Napkin holder

Souvenir from the Holy Land. I got this napkin holder in 1999 from my colleague, Oranuj when she was on assignment to UNIFIL, Lebanon.

It is made of goldplated brass with the Jerusalem Cross inside Star of David in the middle surrounded by 12 zodiac signs. Even though it's a napkin holder, I consider it a precious collectible becaue it's a souvenir from the Holy Land.

Since I've never been to Israel, this souvenir from the Holy Land makes me feel that I've been there myself.

Thanks Nuj.

2008 Olympic Games Pocket Watch

The 2008 Summer Olympics - the Games of the XXIX Olympiad took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. It was the third time that the Summer Olympic Games were held in Asia, after Tokyo, Japan in 1964 and Seoul, South Korea in 1988. I have no idea at all that there is this Commemorative Watch of the Olympic Games unitl I started doing this blog of my collectibles. I found it in my show cabinet. After asking my family member of it's source, it turned out that it was a souvenir from my husband's colleague, Molrudee who visited Beijing during the Olympics Games. The colour of both the watch and it's box is silver but because I'm a poor photographer, it looks like gold in this picture.

Deft blue windmill pepper holder

This pepper holder has also been in my collectibles for over ten years. It is not from the Netherlands or any places abroad. I bought it locally right after I got the windmill hanging from my supervisor. However, the quality of the ceramic is so fine that I'm not sure whether part of Delftware products are manufactured here in Thailand. The difference is only there's no Delft Blue print on it.


To tell you the truth, I already found one manufacturer in Lumpang, Thailand.

Dutch Wooden Clog Sailing Ship Vintage Night Light

Wind and water, farmers and fishermen, windmill and sailboat, they associate with each other one way or another. These words have a very special fascination for the true-born Dutchman.

Wooden clogs are worn by farmers, fishermen and others to protect their feet. They have been accredited as safty shoes. Nails, fishing hooks and sharp implements will not go through a wooden clog.

Even though nowadays people no longer wear clogs for everyday use, traditional footwear is still associated with Holland. Today, Dutch clogs are primarily a beloved tourist souvenir.

The age of this Dutch Wooden Clog Sailing Ship Vintage Night Light is almost 30 years. My husband bought it from his trip to the Netherlands. The smaller one is not a night light.

Bookmark - St. Patrick's Cathedral

On my trip to New York in 2001, I had a chance to attend Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Saint Patrick's Cathedral is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church.

It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church which acts as the religious centre of a parish.

I bought this bookmark from a souvenir shop on the way to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It has been used with my bible since then.

Delft Blue Windmill Hanging

The Netherlands - The land of the windmills.

Dutch Windmill is one of the first things people recall about The Netherlands. It was said that the mills did not originate in Holland but had been introduced to Europe by the Middle East during the times of the Crusades. Windmills are said to have existed in Holland from about 1200.

There are a about 1150 remaining windmills in the Netherlands. The Dutch only counts complete workable mills, and to add to this number, many extensive rebuilds of the mills have occurred during the past ten years. All these must have produced an overwhelming and unforgettable impression on the Dutch themselves as well as on foreigners. To day we cannot imagine The Netherlands without the windmills.

Delft is synonymous with ceramics. Ceramics have been produced in the Netherlands for many centuries. It does not have to be Delft blue, it can be decorated with many different colours.

Decorative Delftware is amoung the most popular gifts and collectibles from the Netherlands. The hand-painted motif represents many different aspects of Dutch life and history.

I got this Delft Blue Windmill Hanging from Mr. Suthat Ungsuthornrungsi who is also one of my former supervisers. He brought several souvenirs for his subordinates when he visited the Netherlands. I chose this one because of the big Windmill. It has been in my collectibles for over 10 years.

Egg Huamanga Carved Stone

This collectible reminds me back to 1999 when my colleague went for training in UNHQ, New York, he brought this carved stone to me. The figurines inside the egg-shaped carved stone represent Christmas Manger with Baby Jesus surrounded by his adoring parents, beautiful animals, and visitors from the East. Being Catholics myself, I was so delighted to have this carved stone as one of my precious collectibles, thanks to Jaswant Singh.

This nativity piece is hand made in Peru out of pure Huamanga Stone. It is a natural white stone found in the Ayacucho region of Peru. Since this is a natural stone, there may some variations within the stone, but this is what makes each piece so unique. Also, there is adistinctive fine glitter within the stone sparkles as the light reflects off of the stone. The figurines within the Huamanga stone were hand carved separately. A lot of work went into this piece of art.