In The Loving Memory of Edi

Today wont be a regular update but more of one of those posts regarding some occasion...and im dedicating this post to my beloved dog i used to have years ago....coz today it would have been his birthday...he would have turned 16...the sweet sixteen...which feel bitter and sour...coz i terribly terribly miss him.

 

No wonder why i was so delighted and emotionally moved when i received this card not so long ago...even though i think of Edi every now and then, this card brought back a whirlpool of memories.

I got Edi when i was nearly 13 years old, as a present from our next door neighbours who also had a dog called Ares...and Ares was my best friend when i was little coz he constantly played with me, and i was one of those kids who had no fear of dogs but who even dared to taunt him and annoy him (in a nice way) and Ares never got bothered or harmed me in any sort of a way....and due to my love towards him and my love towards animals in general, our neighbours decided to give me one of his puppies...you could never precisely imagine how i felt back then nor how my reaction was...it is all blurry for me as well, but i know that i was simply overjoyed.

I named him Edi, coz he had to be named with a name starting with the 5th letter from the alphabet...I wanted to call him Erik, but Erik had already been taken, so i went for Edi...

Edi was one of the most loving dogs ive seen....maybe too loving coz he could befriend anyone easily and thats no good when dogs are in question...i dont say that he should have been dangerous and harmful, but he did need some more discipline regarding interaction with other people...well, he needed discipline in general, he was just too playful.

Problem is, i was a bit reckless with him and i didnt really treasure the fact i had him (and here comes the rule that you are never aware of what you have until you lose that). I loved playing with him and all, but i didnt really take much care of him when it came to making him a meal or taking him out for a walk or stuff like that....thats one of the things i really regret, coz if i had him now, he would have been my best companion for a walk at times i need one and i just want to be alone but yet have someone with me...like right now for example...

Unfortunately, i didnt have him for long....it was 9th November 1995 at around 1:30 pm when someone took him away...i never found out who...i was at home when that happened...i heard the front door open and i thought it was the postman (see the irony here?) so of course i didnt really react, but i just waited for him to ring the bell or drop the mail...after several minutes realized it wasnt the postman and i got this bad itch inside my stomach...i ran out, just to see the front door left open...with Edi nowhere in sight...thats how it ended...the fact i didnt react on time is something i will balme myself for the rest of my life...but regrets dont work...if i ever have another dog i would like to be no other kind but a Rough Collie...also known as a Shetland dog...or the most popular, a Lassie...

  as an addition, i found this old card recently while i was cleaning my room....i found it under the bed...you just dont want to know what all kind of stuff i found under my bed...and i had totally forgotten this one, and the only reason why i had bought it is coz of the dog...this was back in time when all kinds of postcards could have been found here...nowadays there are NONE like this...

And here is Edi..this is probably my most favourite picture of him...coz he stood still while i was taking this photo even though i know he was annoyed with those glasses on him...but he was a poser sometimes...and i loved him for that...and for enduring my nonsense esp. at times i was bored...

and here below are some more pics related to Edi's father, Ares...when i was little my mum simply constantly took photos of me and of what i did...half of the pictures i have in general, include a dog or a cat in them...surprises you?! :)

 

The cat on the following two pictures was also my neighbours' and when she had kittens, Ares was the one who looked after them and who was carrying them around....I was amazed

 

 

this is Ares, and me.....and my mum

  

another one in our backyard... 

  

the only point about this photo is the thing im holding in my hands...i was visiting my ganrdparents (on the picture) at this place they were staying on vacation and on our way there at one place i found a postcard with a Lassie...i wasnt just thrilled and happy...i was the most proud kid in the world then....you can see it from my face and how im showing off the card....just please, no comments on my hairstyle :P

 

I dont know if Edi is still alive or is peacefully sleeping in Heaven....i just hope that he had a good life and wasnt ill-treated.....I hope he knows i awfully miss him ;-( 

 

Atlantis, Bahamas

Bahaaamaaaasssssss...who would have thought???!  Well certainly not me, but some extra cool people like Gaby, do!

