Thursday, December 27, 2007

This Year's Love-Part Trois

Yes, I continue on in what must seem like an interminable rant to the half a person out there who is reading my blog. My life can not possibly be so interesting so as to inspire three whole posts on my year, and yet here we are, part three.

I thought the third of the series should be little less intense and personal than the first two, so here's a series of highlights and firsts I experienced this year.

My first international flight, well my first and second.

My first pub discussion on politics, and my second, and third, and fourth...

My first and only sip of Red Bull.

My first and last cup of Turkish Coffee.

My numerous walks along the river Thames.

The British Library.

My brief visit to Leeds.

The Smoke.

The Maybe-Lesbian Triplets of CAC.

Oxford Circus, which is both a gift and a curse.

Virgin Radio.

CAMDEN!

I know there are more, but that's all for now. My brain seems to be slowly falling asleep. If only I could drink caffeine without staying awake for weeks on end...sigh.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

This Year's Love - Part Deux

Ok, so I decided to make this a two-parter. Maybe it'll evolve into more, I don't know, all I do know is that I have more to say about this year.

So, here's the thing about change. Sometimes, you just don't want it. If you were somehow comfortable with the status quo, then you have to be dragged, kicking and screaming into what is new. Without giving away too much, let me just say, I was comfortable, I mean really, really comfortable, to the point, that I was also completely oblivious. If you get used to being miserable, then misery, can start to seem like fun. It's your shtick. Your life sucks. You base all your conversations on that, you base all your decisions on that, and you base all your relationships on that. This, to the point that normal people just can't be around you, and don't know how to be friends with you. And before you know it, you turn around one day, to find yourself crying on your own shoulder, because everybody else has just left. And then, maybe change isn't such a bad idea.

And it can happen fast too, a couple of steps in the right direction, and then suddenly, your phone rings. That is how change entered my life, over the phone. And even though I jumped eagerly at the chance to make my life different, I didn't always enjoy what had to be done. Sitting here on my bed at the end of this year though, I have to promise you, it's worth it. That first time you truly enjoy your new self, that first little feeling in the pit of your stomach that let's you know that this is completely new, that feeling is worth all the agony, and the kicking and the screaming.

My life isn't completely figured out yet, there are still aspirations that need to be reconciled with pragmatism, and responsibilities. One thing, however, is for certain, change isn't my enemy. There is no point in finding comfort is the old and familiar if it makes you unhappy. And there is always a chance that your decision to change your life could end up, well, sucking. But there is always a chance that it could turn out absolutely fantastic. That, my friends, is a chance worth taking.

Monday, December 24, 2007

This Year's Love

The year is almost over. And I can barely believe that I made it through intact. I can honestly say that this has been one of the very best years of my life. It's strange how you wake up one morning and realise you are not the same person you were just a year ago. In fact I am almost entirely another person. Well, almost. The best thing about moving away, is that suddenly, your old life has a bright shiny spotlight on it. You spend the first few weeks romanticising the life, and the people in it. And you miss them terribly. And then, if you are smart, and motivated, you find that feeling disappearing ever so slowly. You make new friends, you see things you have never seen before, and you find out things about yourself that you didn't even know existed.

The worst thing about the spotlight is that you start to see exactly how inadequate your old life was, and the true colours of the people you left behind. There isn't a protective buffer between you and reality, it is what it is. And while this is painful at first, to realise your friends aren't your friends, it is also refreshing to receive that push forward to start changing the way you live your life.

And if all this sounds just a little too sentimental to you, then let me remind you that the year is almost up, and we are all allowed a little time for self reflection.

Before I sign off, let me just say, to you my reader, thank you for spending a tiny amount of your life here on this crazy, silly, pointless blog of mine.