Michaelangelo's Masterpieces

Thanks so much to my senior medical physicist, Hazel for the 20 postcards from Italy! :) I wanna post more but the net is too slow...these 2 are among my favorites: Michaelangelo's masterpieces.

The Creation of Adam from the ceiling of Sistine Chapel from the first card was painted in 1511. It's an illustration of one of the stories from the Book of Genesis.

The second card means so much to me...I was cast of a play for Holy Week. I was Mary and together with the actor playing Jesus, we had the La Pietà tableau for almost 30minutes. I had leg cramps for 3 days I believe! I guess that was penitence enough for the Holy Week season that year :p

Europe stamps 2/2 (+ a comforting love story)

Another Sunday in Europe and here are flower stamps from Finland and Germany:

Forgive me if I ain't sharing info about these stamps. I am sharing a story about a love affair with a flower vendor instead...

...I go to the Pike Place Market in Seattle almost every Saturday morning to shop and carry on a love affair.

For several years I've bought flowers from a youngish woman who is a refugee from one of the hill tribes of Indo-China. For one thing, she has the freshest and most beautiful flowers. For another, she is a fresh and beautiful flower herself. I don't know her name, nor she mine.We won't speak the same language. To her, I must be just another customer.

She is spring to me. She's there with pussywillows, daffodils, and then irises. She's summer, with roses and sunflowers. She's fall, with dahlias and chrysanthemums. As the growing season comes to an end, she brings stems of fall leaves to sell, and then it's over. In winter, I miss her.

...I always insist she keep the change and she always insists on giving me an extra flower.

Once I tried to buy all her flowers at once, but she just shook her head. "No." I don't know why. Maybe she, too, is in love with someone and wants to be there to sell him flowers when he comes.

- an excerpt from Robert Fulghum's True Love, a collection of short love stories

Temple of Venus

Here's a postcard of the Temple of Venus during winter in the Linderhof Palace, Bavaria, Germany. The sculpture is larger than life. The site of the temple was originally intended for a theater but due to the royal finances being serious difficulty in 1878, a smaller project which was the temple was commissioned instead.

Visit Raya @ Colors & Contrasts for more Wednesday White photos and stories.

Austrian & Finnish stamps

20 years Kunst Haus Wien commemorative stamp from Austria

The stamp is glittery, the first of its kind that I have so far. The Kunst Haus displays a unique Friedensreich Hundertwasser collection. The museum used to be a furniture factory transformed by the artist into his characteristic style of mosaics using glass, metal, bricks, wood, and ceramic in many colors.

Torronsuo from Finland's National Park Stamp Series
The Torronsuo National Park was established in 1990, covering 30 km in the province of Häme, south of Finland. It includes a mire that is considered the deepest in the country with up to 12-meter thick layer of peat.


I am linking up with Viridian for the Sunday Stamps. Visit her page today and next Sunday to learn more about European stamps.

Velika Panda & Alfons Mucha from CZ

It's the typhoon season here in the Philippines so it's no longer a surprise that we've got our second typhoon in a single week. Forgive me for saying this, but sometimes I like it when there's a typhoon. The scents of leaves; the smell of nature floats in the air, as the rainwater washes the city greens free from dusts and pollution...

And because I am dreamy about taking a hike into the woods to smell more freshness this weekend, I am sharing a green postcard with a cutie velika panda in it. I learned that velika is Croatian word for giant.

What's more interesting about this postcard from Czechoslovakia (which I always have a hard time pronouncing properly) is the zodiac stamp at the back. The stamp was issued on May 26, 2010 to commemorate the 150 years of Alfons Maria Mucha,. 

Trivia: Alfons Maria Mucha was the first artist to design the postage stamps, banknotes, and other government documents for the Chechoslovak republic when it won its independence after World War I. 

Trivia: Mucha's distinct art nouveau style was the inspiration for the Japanese manga artist, Naoko Takeuchi for the design of a series of posters depicting five of the main characters of his manga series, Sailor Moon.
Source: wikipedia.org

African Stamps

I am sharing three stamps which were part of a collection of a French friend. I'm grateful for these stamps because these are the only stamps that I have from Africa. I wasn't able to participate w/ Viridian's Sunday Stamps last week because I am yet to receive anything in the mail from South America. But for this week, we are off to three countries from Africa:

CONGO. The stamp is a portrait of the first president of the Republic of the Congo, Fulbert Youlou. He's also second prime minister of the Republic of the Congo. I tried to get more info about when the stamp was issued but I was unlucky :(

GUINEA. These fishes are part of the tropical fish 6 stamp set. Siganus trispilos is commonly known as the threeblotched rabbitfish and the Naso lituratus as ornagespine unicornfish. I bet these fishes would complain if they asked to write their names, being in the kindergarten!

