Gandalf & Unification Stamps

I've been so excited to share stamps that I received last week with Viridian's Sunday Stamps.

I am really glad that the first of two themes today is 'anything you wish'. Perfect for me to feature these Gandalf stamps. I got them at the back of the two postcards sent to me by my master's degree thesis advisor. He was attending a conference in New Zealand at the exact timing for The Hobbit's  opening season there. I watched the film last week and it was awesome! I was really impatient for this film as I am also a big fan of The Lord of the Rings. And also because the film's main star is Martin Freeman who plays that Dr. John Watson character (such an adorable loyal friend!) in BBC's Sherlock TV series. (Anyone reading this from New Zealand...I really wish to get a Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins stamp for my birthday on February. Please message me if you hear/read my request. Thank you! :D )

The next theme is a challenge to find 'a stamp commemorating the end of something'. It's a challenge really as I had to diligently scan every postcards album that I have to find a stamp fit for the theme. And here's what I got, a stamp for the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

The Unification of Italy according to my online research, is significant because it brought a finality to the Vienna settlement of 1815. Now that required me to read about European history cause I barely know anything about it...so I learned that the Vienna conference from November 1814 to June 1815 aimed to unite the political and social structure in Central Europe. Allow me to side comment --Thanks Uncle Wiki, you're always so dependable ;) Moreover, the unification marks the end of lack of agreement between Italian states -- proving that nationalism was still of greater value than liberalism, which was a more popular school of thought for change at that time.

I am looking forward into sharing New Year stamps next week! For now, I wish everyone a wonderful year ender and a cheerful welcome for the 2013 on the night of the 31st.

~maria

The Physics of Santa Claus

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Tuija Thil
Sent from Rovaniemi, Finland, Sent on 05 Sep 2012
Received on 19 Sep 2012, Traveled 8,792 km in 14 days

Fact: Santa Claus is so fat he warps space-time into a black hole and then travels from house to house through the resulting wormhole. The reason people never see him is because any light reflected off him is not able to pass the event horizon. As his energy is released in the form of Hawking radiation Santa must consume milk and cookies to assure he maintains sufficient mass, otherwise he might be seen.

Furthermore, it is a misconception that Rudolph has a red nose. His nose is actually green, but appears to be red due to the electromagnetic Doppler shift caused when the sleigh travels at such a high rate of speed away from the observer. Rudolph was once asked how this light is able to pass through the event horizon of Santa's black hole. His response, "All I can say is that's just the milky way."

I found this Santa anecdote on one of my friends Facebook wall. Of course it's just a joke but it's too amusing not to share! Pardon me folks, it's the trying hard physicist in me kicking in! 

The card by the way is from Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Happy Friday everyone! I'm jumping onto Beth's Postcard Friendship Friday page...Come on, blog hop with me!

~maria

Santa-believer Me!

DE-1784034, Sender: Antje
Sent from Wuppertal, Germany, Sent on 04 Dec 2012
Received on 20 Dec 2012, Traveled 10,319 km in 16 days

I rarely share long status messages in Facebook. (And in fact I haven't really shared one before!) But I was exceptionally inspired than usual last night and posted:

I thought Santa forgot about me...but yes, 20+ girls still get their Christmas wishes coming true! Got mine 50 mins before the 25th is officially over... 

Sobrang salamat po (thank you so much) Big Dad for sending Santa my way even I'm a big girl now! I'll do my best to be even nicer this 2013...so perhaps my gift can come a little earlier next Christmas? Kidding...early or late, just please don't ever erase me on your list even though I'm already a toothless and demented old woman...

I hope everyone's wishes for Christmas came true! If not, I'm sure it's just a little late (like mine almost was). So let's just keep the faith that Santa will drop the gift any time soon. After all, Christmas doesn't really have to be just on the 25th right? ;-)

May we keep the spirit of Christmas: happiness, forgiveness, faith, hope, and love alive all year through! Merry 'all year long' Christmas everyone!

