New York, USA

Another surprise card, this time from dear Agi and her last year's trip to the US....when I do the math, feels like she's seen half the world so far...I wonder when or IF i will ever achieve that (well whichever way you turn it, she will always be ahead of me anyways :)

The card shows a scene from the Central Park in NY, a place which I don't know, is inevitably mentioned in every single movie set in NY....or at least that's my impression of it :)

It is said to be the most visited park in the entire USA, with 40 million visitors in 2013.  With 341 ha in size, it definitely seems like there is plenty to do and see here.

the stamp is the 2014 Christmas one, showing the Evergreen Wreath.

Hvala ti puno Aginice! :*

India

One more card for today, this time showing a really lovely girl from India.

The people from the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are skilled craftsmen, where one village is an expert in one, while the next village in another craft.
Most of the crafts origin from there, especially certain apparels, jewelry, accessories, and they are quite cheap.
People who know me know that I have a really soft spot on such jewelry (no gold or silver but unusual, colourful, or funny ones) so probably these places would be my heaven.
I love the way this girl is dressed - so lovely and colourful, and I esp love her bunch of colourful bracelets - I'd definitely wear those, in the same quantity as well :)

We have quite a lot of stamps here, let's see how I manage this...
The two bigger colourful stamps are from 2013 (not from the same set though). The one on the very left is part of 2 stamps showing Heritage Buildings - this I believe is the Head Post Office in Agra.
The other big stamp is also from a set of two, showing the Wild Ass of Ladakh & Kutch.

Now, on the small stamps you can see Gandhi - from a set of 6 personalities' stamps issued in 2009. Below it is another stamp from 2009, also from a set of 3 personalities' stamps, showing E.V. Ramasami.
The last one, which you can see twice, is a definitive from 2008.

So, that would be all for today. Enjoy whatever's left of your weekend! Till next time!

Cambodia

The joys of the chilly weather were unfortunately very short-lasting and here we are, back to the terrible summer heat - more unbearable here in the concrete-jungle of the city... I have had my days of such high-temperatures while being by the lake or the sea, and everything just feels so different...but except for a lousy river, not much else can save us here....

So let's see what have we got for today...

First we go to Cambodia....I know it is one of those really rare countries, but I have received quite a few from there...but I don't know why I haven't posted any since 2010...I really make some poor choices sometimes (and regarding postcards, another one will follow somewhere below...)

This super-super cool card arrived from my amiga Zarah showing a Khmer family of 5, riding a moto through the jungle...
Ok, this doesn't really look like a jungle to me, but then on the other hand, I've never been to one, so who am I to be playing an expert here :)

The moto is the most common mode of transport in Cambodia, and if 5 people seems like over the limit, Zarah says she has seen 8....I am trying to imagine how they have been all positioned...but I can't :)

the stamp is from a set of 5 issued in 2009, commemorating the 1st Anniversary of the Establishment of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the UNESCO World Heritage.

Hmm, ok, something to put on my to-visit list when one day I visit Cambodia :D

btw, note the cool 12.12.12 cancellation ;-)

muchas gracias amiga!! I know you've been busy, but hope you are doing fine! :)

Suriname

So hello there...time  for a new update, with some new and not so new cards :)

And first on the list today comes a great card from Suriname, sent by Sonia last year. I think that in just a few sentences she has grasped so much about this country, that it just makes you wanna go there, like right now!
She says Suriname to be a very interesting country with a mix of cultures and languages and as you walk you can see people of Chinese, Indonesian, African, Indian and Dutch descent. And although Dutch is the main language, you hear many others spoken as well.
And what has won my heart here, Sonia says that she has never seen so many spices in her life and that the smells on the market are wonderful. (You know I am a sucker when it comes to spices and markets...
The only downside - it is very hot - 32°C to 37°C...I have such temperatures and worse like, every summer...and I hate that time of the year...and then people tell me 'but why do you wanna go to Norway, it is so cold there!' - heh...

With regards to the card...I guess it represents a man during some working activities...or I don't know...with his back turned I can't really see what he is doing ( I hope this has nothing to do with me being short-sighted)...did you notice the flag around his waist though?

Sonia used three birds stamps from a set of 8 issued in 2008 - here you can see the Caryothraustes canadensis (or the yellow-green grosbeak), then the Megaceryle torquata (or the ringed kingfisher) and the Chloroceryle aenea (or the American pygmy kingfisher)

América Andina, Chile

A few Chile cards I received in a swap two years ago...all people related, so I post them altogether now.
They are all fantastic, and I just love this kind of traditional clothing..esp. those scarves!! something i'd wear on daily basis! LOVE THEM!!

