Want a Habana?

I know this post might seem strange to you, but there's no other way to do this:

I am selling this brand-new QuoVadis Habana Notebook!

"Why??" you might ask... well it's simple. 

When I bought it, all nicely wrapped in cellophane, I thought I was going to finally try one of the most loved notebooks from QuoVadis. I did.

And I didn't.

See, this version is the older french version with a thinner paper, almost like the Moleskine's Reporter Notebook. Its pages are also, like the Mole's ivory coloured.

I am sure most of you like this kind of paper, I myself don't find it appealing.

When I discovered the kind of paper it had, I decided not to test it so that I would be able to find it a more suitable home.

It is 10 x 15cm, has 224 BLANK pages, and the cover is a 'cherry red'. It includes a back pouch for storing all those bits of paper you might otherwise lose or misplace, a ribbon pagemarker and the notebook itself feels really nice to the touch.

I am giving it away for 9,00 GBP plus shipping. 

OR

I will gladly trade it for an UNUSED A6 Rhodia Webnotebook. 

If you or someone you know might be interested, please let me know, I will greatly appreciate it :)

Thank you for reading ^^

Old posts I had on paper go online now

May, 25th, 2010:

I went to Muji today to buy some organising boxes for my desk, and ended up buying 2 small notebooks as well!

I fear I might be getting addicted to stationery, particularly notebooks! I find them all so pretty....I can't avoid holding them, opening them carefully to slowly run my fingers through the pages and wondering if the paper will be fountain pen friendly.

And even though I know I seriously don't NEED any, I always find ways to convince myself into getting a new one, especially after reading good reviews about a particular product.

June 10th, 2010:

I am really glad I bought those two notebooks from Muji. I have already found a use for them; the Passport is used strictly for doodling mandalas; while the other one, with its nicely spaced lines, serves me as a japanese vocabulary where I jot down phrases I can understand when I'm watching anime. I leave one line below the one I've written on free, so that I can later on write down the translation.

Having found a use for them isn't the only important thing about them, though; it is actually the whole quality of the notebooks that wins me over.

The feeling of my Lamy Vista gliding on the pages effortlessly, leaving a clean trail of ink that doesn't bleed through is one of those little things that make life enjoyable.

Such beauty and such art....I honestly never tire of it!

Finsbury gets a make-over!

It is Saturday night and I finally decide to take action, Filofax-wise!

 I'm sitting with my dear 'Filito'  in my hand. The QuoVadis, the Moleskine, and the Kendal lie on the table, staring back at me in defiance.  I really don't know how to organise and coordinate my planners...I 've not used Filito for what seems like a very long time!

I blame it on my life, being currently as exciting as a coconut,  with a quantum of things to do, people to meet.

Mind you I have been very busy these past days working on a website, and next week will find me  working on the design of their stationery.

But let's not get side-tracked.

I started using the Quovadis with the purpose of organising and detailing every necessary aspect of our move to the UK. I would scribble daily to-do's, meetings, sales, pick-ups, packed items, etc. 

At the same time I would use my Finsbury as usual, with my appointments and journal, to do lists, notes, etc.

It helped me a lot keeping the moving separate from my life  and work aspects. This also kept me from oversaturating my Finsbury and I was actually getting things done from both planners.

But now my life is so quiet that keeping both journals is redundant.

This being the case, I quickly stopped writing  in my journal, thus not even opening my Finsbury in more than 4 days in a row. I hadn't even started writing new To do's since we got here, and I didn't even bother. I simply kept on using the Quovadis, but even this would remain unopened for two days straight.

To make matters worse, two weeks ago, in a bout of impulsiveness I  got a small  Moleskine 18 month  Weekly Notebook Diary, telling  myself that it was only for 'investigation' purposes when really I was beginning  to doubt  Filito's effectiveness for being such a complex system.

That is when I realised that it was MY system that had stopped working for me, not Filofax per se.  I had to find a new way to rearrange, to redesign my system so I would use it again.

I decided I would let Filito take a much deserved rest, and intentionally kept  it closed and without its pen to keep me from trying to fiddle with it. Once I set up my mind to redesign it, I would open it once again.

That time is now.

