Alausí, Ecuador

So, back to normal posts....and thank you for surviving my last edition =)  And well, sooner or later you may have to go through another one, who knows :)

But for the time being, will focus on places I haven't been to but would LOVE to go to...and for which I have my dear buddies to send me postcards from...and of course make me feel all jealous about it :P

And for starters we have a card from Ecuador, which maybe wouldn't have seen the light of the day for a while more if like a week ago or so I didn't come across this post at the PC forum about the offer of cards from Ecuador...well I do have a few from there, so I was wondering if I should take part in it...but when I read they were to be sent from the US, I wasn't really interested...HOWEVER it just got me curious to check how many Ecuador cards I have posted....and I come here, check the Ecuador label, and to my utter bewilderment, I see only ONE...posted in July 2010...and that one is not even a written and stamped one....I thought it must be some mistake since I KNOW Agi has sent me cards from there from her trips...I check again and again, but no, no Ecuador cards posted...and then of course, I go through those piles of unpublished cards, and guess what? There they are!! Yep!!! A HUGE face-palm for me here! I can't believe it I could have been such an idiot and totally overlook those....and that makes me wonder that if I go carefully through those piles, what all sorts of 'surprises' I'm gonna find.....

So dear ladies and gentlemen, my first written and stamped card from Ecuador on the blog...sent in November 2010....yeah, you read it right...2010...neglected for like almost 6 years....I wonder if Agi has ever noticed I never posted these Ecuador cards....yeah, there is another one from few years later...as if the embarrassment wasn't enough already =/

Well dear Agi, I don't wanna make excuses with cliches like 'better late than never'...but I don't really have another one :)))))

The card shows a super-cool tourist train in Alausí, a town in the Chimborazo province of Ecuador.
Yes, it is a train - a small one, but so cool and funny :) I don't know if Agi in the end did take a ride on it, but she said that one is not allowed to sit on the roof any longer - heh, that is a bit of a bummer, if I was the one to take a ride, I would have loved to sit on the roof - it is just more adventurous....but I guess probably due to safety reasons, some measures had to be enforced....don't know if it is me though, but the people on the roof here seem to be freezing...yeah, on my second thought, not so convenient for rainy/windy days :)

two very nice stamps and a clear cancellation - the left one is from a set of four Tourism stamps issued in 2010, representing the diversity of Ecuador (this one shows Playa Los Frailes). The other stamp is another Tourism stamp, this time issued in 2009 in a set of eight stamps.

Agi, jedno najveće hvala opet, eto nakon toliko godina :)

Washington Coast, USA

Will close today's update with the Washington Coast...

received this card from Bryon recently, showing Ruby Beach which is the northernmost of the southern beaches in the coastal section of Olympic National Park.
And from the first glance it reminded me of a card I received time ago...see below

Bryon used three great stamps here..two from this year already...the Lunar New Year stamp and the other one shows Richard Allen, as part of the Black Heritage series. The South Dakota stamp was issued in 1989, commemorating the South Dakota statehood.

As I mentioned above, the first glance at Bryon's card reminded me of this one and I was like convinced they were showing the same place until I read that Bryon's card shows Ruby Beach...and that's when I got confused :) See, this card shows the Rialto Beach, which is also in the Olympic National Park...so it seems that there are rocks of this kind all along the Pacific Coast :)

the back of the card here says: "The wilderness beach from La Push, Washington to Cape Flattery is controlled by rules of the Pacific Ocean. There are no sheltered Lagoons. One must climb headlands cross numerous streams, enter cocoons of fog and watch for storm waves that could trap you against sheer cliffs. This beach can be an experience of solitude never seen before".

I received this one from Mary back in 2010 (hides in shame) for the Mini RR at the forum....that unfortunately doesn't exist anymore from what I know =/

Mary used three extra-cute stamps - the Peanuts one was issued in 2001 showing Snoopy. The Sylvester and Tweety stamp was issued in 1998, while Bugs Bunny is from 1997. Sylvester has always been one of my favourite Looney Tunes characters, along with Sylvester Jr. - Sylvester Jr. is just way too adorable!! :)))

thanks a whole lot to Bryon and Mary for the great cards and amazing stamps here!!

