Kembara Hati Mawar Safiya

There is a special kind of magic in hearing the thud of mail landing in your postbox. In our world of instant DMs and "seen" receipts, getting a physical piece of mail... something someone actually touched, wrote on and sent across an ocean... feels like a small miracle. This is why I love Postcrossing . On November 8th, a small, rectangular miracle arrived from Kobe, Japan. I saw the postmark and the beautiful stamps (more on those later) and got excited. Kobe! The land of legendary beef, scenic mountains and a beautiful port. I flipped it over, ready to see a picture of Kobe Tower or perhaps the Arima Onsen. What I saw instead was... bugs. Specifically, "MINNESOTA HYMENOPTERA, Plate 1." I laughed out loud. This is the absolute chaotic, wonderful joy of Postcrossing. You never, ever know what you're going to get. The Sender, The City and The Crime Novel Let's look at the (human) side of the card first. The message was from a lovely Postcrosser named Midor...

Hello! As you know, I’m always looking for a story. A good photo, for me, isn't just about the 'f-stop' or the "golden hour." It’s about the story trapped inside the frame. The other day, I was idly flipping through a Slowly app, and a single screen (the one I've shared with you) stopped me in my tracks. It showed a place called the "Churches of Moldavia" in Romania. At first glance, they look beautiful, but ancient. Old stone, tall spires... classic Eastern European. But then you look closer. The entire outside of the churches are covered in complex paintings, called frescoes.  This isn't just a little mural over the door. We're talking about massive, detailed, floor-to-ceiling (or rather, ground-to-roof) masterpieces from the 15th and 16th centuries. The app's description was fascinating. It called them "masterpieces inspired by Byzantine art," "authentic and particularly well preserved," and said they "repr...

Hello my wonderful friend, I've always believed a camera is more than just a tool. It's like a passport that lets you travel, or even a time machine. But sometimes, a big trip starts with something small, like a simple postcard. I'm part of a group called Postcrossing . We send and get postcards from random people all over the world. It's a wonderful way to share cultures. Today, I got a card in my mailbox from Metz, France . It was a simple black-and-white photo of a building I didn't know. The building was nice, but also... strange. It wasn't a huge church. It was small, strong, and looked almost like it was hiding a secret. It had a special eight-sided shape and a very steep roof. My friend's note on the back was short: "Im from Metz, France!" That "Metz" made me very curious. I did some research and found out it wasn't just a city have old church. The old church itself was a headquarters for the Knights Templar . And that story is...

Hello my wonderful friends! Guess what? On the very same day, Sept 30, 2025, that the happy fish party postcard arrived, another paper treasure popped into my mailbox! Double Alhamdullillah! This one also travelled a long, long way, all the way from China ! Thank you, Postcrossing friend! A Wobbly, Wonderful Drawing This postcard is super special too! Just like the fishy one, it is not a photograph. It is a drawing , a sketch!  It looks like someone sat down with a pen and some watery colours and quickly drew a picture of a busy city place. The lines are a little bit wiggly, the colours are soft... it feels alive and moving! Like the artist drew it super fast to capture a happy moment! What did the artist draw? Wow! There is a very long, strong-looking bridge made of metal criss-crosses, like a giant Meccano toy! It goes across some dark, wiggly water. There are even little boats floating on the water! Chug chug! And peeking behind the bridge... oh my goodness!  There a...

  Hello my wonderful friends! Guess what popped into my mailbox at the very end of September? Sept 30, 2025! Another paper treasure! A happy surprise from my Postcrossing friend far, far away in America (USA)!  Alhamdulillah! Getting real mail always feels like finding a little bit of sunshine! A Fishy Surprise! This postcard is super cool! It is not a photo. It is a drawing , or maybe a special kind of print! And it is full of... FISH! Lots and lots of colourful, funny-looking fish! Splash! Swim swim! They are all swimming together in a big group, like they are having a happy fish party! Some fish are flat and spotty, like little underwater pancakes with polka dots! Hehehe. Some fish are long and sleek, zooming through the water like speedy little rockets! Some look a bit grumpy, some look surprised! They all have cute, simple shapes and bright colours. It looks like a picture from a very happy, old-fashioned storybook! The postcard tells me the picture is called "Fishes" ...

Hello my lovely friends! Phew! What a long, busy, but super interesting day it has been! Today! My feet feel a little tired from walking around, but my heart feels full and happy. Why? Because today, I got to be a helper for something very important! My Super Helper Job!  Today, Kak Mawar was part of a special team. Me and other nice ladies! We were like busy little bees, helping to run a big learning seminar. It was organised by a wonderful group called PUSPANITA JPM .  They are like a club for ladies who work with, or whose family works with, the Prime Minister's Department here in Putrajaya, Malaysia! Who was the seminar for? It was for about 60 amazing teenagers! These smart boys and girls are getting ready for a super-duper big test soon, maybe next month in November. The test is called SPM , it is like the final boss level of high school here! Very important! And guess what? My own dear youngest son is also taking the SPM test this year! So, my mommy heart...

Hello my lovely friends! Sometimes, after a busy day, my mind feels like a bouncy ball...boing, boing, boing! So many thoughts bouncing around! At times like that, you know what I love to do? Yes! My secret magic trick! I open my treasure box of paper holidays! My happy postcards! Today, my fingers found a picture that feels like a calm, quiet whisper. Shhh... listen to the peace! It is a postcard with greetings "Groeten!" from a faraway land called The Netherlands ! That's Holland! What is in the Picture? A Purple Dream! Wow! Look! The main picture shows beautiful, rolling hills covered in... purple flowers! So much purple! Like a soft, fuzzy purple blanket spread over the land.  There are sandy paths winding through the hills, saying "Come, walk with me!" Green trees stand here and there, like friendly giants watching over the flowers. And the sky above is blue with fluffy white clouds floating by. It looks like a place from a happy dream! So peaceful! And ...

  Hello my dear friends! Guess what? Yesterday, I picked one that looks like a sunny, happy song playing just for me. Look! It shows a big city right next to sparkly blue water. It looks like the city is holding hands with the sea! So friendly!  There are tall, tall buildings reaching up to hug the sky. And lots and lots of little white sailboats playing catch with the wind on the water. Whee! Go, little boats, go!  The sky is blue, the water is blue... everything looks so bright and cheerful! At the very top, big happy letters spell out: Baltimore , Maryland . That is a place far, far away in America, the USA! I looked at the picture and thought, "Wow, that looks like a super fun place!" A place where maybe people work hard in the tall buildings, but then on sunny days, they go sailing on the blue water. It looks like a happy mix.  Work time, and play time! My work day was mostly work time, hehehe. So, looking at this playful picture felt really nice. Like a little ...

Hello, my dear friends Today, my heart feels a little quiet. Not sad, not happy, just quiet. A little bit thoughtful. So, I went to look inside my treasure box. Do you know what I keep inside? It is my box of postcards, my paper windows to the world! Each postcard is like a tiny story from a faraway place. I opened the box slowly, and one postcard caught my eye. It felt like the right one for a quiet day. A castle in the forest It is a picture from Germany. On the postcard, there is a very beautiful, big building. It looks like a princess castle! The walls are white, the roofs are red, and the towers have round green tops, like scoops of green ice cream! Hehehe. The castle is hiding inside a huge green forest. So many trees, tall and soft, like a green blanket wrapped around it. There is grass too, bright and clean, like a carpet for fairies to walk on. It looks so peaceful. So quiet. So safe. Like a secret garden where nothing bad can happen. The story behind the picture I ...