It’s kind of cool when someone you know gets recognized for a job well done, and someone we know has done something pretty darned impressive: stevo from Asian Ramblings has become a finalist in the 2009 Bloggies!
The Bloggies are to bloggers what Addys are to advertising folk and the Emmys are to TV-biz folk. More formally known as the Weblog Awards, they’ve been around for nine years, and the winner is chosen not by an academy of blogger hoity-toities but by you and me.
So check out stevo’s beautiful photo-blog. He is an expat teacher in China, married to a Chinese woman (mrs. stevo) and he documents everyday life with unusual and often striking photographs. In this way he gives his readers a sense of what it’s like to be one among literally millions in that dynamic and fascinating country.
Then, if you’re so inclined, vote for Asian Ramblings. It would be awesome to see a truly unpretentious guy win this prestigious award.
The other reason to do it is so you can vote for blogs in the other award categories, such as “Best Kept Secret.” (I’ll tell you which one I picked if you tell me which one you picked.) There are well-written, well-designed blogs that I never knew about before today.
So if you’re at all interested in what’s considered the best in this bizarre medium of “weblogs,” check out the finalists. You won’t be disappointed. But voting closes Mon, February 2, at 10p Eastern, so don’t delay.
Oh, and just a quick logistical note on finding the categories to vote for:
- Click on the Bloggie 2009 link
- On my browser, I had to move my bottom panel slider-arrow-thingmabob over to the left to find the voting panel.
- You’ll see “best asian weblog” as one of the early categories. It looks like this:
Congratulations stevo!!
*grins*
I’ve been so enjoying his Chinese New Year posts. Awesome that he got monimated.
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It is awesome.
Yes, Chinese New Year—those posts have been fantastic. It’s my year—Year of the Ox!! Woo hoo!
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Hey,
I just found your blog, wonderful stuff. A great collaboration effort. I too am a photographer/journalist teaching English is South China. I hadn’t heard of Stevo’s blog before but will take a look around there.
I’ll visit again soon and take a proper look around!
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Big Congrats to Stevo! I just checked out the awards; I’m definitely going to vote for him. It is tricky navigating that site. It moves to the left, and when you use the roller on your mouse, the window scrolls left (or is it right?) instead of up and down. The nominations seems like a good mix of older blogs and newer ones.
yb, I hope we remember to go in and nominate a few next year. Looks like the nomination period is a few weeks in January, first of the year thing. BTW, I didn’t know you were an Ox. I also read that Obama is an Ox. Had you heard that? It’s a good sign for the work that needs to be done in this country right now. They also did a little blurb about it on the news this week for the Chinese New Year. The animals for each year are related to Buddha.
I was in Chinatown in San Francisco one year during the Chinese New Year and it was amazing. Huge parade and, that particular year, there was a giant dragon stretching a few blocks around the corner. It was loud and wild!
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QM, stevo has nominated us two years in a row (he nominates a bunch of the blogs that are on his blogroll) and you’re right, we should do the same next year. We know of a lot of “Best Kept Secrets.”
Hey, you’re comment on Year of Ox has inspired me to do a post about it. I just finished taking shots of a wooden folk art sculpture we have that is about the closest thing to an ox that I can find in this house. (Jim says it’s an ibex or a deer, but, oh well…) 8) Watch for that in an upcoming post.
And yes, I knew Obama was an Ox. We’re exactly the same age (well, I’m about nine weeks older) and there is a generational thing that I feel comfortable about with him. But yeah, the Ox is a calm, industrious, hard-working type. People always tell me that I’m calm, which seems kind of strange to me, as I feel sometimes unsteady on the inside.
Hi, Expatriate Games. I clicked on your name to go check out your blog, but I guess you don’t have one. What city do you teach in? I’ve traveled a bit to China—Shanghai, Suzhou, Cheng Du, Dalian. It’s a fascinating place. Ah, so many fond memories I have, and I’ve never really written about them.
BTW, I just got invited to a present at a conference in Singapore this spring. I’m not sure I’m going to do it, but I might like to. I only spent a weekend in Singapore. It’s very clean and modern and sophisticated. But this trip is just so darned fast—in and out. It’s almost not worth the two-plus days worth of travel it will take to get there and back. We’ll see.