MADAGASCAR. Here's a picture of a native from Madagascar with a spear.The stamp was issued in 1946.

Another fun learning experience for me, I hope it was fun for you to travel and learn via stamps, too!

Monsanto, Portugal

Olá! Here's a postcard of a village picture from Monsanto, Portugal. The net says it's the most authentic Portuguese village. The place with its granite houses is considered a living museum, thanks to the strict building regulations.

I can't really figure out if I got this from a private swap, because I can't remember mailing a card for someone with an address there...


Oh my unreliable memory! A sign of aging? Ugh. Kinda scary for a 20-something like me. :p

Trivia: During the Festival of The Holy Cross every 3rd of May, 'marafonas' - the typical ragdolls are carried by women to the top of the castle and clay jars full of flowers are thrown from the walls. This is to commemorate their victory over the Moors.

I am trying to verify whether the tall building in this postcard is the Torre do Relógio...someone help me please. Gracias!

Happy weekend everyone...kindly visit Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy for more wonderful postcards. :)

A Pup from Switzerland

Since it has been raining cats and dogs here in Manila, I decided to post a postcard of a pup today. :) The card is also one of the nicest that I've got so far. It's from Switzerland sent by a food engineer. I know the profession of the sender isn't related to the card but it's the first time I've read/known about it. I had to google it up.

Anyways, here's the card. The description at the back gives an address for Tierschutzbund which according to my research is the counterpart of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

And this quote I found about puppies really made me chuckle!

The best way to get a puppy is to beg for a baby brother -- and they'll settle for a puppy every time. -Winston Pendelton

Wisdom in stamp

I am taking another trip around the world. If it's via postcards on Fridays/Saturdays, on Sundays, it will be via stamps. This trip is sponsored by Viridian's Postcard Blog and today we start off in the North American and Mesoamerican continent.


I guess there's no better place to start this trip but from where my yesterday's post for Round d' World Weekends was stationed. Yes, New York, it is! *wink*

From Niagara Falls we move to the Rockefeller Center in the city proper of New York City, NY. Here's a stamp showing a sculpture at the entrance of the GE Building that houses the well known NBC studios. The relief on the stamp is called 'Wisdom'. It was completed in 1931-1933. The inscription reads:

"Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times." 
Isaiah 33:6

And here's another picture of 'Wisdom' showing more of the building where it is located:

Image Credit: cerdsp at Flickr.com

Wow! I could have never known these things if not for this stamp. Thanks Viridian for this weekly Sunday project!

Remembering 9-11 with the American people today. Have a meaningful Sunday everyone!

Finding Nemo

Hello folks! Pardon my absence for a month and a few days. This busy, crazy, and sometimes funny ;-) life! Yay! It might take forever to narrate what kept me away from here. Right now, I am just excited to post new entries. To start it off, I am sharing more stamps for Viridian's Sunday Stamps blogfest.

The True Clownfish or Amphiprion percula is from my bestfriend Jeri, who's so sweet to remember me during one of her out-of-town vacations. The stamp was part of the 2010 Philippine Marine Biodiversity issue. Quoting an article from the Philippine Postal Corporation website:
"The Philippines forms an ocean that has long been recognized as the world's center of marine biodiversity. With the Malay Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, and Australia, the country forms the 'Coral Triangle', so called because of the abundance of its coral reef life...(70% in the Philippines, 20% Indonesia, 10% Malaysia)..."

I don't have these other stamps w/ me and I just found them in the PhilPost website as part of the marine biodiversity issue. I think I'm too selfish if I don't share these beautiful stamps. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. =)

Ducula mindorensis

This is the first stamp that I am sharing here w/c is not in my possession. I was inspired by the write-up about the bird stamp that Viridian posted and I was curious whether there's a stamp issued about endemic birds from my province of Oriental Mindoro.

Without much effort, I found what I am looking for in a site created for the love of Philippine Wildlife Philately. Kudos to the author of that site for the wonderful stamps of Ducula mindorensis or Mindoro Imperial Pigeon. From further research, I found out that this stamp that I lifted on that site was issued on 16 April 1979. Wow, this stamp is years older than me!

From an online fact sheet, I confirmed that the Mindoro Imperial Pigeon is under the red list for being endangered. It is decreasing in a rapid rate due to deforestation. And sadly, there are mining activities going on in my province now...I can only pray that these birds would survive so that the future Mindoreños can still see them for real.

Bunad from Norway

I am definitely making this weekend lovely. From the fragrant, dainty, pink flowers and carefree butterfly yesterday from Russia, we move into Norway and we're greeted by such pretty smiles! I really feel like smiling back to the postcard whenever I look at it. Ok, ok..I am guilty, I do have my 'moments', hahaha!!

