Pen Or Pencil?

Some friends and I were discussing about writing.  One of them is a published poet. We have different outlook when it comes to writing. Some prefer beautifully sharpened pencils, some use ballpens, a lot of us though write directly on the computer. We discussed the merit of keeping a journal. I told them I still have lots of blank journals which are gifts from friends. I am presently using a thick one and it’s just filled more than half. I am no longer into a regular journal writing. Most of the entries are cellphone numbers from friends just in case my CPs conk out, confirmations on online payments that I did through Bank of PI, one or two liners of thoughts that come to mind once in a while and a list of books that I want to read first for my yearly reading challenge.

I used to have lots of colored pencils and pens wayback in college. My written notes in Statistics, graphs in my Economics subjects, pie charts were all so colorful. Assignments and dates were written in red pen while I  used  black pens for written lectures. When I started working, I again learned to use a pencil.

One of my friends has this to say about using writing materials:

I’m a pencil fan when it comes to drafting written work. There’s that very satisfying feeling of erasing lines and lines and replacing them. Oh, it’s a lot easier clicking delete on the computer but I see the wisdom of handwriting drafts of any literary work. The slow processing of the words gives much time for reflection.

Have you ever tried chewing on an eraser’s casing at the end of a pencil? Have you ever tried snapping a pencil into two because you are pressed with deadlines and nothing good comes out of your head? Who hasn’t drummed a pencil on a desk because you can’t get the exact words right while you are writing? Ah, the days of glory for a pencil are gone now.

When I am writing a blog, I type directly in front of my PC, one or two reviews of words I have written then I hit publish. There is that inner satisfaction of seeing your thoughts in prints finally.

Pen or pencil?

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It Gets Better…Just Love This

I have a new journal, an additional gift from Nissa which was published by the Bank of the Philippine Islands where she works.  It features the paintings of our very own  Juan Luna.  He was a Filipino painter, sculptor and an activist of the Philippine Revolution during the 19th century. He was one of the first to be recognized as a Filipino artist. His most notable work  among so many was  the Spolarium which he did in 1884.

There are more than a dozen paintings featured in the journal which belong to the painting collections of several Filipino painters and artists by the bank.

Seated Lady in White  Oil on wood. 46.2 x 37.8 cm.

 

Grand Canal, Venice Oil on canvas 40.7 x 85.8 cm

 

 

Village Scene, Normandy Oil on wood 31.9 x 46.3 cm

This is the third feature of Filipino artists owned by BPI. I love the texture of the journal, It’s thick and I have started writing some quotes about the books I am reading this 2018 and the list of books I am going to read this year too. It is a nice addition to my still untouched journals that I have collected over the years. Most of them are gifts from friends, some are personalized ones. I wonder if I’ll be able to fill them up in the next days and years.  I  am excited to fill this up though, a beautiful collection, a lovely gift.

 

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Family Is Forever

I seldom post family pictures here but I can’t pass this up. Today is a lovely family day. We played blocks, I just wonder if the adults enjoyed it more than Nate. Mom was so amazed that Nate talks non-stop but when he is doing something like building blocks, he is so serious. There are shouts of laughter in between of course.

When you are blessed and lucky enough to have a loving and thoughtful daughter….your heart shouts with joy.

No special occasion but what a lovely surprise, a personalized journal with our photos on the cover. I love collecting journals and this one is so beautiful.Thank you so much Nissa. I love, love it.

 

Nonna and Nate at the garden. An afternoon of fun and laughter.

 

I remember this. Nate was thrilled blowing a spare candle on his birthday cake. I love the message too: ” Write until it becomes as natural as breathing”.

 

Haha  🙂  Nate’s favorite during birthdays…making a wish The two of us.

 

Come again, wacky shots? I don’t know how. Family is forever.

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Of Scented Pens And Journal Writing

I could still remember the very first time I kept a journal –  it was almost 38 years ago. It was a pink, ordinary notebook but on the cover was written Journal in black letters. I still have it until now, all tattered at the edges and the cover is already detached from the spine.  And I wrote these quotes on the first page.

“Your idea of me is fabricated with materials you have borrowed from other people and from yourself. What you think of me depends on what you think of yourself. Perhaps you create your idea of me out of material you would like to eliminate from your own idea of yourself. Perhaps your idea of me is a reflection of what other people think of you. Or perhaps what you think of me is simply what you think I think of you.”

These are quotes from Thomas Merton, one of my favorite authors when I was in college. I think it was from the book No Man Is An Island. I am  lucky to have one of his books, Thoughts on Solitude which I received on my birthday together  with nine more books that I have on my wish list.

I digress. That was the start of my love affair with pen and paper.  Back then, snail mail was something to be treasured and writing your thoughts daily was some kind of magic, the magic of stringing words into something  worth-keeping and worth re-reading. The fascination of keeping one never waned all these years and collecting journals became an obsession. I must admit though that I now prefer writing my thoughts through a blog, an easier way  but it has become public.  For the past three years, my daughter has gifted me with those lovely journals from Bank of the Philippine Islands where she works  with pictures of artworks/paintings  in their own collection by world-renowned Filipino artists. Some close friends who know  of my fascination for collecting journals gifted me with some.

You see, I have this ambitious dream of writing (by hand) all the entries I posted here at WordPress, all 1,072 of them and that’s just for Dreams and Escapes. I still have two more blogs that I don’t often update.

There is something nice about writing with pen. Just feel the smooth touch of pen to the pristine pages. It’s more personal and more appealing to one’s eyes and senses. Do you agree?

I remember those years when I used to buy scented pens  and what dreams I have shared  in all those notebooks. I use them now for my reflections and short prayers at our Catholic page and for some quotes that I find worth sharing.

This afternoon, I went to National Bookstore to buy plastic covers for my new books and look what I found, two lovely boxes which I could use for my arts and crafts projects or  maybe  for those stationeries, ribbons and greeting cards that I keep  all year round.

I keep old letters in shoeboxes covered with gift wraps at the sides but these look more sturdy to use and they are more spacious.  I simply can’t resist  these colorful rose designs 🙂

A few years ago,  I found this lovely rattan box in one of my forays at Dapitan Arcade. How I wish I bought more. It is so handy as an organizer for my journals.

October is about to end and I am looking forward to another lovely month of fulfilled dreams and surprises. Happy All Saints‘ Day everyone!

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