Filatelia Filipinas

A Case of Postal Fraud

2011-03-23T12:24:00.004+08:00

For this post I have an example of postal forgery which was done by none other than the postal clerk herself.

I show here a scan of the cover and I also post a copy of the letter I have sent to the Postmaster General of PhilPost.

Quezon City

08 March 2011

Atty. Antonio Z. de Guzman, CESO I

Postmaster General

Philippine Postal Corporation

Liwasang Bonfiacio 1000

Manila

Re: Case of Postal Fraud

Cc: Ms. Elenita DL San Diego

Dear Atty. de Guzman,

I have been meaning to write this letter for quite some time now, but circumstance has not afforded me the luxury of free time to do so until now. Nonetheless, I hope that the passage of time will not hold prejudice against the gravity of the matter at hand.

In January of this year, I was on a trip to the Ilocos region and I visited the usual tourist attractions; Vigan, Bangui, Pagudpud, and Paoay. As is my usual practice when on a trip away from home, I made sure to send myself some covers as souvenirs from my trip to add to my collection. I do this as much as possible whenever I travel as I am a cover collector interested in collecting as many different postmarks as possible. This is why the covers I send are addressed both to and from my address.

One of the post offices that I visited during the trip to send myself a cover was the Paoay Post Office (Zip: 2902) in Ilocos Norte. It is a small and run-down post office, as can be expected from small provincial Philpost branches. When I visited, I believe that there was only one postal clerk to attend to customers, of which I suspect there are few anyhow.

At any rate, I had a terrible experience at the Paoay Post Office. The postal clerk was rude and seemed as though she would rather be doing something else (although I cannot blame her, really). I try my best to be polite to these older ladies who work at post offices because I understand their plight, but this old lady was certainly a tough nut and I left the post office upset with what transpired during my visit.

What upset me most was the fact that she refused to frank my covers with postage stamps and then tie the stamps to the cover in front of me so that I would know what to expect in my postal box when the letter would arrive (postal clerks do this for me most of the time – even abroad). It was not the lack of postage stamps that kept her from doing so as I saw with my own two eyes that she had a canister of the recent marine biodiversity definitive stamps. I kept insisting on her to frank my envelope, but it seemed as though my requests were falling on deaf ears as she was giving the cold shoulder. All she did was stuff my envelope in the canister with the mint stamps. This was what really ignited my frustration and caused me to up and leave the place with a huge frown. I really did not understand why she could not let me see her frank my envelope.

I would learn the reason when I received the cover. Thankfully, I sent my letter registered and so I had proof of mailing which compelled the postal clerk to actually send my letter. Perhaps, had I not sent the letter registered, it would have conveniently found its way to the garbage bin and the lady would not be “digging her own grave,” so to speak.

The reason why she refused to frank my cover with postage stamps is because she never had the intention of doing so – at least with real postage stamps. She used FAKE postage stamps on the cover.

I attach hereto a reproduction in black and white of the cover in question, zoomed in to allow for a better view of the fake stamp, which does not even have perforations! In fact, it seems that the stamp is just a color photocopy done on normal typewriting paper and then cut into squares of paper. Anyway, the main point is that it is fake. Also, notice that the cancel on the cover is very heavy; most likely this was an effort to cover up the fake stamp and make it less noticeable. Ironically enough, it was this heavy cancel that initially made me happy and caused me to further examine it (clear chops are a rarity these days and cover collectors like me are very happy when we receive them on our covers).

To add insult to injury, I was charged PhP 38 to send my letter. I have been made aware that the tariff for a registered letter from Paoay to Metro Manila is only PhP30. I do not mind shelling out the extra PhP 8 if it is for a legitimate reason, but it is the idea that I was charged extra money most probably to cover for the production cost of the fake stamp itself that irks me! The audacious nerve of the postal clerk is just beyond me!

I do not write this letter as a disgruntled philatelist, but rather as a concerned citizen. Actually, I should be a bit happy because the cover I have in my collection with a fake stamp and clear cancels is a valuable item, if not an interesting conversation piece. Many fellow collectors from abroad have asked me to send them such a cover, but I told them that I would not intentionally play a part in postal fraud and also that Paoay is just too far away.

Beyond the issue of the stamp being a curious philatelic novelty, consider the implications this may have on your revenues as a government agency struggling to keep standing on its own two feet. While Paoay may not have as many customers as other post offices like those in metropolitan areas, it is still lost revenue on the part of the PhilPost. This is not to mention the moral and ethical dimension of this matter and the need for justice to be served. We cannot successfully run a post office if its own employees are cheating it. It would be like a worker hammering at a brick wall while his co-workers are struggling to build it. And should this situation escalate to a larger scale and see more and more postal clerks committing fraud, the post office might shut down altogether. I am not one to sit back and let that happen on my guard and certainly hope that you are the same.

The Portuguese have a saying, “Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura,” which is roughly translated as, “Water dripping day by day wears the hardest rock away.” I believe that we should not let this situation get out of hand and that we should prevent it from boring a hole in the postal system while we can. I hope you are of the same opinion and that you also sense the same urgency that I do.

Should my participation be required in further proceedings regarding this matter, I would like to inform you beforehand that I will not be able to attend to such matters after mid-May as I will be leaving the country for a few months, if not for good. Thus, please do inform me as to how I can help and what more I should do to see to it that this matter be addressed and resolved.

With hope that we can work together in purging the post office of such heinous and immoral practices as postal fraud practiced by none other than postal clerks themselves, I remain

Yours Most Sincerely,

Myron De La Paz

To Africa and Back

2010-11-29T22:02:00.005+08:00

Here are two covers that I sent to Africa and were returned to me unclaimed. I'm not surprised because I found these addresses on old covers from my collection (they were from the 70s and 80s) and I had a great big hunch that they really would be returned to me. I just wanted to see how long it would take and, of course, I wanted to see all the frankings that they would apply. I should have known better than to put such large stamps and M/S's that there was not much space for the frankings and stickers and now the covers are a bit messy... Oh well... These are nice pieces nonetheless. :-)

Sent: 23.07.10 Manila CPO
Dispatched: 27.07.10 Manila Processing Center
Transit: 12.08.10 Johannesburg Mail Center (according to online tracking service)
Arrived: 13.09.10 Abidjan Processing Center
Distributed: 14.09.10 Abidjan 03
First Notice: 14.09.10 Abidjan 03
Second Notice: 22.09.10 Abidjan 03
Returned: 19.10.10 Abidjan Processing Center
Arrived: 04.11.10 Manila Processing Center
Distributed: 09.11.10 Quezon City Central P.O.
Distributed: 09.11.10 Araneta Center P.O.
Received: 15.11.10 by me

TRAVEL TIME: 3 months, 23 days (115 days)

Sent: 23.07.10 Manila Central PO
Dispatched: 27.07.10 Manila Processing Center
Arrived: 19.08.10 Ouaga CNT
Second Notice: 14.09.10 Ouagadougou
Arrived: 21.10.10 Manila Processing Center
Distributed: 26.10.10 Quezon City PO
Distributed: 28.10.10 Araneta Center PO
Received: 08.11.10 by me

TRAVEL TIME: 3 months, 16 days (108 days)

SASE's from my Indochina Trip

2010-11-27T12:00:00.005+08:00

These are the covers that I managed to send myself when I visited the post office during my trip. I usually send myself covers when I travel (even internally) so that I can gauge the time it takes for transit; it's really amazing when sometimes the letter is already in your mailbox when you get back from a (no-so-long) trip! I also send myself covers for the stamps and the frankings. I usually enjoy receiving these more than I do buying those other souvenirs when I go abroad.

Việt Nam
VIETNAM

ราชอาณาจักรไทย
THAILAND

ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា
CAMBODIA

Belize

2010-11-26T19:55:00.007+08:00

Wow! It has been months since my last post! I have been so caught up with using facebook and uploading my covers there that I almost completely forgot about my blog! Not good....

So for this "renaissance" post, I exhibit a great cover received from Jose Riveroll of Belize the other day as part of a CCCC (http://covercollectors.org/) circuit.
The cover features some nice, large pictorial stamps with clear postmarks. Incredible! This is my first from Belize.

On top of a great-looking cover, I have found the themes of the stamps to my liking. The first two on the left feature one of my favorite themes: archeology! :-)
The stamp on the far left was issued as a definitive in 2009, but has the same design and denomination as the 2005 12v definitive set to which the stamp next to it belongs.

The 25c stamps shows the Attun Ha Archeological Reserve and showcases the very famous Jade Head. More information on the Jade Head from Belize.com is quoted verbatim below (as per the request of the administrators of Belize.com, I include only the first paragraph. You may read more about the head by clicking on the link):

Kinich Ahau - the Maya Sun God Jade Head
At right - Kinich Ahau - The Maya Sun God. Ever since its discovery, the jade head has been the subject of much controversy among Belizeans. For years most of us have believed that, shortly after its discovery, this unique Maya masterpiece was spirited out of the country and never returned to its rightful home.

Read more about it by clicking on this link.

The 15c stamp depicts the Lubaantun, a pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in Belize's Toledo District. One of the most distinguishing features of Lubaantun is the large collection of miniature ceramic objects found on site; these detailed constructs are thought to have been charmstone s or ritual accompanying acoutrements. Of particular note are the site's three courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame, one of which had stone markers with hieroglyphic texts and depictions of the ballgame. (Wikipedia) Below is an image of one such marker:

The other two stamps on the right were apparently issued for Christmas 2003. They are part of a 4v set which features the Scarlet Macaw.

From Wikipedia:

The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. It has suffered from local extinction through habitat destruction and capture for the parrot trade, but locally it remains fairly common. The Scarlet Macaw can live up to 75 years in captivity, although, a more typical lifespan is 40 to 50 years. They eat mostly fruits and seeds, including large, hard seeds. They like nuts and fruits. They also feed on nectar and buds. A typical sighting is of a single bird or a pair flying above the forest canopy, though in some areas flocks can be seen.

Cover Collector's Nightmare

2010-07-22T01:05:00.003+08:00

I have complained and ranted many times in the past about the crazy practices of the Philippine Postal Service, and here I present you with an exhibit of proof of how they can destroy covers.

Already prone to damage because of its large size, this cover was "taped" and postmarked for "security purposes" to prove that the letter arrived at the mail processing center in bad order. Ironically, they made the matter worse by putting tape and applying strange markings.....

Thankfully, the cover was not particularly philatelic, or I'd be wailing the loss due to strange Philippine postal practices....

中國

2010-07-21T23:39:00.002+08:00

Here is a personal FDC from China sent from Shanghai on 03.07.2010.
The cover has the 2v set issued to showcase the ruins of the Loulan Ancient City (楼兰古城遗址).

Loulan or Kroran is an ancient oasis town on the north-eastern edge of the Lop Desert. Loulan, known to Russian archaeologists as Krorayina, was an ancient kingdom along the Silk Road. In 108 BCE, the Han Dynasty defeated the armies of the Loulan kingdom and made it into a puppet/allied state. The kingdom became integrated into the Han Dynasty and was given the Chinese name of Shanshan, though the town at the northwestern corner of the brackish desert lake Lop Nur retained the name of Loulan. The ruins of the town of Loulan are on what were the western banks of Lop Nur, now dessicated, in the Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. The site is now completely submerged in the desert

The stamp on the left shows the 佛塔 or Pagoda, and the stamp to the right shows the 三间房 or the three walled sections.

Principat d'Andorra

2010-07-20T19:50:00.005+08:00

Here's another cover from Andorra which I like very much because of the concept behind the stamp design.... It is not so evident in the scan, but the stamp has a reflective surface (although the reflection is not at all clear) in the shape of a mirror. This stamp was issued for the Europa 2010 issues, and the common theme this year is Children's Books, so I am guessing that this stamp is a reference to the story of Snow White. The inscription around the "mirror" is Catalan for, "Mirror, magic mirror, tell me who is..." which I guess is the first half the famous line in English: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

Wallis et Futuna

2010-07-18T19:12:00.003+08:00

Here us a cover from another exotic part of the world: Wallis and Futuna! W&F is an Overseas French Collectivity of three larger, volcanic islands and many smaller islets around those. Here is a map to show exactly where (and exactly how remote) this place is.

I will not dwell too much on the stamps as they are not really my topic, but I will say that we also have many varieties of Bougainvillea here in the Philippines, so it is interesting to see that they also have that in Wallis and Futuna!

ශ්‍රී ලංකා

2010-07-16T18:58:00.003+08:00

Sri Lankan script, called Sinhala, is an offsrping of Indian Brahmi script and, to an untrained eye like mine, it can easily pass for some type of decorative border designs.

At any rate, here are two covers I have received from this nation. I received another one before through the CCCC, but I decided to just save the stamps since the envelope used was of extremely poor quality, resulting in the deterioration of the envelope on its way to me in Macau (where I was staying at the time).

At any rate, this first one with the meter postage is the first I received way back in 2007!
While I generally do not like meter postage, I sort of like the design on the Sri Lankan one, and the imprint is not bad, either, especially considering that most meter postage in third world countries like India and the Philippines are often unintelligible!

This second cover is not in very good condition as it is actually a large bubble wrap envelope, but I like the design on the side and the overall look of the cover nonetheless. It's just such a pity that the envelope was damaged on its way to me, probably because it was a bubble wrap envelope prone to piercing.....

As requested, my friend Clarence George used the 4v Olympics set and the 60 years of independence stamp (which I like very much since Independence issues are among my favorite themes). Thank you very much for that, Clarence!

Uruguay

2010-07-13T20:23:00.003+08:00

Here's what could have been a nice cover, but there are so many things wrong with it:

1. The envelope size is huge!
2. The makeshift "Carta Priotaria" label is of low quality
3. The postal workers in the Philippines decided to write their storage number "02700" in big, bold permanent marker
4. The address is not handwritten

Well, what can you expect from a non-collector, right? This was sent by an eBay member.

Just thought I might share it anyway.

