Ring in a new one

First things first, I hope that everyone had an enjoyable and safe holiday break, or if you weren’t taking a break, I hope that the past couple of weeks were good ones. For me, it was a great chance to get back home and see friends and family. For the most part the weather cooperated, and I was able to get everywhere I needed to go. I didn’t spend a lot of time on my computer which is a nice rest since I suspect that I will living on it for the next couple months once I get back. However, I thought I’d take some time and say goodbye to 2006, and welcome 2007 with some vague premonitions for the year ahead.

Memories from 2006

This past year has really been a landmark year for me, considering that I spent over 96% of the year not living in my native country. Pretty much everything I did was a new experience and the memories I have of this year will likely last a very long time. There were a number of events though that stick out from the rest, some for obvious reasons, others for reasons that I may never even myself understand. Here is a sample:

Long afternoons/evenings in our “hallway” lab in Thessaloniki.
Eating bifteki at Nik with Daniel.
The Athens trip.
Preparing dinner at Nenad’s place.
Being pickpocketed on the metro in Madrid
My birthday dinner with Pablo, Nenad and Daniel.
Mini wine parties in Nenad’s room.
The epic journey back to Reading in July with Daniel.
My amazing trip to Germany to visit Marie.
Too many memories to mention from the tour of Europe with my family.
Visiting Oostende and Brugge with Ken and Delphine.
Thrice weekly gym sessions with Pablo and Nenad.
The Barcelona trip.

Notice that not one of those things mentions doing an assignment, or studying for an exam. That is because in 10 years, the times I spent with my friends are the only things that I will really remember or care about. Not that academics aren’t important, they very much are – but sometimes you need to make sure you don’t loose perspective.

The potential of 2007

It is this new year that is the tricky part. Last year was easy, I knew roughly what I would be doing the whole time. I knew that I had three months in Greece and then three or so more in Spain. Summer break was uncertain initially, but then I would be working on my dissertation. Not so much this time. I know where I will be until March, but after that I haven’t a clue. Oh sure, I have some inclinations, perhaps you could call them preferences, but I’m sure that each time someone asks a question about my plans after I’m finished, I give a different answer. There are a couple of things I plan to get done this year, but as usual details are uncertain as to when. So without further ado, I present my new year resolutions:

Visit Hercig Novi, Montenegro.
Visit Vienna (perhaps Prague as well).
Look for work in Australia and/or New Zealand.
Continue going to the gym and swimming.
Write a dissertation on Web Services for Small Business :)
Improve my oral Spanish until I can at least hold a basic conversation.
Find a place to live that I like.
Find a job that I enjoy and hopefully pays the bills.

These are a bit more ambitious and meaningful perhaps than some of my previous year’s predictions, but I guess I’ve crossed that line in life that tells me that I have to start paying more attention to where I’m going. Literally.