A great day

I penned the following back in March in order to preserve the memory but didn't post it for various reasons. There's no particular reason why I'm posting it now, except I was kinda sick of it hanging around in my drafts folder, plus it's always nice to relive good memories instead of dwelling on negatives all the time.

March 17, 2007.
Two reasons made it a great day.

The first reason came via email. It was a message that I had longed to see for four and a half months. The last reviewer of my PhD thesis had finally returned their critique of my thesis to the university, and the comments were positive. Although it wasn't official yet, it basically meant that my PhD had been passed. I was bloody ecstatic. I immediately told my mum and family and started capering around the house like an idiot.

After becoming increasingly jaded and ambivalent through my postgraduate studies, I didn't think I'd be so happy to know that I'd finally earned my PhD. I'm not someone who cares about titles, but Dr. Ben had a nice ring to it at that moment.

The second reason for the great day started when I got asked for proof-of-age identification when I went to buy a bottle of sauvignon blanc at the bottleshop. Sure, the guy that carded me was about 75 years old and probably had failing eyesight, but the fact remains, I was asked to prove that I was over 18. Yay for me....

Anyway, the New Zealand sauvignon blanc was for dinner with my closest mates (Ex-flatmate, Ace, GK, Entrepreneur and The Scotsman) at the Sugaroom restaurant in Pyrmont, a suburb near the Sydney city centre. The restaurant was of the fancy variety, with $25-30 mains, stylish decor and well-heeled clientèle, but it was my farewell dinner so we splashed out a bit.

Actually, it was my final farewell dinner. My move to the US had unexpectedly been delayed several weeks due to visa issues, so we already had a few 'farewell' get-togethers previously. The running joke was that everyone was tired of sending me off (read: tired of shouting me farewell drinks) and just wished I had left already. This time it really was goodbye and it felt surreal.

The restaurant was swanky and waterfront, but amongst ugly tracts of undeveloped land and the occasional complex of modern apartments. It was a strange location. The restaurant service was a tad slow at times but the modern Australian fare arrived quickly and my prosciutto wrapped chicken on top of a risotto-bean mix was great. The dessert sampler of chocolate pudding, intensely rich chocolate cake, cream and mixed berries on the side was also a winner. Our five bottles of wine attracted $8 corkage per bottle, but the pricing sting was somewhat soothed by the pleasant plonk. The meal passed quickly and since it had become increasingly rare for all of us to catch-up, it was good to have our little group all together again (minus Surfermate who had moved out of Sydney a few years back).

That meal was momentous in my mind, as it would be the last time for us to hang out together for a long while. The farewell turned into a semi-celebration as I told everyone my PhD had unofficially passed. I'm sure they were happy to know I finally had my PhD as it meant that there would be no more tedious bitching about how long it was taking everytime we talked.

After dinner we lost a few bucks at the nearby casino, danced at Liquid Buzz in the Agincourt Hotel and Ex-flatmate, The Scotsman and I ended the night with one final drink at the Columbian Hotel on Oxford St. It was a big night and the sun was up as I somehow made my way home.

The evening was one of laughs, catching-up and reminiscing. It was also a celebration of the new that overwhelmed the underlying tinge of somberness and resistance that is associated with change.

I knew that we would have more fun nights out in the future, so there was a sense of numb sadness mixed with joy as I hugged people goodbye when they left at various times throughout the night. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to celebrate such a moment with mates that I've shared my life with since high school.

That day is marked as a turning point in my life. I had finally (albeit unofficially) gone from postgraduate student to postdoctoral fellow, plus, it marked the start of the last week for me before The Big Move.

It truly was a great day.
March 17, 2007.