A few days ago I was nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award by amazing Kolpona Cuisine. It was a really unexpected but wonderful gift, and I am honored to have been nominated by her – I really like her style, her writing and delicious recipes! Thank you Tahmina

Update # 1: a few weeks back I was also nominated for this award by Joy from Irreverently Untitled. Joy travels all over the world, and her posts are always a pleasure to read! Thank you so much!

Update # 2: thank you so much to Kavita from Talking Experience and Sumithra from Hearing With The Eye for nominating me! This is why blogging is so great – I have never met both of you, but through your blogs I feel like you are my dear old friends. Keep writing, keep traveling, and keep delighting us!

The rules of the award are simple:

• Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.
•  Include a link to their blog.
•  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award
•  Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

15 Blogs that inspire me:

I realized that it is very difficult to choose only 15… I have met so many wonderful people through this blog, and all of them are worthy of mention! However, here are the ones that especially inspire me and have touched my heart at some point or the other:

1. Utham at Light Touch - his photos are an inspiration, an ode to life and to beauty in the most unexpected places. Simple, refreshing, and fun – I always enjoy a new photograph from Light Touch.

2. Marina at Marina Chetner. Marina is a wonderful photographer, and her posts are always full of color, vibrancy, and pizzazz. Her travel stories are a delight to follow and they create a feeling of such… elegance!

3. Tricia at Tricia Mitchell – I am so glad to have met Tricia and to discover her stories! She has traveled extensively and her voyages are well documented through eloquent writing and inspirational photography. Best of all, through her blogs I can have a peek at another life, another wonder, and this makes me feel somehow connected to this big world.

4. Stan at Javashotsblog. Stan is a great photographer and all his work inspires me to learn more, push more, strive for perfection…

5. Kenneth at Project 365. Kenneth’s eloquent, yet concise prose is a perfect companion to his powerful shots. It is an inspiration for me to follow Kenneth and look for beauty every. single. day.

6. Manipal’s Photo Blog. The person behind this project (whose identity we shall soon learn ) highlights the works of the local Manipal photographers. I selected this blog because I really like this idea – that the blog serves as the showcase of the group, rather than the individual. Besides, the photography and writing is just splendid!

7. Mylunchanddinner – she is just a wonderful blogger with beautiful (savory!) images of her food and of her travels. I enjoy reading about Mexico and Costa Rica, and always feel good after reading her posts!

8. Asifa at Crazy Life… Her tagline – Always Expect the Unexpected – summarizes her blog very well. Whether it is contemplations on Indian life or crazy 4 line poems, I am always guaranteed to get a good read from Asifa.

9. Karen at Travel8ee. Karen travels off the beaten path and through her blog, I took a wonderful journey to Morocco. Her photos are amazing, real, inspiring!

10. Ritu at Color Odyssey. As the name implies, this blog is about exploring color. Ritu’s travel posts and photographs are very colorful and of excellent quality.

11. Joshi at Joshi Daniel Photography. Joshi is really talented. His images cannot be described, you simply have to go and take a look yourself.

12. Nozomi at Mistwalker. Nozomi’s blog is sweet, yet edgy. It is a work of art on its own, augmented with beautiful photography and stories.

13.  Sarah and Craig from To Australia the Long Way. Sarah and Craig have an amazing adventure – they are traveling from Britain to Australia, the long way. Along the way, there are plenty of stories, friends, food, dogs It is a fascinating read!

14. Nonoy at Nonoy Manga. Nonoy has an amazing imagination… I am pretty new to the world of manga, and his drawings and stories keep me coming back again and again.

15. Annette at A Vagabondage. Annette is traveling through Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, exploring a notion of the “journey”. Her posts are intriguing and exotic.

Now onto 7 things about myself:

1. I love reading and spending a day with a good book is my definition of a great day.

2. I also love red wine (especially Spanish) and you can always find a bottle in my kitchen.

3. My favorite book is Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I think this book is a must-read, for it conveys universal truths about mankind…

4. I flew in a naval jet twice, and both times I was very scared.

5. Which leads me to # 5 – I try to conquer my fears. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

6. Traveling is my passion. I love learning about new cultures, new countries, new food. The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is!

7.  I believe in friendships; and though I have been proved wrong in the past, I don’t think I will ever lose this faith.

Thank you again, Tahmina and Joy, for allowing me to pay it forward