Oscar Wilde Quotes

And before my weekend break, some quirky wisdom from Wilde. Thank you Fabio :)

Miss Gabrielle Ray

I caught myself daydreaming of Christmas Markets (not that far to go, only a month!) and snow and coats and boots...and how I wish to go somewhere, just go...At least Zagreb is near and has a splendid Xmas Market..! In the meantime, here is a snowy vintage postcard with a new name to me, though she seems to have been extremely popular during the 1st decade of the 20th century - Gabrielle Ray, an English stage actress, dancer and singer, best known for her roles in Edwardian musical comedies. It makes me hum to myself 'jin-gle-bells jin-gle-bells'....

The Sultan Of Oman

Qaboos bin Said Al Busaidi is the Sultan of Oman, who rose to power after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur, in a palace coup in 1970. He is the 14th-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Sa'idi dynasty. He declared that the country would no longer be known as Muscat and Oman, but would change its name to "the Sultanate of Oman" in order to better reflect its political unity. Qaboos officially keeps Oman neutral, having contacts and normal relations with Iran while being an ally of western states like the United Kingdom and the United States.

Many thanks to Elena for this card :))

 

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka must be one of the more interesting and widely known literary figures of the last century - he was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He trained as a lawyer, and after completing his legal education he was employed with an insurance company, forcing him to relegate writing to his spare time. Over the course of his life, Kafka wrote hundreds of letters to family and close friends, including his father, with whom he had a strained and formal relationship. He died in 1924 at the age of 40 from tuberculosis.

His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic typically features isolated protagonists faced by bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible social-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle). The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those in his writing.

I have to admit I have only ever read parts of two of his books, 'the metamorphosis' and 'in the penal colony' (I believe they were part of obligatory reading in highschool/uni) as back then it was a bit heavy on my brain. I should definitely try to rectify that...also, as I've learnt his work is not so easily translated from German, I thought maybe I should try reading the original - now thats a challenge!! In any case I love this collage postcard and stamp, thank you Anna :)

Alphonse Mucha In His Atelier

Mucha is one of my favourite artists, and here is a photo showing his atelier where all those great works of his came to life. Eliška seems to be quite the artist herself, at first I thought the dragon was printed on the postcard (it wouldn't made sense but its so nicely done) but it was done by her, great stuff! 

Cuban Revolutionaries

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Beautiful portrait of the Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader and former prime minister (1945–1955) and president (1945–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).

Also beautiful Year Of The Horse stamps, I love orange/pink combination of colours :) Thanks so much Mu Chu!

The stamps are my contribution to this weeks Sunday Stamps theme zodiac. I wish to bite my elbow, I have a gorgeous astrological cover at home that would have been perfect for today! Its a toughie having life devided between two addresses ;) You can check other entries:

 

 

Che Guevara Meets Tito

Argentine revolutionary and Yugoslavian statesman met in 1959 at Tito's residence on Brijuni Islands.

An amazing surprise from dear Ana! Che on the front and lizard on the back :) Hvala Anchi!

Mother Teresa In Kolkata

"By blood, I am Albanian.  By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus."

Another great portrait postcard - I think we all know about Mother Teresa and her great impact on millions of lives. I have received wonderful cards through a swap with Anaita - many thanks!

Bob Marley Singing

Another 1st today, a Bob Marley card - thank you Mary :)

I cannot call myself a Bob Marley fan but I do enjoy some of his songs and I do respect his impact on modern music. His early death at the age of 36 was surely a great loss; i was moved when reading a eulogy to him by the Jamaican Prime Minister:

'Bob Marley was never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible imprint with each encounter. Such a man cannot be erased from the mind. He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation.'

There is one song of his that gives me goose bumps as soon as I hear the intro...

'Could you be loved and be loved?

 Could you be loved and be loved?

 Don't let them fool ya,
 Or even try to school ya! Oh, no!
 We've got a mind of our own,
 So go to hell if what you're thinking is not right!
 Love would never leave us alone,
 A-yin the darkness there must come out to light. '

(this is uncanny, as soon as I finished writing the post Bob starts singing on the radio..!)

YOTD Stamps And Che Guevara - Canada

I just LOVE this portrait of Che Guevara! A classic black&white image with a cigar, but he is smiling in a very content and even a-bit-cheeky manner :) Like he is flirting with someone...heh. I would love to have more of the cards with him, after all he is a good-looking man who poses well and represents rebellion and ideals xD

Thank you jaime/canbcpost for this great swap, the stamps are shinily beautiful :)

Bolivia - The Story Of The Tampered-With Stamps

Indigenous Woman With Donkeys, Sucre

Evo Morales, the 80th President of Bolivia

These two postcards, in my memory sent from the constitutional capital Sucre, seem to have had an interesting journey from Bolivia to my doorstep; I've purchased a gorgeous stamp set with jaguar & puma in Santa Cruz, and  set with the president Morales in La Paz.

*I've used the animal set on the donkey card - the surviving puma stamp was actually enough postage, so someone unglued the jaguar stamp and THEN cancelled it! No wonderment there where the 'crime' happened :)

*It is quite logical then that the 2nd 'crime' was committed by the same perpetrator - I have matched the stamps with the card and used two Morales stamps, one of which was removed and the other put back upside down! Whats more, that someone was conscious enough to add other stamps so the postage would be right..!

Then there is a mystery of the stamp stuck on front of the donkey card...the card was obviously wet at some point, i hope some other card wasnt left stamp-less in the process!!

All in all, I feel happy that the cards have arrived in the end :)))