Revisiting the Past through a Postcard

I am grateful to Jenny for sending this old Philippine postcard. It's my very first vintage card!

I like how this snapshot of happily smiling women and children carrying clay jars (probably containing water) and other wares shows a glimpse of the way of life in the decades gone past.

I wonder what's the story behind this snapshot. Perhaps the women and children were on their way to the rice fields to bring food and water for their husbands and fathers who were working in the paddies. Perhaps they were on their way to a festivity. Did they fetch water from a nearby spring or river? Wherever they were heading, they sure looked so merry and not all burdened by the weight of the jars.

Jenny said nothing about the card, except that a fellow postcard collector gave her a bunch of vintage Philippine postcards. How I wish I'd be lucky to get my hands on a bunch of lovely vintage postcards, too!

Salamat, Jenny! Thanks for sending this card to my mailbox.

Wishing you happy journeys...

Here's my share for Postcard Friendship Friday

Palo Sebo

I was going through my postcard collection and this photo of two boys climbing a greased bamboo pole caught my attention. It made me reminisce about my childhood days and my much-anticipated visits to my maternal grandparents' province.

Palo Sebo or greased bamboo climbing is a traditional Filipino game usually played by boys during a town fiesta. A long bamboo pole is greased and polished to make it slippery. The contestants are given the chance to climb the pole and try to reach the small bag of goodies tied at the end of it. The one who succeeds in reaching and untying the price is declared the winner.

The game can also be played by setting up two or more bamboo poles along side each other. The contestants race to untie the flag attached at the top of his designated pole. The first one to grab the flag wins the game and is awarded a prize money.

Well, if you'd ask me if I ever tried climbing a bamboo pole when I was a kid, my answer is no. I can't even climb a tree back then. Haha!

Wishing you happy journeys...

For more interesting postcards, head on to The Best Hearts Are Crunchy

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Postcard Perfect's Royal Giveaway Contest!

Balut Vendor

I am featuring a postcard rendition of one of the paintings done by Philippine National Artist Vicente S. Manansala (January 22, 1910 - August 22, 1981). Manansala is regarded as a "social realist" for depicting in his artworks the Philippines' struggle for a national identity after the Second World War. He is known as the pioneer of transparent cubism in the country.

This watercolor painting depicts the scene of a street vendor selling balut, a popular Filipino delicacy. Balut is boiled fertilized duck egg which is believed to be an aphrodisiac.


I've sent out about five pieces of this postcard design to art lovers and the recipients told me they loved it. A postcrosser from Poland even sent me a bar of her favorite chocolate because she really liked the card.

The postcards I sent would have been much more interesting had they been sent with any of the following stamps issued in 2010 to commemorate the birth centenary of the national artist. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get my hands on any of these stamps. I believe another trip to the Main Post Office is in order. I just hope the Postage and Philatelic Department still have these goodies.

Wishing you happy journeys...

For more interesting postcards, head on to The Best Hearts Are Crunchy

Rizal's 150th Birthday Postcard Giveaway!

Jose P. Rizal: June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896

I'm posting this card in celebration of Dr. Jose Rizal's 150th birthday. Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, was the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. His prolific writings, which exposed the abuses of the Spanish government, were one of those important works that awakened political consciousness and fanned the flames of nationalism resulting in the Philippine Revolution of 1896.


If you'd like to win this postcard, just leave a comment and tell me what you know about Jose Rizal. I'd choose the winner by the end of the month!


I'd be sending this Rizal Monument postcard using two of the four commemorative stamps below. Please choose the stamps you'd like to go with the postcard.

Find out who the winners are in this entry!


Wishing you happy journeys...