Discovering the world through Postcards : 2015

Friday, December 25, 2015

Australia: Rottnest Island

This week, I received four postcards from Russia, Hong Kong and Australia.

It’s been a great week receiving all these beautiful postcards in mail.

Rottenst Island is an island located off the coast of West Australia. It is a popular tourist destination and has about 500,000 tourists annually. The Basin, which is featured on the postcard, is one of the most beautiful and popular swimming spots on the island.

<Postcrossing ID: AU-462960>

Happy Holidays :)

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan (Taipei) :: China (Shanghai, Zhuhai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Ellensburg, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Hong Kong: Tai O

This week, I received four postcards from Russia, Hong Kong and Australia.

It’s been a great week receiving all these beautiful postcards in mail.

This postcard features the city of Tai O in Hong Kong. Tai O was a old fishing village located on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. It is very famous for the stilt houses (Pang uk) which are illustrated in the picture; and also for their seafood, shrimp paste and dried salty fish.

Happy Holidays :)

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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Russia: Evgeny Tonkikh "Carnival" (oil on canvas) / "Пейзаж Новороссийской" (Novorossivsk Sea Port)

This week, I received four postcards from Russia, Hong Kong and Australia.

It’s been a great week receiving all these beautiful postcards in mail.

When I first received this postcard, I felt like it was rather an artistic piece and I wasn't sure what it was trying to bring out. But it seemed to be bring different cultures and religions into one postcard. It says on the card that it is the Evgeny Tonkikh "Carnival" on canvas. Sender mentioned that she also enjoy learning new languages and it's a way of opening windows into a foreign culture.

:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:-:-;-:-:

This second postcard features a beautiful port in a nice sunny day. Sadly, the name of this place was only written in Russian and I was not able to understand or read it,,, It says "Пейзаж Новороссийской" and sender commented on it saying that is the Novorossivsk Sea Port. I could have never figured it out without her help :)

Sender also added a cute cat sticker on the card :) How cute !!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful holiday season.

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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France: City of Metz

Hello :) How's everyone enjoying their day?
For the last two weeks, I've received four postcards: France, Germany, Czech Republic, and The Netherlands.

A beautiful multi-view card from city of Metz. Sender said she enjoys eating ice cream at the lack in the summer. I mean...that definitely sounds fun doesn't it? I'd totally do that too I also very much appreciate the Totoro drawing she attempted on the card.

<Postcrossing ID: FR-604050>

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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Germany: Ruf doch mal an!

Hello :) How's everyone enjoying their day?
For the last two weeks, I've received four postcards: France, Germany, Czech Republic, and The Netherlands.

A wide mailbox postcard from Germany. I couldn't figure out what the phrase on top means... Anyone?
Send was the weather was cold and rainy, but she still enjoys walking her dogs.

<Postcrossing ID: DE-4713643>

It also came with a cute kittens stamp, which apparently is my favourite creature on Earth :D

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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Czech Republic: Greetings from... Czech Republic

Hello :) How's everyone enjoying their day?
For the last two weeks, I've received four postcards: France, Germany, Czech Republic, and The Netherlands.

My very first Greetings from card from Czech Republic. One of the most interesting facts that was listed on the card was that soft contact lenses were invented in 1959 by Czech Chemist Otto Wichterle. Thanks to him that I do not have to wear glasses all the time :)
Sender also said the weather was rather tough and rainy... Hope you guys are doing okay there :)

<Postcrossing ID: CZ-749323>

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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The Netherlands: Lavender Field in France

Hello :) How's everyone enjoying their day?
For the last two weeks, I've received four postcards: France, Germany, Czech Republic, and The Netherlands.

Sender bought this card from France during her travel last summer. This is a absolutely beautiful card due to the fact that I LOVE purple and lavender. I could almost smell that wonderful scent out of this postcard.

< Postcrossing ID: NL-3227978>

:: WalaGemini 12/24/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to

:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan (Taipei) :: China (Shanghai, Zhuhai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Ellensburg, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Monday, December 21, 2015

USA: Alaska Aurora

Today I'd like to share with you some postcards I bought back when I went on a cruise to Alaska
All three postcards features views of the Aurora Borealis.
It is a shame that I haven't been able to seem them myself because they are beautiful and look miraculous to me. I hope that in the near future, I'll be able to check this off my to-do list :)

Hope you liked them :)
Have a great weekend

:: WalaGemini 12/20/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Hong Kong: Urban Sketching

Hello everyone :) WalaGemini here. Is everyone anticipating their Christmas holiday and presents?
I just finished my last 3 final essays...It was a stressful and long week..
Hope everyone is having a better week than me :)

Today I would like to share with you some postcards I bought online.
Some of you may probably have heard of it.
It is called The Art of Urban Sketching.

The box contains 100 postcards that have different drawings of cities views on them. While most of them are paintings, some are black and white and some are drawn with ball pens.
(photo credits: amazon.com)

The ones I'd like to share with you are postcards with Hong Kong illustrations on them.
They are all very beautiful postcards and made me realize how awesome my city actually is.

