Johor Strait Lighthouse, Singapore

Last for today is this beautiful Singaporean lighthouse, which I realized I have twice in my collection.

The first one was sent by Valentina from the Postcrossing meeting in Singapore held in July that year. Out of ll the names, I could only recognize that Lee Hock Peng and sybones attended as well.
The other card arrived as an official last year.

There are only 6 operating lighthouses in Singapore today, and this is one of them. The Johor strait is an international strait between Singapore and mainland Malaysia. Unfortunately google didnt prove very useful regarding this one, except that the lighthouse is Located at the end of a jetty at the Raffles Marina in Tuas, just west of the Second Link Expressway bridge over the strait and that there is a white flash every 10 seconds, and that it has a 12 m round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. The navigation light is mounted atop the lantern.

Very useful google, indeed..

The stamps from Valentina's card show two from the Vanishing Trades series - first is one from 2014, showing a cage maker, while the other one is from 2013, showing a lantern maker (such crafts and trades have been vanishing from Macedonia as well...)

The other stamp is from 2017 from a set of 6 stamps called 'Morning of Singapore'. Well mornings usually relate to rush hours and chaos - this one seems to be rather calm so I guess it relates to one during the weekends :)))

Thanks to Valentina and deezee for this card, and to everyone signing it at the PC meeting, and thanks to you for dropping by.
Till next time...

Singapore

One more for today - yeah, sorry, I feel a bit rusty when it comes to this :)

As today's post has started with a card from Jean Pierre, let's end it that way - though this one was sent back in 2011 :)))
It shows some colourful houses and buildings in Singapore, in particular the Chinatown, the Arab Street, and the Trishaw Riders. Hm, everything gets down to China somehow, don't you think?

some nice colourful stamps here - first is a flower stamp from a set of two, issued in 2010 (it shows the Dillenia suffruticosa or the Simpoh Ayer). The middle stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2008, showing Cash Crops of Early Singapore. The last one was issued in 2011 in a set of 5 stamps showing the spices of Singapore - this one shows the Tamarindus indica or also known as Tamarind.

So that would be all for today folks!

Thank you Jean-Pierre! (take 2)

And thank you everyone for (hopefully) still dropping by! Enjoy your summer days, hopefully not as unbearably hot as here :)

Marina Bay, Singapore

This card arrived as a surprise earlier this year from Valentina who had the chance to attend a PC meeting in Singapore...and im really glad that she thought of me and got to send me a card...I love receiving meeting cards...they feel so special! :)

Frankly I think I recognize just one more name on the card...but then again I haven't really been in touch with many people from Singapore so I barely know any.
The card shows the Marina Bay...and since I had once posted about it, I won't be boring you again with it, but you can just check the post here if you want...

a nice stamp issued in 2011 in a set of four stamps representing Areas of Historical Significance in Singapore...this one is called Joo Chiat and is a residential conservation area in the eastern part of Singapore.

SG-61267

Another card of the Marina Bay...this one arrived as an official back in 2012

two more lovely stamps, again issued in 2011...these are from a set of eight Fauna stamps, representing the Life in the Pond; the stamp on the left shows the White Collared Kingfisher, while the other one shows the Ornate Coraltail.

Public Housing, Singapore

Next comes an official card from Singapore...

SG-117785

I love this card due to its lovely colours...such a cool area of buildings! 

What I am wondering though is if these are those kind of typical buildings with the so-called shoe-box apartments..cos more and more often when I come across housing issues in Asia (esp. China, Hong Kong and Singapore), they show you this really unbelievable pictures of people living in teeny tiny apartments in such poor conditions...then some other examples show you some practical architecture solutions of how to use space most efficiently...well, whichever these buildings on the card are, on the outside they surely look extra cool! 

Unfortunately this extra cool card is one of those that have suffered a coffee incident, but you cant really notice it here :)

the stamp is from a set of 8 fauna stamps, called "Life in the Pond", issued in 2011...this one here shows a Black Marsh Terrapin.

Clarke Quay, Singapore

Next comes an official from Singapore I received this year, and which in a way is a bit different from the rest of the Singaporean cards I have...at least I think so..

