Posts filed under Journal

My Techo Kaigi for 2023

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

What on earth is a “Techno Kaigi”? I had the exact same reaction when I first heard the term earlier this year. Loosely translated in Japanese, it is a journaling or planner meeting that you have (with yourself) where you reflect on what you’ve been using and whether you want to continue that into the next year. Most of the time, this reflection is done earlier in the fall, just as planner products come out, allowing you enough time to buy whatever products you plan to use in the coming year.

In past years, I’ve done this unknowingly just by asking myself if the Bullet Journal method is working for me (the answer has been “yes”) and if so, let’s do more of that. This year, as I was finishing my most recent Rhodia GoalBook in October, I asked myself the same question and had a slightly different answer. In short, the answer is still “yes” but it ended up being more like “yes, but with some tweaks”.

I don’t have a traditional job that requires me to use a traditional planner, which is why the Bullet Journal (BuJo) method really worked for me. I love being able to flip a page and add a spread for something new or start over if I really didn’t find something useful or hated how I laid out something. Whenever I finish up a GoalBook, I flip through and decide what needs to get moved over to the next GoalBook and then I will re-create spreads for penpal letter tracking, orders I’ve placed, as well as blood pressure tracking, exercise logs, habit trackers, etc. I also use markers to make my own weekly layouts at the beginning of every month. So that part hasn’t changed.

What has changed is I got sucked into the Plotter FOMO. Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I knew Plotter was a big deal coming into LAST year’s SF Pen Show when they made their US debut. But it was this year when everyone seemed to be getting a Plotter and darn if I wasn’t gonna get one at this year’s SF Show for my birthday. And because their 5th Anniversary Plotter came out shortly thereafter, I had to get that too. So, now I had TWO new, thin, ring-bound systems that I didn’t really need for project management or “traditional work stuff”?! My Bible-sized Plotters lay unused for longer than I’d like to admit while I figured out what on earth I was going to use them for. Thankfully, the “end of BuJo reflection” helped me rethink my spreads and which ones made more sense to go into a Plotter versus the next BuJo.

I realized there are some spreads that I want to keep track of, on an ongoing basis, in my BuJo where I wouldn’t need to transfer the information to a new notebook. The Blood Pressure log is a good example of this. I wanted the data and a place to log it, but I didn’t really need to move the data to another notebook - I just needed to create a new blank spread. My habit tracker is another example where I can just create a new habit tracker in the new BuJo, I didn’t need to copy over the information from past months. These kinds of things were perfect for the BuJo and most of my spreads fell into this category.

As the BuJo is my ride-or-die “planner”, I will add new spreads to it so that I can see/use it regularly. And when I get to the end of the current BuJo, I can evaluate whether it goes to the next BuJo or the Plotter.

Bullet Journal — *Todos and general planning, tracking, etc. continue to live in my trusty BuJo - the Rhodia GoalBook - including finishing this article, lol!*

So what kind of stuff did I put in the Plotter? My list of Pen Addict products/article topics for one – I had gone through 2 BuJos since I started writing for TPA, which mean I had to copy the product list/topic list to 2 BuJos already and I didn’t want to have to do it with a 3rd BuJo. I’m going to use it as a checklist as I go through various product reviews or topics. I can move the completed pages to an archive, consolidate into fewer sheets when I cross off enough items or toss them when I’m done. I also added some pages for food/shopping/attractions when visiting certain cities (I have an ongoing list for NYC and the PNW if you have any recommendations!) - super handy because the Plotter is so portable! In any case, I can keep my notes and don’t have to worry about rewriting it when I finish the new BuJo in 6 months. Also, because the Plotter is a ring-bound system, I can easily add/move pages as needed.

I love the Plotter for its thinness, which makes it perfect for toting around. In the past, I’ve traveled with my A5 BuJo, only for it to remain unused in my suitcase the whole time. But the Plotter’s thinness comes at a price – I can’t fit as many pages in it as I’d like. So, I have to be very picky about what things I put in a Plotter and put the rest in a Filofax, which has bigger rings and stays on my desk. The Filofax is also great for archiving pages I no longer need to keep with me, but still want to keep the data. And yes, many of the Plotter’s various sizes are also compatible with the Filofax - the Bible-sized Plotter pages work in the Filofax’s Personal size, the A5 sizes are interchangeable, Plotter’s Mini maps to Filofax’s Pocket, etc.

*Tracking my skincare products on Plotter’s paper in a Filofax Personal so I know how long I’ve been using a product. This stays home because I don’t need this info when I’m out and about.*

While Techo Kaigi is often used for planners, I’ve decided to apply this to journaling as well. A few months ago, I started journaling (for the first time in a LONG time) and decided to do it in a Traveler’s Notebook. Unfortunately, I’m very bad at journaling with any regularity and I end up forgetting a lot by the time I get to it. So I decided to use the remainder of my 2022 Hobonichi Weeks to do short form “jot” journaling, with the intent of doing long form journaling in the TN later. The intent was good but the execution wasn’t great. The Weeks is just a bit too small for the jot journaling and the TN is also a bit too small for the decorating and long-form journaling that I wanted to do too (is anyone shocked by my long-windedness?). So, for 2023, I’m going to move to a Traveler’s Company 2023 Weekly Diary for short form and an undated A5 Hobonichi for long form. I will continue to use the Hobonichi Weeks for my “pens of the week” scribbles and quotes.

