Japan

This card feels like a real jack-pot....it is both a map and a flag in one!!!!

Did i tell you i actually had coke today? i hate coke and i dont like those soft-drinks in general....but due to its CO2, Coke is said to be helpful sometimes with sore throats since it kills the bacteria...and at my first sip i felt like in heaven....but i think that eventually i just had too much of it and didnt really get the desired effect (its like when you are on drugs....when you see how good it makes you feel you just want more and more....and before any assumptions, im NOT doing any drugs..:) I just cant determine if im feeling better or worse....at least i DID manage to get to the post office and dispatch some mail i had prepared and get some stamps, since as usual, im out of stamps....and wasnt i supposed to talk of Japan actually? hmmm, oh well...its my blog :) And nothing smart really comes to my mind right now when Japan is in question....except that im not really fond of manga and anime in case you wondered....

and im not a fan of Hello Kitty either...even though i have a pair of lingerie with it...well, i just love that kind of lingerie, so i didnt really care if it had Hello Kitty on it or something else... and i  should really start learning how to read some Japanese so i can figure out in which year the stamps were printed, so that i can find them more easily and obtain the necessary information...the set of Hello Kitty stamps i came across, issued in 2004, were rather different than the stamp here....so im just really not sure about it...

Jamaica

Sometimes i dont post for days....sometimes i end up posting several days in a row....even though im still sort of tight with time...but i just really need to catch up with my received cards (though being realistic, i could be posting every single day until the end of the year and i still wont be done)...and being realistic for the second time, writing here feels therapeutic, so in a way i NEED to do it....its one of the things which apart from great mail in the mailbox, help me get through the day...lame, no? But at least there ARE things i can do when im feeling in one of those moods.....

And a card that made my day when i received it....you know im crazy about flag cards, and this one here is just perfect. I think that the GTKY ladies really want to spoil me sometimes :))) And this one travelled for like two months to get to me...but it did arrive eventually! And a huuuuuge thank you and a biiiiig hug to Wendy for sending me this one...i absolutely LOVE IT!.

The Jamaican flag was first flown on August 6 1962, Jamaica's Independence day.....wow wow wow....hold it...that is TODAY!!! Ok...i SWEAR when i was choosing the cards for this update i had no idea about this...and now when i rewind things, i know while ago Wendy mentioned that she wont have mail today since its Independence Day, but you know, its one of the things you read but dont really grasp the meaning of it...and i had already chosen my cards for today since yesterday (yeah, honestly i have so many great cards that i choose them right after i make an update and wait till the next day to post them...)
Sooo....Happy Independence day to Jamaica, and im happy that so unconsciously i chose this card for today..i mean, i could have posted it yesterday or tomorrow...but there you go...i have my 6th sense sometimes :)
So anyway....let me continue..The colours of the Jamaican flag are Gold, Black and Green (I actually thought it was yellow all this time).
The Black represents the many hardships endured and yet to come.
Green is for Jamaica's agricultural resources and also represents hope.
Gold represents the natural wealth of the island's nation and natural beauty bestowed on Jamaica by the golden sunlight.

the stamp is from a set of 8 definitives issued in 2006. its part III of this subject regarding Classical architecture, where here you can see Devon House St. Andrew

again an enormous thank you to Wendy for this FAB card! Love it!!

Virginia, USA

My last card for today comes from my dear Chrissy .....

Well, Chrissy knows i love flag cards, so she thought i will maybe like this one...well, there is never a miss with flag cards for me ;)
Well, since the back of the cards are somewhat smarter than me (sometimes) ill tell you what it says :))

VIRGINIA

A deep blue field contains the seal of Virginia, with the Latin motto "Sic Semper Tyrannis" - "Thus Ever to Tyrants". Adopted in 1776. The two figures are acting out the meaning of the motto. Both are dressed as warriors. The woman, Virtus, represents Virginia. The man holding a scourge and chain, shows that he is a tyrant. His fallen crown symbolizes his loss of authority over commonwealth. Eight U.S Presidents came from Virginia.

