Interesting......Very Interesting

Hi guys,

My intentions was to post my second installment on Barcelona, Spain but the masterly crafted MTV style video featuring scantily clad squirrels dancing around on the old cobbled streets of Barcelona will have to wait at least another week before it can be unleashed to the unsuspecting public. Unfortunately the computer in the laboratory from which I plot world conquest has been infected!!!! (and I wonder if I picked it up from any of you????)

Yes, now whenever I switch it on and attempt to retrieve said video, something strange happens which I can only describe as "groovy"; i.e. it looks like Windows that is tripping on LSD. I fear that I may have to send said computer to rehabilitation and who knows how long that will take.

So here I was, with no means to plot world domination when suddenly, sweet Marja of Dutchcorner, gives me this wonderful award for "Interesting Blog 2009" which originated from BlueDreamer . Thank you Marja. Without knowing it, you have given me much appreciated encouragement and have averted world conquest.........if only the free world knew how much it owed you.

As always, it now falls on me to spread the good mojo. It goes without saying that I like all the blogs on my blogroll and invite you to visit all of them but I would like to highlight the following with this "Interesting Blog 2009" award (in no particular order);

1. Guilty with an Explanation - What isn't interesting about the way Hearts sees life in San Francisco. Why even the title is interesting, don't cha tink?

2. The Unmitigated Word - I generally do not dally long on blogs that pontificate on politics and other heavy issues. So the fact that Andre's blog talks politics and deals with some deep social issues and I find it so interesting, makes this blog real special in my books. Andre covers the issue with real passion and with a great deal of thought and does it very objectively. Two thumbs up, bro.

3. For the Love of Women - This is a work of love by Eastcoastdweller and a small team that he has cobbled together (of which LGS is fortunate to be part of). This is a tribute to women. And aren't women interesting? If you want to learn more about women and their contributions to life on this world then do visit FLOW as we affectionately call it.

4. Gledwood Vol 2 Main Blog - Gledwood's blog has great recipes (for batchlors), has lots of cool videos, has wonderful posts about his Roborovski hamsters and he writes with frankness about his struggles with addiction. In his own words, his blog is about, "HAMSTERS & HEROIN: Not all junkies are purse-snatching grandmother-killing psychos. I'm keeping this blog to bear witness to that fact." Interesting, no?

5. The Molly Bawn Chronicles - Hmmm. So similar to the "Unsinkable Molly Brown". Coincidence? I think not! I am sure Molly Bawn is equally unsinkable! From the very first time I visited her blog, I have enjoyed her stories and her reflections. She's Irish which explains a lot. She does quilting and blogs about it too. Once I made a derogatory remark about quilting and Molly saved me from the lynch mob of her other readers by making me plead insanity so I am indebtted to her. But seriously, her tales of here and now and of yesteryear and of the Ol' Sod are very interesting.

Thanks again Marja and I hope all of you will visit the awardees.

Real Life Award

Reception after the Ceremony (Photo by LGS)

Monday the 24th of November 2008 was a very special night for me. Although I have generally avoided talking about my work on this blog, I feel the need to mark this occasion.

At a very special function, which was held at the base of the famous KLCC Twin Towers and which was attended and presided over by the Prime Minister of my country, awards were given out under several categories for outstanding contributions to the country. This was a new national award that was launched last year in conjunction with the 50th year of Independence. The very first inaugural award recipients were named at this function.

There were 5 categories. The first for Community and Education was won by a well known scholar who studied poverty and influenced the development of the country's education system. Another category was for Science and Technology and that was jointly won by a) the medical research team that risked their lives during a fatal disease outbreak which led to them discovering a new disease and b) to a doctor,researcher and lecturer who has greatly influenced diabetes research and treatment in the country. The award for Economic Contributions was given to a gentleman who discovered the way to greatly increase the yield and profitability of the oil palm crop which became a major source of income for the country. There was no award winner this year for the category for Scholastic Achievement.

The final category was for the Environment and it was awarded to the organisation that I work for. I was one of 10 representatives and supporters that were invited to receive the award on behalf of the organisation. It was a great experience. The award recognised the persistent effort of the organisation for more than 14 years which eventually led to the protection of a very large tract of wilderness forest. The award clearly belongs also to all the volunteers and partners that helped along the way.

Standing with all the other award recipients was very memorable as I have a deep respect for all of them (and especially for the medical research team) and therefore felt incredibly blessed to be counted amongst them. The award comes with a RM500,000 cash prize which will be a great help to us as we continue to try to get adjacent forests protected as well. But for me, it has been by far a most welcome encouragement to myself and to all the staff and volunteers that have given their hearts to the cause of conservation of our country's natural heritage.

