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If I tell myself this often enough, it will be so. Therefore I am going to make a list of 10 good things to happen recently. As of right now, I cant think of 10, but hopefully if I build it they will come.

  1. Dinner. I had a very nice dinner last night with someone I met recently through work. She is from Seattle, around my age and has a fantastic sense of humour (ie, similar to mine). It was so nice to be with someone like that - great to laugh and not have to explain every US-culture-based reference or joke. I think I need more female friends in my life, girls rock.
  2. Bagels. I stumbled upon a hidden stash of NY bagels in the local supermarket recently. My reaction was similar to someone stranded in the desert stumbling on an oasis. Before I was able to get to the register, another expat also probably in taste-deprivation induced hysteria noticed my find and forced me to reveal the location of the stash. We shared a moment of mutual dutch-food related sympathy before blending back into the scenery.
  3. Bonus. Our annual bonuses were paid this week. [insert cash register sound]
  4. Charity. My parents have started the ‘Justin van Laar Memorial Fund‘, which is under the guidance of (I think, ‘guidance’ maybe not the correct word, but somehow connected to…) the Geelong Foundation. I think its a fantastically generous and altruistic gesture from them and one I hope to be able to contribute to myself (see above). The fund will eventually be used for cancer-related care and respite in the local area, and maybe eventually extend to offering research scholarships or grants of some kind, through the local university which is apparently in the process of building a new medical school.
  5. Copenhagen. I was asked to attend a meeting in Copenhagen in a few weeks and give an update on one of our research projects. I jokingly asked our PA to book me a business class flight, but with just a hint of seriousness in my tone. Hopefully she didn’t get the joke, books my flight and if I get into trouble I can just blame the mistake on my typical-aussie sense of humour. But yes, Copenhagen should be good. Going Friday coming back Sunday or Monday. No idea what to expect, other than a lot of blonde hair.
  6. Papers. I am currently writing a paper which I am hoping to submit to somewhere like the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Its at 2nd draft stage now and I’m really motivated to get it to the next stage where it’s ready to submit ASAP. I’m also co-authors on two other papers in association with people from the NKI, which is great for my CV and professional ego, undernourised as it is.
  7. Jeans. Last night I was able to fit into a pair of 32″ waist G-star jeans I bought over a year ago. I thought they had been progressively shrinking with every wash, but it turns out I was just getting fatter. But last night they were fine, damn fine. [Side bar: That's right: 32".... read it and weep Dane.]
  8. Police. When I was pulled over by the police this morning for cycling through a red light, I somehow didn’t get a fine. Even though I initially ignored the request pull over, forcing the police car to swerve in front of me like I was a wild horse or out-of-control bus. And even then despite the fact that I decided to argue with the officer about whether I actually did cycle through the red light, which I totally did. Hey, I’m cranky in the morning and usually running late - what can I say. The fine is only 50 euro anyway, care factor (which I almost said this morning).
  9. Biostatisics. While I am 90% sure I am going to fail one crucial subject this semester, I am doing really well in the other one. So it seems I’m not totally retarded, just not that good at advanced maths. Especially when NO effort has been put into the teaching or preparation of course material, nor any relevance to the field of biostats apparent.
  10. This song. Has been in my head since I was obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance. Tacky beyond description, surely to one day be in a Disney movie, but I love it.