First Step into the (Wonderful) Typosphere!

Hello everyone,

Heartiest greetings from Singapore and a very warm (and grateful!) welcome to my humble little 'sharing space'!

It has been years of typewriter collecting, yet it has taken me quite a while to hop onto the Typosphere bandwagon, for the simple reason that I truly prefer to clack, clack, clack, ding over turning on my PC or surfing the Internet. I use my typewriters so much more frequently than I do my 'techy contraptions' (a far cry from my undergraduate days when I used to pore over latest gadget reviews, wait for releases and play on my PSP and DS during lectures!)... I use my machines pretty extensively too - at work even, but I'll share these in a separate post! The moment I do have any free time to spare at all, I always allow myself to indulge in late-night typecasts on my scratched-up study desk :) Despite not owning a blog, I do share photos of my machines and typecasts on a local typewriter collectors' group, and I thank you for bearing with my low-resolution photos since I do not own a professional camera and mostly just snap photos on my phone and upload them.

Perhaps it will make sense to go back to the very beginning, back to how it all started, hee hee... I must admit that typewriters were not a feature in my growing up years, and my only (vague) recollection of a typewriter is the electric one that used to be housed in dad's study room and which was used mainly to print his company's invoices. It was not something that had particularly intrigued nor fascinated me. It must have been at a museum or vintage shop when I first laid eyes on a typewriter. Up-close. Heart palpitations, dilated irises (sans contact lenses), and my legs must have turned jelly. Right at that moment there was no denying. I NEEDED, had to have one (hahaha)...

Jase and I were dating then, and I remember that the first machine we had the opportunity to acquire was an Olympia Traveller Deluxe. I looked at it through the glass display in a novelty shop and gasped... It was lovely! When I enquired about it, I was then shown the carrying case for it, and I all but shrieked in girlish delight! BUT... It was not to be... Jase had other plans.

And before I knew it...

I was to receive my first typewriter from my boyfriend who would eventually become my loving life partner - I always kid that it must have somehow sealed the deal :p We even lugged Tappy for our pre-wedding photoshoot. But back to the lead character - it was a beautiful faux-wood Royal Fleetwood!

I was absolutely floored - it was a really charming typer, and with some 70s flair too! I knew from the start I would use my typewriter frequently, but I must say that the ensuing love affair and attendant insatiable obsession were hardly anticipated... I never knew that this innocuous little mechanical marvel could be so 'bewitching'...

So there we go - typewriter No. 1! This story goes on for quite a while more, since our shared enthusiasm and fascination with these babies has led us to such wonderful experiences, encounters, and most importantly, like-minded people :)

I thank you for reading my introductory post, and I hope that like my deep and enduring passion for my beautiful writing companions, I will be consistent in posting here - I will try my best to commit to a post per week!

Warmest regards,
Claudia