Stabilo - Rhoto - Apple

3 small objects that i've recently purchased which have a big impact on my daily life.

first up is this simple-as-you-can-get stabilo point 88 pen.
i love the clean simple design and unique hexagonal striped body.
i've always had a thing for stationary, whether it be pens, pencils, notepads, erasers, envelopes...
don't get me wrong, i'm not into erasers shaped like ice cream cones, or snoopy pencils, but love well-thought, well-designed stuff.
so there i was, sitting in Nuremberg's tiny airport waiting for my flight with a pocket full of small change.
as Switzerland doesn't do the euro thing, i went hunting for something to buy. a bottle of water later and i was down to a few euro left when a spotted the stabilo stand.
you should have seen my eyes twinkle when i saw the words "made in germany". i had to have one (or two...)
with only a few euro to spare and 25 colors to choose from there was a chance i was gonna miss my flight!
but i eventually choose 2 (that's all my pocket allowed without swiping the credit card).
they write so nicely in my moleskine notebook which accompanies me to any meeting, group brain-storming session, or in the office day-dreaming break.
and to top it all off, stabilo was founded in Nuremberg. obviously meant to be.


next up is eyestretch.
dreadful name but a great little product.
living in a polluted environment and sitting in front of a computer screen most days i have found my eyes get tired or strained pretty easily.
but thanks to eyestretch from rhoto japan, my eyes get re-freshed and by the sounds of it, stretched with the help of a few little drops.
there is a terrible "product introduction" on rhoto's english website...

"As shoulders or lower back become stiff after keeping long in a same posture, eyes get tired if used away. With Neostigmine Methylsulfate taking a kink out of stiff accommodative muscle as if stretching strain muscles, the functional eye drops Eyestretch soothes tense and tired eyes."

mmm.
anyway, it relieves tension in the muscles which our eyes use to focus.
works for me.


lastly is my bigger purchase of the 3; a 4th generation iPod nano.
scary to admit, but it's actually my 3rd iPod "purchase".
i have a shuffle which was a gift (not purchased...) from my old manager. gets a beating every time i go to the gym as it fits snugly into my gym pants without creating a bulge.
naturally i don't wanna look like i'm enjoying that treadmill too much!
i also have an iPod classic, a gift (not purchased...) from K a few years back. this one holds tonnes of videos so i'm not too lonely on business trips.

and now i couldn't resist the light-weight nano (purchased!).
perfect size for my overly jam-packed subway ride to work, and perfect size for my pocket.
speaking of perfect, i just found the perfect handmade leather case for my new toy, but i now need a air ticket to Tokyo to buy it.
anyone out there in a generous mood?