And the number of countries received goes up to 96! 4 more to go! Seems such a small number though i think that those 4 are gonna take some time...unless i maybe personally haunt some people and ask for a trade...but i need to stock myself with stamps first...and i  need to look around for people who actually are reliable and interested in swaps...if you have someone to recommend from a country i dont have a postcard yet, please feel free to give your input.
As for the card....when you take a look at it, one gets the impression of, what is he going to do once he slides down....but if you take a closer look, you will see the tunnel which goes under the water...but i still have a question pending....isnt there a chance that the sharks simply jump on you, once you are down....or you need the speed of light to reach the tunnel in order to escape them...and is the entrance under water or above (you cant really take a right look from here)...and if its underwater, it makes it a bit more complicated to reach to it, coz of the water pressure...i mean, anyone who has ever been in a pool/river/lake knows that its not that easy to sink and thatyou just float on the water...in the sea its somewhat different, coz of the salt, and by default, that keeps you on the surface...
I think that i ask way too many quesitons sometimes.....silly and lame ones...
this is what the back of the card says: Mayan Temple - Take a thrilling 60-foot near vertical plunge through an acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-infested lagoon. The Leap of Faith is one of five exhilarating water slides on the six-story Mayan Temple.
Gaby says that it is not Mexico or not a real Mayan Temple....but i would say that its the thought that counts...more than anything!
Thanks Gaby...as always :)

Brno, Czech Republic

I got this card in the Slavic languages tag...its written in Czech...believe it or not, i understood half of it :)

The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul is located on the top of the hill, known as Petrov, on the presumed site of the former Brno castle. After the castle`s demise the free-standing Romanesque basilica was rebuilt as a Gothic cathedral in the 13th century and converted to the Baroque style in the 18th century. Its current neo-Gothic form dates from the turn of this century. Since 1777 the cathedral has been the seat of the Brno bishopric.

I love the view and the colours on this card...not to mention i really love castles in general....

Philippines

In general, my cards to the Philippines travel around a month...i have one currently travelling to there..i wonder if its gonna take the same again...2 weeks have passed...

I think you've seen most of the sites here in all those previous Philippine's postcards....but here we go again:
- Coco-Loco Island, Roxas * Big Lagoon of Miniloc Island, El Nido * Coron Bay * Calauit, the African animal island * Hot Spring, Busuanga * Jeepney, means of transportation in Palawan * Cadlao beach, El Nido * Underground river, Sabang * Batak Tribe

I got intrigued why there are Spanish names in the Philippines places...and i found out that the Spanish colonized the Philippines from 1565 to 1898. And of course, it influenced many parts of the Filipino life, including language and culture.
The Spanish that is spoken in the Philippines today has a great affinity to Mexican Spanish. In fact, the number of Mexican Spanish loan-words that appear in various indigenous Filipino languages are of Nahuatl origin that were first incorporated into Mexican Spanish, and which do not exist in European Spanish.

that Coco-Loco name of the Island...I know that 'loco' means 'crazy' in Spanish....but its funny to see it as a part of the name of an Island....esp. since 'coco' means coconut....
and "el Nido" meant 'the Devil'. right?  or i had confused something....well, its not as if its gonna be the first time....

Mesa, USA

The first two things that come to my mind when you mention Arizona are heat and cactuses. 

This card shows Mesa in Arizona.

The ever-growing city of Mesa is now one of the "hottest" spots in the country, housing one of the top 100 school districts in the nation, the country's largest theatre complex and U.S. Postal store, and seven of the nation's top 500 manufacturers.

To be honest, this is the first time i hear about Mesa...but its never too late for one to learn something new, is it?

Jamaica

Brrrr brrrr brrrrrr.....its soooo terribly cold here that my blood freezes when i go outside...no wonder im having a cold and feel so not well....i wonder if the fact im constantly hungry has something to do with it as well...

Well...maybe here its terribly cold outside, but thats why here we have a nice tropical Jamaican postcard to at least for a moment, warm my bones....and make me think that my sneezing may be coming as a hay-fever not coz of illness...
And shall i tell you that this is actually my first Jamaican postcard and that we are going up on the list of countries received...which means a step closer to the number of 100 and a step closer to the contest??!! Well, its not a million dollar question contest...i stole the idea from Glenn in Canada...and i DO like such contests and all...just hopefully it will work out well...
the first thing that comes to my mind when you say 'Jamaica' is Bob Marley....but dont worry...i wont be posting any "No Woman No Cry" things...Bob's ok....but im not really in the mood for a Marley kind of music right now..
the second thing that comes to my mind, are the Jamaican athletes...the runners in particular...i watched parts of the Beijing Olympics last year and the Jamaicans have amazed me....they are like the fastets nation on Earth!  Not only i CANT run that fast, but i run out of breath like after two minutes of running :| 
On the other hand, i can go cycling for hours and feel just perfect about it....esp if i have music with me, then i really can lose track of time...its one of the loveliest things in the world...which reminds me that i need to get my bike in an operating condition...and either fix my discman or get myself a new mp3 player...or an iPod....iPods look really sleek and sexy...need to think about it...

