Happy Second Annual Blog Day. This year we shine some extra love on:

Veronica Khokholova (Ukraine):

I’ve always been impressed, amazed, and jealously disgusted by non-native English speakers who are far better writers than I. Neeka’s prose is restrained, simple, and yet full of emotional humanism. Her sense of humor is often poker-faced, but her frustrations with Ukrainian bureaucracy are not: “We’ve been without hot water for about a month now – and I’M SO FUCKING SICK OF IT.”

Farid Pouya (Belgium, Iran):

I can only recommend Farid’s weblog if you have an interest in Iran and, specifically, US and EU foreign policy towards the country. But it is Farid the person who amazes me. His enthusiasm is contagious and his outlook on life always optimistic. Like most Americans, my knowledge of Iran (as a country, not a potential maker of nuclear weapons or sponsor of terrorism) is abysmal and painted almost entirely by the wealthy community of Persian immigrants in La Jolla. Farid is helping me become more informed.

Nicholas Laughlin (Trinidad and Tobago):

Empathy: “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Nicholas’ obsession with time and the lack thereof, his existential anxieties, and the ever-present push and pull between experiencing and creating all stir up kindred feelings.

Andrés Guadamuz (Costa Rica, UK):

I saw Andrés present at iSummit in Rio. His charm, self-deprecating humour, and love of the Monty Python come across both in person and on his weblog. The amount of postings on technology and IT law in the blogosphere is overwhelming, but Andrés’ sense of humor always keeps me coming back.

Julio Sueco (Sweden, USA, Mexico):

Somehow it is fitting that the first weblog I ever started reading gets mentioned today. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Julio’s English-language blog Yonder Lies It, but I do remember the “ah-ha” moment it inspired in me. I had been spending most of the previous year in Mexico and was about to return for what I had thought would be years. I felt that I was missing a sense of place, a coming-together of my life in Mexico and my life in San Diego. And here is a guy – having lived in Tijuana, San Diego, and Sweden – poetically explaining his own dichotomy (trichotomy?!) of cultures, languages, and identities. I was hooked and I knew I needed to start my own. With all the doors this blog has opened for me, with the amazing individuals I’ve met as a result, I really owe Julio a tremendous thank you. And yet, in all honesty, rarely do I read the Chicano-focused Yonder Lies It these days just as Julio rarely writes there, but I do keep up to date with his Spanish-language blog Síndrome de Estocolmo as well as the group blog Raza Cósmica, which offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the life of Mexican immigrants in Europe.

You can also take a look at last year’s Blog Day choices.