There’s something about the idea of travelling that has really appealed to me in the last few months. I’m not sure what it is, but I suddenly have this urge to just make plans and get on planes to jet halfway around the world. Is it all achievable? Probably not, but these are the places that I would absolutely love to visit at some point in the near future.
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I love going to the theatre. It’s something that I have enjoyed doing since I was younger. I’ve compiled a list of the ten different shows that I’m hoping to tick off of my list this year.
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Talking about my Switch again? Shocker I know! But I thought instead of talking about why I love it and what my current favourite games are, I’d talk about the games I’m PRAYING come to the Switch sometime in the very near future. I’ve been more than happy with my fill of Switch games over the last year, but I’ll be honest with you, there were a few announcements I was wishing so hard for that didn’t happen. But my fingers are crossed super tight that one day in the very near future these games will be ported over to the Switch.
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There’s a load of things that I’ve really liked this year some of which are things I already talked about on my blog. But I thought I would compile everything into one big post for all the things I have loved throughout the year of 2018.
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I really enjoyed doing my last post like this, so I decided I would do another ASOS Wishlist for my New Years wardrobe. At the start of every year, I always say that I’m going to finally invest in a new wardrobe, not that there’s anything wrong with my current clothes situation, but I never feel like I’m happy with it. So after a quick swipe through the ASOS app (as per), here are the picks I’m hoping will pop into my wardrobe to start my New Year off with a bang.
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I’ve learnt a lot about myself last year. Some things I secretly think I already knew and some things I’d forgotten about myself. Without really realising it, I took a step back from trying to grow and change and just took the time to really get to know me.
Read moreI’ve thought a lot about the things I want to achieve next year. 2018 was a good stepping stone for me, got a full time job, did some exploring with some best pals and realised what it really means to be happy and content. But 2019 is the year I want to make things happen, like actually do things and not just say I’m going to do them, shocking I know.
So with my new SPN planner in tow (obviously), I’ve been planning what I want my 2019 to look like.
More adventure
I’ve already booked another Convention in Toronto, and I’m absolutely buzzing to continue exploring Canada after I loved Vancouver so much! But I want to do more, I’m hoping to get a trip into Frankfurt at some point, and I’ve got a whole post up about my Travel Plans for 2019. Bigger picture, I want to just go places, like I’ve always wanted to go to Brighton, so I might book a BnB for a weekend in the summer and just go. I’d love to go back to Bournemouth and really explore, and I would adore going back to Leicester and just reminiscing.
More focus on my blog
I say this every year, and (not so) surprisingly it never happens, although I do think I’ve done better in some respect over the last year. So I thought I’d give myself some manageable goals that will help get me back in the swing of things. I’m going to try and post at least five new posts a month. It isn’t too many that I stress myself out every week about getting something done, but if I do have a really good month and I churn out ten new posts, which would be a miracle, then great. I just think the less pressure there is, the more I’ll enjoy it again. Hand in hand with this, I’m going to make a real conscious effort to get involved with the community. Commenting on other posts, chatting on Instagram, joining in Twitter chats, the lot! I think if I can aim to be active for at least an hour a week, just to start with, I’ll realise how fun it is getting more involved with everyone.
More fun
For me, this just means doing more of the things I love. I used to get embarrassed by the things I liked doing because I thought I was in the minority for them. And I still am with my family and friends, but I don’t care anymore. I’m thinking more conventions, taking myself to see more theatre (hello Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen, I see you), spending an afternoon reading instead of going out. It’s something that seems really little, but will allow me to really accept who I am and the parts of me that I’ve kept quiet about for a while.
More me
2018 I really took time to focus on me. I reached out and tried therapy because I needed help, but I found it didn’t work for me. But just having someone tell you that you weren’t making a mountain out of a molehill, that there was in fact a real struggle happening in your mind, gave me the strength to be more open and honest about it, which has made me feel so much lighter. I want to keep working on myself, finding me. It sounds very cheesy and fluffy which is very unlike me, I know. But I think I’ve slowly been gathering all the tools I need to do this. I’ve found friends who accept me in every way, I’ve realised family will support you whatever happens and that it truly doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, so long as you are happy. So I’m going to go to more conventions, embrace my inner nerd while still battling with the demons of my mind every day, I’m going to be the very best version of myself. My own hero. Just me.
