Alright, I have to confess, when I applied for the 9rules membership a few weeks back, I had absolutely no idea what they were and what they are all about. All I knew was that it sounded exclusive enough to be really good and me being a sucker for wanting to be part of something unique, signed up on the spot. So, it came as quite a surprise to me when all a sudden, I was getting an incoming link from Tyme White's Ping Six blog with a list of who made it that far into the preliminary selection.

Now though, at least I have a clear understanding of what 9rules is about. And going through what they are looking for, I'd have to say, not bad for a personal blog among the 700 other applicants. Even more astounding that it was my blog. I'm not going to lie to you or pretend to be humbled by it, I mean…how can I? Even though it's just a preliminary nomination, I'm to be judged along with other blogs which are marked by the quality in which they are expressed. Even though I have serious doubts of making it to the final selection, at least I can dare say that I've got something worth looking at and from where I'm standing, there is still room for improvement.

Not surprising too is that one of my favourite bloggers Lorelle has been nominated past the preliminaries. Though she appears less than convinced that she deserves it, I would think that after all these years of giving a lot of us knowledge to grow on, she deserves to be recognized as a polished gem among crystals.

I can understand where she's going from in that pride does always come before a fall. Then again, if we're good at something, we got to first remember why we were good in the first place. No one, not even those born gifted were born sharp and brilliant. We all have some degree of work to put into that which we are admired and even revered for. Without the constant need to hone our skills, even the sharpest blade dulls in time.

Pride or at least the reason why we're proud has the benefit of reminding us that to stay as good as we know we are, we have to keep up the blood and sweat we poured in to push ourselves better. We should feel great when we do something great regardless of what other people say, we should feel horrible when we make a mistake that also affects others, but all that should never stop us from trying to "one-up" ourselves. It should never stop us from stretching out and trying to be better than you were before this.

Considering what Lorelle said, it does bring a greater responsibility when you have been acknowledged that you are good at something. But the only burden that comes is when you stop loving what you do that makes you good. The cross to bear comes when we forget the reasons why we started what we started and why we did what we did to get there. Knowing how good we are doesn't erase the reasons why we started or what we did. It is, like anything else another hallmark in which we can appreciate should we choose to. At the end of the day, it goes back to those first reasons…not the point where you recieved your honour. That's what makes your work…completely you, not a sidetrack to make up for what people think of you.

That being aside, I like to thank the 9rules team for actually considering my blog amongst all the applicants that were no doubt just as good in many cases. Where it goes from here, that's for 9rules to consider. In the mean time for those of you who came here through 9rules or Ping Six, welcome to my blog. I hope you like what you read, cause this is who I am or at least, a part of who I am. The rest as always is completely negotiable.

Update: Ok, there isn't another round of selection. We've all been selected and we're just waiting for the comfirmation emails to be sent. I wonder where I got the impression to begin with? Probably too ecstatic to even read the posts properly.