Ok, I have been meaning to get to this for a few months now. *Thank you* to all you fabulous folks who took the time to nominate me! I sincerely appreciate it and absolutely apologize for the delay. It really has been a crazy past few months for me, but excuses aside… better late than never, right?
I’m combining several different awards in the interest of time and well, my (and your) attention span.
Nominations:
1) 10/15/2012: The first award I was nominated for was the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Peggy Tee of Taking to the Open Road (http://takingtotheopenroad.com/). Firstly, let me tell you that I simply adore the precious simplicity and rich vibrancy of your beautiful travel photos. Some literally have given me goosebumps. Secondly, thank you for your nomination and thank you for inspiring the photography fanatic in me!
2) 10/18/2012: The second award I was nominated for was the One Lovely Blog Award by Allie of Experiencing Life (http://experiencingmyownlife.wordpress.com/). I love seeing Hawaii/China through your eyes. Wonderful photos! Thank you for the nomination!
3) 11/8/2012: The third award I was nominated for was the Reader Appreciation Award by Padraig O’Connor of The Artful Podger’s Blog (http://padraigoconnor.wordpress.com/). Reading your poems is sheer delight! You have such a beautiful way with words. Thank you for the nomination!
4) 1/1/2013: The fourth award I was nominated for was the Beautiful Blogger Award by Tia of A Caffeinated Brunette (http://acaffeinatedbrunette.com). Your recipes rock my socks! Caffeine + brunette = my kind of gal! Thank you for the nomination!
5) 1/2/13: The fifth award I was nominated for was the Liebster Award by Miya of miyaautumn.com. Your blog is simply amazing because I feel like I know you already without ever meeting you. Love to learn more about you through your love for music. Thank you for the nomination!
6) 1/5/13: The sixth award I was nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Lucrezia of Learn Italian for Fun (http://learnitalianforfun.wordpress.com). If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to speak Italian (and for free!), Lucrezia is your lady! Thank you for the nomination!
20 random things about me:
1) I adore sprawling urban centers. LOVE the diverse people, multi-cultural cuisines, trend-setting fashion, fusion of global culture, and just about everything else.
2) I was born and raised in Orange County, California, which might explain why I prefer colder climates and am not much of a beach person. My idea of perfect weather is about 10*C–sunny, but colddd! Year-round warm weather bores me.
3) I have a really unhealthy, almost embarrassing obsession with sushi. So unhealthy to the point that I worry what I will do when I’m pregnant and have to take a 9-month hiatus from my precious tuna. I’ll be sure to tell my unborn child of that sacrifice later.
4) Dancing has been in my blood since I was a little girl and I absolutely adore the different art forms. My favorites are salsa and flamenco.
5) I’ve lived in 5 different countries: USA (obviously), the UK, India, France, and Germany and up until last year, had lived abroad for the past 7 years, on and off. Throughout those years, I visited 40+ countries and hope to get to #50 by my 30th birthday.
6) I have a Master’s in Human Rights from the London School of Economics (LSE) and am onto my JD/MBA in a few months.
7) I used to put ice cubes in my cereal because the thought of warm milk with cereal gave me hives.
8) Three words to describe me: independent, opinionated, and open-minded.
9) Three physical characteristics: 5’5″, green-gray eyes, and a birthmark on my left foot.
10) I met my British boyfriend on the friendly streets of Berlin while he was there for a one-day business trip from London. Our exchange included mutually insulting one another within the first 30 minutes, which was clearly our way of saying, you’re kind of awesome.
11) I’m an absolute sucker for beautiful, colorful statement necklaces. I strongly believe a girl can never have enough. (Same mantra applies to shoes and clothes)
12) I was a PC user all the way up until 2010, when my brother finally convinced me to cross-over to the dark side and buy a MacBook Pro. With my PC dead as a doornail, I was in no place to defend it.
13) I have been to the Louvre Museum in Paris a whoppin’ 26 times. And I tell you, I still haven’t seen everything.
14) I’ve been to 30+ different afternoon teas around the world, and my favorites are still in London. Shocker.
15) My absolute favorite T.V. show of all time is I Love Lucy. If I tell you I’ve seen every episode of all 9 seasons at least 100x and can recite the dialogue as I watch, I would not be lying.
16) I played tennis for 12 years when I was younger and played #1 singles on my varsity high school tennis team. It’s one of the few sports I follow and watch regularly now.
17) Born on June 20 at 11:43p, I’m on the cusp of gemini and cancer. I attribute my highly nocturnal tendencies to this.
18) My ultimate dream travel destination is Iceland. I have planned that trip now 3 times and every time, some disaster has hit. First two times, I had to get a refund on my tickets because of the volcano eruption and the third time, I had a personal emergency. I realize this might be sign from the heavens, but I’m still determined as hell.
19) The longest train journey I’ve ever taken was in India for 40 hours, from Goa to Delhi. Cabin fever, anyone?
20) I have an incredible weak spot for men in crisp, well-tailored, dark-colored suits. *Swoooon*
Inspiration:
10 Bloggers that continue to inspire and make the blogosphere just a little more beautiful with their writing, ideas, and photos, in no particular order (and this list is certainly not comprehensive):
1) http://1dad1kid.com
2) http://gallivance.net
3) http://littlemermaidatsea.com
4) http://frugalfirstclasstravel.com
5) http://brittskrabanek.com
6) http://globaleduc.wordpress.com
7) http://fortheintolerants.com
8) http://frenchfoodieindublin.com
9) http://jeremycwilson.com
10) http://www.notjustaprettydress.com
Thank you all once again.
Keep calm and keep inspiring!
