MILLIGRAM, FIELD NOTES & OCTAEVO REVIEW

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the physical Milligram (formerly Notemaker) store at Melbourne Central recently, and managed to pick up some new notebooks to use (because you can never leave empty handed!). Newly opened on the 4^th of November, it’s a store you will have to visit if you’re ever in town. There were three sets of notebooks that I picked up in my time there, and I’ve decided to do a little review comparing each in terms of size and paper quality.

These were the three notebooks:

1- Octaevo Passport Notebooks

2- Field Notes Campfire Edition

3- Milligram A6 Ruled Notebook

I’m currently predominantly using my Passport notebook for everyday planning and journaling, but have yet to find the perfect size for regular note-taking and documentation. As much as I love the Midori branded notebooks (because they’re a perfect all round notebook), they're limited variety means I'm always on the lookout for something different (and it's hard when not many companies do a Passport size notebook!)

But anyway, let's start with my review of the three notebooks. I'll go through size, variety and most importantly, paper quality tests:

1- Octaevo Passport

The Octaevo brand is new to Milligram and boasts colourful notebooks of varying sizes. Octaevo harks from across the Mediterranean seas of Barcelona with each piece they create being made to last. I purchased the Travel Notes Notebooks, Set of 3 in Alexandria, Barcelona and Athens, because they were the exact Passport size notebooks I needed. They come in a set of three, with each colour (yellow orange and blue) holding either plain, ruled or dot-grid pages:

Unlike Midori Passport notebooks, the cover is in fabric, giving them a more lasting and luxurious feel. Not to mention, their bright colours makes everything pop:

I do have to mention though, that these Octaevo notebooks are actually slightly larger than the Midori Passport notebooks:

However, they still fit perfectly in the leather cover with no overhang:

The pages feel thick and sturdy, but of course, we'll only get to know the quality of it with every day writing equipment. So on to the pen test:

I've decided to try out the most frequently used pens currently in the planner community (although do bear with me, I don't have every favourite pen in the planner community!) which included:
1- Midori Fountain Pen (with De Atramentis Documenter ink)
2- Pilot Juice 0.4
3- Muji 0.38 Gel Pen
4- Ballpoint pen
5- Kaweco Fountain Pen (F)
6- Lamy Al-Star Fountain Pen (EF)
7- YStudio Fountain Pen (F)
8- Tombow Dual Brush

I will speak in terms of feathering, bleed and show through.
Feathering: ink spreads beyond where it is applied to the paper, usually along the fibres
Bleed through: seepage of ink from one side of the page to the other
Show through: the ability to see words / images printed on one side of the page on the other. Note that just because a paper has show through, doesn't mean it has bleed through!

I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed. The thick paper really held up well with all pens. Here's a closer look at how the different pens fared on the page:

There was minimal feathering in all the non-fountain pens, with feathering increasing with nib size. It wasn't too obvious to cause any blurring of words. And here's how it looks like on the back of the page:

Again, impressed. The YStudio Fountain Pen seemed to cause the most trouble in terms of feathering and slight bleed through, but only because of the size of the nib (even though its F!). The page fared very well with all other pens with only a slight show through with the other two fountain pens.

Overall: I would definitely consider using these notebooks if I were to ever need a change from the Midori variety.  They're a great size (slightly larger than the normal, which also means more space!), contains great paper and are aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention, they have a dot grid notebook which is a big plus considering I can't find one anywhere else! Highly recommend!

2- Field Notes:

Field Notes are a well known brand for their notebooks. Although slightly larger than a Passport size, I love having them as an extra notebook tucked at the back for random notes and doodles. For me, Field Notes are kinda like a brain-dump-disposable notebook. It allows my thoughts to run free on the page with no pressure to be neat.

I bought myself the Campfire Edition seeing it was one of the many versions I've been eyeing for a while mostly because of the cute patch it comes with, and the fact that the grid lines inside came in gorgeous blue, orange and brown colours!

But having used Field Notes before, I knew what to expect with the paper quality, which to be honest, isn't fantastic for the pens I use. And here's why:

Using the same pens I trialled in the Octaevo Notebooks, I have tested them out in the Field Notes pages again. Here's how it looks:

And here's a closer look:

Feathering is slightly more evident in the fountain pens in the Field Notes as compared to Octaevo, which was mostly only evident in the Ystudio Fountain Pen. The Tombow Dual Brush marker colour created little blots on the page rather than a smooth colour lay like with the Octaevo, so don't expect colouring in these pages to turn out too artistic. The non-fountain pens fared equally in both Octaevo and Field Notes notebooks.

