Postcards - Health Promotion Board ZoCards (set of 12)

We are all familiar with postcards, but this set of pop-up postcards by Health Promotion Board is especially interesting. It seems there is a whole set of 12 cards, but I've managed to obtain only 5 of them.

Each card contains a simple message about health and living. For example the green card in the upper left corner says 'the more we get together' (front), 'the merrier we'll be' (back), with a additonal para of 'Dear ______, you are invited to a) a game of tennies, b) a makan (eating) session, c) a party, d) _______. Make your way to __________.

Very meaningful message isn't it. Imagine receiving this postcard in your letterbox, which serves both as a postcard as well as an invitation. An example of the front and back of another card is shown below.

This is a series launched from April 2008 to March 2009. I noticed that whenever the cards are put on the ZoCards rack, it will be gone within 1-2 days. The card below is the last of the series. I guess it is a pretty popular series. The cards also contain a message to check out 'www.healthymind.sg', the promotional website for Health Promotion Board, and the entire set of cards could be viewed on that website.

Taiwanese Girl Band S.H.E. on Singapore Stamps?

When I first heard the news that the Taiwanese girl band S.H.E. will be featured on Singapore stamps, I thought it must be a joke. Later I found the news on Straits Times, dated 21 February 2009, so I guess that must be true to some extent. Quotes from the article:

Taiwanese girl band S.H.E's management are either shrewd or behind the times, depending on what you think of the state of snail mail.

The pop stars' record label has arranged for them to appear on local stamps.

S.H.E, consisting of Ella Chen, 28, Hebe Tien, 26, and Selina Jen, 28, are the first foreign artists to be featured on Singapore stamps.

I have always thought that the celebrities i.e. artists / actors...etc should not be featured on stamps until well, certain 'anniversaries' like the 50th years of Elvis. It is rare for living persons to be featured on stamps actually, unless they are the royalties (e.g. Queens, Kings, and Princes are featured on Royal Mail stamps while they are /were alive).

Oh well, when the actual stamps are published, let us see how the issue is done. Perhaps it's the 'My Stamps' concept where photos of the girl band are printed on 'a seperate tabs' adjunct to the actual postage stamps.

Afternote: I saw the stamps and picture of them could be found at this website, accompanied by more writeup about the S.H.E. stamp release.

'UOB' Cancellation on 1962 25cents definitive

Among the different stamps, I found this 1962 25 cents fish definitive with a cancellation of 'UOB Singapore' on it. Curiously I wonder what is this cancellation for. I understand some stamps have perforations within the bodies of the stamps, i.e. perfins with small holes in the stamps, because in the older days, stamps were a high value commodity and companies add perforations to prevent theft.

However, this 'UOB Singapore' cancellation on a 1962 definitive surely cannot be a perfins? UOB as a bank existed since the 1930s, while Singapore as a soverign country existed from August 1965. Moreover, the bank adopted the 'UOB' as its name only in 1965 (See article). So the 'UOB Singapore' cancellation on a 1962 may not make much sense, perhaps it is a 'cancellation' for other purposes? Anyone with any clue let me know ok?

Singapore's Submarine Cables & Stamps

Stamps and submarine cables are both tools of communications needed to transfer information around the world. So it is not surprising that Singapore has issued quite a number of stamps (three to be exact) to commemorate the installation of SEA-ME-WE (South East Asia - Middle East - West Europe) cables. Some of the stamps are shown below. These sets are attractive because they are the rare 'circular' stamps issued, compared to the traditional square / rectangular ones. The different sets are similar, but note the boldfaced white lines denoting the cables.

Due to the nature of such international communications tools, the installation of cables is celebrated not just by Singapore, but also by the other partners linked by the submarine cables. The last stamp in this picture below is by a middle-east country. So these are actually international events commemorated by different countries.

Other than the three sets of stamps, the events are captured when a set of 'Stamps in stamps' were issued for the BangKok International Stamp Exhibition 1983.

I'm not aware if there are other submarine cables events captured by stamps in Singapore. Going forward, I don't think there would be any more such events captured by stamps, since submarine cables installations are no longer special events in light of the wide networks of such cables around the world.

Year of the Ox - Stamps & Hongbao Packets

SingPost is welcoming the Year of the Ox with their set of OX-picious Zodiac Stamp (auspicious!) with 2 x free hongbao packets. Similar to the previous Rat stamp release, there is a 'double' image of the other two immediate Chinese Zodiac signs in the Ox stamps, one of the Rat (the animal before the Ox) and one of the Tiger (the animal after the Ox). Take a look at the news release from SingPost about this issue, which also contains other details like prices, denominations of the stamps ...etc.

Here's a picture of the stamps and the hongbaos. I think the hongbaos giveaway is a smart idea of promoting the stamps.

2008 Collection of Singapore Stamps

Recently I bought the 2008 Collection of Singapore Stamps for $59.90 from the post office. There are a number of interesting releases this year, including the Formula One Grand Prix, as well as the Peranakan collection, which made this purchase worthwhile. Here's a picture of the 2008 collection.

It is a dilemma at times, when a collector decides to buy the annual release and yet each individual presentation pack is also a separate worthwhile purchase, thus resulting in many copies of the same stamps. Nonetheless, I have to be selective in the stamps purchases due to my space constraints.

Interested in the album? If so, you better buy it before the price of the stamp album inflate next year, which typically happens when we cross over to the new year.

When Sci-Fi meets Stamps Collectors

I was around Funan a few days ago and decided to pop by the Philatelic Museum.

That was when I saw this R2D2 Mail Box. Guess this would please those who are both stamp collectors as well as Sci-Fi fans.

By the way, the Singapore 2008 Stamps Collection 2008 is out for sale.