Hmmm…
Author: thesnailmail
Everything Falls Apart: Sent to Estonia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and the U.S. And probably some other places.
This blog is just a mess! I remember I used to give so much detail… now, I just sometimes I think I should give up postcarding in general so I’d have more time to read books. So, this post–thrown roughly and not entirely together over the course of months–is more of a “here are some of the postcards I sent… someplace…at some point.” So here are some cards, and barely any stickers and stamps, and only a touch of detail.
This first postcard is one I purchased in Malaysia. Now, it’s going to Estonia.
A strong candidate, sent to Fukushima, Japan:
Sent to Hong Kong…
Sent to Shenzhen, Guangdong, China:
Catch-Up Edition: Received from Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, The Philippines, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, & the U.S.
It’s kind of false to call this a catch-up edition, because at this point, I don’t think I’ll ever be caught up. I thought this would be a good way to keep track of my postcards, but who has time? Anyhow, after a very long absence, here we go with SOME of the cards I’ve received over the last few months since my last post.
Could there be any postcard more wonderful than this Grandma Duck card that found its way to me from Lelystad, Netherlands?
I also love this postcard from Qingdao, China!
More Doraemon! This one from Poland.
from a friend in the U.S…
from Germany…
Also from Germany:
…and again.
…and again, again. This one below is from a guy who describes himself as a 30-year-old enthusiastic tobacco pipe smoker.
Received from Colorado, U.S.A. I had no idea Ikea sold postcards, did you? I don’t even know where I would start to look for them. The second I go in, the only thing I’m really looking for is the exit…
Here comes something tasty from Korea. The sender says, “nakjibogguem is a stir-fried octopus. It is made with chopped octopus and vegetables. Then make a marinade with red pepper sauce, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and sugar. Mix, marinade them and fry everything. It is pretty delicious with spicy taste. Hope you like it!”
I love this tasty dish of Chairman Mao’s Red Braised Pork from Shanghai, China:
From Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China:
Here’s a dish of food (“pyshenka with butter and piroshki (patty)) from Russia, and I it was dated 2015, about 4 years and 1 month before I received it. It turn out that the sender just apparently had the mid-20-teens on his mind: it was issued and mailed less than a month ago.
More Russian bread:
Received from Shanghai, China:
Received from China–must have been a Postcard Uniting meetup–lots of signatures!
From Hangzhou, China:
From South Korea:
From Shantou, China:
From Finland:
From Belarus:
More pink edibles from Belarus:
Something sweet from Russia:
From Poland:
Bulgaria:
Slovenia:
From the Philippines:
This one from Russia kinda freaks me out…
…if you think it’s not freaky yet, pair it with the message scrawled on the back:
Why are you so prickly, Hedgehog?
–That’s me just in case. You know who my neighbors are? Foxes, wolves, bears.
Happy Postcrossing!
E E E K !
My First Trip to Côte d’Ivoire: Sent to Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Singapore
Happy New Year! I’ve got a bunch of fronts & backs to share, from cards going out in Postcrossing Forum tags, and a few Postcard United clicks.
In this grouping below, clockwise from the top, where we start with a pair of food package postcards:
It’s-It cookies go to Saitama, Japan
Animals chocolate cookies are off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Robert Mallet Stevens’s “Museum” goes to Shaanxi, China
William H. Bradley’s “The Modern Poster” is headed for Abidjan, Ivory Coast. I don’t think I’ve ever had postal contact with that country! THANK YOU, Postcard United! I guess this will make up for some of the times they’ve given me an address here in my own country!
Here’s the Great Bell of Mingun, in Myanmar. The card is making its way to Hong Kong.
A red panda off to Hokkaido, Japan…
This photorealistic view of Malaysia–my favorite of this round of postcards–goes off by request to Semarang, Indonesia.
Mickey goes to Sendai, Japan.
That one was off in a Postcrossing Forum Disney card tag, as is Gaston, who is headed to Kyoto, Japan.
This beautiful scene from coastal California goes to Melbourne, Australia.
Another coastal scene, this one going to Saint Sever, France.
Charlie Brown & Woodstock are bound for Singapore!
Yangon, Myanmar…
Hefeie, Anhui, China…
Frank Lloyd Wright’s “May Basket” seems destined for Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
Time for stamps, stickers, & washi tape. A whole lot of awesomeness down here, I say. What do you think?
Tastes Like Canned Soup: Sent to Australia, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, U.K., & the U.S.
I just got back from Malaysia, and it truly is a food paradise. Sad to say, I didn’t quite make it to every single thing on this postcard! It went off in a Postcrossing Forum food tag to Quzhou, Zhejiang, China.