Belgrade, Serbia (07)

Here is a great card and a great addition to my map card collection from dear Ana in Belgrade...

Here you can see Kalemegdan, which is one of the MUST-TO-VISIT places, if the road windings ever take you to Belgrade.
When i visited Belgrade last year, even though i stayed there for less than a day, i did manage to visit Kalemegdan. Maybe it was freezing cold, but im more than thankful to my uncle and cousin for taking me there...i had been there at my previous Belgrade visits, but for some reason, i dont recall details about it, and my memory just feels blur...
The view from there is just magnificent and its one of those moments where if you dont feel freezing as i did, you will definitely feel your peace of mind if you just free yourself.
What i really liked about it is that there were many young people there, on a Saturday night...i dont know if there is the same trend as it is with young people here who gather at such open places though...another thing i liked, was that there was an open exhibition...there were like 20 or so standing bilboards (well, if you cant get a picture of what im talking about, then dont worry...its actually me who has no idea what they were or how we call them here in the first place...and i even dared to translate it into English :))
Anyway, each of those bilboards, had 3 photographs portrayed and they were just great. I dont recall the name of the photographer, even though while i was there i PROMISED myself i will remember it and i will look up information once i come back home...but he had shown photographs coming from different parts of the country, mainly nature, but also some events...the nature photographs were simply amazing! Mountains, rivers, lakes of Serbia, thru the lens of this photographer, from great angles and points...I was in Belgrade the 25th October, 2008...if anyone knows who had an exhibition then, PLEASE let me know...
And i really liked the idea...an exhibition in the open air...for free...we have that here as well i guess...just that, first of all, im far from informed about it and there is something weird here about people and their concept of art...you should see the latest 'artistic' sculptures that appeared in the centre of the town...or i dont know...maybe its just me who doesnt get it...

Santa Barbara, USA

Here is another official card from the ones that i received recently...from the US of course...

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Wasnt there a soap opera called Santa Barbara?? I know there was Beverly Hills and Melrose Place...but for some reason i keep thinking there was one called Santa Barbara as well...probably i hadnt watched it since i cant remember it...i did watch Beverly Hills though...i was in those years, when a series like that was just something i had to watch and felt thrilled about it...i still think that compared to its followers, BH was like the best of them...whenever there is something that becomes a success, directors just hunt for something alike, coz they think that they have the magic ingredients for the success and just want to multiply it and multiply it an multiply it...but those followers never really reach the popularity of the predecessors...and they tend to repeat themselves...and the point is just lost
though i think that no soap operas can match the Spanish/Latin American ones...now THAT is a phenomenon...ive watched only one...probably coz it was somewhat outstanding (wont reveal which one) and i know that afterwards they tried to make similar to that one in particular and i wanted to watch them but i got annoyed at the very start coz it just wasnt it...sometimes i do leave the channel on if there is one and im in the room...and i just listen to the Spanish...to acquire the accent...and try to see if i am able to understand...and maybe learn something new...

Sometimes i wonder how i so much manage to deviate with my writings with whats on the card actually....

Garfield

Here is my second ever Garfield card and i love it! Feels like a real treasure...there was a small accident with my other one...i spilled some coffee on my desk (surprise! surprise!) and a few drops spilt over the card....it isnt very affected or ruined, just that it has a light brown spreaded spot over the back...i should definitely find a holder for my mugs where they would be safe and whenever i drink something, there will be no risk of knocking it over and making a mess of everything thats on my desk...and there is a pile of stuff on my desk! I really wonder what would happen when i get my lap-top...accidents like this are gonna be stroooongly prohibited...otherwise, the lap-top wont really have a long life :)

I havent really watched anything Garfield related in the meantime (which reminds me that i have a task to watch Snow White during this weekend though..)
But there are always plenty of comics and pictures to share about Garfield or the Garfield without Garfield concept...so here we go....I find the following ones rather amusing...from a psychological point of view :)

 

  

  

 

and here is one of my favourite Garfield videos...but you do need to watch it in full or closely to full attention to get the point of it :)

till my next Garfield card (which i hope will be soon) for more comics and videos to share...

