Thanks to NeeNee, who hosts Asian Addicts Anonymous, for nominating me for this blogging award – which I hadn’t ever heard of, in fact, until she nominated me!

To be honest, the moment I set eyes on the name of this award, I thought of the movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”

Have you seen it? It’s a cute 2005 movie that revolves around four friends, and explores friendships, growing up, and the magical pair of jeans that fits all four friends, despite their very different builds and physiques.

I enjoyed the movie quite a lot, and I think the movie poster is cute – which is why I couldn’t resist doing a cheeky take on the movie poster concept, to be my sisterhood blogging award badge.

Whaddya think? Does it work? 😉

If you like how it looks, feel free to use my sisterhood pants badge for your own sisterhood awards. Just do me a favor and don’t crop out my blog name from it, ok? 🙂

Similar to other blogging awards like the Liebsters and the Sunshine Awards, this award pretty much works the same way – it’s for bloggers to share the love, as well as to get to know one another better by answering a set of questions.

According to NeeNee’s research, “Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award recognizes the unique voices of women bloggers around the world.”

So I suppose just like the pants kept the friends together in the movie, blogging keeps us together, eh, my dear dramaland sisters? 😉

Why Me?

So, why did NeeNee nominate me? She says it’s coz I’m “not afraid to squeal over the pretties and [have] made some pretty cool shirt designs for Kill Me, Heal Me.”

Aw~! THANK YOU! 😀

The Pretties

Yes indeedy, I’m not afraid to squeal over the pretties. Why do we even need to feel embarrassed about squealing over the pretties, right? It’s every fangirl’s right to squeal (and spazz. And flail. And swoon~) over any and all objects of our k-affections.

If you’d like to squeal over pretties with me, you can check out my k-love section, as well as my Pure Pretty section. Just prepare some handy tissues. Or a drool bucket. For just in case. 😉

Example 1 of Pretty

Melt. Meltmeltmelt~

Example 2 of Pretty

Swooon~ *cough*

You get the idea. 😉

The Kill Me, Heal Me Shirts

As for the Kill Me, Heal Me shirts, YES, I’m really proud of them, to be honest.

And coz they’re on sale at 15% discount until 10 March 2015, and also, just coz I can, here they are! 😀

KMHM: Girlie Rebel

Celebrating lip-gloss loving Yo Na, and intense, badass Se Gi.

Promo Link: http://teespring.com/findmytribe-girlie-rebel?pr=KMHM15

KMHM: Kiddo Inventor

Shining the spotlight on teddy-bear loving Na Na, and relentless bomb-maker, Perry Park.

Promo Link: http://teespring.com/findmytribe-kiddo-inventor?pr=KMHM15

Click on the links or pictures to get a closer view & detailed description!

If you’ve got more questions about #FindMyTribe, visit my new FAQ section!

The Rules

As always, these blogging type awards come with rules, and here are the ones that apply to this one. And, er, I already think I’m gonna cheat on these ones!

• Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
• Put the award logo on your blog.
• Answer the ten questions they have sent you.
• Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
• Nominate ten people.

NeeNee’s Questions

And now, on to NeeNee’s questions! 🙂

1. What does music mean to you in your life?

Wow. This one’s a biggie for me.

I love music, and have loved it from a very young age. I requested piano lessons from my very non-musical parents when I was about 5 years old, after seeing the 2 slightly older boys next door have lessons. (No. I was not crushing on either of them, ok? Just so we’re clear & all! XD )

I never made it all the way through to Grade 8, even though I got through Grade 7. My teacher got sick, some major exams were on my horizon, I was a terrible classical student.. It just made sense to let it rest.

These days, though, I do still play. Not classical music, though. I’ve developed a more contemporary style, and I now read chords much more readily than actual music scores. I enjoy the freedom that this gives me, to express the music in the way that I’m actually feeling it, in the moment. 🙂

And so, my answer to this question, really, is that music helps me to express myself. And music also speaks to me, often in ways that words can’t.

2. To lift your mood, what is your go to music?

The answer to this one, for me, is that it really depends. But it always has to be something that speaks to my heart.

Sometimes, to lift my mood, I’ll listen to something happy. At other times, it’ll be something more mellow.

One thing I do, that I haven’t mentioned here on the blog, is that I do go to my keyboard, dial down my brain, and just let my fingers play.