A street view of Wing Lee Street. Although the houses seemed to be old, there are still people living these apartments.

A Star Ferry that runs on the Victoria Habour everyday. Its a rather short ride but you're guaranteed to get a nice view of Hong Kong on a sunny day.

View from the Peak. Hong Kong is definitely a city that is packed with buildings.

An older fisher's boat that is still in use. Usually spotted in Sai Kung and Quarry Bay areas where people fish for a living.

What do you think? Do you think these gives a realistic representation of Hong Kong today?
Would you like to visit this city if you knew nothing about Hong Kong but these pictures?
Tell me what you think :)

Hope you enjoy these postcards :)
Have a fabulous day :)

:: WalaGemini 12/18/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Wednesday, December 02, 2015

South Korea: Bright Moon

Hello everyone :) Did everyone in the American world enjoyed Thanksgiving and gained a few pounds because of all the turkey and sweet potato?

I personally didn't enjoy it very much because I had this really bad cold since three weekends ago.....And I'm still coughing day and night til this day because it just wouldn't leave me alone... For those of you out there...Stay warm and take care :)

I received this postcard earlier this week from a postcrosser from South Korea and I like this card A LOT. Like....a 11 out of 10 it I had to rate it.

Although it's just a simple card with a moon on it....I could feel the calm and peacefulness from the card...

I could probably just stare at it for hours :)

So how do you like this card?
Do you like moon postcards?

Hope you are all enjoying your day :)

:: WalaGemini 12/02/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Hong Kong: Water Paint Animals

Hello Everyone :) How's your Thursday going?
I've been feeling stressful about my midterms at school and life lately...
Just a little lost and confuse but I decided that maybe sharing a few postcards with you all will make me feel better :D

I wish I could just yell at my negative feelings and have them go away....

Or maybe making a nonchalant face would help me feel less anxious about my exams ....

Or pretend that I'm smart enough to get an A on everything....

Or become fat and weird like this green pigeon.....?

I hope that everyone this enjoying their Thursday despite what you have to do or where you have to be :) Enjoy yourself and maybe grab a cup of coffee to brighten up your day and be ready to embrace to weekend :D

What's your plan for the weekend?
Anyone going to be traveling?

:: WalaGemini 11/05/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

USA: Coca Cola Store, Las Vegas, Nevada

Hello everyone :) It's been awhile since I've updated my blog...
Sorry to those who follows this ...I've been busy with school work and....being lazy :P
Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday :)

Today I'd like you share with you some postcards I bought from the Coca Cola store in Las Vegas when I visited in Spring Break, 2013.
These postcards show some of the Coca Cola advertisements from the 20th century.

I'd like to buy the world a Coke (1971)

A group of people singing while holding a bee....Coke...? (I'm not sure to be honest)

Always Coca Cola (1993)

Two cute and adorable polar bears enjoying their moment with a Coke.

Coke refreshes you best (1960)

A vintage picture with a sexy lady sitting on the beach.

Have a Coke and a smile (1980)

Just a realistic picture of a cup of Coke you would get at any fast food restaurant.

Coke adds life (1976)

This one has more of a comic book style with a slogan on top that says "Always the real thing ... Always Coca-Cola".

My favorite one is Always Coca Cola (1993), the one with two Coca Cola bears on it. It's just very cute and adorable, and it actually makes me want to share a coke with my loved one. :)

What about you? Which one did you like the best?

:: WalaGemini 11/02/2015 ::

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Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Russia: Multiple UNESCO WHS

Hello :D Everyone enjoying their day?

Today, I won a lottery from Postcrossing (literally).

Someone sent me 17 postcards in an envelop and that's the best thing that has happened to me ever since I started Postcrossing :D You don't always get 17 cards in a envelop right? :D

Sorry that I don't have time to write since I'm very busy preparing from my trip back to US. But I hope you'll still like the postcards :)

:: WalaGemini 08/11/2015 ::

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Some Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Japan: Kanagawa (神奈川県) Gotochi, Tokyo Tower, Sleepy Cat

Hello Everyone :) Enjoying the last weekend before school starts?

Few days ago, I got my first direct swap from Japan. (yay :D arigatou)

They were three awesome cards from Kazusa :)

This first one is Tokyo Tower with fireworks at night. I do like fireworks a lot because they bring happiness and at the same time symbolize that something is worth celebrating. Also, it‘s just difficult to get a bright and clear picture of them.

This second one is the very first gotochi card I've ever gotten. Now I understand why people are obsessed over them because they are shaped and show the famous landmarks of the province.
The postcard here is Wakasaki Daishi (Heiken-ji), which is written as 川崎大師平間寺 in Japanese. Every year, people come to this temple and wish for luck.