I had a ball. I am now a little hung-over from the post-adrenaline rush. But the work must now go on. Nose back on the grindstone!

Jedi Squirrel

Has it been two weeks? I am so sorry. I meant to put this up earlier but it has been a hectic two weeks. However, I really appreciated it when my friend the Urban Animal gave me this "Kick Ass Blogger" award, coming as it did around the time of the big showdown in my own life. It was indeed a very good and welcome encouragement. I like this award. It makes small tree rodent mammals feel big.


Here are the rules (because there are always rules):

* Choose 5 bloggers that you feel are “Kick Ass Bloggers”
* Let ‘em know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they’ve received an award
* Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to Mamma Dawg
* Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

Okay for my 5 "Kick Ass Blogger" Inductees (which urban animal would have been one if she hadn't already got the award).

1. A Little Off Kilter. A single parent building a happy home for her kids and herself. She's come a long way and with much grace in the last year. A kick ass inspiration for us all wrapped up with a blog of wonderfully eclectic content and great pictures.
2. Trying to Fill the Unforgiving Minute. She's scared of squirrels (can you believe that?!?!), amongst other things but she doesn't let them small matters interfere with her living a sparkling, giving and humor filled life. Another kick ass inspiration with interesting posts on her blog.
3. The Walking Man. If I met Mark in person, I think I would be definitely intimidated by this man who has seen and done so much with his life, both good and not so good. Such a full experience of life is wonderfully captured in his poems and reflected in the character of the man who has also bravely endured much physical pain over the years. I think he deserves to be called a kick ass salt of the earth character.
4. Odat's Mumblings. Odat's taking a break from blogging but like many of her readers, I hope she'll be back soon cause there is no denying her inspirational character and her kick ass blog.
5. A Majority of Two. One blogger, in my opinion, has maintained an incredibly kick ass blog from the days of my first forays into bloggerworld till now and so I'll have her end this list. One of the most personable and humble persons with the most interesting things to say in what she calls "her boring little blog". Well, it's her boring little kick ass blog really!
   

Well, many thanks for the award again. Here's the best kick ass squirrel picture I could find.

Blinded by the Brilliance

Recently, VioletSky got her first blog award and she was kind enough to share it with seven others including moi. Well, okay it was a full week ago and I am only just acknowledging it. My excuse? Well, between being blinded and mesmerised by the award and my long shifts at the nut mines, time has just whizzed past. Yes, I was blinded by the brilliance and mesmerised by the pretty colours of the "Brillante Weblog Premio -2008" Award.

This award came with only one instruction; pass it on to seven others. Wow, that's a lot. That is more than the digits on one grubby paw. I have decided to make up all the rest of the rules.

And so, the Brillante Weblog Premio- 2008 goes to............

1. Terry's Timeout for Brilliance in Visual Excellence (i.e. visually wonderful experience).
2. Odat's Mumblings for Brilliance in living life with joy or in her own words, "Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."
   
3. Notes from a WildCat Fan for Brilliance with children, her own and others.
4. Doing the Best with What I have for Brilliance in spirit and soul, for integrity under stress and for the bravery to go white-water rafting and the audacity to not just survive but enjoy it!
5. Grey and Red, A Squirrel Journal for Brilliance in the service of squirrels. How could she not get this award!
6. Dr. John's Fortress for Brilliance in spirit and the willingness to share the wisdom of the wise with the rest of us.
7. The Thoughts and Sayings of Baba Doodlius for Brilliance in living in an alternate universe and explaining the "truths" about Life to all of us.
   

There! I have done my duty. Though there are so many more worthy of recognition, I am sure there will be a next time. For now, I am crash on my stash of nuts and catch some Zeee's.

Smashing Thoughts

It is clear from her blog, DutchCorner , that Marja is a brave and passionate woman, especially in her concern for children welfare in general and for those with learning difficulties specifically. She is also a very good promoter of the blogging community, so do go visit and learn about what is happening in her corner. Just to confuse matters, her corner of the world is actually New Zealand. Intrigued? Confused? Drop in on her blog and all will be clear.

Recently, Marja celebrated her 10,000th visitor and she was also given the "Brilliant Weblog Premio 2008" Award. All the denizens of this Realm send their congratulations to Marja on her twin achievements.

On that special occasion, in typically generous fashion, she celebrated by giving out some awards of her own, which is how the Lone Grey Squirrel came to get his grubby paws on the "Smashing Blog" Award. Many thanks, Marja.