Chrissy, have you maybe considered to run for one as well?? You'll have my support :)
And thanks a million for the card...its just perfect for me! :)

Union Jack

And....here comes a new great flag to my flag-cards collection! With the million thank-you's going to Dee!

The back of the card has a short info:
Union Flag or Union Jack (named from the "Jack Staff" of a Naval Vessel). The flag represents the union of nations whose influence extends beyond the British Isles. A composite design of three national symbols: Red Cross of St. George (England), White Cross on Blue, St. Andrew (Scotland) and a Red Cross, St. Patrick (N.Ireland).


The PERFECT kind of a flag card!

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.

Poland

I got this card as a surprise and of course, was in total delight with it :)

This is the Polish flag, in a circled shape..it IS a circle indeed...just that whenever i scan cards, the bottom line never appears as it actually is, in case its something different than a standard flat line..
The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish Constitution as the national colours. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms n the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea.

well, this one is with the coat of arms kind of flag :)

Ania, thank you soooooo immensly much for this!! Im sorry my thank-you card didnt arrive to you....but know that im really delighted and greatful you have thought of me :)

Asian Region

I absolutely love this card!!!

This card originally comes from Malaysia and is supposed to represent Malaysia as well...but since it actually has maps and flags from many other Asian countries, thats why i decided to make it more general under the name of Asia, instead just Malaysia...
I wish i had flag cards from all of these places...and map cards...I have many Philippines map-cards so far, and a Malaysain one is pending, but it would feel sooo cool to have them all :)

Thank you Carol sooo sooo much for this perfect kind of a card...i absolutely love love love it!!

Sweden

A flag!!!! A lovely Swedish flag card!!!

The Swedish flag is blue with a yellow Scandinavian Cross that extends to the edges of the flag. The design and colours of the Swedish flag are believed to have been inspired by the present Coat of Arms of Sweden of 1442.

According to the mythology, the Swedish 12th century king Eric the Holy, saw a yellow cross in the sky as he landed in Finland during the first Swedish Crusade in 1157. Seeing this as a sign from God he adopted the yellow cross against a blue background as his banner.
It has also been suggested that the Swedish flag might have been a resistance flag against the Danish flag which is red with a white cross, and which has been known since 1219.

im so happy that my flag collection is growing...maybe slowly, but its growing! :)

Spain

If several days ago i told you that we had snow, than what we have today cant be compared to it one bit :) Everything is absolutely covered in snow, its all white and beautiful...aaaannd, icy and slippery :)) But it is  lovely indeed, and it keeps snowing and snowing......the only thing i kept wondering today is whether my postman worked at all or no....the conditions werent really in his favour, and i would feel sorry if he had to go out in a weather like this (even though thats his job in the first place)....but so far, i have had no mail this year and i really hoped i would get some today...but nope :(
Luckily i have a great pile of postcards in stock, otherwise i would have nothing to post in here...but im well equipped i must say :P
I hope ill have some mail on Monday....it would be disappointing if i dont :)
And since the weather conditions are as they are, its a great reason to stay at home and have a nice quiet evening....and make an update :)

well, my first card to post today is my Christmas gift from dear Marta...along with the Christmas card she had sent me, she included this Spanish flag card coz she knows how nuts I am about them...and she got one for me when she had gone to Spain....wanna try and guess my reaction when i saw it? :)))

The Spanish flag has suffered various changes over its history. Under Franco's dictatorship the flag lost the colour mauve appearing on the Republican flag, and incorporated two important symbols, the eagle and the shield of the Catholic monarchy.

In 1977, two years after Franco's death, the eagle was slightly modified, and in 1981 it would disappear completely, leaving the current red/yellow/red with crowned arms.
The new Spanish flag has three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width) and red, with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band. The shield includes the royal seal, which is flanked by two crowned pillars (the Pillars of Hercules) bearing the inscription Plus Ultra. 
According to Spanish legislation, the height of the coat of arms should measure two fifths of the flag's width (i.e. hoist), and should appear in the middle of the yellow stripe. The flag's usual proportions are a length measuring three halves its width, in which case the distance from the hoist of the shield's vertical axis should be half the flag's width. In other instances (should the flag be either shorter in length or square) the coat of arms should appear in the centre.