To start, I have put aside the other planners, and written down the sections I currently keep in my filo. Next, I sort them out into three categories:

Need: Journal, Calendar, To Do, Notes

Take out: Addresses, Financial, Japanese, Sudoku, Pictures and random stuff

What about?: Idea Catcher, Size charts (self made), Underground map, City map, World map, Post its (none atm), Plastic envelopes

Once that's been done I take all the sections out and place them on the table, and start revising the ones that fall in the 'Need' category and come up with a more logical order for them.

I also put back the important photos but in different order/parts, and add only one of the plastic envelopes which I have previously emptied out. This time I will try to use it sparingly.

From all the maps I decide to only keep the one of the world, the sizes chart will be recopied into the Kendal, which is where I most need it whenever I go shopping, as I've already done with the addresses.

The remaining sections I stack up neatly in order, wrap a rubberband around them and stash them away in the 'Filofax Box'. I shall find a use for them in the near future, I know.

I put back the four main sections in the following order: To do, Notes, Appointments, Diary (Journal). Here's a sneak peek into my tabs:

Now Filito is looking tidier and slimmer after getting rid of all the unused sections!

I have also gotten rid of the ugly home-made extra pen loop, and have assigned a new Pilot for it.

In order to not spend valuable time freaking out whether or not I'm coming up with the perfect set-up, I must remind myself that  it is JUST A PLANNER and that I actually CAN change my system as many times as I need to.

I am also keeping in mind that in order for my 'new' system to work, ultimately it is  me who has to work with it, otherwise it will still be useless. So I make a promise to Filito to try and update as often as possible, and to reactivate the To do's and Notes sections, so we can be inseparable once again as we used to be.

I am now excited to see how this week goes, hopefully I can stay on track and update it, and set up To Do lists that actually make sense!

The Quest for the Rhodia Webnotebook

I am going crazy trying to find a store in London that actually has a decent selection of Rhodia products. Paperchase isn't anywhere near it!

And I really want another Webbie.

Of course I could order it online from the same place I did the first time, but they ask almost 7 quid for an A6. That is just a bit too much, considering it isn't even the 90g paper version that has been available in the US for quite some time now.

I've read somewhere tonight that the Muji notebooks are actually quite good and not expensive. I might just have  to pick one up next time I'm there.

Brief update

Since I moved to London, I haven't been using my finsbury filofax. It's like I can't make time for it, even though I have a lot of it... it's probably because all the plans I make tend to get broken by events out of my control, like not being able to open a bank account as quickly as we thought because we first need a proof of residence...and other silly crap like that.

On top of that, my boyfriend got sick so we spent two days at home. Now it's my turn to be sick; this leaves me with barely any energy left at the end of the day.

But, what I have been using more is my Kendal Mini. Since I'm using it as a wallet, I also use the diary pages to jot down quick appointments that come up randomly. The pages corresponding to the beginning of the year, I am using as random notes pages. this has proven quite handy for writing down new phone numbers, modem numbers, accounts, addresses... this is also a way of saving up on paper.

Tomorrow we're finally going to Ikea to get our study set up. I am really looking forward to it, because this will allow me to get my stuff organised and our pc's set up.

I really need order right now.

And new sinuses....

Beautiful paper...

At the beginning of this week, before I overloaded with work, I was able to watch a fairly new anime called Eden of the East. (Amongst other things, I am also a sucker for cool anime series. )

The graphics are great, the music is cool and the plot awesome! Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about this series, but to tell you about the ending sequence, specifically to show it to you.

It's a paper cut-out animation that's been beautifully executed, although I don't know if they used CGI for it...

I hope you all paper lovers enjoy it as much as I do :)

13hrs...

Behold the Mini!
Originally uploaded by Onigiri-sama!

That is the size to which my days have shrunk since last week! Not to mention that each of these hours also seem to have lost minutes along the way, thus having only 20 minutes......

I am so swamped with so many things to do, I can't even make time to write about my new, beautiful Kendal Mini.
Just look at it, isn't it gorgeous??? So soft to the touch, and that full-bodied leather scent.... aahhh...
I have decided to use it as a wallet, but as I mentioned, I am running so short on minutes and hours, that I haven't been able to use it to its full potential. Its pages are still blank....