The Hainanese Chicken postcard is also from Malaysia, but not procured during my trip. I got it some time ago when I ordered the wonderful book, The Food That Makes Us. A set of postcards came with the book! This card is on a trip to New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Another food tag, but this recipient in Sendai, Japan, isn’t getting anything nice at all. In brief: Andersen’s Split Pea Soup is a pretty popular brand on California supermarket shelves, so of course way back when I first passed the restaurant–a popular roadside stop in the city of Buellton–I wanted to try their homemade version. Well, do you know what it tasted like? CANNED SOUP!
Another card I bought in Malaysia; this one goes off in a “not my country” tag to Gunma, Japan.
This is a place I’ve been to, but not in a while; it’s the Hotel King Kamehameha in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and it’s off in a travel tag to Nairne, SA, Australia.
Here’s a card I bought at the airport as I was departing for my vacation. I’ve come across a whole lot of California map cards, but I think this is my favorite. It looks even better in person! This one goes out to a postcard pal in Hawaii.
This pair of shiba inus are headed for New Taipei City, Taiwan.
This card goes to an otter lover in Hamburg, Germany.
Another otter card for another otter lover, this one in Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
Honest John went off in a Disney tag to Ylivieska, Finland.
Postcrossing Forum has a number of “send me a card from my album of favorites” tags. I don’t dip in too often because, you know, what are the odds I’ll have a card the person has marked as wanting? Well, it’s happened twice recently (though the second Postcrosser has yet to respond to my tag)! This gator is being mailed to Faches-Thumesnil, France.
The lovely merpug is off — by request — to Itzehoe, Germany.
Here’s another requested card, this one on its way to Riverside, California.
Ready for a Peanuts Gallery? I’d better send off this 2018 postcard while it’s still topical! Copies go to Itami and Tokyo, Japan.
This is the moment when Lucy starts calling for iodine; it goes to a postpal in Peacehaven, East Sussex, U.K.
Lucy & Schroeder are off to Kyoto, Japan.
“My Favorite Peanuts” will go to Jinjiang City, Fujian, China.
The tiger, like one of my earlier cards shown here, is also headed for New Taipei City (but to a different recipient).
I pulled another name on Postcard United! The recipient in Hong Kong enjoys images of architecture, so I’m sending her an image of the grand main library in San Diego, California.
…and another Postcard United draw, this one going to Zheleznogorsk, Russia.
This third Postcard United draw goes to Hangzhou, China.
This last card makes 23 I’ve chronicled this time around, and its a postcard of Kliban Cats! I love them. This card goes to a fellow fan in Taipei, Taiwan.
Stamps! Stickers! Washi tape! Do you see the durian washi tape I picked up on the second leg of my eating vacation: Singapore? Here and there you’ll also see puffy Tom & Jerry stickers, a silly online purchase that was awaiting me when I returned home. Kliban cat stickers also show up a lot in this batch of outgoing cards. I love Kliban cats. Dunno if I’ve ever mentioned that before…
Do you have any favorites this time around? Please let me know about them!
TWENTY! Count ’em! Sent to Australia, China, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Taiwan, & the U.S.
Sooooo many postcards to share–of course, they were sent off over the course of several weeks. Take a look & tell me what your favorites are–and stay tuned ’til the very end for the stamps, stickers, & stuff. Here we go…
Dreaming by the sea, this crew is off to Taipei, Taiwan.
Elephant & Piggie are going to Orange, NSW, Australia.
President Linus–one can only dream! Off to Itomi, Hyogo, Japan.
Franklin & Linus go to Gunma, Japan.
I don’t know where this book-filled postcard came from, but it’s been in my stash for a long time, and now it’s off to Tianjin, China.
A food package postcard, going to Beijing, China.
An awful movie! Off to Saitama, Japan.
Out by request to Lübeck, Germany…
It’s a wacky map, and it’s going to a map lover in Tokyo, Japan.
Donald & friends will land in Shanghai, China.
I clicked on the “advertising card” tag, and sent this card for KFJC (I had to look it up) to Yokohama, Japan.
This scene from Redwoods National & State Parks goes to Cronulla NSW, Australia.
This beautiful sea otter is on its way to Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
This card from a Thai restaurant will go to Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Captain Hook will go to a Disney lover in Hokkaido, Japan. This being a USPS postcard, the stamp on the back matches.
As much as I enjoy using Postcrossing Forum, it’s faster to just click “send a postcard” on the regular Postcrossing site, or its imitator, Postcard United. I happen to prefer the latter, and I have clicked a few times…
Snoopy on ice going to a warm place: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This Kliban Cat is skating toward Perm Krai, Russia.
