Quote

The life of the bird is as important as the life of the king.

 Just different.

~Salam~

Beneath

Beneath all that anger there's hurt.

 And beneath all that hurt, there's love.

 And love is all that matters.






~Salam~

Photo postcard

This is a postcard from a very good penpal in Indonesia:)
I love our loonnnggg messages to each other. 

Exchanging our ideas on issues, sharing similar values, differences in cultures and way of life. 

She went to stores looking for postcards but couldn't find one. 

Instead she printed a photo and made it into a postcard.
Syukran jazeelan

The photo on the postcard is that of the Bromo Mountain. 

According to her, she was going to go there with her class but apparently the mountain is in one of its dangerous moods. So it would have to be postponed. 

Through our messages, I realize that even though we live thousands of miles away from each other, our lives, values and beliefs are rather similar. Its comforting to know that in an increasingly polarized and fragmented world, there are people out there who are unexpectedly similar to us. 

Looking forward to your next message ;)

~Salam~

Postcard from USA

When I received this postcard, it actually brightened my day. And not so many things brighten my days of late.

I shall quote some of the things written on the postcard
"Happy New Year!
I hope this year is full of happiness, laughter and wonderful postcards for you!"
"My favourite quote is actually lyrics to a song written by Eden Ahbez;

 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return'."

Thank you to the person for her thoughts and time and effort taken to write and send the postcard.
:)

~Salam~ 

Update on Postcards

 Postcard from Germany

 Postcard from Finland

Postcard from Netherlands

I LOVE receiving these postcards.
Scenic, painted and isolated areas of the Earth
Beautiful
Postcards somehow allow the receiver to see different parts of the world
From the comfort of your own home
I have a special box just for my postcards
Slowly but surely it's filling up
I've received other postcards recently but have yet to scan and upload them
Very unique ones too
Hmm, I would have to upload the postcards that I've sent out to people.
There's some pretty interesting ones.
Now just to find the time to do that...




A BIG Thanks to the postcrossing community
Checking the mail everyday is one thing I look forward to
Receiving postcards and letters makes my day :)



~Salam~

Germany Postcard

Postcard from the land of beer/wine/alcohol

The stamps below look so cheerful. It certainly brightened up my day :)

The postcard shows various views of seascapes, monuments and large sailboats.

Okay, the first thing about Germany that came to my mind was alcohol.

Having watched Travel Living Channel, the hosts and travellers often enter pubs, clubs, even chocolatier shops where they do use and consume quite a bit of alcohol. And also not forgetting,

the Berlin Wall. A symbol of backwardness.

Of a mentality that oppresses people.

I'm glad the wall has fallen.

And also, I'm reminded about Nazism and the man who started it all.

So its time to view Germany with optimism and on the happening things on-going in Germany.

A little googling magic led me to www.germany-tourism.de

What I found out had my mouth hanging in the air.

There's much to be seen.

Art and culture

Land of music (Beethoven was form there)

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Of Course, the Berlin Wall

Sports and Hiking

Castles

The list is endless.
I quote 
" Experience new things, have fun and relax.Vibrant cities with amazing architecture, fabulous shopping and pulsating nightlife. Enchanting medieval villages and traditional wine villages with friendly festivals and regional specialities. Picturesque countryside which is perfect for walking or simply relaxing in. Castles, palaces and abbeys that are the epitome of German romanticism. Fun & sport, wellness & relaxation. A land of a thousand possibilities."

To Clara, Thank you for the postcard:)

~Salam~

Holland Wind Mills

Holland Wind Mills

Hallo!groeten uit Holland of Nederland
Greetings from Holland or The Netherlands (?)
When I first received this postcard, I was sure Holland was a country separate from The Netherlands. And then I thought twice.
A little googling and here is what I discovered.
Holland is the western region of The Netherlands.
According to the Wikipedia, Holland is a name in common usage given to a region in the western part of the Netherlands. The term Holland is frequently used to refer to the whole of the Netherlands. This usage is generally accepted but nevertheless unofficial.
Undoubtedly a not-so reliable source, it proved to be true for according to holland.com and I quote
" The Netherlands is often called Holland, because of the role the two western provinces North and South Holland played in its history. This region encompasses Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and other well-known Dutch cities such as Delft, Leiden and Haarlem. However, officially, it is the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of three parts: the Netherlands itself in Western Europe, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean."

There you go a whole chunk of information.
Let's get to the intriguing facts.
The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. A fact that I just discovered.
We're so engrossed with Kate and William tying the knot that we forget that there are other monarchies in the world worth knowing.
The Dutch Head of State is Queen Beatrix. And the next in line would be her eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander. And yes, he is married. 

Did you know...
Holland still has around a thousand old-fashioned working windmills?
(I admire this about Holland. They are progressive and forward-thinking yet they are headstrong in preserving their culture, heritage and nature.)
The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe? (Seriously? Let me be the judge of that. SO bring me a Dutch will ya?!)
The highest point in Holland is 323 metres above sea level, and is referred to as a ‘mountain’?
(I found this amusing because in Singapore we have Bukit Timah Hill which stands at an altitude of 163.63 metres, the highest point and its half the height of a 'mountain' in Holland. If we had known the Dutch would refer to its highest point as a mountain, we should have done that eons ago. We would be the only country in the world with a shortest mountain) 

To Lars, thank you for the postcard! :)
~Salam~