Where are you now?

[TheSadOne2k]

Where are you, now, as compared to where you were when you signed up for the forums. It can be in life, work, relationship. everything!

are you ahead of where you were? behind? in the same place?

are you closer to goals you had? have your goals changed?

Personally, I was hoping to work professionally in studio photography (and started to) but goals changed, and I'm now working as a special forces soldier/ combat photographer in some army, in some country, somewhere. with all this it looks like my life is heading in a photojournalism direction. I'm excited to see where it takes me.

how about you?

[Spadesy]

Where are you, now, as compared to where you were when you signed up for the forums. It can be in life, work, relationship. everything!

are you ahead of where you were? behind? in the same place?

are you closer to goals you had? have your goals changed?

Personally, I was hoping to work professionally in studio photography (and started to) but goals changed, and I'm now working as a special forces soldier/ combat photographer in some army, in some country, somewhere. with all this it looks like my life is heading in a photojournalism direction. I'm excited to see where it takes me.

how about you?

I was still in high school when I started using these forums. Now I'm 21, and have been in the military for almost 4 years. I've been headquartered out of Okinawa since 2006, and have done work in Korea, Thailand, Hawaii, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Iraq, and vacationed in Canada. I don't miss being in the U.S that much and I'm still using forums dedicated to Japanese cartoons. Life is funny that way.

[SapperSix]

I few months left on Okinawa, before I PCS to 1st CEB in Cali. I got to see parts of SE Asia, almost went to Burma for humanitarian work, never happened. Still waiting to go to Afghanistan. Oh I never saw myself as a combat engineer playing with explosives.

[Delta-Pheonix]

I am a sentient being born from internet data, i have no location nor will I be going anywhere at any time. I just simply exist.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

When I first joined, I was flirting with japanese women.

Now I flirt with pretty much everywhere and everyone. Especially Spadesy, he's a marein and marine's have ARMS

[superplough]

I work in a petrol station

[Soluzar]

When I first joined I had recently come to the end of a bad relationship, and I was unhappy in general with my life situation. It wasn't just the bad relationship, I'd been establishing and perpetuating unsatisfying patterns in my life for a long time at that point.

That really didn't change after I joined for a while. I found another bad (much worse in fact) relationship, and kept right on making bad choices. Some worse than before in fact. I just didn't know what I wanted or anything like that.

Eventually that did change though. While I'm not where I want to be in life, it's a good place on the road to get there. I need to try harder if I plan to finish the journey in a good way, but I'm at a much better place than I was back then. I have a lovely girlfriend, a happy home life, better relationships with friends and family... and just more happiness in general.

These last three years have been good to me, and I think the best is still yet to come! :D

[goddessofanime]

Being on here has actually helped me with hard times in my life, especially when I had a lot of family and personal problems a few years back. Not necessarily talking about anime, but just talking in general.

[fujyoshi]

uhh I'm at home and wow I just noticed the banner I will pheel that into non existence /slur

[goddessofanime]

OH THANKS FUJI....


Thanks for making a series and characters I do love into something dirty....X_X

[Old Ape Face]

^ uh, I think I should run before the world ends again...

Yeah I'm still in the same house since I've joined.

that could be a pun if you want it to be too.

[loplop]

We've moved from Phoenix,AZ to Central Ohio and I've finished grad school. We will be moving to just out side of Seiroka, Japan later this year because I'm taking a 2 year assignment with the company I now work for.

[fujyoshi]

OH THANKS FUJI....


Thanks for making a series and characters I do love into something dirty....X_X

I didn't make it into anything dirty only my mind did but that doesn't change the series (:

[The Million Dollar Prons]

When I first joined, Kagura and Blackknight were all over eachother.

Now they're MARRIED and all over eachother so it's good

[Meggles]

When I first joined (about a year ago) I was lazy and stupid.

Now I'm still pretty stupid, but I wake up at 4:30 every morning for swim practice so I'm not as lazy :)

[Gray]

I am a meat popsicle.

