Swap-bot Time: December 3, 2024 7:35 pm
www.swap-bot.com

nikkihc

nikkihc
Date Joined: February 10, 2011
Last Online: June 22, 2024
Birthday: October 21
Country: Philippines
My Snail Mail Tumblr
Postcrossing

About Me

20 January 2020: Slowly coming back after a Long hiatus! Will get back to swapping soon. 😊

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Hi! My name is Nicky. 😊 I'm a queer human rights activist from the Philippines. I live with my partner and our menagerie of rescues that run our lives. 🐢🐱🐱🐱🐱🐢🐱🐱🐱🐱🐢🐱🐱🐱🐱🐢🐢

I've always loved snail mail.πŸ’Œ

It was my grandma who first introduced me to it.πŸ‘΅ We were writing back and forth to each other as soon as I could handle a pencil.✏

I still really love it. From the process of putting together a letter or parcel to that excitement of getting something in the mail -- it's all just so lovely.πŸ’– I don't even mind the wait. I think of it as a slow ebb of connections being made and stories being woven. Plus, it makes each mail day a bringer of nice little surprises. Love it!😍

To keep the lights on, I work as a freelance copywriter and digital media strategist. But what I'm really passionate about is my advocacy work. I help run two LGBTQIA+ rights non-profits. One focuses on community and space building, the other deals mostly with legislative and policy advocacy. Both give me an opportunity to teach, which I LOVE.

I used to be on track for medicine, but I decided that it wasn't for me. Something I've always wanted is to go into further studies on human rights and gender.πŸŽ“

On the non-academic side, I've always wanted to learn woodworking, dressmaking, painting, photography, digital illustration and animation, metalworking, and pottery. I enjoy cooking especially because of the opportunity to get creative. I love learning about other cuisines.

I recently got into plants! I have a Monstera deliciosa (or cheese plant), fittonias, dancing ladies, succulents, butterfly oxalis, marigolds, and a few herbs. I still need to learn how to keep the more finicky ones alive though. I really, really want a Beaucarnea recurvata and a Medinilla magnifica.πŸ’šπŸŒ±

My goal life would be to live in a commune between the beaches and the mountains with my partner, our pets, and all our friends. We'd spend our days growing our own food, creating all the things we need, running a leadership and makers camp, and rescuing all the strays that we can.

P E R F E C T I O N.

πŸŒŠβ›°πŸ‘­πŸ‘«πŸŒ΄πŸŒ±πŸŒ»πŸŒΈπŸŒ·πŸŒΌπŸŒˆπŸŽ¨πŸΆπŸ±

Favorite Music

I like a whole range of stuff. However, I'm mostly drawn to indie folk and indie pop music. I love Nataly Dawn, Perfume Genius, Julien Baker, Sufjan Stevens, Dresses, Lake Street Drive, dodie, MUNA, The Wild Reeds, Anna of the North, BP Valenzuela, Ourselves the Elves, Shura, Banks, HAIM, Oh Wonder, Ingrid Michaelson, and the list goes on.

I also love a lot of 90s and early 2000s music. Spice Girls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bic Runga, Vitamin String Quartet, Garbage, and a whole lot more!

Favorite Books

I love books. So it's really sad that I don't have time to attend to them! I have about 200 books in my library but have only read a little over half of those.πŸ™ My guilt has gotten the better of me so I've pledged to stop buying books until I read everything I already have. Still not done with all of them. I have a lot of Wintersons, Murakamis, Gaiman, Atwood. I also really love Gay Talese and Jeffrey Euginides.

The books that really defined my childhood were Madeleine L' Engle's Time Quintet, the Harry Potter series, and Nancy Drew books (although the themes in some of these really didn't age well).

Currently reading: (technically I'm re-reading it) A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Favorite Television

I rarely ever watch TV anymore but I binge Netflix more than I should! I love Doctor Who, Star Trek (Discovery, Next Generation, and Voyager), Orange is the New Black, Alias Grace, Jane The Virgin, Orphan Black, Brooklyn 99, Sens8, The Good Place, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, This is Us, Travelers, Grace and Frankie, Dirk Gently, Dark, Crazyheads, Fringe, and so much more!

Would love to get

Postcards: I like my PCs written on and with postage stamps and all those postal markings. I do join blank postcard swaps once in a while to replenish my stash. Please don't send me touristy postcard for those swaps. I won't be able to use them unless we live in the same area.

