A trip to the Singapore Philatelic Museum

Being an avid Postcrosser, I'm really into stamps, letter writing and sending mail the old school way. Just recently, I found out Singapore had a museum dedicated to the oldest and the most awesome hobby of philately. That and the fact they had an exhibit on The Adventures of Tintin. 

Happy Birthday, Postcrossing!

Ever since joining Postcrossing last year, I've been surprised countless times when I get something in my mail. Oftentimes, these little surprises arrive at the perfect time, i.e., after a peevish day at work or during an uneventful, lackluster day. Regardless if it was only just a postcard or several pages of letters from my pen friends, I'm always delighted at the prospect of receiving interesting images, stamps and packages from all over the world.

Envelope art

Postcrossing has opened a whole slew of collections for me. Aside from the usual postcards and stamps, I've enjoyed getting back to the art of snail mailing and writing to penpals. It feels just like high school all over again. The idea of receiving a long letter or even just a simple, but warm greeting on a postcard drives the pains of stress away. 

Project 365: Stuff & other randomity

I don't think if you've noticed how boring my life is just by looking at the pictures I've taken for Project 365. If it's not stuff taken within an arm's reach from my desk in the office, it's probably something random at home. But you know what's fun about this project?

Who the eff cares? As long as I take pictures everyday, I'm happy. It's like a step away from procrastination. Trust me, it's not easy fighting it, not when you have so many distractions vying to get your attention. 

This is what this week's photos are all about: random stuff. Funny how I manage to create a theme when there's really nothing thematic about it at all. 

My life in 2010

Wow. I can’t believe another year has ended. Everything feels so surreal as if the entire 365 days has just whizzed by. 2010 may not be too spectacular, but I consider myself to be blessed ten times over because I’m still in one piece and my loved ones are still with me.

I’ve been trying to remember what were some of the memorable stuff that happened to me this year (it’s not that much, so it’s not going to be a long list); I’d like to be grateful for a lot things, and you know it’s always a good thing to look back and be thankful and hope for good things to come. So here’s the list in no particular order:

Traversing the mall for intergalactic soul-searching

Do not mind the title, I was just fibbing. :p

So yeah, I went to the mall after mailing some postcards & other swap items for Postcrossing. I initially wanted to have a look around for some cheap canvass bags & flats, but my fickle-minded feet brought me to Book Sale instead. I spent over an hour browsing through second hand books, but I ended up buying a Php 10 back issue of a book review magazine.

Then I ended up going to the Peanut Butter Company. I was quite curious to try it out when I first read it in an online review, but backed out when I saw the price. A while ago, I was feeling suicidal in burning cash over food, so I walked in the store before I had any reservations.

Elvis & coffee

I ordered the Elvis the King sandwich (P155) and coffee (P45). Sandwich wasn't so bad, but the coffee was awesome. I can't believe I cinched the sweetness right when I just randomly poured the sugar right in! But the thing is, I like my coffee piping hot. This one, though, wasn't just hot enough. I could drink it bottoms up without batting an eyelash.

I ended my solo mall sojourns when I got a text from work saying that I had to email some files. Great.

***

Oh and here's some random graffiti at the supermarket's public restroom:


It reads: "Ang inidoro inuupuan di inaapakan hayop ka ba?"

I wouldn't even bother translating this.

I wasn't able to take a picture of it, but there was a response which read: "Sige, ikaw umupo ka. Try mo."

LMAO.

Postcards galore!

I did say I was going to blog about the postcards I've received for the past 2 weeks. I just love receiving these great stuff in the mail...I keep on getting surprised with the quality of cards I receive from all over the world. If you haven't signed up for a Postcrossing account, I suggest you get there right now. This is such a worthwhile hobby that I don't mind spending a few bucks over.

More postcards!

But the thing is, it's 11PM and I don't want to lug the huge scanner just to scan some of the stuff I've received. All I can say is that I'm thrilled over the roof that I've gotten some new postcards from Postcrossing, as well as the loot I've amassed through private swaps.

Monday suddenly had some semblance of meaning to me. Haha!

I will be scanning them this weekend, so prepare yourself when I go kill your browsers.

***

In other news, I didn't get any writing done today. Shit. Damn forums.

I can haz postcards!

I dunno what happened but my mom just handed me a bunch of stuff that came through our mail. Turns out they were the postcards I've been waiting since forever! Hahaha! The Postcrossing cards were mixed with those that I got from private swaps, & I was just floored by the sheer number.

Okay, they weren't a lot, but since they're overdue for weeks, I was just too happy to see them. =D

Here are the cards I got from Postcrossing (the one that had registration codes):

Porto San Giorgio in Italy sent by Maria

Postcard from the State of Ohio sent by Anje

Aren't we having fun! card from Yannie of the Netherlands

And here are the awesome cards I got via private trade:

Statue of Amenhotep III from the Museum of Luxor

Central Park, NYC

Quebec houses & Chateau Frontenac

Royal Castle Neuschwanstein in Germany

Mauri Kunnas illustration

3D Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

I'm expecting more cards which I hope will arrive this month. I'm really excited because I was finally able to trade several from my stash for 2 cards of Tokyo Tower! I'm on a postcard roll.

Thanks, Postcrossing! :)

P.S.: Sorry for the crappy images. I just used the camera on my phone; was too lazy to scan them. =3

Postcards etc.

I'm officially addicted to postcards and Postcrossing.com. Lately I've been seeing myself going in and out of National Bookstore buying postcards by the dozen. Ever since discovering Postcrossing through Elise Estrella, I've been immersing myself in card swaps, traveling notebooks and lotteries at the forums. I've already sent 8 cards as of this writing, 3 of which have already reached their destination. So far, I have yet to receive my postcards.

I've been worried as of late because I haven't been getting any cards for the past month. I know our local post can be quite inefficient, but seriously...pati ba naman postcards eh pagkaka-interesan pa?

Lorns told me to just keep cool and not wait for it because the element of surprise is what makes the exchange enjoyable. I dunno...I'm just anxious as hell. Why is it taking this long for a bunch of cards to arrive? Hrrrr.

Anyway, I'm having a roll exchanging local postcards with other people from all over the world. I'm really psyched to receive the Harry Potter, Korean cats and Buckingham Palace cards in my mail. Though I wonder how many months I'll have to wait for that.

Still, I'd give an arm and leg if I can get postcards of the following:

Alhambra Palace (Granada, Spain)
Tokyo Tower
Ludlow Castle (Shropshire, England)
Greenwich Palace (London, UK)
Taj Mahal
Tower of London
Winnipeg, Canada (thank you AVPM)
Jeju Island (Korea)