Rumours, Rumours ... Hello Kiity Fever

Takashimaya Singapore is having a Hello Kitty Sales at their basement one talking hall from now till Ocr 25th. Hello Kitty is 35 this year and the world is turning pink.

Sailor released two hello kitty pens for the domestic market, but our local retailors E&C and Fook Hing managed to bring them in for our Singapore Hello Kitty Fan.

Pelikan - KIRIN Limited Edition

A KIRIN landed on HOP(e)Marketplace.

It was said the wise of the old divided the sky into 28 constellations distributed over the 4 main cardinal points, with each point accommodating 7 stars in the shape of an animals. The leader choose the Dragon to take care of the East, Tiger to the West, Phoenix to the South and Xuan-Wu to the North.

What about KIRIN?

Inky ... my new medicine ... DeAtramentis

Recently, my relative helped us to purchase this new bottle of "medicine", which I hardly have the time to have take it. I am not sure how is it in the rest of the world, here in Singapore, when the kids are having their exam, all the parent (well almost all 99.99%), are all stress out doing theirs too ... I meant revising work with their little one.

When I first get the package hand carry from Japan to Singapore, I was very excited but the excitment slowly disappear when I reached home.

The label on the box say "Exclusive handmade ink with peach fragrances for fountain pens." When I smell it, it doesn't give me the peach frangrances. I double confirmed with my little one... Eeee... "Why the Japan medicine also smell the same as us. Shouldn't it be sweet?", said No. 2.

"Never say die"


I brought my new "medicine" with the label covered in black paper to office to do a blind fold test with my staff. Sighhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

The result was just as disapponting... no peach fragrances, 8/10 people feedbeak it smell like medicine... "nice medicine bottle, the Japanese are really good, even the bottle look different." one of them would say ... In my heart, I was saying "It is not even Japanese... it's italian."

And the worst, this "medicine" costed me S$50 (3000 yen). Hopefully, when I do my ink test, it will give me better satisfaction.

This is HOP signing out.

Oh! Don't forget our appointment at the HOP(e)marketplace on Oct 16 2009 9am. Bye for now!

Rumours, Rumours ... Market place coming your way

Many thanks to all our local collectors who had sent their collection to us for posting on our upcoming market place to find a suitable home for their fountain pens. We will start posting them on Oct 16, 2009. Do visit our market place to find the missing piece for your collection.

Not able to find what you are looking for, drop us an email and we will help you with your request.

Beautiful pen from beautiful island Yakushima

Earlier in 2009, we wrote about Sailor using the woods from the tree grown from a mystery island - Yukashima. In that blog, we mentioned another pen manufacturer also used the same material to make pens at about 1/3 of the Sailor retail price. Did you mange to guess the pen manufactuer?

Platinum had been using the natural cedar wood from tree grown from Yukshima much earlier than Sailor. This trees are regard as National Treasure of Japan. Some of the trees are thousand of years old.

Since they are natianal treasure, the materials are taken from fallen tree, and not cut down purposefully to make the pen. No trees was "hurt" while making the pens. :-)

What is so magnificant about this cedar woods?

This wood are well known for it age but also it colour, beautiful gain and it light weight.

While both pen makers used the same materials from trees grown in Yakushima island, their pen price are miles apart. The price of Sailor is about 3x of Platinum. And their look is also very different.

The main diferent for that big price different is due to the fact that both pen makers uses different part of tree. What? You might think a piece of wood is a piece of wood, regardless whether you used the top or bottom part of the price.

Inky ... Many faces of Pelikan

After we completed our first budget color ink collection, we went out hunting for differnt Pelikan ink bottle. We feel it is pretty cool to have a display at our home a past, present and future of Pelikan ink bottle.

Pelikan is one of the popular and commonly used ink in the market. We manage to get the ink bottle from yesteryear and took a few pictures.

Here it is ... enjoy!


As one can see from the pictures, Pelikan is not very creative...

Octopussy

This is the 4th part to the 10 part blogs of the Sailor Creatures of the Deep fountain pens collection. Previously, we wrote about clown fish, Hammerhead Shark and Whales. Today, we will talk about Octopus, known by the Japanese as "Tako".

Inky ... First Budget Collection

We always wanted to start our small collection of ink color, and didn't want to burn a hole in our pocket. Ink can be pretty expensive nowadays. We went out hunting for a budget ink. We found Pelikan...

During our hunt, we found that brown color is hard to come by. The ink is available at most big departmental, Popular book store and pen retailers.

Here are pictures of our favour color ... brown and violet...

Rumours, Rumours ... Marketplace

When we first started the blog, the objective was to provide our local pen lovers and collectors a place for them to get pen information. Recently, there are requests to widen the scope.

