Here we are again celebrating the passing of yet another year in the life of Ovi Magazine; five to be exact. As always, there is only one question on the Ovi editor's lips when this special day comes around each year: Who gets to blow out the candles? Magnanimously, I always bestow the honour on Thanos because 1) his aged lungs need the exercise and 2) my own birthday is two days later and candles often make an appearance then. I am sure you are welling up from the emotion of the moment, so let's move on.

I must begin by saying thanks to those who noticed that I have been slightly absent from Ovi's front page over the past few months and taken the time to email me enquiring whether everything is okay – so, thanks Mum and Dad! I could bore you with a range of excuses for my absence but it's none of your business so go grab a bun trunky! Don't worry though, I have just had a case of the “no motivation to do very much outside of work” that strikes us all from time to time and Thanos has been very patient waiting for me to pull through to the other side. Thanks!

Of course, I haven't abandoned my Ovi duties completely as those of you who receive the fortnightly Ovi Events Guide in your Inbox can testify and those of you who listen to the Ovi Bad Boys show can also categorically state that I am alive and well, plus my choice of music is better than the Greek's dodgy selections! I still receive weekly contributions from our dedicated team of volunteers that never fail to make me proud of being involved with a project that inspires people to contribute heir time and talent free of charge. Thank you to each of you.

What does the next year hold in store for Ovi? Blimey. I think for that answer you should read Thanos' birthday editorial since he is the driver of the Ovi train and has a destination in mind – I just help to throw more wood into the boiler and occasionally get to pull the steam whistle... WHOO!! WHOO!! I know, I know, you are all thinking, “Come on, Asa! That isn't true... you are overselling your role!” Hang on... what did you say?

Hmmm... criticism is always welcome and I know from reading the comments below each article or in emails that you guys and gals don't always opt for the constructive kind! I must admit that one of the pieces of feedback I received this year labelled one of my articles as “the worst he has read this year”, which I guess means he didn't agree with my viewpoint. I am fine with that and, as my therapist has actively encouraged me to let go of this anger and find the flip side, I don't mind... at least it wasn't the worst this decade!

After five years Ovi has become like a family and like all families we are slightly dysfunctional – I am not about to start assigning the roles of the matriarch and patriarch because Thanos will just get his apron strings in a twist. We have come to learn one another's quirks, their viewpoints and ideologies, and we are all ready to educate the new members of the Ovi family the unwritten etiquette, although it is actually written in our comments guidelines (hmm, oh well).

So, my family, my friends, my naysayers and detractors, I thank you all for your valued input over the past 365 days and truly hope that you stay on board this train, this Ovi Express, because there is no final destination, just a scenic journey with the occasional surprise... let's just hope the driver doesn't fall asleep and miss a stop signal. WHOO!! WHOO!!

Happy fifth birthday, Ovi!

Asa