Another year ends, but this time it feels like a beginning

This blog began in 2007, which coincided with the start of my PhD. It also marked the beginning of a difficult few years of understanding myself beyond the academic label which had stuck since primary school, as well as independent of parental-societal-cultural expectations.

I have now been through a research trip to Canada to meet Deepa Mehta, conferences around Australia, invigorating trips to India, multiple visits to the library, numerous undergraduate essays and films, many thesis drafts, long hours of film editing and countless intellectual stimulants around the clock. This has been accompanied by the development of a self that is more self-assured, more poetic and also more forgiving of its own and others' mortal shortcomings. In addition to scholarly journals and books in my field, I have also taken to style blogs, street photography, bright nail paint, sequined berets, peep toe shoes, pencil skirts, retro dresses, statement necklaces, paisley scarves, fresh scents, orange tulips, cooking laksa, shopping in Chinatown, enjoying driving and most importantly, being unapologetic about all of the above. I have been through a fair share of admiration and heartache in a relatively short period, and find my feet moving to a new beat (yes, love is more likely a musical journey rather than a happy ending, but then I don't claim to be an expert). 

Then there is the likelihood that I may not be in Adelaide for very long. The past seven years, almost my entire adult life has been spent here, and for that I feel fortunate - as much for the great people I have met and befriended as for the education and work experience I have acquired. If and when I move, I know I will miss the Cibo aromas in winter, the jacaranda carpets in spring, the festival fever in summer, and the long weekends in autumn. Here's to 2010, wherever it may be!