An Award Like No Other

When I was new to blogging, I came across some blogs that were awarded the Liebster Award. Though I have learned that one blogger should be nominated  to get one, I told myself then it would still be cool to be recognized and validated by other bloggers as well.

Since then a lot of things happened. I joined communities, contests, submitted articles, some  eventually getting published. I started to have friends and followers. Suddenly,the blogging world no longer appeared strange. It became a place where information was shared and ordinary people whose extraordinary stories became sources of inspiration, an abode where I can just be my true self. It had only been less than a year and I already had forgotten about that particular award with a foreign name until a blogger named Jane Ridgewood of  janeridgewood.blogspot.com nominated me for it. You can read Jane's post about my nomination here.I could not help but smile and be thankful to Jane who chose me among the many bloggers in this blogging world. She finally made my wish come true.

The Liebster Award recognizes new and upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (or friends) on their contribution to the blogging world. Liebster is a German word whose meanings include kindest, dearest,favorite,valued,welcome.There maybe a lot of wonderful things associated with the word Liebster and I could add just one more to it - appreciated,  as I will always remember this German word and the appreciation that went along with it.

In order to accept this award, one must abide the following rules. And they are as follows :

The Rules:

01)  Each person must list 11 things about themselves.

02)  Answer the 11 questions that the tagger has set for you PLUS you MUST create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award.

03)  Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post.

04)  Go to their page and inform them of the nomination.

05)  Absolutely NO tags back. Remember to ONLY tag bloggers with less than 200 followers.

So, here are the eleven (and not so ordinary things) about me.

1.When I am infront of the computer, I use the mouse with my left hand. I am not a leftie but my brother and three of my kids are. Perhaps it runs in the family as I also have cousins and nephews who are lefties as well.

2. I am very quick to learn new tunes and dance steps. I come from a musically gifted family where my uncles, including my dad learned to play at least three musical instruments by self study. Most of them, including my aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces can sing as well.

3. My dad used to act in the Zarzuela, a Spanish term equivalent to a musical stage theater and three of the cast were historical figures in the Philippines. They were the Dela Rosa brothers, Rogelio and Jaime who became  icons of the  Philippine Movie Industry  and Diosdado Macapagal, the poor boy from Lubao, who eventually became one of the Presidents of the Philippines.

4. I have an uncle who was awarded the Purple Heart of Valor as he was killed in action during World War II. His name was Romeo Guerrero, husband to my aunt, Africa Mallari. Their marriage only lasted for a few years, cut short by uncle's passing. They had two kids but their love lasted many decades later as my aunt never remarried after that.

5. I love to laugh my heart out. It does not really bother me even though a lot of people noticed that. I also do not join the laughter when I don't  find a funny thing in what was just shared or said. Laughter should be free, not to be analyzed if it is done properly or not.

 6. I love stories about kids and kid stuff. I enjoy watching these kind of movies together with my kids. For me it is something that I will not get tired of doing.

7. I love looking pictures about food. Hmm, that thought suddenly made me hungry.

8. I am starting to get the habit of starting my weekends early with brisk walking and joining the aero class at the park. It is just a great way to start one's day.

9. I have been reading as early as I can remember. There was even a time that I read more than I studied my lessons during my freshman years.

10. I am a T.V. addict. I have to admit that I had learned a lot watching good and informative shows, lessons which I had not learned inside the classroom.

11. The coolest thing that I had recently was winning an  Apple ipad 2 from an online magazine.

And now here the answers to Jane's eleven questions 

01: What is your favorite scent? 

I am not really into perfume or fragrances. But I do love the scent of clean clothes, babies and after I just bathed my kids. I also love the smell of my mom's cooking. It reminds me of my childhood and all the happy memories spent at our old home. 

02: What is your favorite season?

Christmas will always be my most favorite part of the year. The Christmas spirit, the songs and Yuletide cheers which you just want to spread to every one, wether you know them or not.

03: Where is your favorite vacation spot?

If my budget permits, Tagaytay would be a practical vacation spot. Just near Manila and accessible to go to. Abroad I would choose CA or NY because I also have relatives there. 

04: Who is your favorite band/artist?

I love the songs of Earth, Wind and Fire, Chicago, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Michelle Legrand,Henry Mancini and Sergio Mendez. Songs of Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, Patti Austin and James Ingram are also some of my favorite artists of all time.

05: What is your earliest memory?

This was a hard one. One of my earliest memories was when I would count the "Curly Tops" chocolate candies inside the box bought by my dad. Same thing with MnM's chocolate candies. Every time I opened one, it seems that my dad is still there watching me eat them, and that brings back a lot of good memories.

06: When did you start blogging?

I started blogging November of 2011. I was encouraged by a blogger friend who I met in a game show audition. That was also the last time I saw her.

07: What is your favorite T.V. show?

I love watching NCIS and the CSI Series. They are fast paced, filled with action with drama on the side.

08: What genre do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy reading  legal/action/suspense thriller. I am not into romance that much. I also enjoyed reading all Harry Potter Books.

09: Would you ever (or do you) run more than one blog?

If I have more time. I might run another blog about fitness and health. 

10: What is your favorite animal? Why?

I love cats and dogs. For me they are the safest pets and had grown accustomed to having them around most of my life.

11: What are you most thankful for in life?

I am thankful for a lot of things. My family, friends, work, writing, good health. I try to find time to be thankful very early in the morning  or even at the most unexpected places.

I hope you are still with me on this one because now comes the exiting part. (drumroll please )

I now give the list of my nominated bloggers who I chose to hand this prestigious award. 

1.http://legallymama.blogspot.com/                                        2. http://www.iheartgoodhealth.com/
3. http://mommypracticality.blogspot.com/                              4. http://joandestacio.blogspot.com/
5. http://adventuresonplanetmom.blogspot.com/                      6. http://jonathinks.blogspot.com/ 
7. http://www.womanscribbles.net/                                         8. http://beforeiturn25.blogspot.com/
9. http://dilettantesinglemom.blogspot.com/                        10. http://cazzapoeia.blogspot.com/ 
                                        
                                             11. http://theblackswampcornucopia.blogspot.com/

Finally here are the eleven questions for the lucky bloggers I have chosen for this award.

1. What do you love most about blogging ?
2. What  was the first song or tune that you sang ?
3. What was the first gift  that you had ever received ?
4. What is one historical story in your family that you are most proud of?
5. When did you first learn to go home on your own?
6. When did you first learn to live on your own ?
7. Who is your favorite author and why?
8. What is (are) your favorite  movie(s) that touched on  history or based on real life events ?
9. What do you do when you experience writer's block?
10. What book or story that you will never get tired of reading?
11. What difficult decision had you done in your life that was worth it?

I will be looking forward to read all of  your posts. And by the way, let me end this by saying, "Congratulations to all of you! "