I wish the same for my co-bloggers, readers, and friends in the postcards blog sharing community! ;-)

~maria

Pasko Stamps from 2011

Christmas in our local language (Filipino) is 'Pasko'. I remember when I was a kid, during my early years in grade school, our teachers would quiz us about Christmas symbols. This set of 4 stamps is just perfect learning aid for that! Here we have Christmas bells, the Christmas flower - poinsettia, Christmas presents, and the Christmas lantern or 'parol'.

Parol is my favorite Christmas symbol. It It is also one of the most popular decoration for Christmas in the Philippines. It is a reminder of the star which guided the three wise men to the newlyborn Jesus Christ inside a humble manger in Bethlehem. 

Two days before we celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday. I wish everyone a warm and cheerful celebration with family and friends. May we all be blessed and may we multiply these blessings through kindness and love, not only during this holiday season but all throughout the next year.

I'll be in an internet hiatus from now and until Christmas to spend quality time with family. But, sharing these stamps first with Viridian's blog hop and checking what others have posted before I say 'au revoir' to my buddy Net for a few days. ;-)

Merry Christmas everyone! :)

~maria

Seasonal Greetings!

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Valeria Novik
Sent from Minsk, Belarus, Sent on 04 December 2012
Received on 20 December 2012, Traveled 8,968 km in 16 days

Here's a surprise card I got yesterday. :D

Valeria wrote at the back of the card:

Thank you for our swap this year. I would love to wish many exciting cards and letters, love, harmony, joy, and happiness. How have you been? How do you plan to spend your holidays? Best regards, Valeria.

Thank you so much Valeria for this beautiful red seasons greeting cards. Thank you also for the well wishes. I also wish the same for you and your family!

Let's hop into Beth's Postcard Friendship Friday page to check out more Christmas postcards ;-) 

Sunday Stamps # 101: The Nativity Scene

First, my apologies to Viridian for being an absentee from the Sunday Stamps blog hop...I hope in the spirit of the holidays you can welcome me again in your stamps blogger community. Thank you for the comment on my Singapore post that I'm being missed. It means so much to me. :)

I really had to look hard at the back of the postcards and letter/cards envelopes I've received for a Christmas theme stamp cause I don't remember having received one...

But wow! From a set of 6 stamps attached on this beautiful envelope I received from Poland in March 15 this year, I found this stamp of a nativity scene! The nativity scene has a special place to my heart. I believe I've posted an entry before, explaining the nature of my first name. My parents played Mary & Joseph for the Nativity Scene of our parish church. Hence, my name Maria Kristina -- from Mary and Christ (Jesus Christ) since my mother was 6 months pregnant to me at that time. 

The nativity scene is also one of my favorite Bible verses in tangible form:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

For my readers who celebrate Christmas, may the Christmas symbols continue to remind us of how much Big Dad loves the whole world (Yep, I believe there would be another wonderful holidays celebration this year, the world won't end on 21 December '12!) 

For my readers who aren't into the Catholic/Christian faith, may the symbols and spirit of this holiday season inspire happy and warm thoughts. :)

A great week ahead for everyone! Sharing this post to Viridian's Sunday Stamps on the page dedicated for the love of postcards and stamps.

~maria

11 Days Before Christmas! :D

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Abran Ochoa
Sent from Santa Clarita, CA, Sent on 24 November 2012
Received on 12 December 2012, Traveled 11743.6 km in 18 days

Abran wrote:

Hi Krissa! How are you dear? I hope very well! I hope you've been in good spirits. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Christmas and great 2013! Thanks for your cards and hope we'll swap more soon. God bless my friend.

Thank you so much for the wishes Abran! This is my very first Christmas card and written well wishes received for this year. ;-)

And I surely missed the Postcard Friendship Friday blog hop, so join me in as I link with Beth and the other PFF bloggers!

