It’s hard to believe it but today marks the 10th anniversary of my graduation from the University Of Lincolnshire & Humberside in Hull. In some ways it also seems a long time ago as I feel I have done quite a bit since. The summer of 1998 saw me put my BA Hons Degree in Economics and Business to no use whatsoever by going to work in a paper factory in my hometown but the plus side meant I was working with my best mates Martin, Sam and Ian and it was a great laugh which still gets mentioned when we meet up.

I went back up to Hull after a few months in that job and worked in telesales for two years for an I.T. research and analyst group which was mostly fun in the first year and saw me earning a lot of bonuses but I lost my enthusiasm in the second year and to be honest probably stayed there too long.

A 16 month round-the-world trip helped me escape from that job and gave me the travel bug which I still possess today. After that time Down Under I eventually started working in Leicester (following a few months as a couch potato watching the summer sport spectacles of 2002) at a gas company for six months.

Next up was European works experience in Hamburg in Germany which provided the stepping stone for me to get a job in Japan as an English teacher at the end of 2003. A five month exodus from the land of the rising sun followed after a year while I changed company and that basically takes me up to where I am today.

Below are a few pictures from the University years….