2016 Reading Challenge

It's Tuesday morning, there are no more Christmas decorations around (unless you like to drag it out till the last day) and the weather is miserable. However, I was up early this morning and went for a run. Yes, a run. Granted I didn't get that far, but me and my fluorescent pink top were bobbing along at 9am this morning in my Christmas pudding bobble hat, a fashion icon I know. In light of this quest for healthiness I've also vowed to myself to read more this year, so although I haven't set myself any definite resolutions for this year, I'm setting myself a challenge. Upon browsing through blogs I came across the 2016 Reading Challenge and decided to jump on the bandwagon. I'm not saying I will complete all of them however I can be a little hermit crab sometimes when it comes to reading books so this will get me out of my comfort zone and find some new author/genres/series that I may grow to love. 

Happy New Year

We are officially 34 hours into 2016 and I'm still going to be writing 2015 for the next three months. So far the new year has bought me a morning with an surprisingly bearable hangover, an afternoon amble around the city walls and an evening counting down the minutes till Sherlock arrived back on my screen. {Spoiler alert: It was amazing}. 

I brought in the New Year by gathering round the almighty York Minster with some of my BFFS, confusingly looking around whilst counting down (as no-one else seemed to be doing so) to then embrace in cuddles and wishing one another a Happy New Year. It sounds quite civilized when you look at it like that, maybe I won't mention the amount of vodka consumed during beer pong or the plastic bottles we filled with 3 parts vodka to 1 part fanta to take with us on our walk to the Minster. Our party may have been cut short slightly, someone had a little tooo much of my vodka remedy, but it didn't dampen the mood as the party just carried on in the bedroom, in the form of a pjyama party of course. I don't know about my chums but I certainly enjoyed myself as it was a good way to say Au Revoir to 2015 and Bonjour to 2016. 

I probably say this every year, but I think 2015 was one of my favourites. There was a lot of bad times, but the good times will always triumph those, (something I learnt from Once Upon a Time- good will always win over evil) no matter how bad they might be. Now this is probably the part where I should look back over my December goals and last New Years resolutions. I am proud to say I completed all of my December goals, however I think my resolutions last year were a little ambitious to say the least- I blame the sleep-deprived student in me who was fretting over writing a literature review. But none the less I have made the executive decision to not set myself anything too specific this year. I want to be healthier, visit some new places and enjoy every second. As for my monthly goals I'm going to use this month to get myself back into a routine after the Christmas sludge and bringing my life back up to track!

Enough of the ramblings, enjoy your last weekend of staying on the sofa all day and stuffing your face with chocolate before the back to work regime!

New Year, New Me

I know what you're all thinking, another one of those 'This is going to be my year' posts. Don't worry, it's not. I'm all for people seeing the New Year as a fresh start, but I'm not one to post my yearly and future activity all in one 1000 character post on Facebook (that's where the Twitter 140 character rule comes in handy). I don't think I can even remember what my last years resolutions were, most probably along the lines of I will take up jogging, or I will start going to bed earlier, none of which made it past the 1st January 2014. However, even though I'm not one to stick by resolutions, I am one to make lists. Whether it be a grocery list, birthday present list, chore list, to do list, I worship them. This is the year, I graduate University, turn 21 and move in with the boyfriend. So why not make it one of my most memorable years yet by creating a 2015 bucket list.

1) Visit a new countryI want to go somewhere I've never been before, somewhere where not many of my friends and family have been before so I can create some memories there.

2) Read 365 booksI love reading and I don't do it enough. Which is why I want to have read one book for every day of the year by the time it reaches 1st January 2016 (maybe 5th January 2016 as I am 4 days late on writing this post)

3) Start my driving lessonsI may be 3 years late, but better late than never aye. And if I start, who know's maybe I'll even finish driving lessons and pass my test.

4) Go to an outdoor cinema
Just like the movies, literally. On a warm summers night, with blankets and a flask of hot chocolate what could be more romantic?

5) Sort photos into a photo albumMaybe a bit of boring antic on my to do list of 2015, but I don't want to look back in 5 years time and have to look at my photos on a screen. I want to be able to flick through photo albums and relive the memories

6) Do something spontaneousI don't have a clue what this might include, but I want to look back and think I'm glad I did that rather than turning down an opportunity because of something like money.

7) Drink more water
I feel good when I drink the recommended amount of water. My skin looks good when I drink the recommended amount of water. So why don't I already drink the recommended amount of water?

8) Earn lots of moneyIt would be so nice to be able to look at my bank account and see a nice healthy figure rather than one that makes me shut laptop at the speed of light.

9) Ride a tandemSomething I'm yet to experience, but I will be equipped with a helmet and elbow pads.

10) Learn the constellations
The night sky fascinates me, who wouldn't wan't to know more about our wonderful world we live in.

11) Go surfingLets cruise the waves? Totally dudeeeee.

12) Learn sign languageI feel this is language which should be second nature to everyone, and I want to be a part of it.

13) Throw a Disney partyI'm 20 years old and yet to have had a Disney fancy dress party, who even am I?

14) Go Skinny Dipping 
Yep, I've said it. I've never done it, but how can you feel at one with the world until you have been naked with the world?

15) Complete my travels of the UK
I technically have only seen half of the UK due to only ever visiting England and Wales, so nationally I should make it up to experiencing the whole country right?

So there you have it, 15 challenges for 2015. Some of the things on there may seem a little out there for the year but you've never heard of dreaming small. Happy New Year!