Greetings From...

Here comes like one of the coolest GF cards out there....the Black Hole one :)

and one thing is for sure - absolutely zero Postcrossing members and 000 000 people living there :)
The whole Black Hole thing is a really complex thing and I wont get into details now...however, I don't know if you are familiar with some of the recent discoveries about the gravitational waves and the sound they recorded during the collision of two black holes...that was a really big day in the astronomy world I must say...I also attended a lecture on this like a month ago or so, and this Wednesday I will be attending one held by Nagin Cox....ok, that one will have to do nothing with Black Holes and Gravitational waves, but it would be like the first time that I attend a lecture held by someone coming directly from NASA - it is like so super exciting!! She will be talking about all the rovers that have so far visited Mars, including the last one, that is Curiosity and all their findings.

Anyways, with regards to the black holes...here is how it sounds when two of them collide and become one

and that is all thanks to the gravitational waves, and if you wanna get some more technical insight into this and see a computer simulation of two black holes coliding, check out this video

Our Universe is just so never-endingly mind-blowing, isn't it?!!!

and well, this card can't go out with this super-cool-black-hole song :D

Postcard User Guide

Ok, one more card for today...and something relaxing and funny :))

Well, the whole text is on the card, so I will let you read it yourselves and have a laugh at this Postcard User Guide for Dummies...seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if some people actually needed something like this....

thanks a lot to dear Anu for tagging me for this one...been wanting it in my collection for a long while :)

edit: it feels embarrassing when days later you become aware you have forgotten to include the stamps...but at least I have my chance for a corrective measure, and here they are! (what bothers me is that I so much wanted to brag with that bicycle stamp but in the end I didn't even post it...)

Anu included three awesome stamps here...and starting with, well the bicycles, of course :D issued...wow, in 1978!! in a set of four stamps, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the First International Cycling Organizations. I could have sworn it is a newer stamp...it just doesn't at all look older than me! :)))
the stamp above it was issued in 1998, also in a set of four, all showing nonsensical Drawings by Edward Lear - he was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, and is known now mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised.
The last stamp was issued in 2003 in a set of 10, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of The Coronation.
(sorry again Anu for this silly unintentional mistake....i hope it won't repeat again :))

Well, enjoy your February everyone! It has gotten rather insane here and we've been having temperatures of like 20 degrees for a few days now...i like these spring-time temperatures, but kinda feels odd at this time of the year....

Public Housing, Singapore

Next comes an official card from Singapore...

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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.

Bahamas

Next is a really cool Bahamas card from the JP fairy ;-)
Interesting, I acquired a nice number of Bahamas cards last year...all written and stamped, but not until now have shown a single one of them...so here we go

the back of the card says:
"A popular Bahamian saying goes..."May you always have sand in your shoes and a dollar in your pocket"
The Bahamian Dollar is on par with the US Dollar. The $3 bill and the 15¢ coin make great souvenirs.

Ok, I have something to say about that saying...unless Im constantly on the beach, id be far from comfortable to have sand in my shoes all the time...as for the dollar...ok, I won't get too picky on that one...much better than an empty pocket ;-)

the stamp was issued in 2013 in a set of 6 stamps representing the Royal Police Force Band.

Merci beacoup JP!!!

Little Bighorn Battlefield, USA

Here comes one unique kind of card, for which, in order to see it properly, you need to use the 3D glasses at the right...however, I didnt have the heart to rip them out...the card looks much better, and one of a kind, with the glasses attached to it, so Id leave them as they are :)

the back of the card says: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes the U.S Army's 7th Cavalry and the Sioux and Cheyenne in one of the Indian's last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. Here on June 25 and 26 of 1876, 263 soldiers, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer and attached personnel of the U.S. Army, died fighting several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne Warriors.

This unique card was sent by Bryon..well I havent yet opened a 'bizarre' label here, but since Bryon thinks it would fit into that category, Im inaugurating the bizarre label as of today :) And ill also put it under the category of 'cool cards' :)

and we have awesome four stamps! this is a great set of 4 stamps issued in 1989, featuring prehistoric animals, like the Tyrannosaurus, the Pteranodon, the Stegosaurus and the Brontosaurus...a fascinating world the prehistoric animals are....

thanks a bunch Bryon!!

