My First Cover from the Philippines

I was really delighted to receive this mail from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.  Myron franked the envelope with 3 distinct stamps: the P2 one on the far left shows the Red Pencil Urchin (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) found throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, the P7 stamp depicts the famous Orange Clownfish (Amphiprion percula), and the P26 one illustrates the different stages of the flowering of the Rafflesia manillana, a parasitic plant endemic to the Philippines.  The last stamp is the largest one I have ever received.

Thank you Myron!  =)

Butterflies from Taiwan

Chunghwa Post issued this lovely miniature sheet on April 8 last on the theme: 'Taiwan Butterflies'.  The butterfly-shaped sheet pictures the:

$5 - Euploea eunice hobsoni Butler (Purple Milkweed Butterfly)

$5 - Euploea sylvester swinhoei Wallace and Moore (Double-Branded Crow)

$12 - Euploea tulliolus koxinga Fruhstorfer

$12 - Euploea mulciber barsine Fruhstorfer (Striped Blue Crow)

Thanks James for this magnificent FDC sent from Taipei. =)

Nanny Ogg from the UK

Gytha Ogg (usually called Nanny Ogg) is a character, a witch to be precise, from Terry Pratchett's series: Discworld.  The 1st class stamp featuring Nanny Ogg forms part of an issue called "Magical Realms", released on March 8, 2011. The stamps feature characters from Magical Adventures including Harry Potter, Discworld, Narnia and Arthurian Legend.   

An image from We Will Rock You appears on the 1st class stamp on the far right.  British stage musicals have in fact been celebrated with eight commemorative stamps issued on February 24 last by the Royal Mail.

Thanks Dean for your nice mail! :)

The Humber Bridge in the UK

The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, is a single-span suspension bridge, the 5th-largest of its type in the world.  It spans the Humber, the estuary formed by the rivers Trent and Ouse, between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the North bank.  The toll charge of £2.70 for cars and of £1.20 for motorcycles is a matter of dispute.  However, it should be conceded that the Humber Bridge is an architectural chef-d'oeuvre.

Thanks Nigel for the magical postcard and for the stamps too.  These WWF ones illustrate the Siberian tiger and the Polar bear.

Centenary of Powered Flight in Hong Kong

On March 18, 1911, the Belgian flying pioneer Charles Van Der Born launched the first powered flight in hong Kong at Sha Tin, the New Territotries in a Farman biplane, indicating the beginning of Hong Kong's aviation history.  The stamp on the right captures the lift-off of the Farman biplane, witnessed by people watching from tidal flats and the one on the left represents a replica of the Farman biplane on display at the Passenger Terminal of the Hong Kong International Airport.

Special thanks to Trudy for this wonderful FDC!  (=

The First Malaysian Submarine

Thanks to Khor for this very nice cover sent from the City of Ipoh on March 7 last.  The envelope features the First Malaysian Submarine stamps released on September 3, 2009.

In 2002, the Royal Malaysian Navy ordered two Scorpène class submarines.  The first of the two submarines, named KD Tunku Abdul Rahman after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, arrived at a Port Klang naval base on September 3, 2009 after a 54-day voyage from France.  The second submarine has not been delivered yet due to defects and problems.

Isabey Mosque in Turkey

The Isabey Mosque (İsabey Camii in Turkish) was built in 1734-1735, by the architect Şamlı Dımışklıoğlu Ali, and is one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art remaining from the Anatolian beyliks, small Turkish Muslim emirates or principalities set up at the end of the 11th century and during the second half of the 13th century.

Thank you very much David for this souvenir from Turkey. :) The 110 kuruş stamp pictures the first President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) and the 25 kuruş one features the lily (Zambaklar in Turkish).

Lido di Jesolo in Italy

Lido di Jesolo is the beach area of the commune of Jesolo in the province of Venice, Italy.  The place's economy depends mostly on tourism due to its 15km-long beach.

Thanks Ivan for this postcard sent on March 18, 2011.  He used stamps on the first Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010 and on the Battle of Calatafimi which was fought on May 15, 1860.

AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 Champion from Malaysia

Malaysia won the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010, which was held from 1 to 29 December 2010, after defeating Indonesia on goal aggregate.  In the first leg of the final, Malaysia defeated the visitors by 3 goals to 0 and in the second leg lost by 2 goals to 1, but due to the 3 goals advantage in the 1st leg played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia won the Cup.  It was the first time after 14 years that Malaysia won this Cup.  To celebrate this victory, POS Malaysia released 2 stamps.  The first one features the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 trophy and the second one depicts the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 medal.
 

Khor also affixed Malaysian birds definitive stamps on the back of the envelope:

20sen - Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)

30sen - Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus)

Thank you very much Khor for this nice FDC!  -_-