Throughout the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, a special postmark was made available at the Youth Olympic Village (YOV). This postmark certainly resembles the metal date stamp found in post offices around Singapore. As the Youth Olympic Village was not open to public, my friend Terence Wong helped to make arrangements to obtain this postmark on 26 August, to coincide with the closing ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games.

The Youth Olympic Village, located in Nanyang Technological University, is home to more than 5000 athletes and team officials during the period of the Games. These guests are invited to participate in the Culture and Education Programme (CEP) during their stay in the Village.

The National Day stamp issue for this year will be released early on Wednesday, 4 August 2010. Six monuments will be featured this time, the third of the National Monuments series. The designer for this issue is Leo Teck Chong. He was also the designer for the recently issued Starfish postage prepaid envelope.

The six national monuments include the Bowyer Block (1st Local), College of Medicine Building (2nd Local), Command House (55c), the Hwa Chong Institution Clock Tower (65c), the former Raffles College campus (80c) and the Tan Teck Guan Building ($1.10). These six monuments are also found on the $2 miniature sheet, featuring the architectural links between Singapore’s past and present built heritage.

To commemorate National Day, the NDP 2010 Logo will be featured as the datestamp.

The theme for last year’s National Day stamp issue was Sculptures, where the masterpieces of seven sculptors are featured.

This colourful illustration book brings you through the journey, from Singapore winning the bid for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games to the launching of the event. This commemorative book includes the stamps since Singapore won the bid and is an excellent souvenir. Price: $59.90 (US$44)

If you missed the sale for the first day covers in 2008 and 2009, here’s another chance. This attractive First Day Cover Pack houses the three different covers (2008, 2009 and 2010) issued to commemorate the Youth Olympic Games in a specially designed folder. Price: $19.90

This A5-sized MyStamp sheet comes with the latest Singapore 2010 stamps, with the mascots Lyo and Merly and the official Singapore 2010 emblem. For an additional fee, personalise this stamp sheet with your own photographs, perhaps at the Youth Olympic Games. Price: $15.50

Note: The prices shown above are inclusive of GST for purchases within Singapore. Images by Singapore Post.

Not long ago, I received a few colourful Canadian and Netherlands stamps, some of which are related to my stamp collecting theme of sports and nature. These stamps certainly show the heritage of the countries. Of course, many thanks to Alicia for the stamps and scan.

On 7 July 2010, Singapore Post issued the Seashore – Starfish postage prepaid envelope. These envelopes can be purchased at post offices and use them to send letters of up to 20 g to local addresses. These prepaid envelopes can be purchased either in a bundle of 10 for S$3.50 or for 40 cents each, a la carte. Designed by Leo Teck Chong, these envelopes provide consumers with added convenience, especially by saving time on affixing a postage stamp.

This is a continuation of the Seashore theme, where a postage prepaid envelope from the same series on Seashells was issued previously. Some time ago, we also featured the Gardens of Singapore prepaid envelope (1994) which is available in two different sizes, DL and C6. It would definitely be great if postage prepaid envelopes were still sold in different dimensions to cater to different needs.

It’s the time of the year for the annual Singapore Food Festival held at Clarke Quay. Singapore Post will be setting up a booth there for the third year running. Although there is no stamp issue to commemorate the Festival, there are two different cachets offered, one for each weekend: 16 to 18 July and 23 to 25 July. A number of philatelic products will be sold there, including presentation packs and gifts.

Sorting mail into these four machines would be a totally random process, so it would require lots of luck. To make it more challenging, machines C1 to C3 will have two different slogans each, intensifying the randomness, making it harder to obtain a complete collection.

As far as I am aware, a manual replacement of the slogan die is needed to switch between the two designs. So, here’s a tip: Drop your envelopes into the post box on different dates, in different locations, to maximise your chances.

That does not mean that there are seven designs in total. The only slogan design for C4 is the same as one of the designs for C1. With the implementation of the five-day week mail collection, you can safely drop your envelope into the post box from this evening!

The Flora and Fauna definitive stamps were first issued in 2007, consisting of 14 denominations ranging from 5 cents to $10.

Last year, another two 1st Local stamps featuring the Pigeon Orchid and the Blue Pea Vine were introduced.Today, Singapore Post released two new stamps featuring the Simpoh Air and the Singapore Rhododendron. These flowers of these two plants typically last for only a day.

The Simpoh Air (Dillenia suffruticosa) is commonly found near forest edges, eroded soil and swampy areas. It is characterised by its large yellow flowers and big leaves. Birds are easily attracted to the thin layer of vibrant red flesh surrounding the seeds, allowing quick dispersion of the seeds.

The Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) has beautiful flowers with five petals in pink to dark purple, opening after sunrise and closing later in the day. This plant is the home to caterpillars of butterfly species such as the Common Sailor (Neptis hylas) and the Grey Count (Tanaecia lepidea).

Graphics: Singapore Post
Designer: Wong Wui Kong

The Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) (top) has a distinctive black band across its eyes from the bill to the back of its head. Characterised by yellow-and-black feathers, this bird gives a loud call. Fruits and insects form its main diet.

Trees have a high level of importance in nature. Every day, trees are used to identify landmarks, provide shade, act as dust filter, prevent soil erosion and are habitats for various animals under their foliage. Trees are found almost everywhere in the garden city of Singapore, including parks, neighbourhoods and even along highways.

On 26 May 2010, Singapore Post released a stamp issue ‘Know 10 Trees’ depicting ten trees that accompany our daily lives. They include the Rain Tree, Angsana, Yellow Flame, Senegal Mahogany, Broad-leafed Mahogany, Tembusu, Sea Apple, Saga, Trumpet Tree and Sea Almond. This NParks initiative aims to raise public awareness of common roadside trees found in Singapore.

Next, if you have not heard so, there will be no more mail collection on Saturday since 15 May 2010. Simply, it’s a five day work week! However, the cut-off timing for local mail delivery on Friday will be extended to 8 pm for mail posted within the Central Business District (CBD) and 6 pm for mail posted outside the CBD.