We spent 8 months in preparation to launch the Star Edition TRAVELER's notebook, it was unbelievable how the project sucked away my time from normal work, but it was super rewarding. Tomorrow will be the day when we can get on the "Shinning Star" ferry to enjoy a sunny day of the 1st Official TRAVELER'S notebook Hong Kong Gathering!
Nearly a 100 fans, friends and staff will go onboard. Participants will receive a pack of Star Edition cookie made freshly by Aunt Stella (all natural ingredients mixed in small bowl before baking) and a set of event only stickers kindly created by Designphil. Our Korean TN friend won't be able to come but he made an interesting pin/badge for each of the participants too!
There will be 3 corners on the ferry in addition to the beautiful open deck on two sides where TN friends can enjoy a great harour view. Customization corner will feature loads of scrap materials, masking tapes, event only rubber stamps and beads. I will bring along my Kingsley leather hot stamp machine for an event only emboss for participants too. Rubber stamp crafting corner will have demonstration of how to use a typical eraser and carving knife to make your own rubber stamp. Presentation corner will feature slides of old Hong Kong and a collector will share the stories he found from these old Star Ferry postcards and tickets.
(photo credit: mimuthings workshop)
We've also made a huge event poster at the lower deck where TN friends can take photo in front of the ferry wheel to play coxwain.
Who will be there in this historic event? THE Designphil TRAVELER'S notebook project owner Iijima san and designer Hashimoto san, brining along 7 Japanese TN fans flying HK just to be on the ferry. Alan Cheung the crazy collector who can talk hours and hours of old Hong Kong and Star Ferry. Shizue Takehara san who is an art exhibition organizer and rubber stamp fanatic, she helped to arrange Hong Kong artist and rubber stamp carving teacher Fion Wong onboard to give TN fans a glimpse of how easy it is to bring creativity into your TN life.
In addition to Japanese TN fans, we will have two French magazine editors from Pinholet, also fans of TN, coming onboard looking at the content of my bag and reporting this event. They are here in Hong Kong to gather materials for their magazine issue specifically about Hong Kong sub-culture, featuring Michael Wolf pictures, HK Honey, Shanghai Street Studios, So Soap, Kacey Wong's work and Tom Grundy's explorations (remember his attempt of citizen's arrest on Tony Blair in Hong Kong).
Stationery freaks in Asia have probably noticed a new dream store in Taiwan called TOOLS to LIVEBY (禮拜文房具) by now. Guess what, founder and owner Karen Yang has flown to HK just for this too! To my delight my dear TN friend "Fishball" is also flying here to join us. Finally, digital scrapbooking and installation artist Lie Fhung from Indonesia whom happens to be the 008 TRAVELER'S notebook Professional User couldn't resist the temptation to come as well.
Can you imagine? We are all connected through TN. I wish my UK friend Colin Edwards could come, we are connected through TN and my blog and he used to travel to Hong Kong in his youth. Now do I sound like this is my Tuesday-with-Morris type of funeral which everybody I hold dear of can attend? It does.
Lastly, before I start to pack my bag for the ferry ride, I would like to express my dismay of being unable to write on Scription as much as I would like to. My job has the most rewarding things one could get from a job ever, but at the same time as an employee in business (oh this blog is personal BTW), the under manpower and workload is killing the whole team and drained my energy. Like this Conklin fountain pen, the beauty and aura it emanates can't be measured by numbers, frequencies, profit or a paycheck, you will never pick this pen up if that's all you look for, you will not put this in your store if that's all you look for. I fall for beauty and aura.
