Confessions of an American

"I've been with my boyfriend for almost three years but yesterday I realized that my feelings for him are a lie and that I've been in love with another the whole time... I feel utterly hopeless at the moment but I'll hold hope I'll work it all out."

From Turku, Finland

"Hi! Couple of months ago, I found out that one of my internet friend is a Muslim. Since that I have lost numerous wrong believes. He opened my eyes to see that not everyone hast he same view to the world."

Uhhh, way to go dude?

Postcard from Austria

"My name is A and I'm 26 years old.

• I like sex toy parties :-)
• I wish that I'll meet "P" again this summer (he lives 10,000kms from here)
• Love is so complicated... but I love to love :-)

Have a wonderful summer..."

Postcard from Picasso

'Art washes away the dust of everyday life from the soul...' Pablo Picasso

Postcard from New York

"Hello, my name is S. I am 42 years old and I work as a nurse. I am divorced. No love interest at this time but I hope to find love again one day. I'm having 'teenager' problems with my 17 year old son who I love more than anything in this big brutal beautiful world. I'm mostly happy yet sometimes lonely. All the best..."

Postcard: Pig Before a Mirror

"-3 degrees Celcius. Snow & Ice

I'm an 'ordinary' woman, 41 years old and a mother of two girls. I'm getting fatter every day and I just feel like Miss Piggy on this card. That is maybe because I am not at all interested in sex anymore, especially not with my partner who acts like a pig. And to compensate I eat and eat and eat and eat... I feel caged in, in a trap, where I can't get out. I'm desperate and hoping for Spring and Sun and then everything will be better. We have snow since Christmas now. That is beautiful but also it makes one stay at home even more. Sorry for this moaning, just think of it as all made up. Best wishes...."

Postcard from Finland

"The text on this card (Wish you were here) is wrong. It should say 'I wish I was there.' At the moment, I am working as a nurse in the cancer clinic of ... Hospital. I enjoy my job a lot but the salary could be better. Life is a bit of a struggle at the moment as my man isn't working because he can't speak the local language more than about 10 words and he is on sick leave after having a prostate cancer operated about a month ago. So all costs of living are on my shoulders. Well, at least I can afford postcrossing. Take care, best wishes."

Postcard on Love1

"I think love is being attracted to a person and finding him/her as a best company. No, wait. I guess it's not all. You also need to know the person quite good, that it wouldn't be loving an illusion. And.. I think it is not only about giving, but also about receiving, cause that's how I understand connection. So in this case, I haven't loved anybody. Because I am not special enough for the special people I like. So that's all! Take Care!"

Postcard from Poland

Translation: "Sometimes, it seems to me that something is wrong."

Postcard from Malaysia

Postcards of minimalism

This postcard shows one of my favorite things... do you see it?

Postcards from Australia

Postcard from Russia

"Yogurt choses the morning spleen
When it fails, consider a dram.
If you want your life to be clear
Just don't give a damn.

Words are twisted before your eyes
but the burden of them is still yours
Promise not to increase the lies
bar and lock your doors.

God is listening from above
but it's quiet inside, and bleak
Don't increase the sorrow

Postcard from Turkey

'Come, come whatever you are, it doesn't matter whether you are an infidel, an idolater or a fire-worshiper.

Come, our convent is not a place of despair. Come, even if you violated, your swear a hundred times, come again.'

Postcard from China

Postcards from Portugal

'Rocks on the way? Keep them all, one day, I'll build a castle.' Fernando Perroa.

Postcards from Fairies

I had to ask how old she was after registering this postcard. Can you guess?

Hi Jennifer
It is a day after Christmas and we have 10 inches of snow. Brr... cold, too!
My name is R.B. I love listening to music, dancing, reading, going to movies and shopping.
Sometimes I wish I could be a fairy. They are so cute. A fairy like "Tinker Bell" from "Peter Pan" and go around spreading sparkling, and glittering fairy dust over children and making them learn to become fairies. I have seen a bunch of fairy movies and it has always blown my mind how they do that.
Happy Postcrossing! R.B.

(She is over 40.)

Postcards: Introduction

I belong to a postcard swapping group called postcrossings. Basically you sign up and make a profile which includes your mailing address (mine is a PO Box). Then you ask for an address to send a postcard. Each address comes with a code. You send the postcard to the person, writing whatever you'd like. When they get it, they log on, put the code in and the system registers that you sent a postcard. Once you've successfully sent one, your name goes on the list, someone requesting an address gets yours, and voila, you've got mail.

Occasionally a card goes missing in the post or goes unregistered, but its a system that works. I've been postcrossing since 2008 and I have sent out 123 postcards in the past two years and I have received 123 postcards.

When you get someone's address you also get sent their profile. Mine reads:

"I am a 25 year old Canadian/Australian doing volunteer work with refugees from Burma in Thailand. I would love to hear from the world, from someone with imagination, with questions to ask and smiles to give.

Not that this should cramp your style, but if you can't think of something to write (and please tell me something not on your profile), you could try:

• something saucy/sexy/sassy
• a dream/memory/wish
• a poem/philosophy/pondering
• what you know about love "

People actually write all kinds of things. The most boring people write simply: "Happy Postcrossings." But now and again you get some good ones. So that's what I'm going to share. The interesting messages scribbled on backs of cardboard I get from strangers.

Photos Online

Although I haven't had much time to write, I have been taking lots of photos and uploading them few by few, onto Flickr. You can browse the photos i've put online here.

Birthday Celebrations

I know I am seriously behind on my blogging. I will get some photos and stories up soon, I hope.

I'm not sure why, but I started thinking about my birthday (October 28th) quite early this year. I was thinking that although I've been in some amazing places for my birthday over the past five years (Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Nepal, Sri Lanka), I haven't really gotten into the spirit of things much. In fact I haven't really celebrated my birthday with the spirit that birthdays are meant to be celebrated since I was a child. I just happened to be in some cool places and enjoy myself, but it wasn't much different from being in those cool places, enjoying myself on any other day.

That got me to thinking - what could I do to make this year special? The idea of holding a party doesn't really appeal to me. It's a bunch of people over at your house drinking and talking - and how is that different than any other weekend except I'd have to clean up afterwards?

I started thinking about my life and what give me joy and what makes my days special and I started to get an idea...

Then, when I went to the big birthday party at one of the local schools, it all came together. My favorite thing to do, the highlight of my week and the time I have the most fun, is when I'm with kids singing and dancing. The best birthday parties I had were when I was a kid and we all just ran around playing and being silly. So this year, my birthday is all about kids and the things kids do: three-legged races, cake, prizes, games and dancing. Lots of laughter and lots of fun.

I think it's going to be really special because the kids I'm sharing my birthday with this year have never had a birthday party before and although they've celebrated the birth of lots of other people, nobody has ever celebrated THEIRS. In fact, sometimes it seems quite to opposite. So there will be 51 birthday cakes this year and a whole lot of joy.

You can read more about the event here including information about how you can participate, if you'd like. You could send birthday cards, stickers, party hats, balloons - anything you think children would love on their special day. The party is on October 31st and if you're in the neighbourhood (which is Thailand), please get in touch for directions.

That's how I come to find myself excited about my birthday for the first time in... well, a long time.