Marta, do you have the slightest idea how happy you made me? :))

USA

here comes another delight for my collection...a flag card!!! I told you that i have several flags to display...so there are more coming...and i love them as a child loves candies :)

I actually didnt expect this one...ive arranged for another card, but Asako was more than kind and generous to send me both cards!! Im so so so so so endlessly thankful for that thoughfullness!!

The U.S. flag consists of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, representing the 13 original colonies/states. The canton consists of a blue field containing a white star for every state in the union.
 In 1960, a star was added, representing Hawaii  bringing the total number of stars to 50. According to President Dwight Eisenhower's Executive Order, the 50-Star flag would become the "official flag of the United States on July 4, 1960."

Switzerland

Here is one of the several flag cards i had received just recently, all in the time span of like 1 week! What a treat! I thought of posting them all at once, like having a flag-card-day....but in order that you dont get bored, esp. if you arent fond of flag cards, i decided to split them and post them over several updates.

On a red field, a white equilateral cross whose arms are one sixth longer than their width. The relationship between the span of the cross and the width of the flag has not been established, but in practice the ratio is about 2:3 or 7:10.
The Swiss cross on a red field ultimately derives from a similar banner of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus has strong Christian connotations. The Swiss flag traditionally stands for freedom, honour and fidelity. (The motto "Honor et Fidelitas" was inscribed on the cross of several Swiss mercenary flags of the 18th century.) In modern times, through association with consistent Swiss policy, the flag has also come to denote neutrality, democracy, peace and refuge.

While Swiss independence and democracy traditionally dates from 1291, people are often surprised to learn that the national flag in its current form dates only from 1889. Modern variations of the flag can be said to go back to 1815, and the original Confederate white cross on a red field dates from the 15th century. Its inspiration perhaps goes back to the 4th century.
It is evident from its history that the Swiss national flag evolved from war flags, which is why it is square. (on the card though, its rectangular, and takes the shape of the postcard :)

Puerto Rico

Here comes a great Puerto Rican card, showing both the flag and the Puerto Rican coat of arms...

Not so long ago, i tried to figure out why even though in its original name it says Puerto Rico...with two separate words, here in Macedonia we have blended them into one and have Порторико (transcribed it would be Portoriko) ...the same would be with Costa Rica (Костарика)....and Viet Nam (Виетнам)....even though  the latter is also accepted in English as Vietnam, and is somewhat common to see it that way...yet, the original is Việt Nam....and if everything goes as it should, i should be having a Vietnamese postcard soon :)

Anyway, as Addis says, my Puerto Rican postcard supplier, the island was originally named "San Juan Bautista" (St. John the Baptist) and the capital city was Puerto Rico (Rich Port) and later in the history the names were switched.....heh no wodner for so many years then i was mislead by Vaya con Dios and thought that Puerto Rico was a city...i apparantely had good grounds for it :P So i wasnt THAT mistaken :)))

Serbia (03)

This past weekend I went on a one day trip to Belgrade...well, I spent a whole day there and another 18 hours or so in travelling back and forth....which is maybe a lot for spending just one day there, but right now i couldnt afford to stay longer, and frankly, it was worth it...more than a lot
I love Belgrade, and spending some time there is always worth it...my initial reason was to attend the book fair but I also wanted to see my uncle and cousin and give them money for the concert ticket I want to go to (coz unfortunately, i cant order the ticket from here) and I just wanted to get away from everything here....so the book fair was a perfect excuse this time...but honestly, next time I decide to go there, i wont be looking for excuses...its enough that the whole place makes me feel good...its like going for a lunch in some other neighbouring town, even though Belgrade is around 450 km away from Skopje...Im adventurous, to trips like this are more than welcomed...

