Survival against the Odds

Postcard GB-749952 from the United Kingdom shows an illustration of St Paul's Cathedral by Dave Thompson,

St Paul's Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral, sits on the highest point of Ludgate Hill in London., originally founded in AD 604. The present English Baroque style church from the late 17th century, is one of the most famous and most recognizable landmarks in London. At a height of 365 feet  or 111 meters, it was once the tallest building in London between 1710 and 1962. It held peace services for the ending of World War I and World War II.

The card came with one of the eight stamps from Great Britain’s Royal Mail, honoring Ernest Shackleton’s survival story against the odds during his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1914 to 1916.  The stamp depicts the crew Striving to Free Endurance from the ice in February, 1915,

The cathedral itself was also a survivor of the Blitz, a period of strategic bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany during World War II between October 1940 and April 1941.

Hula Hoop

I have been looking for fitness themed postcards for a while but rarely receive one. So I am extremely please to receive NL-2257435 from the Netherlands, showing a lady exercising a hula hoop. The modern hula hoop, which is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck, was invented by Arthur K. Melin and Richard Knerr in 1958. However, various hoops have been twirled, rolled and thrown around the world throughout history.

Cirque Du Soleil shows have many hoop acts. The one from Quidam is unique and one of the best. Quidam is currently touring in London.

Piccadilly Circus, London

Postcard GB-498496 shows Piccadilly Circus, a public space of the famous West End in the City of Westminster near London. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping area of Piccadilly by a "circus",  which means "circle" in Latin, i.e. a round open space at a street junction.

Since the Circus is close to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West End. It is noted as a public meeting place and a major tourist attraction. According to Wikipedia, "the Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of Eros. It is surrounded by several noted buildings, including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre." As someone living in the self-centric America, I can't resist the idea of labeling it as London's equivalence to Time Square in New York City.

Directly beneath the Piccadilly Circus lies the London Underground System.

"They're Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace"

"They're Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace"

Postcard GB-450015 from U.K. was titled "They're changing guards at Buckingham Palace", which was the first line of a poem from Alan Alexander Milne(1882-1956)'s 1924 collection, "When We Were Very Young".  Nine-year-old actress Ann Stephens recorded the song during World War II.

The Guard at Buckingham Palace is called "the Queen’s Guard". It is divided into two detachments: the Buckingham Palace Detachment responsible for guarding Buckingham Palace, and the St. James’s Palace Detachment responsible for guarding St. James’s Palace. Changing the Guard is the process of a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard. During the August 2013, Changing the Guard will take place at Buckingham Palace on the even days (August 2, August 4, August 6, ... August 30).

The High Dive: Stars in Danger

TouchNote Card Featuring 2012 London Olympics Diving Events

It reminded me that I had received this TouchNote card featuring a diver during their 2012 London Olympics promotion when I was watching the finale of Jiangsu TV's show "The High Dive: Stars in Danger" on YouTube. It turns out that it has a Fox counterpart that "puts celebrities from widely different backgrounds in peril as they take the plunge into a whole new discipline... DIVING". Similarly, the contestants in this Chinese version show have received coaching by world class divers and Olympic medalists in a short period of time. They compete in a variety of different dives for an expert judging panel and in front of a live TV audience. I like the fact that the winner was once ousted but managed a come back. And it was a challenge to turn impossibles into a reality.