Liebster & Ideal Inspiration Blogger Awards

A few days ago, I received by first ever award nomination from Dulcy Singh for the Liebster Award; this was quickly followed by another nomination from Thobile Simelane for the Ideal Inspiration blogger award, so I took the decision to do a 2 in 1 post!

For those of you who are still getting to know me, my blogging journey started just over a month ago and I didn’t expect to receive any award at all, so I felt pleasantly surprised, humbled and deeply moved by their wonderful acts of kindness. I’d also like to say a massive thanks to everyone else who has supported me in my journey so far and has contributed towards my milestones (today I reached 400+ followers, thank you!).

If you who haven’t had the chance to check out these bloggers, I’d recommend their pages:

• Dulcy Singh – dulcyblogs – Dulcy loves to tell stories on her platform about a range of topics. She isn’t afraid to put in the occasional quote and her writing is truly inspiring and thought-provoking. Dulcy is very friendly and has made me feel welcomed on this new platform, often supporting my work with wonderful and uplifting praise.
• Thobile Simelane – therealityoflife140189985 – Thobile is relatively new to the platform, like myself. She blogs about how to grow as a person and teaches readers to do what is morally right. She is an avid supporter of God and religion. Thobile is a kind and humble person, who supports other people in their work. She was quick to recognise me as a blogger and supported me, an act of kindness which never goes unnoticed in my eyes.

THE RULES:-

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Answer their questions.
3. Nominate 11 bloggers (Liebster award) or upto 9 bloggers (Ideal inspiration award). In this case, I will nominate 20 bloggers, who can choose which award they would like to accept or they can accept both if they wish.
4. Ask your nominees 11 questions (Liebster award) or 5 questions (Ideal inspiration award). I’m going to give my nominees 10 questions to answer.
5. Notify the nominees about the nomination.
6. List the rules and display the award logo.

DULCY’S QUESTIONS FOR HANNAH:-

1. Do you like stories? Yes, I spent most of my childhood with my head stuck in a book and found that from a young age I had advanced quickly to reading adult books. I continue to enjoy reading, using this as a means of escapism from everyday life. I am currently re-reading The Alchemist, one of my favourites.
2. Which country do you belong to? I was born and raised in London, so I am a British citizen but I have origins from India.
3. When is your birthday? 4^th February.
4. Suggest a story theme. Fear, romance and emotional scars.
5. What inspired you to write a blog? I wanted to use my time during the pandemic to learn new things and develop myself as a person. On my list of things to do was to produce artwork and improve my IT skills, by creating a website from scratch. I also received a few positive comments on Instagram about my artwork and was given the suggestion to put my art on a website. Thus, I decided to join the WordPress community. Although I never thought about Blogging, I see this as an added bonus; I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging and find it to be very therapeutic. I used to write my own stories and poetry, so writing a blog felt natural to me.
6. If you could have a wish then what would it be? To end world poverty and make every person smile.
7. Describe yourself. People would describe me as friendly and out-going, fashionable, hard-working, honest, thoughtful, competitive, a perfectionist, intelligent, creative and analytical. I take pride in making others happy and I want to make a difference to the world. I work as an Account Executive within the publishing industry. My hobbies include travelling, reading, watching documentaries, listening to music, art, playing the keyboard, exercise, yoga, cooking, fashion and interior décor – and now blogging as well! I have had my fair share of hardships in life, but I feel like they have shaped me into a stronger and more resilient, head-strong individual. I believe strongly in equality for all.
8. What is your favourite place that you want to visit again? Does Disney world count? I found this to be a hard question, as I enjoy travelling and have had the novelty of seeing many places around the world. I would say that Vegas and the Grand Canyon really captivated me, Italy has always been one of my favourite places to see and Niagara Falls was incredibly beautiful as well.
9. One weakness you want to overcome. I would say that because I am a perfectionist, sometimes I have to accept that I can’t control everything that happens in life and I would benefit from taking a back seat and having more trust more in others. I have been working on this by considering the feedback that I receive and coming up with new ways of doing things.
10. What are your learnings during this corona pandemic? Don’t take life for granted! I have learned to appreciate everything that I have and to have a more positive outlook on life, in spite of the obstacles it throws in your way. I have used this time to invest into the people who really care about me and matter the most.
11. Your favourite quote(s).
    “Life is a fashion show and the world is our runway” – Marc Jacobs
    “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” – Aesop
    “Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have” – Unknown
    “We build too many walls and not enough bridges” – Isaac Newton

THOBILE’S QUESTIONS FOR HANNAH:-

1. How do you view other people? I feel like this can be subjective, depending on who the person is. A person can be seen as funny, honest, loving, happy, maternal, wise, intelligent, kind, benevolent, humanitarian, fashionable, sporty, girly, masculine, extroverted, introverted, powerful, lucky, successful, moody, panicky, stressed, gullible, naïve, mean, scary, narrow-minded, untrustworthy, fake, stubborn, short-tempered, conceited and traumatised.
2. If every individual in your life treated you exactly how you treat other people, how would you feel? I would feel good knowing that those people would have my back through thick or thin and are trustworthy. I have often pondered as to why certain people behave the way they do – that is to say, why certain people feel the need to belittle others and treat them with little regard.
3. If your answer to the above was that you felt bad, then why do you continue to treat people that way? I very rarely treat someone in a bad way, or hold those intentions. If I see that I have, then I will stop and try to put it right.
4. If your answer to the above was that you felt good, then how can you influence change? By using my platform to educate people, continue to read and educate myself more and generally being proactive and participating in events and actions that influence change.
5. Do you think that there is a difference between living and existing? Yes, I feel that existing is merely surviving and fulfilling our sole purpose/biological function on earth. Whereas living is when we are proactive, do go the extra mile and do something that actually makes a difference.

I NOMINATE:
I nominate the following bloggers, apologies if you have already received a nomination in any of these categories. I believe that everyone nominated exhibits the traits and qualities worthy of both of these awards, however you can pick whichever one you like, or do both if you prefer to. If I haven’t nominated you, then by all means feel free to nominate yourself. You are more than welcome to!

*Chetna – cityofcuriotivity95
*Milford Street – milford-street
*gulfcoastpoet
*Sam – onechancetoseetheworld
*Shantanu Baruah – ckonfab
*Words Monsters Me – wordsmonstersme
*Charlotte – bewitchingbooksravenousreads
*Nabeela – nabeelasblog
*angelswhisperer2011
*Shanessa – mydaysinmontana
*P@rth – poetry.p2
*Msdedeng – thededengblog
*Navin – navinspoems
*The Free Thinker – thetruthregister
*Charles – thevaleofsoulmaking
*Jonicaggiano – the-inner-child
*mtaggartwriter
*Vanya Rajwar – thesoulsurge
*Flora Ashe – florafiction
*Sabiscuit

MY QUESTIONS TO NOMINEES:

1. What inspired you to write a blog?
2. What are your favourite hobbies/pastimes?
3. State your favourite quote OR Is there a book that changed your life? If so, in what way?
4. If you could choose one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
5. What is your definition of success?
6. What is your biggest fear?
7. What have you learned during this pandemic?
8. If you won the lottery, what would you spend that money on? (Imagine that you have won millions).
9. What places are on your travel bucketlist to see?
10. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Thank you for reading this post.