About the stamps, besides the two Olympics stamps on the right (which were carelessly affixed crookedly and with no seeming care for aesthetic spacing), there are some stamps that show Uruguayan festivals.

Three of the stamps feature Fermina Gularte (known better as Martha), who was a well-known Black Uruguayan dancer and showgirl in the Montevideo Carnivals.

The vignette features the "Desfile de Llamadas," (lit. Sp. "Parade of the Calls"), which is a festival held every year in February. Part of the festivities is a competition, for which contending groups rehearse during much of the year to participate in one of the most popular fiestas in Uruguay.

The name "Llamadas" has its origins in the nineteenth century when the slaves of black used drums to communicate. After abolition of slavery in Uruguay, this practice continued as a tradition between different families. who would come out and share time together. It is one of the purest manifestations of Afro-Uruguayan culture.

Moçambique

2010-07-05T21:09:00.004+08:00

Just a quick post today of an old cover from Mozambique. Honestly, I initially thought the athlete on the left stamp was a male. The athlete is Maria de Lurdes Mutola, an athlete from Mozambique who has specialized in the 800 m. She was born in Maputo. She is the fourth Track & Field athlete to compete at six Olympic Games.

The S/S, as it reads on the stamp, celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of EUROPA stamps, one of my themes!

Thank to Carlo Pinto for this!

Covers from a good Belgian friend

2010-07-04T15:59:00.010+08:00

Here is a selection of covers from a far-from-me-yet-not-so-exotic country today: Belgium!
I have been delaying this post for quite some time now since I haven't had the time to sit down and scan the covers and research on them, but here they are.

These first three FDCs are courtesy of good friend, Thomas Vandaele. He has been very kind and consistent in sending me Belgian FDCs and special cancellations, and I hope that he isn't disappointed that it has taken me such a long time to post his wonderful covers!

This first cover has two stamps from the 5v set issued 08.06.09 to celebrate milestones in the history of aviation and space navigation. The two in this set show the round-the-world trip of the Zeppelin in 1929 and the first Channel crossing by Blériot in 1909.

Here is a photograph of the actual craft that Blériot used to cross the Channel. It's no wonder that he was awarded GBP1000 for the achievement. I certainly wouldn't ride that thing over any surface, water or land!

Here is the complete set of stamps:

The designs of the other stamps:

2009 : Frank De Winne visits the ISS and is the second Belgian in space)
1969: first steps on the Moon
1969: 1st Concorde flight

The next cover has the 2v set that shows two personalities of the Belgian feminist movement Martha Boël (more about her here) and Lily Boeykens (more about her here).

This third cover I really like because the stamp on it has a plane design in the background (it's a shallow reason, but shallow reasons make life more interesting, don't they?)

This issue showcases Largo Winch, a Belgian comic book series by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, published by Dupuis. The principal character is Largo Winch whose birth name is Largo Winczlav.

In the first two volumes of the series, L'héritier and Le Groupe W, Largo, a young and handsome orphan, is propelled to the head of a business empire, Group W, after his adoptive father Nerio is murdered, and goes through a lot of troubles to preserve his inheritance and avenge Nerio. The following albums are more or less based on the same basic plot: someone is trying to harm Largo's company or to take control of it from him, and he has to fight that someone to ensure the survival of his holdings.

Below are three more covers that I've had for quite some time. I particularly like the second-to-last one for some reason. Perhaps it's the handwriting and the lively design of the S/S as well as the layout of the cover. Thanks to Bertrand D'Hooge for that one!

Isle of Man

2010-07-04T15:00:00.002+08:00

Here's a great cover with nice, large stamps from the Isle of Man!

This cover has a bit of a war theme to it as the stamps were issued to commemorate wars, battles, and those lost in the line of duty.

The first, leftmost stamp shows a depiction of the rescue of the Lusitania by the wanderer, a fishing boat. The RMS Lusitania was an ocean liner owned by the Cunard Line and built by John Brown and Company on 7 May 1915 and sank in eighteen minutes, eight miles off the of Clydebank, Scotland. She was torpedoed by German U-boat U-20Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, killing 1,198 of the 1,959 people aboard. The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany, and was instrumental in bringing the United States into World War I. The sinking of the Lusitania was a coup for anti-German sentiment and caused great controversy.

More information on the Lusitania and its terrible fate here and here.

The next two stamps to the right are from a 4v set issued in 1981 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Royal British Legion.

The upper stamp pays homage to Major Robert Henry Cain VC (2 January 1909 – 2 May 1974), a Manx recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Cain grew up on the Isle of Man and joined the Territorial Army in 1928. After working overseas he was given an emergency commission into the Army in 1940. He saw action during the Invasion of Sicily in 1943 and again during the Battle of Arnhem the following year. During the battle Major Cain's company was closely engaged with enemy tanks, self-propelled guns and infantry. Cain continually exposed himself to danger while leading his men and personally dispatched as much enemy armour as possible. Despite sustaining several injuries he refused medical attention and for his gallantry he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The lower stamp shows the Festival of Remembrance. This annual Festival, held at the Royal Albert Hall, commemorates and honours all those who have lost their lives in conflicts, and is both a moving and enjoyable evening. There is a matinee (2pm) and an evening performance - both are exactly the same except that the Royal Family attend only the evening performance.

The stamp on the far right shows one of six stamps issued to to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the end of World War 1 and the personal contributions of a selection of local soldiers.

This particular stamps features Pte Joseph Killey was born in Ramsey, the son of a carpenter. In 1915 he enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers. He was posted to the 2nd Battalion and was soon serving with them in Belgium. He was killed in action on July 8, 1915 during the Battle of Boesinghe where British troops had taken over a stretch of front line from the French.

See the entire set here.

Mayotte

2010-06-30T09:52:00.003+08:00

Here are two covers from the French overseas collectivity of Mayotte.

An interesting thing to note about "Mayotte" is that it is the corrupted French version of "Jazirat al-Mawt", which means "Island of the Dead/Death" in Arabic.

The two covers below have basically the same stamps, except for the first one, which has an extra stamp (did the sender pay extra postage for the first one or did he pay insufficient postage for the second one?)

At any rate, the stamps show basket weaving (la vannerie) as well as embroidery (la broderie), which I guess are either an industrial activity or a pastime (or both) of the locals. There is also a stamp showing the jasmine flower. I wasn't able to find out if they are native to Mayotte or if they were introduced by the French during the colonial period, or if they even actually grow in Mayotte at all!

This second cover has a nice special cancellation with the map of Mayotte. Mayotte is made up of two islands, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), and a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi).

Nevis

2010-06-30T09:08:00.002+08:00

The other day I posted a cover from St. Kitts. Here's a cover from the other state in that federation: Nevis: This one, I think, has more philatelic value, and more value in my view if the address was handwritten....

Bailliage de Jersey

2010-06-29T18:20:00.002+08:00

Here's a treat from Jersey. It's not every day you get mail from that part of the world, is it?

Happy Collecting!

Chile

2010-06-29T17:54:00.002+08:00

Just a cover from Chile for this post. As I am not particularly interested in fauna, I won't go into discussing the themes for this one.

Happy collecting!

A letter from HELL

2010-06-27T14:34:00.003+08:00

I'm guessing you are a bit taken aback by my post title, which is quite understandable.
I was surprised, too, when I hear of a town called Hell in the Cayman Islands!

Here's an interesting write-up from Wikipedia:

Hell, Grand Cayman is a group of short, black, limestone formations in the northwest Grand Cayman town of West Bay. It is roughly the size of half a soccer field. People are not allowed in amongst the limestone formations but two viewing platforms exist for tourists. There are numerous versions of how Hell received its name, but they are generally variations on "a local official exclaimed, 'This is what Hell must look like.'"
It is also claimed that the name "Hell" is derived from the fact that if a pebble is thrown out into the formation, it echoes amongst the limestone peaks and valleys and sounds as if the pebble is falling all the way down to "Hell."

Regardless of how it first came to be called Hell, the name stuck and the area has become a tourist attraction, featuring a fire-engine red hell-themed post office from which you can send "postcards from hell", and a gift shop with 'Satan' passing out souvenirs while greeting people with phrases like 'How the hell are you?' and 'Where the hell are you from?'.

Ironically, some of the stores in the area feature prominent quotations from the Bible on their sides. This is due to the pious nature of Caymanian society.

Hell can be quite busy as it is a stop for cruise ship tours.

I got this registered cover by writing to the postmaster at the Hell post office, who was kind enough to accommodate my request for a registered letter from Hell. I wonder if he receives many other requests from collectors for a postmark from his station like the postmaster at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica does.... I have read on the internet that many people on cruises make sure to visit the Hell Post Office to send their friends and relatives correspondences from the place.

The stamps used show scenery of the Caymans, I suppose. It seems that the Caymans would be a very nice and relaxing place to visit.

Thankfully, the postmaster was thoughtful enough to include a chop from his own office that reads "Hell," because the chops used on the stamps do not read "Hell." I guess it is a regulation in the Cayman Postal Service system to cancel registered letters with the generic red cancellation instead of the post office-specific cancellation.

Now, if only the postmaster had handwritten the addresses instead of cutting and pasting the ones from my letter, this cover would truly be a complete gem in my collection!

Aruba

2010-06-27T12:25:00.005+08:00

This is another cover from an exotic location: Aruba!

Aruba is an island in the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 kilometres north of the coast of Venezuela. Aruba, which has no administrative subdivisions, is one of the three countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, together with the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles. Aruban citizens hold Dutch passports. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape.

The four definitives with a depiction of a church show the Kapelo Alto Vista, which has a significant place in Aruban history as it was the first church established in the whole of the Caribbean. Also called the Pilgrim's church, it was constructed by Spanish missionaries in 1750 and to this day the Chapel of Alto Vista continues to conduct services between its pale yellow walls.

This chapel is known for being very Spartan and simple. Unlike many other places of Christian worship in the world, this edifice is not elaborately designed nor ornately decorated. In fact, its pews are outside the building! This gives us an idea of how life in the region was for the Europeans who ventured into these unknown tropics in a time when passages across the sea from the Old World took months! Things were very simple (and makeshift, even) because times were hard. I believe this church stands testimony to that. I just wonder why it has not yet been declared a world heritage site (?).

The other stamp to the far left celebrates the 70th birth anniversary of Queen Beatrix, who was born on 31 Jan 1938, the first child of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. I take it that the picture shows a family picture taken shortly after her birth.

Shqipëria

2010-06-26T00:47:00.003+08:00

Here is a cover from the Republic of Albania, one of the lesser known countries in Southeastern Europe, directly north of Greece and south of Montenegro and Kosovo.

I like this cover because its sender thoughtfully included two of my favorite themes: archaeology (which is actually a very rare theme to find on stamps) and the Olympics.

The two archeology stamps are part of a 3v set issued in 2008.

The 50 leke stamps shows the ruins at Oricum, an Ancient Greek city in the northern part of Epirus (modern south Albania). The city, said to have been founded by Euboeans , was originally on an island, but already in ancient times it became connected to the mainland; it covered an area of 5 hectares, but archeological remains are scarce. The 10 leke stamps shows the ruins of Butrint, an ancient Greek city and an archeological site in Sarandë District, Albania, close to the Greek border. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. An interesting thing to note is that, had the communists not fallen in 1992, this site would probably have been demolished and replaced by a submarine base or an airport since the communists did not care much for its historical value. I think we should be thankful that the communists were dispelled before this connection with the past was destroyed forever! The third stamp in the series shows Antigonia, the chief inland city of ancient Chaonia. The Olympics stamps is part of a set of 4 issued in 2008, of course, to commemorate the Beijing Olympics. Thanks to S. Nushi for this cover!

Principat d'Andorra

2010-06-25T23:33:00.003+08:00

I take pride in showing you this great cover from the Principality of Andorra!

Andorra is a small country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe, with an estimated population of 83,888 in 2009. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken.

The Principality was formed in 1278. The role of monarch is exercised jointly by the two co-princes, the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, Spain. This peculiarity makes the President of France, in his capacity as Prince of Andorra, the only reigning monarch actually elected in regular intervals by vote, the vote being that of another country at that!

Andorra is a prosperous country mainly because of its tourism industry, which services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually, and also because of its status as a tax haven. It is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is the de facto currency.

In the cover above, there are four definitives of different denominations, each showing the Andorran coat of arms with different colors as backgrounds. The stamp to the far right celebrates the 2009 Tour de France, which passed through six countries, one of which was Andorra.

The 2009 Tour de France started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a 15 kilometrer individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco. The race visited six countries: Monaco, France, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy, and finished on 26 July on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

The winner of this Tour de France is Alberto Contador, who won by a margin of 4′11″. Contador also won the 2007 Tour de France.

This cover is courtesy of a new philatelic friend, Jean-Pierre, who travels the world extensively and is kind enough to send me a cover from the exciting places he visits. This is the first of many covers from hard-to-obtain countries that I will be posting in the near future.

Happy Collecting!

Saint Kitts and Nevis

2010-06-14T22:07:00.003+08:00

Here is another cover from the Caribbean; this time from an even smaller island nation called the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. These two islands are located in the Leeward Islands, in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign nation in the Americas, in both area and population. Saint Kitts and Nevis were amongst the first islands in the Caribbean to be settled by Europeans. Saint Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean.

The islands are also known as St. Christopher and Nevis because St. Kitts was originally called St. Christopher. In the 17th century Kit, or Kitt, was a common abbreviation for the name Christopher, and so the island was often informally referred to as "Saint Kitt's island", which was further shortened to "Saint Kitts."

Unfortunately, the cover was soiled by markings from a permanent marker, which was probably applied to scratch out an incorrect routing code that was applied during sorting. If only the mail sorter got it right, then I wouldn't have this unsightly mark running across the bottom of my cover.

Trinidad and Tobago

2010-06-14T21:36:00.004+08:00

Here is a cover with many stamps from the far-off Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, an archipelago in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the cancel is extremely light. Well, on the bright side, at least it's not too heavy!

