I Got Your Postcard!

Are you in Pittsburgh, PA?

2011-12-30T21:50:00.003+08:00

There are some friendships that do not endure the test of time. It's an unfortunate fact. When it comes to my friendship with Shane, I hope this is not the case. I've been racking my brain trying to remember how we met. Was it online? Doubtful. Social media did not exist... There were no social networks or social GPS-proximity-tracking-full-body-scanning iPhone technology to speak of... Just

Black Christmas in Sydney, Australia

2011-12-29T22:43:00.002+08:00

Given my backlog of postcards from 2011 and 2010 and beyond, I don’t know why I’m compelled to write about this one. I got it just a few days ago at the office - sent to me by our PR company, BLACK Communications in Australia. It’s clearly a part of a bulk mailing, but getting this postcard made me smile. As a marketing piece, I like it a lot because it's effective brand reinforcement and

The Same To & From in Houston, TX

2011-12-26T18:03:00.004+08:00

This past October, I went to visit friends in South America, and on the way back from Bogota to Los Angeles via Houston I happened on this amazing collection of postcards in the coordinator (fortunately or unfortunately) next to the men's bathroom of the Continental/Star Alliance Lounge at IAH. The postcards are from Michael Nelson to... get this... Michael Nelson. The plaque next to the frame

Go for Snacks & Skills

2011-07-24T17:44:00.003+08:00

For the life of me, I couldn't remember what wonderful company was supplying the many restos and bars in New York City with free postcards for students to decorate their dorm rooms on the cheap. These postcards were also gifted to me from Wendy by way of the hard working men and women of the US Postal Service. The hard working men and women are still with us (for now), but unfortunately,

Back with New Resolve

2011-05-28T00:51:00.000+08:00

This won’t be the last time I’m going to break out the insurmountable cliché of writer’s block and gotten back on the wagon for writing. Wondering over a Skype session, my friend Jonathan asked, “What tools do you have to inspire you?” And all I could think about of were nail-biting episodes of Fringe, unhealthy amounts of Coca-Cola and chocolate. But it’s a mystery for me to chart, maintain

So Beautiful in Paris, France

2011-04-23T18:24:00.002+08:00

Who doesn't love the Metropolitain in Paris? Aside from its 214 kilometers of convenience, the exterior entrances - all done up Art Nouveau style - are just fodder for the imagination... romantic, organic, etherial and sexy all in one. When I first saw the bendy and droopy bits, I was instantly taken by Hector Guimard's organic plant-like motif without the words to describe it. Kind of like

Red Lights in Amsterdam, Netherlands

2011-04-10T16:15:00.003+08:00

Confused... I was because the above was dated June 24, 2004 (my penmanship) and addressed to me in Los Angeles. But the postcard reads "Hope things are going well in China..." And cue the confusion. I didn't move to China until August of 2004 and was getting very frustrated in that I might have dated it incorrectly! Oh the horror! Oh the tragedy! But fret not... You see, Erin and I lived

CK Jeans in New York, NY

2011-03-20T00:33:00.000+08:00

Fret not, I’m still here… I promise. Although “here” would be Salt Lake City, Utah. Yes, home to some beautiful snow covered mountains and HQ to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Interestingly enough, the above posty was sent to me at my address in LA on Selby Avenue where I lived across the street from the Mormon Temple in Los Angles. So to be in Salt Lake City writing this

Not Much to Say in Hangzhou, China

2011-02-15T21:29:00.004+08:00

As Enwei and I wrapped up dinner at the local Singaporean joint, stuffed on Hainan chicken rice and sambal veggies, I moaned that it was getting late but I was determined to do a blog post. Enwei Lien, world class traveler and featured contributor of IGYP suggested, "Do an easy one" to which I whipped, "Ok, I'll do one from you!" So, the above posty is not from Enwei, but from my parents. In

Honeymooning in Papetoai, French Polynesia

2011-02-13T17:09:00.004+08:00

If I had to nominate one person that not only knows how to Give Good Postcard, but also knows how to travel, it would be my friend Yung-yi; her husband Ryan would get some credit just for marrying well. Honeymooning in Papetoai, French Polynesia - Damn! Could it get more exclusive than that? But first off - where the hell is Papetoai? I imagine her having to answer all the excitedly asked

Tonkatsu in Shanghai, China

2011-02-13T00:03:00.004+08:00

This is one of those postcards that so much like it a modern day Tweet that it's almost difficult to write about because its full of personal references and inside jokes... So I'll try my best. To start... her salutation: "Hi Mei Mei" which is one of my nicknames for when we first started opening the hotel. Mei Mei or 美美 means beautiful in Chinese. It's also the same mei as in meiguo for

Praying in Lakeland, Florida

2011-02-10T14:11:00.007+08:00

The above is from the stack of postcards I brought back with me from storage in LA - the 1996 to 2004, PC- Pre-China. Let me set the scene. The year is 1996. I'm freshly relocated from small town Warner Robins and transplanted to the Big Apple. I had only been at NYU for three months when I received the above posty from an unlikely sender - high school mate, Nick Connell. I didn't know what to

Giving Good Postcard - The Long and Hard of It

2011-02-02T00:34:00.002+08:00

Ok, understandably the messaging of the postcard can be kind of daunting... but it shouldn't be. Below are some more tips on "what to write" in order to Give Good Postcard. This part is debatable as it's more of a technical issue and is up to you because it's about sequence order. In the case of my dear friend Jon Koh, he should address the postcards first and then move to the body of the card.

