Happy Woman's Day POSTCARD LOTTERY

Happy Woman's Day POSTCARD LOTTERY!
On this big day, this lottery is exclusive for ladies (Sorry folks   - When is Happy Men's Day celebrated by the way?)
The 3 postcards will be sent to 3 different winners (Written and Stamped)
Write a number in sequence 1,2,3,4 and so on NUMBERS ARE TURNING OUT TO BE SLIGHTLY CONFUSING, SO JUST answer how in your opinion, Women's Day should be celebrated? AND I WILL NUMBER THE POSTS MYSELF !
For a valid entry, you have to give your answer in the COMMENT section below this post on the Blog ONLY.
Winner will be chosen  by random.org tomorrow (9.3.2014) at 12:00 GMT.
Have a blessed life!

 Postcard # 1

 Postcard # 2

 Postcard # 3

Snow White from Russia with lovely animals stamps

Snow White has always been one of my favourite Disney Princesses. Receiving this official Postcrossing postcard really made my day brighter and shinier.

I received this lovely postcard from Natalia in Russia.

The postcard also featured an official Disney Logo at the back side.

Two different stamps were used to post the card, which were a part of a series of 15 stamps issued as a Definitive Series in 2008. You can see the complete series of these definitive animal stamps from Russia here.

Netherlands: Smoking Air Show Postcard with an Environment Friendly Stamp

Another lovely official Postcrossing postcard is coming your way today!

This colourful postcard showing the view of an Airplane Show was sent to me by josephine in 2012. Somehow I love flying aircrafts and this one is pretty amazing.

The stamp used on the postcard was issued in 2011 by Nederland Postal services as a part of Environment Series. The phrase written on the stamp, inside a green tree seems to say "denk groen voor een groene wereld" or something like that. Google Search suggests that it is a Dutch phrase for "Think Green for a Green World". 

I hope a native Dutch reader could improve our exploration.

I wonder what good are these flying/ Smoking aircrafts doing to make the World greener. The stamps and the postcard seem to be an interesting combination. 

What do you say?

Slovenia: Beautiful Castle in Ljubljana

Hi Pals!

It is always lovely to receive an official postcrossing postcard from a unique country like Slovenia. This lovely postcard was sent to me by Leonardo from the official Postcrossing website. 

He wrote, 

"I live in a very small and very beautiful country. There's only Two Millions living in Slovenia and we like to think that quality is more important than quantity. Card is showing the old core of our capital, with 900 years old castle in the center."

It was really interesting to read Leonardo's thoughts, however I wondered what my Chinese friends would think about the phrase "Quality is more important than quantity!"
Well! It was just a random thought that brought a smile. :)

The castle in Ljubljana is really a beautiful one and so are the red-roofed buildings near it.

The stamps shows a fruit and a leaf and says "Zizola - Ziziphus Jujuba" which is a fruit called as "Red Date". The photo is probably taken by the photographer named "Irena Gubanc". 

Please correct me if I am wrong!

Have a nice day!

Pakistan Painting Postcard - Girls Sitting Together

Hi Pals!
Here's just another painting postcard from Pakistan to share with you.

I really like the smile on the face of the girl in pink dress. With the backdrop of Malala Yousafzai fame, this postcard becomes a real special one.
Just in case you do not know Malala Yousafzai's story, here's a re-cap.
Malala Yousafzai was a small girl living in Swat Valley which was under occupation of Taliban terrorists some years ago. While Talibans opposed girls' education, Malala raised her voice as a 9-year old and started writing her online diary at BBC Urdu Website, by the nick name of Gul Makai.

Malala Yousafzai

After a long and strenuous fight, Pakistan Army cleared Swat Valley from terrorist elements and life came back to normal. Malala Yousafzai became a national symbol of girl education and Pakistan's then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani re-named Pakistan Peace Award as Malala Peace Award.
In Oct 2012, some Taliban miscreants stopped Malala's school van and fired at them from point blank ranges. Malala suffered a head injury along with some of her friends too. She remained under-treatment in Pakistan and then in England.
Lately Malala Yousafzai was invited by United Nations to address the Youth General Assembly on the eve of her 16th birthday. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Ex-British PM Gordon Brown were also there to wish her a happy birthday.
Malala Yousafzai has definitely become a symbol of struggle against the oppressors and a source of inspiration for everyone around the globe.
Although the above postcard does not have any direct link with Malala's story but still these cute girls and their smiles make me think of them as small Malalas.
May God bless them with endless smiles and very happy lives. Amen!

P is for Pakistan Postcards

As a matter of fact, most of you must be knowing that this blog is dedicated to my postcards collection and taking part in ABC Wednesday is really fun especially when I came across the latest post, it was evident that today's post is dedicated to Postcards of my beloved PAKISTAN.
In this post, I shall share 3 of my favorite postcards with you, so that you can enjoy a glimpse of my beautiful Pakistan. To know more about these places, you can either click on the photo or visit the link at the bottom of the post.

K-2 is Pakistan's Highest Mountain and the World's 2nd Highest Mountain after the majestic Mount Everest. Standing tall at 8,611 meters, K-2 is a mighty mountain which is much more difficult to climb than its elder brother, Mount Everest.
As per Wikipedia: "K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the second-highest fatality rate among the eight thousanders. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side. Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality-to-summit rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter."