All three cards feature people from the Andes (the longest continental mountain range in the world.

The first card shows local peasant girls dressed in traditional clothing.
Traditional Chilean clothing, as it can be seen, is very vivid, lively, and festive and is also based a lot around comfort because most of the population in Chile works in jobs that use manual labor and modern fashion also has a lot of influence on the traditional Chilean clothing because it is very patriotic, showing pictures that represent the country. This relates to the ethnic composition because most of the articles of clothing made take a lot of work and manual labor, which is the type of work that the majority of the population does, it is very versatile, and people from all walks of life can wear it.

a cute stamp issued in 2008 in a set of 10 stamps representing Typical Chilean characters, and here you can see a road sweeper...who looks really happy and content while whistling some songs during his working hours.
And also there is an additional postage sticker (on all three cards)...it is funny to me that they weigh the cards....


This second card...isn't it one of the most adorable ones you've seen? I sooo much love it!!!!

and just look at all those colours she is tucked in! And those almond shaped deep-black eyes! Adorable!!!

the stamp is from a set of two stamps issued in 2006, for the World Forum for Quality


the third card shows a peasant family, again dressed in traditional clothing.

I do appreciate OUR traditional clothing and stuff...but often I wish I lived in one of these Latin/South American countries, that have this kind of clothing that is both like traditional and modern and absolutely MY taste! Add to this that I've been told on a number of occasions that I have something Latin/South American in my appearance...beats me why, it is not something i've made up...ask others for an explanation...but that's just probably another reason why unconsciously I find such clothing so appealing =)

this stamp is also from the set representing Typical Chilean Characters, and this one shows a Barrel Organ Grinder...

Morocco

BOO!!

Ha! Hope this new post didnt scare you off and that you are still here...nope, you are not mistaken, you are at the right place (probably), and here indeed, after a few months hiatus, is a new post! Yes, seriously! April Fool's day is long time gone...Ana finally managed to get back here.
Why such long silence you may ask....oh well, I dont know anymore...a lot of reasons...a lot of things have been happening, and frankly for a long while I was questioning what's the purpose of writing this blog and if any..with all the things going on, all of a sudden I couldnt find the purpose anymore in having this blog...I was just wondering if I should call it quits...but well, Im glad I didnt...one really shouldnt do things in affection and regret them later...so yeah, the blog is still in existence, and coming back to life now...probably after the longest silence it has endured...ever!
Cant say im really happy about it, but I guess it just was inevitable to happen..but in honour of labour's day, here is some labour from my side and that is, putting my efforts in posting a few cards here =)
I also hope that I've finally manged to send out everything, cos besides with posting, I've also gotten really really behind in sending my cards since my motivation usually equaled zero =/  But if you are still waiting for something from me, just let me know...I am a bit lost on the issue.
I've also been out of the entire blogosphere, so sorry for not really being up-to-date with your posts and blogs..Ill try to catch up with it in the following days as well...

You know what's one of the biggest problems when not posting for so long? That you feel totally out of shape about it and that makes you prolong it even more...then you have no idea what to post, because soo many cards have piled up...but once you start, it just gets you going by itself, and eventually you realize you are typing your first post...yay!!

Well, I've chosen a couple of cards for today...and for starters I'll go with two cards from Morocco...why Morocco...I received two cards from there in the past months...and that made me realize that first of all, in my entire blogging career I have posted just one single card from Morocco...and that single Moroccan card is not even written and stamped!! So the justice had to be done since I have a number of written and stamped cards from there...so here we are, with two Moroccan cards for today.

This one arrived recently from Eva, with whom the swap was initiated since we both love Escher, and we both have happened to attend a multimedia exhibition of his in Granada back in August 2012....who knows, we maybe were there on the same day and at the very same hour as well, but we didnt know each other, so who knows...but things like this make you shudder at how small this world actually is!

And she sent me this lovely market card...i love such every-day-life cards even though I probably wouldnt need anything from here, but im sure id enjoy walking around a market like this...they are always bustling with life and have this particular charm that no modern place does..yeah, i do dislike shopping and window-shopping as well in those modern shops and malls..but leave me at a market like this and I could forget myself. Though I cant say Im really immune to the consumerism in general...but I am working on it.
.

the stamp is a definitive issued in 2001, showing king Mohammed VI


well my other Moroccan card is from 2011, when dear Agi went on a trip there...yep, 2011, and I still havent posted it, despite having no w/s Moroccan card on the blog.....fool fool fool!

and that's such an amazing card! Im posting it along since it is also a card showing people...this time not at a market but enjoying a delicious couscous...thinking about it, i cant say for sure I have tried a couscous in my life...but Id definitely would love to...esp. some traditionally prepared one...I mean, you can buy bags of couscous in the market to prepare it at home, but that's just NOT it...traditional and on spot is always the best!

