My Bubble: Blog Award Notice: Your Blog Has Been Awarded by IBRC

I was so busy with the house cleaning and the laundry since morning that I had not logon to the internet to check my mails until a few minutes ago. Two emails caught my immediate attention ... first was the proud news that one of my Kota Kemuning Pacers Club member had won 'The Best Dressed CEO' title in the recently concluded Kuala Lumpur Rat Race 2010, a race for charity organised by the The Edge and Bursa Malaysia.  Congratulations to Mr. CG Lim!

Then I proceeded to read the second email with careful sceptism as the subject matter created a mixture of disbelief and excitement.  What?  My blog's gotten an award??  It's just too good to be true but the extract of the email read as follows;

"During the month of July, the International Blogging Recognition Council (IBRC) had the pleasure of reviewing your blog Inside My Bubble Today. Your blog was referred to IBRC through our Refer-A-Blog program. "Law Of Attraction: Stop Trying So Hard!" was the topic that the Council reviewed. Based on the review, the Council has recommended that your blog receive IBRC’s designation of “Recognized Blog”. IBRC reserves this honor to those blogs that effectively connects with the audience and promotes the sharing of ideas and experiences.

We invite you to visit our website at http://www.ibrcblog.org/ to learn more about IBRC and our “Recognized Blog” award. Congratulations on your accomplishment.

Sarah L. Tolten
Review Committee Chair
International Blogging Recognition Council"

I checked out the website link provided and found that I have to pay a $45 fee in order to receive the official IBRC "Seal of Recognition" to be place on my blog.  $45, equivalent to RM160 is a big sum for a blogger like me who's retired and making chicken-feed revenue over the internet.  How authentic is this award?  I googled around looking for more info about this council or the sender, Sarah L. Tolten ... ZILCH!!!

On the other hand, I found more bloggers who received the same email to this award and all of them shared the same sceptism.   Anyway, authentic or not ... is this "Seal of Recognition" really necessary for my blog?  What can it really do for my blog?

Ponder ponder ponder ... alas!  Nope, I'll forgo the seal and rather keep my money for a better use.  If at all my blog had been genuinely reviewed to be entitled to this award, it's already enough joy and motivation to be notified.  And further, if it had been indeed referred by an anonymous friend in the blogosphere for a review in the first place, I am ever grateful to him or her.  Thank you, thank you so much!