Eleven stylish scribblers gathered today, While You Were (all) Sleeping, for an unusual early morning fountain pen meet in the heart of the world’s oldest Chinatown, founded way back in 1594. It was no Breakfast At Tiffany’s, but siomai, siopao and milk tea at the venerable 107-year old Eng Bee Tin’s new flagship deli at Ongpin Street was just as delectable.
Seven Pretty Women and four Clueless men showed up for that never-ending, but always-exciting, routine of trying out each other’s pens and comparing notes on inks and nibs. What keeps us eternally penthusiastic about writing instruments? Love, Actually.
We love the sound of metal nibs gliding smoothly across paper, the rustling of pages in fashionably worn-out journals, even the blemish of ink stains on our fingers. And of course, the company of great minds with equally great writing hands provides the most stimulating motivation of all.
There were some who couldn’t make it despite the notice (hey, You’ve Got Mail), but not to worry. From the looks of it, it’s only the First (of) 50 Dates!
WHAT’S UP, DOC?…First on the scene was Isabella, a resident rehab doctor at PGH. New faces Ivan (straight from Pampanga) and Jeto (with penabled son Jarred) followed, and with regulars Diane, Agnes & Amanda joining the group, we moved to our own 12-seat spot at a secluded corner.MAMMA MIA!…Last to arrive were Claire, May Anne, Debbie, and finally, dramatically, a slightly ill but still determined (and über hungry) Ruel made his much-awaited appearance, his progress on the LRT tensely tracked by Diane on a station-by-station basis.WHAT WOMEN WANT…Would a journey to the boondocks (“Binondo” comes from the archaic “Binondoc,” which refers to the area’s originally hilly terrain) be complete without a visit to Cosmos Bazaar? Not on your life. We bought inks and other writing paraphernalia as if they were going out of style.CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC…After topping off our jaunt with several bites of the celebrated Shanghai Fried Siopao, the ladies decided to meander to nearby Divisoria to shop for fabrics and other simple Bare Necessities. Hey, it’s a Girls Trip!
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