Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist If you asked me a year ago whether I could attend a pen meet with only five fountain pens, I would have laughed nervously while quietly stuffing fifteen pens into my bag "just in case." Yet here I am. I'm attending a local pen meet later this month and,… Continue reading If I could bring just five pens on a pen meet, which ones would make the cut?
Category: Local Travel
Podcast Episode: Writing Like a Geologist: Field Notes, Maps, and the Fountain Pen Tradition
Pip: The Fabulous Scientist is where geology and fountain pens share a field notebook, and somehow that makes complete sense.Mara: Today we're covering a piece from fabulousgrass that sits right at the intersection of scientific practice and craft โ how geologists have always written, sketched, and mapped by hand, and why that tradition still matters.Pip:… Continue reading Podcast Episode: Writing Like a Geologist: Field Notes, Maps, and the Fountain Pen Tradition
Fossil Hunting in La Union
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist The best part of being a geologist is being out in the great outdoors โ whether along the shore, out at sea, high in the mountains, or even simply by the roadside when a freshly exposed rock face appears after a road cut. Sadly, my current work happens mostly… Continue reading Fossil Hunting in La Union
The Painting I Couldn’t Leave Behind: An Unexpected Art Purchase in La Union
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
Exploring The Alodapic Limestone in Agoo, La Union: A Field Geology Experience
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
Easy Family Nature Trekking in Baguio: Exploring the Forest Bathing Trail at Camp John Hay
Trekking has been a constant in my life for over two decadesโpartly because Iโm a geologist, and partly because my idea of โrelaxingโ involves sweating uphill while questioning my life choices. Over the years, Iโve wandered through trails that tourists rarely bother with, and in doing so, Iโve seen nature at her most unfilteredโand met… Continue reading Easy Family Nature Trekking in Baguio: Exploring the Forest Bathing Trail at Camp John Hay
Discover the Rare JCโs Vine: A Hidden Gem in Philippine Flora
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Hey, everyone! If youโve been hanging around this blog for a while, you probably already know Iโm a full-on dendrophileโa 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 JCโs Vine: A Hidden Gem in Philippine Flora
First Impressions: My First Time at the Manila Pen Show 2026
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist If youโve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of fountain pens, inks, and all things analog, then theย 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
A Quick Family Escape to Baguio City
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Some places quietly become part of a familyโs story. For us, one of those places is Baguio City. We first visited Baguio as a family back in 2015, and returned again during Christmas time in 2024. Each trip left the same impression on us: cool air, beautiful parks, good food,… Continue reading A Quick Family Escape to Baguio City
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, Iโve been regularly walking around University of… Continue reading Sun, Steps, and Serendipity: Why We Love Walking at UP Diliman Campus