Wishing a great cozy Sunday to all...it is a rainy gloomy one here...the Icelandic people would say it is Gluggaveður, or window-weather - the one that is best appreciated indoors :)

 Stay well!

Baghdad, Iraq

time for a new update! YAY! well blame it on the rainy Saturday night..and my lack of desire to do anything else...after the latest episode today with my new postman, ive been feeling all down and just soo devastated...well I think I never actually told you the story to begin with...so, yeah, I have a new postman...I knew my old one was about to retire, I just didn't really know when it was going to happen..and it was like a month ago when this new guy came to my door to bring me a small package...took me a while to figure out he was actually a postman...you know, young guy, jeans, t-shirt, tattoos, some old car..quite a bizarre situation, but i was like, ok, no problem, he looks cool...he came the following day again, cos of course, he again had to bring something I had to sign, and that's when I realized that I hadn't received a single card or letter for a long while so this is how the conversation went..., "ermm, aren't there any postcards for me?" to which he gave me this look and said, yeeeeeeees, there aaaareeeee...I was a bit puzzled and told him, "errmm, can you like please BRING them to me?????"
it was odd to me that I had to ask about it in the first place and that I got such a cool answer and that he didn't really bother about it...so he promised to bring them the following day, to which I added that he shouldnt be waiting for a whole pile to gather and bring them all at once..he fulfilled his promise and I thought he learned the lesson...but how naive I was..
Some days later, my mum went to the PO since we hadn't received bills either, and my mum is really zealous in paying those things on time..so, she didn't find the bills (they told her they have been dispatched time ago, so God knows where they were), but she told me there was some pile of mail for me...however, she couldn't get them for me without my ID or anything..the next day, to my utter surprise, I got a call from the PO that there is some mail for me and I should go and pick it up..when I  asked how come the postman cannot bring them, I got this lousy excuse of 'he is a new guy, he doesn't know things, so we are calling people'...I went to get them, got two or three things I have ordered, but when I asked if there are maybe some postcards or letters,  the lady bitched at me with the attitude 'i cannot leave the desk, I have too much work to do, I cannot be wasting time looking for your mail'...so, I wonder, if she cannot bother to look for it, and my postman cannot bother to bring it to me, how on Earth am I supposed to get my mail??!!
So I complained with the manager as well....that was one day before I went to the astro-camp...so of course, after the complaint, the new guy came and craftily, without a notice, left them on our table in the garden...just like that, not in the mailbox, not a ring at the door..so who cares if it starts raining or Kimi starts playing with them..since he loves sleeping on that table, day and night...anyways, that was like already two weeks ago..no sign of him again ever since...went to the PO today...asked for mail, got two packages I have order...no sign of postcards...and I was so devastated, I almost started crying right there at the counter...cos it is simply IMPOSSIBLE that I have no piece of mail for two weeks..IMPOSSIBLE...even at times I wasn't active, I would always get at least a surprise card or something from someone...and now that I kind of got back into swaps and the official site again, she tells me there is nothing for me..I would bet my life on the fact that there IS some mail for me...but hell knows where those pieces of mail are..the lady like denied he could be keeping it with him...but she didnt like seem interested to resolve the issue....and I am deprived of one of the things that really brightens up my days cos of some irresponsible moron out there...yeah, at first it was like funny, now i so much despise this guy, I cannot explain it to you...if this is how it's going to be on the long run, I really dont know what to do since obviously no particular measures can be undertaken, even though I complained several times...and I am just solution-less on this issue =/
Maybe after the complaint today he will come next week..but such, one-time short-term solutions are NOT gonna resolve the issue..
Yeah, sorry for all that yada-dada, but Im really bummed...and today was just like cherry on top =/

So, maybe now I can get down to why you are actually here in the first place...postcards!!
And the ones for today are a bit older, but I think they are more than worth it to be posted...