Lahore Fort - One of Pakistan's marvellous pieces of architecture and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger.
You can read more at one of my previous posts here: Lahore Fort or at Wikipedia here: Lahore Fort at Wikipedia

Takht Bhai (or Takht Bahi) is a Buddhist monastic complex dating to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
You can read more about these fascinating ruins at Ruins of Buddhist Monastery at Takht-e-Bahi, Swat Valley  in another post at my UNESCO blog.
Having said that its your turn to share your opinion in the comments section below. I would love to hear your thoughts about this post!!!

Slovenian Map Postcard - Slovenia at a Glance

A beautiful postcard from Slovenia depicting the Slovenian Country Map along with different multi-views of buildings and landscapes from the beautiful European country.

This marvellous postcard was sent inside an envelope by Karmen.
This postcard is uploaded specifically for Postcard Friendship Friday!!

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand - A Paradise in South-East Asia

Phi Phi Island is undoubtedly Thailand's island-superstar. It's been in the movies. It's the topic of conversation for travellers all over Thailand.
For some, it's the only reason to touchdown in Phuket. Even with all the hype, it doesn't disappoint. Phi Phi's beauty is a large chunk of the allure. The islands, when approached by boat, rise from the sea like a fortress. Sheer cliffs tower overhead, then give way to beach-fronted jungle. It's love at first sight. The second part of the why-we-love-this-place story is attitude: few places on the planet are this laid-back. Of the two islands, one is completely free of human inhabitants (Phi Phi Leh), and the other is without roads (Phi Phi Don). There's no schedule, no hustle-and-bustle, no reason to be in a hurry.

Near Phi Phi, one beach stands above the rest: Phi Phi Ley. The island was the backdrop for Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Beach" and is one of the most beautiful and majestic places you will ever lay your eyes on.   Much of the movie was filmed in Maya Bay, a main location for Phi Phi daytrips and longtail hires from nearby Phi Phi Don Village. Also, the main ferry from Phuket passes this spot from afar to give you a short glimpse.
James Bond Island is also not far away from Phi Phi Island which is famous for filming of the James Bond movie - The Man with the Golden Gun.
This magnificent postcard was brought to me by my dear colleague and younger brother Wasif from his trip to Thailand. Thanks a lot dude :)
Please feel free to leave your comments below!

A Winter Postcard from St. Petersburg in Russia

Recently I received a beautiful postcard from Russia showing a winter scene and a Parland Railing of the "The Church of the Resurrection of the Christ"

St. Petersburg is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Russia and you can read my detailed post at my UNESCO Postcards Blog here.
Two beautiful stamps showing a castle and a boat have been used by the sender - Katya.

Katya has also written "Happy Postcrossing" in a lovely way, accompanied by a Smiley.

 Thanks a lot Katya for this amazingly beautiful postcard and Happy Postcrossing.
If you have any question/ observation/ suggestion, please leave a comment below.

Kids of Hunza - A Postcard from North of Pakistan

Sharing a postcard after such a long time made me think that which postcard should I choose to share with my followers and friends. Finally I picked up this beautiful postcard as it is one of the most-favorite postcard on my Postcrossing profile by friends.
This cute postcard comes from the Northern part of Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan which is a beautiful place covered with mountains and valleys.

Hunza (Burushaski: ہنزہ, Urdu: ہنزہ‎) is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza is situated north/west of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The territory of Hunza is about 7,900 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi). Aliabad is the main town, while Karimabad is a popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Passu Peak, Diran Peak and Bublimotin (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) or higher.

A 'Lost' Zebra in Kenya

Zebra is one of my favourite animals. It is everything from being cute, innocent and cuddly to being an amazing sight in the wild.
This beautiful postcard shows a 'lost' zebra in the wilderness of Kenya. Kenya probably has the largest population of zebras in the world.

Amazing Fact: Like human finger-prints, no two zebras have the same pattern of  stripes on their skin and these stripes can be used as their biometric identification too.

Liberia: Bat Snoozing in Sapo National Park, Sinoe County

Another beautiful postcard from Liberia showing a tired bat snoozing in Sapo National Park (As mentioned on the back of the postcard). It is an official postcard issued by Liberia Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications (Also mentioned at the back).

Sapo National Park is a national park in Sinoe County, Liberia. It is the country's largest protected area of rain-forest and its only national park, and contains the second-largest area of primary tropical rain-forest in West Africa after Taï National Park in neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire. Agriculture, construction, fishing, hunting, human settlement, and logging are prohibited in the park.
Sapo National Park is located in the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem, a biodiversity hotspot that has "the highest mammal species diversity of any region in the world", according to Conservation International.
The postcard was brought for me by one of my sweet brothers Adeel, during his stay in Liberia, as a part of UN Peace Keeping Mission.
What do you think about this lovely postcard?

China : Laoshan Velodrome, Beijing Olympics 2008

This Olympics Stadium Postcard shows Laoshan Velodrome, which is one of the venues for Beijing Olympics 2008. It is one of the 10 official postcards issued on the occasion by State Postal Bureau in 2007. Another postcard showing Basketball Gymnasium can be seen here.

The Laoshan Velodrome hosted track cycling events during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. It has a capacity of 6,000 spectators. A 250-meter oval shaped track is prepared for cycling events. The total area covered by the Velodrome is 33,320 square metres.

The Laoshan Velodrome is being used for international and national cycling competitions and training after the Olympic Games. The velodrome was designed by Schuermann Architects, designers of the ADT Event Center in Carson, CA and the UCI Cycling Center in Aigle, Switzerland.

The following prepaid stamp was printed on the postcard.

 

Any thoughts on the Postcard or the Laoshan Velodrome design are welcome!