[fujyoshi]

when I first registered I was a 2D complex in training -_=

[hiei_kurama27]

When I joined it was summer vacation between middle school & high school, now I'm outta school and have a job & car. :) Nothing else is different.

[Midoriko87]

Well, I gots myself a job. Beard's a bit fuller, too. I cut off ALL of my hair a year ago. A niece and nephews were added to the mix. Playing some Sims 2 and WoW (that's considered hardcore gaming for a girl 'round these parts), started reading manga (Love it, too, especially that hardcore, violent Seinen stuff), fell in Love with Jack Black. Hmm, I now strongly prefer subs over dubbed (:lol:). Went to school, stopped going to school, 'bout to start school, again. -_-; Cut ties with the neighbourhood cats (well, they cut ties with me). Returned some library books that were years overdue (and paid the fines). Paying major bill-age, nowadays. No longer relaxing my hair (thus increasing its killing power by 30%). I don't really watch TV, anymore. Discovered that I'm unable to walk in those heels with the SUPER pointy toes (though I still like 'em high). Orange soda, not so much. Actually, there's so much junk... I give up. Sorry you guys, I know how much you were all looking forward to learning of my many adventures. :(

[GreatNekoKoneko]

When I first joined (about a year ago) I was lazy and stupid.

Now I'm still pretty stupid, but I wake up at 4:30 every morning for swim practice so I'm not as lazy :)

... swimming is the best exercise out there. whole body workout. good for you. keep it up.

as for me. still trying to quit smoking. watching what i eat (its hard to minimize carbs when you're asian), and trying to work out. i can't believe it's been a while since i did A PROPER SIT UP. jeez. it's hard.

but i'm getting there. slowly.

[Sora N]

When I first singed up here at AN I was working a lot of different shifts at a hotel and I was not in a relationship. I was also living with my parents and spending most of my money on anime.

Now I’m engaged, living with my fiancée, spending most all of my money on bills and necessary provisions and working more normal hours.

[fujyoshi]

when I first came here I went out a little more then I do now /heh

[goddessofanime]

Well, I gots myself a job. Beard's a bit fuller, too. I cut off ALL of my hair a year ago. A niece and nephews were added to the mix. Playing some Sims 2 and WoW (that's considered hardcore gaming for a girl 'round these parts), started reading manga (Love it, too, especially that hardcore, violent Seinen stuff), fell in Love with Jack Black. Hmm, I now strongly prefer subs over dubbed (:lol:). Went to school, stopped going to school, 'bout to start school, again. -_-; Cut ties with the neighbourhood cats (well, they cut ties with me). Returned some library books that were years overdue (and paid the fines). Paying major bill-age, nowadays. No longer relaxing my hair (thus increasing its killing power by 30%). I don't really watch TV, anymore. Discovered that I'm unable to walk in those heels with the SUPER pointy toes (though I still like 'em high). Orange soda, not so much. Actually, there's so much junk... I give up. Sorry you guys, I know how much you were all looking forward to learning of my many adventures. :(

Too good for Celebreality now are we? :P

[Midoriko87]

Too good for Celebreality now are we? :P

I was always too good for celebreality. :P While channel flipping the other day I chanced upon, "Real Chance of Love." :lol: I was all, "I'm not even going to get into this." Changed the channel, I was extremely curious about that Charm School reunion, though. -_-;

I do watch Bad Girls' Club. Not "Celeb"reality, but still funny as heck. Ailea's SpeedDating questions: "Do you play World of Warcraft?"; "Do you like sex?" :lol: That girl's a mess! You should watch!

Honestly, that's the only show I take time out to watch.

[goddessofanime]

I was always too good for celebreality. :P While channel flipping the other day I chanced upon, "Real Chance of Love." :lol: I was all, "I'm not even going to get into this." Changed the channel, I was extremely curious about that Charm School reunion, though. -_-;

I do watch Bad Girls' Club. Not "Celeb"reality, but still funny as heck. Ailea's SpeedDating questions: "Do you play World of Warcraft?"; "Do you like sex?" :lol: That girl's a mess! You should watch!

