I always get all retrospective at this time of year, thinking back over the last 12 months and usually even further. I also get a bit antsy for the end of year to properly come and to have a fresh start. I figured better than any introductory post I could throw together i'd look at this end-of-year musing for the past decade - the most influential of the few i've had - before moving onto the next (hopefully bigger and better) decade.

2000: I'd just finished up my first year at the University of Queensland, figured out what I wanted to major in, and started my volunteer position at the Anthropology Museum.

2001: Had finished a challenging second year of uni, thoroughly immersed in nerdin' it up museum style as well. Had my first break-up with Dave. At the end of the year I was prepping loads for my round-the-world trip at the beginning of the year.

2002: This was a big year, no doubt. First overseas trip on my own, powered up to vegan, broke up for good with Dave (who remains my BFF to this day), learnt the basics of guitar, broke my edge. I was pretty exhausted by year-end, really. Oh, and I finished my undergrad studies. Next stop: honours year!

2003: Failed miserably to get my honours thesis done by year-end. (Spoiler: I handed it in early the next year) At the end of the year I had an interview for an admin job at the Queensland Museum - I was successful, and moved on from my beloved anthropology museum because I needed full-time work.

2004: Finished my first year (part-time) of museum studies, and my first year of full-time work. This enabled MONIES, and I travelled to Canada in the later part of the year which was just awesome. Boys were problematic, and my awkwardness as a single lady was flourishing (aah, good to see when I established a pattern of behaviour!)

2005: I got to meet Neil Gaiman in Melbourne and it was great. I went to New Zealand in the latter part of the year, and it was awesome. Plus I finished my graduate diploma in museum studies. I also finished out the year with three lovely pet rats! I was getting antsy at work, and starting to think about living OS. Kept busy with Browncoat excitement cos Serenity came out in September - this was my first big real fannish year.

2006: My first year study-free in a very long time. I was very very into the Aussie basketball league, supporting Brisbane and seeing a bunch of home games. My world opening up a lot more as I gathered friends around the country and becoming closer to the ones in Brisbane. The death of a family member (my Grandmother) and a friend (one of my Sydney Browncoat friends) were big blows that year that left me pretty melancholy looking back over the year. I wanted so much more out of everything. Ended the year with a rattie family of 4.

2007: Surprise! At the end of this year I was alone, house-sitting in South London. I had finally gotten off my arse and made the move overseas - much of 2007 was the very quick downward spiral to packing up my life, and leaving it and all my friends behind to venture to the motherland and mostly unknown. I got to see the Spaced marathon at the British Film Institute and that was like, fucking fantastic! For much of December I was alone in London, starting new temp jobs (museum/exhibition front of house stuff) and being amazed at how i'd been away for like, 4 months already! (Ahah, oh. If only i'd known.)

2008: This was a highlight year out of the decade for me, for many good reasons. I met so many fantastic friends that I am happy to have in my life even though I had to go and leave them behind in the UK. I ended the year having visited some amazing places in the UK & Europe, plus seeing Cairo. I had a job at the British Museum which I still miss. Fell even more in love with London. And then at the end of the year I knew i'd have to move on, and decided to aim for Canada in the new year.

2009: Ohhh Caaaaanadaaaa. Came here in May, sad to have left London but happy in some ways because Toronto is pretty ace. Totally failed to secure work for ages, and then embarked on the Epic Road Trip of '09 (Toronto -> San Diego for Comic Con -> Toronto) which is one of the most memorable bits of travel i've undertaken this decade. In other fannish pursuits, I went to LA for conventions related to Firefly and Chuck, cementing the nerding of that year even further. For the last half of the year I temped as an admin assistant, which turned into a contract job which i'm still doing. I also met Bruce Campbell, & turned 30. Those last two are not related, but I figured i'd throw 'em in.

2010: Hi! Now we're all caught up. Well, pretty much. This year i've had a full-time job and it's fueled a bit of travel and mostly just being here in Toronto, living 'n' stuff. I was fortunate enough to afford a trip back to London in June which was so fantastic; also I had friends visit at various points in the year from the UK too which made me happy. I'm ending my year pretty homesick for those people, and also for my friends back home. But I think i'll see them all in the new year, and that new year is hopefully going to be a good one.

Hence the undertaking of a photo-a-day project for 2011. I've thought of doing this before, but haven't been entirely convinced I could do it. I think that next year will offer me a great opportunity to make what is essentially one big photo essay of what that year will be for me - leaving places and people, returning to places and people, and everything in between. I started up this Posterous for that project, but also for a fresh start and clean slate to blog somewhere that I don't mind sharing and that I think I can keep interesting enough (mostly for me!). I started it by looking back (again, mostly for my sake), and now i'll begin to look forward.