On May 24, 2004, a massive landslide buried two thousand people in the country of Papua New Guinea. Not sure where the country is located, I google mapped the name and was confused. I noticed that it is an island adjacent to Indonesia. but I thought Guinea was in Africa, so I googled it. THAT opened up a can of worms: Apparently, there are three other countries with Guinea in their names. These three ARE in Africa. So why are there four countries have the word Guinea in them on different parts of the globe? The African Guineas Determined to find out more, I started reading different online ar ..read more

Libya has been in the news a lot lately, from the catastrophic flooding that killed over 10,000 people, to continued strife between warring factions. It breaks my heart when I hear such devastating news about a country a grew up in and have fond memories of. I’ve left Libya years ago, but I still find myself searching for it on maps, in stamps, in satellite images, from old classmates’ posts on Facebook, and in old photos. Yet, even as I learn more about the country, the image of Libya has become more distant and unknowable. But here, on my own website, I’ll write about the country that I’m st ..read more

The first time I became fascinated by a map was over 50 years ago. My father, an army engineer in Taiwan, took a job assignment as a telecommunications engineer in Libya. My mom and I joined him in 1964 soon after I was born. This “temporary” job lasted twenty years, and the first part of my upbringing and education took place there. My mom and I visiting the “Lady of Garian.” circa 1967 Libya was relatively under-developed in the 1960’s. Oil was discovered in its desert in the 50’s, making it a rich country looking for skilled workers from all over the world to help it develop. While dad work ..read more

As a collector of stamps, I enjoy looking at stamps with maps on them. The stamps shows a country’s borders, geography, and aspirations on a world stage. Sometimes, I am surprised and saddened by the lost of a culture or country. Other times, I marvel at the formation of a new nation out of colonial past. Choosing my first blog post on an Indonesian postage stamp from the 1960’s is entirely random: I happened to see this Indonesian stamp in my collection and decided to do some research on it. The Stamp This is a stamp issued by Indonesia in 1968 to commemorate the 1964 Musyawarah Besar Rakyat ..read more

The Humble Beginnings Growing up in Tripoli during the 1960s was a unique experience. The world was a different place back then, and entertainment options were limited compared to today’s standards. Television was a luxury: only one family on our block had a television, and every night at 7:00 p.m. when cartoons started, all the kids on the block would run over to the Teng’s house and watch American cartoons for thirty minutes. Amidst this simplicity, I was introduced to the world of postage stamps. One day, an adult – probably recognizing my need for a hobby – suggested that I take up stamp c ..read more

*Image from the website of Zaha Hadid Architects Zaha Hadid was a trailblazing architect who revolutionized the field with her groundbreaking designs. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1950, Hadid studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London to attend the Architectural Association School of Architecture. She graduated in 1977 and founded her own firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, in 1979. Despite being the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize in Architecture in 2004, Hadid initially had a difficult time getting her designs built. The curves and planes of her beautiful ..read more

History The City of Redlands was founded in 1887 by a group of citrus growers who were looking for a more temperate climate than the hot desert valleys of Southern California. The city was named after the red earth that was found in the area. Redlands quickly became a major citrus growing center, and by the early 1900s, it was known as the “Washington Navel Orange Capital of the World.” The citrus industry remained the city’s economic mainstay for many years, but it has since diversified to include other businesses, such as education, healthcare, and tourism. Light Rail The Redlands Trolley is ..read more