There’s no song (well. Sometimes a song does result from this process, but I don’t start with a song). Then I just pick a key, say, G, or C, or D, or something, and then I just play.

And then I just let the music shape itself, and ebb and flow, until it’s done. And that’s often when I feel better. 🙂

3. Do you use blogging to help escape from the everyday tedium or hustle bustle?

Not really, no. Wait, maybe the answer is more like.. sometimes?

I’ve always enjoyed writing as a way to express my thoughts and my feelings, and these days, blogging’s become a way for me to work off my feels from a drama.

Coz dramas, they tend to serve up squee-worthy moments like this:

…And those give me the feels, kinda like this:

…And then I feel like I kinda need to collapse a little, like this:

Some people work off the residual feels from dramas by bouncing in their chairs, or squealing into their pillows.

I like to work off the feels by writing about ’em. The general rule of thumb around here is, the more I feel about a show, the more I tend to write about it. Hence, the existence of epic reviews on the blog.

At the same time, though, I’ve recently discovered that when I’m in a procrastinating mood, I tend to put off stuff, by writing stuff for the blog. Which means that the next time you see a Flash Review on the blog, I just might’ve been procrastinating about something! XD

4. What made you decide to start blogging?

Twas a completely random thing, really.

Towards the end of 2012, the urge to write practically consumed me. I felt like I might literally burst into a thousand pieces, if I didn’t write. And so I started writing a children’s book about my dog Cookie.

But then Stephanie, whose blog I was reading regularly, asked me if I’d like to guest on her series of 2012 Year-in-Review posts. I jumped at the chance – I mean, how cool! To write about dramas!

Then she asked, “Dya have a blog?” Which is when I thought, “Hm. Maybe I should try making one?”

And so I did, & you’re lookin’ at it. Funny how that worked out, eh? XD

For the full origin story of the blog, go here!

5. What are your thoughts on reading?

Gosh. I used to be a voracious reader. The key words here being, used to be. My mother used to regularly confiscate my story books from me near exam times, much to my tearful dismay. Coz I wouldn’t ever study otherwise. 😛

So yes, reading’s great. It can be immersive, cathartic and even educational.

6. What was the last book you ever read that you would definitely recommend to others?

Uh. Ever since dramas – and blogging! – came along and started ruling almost all my spare waking hours, I haven’t read much, honestly.

So I’m gonna whip out the same answer that I gave when the Sunshine Awards came around. Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, by Maya Van Wagenen.

I love that it’s a true story written by a real 14-year-old girl. I love what an easy read it is, and I love the quirky premise, of her undertaking to try out vintage wisdom on how to be popular, while living in a very modern world. And I love the universal lessons you can take away from it afterwards.

A great uplifting little read, even if you’re far from being 14. 😉

7. What hobbies do you have outside of blogging?

Well, you guys know that I’ve recently added T-shirt designing to my list of passions. I never imagined I’d derive so much fun from designing T-shirts!

You can check out what I’ve been working on, by clicking on this pic:

The heart behind it all, is here.

Besides designing T-shirts, I also sing and play the keyboard, when I’m not entertaining Princess Cookie.

Oh – I also enjoy shopping online. It’s just all so convenient, y’know? My credit card disagrees, but whatever. 😉

8. If today was your last day, what would you do?

Wow. That’s a big question!

If today was my last day, I’d sort out the bare essentials – like, stuff that only I can see to – and then spend the rest of my time with my family and friends; have deep conversations full of laughter and tears, eat my favorite foods, hug my favorite people. And that includes Princess Cookie.

I’d also come online and say goodbye to all you guys (sniffle), so that you don’t wonder what happened to me and why I simply disappeared off the face of the earth.

I’d probably also spend the last bits of my time at the keyboard, just letting it all flow out through my fingers.

9. If you were to give a total newbie advice on blogging, what would be the first thing you’d say?

I’d say.. Blogging’s a seriously much bigger commitment than I ever thought it would be. Are you sure you want to do this?

10. And just for fun and utter nonsense…Where’s Waldo?

My Questions

And now, time for my questions to my nominees!!

This is also where I break the rules. Ten questions is a lot, so I’m going with 5 instead.

