Postcrossing

How does it work?

First, the short version:

1. request an address from the website
2. mail the postcard to the address
3. wait to receive a postcard
4. register the received postcard in the system

The project

The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.

http://www.postcrossing.com/about

I've been a member since 2006. I really like it! At times it can be boring to buy and write cards, and frustrating to get many cards from the same country but dispite the faults, I think it's been and still is a exiting adventure. And you know. the world really is small. I'm not joking.

Here are my favourite cards (you can write what kind of cards you'd like but in the end, the sender makes the decision since no one can them to buy a sertain card. Oh well, postcrossers are nice and they usually try to be active).

This is my first card from postcrossing from Estonia. September 26th 2006. It's self-made aswell. Sigh... nostalgic.

This dish is called Yosenabe! The card says it's a "Japanese-style chowder, chiken, fish, shellfish, mushroom, seasonal vegetable, etc. are boiled in soup seasoned with fish soup stock, soy sauce, rice wine, etc. (I wonder what etc´s are... ) I think I'm too sissy to try this but it's a really cool card!

This one is cute, the antique trolley car is from USA. Choo choo!

My first (and only) card from Africa! These giraffes are from South Africa

A really nice card from Germany (written in German since my profile says I speak German!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Well, I understood actually and replied in GERMAN!). I love these unique cards!

Well, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to know where this card is from. I love this because it's self-made and cute too!

This sweet ladybug card is from Switzerland. Danke schön für die schöne Karte!

This card is from China. I don't know... it's got something.. special...

This card is from the States. I think it's really cute. When I scanned it, the computer made the picture bigger than in reality.. oh well..

This card is not that special but the family who sent it added really nice pictures and the two boys drew me pictures. I almost cried when I saw it... I was so touched. My stupid skanner wont work this evening so you can't see them.

This is from America aswell. My profile name is polkadot. Heheeee

I love these cards because they remind me of my trip to France and the beaches and the Atlantic ocean. The first one is from Portugal and the second one from the Netherlands.

This card is so sweet. Sigh.

Mamma mia (Italian). This card is actually a map of the city of Modena!

This postmodern card just leaves me awe-struck every time. What the heck is this? I love it even though I still don't know.

This card is so so so lovely. In my profile I wrote that I'd really like a self made card and this lovely person made this for me! She still sends me artistic cards when she has time. (I send her some wannabe artistic cards too but.. well..)

I had two more cards but like I said earlier own, the skanner has issues today. Fortunately I found the picture of my ultimate favourite one from the net http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2186/2539275892_7d96e22f1b.jpg:

Domestic cats and their character. I've got an Italian pen pal that I found through postcrossing. She is really awesome and last month we met live! She came here with ther Dad because there was a postcrossing meeting in Helsinki later on. I didn't attend the meeting but she sent me this card and it had the signatures of every partisipant there. Thank you so much OnTheMoon<3.

It's funny how these cards always suprise me after a sucky day. I hope that postcards or snailmail in general wont be extinct in the future. It'd be horrible and unfair.

3 million cards have been sent through postcrossing!!! Cool! Feel like trying it?

Solid

Ah, the 80´s.

I've been really tired and sombre lately because I'm just sick of my hectic schedule. I did my final English exam and I've still got one more exam to go. In addition, I also need to do normal school work and exams. I'm so tired. I also feel really numb and useless since this is what I've been practising for and now the time has come to give my all and I don't know if I've got it in me. I'm just having moodswings because of lack of sleep. This will be over soon.

On the day I did my English exam I was really exhausted after sitting for six hours. I just threw my school bag somewhere when getting home, I put the radio on and increased the volume. I started singing really loud and I danced to really random but awesome music from the old good days. I just danced for several minutes. Note, people could see into my room because I hadn't closed my windows drapes. I didn't care. It was so much fun (yes, I guess it was sad in a way).

Here are some of the songs I coreographed that evening. These are my favourite since I love the music from the 80´s. It was such cool time, I mean look at their hair (Solid) their clothes..!

Well enjoy these (very corny) videos. (Well, I guess that's too much to ask.. just watch it and imagine me dancing in a way that's alot like the final scene in Little Miss Sunshine.)

Oh, and have a nice weekend :)

la joie compléte

Last October was the best October in my life, I think. For nearly two weeks, I was able to flee from hard work and grey surroundings into merry walks on the beach. I noticed that I hadn't written anything about it here, which is really weird. There are so many awesome memories that I can't even find words to discribe my feelings, so I'll use pictures. I've got hundreads of pictures but I'll only show the ones that are somewhat special.

The trip to France was a short exchange thing. A group of French students were visiting Tampere and our school in February 2008, if I remember right. Some of those who studied French plus some extras (like me) accommodated them. Then in October, it was our turn to go there.

