Could I ask for some help from my blogger/facebook friends?

Yes, I need just a little help from my friends on blogger and facebook.

Many of you have complimented me on my interesting articles, great photography, cute children, by saying so in a comment. Today I'd like you to write one more comment at the following link, if you enjoy coming to view my blog.

*Our home called Kuantan* has been nominated by expatsblog.com for the Expats blog award 2012 - Top Blog.

Here's the link:

Vote for my blog at expats blog!

You will just have to scroll down the page until you see this:

Your support will be gratefully received. Thank you once again to all who visit my blog and help to make it what it is!

A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2012 begins tomorrow!

The A-Z April Blogging Challenge (ABC) 2012 is starting tomorrow. *Our home called Kunatan* is all geared up and ready to begin. Since we are in Malaysia we will be one of the first blogs to complete our "A" post since we are half a world ahead of American time, where I'm assuming the majority of bloggers will be based.

I hope you've been enjoying viewing some of my A-Z posts from last year, over at the left side-bar.

And now for my 2012 A-Z ABC details:

I have prepared 26 paragraphs, each consisting of 26 words, each word beginning with a letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order, beginning with the day's assigned letter. It's like a short story through the alphabet each day. 

It was challenging and I called upon the help of a vocabulary website to give me some tips on "X", "Y" and "Z" words so that I wouldn't be using the same words over and over again. I also didn't want to bail-out by using words such as "x-citing' or "x-tra" which don't really begin with "X".

I will also be posting a photograph of Lauren holding the day's assigned letter on a piece of paper.

One final feature will be a short video clip where I'll be dictating a sentence where every word begins with the assigned letter for the day.

I hope you'll follow me through my A-Z during April. I'm certainly excited to get moving with it. I'll also be taking on the 2nd challenge within the A-Z ABC 2012 which comprises visiting every single participant in the challenge and leaving a comment. There are currently over 1,400 blogs signed up, a little more than I expected, which pushes up my average blogs to visit daily to around the 50 mark.

If you are following my blog but not taking the A-Z ABC 2012, still feel free to hop over and make yourself at home, drop in a comment or tick a box. 

Don't forget to pay a visit to the official home blog of the A-Z challenge to see the latest news.

Enjoy Earth Hour later today wherever you are and see you tomorrow with my "A" post!

100,000 hot, sexy . . .

. . . page views!

Yes, during the last 24 hours *Our home called Kuantan* surpassed 100,000 total page views. That's pretty hot, even for me to discover!

*Our home called Kuantan* began in mid-2009 and has been progressing and growing steadily ever since. We have attracted interest from mydeal.com, The Zenith Hotel, M. S. Garden Hotel and Vistana Hotel, all in Kuantan. We have slowly expanded our friendships with other blogs and bloggers.

We are proud to represent Kuantan, Malaysia to the blogging world and hope that all those 100,000 page-viewers have enjoyed their visits and have come to see and know a little more about this lovely town of Kuantan my wife and I live in.

Here's looking forward to the next 100,000 hot, sexy, page views!

Blog of Note

"Burly" - with a strong, heavy body; sturdy
"Buxom" - plump and healthy-looking; busty
(Two adjectives used to describe people or characters in a novel. As a writer I'm always looking for new words to describe my characters)

The Blogger team chooses certain blogs each week, which they deem worthy of recognition; worthy of becoming 'Blog of Note.'

I don't know what the requirements and qualifications are in order to be merited a Blog of Note. I must admit that I'm occasionally left bemused how certain blogs manage to 'pull it off'. Others do have interesting designs and layouts, possessing some worthwhile content. But with the mix of good and mediocre, I sometimes wonder if the whole Blog of Note thing is entirely random. I imagine a buxom receptionist somewhere in the Blogger offices clicking on "Next blog" and electing it as the day's Blog of Note.

Whatever it is, those who are labelled with this award experience an increase in visitors, comments and followers. In turn, they also have the option of getting to know other bloggers who were directed to them. They are able to develop a more burly blog.

Blog of Note has become the Holy Grail of blogging, the object of desire, the hope and motivation of aspiring bloggers. I regularly congratulate those who have received the Blog of Note, and notice the comments of others who genuinely seem happy that recipients have been recognised, yet occasionally express the hope that they too, will someday obtain the Holy Grail.

Yet I'm sure 99% of people didn't set out with opening a new blog just to achieve Blog of Note status. If so, what would be the point of continuing? Some do it to keep in touch with family members dotted around the world. Some desire to make new friends. Others are passionate in their careers and want the world to see and share their interest. Yet others will make money out of blogging. And some may blog about certain issues and campaigns they may be promoting, to enable their voices to be heard. There is also the possibility of being noticed and invited to write for other blogs or websites, perhaps earning a little money or new-found fame in the process.

As for Blog of Note, I'm not too overparticular about it. I'm sure it would be terribly exciting to sign in and discover Blog of Note assigned to *Our home called Kuantan*, but I'm also getting along just fine without it.

What is your motivation in writing a blog?