oh that parcel!

This is a special entry.
From someone who is elated and very appreciative (obviously it's not me).
To someone who is kind, generous and all that good stuff (obviously not me again).
I'm just the messenger. Or in this case, the postman. Heh.
_________________________________________________________


Dear A.R.V,

Your enormous parcel arrived today! It is really something.

I can't figure out how to express myself. Where do I start? As usual, you were far too generous. You certainly didn't have to do that... but please know how much I appreciate that you did.

This is very overwhelming, and it's easily one of my favorite gifts. To say it was too much would be an understatement.







I know I will get lots of use out of it.

Thank you, again, ever so much.


Love + Light,
Aida.

p/s: I really mean that last line, like from the bottom of my heart?

Word for the week

Let's start with the word for the week.
PARCEL
P, A, R, C, E, L

Definitions of PARCEL:

1) parcel, portion, share = the result of parcelling out or sharing;
2) parcel = a wrapped container
(I actually have other definitions for parcel but I am reminded that this is a PG rated blog)

And this is how a parcel usually looks like.



So there we have it.
Exciting stuff isn't it?
Even more exciting when you get one. :)
But that's a story for another day...

Disclaimer:
This blog entry is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons or object, living, dead or destroyed, is purely coincidental. Use as directed. Void where prohibited.

hot parcels

No parcel for me but I've got 2 hot single girls for lunch, with me. Take that Capt. Ahab!!

Farahat thru mobile

of handbags

one of my wife's pride and joy.
my bane.



my pride and joy (well, one of too).
her joy too.

just can't win. :P

Year of the Ox

Each first day of the Chinese New Year, we would visit our dear friends, the Yee family.


Always good. Always fun. And Ang Pows for the kids.


Ah yes, always fun. With that face around... :)

letter done

there.
i did say i was going to write a letter.
i did.

pen to paper

I realised that my letter writing ritual has been taking the back seat lately.
So for all those people I owe letters to, patience is a virtue.
I don't need the itching powder in your letters to me, thank you.

Going to start now. This very second.
As soon as I click on the "publish post" button.

p.s. right after Ben 10 Alien Force cartoon on TV. Not watched that episode.

for my kakak

My sister asked me to remind her again on the few "choice" surahs to be recited daily.
If I placed it here, then I am altogether reminded of it.

So kakak, here goes (not in any particular order).

Before bedtime:
1) Al Mulk, surah no. 67 (as practised by our Prophet S.A.W.)
2) Al Sajdah, surah no. 32 (as practised by our Prophet S.A.W.)
3) Qursi (in Al Baqarah)
4) Ad Dhukan, surah no. 44 (especially Friday night)

After Subuh:
5) Al Hashr, surah no. 59

6) Al-Kahf, surah no. 18 - for "ketenangan"(especially on Friday)

Tall order?
Do what you can.
As in all things, once you are used to it, it's like breathing. :)

Allah knows best.

Still early Monday morn

Kids still in bed...

Daughter.


Son (in my bed, on my pillow). His reason: I don't sleep very much (he thinks). So he may just as well utilise my side of the bed more. How can you argue such innocent logic?


And wife, the Mac hijacker, already commenting on my blog! :)

Sleepless in Bukit Jelutong

I couldn't really sleep last night.
Was it because of the coffee I drank at the wedding reception?
I think not.

Ended up reading before I finally went to sleep.
And woke up at 5am and continued reading.
Finished the book. And found another stack of 7 novels to go.

I can think of a few possible causes for this insomnia:

1) Coffee - already ruled out.
2) Ms Lx - could be, I've been caressing her much.
3) Books - maybe, pretty slow with them lately.
4) Magazines - probably, I am behind.
4) Friends - I miss them all the time, so they don't count. ;)

Ah! I know why!
It's Monday and I don't have to be at work!
It's all playtime today!
Thank goodness for Gong Xi Fa Cai!

weddings, bah.

ok, since i am stuck in this wedding reception, i might as well make the best of it by playing with my mobile. when are we eating? i'm hungry.

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pffft!

did i just complain i was bored? sheesh.
i'm going to write a letter now.
i'm not bored.
just enjoying the idle time on a weekend.

now where's the food...?

similarly bored

voila!

Last night, Friday night, was the start of a long weekend. A much needed break. A holiday to recover from the last holiday. Of sorts.

Felt like a kid going to Disneyland the next day. All excited as I would not be going to work for 4 long days (or short when you're enjoying yourself). Which ended up with me going to bed at 3am. Stayed up and just did what I felt like doing. Something, anything as long as I was not in bed.

Results?

Made Aida stay up and help me update the look and feel of Nibsters. And of tunku.org in one sweep.

Thanks Aida. Could not have done it without you... :)

ineedtonap

trying to powernap before i have to get ready for work but the phone keeps ringing and just too many distractions and i have less than 40 minutes before i have to get up so sssshhhhh...go away phone coz u are now on silent mode so there

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Ms Lx

I did something naughty yesterday.