The back of the card says that the man and woman in front are wearing folk dresses from Setesdal. I searched the web and found the word, bunad. However, bunad only applies to the women's costume. I wasn't able to find the proper word for the man's costume. If anyone knows, please do let me know by posting a comment to this post. 

Trivia: Bunad is one of the oldest folk costumes in Norway and among the few that is still used until today. Source: Bunads for Women in Setesdal

Thanks Hanne for sending me this card all the way from northern Europe.

Flowers from Russia

Yihee!! I am glad that at last, I am posting my first ever and official Postcard Friendship Friday entry. The other one is kinda void because it was posted on an early Saturday.

And I am sharing here what I deem as the loveliest postcard that I've received so far. With the stress level and mental pressure that I am undergoing right now, this one is truly something really calming and comforting. Thanks so much to Anna who sent me the card all the way from Russia.

Truly, I can feel the delicate petals and smell the fragrance of these dainty pink and white flowers. I hope I can be as free as this butterfly, who doesn't have to worry about anything other than hopping from one lovely flower to another. This is giving me the good vibes for a lovely weekend. Happy Postcard Friendship Friday and happy weekend everyone!

Postcard ID: RU-460949
Traveled 8,222 km in 30 days

Jose Rizal at 150 Commemorative Stamps

The theme for the Sunday Stamps @ Viridian's Postcard Blog is patriotic and I am sharing these commemorative stamps of our national hero, Dr. Jose P Rizal for his 150th birthday.


The stamps were issued by the PhilPost on 19 June 2011. The designs featured here are those of student artists, Marc Aran C. Reyes and Lex Kempho Lacar. They won the contest on stamp designs based on interpretation of the national hero's ideals.


To elaborate more on the design of the stamps, here's an excerpt from a PhilPost article about this issue:

Designs: Marc Aran Reyes
The artist wanted to show Rizal standing with a dove beside him symbolizing Rizal’s aspiration for freedom. The Philippines, like a dove, is meant to be free from all kinds of oppression. Also depicted is the cover of the Noli Me Tangere, one of Rizal’s greatest novels. He also included the elements of the flag: the stars and the rising sun, symbolizing hope and bright future.

Lex Kempo Lacar
To show how Rizal became a pillar of the nation, there is a depiction of the colors and elements of the National flag (blue, red, three stars and a sun). The sun also symbolizes Rizal’s peaceful quest for freedom.

Jelgava, Latvia

 

Trivia: The Rastrelli/Jelgava palace contains the sarcophagi of almost all of the Curonian dukes, except the last one. Source: wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelgava

Happy weekend everyone.

Philippine Hoyas Stamp of 2011

It's Sunday Stamps time again in Viridian's Postcard Blog and the theme is summer, especially butterflies. I regret that I don't have butterfly stamps to share...but summer is also about flowers in bloom! Butterflies love flowers, so I am sharing this Philippine Postal Corporation 2011 First Quarter Issue of Topicals Philippine Hoyas on 08 March.

Hoyas can be found all over the archipelago. It can be found in 200-300 varieties, either in vine or shrub type. Shown here is a se-tenant block of 4 at P7 each. My favorite is the Hoya mindorensis since this variety is endemic to my home province of Mindoro.

Trivia: This genus was named by botanist Robert Brown in honor of his friend, Thomas Hoy. Brown is one of the pioneers in the use of microscope in botany. Hoy was a gardener to the Duke of Northumberland at Syon House in Middlesex, UK.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org , http://www.philippinestamps.net

St. Hierarch Nicolae Church, Moldova

I really wanted to join Beth (with a really catchy and interesting blog title, 'The Best Hearts Are Crunchy') in her Postcard Friendship Friday but my broadband connection has been too slow and I kept on being kicked out from the net. Since just a few hours have passed since Friday, I wish this post would still qualify...

The postcard is a direct swap Moldova. The sender's name is Kate and she said it's her first time to mail a postcard to the Philippines. Hurray for her and I am really glad that I am the one who received her first card to Las Islas Filipinas.


More to my delight is this picture of a cute and white church on a seemingly summer day in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. I bet my grandmoms would be equally delighted if I can tour them here! (Too bad I am not yet capable in fulfilling that wish.) I came from a devout Roman Catholic background from both sides of the family and my aguelas, Victorina and Editha are both devotees to the Virgin Mary. This church belongs to Eastern Orthodoxy but it is still a very pretty Catholic church!


The captions confused me at first but after some research, I learned that the church pictured here is only a part of a bigger structure, Capriana Monastery. Hence, the caption at the bottom of the postcard. Capriana Monastery was built in 1429 and is one of the oldest in Moldova. The church in the picture is from 1903. 
Source: http://www.tur.md/eng/topheritage/58/ 


Republica Moldova can be found between Romania and Ukraine, check out the red mark on the map below: