Sunday, February 8, 2015

(Lilianka) Incoming from Lilico!

Hello this is Lilianka (again)! Today I am going to write something exciting ;) I just got my very first letter from my dear Lilico! Oh I was (and still) so happy to receive it!! No need long intro, here I show you all~
Look at these beauties!
Full of Hello Kitty just like I love it!! And here are the closer look..
This super ADORE-able Hello Kitty Card!
Guess what.. It is a 3 Dimensionals card!
This kawaii kitty gotochi strap~
Lilico even sent me a polaroid photo of Kitty
Aaaand... this shopping bag...
Lilico you spoiled me too much! I can't be happier than this! Actually Lilico's package took pretty long to arrive (Idk lately it takes too long to send something to Japan and vice versa; but I think everything is fine now; I've got a package yesterday from Japan and it is only took like 8 days to arrive) it was almost a month! But this is worth to wait, and I am very glad Lilico's package was arrived safely at my house. I will send the reply tomorrow and I hope she'll loves my package as much I love hers.

Thank you so much Lilico-Chan! Wait for my reply ;)

Sunday, February 1, 2015

(Lilianka) January Incoming&Outgoing

Hello! Sorry for a long time without post :( My school has started and I am having a new part time job. Those activities left me pretty exhausted these past two weeks. But anyway I will try my harder to keep writing here regularly *promise*!

And this is my January mails recapitulation ;)

1. INCOMINGS

From Jane in Singapore (Penpal)
Jane sent me a beautifully written letter in 2 languages (Japanese and English) since she is fluent in both (and Chinese too in addition!). Her Japanese handwriting is really pretty (with a vibe of Chinese alphabet too), it is small and tidy and full of personality! I am working on replying her mail soon!

*****
From Mimi in Slovakia (Tea Swap)
This tea package consists of 3 teabags (which I already try them all). The one with honey was my favorite! Mimi's handwriting reminds me of my Slovakian sister's (is it typical Slovakian's handwriting?). I enjoy her sweet incoming, and I hope we can swap again sometimes in the future.

*****

From Emma in Sweden (Tea Swap)
Emma sent me extra teabags and I was really happy. The apple and tranbar tea was super delish! I hope I can have some more :3 I still have the Tazo tea and the cholesterol tea, and thinking about the right timing to try it.

*****
From Hatsue in Japan (Penpal)
When I first saw her package in my mailbox I was like... Wow! When I unwrapped her package it was even more that wow, I was petrified! She sent me masking tapes (those are my very first masking tapes ever!), gotochi postcard (also my very first gotochi postcard collection), flowery patterned origami papers, yummy instant coffee, and rilakuma goodies; of course I can't ask for more! Hatsue-san wrote me in Japanese (it helps me improve my Japanese a lot!), and I can't wait to send her my reply!

*****
From Roxy in Czech Republic (Tea Swap)
Another tea swap package came from Czech Republic. I am really into tea swap recently and Roxy sent me these 4 tea bags (which I think it is mostly germany teas?). Roxy's handwriting is very neat and pretty, I love how she wrote my name on the envelope!

*****
From Piia in Finland (Tea Swap)
It's Moomin teas! Oh my God I love it so much~ I tried two of 'em already; and the blueberry muffin tea was ah-may-zing!! It smells sweet like muffin but taste like blueberry, I was in love with this tea! I have no heart to rip the package and using an x-acto knife to make a very smooth opening. I was thinking to put all the tea bags I received in an album somehow :D


2. OUTGOINGS

For Kelly in Taiwan (Tea Swap)
I sent this horsey themed tea package to Kelly in Taiwan. I really love this horse wrapping paper and decide to make this envelope. I haven't got any info is this package alread arrived safely in her house or not; but I hope I'll know it soon :)

*****
For Minju in Korea (penpal)
As I mention before in my previous post (click here to read) I decided to write to one of my very first penpal, Minju. We've met before and became a really good friend, she knows how I love Hello Kitty and I decided to write her a Hello Kitty themed letter. She messaged me through facebook said that my mail reached her already and she is already working on her reply. I can't wait to catch up with her letter!

*****
For Eaman in England (penpal)
Eaman is my book-in-crime friend. Just like me, she is a voracious reader and reading is part of our life. We talked a lot in whatsapp, and decided to try penpaling (she was really new with penpalling thingy, and I guess she is pretty excited). She received my letter few days ago and I just can't wait for her reply ;)

*****
To Mimi (in Slovakia) and Piia (in Finland) - Tea Swap
As you saw in the incomings section, Mimi and Piia sent me tea packages. So, these are my packages for them. I used modern calligraphy (I wasn't really good at it but I love to do it!) to wrote their names and address. Both were arrived safely at their house.