I especially like the $2.50 stamp showing the architecture of the historical building of the Queen's Royal College, one of the oldest secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago, and the only all-male Government-run secondary school in the country. The building was built in 1902 and cost 15000 British Pounds at the time. It accommodated six classes for 30 boys each. The lecture hall could hold over five hundred persons at a time.

Notwithstanding the German origin of the plan, a legacy perhaps of Mr Hahn's student days in Berlin, the design of the interior is very definitely tropical with a delightfully aristocratic touch from the days when European school architecture was austere.

The large stamp on the far right commemorates the British Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting held in Port of Spain, one of the developed areas of the islands of Trinidad. The buildings shown make up part of the Port of Spain skyline.

Philippines

2010-06-14T19:54:00.002+08:00

Here are some interesting covers from the Philippines:

Here is a cover that I sent to Poste Restante in Macau with the expectation of receiving it back since no one would be claiming it (it was addressed to me). Thanks to the dependable and efficient Correios de Macau, I received the cover back with the great chops that they apply at Poste Restante in

These two covers are almost identical, save for the addressee. These covers contained the payment that I made to eBay sellers. Thankfully, they arrived safely at their destinations, payment intact, and were returned to me by the friendly eBay sellers.

This cover is from way back in 2005, around the time when there was the anthrax scare and the fear of terrorism escalated to new heights. This cover was probably opened because it looked suspicious: brown envelope, thick, and thoroughly wrapped in tape! And, to add to that, it's from the Philippines, where the Abu Sayyaf Muslim Terrorist Organization is based! No wonder Border Protection opened it! I do not recall what the contents were, but I do remember that they were eBay items that I purchased shortly before moving to the Philippines.

On 14 April, I was lucky enough to be at the Manila Central Post Office on the actual day of issue of this IRRI set. I had not known of this issue beforehand since there are no announcements made other than at the bulletin board at the Philatelic Division - nothing online. As usual, the official FDCs were not yet ready so I decided to make my own and sent it to myself registered. The cover didn;t come out very well, but it's the thought and the memory that counts, right?

Happy Collecting!

بروني دارالسلام Negara Brunei Darussalam

2010-06-14T19:34:00.004+08:00

Here are some self-addressed covers that I sent back home during my three-day stay in Brunei. Brunei stamps are, in my opinion, not all that beautiful, but they have high catalog values because they are quite difficult to come across. Before my visit, I had no more than ten Brunei stamps in my collection.

The main post office building is quite small, and I believe it is just there to accept mail and sell stamps because, from I understood from one of the postal clerks, the mail sorting facility is located somewhere near the airport. Unfortunately, I didn't find any stamp dealer because I lacked the time (and perhaps the initiative since it was so darn hot and humid!) to look for one. Apparently, there is a small philatelist community in Brunei with something like 75 members, including its officers and some other government officials, if my memory serves me right.

The little philatelic corner they have at the left entrance to the building is, like I said, little, but it serves its purpose. It's an air-conditioned facility (thanks heavens!), so it's a cool relief from the outside heat. The philatelic desk still sells stamps and SS's from as far back as the late 70s (!!) at face value, which is a fraction of the current market value! So I spent quite a lot of time and money enjoying myself as I picked out the issues I wanted. Sadly, there were virtually no recent issues. I have not looked into this, but I got the impression that Brunei Post has been churning out only 2 or 3 commemorative issues yearly as of late. I guess it might be because there is little demand for Brunei stamps (?). I mean, there are some that have been sitting there in the post office storage for some thirty odd years now, and even after my purchase, I saw that there are still plenty left!

Well, anyway, enough of the rambling.

Below are four covers: three sent from the General Post Office in Bandar Seri Begawan and one from the Airport Post Office. Two are registered, one from each branch.

Enjoy!

Sent from the GPO, but processed at the MPC (Mail Processing Center). I chose the Brunei and Philippine stamps from the set because I was sending the letter from BN to the PH, and I chose the SG stamp because I like the architecture of the building depicted on it.

Sent from the BSB GPO. The lady postal clerk was very patient with me and was even kind enough to write "the Philippines" in the local script, which looks similar to Arabic.

Sent from the GPO, processed at MPC.

Sent from the Airport post office.

Chinese New Year Covers

2010-03-31T18:50:00.003+08:00

2008 Olympics

2010-03-31T11:58:00.005+08:00

So, it's already 2010 and I still have some scans from 2008 that I haven't posted. Not a good sign. Well, anyway, I thought I might share these scans of some covers I received with the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the theme. Some are FDCs while others are just regular covers.

The Beijing Olympics was one of the reasons why I finally decided on visiting Beijing in 2008. On top of the fact that everything would be in tip-top shape and that the city would be manicured to perfection (you can always count on the Chinese government when it comes to making a presentation), I thought it was high time that I visited the famed Great Wall. I also visited Shanghai on this trip and took the 12-hour overnight train from there to Beijing.

I must say that I liked both cities and hope to one day return. I also plan to maybe hike portions of the Great Wall. Want to join? :-)

This cover uses the official FDC, but it was not sent on issue date. My friend just used the FDC envelope but sent the cover much later, which I think is okay. At least I have the FDC envelope.

This cover has the complete set of Russian Olympics stamps, but my friend Alexander decided to use a commemorative cover instead of a regular envelope. The cancels have a special design, but not the Olympics FDC cancellation.

Because I like covers sent directly to my address, I asked my friend Andrzej to sent me the FDC even after the day of issue. Thankfully, Poczsta Polska allows for the sending of FDCs even after day of issue, like in the Philippines. So, strictly speaking, this is not an FDC, but it does use the official envelope and it h asthe official cancellation, which is good enough for me.

Unfortunately, the only real FDC I have does not have an official FDC envelope because Korea Post does not issue them.

While there is no indication on the cover, this was actually sent to me after the day of issue with the special cancellation. There are just no other postmarks or markings to indicate this. There is a boxed chop on the upper right hand side because this cover was "received in bad order" at the Central Mail Exchange Center in the Philippines. In fact, the cover was covers in strips of tape that attempted to "seal" the small tears found themselve on the low quality paper of the envelope as it was handled.

This cover does not have the complete set and was actually not sent through the mail system although it looks like it was. My friend Alberto initially planned on sending the FDC direct to my address, but he seemed to have a problem. I think it was that the stamps did not fit on the cover and the postal clerk wouldn't let him attach extra postage onto the reverse, or something like that.

Cambodge ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា

2010-03-29T11:52:00.009+08:00

These scans have been sitting in my hard drive for quite some time now. They show the covers that I was able to send myself during my trip to Cambodia, which was my favorite trip among all the ones I took while I stayed in Macau.

Cambodia is a wondrous country with friendly people. It's the type of place that makes you feel extremely depressed that good people have to live such hard lives (although sometimes people start getting corrupted when they start living comfortable lives, but that's another story). The sights and atmosphere of the country are certainly something that makes you want to go back, and so I will go back in October of this year.

The temples for which Cambodia is well-known are interesting pieces of history. Walking along their corridors and studying their intricate designs brings feelings of awe and enchantment because they exude humanity at its finest. Such grand works of art are certainly a testament to man's ingenuity and creativity. However, after a while, the temples start to look all the same and I must confess that there was a point when I felt that temple-hopping needed to stop.

Sadly, the weather did not agree with me when I visited the most famous temple of all, the Angkor Wat. It was raining the first time I visited and when I decided to visit again to take in the glorious sunset for which Angkor Wat is so famous, the clouds and the drizzling got in the way. Nonetheless, the experience was still one that I enjoyed, and I actually felt like I was experiencing what it felt like during the olden days when the Khmers would stay in the confines of the Wat walls to wait out the rain and battle against the elements.

The Khmer Post

The Khmer Post, in stark contrast to the Khmer temples, is an extremely disheartening experience, one much worse than the Philippine Post, I must say. First off, when you reach the post office at Siem Reap you will see neatly laid in front of you the most beautiful array of Cambodian stamps you could ever imagine to ever see. All the Cambodian stamps with Khmer themes and depictions of the various temples and Khmer culture are laid out for you to pick. from The catch is, prices are not face value, which I thought was pretty strange since it was inside the post office itself (In some countries they charge more than face value, but the selling price is either printed or officially set, but that was not the case here). The "post office" was actually more like a stamp dealership. There were beautiful stamps, yes, but they came with extravagant prices. Some recent issues from 2008 could rack up as much s USD23 for an 8v set whose face value was little more than USD4!

When I asked the lady (if you can call her a "lady" after the way she behaved) postal clerk about buying some stamps at face value so that I could stick them onto covers for my fellow collectors, she kept pointing at the stamps laid out on the counter. I kept asking her for "face value" stamps and I'm pretty sure she knew what I meant since I do not think I am the first person to ask her for such absurd a thing at her post office. After I kept insisting, she finally showed me some stamps, some ugly definitives that she kept hidden behind the counter. I asked her for other stamps, knowing that there had to be some better ones. It was like I was pulling a house out of an elephant's behind! Finally, she produced some better stamps, but they were not in full sets, which I think was her way of discouraging me from paying at face value. But I bought them anyway, and I had to give in to some of their "discounted" stamps (meaning they were not full sets) that they offered at 4 for USD1, which was double their face value.

And it doesn't end there. When you try to send your letters and your postcards, there is no actual postal rate. It just depends on the whim of the postal clerk and whether or not she feels you have put enough postage. I am sure that there is an "official" rate lying somewhere, but when you ask the clerks what it is, they ask you to show them your stamps and then study them, deciding whether they are enough or not. And no, I'm pretty sure they were were not calculating the total in their heads. On one occasion I sent out a postcard for 2400 Riel while on another occasion I sent one out for 4000 Riel, and this was at the same post office! It's worse when you try to register because they get all frantic and panicky, asking around about what they should do.

The post office in Phnom Penh was quite similar in terms of chaos, but the clerks were a little more friendly and accommodating. The post office at the Phnom Penh airport was , by far, the most terrible! First off, I was standing in front of the counter for a good ten minutes before the postal clerk literally emerged from the back of the counter - apparently she was taking her nap, and this was at 14h00, clearly not lunch hour (in the Philippines, most post offices close for lunch)! And when she finally decided to get to work, she took my letter, "weighed" it on the scale, and then declared: "four dollar" and then I haggled with her, knowing very well that USD4 or 16000 Riel was way too much. And it wasn't the weight because all that was inside was a blank sheet of paper. She then "converted" it to Riel and I guess she thought I didn't know the exchange rate so she said USD4 was 10000 Riel. I kept saying that it costs only 4200 Riel (because according to the central post office in Phnom Penh, that is the official rate), and she got all upset, insisting that I pay 10000 Riel! I got really so pissed with her ruse to drain money off foreign customers that I just up and left, making sure that she would be as annoyed, irked, and irritated as I was. At the end of it all, I do not know if these postal clerks have some kind of quota that they have to meet in order to pass some kind of absurd performance measure, but if they do, that just goes to show how sad the postal system in Cambodia is.

Anyhow, I hope that if you read my rantings, you didn't get too depressed about the world. To try and make things better, I offer you scans of my Cambodia covers:

The stamp on the far left shows some of the carvings on the wall of Banteay Srei, which I believe is famous for its intricately designed walls. I was able to visit this little temple and must say that it is impressively in good condition, considering that it has gone through hundreds of years of heat and rain.

The stamp on the upper right is from a set of five and it shows Preah Vihear, which I did not have the privilege of visiting. Preah Vihear is a Khmer temple situated atop a cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia and near the border of the Kantharalak district in the Sisaket province of eastern Thailand. In 1962, following a significant dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of the temple, the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded the ownership to Cambodia.

Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, Prasat Preah Vihear has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-centuries-long Khmer Empire. As a key edifice of the empire's spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. The temple gives its name to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, in which it is now located, as well as the Khao Phra Wihan National Park which borders it in Thailand's Sisaket province, through which the temple is most easily accessible. On July 7, 2008, Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stamp celebrates the first year anniversary of the temple's listing.

The third stamp is, I guess, a definitive and it shows what in French is called "vannage" and in English "winnowing." As the two terms did not help shed light on exactly what it was, I looked it up and apparently it is the agricultural practice in which rice is tossed in pans in order to separate the grain from the sediments, dirt, stones, etc. The picture best help explain what I mean. They also have the same practice here in the Philippines.

This cover has four definitives which depict the Thommanom/Thonmanom (apparently the spelling changes depending on the language, the latter being in French and the former in English).

The stamp in the middle is part of a set issued to celebrate the 50th year of the Red Cross in Cambodia. I guess that Cambodia is like the Philippines in that they like to show their prominent figures in society on their stamps, etc., as a way of perhaps boosting their leaders' egos? Sadly, the pictures seems to tell me that the wife of the Cambodian minister is not so happy and enthusiastic about what she is doing, but that may just be me. Also, this stamp reminded me of what a friend a friend told me about Cambodian politics: it is very dirty and extremely corrupt! She tells me this from a personal experience she had where she tried to do the right thing and stop the corruption. But it did not work and she had to leave the country for a bit lest something inopportune happen to her (i.e. goons are hired to beat her up and threaten her!)

The most exciting thing about this cover is the special cachet which in this scan is not so clear... But the cachet was applied at the mail processing center and it celebrates World Post Day. What a most welcome coincidence! At least something was born of that harassing experience at the post office!

This registered cover, the one that caused a ruckus at the post office, came out very beautifully in my opinion. While the stamps are not all of the same theme or of the same set, I think that the layout and postmarks are beautiful. I have already discussed one of the stamps and the others are quite self-explanatory, but I do want to point out the two stamps that celebrate 30 years since "Great Victory Day." As you may already know, Cambodia was subject to the grossly tyrannical and genocidal rule of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge Regime. Some estimate that 2 of the 8 million Khmers at the time were killed by this terrorist group which sought to "restore" Cambodia to its "glorious" (i.e. Khmer) past by purging it of any and all signs and influences of modernity and capitalism. Apparently, this included torturing and executing millions of Khmers. "Great Victory Day" or 7 January, 1979, was the day when the Vietnamese forces marched in and the day that the Khmer Rouge finally fell after four years in power.

