The cyber world, like the real world, is full of surprises. Last Sunday I received a message from SalvaVenia that he has nominated me for the Most Influential Blogger award. Wow, that was definitely a surprise, and a pleasant one! Thank you Salva!!

I have not met Salva in a real world but we have had some very interesting discussions by WordPress. I think he started following me when I was writing the India series earlier this year. It seems he has enjoyed my writings about India, and I have enjoyed his comments, often very philosophical and knowledgeable. The topics of our discussions have varied from food (of course) to history, travels, religion, culture and life in general. I have no idea what he does for living, but I guess I could call him a contemporary thinker. He seems open-minded, wise, and someone who is capable of and willing to understand the world beyond the geographical borders and “universal truth”. Salva has given me a lot of food for though and I would be curious and honored to meet him one day.

So, thank you SalvaVenia again for all your fascinating comments that I believe have enriched my life, and for this award –appreciated!!

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Awards often come with responsibilities, and so does this one, too. The guidelines for acceptance the award are simple, and one of them is about nominating ten bloggers. I have been thinking about this all week long, and it has been a really difficult choice. I still consider myself rather new to the blog world, and I am sure there are many amazing blogs out there that I simply do know about (and many others who I follow but have not taken time to get to really know them). However, I have made choice reflecting some criteria (for example English language and regularity of writing) and this is what my list looks like (in alphabetical order):

1. Bucket List Publications to follow a fascinating life of a professional travel writer.
2. grapefriend for wine stories with a twist.
3. Hello, Fig for amazing collage artwork.
4. Married In Marrickville | The Russian, Italian & Greek Girl… for amazing recipes and oh-so-beautiful photos.
5. My French Heaven to make you fall in love with South West France.
6. Paris: People, Places and Bling! for shopping in Paris.
7. Restaurant and wine epicure for restaurant reviews in Helsinki.
8. The Flexi Foodie for healthy and yummy (vegetarian) recipes and well-being tips.
9. Traveller’s Tree to read about a Greek living in Finland.
10. Young Apron for restaurant reviews in Paris.

Now, if you are one of the aforementioned blogs, there are five basic rules that you should follow:

1. Display the Award on your Blog.
2. Announce your win with a blog post and thank the Blogger who awarded you. Do not lump this award with any other award in a “basket”, “bouquet” or “collection” etc., I would rather you didn’t accept the award.
3. Present 10 deserving Bloggers with the Award.
4. Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded with a comment (or a pingback).
5. Include an embedded video of your current favorite song (YouTube has almost everything, just copy and paste the link into your WordPress editor). If a video is not possible you can embed a SoundCloud track.

So, lastly, my music choice: Nu – MAN O TO (http://youtu.be/2M1xKXd4GVI). Enjoy the world of Rumi!