1. If you didn’t have a blog, how would you be spending your spare time?

2. Do your family, friends, and colleagues know about your blog? Why or why not? And if they do know about it, what do they think?

3. Have you met blogosphere friends in Real Life? If yes, what was that like? If not, would you want to, given the chance?

4. If money were no object, what gift would you give to a loved one (significant other, family, friend; you pick), and why?

5. Since this is a sisterhood type of award, who’s your favorite female celeb (actress, singer, comedienne, doesn’t matter), and what do you love about her?

My Nominees

Again, I’m breaking the rules. Since I saved on questions, I get to nominate more people? Well, it makes sense to me, anyway! 😉

In no particular order, I hereby nominate my fellow sisters-in-blogging, who each has her own unique voice in our beloved blogosphere.

• My dear friend Dewaanifordrama, who hosts Samsoon Down The Rabbithole with her friend bustered. Bustered’s on hiatus, and for a while, so was Dewaani, eek. But now Dewaani’s back, and has been posting regularly again, woot! Dewaani’s a strong woman with distinct opinions, and yet, she’s happy to squee right along with me, which is great.

• My friend muchadoboutlove, who hosts The Talking Cupboard. I sometimes think of muchadoboutlove almost as a scholarly voice, she makes such amazing posts about Korea’s history and culture, and even has some posts specifically talking about women’s roles in history. Again, she’s also got the capacity to squee, despite her more serious side. A very balanced lady, dontcha think?

• Snoopy’s Twinkie, who hosts Musings of a Twinkie. Snoopy’s Twinkie, otherwise known as Grace, is a very.. graceful presence on the interwebs. She makes Musings a cozy home for drama fans to hang out, and is generous with her friendship and her giveaways. A gracious lady indeed.

• Kakashi and her team, who host The Problematic of the Unproblematic. I love that despite Kakashi’s Very Serious Real Life job, that her team basically defends the rights of fangirls’ everywhere – to squee, to spazz, to swoon, and to never be embarrassed about that, or any other opinion they might have. Girl power, indeed!

• DDee, who hosts Obsessive Compulsive K-Drama Watching Disorder. Funny, insightful, and not afraid to state an opinion, even if said opinion might not be popular. Love that about her.

• Missienelly, who hosts My Myooz. I love how Nelly’s always so cheerful and positive, despite juggling multiple roles: mother, wife, working professional, blogger & fellow fangirl. I think that’s what they call being a superwoman?

• My friend Timescout, who hosts A Touch of Drama. I love how Timescout’s never afraid to have – and state – an opinion that bucks trends. A strong lady if I ever saw one!

• My friends pinkblossom and whitecarrot, who host Carrotblossom Patch. Despite Real Life preoccupations of the more serious variety, I love the cheery happy tone that they bring to their site and to the blogosphere at large.

• The amazing Mary, who hosts Kdrama Laws. Mary, of the razor-sharp wit, and the oh-so-deep Song Jae Rim love, is funny, entertaining, and super smart. How else can she build an entire blog distilling the laws of dramaland?

• Belinda, who hosts It’s My World. I love that Bel’s not afraid to buck trends, and even makes it a point to venture where most other bloggers don’t – just to offer the blogosphere a little something different. Underrated dramas, long dailies, she’ll check in on them all, when many other bloggers won’t. And I love that she’s not afraid to tell it as it is, either.

• Drama Fan and Gumi, who host Stuck On Hyuk. Passionate and dedicated, is what these two ladies are. To build an entire blog to support the very talented Jang Hyuk, and to even find ways to send fans’ greetings to him on his birthday. These ladies go above and beyond, and they do it with a smile.

• Michele, who hosts The Fangirl Adventure Log. One of my dearest friends in dramaland, Michele is such a strong woman. She manages Real Life issues with so much strength and independence, and yet still finds ways to support her dearest G.O, and often in person, too. An amazing woman indeed.

Certainly, these aren’t the only great blogs – or fantastic women! – out there in the blogosphere, and if I could have my way, I’d probably have 21 nominees instead of just 12.

Since I only asked 5 little questions, would you ladies be so kind as to answer them in your own special, unique ways, pretty please? 😀

I’d love to get to know more about all the wonderful ladies who help to keep the blogosphere the fun, fab place that it is!

Let’s hear it for girl power! ^^