My first award!!! :)

I am pleased to share my first ever award that I received from Sajina of Saju's Tastes. Thank you so much darling for coming by and recognizing my blog! I am really honored that you are helping me to spread the word regarding my blog... I am so glad that within 2 months of blogging, I already have around 72 followers, 65 people connecting with me through Google +, reached 100 likes on my FB page and has crossed 5000 page hits - never in my wildest dream have I ever thought that my blog would be appreciated. At this juncture, there is one person who I would want to give a very special thanks - Jehanne of The Cooking Doctor. Her was the biggest support and I feel so nice of her messages. Thank you so much, Jehanne, I will never forget your influence!!!

So glad to receive it!!!

Sajina has so much in details explained in her post what this award means - it is basically an award passed on by fellow bloggers among each other to help recognize the good work that is being done. There are a lot of good blogs, which do not seem to have the number of followers they deserve, maybe due to so many reasons. I feel that we need to really go out and be active in order to push our blog further, but most of the time, bloggers do hesitate to do that. I personally don't think we should, because all of here are to cook and share with each other, so when you appreciate somebody's work, they will definitely come back to see and appreciate your work, as a matter of courtesy. 

Now off to the rules of the award:

1. Tell 11 random facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions provided by the award giver.

3. Select 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers in their list, for presenting the award and mention them in your post.

4. Create 11 questions that the bloggers will need to answer.

5. Mention the awards as a comment in each of the nominated 11 bloggers, as well as communicate the message back to the award giver.

OK, so I will start with the 11 random facts about myself:

1. I pride myself for the fact that the Almighty has blessed me with quite a bit of height - I am 5 ft 9 inches tall! :)

2. I love to smile - actually smile so much, that my cousins have asked me whether my jaws don't  ache. Actually they don't!

3. I love to learn continuously  My mother thinks I am mad, but then I love the feel of it. I have a BBA, MBA in Finance, PG Diploma in Supply Chain, just completed two certification courses in Purchasing. I am next aiming at certifications in Supply Chain and hopefully for a PhD - then I will be called Dr. Rafeeda!!! ;)

4. I have a really bad temper and I hate it to the core. Just can't seem to get off it... :(

5. I am fiercely independent and I am seriously blessed with an HD who is equally for it - I drive my own car, I do our groceries, manage the bills and payments... Sometimes, I do feel frustrated but then I don't like to depend on anybody else - I kind of feel tied up! I guess that has to do with being the elder one in the family!

6. I don't like watching movies - absolutely not. I really don't have the patience to sit through 2-3 of hours. 

7. I am more of an outside person - love to be out, enjoy the weather, walk around the malls, anything to do apart from being tied up at home!

8. My biggest dream is to become thin - I almost reached close to it before I carried my second child, so close that I would have achieved it, but now I have a weight, which even though does not looks too bad for my height, yet is still a concern. I am seriously looking around for the willpower I accidentally lost in that time frame of carrying my Azza... :T 

9. I have lived my whole life, apart from the first four months, in the UAE, moving between Sharjah and Dubai. I would not reveal how many years - it would automatically throw out my age! ;)

10. I hesitate to speak out and ask for what I want - a trait that I am slowly trying to get out off, but still struggling with it!

11. Even though I look tough, I am pretty easy to approach and very soft personally. :)

Now off to the 11 questions that Saju had asked to be answered:

What 4 words would you use to describe yourself?
Hmm... that's really difficult, ok - sweet, sour, composed and level-headed... Geesh, Saju, that was a real difficult one!

What's your favorite drink?
It has to be Cardamom Milk!!!

One skill you wish you had!
Definitely - mind reading!!!

Which was the first blog that you started following?
OK, now that's a real difficult question, because - I really don't remember. But then, it must be one of these four - Marias Menu, Cooking with Thas, Shab's Cuisine and Ria's Collection. 

When was the last time you cried?
I cry always, so that should not be a question to ask. I call myself a tap, I get a bit emotional and my eyes will open itself up!! Hehe...

What you hate the most about people?
I hate double-faced people, who act nice in front of you and backbite when away from you. I just cannot stand it!

Do you think you’re a good judge of a person’s character?
Kind of, almost 75% of the time, my intuitions have come out correct. 

What is your favorite song?
Anything that catches my attention - soft, melodious and romantic!

What is worst about blogging?
I guess it is the continuity - as to how long you will be able to continue and sustain interest!

What is your favorite TV show at the moment?
TV is a big no-no for me, I just don't have time for it! Neither am I fond of it... I am really happy without it!

Your favorite color & fruit?
My favorite color is blue and fruit is mango. 

Before I nominate the blogs, the 11 questions I want them to answer: 

1. Is your mind where your heart is?
2. Your favorite food
3. Apart from cooking, what are your interests?
4. If you badly want to cook something and you cannot find the ingredients required, what would you normally do?
5. How do you describe "a bad day"?
6. Your current working situation - being a housewife is totally acceptable, trust me!!! :)
7. If there was an event you could stop the time at, what would it have been?
8. Rate your interest in food blogging on a scale of 1 to 10 - 1 is "least interested" (which I am sure nobody would take!) and 10 being "till I die!!!".
9. Intuitive or Calculative?
10. A habit you wish you could control.
11. Your best food photography tip.

Here is the list of 11 blogs that I would like to nominate for the award:

1. The food I cook
2. Rani Gourmet
3. Sarani's Kitchen
4. Gheza-e-Shirin
5. Nimmy's Kitchen
6. The Kitchen Magic - Sini's Menu
7. The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen
8. My Food Express
9. From my own kitchen
10. Watz cooking in my adukala?
11. Kitchen Delicacies

Seriously, it was a tough decision but somehow I had to stop it at that!!! I have quite a bit of blogs with less than 200 followers on my list, seriously I wish I could go ahead and give it to many more. InShaAllah, next time when somebody else gives me an award!!! Friends, do visit their spaces for some awesome homely recipes...

Once again, thank you so much Saju for this...