Posted by Veron ·
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goes by the name veron. a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a css enthusiast, web designer, food reviewer, avid traveler, proud kitten owner. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.
as a child i was an avid stamp collector. it was my dad that helped me start it off by letting me take over his stamp collection, comprising of local stamps from several decades ago. eventually our collection grew bigger and more comprehensive with new stamps being added, including those from all around the world.
these days, my stamp collecting has taken a backseat due to work commitment. still, once in a while i do love to make a trip to the singapore philatelic museum. a visit there is like a journey back in history. every stamp tells a story. through these stamps, we learn delicious nuggets of information of singapore’s heritage and culture over the years.
in addition to its permanent exhibitions, the museum holds temporary thematic exhibitions to keep things fresh and exciting. this being the year of the rat, they have a thematic exhibition going on called “a rat’s tale”, showcasing rat-themed stamps. my, that’s not a very appealing theme, is it? but being a stamp lover who is also born in the year of the rat, i feel compelled to pay a visit!
for such a specific theme, the stamps featured are surprisingly vast, comprising of zodiac rats, literature rats and — my favorite — adorable cartoon rats! ratatouille, anyone?
a rat’s tale is a rather small-scale exhibition, occupying just a second level room in this colonial building. to guide visitors, the route to this room is marked with little details. look carefully and you would see pictures of cute mice scurrying past walls, peeking out from their holes, or peering over a step on the staircase. i find it a very nice touch!
the exhibition room is decked out in bright, vivid colors that would appeal to children. one part of it even has a cheese theme!
as promised, assorted rat-themed stamps from all around the world are showcased, along with interesting bits of information about them.
for kawaii and colorful stamps, we can always look to the japanese! these stamps even have serial numbers. i wonder what function they serve. anyone?
not to be outdone, korea has also released some very adorable stamps! one of my favorites is this stamp issued during the christmas and new year period. it features a happy rat and a smiling snowman! sweet!
another of my favorites from korea — a soft-colored stamp depicting a cat and a rat.
doesn’t this triangular stamp look unusual? issued by cuba in 1996, it is the first odd-shaped stamp in the world to feature the chinese zodiac. that’s sure to be a minority!
this set of stamps from venezuela features several different animals. i especially like the middle one in the second row, which has a bee and a mouse sitting underneath the stars.
there are even literature mice, such as these from the tales of beatrix potter. (gotta admit the only tale i have heard of is that of peter rabbit.) i absolutely love the soft pastel colors. does anyone know where i can get hold of this to add to my collection? any help would be greatly appreciated!
oh by the way, don’t be alarmed if you noticed little pairs of eyes peeking at you during the exhibition. they are just stuffed mice! again, a really nice, nifty touch of detail.
moving on to cartoon rats and mice! the most famous of them all have got to be…
…mickey and minnie!
speaking of disney-themed stamps, i have dozens of these in my own stamp collection too. i used to be so crazy about them! besides these, there are also stamps depicting antique disney toys. now, that’s a rather unique theme.
here’s another world-famous mouse, jerry, as in tom and jerry. it’s amazing how a tiny little stamp can say so much about the personality of these two famous cartoon characters.
bright and colorful!
well, that’s it for the showcase of my favorite stamps from the exhibition, as well as those that i find unusual. whether or not you are fond of rats, i think you would find something interesting and new in this exhibition!
just remember: no cats are allowed! meow!
also in this series
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Nice post Veron and thanks so much for featuring SPM! Good to have you back more actively blogging, with your yummilicious photos and gorgeous prose. Hope that things have been going swimmingly for you. ;)
Thanks Walter! Do you know that every museum trip gives me something to look forward to and leaves me with a refreshing feeling afterwards? Needless to say, I love blogging about it too. Hope to get more people visiting our many museums and heritage sites!
Next stop: Peranakan Museum!
awww that’s so cute, the theme coupled with the decor in the museum….
come to think of it, it has been a while since I take out my stamp collection… let alone going to the philatelic museum!
Wow you have a stamp collection too? Looks like it’s a favorite childhood activity for many of those in our generation (and before).
ooohhh.. philatelic museum is one of my fave museums.. not that i visit museums much but the philatelic museum always has very interesting exhibitions! It never fails to be creative! But it’s quite small and never in the limelight much compared to the other museums. Thanks Veron for introducing this great museum to everyone! :)
Such lovely stamps. :)
This is one post suitable for Yesterday.sg
tiny M: People probably think that this museum is targeted at a niche crowd. But the gallery is a very comprehensive one, and not just for stamp collectors. There is so much to learn and visualise about Singapore history just by viewing the exhibits. I think everybody would find something of interest here.
py: I had yesterday.sg in mind too! Would someone submit this for me please? Thanks!
I have checked, and Shaun has submitted this post to Yesterday.sg for you. It should be published in a couple of days time.
Super! Thanks!