Giving Good Postcard, for Starters

2011-02-01T03:23:00.026+08:00

Since staring this blog, I have on a few occasions encountered friends saying something along the lines of "I want to send you a postcard, but I never know what to write; what do you write?" And I get tickled - doubly so. The first being that I'm never at a loss of words when it comes to sending postcards and the second being that since I have a "postcard / travel" blog, I've become an

Mar Need Context in Chicago, Illinois

2011-01-16T18:56:00.004+08:00

Context (n) is a set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc. This simple yet important concept is key to our understanding of the world - I mean it's pretty powerful stuff. It helps us make sense of our interactions with objects and their significance, relationships and experiences. Without context, we don't know what we're looking at, what we're feeling

Camera-less in Hua Hin, Thailand

2011-01-03T21:36:00.001+08:00

I'll make this one easy. You don't even need to guess. This postcard does not count. Period. The reason - it's a postcard that I bought when vacationing in Hau Hin - about three hours drive south of Bangkok. The illustration... I'm quite proud of it because for one, I don't draw; for two, I have to be proud of it - what else would fuel this useless dribble that I go on about with postcards.

Does it count? from Kyoto, Japan

2010-12-21T21:57:00.004+08:00

How would you describe the above? No I'm not talking about the pretty leaves and the scenery; but how would you categorize the above? I'll back up a bit. Notice: no stamp cancel; heck, no stamp - period! Needless to say, the above posty from my well intentioned friend, Marco Della Seta - formerly the number two at the Italian Embassy in Beijing - did not go through the official channels of the

Hello from Halong Bay, Vietnam

2010-12-16T22:41:00.001+08:00

In 2005 I had a brief stint as a marketing maverick for Warner China HG Film Group – aka – the Warner Bros. joint venture (yes, we had to write it like that). But what happens when an attention hungry executive with a law degree thinks she knows a thing or two about film making or management for that matter... Well, the concept was simple enough. Make commercially viable films for both the

Living it up in Cronulla, Australia

2010-11-27T18:51:00.001+08:00

Postcards are different and more personal than a modern day's sms/tweet/status update. But like a status update on Facebook, postcards can be tantamount to ultimate bragging when traveling (or living abroad) in an idealistic location. Such is the case with the above posty from my friend Susan Farrow, who lives in Cronulla about an hours drive south of Sydney and walks to the beach "for

Holy Matrimony in Southwest Ireland

2010-11-14T13:04:00.003+08:00

Someone once said that they hated the way Hollywood depicts Ireland, but I never understood that. The rolling green hills, the castles, the Blarney Stone, Leap Year... (yikes - maybe I get their point. Thank goodness I got the DVD bootleg Beijing style and didn't pay "real money" for it). Nonetheless, I would love to go to Ireland. I've always imagined myself going to have a Guinness with

Stack of Postcards in LA, California

2010-11-13T21:50:00.001+08:00

Just back from holiday in Southern California (SoCal - as we like to call it - because... yes, we are too cool for school). Anyway, I had all these grand plans to blog while on holiday - you know get them out of the backlog and into the publishing queue. Well, that turned out to be a big Fail. What wasn't a fail was the trip itself. I had a fantastic time. And you know I'll go on about the trip

A Special Treat at Amanfayun in Hangzhou, China

2010-10-29T20:19:00.003+08:00

How do you treat yourself to something special? Some would pamper with a massage after a grueling week chatting up clients, or get a mani/pedi/facial to freshen up. Others would have an entire bottle of Champaign at a party in Beijing... Ok, so I do all of the above, but on this occasion as I'm about to fly out of Beijing International Capital Middle Kingdom All Eyes are on the Currency of

Pho Real? Pho Real! in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

2010-10-24T19:15:00.004+08:00

Just after the Olympics came and went, I headed south with friend, Lilian to Vietnam and Cambodia. It was mainly an eating vacation that started in Hanoi which (IMHO) has the best street-side chicken pho ever. We stayed at the The Ritz Hotel for two nights I think. Now, before you go on thinking that we were living it up, let me just say that The Ritz is a fantastic, clean two-star (5 Thumbs

Talk of TS in Beijing, China

2010-10-17T01:35:00.003+08:00

Often times I try to separate myself into two parts: the predictably unpredictable and undisciplined Alex and the focused, disciplined and objective Alex. As you can imagine, it's not an easy bit, especially when thinking about what I'm going to do or not do and why. For example, it's been nearly a week since I posted, and I'm wondering when's the next time I'm going to submit a post. Granted, I

She Lives in the Colosseum in Rome, Italy

2010-10-11T21:59:00.004+08:00

This is one of my most favorite postcards ever. The picture is... Well, I'll come back to the picture in a bit. The above posty is from Dove and Clint whilst on their honeymoon through Europe. From France's Moulin Rouge they went to Italy and from the sound of it had a great time. I imagine Dove and Clint on bikes of various varieties... Dirt bikes and padded gear... no. Harley Davidsons...