Saturday, July 31, 2010

Grand Knight of Valour Award of Malaysia ...

Strangely, there is stamp issue in Malaysia today - a Saturday ! According to the information from the FDC, the Grand Knight of Valour award (or "Darjah Kebesaran Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa" in Malay) was created on 29 July 1960 and was gazette on 11 Aug 1969 ... these dates seem to have nothing to do with the issue date (31 July). Not quite sure how this date is chosen! Moreover, the Philately office in GPO KL is closed on Sat, Sun and Public Holidays (in this case, they need to come back to work) & post offices in some states (Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah) are closed on Saturday.

Never mind about all these! Saturday seems to be good for me (and maybe to all collectors too) as no need to worry about work, albeit need to endure the congestion at the causeway as many are crossing over to JB during the weekend. There are fewer people at the post office, especially on Saturday afternoon, therefore the postal staff have more time to entertain my many different requests ... thanks : )




















Cover from Istanbul ...


Thanks Levent for this nice cover from Istanbul, with stamps of Istanbul 2010 - European Capital of Culture ;-)

Postcard from Taiwan ...




Thanks Paul for this nice card ;-)

Rush Hour in Ireland ...




Thanks Kevin for the card ;-) This card took just 8 days to reach Singapore !

Card from India ...


Thanks Akhil for this card :-) Unfortunately, all the stamps were not cancelled !

Cover from Germany ...


Thanks Igor for this nice cover !

Cover from the Philippines ...


Thanks Myron for this nice cover ! Strangely, the perforation on one of the stamp (second stamp from top right) was damaged : (

Cover from Denmark ...














Simple and nice cover from Vejle, Denmark with nice cancellations. Thanks, Ole!

Another cover from Israel ...


Thanks Meir for this nice cover!

Cover from Israel ...


Thanks Aharon for this nice cover!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Youth Olympic Games Torch was lit last Friday ...

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) flame was lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece last Friday (23 July 2010). To minimise the risk of disruption during the torch run, YOG torch will not be carried in relay for long distances during its international leg, like in previous Olympic Games. Instead, the YOG flame will be taken to iconic sights in each city.






































FLAME LIGHTING CEREMONY
ANCIENT OLYMPIA, GREECE
23 JULY 2010 AT 11.00 AM

1. (Europe)
BERLIN, GERMANY
PARISER PLATZ, BRANDENBURG GATE
24 JULY 2010 AT 1.30 PM

2. (Africa)
DAKAR, SENEGAL
PLACE DE L’OBELISQUE
25 JULY 2010, TIMING TBC

3. (America)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
ZOCALO (PLAZA DE LA CONSTITUCION)
27 TO 28 JULY 2010
(CITY CELEBRATION ON 28 JULY 2010 AT 7.00 PM)

4. (Oceania)
AUCKLAND CITY, NEW ZEALAND
TELSTRA CENTRE
1 TO 2 AUGUST 2010
(CITY CELEBRATION ON 2 AUGUST 2010 AT 10.00 AM)

5. (Asia)
SEOUL, REPUBLIC OF KOREA
GWANGHWAMUN SQUARE
4 AUGUST 2010, 6.00 PM

5 August 2010 : Arrival in Singapore

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Cover from Croatia ...














Many thanks Josip for this second nice cover from Croatia ;-) The stamps and cancellations are nice. This cover took a lengthy 20 days to reach Singapore.

The 10th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in China ...






















Thanks Hai Huang for this cover, sent from Wuhan on 14 July ;-) This cover took just 5 days to reach Singapore. Unfortunately, this cover reached me in bad condition with the stamp almost tore out : (

A treat to Indonesian Food ...


Thanks Juned for this nice cover with Indonesian Food stamp set, with not so clear Jakarta Selatan postmark :-) This cover took 7 days to reach Singapore.

Singapore-Indonesia Joint Issues (28 Oct 2009) ...














Indonesia-Singapore Joint Issues (28 Oct 2009) ...


























Indonesia Rupiah (II) ...






* Prince Antasari





* Dayak dancers



* Tuanku Imam Bonjol




* Songket weaver, Tanah Datar

Indonesia Rupiah (I) ...













Rp 50 - Kepodang Bird
Rp 100 - Palm Cockatoo Bird ("Kakaktua Raja")
Rp 500 - Jasmine flower ("Bunga Melati")

World Cup covers from Argentina ...

Many thanks Viviana for these great World Cup covers and minisheets ;-))) The covers were sent on 12 July and took only 11 days to reach Singapore.
























































Friday, July 23, 2010

Another cover from Cyprus ...















Thanks Nasia for the 3rd cover from Cyprus ;-)))

It was franked with a rabbit stamp from the March issue of "Farm Animal" and a refugee stamp reprinted in 2010. This time the cancellation is clearer, with the wordings of "Latsia Sorting Center - Cyprus". The cancellation was done by roller datestamp, which rolled at an angle with respect to the stamps. The cover was sent on 5 July and took a lengthy 17 days to reach Singapore, as compared to 7 and 9 days for previous mails.

Cyprus cents (before Euro) (II) ...









* Obverse









* Reverse

5 cents : Head of bull from silver bowl (phiale) with wish-boned handle of 14th century B.C.
10 cents : Modern clay vase of Phini depicting flowers and birds
20 cents : "ΖΗΝΩΝ Ο ΚΙΤΙΕΥΣ", Zeno of Citium (Cypriot philosopher)










* Obverse









* Reverse

20 cents (1983) : bird on olive branch
20 cents (2001) : "ΖΗΝΩΝ Ο ΚΙΤΙΕΥΣ", Zeno of Citium (Cypriot philosopher)
50 cents : in heptagonal shape, shows a composition based on a 4th century B.C Cypriot coin of the Kingdom of Marion depicting the abduction of Europe by Zeus transfigurated into a bull, the inscription "King Timocharis" in Cyprosyllabic.

Cyprus euro cents (II) ...









* Reverse









* Obverse

1 cent & 5 cents : The mouflon (wild sheep), the most characteristic species of fauna in Cyprus, representing the island's nature and wildlife.

10 cents : The ancient Greek Kyrenia ship of 4th Century B.C., representing Cyprus's history and its character as an island as well as its importance in trade.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Youth Olympic Games - Slogan Postmarks

Slogan postmarks (6 designs) are used at 3 CFC machines and 1 FC machine from 19 July till 30 Sept (both days inclusive). Since these postmarks are implemented on 4 machines, more than 90% of the mails sent during this period will have the slogan postmarks.

CFC1 (C1) - Merly Swimming (Merly's favourite sport)









CFC1 (C1) - Mascots









CFC2 (C2) - Emblem









CFC2 (C2) - Basketball (Lyo's favourite sport)









CFC3 (C3) - Fencing









CFC3 (C3) - WCV ("World Culture Village")









FC (C4) - Mascots