Eleven days to go before Christmas. I hope despite life's constant challenges, we're all filled with good spirit and cheers! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

~ maria

The Lion City

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: My twin, Wan
Sent from Singapore, Singapore, Sent on 11 June 2012
Received on 20 June 2012, Traveled 2,392 km in 9 days

I got this as a 'welcome back to Asia' card after an almost one month visit to Scotland and the United Kingdom. I fell in love with the places I visited there. Edinburgh and Stratford-upon-Avon were my favorites. I told myself I would love to live in any of these two places. It was like being inside a fairy tale with the ambiance there.

Then, exactly one month ago, at this very same hour, I was preparing for my early morning flight for Singapore. I had a four-day experience of Singapore, the 'Lion City' and I told myself, I want to relocate and would love to work and find advancement with my profession there. Singapore is more a reality to me than living in Edinburgh and/or Stratford-upon-Avon. It's almost industrial and commercial landscape all over the place, but it still remains clean and green. Despite the busyness, one can still find zen in the midst of tall buildings and continuously buzzing people and transportation because there are nice and relaxing gardens and lots of tress everywhere. I think it's a really nice place to make professional dreams coming true while being able to stay healthy inside and out as a person. The biggest considerations, the western competitive vibe for continuously working hard for a good quality of life is there but, this place is less expensive than US/UK/Europe, very much closer to home, and the weather is very similar to the Philippines.

Chinatown Food Street dining experience with my twin / bestfriend Wan 
(who sent the postcard and who invited me to visit Singapore).

I am a 'can-never-tolerate-the-cold' person having been raised and lived in a tropical country for 20+ years. An airconditioning temperature lower than 18 degrees Celcius makes me shiver already! I realized it would be an extreme torture for me to permanently live and work in the cold western countries, especially during the during winter. Plus I would be too far from my family and friends here in the Philippines. Family is very important for me and also my most trusted friends are staying here in the Philippines (like my bestfriend who would be a lawyer here and she can't be a practicing lawyer somewhere else without additional years of studies and qualifying exams).

Given the chance to live and work outside the Philippines, I realized I would prefer another country which is closer to home (read: where plane ticket to fly back to Manila whenever necessary is a lot cheaper :p ). 

One simple realization but it taught me some things which are substantial. Sometimes, we imagine ourselves in fairy tale dreams. We love these dreams because of course, fairy tales are always beautiful and are always coupled with 'happily ever after'. But then, how about our personal realities? Are they fit to let us truly enjoy a 'happily ever after' in the fairy tales we dream and imagine for ourselves?

It also taught me that yes, sometimes it helps to wander far to discover where the heart truly belongs. But in that quest, we should always remember who we truly are and what will truly and completely make us profoundly happy at the end of the day. And with that, I wish everyone a nice Friday and a relaxing weekend ahead! 

~maria

p.s. I still dream about Edinburgh and Stratford-upon-Avon. Not the thoughts of relocating there anymore, just that it would be nice to experience being in a fairy tale place once again for a few days in this lifetime! :p

Breclav, Czech Republic

CZ-154420, Sender: Pavel
Sent from Louny, Czech Republic, Sent on 22 Dec 2011
Received on 19 Jan 2012, Traveled 9.909 km in 28 days

Written in English at the back of the card:

The old Breclav roadside shrine / A glass of wine decorated for a festival / A pair of dancers from Breclav-Postarna / A girl in the traditional costume of Lanzhot / Breclav lace.

Pavel wrote:

Hello Maria, I found for you a postcard with costume from South Moravia. I visited this region with my girlfriend in the autumn, where there took place 4th Czech postcrossing meeting.

Thanks so much Pavel for sending me a card from my wishlist!

I love that Breclav heart design on the bottom right of the card and I'm entering that to Clytie's Guest Heart Thursday. It's a holiday tomorrow so I'm off to a long slumber, folks! :)

~maria

Ciudad Murada

Ciudad Murada means 'walled city'. The fortified place was Maynilad, the core of everyday activities in a Muslim settlement by the river in the 16th century. When Miguel Lopez de Legazpi came to the place, he decided to make it as the center of Spanish activities in the colony. A pentagonal wall was built by the Spanish to ward off Chinese invaders. It encloses a .67 square kilometer of what was called Intramuros, Latin word for 'within the wall'.

