Art and Earth Science by Grass
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist One of the most dangerous assumptions you can make while traveling is thinking you'll only come home with photographs. Sometimes you come home with a painting. That happened to me during a recent trip to La Union. After spending the morning hunting for leaf fossils in Sto. Tomas, La… Continue reading The Painting I Couldn’t Leave Behind: An Unexpected Art Purchase in La Union
I've wanted Jacques Herbin's Emerald of Chivor ever since I fell down the fountain pen rabbit hole. You know how it goes. One minute you're buying a perfectly sensible fountain pen for note-taking. The next minute you're staring at ink swatches online at 2:00 in the morning, convincing yourself that your life would be significantly… Continue reading Jacques Herbin Emerald of Chivor: The Ink That Got Away (Until It Didn’t)
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Every fountain pen enthusiast eventually faces a tricky time when they think they have enough pens. I was in that phase when I first encountered the Majohn P140 more than a year ago while browsing Everything Calligraphy's Lazada store. I took one look at it and thought, "That's nice,… Continue reading Why the Majohn P140 is a Must-Have for Pen Collectors
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist As geologists, we love the interesting stories rocks tell. Some remind us of the deep and peaceful oceans, while others history of exciting tectonic events. For instance, alodapic limestone may look like it comes from a coral reef, but it actually formed elsewhere through a journey we call sediment… Continue reading Exploring The Alodapic Limestone in Agoo, La Union: A Field Geology Experience
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist We live in an age where you can learn almost anything from YouTube. Want to bake sourdough? There's a video for that. Want to repair a fountain pen? Someone has probably filmed a 47-minute tutorial complete with dramatic background music. Want to learn Muay Thai, play the ukulele, or… Continue reading Why Mentoring Works Better for Me Than Watching YouTube Tutorials
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist There comes a point in every fountain pen enthusiast’s life when you realize you may have accidentally developed a “type.” Some people collect understated black cigar-shaped pens. Some gravitate toward vintage flex nibs. Me? Apparently, I collect pens that shimmer, glow, shift colors dramatically, and look like they were… Continue reading Affordable Luxury: Asvine P20 Fountain Pen Overview
by Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist There are fountain pens you buy after hours of research, careful comparisons, and deep contemplation over nib sizes. And then there are fountain pens you buy because your brain immediately goes: “Oh no… it’s tiny and adorable. I need it.” That was exactly my experience with the Wancher PuChiCo Arctic… Continue reading Tiny Pen, Big Personality: My Review of the Wancher PuChiCo Arctic Blue
Trekking has been a constant in my life for over two decades—partly because I’m a geologist, and partly because my idea of “relaxing” involves sweating uphill while questioning my life choices. Over the years, I’ve wandered through trails that tourists rarely bother with, and in doing so, I’ve seen nature at her most unfiltered—and met… Continue reading Easy Family Nature Trekking in Baguio: Exploring the Forest Bathing Trail at Camp John Hay
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Hey, everyone! If you’ve been hanging around this blog for a while, you probably already know I’m a full-on dendrophile—a person who gets unreasonably excited about trees and plants. One of my favorite things to do during my fitness walks (whether in UP Diliman or wherever I happen to… Continue reading Discover the Rare JC’s Vine: A Hidden Gem in Philippine Flora
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of fountain pens, inks, and all things analog, then the Manila Pen Show 2026 is probably already on your radar, or at least it should be. For the uninitiated, the Manila Pen Show is a yearly gathering of pen enthusiasts, collectors, artists,… Continue reading First Impressions: My First Time at the Manila Pen Show 2026
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