Austria

here is another Austrian card showing something else but Vienna...dont misunderstand me...i absolutely am in love with Vienna and thats one of the places in the world where i HAVE TO go back to one day and explore them more thoroughly...just that i want to present you other parts of Austria here...not just Vienna and my rants about Vienna :)

This card shows several places along the  Danube river..Danube is one of those things in the world which fascinate me....ok, i guess there are many much morefascinating rivers than the Danube, but Danube is one which i have seen with my own eyes, so thats what makes the experience different...its not only its length which amazes me, but more, the fact that it flows through numerous different countries..its funny to see Danube in Belgrade, to see it in Vienna and to see him in Budapest as well...in all its glory.
The countries to which Danube flows through: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova Romania and Ukraine....it flows through 4 capital cities (Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and Belgrade), which is more than any other river in the world. All this just makes Danube so amazing for me

and here is something for you to relax....on this nice Saturday afternoon...the Blue Danube Waltz:

Royal Barges, Thailand

Here comes something interesting from Thailand....the Royal Barges

 

 The Royal Barges are one of Bangkok's most fascinating sights. They are ornately decorated boats with magnificently carved prows that at one time served a military function, but today are limited to use in State ceremonies and celebrations. 

The most impressive and important of the boats is Suphanahong, the King's personal barge. Built in 1911 to resemble a mythical swan, the 46 metre craft was hewn from a single tree and is covered with intricate gilt carvings and colourful pieces of glass, forming an eye-catching mosaic. There is a golden pavilion on board to house the King and his Royal family. It is not an easy task to get this vessel moving; it requires 54 oarsmen, who paddle in time to the rhythmic beat of a drummer following a melodic chant called a "bot heh rua.". 

 

In addition to Suphanahong, there are several other barges. On their bows sit a variety of figureheads taken from Thai mythology, Ramakian. One barge features a sacred Garuda; another Hanuman the monkey and yet another possesses the seven heads of Naga, the mythical serpent with white fangs that is often portrayed giving shelter to Buddha. The most recently created barge is the royal barge Narai Song Suban H.M Rama IX built in honour of the current King's 50th year on the throne (Thats the first barge on this picture).

To see the barges gliding through the water is a spectacle but one must plan well in advance or just be lucky enough to catch them, for they are only used sparingly. Each year at the full moon marking songkran the Thai New Year, a grand procession of barges is formed to transport the King from his palace to the temple of the Emerald Buddha, for the ceremonial change of Buddha's clothes.

Four royal barges are at the centre of the flotilla, including the Anantanagaraj, carrying robes for the monks and Suphannahongse, carrying His Majesty the King and other members of the Royal Family. Lesser barges surround the royal ones in a protective frame as they flow upstream. 

Im fascinated!!!

Paulig Coffee

My last card for today is to represent one of my greatest pleasures, passions and addictions....coffee! Ok, maybe it doesnt have a cup of freshly brewed coffee, but this is a nice coffee commercial.
Reminds me to those Marlboro cigarette commercials i used to see when i was little...they all had some cowboy/wild west style in them...i just dont get one thing...how come all girls on commercials like this, sitting on a horse, tend to have such a great tanned skin and they always wear the exact kind of denim jeans and moreover, they feel to so perfectly follow the line of their legs and just look so sexy on them...im envious!

Not so long ago while flipping through the TV channels (which is an occasion for itself since i rarely watch TV), i came across some chat show, and they were showing the results of an experiment they had done with 3 coffee addicts. They had given them each, 3 different kind of coffee-based products, in order to help them reduce their daily amount of caffeine...the first one had to use a coffee-scented body lotion, the second one a coffee-flavoured tooth-paste, and the third one a coffee-flavoured lip balm. All products had a delicious scent...well, its coffee after all.
Anyway, after several days of using the product, they had to give a reprot on how it felt for them and whether it had helped them or no. The one with the body lotion was craving for coffee, the other two, i cant recall exactly which one, was also craving for her daily caffeine dosage...the one with the tooth-paste i think...while the third one said that it actually did help her reduce the amount of coffee she drinks everyday. The reasons for this turned out to be that she was using a product, which was closest to the tasting centre and which was being absorbed in the body the fastest and so the body was fooled that it had a caffeine intake. The one with the body-lotion  could have just dreamed of having her product closest to the mouth, so thats why she still had to take huge coffee amounts, daily.
Well, this got me into thinking about myself, and i figured that i dont really take coffee for the caffeine only...the pelasure of having coffee is in feeling its taste on your tounge, of letting it slip through your throat, of feeling its particular sweetness and aroma...the pleasure is making a nes-cafe drink, where you stir the coffee and the sugar until you get a deliscious creamy mixture....and add milk to it, and maybe a bit of cinnamon on top...or a hot regular nes-cafe...which awakens all your senses and the taste of it just feels soo perfect. So thats why i love coffee...i would never actually swap for a caffeine based product, coz that wont give me the pleasure...not one single bit...i do love the effect caffeine has and how it can keep you awake or give you energy and all...but the preparation, the taste and the feeling that drinking coffee can provide, cant be substitues with any other product....and thats my final word on it :)

ok, im glad i was able to make this update, considering ive been having a cold, and some other severe health problems...im doing more or less ok right now, but in general, its not that pinky :)

Hopefully you are enjoying your weekend....its a cold one here...sunny, but very windy and cold....

till next time!