Bear's Den Stone, Finland

I got this adorable card from the favourites tag! Just look at this pair of cute children.

if im not mistaken, these traditional clothing should be typical for Inari, the largest, sparsely populated municipality with four official language and the centre of the Sami culture.
And Bear's Den Stone is the English equivalent to Karhunpesäkivi, a place in this area.
I would still need some help from some of my Finnish readers....Anu? Please? :)

well, whether im right or wrong, I wish you days ahead full of love and hugs and kisses :)

the stamp is from a set of two self-adhesive Dahlias issued in 2011.
I know the Finnish issue some of the most unusual stamps...but the last one ive seen definitely beats them all so far...maybe ill get it on some postcard too :)

In the meantime, you can check it out here:

as a whole, it is crazy, no?? and just fantastic. It represents the Sami culture. Übercool!

Indonesia

my last card for today comes from Indonesia as a swap with dear Shinta, who sent me this extra cool card which was in my favourites for sooo soo long! I think this is a favourite card of many out there! It is just soo lovely!

These are paper umbrellas and this lady, as the caption says, gives them the finishing touch! And what an artist! She is Japanese and us dressed in Indonesian daily traditional clothes 'sarong and kebaya'.

I used to have a paper umbrella...I think it was with Japanese designs...it was a really nice one, but still, the coulours on these here are so lively and give some fresh look to the umbrellas.

the two stamps on the left come from a set of 6 stamps issued in 2010, representing Cultural heritage, with this one showing a batik. The other two are from the Year of the Dragon stamps, issued this year. Really lovely! Too bad Macedonia does not issue these 'year of the....' stamps....actually, this year Macedonia has issued just one single stamp so far..which is disastrous...but i wont go into details about it here. Hopefully, the whole issue is going to be solved soon.

well again, Happy Easter to everyone celebrating, and a nice happy Sunday to all the rest :)

I Hate Mondays...

and the closure for today...

Indeed! Coz the weekends are just not enough to do all what one wants to do and cant do it during the week.
Though once it starts, the week usually goes by so quickly, and before you are aware of it, another weekend is at the door...I mean, it is hard to believe it that it is already April....time simply flies...unfortunately.

Anyways, i totally adore this card! It is hilarious and adorable! Probably many people feel just like this ones Monday strikes again...

so wishing everyone a nice end of the weekend and a lovely Monday tomorrow...and hopefully see you soon :)

Cups and Mugs

I decided to close this update with something nice and colourful..

a really GORGEOUS postcard showing various coffee-cups and mugs (of course, you can use these for tea as well..)
Did you know I collect mugs? Yup..that's one of the things which causes HUGE problems regarding free-space around the room, since i have more or less, around 200...can you imagine keeping 200 mugs at one place? I often struggle with it and often end up having nowhere to put other stuff somewhere coz of it (and i must add that postcards give me the same headaches too :P). And just like with postcards, i cant get enough of them and keep getting more and more...though of course not with the same intensity as before...I cant pick a favourite....often it depends on my mood and on what im drinking....some feel perfect for coffee, others for tea...some feel good on rainy days, others have a sunshine personality....and of course, it is good when you have actually plenty to choose from...you will always find something to match up the current situation.

as for the ones on the card....they are just all sooooo lovely, i cant pick a favourite...would love to have them all!!

Absolut Vodka

Ok, something different now....

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You may wonder...what's an Absolut Vodka card doing here....well, let me tell you....ever since some years ago I noticed those pictures with the Absolut Vodka commercials, i IMMEDIATELY fell for them...they just seemed so interesting and cool and representing so many different 'Absolut' things in a unique way....on my HDD I have around 300 Absolut Vodka pictures....and Im really surprised (in a bad way) that Absolut Vodka cards are almost non-existent...so far I only have 3...this one, which I received as an official and was utterly happy about it!! Then Absolut Cracow and Absolut Sex Pistols...but come on...there are sooooo many more...I really wonder where they are hiding.
So in case you happen to have an Absolut Vodka card, oh PLEASE, pretty please let me know and im sure we can arrange something! I know these are promotional or ad-cards in general, so i really dont know why i cant get a hold of them.