SG-94437

the card shows the Clarke Quay, which is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area.
It was named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore's second Governor and Governor of the Straits Settlements from 1873 to 1875, who played a key role in positioning Singapore as the main port for the Malay states of Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong (I cant say I have any idea who this guy was, and I actually thought this dated from some more modern times, not from something over a century ago...though if you listen to Wiki, it will tell you that modern Singapore was founder in 1819....figures....
I really like the umbrella-like objects just next to the river..feels like a really nice place to go out for a glass of wine and dinner on a summer evening...supposing that these are cafés or restaurants...but thats what they look like to me at least

and the Snake stamps have been quite a fuss lately, too bad the Macedonian postal service does not issue any of these Chinese Zodiac stamps, even though Im rather reserved about the quality of the images they may produce in the end :). Singapore issued 3 snake stamps in the set, and this is just one of them.

Marina Promenade, Singapore

So here comes that long weekend everybody was talking about (due to the Easter holidays) but seems that wont be such a long one for me, due to....oh well, working duties. But at least I can get some extra naps during the day....and hopefully by Monday will get more sun and fresh air....
But now, onto some cards....and for today I chose some panoramic ones....and these are all some BIG panoramic size...which makes them even more awesome!

The first, rich in blue card, comes as a surprise from Jean-Pierre. I am aware that the Singapore-skyline cards are fantastic, but this one seems to be one of the most amazing ones ive seen!
The Marina Promenade is a walkway along marina bay. It is a greenbelt from the Esplanade to the Singapore Flyer and is considered an important part of the The Garden at Marina Centre project.
Did you know that the English name of Singapore is derived from its Malay name, Singapura, which means 'Lion City'?
I am not sure if maybe I had already mentioned this before, but you know 'repetitio est mater studiorum' ;-)

and some lovely colourful stamps....ok, im not sure about the one of the left, if it is a part of a regular issue or not...the one on the right is from the set of 4 issued in 2010 for the Youth Olympic Games...but the left one, does refer to the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, but the picture does not coincide to any of the stamps in the set plus bears the year 2009 on the side....so if anyone can enlighten me here, ill be really thankful :)
And thanks to Jean-Pierre for the amazing surprise! 

SIngapore

A nice official card from Singapore...

SG-26513

I dont really often get official cards from Singapore, so they come as a nice surprise...it is said to show a stunning skyline of Singapore's Central Business District as seen in the late 1980's.

It always comes pretty shocking to see the extent to which many countries have been developed in the 80's....mainly since I come from a place where such buildings wont come into reality in the next 100 years at least..

It sure is lovely

The stamp is from a set of 14 definitives issued in 2007, this one showing a Stork-billed Kingfisher

Singapore

Where does the time fly?!  Before I am even aware of it, it's almost a week since my last update!

Well, I really had to make one today, despite all this unfinished work i have...coz today i got such amazing mail that i still feel speechless. I mean, i had received amazing mail before too, but it rarely happens that i receive it in such amounts and that all thats inside is just so perfect that it makes me wanna cry.

And I think it arrived on a perfect day, since until Tuesday we have these non working days, meaning, no-mail days, and if i didnt get anything today, i would have gotten EXTREMELY cranky by Tuesday....

Another problem occurred...with such a bunch of fabulous cards I had received not only today but in the past weeks as well, I just cant seem to decide what to post! I want to post it all! And i have even received new countries but I was soooo super excited over all of them, that when i was making my choice today, i just couldnt decide between any of them, so decided to go with something older for a first post, but yet considered rare (at least for me) since I dont have many Singaporean cards left...only one actually.

Well, as the card says, here are shown the Malay Heritage Centre (which portrays the heritage, culture and hostory of Malay Singaporeans) and the Sultan Mosque, which is considered as one of the most important mosques in Singapore where the prayer hall and domes highlight the mosque's star features.

there are two very nice stamps on the card, both issued in 2009. The stamp on the right is from an issue of 7 stamps portraying sculptures (at first glance i honestly thought it was a banana), while the other stamp is from a set of 5, representing deserts...........does water come to your mouth as well?

Singapore

The last card i chose for today comes from Singapore...again with the focus on the Singapore Flyer, but this time more how the view seems FROM it, not ON it...

