2015: A Look Back

2015 was a bleak year for the most part. It was sad for a lot of reasons. It was frustrating, it was also grim. I'm not just using ominous sounding words here, these are feelings I felt throughout the course of the past year. But it was also a year that I can say, without any exaggeration, was absolutely amazingly brilliant as well. 

The year started kind of 'meh' for me, and it got worse. I was at a job that I no longer liked, and there was no room for me to grow there. I had learned all I can from there, which is not to say I didn't learn much. I learned a lot from that place and gained a lot of on the job experience. Unfortunately, I knew I had to step away and start doing new things, so I quit. No safety net. No backup plan. I jumped without a parachute.

Best decision I ever made. 

Thankfully I was lucky enough to be part of a lot of very cool projects this year. The biggest being able to take part in the making of the documentary of the rebuilding of the legendary Maldivian boat Kalhuohfummi. It was being built on a small island in the north of Maldives called H.Dh. Neykurendhoo. I got to go and stay for a while, eat homemade food, get great footage of amazing sunsets and beautiful island scenery and seascapes. I got to, for the first time in my life, see the Milky Way with my eyes. Without aid from a camera or whatever. It was a bit overwhelming, I have to admit. I felt so small and insignificant while witnessing only a part of this great grand galaxy. 

I will cherish that memory forever.

Other than the privilege of seeing a boat out of legend being built by a team of some of the most insanely talented boat builders in the Maldives, I also got to experience so many other things.

I also saw my first shooting star, which, I have to say, might be the best shooting star that was ever witnessed by any of mankind in the past or will in the future. True story. 

I've sailed in a tiny boat on a day when the sea was so calm I didn't know when the ocean ended and the sky began. Not a ripple in sight. 

I've also been on a small speedboat and there were, like, a dozen or so flying fish swimming and flying alongside it. It was majestic. They were literally a foot away from me. That was between Kulhudhuffushi and Hanimaadhoo in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

I've reconnected with old friends and made new ones. It is always so great to meet new people who're cool. Cool people are so hard to come by. You know when you've made a friend when you can converse with them easily for hours. Conversation is something which I really enjoy. I despise small talk. 

Then, later this year, my friend wanted to make a food stall and everyone just jumped on board. No fucking questions. The World's End Tavern at Shinzou Con 2015 was, in my opinion, a huge success. Thanks in no small part to everyone who helped. Friendship is a beautiful thing. You know you're with the right people when they look out for you. A lot of my friends even came to visit the stall. It was the most fun I had had in a crowded place this year. 

There's a lot of other stuff too, but I'm not going to write everything down. Some memories are just for me. Some moments are just mine. 

The point to all this, if you're wondering, is that the only thing standing between you and being happy, is that step. That step that you are dreading to take because you're afraid things will not be the same level of comfy. I won't lie, there were times I struggled, and struggled hard. I was doubting myself sometimes.But I was lucky enough to be surrounded by friends and loved ones who believed in me, and I was doing absolutely amazing things. I would rather be poor and happy than rich and sad, any day. All that was worth it. I made so many happy memories this past year. I've been able to actually hang out more with the people I love. I've been able to learn a lot of things. I'm a more positive person, and I think it makes the world a better place when you're putting out positive vibes instead of being glum all the time. Be nice to someone and they'll be nice to someone else too.

Be happy, people. Jump.

PS. Don’t jump literally. It is a metaphor within the broader context of this post.