Liebster Award

Awesome!!! 😀 This means so much…Thanks Diksha who writes at A Writer’s Cauldron for nominating me. With a smile on my face and a cheer in my heart, I accept this award. And of course, the promises of writing better and keeping you entertained through my posts…I wish we could strike a pose together (after all pictures are THE THING these days…if you haven’t clicked a picture and displayed on some social networking site, you haven’t done it at all)!!!!

Anyways…I am humbled. Just over 40 posts old and I get appreciated for what I put up here. Cheers to all those of you who have received the award already and to those who are yet to receive it, but certainly will. Keep writing…

I had to Google to know what this award really was (as a naive blogger I haven’t actually heard of this one!)…and it only made my smile bigger. Basically it is an online award given to new bloggers by ones who have been blogging for a while. It is a very warm welcome indeed. And if you accept the award, you have to do the following…

1. Display an image of the award on your blog (I Googled mine!)
2. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog.
3. Answer the 11 questions that are provided by the person who nominated you.
4. Nominate upto 11 other bloggers to receive the award.
5. Create 10 or more questions for these nominees to answer.
6. Inform those people who are now nominated for the Liebster Award, and provide a link to your post so they can learn more about it.

Here are the questions that Diksha wants me to answer…

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Since I am someone who holds on tightly to the moments that have passed, I have umpteen number of memories. If I had to pick one, and since you insist, I pick this one. My mom and I have a sense of humour that only we understand. We laugh at everything…literally! Her uninhibited laughter is often infectious… And I remember that we used to do stupid things like surround ants with water and blow into it and wonder if the ants think of it as a Tsunami…we used to wonder if ants had hotels and restaurants and other fun places within their nests! We used to laugh at the stupidest thoughts!

Which is the one place in the world you’d like to visit (or re-visit)?

Lonavla…during monsoons. Anyone who has been there during monsoons will vouch for its beauty and the spectacular staging of nature…often an inspiration to artists! Since I lived not too far away from Lonavla, me and my friends used to hop onto the local trains and head there unplanned. Some of the most beautiful memories of mine are from walking on the highway with cars speeding past…and enjoying the rain and singing loudly!

What is your favourite part of blogging?

My friend, Margaret who writes at Black Boxed Creations inspired me to start writing a blog. But I hadn’t found the spirit of writing till I visited Melissa’s blog at Ever Growing Farm. Her blog is awesome and I wrote a post called Alike as Chalk and Cheese about how it gave me a new reason to write…how it made me realize that knowing different people through the small and big accounts of their lives is what I enjoy most about this process 🙂 I love reading anecdotes and other snippets from other blogs and that keeps me going.

Introvert or extrovert (or ambivert)?

Ambivert, of course!!! I used to be a complete introvert in school  but then in college I opened up big time. I was the most active person, participating in everything from debates to dance competitions (especially the latter, I found a new love for dance…I still ‘perform’ when I get a moment…even if I am the only audience!). But I cannot trade my moments of quiet for anything. I need those times when I sit with myself and sip on coffee and listen to music, without being disturbed by ‘people’!

Which is the first book you remember reading?

I think I began with reading those short story collections like all kids. I honestly cannot remember the first book I read but I have faint memories of reading Agatha Christie’s books. I use to love mystery.

The biggest risk you have ever taken in life?

“The ship is always safe at the shore. But that is NOT what it is built for.” – Albert Einstein. That’s so true. I am a little bit of an adrenaline junkie myself, but I life the calm that safety provides too. Biggest risk would be a road trip from Pune to Lavasa (through steep valleys and life-threatening turns) where when we reached the downhill parts, we switched off the ignition of our bikes and pulled out the key and put it in our pockets. The speed was maddening, the wind gushing past us was deafening and the adrenaline was at its peak. Thankfully, we are all still alive! 😀

One person you find inspiring and why?

I’ve been very fortunate to have been influenced by some amazing people. Like every little girl, my daddy is my true hero and my mommy is my biggest strength. But my biggest inspiration is my friend, Archit, who comes from an extremely modest background. His parents don’t support his quest for knowledge (they want him to take up jobs that would pay him well) but research is what he wants to pursue. He does get bogged down at times as all humans do…but what’s amazing is that he never stops dreaming BIG!

Do you have any phobias?

Creepy crawlies and street dogs that chase while you ride a bicycle past them!!!

Ebooks or Paperbacks?

Paperbacks for sure! The smell of old yellowed pages and the sight of a tattered front cover!

One thing you love about yourself?

I’m quite self-obsessed so there are quite a few things…but if I had to pick one, and again since you insist I will, it will be the fact that I am still a child at heart, excited when I get gifts, excited at the sight of rain or of flowers, excited by every ‘like’ on my post and every comment that comes my way…

My nominees for the award will be up soon 🙂 Cheers!!!