twothousandandseven

I know it's already mid-January, but I heard a song tonight which triggered off a memory of an event which happened in 2007 and this set in motion a chain of thoughts which brought me to the realisation that I should review this by-gone year, because 2007 was indeed a momentous year, and I shouldn't just let the memories perish without a word written about them, should my own memory fail to function. And heck, that was one gloriously long sentence. And yes, I am in a rambling mood tonight.

Anway, getting back to this review of sorts of the year that just was, I wonder if I should start chronologically. The first part of the year was I presume quite boring. All I can seem to remember is my thesis taking over my life, while thinking that I should start studying properly at some point. So yes, January through March saw me battling with statistical software, several hours at Melitensia, and the like. Intermingled with this were getting to know better a couple of people, furthering my interest on photography through one of them, a weekend in Gozo, a Bollywood mini-obsession, marathon skype chats to Chester...and so the last UoM semester flew and the final exams were upon us. A tough period of cramming, late hours, stress, piles of notes and surprisingly, almost no caffeine, opting for herbal teas instead...zennnn. And that flew too.

Then summer began. While waiting for results to come out and the inevitable tension, June was quite pleasant, and most events or activities I actually blogged about. The event which was the inspiration for this post was Bryan Adam's concert, which was fantastic, particularly so when comparing it to the disappointing Sting concert the prior year. So many memorable songs, wonderful interaction with the audience, great atmosphere...a really enjoyable night. June was also spent making preparation for THE highlight of the year.

The backapacking trip. 2 friends. 5 weeks. 8 countries. I still get these momentary flashes of some place we visited and I get all smiley. So many beautiful places with their uniqueness and distinctive features in spite of a common theme which marks a country as Central or Eastern European. A holiday which had a bit of everything: medieaval to ultra-modern, tranquil countryside to buzzing metropolis, sunbathing on Baltic sands to freezing in an ice-cave in the Alps, rocking at Sziget to a classical concert in Tallinn...an incredible adventure with lots of stories to tell, remeber and laugh about, whether on hostles, transport issues and interesting characters, a time where I learnt a lot, met some incredible people from all over the world and possibly, felt truly happy. Something I will never forget and hope to repeat in a different continent in the not too distant future.



So just for the sake of posterity here's the trajectory we followed: Malta, Berlin, Potsdam, Warsaw, Vilnius, Trakai, Kaunas, Palanga, Klaipeda, Nida, Tallinn, Riga, Jurmala, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Malta.

A highlight within the above highlight was going to Sziget festival in Budapest...getting passes to the final day of the festival is an interesting story in itself: sleeper train from Krakow to Prague, help woman heave bag onto her bunk bed, strike conversation in train corridor, woman turns out to be American freelance music journalist, some 2 hours later yours truly mentions intention to go to Sziget, she asks me who's playing, I supply the info, she knows one of the bands' tour manager and tells me..." I'll see if I can get you on the list" (!!!!). Two days later, phone call from Lily...and hey presto, we're on the list - meaning, a vip pass, woopee! So yeah that was one lucky chance meeting...and who did we get to see at Sziget? None other than the uber-fantastic The Killers, who are absolutely awesome live - one of the most superb live music experiences ever. I still can't help feeling a bit giddy whenever I hear a song of theirs! And now Sam's Town started playing in my head...Well that night sure compensated for the disappointment of missing Isle of MTV... which had to be organised in Malta when I wouldn't be there of course, but I shouldn't complain...(2007 was Malta's year for concerts galore it seems, something rather unprecedented, but I digress).

Well the above, aside exams, seems mostly rosy, but 2007 had its fair share of tough periods, particularly the loss of a loved one, to being hurt (emotionally), realising I still miss someone, questioning my decisions, feeling lost...I don't want to dwell too much upon them, though I suppose they're still worth a mention. Looking back at my 2006 review I realised that in essence some things tend to repeat year in, year out, establishing a pattern. Or maybe it's just the course of life. The notion of whether everything happens for a reason was severely put to the test this year, but I suppose only time will tell.

The period since coming back from abroad was briefly chronicled in my previous post. September saw what I suppose one would call an important phase in one's life - the start of a career, or at least full -time employment. No longer an academic student but a young professional. This will be a long winding road with many forks on the way, where I'll have to decide where to head. Once again, only time will tell.

Then there was graduation and its week-long celebrations, and shortly after the start of Christmas festivities and the close of the year. A year that really flew by. Was it because it was packed to the brim or is it because I'm getting older? (23rd birthday was quite enjoyable actually). And now already two weeks into 2008, I don't have any expectations for this year (some wishful thinking yes, but no expectations). It didn't start off on the best of notes so far, but I do hope it will turn out to be a year which I can look back upon and smile.

*Phew, verrrry long post...if you managed to read so far, congrats, hehe, but I was in a writing mood, which actually makes me happy as I seemed to have lost the spark and desire to write, so maybe it is back after all!*