reviews, Shopping

My Current Favorite: IFEX Notebooks & Planner

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist In early 2023, I visited a museum, only slightly aware of fountain pens, and left completely changed, now excited by a newfound love for stationery that I never knew I needed! At that time, I owned exactly one fountain pen: the Pilot Petit. It was cute. Pocket-sized. Innocent-looking. But I… Continue reading My Current Favorite: IFEX Notebooks & Planner

Coping with Depression, Health, Homeschooling, Life, Local Travel, travel blog

Sun, Steps, and Serendipity: Why We Love Walking at UP Diliman Campus

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist If you told me more than a year ago that my favorite weekend ritual would involve sensible shoes and early morning sunlight, I would have laughed politely and gone back to my coffee and book. And yet here we are. Since last year, Iโ€™ve been regularly walking around University of… Continue reading Sun, Steps, and Serendipity: Why We Love Walking at UP Diliman Campus

fountain-pen

Jinhao 82 Mini: Affordable Pocket Fountain Pen Review

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist The market for pocket fountain pens is often dominated by familiar names and higher price tags. It is therefore pleasantly surprising to encounter a model that costs less than five US dollars, yet performs well enough to merit serious consideration. The Jinhao 82 Mini is one such pen. Compact,… Continue reading Jinhao 82 Mini: Affordable Pocket Fountain Pen Review

fountain-pen, Life, reviews, Shopping

Discover the Hongdian M2: A Pocket Pen Review

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Pocket fountain pens are a dangerous rabbit hole. You start with โ€œI just want something small for my pocket,โ€ and suddenly youโ€™re comparing faceted caps and arguing with strangers on the internet about converters. You also end up collecting so many in different colors like I did with Wancai… Continue reading Discover the Hongdian M2: A Pocket Pen Review

fountain-pen, Geology, Geology Data Science, Homeschooling, Life, My Creations

Why I Stopped Typing My Notes

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist In the lab, we obsess over our equipment. We calibrate our equipments, we make sure the connection between computer and equipment is uninterrupted, and we panic if one part acts up. Yet, when it comes to the tool we use to actually process the information inside our heads, most… Continue reading Why I Stopped Typing My Notes

teeth crushing donuts
Life, My Creations

Teeth-Crushing Donuts and the Art of Running Away

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Note: I wrote this story years ago on my old Blogger. My siblings talked about my mom's infamous donuts earlier today and decided to repost my old blog post about her donuts here. When I was a kid, my mom and dad constantly bickered over burnt dishes, undercooked rice,… Continue reading Teeth-Crushing Donuts and the Art of Running Away

Coping with Depression, fountain-pen, Life

Iโ€™m Destashing My Fountain Pens – Please Send Help (or Ink)!

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Just over two weeks ago, I proudly declared that I was decluttering our home, starting with the obvious space invadersโ€”furniture, storage boxes, unused art materials and other large items that had quietly claimed permanent residency in our living space. Friends generously adopted many of them, and I felt victorious.… Continue reading Iโ€™m Destashing My Fountain Pens – Please Send Help (or Ink)!

Homeschooling, Life, Recycling

Thoughtful, Not Temporary: Sustainable Valentineโ€™s Day Gift Ideas

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Valentineโ€™s Day often comes wrapped in urgencyโ€”flowers that wilt in days, chocolates bought last minute, objects chosen more for the occasion than for the person. Thereโ€™s nothing inherently wrong with these gestures. They come from affection, after all. But after observing the clutter that I have at home, Iโ€™ve… Continue reading Thoughtful, Not Temporary: Sustainable Valentineโ€™s Day Gift Ideas

fountain-pen, Shopping

Asvine C80: A Pen Worth Waiting For

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Some fountain pens enter our lives by chance. Others arrive after a long season of quiet wanting. The Asvine C80 belongs to the second kind. I started reading and watching about this pen last year on Reddit, YoutTube, and in fountain pen groups, where people described it as a… Continue reading Asvine C80: A Pen Worth Waiting For

Financial Advise, Homeschooling, Life

How Decluttering Set the Tone for My Year – A Glacial Pace Attempt at Minimalistic Living

Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist I started this year by doing something I had been postponing for a long time: de-stashing and decluttering our home. Not in a dramatic, overnight transformation kind of wayโ€”but slowly, intentionally, and with a lot of honesty and patience. A glacial pace, if I'm being geologic about. ๐Ÿ˜‰ For… Continue reading How Decluttering Set the Tone for My Year – A Glacial Pace Attempt at Minimalistic Living