Agi's stamp is also from 2011, issued for the solidarity week.

Edited: had to edit this post and include this card from Jean Pierre...a feeling kept bugging me ever since I published this a few hours ago and after a small check, it proved right...I did have another card indeed to fit in today's post...a food market this time

yes, everything is right there, on a piece of cloth or plastic in the middle of the street..fresh fruits and vegetables...I always prefer buying fruits and vegetables in the green markets, but I often end up doing it in the grocery stores since I either do it late in the afternoon evening, or I just know I can find it all at one place...not often you can find avocados at the green markets for example =/

Jean Pierre used a stamp issued in 2011, for the National Campaign on the Millennium Development Goals.

Jean Pierre and ladies, thank you all for the amazing cards! Love them!!

Mongolia

so after a longish silence, here i am back with posting....i just had to take a break from everything if i can name it that way....some of you already know about it, some are about to find out sooner or later...but in general, the break was more than good.

Of course, a lot had piled up in the meantime, and added to the mountain of postcards from before, makes me dread at the thought when am i going to actually post all those stuff?!! :)

well, without further ado, lets start today's update with what but a new written and stamped country for my collection.

and what an amazing card it is! I absolutely love this view!!
It was sent as a surprise by dear Johanna who went on a trip to the fascinating country of Mongolia....Johanna makes such trips that it makes me EXTREMELY jealous :P Mine are not even as close as exciting.....

the back of this card says: "In the higher and colder regions of the mountains, the nomads prefer yaks instead of cows. Yak's milk is very fattening".

well, as a no-milk drinker, i cant tell which one i prefer, and i havent tried yak's milk before, and being very fattening, i highly doubt id love to use it.. i mean, imagine...2 or 3 cups of coffee with milk per day and im gonna look like a barrel before you can even blink! Though I assume due to the fats, it does give a special taste to the coffee and makes it feel real smooth....

btw, i dont know why, but im somewhat fascinated with the Tibet and Mongolian people....ive seen them portrayed on other cards, and there is just something really particular and unique in their facial features that i love....esp in children....

btw 2, the blue skies in the background, at the right end of the card are just amazing!

here comes the stamp, issued in a set of 4 animals' stamps in 2004....quite appropriate for the card I must say! :)

thank you sooooooo much dear Johanna for thinking of me....I totally love this card! Thank you!! 

Children of Guatemala, Guatemala

*Grin* *Grin* :D
 Yes, double grin today for this new country in my collection! And just wait till you see my triple grin next time :D Some of you already know, but those who dont...well, will find out soon ;)

GT-525

And whats even more special about this card is that it came as an official! And you know what the odds are to get an official card from Guatemala! So of course it makes me extra-super-happy to have been so lucky and get this one :D
And its a very lovely card too! I may not be too fond of cards with people, but i do like it when they show indigenous people, esp. children....children just seem to be so honest on the postcards and with some genuine smiles, esp. when they come from some not highly developed social surroundings...and from the picture here its obvious that these children do not enjoy the greatest comforts. I think that those children who have less are much more capable to to appreciate the small things in life and the ordinary children plays, compared to the spoiled brats who have everything and who would probably pose for a postcard just to show off and so that his/her parents can brag with it as well.
But these children on the card....are just so sweet and dear....and make you feel warm around the heart when you look at them <3

and there are 3 stamps on the card, even though they may seem as two, since two of them overlap each other. They come from a set of 4 stamps issued in December 2009, representing Beaded Glass Ornaments. With the Christmas touch, of course...

Canada

Canada is one of those countries where i have so many great cards from, that it has become impossible to pick one for an update....so ive started picking by random, either eyes closed or some eeny-meeny kind of choice.

This is a very interesting card actually....the colours are just fantastic and the entire card is so full of life and positive energy. Me likes it very much
On the back it says: Canada owes much to the First Nations people, the true founders of our country.
I guess this is somewhere in the middle of a dance or a ritual.
Cards with people are not maybe on my very favourites list but this one definitely ranks high.

and a few nice stamps....the Five pin bowling one is from 2009 from a set of 4 stamps depicting sports- Canadian inventions.; the one above is also from 2009 commemorates the 100th anniversary of Montreal Canadiens (Ice Hockey related).Next to it is the Lest we forget stamp from 2009. And the two small ones are from the 5 stamps set from 2007 depicting insects (a golden-eyed Lacewing and a Northern Bumblebee).