What are some of your goals for next year? Are you planning to travel more, or spend more time with family figuring things out? Let me know!
Where has this year gone? It’s crazy to think we’re nearly down another year! I know for a fact there are things that I wanted to happen, that haven’t. But I also know things that I didn’t think would happen, did. So I thought it would be interesting to look back on the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year and see where I am in achieving them before I set next year’s.
One thing I’ve learnt this year, is to be a lot more gentle with myself and flexible with the things I want from life. Sometimes the bold goals are not what are best for you, sometimes your goal can be no bigger than simply making it through the year, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Write More
I wanted to write more this year, and I don’t think I’ve been unsuccessful, at least not entirely. I will admit that I haven’t in effect written MORE than I did last year, but I have been writing. I’ve written draft blog posts, planned chapters in my novel, but I haven’t put a lot of it into practice. Blog stuff hasn’t been posted, and I haven’t finished a single chapter in my book. But I have started. And that’s more than last year. I also think I’ve had a bit more of a need to write, especially towards the end of the year. I’m hoping this continues into next year and that I can slowly chip away at bigger projects like my novel and my poetry collection.
Be More Present
I do think this is something I have managed to really achieve. I wanted to focus on spending less time this year on worrying and in turn being more in the moment. While I have still done my usual worrying and hiding away when I’m having a tough moment, I have had a fair few stress free moments which led to me having the absolute best time. For instance, travelling to Vancouver on my own, sharing a hotel with someone I’d never met before and walking around a new city was stuff that should have stressed me out and cause me no end of problems. But the reality is that I had the absolute best time. There were of course a few moments of ‘oh my god, what is happening, what am I doing?’ But on the whole, the feeling of being independent yet surrounded by friends, taking in a beautiful city and spending my time doing things that made me happy, meant that I was pretty much anxiety and stress free for a whole week. I’m hoping that making more plans like this next year, and taking control of the things I want to do, will mean this continues.
Get a Foot In
I think this is one of the only things I wanted to achieve that I haven’t in some capacity, but that’s 100% my fault and I know it. I haven’t really put myself out there. I’ve not been applying for anything, talking to people, writing enough to talk about. It’s still something that I really want to achieve, because being somewhere in the publishing industry is where I believe I belong.
Improve my Photography
I am still not proclaiming to have the best photography skills in any sense of the word. But I do think there’s an improvement and in actual fact I’ve been enjoying it a lot more. Not only am I taking more time and patience with my blog photos but I’ve really enjoyed taking pictures at the convention I went to in Vancouver as well as just snapping photos of places like Stanley Park. I think a lot of it came from getting a new camera at the beginning of the year and then I got a new lens just before Vancouver which is primarily what I used the whole time I was there. I’m hoping that it continues through to next year because it really has been something I’ve enjoyed this year.
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I wanted to read 50 books this year. Which was, realistically, never going to happen. However, I have read a fair few, which makes me very happy! I’ve already made plans to partake in the Popsugar Reading challenge next year, I’ve planned the books I’ll be reading and I’m actually excited to try and do them all! My realistic goal is to try and read more than I did this year, which I think is a little more doable.
What about you, are there any goals you set for this year you haven’t achieved? Or did you tick off all the goals on your list? Or let me know in the comments if you feel you’ve just been semi-successful like me!
The idea of traveling has never really struck a chord with me, not for any real reason other than I have just never felt the need or the yearn to. That being said, after my trip to Vancouver, albeit for the purposes of attending a convention, I feel the need to get back out there. Yes, for more conventions obviously, but also to do more exploring! Two birds, one stone. I don’t think I will ever be the backpack and hostel kinda gal, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that!
