Sunday Stamps - (O) Otto Dix from Germany

For the letter O - Otto Dix

2016 - Germany - Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

Designer: Prof. Annette Le Fort and Prof. Andre Hers

According to wiki, Otto Dix is considered as one of the most important artists of the New Objectivity movement in German art. For his 125th birthday, the Deutsche Post issued this commemorative stamp.

For more stamps with the letter "O", visit See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (N) Nohoch Che'en Archaeological Reserve

For the letter N - Nohoch Che'en Archaeological Reserve

2005 - Belize - Ecological and Heritage Sites 

2005 - Belize - Ecological and Heritage Sites is a network of 5 limestone caves with a river flowing through them. It's pretty interesting to read about cave tubing on this site.

For more stamps with the letter "N", visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (M) Meatball from Taiwan

For the letter M - Meatball

2013 - Taiwan - Signature Delicacies

Designer: Creative Design and Advertising Corporation 

I've been to Taiwan twice but I've never had the chance to try their meatball or Ba Wan. I hope there could be a third time! 

This stamp, together with 3 more, were released on 16 August 2013. The other stamps could be seen here. 

For more stamps with the letter "I", visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (L) Laddle from Russia

For the letter L - Ladle

2004 - Russian Federation - Russian Silverware of the late 19th Century

This stamp was issued on 26 October 2004, along with 3 other designs. All were from the All Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied, and Folk Arts.

For more stamps with the letter "L", visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (K) Karate World Championship in France 2012

For the letter K - Karate

2012 - France - Sport (Sporting events)

Printer: Phil@Poste Boulazac

I came across a very informative post about the mini-series containing this stamp while researching about it. The post can be found here. Saves me some typing time (wink).

I would say though that I love how the Eiffel Tower is depicted with brushstrokes here against a bright red sun. Simple yet beautiful fusion of French and Japanese icons.

Sunday Stamps - (J) Japan's International Letter Writing Week

For the letter J - Japan's International Letter Writing Week 2013 & 2014

(L) 2013 - Shirasuka (Shizuokal)

Released: 9 October 2013

Designer: Tamaki Akira

(R) 2014 - Setchutsubaki ni suzume

Released: 9 October 2014

Designer: Tamaki Akira

According to this website, Japan's International Letter Writing Week issue is an annual series since 1958. It has the aim of contributing to world peace by encouraging cultural exchange between people of the world through writing letters.

The stamp designs for the year 2013 and 2014 were from The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido and one more painting by Utagawa Hiroshige that were not featured in the past. Hiroshige-san is considered as the last grand master of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints and painting.  

For more stamps with the letter "I", visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (I) Ingmar and Ingrid from Sweden

For the letter I - Ingmar Bergman and Ingrid Bergman

(L) 2018 - Sweden - Ingmar Bergman Centenary

Design: Eva Wilsson

(R) 2015 - USA - Legends of Hollywood

Photographer: Laszlo Willinger (1940)

Searching for stamps to feature for the letter I, I was intrigued when I saw these two Bergmans. They share the same family name but are not related to each other. They shared professional work in the film industry though.

The stamp on the left is one of the two designs issued by PostNord in commemoration of the life of Ingmar Bergman. He is considered to be among the most accomplished and influential filmmakers of all time. The film, Persona, featured on this stamp is considered by Bergman himself as one of his most important works.

Thanks to Monica of Beyond the Lone Islands for sending me a postcard from Boras, Sweden with this stamp.

On the right is Ingrid Bergman, also famously known as Ilsa Lund, her character in the film classic, Casablanca. Ingrid is in the list of 100 Famous Actresses of Hollywood's Golden Era (1930 - 1959).

For more stamps with the letter "I", visit See It On A Postcard

P.S. As I'm still locked out from my linky account and I'm yet to receive a response from the page administrator, I decided to step back and cancel the recommence of the Postcard for the Weekend linky. I deeply apologize for the false excitement over this. 

