Long ago at a very very young age, I was introduced to fountain pens by the primary school I attended, which was trying to teach us cursive writing. Sure, I have lost the knack of cursive writing (since it's slow), but my love for fountain pens stayed, finding them practical, comfortable and easy to use. If I'm not mistaken the pen was a Shanghai Hero fountain pen.
It was only in university I started to use them seriously again. Having the habit to jot down a lot of notes, and having to re-write them again properly in a proper note books (it was my only way of learning; output of the knowledge I learned was my daily revision), I had to find a very comfortable pen. I remember walking around Parkson Grand and buying the then RM80 Pelikan pen.
I don't have that pen anymore, as it clogged up on one fine day in Australia, and I just couldn't be bothered to clean it up.
Again, for a while, I lost the need of using them.
It was some time in 2009 I started using them again. I picked up a Lamy Vista Demonstrator, coz I remembered seeing my dad using one. Thanks to Lamy's comfortable design, my love for fountain pens returned. I know own quite a fair few pens, but only use 4 exclusively (as I have 4 colors of ink).
The Vista (right) is my oldest pen, though not most used. That would fall onto the brown Lamy Al-Star (centre). This pen has seen better days, and I have brought it with me everywhere to do everything. It has dropped a couple of times on site, and is full of battle scars.
I have a dark brown Lamy Vista (not in picture), which I have changed the nib (EF) to a 1.1mm italic nib.
My latest acquirement is the TWSBI Mini (left). I ordered and received it just before coming back to Kuching, and it took some time for me to adapt to it (since I;m used to the Lamy's grip). I find it a good little pen, and wished they had retailers in our region (even in Singapore, I had to order from US). Eversince I've recently adapted to its gripping style, I've come to enjoy it more as my daily pen. I just hope it's as durable as my Lamy Al-Star.
Except for my brown Lamy Vista, I use extra fine nibs on all my pens, a size which (I found out) is not available from local retailers in Kuching.
A colleague of mine once commented that my use of fountain pens signifies wealth and class. I beg to differ. I'd rather think it signifies practicality. The fountain pen has been used centuries before the ball pen was invented. It is comfortable to use when writing long notes (since you cannot press hard on a fountain pen), plus you can clean and refill yourself without having to buy expensive cartridges.
To complement my note-taking habit, I have two main notebooks that I jot with. I have recently found the perfect system to fit my needs (must be customisable, vintage look, and does not scream "executive!"). I read about the Midori Traveller notebook while in Singapore and found a local reseller there. Upon having my passport sized notebook, I found its potential pleasing, but was frustrated to the limited writing space I had on the passport size. I then purchased the regular sized notebook, and it has been my daily notebook eversince.
The regular (middle) was originally the same colour and feel as the passport (right), but I foolishly applied some leather cream on it and it has been a very dark shade of brown eversince. My wife likes it though, as it flashes "neither executive nor artist.. Somewhere in between". I even got a pen pouch (left) that matches from a local Singaporean shop.
I've loaded a chronodex weekly planner (a highly visual planner courtesy of Patrick Ng; may my prayers reach your father), 1 Midori notebook (for work), and 1 DIY notebook (folded and cut from A4 paper). If thats not enough, I have a zipper folder, card holders, and sticker inserts, so I can put just about everything inside. I have my name cards, receipts, folded notes from work, airplane tickets, paper clips, and pictures. Put a handphone function into it and its a 3-in-1 device (it can double as a wallet).
The passport size is now my workout notebook, with me writing all workouts I perform within the day to keep track of my progress.
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