*****
For Amber (in Hong Kong) and Kasia (in Poland) - Tea Swap
Here are the last outgoing batch of January. I sent 2 packages of teabags to Hong Kong and Poland. I used outdates Indonesian president campaign print ads as envelopes and those turn out pretty nice. I can't wait for these two lovelies to arrive at the destinations!

*****
Those are my incomings and outgoings for January. I hope I can consistently writing (and receiving :p) mails in the upcoming months!

Ciao!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

(Lilico) Cuteness Overload.


Hey :D Sorry I haven't been posting. I just finished my final exams and English test (I have one more exam on Feb 7th though but I think it's gonna be easy so yeah) and I finally can post on our blog! I'm pretty confident about Modern Japanese, anyway. hehe
Okay, so I went to take an English test today and after that, I went shopping. I wanted some letters and postcard to send my penpal & postclosser so I bought some. I also bought a pen, a notepad, a box organizer, stickers and masking tape. I've always wanted the organizer so I'm glad I finally could buy it!


The stickers actually look fluffy. I already have the cat and bear one but I bought more. lol

Valentine's day is coming soon so a store I went has been ready for it. The inside of the store looks really pink and cute. <3




(Many postcards for the valentine's day.)


HEAVEN~~~~


ʚɞ



I love collecting office supplies so I can't move and stay forever when I find a stationary section.. I wanna buy all of them~~ Who doesn't?? ٩꒰´·⌢•`꒱۶⁼³₌₃

Btw, I found something cute today!! Pusheen the cat!! I didn't know him until today because he's not popular in Japan. I'm in love with him now ꒰˘̩̩̩⌣˘̩̩̩๑꒱♡





Awwww I. can't. even. breath.





(*♡0♡*)
"So lazy can't move"



SAME


:p





Sunday, January 11, 2015

(Lilianka) New Year Cards

Hello it's Lilianka again!

Since it's still January, so it is never too late for a new year card. Actually I just received 3 beautiful new year cards yesterday, and really want to write about these cards!

Here in Indonesia, it is pretty uncommon to send greeting cards; it might be normal decade before, but nowadays is mostly no one send greeting cards (and mails, and postcards) anymore. Well, a few of loyal snailmail lovers are still doing it though, including me; I sent around 20 new year cards to my friends (which of course I don't ask anything in return, I just want my friends to feel the happiness of receiving a nice and special card). I expected that I'll receive one new year card this year (because there was only one who asked for my address and said that she is sending me a card), so receiving 3 cards instead is a shock; a-happy-kinda-shock.

New year cards which I received! Two is from Japan and one is from Belgium

Here I am going to tell you the story behind these 3 beauties ;)

For your info, I am a Hello Kitty fans, that's why this card is definitely a pure delight for me. It was sent by my beautiful modern calligraphy teacher, Miss Chia who went to Japan for christmas and new year holiday. I tried to do swap for this particular card but since actually I am not a card swapper, I have not so many postcard collection to be swapped (and no one who has this card wanted to do swap with me). Luckily, I saw Miss Chia's instagram account and found out that she had this card and going to send them; I commented on her photo (without hoping that she might send me this card) and fortunately she decided to send me one of this card. Thank you once again Miss Chia! I love this Hello Kitty new year card sooooo much!



The second one is also comes from Japan but I didn't expect that she actually sending me a new year card. It was sent by my new penpal, Hatsue. I sent her a letter like two month ago and it reached her safely. I am waiting for her letter (patiently of course, patient is the spirit of snailmailing activities :p) and I wasn't prepared to receive such a nice new year card. She said to me to wait for her actual reply (which is a letter), and I am already sooo happy by only receiving this card. Thank you Hatsue! I will wait for your letter :)




The last one came from my friend, Sastri who is going to Gent, Belgium to continuing her master degree. I also didn't expect that she is sending me a card; I remember she asked me my address before she went to Belgium but still it was such a nice surprise! This is actually just a regular postcard, but her message makes this card a new year card. She wrote in full dutch language but somehow I managed to understand what she meant (by intuition hehe). Thank you Sastri for the card! I will definitely write you back shorly!

