Being of Chinese descent, I always celebrate New Year’s day twice in quick succession. The first New Year is, of course, the one most people know of, which occurs on Jan 1. The second new year, usually occurring within 2 months from Jan 1, is the Lunar New Year. Old Chinese traditions follow the lunar calendar which places the turn of the year during the beckoning of spring. This year, the Lunar New Year falls on Feb 8 and both the 8th and the 9th are public holidays in Singapore. HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR, all of you out there who celebrate it! If you’re into Chinese zodiacs and all that, this year is ushered in by the Monkey. There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac and Monkey is the 9th animal. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the Monkey has not predicted anything related to fountain pens for me this year, so it’s up to me to set my own resolutions! Adjusting to my own lifestyle To be perfectly honest, I have had very few chances to use fountain pens on a daily basis over the past couple of years. Most of my chances of writing, if any at all, are when […]
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In a very unfortunate event at Aesthetic Bay Singapore on 15 October 2015, 3 very exquisite Namiki fountain pens were stolen. I am posting this up so all you out there in the fountain pen community and beyond can be aware of this and help to nab the thieves. And if you have stolen the pens and are reading this right now, shame on you! The stolen pens are: Here is the statement from Mr Tan Fong Kum, Managing Director of Aesthetic Bay, on the stolen pens: Hi All, Re: 3 Namiki pens were stolen from Aesthetic Bay Please take note that 3 pens were stolen from Aesthetic Bay on the 15 Oct 2015. -Namiki Limited Edition Emperor Setsugekka Fountain Pen #63/99 -Namiki Limited Edition Emperor Polar Bear Fountain Pen #94/99 -Namiki Limited Edition Yukari Royale Nyoutan Namazu (CatFish) #198/200. In the midst of distracting the sales staff, the 3 pens were stolen. Therefore please be careful if someone offers to sell these pens without box and papers. The box and certificates are all with us. We have made a police report. Pilot Singapore &Japan are also aware of this. These numbers would be registered as stolen items in their […]
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Namiki is launching the Limited Edition Kabuto fountain pen, and only 170 pieces are available worldwide. Designed and decorated by skilled artisan Michifumi Kawaguchi, this piece features the Kabuto (helmet) and Tachi (sword), which are Samurai armour essentials. Today, the Kabuto and Tachi are honoured during the Boys’ Festival in Japan on May 5 every year, which is a festival to celebrate the transition of Japanese boys to adulthood. The Namiki Limited Edition Kabuto fountain pen features an 18-karat gold nib with rhodium accents and piston ink delivery system that ensures peerless writing quality and long-lasting performance. Released for the world at a limited quantity of 170 pieces, the exquisite Namiki fountain pen is packaged in a lavish specially handcrafted Japanese Paulownia gift box and comes with a matching limited edition ink bottle. — Pilot Pen Singapore The Namiki Kabuto fountain pen is designed using a combination of various Maki-e techniques, such as Taka Maki-e (raised Maki-e) for the Kabuto, Hira Maki-e (flat Maki-e) for the Tachi, and Togidashi-Taka Maki-e (burnished raised Maki-e) and gold powder for the background. In addition to Maki-e, the dome of the Kabuto has sparkling Raden inlay. Artisan Michifumi Kawaguchi is also known for his other […]
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What is Patreon? I first stumbled upon Patreon a few months ago and felt that it was an excellent concept. Patreon comes from the word “patron”, which in turn simply refers to a person who provides support to an individual, group, or a cause. On Patreon, you can provide support via financial aid to an artist or a creator that you like. If you’re familiar with Kickstarter, you would be able to understand this concept a little better, except where Patreon is different. Like Kickstarter, you fund a creator so that the creator is able to create a specific, usually tangible product to be sold for the amount that the public individual has pledged. The end goal is a product, and there are different tiers for different product types. Patreon has this tiered concept as well, but the end goal may not necessarily be a tangible, physical product. As a Patron, you fund to support creative works being made. OFP On Patreon Yes, of course OFP is on Patreon! The reason why I started doing this was, of course, to earn a bit of extra income, as blogging during my non-working hours is really not an easy task. After a day at my […]
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Hello everyone! My name is Prem, and thanks to Maybelline’s generous proposal of collaboration, I will henceforth be contributing to this blog, along with Thomas. I decided to make my first post an introductory one of sorts. I first got into fountain pens last year, when I was looking for a new medium to sketch with. I mostly used pencils, and had only dabbled with ballpoints and gel pens, neither of which I liked using. Enter the fountain pen. Not only were these pens beautiful, I could fill them with any colour of ink I liked! I was instantly smitten. Following a well-beaten path, I purchased a Lamy Al-Star and a Noodler’s Konrad for my first pens. I instantly disliked the grip and writing feel of the Lamy. This is not to say they are bad pens – in fact, their durability and nib-swappability make them quite popular beginner pens – but it just did not feel right in my hand. Since then, I have taken the time to learn more about fountain pens, and to try as much as I can before I buy. Now I ensure that the pens I purchase are ones that I definitely will use, […]
