Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The 2009 Lankanosphere Awards - Ze Big One - Blog Of The Year 2009

It's been a long couple of weeks but thank you for holding on and standing firm, if you have done. We reach the climax, the big one, the title that everyone really wants, whilst pretending that they're pleased for all the other winners.

How does a blog get into the list of nominees for the Blog Of The Year Award? Well, in order to answer that you need to start by putting objectivity aside. It's all about blogs I read, people I like and things that fundamentally make me smile. There's no rhyme or reason, it's really just the blogs I find myself returning to time and time again.

Of course one of the major influences in this is the frequency of posting. Some blogs are fantastic but kick out a superb post every once in a while and then languish lazily in the recesses of Kottu for months before they put out the next. I crave satisfaction on a far more frequent basis than that.

Then there's the question of identity, blog identity, not the whole "is he really a Sri Lankan when he lives overseas and doesn't wear jeans with turn ups?" thing. There are some blogs that change their name, look or address more often than that Anarkali woman. That's all well and good if you are that Anarkali woman but it's not going to win you the Blog Of The Year Award.

No, I like to be able to read archives, to look at history and to not have to hunt for a blog's URL like a rare bird making its first appearance in Sri Lanka for several hundred years, finding that Amila Salgado has gone to the cinema for the afternoon and having to look everywhere for him.

The smiling thing has to happen too. Make me (and the guest judges) smile. It doesn't have to be cracking up with mirth and merriness smiling either. It might be a wry smile, like when I do a fart in my office and I'm the only one aware of it, or it might be a smile with a nod of the head for a bit of intelligent writing that I understand. Rare I know, but it has happened.

If I tell you that the previous winners are such legendary bloggers as Darwin, Cerno and The Missing Sandwich, then you'll have an idea of the high standards involved. So I will tell you. The previous winners are Darwin, Cerno and The Missing Sandwich.

I think that's enough rambling, I can get a bit excited sometimes. This year the nominees are:

1. Cerno - Yes, the winner of the award in 2007 is back and better than ever. Cerno's one of the old school now, but age only makes him better at blogging and giving us interesting things to ponder on. I've never actually met Cerno but, if I ever do, I'll be in awe and probably won't be able to talk properly. This post is proof of his genius. From the layout and look of his blog to the content itself there's something wonderfully imaginative and quirky going on there. He remains one of my heroes.

2. Ephemeral Ruminations - Or Java Jones as we know him. Or, to use Sittingnut's intelligent and eloquent approach, Chickenshit bitch Java Jones. Now I know Java and I can tell you that he's one of life's good guys. He's the sort of fellow who, were I living in that sort of environment, I'd allow to sleep with my girlfriend, assuming she wanted to of course. That's how nice he is. Really. Somewhere in there is a joke about wives and girlfriends, you know that insinuation that a fellow might have both. I'm not going there though, due to some thin ice re my previous statement.

On the blog side his outpourings are that delightfully witty yet slightly nutty with a woody aftertaste recipe that we've all got so used to, like woodapple jam actually. He makes me think does Java, with posts like this when he asks a relatively simple question and posts like this when he gets cleverer than a British MP filling out his expenses which are then going to be checked and authorised by a Sri Lankan one.

3. Life In Taprobane - I plead guilty here. Guilty to never having put a link to this blog up from mine. I don't know why, as I read it avidly, eagerly awaiting a new post like a dog with a bone being dangled just above its mouth. Serendib Isle, the author, is a divorced father of two who lives in Jeddah (I think). He's Sri Lankan and writes a lot about the motherland in that very diasporic way. As a fellow divorced and diasporic Dad I feel a great affinity towards him. This post is one such example where I really could relate to the feelings and thoughts described. Or have a glance at his post about Lebanon for an example of one of those make you think about things type of posts.

4. A Glimpse of Lady Divine's World - Our Lady D was pipped at the post last year in this very same category. How is a chap to describe her and her blog? Well, I hope she takes this in the good and positive way it's intended. She isn't the best writer out there, she doesn't tell the best stories, she's not the funniest nor does she take the best photos. But, put it all together and she's consistently one of everyone's favourite bloggers. She's got the X factor, though I've no idea what the X factor actually is. She's the Kylie Minogue of the Sri Lankan blogosphere.

It might be her honesty, the heart on sleeve element that goes on. I don't know, but check out her post about getting pissed and blood tests to get a dose of it. She just has this very clever way of living her life and making all of us, her readers, feel as if we're strolling along next to her and watching everything going on. Natural and cool I say.

5. Just About Anything - The winner of this year's best overseas blog. It's another Lankan diasporic one, this time coming from Japan. There are pictures, stories of Japanese life, stories of Sri Lankan life and the best clock in the Lankanosphere. What more could a reader want? Yes, drums. I know. Other than that it's all good over in the JapSach corner.

