Chinese New Year Covers

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Singapura - Indonesia

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.

Jakarta Stamp Exhibition

Thanks to my friend Juned from Bogor, Indonesia, I have the pleasure of adding these 6 beautiful covers to my collection!

They were sent from the 22nd Asian International Stamp Exhibition held recently in Jakarta. The exhibition had the theme "Philately: a Bridge to Friendship among Men."

The covers each bear one of the six souvenir sheets that showcase Indonesian culture and history, which are among my favorite themes! Of course, my favorites are the last two, which have the theme of stamp on stamp and aviation! I also love the sheet showing the Stamp Museum. In fact, I love all of them! I especially like the way the souvenir sheets were laid out and designed.

A million thanks again to Juned!

France et Indonesia

Back again! Was quite busy last week so wasn't able to reach my goal of one post per day.... :-( Anyway, here's my next post!

Here is a very nice cover from France with three wonderful stamps on the theme of architecture, one of my favorites! And, plus, they're all engraved! Unfortunately, the scan I have of the cover does the engraving no justice so here are some more detailed scans for your viewing pleasure:

I prefer engraved stamps the most because of their high-precision details. If you take a magnifying glass and pay close enough attention, you can see each individual dot! Amazing - truly amazing!

Also, for some reason, I like the postmark used very much, although I know it is the common postmark used in France. I like the box-like quality of the lettering and numbers. If I'm not mistaken, it's been the same since the fifties or sixties!

This second cover, from Indonesia, contains two issues: the two round stamps to the right are part of a set of 5 stamps issued 6 May 06 to commemorate the 2006 FIFA Games held in Germany. The set of 3 to the right, as advertised by the title of the sheet, is dedicated to Special Needs Education.

Football is a beautiful game that is so easy to play and understand. Played by over 250 million men, women, boys, and girls around the world, it is a game for all. It can be played anywhere, any time. Quite simply, it is the world's most favourable sport on earth.

The world football federation FIFA carries the duty to lead the football community in the development and protection of the game itself in all its glory forms.

FIFA was founded in Paris on 21 May 1904 by the delegates of seven European countries, namely Belgie, Danmark, France, Nederland, Espana, Svergie, and Helvetia. In 1932, it moved its headquarters to Zurich, Helvetia, and has been there ever since.

One of FIFA's missions is to ensure that the good image of football is always maintained throughout the world. Special attention is paid to promoting tair play, with a worldwide campaign aimed at education and ethical values, including the fight against racism and corruption in football.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, Germany, for the finals tournament.

The tournament was won by Italy, who claimed its fourth World Cup title. It defeated France 5–3 in a penalty shootout in the final, after extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 to finish third.

The 2006 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in television history, garnering an estimated 26.29 billion non-unique viewers, compiled over the course of the tournament. The finale attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people.

Notice the unique punched-out design of the stamps evident in the stamp on the right. All stamps have this special feature and showing players in different positions.

As for the Special Needs Education stamps, I was not able to find any information on the topic in English, but I guess it's self-explanatory. The three stamps show special needs education, specifically in sports, music, and social service (I assume the boy scout stands for social service and personal development?). Do note, however, that Special Needs Educations differs from Special Education in that it does not necessarily deal with students with mental disabilities. Special Needs Education is for students with physical differences or incapability while Special Education is for mentally impaired students.

It is interesting to see that there is a rise in awareness (and perhaps acceptance?) among Asian societies with regard to disabilities. I recall an issue from PhilPost in 2006 celebrating the 2006 Paralympic Games and other such issues issued by Asian countries. It's comforting to know that, little-by-little, acceptance is gaining ground in the harsh societies of the East.

Indonesia

Thanks to Juned, I received six nice covers from Indonesia, two of which were FDCs!

This first cover has on it a set celebrating the 17th Indonesian national games, which were held 5 to 17 July this year in the province of East Kalimantan. The Indonesian National Games, also known as PON (Pekan Olahraga Nasional), began in 1948 when Indonesia was not allowed to play at the London Olympics in the same year. In an effort to proclaim the existence of the Indonesian state, which gained its independence only three years prior, and in order to boost nationalism and nation unity among the citizenry, these games were established.