Bohinj, Slovenia

I think that the weather outside inspired me to post this card today. Well, its FAAAAR from beautiful as it is on the card, but its cold and snowy....yesterday during work, i went to the near market to get some chocolate...everything was normal...after like 5 minutes when i left the market, there was a blizzard! I absolutely love snow, just that there was way too much wind and it was howling at my face and it just felt extremely cold...as it did this morning....well, if possible, i would like to have mooooree snow with leeess wind...i just cant figure out this changeable weather here...

This card definitely proves that Slovenia has MAGNIFICENT places and MAGNIFICENT postcards!!! Well, honestly, there are many amazing places in Macedonia as well, just that unfortunately they either arent featured on a postcard at all or they arent presented in a nice way...but Slovenia, ah, Slovenia...places like Bohinj and Bled are breathtaking!
And the sender, Leonardo, gave a great story on the back of the card, which i will share with you...

Bohinj is an Alpine valley and a municipality in the north-west Slovenia, in the Julian Alps which were named after Julius Caesar. It is recognizable by its periglacial lake, lake Bohinj. The name Bohinj originates from the word 'Boh', an informal word meaning "God". (ok, i dont know how it is in most of the other Slavic languages, but in Macedonian, we also have the word "Bog" for "God"). Anyway, the myth says that when God was giving the land to the people, he forgot about a small group. Because they were silent, modest and patient, he felt pity for them. That's why he decided to give them the most beautiful land of them all, which he spared for himself - Bohinj.

Myths always make an interesting read...   

Jade Maiden Peak, China

This is an official card from China...beautiful one!

CN-49425

the Wuyi Mountain area is often called the "number one scenic wonder in Southeast China." An ancient legend says that in prehistoric period, there was an eight hundred-year-old man named Peng Zu who came to live in Chong'an, where the people suffered because of serious flooding. Peng Zu had two sons, Wu and Yi, who offered to dredge the waterways and finally conquered the floods. To commemorate the Peng brothers, the mountain was named Wuyi Mountain, and a palace was built in their memory.
Jade maiden Peak (Yun\feng), which is a scenic attraction of Wuyi Mountain. With its smooth rock cliffs and luxuriant vegetation, it looks like a slender maiden. There is a beautiful story connected with the Jade Maiden Peak. It is said that the Jade Maiden in Heaven admired the beauty of Earth and decided to live on Wuyi Mountain. Her love, the Great King, also came down and joined her there. But their whereabouts were found out and reported to the Jade Emperor by the Iron Slab Demon, who was then ordered to spy on them. The Jade Maiden and the Great King loved each other so much that they decided never to return to Heaven. With his magic powers, the Iron Slab Demon turned them into stone mountains. The demon himself also became a mountain because of his evil doings.

the card has a self-printed matching stamp! so neat!

Die Küste, Germany

The three cards of his post come from a series called "Die Küste, märchenhaft betrachtet von der Künstlerin Karin Blume"
There are actually a number of these cards and i would like to have them all if possible...so if anyone has other ones except the 3 featured here, id be glad to trade :)

Few days ago i promised you that with my next German card, ill tell you how things are going on with MY German and lessons and all...
Well, i am proud to announce that i finished my fist level...and passed my test with 109 points out of 120 possible...i think thats satisfactory, esp. if we have in mind that i didnt actually revise for it...i intended to, but evenually got carried out with work and stuff and neglected my German...at first when i looked at the test i had this blank look...but after i focused enough, it all came back to me, and i could figure it out...the parts i had most trouble with...articles...and the plural...that German plural seems so impossible!! As if it wasnt enough those 'die, der, das' are so troublesome, the plural itself has to try my patience...why would someone think of different kinds of plural for the nouns...i mean, English has an '-s' ending, we have the '-i' ending...why would German have several endings, plus other changes in the noun included!? Duh...that makes it more challenging though...if i was just a good enough student and sat down and went thoroughly through it...

the only problem right now is that my second level is put under a question mark....i may not be able to continue with it, at least not at the current place...two of the guys for some reason stopped coming and actually ignored all calls and messages that our Lehrerin sent them...two other guys said they cant manage anymore coz of working schedules and they have no time and are way too busy and blah blah...i wouldnt miond going to another place...problem is, i cant fit it into MY schedule :-( and I really wouldnt want to quit just now when it started so well, and when im so willing to dedicate myself to it and when i found out that im actually good at it....im even considering applying for a summer school course in Germany....or should i consider Spanish courses in Mexico...hmmm....i doubt the latter one would be appreciated by someone else...though i would love to go... 

