2011: Photo of the year.

At the end of each year, I like to go through all of my pictures and select one that represents the entire year.  It's awfully hard (given the sheer number of photos I take), but it's a good exercise.  Looking back at photographs is like opening an old journal.  And so, I present to you, the following photo:

zagreb, croatia

To me, this photo represents a place that has affected where I'm headed in life, but also a place that altered my perception of people.    

People.  I didn't time this shot, nor do I know the lady looking back at me.  But trams in Eastern Europe taught me a lot about people and what they are going through. I loved the trams, despite their stench and the gypsies, because it allowed me to get a brief glimpse of the people who make Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.  You can read a million books on a particular people, but until you see their faces, you do not really understand them, because a simple look can tell a story.  Trams (or any mode of transportation such as a train, subway, etc) are brief and temporary.  People get on and then get off before you have a chance to blink. 2011 was all about making the most of friendships.  It was about reconnecting with old friends, as well as making some new ones.  I have come to realize that life isn't all about work or blazing a trail that will radically change the world.  Rather, it's a balance.

2012 is shaping up to be a very different year.  I'm looking forward to all the places I'll go, the photos I'll capture and the people I'll meet.  (And hopefully, I'll get better at blogging about if all!)