Blog – lovin’

New Year, new dedication to the blog, and I am very pleased to accept the Liebster award from the fabulous Angie at Outdoor Running Adventures.

I started following a host of running blogs when I ran my 30k challenge in October, Angie’s is one that I still read regularly to follow her adventures in the snow with her cute dog, Kobi, a mysterious moose and lots of bears. Yes, bears. It is still a life ambition of mine to go to Canada and see a bear; Angie’s blog is my way of vicariously livin-the-dream. The dream with bears in it. And running. What do you mean, you haven’t had that dream? I digress….

There are of course rules for accepting this award, the main point being to share the blog lovin’ and spread the word to some deserving writers / photographers and build this global e-village.

• Rule number 1: Acknowledge the nominating blogger – see above
• Rule number 2: List some bloggers with fewer than 200 followers that you really feel deserve a little blogging love!
• Rule number 3: Let all of the bloggers know you’ve nominated them. You cannot nominate the blogger that nominated you!
• Rule number 4: Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you
• Rule number 5: Post 11 questions for the bloggers you’ve nominated to answer
• Rule number 6: Post 11 random facts about yourself

Here goes….

The bloggers

K-Law Guru

A Korean attorney who writes in an informative and entertaining way about aspects of Korean law (interesting for me) and also other things, from Star Trek to K-Pop and a number of interesting tidbits in between (interesting for you!) I heartily recommend a browse of this site.

Snaphappy Runner

Another blog I started to follow during my 30k Challenge, this is a lovely combination of photos about running, personal experience, training tips and running records. If you like running and have eyes, this blog is for you!

Travelling Mudskippers

These guys have a little over 200 followers, but I’m going to direct you to give them some blog lovin’ anyway because they take great photos and are having such a fun time. This is another great travel blog by a footloose and fancy-free Canadian couple possessed by wanderlust and with the means to indulge it. Enjoy.

Questions for accepting bloggers:

1. What’s your earliest memory?
2. What’s your happiest memory?
3. How do you unwind?
4. If you were being sent to a desert island, what 5 pieces of music would you take with you?
5. ….and what 2 luxury items would you take?
6. Are you more of an extrovert or more of an introvert?
7. Why do you blog?
8. Of all the blogs you follow, which is the one you always make time to read? Post  a link.
9. Which of your own posts is your favourite? Post a link.
10. All practicality aside, what would you do if you could live your ideal life?
11. What’s the next thing you plan to tick off your ‘bucket list’?

Questions for me

1. If you could live anywhere in the world (don’t be practical) where would you live? Mexico. Mexico has been my favourite country in the world since I went there for two weeks and stayed for two months. ¡Viva!
2. What is your favourite hobby/pass-time? Dancing. Salsa, samba, random movement to music on a dancefloor, and recently street jazz / funk.
3. What do you consider your greatest achievement? This is tough, but is probably managing to maintain important friendships and relationships while living my travelling dream. 
4. Dog or cat person? Cat. For sure. Sorry Kobi!
5. Provide 4 words that describe you. I checked with Wonderboy who started the list with ‘pugnacious’ and ‘supercilious’ and then proceeded through geeky, dorky, eccentric-ish and opinionated before admitting he couldn’t think of a word for me. I’ve always wanted the word ‘ineffable’ on my tombstone, but that would preclude any further description, so I’ll settle for; short, feisty, obstinate, loyal.
6. What is your favourite food? Really fatty pork dripping with juice and with plenty of sizzling crackling. That’s really bad for a Jewish former vegetarian isn’t it!
7. What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done (planned or by accident)? Give away all my possessions and move to a new continent with no real plan of action.
8. What is your favourite post you’ve written (please provide a link)? My favourites for photos are my travelling posts, my favourites for my own writing are the ones about language. My favourite for a bit of both is this account of my super Peruvian Christmas adventure at the end of 2012: Amazing Adventures.
9. What is your favourite band/singer? Oooh, another tough choice! Probably Florence and the Machine at the moment.
10. Who is your favourite author or do you have a favourite book or both? Author – Haruki Murakami, and favourite book – The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by said author. 
11. Why do you blog? Narcissism and an inflated sense of self? Actually, I started a travel blog when I first left the UK as a way to stay in contact with family and friends because I am proudly (or just stubbornly, see #5) not on Facebook. Hardly any of my family or friends regularly tune in any more though, so I have to say I maintain this page partly to give myself a sense of discipline and obligation, partly as a diary and record, and partly because I really enjoy being part of the WordPress community and finding other bloggers around the world with interesting opinions, stories, hobbies, interests and lives. 

11 random facts

1. I have a bike; her name is Madame Maxime.
2. I also named our refrigerator Beowulf, because it’s a massive beast of a fridge.
3. My first cat was called Rover.
4. My last cat was called Spot, he ran away when I was in Cambridge. I blamed my boyfriend.
5. I like poetry.
6. I love Shakespeare.
7. My favourite colour is red.
8. I would love to have a sunrise trip in a hot-air balloon.
9. I would love to cycle around the world, but probably not for a few years yet.
10. I wish I was better at bicycle maintenance.
11. One of the more obscure reasons I love living in Spanish-speaking countries is that moles (as in the ones on your skin) are called ‘lunares’ like little moons, which sounds better to my ears, especially as I am afflicted by them.

That’s all, folks!