A look at the back of the page shows that the Fountain Pens definitely has more show and bleed through in the Field Notes page than it did in Octaevo. All other non-fountain pens did not show through:

Overall: Field Notes is great for the every day user. If you're looking for something relatively affordable to jot down notes on the go, that will hold up to most pens, this is the notebook for you. Their variety of colours, page size and the ability to choose between ruled, plain and grid paper means that there is definitely something for everyone.

3- Milligram:
Designed in Australia, with features like fountain-pen friendly paper, colourful covers and a variety of page ruling for everyone, Milligram's A6 notebooks are the next up in line in my review:

Milligram A6 notebooks comes in a pack of two, and in this case, I received a pack of two ruled baby blue and peach notebooks to try out.

They contain 40 sheets of ruled paper with 85GSM Italian Milled Fabriano Boutique Bioprima Book Paper (sounds super fancy!). But of course, this would all mean nothing without the crucial pen test. And spoiler alert: their paper definitely lives up to expectations! Here's a look at all the pens I tested out on the page:

Compared to Octaevo and Field Notes, the fountain pens on this paper had minimal to no feathering. What used to be quite evident feathering of the Ystudio fountain pen in the previous two notebooks were absolutely minimal in the Milligram notebooks. All other non-fountain pens fared well. I added extra pen tests including the Faber Castell Pitt, Versamagic ink and Pentel Brush Pen and Pentel Touch, and they all fared just as well. Exciting!

Things from the back:

Now, unlike the previous two notebooks which had minimal show-through but had some bleed through, Milligram notebooks do have show-through. There is minimal bleed through with some inks like the Pentel Brush markers, however, as these were not trialled in previous notebooks and are not exactly 'everyday pens', I will exclude them from this comparison review. There is minimal bleed through with the YStudio Fountain pen (which seems to be the trouble maker here!), but it is worth noting that no bleed through is evident with all other fountain pens. Depending on how you are with show-through pages, this might not be a deal-breaker for some. After all, writing on top of show-through pages are not as distracting as compared to writing on top of bleed-through pages. Bleed-through tends to affect the opposite page only because it can obscure words with the ink blots from the previous page. Show through, on the other hand, will be masked once something else is written on top of it.

Overall: the paper does stand up to Fountain pens beautifully as boasted in its book jacket. There is show-through at the back, but it is an overall great notebook with impressive paper!

When comparing all three:

Top to bottom: Milligram, Field Notes, Octaevo

From the above, you can see how each notebook fares with the other. Overall, the choice of your notebook will depend on their size, quality and use of each. As I am a Passport size user, the Octaevo brand is the winner if I were to need a change from the Midori branded notebooks. Although not the best quality paper, Field Notes are still here to stay due to its size and just their overall fun look and page size.

Hope this review helped!

BOOKBLOCK: WESKIN

I’ve been blessed in receiving a number of beautifully made notebooks from Bookblock recently, and it was no different when I received their newest edition in the mail: The Weskin Notebooks.

These notebooks are intricately styled to give you that vintage-Jane-Austen feel. Cloth bound, semi-flexible, gold-trimmed page edges, and cream coloured ruled pages are available in each Weskin notebook, and come in either the navy blue, yellow or black.

Here's a little backstory on the company and their newest notebook creation:

Bookblock has been customising and manufacturing products since 2013, creating the highest quality notebooks, stationery and leather products. With this knowledge and experience, Bookblock have developed and created their own range of beautiful stationery products. To coincide with the launch of their retail site this summer, Bookblock will launch the Weskin: their flagship product.

The Weskin is the perfect companion to your working day. A cloth bound, gilt edged A5 notebook that pairs timeless classic design with a contemporary finish, and like all of Bookblock’s products, is proudly made in Europe. The Weskin notebook is available in classic navy blue, contemporary yellow or muted grey, accompanied by a perfectly applied gilt edge and geometric lining inside. Subtle details come in the selection of a double grosgrain ribbon and distinct Bookblock gold foiled logo on the reverse. A superb choice for any aspiring creatives and professionals alike.

