189. Read 1 book for each month for 6 months

Lily Allen - My Thoughts Exactly

Lily Allen's book 'my thoughts exactly' is an honest biography of her life so far. Refreshingly frank and almost simple the book is an easy read. Personally, my favourite parts were her musings on her younger life in the lead up to fame. As the child of two media personas, it was interesting seeing how that world interrupts youth with isolation and drugs. However, it was also the more mundane descriptions of work in pubs, floristry classes and the positives of myspace that I also enjoyed. I recommend this book for any fan of Lily.

162. travel to scandanavia

Copenhagen; the cosmopolitan capital of Scandinavia. Travelling with my brother we explored this northern town and found a great city of culture and more. Sure it was bloody expensive (a coffee costs £5) but as holidays go it was a great one. Whilst there we made the decision to visit Sweden as well, so on our third day in we visited Lund and Malmo.

Just as pretty as Copenhagen and perhaps more quaint the towns did not disappoint. Whilst there we visited the botanical gardens in Lund (which are free) and the aquarium in Malmo (which we also got in for free!). Then, in Copenhagen, we visited the Louisiana Museum and Kronborg castle.  Kronborg was a bit of a dud if I'm honest, we found the castle interiors too sparse and the town a bit too cold for December but the Louisianna was everything I'd hoped for and more. There we experienced the Moon exhibition which was brilliant. A mixture of traditional artwork and more interactive exhibits we loved every second and even got to try a virtual reality set which was probably the highlight for us.

Finally, we checked out Paper Island and the hipster Reffen haunt. A few days later we also tried its neighbour Copenhagen Hot - a sauna and hot tub experience. Located next to the harbour we even dipped into the Baltic before finding sanctuary in the hot tub - a proper Scandinavian experience!

166. send someone a care package

A small and easy task, last year I got together a bunch of feel-good objects and made my brother a care package. Inside included a feel better book, a box of slime and a journal and pen.

101. Perform a spiritual ritual

A few months ago I sat down with my Mum and sister and we discussed how bereavement is never celebrated properly after the funeral of a person in English society. People are often remembered on occasion amongst people but there is no ritual in place to engage with the dead person. In Bantu society, however, there is a ritual anyone can partake in, in which you remember the dead and honour your ancestors with offerings. My knowledge of Chinese society is small but I understand a similar ritual takes place. In terms of our African ritual, the ritual for the dead is very simple. You simply gather together and place in front of a lit candle food and things like cigars or alcohol which the person would've appreciated. You pray together, thinking about and talking about the person, you then open the offerings, pouring them onto the floor, then clap your hands three times. The next day you take the food to the homeless if possible and that's the end of the ceremony. It might be superstitious but it's actually very cathartic to be able to remember the dead. Plus it's one of the few times you get to do this in the company of other people who remembered them. Bereavement is always hard but to have the opportunity to celebrate lives with other people is worth a lot.

194. Attend a Podcast

This was an easy one. Mainly because I love the podcast in question - RHLSTP (Richard Herring's Leicester square theatre podcast. We ended up seeing Mark Steel and My Dad Wrote a Porno, both amazingly good.

127. Try a new food

Arepas; Venezuelan round corn breads. Sort of like a pitta bread, or tortilla, arepas have an almost cheesy, flavour that's probably best described as the ultimate umami flavour. Oh, and it's gluten-free. I had mine with halloumi and it was delicious. Truly a lunchtime treat.

Octopus Takoyaki; Japanese Octopus Fried Balls. Found these at a Japanese festival at Trafalgar square. A bit like a fish cake but with more seasoning and an almost sour accompaniment, Takoyaki is fantastic.

168. make a shoebox present

This year I decided to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child led by Samaritan's Purse. It's a charity organisation where every year people pack shoe boxes with gifts for children aged 2-14 around the world. It's a fun alternative to the usual monetary donation and involves shopping around for cuddly toys, stationery and hygiene products for kids. If you're interested in sending a box the period is now over but there's always next year. Here's the link https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/how-to-pack-a-shoebox/

189. Read 1 book for each month for 6 months

Tipping the Velvet

This year I discovered Sarah Waters through a copy of the Night Watch I picked up in a charity shop. An English writer who I've come to love, her books have a common theme; history, sex and lesbians. That said there's more to them than that. The books are also beautifully written and constantly captivating - Fingersmith being the best example of this (try and find a book with more twists).
All of this said after the Night Watch and Fingersmith I found Tipping the Velvet slightly less captivating. Perhaps it was the lack of shocking twists or the fact I'd grown slightly more accustomed to historical lesbianism but for whatever reason, this was a slow read for me. Despite this, it was still a good book. Reading about lesbians and cross-dressers in the Victorian era is truly eye-opening and never dull. And if you haven't read Sarah Waters yet I highly recommend it.

#75 Start some sort of exercise class/club and attend once a week

Zumba has come and in a very small way changed my life for the better. I never thought I'd be one for any kind of dancing but there you go. 

#173 Visit the Pompidou

On a spur of the moment trip to Paris, I was finally able to fulfil my wish of visiting the Pompidou. A winding metallic museum, I'd always appreciated the architectural importance of the place and it lived up to the hype. Whilst there I was able to visit the permanent modern art gallery as well as an exhibition about post and pre-apartheid South Africa. My favourite moment though was the pause between paintings on the covered balcony. From there I was able to observe the Sacre Cour and Paris in all her glory.

165. Knit a Present For Someone

I'm onto crocheting now, but last year around Christmas time I actually managed to knit some working house socks for my sister .Why house socks - they're too chunky to be straightforward socks really but not really hardy enough for slippers. My sister being the saint she is demanded homemade gifts so it was the perfect excuse to complete this task. Multicoloured knitting project - done.

114. 115. Got a Budhist Centre & Meditate

Buddhist centres are perhaps unsurprisingly to most (but surprisingly to me), a lot like church. A small huddle, some chit chat but once the meditation begins a lull takes over and I found myself feeling the same wash I feel in church. This was a really great experience and something I've told myself I must try again.

133. Go to a Music Gig

After almost a year away from the blog I've decided to come back again and fill in the gaps.. So far the resolutions have not only proven to be incredibly satisfactory to tick off, but have also been a big motivator at times to shake myself from a rut every now and again.

This time last year I travlled to the West country for the first time ever. Specifically Bristol. It was nothing like how I expected but also wonderful, creative and incredibly raw. In my mind Brooklyn is an easy comparisson in terms of gritiness but also humourful street art and little art collectives as well as maybe Brighton. While there I ventured to Stoke Croft - the land of the hipsters and found a great cafe cum-car-cum-yoga studio where we stayed until a band started playing. I've also been to see Hozier this year, however, I feel that this small intimate impromptu gig was exactly what I wanted to find since I've compltly missed seeing new bands away from support acts since leaving uni.

116. Get accupuncture

I did it. It was good. I'd do it again.

Acupuncture, as it turns out really is as simple as a haircut. It might have been the half an hour of stillness more than the needles but I definitely felt something.

I went in mainly because I'd been suffering from chronic sinusitis brought about from allergies. It's hard to say if the acupuncture sorted out the root problem. What it did do was make me feel incredibly relaxed afterwards.