Postcards for the weekend 89: Anything you wish

TW-1110457, Sent from Taoyuan, Taiwan
Sent 16 December 2013, Traveled 1,171 km in 23 days

It's been almost 4.5 months now since I took a hiatus from blogging. I didn't totally stop from exchanging postcards though and I have plenty of beautiful postcards to share! Postcards are probably one of those things that I would always love despite the fact that I'm needing more and more storage boxes to keep them neat and tidy.

So the Postcards for the Weekend has now officially resumed. HOWEVER, I'm having issues with the linky tool. Pardon me! I will update this post as soon as that's sorted out.

I hope you've all been well and I'm looking forward to another series of beautiful postcards party!

~maria

Sunday Stamps - (H) Huangmei Opera from China

For the letter H - Huangmei Opera

2014 - China - Arts & Culture

Designer: Zhang Wang

Released on 6 July 2014, the picture on this stamp is entitled "The Emperor's Female Son-in-Law". This is one of the grand plays staged for the Huangmei Opera. Huangmei Opera traced its origins from 200 years ago in the rural parts of China, among which are Anhui, Hubei, and Jiangxi provinces. The costumes used in the plays are less extravagant as compared to other forms of Chinese opera. The focus was more on the tone and the beautiful singing. Storylines mirrored reality and that's why it has won the hearts of the audience. Huangmei Opera is in the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage.

For more stamps with letter "H" - visit See It On A Postcard

P.S. The Postcards for the Weekend re-opens next weekend. Woohooo! It will be open by 12 AM, 13 Oct and close by 12 NN, 15 Oct. It shall follow the same schedule every weekend from then on. As before, there will be a different theme for each weekend while every first weekend of the month will always be dedicated for anything you wish to share. Hope to see more beautiful postcards from all deltiologist bloggers! Thanks to Eva of Mail Adventures for encouraging me to restart this linky! Cheers x

Sunday Stamps - (G) Grey Reef Shark from Australia

For the letter G - Grey Reef Shark

2018 - Australia - Reef Safari

Photographer: Jurgen Freund

The stamp was issued on 1 August 2018, along with four other designs. According to Australia Post: The inquisitive Grey Reef Shark is most often seen in shallow water near the drop-offs of coral reefs. The Grey Reef Shark is bronze to grey in colour on top and a paler shade on its under-side, with a black outline on its tail fin. The species looks similar to the Galapagos Shark, save for the colouration of the tail.

For more information about this issue, please visit this page.

For more stamps with the letter "G" - visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (F) Firefighting Corps from Monaco

For the letter F - Firefighting Corps from Monaco

2009 - Monaco Firefighting Corps

The stamp was issued on 5 January 2009. It's a part of a 3-design set that could be seen here.

I have so much respect for firefighters. They're people who does not think twice to put their lives on the line of duty.

Sunday Stamps - (E) East Cape, New Zealand

For the letter E - East Coast, New Zealand

2013 - New Zealand - New Zealand Coastlines

According to Wikipedia, East Cape is the easternmost point on the North Island of New Zealand. On the left side of the stamp is the East Cape Lighthouse on Otiki Hill.

The stamp was released on 4 September 2013. It was part of a 5-design miniature set.

For more stamps with letter "E" - visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (D) Dinner with a Singaporean Family

For the letter D - Dinner with family

2018 - Singapore - Singpost's Evenings in Singapore

The stamp was one of the six designs released early last month, 2 August 2018. The six designs were about familiar evening scenes in Singapore. This particular stamp shows a family sharing a home-cooked dinner.

Somehow, this stamp makes me emotional as I don't have any of my family here in Singapore. However, from time to time, I get to enjoy a home-cooked dinner together with my two flatmates.