Traveler's Weeks — *My attempt at journaling with the Hobonichi Weeks and Traveler’s Notebook - nice try but not quite the right size.*

Hobonichi Traveler's — *2023 journaling will be done with the Traveler’s Notebook and A5 Hobonichi - got started with a little decoration so I’m ready to go!*

While I use a lot of other notebooks for other things like quotes, lyrics, etc. - maybe I’ll write about those some other time - I think I have my planning/journaling system in place for 2023 and I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out.

If you want to find out what others are doing for 2023, check out this Techo Kaigi YouTube playlist with a bunch of great content from the Stationery Brew Crew! Until next year’s Techo Kaigi, stay inky!

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Posted on December 16, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Journal, Planner Reviews, Plotter, Traveler's Notebook, Hobonichi, Bullet Journal.

Solace in Pens

The news of this week’s mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, TX has left me heartbroken, sad and powerless. Recent headlines of other mass shootings, politics (which I REALLY don’t like talking about), COVID infections ramping up again, the war in Ukraine; the list goes on and on. Sometimes, like right now, it is too much to bear and I feel like I have a heavy weight on my chest. All I want to do is stay in bed, play a mindless game or four on my phone for hours on end, pull the covers over my head and hide. It is during times like these that I really lean on my pens to help me find some semblance of peace, or at least, maybe calm some of the anxiety that keeps growing with every negative event that happens. Here are some of the things that I do when I feel powerless, scared and wound-up inside; maybe some of these may help you too.

Journaling

Ok, I’m starting with something that I actually don’t do, but keep wanting to. I even mentioned it last year as something I want to work on this year. Journaling is basically writing down what’s in your head and in your heart. It can be a beautiful and creative outlet; just take a look at the IG accounts of Catharine Mi-Sook, Aina Kristina Reyes or Erick Gama, for some lovely examples. It can also be a very private place for you to release what’s inside you. You can write just a few lines - there are several notebooks out there for just that purpose like Midori’s 5 Year Diary or Leuchtturm’s A5 Some Lines A Day notebook. You can also write as many pages as you like. Some folks like to share what they write with their significant others or on social media and others never let their journals be seen. The choice is yours and I know some folks do multiple types of journaling.

Copying Songs/Poems/Quotes

If journaling isn’t for you, maybe writing down the lyrics to a favorite song or the verses to a beloved poem is more your thing. Even if you know the words by heart, I find that handwriting them makes me slow down and really feel the meaning behind them. And since I can only remember a few words at a time (so I don’t mess them up), it’s hard for me to think of anything else while I’m writing them out, which is a nice break from the constant stream of thoughts pounding inside my head. It might take some time to figure out what things you want to write and it’s ok if different moods means different content choices.

Letter Writing

I am fortunate to have about 15 or so penpals and a never shrinking reply pile. When I feel the need to talk about what’s been going on, I know that any one of my pen pals would be happy to “hear” me pour my heart out, or to talk about the latest pen acquisition or plans for the summer. It’s like having a conversation with a friend who is a really good listener. No pen pals? If you’re in the Pen Addict slack, there is a Snail Mail channel where you can find penpals. And if you’re not, you can always check out the InCoWriMo website and find some penpals before next February’s International Correspondence Writing Month. If you’re not sure about writing to strangers, send a card or letter to some friends or family you haven’t talked with in a long time. No matter who they are, people love getting mail that aren’t bills or junk mail and it’s cathartic to boot.

Art/Doodling

I’m not an artist. I don’t really draw or paint or anything like that. I will occasionally pick a doodle or pattern from Instagram and see if I could tweak it and make it my own (instead of outright copying it). It is calming and meditative while pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I really like posts from Mario Patterns, for example, to give me inspiration.

Doodles — *A simple, but colorful Japanese seigaiha pattern took several hours to make but it was really relaxing and I enjoyed seeing it come together.*

*You can even make a simple Currently Inked page which is functional and pretty!*

Handwriting/Calligraphy Practice

I have been slowly writing out Marcus Arelius’ book, Meditations, but rather than doing it in cursive or print, I decided to do it in typewriter font. Why? Good question, lol. I had wanted to read this book for a long time and I randomly decided to use that font for the first two pages and then thought, what the heck, why not? 120+ pages in and it is still one of my favorite ways to unwind and relax. This is another one of those times where I can only remember a few words at a time because it takes so much concentration and time to write in this style, but my mind can’t think about anything else during that time. Sometimes I only want to write a few lines and other times, I can finish a whole page (it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour per page) or more, but when I’m done, I feel just a little bit less anxious and I can breathe again. Because of this, I often spend time doing this at night before bed. You don’t have to go to such crazy lengths but maybe copying a book while focusing on your handwriting is more your style, or maybe practicing the strokes of calligraphy hand will work better for you. As with lyrics and poems, you want to be mindful of what you’re copying/writing as reading/writing it might have the opposite effect. After the January 6, 2021 uprising at the Capitol, I really wasn’t in the mood to work on Hamilton lyrics (which also has content about rising up, but against the British). Sometimes you may want to embrace the turmoil and heartache and other times you want to focus on sunshine and unicorns.

