2013 Favourites

Favourite films of 2013:
- The Great Gatsby
- The World's End
- Gravity
- About Time
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Favourite songs of 2013:
- The Fox by Ylvis
- Sinners by Lauren Aquilina
- Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz
- Spring Break Anthem by The Lonely Island
- Siren Or The Sea by Carice Van Houten
- Someone Like Me by Ylvis
- Roots by Orla Gartland
- YOU. ME. BED. NOW by Carice Van Houten
- Only Teardrops by Emmelie De Forest
- Bird by Anouk
- The Good Life by Anouk
- kill by iamamiwhoami
- Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert
- y by iamamiwhoami

New bands/songs/artists I've discovered and enjoy:
- A Fine Frenzy
- Lauren Aquilina
- Molotov Jukebox
- Carice Van Houten
- Anouk

Favourite Album of 2013:
- See You On The Ice from Carice Van Houten

Favourite Books I've Read in 2013:
- Trumpet by Jackie Kay
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Fevre Dream by George R.R Martin
- Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight? by Dan Bucatinsky
- The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric
- Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Favourite new TV shows:
- Masters of Sex
- Orange Is The New Black
- The Tunnel

Biggest achievements of 2013:
- Landing my first publishing deal
- Becoming a blogger for The Huffington Post
- Graduating from university
- Setting up this blog and getting it to the point where it stands this day.
- Completing my first short anthology of poetry.
- Taking part in NaNoWriMo

Favourite memories of 2013:
- Graduation Day

- DJing for my partner's birthday party. I hadn't done any sort of DJ gigs for so long and it rekindled my love for it. I spent most of the evening indulging in music banter with two other guys with plenty of requests.

- Doing a whirlwind road trip to Whitby with Julia, Vief, Becka and Yuki and making a lot of women jealous when William Control chose to get a little close with me and wrapped his fingers around my neck and sang to me. I mean...how many people can say they've been strangled by a famous singer?

- Getting off my bus and seeing my partner again after weeks of being apart in a long term relationship. In 2014, however, that long term relationship will go back to a normal, close-dwelling kind of relationship.

- I got to see Siouxsie Sioux, one of my all time idols, perform live. I was so close to her. It was truly magical.

- Sharing a birthday party with my good friend Julia. The theme was zombie Disney and people came as zombie versions of Disney characters. I particularly loved Inkley in a rather stunning zombie Cruella Deville costume. It was a fun evening and, near the end of it, Hannah and I found ourselves drunkenly criticising Legolas. That was a fun night. This year I also went to a party at a small mansion where there were tiny dogs walking around in little tuxedo suits. It was adorable - a totally extravagant party, almost Gatsby-like in the sheer grandeur of the night. That was another good moment: seeing dogs dressed up as fancy people.

- Just being able to spend time with my family. Even when my father was in hospital there was this wonderful sense of togetherness. We'd be laughing and poking fun at my Dad about his surgeries and he'd joke right back. This year, and every new year, I become more and more aware of how truly awesome my family is. I'm enjoying just spending time with them. My parents are my dear friends, my sister is now blooming into this really rad young woman. I'm proud to call these people my family. I've also got a really rad partner who, all year, has supported me through the ups and downs, through the stress of university and through moments of great depression and anxiety. I'm very lucky for the people around me.

- Writing and beginning work on completing my B425 List.

- My trip to Kavos with the girls from uni (particularly the last night with Charlie and Claire's birthday outing, but I loved being curled up by the pool with the sun above me and a book in my hand. There was also a particularly memorable moment that involved nudity, roof climbing and a hijacked fishing boat)

- The moment when I found out that I was going to be a published author, seeing my chapbook anthology of short stories had been accepted. Also I don't want to forget that I also submitted an anthology of poetry which made the long-list. The fact that it was even considered and then made the long list must mean it's good enough to seek publication for. I'll make my poetry a big personal project of mine next year.

So that's a rough round up of some of my favourite aspects of 2013. Thank you for letting me share them with you now and through a year of blogging. I'm sure there are things I've forgotten about but I can safely say that this has been a wonderful year and I'm very thankful for all the good that it has brought to me. I hope that 2013 was good to you and that 2014 is even better.

Review: The World's End

For my anniversary this year my partner and I went to go see The World's End. I fancied a trip to the cinema and we agreed on seeing this movie as it is mostly filmed in the town where my partner grew up. I've seen Pegg's previous films like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" which I enjoyed but I have to say that this must be my favourite Pegg/Frost film so far.

The film focuses on a group of ex school chums meeting up after many years to finish a pub crawl they failed to complete on their last day of school. Brought together by hedonistic man-child Gary King (as played by Pegg) the unlikely group come together again for a spot of unfinished business as they return to their home town fo a pub crawl called "The Golden Mile" that involves having a pint at the 12 town pubs. Obviously there's a twist to the film that the trailers have sort of shown. If you've not seen a trailer for the film then that's even better. I urge you to avoid all trailers, see this film and enjoy it for what it is. Trailers give away far too much these days. The film brought laughs as well as a few really deep moments that really created audience empathy for the characters. I really enjoyed this movie and it has to be one of my favourite films of the summer so far. Also Simon Pegg with a pint in hand, dark dyed hair and a trench-coat over a Sisters of Mercy shirt suddenly became incredibly attractive to me.

I left the cinema with the desire to drink beer and listen to The Sisters of Mercy. Essentially I wanted to be me at age 17.