Thanks a lot for reading and for bearing with me during my silent days :)

Panama

Well, my first postcard in the new outlook...

And this lady seems to have had a nice trip before she arrived to me since this card was first missent to Osaka...where they had put that sticker you can see on the card...i wondered if i should remove it or no, but this sticker feels so special due to its oddity that i decided to keep it intact as it had arrived :)
From what I can read, the sticker says "Customs Inspection and Repacked"......which I found confusing....if this was a package, it wouldnt have caught my attention....but why would they put such a sticker on a postcard? It was sent written and stamped....whats here interesting for the customs? and whats there to repack in the first place? I was actually joking that the lady's pollera seemed suspicious as if she was hiding something underneath.
Btw, Pollera is considered as a typical Panamanian national dress. Looks interesting.

Oh, and Id like to send a special Hello to Chris with this card and celebrate the spring coming ....I know he will like this lady too :P

The stamp is from a set of 7 issued in 1997 (8)? depicting Tourism.

Here is my missent to Osaka stamp........

Franz Kafka, Czech Republic

Another GREAT GREAT card, sent as a real surprise from dear Janek...i do like cards with famous people...but not all famous people...but writers....oh yeah!! I absolutely LOVE those!! Esp. when it comes to such significant ones like Kafka, who had left such a great mark in the history of literature...

On this car you can see Franz Kafka along with Felice Bauer....Franz's fiancée....twice! Their relationship is said to have finally ended in 1917 (when this photo was also taken) after Franz was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
I dont feel like giving that dry matter of facts about his life and work...feels boring (and also, that was the part i always hated when having to study about a particular writer...esp, when i had to remeber in which year a certain work was published....lets say you have 10 writers, each with approx. 10-15 books....and you have to memorize the year when each of those books was published...). Just couldnt get into it..so thats why i dont feel like bringing that matter now.

Anyways, I think i should re-read the Kafka's works i had already read, like that most famous "The Trial" or "The Castle"...and find some of his short stories as well...and if possible, his letters, written to his father and as well Felice, and a few other people....well, I just feel like enlightening myself right now...

there is something interesting i read about Kafka's attitude towards love and sex...I think ill get into a in-depth reading about that later..

the stamp is an amazing one...dating back from 2001, from the series of "Works of Art on Stamp" if im not mistaken...presenting the work of Cyril Bouda (1901 - 1984): The Sans-Souci Bar in Nimes (1934), Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic...hope you could figure it out...

Basket Weaver, Saudi Arabia

Yup! Its a new new country...a card  coming directly from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia! Wow!

Thanks Ganesh :)

Now, regarding numbers of the countries...i have to be honest, that i think i had totally mixed something up lately...Im totally unsure if this is 102 or 103 or...something else....I may have even made a mistake with the 100th as well, but..hmm, well, if it turns out to be so, i hope you wont behead me :)

I think ill manage to squeeze in this update before i rush off to my obligations again...there is so much to do, that its freaking me out and im starting to panic if im gonna manage to do it all or no...keep fingers crossed!

I used to rather dislike cards showing people...i dont know...i think my appreciation for cards was a bit narrow minded and focused on just city views and landscapes...but my overall taste had obviously changed drastically, and ive started to like cards which actually tell me a story, a history, a legend or in general cards which can educate me by showing me something about the place they are coming from.
In this case, you can see a Basket Weaver from the Asir Region in Saudi Arabia.
I dont think that weaving is something very hard to do, but it does require some skills, and more over, patience...if i had enough free time, i would give it a try...its a nice craft and can get very artistic as well, depending on your imagination...which i dont think i have a lack of...i actually think i have more of it than necessary which can be troublesome in many situations...but when it comes to making these baskets i would really love to be able to do all sorts of shapes and play with colours and designs.
When i was little, i had a small, hmm, set  for weaving, and my grandmother taught me how to do it and gave me a bunch of colourful wools...and it wasnt anything spectacular, but it looked nice, and i still keep it somewhere and use it as a table-mat. But of course, that sort of weaving, and the one on the card, cant come even close...

Im getting really intrigued with the Arabic and if i had no other obligations, if i didnt need to go to work and yet have enough income, i would have probably been learning languages 24/7...the reason why Arabic is intriguing for me is the fact that letters of one word are joint, and its read from right to left...i really wonder how much does it take to be able to start distinguishing those words...to me, the flow of letters is just confusing...it would have been very helpful to understand it, coz i would have had a problem with finding info about the stamps...but like this...i just feel lost...so if anyone can help, please do...