Day 1 @ SG - Happy Surprise

Hello Singapore! 

I'll be here for a short-term assignment along with two of my colleagues. Since it's raining hard outside today, I decided to stay indoors and blog till I drop. :)

I arrived yesterday, Saturday noon via Singapore Airlines and it took me no time to get a cab and reach my hotel. I'm staying in a boutique hotel near Victoria Street and I have this quaint, homey room all to myself. My room is soooo pink and feminine, with dainty almost princess-y matching bed and dresser, and a window overlooking Victoria Street and the Bras Basah Complex.

How was my first day? Please click 'Read more'.

As what I've posted in Facebook, I would have stayed in and blogged. Later that day, I decided that I have to experience what the Singaporean taxi driver told me about the city's "unhealthy" haze --- the reason why he was not feeling well. A Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) of more than 100 is not healthy as was the case yesterday. He even suggested that I wear a mask should I decide to go out. I thought to myself, good luck to us on Manila's daily smoke.

By the way, Facebook (FB) has been the channel for my random thoughts and pictures for the past three months or so. That's because it's more accessible and I've been avoiding unnecessary data and internet surfing costs recently. If you're one of my FB friends, you'll still be updated on my blogg-ish posts even if I've been on blogger hiatus lately. 

I've also posted in FB last January 2015 that I am trying to learn calligraphy. Calligraphy is from the ancient Greek words  κάλλος kallos "beauty" and γραφή graphẽ "writing". It is visual art related to writing (Mediaville, Claude (1996). Calligraphy: From Calligraphy to Abstract Painting). Beautiful handwriting using a special pen made just for calligraphy, I must say.

My first "brush" with calligraphy was in high school through the mandatory Industrial Arts. At that time, I managed to complete the lettering assignments by faking the thick strokes using a pen. I know, sacrilege! 

When I'm trying to learn something, I go to great lengths of trying to master it or to just really fall in love with it. Learning calligraphy has been and continues to be a fun experience for me. My search for calligraphy supplies has led me to Scribe Writing Essentials in Manila (Glorietta 5 in Makati, and SM Aura in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig).

When I was surfing the internet for the Nikko-G nib which I couldn't find in any of the Scribe branches, I found "Straits Art", an art supplies store in Singapore.

Just my luck, I found out that I will be going to Singapore! And more. The art supplies store is actually just walking distance from my hotel. Without a doubt, this became my first stop on my first day in Singapore.

Back in Manila, I was already happy with my Brause steno (#361) and Bandzug nibs. Haaaaa, at Straits Art...I almost died in calligraphy nib heaven. :) The two sales ladies at the store were very helpful. They readily showed me a big compartmentalized box of nibs. I took my sweet time to pick my choices. The sales lady was thoughtful enough to replace one of my nibs seeing that the clueless me picked up a tester.

Look what I found (BIG GRIN) !!!

Stuart Houghton Calligrahy Ink in black
Nikko-G nib (Japan)
Leonardt Index Pen nib (England)
Leonardt "blue pumpkin" nib (England)
Leonardt Shakespeare nib (England)
Mitchell copper plate nib

The calligraphy ink brands I saw were not familiar to me. I'm used to the Indian ink and Dr. Ph Martins at Scribe. I picked two bottles and asked the sales lady which one is good for beginners. Like the helpful people at Scribe, she kindly explained to me that the non-waterproof type is good for beginners to avoid the ink from sticking much to the nib and pen. I also bought two wooden pen holders. When compared with Scribe prices, the supplies I got here are much cheaper, though these are pricey in Singapore standards according to some blog posts. I believe that the edge or selling point of Straits Art is its stock of hard-to-find supplies such as the calligraphy nibs.

Obviously, I really fell in love with Straits Art. If I will be staying longer in Singapore, you'd expect me to frequent this place :)

I bought inexpensive drawing books at Popular Central (I found it so much similar to my country's National Bookstore). Five floors of stationery, school supplies and books. I chose two drawing books - one inexpensive one with a plain black cover and another one with black sheets which I will reserve for my Dr. Ph Martin's bleed-proof white ink when I'm back in Manila.

Having read a number of blog entries which recommend this nib for beginners, I sampled the Nikko-G right away. I wasn't disappointed. The nib feels sturdy and yet flexible for thin and thick strokes. 

Please excuse my shaky attempt at modern/casual calligraphy using my Nikko-G nib

Thank you Heavenly Father for giving me happy surprises found in least expected places. A good 'day one' while in Singapore. :)