KL Meet-Up

So, this the 1st post of 2011. The 1st cards of the year arrived today but i still have a few from 2010 to post. One of them is this one from a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, sent by Lyan "imajica" in December 19th. The postcrossers at this meeting were "imajica", "Lim8", "lalander", "Verlustangst", "Tjclassic8482", "vin_ann" and "newrule".

The postcard and stamp shows Konda-Kondi, a malay traditional game.

"Konda kondi is also known as Perik Mata, and it requires a player to be sharp minded and physically strong, because the game requires the player to preplan a safe direction to flip a piece of wood, and chase the flipped wood to strike out the opponent. This game requires a wide playing field.

The required equipment needed is made of two pieces of stick measuring 15cm and 30cm in length. The sticks are cylindrical and measure 2cm in radius. The shorter stick is called ‘anak’ and the longer stick is called ‘ibu’. A hole 15cm deep is made in the ground to place the longer stick.

To begin the team selection and to determine which team begins first, each team captain adopts the ‘rock-paper-scissors’ duel, and winner begins.

First Round : The first player begins the game by placing the shorter stick across the hole. The longer stick is used to flip the shorter stick into the air, upon which the longer stick will be placed across the hole to replace the flipped shorter stick. Whilst the shorter stick is flipped into the air, the opposing team will attempt to grab the shorter stick before the stick touches the ground (similar to a home run concept in baseball). If the opposing team succeeds, the entire starting team is considered struck out, and the opposing team gets its turn. However if the opposing team fails to catch the flipped stick before it touches the ground, the opposing team member must quickly retrieve the stick and throw the stick with the aim to get the stick into the hole or to touch the longer stick that is now across the hole.

If the thrown stick manages to get into the hole or touch the longer stick, the starting player who originally flipped the stick is consider struck out. But if the thrown stick did not manage to get into the hole or touch the longer stick, the starting player gets points by measuring the distance between the thrown stick’s landed position and the hole, using the longer stick as a measure. For every length of the longer stick, the starting player gets 1 point.

Second Round: From the restart, the starting player will retrieve his shorter stick and gently lobs it in the air, with the aim to hit the shorter stick as far away as possible with the longer stick. He is given three chances, if his first two attempts fall short.

Again, the opposing team will attempt to catch the stick and repeat the earlier process. If unsuccessful, the starting player will again accumulate points, measured as before. The points received in this round are added to previous round.

Third Round: Next, the players will move on to what is called ‘patuk ular’. The player will place the shorter stick against the sides of the hole, and then hit the top portion of the shorter stick with the longer stick so that it flips. If done correctly, the shorter stick will flip in mid air, and the player will attempt to hit the shorter stick as far away as possible with the longer stick. The distance will determine additional points to be scored, measured using the same methodology as before. The team with the most points at the end wins." - in: http://www.johordt.gov.my/bi/pelancongan/page/permainan_tradisional/

Middelburg - Netherlands

I had, still have, a card of Middelburg's Town Hall in my favorites album. Linda "calinnero" said she had a card with the same building and i told her she could tagged me. The card arrived today but the other continues in my album because i want that card with that view even if i already have this card with a different view.

Middelburg is a city in the south-western Netherlands.

Middelburg's Town Hall, built between 1452 and 1458, is one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in the Netherlands.

It was completely destroyed in the 1940 bombing, but after the war it was rebuilt in the original style. On the façade of 1512-13, most of which survived the bombing, are figures of 25 counts and countesses of Zeeland and Holland, under canopies surmounted by fabulous animals.

The windows and doors are closed by red and white shutters - a common practice in the Middle Ages, when windows were not glazed.

Falaj at Salalah - Oman

The other card sent by José is this of with a falah at Salalah, Dhofar in Oman.

"Falaj (pl. aflaaj) means a system for the distribution of water and is commonly used to describe the irrigation channel system downstream of the water's source.

Some aflaaj in Oman were built more than 1,500 years ago, whilst others were built at the beginning of the 20th century. The genius of the Omani builders is evident in the way they tunnelled into the ground to a depth of dozens of metres in order to gain access to the groundwater.

There are now over 4,000 aflaaj scattered throughout the Sultanate, with the highest concentration in Sohar.
When the falaj waters reach the population, the inhabitants draw off their needs and the rest is distributed to agricultural plots according to an exact system of apportioning the hours of the day under the supervision of an elected member of the community. A proportion of the agricultural harvest is allocated as a contribution towards the upkeep of the aflaaj and irrigation ditches.
Since the 1970's the government has taken steps to maintain this precious heritage by restoring aflaaj, and making them more efficient by digging support wells and ensuring an optimum use of water by introducing modern irrigation systems." - in: http://www.omanet.om/english/tourism/eco/falaj.asp?cat=tour&subcat=ecoo1
In July 2006, five representative examples of this irrigation system were inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

Jumeirah Mosque - Dubai

José "zepombal" also sent me cards to wish me happy holidays and he sent 2 cards, 1 from Dubai and the other from Oman.

This one from Dubai with the Jumeirah Mosque was in my favorites album and i was supposed to received some time ago through a favorites tag but the card never reached me. The card was still in my album, till last thursday, when i've received José's envelope.

"The Jumeirah Mosque is a dominant landmark of Dubai city. Built in the medieval Fatimid tradition, this stone structure is a tribute to modern Islamic architecture. While strolling through the Mosque at sunset, you will be washed in shadows by this elegant formation.

The Jumeirah Mosque is built in the medieval Fatimid traditional combined with modern building materials. Considered to be one of the most attractive mosques in Dubai, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding organizes visits to the Mosque for non-Muslims, aimed at promoting cultural understanding and first-hand experience as an insight to the Islamic religion.

No prior booking is needed. You will have to assemble at the rear of the mosque (Jumeirah Mosque) at 10.00am on Thursday (every week). Ladies need to be covered - long skirts/trousers, long sleeves, hat/scarf for the head. Gentlemen need to wear trousers - Tshirt or shirt and not a vest. You need to take off your shoes before entering the mosque. Information about Islam is put up at the rear of the mosque. From mid-september onwards, the tour is conducted twice a week on Sunday and Thursday. The tour lasts approx. for an hour and a half and the good news is photography is allowed!" - in: http://www.dubaicity.com/what_to_see_in_dubai/jumeirah-mosque.htm

Praia da Vitória - Azores

Lurdes, from Azores, sent me this Praia da Vitória card to wish me a Merry Christmas.

Praia da Vitória is a city on the northern coast of the Terceira island in the Azores archipelago.

On the card there's the Francisco Ornelas Câmara Square.

Fiona

This cute little dog is Fiona, i mean, was, she's not among us anymore. For a few months she was a princess in Helena's "leninha" house after beeing rescued by her from an animal shelter. Helena adopted her last Easter and she died at the begining of this month.

As a sign of how much Fiona meant to this family, Helena ordered these cards, with Fiona's picture, to a printing company.

How the back of the card is also printed this Ghandi quote: "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

DE-778398

I know, i'm a bit late but i really wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I've spent my Christmas working but it was great :)

This is a view from Hamburg with the Christmas Market.

DE-778398, sent by Stephanie "mausbaer47".
The beautiful building on the card is Hamburg's city hall. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg. Constructed from 1886 to 1897, the city hall still houses its original governmental functions with the office of the First Mayor of Hamburg and the meeting rooms for Hamburg's parliament and senate (the city's executive).