Past Year Milestones

Dearest faithful blog visitors...

Although this is not my final blogpost, it will however be the last blogpost regarding my time in Geneva and Europe. When I look through the near countless number of photographs that I took in the past year, I can't help being overcome by a wave of nostalgia. And I can still remember each photograph clearly...where it was taken...even the surrounding smells. And more often than I'll care to admit, I'll still chuckle and smile at various amusing moments on a trip or during a typical get-together at someone's apartment, Mr. Pickwick's Pub or Les Brasseurs.

Aside from all the mushy nostalgia...I've compiled a list of notable milestones over the past year...and here they are in no particular order...

June 10, 2005 - May 8, 2006: No fastfood hamburgers.


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June 10, 2005 - the present day: Lost 20 lbs, and reduced waistline by 5 inches.


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July 15, 2005 - the present day: Downloaded on average up to 1.5GB of media files each week. You do the math. That's alot of downloading.


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July 15, 2005 - June 30, 2006: Downloaded and watched every episode of 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien'.


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May 18, 2006: Willingly (on my own accord) finished reading a new book/novel for the first time almost 6 years.


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February 4, 2006 - May 15, 2006: Drank 33.5 litres of orange juice.


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Finally just a few notable mentionables...

I present to you all my wok. 25 CHF and numerous dishes later, it is now my "war shield" in the kitchen.



Over the course of 14 months, I managed to organize 20 dinner parties. My reason for going to such an extent was partly to show my appreciation for my friends, but also to encourage me to experiment with new recipes and improve my cooking skills. Specialty favourites include: beef w/oyster sauce; dumplings; pasta salad; potato gratin; garlic-ginger shrimp; baked salmon w/soy sauce; tofu-mixed-vegetable curry. If you can remember these, please take the time to fall back into nostalgia and savour the moment. But I can't take all the credit...part of the thanks must go to Epicurious.com. This is easily one of, if not, THE BEST recipe websites available.
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Alas my sacred slippers.



These Saucony runners took me across the world and back. I traversed the floors of the Vatican...hiked through the Sierra Nevada mountains...took in the electrifying atmosphere of the Torino Olympics...crept to the edges of the Aran Islands...solemnly experienced the Nazi concentration camps in Auschwitz/Birkenau...walked up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower...and stomped the ground to the beat of a traditional Ugandan song and dance.
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My Nikon Coolpix 4500 finally bit the dust.



But to my count, I've taken approximately 14,000 photos since I first purchased the camera 3 years ago. It's paid it's dues and has earned itself a well-deserved retirement.
_______________________________________________________________I'm not entirely sure what will become of this blog of mine...but rest assured that I will continue to post up something of interest whenever it should arise. And so I bid Geneva and my fellow interns farewell (a 2.5 month late farewell...but who's really counting) and leave you with a final farewell toast...

...To the Coalitionites...may all our dreams and desires come true, except for one...so that we may always have something to strive for.

Take care and farewell my friends!