This squirrel was mesmerised by the pretty award for most of the day. You might be familiar with this look.......it is the same when a squirrel's eyes are caught in a car's headlights. When I was finally able to stop staring at the bright light, I did what comes naturally to inquisitive squirrels; I asked, "What does 'Smashing' mean?"

According to the Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary, smashing can either mean 1. crushing (as in, smashing defeat) or 2. extraordinarily impressive (as in, smashing performance). Squirrels are more familiar with the first meaning as in the case of "smashing nuts" to get to the goodies inside but I am hoping that the award refers to the second meaning. Here it is again, this schizophrenic nature of the English language where either the same word can mean completely different things or different and opposite words can mean the same thing.

So we find that when something is good, it is "cool" but it could also be "hot". It is cool to be driving a hot car but the hot chick can still give you the cold shoulder which just isn't cool, dude.

I heard this recently and I thought it also illustrates this point well; "How can you tell that you have grown old? You tell you best friend that you are having an affair and he asks who is the caterer."

Then there is the use of the same or similar word twice to reverse the meaning. Actually this is apparently true of many languages, where a double negative gives a positive. For example, "He would not disagree." means "He agreed". A professor of English is said to have given a class on this very topic recently and he said that many languages have this "double negative equals positive rule" but though some languages also have the reverse which is that "double positive equals negative", that is not the case in the English language. There was silence initially as his students scribbled down their notes but then a voice from the back of the lecture hall said, "Yeah, right!"

Ah, English.......she is always evolving. Isn't it simply smashing? (and I mean both meanings of the word).

Blogging Mentor Award

My good friend, Josie of C'est la Vie, recently and very graciously bestowed on me this rather flattering award, "The Blogging Mentor Award". It appears that the award is in general for mentors, inspirations or people who have been encouraging to fellow bloggers to continue blogging or who are such characters that they are forces of nature in the blogosphere.

Wow! I am certainly pleased to be thought so highly by Josie as to get this award. The strange thing is that I would immediately name Josie as one of my blog mentors too. Before this degenerates into a meeting of the Mutual Admiration Society, if Josie thought that I was her mentor and I thought of Josie as my mentor, .......is this a case of the blind leading the blind?

Being a mentor is both a great responsibility and a great privilege. It implies both a certain stature and status but in the humble service of others. The originator of this award has used the imagery of a Greek philosopher mentoring his student or disciple. It is an imagery that captures the essence of mentoring. However, I hope that Josie does not expect me to follow in the footsteps of such greats as Plato who was forced to end his life by drinking poison because of what he taught.

But enough of this senseless chatter. I have appreciated everybody's input and encouragement since I started blogging. All of you, including some who have left the blogging scene, have been all part of my wonderful learning experience here. However, it is now my duty to pass this award on to 5 of my mentors. They are.....

1. Claudia. I have always felt that Claudia kind of "adopted" me and has made it her role to challenge me and probably all her other readers to expand our minds, our experience and our experimenting with this blogging media. She gets me in a lot of trouble but its all fun.

2. Meggie . I am always encouraged by Meggie's blog. Her stories are awesome and her characters really come to life. This have given me a desire to aspire to be as good a story teller too. I also remember her gracious defence of my complete ignorance and lack of appreciation of quilting. Who knows? Maybe one day, I'll quilt! Don't hold your breath though.

3. Jocelyn. Jocelyn's blog has just always been an inspiration for me. From her choice of name which is "O Mighty Crisis" to her posts on her work, family and travels, I am inspired by her humor, joy and positiveness in the face of the chaos that is life. She reminds me to have fun blogging.

4. Dave. Dave was probably one of my earliest blogging buddies and over time, I found that we had very similar interests and outlooks of life. We even had very similar ideas for blogging posts. This was, of course very encouraging to find someone who shared do much a common interest in the same things. However, Dave was more than that. He was very pro-active in giving encouragement in his comments and he was particularly supportive of my posts about my Christian faith.

5. Marja. Marja is a relatively recent acquaintance on the blogosphere but she is the essence of encouragement. I think she is a natural mentor and qualifies to be a force of nature in the blogosphere.

You Make My Day, Bloggers of the World

Clearly, low on brain energy and imagination, the title of this post is actually derived from combining the words of two awards. To my surprise, it actually makes some sense and also happens to be true. Checking up on what's going on in the blogosphere is definitely a daily necessity which I fail to do only when extremely pressed for time. Anyway, these awards very pleasantly came my way a little while back and it is time for me to pass it on.

My good friend, "this is another fine mess that you have got me into" Claudia, gave me this award saying, "Squirrelly and I share a mutual horror for the tragedies of the world. Kenya, Burma, Malaysia… He’s one of the few people I know who can write as eloquently about the tragedy of ethnic cleansing and his love for great food. And through it all, he works to create peace in his life."