Not so long ago i read this book, where at a certain point this Japanese woman told her story how once when she went to Switzerland, she went for a walk and to this amusement park where she decided to take a ride on some sort of a vehicle like this. It was before closing time, and she was like the only one with a ticket for the ride...and the guard was an old drunk man....
The rides for these usually last one whole circle...but with her, things went wrong....while being on the inside, the ride stopped, the lights of the park eventually went off, and there was utter silence...you know, like you are in a dream, yet everything is real...she tried to catch someone's attention by screaming and throwing things but nothing worked...eventually she fell asleep and they found her the following day...a policeman found her wallet on the ground and figured out what must have happened...thing is, after this event, her entire hair had gone white...just like that, without any reasonable logical explanation...due to stress or something else, i dont know...still, nothing pleasant at all.
If you like Murakami, then you can read Sputnik Sweetheart...maybe not my favourite book by him, yet i think its worth the reading...and Murakami  IS one of my favourite authors....but whys and such, for some other time

as for the stamp,  it was issued in 2008...showing the King of Fruits, the famous Durian...many say that it has a very unpleasant smell, but im really curious to try it...i have a feeling that it tastes reaaaalyy good :)

Singapore Flyer, Singapore

Here is a Singapore card with one of the most important and probably most well-known emblems, the Singapore Flyer.

From what i could tell, this card isnt an original photo but something like a combination of a painting and a photograph...and i actually love how it looks and i definitely love the colours of it! Its just lovely!!!
It is said that the Singapore Flyer takes 30 minutes to make one turn only...at first, it actually seems much...but when you think about it, if it went faster, you would probably end up feeling awfully dizzy when you put your foot one the groung once its over...i just wonder what kind of a view is there from its top...an enthralling one, i bet!
thanks a lot to Edmund for sending this to me...i just love it!!!

and lets see if country number 100 arrives tomorrow ;)

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!

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!

GTKY Christmas Cards

Hello Hello Hello! For the first time this year :)
Hope you have had a nice New Year's eve and that this year had a great start....mine was nice, just that it seems that i cant get enough sleep in general :)
Do you people make New Year Resolutions? I try not to, but ive made some this year, and i hope ill have the strength to stick up to them...and if you made resolutions as well, im wishing you all the necessary strength in the world so you keep up with them...*fingers crossed* :)

Well, enough chit-chat, lets show some stuff here...as its most convenient, i think, this is the time to show Christmas related stuff, no? So thats why todays posts will be all Christmas related

The first one is dedicated to the Christmas cards received through the GTKY thread....we arranged there with the ladies a nice Christmas Flamingo :) We were supposed to send each other Christmas cards, but with some rules applied...the cards HAD to be handmade and they had to have a quote/poem inside...so even though im totally anti-artistic, i decided to join, coz i knew if i didnt i would regret it...and im more than pleased to have done so....maybe my art skills suck, but what mattered eventually is the friendship...as we say, the cards were made with love, friendship, glue and paper :) So its the thought that counts....and here is what my thoughtful friends sent to me (im still waiting for the last one to arrive, and once it does, ill edit the post and post it here...)
No comments this time....i think the cards feel too personal and comments may just ruin the moment this time...so just feel the thoughtfulness and the friendship that comes along with them :)

The cards are posted in order they had been received...

from Marta in Portugal

from Essi in Finland

from Katy in Estonia

from Sally in New Zealand

from Valerie in France

from Charlotte in UK

from Carol in USA

from Ula in Poland

from Relie in Singapore
these are actually two Christmas cards, so i posted both of them

from Wendy in Jamaica

Enormous thanks my friends! Its been a pleasure to take part in this and share the Christmas spirit with you :)

*Hugs to you all*

Christmas Stamps

And here is an extra post for all you who love and collect stamps... i know that many of you who drop by here are into stamps, so here is a small treat for you...my Christmas gift to you ;)

just enjoy it...i dont think any comment is necessary coz the stamps themselves are pretty self-explanatory....if there is a stamp which is not Christmas related it means that it couldnt have been left out, in order to scan the Christmas ones.....any additional Christmas stamps received upon Christmas cards will be added here....too bad Macedonia didnt issue some nice ones this year...there was one, but it was intended for mail inside the country, and either way, as usual, the post offices didnt really offer them...otherwise, i would have put one on the mail i had sent...

 

Hope you like them :) 

Regular postings will be back from tomorrow on so stay tuned :)