Miniso unlined notebooks and fountain pen knobs

I recommend this unlined journal from Miniso—great paper for notes and doodles! It costs less than 300 pesos and is widely available. Jessica Zafra, a rabid note-taker, recommends this, too, having broken up with Moleskines because the company no longer distributes unlined notebooks in the country. I don't mind lined notebooks, as long as the paper is good.







My kid brother, Sean, after sensing that a knob on my fountain pen was loose, decided to fix it on the spot.

"Do you need to apply grease?" I asked.

"No, it looks fine. It just needs a little tightening."

He has always been good with his hands—he is, after all, a dentist—so I wasn't surprised that he did a better job at fixing my TWSBI Diamond 480 1.1 mm stubbed-fountain pen than me.

"I read online that you shouldn't tighten the knob too much when you suction the ink," he said, warning me that there could be problems if I did so.

I asked for some ink; I didn't bring anything for this trip with me. Sean is a fan of the Pilot Irishozuku Iroshizuku, but I felt it too expensive for my present purpose—doodling and writing non-sense—so I had the Lamy black instead.

I've resolved that the next time I have problems with the pens I've accumulated, I'll just have Sean check and fix them.