Those, my friends are the finalists. They all follow in some awesome footsteps but sadly there has to be a single winner. Yes, the winner, the Blog Of The Year for 2009 goes to............









.........................A Glimpse of Lady Divine's World.

I pass you over to our guest judge, last year's winner of the title who then went on to retire from blogging, it's The Missing Sandwich. She had these words to say of Lady D:

"D has been around the lankanosphere (term coined by RD) since 2006, quietly pattering away on her keyboard about a myriad subjects from mothers to burps, marriage proposals to poetry and the occasional post that delves right into the soul of her, reminding us just how real and passionate a person she is. The 'glimpse' she gives us of her divine world makes me envy her and the ease with which she invites us in to take peek. Congrats LD, you are indeed the 2009 Blogger and Blog of the year. I am not allowed to express my real sentiments, so the enraged exclamations of "give me back my award bitch!" will have to be put on the back burner especially since the missingsandwich is recently retired. Oh and the best part... Shhh! Come closer, I don't want to offend Cerno. Listen velly carefully for I shall zay zis only vunce - please take that bloody 16 tonne olmec head away from me! It was too much. Really. Here you go.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec) Good luck with trying to move it. (snigger)
"

Congratulations and thanks to all. Tomorrow we wind things up with the closing ceremony.

RD

31 comments:

Gadgetgirl said...

Yaaay. Congrats LD

Sigma Delta said...

I knew it, Congrats DL!

St. Fallen said...

congratulations LD on ze big one (:

Sach said...

Congrats LD! Truly deserved!

She was actually one of my very first readers back then I was a mere kid in blogging, but she kept encouraging me with a comment or two. Nicely written blog!
*hugs* lady...

By the way, RD, is there any other use to drums other than beating them? If so, I'll prolly post something about 'em cos you know, I suck at drumming.
;)
Oh and thanks for the nomination. It's great to be nominated!

Serendib_Isle said...

*does an OMG!OMG!OMG! flip like a little girl who received a Hanna Montana pillow-padded diary in a Hello Kitty handbag for Christmas*

*composes himself*

Well, RD, what can I say? “I am delighted” is an understatement.. I woke up this morning, thinking, “another day, another dollar...” and I find this little surprise.

I’m honoured to be nominated. Now can I say “the well recognized blogger...” in my profile, please?

Thank you, and it’s quite ok for not having a link. And yes, I live in Jeddah these days.

Well done LD, Congratulations..! Your blog is a treat. ;)

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Sach - I think drums can be used for storage and even cooking sometimes, but they're best used for rhythmic purposes.

SI - Ah, a Hannah Montana reference, there's a father of at least one girl if ever I saw one! Of course you can say that in your profile if you desire. I've put a link up in my sidebar, hope that's ok.

Cadence said...

Congrat LD!!! Well done! :)

Janith said...

Congratulations to all the nominees, and to the lovely Lady D! I <3 her blog! :D

dramaqueen said...

Being the nosy-parker gossip that I am, I happen to know that LD is currently participating in an all-island competition of sorts today. She's been stressed for a week over this, and whether she wins or loses it (and I think she's good enough to win), this award is gonna make her DAY.

I'm sorry. I had to send her the good news on sms and ruin the surprise. I like being a killjoy like that.

Congrats LD! You and your buttocks are the bestest!

cerno said...

Congratulations Lady D - you’ve earned it many times over! Your blog was among the first I regularly started to visit when I got into this blogging thing. All the best with your all-island competition thing.

Just so you know, the award is an Olmec sculpture (looks like this but with brighter colours). Don’t worry it fits nicely with the rest of furniture.

RD: Honoured by the nomination and the mention. Didn't think the rules a would allow for a second nomination let alone a second award. But it is nice to know that I'm not evaporating that fast and in good company :D Thank you!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Congrats LD! :D

Anonymous said...

I love LD...she was one of my early readers, whose following and comments were always warm and encouraging! and reading her blog has only made us readers love her even more,as it shows us honest glimpses of her young life and the lovely person she must surely be...! hugs and congrats to her!

Indyana

Angel said...

Hurrah for LD... great choice!

Lady divine said...

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!

*tears of joy*

Never did I expect this! Thank you SO SO SO SO much RD and everyone else for your wishes.

Yes, I took part in a rather stressful and tough competition. I did not win it but when I got the text from DQ about this, I kept screaming and jumping up and down in such joy that my friends thought I was losing it! :)

This is the greatest part of my day and I thank you so much RD.

I'm honoured and my vocabulary doesn't have the right words to explain how I feel right now...

Lady divine said...

