Today is the day that I've been here in New Zealand exactly 4 years. I arrived here on June 14 2000, and it's now June 14 2004.

Happy Anniversary to me!
Happy Anniversary to me!
Happy Anniversary dear Alan...
Happy Anniversary to me!

(Sung to the tune of Happy Birthday to me!)

I think this will be a small trip down memory lane. We're going to go through each of my entries from when I arrived, at this time each year, and we're going to see how things have developed.

16th June 2000

This was an update, advising of how I'd just arrived, met a few of Michelle's friends, and started working at an internet cafe straight away.

I finally got through into the arrivals lounge where I had a nice reunion with Michelle... It was great to see her again and to be here permanently - with her. She then took me on a scenic drive of part of Wellington on our way home. It was certainly breathtaking...

It's still breathtaking, and maybe I am here permanently? God, I hope not...

We move onto June 14 2001, but the closest entry is June 16

He asked me why all the women in my life seem to have no issues until after they've been with me! Even though I thought it was pretty funny, there was certainly a lot of truth in it. It made me realise something that I'd forgotten. In my past, I've been a catalyst for change in those women who have gotten close to me. Through involvement with me, their life has changed considerably, and it's always been for the better. It's like I've been a gateway for positive change in their lives, but it hasn't been enough to keep them with me. Even though it's a good thing that involvement with me has improved their lives somehow, I'm starting to get a little peeved about my own issues that keep on bringing up those things which causes a woman to not want to be with me.

I first realised it 3 years ago, and it's still occurring (although there's less of my own issues involved, as I've successfully worked on a lot of those!)... However, I'm wondering if the changes this time can become positive rather than negative. More on that later...

Let's move onto June 14 2002, with the closest entry being June 20

Wakana and I have moved back to dating, enjoying each other's company. I wasn't comfortable with how things were going in the relationship, as there was too much of a communications barrier for what I needed in a relationship, so now we're just seeing each other every now and again. All I'm doing is enjoying the moment.

I wonder if karma is getting me back....

The past week has seen me investigating the selling of my PC and replacing it with a laptop. After a week, I'm still unsure about whether a laptop within my budget would make a good desktop replacement. I'll continue to think about it and do the research.

Wow, I've had it for almost 2 years now! And I'm pleased that it's STILL better than most laptops on the market today. That's why I paid so bloody much for it though...

Ok, let's move onto June 14 2003, and here we delve into last year's foray into the message board format.

I went to my camera course tonight, and learnt some more cool stuff about taking photos of a night, using long exposure times and other stuff that I won't bore you with. Needless to say, I'm really excited about the things that I'm learning, and it's only going to help me take better photos - which was the whole idea!

It was definitely beneficial in terms of increasing my photography skills, and I'm very happy I did it.

So that's what I've been doing at this time each year over the past 4 years. Let's look at a few other things that have happened over this time.

• I have lasted 4 years (next month) at Computerland, which, for me is an amazing achievement in my life. It's the longest I've ever been in any one job.
  
  
• I've gone from dating (only) western women to dating (mostly) asian women. I once thought asian women wouldn't like me, now I know they love me. :lol:
  
  
• I started doing collaborative Star Trek writing almost 3 years ago, in December 2001, and I'm still doing it. In that time I've created an alternate universe and inspired dozens of other people to write within what I've created.
  
  
• I've gotten into writing articles, moving towards my envisioned future of being an author of personal development/spirituality material. I've increased my knowledge of relationships, and helped friends and acquaintances improve their own relationships, or their attitudes towards them.
  
  
• I've managed to keep my journal going for almost 6 years now; quite a record in the fragile nature of a constantly changing internet.
  
  
• I'm turning 38 this year, and I'm feeling old. I was described the other day as 'mature'. What happened to 'youthful'? Where did that go? I'm getting grey hairs on my sideburns. *sigh*

Here's a toast to you all. May you still be around next year!

*raises his glass to you*