Speaking of this Absolut Eighties slogan...I think that's just ME! Im stuck in the eighties....sometimes I cling way too much to them...somehow those times feel so good and evoke such memories...even though i was still a child...and nowadays i totally enjoy the music from the eighties...I LOVE the cartoons from this time...and I so much miss all those children's games....something that the children of today I think will never be aware of...I miss the ice-creams and chocolates too...things were plain in a way....but we fully enjoyed them...and we knew how to enjoy it all...and i could go on and on and on about the eighties....but in some other occasion...and yeah, in my next Absolut Vodka card, I may refer a bit to the vodka itself too :)

He wasn't as fascinating as he had once appeared....

And one more card for today....dont know why I was particularly inspired for this one, but you know that I love AT cards and their humour.....and before I start, I need to make a clarification that this card aint intended for anyone in particular....but it is just something i do agree with when this card comes into question...and yeah, it is some kind of a girly yuppie talk so you can stop reading just now if your teeth cringe at the thought of reading something like this :)

I dont know if this phase happens to men to regarding women (so that they could replace the 'he' with a 'she').
But anyways....over the years Ive come to realize that this slogan has a lot of truth in it, even though at certain points it feels ridiculous....but the person whom you were deeply in love with and could go until the end of the world for, and who made you tremble with the presence only and whom you swore to love and cherish until the day you die and blah blah blah....eventually one day you realize that this person has grown so distant and that all those things you loved about him, now become so annoying..and the passion and Return to list of posts anxiety you felt tend to grow to some sort of repugnance and not even a spark seems to be alive from what was once a huge fire. All those manners you ones loved, now simply get you out of the skin.The idea of this person coming close to you makes you go step back. And this extreme change only happens with people with whom you've gone to an extreme (in the sense of feelings). The more you've fallen for someone, the more you cant stand this person eventually.....those who've been somewhere in the middle, dont seem to be concerned with the above statement.
Dont know if i made any sense to you, but I know that there are some people who've been in these shoes and they will understand what im talking about :)
And I may be talking in third person singular, but in general, im just conveying my personal thoughts of this.
What im curious about is why these extremes happen....and why something that has once been so strong, has the ability to die like that......not that I regret any of those which have whithered away, but it is funny when you find yourself in a situation, wondering about the so-called love of your life, 'how the hell on Earth I could have even imagined to marry him...". Love and infatuation are really odd things....they make life so beautiful....if you cherish them and take enough care of them, every day....

Salute to all you loving souls :)

Cherokee Alphabet, USA

One VERY cool card! Which I believe I had received as a swap..in 2009...but im not quite sure...so you see, this is what happens when one delays posting of cards for so long...plus when they are blank on the back...th 'blank' thing means that most probably the card is a swap, however, not always it can be a guarantee coz I had received tags and officials this way too...as well as lovely small surprises...

AGAYUH (a-ga-yuh): Agayuh is an English word for the Cherokee alphabet invented by the Sequoyah. The word is pronounced nearly the same in both Cherokee and English. 'Agayuh' is to Cherokee as 'alphabet' is to English.If a list of words were to be arranged in the sequence of the alphabet, they would be arranged from 'a' through 'b' through 'z'. If a list of words were to be arranged in the sequence of agayuh, they would be arranged from 'a' through 'ga' (down in columns) to 'yah' (yv).

Pronunciation of the Agayuh (in words the pronunciation may be different)

a - as in 'ah'
e - as in 'they'
i - as in 'ski'
g - as in 'go'
o - as in 'note'
u - as in 'true'
v - as 'uh' in 'huh'
ts - as 'j' in 'jaw'

d, h, k, l, m, qu, s, t, w, y as in English

I have to say that this whole explanation from the back of the card made me go 'V'???? However, it still makes a great cool card!    

Books

Well, maybe you know I love to read...and hence, I love book cards...and they seem to be lovely nevertheless!