*I write out the lyrics to the Hamilton musical when I want to practice handwriting and politics isn’t on my mind.*

*Another book that I’m writing out is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.*

Coloring

I don’t do this nearly as much as the stack of coloring books suggest, but coloring has experienced quite the boom over the past 10+ years. You can find coloring books for pretty much any theme out there - flowers, animals, Star Wars (is anyone surprised that I have a Star Wars coloring book?), biology, yoga poses, swearing, Breaking Bad, etc. I use color pencils but you can also use markers too (I haven’t tried fountain pens or FP ink on them yet).

Swatching Inks

Aside from being a useful and helpful activity for any inkophile, swatching inks is something I enjoy because I end up with an end product that I need and use anyway and it is pretty mindless and repetitive, even with the multiple steps I take. Scribble the name of the ink, swatch on Col-O-Ring cards, rinse the back of the paintbrush, scribble on two Tomoe River books and a Cosmo Air Light notebook. Literally, rinse and repeat. If this is too mindless for you, you can put on some chill music, or watch a favorite show or movie while doing this.

Ink Swatching — *There’s something satisfying and calming about swatching inks.*

Take a break

Pens and stationery and all of that are great but sometimes it can create added stress or be too overwhelming trying to figure out what to do when you’re not in the mood to write/draw/etc. It’s ok to step away from pens or any other hobbies for a while. It doesn’t mean you no longer love pens; it just means you need to take a break and take care of yourself, which you should do in good times and bad. The pens will be there for you when you’re ready for them.

These are just some of the things I’ve had to do myself over the past couple of years, especially in the past several months, and again this week. I hope this helps those of you who need a little peace and comfort in your life. Take care of yourself, hang in there, and hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter.

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Journal, Writing.

TRU RED Explore Journal Review

Traditional office supplies always make me happy, so when I had the opportunity to try out several TRU RED products from Staples.com, I was happy to put them to the test.

The Quick Dry Gel ink pens I reviewed last week are the exact definition of a traditional office supply, but does the Explore Journal I’m reviewing this week fall into that category as well? In today’s modern office, it absolutely does.

There was a time in my office heyday where not even I, the person who brought their own stationery to the office, would use a 200 page hardbound notebook for work. Nowadays, I’d consider it almost mandatory to use a notebook like this - along with a litany of other pens and paper.

The Explore Journal is TRU Red’s mid-size journal, designed to help you get your writing and note-taking organized, with a few helpful tips along the way. It contains 192 white paper pages, with a dot grid pattern, black hardbound cover, elastic band, and two bookmarks. The little black notebook basics, if you will. Those basics also include an 8” x 5” format, which is A5-ish, Smart Sized, or whatever non-standard name you wish to call it. I ride or die with paper-size standards, but you can’t win them all!

What this notebook offers in addition to those features are a few smaller details that office brands don’t normally add to their offerings, like a several-page index, page numbers, an Objectives list, a recap page, and a spine label for the exterior for when you’ve filled it up. There is even an insert to give you tips on various note taking and journaling styles.

All of these specs and features are well and good, but the real question us users have is “Is it any good?” Yes, with the standard fountain pen caveats.

What I really like about this notebook is the stark white paper stock. It’s not ivory, not cream, not yellow. It’s white, which is a bit of an outlier, comparatively speaking. Gel, rollerball, and ballpoints work well, as do drawing pens and graphite pencils. There is no feathering or bleeding, and you can use the back side of the page easily. I did my written review with a Retro 51 loaded with a Schmidt P8127 rollerball ink refill. That is a dark, wet ink, and it worked perfectly.

Fountain pens are another story. Fine nibs were great. They were fine enough to not bleed or feather, and the paper is smooth enough for them to feel nice when writing. The feel is the same with larger, wider, wetter nibs and inks, but it’s at this point that you start to see a bit of feathering and bleed through to the back of the page. From this perspective, the Explore Journal would fall in between Moleskine and Leuchtturm1917 performance-wise for fountain pen users.

That’s the thing about perspective when reviewing products. This is a journal that is made for Staples.com and their core customer. That core is likely 90%-plus standard pen and pencil users. And that core is going to love this product, especially at $16.99. It’s honestly cool to see the commitment to this type of journal for what I would consider a store-branded product.

Staples.com has gone all-in on the Tru Red product lineup, especially on the notebook and journal side of the ledger. While the products may not crack my own personal writing rotation, what they are offering has certainly made me sit up and pay attention. And I like what I’m seeing from a broader stationery perspective.

(Staples.com provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)