Another exciting thing about this cover is the Inbound Mail label applied in Hong Kong, which is different from the others I have seen before. See my Tunisia post to compare.

This second registered cover was sent from the central post office in Phnom Penh. I personally applied the postmark, thanks to the very helpful and friendly postal clerk who obliged me. However, the canceller was not so nice since it was made of metal and the lady applied ink from a rubber stamp pad which, as you can see, was probably wet with water and not ink. Well, at least I have the memory of the nice lady to keep with me.

Another reason why this cover makes me smile is that it has a stamp with the Angkor Wat! At least I was able to get one despite the high price tags they put on stamps that have anything to do with the Angkor Wat (maybe they just didn't notice this one?). The cover also has a stamp commemorating the coronation of their New King, Norodom Sihamoni, a man who has lived a most interesting life, which includes a genealogy of Khmer-French-Italian descent, a childhood spent in Prague, years of study spent in France and North Korea, and much more. He can speak fluent French and Czech and can also speak English and Russian. Another interesting thing: his name is a combination of his parents' name: Sihanouk and Monineath. More on him can be found here.
Here is a cover that I was able to post from a smaller post office in Cambodia that I saw while riding on the back of a motodup. I asked the driver to stop and drop me off there even though it was not part of the plan. The stamps are part of the same set to which the Sihamoni stamp in the cover above belongs. Thankfully the cancels are very clear and so is the World Post Day cachet that was applied, which makes me so happy that I chanced upon that small post office.

This cover I did not send myself. It is from a Filipina friend of mine who lives in Phnom Penh, where she volunteers in projects and NGOs to help the Khmers, which I think is a noble cause. I really like this cover because it celebrates Independence, which is among my most favorite topics. Cambodia gained independence from the French in 1953 after 90 years of colonization. I guess the man in the three stamps is the former Norodom Sihanouk, but I am not sure. I just wish that the postal clerk could have applied her postmarks a little bit higher, or at least somewhere where they wouldn't overlap with the commemorative postmarks!

This second cover from my friend shows a traditional way of catching fish in the Cambodian swamplands.

Hope you enjoyed the scans!

Chile

2010-03-28T17:26:00.001+08:00

For over thirty years, the Telethon has been one of the most important programs that has been created to help children with incapacity; not only by helping these children in their rehabilitation, but also by introducing a cultural change in the country that promotes the dignity and rights of people with incapacity. Since 1978, the Telethon has managed to unite the mass media around this event, especially the television. The Telethon has united Chile in solidarity and has become a true national celebration.

澳門 Macau

2010-03-27T16:23:00.012+08:00

This is an entry I've been promising myself that I'd post as a tribute to the wonderful territory of China that I called home for five months, Macau.

Macau was, until 1999, an overseas territory of Portugal. It is the first and last European colony in China. Today, it runs with the "two systems, one nation" policy like its sister "Special Administrative Region" Hong Kong, the more popular of the two. Because Macau is a special administrative region, it maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and, much to my delight, its own postal system.

The name Macau

Macau is known by three different names: Macau, Ao men, and Ou mun, one name for each language in common use in the area.

Macau is, of course, the English name for the territory. Legend has it that this name was acquired when the Portuguese arrived in Macau at a place near A-Ma Temple and asked the locals for the name of the place, to which the reply was "A Ma Gok" (the final "k" in Gok is not pronounced with a sharp "k" in Cantonese, making "Gok" sound mor like "Gao") or "A-Ma Temple" since they assumed that the Portuguese were asking about the temple. Another, more local version of the story I heard while in Macau was that "Macau" actually comes from a curse in Cantonese. Apparently, Cantonese people are known for being quite rude (a claim I can now better understand) so when they couldn't understand what the Portuguese were asking them, they replied with something like "What the hell are you saying?" (in Cantonese, of course). The Portuguese, also not understanding what was being said, picked up part of the cursing and recorded it as "Macau," a name that would stick to this day. The spelling of "Macau" actually evolved from other earlier versions such as Amaquão and Amacuão.The true origin of the name of course will never be known since there were noofficial, formal records or accounts recorded about Macau at the time.

Ao men, the Mandarin name for Macau, literally means "inlet gates" and probably gets its meaning from the fact that Macau lies at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta. The Cantonese name for the place, Ou mun, has the same exact meaning and sounds very similar to the Mandarin pronunciation.

The Place

Macau consists of three islands: Macau, Taipa, and Coloane. Macau is the old part of Macau. It is where it all began and it is on Macau island that you can find the very old buildings that seem like they're falling apart. The seat of government is also on Macau and it is there that you find the "heart of Macau," a place called "Largo do Senado," which is known by most locals as "San Ma Lou" or 新馬路. Macau island is rich with history and culture, probably because it is where it all began. The famous Grand Lisboa, the lotus-shaped gold structure that I have seen countless times, is also on the island. So is the the home of tycoon Stanley Ho, who owns the Lisboa Hotels.

Macau is connected to Taipa island by three bridges. Taipa is the "new" Macau. Settlement on the place began quite recently, especially because ferries were needed to cross the sea to Taipa before the first bridge was opened for use in October 1974. According to a local I lived with during my stay, Macau is the "rich part" of Macau. He pointed out that most of the people on Taipa are the ones who can afford the rather expensive flats on the island and that things on Taipa were generally comparatively more expensive that they were on Macau. I guess Taipa is like the "uptown" of Macau. From my personal observation, the atmosphere on Taipa is very different from the one on Macau. Macau is very congested and busy. Cars are all over the place and so are people, especially tourists. In contrast, Taipa is very relaxed and quiet. There are very few people walking on its streets and it is generally very orderly. The University of Macau is located on Taipa and so are the Venetian and all those other famous, newer casinos of Macau.

There was a time when a ferry or boat was needed to get from Taipa to Coloane, but today the two are connected by the Cotai Strip, a reclaimed strip of land on which most of the new casinos like the City of Dreams, Hard Rock Cafe, and Four Seasons are found. Coloane is the recreational part of Macau. It is here were Macau people love to go for picnics, barbecues, hiking, and just relaxing on the beach. The beach is appropriately called "Hac Sa" which means "black sand" since the water and the sand is a rather ugly brown color due to the fact that Coloane lies on the mouth of the Pearl River and so it is there that the sediment carried away from the river is dumped into the sea, resulting in the brown color. Unlike in Hong Kong where the sea is a beautiful green, in Macau it is always a muddy brown. There is also a very very small village on Coloane and, while walking through its narrow lanes which reminded me of pictures of Portuguese neighborhoods, I got the feeling that it was an abandoned place. Actually, the village is home to many of Macau's seniors. I do not know if the place is full of elderly people because they have been there for a long time but were never "replaced" since the new generation decided to move to Taipa or Macau or if Coloane is really the place where the Macau people retire to when they grow old, but it is indeed a very laid back and relaxing place, perfect for a retirement home. Cars are few and so are people.

Note: When you move around in Macau, you never really get the feeling that you're on an island because everything is connected by bridges or land strips and it feels as though Macau is one big peninsula jutting into the sea.

The Language

Many people ask me about the language that is spoken in Macau.

Since it is part of China, most less familiar foreigners assume that people there speak Mandarin, the standard Chinese language. While Macau Chinese can speak Mandarin, it is not their first language and from what I've heard, many of them are not too happy to speak Mandarin.

The main language in Macau is Cantonese, the language spoken by the locals in the Guang Dong Province of China, of which Macau is basically a part. Cantonese is also the lingua franca in Hong Kong. It sounds markedly different from Mandarin and the two really do not sound alike except for instances where Cantonese borrowed words from Mandarin or vice versa.

Many people ask if Portuguese is still spoken in Macau, a question I also had in mind before arriving. I assume that the question asks if Portuguese is still spoken "on the streets," so to speak, and my answer is no. While it is true that signs in Macau can still be found in both Chinese and Portuguese and legal documents are written both in Chinese and Portuguese (in fact, if there is a misunderstanding in the Chinese translation of the law, then it is the Portuguese version's original meaning that presides), most people in Macau cannot speak Portuguese at all. I spoke to a local about this and he said that Portuguese is not spoken at home by the ethnic Chinese and is not even taught in Chinese schools, so there is really no way for them to learn it. He added that, on top of that, there is no need to learn it since no one speaks it anyway and the legal system operates in Cantonese and rarely in Portuguese. According to him, Portuguese is spoken only by the very few local Portuguese left (most of whom can also speak Cantonese) and by the expats from Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries like Brazil, Cote d'Ivoire, Mozambique, East Timor, etc. The only school that teaches Portuguese, from what I understand, is the EPM, the Escola Portuguesa de Macau.

So for those of you who have skills in Portuguese and want to try them out in Macau, I warn you already that you may be disappointed when you get there and the ethnic Chinese look at you in a strange way when you try your Portuguese on them. However, some can still speak Portuguese since government employees must also be able to speak Portuguese, but it's not like all the government employees can speak it and it's not like everyone in Macau is a government employee.

The Postal System

The Macau Postal System, or Correios de Macau, was formally founded in 1884 as the Correios, Telegrafos, e Telefones (CTT) Coreios de Macau. It began services as an umbrella organization for communication, but in 1981 the telecommunications and postal services were separated.

Currently, Correios de Macau has 14 stations, one of which is temporarily closed for renovation. I made it my mission to visit each of these stations and post myself a cover so that I could have a postmark from each station in Macau. You can see the scans below.

The Central Post Office, located in Largo do Senado at the center of Macau, is a beautiful edifice that was built in 1929. I do not know if my perception of it is colored by the fact that it is the Mecca of beautiful Macau stamps, but I think the building is very beautiful in the day time and at night since it is tastefully lit.

Some "Maximum Covers"

Since I am not really a fan of postcards, I decided that instead I'd try to make what I like to call "maximum covers." Because Macau does not have too many "regions" or anything like that to commemorate on its stamps (unlike France, Italy, Russia , the US, and other countries that have many regions to boast), it often showcases its buildings and historical sites on it stamps. So I thought I'd try to get postmarks from the post office near the featured buildings applied onto the stamps. I was able to do this for the Cultural Center and the Museum of Communications since these two places have a post office and a stamp depicting them. I should have also done this for the Coloane Post Office and Coloane stamps, but it skipped my mind...

I also tried making a maximum cover for the Macau airport, which you can see in my previous post on Macau. I used the Air Macau 10th Anniversary S/S since the issue on the Macau Airport was released during the Portuguese era and so is no longer honored for postage. I also made one for the University of Macau. The university unfortunately does not have its own post office, but I thought maybe I could send a cover the the University with stamps celebrating the University's 25th year in 2006.

Here are some FDCs that were issued while I was there. Unlike in the Philippines, FDCs in Macau can be sent only on the date of issue, so these covers are really FDCs. In fact, the line in front of the Post Office on the first days of issue is often very long, and it was especially long for the Macau 10th Anniversary issue that was released on 20.12.09, Macau SAR establishment day. I had to wait in line for four hours before being able to set foot in the post office! However, it paid off when I saw the covers and stamps, which I think are neat pieces of history. Thankfully, I was in Macau on establishment day and enjoyed the very long fireworks show that was held to celebrate the joyous occasion and also to send out FDCs of the issue. I left for the Philippines for the holidays the day after. And when I got back on 01.01.10, the next day the Year of the Tiger issue was issued and I was so happy because I made it just in time for the issue! What coincidences!

Macau SAR 10 years 3v FDC

Macau SAR 10 years S/S FDC

Macau-China Joint Issue FDC

Year of the Tiger 1 of 5v set FDC

Year of the Tiger 5v FDC
Notice the embossed animals designs on the left. Macau Post really excels when it comes to philatelic design.

East-West Art 2v FDC

Chinese National Guard in Macao 10 years 6v FDC

Since World Post Day fell on the same day as the date of release of the East-West 2v issue, they were offering free commemorative envelopes an a special cancellation postmark at the philatelic desk. I decided to create a fusion of the two celebrations and used one of the 2v in the East-West set on the commemorative cover and had the philatelic clerk apply the special cancel. I think it is a really neat cover.

Here is a cover that a friend of mine sent to his family in Germany. Since his girlfriend visited him while I was still there and he knew I collected stamps, she asked her to bring the cover back to Macau so that he could give it to me. The packet was sent registered and there are some other interesting labels that were applied in Germany. According to my friend, the green one is some sort of customs duty clearance sticker.

Below is a sample of the really neat Meter stickers used by the Macau post. On top of an already beautiful design for the meter cancellation, the label sticker used also has a nice design! The designs show the Central Post Office.

And, last, here is a cover sent to me from the University of Macau. I just wanted to show that the University has its own meter postage design, as you can see. It is interesting that the university chose to dispatch its mail from the Jardins do Oceano station when the Nova Taipa station is much closer. I guess it may be because the mailing facility at Jardins do Oceano is larger?

Ecudaor

2010-03-25T21:58:00.001+08:00

Pakistan پاکِستان

2010-03-25T21:57:00.001+08:00

Nigeria جمهورية نيجيريا

2010-03-25T21:56:00.003+08:00

Korea 한국

2010-03-25T21:52:00.002+08:00

Italia

2010-03-25T21:49:00.002+08:00

India भारत गणराज्य

2010-03-25T21:44:00.003+08:00

An interesting thing about the second cover is that it was missent from India in November 2008 and it arrived in my mailbox April 2009! Quite surprising, especially since this wasn't sent via book post (surface mail)! I suspect that the letter was mistakenly sent to Singapore and then, because it was a missent letter, it was kept under a pile of boxes or it found itself under a rug before it resurfaced and was finally forwarded to me..... six months later!