Recently I arranged a swap with Hasnan from Iraq, and that reminded me that I received this one like four years ago...so it is about time to post it and make room for some new Iraqi cards coming ;-)

Duh, I hate it when there is absolutely no explanation on the back of the card about what's really shown here, and how am I supposed to figure it all out, hmm?
Now my, khm khm, great, khm khm, research skills, have come up with disastrous results...but let's see...in the middle, you can see the Baghdad TV Tower, previously known as the International Saddam Tower)..the top right picture shows the Al-Mustansiriya University established in 1963....aaaaaand, geez people, that's all I know about this card! Awful!!
Any readers from Iraq here? Or someone who maybe has the same card and succeeded in figuring out what all these pictures represent? Or anyone with better googling skills than mine? If yes, to any of the above questions, please leave a comment with the answers...it may be late to incorporate those in the post, but I'd really like to learn more about what we have here...thank you in advance!

a stamp from a set of 3 issued in 2008 called One Nation

heh, cannot believe that it's been actually more than 4 years since I've received this card...time flies...

Lofoten, Norway

ahh Norway, I've missed you on this blog...to make it up, I have four gorgeous Norwegian cards for today, coming from somewhere in Lofoten...and all four have arrived as surprises from dear Sissel!
Again, we have some older cards here...but before I get down to those beauties, I'd like to share a song I accidentally came across few months ago...and which was the first step in discovering this fantastic band called Beach House...the song was of course called "Norway", which is what drew my attention to it, besides the interesting vocals...so here it is for you to take a listen if you want to...



did you notice that the person singing is actually a lady??! Personally I realized that only when I read online about the band's biography...i was all, 'you gotta be kidding me'!! but then, that's what adds even more beauty to this band...cos it feels so unique and specific...and I just love it! Such tranquil and relaxing music...so thanks to Norway, I have this new band occupying my last.fm playlists...

and now, finally down to the cards...damn, I seem to be doing so much rambling today....

Gosh...this view makes my heart weep...it is soo breathtakingly stunning that it hurts!!
It shows the Henningsvær fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago...received in 2011...Im sure it is still as beautiful as when this photo was taken

stamp is from the set of 2 EUROPA stamps issued in 2011 on the subject of Forests.


received in 2010....

...and I find this one a bit funny...cos this is a village simply called Å ..yep, you read it right "Å"...why would you name a village like that? but I guess it does have something unique in it...located at the tip of Lofoten and until the 1990s, it was mainly a small fishing village specializing in stockfish, but since then tourism has taken over as the main economic activity....Sissel asked me here if Im tired of Lofoten yet...hah, even though this question was asked exactly four years ago, my answer is still one big NO NO NO :D

first there are two definitives...the first one probably issued in 1997, and the second one, probably in 2001...the last stamp is from a set of two issued in 2010, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Norwegian University of Technology and Science


From the Arctic Norway series...

this is a glimpse of the Hamnøy village...another small and beautiful Norwegian fishing village

the stamp was issued in 2010, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Norwegian Press Association - Freedom of Speech. Norwegians are really doing great regarding Freedom of Speech...Macedonia on the other hand is terrible, simply terrible in that regard...and that really pisses me off =/


and another stunningly beautiful image...

the card shows Reine...and wanna guess?? yes, another fishing village :D
The largest weekly magazine in Norway (Allers) selected Reine as the most beautiful village in Norway in the late 1970s

With the exception of Henningsvær, which is located on the Austvågøya island, the other three places are all located on the Moskenesøya island.

some great older stamps! first one is from a set of 4 millenium stamps issued in 1999. Then we have three beautiful Folk dancing stamps issued in 1976. Next is a stamp issued in the distant 1955 in a set of two, representing the Coronation of King Haakon VII (1905). The last one was issued in 1982, representing the 25th Anniversary of the Reign of King Olav V.

