round-up – TAPE PARADE

Good morning! Before I chat about Slogmas I’d really quickly like to ask you if you could take a few minutes to fill in my reader survey – it would mean the world to me! I’ve never asked you guys to fill in anything like this before and it would really help me to know what is and isn’t working on this blog. Thank you!

Ok, so back on the 30th November, I was house-sitting in Oxford and seeing a lot of people posting about the start of Blogmas. “Hey, why not”, I thought to myself. “I could use a challenge.” I decided to post a piece of content everyday: somedays a song, but most days a blog. I had planned to do a video but NO WAY I GOT TIME FOR THAT. I’m sure blogging seems like a very low level activity to a lot of you and you’re probably wondering why a daily post should seem like a slog. I don’t know much about the blog-writing habits of others, but for me, most posts take a few hours minimum.

So to embark on an entire month of daily posts with nothing scheduled or planned in advance, during a month where I was also undertaking a number of big personal and work projects, was pretty foolish. I like the idea of Blogmas (or Slogmas), as being a way to thank your readers. It gives me so much joy to know somebody out there reads the little ideas I throw out into the world.

Day 1: Slogmas

Day 2: Christmas Wishes

Day 3: Sailor Moon

Day 4: Rose’s Song

Day 5: Quizmas

Day 6: How To Stay Safe At Night part II

Day 7: Highbury

Day 8: Under The Mistletoe

Day 9: Christmas Cleaning

Day 10: Oxford University Museum

Day 11: Christmas In Oxford

Day 12: Pitt-Rivers

Day 13: Oxford Mini Guide

Day 14: Blue Blue World

Day 15: Christmas In Kingston

Day 16: How To Have A Cheap Christmas

Day 17: A Christmas Song For Somebody

Day 18: Happy Birthday Dad

Day 19:

Day 20: Christmas In Covent Garden

Day 21: Leadenhall Market

Day 22:

Day 23: Boyfriends

Day 24: Driving Home For Christmas

Day 25: Christmas In London

Post-Slogmas:

Day 27: This Christmas

Day 30: Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Day 31: 2K15

Well, it certainly was a slog. There were a few days in the middle where I thought “this is ridiculous”, and yet I kept on; childishly, stubbornly. There are two BRILLIANT reasons for missing Day 19 and Day 22; the best date of my life and one of the most important dinners I’ve had this year, so I hope you won’t resent me too much for missing those days.

I think the post I spent the longest time on was either Day 3, which I poured my heart into, or Day 31 simply due to scrolling through the archives and choosing which photos to use. I think either Day 3, Day 24 or Day 27 were my most honest, and Day 17 was by far the most personal. I don’t think I’ve ever hesitated pressing “Publish” before so that was a first for this blog!

Thank you so much for enduring, and hopefully enjoying Slogmas along with me! If you read along or had a favourite post then let me know. :)

I make quite detailed resolutions so I thought I’d share them, I apologise in advance if this is the most boring post ever! I like to keep busy, but after exhausting myself in 2012 I set the productivity bar very low for 2013 and it’s been my “sloth” year off. My resolutions included going on holiday, going to the zoo, moving out and learning to drive.

I completed nearly all of them. The best one was taking James to Mauritius! James is the first person outside of my family I’ve been to Mauritius with and it was one of the best trips I’ve had, (and an excellent opportunity to air my floppy hat collection – 4 is a bit excessive for everyday UK weather).

How adorable is the teenage chicken! I love teenage birds, they look so weird as their feathers change. They are rarely photographed at this stage of life because they look so strange.

Despite my year off I did do a few things: relocate WOLF PACK to London, create two concerts, go on two tours with Rhum & Clay to perform A Strange Wild Song (performing in Bath, Cornwall, Chulmleigh, Winkleigh, Devon, Liverpool, Oxford, Bristol, Margate, Leicester, Derby, Exeter, Ilfracombe & Reading), create a website, go on holiday to Mauritius (with James), Rhodes and Fetiye (with my bestie Philly) and Manchester (with all my friends!), move house (twice), pass my driving test, triple my private students and start volunteering at a charity shop.

Turkey turkiye fetiye outdoor exterior Laila tapeparade giraffe girl interaction animalas baby giraffe animal

I’ve read a few blogs mentioning resolutions centred around personal growth, career development and health and fitness. Mine are never like that! I basically just have a list of stuff I want to do. It’s possibly a bit unrealistic but I am quite an ambitious and driven sort of person.

My 2014 goals:

Keep to a maximum of three projects to focus on

Hang out with (long list of friends I don’t see enough)

Tour North America

Go to Monkey World

Go to New York, Disneyland, Brazil and Cambodia

Take James to AMNH (my favourite museum in the world)

I’m lucky to have been given so many opportunities and to be able to shape my own career and do something I love as a job: although it’s hard work, difficult to justify at times and insane hours I never contemplate doing anything else.

Lastly I started my blog this year! Thank you to James, Philly, Justin, Dave and everybody else who helps me with photos and all of my friends for sharing this year with me! Thank you so much to all of you who read, I never ever expected to meet so many lovely people. I’d love to know what you’d like to see next or if you have any suggestions – leave me a comment or have a click in this little poll below! What are your plans for 2014? Happy New Year everyone, I wish you all museums and good times. Thank you to everybody who was part of my 2013!