Just like the Olympics, they are now held every four years. The first three were quite sporadic and were held in 1948, 1951, and 1953. Starting in 1957, it was held every four years until 1996, when the interval between the last games (1993) and the 1996 games was only three years. Now, they are in line with the Olympics schedule. Must be tiring for Indonesia's athletes, eh? PON in July and then the Olympics three weeks later!

As you can see, the stamps are all circular. Just wanted to comment that Indonesia seems fond of issuing odd-shaped stamps such as triangles and trapezoids, and especially circles!

This next cover is for your gastronomical delight!

Perhaps it was the international trading route between continents that affected the various traditional foods found in Indonesia. India, Chinese, Arabian and European have introduced many recipes as well as cooking techniques that assimilated with traditional indigenous foods. Moreover, this culinary richness is supported by vast natural resources in Indonesia that yielded assorted ingredients and spices.

As an effort to preserve and promote culinary heritage of Indonesia, the stamp series of Indonesian Traditional Foods issued this year features traditional foods of four provinces, namely Sate Bandeng from Banten, Kaledo from Central Sulawesi, Ayam Cincane from East Kalimantan, and Nasi Lemak from Riau.

Nasi Lemak is a traditional food of Malay people. This kind of food can also be found in Malaysia and Singapore. Nasi Lemak is cooked using pandan leaf, which gives off a peculiarly delicious taste. Usually, it is served with boiled egg, cucumber, fried river fish and chili sauce.

Kaledo is a kind of soup with a deliciously sour and hot taste. Literally, the name Kaledo is an acronym from "donggala cow leg." This food is made of cow bone with marrow and some flesh still intact. The distinctive taste of this soup comes from fresh tamarind, its main ingredient. Accompanied by fried garlic, lime and chili sauce, Kaledo is served with rice or boiled cassava.

Sate Bandeng differs from typical grilled meat or chicken on a stick. This kind of food is grilled using champ made from bamboo trunk. Sate Bandeng is made of crushed fresh milkfish meat, which is removed from the skin, ground, and stuffed into the skin again to give the illusion that the fish is still whole. This food is served best with rice.

Ayam Cincane is a food with a deliciously sweet and rather spicy taste. Usually, it is made of whole fresh chicken. Together with coconut milk and other spices, the chicken is cooked until it becomes dry. After being grilled thoroughly, this side dish is ready for serving with rice.

Indonesian cuisine, anyone?

Next up we have an FDC that celebrates the 21st Asian International Stamp Exhibit, which was held at the Taipei World Trade Center in Taiwan, 7 to 11 March earlier this year. (Pictures of the event can be found here.)

I guess the exhibit had a nature-related theme as most of the stamps that I have seen that feature it all show birds and other animals. This issue from Indonesia shows flowers and birds. The Singapore issue shows rats (or mice?), and the Philippine issue shows birds. The next Asian International Stamp Exhibit is coincidentally being held in Jakarta this month, as you can see from the logo at the lower center. I wish I could go, but I'll be in China for the whole duration of the exhibition! I wonder when it will be held in Manila.......

These next covers below are very special to me because they are of my favorite themes: independence/nationalism and conservation!

National awakening was the era of the rise of nationalism and the spirit of struggling towards Indonesian independence previously framed in primordial outlook. This awareness emerged as a result of ethical politics. It is an idea about moral responsibilities of colonial government towards native welfare. The era was marked by two significant events, namely the establishment of Budi Utomo organization and the conduct of Youth Congress which resulted a declaration of the "Sumpah Pemuda" (Youth Pledge).

Th The establishment of Budi Utomo on May 20 1908 in Jakarta marked the initial era of nationalism awareness among Indonesian people. As a first Indonesian nationalist organization pioneered by STOVIA (School Tot Opleiding Van Inlandsche Artsen) students, it was aimed at building harmonious relations between all fellow nation elements by improving education, agriculture, commerce, and culture sectors; as well as raising the dignity of Indonesia as an honored nation through unity towards freedom. This organization was formerly centralized among Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurans, who were expected to be able pay attention to and improve the fate of local citizens, yet in its development, Budi Utomo was no longer exclusive but welcomed everyone to join the organization disregarding status, wealth, or education background.

