2012 and 2013

Happy New Year! I'm perhaps a little late, so apologies for my hiatus, but I have been snowed under since early December with the horrors of dissertation and various pieces of coursework, and, of course, a gorgeous week by the seaside with my family for Christmas! I hope all your Christmases and New Years were delightful too.

I thought instead of boring you with resolutions (graduate, exercise more, drink more water etc), I would look back on what I managed to achieve in 2012, and look forward to what I can achieve in 2013 too!

So, in 2012, I...

1. Got a degree!

This probably doesn't count, as I'm still at university hunting down my Honours, but I did officially achieve a degree in Commercial Music in 2012!

2. Went to London Fashion Week!

 A few outfits from London Fashion Week!

This was probably the most exciting thing I did in 2012. Thanks to a cheeky job writing articles for an online fashion magazine, I got offered the chance to go back home for a week and cover the full 5 days of Fashion Week in September. It was my first time there and it was unforgettable! The magazine I worked for (which is now sadly defunct) focused on up-and-coming brands, so I saw a lot of names that aren't huge yet (Krystof Strozyna, Timur Kim), some that will be enormous in the next few years at the Ones to Watch Showcase (Charlotte Simpson - OMG), and, by a wondrous stroke of luck, I ended up in the F-Row at HOUSE OF HOLLAND. Wowsers. Such an amazing experience and I loved every single second, I wish I didn't have a dissertation to complete or I'd definitely be trying my hardest to get there again next month!

3. Discovered what I want to do with my life

2012 was the year I found out that the only thing I want to do is become a journalist. I've always adored reading and writing, and everyone was shocked when I chose to pursue a music degree over an English Lit, but I'm so glad I did. Studying Music has made me fall out of love with it a bit, so I'm so happy that nothing has detracted from my love for the written word. Thanks to a university placement at a media magazine in February, I suddenly realised that writing was the one thing that I could happily do for the rest of my days. I was already writing part-time for online fashion magazines, but working in an office sealed the deal for me. I pursued several internships last year, at various magazines and newspapers, and of course, Fashion Week, in order to get enough work experience that I might (fingers crossed) be able to get a job in journalism this year!

4. Had a girls' holiday!

2012 was the year of my first girls' holiday.  Myself and three friends flew to Las Americas in Tenerife for a not-so-classy week of lounging by the pool and overindulging on all-inclusive cocktails... It was brilliant! I moved from London to Scotland a week after leaving secondary school and as a result, I don't see my schoolfriends very often. This week was a great way for us all to catch up and I loved my first-ever girlie holiday!

5. I turned 21!

 (Left, my beautiful balloons! Top: Me and my best girl Kirsty, who travelled to Glasgow from London three days after getting back from Tenerife, just to spend my birthday with me too!)


 So in 2012, I officially became an adult. I was in Tenerife the week before my birthday, so I celebrated it with my friends there, and then came home for official celebrations. We had a great night out at a lovely cocktail bar, Kuta, in Glasgow, followed up with a dance at my favourite club, Bamboo. The next day was my real birthday and we had a quiet day with the friends who had travelled from various places to be with me, and then a lovely meal at Carluccio's with my boy when everybody had gone. One of the best birthdays I've ever had, with some beautiful gifts I know I'll cherish forever.

So 2012 was actually pretty lovely for me. I hope 2013 will be just as wonderful, and hopefully even better. This year, I hope to:

1. Graduate with an excellent Honours degree!

Ideally I'd love a First, but I'd also be thrilled with a 2:1. Fingers crossed!

2. Go on my first holiday with my boyfriend

We've lived together for 2 and a half years, but aside from a glorious weekend in Paris, and a few at home in London and Edinburgh respectively, me and my boy have never actually been on a 'proper' holiday together. We're thinking European sun, like Dubrovnik, Barcelona or Sardinia.

3. Get a job in what I want to do

The idea of graduating and being jobless is terrifying. So, above anything else in 2013, I want to get a job in what I want to do (and quickly!)