Honestly, that's the only show I take time out to watch.


HAHA...I only want to watch the Charm School Reunion because Sharon Osbourne supposedly went after one of those skanks for insulting Ozzy.

And I saw those two so-called gangstas once on that stupid show...nothing says 'I love you' like lying to the police :lol:

I'm ashamed that I want to watch 'Herpes'...I mean, "Rock of Love Bus'. X_X
All aboard the Free Clinic Express!

I don't have the channel that carries "Bad Girl's Club'. My knowledge from it comes purely from The Soup which showed clips of that one girl banging the pots all around.

[Jia]

I've moved 3 times.
Quit student teaching.
Found the career path I want to go
Now own a car and financial independence
Loss of sanity
A realisation of an alcohol problem and why thus problem occured.

Soul searching in other words. But I enjoyed it.

[sailornyanko]

Finished (finally!) med school, now I've just started my internship.

I wished I had started in a more demanding rotation to get it over with, but I'm liking the rotation I'm doing. There's no residents (cept for 1 service which I'll be doing in the second half of the year) so if there's no work to do at the moment I can leave the hospital for a taco without asking permission and nobody cares. Most of the teachers are cool people, though there are jerks and most of my coworkers are mostly nice calm and minded people that don't mind giving a hand. Annoyingly ojn my first night shift Sat night I was both insanely overworked (there's no lab service on th weekends so you have to take out blood and since my service mostly has old people with 20 medical problems, well it's kind of hard to get blood so my work piled up like crazy) and had 3 people die in the shift whic epic sucked. Never did CPR before and didn't expect to wake up and attempting it for an hour on a 250 lb man. I was scolded bad time for some problems and cried the next day in a pillow but today the worload was light, the people were nice and told me the guy that scolded me just has a nasty personality and to just rub it off and I had a cool day today. Workload on weekdays in my service is very doable and I'm quickly adjusting to how things work. Most of the patients are really nice and cool people too. I'm so gonna hate my next rotation, might as well enjoy the fun while it lasts. ^^'

Just hoping for February to start so that my first paychecks start coming in (acualy they are going to compensate what I'll be doing this month so my first paycheck will be really nice). I'm going to buy at least 1 Saint Seiya Hades dvd to celebrate. :)

Med students aren't really in my current service, but it's cool to have people below you. You can order them to go out and fetch some coffee or something.

Still live (much to my dismay) in the same horrible house I've been living for over 10 years. Fluffy pink mushrooms still grow on the walls during the rainy season. Only good thing about the house is that my job is just a 10 minute drive away.

I still have a lot of cats. Still love anime.

[fujyoshi]

I've been here since I was 15 or 16 and I'm 19 now -_=

[MirKz]

When I first joined I had just left high school and was unsure what to do next.
I was taking 6 months off to decide, and was starting to get into my drawing again and was learning to draw anime style characters.

I'm now still unsure what I want to do, but have worked in a range of different jobs and still looking for something new and exciting. I still live in the same country, have moved several times to several different suburbs.
I don't feel I've changed too much and I wish I had something I felt was of great worth to me.

Other than making new friends since then, taken up a few new hobbies and tried a bunch of different things and broke up with the gf I had and since had a few more whom I've all learned relationship/love type lessons.

I still really wish I could go somewhere and do something new with new people and have it all exciting :)
I'm still longing for that of which I dream of...

[Nakey]

retrenched as of 3PM AEDST

[fujyoshi]

when I first came here something like that was not possible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfwY3ZvOvqM&feature=channel_page

[Scandiadream]

When I first joined, I was living in the northern part of the state- which is culturally very different from the central part where I now live. I was studying to be a teacher or had just started working as a teacher.

I now am a homeowner in the city where the AN headquarters are. I have been working as librarian for the past 4 1/2 years.

