FIFA World Cup 2010 FDC with Stamp Sheet from France

What a beautiful First Day Cover it is? I fell in love with this cover at the first instance. The cover was sent to me by Eric Contesse from his blog at "Blog Timbre de ma Philatelie". Thanks a lot Eric! 

The FDC featuring the Souvenir sheet of four stamps from France issued on the event of FIFA World Cup 2010 being played in South Africa . The Stamp sheet and FDC were issued on 13 Jun 2010 and depicts football players, player & ball, Pretoria’s Parliament Building, View of Capetown & Flags of Countries playing the FIFA World Cup.

Shandur Polo Festival, Pakistan 2006

Shandur Polo Festival is arranged in July every year and a traditional Polo Match is played between the teams of Gilgit and Chitral at the highest Polo Ground of the World in Shandur. Shandur is located at a height of 3,700 m (12,650 ft) above mean sea level at the border of Gilgit and Chitral Districts.

Shandur Polo Event is a traditional event dating back to old colonial times. In 1930s, then British Political Agent in the area Major Evelyn Cobb was extremely fond of playing Polo and he initiated playing Polo in the moonlight of Shandur. The first Polo Tournament at Shandur took place in 1936.
Since then, Shandur Polo Festival is held almost every year and guests are invited from all over the globe to witness the event.
To celebrate the event, a camping village is set up at Shandur and various activities like folk music and dancing are held. Shandur Polo Festival is held in the 2nd week of July every year and offers activities like trout fishing, trekking, mountaineering, horse riding and folk music performances.
In 2006, Pakistan Post issued a Rs 5 Commemorative Stamp to celebrate the event.
You can see some beautiful Pictures of Shandur Polo Festival here.

Pakistan FDC featuring Nishan-e-Haider Winners

Here is one of my personal favorites from my collection. Its a FDC from Pakistan featuring two of the eleven (including Saif Ali Janjua who was awarded Hilal-e-Kashmir in 1948, which was afterwards made equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider) recipients of the Highest Military Award of Pakistan - Nishan-e-Haider.

Both stamps are for Rs 4 denomination and were issued on 6 September 2002 - the Day being celebrated as the Defence of Pakistan Day every year. It was on this day in 1965 that India launched a dawn attack on Pakistan's territory without a war declaration BUT Pakistan Armed Forces fought valiantly and bravely. They beat back the attack and inflicted heavy losses over the attacker.

Nishan-e-Haider is awarded to military personnel for extraordinary bravery in combat. 9 out of 10 awards have been received by Pakistan Army while 1 has been received by Pakistan Airforce.

The stamp on the right features Sawar Muhammad Hussain while the stamp on left shows Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz. Here is a brief account of their heroic actions:-

• Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (Shaheed), Nishan-e-Haider. 
  Born in Pind Malikan (now Mahfuzabad, Rawalpindi District) on October 25, 1944, Muhammad Mahfuz joined the Army on October 25, 1962. When war broke out in 1971, Lance Naik Mahfuz was serving in "A" Company of 15 Punjab Regiment deployed on the Wagah-Attari Sector. On the night of December 17-18, his company was assigned the task of occupying Phul Kanjri village located in the section. Platoon No. 3, to which Lance Naik Mahfuz belonged, was the forward unit in the assault and had to face torrential volleys of enemy fire from concrete Pill boxes. When the Company was about 70 yards from the Indian position, it was pinned down by unceasing frontal and cross fire from automatic weapons of the enemy. With the break of dawn, the enemy artillery also opened up. Fighting like a man possessed, Mahfuz, whose machine-gun was destroyed by an enemy shell, took over a light machine-gun from a gunner who had already fallen and advanced towards an enemy bunker from which automatic fire had inflicted heavy casualties on his Company. Wounded in the legs by shell splinters, he continued to fire, dragging himself forward. At the bunker he got up with almost superhuman effort and pounced on the enemy and was hit at point-blank range. His weapon dropped from his hand, but despite being unarmed and mortally wounded, he caught hold of an Indian Soldier and began to strangle him when another Indian bayoneted him to death.
  After the ceasefire, the Commander of the enemy admitted to his Pakistani counter-part in a meeting that the like of the courage and tenacity displayed by Lance Naik Mahfuz had seldom been witnessed before.
   