Sissel, sending you many many many hugs! Though no hugs would be enough for all the gorgeous stuff you have ever sent me!

Depeche Mode

This update should have happened time ago...practically since last year...but all the time I was somehow searching for a commemorative date to do it...and then of course, all the commemorative dates I had in mind - I missed them..well, nothing surprising when it comes to me...but I think that now it is about time it happens...and well, I had this some kind of sign last night, which was like, yeah damn it, go on and post it for once!

Maybe the start of this whole update is a bit confusing for you..and you are wondering like, what the hell is she going to talk about? Annoy us with DM songs and stuff..AGAIN??
Well, partially yes...but I also just wanted to use this as an opportunity to mention a few trips I took last year...cos of Depeche Mode of course..and where I used the opportunity to mail myself a card or two as well...and to you of course :)
Don't know if I'll manage to put it up all at once...but, nyways, last year DM had this fantastic world tour, and I spoiled myself a bit by giving myself the chance to go not to one, not to two, but to three concerts in total! Truth is, I should have gone to at least one or two more...but at the time being I thought it wasn't so achievable...silly me =/

Now, this first card as you can see, does not refer to the last year's tour...but it is fitting for the opening post..esp. since the first concert I attended was in Sofia, on the Sunday of 12.05.2013...and I couldn't possibly send myself a card from there since time and all were all limited

I received this DM card (and my only Depeche Mode actual postcard) from dear Nataša...it comes from DM's previous tour in 2009, when I had the tickets for the Belgrade show which in the end got cancelled...yeah, my luck...that event itself actually ended up being a real turning point in my life and led to some interesting life circumstances later, so I guess it all happens for a reason


then in 2011 I also received this fantastic Martin Gore card (the DM genius who has managed to write the lyrics with all the things I've ever wanted to say but could never find the right words...and he does it in such a simple and subtle way..)
The picture is also the cover of his Counterfiet 2 album (my favourite song thereof will follow)..and I will always be thankful to Olessia from Russia for sending it to me...I just love love love it...it so perfectly reflects Martin's emotions and depths of his soul..

even though originally not written by Martin, his performance is just perfect...I love the dark, gloomy atmosphere he brings to it

Anyways, I got carried away here..the concert in Sofia was just fantastic...the only problem was that we got there rather later than I wanted to (that's what happens when you go with a huge group), but in the end I did manage to get my first-row spot...and that's what counts! :D

Personal Jesus always ends up in a fantastic performance!



Ok, another downside was that it started raining even before the concert...and that didn't feel really pleasant, esp. since I was already starting to feel unwell...by the time I got back home the next morning I already declared myself ill...which was just confirmed as bronchitis by the doctor later...which wouldn't have called for an alert if  I wasn't to attend the concert in Belgrade just one week later...and we all know that bronchitis can be very nasty and not go away so easily...

Gelati Monastery, Georgia

so here comes another cold Monday. Are you one of those wondering what the hell has happened to the spring? I certainly am! This has looked like anything but spring so far (and a total contrast of this period last year when it felt like summer, now it feels like winter). But the weather forecast says that things are gonna get better this week, so we'll see. I do not mind so much that it's cold, but Im really tired of the constant rain EVERY SINGLE DAY! One cant even get to the post office...yeah, excuses excuses..

anyways, I picked some nice (I hope) cards and places for today...and first of course comes a card from a country that has been neglected for a long while despite me having received cards from there.
And that's Georgia - the country, not the US state - neglected since 2009 - even though sometimes I feel as if I had started this blog just recently, it indeed has turned 6 years old while I was on a 'justified' leave...yep, thank you thank you! I also turned 6 on the official postcrossing site! hmm, that's a number of anniversaries indeed that went unnoticed here...should really try better next year and commemorate it somehow for the readers...but ok I was talking about Georgia actually...