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Today is the final post of my 12 days of fountain pen bloggers Christmas series, and I hope you have enjoyed the whole series. It was the first time I was doing something this significant for On Fountain Pens, and I am really grateful that all the bloggers who contributed have been such wonderful people to work with! Here are links to their blogs, in order of the day their posts have been published. Do pay them a visit and support them too! Bloggers: Janet – Ink2Pen || Parka – Parkablogs || Sandra – Life Imitates Doodles || Lito – Palimpsest || Pete – Pete Denison || Elizabeth – No Pen Intended || Cary – Fountain Pen Day || Nicholas – Inky Passion || Junee – Alt. Haven || Joe – The Gentleman Stationer || Ana – The Well-Appointed Desk As we turn a new page into 2015, On Fountain Pens is also going to have some changes and additions this year, what I would like to call “expansion packs”. I’d like to take the opportunity of this post to announce some of the exciting things that are coming up at On Fountain Pens! EXPANSION PACK 1: NEW WRITERS In 2015, On Fountain Pens will be transitioning from a “I” into a […]
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One evening after getting back home and feeling bored, I visited the Singapore Fountain Pen Lovers Facebook group and found a bunch of folks as bored as I was! A thread full of brand wordplay! I love wordplay so I joined in the fun too. Note 1: This post is not meant to ridicule anything, just having fun, alright? FUN. Not suitable for those who don’t have a sense of humour. Note 2: Some of the language inside, especially sentence structure and grammar, are colloquial. After all, it IS a group for Singaporeans. To protect the privacy of the members, I have blurred out their display pictures and covered up their names. Well. There you have it. A bunch of fountain pen lovers having too much free time on their hands… MaybellineI am the founder of this website. Chemist by day, slacker by night, fanatic of stationery all the time. I write with my left hand, but can also do the same with my right hand – it just won’t look very pretty. onfountainpens.com
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Edit: as the previous winner of the Wine Journal did not reply to my email, I have picked a new winner! So… *drumroll* Congratulations to Aditya M. Alan Portman for winning the Daycraft Signature Wine Journal! I have sent you an email regarding the details of how you can get it. Please let me know your mailing address and which comment on that post was yours, so that I can verify that the entry is valid. If I receive no reply by 5 August 2012, or if your entry is invalid, I will pick a new winner. ~~~ Now regarding the “other things” part… I have been super busy lately. Most of my evenings after work were either spent outside or at home helping around. Work hasn’t been too pleasant, generally. On the other hand, there was a full-day team building event by the department yesterday, which was a little tiring but fun. Another team building will be held overseas in August, this time involving the rest of the department. We’ll see if that improves things or not! Regrettably I have totally missed out publishing Fortnightly Inkings that was due last week. I’ll publish it really soon, I promise! MaybellineI am […]
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… man? Sorry to disappoint you, but nah, today I will not be talking about dating, romance, or living happily ever after. Today, I launch a new label on my blog, called “Two Drops”. It will consist of my humble two cents’ (drops) on things in general, but of course related to stationery and writing. Not fortnightly inkings, nor a review, but just some scribblings of the things I think about. Today, in particular, I will talk about what I would look for in a fountain pen. The design The reason why I am collecting brands of fountain pens now instead of focusing a few favourite brands is that I want to try the lower price range of pens from different brands before moving up the ladder. I always try to buy the cheaper pens of each brand to start with. NOTE: The following paragraph may not be suitable for all readers. Censor it yourself and move on to the next paragraph… When I visit other people’s abodes or other countries, the most important thing I will look out for to determine my impression of them would be the toilets. I think that many people take toilets for granted, thinking […]
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The May Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is out! My Muji fountain pen post has been linked on the list, awesome! If you want a notepad-full of other good blog posts to read, check it out at: http://okami-whatever.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-carnival-of-pen-pencil-and-paper.html MaybellineI am the founder of this website. Chemist by day, slacker by night, fanatic of stationery all the time. I write with my left hand, but can also do the same with my right hand – it just won’t look very pretty. onfountainpens.com
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