Wednesday 30 December 2015

2015

This is the time of year that everyone reflects on the year gone by. Photograph collages are created. Soppy statuses are posted. A great time of year for a sentimental fool like myself. 

My last post was a year ago, when I was leaving Newfoundland. I figured it was about time I sent the world and update, and before 2015 was done and dusted. It's as much for me as it is for anyone else, allowing me to take stock of all that has happened this year. So forgive me my trip down memory lane, or join me if you wish :)

  • I'm now back home in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, England living with my parents. It's been tough at times, I won't lie. But it has been lovely being back home with my family, especially having been away in another country for two and a bit years. Skem isn't much of a hip and happening place, but places are what you make of them and I have managed to find some magic in this otherwise dreary town.
There's been the occasional beautiful sunrise/sunset. 
  • I've applied for and been rejected from 3 PhD projects. I've always wanted to do a PhD, I've always seen it as the natural progression for me. I aimed high, I aimed very high. They were achievable goals though. And sometimes I even believed that. Alas, it wasn't to be. It's made me tougher and stronger though. And I'll keep looking. Maybe eventually I'll find the research I am meant to do. 
My quest did lead me to a great British landmark
I have always wanted to see though.
  • I have a MSc. Geology Degree. I wasn't quite finished with my Master's project when I moved back home. I was still tidying up the writing and I was doing it with multiple co-authors in different countries. I would not recommend doing it the way I did it. But I got it done, and in May I graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to my convocation, something else I wish I could've done. But boy, am I proud of what I've accomplished.
Lots of hard work, but I did it!
  • I have a full-time job. I wasn't very hopeful of finding employment in Skem so I was very much surprised when I managed to land myself a job as a Data Analyst only a 20-minute walk from my house. I work in Wetstock Management, analysing data from petrol stations and trying to identify leaking pumps and tanks. It's a job I didn't know was a job until I applied for it. It's a good job, at times interesting, at times challenging. It keeps me out of trouble.
They have excellent freebie game.
  • I've travelled. Lots. An advantage of having a job is having money. It's the first time I've really had any money therefore it's the first chance I've had to finally go off exploring places. I've travelled with friends, to visit friends, to see friends get married, sometimes on my own just for the hell of it. Bruges. Salzburg. Berchtesgaden. Munich. Belgrade. Stavanger. Amsterdam. Venice. Throw in some more local trips to Bath and Shrewsbury. There is so much out there is the world. So much to do, to photograph, to enjoy. There are many more adventures that I plan on having. Feel free to help me spin a globe and pick a destination.
Obersee, near Königssee, Bavaria.
One of the most glorious places I've ever seen.
  • I've discovered a passion. My passion for photography has been growing and growing over the last few years. I've upgraded from my second-hand bridge to a full-on DLSR. But it is what I have photographed that has changed the most. In Newfoundland it was natural for me to take photos of the amazing landscape that surrounded me. As I've alluded to, Skem isn't quite as photogenic. So I searched for other subjects in and around the house. I ended up digging out my old boxes of Lego. I started building. I began collecting minifigures. I tried to capture the emotions and the actions of the figures in the scenarios that I had created. I found a wonderful community of other like-minded-Lego-lovers. An obsession began. The full story is worthy of another post, which one day I will get round to writing. But if there's one thing that has come out of this year, it has been that I have become a Lego photographer. And I'm no longer ashamed to admit it.
One of my favourite photos of this year of some of my favourite subjects.


2015 has been an interesting year. Full of changes, new adventures and fresh challenges. Who knows what 2016 has to offer? I have no current plans. Lots of dreams, but nothing written in the stars yet. Stay tuned to see what comes true. 

I wish you all the very best for the upcoming year. Have a good one. :)