Access to Intramuros is by gates or puerta, with draw bridges. This is the reason why I thought of the similarities between Viseu and Intramuros in my previous post.

Though severely damaged during the World War II, Intramuros remains as the center of cultural heritage to what is now cosmopolitan Manila. 

Uncle Wiki said that Intramuros is listed by the Global Heritage Fund as one of the 12 worldwide sites on the verge of irreparable loss and destruction. This is really making me sad as I've been into Intramuros so many times (atop it's walls is one of my silent sanctuaries in this busy city of Manila), I know there's so much truth in it... now I don't want to touch something political here so I wish I can won the lottery so I can donate my winnings for the restoration of this national historical monument.

~maria

Porta do Soar, Viseu

PT-227143, Sender: Ricardo
Sent from Viseu, Portugal, Sent on 10 March 2012
Received on 22 March 2012, Traveled 11,935 km in 12 days

This postcard makes me dreamy, it would be a real pleasure to walk around this place for sure with it's medieval charm.

Shown here is a part of the historical old walls of Viseu, Portugal. This is Porta do Soar or Porta de Sao Francisco. According to my readings, this is only one of the two existing doors (from an original count of seven) leading to the city of Viseu. This gives me the impression that during medieval times, Viseu was a city within the walls. Which is, similar to our very own Intramuros, the old capital of Manila. 

I think that just make someone raise a brow due to confusion, so I'll post an Intramuros postcard after this one :)

Moving forward, I am pleased that this card was sent by a 12-yr old who told me, "Do you know that Maria is a Portuguese name, too?" -- Yes, Ricardo I do. Many given names here in the Philippines are Spanish/Portuguese sounding. This is because we were a Spanish colony for 333 years.

Obrigado! Gracias! Salamat for the card.

~maria

Prague of the Vltava River

Facebook Postcard Swap, Sender: Veronika Ticha
Sent from Tachov, Czech Republic Sent on 30 April 2012
Received on June 29 2012, Traveled ~10,113 km in 59 days

Veronika wrote on the card:

Hi Maria, Prague is the capital and largest city of the Prague Republic and fourteenth largest city in European Union. It's situated on the Vltava River. Prague is home to a number of attractions including the following: Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall, and Petrin Hill. Since 1992, the historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of WHS. 

Another UNESCO WHS card for me. Yey! :D 

To read more about Prague, here's the link for the dedicated page on the UNESCO WHS list.

~maria

Tapis de fleurs, Grand'Place

BE-145593, Sender: Ferro
Sent from Brussels, Belgium, Sent on 7 April 2012
Received on 27 April 2012, Traveled 10,557 km in 20 days

Here is my first and only official postcard from Belgium. 

Featured on the card is the Flower Carpet, an event/artistic installation at the Grand'Place made every two years. The flower carpet is made of millions of begonias. It usually covers 77 x 24 meters. The very first flower carpet was made by the landscape architect E. Stautemans in 1971.

Raquel, with the username, ferro on postcrossing sent me this card, saying at the back: because UNESCO is at the top of your list. Thank you Raquel! I'm really trying to collect as much UNESCO WHS cards as I can :)

The UNESCO WHS describes Grand'Place as "an outstanding example of the eclectic and highly successful blending of architectural and artistic styles that characterizes the culture and society of this region. Through the nature and quality of its architecture and of its outstanding quality as a public open space, it illustrates in an exceptional way the evolution and achievements of a highly successful mercantile city of northern Europe at the height of its prosperity."

~maria

La plus belle avenue du monde.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: My twin, Wan
Sent from Paris, France, Sent on 10 March 2012
Received on 22 March 2012, Traveled 10,908 km in 12 days

Avenue des Champs-Élysées, said my twin at the back of the card, 'is as famous to the French as the Epifanio delos Santos (EDSA) is to the Filipinos'. Champs-Élysées of the French is witness to many historic events, with the Arc de Triomphe at one end of it (shown here on the card), built to honor the victories of the famous Napoleon Bonaparte. EDSA Avenue is an eternal reminder to the Filipinos and the world, of the very first ever peaceful people power revolution.