Last year I received a Georgian card for Andy's Vacation RR...and that's when of course it dawned on me that, hey, but I have some Georgian cards from years ago! And indeed I have. And indeed one was also of the Gelati monastery, but a different view...but oh well..

this monastery complex is situated in western Georgia and contains the Church of the Virgin founded by the King of Georgia David the Builder in 1106, and the 13th-century churches of St George and St Nicholas.
Well, David is also buried here and Near his grave are the gates of Ganja, which were taken as trophies by king Demetrius I in 1138.
In 1994, Gelati Monastery was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The site was included in the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund to draw attention to deterioration caused by prolonged neglect.

And I thought it was just here that they neglected the cultural heritage

and here is a nice stamp showing golden earrings from the IV-V century BC. The stamp is from a set of 4 Cultural Heritage stamps issued in 2012.

and this is the other Gelati card I have...and those yellow spring flowers and lovely blue skies makes you think that we are talking about two totally different places here...what a change the surroundings can do!

now, what Im not sure is how I got this card...I do think it is as a result from a swap with Khatuna but I can not actually be 100% sure about it - and this is why I do not like blank cards anymore...written and stamped ones just rule! However for some reason I had it in my 2010 folder, I guess i had already scanned it back then so I could at least tell when I had received it...

Dresden, Germany

Well now get ready for an attack of Dresden cards... when I chose to post about Dresden it was cos just recently I received a card for the FB surprise group and i knew I had like one or two more...but when I started gathering them from all the years it turned out it wasnt just one or two, but there was no turning back...Dresden was chosen, Dresden it's gonna be =)

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Well, Dresden for quite some time has been on my list of places I would REALLY love to visit one day and looking at the postcards I have, the desire just grows bigger. I feel this city has some special charm that Im gonna love straightway! Plus it's not really big, around 500,000 inhabitants, so we are really like made for each other :)

the card arrived as an official from Stefanie, just this March and probably one of the loveliest views of Dresden I've seen...thought there is still one in my favourites that is my ultimate favourite and still waiting for someone to send it to me :)

Stefanie used this stamp from the joint issue with Japan, featuring UNESCO whs sites. It was issued in 2011 and shows the old town of Regensburg.



the second Dresen card came as a swap with Lothar, who sent me this multiview showing the Dresden Frauenkirche, or the Church of Our Lady.

Built in the 18th century, it is considered as an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe.
The Frauenkirche is often called a cathedral, however it is not the seat of a bishop. Hmm, ok now I think this would clarify it for me why something is a church and why a cathedral...pardon my ignorance but these religion-related issues have never really been my strong side...

the stamp is the same as the one above....


Another card showing the Frauenkirche, this time a single view and as seen from the Neumarkt..

received this one as an absolute surprise for the Facebook Surprise group and I love it! And just look at those surrounding buildings..they look so lovely, all the same, just differing in colour...

two definitives - the yellow tulip and the crocus, both issued in 2005, and a lovely stamp issued this year, commemorating the 1250th Anniversary of Lorsch Abbey

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an official received back in 2010...on the card you can see part of the old town, the Brühl's Terrace, the cathedral, the Semper Opera House...and I think that would be it...oh, of course, how could I forget the Elbe river :)

boy, it's been so long since I've seen this stamp on a card....I remember how annoyed people used to be for constantly receiving this one on their mail...but see, after a few years, it feels nice to see it again - issued in 2006 btw.



a card that is a result of a swap with Dieter...and showing Dresden from a totally different perspective...and I love it!

well, again you can get a glimpse of the Frauenkirche,  but the clouds and the foggy atmosphere surely bring a different feeling about it all...well, the back of the card also says to be showing the German Hygiene Museum, but from this angle, I have absolutely no idea which one is that...this is the first time I hear a museum to be named like that...sounds so strange....

ok, again another definitive, this one issued in 2005, and an EUROPA stamp from the last year's topic of postal vans



ok, moving on to the last card,, another multiview....yeah, I do admit im not a huge fan of multivies but I do not mind them that much...I know sometimes people just do not have a choice :)

DE-2807927

Received this one as an official somewhere at the beginning of the year, and here you can also see the Zwinger Palace, the Academy of Arts, the Royal Palace (or the Dresden Castle), and some painting of the Elbe river...

