Saturday 27 September 2014

Sunday Stamps 090: Chocolove Stamp


Now, now, I'm back again.
Please forgive me for being an irregular blogger.
I may have all the time in the world since quitting work. The truth is a lot and nothing have happened. Please excuse the babbling.

This week's theme is anything you wish, according to Viridian. Not sure if this is acceptable, but here goes...

A very dear friend sent me this, among other things, for my birthday earlier this year.

Love at first sight! There's also a lovely poem inside.

I fell in love with the packaging instantly - it resembles an envelope with a classic love poem inside. With the accompanying stamp (featuring the prized hazelnuts of Oregon) and postmark, it looks like it's been sent by a lover from a land far, far away (California, USA, in this case)!

It's a good chocolate bar with chunky bits of organic hazelnuts. It is truly a lovely combination of chocolate and love, and a wonderful birthday present to receive.

I admit my post is a "stretch" but I will make up for it in the following weeks :)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sunday 21 September 2014

Coming back with a new template!

It's been a while...

I'm coming back again and what better way than to come back with a blog revamp. Postcards Crossing should be up on Monday, promise!

Saturday 3 May 2014

Postcard Friendship Friday: Amazing Macedonia

Post card friday pffhtml

Howdy, friends here at Postcard Friendship Friday? I've been away for too long, I know. Sorry I could not join you the past months. I'm returning to the meme, if you'll still accept me :). Here's my comeback post for PFF.


I have always been fascinated by the Balkans, not only because of the regions natural beauty but also because of their tremendous cultural and historical heritage. So it is no surprise that there was never a day that I daydreamed about visiting this region. In particular, I would really love to visit Macedonia. A friend of mine was a volunteer there and she was talking non-stop about Macedonia even she already returned to her home country years ago.

Macedonia is a country so far from where I am, yet I am lucky to get a glimpse of it because of another good friend, Ana (My World of Postcards). She sent me the above map card showing the many splendours and treasures that are found in her country with the national colours as the background.

Will I ever set foot in Macedonia, and meet my friend Ana? That remains to be seen. My heart is set on finding a way.

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Swapping days are here again!

Ohhhkaaaay, now that the big events are done and over with, I can safely say that I'm back to my swapping activities again. I know many of my readers (ahem) are waiting for this announcement. So sorry to keep you all waiting.

It's back to business, swapping-postcards, that is.  Photo from Google Images.
At work, we have already done two major activities and with these all over, my life is returning to normal. That means I can turn my attention to my house - we've moved in this house three months ago and yet unpacking and decorating is never completed due to previous pressing responsibilities at work.

Apart from swapping postcards, I will catch up with my craft activities. Before 2013 ended, I purchased some fabric for some easy DIY sewing. I can't wait to use my sewing machine again. And of course, my dogs. I feel bad that I haven't played with them in a while. Yesterday, my husband and I went to a pet shop close to Olympic market to get some treats and we spotted a pack of dog training treats. Hah, I had the brilliant idea of trying them so we got a pack. Not sure how different it is from the ordinary dog treats, hehehehe. So, dear swap-friends. I'm now open for business. Leave a comment or send me a message via my blog's message system. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thursday 13 March 2014

Sorry, no swaps at the moment

I sort of taken a leave of absence with swapping postcards due to a very demanding job. However, I still managed to swap a few to persistent - and I say this in a good way - individuals. I am just amused at them because I really see myself in them, too.

I recently have resorted to envelope printing. I am so embarrassed now that I have a really lousy handwriting. Back in highs chool and uni, I used to have a really nice handwriting that my teachers praised. THis is which is why I love writing on envelopes. But since long years of computer-use has made my handwriting ugly.

Anyways, moving on, I would like to thank my friends from Germany, Anastasia, for the whimsical planner, and also to my two friends from Operation Smile Singapore, Lifen and Lai, for the lovely postcard from Nepal.


Wednesday 5 February 2014

Wednesday Around the World: Kep, Cambodia


I heard a lot about this photo meme from a friend that I got very interested to join. So yeah, in order to take a break from posting stamps and postcards, I'm jumping into the Wednesday Around the World bandwagon to show my part of the world:

Low tide.
Kep Beach, near the Crab Market Kep, Cambodia.