And so, somehow, I have managed to write a little about my new friend, and hope that next week will be less busy... but I know that won't be the case.
It's how relocations are supposed to be, right?
Oni, signing off at 4:42 am!!

The wait is finally over

It arrived today, finally! one copy of the QuoVadis Business Weekly Planner, in taupe, kindly sent to me by Karen at Exaclair. I must say that she was indeed too kind, as this is the second copy she's sent to me. It seems the first one she sent to me got lost or stolen in the mail. And together with the Planner she also threw in a small Clairefontaine notebook, which I am already drooling over!

So, this post goes for her:

THANK YOU KAREN!!! It is people like you who make us users loyal to a brand, in this case Clairefontaine.

March is here.

And I am still waiting for the QuoVadis Business planner to arrive. Hopefully it will get here in time; I will be moving by the end of this month!

My first review: The Rhodia Webnotebook

21st of January, 2010

I will start my review of this webnotebook by saying that the paper used for it is completely different to the one in the Rhodia pads.

I am currently using my Lamy Safari M with Lamy ink in blue. Thankfully, it doesn't bleed and the feathering isn't noticeable, although on some parts, the ink does bleed through. I don't think I would doodle with a fountain pen on this notebook... let's try the other ones:

Parker Vector M Nib with Quink ink in black: Since this pen runs more wet than the Lamy, the feathering is quite noticeable, the trace is thicker causing the spacing to be too narrow. This ink does present some bleedthrough and I am guessing that it is only due to its quick drying time that it doesn't bleed onto the page below.

Pilot VPen Medium Nib: I know this is a very wet pen, so the feathering and bleedthrough I am experiencing, is expected. I won't be able to use this one on this book!

Sheaffer Italic F nib, with Sheaffer green ink: This being a calligraphic pen, it is sure to bleed through, but it is barely noticeable on the reverse page. Also, there is no feathering and the nib writes smooth and easy on this paper. I would also use this pen+ink on the Webnotebook.

Now, on to the pens!

Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint 0.5 in turquoise/black/purple: smooth writing, little feathering, some bleedthrough.  Too bad because I really like these pens.

Pilot V 2000 Hi-Tecpoint 0.5 in black: This one is even smoother than the V5 and shows no bleedthrough. As a matter of fact, writing with this pen feels wonderful. Highly recommended! :)

Pilot G-Tec C4 in blue/ red: this is yet another of my favourite pens from Pilot. It is smooth, delicate and has a very fine tip. It works wonderfully with the Webnotebook.

Pilot G1 in black: this is a gel pen with a fine tip, no feathering and no bleedthrough, but just based on how it feels, I prefer the V2000.

Pilot G2 in purple/pink: both of them work perfectly with this notebook, they also feel more reliable than the G1.

The Faber-Castell PITT "Manga Set" (8 pens/brushes):

click on the image to view larger version

I can use my Manga Set on the Webnotebook :)

Conclusions:

The Rhodia Webnotebook has a pretty good quality paper. I like the fact that its ivory shade is much lighter than the Moleskine's Reporter book and the QuoVadis Memoriae, since I rather much prefer an off-white shade.

Personally, I like the spacing between the lines, which is narrower than the Paperblanks Midi notebooks I normally use, but it is slightly wider than the QuoVadis Memoriae. I also like the fact that they don't get covered up by the ink.

I specifically ordered the small size (9,5 x 14 cm) because I'm not into large books. This size is quite comfortable when carrying the notebook with you; just slip it into a small purse or even a pocket. It isn't bulky and it has rounded corners.

As far as lying flat goes,I am sure that by training or forcing it, it should be able to. For the time being, I don't want to force it, I'd much rather let time and continuous usage do the trick, just as it did with my Filofax Finsbury.

As I write this review (and this last bit on top of my cat!), I grow more and more fond of the Webnotebook. I really enjoy the smooth leather-like cover, the matching ribbon and elastic closure. I actually don't mind the embossed logo on the cover, nor the small printed logo on the bottom-right corner on the right page. As always, having an expandable pocket on the notebook's back cover is highly appreciated, as I tend to fill these to the verge of exploding!

So, would I buy another one of these? Absolutely!