• Sawar Muhammad Hussain (Shaheed), Nishan-e-Haider. Born in Dhok Pir Bakhsh (now Dhok Muhammad Hussain Janjua) on June 18, 1949, Sawar Muhammad Hussain joined the Army on September 3, 1966 and was trained as a driver. When war broke out in 1971, he was in 20 Lancers. Though only a driver, he took active part in every battle his unit was engaged in. He would take over a machine-gun and fire on the enemy, unmindful of any danger no matter how grave. On December 5, 1971, he went from trench to trench delivering ammunition to our men in the Zafarwal-Shakargarh Area, braving intense shelling and direct fire from enemy tanks and infantry. On the following day, he went out with four fighting patrols and undertook most hazardous missions. On December 10, he spotted the enemy digging in near village Harar Khurd along our Minefield and informed the second- in-command of his unit. He moved, on his own initiative, from one anti-tank gun to another directing the crew to fire accurately at enemy tanks, and was thus responsible for the destruction of sixteen enemy tanks. At 1600 hours on December 10, while directing fire from one of our recoilless rifles, he was hit on the chest by a burst of machine-gun fire from an enemy tank and thus died in action.
  Sawar Muhammad Hussain had the distinction of being the first Jawan to be awarded Nishan-e-Haider.
  Source: Pakistan Post Official Website

Sony PSP Stamp - Are there real stamps too?

Hi friends!
I came across this magnificent stamp featuring Sony PSP on internet. I know that they are fake but I still love them.

 And the 2nd one too!

Which one did you like?
Are there any real stamps with themes like Sony PSP, Nintendo, etc?

India: 50th Anniversary of 62 Cavalry

One of my personal favorites is this magnificently designed First Day Cover (FDC) from India.

The stamp and the FDC; featuring the king of the battlefield - A Tank; were issued to mark 50th Anniversary of 62 Cavalry - An armoured regiment of Indian Army.

The Rs 5 stamp and FDC were issued on 1 April 2006.
What do you think about this beautiful stamp and the cover?

Youm-e-Takbeer - The Day when Pakistan Conducted 1st Nuclear Test

"Youm-e-Takbeer" was NOT a day like all others but it was special day which turned Pakistan into A PROUDER PAKISTAN - A STRONGER PAKISTAN!!!
This beautiful stamp from Pakistan was issued on 28 May 1999 - the first anniversary of "Youm-e-Takbeer" - The day when Pakistan conducted its first Nuclear Test. The Rs 5 stamp shows the site of the nuclear tests at Chaghi, Balochistan.

Brief History of the Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Issue.
What started in 1974 when India conducted their first nuclear test at Pokhran Range in Rajhistan, ended on 28 May 1998 when Pakistan successfully carried out its first nuclear test in Chaghi, Balochistan. Since its a hobby blog, therefore, I don't want to spark a controversy but here is just a run down of events:-

• India conducted its first nuclear test in Pokhran Range, Rajisthan in 1974.
• In 1974, Pakistan started its nuclear program.
• As per Pakistani Atomic Scientists, by early 1980s, Pakistan was in a position to test detonate its device but did not step forward because of various reasons including International Pressure.
• On 11 May 1998, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee surprised everyone by announcing that India has conducted 3 nuclear tests earlier that day.
• Two days later on 13 May 1998, India conducted two more nuclear tests, surprising the international observers.
• Under immense pressure from public and continued humiliating statements from Indian leaders, Pakistan finally decided to respond by testing its own nuclear technology.
•  On 28 May 1998, at 3:16 pm Pakistan conducted its first nuclear test in Chaghi, Balochistan. Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices in total. The time has been termed as "Pakistan's Finest Hour".
• In an TV address to the nation, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif congratulated the Pakistani nation and said that "Today, we have settled a score and have carried out 5 successful nuclear tests.
• Pakistan had become the world s 7th nuclear power and the first nuclear weapons state in the Islamic World. Two days later, Pakistan conducted its sixth nuclear test at Kharan, a flat desert valley 150 km to the south of the Ras Koh Hills.
• The day was remembered as "Youm-e-Takbeer". 

May 28, 1998 - Pakistan's quest for Self-Reliance

LONG LIVE PAKISTAN!!!