I award this to some of the blogs that I visit almost daily and have often made my day.

1. Josie at C'est la Vie cause visiting her is like spending time in a warm kitchen with fresh baked apple pie. Josie's always got the coffee brewing and there's always pleasant company gathered there. Great way to start the day.
2. Jessica at daysgoby cause it always feels like playtime at her blog as she welcomes us to the loving chaos that is her family.
3. MedStudentWife at Another Day in Paradise cause her crazy humor never fails to hit the spot and brush the cobwebs from my mind.
4. Becky at Words of a Wolfe cause her thoughts and almost daily meditations from God's word is like nourishing chicken soup for my soul.
5. Dave at In My Head cause when I drop in, it feels like we are off beachcombing the shores of life and finding treasures and curiosities along the way.
   

Marja, very much a blogger of the world herself, gave me and others this award saying, " The following people from all over the world are not only very nice they all have some deeper understanding about life."

I award this to some of the bloggers that I visit that make the world a smaller and better place by sharing their cultures and perspectives from their corners of the world and who are keen to learn from others too.

1. Meggie at Life's Free Treats cause she widens my mind with tales from a wide traverse of time and space with an Antipodean flavor.
2. Claudia at On a Limb With, Claudia cause there are no spectators at her blog. It won't be long before you are participating in something that will make you a better person and this world, a better world.
3. Evalinn at Stock City Girl cause she's a great ambassador for Stockholm and she's always exploring the world. Even now I am waiting for her to return from her South American adventures and to enlighten us about it.
4. Proxima at The Echo Tree cause she's a multi-cultural festival, a spiritual experience and an intellectual feast all in one.
5. Tom at Patterns of Ink cause he is both looking deep within his roots and is also expanding his view of the world today and we get to come along for the vivid experience.

But to all of you, thank you for making my daily blogging experience a wonderful and fulfilling one. Thank you for contributing to my daily addiction. (I am not above receiving donations for my rehab treatment).

Awww, Best Buds

Can everyone say "Awwww."? Isn't the picture cute? Doesn't it just give you that fuzzy feeling? Top Cat was kind enough to honor me with this award but I am sure all of us who have come to enjoy blogging realise that it is about the whole blogging community. Our enjoyment comes from that warm, fuzzy feeling from interacting with everyone we have met from around the world. So I would like to thank all of you bloggers and especially those who have visited this blog and share comments and shared a bit of yourself here.

I must confess that this squirrel is a little surprised to be getting awards from cats and also bird awards lately. Is there something screwy with the world at the moment or is this the first faltering steps to world peace between squirrels, birds and cats? Anyway, thanks again TC.

It falls on me to share this nice award with 5 others. There were no rules with the award so I'll make it up as I go. Most of these are bloggers whom I have greatly enjoyed but I have had no opportunity to give an award to before.

1. Claudia likes to give an impression of a tough rocker girl but I think she is as sweet as honey and really cares about the people who visit her site. She also cares about bees.
   
2. Dave has been a great blogging buddy almost from the very start of my blogging experience and we started almost the same time. He shares some of my weird interests and has his own weird but interesting interests. He's been going through a tough time of late and hasn't been as regular on the blogosphere. So here's hoping to encourage you to share more of your gems with the rest of us.
3. Medstudentwife and I just really hit it off. Why? She's fun and her blog is fun and friendly and as a major plus, she's from one of my favorite cities in the world.
   
4. Jessica may well be the very first friend that I made through blogging. Her comments were so nice to get in those early days when the squirrel was shivering and alone in the blogosphere. I also remember that she gave me my first meme. Her posts about her life and family feels like an invitation to a home cook meal and rich hospitality.
5. Gina is one of my newer friends and visitor to my cyber realm (trying not to use blogosphere again). Her poems are insightful, creative and very often playful. Always brings a smile to my face and not far below the surface is a very emotionally rich person to be discovered and enjoyed.

There are many more I would like to honor but I will wait for other opportunities. There is one more worth of mention. This is nancycle . She is certainly one of my best buddies but she did not make the list because she has been enjoying her real life so much that she is ignoring her computer and the rest of us of late. Well, here's to your happiness but don' forget we miss you around here too.

Squirrel out!

Squirrel has the Wisdom of Birds

Marje from DUTCHCORNER
gave me and two others a "Wise Bird Award" and said "These bloggers have a lot of very informative beautiful posts. They must be very wise."

Marje, thank you very much for the award. I appreciate it very much......though I imagine it is a rare thing for a squirrel to win a bird award! Haha! A little joke there.

