ramblings

Last year I wrote about changing my planner to a Moleskine Daily planner. Well, it was just too heavy to lug around.

So for the upcoming year, I did find this one by Mark's Diary called Ed!T, it is half the thickness of the Moleskine while still having the space to write on a daily basis.

Oh and remember my motivator?! Well, I've been using it for a year and 9 months and recently hit 500 miles with it...woot!

I'm on Instagram now, if you're using it too, you can follow me (if you'd like), just type in "katnhwi" in the search and click "follow". I sometimes post photos that I don't blog about. If you're not using Instagram, you can also check out my Flickr set labeled "Instagram". UPDATE: I closed my Instagram account

Satoshi's off today, so we're doing our O-soji today, hope your week is going well!

odds & ends

I think I'm getting hooked on Moleskine notebooks...

I saw one on Hapa|Hale's blog earlier this year and wanted to get it.

It is embossed with the Hawaiian Islands. I've not yet used the grid-type of notebook, so I look forward to using it after I fill up my journal type notebook.

I also have the free app they have on iTunes, but it is too complicated and not very useful in my opinion.

My journal type notebook (left) and daily diary (right) looked kinda boring being plain and just black (actually I would get them confused when I grabbed one in a hurry)...so I started sticking stickers on them to "tell them apart"...

There is also an address book in the daily diary, so I stuck a sticker of President Obama on it (for no particular reason)...I have addresses and phone numbers in it, though I am not using it alphabetically, and I also have notes and memos in there too.

Whenever we go to the movies in Japan, pre-sale tickets are much cheaper than buying them on the day of the show (1300 yen (pre-sale) vs 1800 yen (day of) about US$13 vs US$18).

The neat thing about this is that after they remove half of the ticket to exchange for a seat ticket, you are left with a mini movie poster, so I've started sticking them in my daily diary also.

I find having these mini movie posters helps me remember what the movie's story was about...

I've also started jotting down the different teas I've tried by various makers.

The only thing about these large notebooks is that they are quite heavy.

Do you use moleskine? What do you use them for?

friends

On a recent walk after a night of rain and wind, this is what the streets looked like.

Leaves everywhere! And every time the wind blew, more would fall to the ground.

Every time I go walking, I've been picking up a couple of leaves from the ground whenever something catches my eye.

They are all sorts of shades and sizes.

This one house had fallen leaves "pasted" on their fence from the wind and rain. I thought it looked neat.

With the leaves I have picked up, I've been taping them into my Moleskine notebook, a nice memory, don't you think?

The other day at Starbucks I noticed this quote on their wall, "Friends are like snowflakes, all are different, all are beautiful."

Thank you for being my friend.

planners

About this time of year and at the beginning of the fiscal year (April), you will see lots of techo (planners) at various stores in their stationery section. 

There are so many varieties to choose from--pocket sized, weekly, A4 (like 8.5"x11" but smaller)....covers with Hello Kitty, leather bound, binder style...the choices are pretty much endless. 

Some have train/subway maps in them. 

Some have the Japanese holidays and good luck/bad luck days too (which could be a post in itself but is explained here). 

I first started using a techo when I studied in Japan. 

After coming back from studying abroad, I would try to visit my host-family during October-November so that I would be able to buy a new one. 

Or if someone was going to Japan for business/vacation, I would ask them to buy me one. 

I especially liked the binder style, which you can put in or take out pages if need be. 

Plus, you don't have to buy a new binder, just get a new refill. 

In the beginning, I wouldn't write much in them, just appointments and birthdays here and there. 

Then gradually I started writing what I was eating. Then the weather. 

For the upcoming year, I decided to change to Moleskine's daily planner. 

It is bigger (and heavier) than what I am used to carrying around, but I figure it would give me more space to write down things. 

Maybe this way I could be more detailed with items, not just writing "bento" (boxed lunch) or "sozai" (pre-made foods). 

I can't wait to use it. 

Do you use a planner? 

How do you use your planner? 

It is Friday here, hope you have a nice weekend!