2013 stamp commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Fehmarnsund Bridge

So, do you feel like travelling to Dresden now? I certainly do!

From Tokyo with love, Japan

ok, last for today we are going to Tokyo...another somewhat neglected country - no Japanese post since February 2012...and ive acquired a few Tokyo cards in the meantime, so here are they all...

however, before I get down to the cards, I wanted to share something with you that is somehow related...namely, two videos of a Tokyo choir singing...Macedonian traditional songs! I was just speechless when I watched these for the first time because these people DO actually sing in Macedonian..and on one hand it seems so amazing, on the other it's kinda funny..I really wonder if they do understand the words, but needless to say their pronunciation is just surprising! in the most positive way!
the first video shows them during practice, the second one is a performance on stage with the probably best Macedonian opera singer, Blagoja Nacoski, who is the one responsible for these Japanese people having the chance to learn something Macedonian. Hats down to him for that!!





this is just one of those moments when you get that fuzzy feeling in your heart..




I just admire the clarity with which they sing the words of a language that they probably never have heard before....



ok, now onto the Tokyo cards...where just each and every one of them seems to be showing the Tokyo Tower...

First is an official received back in 2010...

JP-113289

And what's the Tokyo Tower actually? - It is a communications and observation tower, which with its 333 metres is the second tallest structure in Japan.
It is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations. Ill mention the bridge a bit later...

I love it how  Satomi, the sender, included the vignette or whatever additional part of the stamp this is...looks amazing! It was issued in 2007 in a set of 10 stamps for the Letter Writing Day, representing Poetry and Paintings...and if I could identify it right, this one shows the waka poet Sarumaru no Dayū


the following two cards are blank, so I can just take wild guesses about the origin and year of arrival..

first one is a night view of the Tokyo Tower.....

...while the second one shows the Rainbow Bridge...a somewhat similar card to the first one, except this one shows a wider picture of the same place..even the colours are the same :)

the Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay, whose construction started in 1987 and was completed in 1993. The bridge is 798 metres longwith a main span of 580 metres. Its name has been decided by the public - a good one I must say!
There are lamps placed on the wires supporting the bridge, which are illuminated into three different colors, red, white and green every night using solar energy obtained during the day.
Sounds like something the Japanese would think of :)))


and well, the last card was in my favourites for a long while and then I finally received it in the favourites tag last year thanks to Masako!

There is just something special about the perspective of the card that makes it soo appealing...not to forget the predominant dark-blue colour. Just love it!!

and Masako used to great train stamps! the left one is a locomotive from a set of two issued in 1975, showing the Class 9600 Locomotive No. 69820
. the other stamp was issued in 1977, again in a set of two, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Japanese Underground Railway.

Well, that would be all for today folks...just four posts, but so many cards...hope you liked some of them...

till next time, stay well!

R.I.P Foxy dearest (26.05.2009 - 16.11.2013)

when last time I said I may not be in the frame of mind to post for a while...I certainly didnt't foresee this coming...yeah, the events I was referring to did turn out the worst way...but the actual shock came a few days later...on something I couldn't even have imagine...my dearest Foxy the cat is no longer among us...and I can not possibly find the words to describe how heartbroken I feel ;-( Sorry if this may be a yada-dada post, but I've written about so many things here and commemorated events and all, that I just can't go on without doing a post for him on one of the saddest occasions...and I already did a post about him here...and I have a few cat cards with cats that look like him...so I found them somewhat appropriate for today