I sneaked out of the house early in the morning.

Was not pretending to run errands coz I did have minor errands to run.

But it was mainly to check out Ms Lx. 

Saw her a few days back in some stores.

Such a looker!

Managed to get a glance at her. She was in white. Pretty.

Followed her a bit.

Lost her on the next mall floor.

This went on for an hour or so.

I know where she likes to be.

So I went to the shop she was likely to be.

I got bold.

I asked for her.

And she came forward!

All dressed in black! *swoon*

I took her home...

Now how do I explain this to my wife?

Special Performance

"Lux Aeterna"
Performed by: Azmer Vessey
Producer: Azmer Vessey
Lighting by: Azmer Vessey
Props by: Out of tune piano by Azmer Vessey
Note: Do stop the music player before watching the video




Aired with Azmer Vessey's permission.
p.s Please don't compare his performance with mine. Pfft. ;)

A moment to reflect

Oh Allah, lead me to the straight path...

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A messy worktable

My worktable at this hour, reflects what goes on in my head at this time. Urgh!

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Love's Theme

A friend reminded me of something I did when I was younger.

I never shared it with anyone before because I never gave it much thought, till now.

Anyway, I was very much into aeroplanes and airlines when I was younger. I associated being on the plane with breathing cool fresh air and being in a cold country (with snow) because when planes fly, it's always to a colder country (that was my assumption then). And of course, the plane was always cool inside as they had air-conditioning. Plus the airline ads never showed the airline crew being hot (they were hot in other sense but we're not in that topic now). 

Somehow, I remembered the Love's Theme used by Cathay Pacific airlines in their ads and everytime I see a plane take off or fly overhead and especially when I hear that song being played, I wanted to feel all that "cool" things. It became my favourite song for a long time...

So what did I do? I discovered Vicks Inhaler. Breathing in all the menthol had that cooling effect. I carried the inhaler with me all the time and each time I felt like being cool, I either stood in front of fan or aircond blower and just breathed in the menthol deeply into my nostrils till my eyes watered and had goosebumps. And if the Love's Theme was in the background, I would be in seventh heaven literally. It was akin to smoking pot (I swear I have not touched any of that)!

It was the silliest thing a young kid could think and do but it made me very happy as I always had my own "space" to get away to.

Conclusion:

Love's Theme (by Barry White) - good. Still love it. 

Vicks inhaler - goooood, and probably explains why I have less memory cells. Ha!

By the way, I don't do the inhaler thing anymore. :)

 

Video on Demand II

"Who killed Goose Gander?"
Composed and performed by: Vintage Hands
Producer: Aida Halim
Lighting by: tunku.org
Props by: Bond, James Bond (Swatch), Che Dah's Popcorn
Dedicated to: My Sick Friend too
Note: Do stop the music player before watching the video

Video On Demand I

"Into the Twinkle-ness"
Composed and performed by: Vintage Hands
Producer: Aida Halim
Lighting by: tunku.org
Props by: Bond, James Bond (Swatch)
Dedicated to: My Sick Friend
Note: Do stop the music player before watching the video

Pen Review - Stipula Etruria Alter Ego

Ok, let's get back to my decadent hobby and review the Stipula Etruria Alter Ego.



Stipula is Italian made and the richness of the celluloid is what attracts me. The bright salmon orange with brown veins is bright but not loud. The silver trimmings softens the orange and goes well with the overall look. The original nib was dual toned but I swapped it for a single toned 18k gold rhodium plated 0.9 mm italic nib. For looks, this one gets 5/5.



For an Etruria, the Alter Ego is slightly weighty. My other Etruria is the Ocean Blue and that is much lighter. This extra weight is attributed to the piston filling system. For some people, this may be an issue but the weight gives a solid feel of the pen in my hands. For size and weight, 5/5.


(Alter Ego sits 6th from the left)

Nib performance is exemplary. Perfect. I have yet to encounter issues with any Stipula nibs. I may be just lucky. The italic nib has soft edges so it glides smoothly on paper as you write. Nib performance 5/5.

(Bias? Looks like everything is 5/5 so far)

The gripping section has just the right length to facilitate writing comfort. I noticed that most Stipula pens are designed with a modest length gripping section. For me, that's important. I can write for a spell without getting tired with this pen. Writing comfort 5/5.

So the Stipula Etruria Alter Ego scores an overall rating of 20/20 from me. Just perfect. Pricewise, the Etruria would sit in the mid range and requires my saving for it. But well worth the money spent.

Return to earth

I was at a relative's funeral today.
This is the third in a short span of time.

It has shaken me somewhat.
It makes me ponder and assess my own standing.
Am I ready for death?

What has this has to do with fountain pen collecting?
Plenty.