As we walk down the path of our pens collection, there are moments in the past where we purchased a pen(s) that we don't like, or a pen that just does not fix into our collection.

There have been requests from our readers for us to set up a market place to help them free up some funds.


We hear you and are considering how best to do it for the community. If we do set up the market place, rest be a assure that we will not ask you to “pay and pay” to feel the ERP(ain) in order to release your own funds (pen(s)).

Hopefully, we can work out the details that meet all parties soon.

In the meantime, write to us if you are planning to release some of your collection or looking for a particular pen(s). We will help you as much as possible.

Feel the rush ... unlimited number of Limited Edition

Formula One is regarded as the highest class of motor racing in the world. There are no other racing series on planet earth features faster machinery or drivers. It is consider as the creme de la creme of motor racing.

Last year (2008) F1 was not only a landmark race for Singapore, but also one for Forumula One history book as it is a night race - a first in it 59 years history of the championship.

Honestly, we do not understand why it is called a night race when the lighting setup stuck up almost all the power of our little "right" dot, and lit up the streets so bright that it is even brighter than the day... maybe it should be call sometime like "F1:Beyond the Day light race".

There was another first title for last year 2008 F1 race that not well know. It was also the first street race in Asia for Formula 1, as well as being one of the few held on a race track that runs anti-clockwise.



Many big boys in different industries, taking this opportunity to release their own version of "first". First on the line, we have our favour watches. Here is a flash back on all the Singapore Night Race watches.


On the top of the list we have Richard Mille who launched a friendship version of a watch to celebrated Mille's friendship with the Ferrari team driver Felipe Massa, and marked Massa's first Grand Prix in Singapore. It is a special timepiece for Ferrari's Felipe Massa, the RM 011 Felipe Massa Special Edition. The watch is limited to 50 peices. The cost of watch ... hold on to you chair ... S$300,000.00 (non-limited edition) ... can you guess the price tag for the RM011?


Next, we have Concord, released a C1 WorldTimer Night Race in a limited edition of 1000 pieces.


Cartier unveiled its Roadster Special Racing Edition that house the Cartier's caliber 8510 automatic chronograph movement with red seconds and chronograph hands, and water resistance to 100m. The yellow gold edition is limited to 15 pieces, and stainless steel version is limited to 100 pieces.


Tag Heuer tour de force for the Singapoer Grand Prix is a limited edition of its Grand Carrera Calibre 9 RS Grande Date GMT. It is limited to 150 pieces.


Local big brother, The Hour Glass, teamed up with Gerald Genta and Hulbot to launch their version of F1 limited edition.

Gerald Genta Fantasy Mickey Racing was launch first. It came in a black-and-white carbon fiber dial, our national symbol of Singpaore (red lion head) prominently display at the top of the dial. It is limited to 50 pieces. The price tag was 5 digits.


Next "bang" is Hublot Project F. The Hour Glass launched the watch to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Hour Glass had committed 5% of the retail price of every Project F Bang chronograph sold at it boutique in Singapore and Malaysia.


Taking this opportunity to do it part for the charity is Chopard, who contributed 2 limited edition watches. The Chopard L.U.C. Tourbillion Tech Twist with innovative silicium escapement, and the Happy Sport. Both watches are up for auction at the "President's Challenge F1 Charity Luncheon". All the proceeds from the auction was donated to the President's Challenge.


Finally, our favour watch on the list. The AP (not to be mistaken with the luxury pen AP limited edition) Royal Oak Off Shore. It came in forged carbon case with red dial, complemented with steel bezel and eight black PVD-coated screws. It is limited to 250 pieces, with 125 pieces allocated to Singapore and the reminder to the rest of the world.



While there was no pen to mark the Singapore F1 Night Race last year, however, there was one pen that marked the 100th anniversary of the opening of the legendary Brooklands moter racing track.

Bentley Motors and Tibaldi proudly introduced the Bentley at Brooklands Limited Edition Collection. Hand etched with a racing motif created especially by Bentley Interior Designer, Jonathan Punter.

These pens evoke the grand style and exhilarating moments of Bentley victories at the fabled oval track. Depicting two cars racing on the famous Brooklands banking, the composition is inspired by artwork produced for the actual historical races at Brooklands, with which Bentley is so strongly affiliated.
Presented in sumptuous veneered wooden cases, lined in genuine leather, only 550 each of the sterling fountain and rollerball pens have been crafted for worlwide acquisition.



Can you feel the rush yet? No! Here is another to drive up your blood pressure. A actual Bentley Brooklands Limited Edition car... Yes, a physicall car that you can drive on the road and feel the ERP(ain). It is limited to 550 cars in production. The estimated cost is USD$300,000 (excluding all taxes).

All the items mentioned are available here in Singaproe, except the Bentley LE car which need special order and have to be placed on a wait list.