***************

So that was my story about 3 new year cards which I just received recently. I hope you guys have a wonderful new year too! (As I said, it is still January, never too late for a new year greetings!).

xoxo

Thursday, January 8, 2015

(Lilianka) Indonesia-Japan Golder Year of Friendship Stamps Set

"Pretty mails aren't complete without beautiful stamps."
(Lilianka, 2014)

Since last year, I put more effort into sending a letter. I am not longer satisfied with the standard stamps which is sold at the small post office; I have to get the pretty stamps for my penpals (that's what I think). So now, for twice a month, I have to make a visit to the central post office in my city (which is located pretty far from where I live) to buy the limited edition stamps (which aren't really sold anywhere except at the philately corner of Bandung central post office). Well then to be honest, we don't really have any kawaii design stamps here in Indonesia (unlike in Japan), but sometimes I can found interesting stamp designs a totally have to buy and use it!

Two days ago, I went to a brand new philately corner at the big post office nearby my workplace. And the stamps showcase tease me with the pretty collection of stamps I've never seen before! There are several sets which is really tempted me, but finally my choice had to be this beautiful set of Indonesia-Japan Golden Year of Friendship stamps.

This set contains 50 beautiful stamps (click for more detailed image)
And it comes with an album!
This collection is actually an old collection (issued in 2008), but at that time I didn't do any snailmailing (and I didn't even care about the variety of stamps before 2013 haha). I couldn't find this collection at the central post office because it was issued 7 years ago, and the central post office only displays the last 4 years issued stamps. This collection consists several well known objects from both Indonesia and Japan such as: 
  1. Natural tourist attraction (Indonesia: Kelimutu Lake, Japan: Fuji Mountain)
  2. Famous temple/pagoda (Indonesia: Borobudur, Japan: Pagoda of Toji)
  3. National flower (Indonesia: Rafflesia arnoldii, Japan: Cherry blossom aka Sakura)
  4. Traditional instrument (Indonesia: Angklung, Japan: Gaku Biwa)
  5. Typical Fish (Indonesia: Red Arowana, Japan: Koi)
So the question is, do I collect this or I use it to send mails? The answer is, I definitely use it to send mails. I don't collect stamps, and still couldn't find any reason to do it. For me, stamps are the tools to deliver happiness to others, so why should we keep them for ourself? I don't even collect used stamps, I mean I like where the sender put the stamps on (on the envelope or postcard), and can't even bring myself to take the stamps off from the envelope! So it doesn't even matter to use pretty stamps for your penpals (in my opinion tho).

I bought this set of stamps without made deep thought about it. And when I suddenly realized that this set is totally a symbol of friendship Indonesia and Japan which is related with this blog overall theme; friendship between two girls from Indonesia and Japan. I will definitely use this stamps to send letters for Lilico (I mean this is perfect stamps for her!!). I hope just like our country, we could have a long last and mutual friendship :D (cheesy mode activated, hehe).

So that's all I can share for today, I hope y'all have a very good day/night (depends where you live)!

xoxo

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

(Lilico) Letter

Hello! Lilico here :-)

I'm going to write about "letter" which is my hobby. Yay!

I loved exchanging stickers, letters and friendship books since I was little so I was doing those things so much. Writing letters was an especially wonderful tool for me. I feel the same way even today! 


 
(Papers for letters, envelops, masking tapes and other tools....)
(I'll show more my cute stationaries next post!)

(Postcards)


When I was in elementary school, I moved so many times that I had to say goodbye to my best friends constantly. Although I had a cellphone, most of my friends didn't have one so we talked by using fax or sending letters. My best friends and I exchanged faxes everyday and packed too many letters into a thin envelope for each other. When I was a junior high school student, I used to do snail mail as a tool to communicate with friends who I made on the internet and were big fans of an idol group we both love. (I'm a Eighter :) Do you know what I mean? hehe)
Then I gradually stopped sending letters anymore. Even though I can talk with my friends anytime on LINE or Twitter, it's kind of a sad thing...? All the friends who I exchanged letters with were my best friends. (Of course, we are now too.) I think I can say that letters symbolize the depth of friendships. And so I opened my letter box for taking pictures for posting on this blog.



(This is my letter box :) )


I have glimpsed the inside of the box occasionally, but this time I read almost all of letters that I had received. I felt like meeting my old friends :'( The letters I received when I was little are all amazing and I can say that they are real treasures!

Now then, I have a chance to write letters again! Because I made friends overseas. I exchanged Christmas cards with my friends who live in NY, Texas, and L.A. last month. And I met a friend who came from Russia a few days ago and we also exchanged letters. It was really fun and the cards were really pretty.