I wish I had a big room with many many shelves so that I could arrange all my books as I please...and so that I could buy many more books too...at this point I simply have no proper place to keep, so I often refrain from buying some....even though my heart aches to spend money on them....
I love the postcard above coz of all the different colours the book' pages have...these books seem to be older ones but that doesnt make them any less appealing...on the whole contrary....I LOVE the scent of old books! These here seem to be German books....but im not sure if I can decipher them correctly, so Ill leave that up to the readers.

the other card shows some newer books (n.b: when I speak of older or newer books, I refer to the print, not the time when the book was written/published).
This card comes from the Penguin Poetry Series...and here you can see some poetry collections by Blake, Frost, Pushkin, Goethe, Hardy...different types of verses etc. I LOVE the covers on these ones....so nice and colourful!

Currently Im reading "Excavation" by James Rollins...the book is interesting, but the Macedonian translation is simply killing me...but having no original copy and still wanting to know what this book is all about, I decided to proceed...otherwise, with such books I give up after a few pages.
Unfortunately, I dont have much time to read...and often dont have the concentration for it...so lately I mainly read on the bus on my way to work and back home (and that is, if I go by bus in the first place...when the weather is nice I prefer my bike). But otherwise, I rarely have the time to relax and read...and it is quite bothering me...
Im also one of those people who simply love real books and cant read the ones in electronic form...staring at the screen is simply tiring me..and doesnt at all have the charm which flipping through the pages of a real book has...I honestly really dont get it how people can read e-books...Im already spending way too much at the computer..I really cant nor want to read books in that manner...esp. since when I read a book I actually want to relax...and lie down in my bed...and use a nice bookmark...and e-books and e-readers, simply cant offer that, regardless how nice they have been designed to attract people.

And recently I came across this video...which reminded me of all the young people nowadays which consider reading a waste of time and who'd rather watch the movie, which would give them the story in two hours, instead bother to read 400 pages...out of my experience, movies based on books are not even close to what the book is all about...so for this reason ive stopped watching them and stick to the books only...anyways, the video I wanted to show you may seem silly in a way, but who knows, maybe it will motivate and encourage someone to start reading books and discover their magic....the video is titled 'The girl who hated books"

Tehachapi Loop, USA

a fantastic official card I received last year, showing the Tehachapi Loop in California.

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The Techachapi loop is located about 8 miles west of Tehachapi, California, A train with 85 or more boxcars will pass over itself going around the loop. The engineering feat which created the Southern Pacific Railroad Companie's route through the Techachapi Pass continues to fascinate tourists and railroad buffs by the hundreds each year.

It is just soo amazing!!! I wonder at what speed you actually need to go in order none of the boxcars turns over and you make it to the destination safe and sound.

a lot has been spoken of this stamp, no? :)

Adelais

My mood lately has been exactly like this...I havent felt so low for such a long period of time in a long long while....

I dont know anymore if it is all due to this depressing weather outside and that maybe things will change once springy time comes, or it is coz of certain things in life, but either way, the picture on the card describes me perfectly. And it comes from the series of Misstigri cards (the title of this particular illustration is 'Adelais')....they have a lot of lovely images, depicting people and their emotions in a nice artistic way. Apart from the Misstigri images, there is another similar artist, Anne-Julie Aubry, whose illustrations are just as lovely...sometimes actually I cant make a distinction between those two and keep thinking they are the same person...well, if you happen to have such cards, you know whom to turn to :P

have a great and cheerful week everyone! 

Ireland

A very cool and funny card coming from Ireland :)

I like cards with a sense of humour, esp. when the country/nation concerned doesnt feel offended with it but actually can laugh about it as well, coz I dont see this making fun of something, but more like portraying certain characteristics/habits/events/traditions through the prism of fun.
There is also a Rush Hour in Texas card....but of course, instead of geese, there are cows on that card :)

And the landscape is so typically Irish and beautiful! Just lovely!

The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2010, under the subject "Birds of prey". This is a Peregrine Falcon.  

Tāngata Whenua, New Zealand

My last card for today is this very cool and great card from New Zealand.

The term "Tāngata Whenua" translates to "People of the land" and is used to describe the Māori inhabitants that settled in New Zealand many centuries ago, but generally reckoned to be 1200-1300 AD.
Tāngata means 'people' and Whenua means 'land'.