The rest of the stamps from this set can be seen here. For more stamps with the letter "D" - visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (C) Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden

For the letter C - Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden

2016 - Sweden - Royal Anniversaries

Photographer: Anna-Lena Ahlström

The stamp was issued on 17 March 2016 to mark the 70th birthday of the Swedish king and the 40th anniversary of his wedding to Queen Silvia. With King Carl XVI Gustaf on this stamp is Princess Victoria, heir apparent and Princess Estelle, 2nd in line to the Swedish throne.

For more stamps with the letter "C" - visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (B) Batik from Indonesia

For the letter B - batik

2011 - Indonesia - Traditional Textiles

Designer: De-er

The red & black (Batik Madura Jawa Timur) stamp was from a mini-sheet issued on 6 July 2011. The brown & white (Batik Parang Garuda DI Yogyakarta) stamp was from a mini sheet issued on 30 March 2011.

Batik is a traditional textile from Indonesia and perhaps the most popular. Each time I see an intricately patterned printed fabric with an ethnic design here in the SE Asian region, right away I would think, "Ah, that's batik!" 

I've been to Indonesia several times now since 2015. I've become more well-informed that batik is but one of the traditional textile design techniques. Here's an article about the different Indonesian traditional fabrics.

for more stamps with the letter "B" - visit See It On A Postcard

Sunday Stamps - (A) Art from Finland

for the letter A - Art

2015 - Finland - Art Post

Designer: Tiia Vanhatapio ja Miika Saksi

The miniature sheet was issued on 11 September 2015. I received all 4 designs on 3 different occasions from a letter or a postcard, sent by my Finnish pen pal - Tuija.

The sheet features "dreamlike images that rise from the depths of the imagination to create the set and setting for events."

for more stamps with the letter "A", visit See it on a Postcard

Postcards for the weekend 88: Anything you wish

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Arizona
Sent 10 Sep 2016, Traveled 14,642 km

Perhaps true places are "sense of belonging"? The same way as a home is not a place but being with people you hold dear?

It is with deep regret that I've decided to discontinue with this blog for the meantime. I'm going through a personal crisis that I deem inappropriate to disclose here.

Thank you very much to all my blogger friends who have participated in the Postcards for the Weekend linky. If you please leave me your e-mail, I would like to keep in touch through postcards.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 87: Festivals

Masskara Festival is an annual celebration in Bacolod City, Philippines. The place is dubbed as the "City of Smiles" hence the masks all come with smiling faces.

The festival is celebrated every October and held in as a fusion of a Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest fashion.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 86: Costumes

First, thank you so much Monica from Beyond the Lone Islands for correcting me on the Postcards for the weekend # for last week. I have edited the post and entered the right #.

For this weekend, our theme is costumes.

LV-257306, Sent from Riga, Latvia
Travelled 9,267 in 17 days

On this postcard are folk costumes from Latvia. I noticed plenty of fabric, beautiful headdresses, and belts. I wonder which areas of Latvia each were from ...

This postcard was given to me as a souvenir from Kenya. The Maasai is an ethnic group found in Kenya and Tanzania. A red sheet worn around the body is a preferred item of clothing.

Happy weekend,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 85: Handicraft / artwork

RU-1303535, Sent from Barnaul
Travelled 5,394 km in 17 days

Matryoshka or the Russian nesting doll. I counted 11 dolls, how about you? According to Wikipedia, the largest set of matryoshka consisted of 51 wooden dolls.

I'm keeping this one short this weekend as I need to wake up early tomorrow for work.

Enjoy your weekend, folks!

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 84: Anything you wish

In my home country, the Philippines, summer months are starting in May. The temperature and humidity rise and most daytimes feel like living in a microwave oven. If I recall correctly, the warmest and most humid month here in Singapore happens to be in May as well. We still get rain, but it's warm rain.

Hence, the mind often thinks of cooling down. And of course, the best destination always is the beach. As such, for our theme of anything you wish, here are a few sandy postcards from the Philippines.