Yugoslavia Olympics Cover - Seoul Olympics 1988

After a long time of absence, here is a magnificent First Day Cover from Former Yugoslavia or Jugoslavija. The FDC was issued on the event of 24th Olympic Summer Games held at Seoul, South Korea.

The FDC features an absolutely gorgeous Miniature Sheet from Jugoslavija. The Olympics FDC and miniature sheet were issued on 21 March 1988.
Do you collect Olympics Theme? If you have any Olympics FDCs to swap, please feel free to leave me a message below.
I am even interested in getting all FDCs or stamps issued for T20 CricketWorld Cup 2010 and FIFA Football World Cup 2010, if your country is issuing any..... Do you have any?

Facebook's Farmville Postage Stamps

Have you played Farmville on Facebook ever?

Farmville is definitely the latest online farming craze....

I just thought that it would be fun sharing these beautiful stamps with you. I am sure that you will love these beautiful Farmville Postage Stamps. 

To see the remaining stamps and read more about them; Click here: Farmville Postage Stamps

Long live Pak-China Friendship - FDC from Pakistan

Here is a beautiful FDC which I promised to share with you some days ago. This lovely FDC was issued by Pakistan Post on October 1' 2009 at the auspicious occasion of  60th Anniversary of People's Republic of China along with a Rs 10 Coin issued by State Bank of Pakistan.

Pak-China friendship spans over half a century, and is imbused by a high degree of trust and commonality of interests. It has matured into a comprehensive strategic partnership, of immense mutual interest and of special significance for Pakistan’s security and economic development.

The all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan has withstood the test of time and has prospered notwithstanding changes in the international, regional and domestic environment. Both sides are committed to strengthening good-neighborliness and friendship, developing cooperation and deepening strategic relations between China and Pakistan. There is a mutual recognition that it serves fundamental interests of the two countries and people, and will promote peace and development in the region.

Political fundamentals of the relations remain sound, and are reflected in the frequent high-level exchanges, bilateral cooperation, understanding and support for each other’s position at international forum and extensive coordination enables the two sides to exchange views on the evolving strategic and global issues. Cooperation at multilateral forums is also proceeding satisfactorily.

Pakistan was one of the first group of countries to recognize China with diplomatic relations being established on May 21, 1951 Since then, China and Pakistan have witnessed smooth development of friendly and neighborly relations as well as mutually beneficial cooperation.
On 60^th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China Pakistan Post issued this beautiful Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs.5/- denomination on 01, October 2009.
You can see the coin with the flags of Pakistan and Chinaissued on the same date by clicking at:
Pakistan issues Rs 10 Coin to commemorate 60th Anniversary of China

Beautiful Pakistan Coin with Flags of Pakistan and china

Isn't it magnificent??? This beautiful Pakistan Commemorative Coin was issued on the 60th Anniversary of People's Republic of China on October 1' 2009. The coin is of Rupees 10 and says "Pak-China Friendship Zindabad" or in English it can be translated as "Long Live Pakistan-China Friendship".
I do have a couple of extra copies if some one is interesting in swapping!

A Commemorative Postage Stamp and a First Day Cover (FDC) were also issued on the occasion, which can be seen here: Pakistan FDC Issued on 60th Anniversary of China

How can you miss this Pakistan-Philippines Joint Issue???

Lately Pakistan Post has issued this beautiful stamp on the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Pakistan and Philippines.  The stamp was issued on 9 Sep 2009 and is of Rs 5 denomination.

"Pakistan and the Philippines have always enjoyed friendly and cordial relations. Both countries were partners in defunct SEATO. There are many commonalities between the two countries. Both are Asian and developing countries and share the common objectives of peace and development. The two countries also share the experience of colonial past and have large English speaking populations. Both countries have been supporting each others candidatures at various international fora."

I know that there is a huge number of stamp, FDC and Postcard collectors in Philippines and I am sure that None of them will like to miss this one. I also love it when some other country features Pakistan flag on any philatelic material..... Its always a MUST-HAVE item for any one in Philippines at least.

