Thanks so much to http://djhardesty.wordpress.com for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award! What an encouragement, and from a great blogger too.
So here comes the part I have to do to accept the nomination…
11 random facts about me:
1. I am the youngest of three siblings. 2. I teach English in a secondary school. 3. I live in Melbourne, Australia. 4. I taught for six months in Malaysian Borneo when I was 25. 5. I learnt German in high school but have forgotten most of what I learnt. 6. I enjoy running but injured myself about eighteen months ago and still cannot run as much as I want to. 7. I love to cook Malaysian food. 8. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. 9. I really love God. 10. I am currently completing my Masters in Education. 11. I like to play the piano – even though I am not very good.Here are the questions that I was asked:
1. Do you have a favorite topic to write about? Grace. It’s an endlessly fascinating subject. 2. When did you start writing? As a very small child. Before I could write, I dictated stories to my mother. 3. What are your feelings about this nomination? It’s a lovely bit of encouragement. Blogging is a strange and isolated act if you don’t have people to support you with it along the way. 4. How do you deal with writers block? I set myself a poetic form to work in and see what develops. Usually having some kind of creative constraint to work within gets me going again. 5. When are you the most happy? When I am with the people I love most and feel connected with them. 6. When was the last time you danced, and what was the song? A few months ago, in the privacy of my home, when I first heard this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdTQuNouujI 7. What’s your favorite book? Tough question…For sheer longevity in my life, a choice between “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens and “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis. 8. Why/When did you start blogging? I started my first blog in 2007 when I was beginning teaching and living in a new area of Melbourne and using my blog as a space to reflect on it all. At the start of last year, when I became more interested in posting poetry and other writing rather than random thoughts, I switched to WordPress. 9. Have you ever wanted to quit writing? Not really…I go in ups and downs in confidence about my writing but can’t really see a future in which I am not writing in some form or another. 10. What is your favorite post from your own site? Or do you have a favorite? I wrote a poem earlier this year called “Gratis” which I’m very proud of. 11. Have you ever tried to get published? A couple of times. I had some poems published in a journal a few years back, and a handful of rejected poems, stories and bad early attempts at novel-writing.My 11 nominees are:
1. http://confessionsofableedingheart.wordpress.com 2. http://thekingsofrubyhill.wordpress.com 3. http://eclipsedbylight.wordpress.com 4. http://scriptordeus.wordpress.com 5. http://aplaceforpoetry.wordpress.com 6. http://bishkekdiary.blogspot.com.au 7. http://lazywednesdays.wordpress.com 8. http://bluestonecity.org 9. http://kristinnador.wordpress.com 10. http://gracepieces.com 11. http://wanderingyetnotlost.wordpress.comMy questions for the nominees:
1. What prompted you to start blogging? 2. How do you feel about being nominated? 3. What most inspires you to write? 4. When do you feel most satisfied in life? 5. When did you last laugh uncontrollably, and what prompted it? 6. What is your favourite colour? 7. What is your favourite book? 8. Where is your favourite place to go? 9. What have you found most rewarding about blogging? 10. What makes you sad? 11. What would you change about the world if you could?To accept the nomination, here are the rules:
– Place the Leibster Award picture from above onto the top of your post, say who nominated you and list their site. – List 11 random facts about yourself. – Nominate 11 other bloggers for the Leibster award and list their sites. – Notify the bloggers of their awards. – Ask the award nominees that you have chosen 11 questions to answer to accept their award. – Answer the 11 questions left by the blogger who nominated you.
Congratulations to all my nominees. Keep up the good blogging!
The Consolations of Writing 
Hi Matthew, congratulations on winning this award!! And thank you so much for your thoughtfulness in nominating me, but I must gracefully decline; at my previous blog, I acquired many awards–and they were fun, until they became too time consuming–I’d rather write, and be connected with the people I’ve met through our blogs, than do the “awards work”. But thanks again, brother–and do enjoy your awards! Also, I so enjoyed learning about you in this post!! God bless you much–sis Caddo (Jael-Caddo)
Thankyou 🙂 Yes, the awards do seem a bit time-consuming. I was surprised by how much time this one took up. But thanks for your encouragement and for sharing your poetry – it’s been a great discovery.