Ethiopia የኢትዮጵያ

2010-03-24T17:05:00.004+08:00

Polska

2010-03-24T17:02:00.002+08:00

France

2010-03-24T16:58:00.001+08:00

Deutschland

2010-03-24T16:55:00.002+08:00

Cuba

2010-03-24T16:50:00.001+08:00

Malaysia

2010-03-23T22:00:00.003+08:00

Singapore சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு

2010-03-23T21:56:00.002+08:00

Slovensko

2010-03-23T21:52:00.002+08:00

Thaland ราชอาณาจักรไทย

2010-03-23T21:50:00.002+08:00

Taiwan 臺灣

2010-03-23T21:48:00.003+08:00

México

2010-03-23T00:52:00.001+08:00

Türkiye

2010-03-23T00:48:00.001+08:00

Etats-Unis d'Amerique

2010-03-23T00:43:00.002+08:00

Filipinas

2010-03-23T00:32:00.004+08:00

China 中國

2010-03-23T00:25:00.005+08:00

Belarus Беларусь

2010-03-23T00:24:00.001+08:00

Brasil

2010-03-23T00:22:00.000+08:00

Åland

2010-03-23T00:21:00.001+08:00

Österreich

2010-03-23T00:20:00.000+08:00

Argentina

2010-03-23T00:19:00.003+08:00

Shqipërisë

2010-03-23T00:16:00.003+08:00

Return to Sender

2010-03-21T18:09:00.007+08:00

Whenever I hear the phrase "return to sender," I remember the Old Elvis Presley song from 1962:

A nice and happy song. I hope these covers below make you nice and happy, too! :-)

More from Macau

2010-03-17T04:42:00.004+08:00

Covers from Home Sweet Home

2010-03-14T21:53:00.001+08:00

Just wanted to share these two covers from the US and also some thoughts about the Average Joe philatelist's experience in the Philippines.

When I get letters from the States, I remember home sweet home and I also begin to miss US stamps and the US postal service. When I lived in the US, buying philatelic material wasn't as demanding of my time and patience as it is here; I didn't have to travel an hour to the central post office only to find out that the material I needed was "out of stock" (which oftentimes meant that the only clerk who had the issue I needed was out to lunch or didn't come to work that day), nor did I have to plead with "senior officials" to let me purchase some stamps that were officially released according to public announcements, but not yet available for public sale because there was some red tape here, there, and everywhere at the sorry room they call a "philatelic section."

Back home, virtually all new issues, even commemoratives, were available at the local post office, and if I needed something special, or if I needed some older issue that was really out of stock, I could just mail in (or even phone in) my order at the Stamp Fulfillment Services Center and pay just a dollar for shipping and handling. And should the grand total be a mere $10 or a whopping $1000, the service would be available to all paying citizens. Here, it seems that there is an implied "VIP" in front of the term "mail order services" since these "services" are, more often than not, only available to foreign customers (in the Philippines, locals like to treat foreigners as VIPs, whether or not the foreigners deserve such recognition). Local mail order customers have to be "big shots" so that their requests can be entertained; they have to be "dealers" who place big orders, people the post office can make money off.

While it is true that Philippine stamps may be of considerable value one day because they are not very common, sometimes I wonder if putting up with all the crap I have to deal with whenever I visit the philatelic section is worth it. But, after making it back home safely with my loot of new sets, souvenir sheets, and FDCs, and taking a nice, warm shower, I cannot help but smile when I sit at my desk and examine my new acquisitions because, though a pain in the buttocks to acquire, these Philippine stamps are as fulfilling as the US ones that were oh so much easier to acquire. Sure, sometimes these Philippine stamps have gaudy designs and strange themes and, yes, the quality of the printing and perforation is deteriorating, but one day, years from now, when I'm siting at my desk in a far-off place, far removed from the chaos that is the Philippines, I can look at these stamps and laugh at the absurd things I had to put up with in order to acquire them. Like they say, there is more to a journey than getting to your destination.

Italia

2009-12-07T01:22:00.002+08:00

Here are two covers from Italy with beautiful special postmarks. The first one seems to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Cultural Tourism, although I am not to sure exactly what the celebration or the Cultural Tourism is for.

The second cover has a postmark that commemorates the restoration of the old facade of the Parish Church of St. Nicolao, which is located in Valle San Nicolao, a comune (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont.

I just wanted to point out that the second cover was received at the Poste Restante counter of the Macau Central Post Office on my birthday, so that makes this cover more special than it already is.

España

2009-12-07T00:43:00.006+08:00

Here is a cover that I like very much because it integrates two of my favorite themes: EU-related material and money on stamps.

The block on the left, issued on 10 July 09, commemorates the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Euro in 1999. A little more on the Euro currency from the Correos de Espana website:

On the 1st of January 1999 the Euro was born as the new European currency though it wasn’t until three years later, in 2002, when it was made effective. The Euro was a decisive step for European integration since it became the currency of the Euro zone countries. It is now the sole and official currency of 16 of the 27 member states of the European Union and of over some 325 million people in total.

The use of the Euro in the different member countries was gradual. Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland began to use it 1999; Greece in 2001, Slovenia in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008 and Slovakia in 2009.

The € symbol is inspired by the Greek epsilon (ε)- a reference to the first letter of the word Europe, crossed by two parallel lines to ‘certify’ the stability of the Euro. Euro zone countries use the same designs in their banknotes, which were chosen from 44 proposals in a design competition, launched by the Council of the European Monetary Institute (EMI) in 1996 and in which the winning entry was created by Austrian born Robert Kalina. The designs have a common theme of European architecture in various artistic periods, from classic to modern XX century architecture. The front of the note features windows or gateways while the back has bridges. Both sides bear the 12 stars characteristic of the European Union. Every banknote has more than 30 security features which include: The paper used which is 100% pure cotton fibre, the watermark depicting a special design observed by holding the note up to the light and the holographic band imprinted with the note's denomination. In the case of the €50 notes and higher, the band is replaced with a holographic decal.

Coins have a common reverse for all countries in the Euro zone chosen by the European Commission but each country has its own design on the obverse besides the twelve stars.

Unfortunately, the block was not cancelled as the cover was put through a machine canceller. Only the stamp on the upper right was franked with a rather clear slogan postmark. This cancelled stamp was issued on 06 Apr 09 and celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Council of Europe. More on the Council from the Correos de Espana website:

In 1949, ten countries signed the Treaty of London establishing the Council of Europe. In article 1 of its Statute it states its aim to “achieve a greater unity between its members and to promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe's cultural identity and diversity and to favour its economic and social progress.”

Sixty years after its foundation, The Council of Europe has a genuine pan-European dimension with 47 members, representing 800 million citizens and 5 observer countries: the Holy See, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Its headquarters are in Strasbourg and its aims are to protect human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law, to promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe's cultural identity and diversity, to find common solutions to the challenges facing European society: such as discrimination against minorities, xenophobia, intolerance, terrorism, trafficking in human beings, organised crime and to consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative and constitutional reform.

The logo is the Council of Europe's own distinctive sign and was adopted in May 1999. The Council shares the flag, twelve golden stars on a blue background, with the European Union and the prelude to the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony as the European anthem.

Tunisia‎ تونس

2009-12-07T00:17:00.005+08:00

Just wanted to share some registered covers from Tunisia. Notice that a registration label was also attached when these letters were processed at Hong Kong. Also, it is interesting to point out that in the second cover, my friend used a 1996 Olympics stamp!

澳門

2009-12-07T00:06:00.006+08:00

This cover above is self-made, and I sent it personally from the Macau Airport post office. The souvenir sheet celebrates the tenth anniversary of the national carrier, Air Macau. Personally, I was so surprised that such a small country actually had its own airline and was even more surprised when I learned it had another carrier, Viva Macau, the first long-haul, low-cost carrier in the world. However, Macau is indeed a transfer point for Asian and Chinese destinations, as I came to learn, so the two airlines actually have a large customer base.

A little more on the Macau airport:

The Macau International Airport (澳門國際機場 or Àomén Guójì Jīchǎng) is situated at the eastern end of Taipa island and is the only airport in Macau, which opened for commercial operations in November 1995. Since then, the airport has been a common transfer point for people traveling between mainland China and Taiwan, as well as a passenger hub for destinations in mainland China and Southeast Asia.

As in Hong Kong, Macau has its own immigration policies and is a separate customs territory from mainland China. All travellers, including those to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan need to go through the immigration and customs inspections of international flights.

I went through this airport many times during my stay in Macau, and I must say, though small, it is very efficient and it has good facilities.

Österreich

2009-12-06T23:59:00.002+08:00

This first cover has the 2009 Austrian Christmas stamps issue and what I take to be definitives. The special, rather heavy cancellation was applied in Innsbruck. My German is very rough, but from what I understand, it is from a Stamp Exhibition held on 6.11.09. As I could not find any information on the exhibition, I do not know why "St. Gabriel" was included in the postmark design.

This second cover has the 2008 Austrian issue for the Europa CEPT theme "Letters." It also has a postage sticker for EUR0.10, which is actually starting to fade!

Malaysia

2009-12-06T23:43:00.006+08:00

This cover is quite interesting because it was franked by a postmark much smaller than the usual large postmarks that I usually get on Malaysian covers.

Here is a nice cover with 5 of the 18 stamps issued to show the different types of traditional houses found all over Malaysia.

This 3v issue from 2003 features the endangered Southern Serow, a solitary animal similar to a mountain goat that lives in densely forested mountain areas. It was once thought that if you were to see one you would have bad luck. Despite being herbivores, they are feisty and considered courageous as they won't back down from a fight, even when outnumbered. A Serow's saliva is considered a cure all and it is not uncommon to see Khmers (Cambodians) with their hands and feet poking into the Serow enclosure at the Wildlife Rescue Centre, hoping for a lick. Also, they are still hunted because their flesh and blood are said to enhance strength and vitality. The Serow are endangered due to their being excessively hunted and also due to habitat loss and fragmentation.

This second cover has the 2004 3v set commemorating the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

The Biosafety Protocol makes clear that products from new technologies must be based on the precautionary principle and allow developing nations to balance public health against economic benefits. It will, for example, let countries ban imports of a living modified organism if they feel there is not enough scientific evidence that the product is safe, and it requires exporters to label shipments containing genetically altered commodities such as corn or cotton.

Living modified organisms (known as LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology are broadly equivalent to genetically modified organisms. The difference between an LMO and a GMO is that a Living Modified Organism is capable of growing, and typically refers to agricultural crops. Genetically Modified Organisms include both LMOs and organisms which are not capable of growing, i.e. are dead. 'Modern biotechnology' is defined in the Protocol to mean the application of techniques that overcome natural physiological reproductive or recombination barriers and are not techniques used in traditional breeding and selection.

Lastly, here is a cover with a 4v set of stamps that remind us of the Cold War. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), whose 13th conference held in Kuala Lumpur the stamps commemorate, is an international organisation of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The movement is largely the brainchild of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, president of Egypt Gamal Abdul Nasser, and Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. It was founded in April 1955; as of 2006, it had 118 members. The purpose of the organization as stated in the Havana Declaration of 1979 is to ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics." They represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations's members and comprise 55% of the world population, particularly countries considered to be developing or part of the third world.

Singapura - Indonesia

2009-12-06T16:52:00.006+08:00

Singapore and Indonesia recently released a joint issue on the tourist attractions of the two countries.

Singapore decided to showcase the Merlion and Sentosa Island while Indonesia chose Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and the Singa Ambara Raja Statue.

The Merlion, the half-lion, half-fish symbol of Singapore, was installed in 1972. Its original location was by the Esplanade Bridge at the mouth of the Singapore River, just 120 meters from their present location. It was moved in 1997 because it could no longer be viewed clearly after the completion of the Esplanade bridge. On 28 Feb of this year, the lion was struck by lightning and broke into pieces. The Merlion you can see at Merlion Park today is sadly not the original.

Sentosa Island, a resort developed by the Singapore government to promote local and international tourism in Singapore, was a British military fortress until 1967, when it was handed over to the Singapore government after independence. It received its current name of "Sentosa," meaning "peace and tranquility" in Malay, in 1972.

Taman Mini Indonesia, which literally means "Beautiful Indonesian Miniature Park," is a 250-acre complex in eastern Jakarta that summarizes Indonesian culture and daily life. The park, opened in 1975, has pavilions that seek to encapsulate the grandeur of Indonesia. We had something similar in Manila called Nayong Pilipino (literally "Philippine Province", and it also opened in the 70s. However, it fell into decline after less and less visitors went and I believe it has shut down operations for a few years now. I wonder if Taman Mini Indonesia Indah will suffer the same fate?

The Singa Ambara Raja Statue was inaugurated in 1971 to signify the historic struggle of the Singaraja people against Dutch colonization. It is the landmark of Singaraja City in northern Bali.

I received the issue from both countries. Unfortunately, though, I did not get the Singapore FDC. Both FDCs from Indonesia were unfortunately damaged by staple wire by a postal worker who decided to "close" the envelope since the sender forgot to seal it.

Maldives ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ

2009-12-06T16:16:00.005+08:00

Just want to share this cover from the Maldives. It has the entire set of this Concorde issue from I'm not so sure whether or not the Concorde ever paid a visit to the Maldives or to any of those other places, but I am not a Concorde expert, so I wouldn't know.

Pyi-daung-zu Myan-ma Naing-ngan-daw

2009-12-06T14:43:00.007+08:00

Here are some registered covers I have been receiving from Myanmar thanks to my friend U Ang Ko! On top of the privilege of receiving covers from this "philatelically dead" country as my friend refers to it, it is great to receive stamps on my favorite themes: independence! These are truly wonderful covers which I cherish in my collection.

This first cover has the complete 3v set for the ratification of the 2008 constitution. The constitutional referendum law was enacted and a referendum commission was set up on 26 February 2008. Reportedly, the law ensures the secret casting of votes and requires a public count of the ballots to prove it is fair.

Among the changes that the referendum seeks to make are:

a quarter of the parliamentary seats would be reserved for military officers
the Ministry of Home Affairs would fall exclusively under military control
anyone married to a non-Burmese would be barred from running for the presidency.