The beautiful San Diego Central Library goes to Annandale, NSW, Australia.
Charlie Brown will cry his way all the way to Dazu, Chongqing, China.
Uh-oh, a U.S. address came up! This beautiful scene–another from Redwood National & State Parks–will go to Van Dyne, Wisconsin.
Time for stamps, stickers, & washi tape…
Okay! Be sure to check in.
Buffet Edition: Sent to Australia, China, Finland, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Taiwan, and the U.S.
I like Ritz crackers, and I like chocolate — so what can go wrong? THIS. My mistake: “fudge” does not mean chocolate. Yuck. One bite, and the rest went to work. Sending this box panel off to Tokyo, Japan, in a food package postcard tag.
More packaged foodstuffs, but this time something much better: the seasoned flour for Tom Yum chicken goes out in a food package postcard tag to Cedar Hill, Texas.
This is the restaurant in San Francisco where the food may not be the best, but free postcards? Yeah, I guess I love this place (even though I may well never decide to eat there again). Going off in a food tag to Rui’an, Zhejiang, China.
These messy cones are going to Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Let me show you the back side of that one right now. Never have I been so matchy-matchy.
The creme brulee with blowtorch goes to Gunma, Japan.
Brown foods go to Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. I should have paid more attention, not to send Chinese foods to China, but maybe the guy will love it. I told him I’ve eaten most of these things–and cooked with some of them–over the last month.
Moving away from food, while staying on topic: part of the joy of buffet (all of the joy of buffet?) is about choice. Postcrossing Forum has many tags where users can link to their available postcards, and others can choose the card they want. The redwoods were chosen by a Postcrosser in Nairne, SA, Australia.
This one was chosen by a Postcrosser in Saint Petersburg, Russia:
This one was requested by someone in Lübeck, Germany. I told her that I’m not convinced the trees are actually in Hawaii. This is one I received as a part of a disappointassortment. Look it up, you’ll find it, I’m sure.
By request to Omsk, Russia…
By request to Fiskars Village, Finland:
Franklin meets Linus, off by request to Taichung City, Taiwan.
“Have a great country day!” WOOOO! I never thought I’d get rid of this stinker! Off by request to its recipient in Cheboksary, Russia.
Moving off the buffet line to non-request tags: this one went out in a Disney tag to New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Another one to Taiwan, this one to a map lover in Taipei.
This, from my most recent quick shopping stop into the Charles M. Schulz Museum, goes off to Yokohama, Japan.
Moving along… I took another stop at Postcard United! a click on the “send a postcard” button, and I prepped this one for its trip to Johor, Malaysia.
Stamps, stickers, & washi tape time…
Hey Postcard Designers: Leave Room for Stamps! Sent to Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, & the U.S.
We’ll get to the “room for stamps” bit shortly, but first: 17 postcard sends represented this time, so let’s get to it!
I clicked on “send a postcard” on Postcard United! This California map is bound for Longhua, Shenzhen, China. A second click sends another copy of the card to a map lover in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Another click on Postcard United sends this card to a map lover in JiangSu, China.
The Queen of Hearts is going to Foshan, Guangdong, China
Ursula is off to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.
Pig Pen–the dirty candidate who is in fact innocent–is going out by request to Taichung City, Taiwan.
Another card going off by request: this view from Hilo, Hawaii’s Merrie Monarch Festival is destined for a Postcrosser in Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
Whoa… Lucy & her balloon are off to a rare county for Postcrossing: this is on its way to Melben, Austria.
Still more Peanuts: this one is going to Hong Kong.
This octopus is attacking the San Diego Central Library. One thing to know if you are a postcard lover: the Friends of the Library store here is a great place to go postcard shopping! I sent this one out to a post pal in Hawaii.
Another copy of the card is going out in a Postcrossing Forum library tag to a recipient in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. Sadly, the design of the card’s back does not leave much room for anything larger than the smallest of domestic first-class stamps. No room for a larger stamp (like our round international stamps, among any number of others); no room for multiple stamps; no room for the postmark, which so often obscures a sizable chunk of real estate on the back of a postcard. It would be nice, wouldn’t it, if the people designing the address side of cards were also people who send & receive postcards, themselves.
I recently popped into the Charles M. Schulz Museum, on the way home from somewhere else, just long enough to do a little postcard shopping! Poor Charlie Brown is going to a Postcrosser in Gunma, Japan.
I also bought this new postcard, one copy of which is on its way to East Jakarta, Indonesia.
This image from The Princess & the Frog was requested by a frog-lover in Beckum, Germany.