Here are a few features regarding the notebooks:
1- LAYS FLAT: Keeping your notebook flat is often an annoying and impossible task, the Weskin solves this problem with its perfectly flat lying spine, staying flush to your desk without constantly pushing back into a closed position. What could make writing easier and more enjoyable than this - using a notebook that enables full use of the page; ergonomic design that is as slick as it is practical

2- SEMI-FLEX: True to Bookblock’s standards in manufacturing, they have tested and developed a design that has made a perfect link between a flexible, soft cover notebook and a hard bound notebook: the semi flex. Keeping it light and soft, the semi flex cover creates a movable feel without interrupting the quality or finish in transit.

3- DURABLE TEXTURED CLOTH: Bookblock’s contemporary aesthetic and understanding
meant they were able to source the best quality cloth to cover the Weskin with. It’s quality and feel is like no other, a truly outstanding material that keeps its durability throughout your working day.

4- GILT EDGING: Gilt edging is the process of applying colour to the very edge of your notebook’s pages. Adding a touch of gold, with it’s premium guilt edge, the Weskin sets itself apart from any other notebook with this sophisticated, classic detail.

5- DOUBLE RIBBON: Bookblock love detail that is useful: the double grosgrain ribbon in two colours is elegant and practical to keep hold of useful pages within your Weskin.

Now, of course all these features are nice and makes these notebooks look absolutely delicious, but how do they hold up in terms of paper quality and usage? My answer: superbly.

I did a little trial page test for a number of different types of pens and the outcome is surprising. Being a predominantly fountain pen user, I like to test these pens first on any notebook I acquire. Writing on these Weskin pages are as smooth as butter. It held up well to my Extra Fine Lamy Fountain pens (filled with De Atramentis Documenter ink) with minimal show through on the other side. There was no problem when trialling the paper with regular ballpoint pens, and 0.38 Muji gel pens, as expected. Overall, it's a nice notebook to write in, and with the cream coloured pages, the Weskin notebook does end up being quite aesthetically pleasing.

The Weskin notebooks will launch in Summer 2017 and will be available from the Bookblock shop, retailing at £15. International delivery and wholesale orders are available at www.bookblock.com/shop

MAY GOALS

I think I need to make some progress this month. It seems like I've been getting no where with my craft or studies, and I'm just going through the motions of every day life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I actually don't mind it, but I know that work is currently my number one priority when it really should be anything else. But compared to the few months before, my social life has had a (minor) blip on the radar. I went to a colleague's farewell dinner just two days ago, have another dinner planned next week, a seminar with a friend on the weekend and an art exhibition visit with the intern in two weeks. It's really all happening this month, on top of my absolutely full work schedule, of course. But I guess I also (kinda) miss the days where I would sit down and document my life (in pictures). On one hand, I'm still going strong with my daily journaling, but on the other, my memory keeping has dropped to none. So I think this month will need some changes that I will hopefully bring forward to the next (and last!) 6 months of 2017.

I'd like to go through last month's goals and how I faired with them, but let's be honest, looking back, I think I failed almost all categories, and that's just no fun. So let's skip ahead to May and all the potential it may bring:

• READ: I've recently bought a number of books on fashion and memoirs from a number of sources, and I hate that I haven't been able to sit down, dig in and write some notes from it. My current reads are: Note to Self by Connor Franta (I love the visual images in it together with the diary style format the book has), The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees and Love x Life x Style by Garance Dore. I like to take my time with these because they're the type of books you can start from any chapter and will still make sense
• STUDY: To think that I don't even have a deadline for my study... but I guess that's why it's taken me so long to get started. I really need to get a start on this if I want to keep a non-stressful study timeline before the GAMSAT comes around again next year!
• PHOTOGRAPHY: I've been lacking ... severely. I'm hoping that my upcoming social events will get me back into photographing, because I really do miss using a proper camera!
• DOCUMENTATION: I admit, I've been lacking in my documentation skills recently - as said above. I've been stressing over what notebook t use (again) - passport / regular / MD / pocket / A5 ?? - but I decided that it was time to try out Passport size again. It worked really well for me previously, and I found it so hard to get back into Regular size. I still love the Regular MTN, but I need something that I can carry with me in my pocket when I'm on call or at work and write my thoughts in whenever they strike. I have a few hundred days of thoughts still buzzing in my head and they need to be unleashed onto a page.
• EXERCISE: I'm actually absolutely disappointed in myself with how much I've lacked in my exercise recently. I'd like to blame the shortened days and longer work hours, but I know I can always sacrifice a little of my morning sleep if I really wanted. I'm hoping May will give me that motivation back
• MONEY: I've been spending more of my money on clothes recently - weird, I know. Before you know it, I'll be spending it on make-up (gasp!). I guess it has got to do with my recent clothing cull of all the clothes I don't like and wouldn't wear again, but clothes are sucking my bank account dry (together with necessary medical appointments, and every day necessities). I'm slowly growing into a full adult and it's crazy! So I think it's time to start tightening the belt again when it comes to money (even though I know I'll be getting it all back with the amount of overtime shifts I'm doing this month!).