Cerno - Thank you..and I think the award is a bloody awesome idea..;)lol

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Gosh LD, you're much more than welcome. Now please put us out of our misery and tell us what the all island competition was!

Serendib_Isle said...

RD, thank you for the link - much appreciated. The cheque is on the way. ;)

Hoot-a-Toot said...

Ooooh I am so happy she won! Love her blog!

Gypsy said...

Sweet, congratulations LD :) The award was well deserved.

Lady divine said...

RD - It was an industry competition called Young Lotus. It's for creatives really but I was sent as a writer to help out a talented Art guy. Very tough competition. Usually teams go in two - One art person and one copy (writing) person.

So yea..

Competition - we were given a brief and had to come up with an entire idea and campaign for it. Only this time it was a new product and we even had to do brand names and all that..

It was THAT much tougher..but a good experience.. it has stressed me out so much that I'm still recovering from it...

Java Jones said...

Hey RD my comment never showed (and it ain't the first time)!! Anyways, it said something like: Hey RD, what can I say, except great honor and shtuff like that..

Congrats LD you are indeed deserving and we look forward to more of them.

Cheers!

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

JJ - sorry, don't know if that was me or you! There is a comment on the best written blog award post, is that the one that's gone missing?

http://londonlanka.blogspot.com/2010/02/2009-lankanosphere-awards-best-written.html

sittingnut said...

this the second time i am posting this.
several times my comments ( usually made here only after a reference in rd' post ) simply disappeared here in first attempt. had to repeat them a day or two later , then they were approved.

lol @ rd's behavior
-

"Sittingnut's intelligent and eloquent approach, Chickenshit bitch Java Jones"
?!
must disclaim all 'eloquence and intelligence' here bc i was merely repeating 'eloquence and intelligence' of mr jones himself.

why is mr ass licker rd so afraid to link to my and jj' words there?
why this concealment in his hate towards me ?

lol
-
lol@ rd the chickenshit blogger

Java Jones said...

RD - No it wasn't that one.

Looks like the Nut-job is back with a vengeance! Actually he called me "cowardly , dishonest, hypocrite, a filthy chikenshit bitch" - and all because he was afraid to reveal his true colors by answering the questions I posed in the post you linked to (above) about trying to get a patriotic POV. What a pathetic nut-case. By the way, have you noticed his avatar with the SN having a little nutty turd falling off the ass of the N? Fitting huh?

No doubt you will get an earful of typical nut-case convolution and abuse in response to this - just shine the creep on...

Cheers bro!

sittingnut said...

still no explanation as to why my first comment got censored.

lol@ two mutual ass licking hypocrites trying to hide facts.

and what link?

i used same and similar words that java jones used against unnamed bloggers after he used them, but rd does not link to that but attribute words to me alone

is words like "cowardly , dishonest, hypocrite, a filthy chikenshit bitch" private property of rd and jj bc both have used same or very similar words and is is illegal to mention that they have used them way before i did in their blogs .

is that the meaning of their censorship and their later response
-


i asked java jones to provide examples of actual named bloggers doing what he says some unnamed bloggers are doing and which according to him deserved those words to be use against them.
he ran away from that challenge like a coward. rd makes no reference to any of that but implies i merely used words (of java jones himself ) against jj.


lol@ two mutual ass licking hypocrites trying to hide facts.

is pointing all that out 'typical nut-case convolution and abuse'?

lol dishonest hypocrites will certainly say that.

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Snut - I'm staring at my monitor with disbelief. You'll probably accuse me of lying and your usual stuuf but I put up a comment yesterday with a failry lengthy reply to you, in whihc i expalined that I've never knowingly rejected a single comment from you, despite how much I disagree with you. Now, as hard as I look I can't find my own comment. Clearly there is some sort of problem with comments not appearing but I can assure you that I've published every single one of your comments that I'm aware of so far.

RD

sittingnut said...

btw
"have you noticed his avatar with the SN having a little nutty turd falling off the ass of the N? Fitting huh?"

quite part from silly tangent 'convoluted' 'abusive' nature of his above attack on me ( typical of ppl who lost the argumet ),

now if i use word 'turd' for java jones while arguing against him will rd here use that word as example of my ' eloquence and intelligence ' ? will jj call that 'typical nut-case convolution and abuse'?

lol

lol@ the two hypocrites eating each others' turds .

Java Jones said...

Hey RD - try to imagine this scene: A self-named 'Nut', busy at his keyboard, laughing out loud whilst ranting and raving and hurling profane abuse at various folk. Sure sounds (and looks) demented to me.

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Java - As hard as I try that's just too much of a stretch for my imagination!

Java Jones said...

RD - truth, they say, is stranger than fiction...

Amila Salgado said...

Congrats Lady Divine!