It has been three years since I last visited Kep. Back then, Kep used to be our favourite weekend getaway. My husband and I cherish the simple, laid-back and slow-paced lifestyle of Kep. Not to mention the fresh seafoods - shrimps, squids and crabs - these fishermen catch that are served on our table the next day. 

Nowadays, the quiet days are gone, I am told, with the arrival of investors and the droves of wide-eyed tourists. It is becoming like the Sihanoukville these days. So many new hotels, restaurants and bars have mushroomed to cash in on this new tourist destination. Instead of hippies toting guitars, they are now outnumbered by rowdy over-staying backpackers who prefer electronica and those fancy sounding floyd rose tremolo at guitar center. So you can just imagine how the changes are. I long for the olden days of Kep.

Thursday 30 January 2014

Hot new arrivals!


These just in! Muchas gracias, mi querida Ana! 
She blogs at The World at Your Hands. These postcards cheered me up :) 
 многу ти благодарам!

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Home, sweet home

Quick post - a picture of our new house.


It's a lovely, traditional Khmer wooden house that was just vacated by its previous tenants. My husband and I found it fortuitously while we were at the end of our rope in search for a new place. The house is located in Boeung Tumpun area, south of the city, tucked in a leafy neighbourhood with small roads and a mix of apartments and dainty wooden houses. It is very old and basic but just oozing with character. We know right away that this will be a nice home.

There were some furniture left by the previous tenants which the landlord and his wife offered to us to use. I was amazed at how much was left - dining table and chairs, washing machine, wooden beds, fans, a fancy electric guitar with 8 string cobalt (which is now in the possession of the landlord's teenaged son) and many more.

We moved in on New Year's eve and, although we have not moved in completely, we love the fact that the we are getting enough sleep and rest and relaxation in this place.

Also posting stamps here

This blog is supposed to purely for postcards that I received via Postcrossing, direct swaps, or sent by friends and family. Since these postcards have stamps affixed to them, and the numbers are increasing even though I have another blog exclusively for stamps, I decided to feature some of them here, not only for Sunday Stamps but any given day.

So to begin, I'd like to share this stamp from Turkey:
The stamp shows the Turkish people in traditional Turkish costumes celebrating the 800th birth anniversary of Haci Bektaş Veli, a renowned figure in the history and culture of both the Ottoman Empire and the modern-day Turkey. Music is a big part in most holidays and festivals in Turkey. Back in the day, the whole community gathered around in dancing and singing. These days, I suppose a lot of younger people enjoy music played on a rca mp3 player but the traditional music still lives on.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Hey, hey, hey!

Hello, blog. It's been a long while.
It's been --- what -- nearly two months. Gosh.

Welcome to Banlung, Ratanakiri!
For those not in the know, I got a job in August and since then, I've been busy with the surgical missions - two times already - pre and post-mission preparations as well as the mission itself that lasts at least 5 days, not including the travel time. What an international volunteer remarked the other day is so true - mission coordinators do not have a life at all. We don't have enough sleep, we don't eat when not everyone hasn't eaten yet, and we do not have a night life. Good luck to me next year then.

Now that we just wrapped up our most recent surgical mission in Banlung, Ratanakiri province, I am swamped with paper works. My back aches from too much slouching in front of the computer, typing out reports and letters and other stuff. My eyes and head hurt from too much staring at the computer monitor. Gah.

One time I allowed lazy self to take over and wandered over the Internet. I got hooked in the online buy and sell group of expats here in the Penh. There's so much going on - from selling (and buying) home and office items, to musical instruments. I didn't know a lot that there's a lot of music enthusiasts in the expat community as there are lots of electric guitars, drum sets, sound systems - what is a budda amp, by the way?

Anyways, going back. My postcard-swapping activities will resume shortly. Just allow me to wallow in idleness for a while just because... I think I deserve to, considering the stressful mission that I just been to.
 
Images by Freepik