The WOW Philippines was a tourism marketing campaign that started back in 2002. On this postcard, it focuses on Boracay, one of the Philippines' major beach destinations.  

Plenty of local and foreign tourists flock to Boracay, regardless of the season. Recently, the Philippine government has announced the closure of the island starting 26 April 2018 for 6 months. This is to give way for environmental rehabilitation. 

I've never been to Boracay myself. So now, I'm planning to head there as soon as it re-opens.

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 83: Patterns & prints

I had a minor accident last Sunday evening that has limited my mobility. Since I changed my laptop the week before and the scanned copy of my postcards were temporarily moved to my portable hard drive, I don't have access both to the actual postcards and the scanned copies at the moment. I've been staying at my boyfriend's place since the accident and my portable hard drive is in the office and the actual postcards are at my place. Thankfully, I have some scans that are still yet to be cleaned up from my e-mail. It might be a bit of stretch for this weekend's theme but I hope these still works :)

Souvenir postcard from Seoul, Korea

This postcard is from a 21-pc set entitled Painting of Flowers, Birds, Insects, and Fish. The set was printed by the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea. This is among a few postcards from the set that I kept for myself as a souvenir from the trip back in mid-March.

DE-5853679, Sent from Potsdam
Traveled 9,947 km in 6 days

The label at the back of the postcard was in German. Roughly translated in English: I found them in the spring shadow, where I tied them with rosebands. I'm quite not sure whether the postcard should be in portrait or landscape orientation. The painting looks like a rose garden of mixed colors for me.

Given that this weekend's theme seems to be open for interpretation, I'm specially more excited to see the contributions this weekend.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 82: Retro/vintage

For the theme retro/vintage for this weekend, here's a reproduction postcard of Jean Boisseau's first rare double hemisphere map of the world. The title on top reads Nouvelle et Exacte Description de la Terre Universelle. The map was first issued in Paris, France in 1636.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the scan for the back side of this postcard. I checked my postcrossing.com account and it wasn't in my received postcards wall. Given how rare and beautiful this postcard is, I reckon I might have received it from a direct swap.

Happy weekend everyone! 

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 81: Monuments

Private Swap

The Arch of Titus is an honorific monument dedicated to Titus, son of Vespasian. It was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Domitian in AD 82. The arch is significant for one reason among others that the menorah depicted on this arch has been the menorah used on the emblem for the state of Israel. 

Private Swap, sent from Berlin, Germany
Sent 17 August 2012, Traveled 9,860 km

Brandenburg Gate is one of the best-known monuments and landmarks of Germany. It was built in the 18th century under the orders of Frederick William II of Prussia. The gate is both a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany and of unity and peace.

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 80: Anything you wish

FI-1918321, Sent from Jyvaskala
Traveled 8,847 km in 9 days

Our theme this weekend is anything you wish. I'm pleased that it's a free and easy theme and I can select postcards that fit my mood at the moment. It's an end at least for now for a series of overseas trips. I yearn to just stay put; to be at home and see familiar pieces and parts of the same place for every waking hour and coming back at the end of the day.

Souvenir postcard from my trip to Sampaguita Gardens, Aklan, Philippines

What are your favorite pieces, parts, or sections of your home? What do you love to do the most when you're at home? Tomorrow I'm flying back to Singapore, my second home. I am impatient to lounge on the soft brown sofa while binge-watching Netflix series. 

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 79: Transportation

For the theme this weekend, I'm sharing two postcards with boats and ships from my previous trips.

Souvenir from my trip to Malta, Traveled 9,863 km

This first postcard features luzzu, traditional colorful boats with the eye of Osiris. The boats are painted bright red, yellow, and blue. Moored at the Marsaxlokk Bay, these boats provide a beautiful contrast with the blue waters making the scenery even more photogenic. I've marked this postcard with 14-19 April 2017 at the back. Those were the dates of my visit to Malta. 

