Favourites of the Year: Events

A look at some of my favourite events of 2018. Since it’s my last round-up before Christmas I wanted to focus on some of the biggest events of my personal life this year.

Favourite Events of the Year

Memory Walk

In October I did a Memory Walk in honour of my Grandad who is suffering from Dementia. It’s been a tough year for our family as we learn to cope with his illness and our new lives without him being in it as he was. It’s a cruel disease but I wanted to play my part in raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. I managed to raise £400 and walked 7.5 miles around London in under two hours. It meant a lot to me.

YALC

This year I attended the Young Adult Literary Convention for the first time. I struggled a bit to begin with, due to anxiety, but by the second day, I had had a blast. I attended panels, spoke to authors, and hung out with my friend Hannah and her stall for her charity Hello Me, It’s You, and also Jason Momoa up close, twice. Can’t wait for next year now.

Writing

This year I have become a freelance writer. I now write for the Huffington Post as a blogger, as well as work as a Campaigns Officer at a publishing company. I have also written articles for online ezines and assisted journalists with articles in the Metro and Daily Express. Plus being featured on the podcast Tech Talks due to an article I wrote on social media. The next stop is a public speaking event for Funzing in the New Year also due to an article I wrote on social media.

Moving Out

I moved into my own flat in June of this year. That’s right, I live in my own flat in London and it’s great! I have so much independence and quite a lot of space in London and I don’t have to share. It’s done wonders for my mental health and put it simply: I LOVE MY OWN SPACE.

I have a new cousin!

This probably won’t seem like something big to some of you but for me and my family, it really has been a big, wonderful thing. I love her to bits and I can’t wait to watch her grow up.

London Design Biennale 2018

I attended the London Design Biennale show at Somerset House and saw some amazing pieces of art and sculpture, it was an immersive show across three floors of the glorious Somerset House. Really fun and interesting to attend.

Went to Oxford

Me and my colleague/friend Hannah attended the Romance Novelist’s Association party in Oxford this Summer and it was fab! We arrived early so that Hannah could show me around her old stomping ground. We had drinks at a rooftop cocktail bar, the best-hidden pub in Oxford, and a board game cafe. Then we had more drinks at the event and were the last people to leave. Unbelievably good fun. Although the next day – after getting back into London at 1 am – was a little tough.

Saw the Trump Baby

On the way to work, I got a cryptic message from my line manager to not go to the office but come to Parliament Square. It turned out the whole office had gone on a ‘work outing’ to see the Trump Baby flyover at Parliament Square. We got some awesome photos, met some great people, and hung out with some police officers who were happy to hold bollards or take photos.

Had an AMAZING 23rd Birthday

This year I had my first birthday in London. I went to Tonight Josephine for drinks with my colleagues after work and then to Drink, Shop, Do in London for more alcohol and a good old-fashioned disco. To say I was shit-faced is an understatement. At the end of the night I ‘dropped’ my friend off (he practically carried me) to King’s Cross station and I freaked out as there was a GIANT dinosaur and I HATE dinosaurs. I tried to run at Platform 9 3/4 and I bounced off. I don’t remember much after that. It was a fab night though.

Harry Potter in Concert

Mum, Dad, and I went to the Royal Albert Hall to watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It definitely put a new spell on the movie. I would definitely go back to see the rest of the series. A fab day out with my parents too.

Basically, for all its crap moments, this year has also had some really lovely ones and I wouldn’t change it for fear I’d miss out on them. I can’t wait to see what 2019 dares to bring to the table. But first Christmas!

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