- Part 2

A few months back, I had written about some of my diaries/notebooks and I was not done talking about them. This is a part 2 of the previous post about diaries/notebooks.

This post mainly consists of those notebooks and diaries which are still unused.

Yosemite and Seqouia tree Notebooks:

I picked these notebooks on a heavy discount in a book shop in California which was about to be shut down. I instantly liked the beautiful covers. I thought of carrying these back as souvenirs. Once I got back to India, I got really selfish and decided to keep them to myself. I love the cream coloured paper in the notebooks. The Seqouia tree book is under a big pile of books and I am too lazy to pull it out for a picture. I have them in A5 size. These books have been made with Archival paper and works well with all kinds of pens.

Daiso Notepads

I got these again from Daiso in San Francisco. Daiso is a Dollar Store for Japanese items. So, I got 2 of these for just a dollar. The paper on this one is extremely smooth. It is single ruled and works well with all types of pens. It is slightly larger than A5 size but smaller than A4.

Black and Red Notebooks

These are really good quality notebooks which my brother gave me during my visit to US. I havenot yet used them but I read in one of the Google groups/circles that they work really well with fountain pens. The paper is quite thin so it is almost hard to believe that they are fountain pen friendly. The ones I have are single ruled notebooks.

Picadilly Notebooks

These were again given to me by my brother. The paper colour is slightly (only slightly) off white. The paper quality is quite good. I have not done a test with fountain pens yet. I have them in a size similar A4 size paper.

Five in One Notebook from Archies

I picked up this notebook from Archies in Hyderabad. It is a really thick notebook with about 400 pages which are divided into sections by thick coloured cardboard paper. I was attracted to the beautiful cover (the photograph doesn't do any justice to the real thing). It works well with all kinds of pens. I have it in a slightly longer and slightly less broader than A5 size. This is a nice book to carry dor college goers.

Apart from this, I have the notebooks from Usupso, which I wroteabout some time back. I also have a few notebooks from Nightingale at my mum's place. They are regular notebooks and diaries from Nightingale, which many people have. 

Until next time, so long.....

I'm Back

I had been away for sometime now from the world of blogging. I went away on a vacation, which I will definitely blog about. It may have seemed that I was away but I have been working on several blog posts. It is just that my preparation for my vacation, the vacation itself and work took up my time and I was not in a position to publish my blogs. All I need to do is add in the pictures to all that text I have put down, do the graphics where required, skim through the post once before I publish them. In the coming days, I would be putting aside some time to work on the already composed blogs and publish them. So, the coming days would see more action from me in the blogosphere.

Previously, once my blogs were published, I would also share them on my social media pages. I have decided that I will no longer do that. I have not been very active on social media pages of late as I am not a big fan of all the political discussions that takes place there, by my friends or their friends. I feel everyone feels compelled to take a position about anything and everything (even if it something as silly as a new emoji or a the number of teeth in a comb) and everyone seems to be an expert at everything. While I am completely okay if people would like to express their opinion, what bothers me is the way it is done- unnecessarily rude, argumentative and aggressive. It just puts me off. I would just put up my posts on this blog even if no one might look at it. I think it makes things simple and makes me happy :).