This card fashioned to the '80s, marks the time when the avenue  transforms into commercial vibe from what was once fields and market gardens. Today, Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous and most expensive strip in the world for upscale shopping. Hence, the name la plus belle avenue du monde or "the most beautiful avenue in the world".

Hope each of us is having a beautiful start for the week! Beautiful Monday, readers!

~maria

Icebird, from Kalevala-sarja

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Tuija Thil
Sent from Kuopio, Finland, Sent on 04 July 2012
Received on 28 Jul 2012, Traveled ~9,160 km in 24 days

And here we are, on the last week of November...life has been busier than it normally is here and yeah, shame...I've shared just one postcard so far for this month. Ok folks, I don't have any scheduled fieldwork this week so I'll make it up with all of you by sharing two cards per day. Yep, you read it right! :)

A month ago, my bestfriend and I organized my postcards. I realized I've already got a lot (!!!) and that I've really been behind in posting my cards here so this week is the perfect chance to catch up.

The first card for sharing this week is from my Finnish penpal, Tuija. I posted the scan of the back of the card cause there's a lot of information on it, plus I really love Tuija's penmanship. I wish I can write as legibly as her! 

*shuffling through my pile of postcards, watch out for the next one*

~maria

Folk Costume from Lowicz

Facebook Postcard Swap, Sender: Patricia Krasnawska
Sent from Gdansk, Poland, Sent on 16 Oct 2012
Received on 12 Nov 2012, Traveled 9,512.2 km in 20 days

Again, it's been quite a while since my last post here...browsing two of my favorite blogs, that of sisters Beth & Clytie, I've learned that their dad had gone ahead of us to rejoin The Almighty. My prayers for their family that they may be comforted as they mourn and pray for the passing of their dad.

Beth and Clytie, the beautiful embroidered heart of flowers and leaves on black velvet at the back of this folk costume from Lowicz, Poland is for both of you and your families -- lots of love and prayers from Manila, Philippines.

~maria

Ships ahoy!

It's 2:08 on a Sunday morning. Here I am, intoxicated with coffee from a night out with high school friends. At 6 AM, I should already be starting my 5 hours journey to reach my hometown. The trip would be 3 parts: 3 hours by bus, an hour by a ferry/ship, then another one hour by a land coaster / van.

One of the biggest ironies in my life is my fear of riding a ferry / ship even though I am doing this almost 4 to 6 times a year! Well..I don't know how to swim! So...speaking of ferries / ships, here are some of the stamps that I'm sharing with Viridian's Sunday Stamps theme for today:

These Nippon stamps came with Crystal Concert Hall postcard, received on September of last year. I wish I have more information about them but I don't...if someone can provide, I'd be truly grateful.

This other stamp came with a postcard of Iduki, India. It's a part of a commemorative issue for the naval fleet review in December 2011, when the Supreme Commander (former President Pratibha Devisingh Patil) assessed India's Navy & Coast Guard. In India, this review happens once in a tenure of a president. 

Wishing every Sunday Stamps participant and everyone a happy Sunday while I'm enjoying my home bound journey :)

~ maria

Paris and its wonders.

Postcrossing Direct Swap, Sender: David Russell
Sent from Lyon, France, Sent on 20 March 2012
Received on 30 March 2012, Traveled 10,765.82 km in 10 days

After the glittering night view of the Eiffel Tower, here's a compelling day time view of the famous landmark. David said on his message at the back of the card:

This postcard shows a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower on a clear fall afternoon. Everybody who comes to Paris visits the world famous monument.  

I hope one day I can visit Paris and see this monument for myself. Cause, tell me honestly, who doesn't really dream of experiencing this romantic city? ;-)

Postcrossing Direct Swap, Sender: David Russell
Sent from Lyon, France, Sent on 19 March 2012
Received on 30 March 2012, Traveled 10,765.82 km in 11 days

Another 'Paris and its wonders' postcard. I completely knew nothing about the view on the card and I thought it's just one random street view. But David said:

Bonjour to you again from the other side of the world in France. Today I am sending you a beautiful springtime view from Paris...it shows the steps leading up the famous hill of 'Montmartre', which is topped by the Sacrecoeur basilica. 