The Magnificent Fasting Buddha FDC - Gandahara Civilization; Pakistan

Issued on 21 July 1999, this beautiful First Day Cover (FDC) is awesome. The two different views of the FASTING BUDDHA - Siddharatha are shown on two stamps of Rs 7 denomination each. The set forms part of Archeological Heritage of Pakistan Collection.
I have already posted complete details of the magnificent piece of art which was crafted long ago. You can see the details at:
Fasting Buddha Details     and    Fasting Buddha Postcard

WOW!!! 10,000+ Visitors

Finally a 5th Star has been added to my blog visitor counter. Now it has more than 10,000 visitors since its inception in last December. Thanks a lot pals for being regular visitors.
Here I would also like to decide to update the blog more frequently.
At the moment the blog counter shows: 10100 as:-

*** Results of 1st Cool Cover Contest ***

Hello friends!

Although the results were supposed to be announced on 21 Aug 09 but they got delayed due to some commitments. Sorry for a long delay but here are the results for the 1^st Cool Cover Contest:-

Top 5 Prizes:

1^st Prize goes to Jack from USA

2^nd Prize goes to Ronny Wong from Malaysia

3^rd Prize winner is Samantha from Finland

4^th Prize goes to Hermitz from Turkey

5^th Prize goes to SueFitz from USA

5 Complimentary Prizes:

Sheila

Bradpetehoops

Dorincard

Mamba2

Hummingbird

Congrats to all the winners.

Please send me an email with your address at faisalcheema44@gmail.com and I shall do my best to send you the prizes as soon as possible. You can also mention your preferences keeping in view your won prizes. :)

You can check out the prizes at:

Prizes for 1st Cool Cover Contest

Keep your fingers crossed for the next contest which will be coming soon!!!

Best Regards

#22: Slovakia; Beijing Olympics 2008 FDC

A magnificent FDC from Slovakia is here. It is one of my personal favorites from the Olympics theme. The beautiful stamp shows a female athlete doing long jump where as many different sports men and women are shown on the left side playing various sports. Indeed very fascinating. The postmark also depicts a sportsman. the stamp is issued on 4 Jun 2009.

#21: Kenya; Real-Posted Cover with Kasarani Stadium and Orchids

I absolutely like this cover with nice stamps, especially I love the large stamp with a multi-purpose football stadium which is a joint issue stamp issued on the 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Kenya and China. It is one of the two stamps issued on the occasion and the face value is 66 shillings. The second stamp of 21 shillings features a portion of Mombasa Road

The multi-purpose Kasarani Stadium featured on the stamp is part of the Moi International Sports Center in Kasarani, in the outskirts of Nairobi. The stadium was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. Currently the stadium is being used primarily for the Football matches. A Gymnasium and an aquatic complex are also part of the Sports Center.

The remaining 3 stamps are part of a set of 18 definitives issued by Kenyan Post in 2001. It took me a long time to verify this fact.

Interestingly none of the stamps have been cancelled using post-marks. Total postage used on the cover is 308 Shillings. The cover was sent by Aliya Bauer from Kenya with nice phonecards.

#20: Macedonia; Real-Posted Cover with Angry Fish – Not Willing To See Each Other’s Face Even :(

WOW!!! Fish also have human-like expressions. For instance just see these two fish on the cover posted from Macedonia. They look as angry as two humans who have sworn not to see each other’s face after a quarrel. Isn’t it so??? :)

This beautiful cover was waiting for a long time to be posted on the blog. I received it in 2007. Its a really beautiful cover from Skopje, Macedonia.

The two fish stamps on the cover are part of a set of 4 fish stamps issued by Macedonia Post in 2007. It sure is a magnificent set of Fish Stamps from Macedonia.

#19: France; Harry Potter Stamps 2007

I absolutely love this cover from France. The cover features characters from my favorite book series – “Harry Potter”. I started reading the first part of the book on the recommendation of a younger sis and could not quit reading until I was finished with all the seven parts of the series.

I have also gone through the initial movies of the series. Although they are magnificently made but still they are NO match to the books. JK Rowling definitely Rules!!!

The above stamps were issued by France on 17 March 2007. "Fete Du Timbre" printed on the stamps means "Celebration of Stamps". The three stamps feature Harry Potter (Two stamps on Left), Hermione Granger (Top right) and Ronald Weasley (Bottom right).

The remaining stamps pasted on the cover were issued in 2005. The French stamps of 0.01 and 0.05 Euro feature Marianne. Marianne is a symbol of Republican France. A Marianne is a portrait of a proud and determined woman wearing a "Phrygian Cap". She symbolizes the attachment of the common citizens of the revolution to the Republic - Marianne is liberty, egality and fraternity. The one shown on these stamps is Lamouche Marianne. Thanks to Contesse Eric for this beautiful cover.