(Here are the cards!)



Aren't they sooo cute?? That's why I love letters!
Also, I found a site called Post Crossing. I sent six postcards and  received one postcard so far.


(This card from German. Wow!)

Now, I'm ready for sending letter to Lily. (*^-^*)


See ya!





Monday, January 5, 2015

(Lilianka) My Snailmailing Journey

My snailmailing journey started in 1999. At that time I was 7 years old elementary schooler, living a happy but bored life. My first letters are for my two older cousins who live in another town. I wrote normal plain letters at first, but then I became more creative with my mails; I started sending items too such as stickers, keychain, etc. But then, it was only happened for a few months and then my cousins got bored for writing letters. I had no more penpals at that moment; I grew up, and found more 'convenience' way too communicate (read: cell phone), and my first phase of penpalling journey ended there.

I didn't write letters in my junior high school period neither at the beginning of my senior high school. But then, I've got the chance to be an exchange student in the United States (2009-2010), and found out that not all the places in America are more modern comparing to my homecity (at that time my homecity was Jakarta); I was placed in Hot Springs, Arkansas (and FYI, Arkansas is rather an unfamous state, and Hot Springs is not even the capital of Arkansas). At my host family house at that time we had dial up connection for internet, limited time permit to access the internet (since if you're using the internet with dial up connection, once it is connected, the phone at your house isn't working unless you disconnected the internet connection), and I had no cell phone (gee a 17 years old teenager without cell phone!). Due to limited access in communication, I came back to a more traditional way to interact; writing letters.

I wrote several letters to my friends back home and they wrote me back. But my truly penpal that moment was a fellow exchange student who live in another town in Arkansas. We met once every three months, and wrote to each other like more than twice a month. She was my good friend there, a fellow asian from South Korea; her name is Kim Minju.
Minju (the black hooded one) and I
These are Minju's letters that I still treasure it till now
In our letters, we talked about so many things! From our crushes, our songs preference, language (Minju teached me a little bit of Korean and hanggul alphabet), and many other things! Sadly, once we got back to our country, we didn't write each other anymore :( I just got too busy with my school, college, and any other activities, but I promise myself I will fix it in this year.

Then in college, I started to do more of postcards. I joined the famous postcrossing, and a domestic level of postcard-pal-ing called card to post (you read it like 'kartu pos' and that is the Indonesian word for postcard). It was really fun at the beginning! I received many cards with good illustration, photograph, and even handmade cards. But then, after a few moments, I got bored with it. I mean with postcrossing, you sent many and you'll get many; because of that fact, mostly postcrossers don't even think a lot about what should they write because they send it to random people (that is also happened for me as a former postcrosser). Mostly all the cards that I received only written like this, "Hello my name is XXX, I am from XXX. I hope you like this card." Few people wrote longer, but still because we don't really interact (I send postcard to X, I got reply from Y, and I send another postcard to Z) it doesn't really satisfy me. Then I finally decided to stop; I need something with more effort.

These are few cards that I received through postcrossing

Then here I am, writing and receiving pretty letters. To be honest, I don't have many penpals, I only own like 6 now. That's because I want to keep my penpals close and I can send prettier letter and more packages; I like a more 'intimate penpalling relationship' (well it sounds cheesy somehow haha). Mostly my penpals are Japanese (or Japanese speaker), since I am learning the language. But actually it could be anyone worldwide as long as she/he can 'compel' me to write them :)
Here are typical letters that I write nowadays
Because I put a limit on my penpals number, I've got bored sometimes to wait for my penpals to reply my letter. To overcome this problem, I do swapping once at the moment. I'll find random people who want to trade tea bags/cards (e.g. valentine card, new year card, etc.) and a little letter; we don't become penpal, but occasionally write to each other.
Typical swapping that I do...
So far, I am more than happy with this hobby. As for Lilico, eventhough we're not sending each other anything yet (well, soon Lilico is going to send her very first letter to me tho :D) but you're already my best-best-friend! I already plan what to write you or what to send you once your letter arrived here. I mean, this friendship quality is what you're seeking in penpaling journey right? And I am soooo glad that I found a bestfriend through this way!

This is my snailmailing journey from 1999-2015, a good time to look back and thankful for everything that I have today. Have a blast everyone, ciao!

xoxo









ps: more pictures of my snailmailing (and my other activities) on my instagram account @lmeilani

 
Images by Freepik