It was reported that the elections for the ratification of the constitution were fixed, with heavy intimidation at poll stations. In some cases, there were already ticks on the ballot and dissidents who refused to accept these ballots were reportedly sent to prison. The constitution enjoyed a landslide victory with 93% "voting" yes. Because of the widespread cheating, on May 6, 2008, the United States Congress passed a condemnation of the Burmese constitution and referendum, by a 413-1 vote.

This next cover has the 2002 FIFA Centennial issue as well as 1 of the stamps on the 2v set from 2002 celebrating the 54th Independence Day.

FIFA is the governing body of international football associations. Interestingly, FIFA has 208 member associations, which is 16 more than the United Nations and three more than the International Olympic Committee, though five fewer than the International Association of Athletics Federations. The stamp also celebrates the victory of the Myanmar team at the first AFF U17 Championship & Fairplay Cup held in Bangkok in 2005.

The other stamps on the lower left is a definitive from a set of 6 issued in 1998/1999. Apparently, the cover used is some sort of official postal stationery as it already has some postage (a virtually worthless 2 Kyat) printed on it.

This last cover seems like it may be an official FDC, but my friend tells me otherwise. It shows has the complete 2v set from 2007 that celebrates the 59th year of Independence from the British. The other stamp is a definitive.

These three covers are apparently FDCs and, according to my friend, there are no official covers or cachets so all FDCs are personal covers.

Singapura

2009-12-05T22:36:00.006+08:00

I show you with great joy some great covers from the Lion City!

The first three are FDCs of the the Singapore-Philippine issue on bridges issued to commemorate forty years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Why they chose to show bridges is really beyond me, especially since bridges are not really as special to Philippine culture and history as the stamps may make them seem. In fact, I've never heard of these two bridges before.... But, since it's pointless to cry over spilled milk, let's move on.

The two stamps on Singapore bridges show the Henderson Waves, Alexandra Arch, and Cavenaugh Bridge. Henderson Waves and Alexandra Arch, both pedestrian footbridges, were opened in May 2008. Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore.

Cavenaugh Bridge, which I had the pleasure of crossing during my short, one-night stay in Singapore, was built in 1868 to celebrate 50 years of the establishment of the Straits Settlements and also to connect the commercial side of the Singapore River to its civic side. Before this bridge was built, people often had to pay a quarter of a cent to hop onto a boat ride form one side to the other. Originally meant to be a suspension bridge, this fixed steel structure is the only bridge in Singapore that retains its original form to this very day. Originally, vehicles could pass through, but as traffic increased and vehicles got heavier, a law was passed to convert it into a strictly pedestrian affair. On one end of the Cavenaugh Bridge is the Fullerton Building, which was once the central post office and is now a hotel, and on the other end is the Museum of Asian Civilizations, which houses exhibits on Asian cultures of the past. Sadly, the museum opens at 13h00 on Mondays and I had to catch my 11 am flight! Nevertheless, because it connects the old post office with the Asian Civilizations museum, Cavenaugh Bridge is as of now my favorite bridge in Singapore (not that I've paid much attention to the others! haha)

Now, on to the Philippine Bridges which I don't think are worth putting on stamps (I mean, why not feature the San Juanico bridge instead?). The Bamban Bridge is found on the MacArthur Highway between Mabalacat, Pampanga, and Bamban, Tarlac. Apparently, it is the longest of its kind in the world.

This next cover was sent from the Singapore Philatelic Museum. My visit to the museum was awesome because it was open house when I visited, which means free admission and some activities. To my surprise, the activities were about the Philippines! There was an entire exhibit room upstairs dedicated to Philippine culture, history, and stamps! It was really a coincidence! Downstairs there was a cooking session on Philippine food and I could hear that they were preparing Adobo or something like that. I myself couldn't try the food since there were so many people, which was also a surprise!

The stamps on the cover are 2 from the 4v set issued for the APEC 2009, which concluded the day before. I find it funny that I always seem to visit places when there is a conference of world dignitaries going on. When I went to Beijing in October 2008, the ASEM7 was ongoing, which meant that Tiananmen Square was unfortunately closed off! What a pity it was! Thankfully, nothing in Singapore that I wanted to go to was closed off.

The postmarks on this cover are great because they show the facade of the museum and they match the cachet for the Open House event! The design on the postmark the last time I visited 2 years ago was a post box. What makes the chops even more special is the fact that they were applied by yours truly! :-)

This postcard was also sent from the museum. I asked the agent at the commemorative covers desk to apply the Open House cachet onto the postcard since I had nothing to write myself anyway! The postcard shows the Fullerton Building when it still served as the general post office decades ago.

Polska

2009-12-05T19:40:00.006+08:00

Just wanted to share these four beautiful FDCs I received from my friend Andrzej. I was really smiling ear to ear when I received these because the EU is one of my favorite themes and also because I find the design and layout of the stamps really nice. And added bonus are the autonyms printed on the envelope behind the Polish names for these EU capital cities. It's intereseting to note that Warsaw wasn't put on the highest value for this set.

臺灣

2009-11-28T16:17:00.004+08:00

Here we have a wonderful surprise that I received a few weeks ago. A surprise because of its vertical orientation as well as its beautiful Chinese writing!

I have always wanted to received a cover with a vertical orientation but that would be impossible if my address was in the Philippines since the Roman alphabet is written horizontally. Chinese characters can be written both vertically and horizontally, and from left to right and right to left (however, if it is written vertically, it is written only right to left; this is the ancient way of writing). One must just figure out the orientation based on what is written. Just like in any language, if a set of words are written in such a way that they make no sense, then of course you know it's just a bunch of gibberish. But, in the case of Chinese, it's just that you are not reading it the right way.

According the Wu Wei Yi, the friend who sent me this cover, the sending of mail in vertical envelopes is still a common practice in Taiwan, maybe because Taiwan wants to preserve the traditional Chinese ways of doing things (?). I also found out that, because of Taiwan's special (a.k.a. confused) diplomatic status, Taiwan's postal service (ChungHwa Post) is not a member of the UPU (since China Post took over the seat for "China") and thus some of its domestic mail practices are not in line with UPU international standards. Perhaps this practice of vertical envelopes is a child of this separation from the UPU.

I was also charmed by the Chinese writing on the cover. I am no expert on Chinese script nor calligraphy, but the penmanship on this cover is very nice in my uninformed opinion, and I appreciate it very much. It seems like the sender gave some extra effort to make the cover look nice, which is something I always appreciate.

The two stamps on the top are obviously definitives of the Taiwanese flag (and flags are one of my favorite themes) and the bottommost stamps is from a 2v set issued in 1985 to celebrate the 120th birth anniversary of Sun Yat Sen, or as he is so fondly called 國父 (guófù; founder of the Republic).

Guyana

2009-11-28T13:58:00.005+08:00

Today I post a wonderful cover from far-off Guyana, a small country on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Historically, "Guyana" or "Guiana," which is believed to mean "the land of many waters," referred to a landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River. The area was then divided by European colonial powers into five: Spanish Guiana (now eastern Venezuela), Portuguese Guiana (now northern Brazil), British Guiana (Guyana), Dutch Guiana (Suriname) and the present French overseas department of French Guiana. British Guyana, which is now known simply as "Guyana," gained independence from the Crown on 26 May 1966.

The $60 stamp on the far right celebrates the Apollo 18, the last of the Apollo missions, which was launched on 15 July 1975. This last mission was known as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, one of two Apollo Applications Programs projects (the other being the Skylab of 1974-75). The project involved a docking in Earth orbit between a Command Service Module (CSM) and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. The mission lasted from July 15 to July 24, 1975. Although the Soviet Union continued to operate the Soyuz and Salyut space vehicles, NASA's next manned mission would not be until STS-1 on April 12, 1981.

While this event was indeed a milestone for mankind, its connection to Guyana escapes me. In fact, the connection between the themes on quite a few of the Guyanese stamps issued and the history and culture of Guyana as a country escape me as well.

Moving on, to the left of the Apollo stamp is a stamp issued on 2007 to commemorate the Concorde's flights with the Red Arrows, the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force. This stamp in particular (one of two designs, the other also showing a Concorde-Red Arrow exhibition in 1985) shows the flight of the British Airways G-BOAG with the Red Arrows as well as the QE2. This happened at the Sunday formation flight at the 1985 Royal international Air Tattoo.

Here is a link to a nice video clip showing one of the Concorde's other exhibitions with the Red arrows, this one is a fly-by at the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. (Warning: the sound may be a bit loud, so turn down your speakers if you feel you should)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzs-3V6mi2c&feature=related

One curious thing about the chops on this cover is that the postmark used at the Rose Hill Town PO to cancel the stamps have a bold line running down its center. Was this done intentionally to apply heavy cancels in an effort to curb postal fraud, or was the stamper damaged and somehow split in half (god knows how or why)? One clue is that the line isn't very smooth, which makes me lean toward my second hypothesis.

Also, notice the "Inward Registered Mail" label attached to the cover in Hong Kong. This one says "Lift" and I am not sure if that is an instruction printed on the label to tell the postal worker that he should lift on that side to get the label or if it is a special postal service term whose meaning I have yet to find out.

One thing I like about registered mail service in Macau is that it often goes through Hong Kong and you get these interesting labels and frankings. On other covers, I sometimes get chops telling me that the cover was received in bad order. A pity that the cover was received in bad order, but had it not been received in that condition, I wouldn't get the chop!

香港

2009-11-27T16:54:00.005+08:00

Here is another set of covers from Hong Kong. Hong Kong is just an hour away from Macau and it is very easy to just hop onto a jetfoil and head on over. I wonder why I haven't been so enticed to go more often. Perhaps it's because I don't find the recent issues worth the trip?

One thing I do like about HK Post is the fact that it supports philately by offering special cancellations such as these. This one is from Tsim Sha Tsui, near the Star Ferry terminal.

While most are definitives, there are two stamps worth pointing out on this cover. The first it the $5 stamp to the left of the block of 4. This stamp depicts the Aw Boon Haw Gardens, also known as the Tiger Balm Gardens. Built in 1935, it was opened to the public in the 1950s and was one of Hong Kong's first theme parks. One of the attractions of the garden complex is the 7-storey white pagoda shown in the stamp. Another is the Haw Par Mansion, which houses hundreds of relics from Hong Kong's past.

The second stamp of interest would be the one on the bottom right. It was taken from the souvenir sheet issued in 1998 commemorating the closure of Kai Tak, shown below:

Nicaragua

2009-11-27T16:00:00.003+08:00

Two Nicaraguan covers with birds on them:

I'm back

2009-11-27T12:14:00.008+08:00

So, if you remember my last post, you're probably thinking: this guy talks the talk but doesn't walk the talk! Well, I too am disappointed in myself. I have been too busy here in Macau and have found the time to update only now. (Well, actually, I should be doing something else, but thought doing this would be much more fun). On top of my tardiness, it seems that my external hard rive onto which I save my scans in malfunctioning! Thus, I really can't follow the program I set for myself in the previous post even if I wanted to!

So, I resort to posting some covers that I have received since arrived in Macau. This first set is actually a lot of covers from the Philippines. Some I sent to myself from different parts of the Philippines while the others I sent from the Philippines to correspondences in other countries. I asked them to return the covers to me, and so here they are:

Posting Lineup

2009-07-15T16:21:00.003+08:00

So, I have finally reached the end of a very busy schedule and thus finally have some time to myself, a portion of which I have committed to updating this blog. So, below is a lineup of covers that I plan to post (on this blog) in the near future:

Argentina
Belgium
China
Cuba
Germany
Indonesia
Italy
Malaysia
Pakistan
Portugal
Singapore
Slovakia
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
USA

I have decided that it would be much better for me to post in batches, meaning I will include covers from the same postal authority in one post. This, I think, would be the most practical and orderly approach. The list above is in no particular order, but I do plan to cross out each entry before I leave for Macau. Coincidentally, the first postal authority I will start with is Hong Kong.

That said, I have quite a lot on my hands, and I hope that I can fulfill this promise that I have made to myself.

Wish me luck and enjoy the posts!
Myron

香港

2009-07-15T15:42:00.004+08:00

So this post starts my series of "batched" posts, and I have chosen to start with Hong Kong. A fellow collector, Edward Hong, has been very generous in sending over some very nice covers, which I share with you below.

This first cover has the 4v set on the Judiciary of Hong Kong issued 27 November 08. This set of four stamps was issued "in praise of the just and fair legal system in Hong Kong, and features familiar symbols of [the Hong Kong] Judiciary. Each side of each stamp is equal in length representing equality before the law, and the white background represents a corruption-free society."

The stamps, from left to right, show judges in their uniform (as of 2005 Hong Kong judges wear British-style outfits, including wigs made of horsehair and scarlet-coloured robes), the Court of Final Appeal building in Central Hong Kong (which replaced the Supreme Court of Hong Kong in 1997), a statue of Lady Justice, and what seems to be the mace of the Hong Kong Judiciary. On each stamp is a version of the word 司法, which roughly translates to "administration of justice."

Intersting to note: the 14 September, 2008, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy survey reported Hong Kong and Singapore have the best judicial systems in Asia, with Indonesia and Vietnam the worst: Hong Kong's judicial system scored 1.45 on the scale (zero representing the best performance and 10 the worst); Singapore with a grade of 1.92, followed by Japan (3.50), South Korea (4.62), Republic of China on Taiwan (4.93), the Philippines (6.10), Malaysia (6.47), India (6.50), Thailand (7.00), People's Republic of China (7.25), Vietnam's (8.10) and Indonesia (8.26).

This next cover is an FDC of the Hong Kong Museums collections 6v set issued 16 May 09 during the 23rd Asian International Stamp Exhibition held in Hong Kong from 14-17 May. It features Chinese calligraphy and painting, presenting six selected exhibits from museums and universities in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Post writes, "With a glimpse of the calligraphic works and paintings of celebrated Chinese artists, we can admire the beauty of culture, thereby realising the importance of heritage and art conservation."

