Art and Earth Science by Grass
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Hey, everyone! How are you doing? As I mentioned in my last blog post, I’ve been on a bit of a buying spree lately—this time, for inks and notebooks. In my defense, I’ve also been writing a lot! Most of my writing consists of blog post drafts, business ideas… Continue reading Handmade Leather Journals from the Philippines: My New Finds from bluetracesph
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist I seem to have been on a notebook and ink-buying streak lately. And I blame my penabling friends and the fountain pen accounts I follow on Instagram for this. There is something about seeing a beautiful ink swatch or a notebook that makes you think, I could use one of… Continue reading Fountain Pen Ink Review: Lennon Tool Bar Ying Piao and Pumpkin Soup
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist If you’ve been following my website for a while, you’ll know that I love painting with watercolors. Every now and then, I also bring out my fountain pens to sketch outlines for my line-and-wash artworks. There’s something wonderfully satisfying about combining the precision of ink with the unpredictable, fluid… Continue reading Tramol Candy Inks Review: An Affordable Waterproof Ink for Watercolor Artists
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist It Started With a Friend's Dilemma The story began when a friend asked me for my opinion on which colorway of the PENBBS 498 Hehe Cat he should get. He was torn between two options: a dark blue pen with gold accents, a gold-colored nib, and a gold cat… Continue reading PENBBS 498 Hehe Cat Fountain Pen Review: A Chatoyant Beauty
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist A few days ago, I ordered several fountain pens from abroad. Some were the latest colorways of the Jinhao 82, which I plan to include in a few “penabling” kits. I also ordered one pen for myself—the Hongdian N1—because its unusual nib had piqued my curiosity. If you haven’t… Continue reading Fountain Pen Review: Hongdian N1 with Long Blade Nib (A Happy Orange Surprise)
I have a sore throat and a mild fever today. I also have body aches that only a massage from my personal therapist would have been able to fix, if only I were in Quezon City, near her. I usually get a massage twice a month, but the weather has been really bad over the… Continue reading Musings While on A Sick Day – Also the Best Time to Swatch New Inks
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist I almost bought another camera. There. I said it. For someone who already owns a Fujifilm X-T20 and an Insta360 GO Ultra, not to mention two smartphones (never mind that one of them is old), this probably sounds like the beginning of a very familiar story among photographers: "I… Continue reading The Camera I Almost Bought: How ChatGPT Saved Me ₱12,000
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist The Uni-ball One is a gel pen designed around one particularly distinctive feature: its ink. Uni developed a pigment-based formulation with relatively large pigment particles that tend to remain closer to the surface of the paper rather than being absorbed deeply into the fibers. The result is unusually dark, crisp black ink and… Continue reading Uni-ball One F Review: The Perfect Gel Pen for On-the-Go Writers
Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist Just when I thought Jinhao had squeezed every possible variation out of the X159, along comes the Jinhao X169. Released only in June 2026, the X169 is one of Jinhao’s newest oversized fountain pens—and at first glance, it looks very familiar. If you already know the X159, you might… Continue reading Jinhao X169: The New Pen in Town People Are Now Raving About and For Very Good Reasons
Finding a fountain pen that balances affordability, aesthetics, and smooth writing performance is always a win. At just $5 USD, the Jinhao 82 (2026 Limited Edition) in Translucent Pink manages to deliver on all three fronts far better than expected.Here is my breakdown of how this pen holds up in daily use. Design & AestheticThe… Continue reading A Pleasant Surprise: Reviewing the Jinhao 82 (2026 Limited Edition)