Human nature is all about collecting.
It may be a hobby, a need or a want of an item.
We look for it. We find it. We collect it.

What happens when death calls?
We answer, and all that we collect is no longer of value to us.
Because when we return to earth, we return alone...

The culprit

This is the cause of my not being able to connect to the internet from home. And when I do get connected, it blocks all access to Google related services!

I had it lobotomised. It's docile now.

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Mmm...oatmeal

Yawn! It's Wednesday. The hours drag in 2009 for me. Must be a sign to fill my hours constructively.

Been up since 6. Wonderful bright day today. Feeling all positive and good. Meeting with big kahuna in the office should go well no matter what the outcome is.

Why? Because I have had my oatmeal for today. And because I am no longer going to listen to the devil's whisperings of sorrow, sloth and dejection.

So will I have a good day today? Most definitely. And throughout the year. I think I will play the piano this weekend with my vintage hands...

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Dreadful Monday

It was. Absolutely no drive to work.
Completely drained just listing down what MUST be delivered for the week.
There must be more to this "work" other than completing tasks.
I should be doing what I want to do. Not what I have to do.
Might this be a time to change?
The heart is not willing to fall in love with what I'm doing now.
It can't. It's seeking a new lover.

Sigh.

As if my prayers were answered, I get an email from the office hinting of a way out.
We'll see if Wednesday is a day of Woe or a day that I Win.
We'll see...

Car serviced

Here I am sitting at the waiting area whilst my car is being serviced. Joy oh joy. Free wifi available. So I decided to post an entry from my phone.

It is getting pretty busy at the workshop. Though they have attended to me, I still see my car waiting to get into the workshop. Well, I won't worry about it. They promised it would be ready by 10-1030 am anyway.

I see another guy at the waiting lounge with his laptop open. So glad my Nokia E71 functions just as well. Ha! One up for mini technologies.

p.s. Yes, that's a Rhino. They have a mini zoo at the waiting area. Honest. Heh.

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I have a friend
Who reads my blog on the quiet
So you, I know you've read this entry...
It's still your turn on the STORY. :)

Messy dip pen

In my attempt to relax before I start work tomorrow, I decided to write with my dip pen. I have not paid them much attention for a long while now. Writing certainly takes longer using a dip pen. And they can be pretty messy.

I used 3 different nibs and they were italic nibs. The ink is Noodler's Dragon Napalm. Nice bright persimmon-ish orange.



Ok, I admit, this wasn't really an attempt to tell a story about the dip pen. It's more of the fact that my dearest sister in law Aida helped tweak my camera for close up shots so I'm just trying it out with all these photos. Heh!

Thanks Aida. Lovessss it.

Rubinato Inkwell

This entry is for my Kakak's benefit as well as the other readers who enquired about the inkwell that kept appearing in the blog pictures. Lots of pictures!



I have had my eye on this particular inkwell for quite some since last year when I saw someone on Fountain Pen Network (FPN) using it as his 'avatar' on the chat forum. And it seems that I was not the only one who enquired about it. Hence began my quest for the inkwell...

It was not easy to track this inkwell but neither was it too elusive. The inkwell is not vintage (antique) and are currently in production though in limited numbers. I saw some similar ones on the internet after extensively going through all the Google hits from the search keyword "pen rest" and "inkwell with pen rest". 

I chanced upon mine during my working trip to Calgary, Canada. It was sitting in a showcase in a greeting cards store, and it sang to me!!  Despite being seduced, it took me a few days to decide on the purchase as it was kinda expensive compared to similar ones on the internet. But no regrets. :)

Italian made by Francesco Rubinato (www.rubinato.it),  the inkwell is gilded with pewter which makes it "age" nicely when oxidised and gives it the vintage look. It is slightly larger than Pelikan's 4001 inkwell series.

I am a little cautious placing my pens on it though as I'm not sure if the pewter would scratch the pen (don't think it would as the pewter has rounded edges). Having said that, I've done it many times with no ill effects on the pens. Here's my Stipula Etruria on it.

The inkwell came in a package together with a matching dip pen and several spare nibs.

An overall great find for me! My lust for inkwells sated. :)

Have I used it? Yes most definitely, but not as often as I should. Nibs are not as great but as they are of standard size, you can replace it easily with any favourite brand. The ink is black and can be safely used in fountain pens (I think). I'm actually planning to replace the black ink with some bright coloured ones. Just to see the effect.

Here are some links if you're looking for similar inkwells. Happy hunting.

http://www.victorian-gifts.com/store/catalogimages/3c/i11863.html
http://www.florentineaustralia.com.au/Pen-Rest_frames.html
http://www.nostalgicimpressions.com/

Desk set and eat it too

Had to share this one.

My wife had a surprise birthday cake done for me. Know what it is?

It is my Sheaffer desk set, complete with the large black pen and 2 inkwells! The real thing below.

The cake was delicious too. All that rich icing...yum.