The stamps feature the following works of art:

$1.40	Poem in Running Script WANG Duo (1592 - 1652)
$1.80	Landscape after the Style of Huang Gongwang WANG Yuanqi (1642 - 1715)
$2.40	Calligraphy of WANG Youjun WANG Xizhi (303 - 361)
$2.50	Bird in Moonlight GAO Qifeng (1889 - 1933)
$3	Flower and Butterfly JU Lian (1828 - 1904)
$5	Figures in Pure Line Drawing (detail) GU Huai (Qing dynasty)

The stamp cover below bears one of the stamps in the set, but what makes it special is that the commemorative postmark for the stamp exhibition was used and the date on the postmark is also the first day of issue of the stamp!

Last is my favorite of all these covers, again because it shows and commemorates and airport; this time it is Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKIA).

Construction of the new Hong Kong airport (colloquially termed 赤鱲角機場 or Chek Lap Kok airport since it occupies Chek Lap Kok island) began in 1991 and the airport was opened for civil transport on 6 July 1998, just one week later than the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It was built to replace the old Kai Tak airport, which was located in the densely populated area of Kowloon.

The old Kai Tak airport was built in 1925 on a rather small parcel of land and, as Hong Kong began to develop and air traffic began to increase, it capacity was pushed way over the design limit, resulting in many delays. Moreover, terrible noise pollution harried the residents of the area s the flight paths of the landing aircraft flew over city streets. This is also a reason why flights were not allowed to arrive at night, further limiting the capacity of the airport.

Kai Tak was also notorious for its landing approach, which in the piloting community was known as the "Hong Kong turn." Considering that hills and and mountains surrounded the airport and that buildings as tall a 6 stories high could be found just across the road from the runway and that crosswinds were also often causing trouble, landing in Kai Tak was really a feat that demanded concentration and skill. In fact, landings at Kai Tak were so spectacular that spectators would watch planes land for a thrilling experience.

Here is a video of some of the best of these notorious landings caught on camera:

Here is a link to another interesting set of landings, this time with the crosswinds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PCOcyt7BPI

The HKIA is an important regional trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in Mainland China and the rest of Asia. It has won seven Skytrax World Airport Awards in just ten years. It operates one of the world's largest passenger terminal buildings and operates twenty-four hours a day. In 2008, Hong Kong International Airport was the second busiest airport in the world in terms of cargo traffic, and was also the 12th busiest airport worldwide in terms of handling passengers.

台灣

2009-07-03T01:46:00.009+08:00

Hello there! After a long hiatus in posting, I have here for you today a most wonderful cover from Taiwan, thanks to my friend Wu Wei Yi from Kaohsiung (高雄).

This is, in my amateur opinion, an interesting cover because it has many elements combined, those being: a first day envelope without the actual stamps, an ATM stamp, a special franking for Kaohsiung, and a stamp on one of my favorite themes: postal paraphernalia!

The first day envelope. Curiously, Chunghwa Post allows for the use of blank FDCs to send letters using stamps other than those intended to be used on the FDC. In this case, the stamps for this 2006 Year of the Pig issue were not used and, for reference, they are shown below:

The ATM stamp. The ATM used here was issued for the value of NT$4 (roughly USD 0.12) by machine number 89 (I cannot find any information as to where Machine 89 is located). It shows the Tung flower, the flower of the Paulownia tree. Festivals are held to celebrate the flower, the latest being the 2009 Hakka Tung Blossom festival held in Taiwan earlier this year.

The Paulownia tree is native to much of China (where it is known as 泡桐, or paotong) and southern continental Asia and is also cultivated in Japan and Korea. It is popular in its native China for reforestation, roadside planting and as an ornamental tree. The wood is also important in China, Korea, and Japan for making the soundboards of stringed musical instruments such as the guqin, pipa, koto, and kayagum. Interesting to note is that it was named in honour of Queen Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. Scientific info on the plant available here.

The special postmark from Kaoshiung shows Kaohsiung harbor, or 高雄港. The first two characters spell out Kaohsiung in Chinese. Notice that the last Chinese character 港 (gang) is the second character for the Chinese spelling of Hong Kong (香港); this is because 港 means "harbor/port" in Chinese.

And, finally, to my favorite component: the stamp!
The stamp comes from a 4v set issued on 1996 to celebrate what I have come to understand as 100 years of philatelic service in Taiwan (郵政一百週年紀念). The particular stamp on the cover shows instruments and documents used when sending out mail, such as the scale and what seems to be receipts (there seems to be a small drawing of an EMS receipt in front of the green scale). How I wish I could have received the entire set! Maybe my friend Wu Wei Yi can send me an entire set? Or perhaps the FDC for this issue? :-)

Below is a scan of a beautiful cover sent on the first day of issue, along with other special postmarks. The special postmark at the bottom center shows the Philatelic Museum, if I am not mistaken. I plan to visit the Taiwan postal museum when I find the time.....

非常感谢，吴韋毅先生！

Singapore Today Part 2

2009-06-02T23:33:00.003+08:00

Thanks to my friend Edmund Ong, I was finally able to complete my set of the Singapore Today issue, which was released on 09 Aug 2008 to celebrate National Day.

In this issue, to commemorate Singapore's National Day 2008, photos from 5 Cultural Medallion recipients : Mr David Tay, Mr Tan Lip Seng, Mr Chua Soon Bin, Mr Foo Tee Jun and Mr Teo Bee Yen were specially reproduced. All the stamps depict pictures from these 5 photographers capturing various scenes of Singapore.

The Cultural Medallion was introduced in 1979 to recognize those who have achieved in their field of art. The first Cultural Medallion for photography as given in 1982 to David Tray.

The second envelope, sent to me a few months back, is from Florence Low.

Eesti (Estonia)

2009-06-01T21:10:00.010+08:00

Here is a cover from one of the lesser-known countries in Europe, Estonia.
Although this is not the first cover I have received from the country that shares a border with Latvia to the South, Russia to the East, the Gulf of Finland to the North, and the Baltic Sea to the West.

As you can see, the cover is very dirty and messy. I have included a scan of the back of the envelope so that you can trace the path that it travelled when it arrived in the Philippines. Mind that it was forwarded twice since it was addressed to the place where I stayed some time ago.

However, the stories behind the stamps are quite the opposite, as they reveal a picturesque 18th century estate and an admirable statesman who worked towards putting his country on the map.

Let's first begin with the uncancelled stamp on the left, which was issued in 1999. It features Olustvere Mansion in the northern part of Vijandi county in central Estonia.

Taken from the Olustvere mansion website:

Olustvere manorial estate complex with its numerous buildings and park with many species is situated in the heart of Olustvere.

The manor was founded in the second half on the 16th century. At the end of the 18th century the manor came into the possession of the Fersens - an ancient noble family from Norhtern Germany. The manor stayed in their possession until its expropriation by the Republic of Estonia in 1918.

Olustvere is one of the best preserved manorial estate ensembles in Estonia.

Entering the manor park from between the stone walls, the noble heimat-style manor house is first to catch the eye. With its bright colours it fits well into the greenery of the surrounding park. The old manor house, estate manager`s house, granary, drying hose of massive stones, distillery, stables and cattle-sheds and several other houses have also preserved.

The blue stamp on the right was issued in honor of Lennart Meri, a statesman, filmmaker, and second president of the Republic of Estonia.

Born in Tallinn, the capital, he left Estonia at a very young age and went on to study at nine different schools in four different languages. Besides Estonian, which is closely realted to Finnish, Meri spoke five other language: Russian, French, German, English, and Finnish. He had a deep interest in the Finno-Ugric languages, which he encountered during his stay at a concentration camp in Siberia during the Second World War. His interest in the matter would live on to his later years.

He graduated with a degree in Hisdtor from the University of Tartu, but he was unable to pursue a career as an historian since Soviet politics kept him from doing so. Instead, he opted to delve into the arts and wrote books and films, which were warmly received and critically acclaimed.

In the 70s, he was able to convince the USSR to grant him permission to cross the Soviet borders known as the Iron Curtain. He used these opportunities to go to Finland and express the plight of the Estonian nation under Soviet rule, which included phosphorite mining, which would have left a third of the country uninhabitable.

He took part in the "Singing Revolution" led by Estonian intellectuals to urge people against Soviet rule. In 1990, Meri was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and thus envdeavored to establish ties with the West and thereby increase kowledge on the existence of the country throughout the world.

In 1992, he was installed as the second president of the republic, a position which he held until 2001.

He died in 2005 of a brain tumor. President Rüütel said, "In his nine years as head of state, Meri both restored the presidency and built up the Republic of Estonia in the widest sense." Finnish President Tarja Halonen stated, "The Finnish nation lost in Lennart Meri a close and sincere friend and the world, a great statesman who was one of the leading architects of the post-Cold War world." Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga said, "the world has lost a great Estonian, a great statesman and a true European."

Lennart Meri was chosen the European of the Year in 1998 by French newspaper La Vie.

Việt Nam - France Joint Issue

2009-06-01T01:46:00.004+08:00

For my first post of the month, I'd like to share the other half of my 21 March post on the VN-FR joint issue showing Halong Bay and the Strait of Bonifacio.

Many thanks to Eric Contesse from Lyon for this wonderful cover, which adds the missing half of this joint issue to my collection.

Nice postmark

2009-05-31T22:27:00.005+08:00

Just felt like sharing this nice postmark - at least nice in my opinion. I like the way the traditional hand cancel is juxtaposed with the modern, computerized cancellation. And, on top of that, it's not very common to receive mail from Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

LONG TIME NO UPDATE!

2009-05-30T14:04:00.008+08:00

Hello again!

Wow! It has been weeks since my last update. Been so busy lately, but, then again, that always seems to be the case. I'm 3 months behind in posting covers! Which means I have a lot of catching up to do. And, mind you, I'll have to be up to date by mid-July as I will be leaving for Macau by then....

Well, anyway, for my comeback post, here are some covers from Malaysia.

This issue, released 20.02.09 celebrates the golden jubilee of Institute of Engineers Malaysia and showcases engineering feats that have helped foster national development. The three setenant pairs, from left to right, top first, have the themes (1) Telecommunication and Power, (2) Roads, Bridges, and Dams, and (3) Transportation and Ports, and show the development of infrastructure through the juxtaposition of pictures from past and present.

More info here.

This second cover shows the 3v set entitled the FEI 5 Star KL Grand Prix 2007, which was issued 13 Dec 2007.

First conceptualized in 1998 to bring the very first top international equestrian event to Asia, the FEI 5 Star KL Grand Prix made its debut as an annual event in 2003 at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The only five-star international show jumping event in the Asia-Pacific region, the KL Grand Prix has carved an important milestone in the history of world equestrian sports. 5 Star is the highest possible rating for an equestrian event.

The KL Grand Prix brings together each year the world's top-ranked riders including Olympic gold medalists, World Cup Champions and World Champions and their prized horses to Kuala Lumpur where they vie for the coveted title and one of the world's richest purses.

There are perhaps as many as 160 breeds and types of horses throughout the world today, each with different abilities, characteristics and temperament. The horses depicted in the three stamps here are Warmbloods, which have gained enormous popularity in the past years as sport horses.

More info here.

Above is an FDC for the issue. On a personal note, this FDC brings back some memories as it is one of the first FDC's that I have ever received posted to my address.

Next up is an FDC for the 9 Apr 09 issue showing the four heritage sites in Malaysia included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely

the historic towns of Georgetown and Melaka (collectively known as the Historic Cities of the Sraits of Malacc; listed in 2008),
Taman Negara Gunung Mulu near Miri, Sarawak (which encompasses incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting; listed in 2000), and
Taman Negara Kinabalu (established as a national park in 1964 and Malaysia's first UNESCO world heritage site; listed in 2000).

The issue also includes a souvenir sheet, shown below:

In fact, I will be visiting the historic city of Georgetown in November of this year. I must admit that this issue was one of the factors that convinced me to go. In fact, I have plans of going to all four sites as they look very beautiful. If this was a marketing strategy of the Malaysian Tourism Board, I must say that it worked pretty well on me!

Last we have an FDC for the 1 Dec 08 issue on the Malaysian cartoon series called "The Kampong Boy."

The younger generation of Malaysian youth will know Lat as the creator of the animation series, Kampung Boy that is shown on Astro Network. The 26-episode animation series from the cartoon book Kampung Boy that was published in 1979 is very popular ever since it was shown in 1998. This animation series is also shown on television in Canada and Germany, and has won the Best Animation Award at the Annecy Animation Festival, France, in 1999.

On the other hand, the older generation knows Lat from the 1960s, when he became the cartoonist for Berita Minggu newspaper. Since 1974 until today, Lat has been drawing his cartoons for the New Straits Times Newspaper.

The Kampung Boy, a cartoon book published in the 1970s, is based on the life of it's creator, Malaysia's renowned cartoonist Dato' Mohd Nor Khalid also famously known as Lat. It tells the life story of a child born and raised in a typical Malaysian village in the 1950s and 1960s, according to the traditional Malay life, living in harmony with nature. The cartoon portray the lighter side of family life, school, and home-made games in a rural environment.

Just a few covers

2009-04-27T23:37:00.003+08:00

Here are a few covers I came across while sorting through my collection. Happy collecting!

I'm Back!

2009-04-22T14:03:00.002+08:00

Hello! I'm back from my three-week absence and, to start things off, here are some covers with recent Philippine issues.

These covers were actually sent by me to exchange partners and stamp dealers abroad, and I asked for them to be returned to me. Enjoy!

Sent to the United States

Sent to Thailand

Sent to Malaysia

Sent to Israel

This one, sent to Lithuania, is quite interesting because the cover was received in very bad order. The scan does not show it very clearly, but the cover was torn open on three sides and wrinkled! There is a stamp on the reverse which I take to explain that this cover was received in this order at the processing center in Vilnius. Who opened this letter and why they opened it is beyond me. May it have been a security measure? If so, why such brutal an opening of the envelope? Was the letter opened in the Philippines, along the way, or in Lithuania?
If only I could read Lithuanian, I would know what the backstamp says and perhaps the answer to my question....

