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Showing posts from March, 2021

It is the King of Hobbies, but what is your greater purpose?

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Stamp collecting is revered as the king of hobbies, and coincidentally, also a hobby of kings (just like numismatics). A better term that intimately encapsulates this relationship is known as philately, which is defined as the study of postage stamps and its postal history. It is essentially the knowledge that comes along with collecting that has earned philately its recognition as the king of hobbies. The latter title, on the other hand, is attributed to how only the wealthy could afford the most premium pieces.  The first step in venturing into this hobby for many today usually begins with a clueless inheritance, which may end in two ways: an instant lookout for prospective buyers for a quick buck or embarking in a dangerously expansive and expensive journey of collecting, possibly hoarding stamps. The rationale in philately extends from the innocently simplistic admiration of a stamp's mere design to the very much complex research process that scrutinizes even the slightest deta

Rafflesia in Full Bloom

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It's red and it's huge. It produces one of the largest flowers on earth. The Rafflesia is a parasitic plant that grows and blooms in ever so mysterious ways only noticeable when it emerges from the host plant. Growing up, I have always wanted to see one in person and I was lucky enough to see several flowers and buds on several occasions. To that, the most common question would be very closely related to its pungency. Note that I have only seen flowers of R. keithii , I do not think that they are pungent nor smell like rotten flesh at all. Perhaps, only a little when standing very closely.  The Rafflesia was also seen on Malaysia's state definitives issued in 1979. The 1 cent stamp depicts R. hasseltii, another species that is found in Peninsular Malaysia as well as in Borneo.  An upper right corner block of 20 with margins Blocks of 4 featuring all states. Note that the top right block is of a different design, which was used in the Kuala Lumpur (one of the Federal Territo