And then, there is this little phrase, "They must be very wise." Oh, I hate to disappoint Marje. So here are a few sayings to prove that I am indeed wise.

"A fine is a tax for doing wrong while a tax is a fine for doing well."

"Brain cells may die but fat cells live forever."

"Relatives are like fish. If they stay too long, they begin to stink."

"Not all lawyers are bad. It's the 99% that give the rest a bad name."

"Remain silent and they may think you are a fool. Open your mouth and they will know for sure."

"the early bird may get the worm but it is the second mouse that successfully gets the cheese from the trap."

"42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why people appear bright until you hear them speak."

"An optimist believes that this is the best possible world that we could live in. A pessimist fears that this may be true."

"A clear conscience is a sign of a bad memory."

And now, I perform my duty to award this to three others on the basis that a) their blogs are very informative and b) they "appear" to be wise. The Wise Bird Award goes to.........

a) Mago at 63 Mago ( this is the man if you want to learn about literature and history of Europe)

b) Eastcoastdweller at In Search of Isis (one of the most well read bloggers I have met and with a deep understanding of ancient writings ....I am in awe since I have no idea what he's talking about sometimes) and

c) Janice at Pursuance of Truth (cause true wisdom is the pursuance of truth in everything around us and her poems are indeed full of wisdom".

A Fabulous Mess

It has been a topsy-turvy month for me. Starting with my dad's brief illness and then his passing; all those trips to the doctors, hospital, arranging things, family and friends visiting etc. Then between that and my nephew's wedding in Australia, I was forced to do a lot at the office to clear my work before I left to attend the wedding. I was a week in Australia and then straight away on my return, off on a field trip and working right through the weekend.

During that time, the All Blacks were knocked out of the Rugby World Cup at the quarterfinal stage - which as I have mentioned before is an omen that all is not right in the world. I did not have time to post about ghost stories and Halloween. In fact, I didn't even see any horror movies which is another sign that the world isn't as it should be. Finally, I have been darn right negligent about maintaining my blog and acknowledging my fellow bloggers.

Yet, it was in the midst of this topsy - turvy milieu, that one kind and generous blogger threw some cheer into the mix in the form of an award. I apologise to Claudia that it has taken me this long to acknowledge the award and to pass it on.

Well, after this last month, I don't feel very fabulous but hey, thanks....I needed that.

Below is the definition which I have stolen from the Merriam-Webster online Dictionary.


Main Entry: fab·u·lous
Pronunciation: \ˈfa-byə-ləs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin fabulosus, from fabula
Date:15th century

1 a: resembling or suggesting a fable : of an incredible, astonishing, or exaggerated nature (fabulous wealth) b: wonderful, marvelous (had a fabulous time) 2: told in or based on fable

I would like to pass this award on to Meggie for providing us with life's free treats. I am still confused about quilting but otherwise, a visit with Meggie is often a rewarding experience as she regales us with wonderful tales and observations of people she has met both past and present. These wonderful, nay, fabulous tales, can only mean that Meggie is a fabulous people person and deserving this award.

Bumper Crop

Dear Blogging friends,

Your generosity and kindness is quite overwhelming and I thank you for these awards that you have bestowed on me within this month.........

First of all, I got the blame for Claudia's obsession with ice cream this summer. I would have been bummed but it came with this rather innovative award which is a license to spread the blame to others! Mwahahaha!

Next, I was awarded this by one of the nicest persons herself, Stock City Girl.

Finally, my good friend, Mrs. Wolfe says that I make her smile. Awwwww. What a nice thing to say.

Now I think you can understand that this has given me a really, REALLY, BIG Headache! Somehow, I have to blame people but to do it in a nice way so that I don't tarnish the "Nice Matters Awards" and make them smile while they are getting lambasted.

Okay, let's see. I have to accuse and blame people for things but in a nice way and leave them smiling. According to the rules, I have to blame 6 people, be nice to 7 and keep 4 smiling.

Aaaarghgghghhghghghghh! (Squirrel going nuts! Unlike "squirrel going for nuts", "squirrel going nuts" is not a good thing). Can you see the impossible dilemma that I am faced with? I suspect that climbing Mount Everest nekkid while reciting the value of Pi and discovering Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction hidden there would be an easier task.

So unless you want to see me foam at the mouth (Rabid squirrel), I plead with you to allow me to quietly just keep the awards with thanks and to blame all of you for being way too nice and for bringing smiles to my face when this squirrel is in the blues.

I will, however, blame Evalinn, Claudia and Becky for putting me in this dilemma in the first place. Thank you ladies.