MEOW
Cats are just my FAVORITE (as always)
And yawning ones are especially cute and adorable
Caption on the card says:
" It'd be nice to be doing some fun and interesting things"
Isn't that cute? hehe

Hope you like these cards too :)
See you again

:: WalaGemini 08/30/2015 ::

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

South Korea: Nami Island (남이섬)

I got these postcards when I visited the Nami Island in summer time 2013. It was an island that’s located on the northern Han River; and it is 63 kilometers east of Seoul. The most famous view on the island is the Metasequoia footpath, which is shown on two of postcards taken in spring and winter respectively. There are also few ostriches on the island.

The reason for the island to be so famous, especially the Matasequoia Path, is because it was one of the main filming locations of the KBS drama Winter Sonata. Since the drama, the number of visitors increased more than 10-fold to 3 million in 2014.

Although Nami Island is not an independent country, it has declared its cultural independence and was renamed Naminara Republic.

Metasequoia Lane - Spring

Probably the best time to go to Nami Island because the island is very lively and you can see the entire island riding the bike.

Metasequoia Lane - Winter

It'd be fun to go during winter they say.
It'll not be cold they say.
(Brrrrrrrr)

Forest of Crimson Foliage

Most likely taken during fall, these red leaves are giving a message that summer ended and winter is about to come.

Yellow Ginkgo Forest

This is my personal favorite :) I think it'd be awesome if my wedding pictures are taken here :P

Hope you liked Nami Island :) I'd go again if I had the chance to
Definitely going back for the vie...oo...oo...food....... O_O
THEY HAVE GOOD FOOD...
(I'm going back for the food.....)

For more information

>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namiseom <<

:: WalaGemini 08/27/2015 ::
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Some Countries/Places I've been to
:: Japan (Sapporo) :: South Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon) :: Singapore :: Thailand (Pattaya) :: Indonesia (Bali) :: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) :: Taiwan(Taipei) :: China (Shanghai) :: USA (Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Yosemite, Portland, Hoover Dam, Seattle, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Washington D.C.) :: Canada (Toronto, Victoria) :: Macau ::

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

South Korea: Cassiopeia (카시오페이아)

Yesterday, I received my very first postcard from direct swapping. It was a card sent from South Korea, with the picture of Cassiopeia on the card. It was such a beautiful surprise because I do like constellation postcards a lot :)

Here’s Wikipedia's information on Cassiopeia:

“Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. Cassiopeia was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. It is easily recognizable due to its distinctive 'M' shape when in upper culmination but in higher northern locations when near lower culminations in spring and summer it has a 'W' shape, formed by five bright stars.” - Wikipedia

And of course :) Beautiful Cassiopeia stamps that goes with the card.

And here’s the link if you’d like to know more about Cassiopeia

>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopeia_(constellation) <<

Well, hope you liked this postcard J

Happy…..Wednesday?

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Hong Kong: Sleepy Animals

Hello Everyone, WalaGemini here :) Are you enjoying your weekend?
It's super sunny and hot here in Hong Kong, which is actually the perfect day for some afternoon naps and reading. I wonder what you wonderful people did or have planned for today :P

Today I would like to share with you some animals postcards that basically describe what I do on the weekends ------ NAP x EAT x DRINK... Tell me if you like any of these :)

It'd be nice to sleep with your nap buddy if you have one
Makes the bed a lot cozier despite the fact that it's already cozy and warm.

If you are not into napping, maybe a beer..?

Or staring at the air reminding yourself how fat you've became....

Or think about what you want to eat for lunch, dinner, and tomorrow's breakfast even though you just ate....

Anyways...hope everyone is enjoying their weekend while I think about what I'm gonna be eating for breakfast :) ZzZzZz

:: WalaGemini 08/22/2015 ::

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Friday, August 21, 2015

Germany: Emperor William Monument (Port Westfalica)

Hello everyone. WalaGemini here :)
One more day til the weekends, anyone excited?

Today I got an surprise in the mail box from Port Westfalica, Germany :)

This is the Emperor William Monument, which classified as one of the Germany's national monuments.
There's more information about the monument if you're interested :)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_William_Monument_(Porta_Westfalica)

:: WalaGemini 08/20/2015 ::

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Discovering the world through Postcards

Pages

Friday, December 25, 2015

Australia: Rottnest Island

Hong Kong: Tai O

Russia: Evgeny Tonkikh "Carnival" (oil on canvas) / "Пейзаж Новороссийской" (Novorossivsk Sea Port)

France: City of Metz

Germany: Ruf doch mal an!

Czech Republic: Greetings from... Czech Republic

The Netherlands: Lavender Field in France

Monday, December 21, 2015

USA: Alaska Aurora

Friday, December 18, 2015

Hong Kong: Urban Sketching

Wednesday, December 02, 2015

South Korea: Bright Moon

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Hong Kong: Water Paint Animals

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

USA: Coca Cola Store, Las Vegas, Nevada

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Russia: Multiple UNESCO WHS

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Japan: Kanagawa (神奈川県) Gotochi, Tokyo Tower, Sleepy Cat

Thursday, August 27, 2015

South Korea: Nami Island (남이섬)

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

South Korea: Cassiopeia (카시오페이아)

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Hong Kong: Sleepy Animals

Friday, August 21, 2015

Germany: Emperor William Monument (Port Westfalica)