Surprisingly, however, the contents arrive safe and intact according to my exchange partner.

Suid Afrika - Mountain Majesty

2009-03-21T14:41:00.006+08:00

Okay, so before I start, I just have to show this list of South African autonyms galore:

Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans)
IRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika (Sth. Ndebele)
IRiphabliki yaseMzantsi Afrika (Xhosa)
IRiphabliki yaseNingizimu Afrika (Zulu)
IRiphabhulikhi yeNingizimu Afrika (Swazi)
Rephaboliki ya Afrika-Borwa (Nth. Sotho)
Rephaboliki ya Afrika Borwa (Sth. Sotho)
Rephaboliki ya Aforika Borwa (Tswana)
Riphabliki ra Afrika Dzonga (Tsonga)
Riphabuḽiki ya Afurika Tshipembe (Venda)

Now, to the cover. On this cover is affixed one of the four stamps in the set on South African Heritage Parks, namely Drakensberg Park.

Drakensberg, which means"Dragon's Mountain" in Afrikaans, is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to 3,482 metres in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba, or "barrier of spears," and in Sesotho as Maluti (also spelled Maloti). Its geological history lends it a distinctive character amongst the mountain ranges of the world. Geologically, the range resembles the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia.

Click on the picture below to see the breathtaking view of the range in full majesty.

Malaysians in Space

2009-03-21T14:23:00.003+08:00

Here is one of my favorite FDCs. It commemorates the launch of the National Angkasawa program of Malaysia.

The Angkasawan program was an initiative by the Malaysian government to send a Malaysian to the International Space Station on board Soyuz TMA-11. The program was named after the Malay word for astronaut, Angkasawan. It resulted in Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor becoming the first Malaysian in space on October 10, 2007.

The evidence suggest that the main objectives of the program are to uplift the national image and to instill in the younger generation greater interest in Maths and Science. At the launch, the Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said: "It is not merely a project to send a Malaysian into space. After 50 years of independence, we need a new shift and a new advantage to be more successful as a nation. "We want to awe and inspire, and spur Malaysians to attain greater success by embracing science and technology.

The program sought to elicit interest from the Malaysian youth by setting up experiments in space, some of which were spinning a top in zero gravity and tossing the Batu Seremban (a Malaysian traditional five-stone game). It also included a live Physics lecture to be made by the Malaysian astronaut to show Malaysians the effect of zero gravity.

The cost of sending Sheikh Muszaphar into space has been estimated at RM 105 million (approximately USD 26 million). The Malaysian space program has been criticized as a waste of money for a developing nation that could ill afford such indulgences. Officials defended the funding of the program as part of a US$900 million defense deal struck with Moscow in 2003 to buy 18 Sukhoi Su-30 MKM fighter jets.

I personally also think that it was a waste of money, considering that the country could use some development in its rural areas, which I must say from first-hand observations are quite underdeveloped. However, considering that Malaysia seems to be a progressive country - undeniably more progressive than the Philippines at the moment - perhaps the government has something up its sleeve.

I also consider this one of my favorites because, although it may seem a waste of money, it is still nonetheless a symbol of national pride, development, and achievement for a Southeast Asian country!

The first Filipino to reach the peak of Everest made it in 2006, but I highly doubt that the next Filipino (representing the Philippine and no other foreign state) will make it to space any time soon. I mean, the Philippines doesn't even have adequate infrastructure, what more this "luxury"?

Việt Nam - France Joint Issue

2009-03-21T14:00:00.003+08:00

Issued 15 Oct 08, this Vietnam-France Joint issue features beautiful scenery from both countries.

The stamp on the left shows the Strait of Bonifacio, which lies between Sardinia in Italy and southern Corsica in France. The little town shown in the stamp is meant to represent Bonfiacio, the sourthernmost French town.

The stamp on the right shows none other than Ha Long Bay, located off the coast of northern Vietnam. This iconic bay is home to numerous limestone formations that jut out of the water in a truly magnificent array of mountain-like structures. These are truly a wonder of nature and have been in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1994. Vietnamese legend has it that these formations were caused by a dragon descending into the sea and struggling, thus causing the carving in the rock formations. Aptly, "Ha Long" means "Descending Dragon" in Vietnamese.

Hrvatska (Croatia)

2009-03-21T13:59:00.002+08:00

中国 - France Joint Issue

2009-03-21T01:46:00.003+08:00

Here is a nice cover from Guangzhou in southern China with the 1998 2v France-China joint issue set.

The French design, on the left, shows the Louvre, and the Chinese design, on the right, shows the Palace museum, located at Tiananmen Square. At the moment, the Palace museum is still being renovated and this is also the reason why I was not able to visit the museum when I was in Beijing in October last year.

الجزائر (Algeria)

2009-03-20T23:37:00.004+08:00

My first cover from Algeria!

As I am not really a fan of flora and fauna, I'll just focus on some trivia about the country:

Algeria is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh largest country in the world in terms of land area.

Its name in Arabic is "Al-jazā’ir," which was taken from the city's older name of jazā’ir banī mazghannā, the Arabic for "the islands of (the tribe) Ait Mazghanna," which was used by early Arab cartographers.

Pictures of Algeria that can be found on the net (click here) give a very good impression of the country, and I think Algeria will definitely be one of the countries I will visit if ever I go to Africa!

And a note on the cover: notice how the postal worker positioned the registration sticker in a diagonal position, as if s/he were trying to cover the bird design! I take it that the postal worker must hate birds then?

台湾

2009-03-19T17:40:00.002+08:00

Funny how the Philippine recently had an issue on crabs, and here I get an FDC on shells! Hurray for the creatures of the sea, then, eh?

Polska - A Case of Mistaken Identity

2009-03-15T17:38:00.003+08:00

Here we have an issue with an interesting story. First, about the issue:

The two stamps on this FDC are part of a 4v set issued 30 Jan 09 to pay hommage to four Polish personalities who survived the horrors of the Nazi Concentration camps in WWII Poland. (Why they didn't include all 4 on one FDC is beyond me.) The special postmark bears the motto "Ocaleli z zagłady," or "Survived the destrucion."

The story I was talking about here is that this issue was withdrawn from circulation on 24 Feb 09, with an apology from Poczta Polska. Why? Because the name on one of the stamps (on my cover, it is the one on the right) is incorrect! Well, at least it is partially incorrect.

The name on the stamps reads "Władysław Wolski," which has caused confusion as Władysław Wolski (1901-1976) was a minister in the 1950s and had close ties with the Soviet Union's security service.

The correct name should be "Władysław Józef Wolski." This person, Władysław Józef Wolski (1910-2008), the correct person to pay hommage to in this case, was an historian and professor at the universities of Krakow, Wroclaw and Lodz. He was arrested in November 1939 during a Nazi operation against the Polish intellectual circles. 183 people were deported to the concentration camps of Sachsenhausen and Dachau. Władysław Józef Wolski was released in 1941 and worked again in 1946.

Cases similar to this happen in the Philippines. Oftentimes, first and last names tend to be the same and so it necessary to include the middle name or initial. For example, there are many people named "Juan Santos," here for example, so it is necessary to indicate if you are referring to "Juan A. Santos" or "Juan B. Santos." Sometimes, even the middle initials are the same so you need to have the full middle name! And sometimes, the full middle name is the same, meaning the two persons' names are exactly the same.

This is true in the case of one of my far relatives. Her name is Zenaida "Santos" Dizon (sorry, I forget her middle name, but let us pretend it is Santos just to prove my point). She lives in the United States, where she has been since the 1960s. When she came here for a vacation a few years back, she was detained at the airport because the officials there were led to believe that she was a criminal! This is because they were on the lookout for a criminal who had the same name! Thankfully, she was able to prove that it was not her by providing her personal information and by the mere fact that she lives in the US and therefore most likely didn't commit the crime, which I believe was something like embezzlement. Now, whenever she returns to the country, she must present a special document of identification to prove that she is not the Zenaida "Santos" Dizon they are looking for!

I think this problem with same names is being solved by the recent practice of giving Filipino children two first names, a middle name, and a last name, so most Filipinos of this generation have four names, like me!

By the way, thanks to Eric Contesse once again for some of the information Ion the Polish issue that I included in this "report."

საქართველო (Sakartvelo) - Women Wooing

2009-03-15T16:45:00.003+08:00

Here is another beautiful cover from Khatuna. Sadly, the cover was slightly crumpled, but anyway, what I was really after were the stamps!

Here we have issues that I can now cross off my want list:

2006 Europa CEPT: Integration in the Eyes of Young People
2008 Europa CEPT: Letter writing!
2003 Women for Peace: this issue pays tribute to UNIFEM, or the United Nations Development Fund for Women. UNIFEM provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies that promote womens' human rights, political participation and economic security. Since 1976 it has supported womens' empowerment and gender equality through its program offices and links with womens' organizations in the major regions of the world. This is probably the favorite UN branch of a devout feminist. Also, I can't help but notice that the two women in the depiction on the stamp seem to be wooing each other! Is it just me or are they really?

The other stamps are:

2006 Painting (Overprint)
2008 Fresco of King David IV of Georgia. In Georgia, King David IV is called Agmashenebeli (English: the builder) because he played an important role in regaining Georgia, expanding its terrain, and fending off the Christian lands from the Turkish Seljuk Sunni Muslim invaders in the 11th century. He is called "the builder" because he as able to not only regain Georgian lands from the invaders, but also because he was able to conquer parts of Armenia and Albania to include in the dominions of the Georgian kingdom.

France - Time for Looney Tunes!

2009-03-14T23:41:00.004+08:00

For details, visit Eric Contesse's blog, Blog timbré de ma philatélie.

المملكة العربية السعودية

2009-03-13T23:04:00.003+08:00

My first cover from the Middle East. This one's from Saudi Arabia.

The yellow stamps show the King Fahad/Fahd International Seaport at Yanbu.
The two definitive stamps below the yellow stamps show the Kaaba in Mecca, which Muslims journey to in order to fulfill the Hajj Pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Pyi-daung-zu Myan-ma Naing-ngan-daw (Union of Myanmar)

2009-03-13T11:02:00.006+08:00

Okay, so as you all have probably figured out by now, I am fond of looking up autonyms and endonyms even if I myself do not understand their true meanings or cannot read the alphabet in which they are written, as in this case:

This reads "Pyi-daung-zu Myan-ma Naing-ngan-daw" (Union of Myanmar) and is written in the Burmese language, whose script, consisting of circular and semi-circular letters, was adapted from the Mon script, which in turn was developed from a southern Indian script in the 700s.

The cover below is my second from Myanmar. Again, though, and to my dismay, the postmarks are very unclear and dates are beyond untintelligible. The sad thing is that this was sent registered, which is supposed to make it a more prized addition to my collection, but these terrible postmarks just detract from the cover.

Anyhow, as you can see from the stamps, the sender was thoughtful enough to use the Philippine stamp in the Myanmar set of the ASEAN 2007 joint issue. The other stamps is the traditional Lao house, and the other shows a Burmese xylophone. The covers below are some FDCs that the sender sent me; they're very nice and I wonder if they are official?

Notice how on this third cover, they seem to highlight "4th" in red. Is this a Buddhist practice?

Also you may have noticed that I switch from Myanmar to Burma interchangeably. This is because there is still some debate over what to call Myanmar/Burma officially.

"Myanmar" is derived from the local short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw, the name used by the regime currently in power in the country. While the etymology of the name is unclear, it has been used since the 13th Century primarily as a reference to the Myanma ethnic group.

"Burma," the older name for the nation, is believed to have come from the word Bama, which is the Indian name for Burma. Westerners grew accustomed to using this term and the practice caught on until the current regime decided to follow the footsteps of the Chinese Communist Party by also initiating a cultural revolution by changing place names, etc. Case in point, "Yangon" was used to replace "Rangoon," which is a British transliteration of the name for the capital city.

To an extent, this also happens in the Philippines. Street names that carry foreign influence (since they were set up during he colonial period and were thus given foreign names) have been revamped by using Filipino words and the names of Filipino heroes and statesmen in an attempt to "erase" the foreign influence.

Another interesting thing about Myanmnar is the Kyat, its official currency. Since 2001, the official exchange rate has varied between 5.75 and 6.70 kyats per US Dollar . However, the street rate (black market rate), which more accurately takes into account the standing of the national economy, has varied from 800 kyats to 1335 kyats per USD . This black market exchange rate tends to decrease during the peak of the tourist season in Myanmar (December to January).

So, if ever you are to go to Myanmar, do not go to the bank where they will give you only about 7 kyats per USD! That would be a major, major rip-off!

Notice that the postage for this registered letter is only 105 Kyat. The official exchange rate would make you think that this is very expensive since, using the 7kyat/USD rate, this would mean it cost $15! But, in reality, it only cost about $0.10!

United States

2009-03-12T20:14:00.002+08:00

Unfortunately, this one was damaged with a drop of water. Notice the word "Quezon."

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대한민국 - Pilipinas Joint Issue

2009-03-12T19:58:00.004+08:00

Just wanted to share this Korea-Philippines joint issue on festivals that was meant to mark the 60th years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

I find it quite odd that there would be a celebration of the 60th year of relations as I am used to seeing 50th, 75th, and 100th. Why the Philippine Postal Service is so fond of the 60th anniversary of things is beyond me. I recall that there was also an issue in 2007 celebrating 60 years of France-Philippines relations, which according to a French stamp exchange partner went unnoticed in France. (Well, actually, I'm pretty sure it also went unnoticed here save for the few collectors and postal workers and French embassy affiliates in the country.) I also remember a 4v set and S/S celebrating the 60th year of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Strange, really.

Well, anyway, here are the issues from the Philippines-Korea issue, which I unexpectedly and coincidentally received on the same day (today).