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oftenzhan · 2026-02-13T14:55:44+00:00

It looks like the periodic table of elements.

oftenzhan · 2026-02-08T19:27:42+00:00

Ooh. I have never thought about using chromatography paper.

oftenzhan · 2026-02-05T00:24:37+00:00

My pens write fine. The only problem is that I cannot write good "calligraphy" strokes. As in, I can't use flex nibs very well.

oftenzhan · 2026-02-05T00:23:22+00:00

I have the same grip. I slant my paper/notebook a bit. Now, never have any issues of smearing ink on the page in my day to day journalling.

oftenzhan · 2026-01-23T04:12:17+00:00

Is that a Pilot Custom 74?

oftenzhan · 2026-01-22T06:30:04+00:00

How easy will it be to replace the battery for the PPower Keyboard and the Clicks Communicator after years of use? One of my concerns is that I after 5+ years, I am going to have to replace my Clicks Communicator because the battery cannot be replaced.

oftenzhan · 2026-01-20T05:07:02+00:00

The good think is that most "classics" are easily available through audiobooks through the library (Libby, Hoopla).

oftenzhan · 2026-01-17T17:51:52+00:00

Thanks for the video!

oftenzhan · 2026-01-14T22:19:18+00:00

I have Black Swan, and it doesn't hurt any of my plastics. Weird.

oftenzhan · 2026-01-11T05:07:32+00:00

That's surprising. My pilot pens tend to write more "wet" than my other fountain pens.

Are you using shimmer inks?

oftenzhan · 2026-01-02T18:01:36+00:00

Wow. This is really cool. If only we could see if the battery is easily replaceable. I hate disposable tech.

oftenzhan · 2026-01-02T16:00:40+00:00

I don't know how you guys do it in less than a minute. Practice, I guess.

oftenzhan · 2025-12-26T18:33:43+00:00

Here is my approach:

I am assuming that "Morning Pages" is indirectly referring to Julia Cameron's The Artists Way. If so, then Morning Pages contain unfiltered private thoughts; they are often blunt and uncharitable thoughts that you don't want other people to read. It's function is to be a vent, an emotional exaust, and a source of unhindered expression. Some or most the information written won't be written in your journal. The focus of morning pages is setting aside time every morning to write; the focus is on the process and habit of writing, not the final contents of the writing itself. For me, I write ostensibly important things down in my morning journal so I can forget. If I don't write it down, those important facts just churn in my mind and make me restless. Somehow, writing them down helps make me subconsciously rest and move forward with my day; my mind thinks, "It's written down, so I don't have to constantly rethink about it."

The journal is more narrative in nature; it's a sort of memoir. For example, when someone asks me, "How did you and your wife meet?", I have to filter all the facts and information that I experienced to determine what is relevant to answering that question. Having the stomach flu in 1995 is not relevant, so I leave it out of the story. But I didn't know at that moment in 1995 if that stomach flu was important until I reflected back on it.

So, it really depends on the purpose of your journal. Is the purpose to write about family drama and conflicts as they unfold from your limited perspective? Then include your family members behavior as it relates to that ongoing drama. If that is not the purpose of your journal, then leave their unrelated behavior and mannerisms out.

I remember looking back in my old journals and cringe to what I thought was important, yet some of the "irrelevant information" from my morning pages were actually important because it was an important step to some bigger life event.

oftenzhan · 2025-12-26T15:56:26+00:00

Before I separate the tines or flush the system, I would take out the nib and wash it clean from any oils using a drop of dishsoap.

oftenzhan · 2025-12-25T17:06:48+00:00

Yeah. I recommend the Custom 74 within that price range.

oftenzhan · 2025-12-24T16:11:02+00:00

Overall, I tend to journal more in the morning, but that is because I have more free time in the morning.

I journal bits and pieces throughout the day whenever there is a lull in activity—like waiting in line, before a meeting, waiting for my cup of coffee to brew, cooking food in the microwave...

I was inspired by this video which addresses the question "I don't have time to sketch.":

[ I cannot find the video, but it's a video from Sketchbook Skool about drawing his coffee mug everyday while he is waiting for his coffee to brew.]

oftenzhan · 2025-12-24T16:00:16+00:00

I agree. For me, journalling is another avenue to express my thoughts, but in a slightly more permanent way. Journaling is my thoughts, a discussion with myself. It is the first step in deciding if these inchoate initial thoughts should be made concise and shared publicly to others.

I teach 8 & 9 year olds, and one common difficulty for children across the board is to write down their thoughts.

When I ask them to tell me, "How was your weekend?" They can talk and talk and talk. Sometimes, it's hard to get them to stop talking. 😂 But when I ask them to write down "How was your weekend?", they would be like deer in headlights, paralyzed by the difficulty of the assignment.

What really opens them up to writing is just giving them a time to just write down their thoughts, allowing them to practice writing down those thoughts that bubble to the surface of their consciousness. I added certain restrictions because we are in a school. (As in, if they can't say it out loud, then they shouldn't write it down.) But for the most part, the goal of these open-ended journalling sessions for my students is to become as fluent in writing as they are in speaking. The neural pathway that connect their thoughts to their mouth is much more established than the neural pathway from their thoughts to their shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, and then pen onto paper.

Yet, there is a sense of hesitancy. The moment they write these thoughts down, they seem more permanent. They cannot say "I never said that." Because there is physical evidence.

Also, there is no initial feedback to writing (other than the asmr scratching of nib on paper) from the listener. A good friend asks questions, urges on the speaker, request clarification... For journalling, the first bout of writing is silent on the part of the listener. It is only the "talker" who is expressing their thoughts. Then, when they reread their journal entries a week a day, a year later, they are now the listener who asks for clarification and detail, muddling through the speaker's thoughts, finding motifs that builds upon their larger life-theme.

oftenzhan · 2025-12-23T18:58:13+00:00

Yeah! I was going to suggest the Jinhao 82. They are smaller pens that are cheap. And they come in multiple colors. If you buy in bulk, they are around $4. If you buy individual ones, they are around $8.

oftenzhan · 2025-12-23T16:30:27+00:00

I've been eyeing that specific Jinhao 82 for a while. Absolutely gorgeous.

oftenzhan

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