In keeping with tradition I am going to keep releasing my “year in reflection” posts on the first month of the New Year. That gives me plenty of time to think about the year that has past and reflect on it.
Since I graduated from University in December 2007 it has been a bit of a ride. Most people know me as the quiet observer that will sit in the room and watch everything happening, 2008 was no different. I have seen family, friends and work colleagues make bad choices and then out of the blue decide on something that has changed my view on the problem.
I started the year off with lots of job hunting while still working in retail at Target. The year really started with something interesting. It was the morning of January 6, 2008; my Dad had just left for work. It was no more than 20 minutes and he was driving back up the driveway. He began to tell myself and Mum that the Mt Lindsay Highway was flooded and there was no way out unless we went out via Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd. The thing was we had not had any rain for a few weeks, but upstream they had been going through storms and showers every day. The flooding stretched the entire length of the Logan River and was coming close to touching the bottom of the bridge at Waterford. But that only lasted one day and really didn’t impact on life much but it was interesting to see all this water in an area that was close to becoming waterless.
February was one of those months that nothing much happened. I went to many job interviews only to get the “sorry you not the type of person we are looking for at the moment” reply, that was if I got a reply. But there was a breakthrough in March. Not only did I celebrate being the owner of a 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 (the one that has full backwards compatibility with Playstation 1 and PlayStation 3 games) for a whole year since its release in Australia. I also managed to get a new job as a Developer. So I left my casual job at Target and started working full-time as a Developer for a new start-up company. At first I thought that it would be a great experience to be part of a start-up being fresh of out of University, but over the next few months I started to question myself as to be it the best decision I could have made. At the time it was, but I still don’t know. I’ll see what happens in 2009 hopefully I’ll still be there in 2010. 
Nevertheless I have met some nice people that are passionate about what they do and are at time alright to work with. There are a few things that need some work in that office area but overall I would give the experience I have had so far a six out of ten.
2008, was the year I went to a few events. There were three highlights in this category.
- May 30, Rove McManus (Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre)
- June 22, The Umbilical Brothers (The Playhouse, QPAC)
- December 20, Cirque Du Soleil: Dralion (Le Grand Chapiteau, Hamilton)
Out of those three events, Cirque Du Soleil was the best. 2009 is going to be spent saving some money so I can go to Las Vegas to see all the Cirque Du Soleil shows there. The shows are absolutely amazing; I think I blinked a total of 3 times during the entire two hour show. Which brings be to my Australian Passport. $208 later and I have a passport so I can travel the world seeing the sights and experiencing all the cultures the world has to offer. First stop might be New Zealand, it is local and the dollar value is not bad. Then I will work on the longer trips to the United States, England, Africa and Asia. There is a list of things I want to see and I intend on seeing as much of them as possible.
The last highlight of 2008 was the brand new computer. Now everyone says “Geek”. In my defence I am a website developer and need a computer that can perform multiple tasks while looking good at the same time. So 1600 odd dollars later, I have a new beast that has no problem playing games, watching Full HD television or running multiple instances of Photoshop and Dreamweaver while being connected to multiple remote desktops. With the new computer I got a new Samsung Colour Laser Network printer and a Full HD 32″ (81cm) LCD television.
As with every year it ends with Christmas. My pile of presents was not as big as my brother and sisters’ but I got exactly want I want. Need For Speed: Underground and LittleBigPlanet. LittleBigPlanet is a damn addictive game that is just loads of fun to play.
So that was my 2008. Now some people have their “I’m going to lose ten kilos” and “I’m going to give up smoking” resolutions. I don’t smoke and I’m not overweight I just need to get out a bit more. Instead of making resolutions I set myself a few goals and if I achieve just one of them, great, if I do not reach one of them, no loss to me.
So my goals for 2009 are; to do more work on my website. It is getting quite old and boring and I do not even like looking at it now. So I am going to place a music library, photo gallery, revamp the blog and build a nice interface for my past projects portfolio. All of this will be done with a new design. Which brings me to the next goal, learn more about user interface design techniques for websites and get better are working with PhotoShop and other graphic design programs.
But not all of my life revolves around my computer and website development. In 2009 I plan on going on a trip somewhere, I have a passport so it could be a trip within Australia or an overseas trip, and get started on getting a drivers licence. People have been on my case since I turned 17 about getting my licence and I just want them all the shut up about it. I will get my licence when I am good and ready.
There is one goal that I always aim for but always seem to not quite reach. That is to simply be happy. I watch friends and family having a good time, but for some reason to me it always turns out boring. Maybe that is just me. If I had to ask for one thing this year it would be to be taken more seriously. I might not be an expert but usually what I have to say can make a difference. I do not usually open my mouth unless I have something to say that is meaningful, but then this really depends on if people want to listen.
Thinking about what is special about 2009, nothing comes to my mind. On the March 25 it will be exactly one year that I have been working in the Information Technology industry, but I do not see that as anything significant. On that note keep an eye out around then as I reflect on that first year of work in the Information Technology industry as it has been a roller coaster ride so far. So happy 2009 to everyone and we will see what the year ahead brings.