This is the hotel we were staying in. It was full of other students like us. I left my beautiful umbrella there. I had bought it from London. (It was from H&M though)


The place was modern. This 'thing' changed colour and had different countries on it plus greetings with various languages. Can you spot a country you know?


The stairs of Arc de Triomphe were two much. They were so narrow and seemed like they'd never end. When going down, I started feeling really dizzy but I couldn't stop because people were coming behind...

Carousels, they were all over the place.


I spied on some soldier people from the top of the Arc.


Oh lala.

SO many motorbikes.


My friends and I were let inside a Louis Vuitton shop on this famous road. HAHAHA.


The birds near the Eiffel towe really loved attention. They were posing. I ain't lying.


This time Paris didn't appear as the city of love and romance. Don't know why.


The first time I was in Paris, I used the lift. This time I walked. It was breathtaking in the words every meaning.

It was so weird seeing the European Union shortened this way.

The tower is pretty only, when you look from a long distance.

Too many buildings. It was shocking since in Tampere there are several lakes plus forests in the city...

Ahhh.. the nightlife.


What a funny name for a restaurant (?)


I used to have a crush on Quasimodo. The inside and the atmosphere of the cathedral was amazing. It was phenomenal. In away, I wish tourists wouldn't bother the masses being held there. They talk out (really) loud even though some people are trying to worship. Rude.


This man was so funny. He had a bowl with a fish on it on his head and he was doing tricks with some kinds of pieces... Why were people just ignoring him!?


Ahhh Montmartre, the place where all the artists live. I could see myself living in these buildings. Well, atleast in my dreams :)


a super duper fast TGV train that made my ears pop in tunnels.


PART TWO - La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, France

a STUD FARM isn't a place that'd come to my mind when I'd think of things to show of the place I live in...
... the guide was nice though.


I adore these houses. They are so simple and beautiful.


Les Sables-d'Olonne. Amazing. I can still hear the sound of the sea when I consentrate. It was just awe-strucking. I can't believe that experiencing the Atlantic is part of someones everyday life.


Les Sables-d'Olonne was the place where the Vendée-Globe sailing competition begins. We weren't allowed to see them though.

It is also a place where rich pensioners go and spend their money.


It was so hot! And it was October! I had just bought new wintershoes...


Enchanted.


We were able to walk in the bottom of the Atlantic ocean because of the tide.

People came to pick moule, mussels, their national delicacy. They actually served French fries with mussels in the restaurants. Moule frites. Well.. what ever makes you happy, I guess.

Mmmmmm... Moule

a road under the water.

a pilar you could hang on if you would not notice the water coming on time. (how can you not see the atlantic coming towards you?)

We went to explore other villages and when we later came back, voilá. It was so cool! And fortunately no one was hanging on the pilars.


This is me finishing my first fondue(= you dip pieces of bread into melted cheese). It was so nice. The family had a game that if you drop your bread into the cheese, the rest of the people could order you to do what ever they wanted. I, ofcourse, dropped the bread...


I just had a evening chat with my grandmother. She told me about her trip to Germany where she studied the language for several weeks. She told me about all the funny things she did there. So many nice things to remember. I'm thankful that I was able to take this trip even though everything wasn't perfect. Thanks for taking this (long :D) nostalgia journey with me.

Getting old and such

Especially this year I've started to notice that I'm growing older too. It's not only the people arround me. I've changed tremendously from the inside but the outside... I can imagine seeing some old friends after ten years and people will say stuff like: "You haven't changed a bit". I'd totally laugh with them and feel flattared at first until I'd see myself in the mirror next time and see myself wearing a blouse I've had since high school...

Anyway, something about Finnish culture and the school hierarchy in high schools. The week when school starts the new unsure first year students are... in the spotlight - if that's a way to put it. On one day the second year students dress the first year students up in stupid costumes. Dressing boys as girls is very popular for some reason. This year as I heard two senior boys talking with eachother about them and they were worried since the boys actually looked like women in their tight jumpsuits...

So on that special day everything is topsy turvy. The second year students bully the young students arround. Probably it's also a way to prosess bad memories and get rid of grudge. The poor students are made to say stupid things to teachers, survive in the cafeteria with only a knife and respect us final year students (I kind of missed that part though!).

Two years ago I had really mean masters. I had to sing to an old couple. They were nice though. They tied me on to a boy with cellophane and then we had to walk together, which was really awkward. Then we had to lie on the ground in the middle of town whenever we heard a whistle, and yes, I was still tied to the guy. Last bat not least, we were strapped on to a tree and some random tourist came and started filming me.. us... Ok, well to be fair, I had a slave the next year and I dressed her as a chicken.

The day is supposed to be fun and most of the time it is. I mean, honestly everyone prefers playing arround over a normal school day. Sometimes some maniacs start to get rough and violent even so in some schools they've banned the "festival". Against all odds, this topsy-turvy day usually makes everyone feel happy. Ah! There's is nothing like the feeling of togetherness (and the price you have to pay... lol)