A few things that made my 2019 interesting..

UFOs and Bratislava

2019 is my best year so far, followed by 2017, 2015, and 2013. This post lists 30 things that made my 2019 interesting.

1. The finishing touches of my Ph.D.

Final moments of my terminal degree that lasted almost 5 years.

2. Successfully defending my thesis in ULisboa.
I got a Pass with Distinction.

3. UCLouvain Public Defense of my Ph.D.
As a double degree, I had to defend my thesis twice. My defense in Belgium officially concludes my Ph.D. of 5 years!

4. 10 Years of many things.
Time to reflect on the goods and bads of the 2010s, now with a little one.

 
5. Hosting a RIPE NCC Atlas Probe.
Fascinating to contribute to the Internet measurement community.

View from the Zugspitze Summit

6. Watching the Lunar Eclipse in Atlanta.
I was also present in Colombo during the Solar Eclipse. But did not dare to watch it.

7. Leuven twice - the second time was the charm.
Starbucks Leuven has also become my most favorite Starbucks.

8. Finding the Louvain-la-Neuve lake completely dry.
It was sad to see my favorite lake missing - although it was temporary.

9. Porto after exactly 6 years.
It was a magical experience, being in Porto on the same 3 days.

10. An overnight stay in Charleroi Sud, Belgium.
Realizing there is more than just a cheap airport in this region.

11. Time travel - Lisboa version.
The feeling of saudade was so real.

Panevėžys Train Station

12. Transcontinental boat ride in Istanbul.

Consistently chased by an army of seagulls.

13. Praia das Maçãs - The Apples Beach in Sintra.
A place where my favorite song from Romania was shot.

14. The bright and energetic Antwerp.
Probably the most random trip of the decade.

15. Random walks in Bratislava, Slovakia.
A cheap Ryan Air flight after a long time.

16. Getting a new passport.

For another decade, until 2029!

17. Hot summer days in Houston, Texas.
It was special as our first trip with our infant son.

The Hollywood Sign

18. My second GSoC Mentor Summit, after 8 years.
This year we successfully resurrected Emory BMI as a mentoring organization.

19. Cold evenings in Riga, Latvia.
Our first city from the former USSR.

20. A day in a "ghost town" in Estonia.
Pärnu, a summer resort that hibernates during autumn and winter.

21. Panevėžys, a way of travel.
Who guessed a boring town would influence us this much?

22. Zugspitze, on the top of Germany.
At 2950 meters, it is literally the highest point I have ever been in my life.

23. The majestic Salzburg.
It has this true European vibes.

Crowded Istanbul

24. Daily Duolingo lessons of Portuguese.
Because I don't want to forget the language.

25. Apple Picking in Ellijay.
It was an unexpectedly nice and refreshing activity.

26. Batu Caves, Malaysia.
It was also my first visit to Kuala Lumpur and South East Asia.

27. Long metro rides and walks in Los Angeles.
Evening rides to Santa Monica and Long Beach, and hikes in LA.

28. Postdoc life in Emory.
I presented my first conference paper as a Postdoctoral Researcher at BigData conference in LA.

29. Döner Kebab and Sahlep in Istanbul.
After some long walks during the Christmas vacation.

30. A "direct" flight via Male.
It was my first direct but not non-stop flight, from Istanbul to Colombo, via Male.

Every year, I have one new year's resolution - to outperform my previous years. :) I already have high expectations for 2020. I wish you a happy new year. Thanks for reading my list until the end. You may also read the blog posts of all the previous years as well.

When you have too much time in hand in a random town

The Panevėžys Train Station

Have you have ever had a day trip to a relatively dull town and ended up having too much time in your hand? That's what happened to us when we ended up in Panevėžys, Lithuania, in a bus ride from Riga, Latvia, using Ecolines. We already had a return ticket in slightly later than 10 hours from our arrival time. We ended up having nothing much to do after going on speed walking across the town, exploring the whole town and suburbs by foot, enjoying a proper Lithuanian meal, and exploring their shopping malls. Eventually, we resorted to visiting one interesting cafe, not once - but twice (since we ran out of things to do)!

Due to a 75% discount going on with Ecolines, for journeys between Riga and Vilnius, instead of buying a return ticket to Panevėžys from Riga (would cost 20 Euro), we bought our onward journey from Riga to Vilnius and return trip from Panevėžys to Riga.  The bus has an intermediate stop in Panevėžys. But they check the names when you enter the bus. If you do not enter at the designated stop, they cancel your trip. So we cannot buy a return ticket to Vilnius from Riga (it would cost only 10 Euro). With two tickets (5 Euro from Riga to Vilnius and 11 Euro from Panevėžys to Riga), we paid 16 Euro. Still saved 4 Euro. Yet, we had a risk. In case if no one gets in or gets out at Panevėžys, our bus would take us to Vilnius. Then from Vilnius, we would have to find our way back to either Panevėžys or Riga, by purchasing a connecting return bus. Luckily, the bus indeed stopped in Panevėžys, because there was one (!) person getting down at
Panevėžys.

The way how we explored Panevėžys was interesting, and I am sure I will replicate this in the future often. Eventually, Panevezys got some cult status in my life. It is a small town with lots of lakes and parks. Nice paths to walk around. Quite boring place - yet you have many things to do in the town as well as quick trips to nearby Baltic cities such as Riga or Vilnius. I have also made it into a verb.

Panevėžys
verb.
1. Wander aimlessly, because you have too much time in hand without specific plans.
"We should totally panevėžys tomorrow when we arrive in Panama."