Goodbye, 2009. Hello, 2010.

It’s been a crazy year. Let’s see, 2009:

  1. I got engaged.
  2. I saw the inauguration of President Obama.
  3. I authored my first published paper.
  4. I won the Steinhardt Dean’s Grant for Graduate Student Research…
  5. …Which allowed me to use NYU money to donate to charities via The COCOA Experiment.
  6. And I got three other academic awards…
  7. …Which allowed me to spend the summer in Cape Town, South Africa (and Dubai, Rome, Cinque Terre, Paris, and London for that matter).
  8. I am officially one class away from my master’s.
  9. I traveled over 70,000 miles.
  10. Got to level 69 with a kill ratio of 1.46 in Modern Warfare 2 in a little over 2 days of game time. (Oh yes, this does deserve a space on this list.)

In 2010:

  1. I’m getting married.
  2. I’m finishing my master’s.
  3. I’m publishing (at least) two more papers.
  4. I’m moving to Boston.
  5. I’m either taking the plunge into being a real adult with a real job or remaining a perpetual student in a doctoral program.
  6. I’m (probably) going to Ghana.
  7. And hopefully more…

Here’s to the unknowns, adventures, and promises fulfilled in 2010. To friends who stuck around. To friends I have yet to meet. To everyone who kept me sane. To my five jobs that kept me busy. To Korean fried chicken. To airplane food, those tiny disposable pillows, and safe travels. To visitors who helped me remember why I loved California. To random phone calls. If next year is half as good and exciting as this one, I’ve got a lot to look forward to.

Cheers.