Another Art of Disney card–this one of Lion King’s Pride Rock–is going to Taichung, Taiwan.
This beautiful sea otter is going to Foshan, Guangdong, China.
And finally, why are hard taco shells so popular? One bite, and the whole thing falls apart. Give me fresh corn tortillas! This box panel from “white people taco night” goes to Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Okay, are you ready for a huge party of stamps, stickers, & washi tape? Here you go! Any favorites this time?
All from Malaysia, to Me: a Postcard United Adventure
Returning home after just a few short days away, I started sorting through my postcards received: Malaysia… Malaysia… Malaysia… Malaysia… and all from different senders assigned my address by clicking on Postcard United! What the…
I decided to do a little math. The cards’ ID numbers span a range of 36 “sends,” and out of those 36, four of them (well, at least so far; who knows if more will turn up) were for me — that means statistically, every 9th card sent by a Malaysian Postcard Uniter in that time went to me! I checked the cards’ dates: I was sent one a day for four days (June 26-29, 2018).
Here’s the really magical thing, though: if I were to be told that something like this would happen, and be told to choose which country would go glitchy in my favor–this is actually the country I would have chosen.
Let’s look at the cards!
The one with the Chinese writing and the design with apple, pear, and leaves, is from Malaysia. The sender writes:
“I’m 30 this year, married and have 3 cats. Randomly, my hobbies are coffee, food, and painting. I ❤ animals a lot but I’m not a vet. Haha~ I work for a bakery on the management side. I ❤ to travel too, but sometimes too costly.”
Mmm, look at that delicious Nasi Lemak. It’s from Malaysia, and on the back, it reads:
“One of the famous dishes that we have throughout the day! Known as nasi lemak, it is rice cooked in coconut milk”
The third card, with the passion fruit drink, is from Malaysia. The sender tells me:
“I like traveling, postcrossing, snailmailing, journaling.”
‘Life life to the fullest and focus on the positive.’ — Matt Cameron
Finally, the last postcard is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. If I can just make out the writing on the back:
“Apa khabar? (Malay words which is means ‘how are you?’) I live in KL, the capital city of Malaysia. I am a documentary maker cum television producer.”
Does this experience remind you of one of your own? Share it with me, please!
Okay, stamp time! I always find Malaysian stamps–full of flowers, food, and animals–so beautiful.
Toon & Animal Edition: Received from Belgium, China, Finland, Hong Kong, and Japan
I’m finally making it around to showing some of my incomings! I’ve got the front side of 12 this time, almost all received through Postcrossing Forum tags.
Charlie Brown is writing to his grandma! That makes me feel nostalgic. This card is from Aichi, Japan.
Snoopy picturing himself on the beach came from Finland. The sender tells me:
I love forests, and meadows. If I only had a good camera, I would photograph, but maybe one day. Have bought online lots of used Peanuts albums (from the 60s and 70s) together with Calvin & Hobbes. You don’t have to take literature too seriously, ha ha!
Another card from Finland: it’s always great to see the Beagle Boys!
It’s probably pretty obvious the Disney card came from Japan.
The Moomin card is another one from Finland, from a true fan of the characters, who writes: “if you have not read Moomin books, I sure recommend!! They are also for adults!” She is a retired teacher, so she should know! Moomin isn’t my jam, but I do know a retired guy who is into it, in a big way–so I will send this card on to him.
Badtz & Hana came to me from Saitama, Japan.
The next card came to me from Hong Kong, and it is labeled “Little Warlord–Mai Min Zhong, 1960s.” The sender writes, “this is a Hong Kong comic book cover. It has stopped publish many years ago sadly.”
Okay, on to the animals! I am a squirrel lover, & this one found its way to me from Germany. It had a squirrel stamp, which you can see at the end of this post. The sender writes,
I love squirrels, they are so cute. They are quite used to people in the park, around here, so you can watch them closely. Did you know there’s a mythological squirrel in the Edda? He’s called Ratatoskr, a messenger running up and down Yggdrasil. Quite benefiting their swiftness, I think!
I love this panda card! It, too, came to me from Germany.
I always enjoy seeing jelly fish, and these beauties came on another card from Hong Kong.
It’s a card from the U.S., from North Carolina. I was trying to decide whether the turtle was digging into sand or snow.
This great big shaped card is from Belgium, and I would love it–but I see that the dolphin is in a swimming pool, rather than in the wild. I’m hopeful for a future where we don’t see the need to do this.
Time for stamps, stickers, & washi tape! Lots of great stuff, including stamps from some cards whose front sides didn’t make the cut. What do you love here?