Souvenir from my trip to Sweden, 9,984 km

This second postcard features the Klippan, a cultural heritage area that gave birth to the city of Gothenburg. The postcard was given the title "Skepp a hoj". If I'm not wrong, I think it means, "ship ahoy". I've marked this one with 19-30 April 2017. 

I've totally forgotten that these postcards are from the same trip I made to Europe early last year. They make me nostalgic, even more so because I don't think I'll see that part of the world this year.

It's a long weekend here in Singapore for the Easter holiday and I'm not traveling this week. So, for one of those rare moments, this post comes early :)

~maria 

Postcards for the weekend 78: Spring

Private swap, sent from Timaru, New Zealand
Sent 15 Oct 2013, Traveled 8,290 km

The label at the back of this postcard says: This lamb is one of the millions of lambs born each spring in New Zealand. According to the sender when he wrote on this postcard, "the daffodils have been blooming, the lamb bleating, the weather changing so it must be springtime!"

Private swap, Sent from Amsterdam
Sent 12 Mar 2012, Traveled 10,385 km

The sender of this postcard also spoke of spring, "Here in Amsterdam, where spring has begun so more and more flowering tulips. Enjoy!"

I've never been in a real field of tulips and I wish I will one day. 

Happy weekend everyone! 

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 77: Sunrise/sunset

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Boras, Sweden
Sent 16 March 2017, Traveled 9,926 km

Thank you very much, Monica (Beyond the Lone Islands) for sending me this postcard!

It's such a relaxing image to cap the week with. I am in Seoul attending an international medical equipment show. Yesterday I did a product presentation. It's such a relief that the presentation is over now. I'm calm and looking forward into viewing sunrise/sunset postcards from my blogging friends this weekend.

~maria 

Postcards for the weekend 76: Masjid Sultan

For the theme - places of worship this weekend, I've chosen to share another postcard for one of my favorite buildings in Singapore -- Masjid Sultan.

I wrote "another" as I've previously shared another postcard for Masjid Sultan or Sultan Mosque exactly for the same theme last year. The building was gazetted as one of Singapore's National Monuments in 1975. According to a trivia from www.visitsingapore.com, each of the domes are decorated with glass bottle ends. The glass bottle ends were donated by poor Muslims during the construction so that all Muslims, not just the rich, could contribute.

Happy weekend everyone!

~maria 

Postcards for the weekend 75: Anything you wish

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Arkansas, USA
Sent 6 Sep 2017, Traveled 15,627 km

Yesterday, the United Kingdom celebrated the World Book Day 2018. I picked this card as the message from the sender is very appropriate for yesterday's event: I thought of you when I saw this card, knowing how much you love to read. 

The sender is a voracious reader herself. According to the sender, Kirsten is from the 1800's. The label behind the postcard says that this illustration is entitled, Kirsten relaxing with her favorite book by Renee Graef.

Happy weekend, everyone!

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 74: Serenity/Peace/Calm

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Yachiyo
Sent 16 Feb 2012, Traveled 3,022 km

I received this postcard from a Japanese acquaintance 6 years ago. The postcard didn't make any sense to me until I had the chance to travel to Kyoto, Japan and see an actual Zen garden back in November 2016.

This rock Zen garden is of The Temple of the Dragon at Peace (Ryoan-ji). This garden and the temple are listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On this postcard, the garden is viewed at a seated position on the veranda of the abbott of the monastery/temple. There has been plenty of attempts to explain the careful placement of stones in the garden. According to a Garden historian, Gunter Nitschke, "The garden at Ryoan-ji does not symbolize anything, or more precisely, to avoid any misunderstanding, the garden at Ryoan-ji does not symbolize, nor does it have the value of reproducing a natural beauty that one can find in the real or mythical world. I consider it to be an abstract composition of natural objects in space, a composition whose function is to incite meditation."

Wishing you all a calm and peaceful weekend,

~maria