PLUS Non-Stick Fit Cut Curve Scissors Review

Here comes a stationery review :) I really love discovering new stationery products and was very happy when I spotted these great scissors. Probably a video demonstration is better:

Basically you can cut paper, card and other typical materials with ease. Even cardboard boxes can be cut through with no problem! They come in a few mainstream colours like blue, pink and green. Apart from the curve on the scissors, they are coated with fluorine as well to make them non-stick.

Mine was purchased a while ago so the rubber on it has already discoloured leaving it looking a little… camera-shy…This is what they looked like at the beginning anyway!

For the first few months I was very happy with them. They do what they say on the box and even make cutting open envelopes and bits a joy, if that can be imagined. To cut through sheets of paper and card without exerting much pressure and getting a clean cut like this was something I hadn't experienced before actually. After several months though, I noticed that the non-stick coating did become a little grimy with bits of glue residue since I was using cello tape regularly. You can get it off with rubbing alcohol, but it isn't ideal of course. The blue rubber also became dark and discoloured in places ~/(>.<)\ Overall though, I actually use them every day and cannot imagine going back to my old scissors anymore (sorry…!) I try not to cut too much tape so they are pretty clean nowadays. For the price they have lasted a while and aside from cosmetic reasons, I can't actually think of a reason to buy another pair.

Personally I think they would make a really cool gift for a stationery lover. You can find it on amazon for about £5 with shipping straight from Japan: Plus Fitcut Curve Scissors


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Wild Swans ~ Jung Chang

I read this a while ago now but it still is much more vivid in my mind than other books I have read, even the most recent books.

Jung Chang grew up in communist China with her parents who had worked from the bottom rung of the ladder to become respectable members of the party, particularly her father. The book covers three generations of her family starting from her maternal grandmother and is an honest look at the lives of the women in particular, embroiled in the upheavals and social changes before and after China fell under the rule of Chairman Mao (early 1900s to 1990s). It makes you better understand modern day China with all her faults, and also the mindset of the everyday citizen.

I wouldn't call it an uplifting read overall, but it certainly makes you appreciate democracy and just how valuable freedom of speech and information are. One of the more memorable sections was how barbaric society suddenly became with people throwing accusations at those they did not like, and getting them physically and mentally punished. As well as how easy it was to manipulate the masses into either unquestionable subjugation in their feelings to the party and leader, or to become so scared to say a word wrong that any true feelings were completely stifled.

The book is banned in China and the author lives with her husband in England. Subsequent books published by the author have not achieved the same success as Wild Swans, which was published in 1991. It has since been translated into 37 languages and sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Several UK universities have named this book on its recommended reading list for Chinese studies too.

It's a pretty thick autobiography and you'd be forgiven for not finishing it! For me, I found I could read great swathes in a sitting since I wanted very much to know what would happen next. Even though it's not a happy read with many sections evoking disbelief and, well, disappointment in what tragedy can befall a nation, I really would recommend it as one of the most interesting ones out there.

If you need any further convincing, Amazon has a handy Look Inside for this book - Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China If you have a kindle, the book is just £1.99 (although I still recommend a physical book especially for one of this size… it's just much cosier!)


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