The notion of tāngata whenua is sometimes contrasted with that of tāngata tiriti - literally, "the people of the Treaty". Tāngata tiriti refers to non-indigenous New Zealanders, who are in the country by virtue of the Treaty of Waitangi

and three nice stamps....the first one is from an issue of 7 scenic definitives issued in 2007 and this one shows Central Otago. The middle stamp is a Christmas one from a set of 7, issued in 2010, while the third stamp comes from a FANTASTIC sheet called A Slice of Heaven, of a total of 25 stamps, representing tourism in NZ. If you are interested, you can see the whole sheet here.

Thanks for following and for still dropping by...hope you have a nice sunny Sunday...at least here we have some sun.. 

Belgian Beers

A very cool card I received as an official

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well, thing is, im NOT a beer drinker....actually, it is one of the alcoholic beverages I cant possibly stand...why exactly, i dont know but i know that just the smell itself puts me off, not to even mention the taste.
Last summer when I was out with some friends, the place we went to has all kinds of beers as their main menu...it is like a special beer-cafe....and of course, a problem occured coz i couldnt finds something suitable to drink...they had wines, but only large bottles, so somehow the waitress convinced me to take this dark beer telling me that you dont really feel the taste of beer there and that i will like it....but of course, i didnt...it was just as regular beer, maybe only not so strong....and she came later all smiling to ask me how it is....and left all disappointed when I made this 'yuck' expression on my face...i knew she shouldnt have convinced me, but lesson learned...
But despite the fact im an anti-beer lady, i still love this card...i like being introduced to cultures in such a way, even though ill never try any of these.

Btw, since we are talking of beer, i must tell you that there is this Macedonian beer which is very much praised by everyone and foreigners enjoy it a lot....we've had cases of foreigners getting awfully drunk coz they were sort of used to their own beer, which is not even close as strong as this Macedonian one, so after two bottles, which would do nothing in their own country, here they are in frantic laughter and behaviour! So if you come here, be careful with the Skopsko beer ;)  Cheers!

I have a feeling that Belgium has the most birds' stamps issued....well, you also have one very cute kitten stamp (covered by the cancellation). The kitten is from 2010, from a set of 10 stamps under the subject 'leaving the nest'.

La Passion du Chocolat

You know that I love Nouvelles Images cards (the multiples series)....and here is one of my very very very favourites!!! The Chocolate one!!! Yumm yumm yummmie!!!

Plus being the holidays, it feels appropriate to post it and maybe feel less guilty for having eaten all those sweets and cakes and stuff :)
And the ones on the card just look unbelievably delicious!!! Esp that big one at the top line....I dont know what exactly it is, but it looks incredibly good...and at least i know there will be enough to satisfy my appetite :P
The Foret noire looks awesome too and the one with triple chocolate too...and the mousse...and the Opera...and just everything!!
Im not really a chocolate addict, at least not anymore, but I do have my moments of consuming them in large quantities....Ive tried to give up on them and not consume anything sweet...and usually I dont have a real need for chocolate or a cookie...but sometimes, when someone offers you with something nice, you just cant resist it...and sometimes you come across at a store or a cake shop at something tasty...so why refrain myself...as long as I dont do it on daily basis and overdose each time, I shouldnt deprive myself from these guilty pleasures...coz fact is, the more I try to force myself not to eat something, the more I feel like craving for it eventually...so it is all psychologically/emotionally based, than that it shows the real need for a particular product...same goes with coffee.....at least for me.

Sea Cucumber, USA

A card I won in a lottery....along with a matching stamp...and a matching poster...and I never would have known there was something like a Sea Cucumber if I hadnt gotten this card....

Here is what the back of the card says:

"Sea cucumber" is a generic term that encompasses more than 1,000 species of marine invertebrates. The species depicted on this stamp is Enypniastes eximia. These creatures are most abundant on the ocean floor, where they feed on nutrient-rich sediment. A few species, including Enypniastes eximia, swim to higher depths after feeding, probably to avoid bottom-dwelling predators. Enypniastes eximia is transparent, and its coloration varies according to body size; small individuals are pale pink, while large adults are dark brown-red to crimson. This particular species is bioluminescent (?!!).  A predator that strikes Enypniastes eximia (if i write it a few more times, i will probably learn its spelling by heart) is quickly covered with a sticky, glowing skin that makes it vulnerable to its own predators.

Erm...does it even look like a cucumber? And how many sea 'vegetables' are there actually

Either way, very interesting.