So what have I got in the works for next year? Well, I’m going back to Canada! I wasn’t lying when I said how much I loved it! This time I’ll be going to Toronto, and while I would have loved to venture back to Vancouver, the time I was looking to go would have been too expensive and I’m hoping to make two trips next year, so gotta save those pennies where I can! Toronto is the perfect solution, slightly cheaper, I’ll still get to breathe that Canadian air, and I’ll get to go a few days after my birthday which I think is just the perfect excuse to go really! Just like Vancouver, I’ll be spending 3 days at a Convention, but I plan to fully utilize the other days and see as much as I can! If you have any recommendation on what to do while in Toronto, let me know down below!
I’ve also decided to attend a music festival called Rockwood. I was very close to going this year, and after seeing how much fun everyone had, I’m gutted that I didn’t! So I am desperate to go next year. It’s held in Frankfurt, Germany, which is great because it’s not too far from home, I’m hoping this helps keep the prices down a little! As the details for next year haven’t been announced yet, I’m not sure where I’ll be staying, when I’ll be going, or for how long, but as it’ll be 3 days out again for the festival, I’m thinking maybe sticking around for 6 days in total, depending on how much I end up having on my itinerary.
And then my dream trip? St. Petersburg. I’ve been talking about going for a few years now, and I would absolutely love to make it happen. There would be no convention, no festival, just pure exploration of a beautiful city! Depending on how things with Germany turn out, I might try and make it happen at the end of next year, if not 2020 will be the year!!
Have you traveled anywhere amazing this year? Attending any special events that have taken you around the world? I’d love to hear about them!
The answer is always yes, and if you’re having to ask the question you’re clearly not doing it right. You can never have too many pajamas, at least I don’t think so. There is honestly nothing I love more at the end of a long day than getting home and getting changed into my PJ’s. I think it’s my way of forgetting about everything that has happened that day, and just getting nice and cozy so I can switch my brain off for a while.
Anyone who has ever come shopping with me knows that a pyjama section of any shop is dangerous for me because I will always more than likely come out with a new pair. I don’t need them, but I NEED them, y’know? Anywho, with Christmas around the corner and the evenings getting colder, now is the perfect time to find an excuse to get a new pair (or two, no judging here) to snuggle up in. I’ve had a little online browse, and these would be my top picks this season.
NEXT Pink Floral Cotton Ruffle Sleeve Pyjamas – £25
I love the colours on these! I will always tend to pick up pyjamas that have a cuffed bottom because I hate when the legs roll up or get bunched up during the night. I think the ruffle is a nice touch too, definitely not a style I would usually go for, but you can’t really go wrong with a pair from Next!
ASOS Design Oversized Sketched Floral Print Traditional 100% Modal trouser set – £28
I am also partial to a good pair of PJ’s from ASOS. I think you can get some lovely sets and it doesn’t make a huge dent in your purse. These are a set that contradicts my last statement of not liking bottoms that aren’t cuffed, however, I love the print so much that I would probably still go for it! These look as though they would be roomy and comfortable so I will definitely be adding these to my basket at some point!
Topshop Monochrome Stripe Camisole and Trousers – £34
I haven’t got a tonne of PJ’s from Topshop, but the few pairs I do have, have lasted me very well. I like that this is a cami top as sometimes, even in the winter, I can overheat really easily, so I feel like this is a good compromise of having full-length bottoms but a very light, sleeveless top.
NEXT Grey Fancy Dress Dog Pyjamas – £25
I’m not going to lie, I have had my eyes on these since I saw them in the Next catalogue. It’s pretty much a given that I will buy most things that have dogs on, purely for the fact they have dogs on. I know, it’s an issue. But the fact that I love Next pyjamas, they have cuffed bottoms, AND they have dogs on, mean that these are a sure-fire win for me!
Anthropologie Floreat Silky Sleep Trousers – £58
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, more than 50 quid just on pyjama bottoms? Couple that with the fact the top is around that much too and you’re looking at a pretty dent in your purse for this set. But just look at the pattern. How gorgeous! I can guarantee, you can try and find something similar but nothing will compare to this beauty. The piping, the elastic wait, the colours. This is the pyjama set of dreams!
I can honestly say that if I’m ever in the market to treat myself, a new set of pyjamas that I can change into as soon as I get home, and settle down with a cuppa tea and a good book, is most definitely the way forward.