I definitely am much better off now, since I have found the right career and field for me. My goals may have changed- but overall the vision and mission seem the same, since I am very much a career woman. So overall I am very much ahead and things are going very well.

[Haro!]

When I first joined, I was living in the northern part of the state- which is culturally very different from the central part where I now live. I was studying to be a teacher or had just started working as a teacher.

I now am a homeowner in the city where the AN headquarters are. I have been working as librarian for the past 4 1/2 years.

I definitely am much better off now, since I have found the right career and field for me. My goals may have changed- but overall the vision and mission seem the same, since I am very much a career woman. So overall I am very much ahead and things are going very well.

This may sound silly but, how do you go about becoming a librarian? A part of me has always wanted to become a librarian. I don't know, I guess I just like being in that type of setting.

Where am I know? I am in the process of starting over. I changed my major to something that suits me more. I am in the process of looking for a new job (ha ha) or internship that relates to my field. This is partially because ShitiGroup is about to implode and there is too much uncertainty in this field right now. So basically I am looking into finding a job relating to environmental studies or urban development or something like that. I honestly have not a very good idea where to look. I am also looking into retail just to hold me over, in case I lose my job suddenly.

SadOne2k, I remember you from the old days, and it is good to see that you are doing well. Did you graduate from Pratt? Also, since you mentioned that you are a special forces soldier, I hope you stay safe, especially the way things are going now.

[superplough]

This may sound silly but, how do you go about becoming a librarian? A part of me has always wanted to become a librarian. I don't know, I guess I just like being in that type of setting.

I've always wanted to be a librarian too. Weird.

[ThePhillyFlash]

Where am I now? The third and smallest bedroom in my rowhouse in West Philadelphia that I use as my home office and keep my computer in, sitting on a desk I've had since 1993. I've wanted to win the lottery for some obscene amount of money and retire to a life of luxury which I feel I'm deserving of. Hasn't happened. I also want to be a best selling novelist, but I've been working on that.

:P

[Siendra]

Yeesh. Six years. Nearly seven.

Well, I was fourteen back then. In my second year of junior high. Had some grand ideas about where I was going with my life. Now I'm twenty, busy pursuing my undergraduate degree so I can move on to working toward my JD - despite having no idea what I actually want to do anymore. I suppose I would say I'm ahead simply for the fact that I grew up and managed to do so without any of the bizarre preconceived notions a lot of the people I grew up with did (Certainly shared a lot of them six years ago).

[Lemina]

I was 23 when I started here. Back then, I was well entrenched into anime for a few years, but I didn't have a stable job. Now 6 1/2 years later, I have been though several jobs until I found one that I actually liked, but I'm not as much into anime as I used to be. Being a married woman now and a homeowner, it's even harder to squeeze out some money to invest in anime. Perhaps when I get a pay raise.

[Suiko Eiji]

Where are you, now, as compared to where you were when you signed up for the forums. It can be in life, work, relationship. everything!

are you ahead of where you were? behind? in the same place?

are you closer to goals you had? have your goals changed?

how about you?

Started reading AN back in 2000 or 2001 when I was a junior in High School. At that time I was in my second year of running the high school anime club, good student standing, preparing for my first trip abroad and had been an anime fan for five or six years. Had been studying Japanese for nearly that long, too. I worked waiting tables primarily but was always up for side-jobs for extra cash. After the forum crashed while I was in Europe, I signed back on and created an account but really only posted a few times. As far as career options, I toyed with going into academics (history) or translation/interpretation (and yes, like a dork, I was primarily interested in translating anime). When I started University in 2002, I started posting more, thanks to SD&D and my man-crush on CTL.

