Collecting Angels

When I was little, I used to collect a bunch of stuff.. from stamps, to newspaper articles, to stickers to book marks.. I was and still am a natural-born hoarder! :p Luckily, due to the fact that I am still not staying put at one location/city/country, I stopped myself from buying non-essential things.. else I would have a big headache shipping all my "junk" back home, which for now is in Malaysia..

A couple of years ago, I started collecting angels.. :) or to put it more clearly, figurines or paintings of angels.. I would ask friends who travel to Europe or any Western countries to get me a small figurines of angels.. I want those angels that have wings behind their back, but halos are optional... :p like this little angel from my sister, which I had brought with me to Japan and is now "watching over me" from a corner of my room.. :) :)

One of my best friend bought a reproduction painting of angels from Europe for me more than 5 years ago.. it sparked my angel collection quest.. the two angels are but a small detail of a painting called The Sistine Madonna by Raphael from the Renaissance period... I have always loved art pieces from the Renaissance period, where many of them were centered around religious events or characters.. This particular painting will be framed up and hang in the house that I shall someday own.. for now, it is rolled up and stored quietly in a plastic storage box at a friend's house in Singapore..
I have a few more angel figurines at home in Malaysia.. I haven't really started this collection seriously.. but I have been on a lookout to add to my collection... and frankly, I am pretty choosy too.. I definitely DO NOT want those from Precious Moments.. no doubt that they are cute but to me, they are too common/cliche..

And by the way, I had wanted to have a pair of wings tattooed on my back for quite a while now.. just haven't found the perfect pair of wings (the tattoo design, that is) yet.. still looking.. hope to find it and have it done as my 35th birthday present by end of this year.. :)

Why this penchant for angels? Well, I believe in angels.. and I strongly believe that every one of us has a guardian angel, watching over us.. and at many points in time, we could be someone's guardian angel too.. Most of the time an angel doesn't have to be some celestial being, but a mortal like everyone else.. anyone that offers a helping hand to someone in need, with no strings attached nor ill intentions, is an angel to me.. In a way, I like to surround myself with "angels" (literally and figurine-ly.. ;) ) and hopefully I too would be one to some people too.. :p