I successfully defended my master's thesis last Friday, and with that, I've now officially completed a two year Msc programme in Distributed Computing. If I were to describe the programme with three words, it would be fun, beer, and bananas.

Headed back to Berlin on an airplane, by a window seat, in a reflective mood that would be fitting for a sepia filter, I've made a list of the lessons I've learnt over this latest epoch of my life:

• It's one thing to read about different cultures, it's another thing to experience them.
• Dreams don't always work out. Be prepared to fail hard.
• Don't chase achievements. Focus on doing good work, and opportunities will come to you.
• There are always elements outside your realm of control. As my supervisor tells me, it's called life.
• Be patient. Very patient.
• Beer *always* works out.

Darned window seat, making me reflective and all.