Another miniature sheet was also issued on the occasion which I have already shared in a previous post. It can be seen here:-

Harry Potter Miniature Sheet from France 2007

#18: Pakistan: 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight (1903-2003)

Here is a beautiful FDC from Pakistan. It is a lovely cover issued on the centenary celebrations of the First Powered Flight in 2003. 2003 marked a historic year in aviation. On 17 December 1903, the sands of Kitty Hawk, North California witnessed a breathtaking spectacle in human history. On this epoch-making date, a 100 years ago, two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, stunned the world by staging a successful flight in their first piloted biplane. Their intense preoccupation with flying was fuelled not by economic necessity but mostly from their imaginative determination to cross one of the last technological barriers to human flight-stability in the air. The event changed the course of history. The year 2003 therefore was a year to celebrate the past and embrace the future.

At the dawn of the centennial year of powered flight on 17 December 2003, aviation technology has traversed a long distance, interspersed with phenomenal strides, over the past one hundred years. This is true of all kinds of aviation-commercial, general , military and space-focused. In just 100 years man has progressed from those first hesitant hops to conquering the globe and beyond it into space. Distances have amazingly shrunk, and man has already stepped on the moon. Every place on earth is now only hours away-rather than weeks or months before the aeroplane. The story of the preceding century is one of unceasing innovation, vision and outstanding courage in unlocking the secrets of flight and extending the boundaries of performance.

Air power, it appears, has acquired for itself the mantle of authority to fulfill the prophecies of its ardent advocates like Glulo Douhet, and perhaps exceeds his vision of the potential of air bombardment. Winston Churchill, minced no words in acknowledging the role of air power when he stated:

"For good or ill, air mastery is today the supreme expression of military power. And fleets and armies, however necessary and important must accept subordinate rank. This is a memorable milestone in the march of man."

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of powered flight, 2 x commemorative postage stamps were issued by Pakistan Post which reflect its deep sense of belonging to this historic moment. The set is one of my personal favorites. I absolutely love them.

Buy A Place on Earth and Take Your Business or Blog to the Next Level

After a long time, yesterday I came across this beautiful website which struck my imagination. The idea behind the website is so intriguing and unique that I could not resist sharing it with all of you. I have spent hours finding various places, exploring different towns and watching magnificent monuments on Google Earth but even then I had never thought of this matchless plan.

The website offers a 3D Earth which is available for advertising purposes. You can avail this opportunity and buy a place on earth to advertise your business or hobbies. While it is becoming extremely difficult to buy some land in real world, you can lay your hands on this gorgeous prospect to buy a chunk of 3D earth. Complete earth is available for sale and you can become the proud owner of any city, country, continent or ocean. You can even purchase entire planet and place your company logo on it.

The basic idea of the site is based on 3D Pixel Advertising. It is a distinctive initiative to use earth for advertising purposes. I went through the site repeatedly and every time I discovered fresh reasons to use it to advertise my blog. Some of these motives are as follows:-

1. The uniqueness of the idea offers a great opportunity for the business holders and blog owners because your business space will be viewed by billions of users around the globe. 3D Earth can be spun or zoomed to view the ads closely. Its 3D format makes it interesting and attracts audience from every corner of the planet.
2. The place you buy today will display your ad forever. Above all you do not have to pay monthly or yearly fees afterwards.
3. The price of the space on the 3D earth is extremely low, which enables you to buy large pieces of land to promote your business.
4. 3D pixel advertising attracts more visitors than any other form of advertising. The pictures/ logos provided by the business owners will be placed on earth. By clicking these pictures/ logos, your visitors will be able to access your web space. It has proved to be a highly respected form of advertising.
5. 3D Earth can work as a matchless web directory in an exclusive and unparalleled way.

Although this post is not related to my blog theme but still I could not resist the idea of buying a place on Earth. I know that it is tough to compete in today’s business environment but this beautiful website provides you a chance to stand tall among your competitors. The site is advantageous to long term businessmen as well as to the blog owners/ forum moderators who want huge traffic to their places.

So to book your land on 3D Earth, you can visit “Buy a Place on Earth” now and take your business to the next level.