It's basically the same goals over again, but I guess it needs to be said in order for it to be done! Let's go, May!

BIG PICTURE CLASSES: BEYOND PLANNING

Guess what lovelies? I'm running a new class over at Big Picture Classes for all you planner babes! I go through a number of ideas and tips in the class that you can use in your planner for more than just planning!

The class is live now and you'll be able to sign up to get a one week trial with access to all the amazing classes they have on offer. Click on this link here to be directed straight to my newest class. Exciting times are ahead. I'll see you there!

OLIVE MIDORI TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK

Oh, I've been waiting for the arrival of this beauty ever since I saw its announcement. My favourite colour has always been green and when Midori decided to pull this one out of the bag, I knew I had to have it. They're currently out of stock from Notemaker, but never fear, word is, they'll be back for sale in May! Do sign up for their notifications so you'll know when to get your hands on it. The ballpoint pen accessory is still available for sale though (you'll get a look at it in the pictures below).

I have a love affair with Midori's packaging for the Traveler's Notebook, and I love that they've customised the opening sheet in olive green to match the TN inside. It came with the usual dust bag and extra string, but once it's opened, here's how it looks like:

I tried to make the picture as true to the colour of the TN as possible, but alas, there's something about the camera and the olive colour that does not seem to work! Do check out Notemaker's photos to get a better depiction of the actual colour. What I can say about it though is that it's luscious. 'Inspired by the dense old-growth of forests', as described by MTN, the Olive really is one of a kind. I can tell that it will age nicely with time, and there's just something about the colour that makes me want to venture out far and wide with it.

Here are a few styled shots (which I must admit, made the MTN look more brown than olive) that I took at sunset:

Like its brothers, the Olive is fully customisable. The olive pen holder and ballpoint pen came separately, but because I had to have the matching pair, in my cart they went!

If you're a MTN fan like I am, you have to get your hands on the Olive. It will be a great addition to the collection, and you definitely won't regret the colour!

APRIL GOALS

I'd like to say that March flew by, but in retrospect, I think it was one of the longest month I've had in a while. I can't seem to put my finger on why it was, but it seemed to drag on with no end in sight. But now that we're well into April and I haven't even written my goals up, I can say that this month will be the complete opposite.

Either way, let's look at how March went:

• READ: Ok, so I actually managed to finish a book this month - albeit it took me a while. I picked up A Man Called Ove in stores after it was recommended by Kelly Purkey, and it was actually a nice read. The end was definitely a heartbreaker. But despite this, like I said, it took me a while (almost a whole month!) to finish it, only because it didn't pull me in from the start. I miss reading books that hooks me in from the beginning and keeps me wanting to read it till the end. Maybe my reading interests have changed as I grow older, but it also seems as though I'm migrating towards reading hobby / self-help books more often than not. I'm reading books like Love x Style x Life where if you told younger me I'd be picking this book up in the future, I would probably laugh in your face. I've actually found these real-life experience books a whole lot more interesting than the fiction section, and I think I'm ok with that. Besides, it only means I'll be able to get through books faster.
• ADVENTURE: I'm still planning but failing at going through with any adventures recently. Sad, I know, but with a possible wedding coming up in the next few months, I'm happy to postpone this little goal till a little later in the year.
• WORK: March's work schedule ended up being just as hectic as any other month. There are always people dropping shifts, and I am always there picking them up because why not? Hah. I'm still enjoying work though, and I guess that's a good thing. I haven't quite burnt out just yet.
• CREATIVITY: I may have picked up my scrapbooking / crafting in the beginning the month, but it died sooner rather than later. A little disappointed, but oh wells.
• EXERCISE: I have cut down a little, I must admit. I'm now only doing exercises once every two days, etc, but I haven't abandoned it completely.
• SELF DIRECTED STUDY: I got my books and I tried to get organised, but every time I want to start it, I always find an excuse to procrastinate. I'm not even in uni and I somehow manage to find time to do that. At least with self-directed study, I don't have any guilt or deadlines coming at me.