One of the things i also wanted to do was to send a bunch of postcards, but I figured out it was gonna take me all day long to write 30+ postcards so I gave it up...I still feel sorry I  couldnt do it, but with the time i had available, spending it on writing postcards all day just wasnt possible...so hopefully next time, when i get to stay longer, i will surprise your mailboxes :)
The Book Fair is rather fascinating, esp. compared to the one we have here. The thing i didnt like was that this year it was IMMENSLY crowded...and when i say 'immensly' i literary mean it....at times i could barely catch breath and felt dizziness and as if i was going to faint...plus my back started to hurt from all the things my rucksack was full with....plus i bought two books which together in total have over 3000 pages and i had to carry that around with me as well....I still feel the pain at my hips from sooo much walking but i dont regret it one bit...i regret i had to go back home so soon
I also met with my uncle and cousin, whom i hadnt seen for ages and they made my day more than enjoyable...they took me to lunch, they walked me around, took me for coffee....eventually i had to rush to the train station coz i risked to miss the train back home...i just didnt feel like going back home...and im really thankful to the heaven and back to them for taking such good care for me and making it all so good...I truly hope i will have a chance soon again to go and this time stay for a couple of days...there are just soooo many things that had to be seen in Belgrade, that one day is more than not enough....I love Belgrade...it has some inexplicable charisma that i cant feel in my own town...i love the pulse of life it has....I could go on ranting about it, but the bottom line is simple..Belgrade is just magnificent...

And of course, I got myself a bunch of postcards (and I PROMISE i will send YOU cards as well next time i go there)....and I wouldnt have felt so thrilled about them if at this one place i didnt see the two cards im posting today....two FLAG cards....can you imagine my reaction when I saw them? I didnt even ask for the price...just took them....a Serbian flag card....who would have thought i would find this??!!
I just feel so happy and content about it

well, lets say a word or two about the flag itself....if anyone actually reached reading to this point  :)

he "main" flag of Serbia is vertically divided red-blue-white with the national coat of arms shifted to the hoist (state flag). WhenMontenegro seceded from the federation, someone, somehow decided that the state flag should be hoisted in front of the UN building. Restaurants, gas stations, sport supporters, all automaticaly started to use the flag with the coat of arms.
Civil vessels on rivers Danube and Sava use the state flag, with some minor exceptions using the flag without the coat of arms.

- the ratio of the flag shall be 1.5:1.
- the coat of arms shall be skewed to the left by 1/7 of the flag width from the center. (The text says to the left, which strictly means that two sides are not the same, when the hoist is to the viewers right, but it is not the case in practice, it should be stated "1/7 to the hoist")
- The use of Pantone scale colours is recommended.
Process colours are used in standard four colour offset printing (CMYK).
Colours shown on this page are not completely precise as original, so numeric values are enclosed.
 
The civil national flag of Serbia is horizontally divided red-blue-white, in proportion 2:3. The Serbian tricolour dates from 1835 and is based on the Russian colours

Yugoslavia

And to make my thrill and excitement even bigger, i also found this little gem of a card....a card with the Yugoslavian flag!! I was literally head over hills when i saw this....a real little treasure in my collection...who would have thought that I would get to have a Yugoslavian flag card? having in mind that Yugoslavia ceased to exist almost 20 years ago...Im uber-content with what I found!! Uber-content!

Flag of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia consisted of three equal horizontal bands coloured in pan-Slavic colours, blue (top), white and red - with yellow bordered red star, symbol of communism at the flag's centre.

I recall how in kindergarten and primary school we often had the task to draw this flag or the coat of arms...which wasnt that hard...and we especially loved drawing the star....I just wonder how would it have been if i lived in a country with a more complicated flag to be drawn....