Here are some of the themes I enjoy (but you're welcome to definitely go beyond these):

  • Pride (LGBTQIA+), feminist, human rights or activist-relatedπŸŒˆπŸ’œβœŠπŸ½
  • Handmade cards. I love seeing your art. Whether it be craftivism or personal sketches, send your handmade cards my way!🎨
  • Illustrations (digital or otherwise). I especially love nature illustrations in a style similar to those found in old botany or zoology books.
  • Adult coloring postcards! Would really love blank ones sent in an envelope because we don't have these in the Philippines! If there's something you want from here, I'm game to do a private swap.
  • Art. Any style really! I can't afford good art myself, so I'm content seeing them on a smaller scale like postcards.πŸ–Ό
  • Cute animals. I'm probably one of the millions of folks around the world who turn to cute animal videos/photos/stories to destress. If you have postcards that fit the bill, please send them to me. If these are photos of your own pets that are accompanied by stories (plus points for rescues!), I will treasure those.πŸΆπŸ±πŸ­πŸΉπŸ°πŸΈπŸ€πŸ¦πŸ¦„
  • Ad/free cards with interesting/clever art/ad campaigns. Not a lot of folks like ad cards, and there are some ugly ones out there. But if you have a really interesting/creative one,ΓΎ feel free to send it my way! Please alter the back enough for there to be space for a personal message (maybe tell me about where you got the card and why it is interesting to you), postage stamps, and the recipient address.

Fun or Pretty Postage stamps on swaps: I'm not a collector, but I find the art on many postage stamps really beautiful. Nice postage stamps also tend to amp up the ❀️ factor for swaps for me.

Rubber or Silicone Stamps: I especially love feminist, LGBTQIA+, travel, mail, and writing-related ones. I'm honestly going to be happy with whatever you send unless it's one of those teacher reward stamps or anything listed in my dislikes below. Would also love stamping inks/pads!

Washi and Deco Tape: I'm only recently getting into these! Please feel free to feed my growing addiction. I prefer the paper ones over the plastic ones. But I'll take anything with really nice designs!

ATCs and other original art: I made my first ones in February 2018 and now I'm hooked. I look for ATC materials in every thing I see. I'd love to be part of more of these swaps so I can exchange more.🎨 I really wish there were more creative international swaps for ATCs!

Stickers: I have no preferences except that I don't really have a use for Disney and Looney Tunes kinds. Would love feminist or LGBTQIA+ themed cartoons though!

Tea: We have a really limited selection in the Philippines. Would love to get teas from all over the world!🍡 My favorites are fruity teas. Not so fond of overly floral ones.

Food: This can be actual food from your country or your favorite recipes!

Craftivism and subversive crafts: I'm starting with small crosstitched pieces for friends. I can definitely see this blossoming into other mediums. If this is something you're interested in exploring with me, hmu.✊🏽

Geekery themed items: Fanart, postage stamps, and other fun stuff that features the shows and films I mentioned above would be AWESOME. For example, I've seen Doctor Who postage stamps and I would honestly love one (or 50 haha) of those!πŸ’™

Legends and Myths: I really love reading about fairy tales, legends, and myths from different countries. It's even more interesting for me to learn how these stories actually affect a society's traditions and practices.

Colors I Like: This is a difficult question because I like almost all colors.🌈 Pretty gradients are a favorite (sunsets, galaxy, ocean, etc etc)! These days I tend to gravitate towards coral, peach, purple, fuschia pink, teal, and salmon. But I honestly do love almost any color so don't even worry about this.🎨

Other stuff I collect:

  • Books
  • LGBTQIA+, feminist, or human rights themed material (pins, postcards, art, stickers, magnets, etc)
  • Any reading material that has deepened/enhanced your activism that you think would interest me (e.g. links to books, research, Twitter threads, videos, etc.)
  • Unicorns. I think my fascination for them started with Madeleine L'Engle's A Swiftly Tilting Planet. These days I love it mostly as a symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community.πŸ¦„

Would prefer not to get

  • Religious-themed items
  • Multi-view postcards
  • In swaps that require sending several blank postcards in an envelope, please do not send me touristy or area-specific postcards. I won't be able to send those out unless we live in the same area.
  • β€ŽTeacher reward stamps or stickers
  • β€ŽAnything anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-feminist, anti-POC, anti-human rights or with any type of discriminatory message/theme.