Doing some research about the Basilique du Sacré Coeur, Uncle Wiki and the Sacred Destinations page provided the most interesting literature. Apparently, the church plays a significant political and cultural role. It is a religious monument, a national vow true to the Roman Catholic traditions, dedicated to atone for the sins of Paris. The church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And may I mention that the chapel in my community in the province, has the same dedication.

Linking up again with Beth's Postcard Friendship Friday. Wishing a wonderful culmination for the week for everyone!

~maria

Hugs for Leontien: Sonnet CXVI

Postcard ID: UA-235752, Sender: Irina
Sent from Kyiv, Ukraine, Sent on 14 Mar 2012
Received on 30 Mar 2012, Traveled 8833.2 km in 16 days

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

or bends with the remover to remove:

Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

- W. Shakespeare

A postcard that I received from the Postcrossing member with the most postcards sent from Ukraine :) Sharing this with Clytie for Random Hearts Thursday and the Leaves for Leontien campaign. 

  

~ maria

p.s. It would have been nicer if I could also post autumn leaves for Leontien but my only card with autumn leaves was already posted on September 28. I am a medical physicist and quality control of mammography equipment is one of the things I do. Breast cancer prevention and awareness is a big part of my job... I hope even without an autumn leaf and with just the green leaves with a beautiful love poem, I can send some warm hugs for her. :)

We'll always have Paris.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: My twin, Wan
Sent from Paris, France, Sent on 06 February 2012
Received on 28 February 2012, Traveled 10,907.88 km in 23 days

Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor...If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

Ilsa: But what about us?

Rick: We'll always have Paris.

My favorite lines from the 1942 movie, Casablanca. I am not particularly fond of romantic flicks but I got really drawn into this one. Casablanca is mostly about Rick, who's torn between virtue and love. With the World War II in the background, Rick, an American expatriate fell in love with Ilsa in Paris. Ilsa is a married woman who thought her husband is dead. However, when she learns that her Czech Resistance leader husband, Laszlo is alive, she left Rick with no explanation at all. The story developed when the three met in Rick's Cafe, with Laszlo and Ilsa, trying to get letters/passes to escape into the United States.

...it's midnight on a Friday and I'm supposed to be sleeping soundly after 3 days of fieldwork, but alas! I have urgent work stuff to do. But I realized I need my post for Beth's Postcard Friendship Friday blog roll, so here it is. Such a healthy distraction from all my technical stuff! :D

Oh by the way, the card was written on the date I turned quarter-a-century old: "Here is the postcard I promised the next time I go to Paris...I hope everything is going well for you and if not, hopefully this postcard from the romantic Paris will make you feel better for a while. I will never be able to thank God enough for having given me the chance to know you."

Now that's one lovely message. Something to keep me sane (I hope) from working up until very late on wee hours of a Friday morning night. Busy as it will always be, I'm still wishing that my weekend will be lovely if not very relaxing. May the dazzling night view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris inspire a lovely weekend for us all!

~maria

North Shore's Autumn Foliage

World in Postcards October General Swap, Sender: Ritz Smitz
Sent from Minneapolis, MN, Sent on 11 Oct 2011
Received date not stamped on card, Traveled 12,553.42 km

I've always been a fan of autumn colors, like the sunset and sunrise colors. Though the red to orange hues invoke some form of melancholy, it also inspires quiet reflection. 

I like this poem that I found online about autumn, let me share a few lines:

Chanson d' automne

Les sanglots longs

Des violins

De l'automne

Blessent mon coeur

D'une langueur

Monotone.

The poem is by Paul Verlaine, and the lines translates to: The long sobs / of the violins / of autumn / wound my heart / with a monotonous / languor.

Hope everyone is having a blast for the end of another week and may we all have a reflective and quiet weekend :) Happy PFF!

~maria