Penned by a pen!

I' m not a calculating or close-fisted person by nature.But knowingly or unknowingly I'm just accustomed to practise certain habits which proove otherwise.

Like d other day while in class my friend's ballpoint (of pen) came off.
Now it was a Cello Gripper pen and I'll tell u one thing-Cello Gripper is to us as Reynolds was to our earlier generation. My father,mother,uncles-I've seen all of them using just one-Reynolds.They used the brand as if it was quality.

I 'member my earlier years when we had just started writing in pen.Oh! what a thrill it was then.Finally after some 6 years(till 5th class) of writing unceremoniously in those black graphites,we were allowed to use pen.Yes,back then it was an eager anticipation, another-reason-to-revel-in the glory of being able to write in a pen.From looking down upon our younger siblings who still used a pencil to showing off to friends-who had a better pen.It was all too much ado over a pen.Owning a Reynolds Jetter was 'something' - back then.Well, but then Reynolds itself was quality.My parents got me a Reynolds 045 and I was to write in that for almost 2-3 years(it was boring!).Though for Birthdays we used to get different varieties(sometimes gel pens!).I had the rare luck to get a Jetter too and I had preserved it as if it was an asset-but then it was!

With the passage of time I changed many pens as I penned many changes.Nothing used to appeal me for a long time means I used to change them frequently-some were just too thick (ball points), some were just too thin,some inks were too light & others too dark.So, I just didn't have any specific pen, like my uncle used to say "my pen", to the Jetter.There wasn't a simple brand that I could say was mine.

And then I stumbled upon cello gripper.Back then (in 9th/10th) it had started gaining popularity and I used it and it seemed all right.Though it took a while to win my heart.It was just right-means the 0.5 tip and the ink - ya,it was sort of perfect.The only thing was it looked pretty common but then it came in a humble price of Rs 7.00 wid its reefil just for Rs 3.00(now it's four!).So it stayed wid me ever since.I've used it for long and somehow I know how it feels to finally have a pen - 'my pen' - I'm comfortable wid it and a good feeling that it sort of understands me.

Well it was then and this is now.Almost 60% of my classmates use it and it is ya its a remarkable feat.It has proved its mettle and taken over Reynolds I can say.Also,it is pretty affordable.
But then there's one thing-its ball point.With those who are careless like me-its ball points comes off-a bit more easily.Though now I've got into a practice and it seldom comes off but still,for first time users or maybe just 'cos its pointed,it comes off.I used to face the problem when i had started using it and since then i always replaced the nib by another old one.I always used to keep in stock,the old,used refills just to use its nib if ever it broke.

I never knew what a ball in a pen was,I always thought it was the entire nib and then one day at tuition,when I'd said I had another ball,someone suddenly asked, 'How come you 've a ball ! ' and it was then that they showed me the tip was a ball.Perhaps,someone had guessed that I had not yet understood the concept fully,so the next day,there was an exhibit waiting for me.In a small piece of wax there was a tiny spherical object,very small,and that was the ball(ball of a pen).

So, just like that I've always had old refills in my bag and that day when my friend's ball came off and he was suddenly about to throw the refill,I told him ,I've a ball to replace it and sort of it proved by shrewdness but then it was just an old habit which has fortunately lived up ahead of its time.So I still take the ball(or nib!) with my teeth(Now-a-days I've learnt not to take the ink in my mouth!) and then very easily replace it.Well,such shrewdness...............hmmm!