Harry Potter en de Steen der Wijzen

I usually prefer Harry Potter art postcards but this is an exception since it's from the Philosopher's Stone, which is my favorite movie. I really love it how everything was so new and happy in the first 2 movies.

This card is sent from Netherlands and in Dutch it's called "Harry Potter en de Steen der Wijzen", while in Finnish it's "Harry Potter ja viisasten kivi".

Got 5 cards today - 4 of them were official. First one is from Siberia, from a big city called Novosibirsk. And it traveled in only 13 days, that's fast when talking about Russia! And the best part, the sender told me he likes punk rock ;)

The rest of the official cards weren't so great, to be honest. I got a "card" from Ukraine, but it wasn't a real postcard, just a photo. Isn't Postcrossing about sending POSTCARDS?! The next one is from Australia, I was excited when I looked at the text, but then noticed it's just a sepia-colored art card, and I don't really appreciate art. My number-one wish is to receive all kinds of viewcards, but that's what I got. :(

The last card was from USA, it's always great to receive cards there. The card is about "The Ed Sullivan Show" (also known as "Toast of the Town"), which was a popular variety show and originally ran on CBS from 1948 to 1971. The card in itself is really great, but it was a little damaged, probably thanks to Finnish postal service.

It's always nice to receive cards which tell something about American culture and these kinds of things. I often watch American talk shows, but actually the only host I find funny is Conan O'Brien, he's been my favorite for many years. Every time I think about Conan I'm proud to be a Finn ;) But it's a shame what happened to him with The Tonight Show.

But, here's the direct swap card I got. Another beautiful card from my friend in Slovenia! Even better, it traveled in 4 days and in perfect condition :) Thanks Ivana!

Official cards

This one is from Netherlands. I've always adored these aerial views of islands, and finally got one! This island is called Aruba and it's located in the southern Caribbean Sea, near to Venezuela. It's 33 kilometers (21 miles) long. Even though this island is located far from Netherlands, it's one of the three countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It became autonomous from Netherlands Antilles in 1986.

The card was sent from the middle of Netherlands, not from Aruba, but it's still awesome! So unusual to me. :) Thanks Paul!

My first Kaj Stenvall card, and from Finland, of course! Before Postcrossing I really didn't like his art, but thanks to this hobby I've seen more paintings and started to like them. I even added it to my postcard wishlist :) Thanks Raisa-Hannele!

BY-58286: Minsk, Belarus

Just yesterday I almost wrote a new post and complained about how I hadn't got cards in many days and how frustated I feel. But then I decided to not to post it, since I felt so arrogant... Well, nevermind. Today I got this official card from Minsk, Belarus. I think the pictures are amazing, but even better was the message the sender wrote. And the card arrived just at the perfect time (after traveling for 49 days), and this probably sounds crazy, but just when I've had a hard time dealing with other people's opinions, so this card really gave me motivation.

During a year I've heard lot of crap about myself because I'm straight edge (I don't smoke, drink or use drugs) and people always tell me how boring person I must be, and some even tell me I should start acting like "a normal teenager": start drinking and act like a fool. I can tell I'm that kind of person who's easily hurt, and everytime people tell me stuff like that I take it very personally. This has happened many times during few days now, so I can say it's been really hard.

This person told me how much he respects people who are straight edges, and I must agree that those people are really rare, especially teenagers. It's hard to explain how much these words mean to me, but they do, A LOT. Next time when somebody tries to break me down, I will just read this card again and think I'm just the person I want to be. :)

Almost forgot these explanations:

• (smallest pictures) : The Museum of architecture and the way of life. Strochizy (vill.).
• (medium-sized) : Lake Volchino. Vitebsk region.
• (largest picture) : The ethnographic museum. Dudutki. Minsk region.

Another great day! Received my first card from Japan and my first 2 Pokémon postcards! Overall of 2 official and 4 tag cards.

DE-591894

JP-107804

Today was a good day! Got 2 official cards from Poland and Great Britain. Both of them are so beautiful, you should check them out! And the card from Poland came with translation, I love their language.

PL-87662

GB-137905

I also got a direct swap card from my friend in Canada and tag card from Russia. Plus today has been the hottest day in ages, about 27 °C and really sunny! I love this weather! :)

Got 5 postcards today! 3 official, 1 direct swap and 1 tag.

Here are my official cards:

RU-139084

NL-337258

DE-587663