And it all happened so soon and so out of nowhere...I mean, Kimi is ill (feline leukemia), and has been on daily therapy for almost two years...he can't be cured, but the therapy is keeping him alive...and if it comes to Kimi, aside from being ill, he is also twice older...so subconsciously Im somewhat more prepared that something may go wrong with him...not that I am REALLY prepared, one never is for that, one always has hopes until the last moment...but you know what I mean...
But no, I still can't accept it that it happened to Foxy...and I don't know what actually happened...he was missing for a day...and the next morning I found him in one corner, all quiet, as if something hurting him...my first thought was that he has been hit by a car or something, by the way he could barely walk...took him to the vet later that day, turns out he had some internal bleeding and his bladder was dysfunctional so he has been retaining everything inside for a few days...with a temperature lower for 3 degrees that the minimum one...but after giving him the treatment, the vet said he'd be ok, and to bring him the next day for some additional therapy and all...unfortunately, he didn't get to see the light of the next day...it was a shocker to me...still is....and it is still a mystery to me WHAT has actually happened...whether he has really been hit by something..whether he actually had kidney failure as a result to the internal bleeding...I really really dont know...all I know is that I just cant forgive myself for not being able to spot some signs earlier...and why wasnt he meowing the unusual way...cats usually should do that...Foxy was so apathetic...I lay in bed, and put him on my chest, and he was staying so still...coz he was actually getting ready to die *sigh*...and he died just next to my bed..not the most pleasant thing to wake up to...and the immediate reaction was to go back to sleep...as if what you have just realized is nothing but a bad dream...but unfortunately, it wasnt...it was a bad reality =/

Ive lost pets before...but never hurt like this...coz Foxy was so different and so special...a cat with a character...the one who would never sit still, the one who loved opening doors, who could never have enough food to eat, who loved jumping at you out of nowhere to bite your leg, who loved laying in ambush and jumping at you...the cat who knew what to do when you'd tell him 'sit down'....yeah, that was Foxy...made all our days so fun...that all who knew him, are gonna terribly miss that
But I guess those whom I care for so much, decided to leave me together...be it a cat or a man who has so much gotten under your skin...they just decide to leave (and thats a third failure of the year, but this one hurts the most coz it has been the most meaningful one...and you cant help it but start wondering why it always has to end that way? why cant it just for once go nice and last? Something Ill never get an answer to...

I really would like to think of him as taking a nap somewhere...he just didn't deserve to die...not so soon, not this way...he cant even possibly imagine how much he will be missed...and how empty it feels without him =/

After this, I think I will give up on collecting cat cards...at least for a long while...I unliked everything cat-related on Facebook as well...some people have told me to get another one, just like him...but there is NO cat like him...and no, I can't go through this again...I still have Kimi, and his day will come eventually...it is more than I could bear already
And Kimi is all alone now..yeah, there is no one to tease him and chase him and fight him...but Foxy so much protected him from other cats as well, despite being twice younger..

And sorry for the spirit of the post today...but as you know, on such occasions, this is the place which helps me at least a bit to cope with things by getting them out of the system..cos crying for three days and not being able to sleep nor eat, certainly hasn't helped much...

here is one of the Foxy pictures I so much love...he is just so adorable and as someone said, has such a warm face =[

The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Malaysia

and for my last post today (yeah, sorry, but it would be only four posts despite so much time has passed - but better something than nothing ;-)

I have two cards showing the Railway Station in Kuala Lumpur.

this one came back in 2010, unless I had mixed up something, for the Surprise RR.
The back of the card says: the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station built at the turn of the 20th century, is a beautiful example of Moorish architecture with its bold minarets and elegant arches.

the stamp is from a set of 8 definitives issued in 2005

MY-132101

This one, as you can see, arrived as an official card...from someone who took the time to browse to my endless collections and tried to find something I do not have yet in there...and I am really thankful for that :)

The back of THIS card says: Designed by British Architect A.B.Hubback, the former Kuala Lumpur Railway Station has a profusion of minarets, spires and arched verandhas.

