25 today. I've noticed there are a few of us with birthdays around this time, which is cool. Nothing much special planned for me today - for a while now, birthdays are basically just another day.

Looking back, I guess 24 was an eventful year for me:

* I was published in Nature magazine
* I was a groomsman for an old school friend, gave a speech and all
* I visited Melbourne for the first time (a work conference)
* My PhD candidature was confirmed
* TV news showed a story about my work (and I made a brief cameo)
* I went on my first international trip, to Canada: presented a poster at a conference in Calgary, then briefly visited Waterloo and Niagara Falls (and bought a cute little howling husky plush while I was there)
* Dealt with calling emergency for my grandfather, who passed away in hospital (this a day after I came back from a week and a half long holiday)

Not the best note to end my year on, but that can't be helped. And, on top of all that, all the usual: setup and ran some physics experiments, drafted some papers for future publication, hacked on some open-source software, and drew some pretty pictures along the way.

And thanks. It wouldn't be nearly as fun if I didn't know there were people out there who appreciate the stuff I submit here. Thanks you all for the encouragement.

As one entry in my diary says, "Things were said. Objects were thrown. Not really."