I struggled with Uni for six years; took time out of work for three semesters to focus solely on school to get out ASAP. After a dismal first semester and not much better second, I greatly improved with a summer semester and decided I needed to go back to work. I was used to being busy and school wasn't keeping me busy enough. My degree choices and options floundered about, too, which didn't help matters much. I had foreign language skills, so I was quickly pointed to an International Affairs, BA as a part of the political science department. I spoke with a couple advisors and read over the literature but it was mostly grooming for a pathway to public service, academics or possibly a J.D. The JD option I liked but really wasn't sure if I could afford law school straight through, financially or mentally. So, I transfered to business, looking at two BBAs in Sales and Marketing. After being frustrated with a Calculus course, I looked at something else and thought about a BSc. in Communications (no, not the fun telecom type, the public relations type). After one class, I decided it wasn't for me.

I was lost. I was depressed. A string of first-and-only dates, party semi-hook-ups and one or two steady girlfriends really didn't help for times outside of classes or work. I made some great friends at University, some of my best. One of my friends worked at a Fortune 500 (at the time, they later went private) company through school; he was looking for a better position within the company and knew I could handle the job he was doing at the time. So, I interviewed and they hired me. That was my first exposure to monolithic, corporate IT. I decided to refocus my studies towards a BBA in Information Systems Management. I like computers enough to mess around with them in high school but never wanted to do CompSci - too much math and programming didn't interest me at all. Information Systems, too, I felt, didn't give me a proper leg up when interviewing when I was finally done. School wasn't great and I thought about changing schools or degrees but never wanted to spend more time there that I could. What was just something that I'd get bummed about for an hour or two turned into outright anger, which actually caused a serious rift between me and an old, good friend. I ended up in an Information Systems Management class as was required by my degree and started talking to and eventually joined a project with a guy who had started the new Information Security program. He recommended I at least give it a try. So I did and fell in love with it.

As this is getting to be a tl;dr length already, I struggled with a few lower CS/IS requirements but once I got past them, I was in the clear and finished my BSc. in a few semesters with some of the best grades I'd had. I worked my *** off but I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing. At work, things weren't so great. I had tried getting my way into an infosec related job there and with no dice, I left, rather unceremoniously. 3 years with that company with 40-hour minimum weeks while going to school in Spring, Summer, and Autumn semesters with full time schedules through each one. I then went to work with a bank after I had graduated this year; it was technically a paid internship but it gave me some invaluable information security experience I could put on a resume. And it all worked out. After a brief stint of being unemployed (I felt I needed a small vacation anyway) I began working for a small Information Security Service company and I love my job. I learn something every day and the company almost seems too eager to promote people. I went through a bad break-up recently so I've been focusing most of my spare time to looking at different career paths. Right now, I've got a CEH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_Ethical_Hacker) book on my desk and some other career and technical books lying around and going through those. And I'm probably going to get focused on writing white papers again.

Relationship-wise, I'm getting back to the starting line or drawing board again. I'm also going out looking for a new place to live as the friends I've been with for the past six months just isn't working out. I'm also going to start biking in the Spring to try and lose some more weight, eat healthier and save money for a vacation in Japan visiting (a) friend(s).

wow ... sry for the tl;dr....

[Scandiadream]

One becomes a librarian by going to graduate school to obtain a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. The state university in the city of the AN headquarters offers it, as well as the state university whose colors are garnet and gold. You can get your undergraduate degree in anything you wish- mine was in Microbiology and Cell Science. The degree usually takes around 5-6 semesters if you go full time. It was absolutely worth it, and I love being a librarian.

[kenshinbebop]

Hmm...I joined when? 05 or 06 probably...
When I originally joined I was really into anime and stuff.

Now I'm all about teh muzik.

I've not shifted any major life plans as back then I was a freshman of highschool/8th grade. Now I am a junior.

[Rain]

I was an immature 12-year-old brat when I first joined, but now I'm a second-year university student—sophomore—doing a major and minor in psychology and economics respectively (and maybe a third minor in East Asian Language and Literature if I transfer to another school).

After obtaining my undergraduate degree, I plan to spend several years working to get work experience and earn money to pay for a joint J.D.-MBA degree.

Yes, ambitious is me.

[Spadesy]

12?! :O I started at 15. You win. :punch:

[Old Ape Face]

I was 15 when Rain joined...

And not hear...

