A Year Full of Happiness

Tadadadadaaan!
Is that good text equivalent for a celebratory bugle? Because it's birthday time and I am all set to party!

I can hardly believe it but today marks one full year of Urban Legends!

I started this little blog after two years of a foolish hiatus from all things creative, in which I'd let my old photoblog die a lonely death; a time when I wrote and clicked a bit but let other things take over, which led me to a state when I thought I'd physically suffocate if I made any more space in my life for the banal, the uncreative, the mediocre...oh, all that is not important anymore! What's important is that I finally listened to that pleading voice in my head and gave in, once more, to the sheer joy of creating and sharing. I started out with a semi-pro camera that my Significant Other gifted to me in 2008, and my old faithful Fujifilm point and shoot; a reignited passion, and absolutely no idea where this was going to lead me. Who knew that by the end of of the year, this would have taken a life of its own and that I would find so, so much in the process.

"Now we are music together, sharing one cup" - Rumi

Through this blog, I re-communed with my passions - not just photography and writing, but also - cities. I'm blessed to be living in this wonderful city and this blog gave me the chance to make you see it the way I do. And then came the chance to visit other cities, other places and the chance to do what I love to do - tell stories.

Through this blog, I got some amazing opportunities - things that I hadn't even dreamed of finding when I started it. I discovered Londonist and the amazing bunch of people who run it. I got the opportunity to exhibit my photos in central London, and to be interviewed by the lovely Jaz for Londonist! Through this blog, my photos were discovered by the cool people behind Televisual and my photos went to print for the very first time! And through this blog, Metrotwin happened - the opportunity to shoot and write about two of my favourite cities in the world.

But most importantly, through this blog, I met so many of you who're reading this right now - you all who've kept me going at times when I wondered if it was worth the sheer hard work that has gone into this, and when the troll came visiting. Your comments, your encouragement, and most of all, your heartfelt emails have become a large part of this blog's (and mine) raison d'être.

What more could I have asked for?

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2009 was a terrible year for a lot of people. I started 2009 in gloom and uncertainty myself as my job fell prey to the ugly recession just before it started. My income fell, my career nose-dived and so did my spirits. But you know what they say about a window opening up when a door closes?

This blog was my window. My window to you, my window to my own self and my window to happiness.

I still click with the same semi-pro, I still don't have the spare change to host this on my own domain (because I still don't have that job, darned recession!), I still don't have the heart to give away the old battered Fuji. But I have a year and a heart full of Urban Legends and no one can take that away from me.

Happy Birthday Urban Legends.
Here's to many more years of creative joy.

****

Now that I'm done with the sentimental soppiness, let me say sorry again for being so AWOL these last two months. I nearly let myself be sucked back into banality again but thank goodness for good sense and that constant nagging in my head. So yes, I'm back for good. Just you try getting rid of me now!

Here's what's coming up:

- An updated list of links to some fantastic photographers and photo-bloggers out there that you must visit.

- A brand new post (or two, or several..) from London.

- A new city, and several stories.

- A few old ones from 2008 and before. Who says I can only tell new stories? Stories are stories, it's the way you tell them, not when (or so says I).

- What? No, I'm not going to give everything away, so keep checking back.

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And finally!
(Hey you in the back row! Wake up!) An awesome video that, to me, sums up the ethos of this last year on Urban Legends, and hopefully will continue to, in the years to come.
Enjoy!

Yours soppily, cheekily and stupidly happily,
Flaneurbanite.

:-)