International Mail and Rating

SLOW POST

The Philippine postal service is frustratingly erratic. Sometimes it takes international mail less than 10 days to get to their destination, other times it's taken as long as 66 days for a simple postcard!πŸ˜’ Here's the a link to the days of travel my Postcrossing cards have taken to illustrate that.

Surprisingly, sending to North America takes even more time these days. Here's a forum post about other swappers who are also experiencing delays with international mail getting to the U.S.

RATING

I only ask that you give my swaps some time before you rate because the speed of post is not under my control.

If I'm your assigned partner I will always resend a swap that gets lost.

If the swap I send doesn't meet swap requirements, I will always resend.

Please just get in touch with me before you rate so we can work things out. I will always extend the same courtesy to you. Thank you and happy swapping!🌻

Mint Clouds Divider GIF

Ratings

sudeshnab rated for Newbie welcome May 2018 on Aug 19, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you so much. Your letter made my day
Response: Glad to hear that. 😊
ncnurse04 rated for FTLOC-Washi Tape Samples on Aug 15, 2018
5
rating
Comment: I loved the washi tape. It is perfect for me!
Response: Happy to hear that. Thank you for the rating and the heart.πŸ’–
mdrogge rated for ATC Shape Series: #4 Triangles on Aug 7, 2018
5
rating
Comment: I loved this ATC! Very cool cat design!
Response: So happy it got to you safely! Had fun making this from planning until the end. Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
kacka rated for Newbie welcome May 2018 on Aug 4, 2018
5
rating
Comment: thank you for a great swap full of beautifull goodies
Response: You're welcome!😊 Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
kssunlover1947 rated for Mermaid ATC inside and out on Aug 2, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Trying this again. I received this on May 31, 2018 and I loved it all especially the story about the mermaids. I kept everything you sent as the envelope was too pretty to throw away.
Response: So, so happy this got to you safely. Also really touched that you felt even the envelope was beautiful enough to keep! It was so fun creating the ATC, the envelope, and the backstory for both the mermaids. One of my most creative swaps to date, to be honest. Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
5
rating
Comment: Lovely samples! Thank you :)
Response: You're welcome. 😊 Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
StagKing rated for Modern Curses Zine on Jun 28, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the fabulous swap and for the communication! Love the postcards!
Response: SO glad you liked everything! I honestly had so much fun making this zine. Your profile just had so many fun art prompts! Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
5
rating
Comment: Thank you Nicky for your package!😻I really loved the effort and goodies you sent! I really appreciate it! I'm getting worried that your package hasn't arrived, but hopefully it should come some!😣
Response: AHHH! So happy you liked everything! The dinopot and kittycorn ATC was especially fun to make, tbh. Will write to you this week! Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
Popsicle rated for Happy Mail, Yay! #25 on Jun 26, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the lovely goodies. I really appreciate that you went through my profile to find things I like. :)
Response: Had fun putting this together and making it as profile based as I could! Really happy to hear you liked it. Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
cadel rated for Tourist post cards around the world on Jun 25, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you so much for your very amazing postcard. I am agree with you, it is really a chilly place (but I have not already visited it)
Response: Happy to hear you enjoyed the card. Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
satinification rated for Sticker happy mail! on Jun 24, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you once again :) Kitty stickers are extra super cute! I also like paper goodies. They will be very useful. Cat ATC is amazing. I see that there are really many cat lovers on swap-bot, not just us :). The envelope with swaps looks beautiful. Happy swapping :D
Response: I had a lot of fun putting this together! So glad you liked everything. Thank you for the rating and the heart!πŸ’–
satinification rated for washi 5 on Jun 24, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you! I love these washi tapes :) Dots, animals and cats - everything just for me!
Response: So happy to hear you liked everything! Thank you for the rating and the heart.πŸ’–
bbsporty rated for WIYM: I'd Love Washi Samples #2 on Jun 24, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the wonderful washi samples! I'm in love with the fishes and the birds are adorable!
Response: Happy to hear you liked the fishes! They were a happy surprise I got in a washi pack. The parrot fish one cracks me up the most. Thank you for the rating and the hear!πŸ’–
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the beautiful beachy postcard! I hope you are enjoying your travels, but I've definately not been to Asia myself :) Yes, a private swap sounds fun, I'll send you a message so we can work out the details!
Response: I'm so glad you liked this! Thank you for the rating and the πŸ’–!
manachai rated for FTLOC-Washi Tape Samples on Jun 13, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the lovely washi!
Response: You're welcome!😊
KatKit rated for TGIF Weekend Notecard #100 on Jun 13, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Got your note today. Sounds like a good weekend and glad you found a movie that speaks to you. Thanks for the tea. I'll give it a try tonight as my after dinner treat. Only a month to come a long way... so not too bad for mail. I've had mail from not far away take as long.
Response: It was a really good weekend! I'm glad the note got to you.😊 Thank you for the heart.πŸ’–
Twizzle rated for Blind washi swap - Int'l on Jun 11, 2018
5
rating
 