So here I got puzzled with the word 'former'....coz nothing about it is mentioned in the first card...but than taking into account the first card arrived in 2010...no wonder changes may have occurred...and from what I could google, now, only the commuter trains stop here, while all the intercity train services stop at the KL Central station, not so far away from this one...

So this is what happens when one doesn't post regular updates and lets cards pile and pile up...thank God for this second card, otherwise I would have probably remained ignorant...

and the thoughtful sender used train stamps as well :) the lovely train stamps issued in 2010.
Speaking of officials...Im going a bit nuts with how slow they have been travelling lately..I miss a more frequent Hurray! in my mailbox...and the anticipation of drawing new addresses.....

ok then, that would be all for today...have a great week ahead folks :)

Paris, France

Did you know that, 31 March 1889 was the day when the Eiffel Tower was opened? Well, due to that, I will post the several Eiffel Tower cards I have, and that have not yet been posted here...

the first one comes from JP and I think it is one of the most fantastic angle from which the Tower has been shot...plus i love the golden against the blue colour combination!
In case I havent told you, Ive been here...straight to the top...but I was lucky enough to do it on a foggy day so the whole experience was rather disappointing and I cant really brag about having some spectacular view all over Paris....

JP used a very nice matching stamp (with a perfect matching cancellation!). The stamp is from the 2012 EUROPA series, on the "Visit" theme...and here you have some of the most famous French places to visit, among which is of course, the Eiffel Tower :)

another Eiffel Tower from JP :) On this card, you can see the Eiffer Tower as seen from the gardens of Palais de Chaillot..another place to see in Paris, where there are several museums located, as well as an aquarium.
That statue you can see, is called "L'Homme", made by Pierre Traverse.

another great stamp, with a great cancellation..the stamp comes from a set of two Galante Hear stamps, with Maurizio Galante as an artist. This one in particular also bears the words - Crayon me...and im not sure how you can see it on your monitor, but the stamp on my card is red...while the ones ive seen on the stamps' websites, is black...so im wondering if maybe JP did crayon it or it is just by chance that on the internet they appear black while in reality they are red....

I received this one as being a WOTM on the PC forum...
The tower has been named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. The work on the foundations of the tower had started in January 1887, and the main structural work was completed at the end of March 1889. On the 31st, Eiffel celebrated this by leading a group of government officials, accompanied by representatives of the press, to the top of the tower.

You know, as I keep looking at these cards, more and more I feel that I should really go back and climb on the tower again and experience it at a whole new level...but only with the appropriate company. Ive realized that the best way to experience places, food, things, is only if you have the appropriate company with you...

rather familiar stamp I think :)

FR-77037

A card I received as an official back in 2010.
Im not sure if the moon image is real or photoshopped but it makes a nice detail on the card.
Just today I read that there was a bomb threat yesterday at the tower by some anonymous guy, after which the whole tower has been evacuated..of course, no explosives can be found...but you can never be too sure. They say that the tower gets such calls like at least once or twice a year...boy, some people really know how to ruin your experience, esp if that was, lets say, your one and only chance to go on the tower.

the stamp was issued in 2009 and is a joint issue of France and Venezuela, showing Francisco Miranda, a Venezuelan patriot, general and traveler considered the "Precursor" to Simon Bolivar's "Liberator."

and another card from JP...the colours on this one are just fantastic!
Again on this card you have the tower as seen from Palais de Chaillot (or you can also find it as the Trocadero)
Did you know that there are over 30 replicas of the tower all over the world? I wouldnt be surprised if we get it one day as well....I mean, we already have the Triumphal Arch....so why not add this as well to the already cluttered city centre...

love this bike cancellation! as for the stamps...the left one is the well known Marianne definitive, this one issued in 2008...the other one is from one of those stamps issued by Phil@poste for letters up to 20 grams...which make it sort of impossible to track them down since they dont even print the year of issue on the stamp itself...and after like an hour of searching, i found out that this one was issued in 2011, under the subject, I love Auvergne....pheww, at last!