Anyway, the Yugoslavian flag was created during World War II by replacing the royal coat of arms on the flag of pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia with the red star of communism. The first flag for Democratic Federal Yugoslavia had a red star in the centre stripe of the Yugoslav tricolour. After the war it was given its final shape by enlarging the star and adding a narrow yellow border.
The flag was usually accompanied on official buildings by the flag of the particular socialist republic and the flag of the League of Communists. Because of this, many buildings in former Yugoslavia still carry a three-poled flag holder.

You know...I miss Yugoslavia...I may have still been little when it went apart, but i do miss those times....I think many people actually do...

ps. the title you can read at the flag "Tito Forever", is not part of the actual flag...thats just the nostalgic feeling for what we used to have during the rule of Josip Broz Tito....

Iceland

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! My First Icelandic card!!! And its a FLAG!!

Love it love it love it love it!! Absolutely love it!! Not because I love flag cards in the first place, but also because the Icelandic one has absolutely a beautiful combination of colours, plus Iceland is one of my very favourite countries, even though ive never been there....plus the card itself is sooo perfect, the flag covering it all....Thank You soo much Sabrina
If anyone from Iceland is reading this...here is a 'hint'....I would LOVE to have more and more cards from there....:)

and there is a really nice brief description about the flag on the back of the card:

The Icelandic Flag

The flag of Iceland was officially described in Law on June 17, 1944, the day Iceland became a republic. Describes of the Icelandic Flag as follows: The Civil National flag of Icelanders is blue as the sky with a snow-white cross, and a fiery-red cross inside the white cross.

and....hah...the same description is given in Icelandic as well (well, i guess its Icelandic, coz it makes mostsense to be like that, no? :) And I got tempted to put that down as well..dont ask me how I managed :P

Íslenski fáninn

Íslenski fáninn er þjóðfáni Íslands. Hann var opinberlega tekinn í notkun þann 17. júní1944. Fánalögin voru samþykkt sama dag, Fáninn er svokallaður krossfáni eins og fánar allra hinna Norðurlandanna. Hann er heiðblár með mjallhvítum krossi og eldrauðum krossi innan íhvíita krossinum.


Hehhe...I enjoyed this!!! I should do it more often! You can send me cards like this, written both in English and your mother tongue..its so fun to try to write the language I dont understand :)

South Africa

Well, this is my new country for today...number...hmmm..78 if i am counting correctly...

 

I received 3 cards from South Aftica, and here is one of them....it was a tough decision indeed which one to show first and after some negotioations with myself and changing my decision several times, eventually i went for the flag card....hehehehehe....yay, i flag card!!!!
I was actually asked if i maybe wont like it coz of the country name written on the card.....but no...i dont...its from THAT country.....if maybe something totally unrelated was written, then yes, it would have spoilt the feeling and i wouldnt have gone for it, but like this, its just perfect...and covers the whole card as well :)

The colours of the South African flag do not really have symbolic meanings in themselves.  People do sometimes assign meanings to the colours (such as red for blood, yellow for mineral wealth etc.) but this is not the case with the current South African flag.  According to Mr. Frederick Brownell, the former State Herald who played a large role in the original design, while the colours of the flag do not have any official symbolism, they do represent a synopsis of the country's flag history.  The design in turn, represents a converging of paths, the merging of both the past and the present.

Black, gold and green, which were first incorporated into South African national flags in the 19^th century, also feature prominently in the flags of the liberation movements, particularly the African National Congress, the Pan African Congress and Inkatha. These colours can thus be said to broadly represent the country's black population.
Blue, white, red and green reflect the British and Dutch (later Boer) influence, as shown in the earliest flags flown in South Africa, and also featured prominently in the old South African National Flag and thus represent the white population of South Africa.

The green pall (the Y-shape) is commonly interpreted to mean the unification of the various ethnic groups and the moving forward into a new united South Africa.

The South African flag is the only national flag to contain six colours as part of its primary design (excluding those flags which contain various colour shades as part of the detail of coats of arms or other charges etc.).

Turkey

A Perfect Turkish Flag, thanks to Raquel!

