Journey to Entry #1
Posted on May 27 2017
May 2016. It was in a restaurant’s function room in Quezon City where top professional magicians and enthusiasts from all over Manila gather to have their weekly fellowship when GM pulled a different kind of trick. Do not ask why I was there together with Ingrid and our son on that rainy Wednesday night of May. Back to GM’s trick. He pulled something from the table, several books covered with brown leather. I got curious as I am easily intrigued by leatherware. “Do you know what this is?” asked GM. He continued as he opened it “This is a Midori Traveler’s notebook. This is where I put my schedule and my different card tricks. You have to buy one. It’s nice. I got it in Log On, Ocean Terminal.” I was easily convinced knowing GM’s taste for beautiful things and everything elegant, for one, he has the Mont Blanc Hemingway. Needless to say, he is a great enabler, he was able to talk several people into getting a Midori. Ingrid reminded me that Midori TN was something I showed her in Tokyu Hands Osaka back in 2015 but we dismissed it because we were onto other stationery items that time.
Fortunately, we had a scheduled flight to Hong Kong 3 days after our meeting with GM. As soon as we checked in Shangrila Hotel, we unpacked our suitcases then went straight to Ocean Terminal for a quick bite and then to Log On. It was not hard to find the Midori inside Log On. Though the shop is big, a few straight paces through toys, and beauty products will lead you to the table full of Midori products: rulers, clips, pens, stickers and everything about travel. We spent more than an hour in the store checking products, trying pens, and going back to the same products over and over again. Camel was the new release then, we both got one each for ourselves and had our name stamped on the cover for free. Stamping is something we need to have in Manila. Our hunt did not end in Ocean Terminal, we went to 2 other Log On stores to check other Midori products to buy, one during the same day and the other on a different day. I did some more research on where to get nice stationeries in HK aside from Log On. The shop called Journalize appeared on one of the blogs. On our 3rd day we went from Causeway Bay to Tin Hau using MTR to look for the said shop. We arrived after a missed corner and a wrong building. The store was not what we were expecting. We were disappointed to see a small shop. We had an ito-na-ba-yun-? expression on our face. The place is no bigger that 18 square meters, but still we went inside, we were already there anyway. There was nothing new in the shop we did not see in Log On. They had Kawecos, Midoris, glass pens, stickers and other items available in Log On. I felt the journey was a waste of time. To not have a feeling we wasted our time, I decided to get a Kaweco AL Sport Blue Stonewashed, which was a few dollars cheaper than the one from Log On. I like fat lines then so I chose the M nib over F nib. As I was paying, I heard an excited OMG from behind, curious what it was, I turned around and saw Ingrid with a big smile. To the ears and beyond would be an understatement. “It’s the blue Midori TN!” she said and continued with words “this is rare and hard to find. I am going to buy, billi ka din for you.” I was hesitant at first since I already got my Camel . This scene isn’t new, in Genesis Eve asked Adam to try the apple. I couldn’t resist the temptation of the blue apple and got one for myself too. We got 2 of the last 3 Blue Midoris. The trip was worth it after all. That day was 23rd of May 2016, entry #1.
May 2017. After 365 journal entries, several fountain pens, Midori and Yumi inserts and millilitres of ink spent on paper, I’m still logging entries. It is a commitment to journal, to sit near a corner and spill all thoughts with pen and paper instead of just typing words away, but every commitment begins with a decision to write down entry #1.