Missouri, USA

Here is an absolutely cool map-card to add to my collection...and my first one from Missouri...its actually my first Missouri card in general....

the sender says that Missouri is known as the "Show Me" state because there are so many things to see there. On the postcard you can see Jesse James, who was a notorious bank robber who robbed banks and trains all over mid-western United States.

this is the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the card...



I like it when cards inspire me with something related to music :-)


hope you liked todays cards and my rantings....stay warm! :)

St. Gallen, Switzerland

Good i didnt make an update yesterday as i intended to...not coz there was something bad about doing it, but i would have probably complained again how the postman is ignoring me and how im craving for mail and all....well, today was a GREAT mail day and i feel all cheerful and delighted...i even got two new officials US/FI...well, this wouldnt have meant anything unless now my ratio is 35:39....sometimes i feel like people hate me coz of that :) But i have 6 travelling, so soon it will be evened out...for a while...:) But right now i just feel content...and the sun is shining even though its cold....its just a nice day...

Ok, of course, i have none of the today's cards scanned so dont expect to see any of them, but i somehow feel more eager to post now that my mailbox is content :)
This wonderful card comes from St. Gallen in Switzerland which shows a UNESCO site.
The Abbey of Saint Gall was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. The Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13^th Century. It was founded by St. Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had erected his Hermitage. The library at the abbey is one of the richest medieval libraries in the world. Since 1983, it has been an UNESCO whs.

this is how Simona ends her card:  Best wishes from the country with the world's best cheese and chocolate.
Mmmmmm.....for a person like me who loves both cheese and chocolate, this feels very appealing. I dont know if you had watched the Tom and Jerry cartoons, but there was one of them, where Jerry had lived in one of those cheeses with holes (which are very tasty, btw). I think that i love that cartoon mainly coz of the cheese...i mean, i can simply feel the taste of that cheese by just watching the cartoon....it was soo well made with a perfect yellow-cheese-colour! :)

Virginia, USA

I got this card from Chrissy along with her Valentine card Flamingo....and its my first one ever from Virginia! And it has a lighthouse on it!!

Chrissy is one of the newest people i met at the GTKY but its been really nice to know her...for some reason only nice and kind and awesome people come at the GTKY :)
And Chrissy is the one who wholehearedly helps me with my German...she says her German is rusty...i say mine is awful and way too basic...but it feels good to be able to practice the language with someone, with whom i can just give it a try into writing something without really worrying if im gonna make too many mistakes or if im gonna say enough or a lot or anything...my German lessons themselves are a total different story...but ill leave that up for my following German card.
However, Chrissy, Vielen Dank für alles! :)

Persepolis, Iran

Ill close this update today with another UNESCO...sorry if it seems too short, but i need to be rushing back to work in a while...i just didnt want to leave this for tonight coz i know that as usual i may get carried away with other stuff and wont do it...

Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty. It is situated 70 km northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran.  In contemporary Persian, the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid) and Parseh. To the ancient Persians, the city was known as Pārsa, which means "The City of Persians".
Persepolis is near the small river Pulwar, which flows into the river Kur. The site includes a 125,000 square meter terrace, partly artificially constructed and partly cut out of a mountain, with its east side leaning on Kuh-e Rahmet ("the Mountain of Mercy"). The other three sides are formed by retaining walls which vary in height with the slope of the ground.
The first westerner to visit the ruins of Persepolis was Antonio de Gouveia from Portugal who wrote about cuneiform inscriptions following his visit in 1602.
The buildings at Persepolis include three general groupings: military quarters, the treasury, and the reception halls and occasional houses for the King.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone who celebrates it, to anyone to whom it has the slightest of significance, to everyone out there who treasures it for the love and friendship.
Well personally I dont celebrate Valentine;s...Ive never have...for the simple reason that its a Catholic holiday...Macedonia's main religion is Orthodox Christian...but years ago people started celebrating Valentine;s Day here as well....probably coz they thought its fancy and markets and companies thought it would be a great way to earn money out of it...coz lets face it, everything that gets modern is money consuming...and what bothers me most is that here people celebrate Valentine's Day for the wrong reasons...so if you are with someone, then by default you celebrate Valentine's Day coz the calendar says so, not coz you truly believe in it...i like it that people can express their love and affection but then on the other hand, i dont like the idea of doing it on this day only...just as mother's day...i prefer to give my mum a gift on a day she least expects it than on the one where im somewhat obliged to do so...
Valentine's also somewhat depresses me, coz people so much emphasize it and in general make me feel more aware im alone...yeah, more or less ive always been alone on this day and even if i wasnt, that someone wasnt physically present so again i felt alone....thats why i dont like these holidays....they are all about being with people around you at times when i maybe dont feel like being with people....and that's just depressing...