Red flag with a white crescent and star.
The star and the crescent are Muslim symbols but also have a long pre-Islamic past in Asia Minor. The basic form of the national flag was apparently established in 1793 under Sultan Selim III, when the green flags used by the navy were changed to red and a white crescent and multipointed star were added.
Many traditions explain the star and crescent symbol. It is known that Diana was the patron goddess of Byzantium, and that her symbol was a moon. In 330, the EmperorConstantine rededicated the city - which he called Constantinople - to the Virgin Mary, whose star symbol was superimposed over the crescent.

There are some legends as well, according to which a reflection of the moon occulting a star, appearing in pools of blood after a battle in 1448, led to the adoption of the Turkish flag by Sultan Murad II according to one legend. Others refer to a dream of the first Ottoman Emperor in which a crescent and star appeared from his chest and expanded, presaging the dynasty's seizure of Constantinople.

The Netherlands

Yay, a FLAG!! I actually should start taking notices of which flags and which maps i have, coz i may start getting lost...again

This is the Dutch flag....and some funny trivia related to it

An orange pennant is hoisted above the national flag on birthdays of members of the Royal House or other occasions in which the Royal House is involved, except when hoisted half mast.

In May and June you can tell which families have students who have graduated. Outside the house the flag is put out, with the school bag at the top of the staff.

Canada

I am not feeling ok, i feel like i spread around some really bad karma, and i almost was gonna leave you without any updated cards again....but i made myself a nice big mug of coffee, so i hope ill manage...well, i have to...i received a BUNCH of new cards today (23 to be precise), and I still have some left, so if i dont keep up with this properly im gonna end up not doing it at all eventually....and thats not what i want...and i hope thats not what YOU want either ;-)


Well, if you wonder what kind of flags i like, here is a great example....a flag which is covering the whole card...the bonus comes its on a blue background :P

The Canadian flag has a maple-leaf on it....I have never tried maple-syrup, but now i recall how in movies they often use some syrups with pancakes, doughuts, or such...probably some of them was a maple-syrup.....they say it tastes good...Kristen, the sender, says she loves it as well...
My idea of maple-syrups is actually related to diets...and all those commercials they've shown us around here of how you should drink maple syrup and blah blah blah, and how you're gonna lose xx kilos in x days .......propaganda.

something about the origin of the flag and why it has a maple leaf on:

On 21 August, 1860, the Prince of Wales was visiting Canada (i.e. Ontario and Quebec at that time, I assume) - the first real royal visit. People lined the streets of Toronto to see him - those of English origin wore a rose, the Scots wore a thistle, but what were the Canadian-born to wear? Canada's emblem had long been the beaver. 26 years earlier the Saint Jean Baptiste Society in Quebec had adopted the maple leaf as its symbol (apparently the first time the maple leaf was used as a symbol), and it was decreed that for the prince's visit the Canadians should wear a maple leaf. The idea took root.

In 1867 as Canada was becoming a country, a call was put out to write a patriotic song. Whatever song was chosen has since been lost to history, but the second place winner was Alexander Muir who wrote "The Maple Leaf for Ever", a song which became very popular, although today is downplayed a lot as it is not inclusive of the French Canadians.

In World War 1, Lester Pearson noted that almost every battalion from Canada included the maple leaf in its insignia, and vowed he would campaign to put it on the flag, and of course 50 years later as prime minister of Canada he was part of the 33-day debate that resulted in the maple leaf as the Canadian flag.

Zeeland, The Netherlands

I think that this is one of my favourite flags i had ever seen....coz of its combination of colours, and the tone of the blue colour...feels just perfect....


This is the flag of Zeeland, a province in the south-west of the Netherlands. It consists of a number of islands, so thats why its called Zeeland (Sea-Land).

The flag of Zeeland was adopted on 14 January 1949. In the centre of the flag the coat-of-arms of Zeeland is depicted. The wavy blue lines represent the waves, and the constant struggle against the sea.

I like the story behind what the flag represents....i like things with a story and menaing behind them in general.