I was in the same room I'm in now when I joined, half a year after Highschool graduation, just starting a soon to be failing degree in a Digital Arts program at one of the best Community Colleges in the country. (So I've heard)

Yes I go to a community college, unlike you rich folk with an actual plan and a domesticated agenda, I'm going to a cheap *** school where the teachers are representatives of there subject. In other words they have masters in the field they're teaching, and actually work first hand in that field. My program director actually has connections with Pixar and Hollywood workers.

One professor made the association of my College as the Yale or Harvard of Community colleges, since we seem to have professors from there as well as Uconn and other state Universities.

Currently I am just finishing this longterm Community degree with about 3 classes left.

At the end of this program I am thinking of taking a degree in CAD and Technical Engineering since I seem to have an absurdly great 3D visual eye.

[Haro!]

I was an immature 12-year-old brat when I first joined, but now I'm a second-year university student—sophomore—doing a major and minor in psychology and economics respectively (and maybe a third minor in East Asian Language and Literature if I transfer to another school).

After obtaining my undergraduate degree, I plan to spend several years working to get work experience and earn money to pay for a joint J.D.-MBA degree.

Yes, ambitious is me.

Ambitious indeed, and that is so AWESOME. A friend of mine is pretty much doing the same thing (although her minor is East Asian Language, minus the literature, I think). It makes my constant major/minor switching look bad...

I joined when I was about 16. Back in the day, 2003.

One becomes a librarian by going to graduate school to obtain a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. The state university in the city of the AN headquarters offers it, as well as the state university whose colors are garnet and gold. You can get your undergraduate degree in anything you wish- mine was in Microbiology and Cell Science. The degree usually takes around 5-6 semesters if you go full time. It was absolutely worth it, and I love being a librarian.

Ah, I was affraid of that. I am finishing school late enough as it is, so that graduate school is a bit of a turn off. I wouldn't mind doing it per se, but I gotta make that A-rab money first. Apartment, girls, food, Apple computers and girls keep my wallet empty.

[TheSadOne2k]

SadOne2k, I remember you from the old days, and it is good to see that you are doing well. Did you graduate from Pratt? Also, since you mentioned that you are a special forces soldier, I hope you stay safe, especially the way things are going now.


hey haro. i remember you too.

no, i didn't finish pratt. had i stayed this would be my last semester. i got myself 'forcibly removed' by not showing up to any finals second semester. i knew i wanted to join the army (where might be in some old posts?) but while i was commited to college i couldn't bring myself to do it. so i soloutionized. i think it was a good choice. after i started working small jobs in the studio photography world. but ended up getting serious job offers. i don't know if turning them down in order to join the army was the right idea or not, but we'll see where it takes me.

[sailornyanko]

One becomes a librarian by going to graduate school to obtain a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. The state university in the city of the AN headquarters offers it, as well as the state university whose colors are garnet and gold. You can get your undergraduate degree in anything you wish- mine was in Microbiology and Cell Science. The degree usually takes around 5-6 semesters if you go full time. It was absolutely worth it, and I love being a librarian.

Wow, you need a masters degree to become a librarian? Sounds totally bizarre to me. I thought they even hired HS graduates in smaller cities or maybe peopl who majored in business administration.

Well as for me, hehehe I'm posting from my job, just don't tell my boss I'm slacking on teh job haha. I need some rest, I've been working for 29 hours and counting. Hrm.. maybe I'll go eat breakfast or take a nap o somethin.

[Tenou]

Since I said I'd try to post more, here goes.

When I joined I was a seriously confused, incredibly shy and geeky high school student who was in some pretty bad relationships. Mostly pretentious with an ego the size of Quebec, maladjusted, and rarely left my home.
Now I've graduated university, moved away from home, I'm not so shy, not so confused, though still pretty geeky. I'm in what I'm hoping is a promising relationship, still pretentious, though the ego is mostly under control and not as maladjusted.

I think I'm almost a real person now... a few more years and I might just get the whole way there.