Here on the other hand we have a holiday called St. Trifun. St. Trifun in Macedonia is considered the patron of the fields, patron of the grape fields and grape growers.

The holy martyr Trifun was born in Kampsada in Phrygia, near the town of Apameia. His healing abilities were manifested already in his childhood, when he was still tending the geese. He healed various diseases and freed people from evil demons. The stories of the miracles he performed reached far, and one day he was summoned by the Roman Emperor, Gordian, to heal his dauther Gordiana who suffered from a mental illness which no physician could heal. Trifun soon healed her, gaining even greater fame as a result.
St. Trifun died as a martyr during the rule of the Emperor Decius. He was summoned before the Emperor's regional administrator, Acquillian by name, and ordered to renounce Christ and make offerings to the Roman gods. Having refused, Trifun was tortured. He was tied to a tree and beaten with a stick, then tied to a horse's tail and dragged through the fields, and when all this failed to frighten him into changing his mind, they threatened to cut off his head. But as the soldiers were leading him outside the town to behead him, St. Trifun prayed to the Lord to take his soul, so that when they reached the place of execution his soul had already passed to God. This happened on 14th February 248, according to some in 250, when the holy martyr St. Trifun was only 21 years old.

Well, back to the Valentine's...there is a bright side on it, and that is that apart from celebrating love, it also celebrates friendship...and that is something i can accept coz ive barely seen anyone celebrating Valentine;s coz of the friendship...but thats why there are the GTKY ladies...and as it happened for Christmas, a Valentine's Flamingo was organised again...and i got a number of wonderfully hand-made cards from the ladies..with really nice thoughts and quotes...i think im really happy to know those girls
Here are the cards i had received so far...as it was for Christmas, i wont post the quotes or the personal messages....hope you have nothing against that :)

from Chrissy in the USA

from Essi in Finland

from Marta in Portugal

 

from Ana in Portugal

from Katy in Estonia

from Relie in Singapore

from Valerie in France

as i receive the rest of the cards, they will be posted below. Just want to say an enormous Thank You to to GTKY gang for being who they are and for befriending me in the first place...luv ya girls!

Itsukushima Shrine, Japan

Again, no mail today...no mail yesterday...im getting all cranky when my mailbox is empty...thank God for all that pile of cards i havent uploaded here, so i can make an update...but i do need my dosage of mail several times a week...thing is, in order to receive you need to send as well...and i love sending....and fortunately, i may not need to give it up as i initally thought a few days ago...
I sent out my new 6 offical cards today...so someone's mailbox in Finland, Germany, US, Philippines, Japan and the Czech Repbulic is gonna be suprised soon :)
And this is one of the officials i received on Wednesday...an amazing Japanese card...and my first official from Japan...having a first official card from somewhere, does feel special ;-)

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the card is called "A Night View of the Great Torii of Itsukushima Shrine" in Miyajima.


The Torii, or Gateway, at Miyajima Island is a classic and beloved icon of Japan, as well as a condensed essence of traditional Japanese architectural expression. This grand wooden gateway, both sturdy and graceful, sits in the tidal flats before the historic Buddist temple complex of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island, in the same region as the city of Hiroshima in Japan.
Built on axis with the sea-facing shrine, the gate serves to welcome spirits of the departed as they come in across the water of Japan's Inland Sea. At low tide, visitors walk around the great columns of the structure, measuring its great size against the human body. At high tide, the rugged vermillion gateway seems to float in the waves around it, a gateway for boats, or for spirits indeed.

when i look at this card i always see it as one of those Japanese letters/symbols/signs...i still keep thinking it IS one indeed...i especially love the sunset view...and the moon over the shrine...lovely lovely card all in all!

Denmark

Here is a perfection of a postcard....that makes me so utterly happy...a new flag card to my collection!

The Danish flag is called Dannebrog and it is considered to be the oldest national flag still in use. Prior to the use of Dannebrog, Danish forces are known to have used the raven banner.
The flag is red with a white Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side. The cross design of the Danish flag was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

The legend of the flag is very popular among Danes, although most consider it to be a myth. The legend says that during the Battle of Valdemar the flag fell from the sky during a critical stage, resulting in Danish victory. No historical record supports this legend.