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yb, that kind of generosity of spirit is greatly appreciated. One of our tags is “the work of blogging” and it’s true, it’s a ton of work to keep a blog up consistently over the years. I’m grateful there is a venue to recognize blogs, a kind of people’s choice system. And I can’t think of a more humble blogger than Stevo to be nominated.
About the Ox, I’ll look forward to your post on it. Oh, BTW, one of Minnesota’s claims to fame is a couple of giant Paul Bunyan statues in the towns of Bemidji and Akeley, Minnesota. The one in Bemidji has Paul posed with Babe The Blue Ox. Check it out — 5 tons of Blue Ox!
Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox at Visit Bemidji (LINK)
Story of Paul Bunyan at Visit Bemidji (LINK)
For those who miss his annual visit, a huge statue of Paul, 18 feet tall weighing 2 1/2 tons, stands on the shore of beautiful Lake Bemidji. Next to Paul, stands a statue of Babe, the Blue Ox, all five tons of the mightiest Ox that ever lived!
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I am not sure why my blog link isn’t showing, but you can find it at http://expatriategames.wordpress.com/. You can navigate to more photos from there as well, including a few about Chinese New Year …
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I just re-entered my blog address on the WP profile page, hoping the link works, hope you don’t mind me using your page as a testing ground …
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Expatriate, yep that worked! Your link is actively connected to your name and avatar now.
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Thanks for the shout out, yb! I nominated a whole bunch of folks, you, qm, and amuirin among them. I have trouble believing I’m a Bloggies finalist.
I wish my internet access in China wasn’t so difficult. I would visit redRavine more often. Viewing blogs thru a proxy server is maddening and slow.
Again, thanks a million. Your post means a great deal to me.
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Stevo, thanks for stopping by. And again, congrats. You are to be even more commended for the patience it must take to blog through a proxy server. ybonesy has some experience with that in her blogging from Vietnam last year. It seems like it takes the patience of a Saint to make a comment or get a post up when things move so slowly on the Internet. Good luck with the Bloggies, Stevo. I hope you win in your category.
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I can see how you got to be a Bloggie finalist, stevo. I really like your new template and how it highlights a lot of different photos and posts at once. And of course, the photos themselves. That’s the main thing. Anyway, best of luck. I’m hoping you win!!
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QM, thanks for the Blue Ox links. That’s a great statue! Have you ever seen it in person?
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I’ll check out his blog – it sounds great. I would have nominated red Ravine if I had known about the awards. I’m not too plugged into the wider blogging world.
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I finally had a chance to vote! Congrats to stevo! What an honor, just to be nominated!
yb, that link was one wild ride with the laptop! Good thing I’m not much of a drinker anymore!
I visit many of the blogs on your blogroll & stevo’s is one of them. Not often, but when I get a chance. It is brilliant!
I also have 2 of the other blogs added to my favorites. One, I have never commented on, but always get a chuckle from. The other I have commented on a few times, so she will probably know that one of the two is hers.
Before red Ravine, I never even visited blogs.
I will be adding stevo’s to my favorites, as well. D
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diddy, did you check out the ones from “Best Kept Secret” category? There was one there—-something about “chickens”—that I think you’d enjoy. It’s a woman living off the grid in a pretty cold part of the world (VA or W VA, perhaps). I know you’ve lived on a farm; I think you’d enjoy following that one.
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yb, I didn’t, but you’ve raised my curiosity! I will.
I wanted to get my vote out for stevo, as I do check on his blog when I get a chance. I’m so glad I voted! I got the email confirming that my vote went through. It was a bit tough using the lap top. This thing is sooooo sensitive! I was getting dizzy!
Thanks for the info on the “Best Kept Secret” blogs.
Right now I am awaiting tomorrow & the Super Bowl. My nerves are starting to catch up with me. D
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yb, I just checked out the blog you mentioned & added it to my favorites, so I can really check it out later. You are right, it is one I know I will enjoy! I suppose I can still vote for some I hadn’t checked.
BTW, in the food category, I voted for The Smitten Kitchen! Love that one! D
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Did Stevo win? Being nominated makes him a winner in my book. D
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I don’t think so, although I’ll try to confirm that. Thanks for following up on it.
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Hello all:
No, I didn’t win, but being nominated was a privilege. Thanks to everyone that voted!
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