Response: Glad it got to you safely.😊
mandigutterrose rated for Traveller's Postcard on Jun 8, 2018
5
rating
Comment: Cool PC! I think it would be beautiful to visit Ireland.
Response: I think so, too! Glad you liked the PC! Thank you for the rating and the heart.πŸ’–
5
rating
Comment: sooo many washi!!!! love them all!! thank you soo much!! xoxo Nadi
Response: Yay! I'm so glad! When I got to the post office I found out that it weighed more than I planned. But it was fun to make! Even the ziploc was fun to decorate. Haha! So I'm happy to hear you liked these!
stephanyhocc rated for Wild about Washi on Jun 7, 2018
5
rating
Comment: thanks for the lovely washi tape samples!!
Response: You're welcome!😊

Rating Overview

Overall Hearts Stars Hosted
5.0000 129 5 5
Completed Fives Threes Ones
92 154 0 0
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Uncategorized
10 57 25 0
View all

Currently In

  • the user is not currently in any swaps :(

Currently Hosting

  • the user is not hosting any current swaps

Comments

catonip on Jun 7, 2018:

Thinking of you <3 Hope that you are well lovely! I am in the process of moving now X___X

vlhafer54 on Feb 13, 2018:

I want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.

Love is Love is Love is Love is Love is Love is Love is Love - Lin-Manuel Miranda - 2016

I'm glad to hear you've overcome adversity and managed to return to us - good to have you back and Happy swapping!

StwbyQT on Feb 12, 2018:

Quick and Easy Profile message #16

StwbyQT

I hope this finds you doing well. It was fun reading your profile. Take care and have a great rest of your week!

cindygroet on Feb 12, 2018:

Quick and easy profile message #16:

Hello Nicky, Wow, sending to the Philippines, but it goes really fast by electronic mail. I will have to look up LGBTQIA, I only knew what the first part LGBT means. I am behind, I notice.

I really like many things you like. Maybe one day we meet eachother in a mailing swap, who knows? Have a wonderful day, greetings from Holland, Cindy

krissyhead1990 on Feb 9, 2018:

Quick and Easy Profile message #15

Greeting from Australia! What a great opportunity it is to write to a fellow tea drinker! But first, let me introduce myself.

My name is Krissy and I live in the capital city of Australia. I woke up early this morning and checked my vegetable patch to see if it was all ok. Shockingly, I discovered that a snail had eaten the leaves of a baby zucchini! To remedy the situation I gave the ground a light sprinkling of Γ’β‚¬Λœsnail and slug repellentÒ€ℒÒ€¦. And now I waitÒ€¦ patientlyÒ€¦ for the convicted snails to suffer their fate. But, I wonÒ€ℒt know until tomorrow morning! Fingers crossed.

I would add a picture, but I am unsure how to do it. I like that your have such an amazing profile :) Do you use wax seals on your stationary items?

Happy swapping for 2018 Warm regards, Kristine

ifzaaras on Feb 9, 2018:

Quick and easy profile message #15

Hello Nicki, I hope you are having a wonderful day. it is freezing here in England and I can't wait for summer to arrive so I can go to a beach. At least the cold weather means I can stay in bed with a cup of tea binge watching doctor who- Eleven is my favourite doctor- I love that he can be so childlike one second and then completely transform and become serious.

love, Ifzaa

Matts on Feb 1, 2018:

Thank you for your lovely message! and the Anniversary Wish!!

Love

Hope

(Matts)

AlyssaYFTM on Feb 1, 2018:

Hi there, It looks like you do a lot of good through your volunteer work. I help run a non-profit and our organization wouldn't run without the help of our amazing volunteers. Brest of luck getting into medical school. -Alyssa from Quick and easy profile message #9

KellyS on May 17, 2011:

Thanks for the nice note in your rating. I'm so glad you liked the Simpsons postage stamp! I love them as well and so wish they had not been discontinued :( I'd love to swap postcards with you so I could get one from the Philippines. I think I have a few Simpsons stamps left, let me double-check :)

Login to leave a comment now!