Singapore

This is my actually first ever postcard from Singapore...but...there is always a but...its not addressed to me, but it was sent to my aunt by her travelling friend...so thats why i more consider as my first Singaporean postcard, the first one addressed to me... i had already posted this one in the oldish posts, but since it was just image, i pulled it out and it comes in handy to post it now...and make a variety among the cards.

My aunts friend (who is called Savica btw....i think i should call her by her name, instead of 'my aunts friend' coz first of all, its shorter, second it feels better...
Anyway....Savica says that Singapore, the city of lions is beautiful and that its very clean and there are lots of people and crowds on the streets, as well as that its very hot...well from what I know according to Relie, it IS very hot indeed...i wonder what Relie would do if she came to stay in Macedonia....its 0 degrees at the time of writing this.
She also says that people are very kind and ear and that there is a lot to be seen and to be bought...she calls Singapore, the shopping paradise. Well....too bad im not into shopping, otherwise i would have booked my ticket and head to Singapore straightway...well, at least i would visit Relie :)

Ok, i think im gonna have a nap...i feel really tired in general...i need to recharge myself for a bit...wishing you a great upcoming weekend everyone!

Morro Bay, USA

Hello everyone...dear postcard collector, or just visitors who for one reason or another ended up here...you know you are all welcome :)
Yesterday i finally got some mail, after being ignored by the postman for almost a week....and it was a rather good mail day which included 4 official cards, and here i am to feature one of them....i wanted to make an update yesterday, but i just really wasnt in the mood....i still dont feel ok, i have way too many things weighing on my mind and it all gets me down...but at least my creative part isnt as frozen as yesterday, so hopefully ill manage to write a few decent sentences...if not, you'll know why is it so..

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I really like the view on this one. The sender says that Morro Bay is a really nice place to spend an afternoon eating fish and chips with the toes in the sand. Mmmmmm....I dont doubt its nice...i would just add some nice wine on my list to make it feel more complete...
this is what the back of the card says:
"Morro rock towers over the coastal town of Morro Bay. the sandpit in the foreground encloses the bay, home to hundreds of species of birds and marine life"

thanks to Judy for choosing such a nice card for me....

Snoopy

I know it seems childish but i love receiving postcards with my favourite cartoon characters! I got this and another great Garfield one thanks to Minna.
Tervetuloa actually means Welcome :)  Maybe i should have made this card as a first post today...

I love Snoopy and his sense of humour...I love the Peanuts in general...Linus is my favourite...it has got to be coz of his name....Linus sounds just so perfect and so melodic to my ears.
I have downloded some of the Peanuts series, yet i havent managed to watch them actually...maybe once i get a new lap-top...on this PC simple browsing tends to get annoying...i dont even wanna think of making a more complex operation :)

here are a few Snoopy cartoons...in case you like him and have some extra time to kill :)











not the kind of a dog i want to keep at home though...too pesky :)

Slovakia

I got this card thanks to Milan....it really feels nice when people know the kind of cards you like and they pay attention to it and try to send you something according to your wishlist...but i also like it when i know how to pay back ;-))))))

I think ive already talked of Slovakia more than once, which now leaves me thinking what should i rant about this time...except that i love this card coz it has a Slovakian map on it...

Have i told you that yesterday i had a real crisis about mail? After being deprived from it for almost a week, yesterday i just had to get my dosage of it, but the postman just wasnt and wasnt coming....i think im definitely addicted, which aint good...eventually when i opened the mailbox it was full and i just had this 'ahhhhhhh' relief expression on my face....the day before that i stalked the postman...i saw him while going home and instead of stopping him, i rushed home...and i was waiting at the kitchen window for him to pass by coz i was convinced he has something for me...boy, was i wrong!  No mail today again...but thanks  to yesterday its still keeps me going...im helpless :|

Leuven, Belgium

You know, i actually need to be getting ready for work instead of making this update...but i promise, after im done with this one, im out thru the door :)

This is the St. Peter's Church in Leuven...the biggest but not oldest church in the town. It is situated on the city's main market square across from the Ornate Town Hall. Built mostly in the 15th century in Brabantine Gothic Style the church is in the form of a cross with a low bell tower that has never been completed.

hmm, ok...i have to get going...i know i know todays update may have been scarce and lousy in words....but i hope you liked the cards at least :) And maybe if i manage my time wisely, ill see you tomorrow again....if not, ill see you on Saturday...i cant miss that one...i have specific things to post...shouldnt be hard to guess what if we take in account what date is it on Saturday....but i do have things to tell :)