25 Apr 2018

on a mission to improve my handwriting

My handwriting has evolved an awful lot over the last few years. From being purely printed in 2013 to being a different type of print in 2014 to being slightly joined up in 2016 to being straight and joined up in 2017.

I'm not totally happy with my handwriting and want to improve it, so the way I've done this is to write as often as possible in a dedicated Rhodia notebook. I write about anything and everything. I am trying out a way to write with upright letters that are joined up as you can see here:


And also cursive, with a right slant, as below. I even write song lyrics when a song comes up on iTunes which helps me learn to write neatly and quickly too.


Hopefully, in time, my handwriting will be super neat when written quickly. At the moment, it can be extremely messy when writing quickly (especially during busy on-calls!).

18 Apr 2018

new pen: wing sung 3008 turquoise in an extra fine nib

The Wing Sung 3008 (2017 edition) looks almost identical to the TWSBI Diamond 580AL. Already in possession of a TWSBI Diamond 580AL, a comparison will come in due course; but for now, let's concentrate on the Wing Sung offering.

Wing Sung is a Chinese pen brand who produce cheap fountain pens of a decent quality. I remember paying around £3 (including delivery) for this pen and for the price, I was impressed. Let me explain why.

Surprisingly well built, the pen is pretty solid for the price and the piston mechanism locks with a faint click. This makes posting the cap feel a bit safer. For a pen costing a few quid, it feels pretty weighty in the hand. The clip is also sturdy and ready to clip onto a lanyard/shirt pocket/anywhere you wish.

I chose the extra fine nib because of my small handwriting and though it's not the finest nib I've ever tried (The Pilot Kakuno fine holds that record so far), it is fine enough. It is smooth as butter and a pleasure to use. It's not the most ornate nib but it does the job extremely well.

If you're new to a piston-fill mechanism, this pen would be a perfect starter pen. It is at a price point where you can decide if you like the mechanism before shelling out for a more expensive one.

Overall, the Wing Sung 3008 won't be the fanciest pen you'll ever use but it does the job. How it holds up in the long term is another question and only time will tell with that one!


4 Apr 2018

mission accomplished: journal once a week for a year

When I first started journaling, I did it sporadically, too sporadically for it to make a difference. Therefore, I made it a goal to journal once a month back when I wrote my '101 in 1001' list in 2014. When I wrote my '100 things in 2016' list, this was upgraded to journal once a week. This was also a feature in my 2017 list. I now journal almost once daily!

And it seems to have made a difference. Journals have been filled with thoughts from every crevice of my mind and I have noticed a change in how I approach different situations in my life. My stress levels are lower, my mind is more rational and I just feel happier in general. Reflecting on what I perceive to be the negative points of my personality and life have allowed me to tackle them head on - and those sort of changes take time.

If you struggle to journal (which I also do on occasion), just write whatever comes to mind - no matter how silly. Alternatively, google a list of journal prompts and have them to hand during your journaling sessions.