I'm a little here and there with my goals for March, and I must admit, that's not good. I think I need to change the way I insert these goals into my life. It seems like everything's just everywhere and it's only because I don't have a solid way of documenting my life recently. Either way, here's a look at April's goals, and hopefully there'll be a better outcome:

• READ: Still on the reading boat, and hoping for better outcomes this month. I'm currently happy with just one novel being read this month (as it seems that's the fastest I can only read), and probably a mix of lifestyle books
• EXERCISE: I'm going to try to head back to exercising once a day like I used to in the first two months, because it seems like it's getting harder to do things that I thought I was getting used to now that I've slacked off.
• MONEY: Ok, I've been spending a little too much again, so I think it's time to cut back. I've done a whole lot of Treat Yo Self recently, and with my money rapidly depleting, I think it's time to tighten the belt until the next month. I'm not going to put a spending limit because I know I won't stick to it, but just mentally noting that I have to cut back does make a difference!
• WORK: Forever picking up shifts and not regretting it ~
• FRIENDS: I know I made a goal this year to do something different every month, and 'friends' aren't really a goal, but I think it's high time I started to reconnect with some of my high school and uni friends again, and possibly make more friends too. Although I've been working too much, it has also meant that I'm now close to a whole lot of people in ED too. I guess it helps that I've been working with two Drs that are as close to me in age, and because of that, I've been able to learn from them as much as I've been able to mess around with them. It's nice that I'm actually getting closer to people I never thought I would be able to.

It should be an interesting month ahead. Let's see how it goes.

LIFE IN PICTURES

I keep telling myself to update this place, but alas, 3 weeks has gone by without a peep. Sorry. To be fair, I have been on the creative rut lately. I haven't been taking too many pictures daily (which is disastrous, in my mind), but life seems to be repeating itself over and over again with most of my days spent working (to the point where Drs I only see in the hallways asks whether I'm there 24/7. Hah). So really, you're not missing much. I guess I shouldn't use that as an excuse, but when you're spending 6 days of your week at work, you tend to cherish that one day off, in which I spend most of it catching up on my thoughts. I have been documenting some of my days in a notebook, and to be fair, I think it's going quite well. So in order to give you an update of my life and a peak into my notebook, here are some pictures to tell the story:

Hope everyone's been well
xx

MARCH GOALS

If you've noticed that I've been slightly quiet on the social media front, you're not wrong. Remember how my goal was to continue with my crazy work schedule? Well, I can say that that goal worked quite spectacularly. It's probably illegal from how much overtime I'm doing, but I'm actually quite enjoying it. I'm still waiting for the moment where I burn out, but so far, I haven't come to that stage just yet. And that's great.

This may very well be my first (of three) days off where I've been able to sit, recollect my thoughts and do something creative (which so happened to consist of a mad rush to finish off my projects before March). I must admit though, I have been in a slight creative rut too. I've been fiddling around with my planner (again), second guessing my Traveler's Notebook and failing at my daily memory keeping. I'm hoping that a new month (and season) will bring a change to my creative life.

But anyway, here's a look at how February went and the hopes that March will bring about some new changes:

• (FAIL) READ: Still not reading. I probably touched a chapter when I was waiting around at work, but that was it. Oops.
• (TICK) WORK: Yep, still going strong. Not too sure how March will be though. Maybe I might cut down slightly to focus on new adventures with a colleague, or to catch up on my memory keeping, but I can't guarantee that!
• (FAIL) BLOG: Fact is, I'm running out of blogging ideas. I do need to create before I blog, and if I'm not creating, I'm sorry if my blog follows!
• (TICK) EXERCISE: I have faltered on days where I've been exhausted from working, but I've more or less exercise every day of February. I'm not sure if there has been any difference, but I'm hoping there is (even minimally!)
• (TICK) JOURNAL: I'm still going strong, but have missed out on journaling the last few days of February (which I will update right after this!). I have noticed that my Hobonichi has become just a recunt of my days. My deep and personal thoughts always seem to end up on scrap pieces of paper because for one, I don't carry my Hobonichi with me everywhere, and for another, there's just not enough space. The amount I write each day really depends, however. I have been thinking about a few things in my life these days, which have caused my influx in writing. Come next year, and I'm sure it'll die down again with an A6 Hobonichi being adequate enough for both my thoughts and daily happenings. For now, I've decided to recount my days in my Hobonichi while keeping my personal thoughts in a grid MTN.
• (TICK) EXPENSES: Fact is, I've been making about the same as a junior doctor (I've checked), and I'm not too concerned with spending much these days. Not working in the city means I haven't been impulse shopping much (which helps), and online shopping doesn't seem to be too interesting these days either. I'm not saying I haven't spent a bit in February, but I think it's been declining, which makes it a win for me and my bank account. So for the first time in probably a year, I'm going to scrap keeping a low expense sheet for March!
• (TICK) UPCOMING CLASS: Every time I try to start early so I don't have to rush before the deadline, it fails miserably. I must admit, my mad rush was mostly due to the fact that all my weekends have been spent working. I have managed to finished everything just on time though, so I guess that's the most important bit!

I'm actually quite amazed at how well February went (despite the fact that I thought otherwise). I'm hoping March will be somewhat different though, and I have opted for some new goals that I hope to achieve with the new season:

• READ: No more excuses! Autumn calls for sweater weather with a new book in a park.
• ADVENTURE: I'm still missing an adventure buddy, but now that my colleague is back from her holidays, I'm hoping that we'll be able to squeeze in some adventure time in the cooler month.
• WORK: It seems odd that my March work schedule isn't as full as it was in February, but I think I need to cut down my work time too (as much as I disapprove). I'll probably end up picking up shifts as we go, but for now, I think I need to settle on the fact that I have a 'normal' work schedule
• CREATIVITY: I need to pick myself up from my creative rut and get a move on with documenting again. After all, these memories are not going to document themselves! I'm hoping that March will see me going back to documenting memories in my Traveler's Notebook, including keeping a separate notebook on all my personal thoughts
• EXERCISE: When March is over, it will be 90 days since I first started my weight training routine. It might not be so evident physically (because I haven't really changed my lifestyle much), but I'm hoping it's still progress. It might take another 90 days before progress is perceivable, but I'll at least be halfway into my goals than I was before I started.
• SELF DIRECTED STUDY: I'm going to aim to do something new every month. I used to have similar goals each month last year, but I think I need to fit something different in my life to better myself. This month would be self-directed studying. It's been the best not needing to study eversince I ended my degree in 2015, but now, I'm itching to get more knowledge in my head. I've been mixing around a lot with ED doctors and nurses lately, and sometimes, it sucks that despite the fact that I'm a medical professional too, I don't exactly have that in depth knowledge of the drugs / terminology they use. I've picked up a few books from Book Depository recently, so I'm planning to study some drugs / medical emergencies when I can. Hopefully that will bring me up to speed and with the crowd.

Let's go, March!

FEBRUARY GOALS

Oh my, that went by quick. We're already in the second month of the new year, and I'm (admittedly) disappointed that I haven't actually done anything major this month. I think I'm gonna aim for something each month, something I can remember and know that that was the highlight of the month. It doesn't have to be specific, and it doesn't even have to be something great, it just has to be something different from my every day norm. I think that's the only way we know we're improving with our lives. Anyway, here's a look at how my January went:

• Read: FAIL
  I'm actually disappointed that I didn't pick up or flick through a single book this month. Let's hope February will be different.
• Work: TICK
  I must admit, the last week of January would probably be the highlight of the month, if only because my boss noticed how much I was working. Hah. I'm still excited to take on crazy workloads for the time being, so forgive me if I'm away from social media for a bit!
• Blog: FAIL
  I tried. Really.
• Exercise: TICK
  I'm actually pretty proud that I managed to go through the whole month exercising in my room, missing just two days of exercise for very good reasons (once it was 37 degrees celcius, and the other, I was just too exhausted from work). Hoping to keep this up for another 70 days to see if there are any major changes to my body by day 100.
• Journal: TICK
  I'm actually still pretty up to date with 3 of the journals / planners I'm planning to use throughout the year, so yay!
• Expenses: TICK
  I'm not too sure how much I spent this month (and I don't want to calculate), but because the sales have died off since Boxing Day, I feel like I haven't actually spent much on things I don't need. I hope to keep this up in February and with all the extra money I'm making from my crazy work schedule, my savings would be getting a great boost.

