New Year, New Notebook for my journal, and the problem with my instrument to do it when I begin to do it. EvolGarlic's Stationery Turmoil Series Episode 2

Hi EvolGarlic Here, here's another newsletter from your truly EvolGarlic, From EvolGarlic's Article Pelican Newsletter on Substack.

On the last day of the year, my Bullet Journal was almost done (this journal was a test one to testing the features and improve it in the next one) so I wrote a long statement about the feeling that I have with this first hand write journal, and let me tell you, it was full of variety, from facts and idea to the lingering past, this 56 page notebook was collecting it all.

So when the January 1st arrived, I was hot-footed into my town's Mr. DIY to bring myself a new one, a new notebook that would collect this year's journal of my journey, and after thinking and comparing the big chunky notebooks available in the store, I've decided on the one that I want and buy it.

And after arriving at the house, I was preparing this new notebook to prepare for daily logging and idea banking.

But today's episode of Stationery Turmoil is not about the newly brought notebook that I buy it, that's a new thing that I brought, but today's main characters is a pen and a mechanical pencil, which are good in their own way, but both of them are having a unique quirks that separate them.

So let's take a look at the instrument that I use to bullet journaling the old book, why I use it, why I switched from one thing to another, and why the current instrument which are still in use on the new notebook are doing, it is time to grab a stationery of choice and maybe gaining a few tips if you are starting your very own bullet Journal!

[Black Oil-based gel pen: the first one to begin it all]

When I was gathering a info and tips on how to starting my bullet journal, I was not think about what type of pen to use it, because it was a very long time since I was holding a pen in my hands and writing something, that was 5-6 years ago when I was a high school student who are dragging himself to go though the most stressful days of the week.

So, after I bought a book and hesitated for a while, before August 1st (the day I started my daily journaling) I brought myself a set of Oil-based gel pen branded A-line. It came with the red, black and blue ink pen, the reason why I brought it? The design was nice and unique to my eye.

After deciding which color that I want to use, I settled down on black, which was a colour I didn't use in high school, and a black ink would look nice on paper.

It was nice to use, continuous writing and my hand is getting along with it, but there’s a problem :

First, it was pen, the ink stayed there on the paper, and I don’t have a liquid paper (a correction liquid) so the pen force me to think on what I want to write, which is nice, but when I made a mistake, I basically scribble the mistake and write a new one, it’s not often to have that accident.

Second, it started to leak a little bit, but that was my panic and my competence of circling too hard.

But despite that, this pen go through a lot, including writing a long message that require more than just a few word, which is a thing that related to the lingering past, at that day, I was discover the shocking truth and something that broke my heart, so I wrote the venting message nearly eating the whole page.

Until one day when I was scrolling down the big reels, I saw the mechanical pencil in one of the reels I was scrolling, and I thought to myself: Should I switch my beloved pen for the Mechanical Pencil? well. The answer is yes! Let's switch it up!

So that's bringing us to another choice.

[Mechanical Pencil: Now with eraser, but it looks fainted on the paper?]

When I was researching for the first mechanical pencil (my first one) I settled on the really simple one, no fuss, just pure mechanical pencil, so I headed to the shopping platform and brought myself a Quantum Atom QM 220 Mechanical Pencil, ordered it and waited for it.

And when it was arrive on 12th September, I was exciting to trying it, as the package came with the pencil itself, a eraser with a claim that it will never leave a mess when you use it, leaving no dust, and a refilled leads inside a nice looking box (with a snapping sound cap) and a free drawing pencil.

I was trying it out and found out the quirk of this “beginner mechanical pencil” like, how it was a little bit “fainted”comparing to the black ink pen, the lead inside kinda popping up and down like a mole in your potato garden, the eraser does live up to the “Dustless”name, the grip is into the hard rather than soft, and the free drawing pencil does getting into more thicker and hard to erase (depend on how much you put pressure into it).

I was going to try it out on the next day, but unfortunately, the date was 13th September, the date of the beginning of the flood saga, so the bullet Journal had to temporarily stop.

[the photo you see here is what I called the bridge, a transition from the pen to the pencil]

After everything is back to normal, the street has dirt and dust and the driver don't noticed it, I went back to doing the journal again, and despite the journal now look a little bit fainted, the pencil allow me to correct any mistake and undo the funky scribbled letter that seem too “artistic” to even readable (now I know that my handwriting is look like a doctor, but sometime I even confuse mine)

This pencil serve me till it was running out of page, on the last day of the year, the lead might be hard to change at first (but I know the trick of it, it's in the metal cap) and the lead might snapped while you write because it is too long and I put too much pressure, but my heart is decide that I should go on with this mechanical pencil in the next year notebook.

So folks, if you are beginning this adventure of bullet Journal, make sure your first one is an experimental one, trying features that you like, and choose the instruments to write it, you could go with pen or pencil, it's your choice to choose.

That was another Turmoil in the stationery world from the view of EvolGarlic, the man who just getting started into the stationery world, it will takes time to getting hold, but once I know all the crack and dirt in the street, the next turmoil could be a different one, until then, see you next in the next episode of EvolGarlic's Stationery Turmoil, where the pen and pencil might be a tool to write for you, but it might be a sword in the battle for me, EvolGarlic! That's a wrap for today's edition of EvolGarlic's Article Pelican Newsletter on Substack! For those who thirst for more of EvolGarlic's enlightening content, consider becoming a subscriber to the Pelican. Free subscribers will receive tantalizing articles straight to their inbox, while paid subscribers gain access to the full buffet of articles. Should you wish to support EvolGarlic's literary escapades, feel free to visit EvolGarlic's Ko-fi page. Your donations contribute to the acquisition of a shiny new ThinkPad, a camera, and other essential gear that empowers EvolGarlic to craft even more captivating content. A heartfelt thank you for your readership, and anticipate the excitement of the next article!

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