Budi Utomo had several leadership changes, among of them came from upper class families or noble people from the royal palace. At that time, Douwes Dekker, an Indonesian of Dutch descent, supported the Indonesian struggle and started to introduce political practice into real action. As a result, discourse of Indonesia as a sovereign homeland was gaining acceptance and understanding from local citizens.

The era of nationalist politics had grown by the establishment of Indische Partij in 1912 as the first political party in the colonial era in Jakarta. The culmination point of Indonesian national awareness was the declaration of Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Pledge) on Youth Congress II on October 28 1928 in Jakarta.

Indonesian nationalism that was born a century ago and later had inspired other Asian and African Countries to struggle for justice and self-determination as honorable countries. At present, the spirit of national unity is facing as dreadful new challenge known as global capitalism, which is penetrating politics and the economy. In order to revitalize the spirit of nationalism of Indonesian people in facing the heavy challenge, the President announced the launch of the Indonesia Awakening program, which lasted for a year-long period which started on May 20, 2006 with the slogan "Indonesia Bisa!" in commemorating 100 Years of National Awakening on May 20, 1928. The program is expected to build the sense of pride in the Indonesian people and to give them the determination to be a part of new struggle for a better nation.

Although this argument is contested by some, we all know that the world is experiencing climate change, the most evident of which is the rise in global temperature. This pheomenon has been attributed to excessive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and other anthropogenic activities. As such, campaigns have been introduced worldwide in order to address the issue through mitigation and adaptation.

This beautiful issue from Pos Indonesia, issued on World Environment Day (June 5), serves as a testament to Indonesia's CO2 kickback campaign. It promotes bicycle riding (a form of mitigation that results from less CO2 emissions from cars) and planting (a form of adaptation since plants take in the extra CO2 that we emit). The slogan for the campaign is "Ubah Perilaku dan Cegah Pensemaran Lingkungan," or "Change Behavior and Stop Environmental Pollution."

I just hope that people actually listen to the campaign to decrease CO2 emissions and that these campaign materials, which have made it to the world of philately, are not issued in vain. Sadly, in the Philippines, almost every educated person knows about the environmental problems we face, but it seems no one cares. The mindset eminent in these parts is "to each his own," so no one really cares for the environment as much. I have observed people use styrofoam and plastic cups and rev up their cars as if there were no tomorrow, and seeing how things are going, maybe there won't be.

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT! :-)

Indonesia

Shown here is another cover from Indonesia. On it is affixed two of the three stamps in the Year of the Rat set as well as a stamp commemmorating 50 years of Garuda Indonesia, the national flag carrier.

A little more about Garuda Indonesia:

The Garuda (Sanksrit: गरुड, Pāli: Garuḷa) is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. In Indian Vedic tradition, Garuda is the carrier of the Hindu god Vishnu.

Garuda Indonesia had its beginnings in the Indonesian war of Independence against the Dutch in the late 40's. During the revolution, the airline supported Indonesian interests, such as carrying Indonesian leaders for diplomatic missions.

The airline currently flies to a number of destinations in SE and East Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, and previously flew to several destinations in Europe. However, as of June 2008, Garuda, along with all Indonesian airlines, is banned from flying to the] EU. It is wholly owned by the Indonesian government.

I was very pleased when I saw the Garuda stamp because Aviation is one of my favorite themes and the symbolism of the Garuda never fails to awe me. I also really appreciated the very beautiful envelope since it is official Pos Indonesia stationery.

The cover was sent from Jakarta, the capital, on 18 Mar 2008.

Indonesia

Indonesia has always issued beautiful stamps and here we have a cover with a nice, round S/S celebrating the Year of the Rat. The design of the S/S is unmistakenly awesome and the intertwined black and white depictions of rats in a round shape suggest a yin-and-yang symbol, very in line with the Chinese theme; a very clever design! I couldn't find out more about the issue since the English version of the Pos Indonesia has yet to be completed.

This S/S was postmarked at Bogor, a city in West Java that was the capital during British occupation under Stamford Raffles. The date is, unfortunately, unintelligible.