NOODLER’S INKS NOW IN MANILA

Noodler’s fountain pen inks are now available in Manila, exclusively at Scribe Writing Essentials!  This news has made so many members of our pen club, Fountain Pen Network-Philippines, very happy.

I am not affiliated with Scribe, nor am I paid by them to announce this – this is by way of a public service announcement for fountain pen lovers interested in buying Noodler’s inks in Manila.  Each bottle costs PhP 595 (for 3oz. weight of ink (about 80-90ml?).  That’s just a bit over USD 13, inclusive of local taxes. To figure out what ink you’re interested in, here’s a link to Noodler’s Ink Properties.  You can also view individual reviews on the global Fountain Pen Network’s Index of Ink Reviews, before you buy.

If you’d like to contact Scribe directly, here are the contact numbers:  (632) 900-0053 (Eastwood Mall, QC), (632) 654-5071 (Shangri-la East Wing, Mandaluyong) and (632) 386-4826 (Glorietta 5, Makati).  Or you can call Cindy Fulo at 0998-9983998 for more information.

Yes, I ordered my favorite color, Noodler’s Army Green (a nice olive green-khaki color), because it’s not in the current batch of ink being sold.  I got a bottle a few years ago from my cousin in the US, and was worried about where I’d get another one when it ran out.  Now that Noodler’s is in Manila, I can buy other colors I’ve been interested in as well!

MANILA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR HAUL

The 34th Manila International Book Fair is back!  We went yesterday, on the first day, and were surprised by the number of people at opening time.    It’s good to know Manila has its share of voracious readers of all ages!

For the past few Book Fairs, my decision has been to buy books by Filipino writers – we must support our own – with the occasional international trade paperback.  Prices were slashed by 20% to 50% for most outlets.  My haul above was quite modest, given my limited budget and the fact that I’m running out of bookshelf real estate.  From Anvil Publishing I got Manila Noir, an anthology edited by Jessica Hagedorn (20% off), and Jose Dalisay, Jr.’s Killing Time In A Warm Place (50% off, since it was the only copy available).  “Killing Time” will go to a friend in the US, after I’ve had Butch Dalisay sign it at one of our fountain pen meets.  I also got Anna Maria L. Harper’s Agueda: A Ballad of Stone and Wind from University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Publishing House.  That one was P400 (I wonder if it’s because UST just turned 400 years old?).  It’s in my local book club reading list.  For my father I got  Matthew Pearl’s The Poe Shadow (20% off, from Fully Booked).

I also went to Cosmos Bazaar’s stall, where they were selling Pilot Pens galore. I got two Pilot 78Gs and a Birdie (fountain pens, for P220 and 180 each).  The sales staff gave me a Pilot GreenRoller rollerball (with refills available at National Bookstore) and a 5-inch Pilot teddy bear on a keychain as promo items!

One thing I noticed about the Book Fair this year is that there seem to be less exhibitors, but these exhibitors had bigger stalls.  The food area was also much smaller.  Albergus catered as usual, but served undercooked pinakbet as a side viand with their lunch, not to mention undercooked rice.   However, their roast beef was excellent.  Maybe  on the other days of the Book Fair their food will improve, and we were just unlucky to have had lunch there on opening day.

It’s worth a visit!  The 34th Manila International Book Fair is from Sept. 11-15, 2013, 10:00am to 8pm, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia complex, Pasay City.

 

MANILA CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF SHEAFFER

Last May 2013, Sheaffer recently celebrated 100 years as a successful pen brand worldwide. The Manila celebration was held last May 29th, at the Yuchengco Museum, in Makati.   Walter A. Sheaffer originally built the company in 1913, in Fort Madison, Iowa.   While Sheaffer had been selling in the Philippines in the early 1990s, they pulled out and recently relaunched themselves a few years ago, in cooperation with the country’s foremost bookstore chain, National Bookstore.  They invited members of our fountain pen group, Fountain Pen Network – Philippines, most of whom are loyal customers.

The event was hosted by media personality RJ Ledesma.  We were greeted by BIC Asia Regional Manager Alejandro Rodriguez Tabo, with gracious remarks from National Bookstore’s doyenne Mrs. Socorro Ramos.  There were on-the-spot games with the audience, where my friend Raffy won some gift certificates for having brought the oldest vintage Sheaffer pen in the room (a 1920s black-and-pearl flat top lever-filler).

Among the items being featured that evening were the new Taranis, a hooded-nib fountain pen designed by US architect Charles Debbas, and the Sagaris, a fountain pen inspired by the earlier Sheaffer Triumph (1990s, a tribute in turn to the much earlier 1970s Imperials).   There were also three very special pens, collector’s limited editions:

The sterling silver commemorative pen has an 18k inlaid nib and is one of only 516 made.  The 18k gold commemorative pen is one of only 45 that exist.  It also has an 18k inlaid nib, and comes with a commemorative ink (although I was not able to ask what color it was).

The third commemorative pen was a sterling silver Legacy Heritage, with a palladium-coated 18k inlaid nib.  It is only one of 1,913 ever made.

Towards the end of the evening, there was a raffle, at which my friends Carlos and Allan won the top two prizes.  Carlos won a Sheaffer Valor in brown marble, while Allan won the grand prize, a Sheaffer Legacy Heritage.

We all went home with a Sheaffer Sagaris rollerball, stamped with Sheaffer’s centennial logo.

It was an enjoyable night, after which FPN-P members continued with another pen meet at a nearby ramen restaurant.

Many thanks to Robby da Silva, National Bookstore’s Sheaffer manager, for the kind invitation!