some of you may know about blogger's issues over the past couple of weeks, especially the one that involves  trouble posting, which is one of the things you don't actually want to happen when it comes to having a blog platform.

in the light of this, i'm moving on over to wordpress--this little guy will stay here as an archive! see you on wordpress!

2 19 2013

Hi everyone! It's the wee hours of the morning in California (yes, I consider 7:41 AM the wee hours because that's when I leave for class), but it's almost 12 AM here. Currently, I'm on winter break and I'm back in one of the few places dear in my heart: Taipei, Taiwan.

An excursion for film--Fuji Superia X-TRA 400 ISO, 36 exposure; I bought five three-packs for NT$199, approx. US$6.73 each--turned into a journey to Eslite, a massive bookstore filled to the brim with retail stores. A pamphlet at the door said the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors had what I wanted (bookstore, stationery store, "writing boutique") and I headed up. Two hours later the retails were closing and I hadn't finished, but I managed to pick up some very pretty postcards (NT$30, approx. US$1.02) to be pasted into my sketchbook; Edition Lidiarte cards (NT$95, approx. US$3.21) which are incredibly beautiful, and which I only got two of maybe a dozen because I am dumb; and Milu Design postcards (NT$95, approx. US$3.21), which have all been filled out to be mailed back to the US, as well as the absolute coolest present ever for a friend.

I can't believe I managed to spend two hours there. It's a short metro ride over, pretty close to Taipei 101. I'm really hoping I can stop by again tomorrow because I still need 5 more of those postcards in front, and I'd love to browse the notebooks (Midori MD, be still my beating heart), the wrapping paper (envelopes, anyone?), the J. Herbin display (one word: beautiful), the Kate Spade, the Rhodia, the Crane, the Cavellini..... suffice to say, I could spend an entire day there. I really hope I do.

writing, stillman & birn, and what comes next

I love writing. I write a lot, whether it's typed or written. I've been using my MUJI notebook for a while because it has so many pages. The problem is that the paper in the notebook is recycled and doesn't stand up so well to fountain pen ink. It's thin, which means water-based glues make the paper buckle. And finally, there are like 365 pages in the book. I don't want to leave part of it blank, even though I really, really want to. If and when a new notebook comes into my hands I'm 80% sure I'll abandon the MUJI. So there we have it.

dip pens: an over-review

Dip pens! According to the title of this post, this will be a dip pen overview/review. I cannot promise that either will fulfill your desire to know more about these pens, but hopefully this will be a good place for you to launch!

I would like to clarify that, in the circumstance of this post, I'll be referring to dip pens for comic/manga pens - basically, Japanese nibs.  I don't have experience with other kinds of nibs (I don't use dip pens as often as would necessitate a huge supply/a lot of experience). If you're looking for information on other nibs, such as Hunt, Google is your best friend!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I'll be spending my time hanging out with the fam, cramming my face with food, and not posting for four months. Hope you all have a great day!

noodler's purple wampum

stamp collecting for winners

Over the past few months, I've begun mailing letters and postcards to people whom I've met over the Internet through social networking. And with all of the mail I've been receiving, I've also been noticing the kinds of postage that my friends use (which always seem to be infinitely better than mine).

But here's the thing: if you like the stamp, how do you save it? Every single guide I've seen online has called for hot water or steam, and a lot of soaking. But I like the letters that my friends send me; I want to preserve every last scrap of it. I've been trying to find a way to get these stamps without scissors and dunking things in lukewarm water.

I think I've found the solution.