February is a short month, no doubt, but I'm hoping to get things done to its full extent either way:

• READ: Unlike last year, my reading seems to be taking a backseat. I can't seem to find the motivation to pick up a book or my kindle. Let's just hope I can fit some time for reading this month
• WORK: I'm still on the work all day every day ride, and haven't burnt out yet.. which is a good thing. I still have all the energy in me and I'm hoping to go just as hard this month
• BLOG: I'm going to try to keep this blog up to date, but forgive me if I fall behind!
• EXERCISE: I'm aiming for at least 100 days of weight training, and I really want to see if there is any difference by the end of those days. I love that I've kept up with it for the whole of January, so let's hope February stays the same
• JOURNAL: I'm loving journaling in my Hobonichi as it allows me to keep everything in one place, and I can't see February being any different!
• EXPENSES: I think I'm going to relax my expenditure just a little. I haven't actually been spending much, and with all the overtime shifts I've been picking up, I think it's fair that I reward myself at the same time
• UPCOMING CLASS: It's still under wraps, but this month's goal is to complete my upcoming class with BPC (before due date!). Details on what the class is about won't be unveiled till closer to release date, but do expect one in the near future! I just need to buckle down and write it all up before due date at the end of this month!

It's going to be a full month again and I can't wait to see what happens by the end of it!

GILLIO COMPAGNA

Oh my. I know the price was (and is) steep, but I think every planner addict should own a Gillio Firenze planner once in their lifetime. Believe me, you won't regret it. And it's probably bad superficial to say that it's made me love ring bound planners again, but it really has (to the point where for the first time in years, my MTN is taking a backseat!). I unfortunately purchased the Gillio a few hours too late as apparently they increased the price right after. But as I didn't quite know what the price was before the rise, I'm happy to live in ignorant bliss. I purchased the Gillio Compagna Medium in Epoca Gold as for one, that was the one I actually wanted, and for another, all my second choices weren't in stock (and I wanted it now!). So in the middle of the night, under my covers, I decided to purchase the one thing I never thought I'd buy.

Fast forward exactly one week later, and the much coveted Gillio Compagna was in my hands, faultless and beautiful. But first, here's a look at it unwrapped:

It came in a strong brown box that Filofaxes used to come in. I must give credit to Filofax for bringing those infamous boxes back with some prestigious models though (like the Heritage). What Filofax lacks, however, is this dust bag that the Gillio also comes in in the box:

One last unwrapping and here it is in all its beauty:

I must admit, the pictures were taken a day after its arrival (as it decided to arrive when I was working late that day), so the insides are already filled with my current planner refills. While waiting for my Gillio to arrive, I read a number of blog reviews on this particular model, and trust me when I say that none of them were exaggerating of how well made the planner is (not to mention, it smelt wonderfully leather). Just from holding and feeling it between your fingers, you're able to tell how luxurious, heavy and thick the leather is. Accidentally scratched your planner with your fingernails? Just rub them off with your fingers. That's how amazing it is.

But apart from the leather, the Gillio Compagna is famous for its pockets, especially the full length pocket at the back (seen below). Admittedly, I'm not much of a pocket user, but given the chance, I'd fill them all up nevertheless. Hah.

When it comes to the rings, compared to Kikki K and Filofax, you can tell that the Gillio is on a different level of strength and quality. It snaps nice and shut with no gaps in them whatsoever. It seems to be made of thicker and sturdier metal too, so I don't expect it to bend anytime soon. Not to mention, the ring diameter comes in at 25mm, so you're free to stuff it as you will.

As I've made the move from my MTN to this planner, I'm planning to fill it with everything that my MTN used to hold, from a diary, art, scrapbooking, expenses and the likes. The one thing I've missed with ring binders is your ability to keep the pages you need over and over again, and throw out the ones you dont. Not to mention, the ability to shift pages around and add in little ephemera when you fancy.

I can't see myself converting back to my MTN anytime soon, although I do wish the page size was a little bigger for more information coverage. But hey, it's nothing I can't get used to. I'll be throwing in some planner peeks throughout the year, so keep a look out for that. And if you're still contemplating over whether or not you should press the button and get that Gillio, I say go for it. You won't regret it, I promise!