2007 the year that was...

2007 what a year…It wasn’t a bad year at all, it had some lows it and it had some highs.

The first few months weren’t so great, I realized that the job I was currently in was killing me, nothing was going right for me, everyday I woke up was another day I wish I hadn’t. There was one thing it did allow me to do though and that was look forward to my weekends. The weekends were the only thing keeping me going. Most of the time I would go to my friend Dans house and just drink and bet on the horses all day, until it was time to hit the clubs and pubs. There were definitely moments where I didn’t want to be in that scene but its small compared to the good times I did have. The club and pub scene wasn’t that great all the time, mainly because you would spend half the time going after girls and then not getting anywhere so you’d just drink more and more. There were some good times though it was always the best when there was a group of your friends just dancing and having fun.
Occasionally on every second or so week me and my other friend Toby would have regular musical jam sessions. These were fun because we got creative and we got to explore our great passion for music. It also gave me the chance to actually put my old drumkit to good use for once. I bought cymbals for it and skins and actually got a good sound coming out of it. Toby was great to play with too. I can’t remember how many Metallica songs we nailed but it was always so much fun playing. Then after that we’d watch movies have a few beers and whine down the night until it was time to play again.

After the weekend was done it was back to work again, same old thing. Sunday nights were always the worst because I could never get to sleep. My mind would keep racing with thoughts of how my life was in general. One day I came to the realization that it was time for a change, a drastic change at that. I owe a lot of this to my friend Rhett, he’s passion for traveling the world was something that I wanted desperately to experience for myself. So it was time to cast off, with the good help of Rhett and ofcourse my parents, I set sail for Canada. At that point it didn’t really matter where I was going, aslong it was somewhere far. I arrived in Canada after a good 15 or so hours of flying time. The plane ride wasn’t as bad as I imagined. Stepping out in a different country was an awesome feeling. After the usual sight seeing in Toronto, which was awesome, it was time to start working and earning some small money while exploring a part of the country. Algonquin park; a huge forest preserve filled with many animals and beautiful sceneries was to be my home for the next 5 and a half months. The setting was awesome, the job was not that great, but because I was out on my own in a different place, I was atleast happy. Meeting a lot of new people was a good experience too, each one of them was different to the last with their own take on life and their experiences in Canada.

After 5 months of working at this place the days got pretty repetitive, but it flew by so quick I was amazed at the end of it. Then it was time to set sail to another country for a week and relax after 5 months of work. Destination: Varadero, Cuba.

Cuba was just the most amazing travel time I would come to experience thus far. I think it was because it was a week vacation with a girl I met in Canada in a surreal setting. The beach was crystal clear with little to no waves and the hotel itself was impressive. Huge pool and 3 all you can drink cocktail bars. Everyday was like a little holiday. You’d wake up to this fantastic view and then you’d go bathe and play on the white sand of the beach. The trip to Havana was very interesting. I got to experience the culture of this communist country. At times it became frustrating because everyone was trying to sell you something on the street, mainly Cuban cigars. I bought some from an actual retailer though. They were smooth to smoke and the smell of them were nice, almost fresh-smelling. Back at the hotel things were great again, only one little thing happened while I was getting served. The waiter comes up to me and in the best English he could muster asked me if I could sell him some of my clothes. Yep… he would come to tell me that it is very hard to find the same size clothes to buy for his son in Cuba. I was heart broken but at the time I couldn’t sell him anything because I had only had so few clothes on me. The rest of the day I was thinking about him. Just how sad and unfortunate it was. But that’s the reality of living in a communist country. The tour guide was saying that they only get paid 20 dollars a week no matter what profession you are in. Doctors, lawyers, police, waiter, they all get paid the same. The only upside is they have is they don’t pay tax and they don’t have to pay rent. It’s totally a different way of living, one I don’t think I could ever become accustomed to. Well the end of the week came and it was time to leave again. It was a great time. Many memories of that place.

Now back to Canada, winter and Christmas steadily approaching. In November it snowed and I finally got to experience it. Then the temperature started to drop to the minus double digits which was probably the worst part. Christmas was good, different because I was basically on my own in a sense. But my girlfriends family have been very hospitable and I got through the home sickness. Now its time for the new year and its time for new things.

Resolutions?? Hmmm ....
1) Travel to Europe definitely, just for a couple weeks or so, it will be great to finally do.
2) Start earning some good money in a job I can be happy in for once.
3) Stop biting my nails, lol ;S
4) Start working out more, a lot more….

That’s about it for now, whether I accomplish them will remain to be seen, but I’m optimistic of 2008 and what it may hold.
Peaceout
STiX