Last year was a whirlwind but in the best way. I felt like this was the first year where everything was truly getting back to normal post-COVID and it was great. So without further ado, I am going to share all the things I’ve done in 2022! Beware the post is going to be very long so buckle in and grab a snack lol.

The year started out with me celebrating with friends. We all gathered at Megan’s house and just chilled out. I remember we were playing an escape room board game thing and we hadn’t finished it by midnight so we had a little break for the countdown before getting back into it. I also remember not sleeping that well that night and then watching a lot of Gilmore Girls. So overall a good start to the year lol.

January was also exciting house-wise, as my boyfriend and I were looking at new kitchens because B&Q were having a sale. We had had our eye on this one kitchen in B&Q since we bought our house and knew we wanted to redo the kitchen so we were looking at getting that. We had a few appointments at B&Q to map everything out, and I mocked it up in the Sims to help visualise too because that’s how professionals do it lol. But yeah we got everything sorted and ordered by the end of the month. This made me feel good about the direction of our house because I know we hadn’t made any progress in a while but this was a big step.

Also in January, my boyfriend and I had a wedding to go to. I remember being nervous about this one because I didn’t know any of the people there, and neither did my boyfriend really lol. His work colleague was getting married and we were invited but that was the only person he knew. Thankfully,. the groom’s friends were really nice so we got chatting with them otherwise it would’ve been way worse. But it was a nice wedding and an excuse to dress up.

As always with February, there is not much to report. It’s a short month, things don’t really happen. I think this was around the time I was really into Pokemon Arceus, I remember my friends Jasmine and Nathan getting it and me feeling left out so I decided to buy it. I don’t have any regrets about buying it because I did really enjoy it. I don’t remember exactly when I stopped playing though I know I didn’t complete it. Though realistically I don’t remember the last time I got to the end of a Pokemon game lol I think I need to stop buying them until I complete them but it was still fun to play.

I also had three drag shows in February, which is the most shows I’ve had in a long time. From what I remember they were all really good, it was Rose, Gottmik and Ella V’aday. I think I was just glad they all went ahead and weren’t rescheduled again because everything kept getting rescheduled over COVID.

At the beginning of March my boyfriend and I attended another wedding, this time it was one of his friends getting married so at least we knew people at the wedding and they were our age haha. It is kind of weird to attend a wedding when it’s people your own age getting married, I suppose because I still don’t feel like we are at an age when people get married but I guess we are lol. It was a good wedding though, and the venue was very pretty.

The week after that, I had plans to go see Everybody’s Talking About Jamie with my friends because the Grand Opera House was doing a deal of two-for-one theatre tickets. Unfortunately, one of my friends got COVID and wasn’t able to make it and so one of the tickets went to waste. But Jasmine and I still went to the show and I enjoyed it a lot. I wasn’t sold on the musical when I first heard it and watched the movie but seeing the actual stage show really sold it for me. I now listen to the title song all the time and it’s great.

Also in March, I had a cute date day with my boyfriend, those are always nice days to have. We went axe throwing haha which was actually kind of difficult. I mean you’d think you can just throw it and hope for the best but there was actually a technique to it. It was a lot of fun though and definitely something we will do again in the future.

Then, at the end of the month, I went to a wedding fair with my friends. My friend Jasmine is getting married this year and she wanted to get ideas for vendors etc. It was the first time I had ever been to something like that before because when would you ever go to a wedding fair unless you’re getting married? But it was a fun day, it just made me excited for Jasmine’s wedding and I can’t wait to see how the actual day turns out.

This brings us to April when I finally thought I had found a driving instructor. I had one lesson with them and they just explained how they worked and everything and it sounded great. But then a week later they messaged to say that for personal reasons they couldn’t take me on anymore. Naturally, this was disappointing but it’s the kind of thing you can’t predict or expect. So I had to go on the hunt for another driving instructor, and everyone still had waiting lists so it was going to be another few months before I made any progress on the driving front.

I also think April might have been the first month where I was going back to the office on a regular basis? It could have been March I’m not entirely sure but I started going back to the office this year. It was kind of weird going back since when I was in the office pre-pandemic I was on a different team in a different department lol. But I settled in quite well with the new team in person and everything so that was nice. It makes coming into the office less depressing when you are in with other people and can have a good time with them.

April was also the first time I ever went to the gym and the last month I was there I think lol. My boyfriend and I had talked about starting the gym for ages and then we finally did in April and went a handful of times. It was fine, I didn’t have anything against it, I was just mainly concerned I’d have no idea what I was doing and people would judge me. But actually going there and working out was fine. The reason we stopped going to the gym is that my boyfriend wanted to focus on the house and I got busy with doing other things. I mean I know I could have kept going to the gym by myself, but because I can’t drive it was going to be more awkward to do it because I would need a lift there and back etc. So we decided to put the gym membership on hold. Will we ever get back? I guess we’ll see what 2023 has in store for us.

Lastly, in April, I went to the All-Ireland Pole Championships with Jasmine. It was a fun night to get glam and see some cool pole dancers. Though honestly, not sure if it is because of how pole trends were this year but I felt like all the performances lacked something for me. Maybe it was because I couldn’t see all the floor work or something but I feel like the first time I went to the competition I was blown away by everyone, whereas this year everyone was still good but it was just okay? I don’t know, I guess it’s all down to everyone’s pole-style preference, but it was still a good night.

In May, I went on a spa weekend away with my mum. It was a Christmas present from me and my brother but he didn’t want to go with us. It was the first time I was ever going to a spa and it was wonderful. Honestly, when I saw everyone going on a spa weekend over COVID I thought it was overhyped, and I can see it being that way if you went a lot but I had a really good time. It was very chill and relaxed, which is exactly what you want for a spa weekend, we had a private hot tub, massages, drinks and dinner. It was great and definitely something I would do again.

Also in May, I went to Lisbon with the girls which was super fun. Though I feel like I have posted about that quite a lot on my blog already, so if you want to know more about my Lisbon adventures I can link you to a few places haha. It was the first proper holiday me and the girls went on as a group and it was wonderful. Plus it was a last-minute plan and we love when those come together.

In June I went to see Lawrence and Bimini, it was a drag show that had been rescheduled a few times and it was good to see them. It was a fun show and it was going to be my last drag show for a while. I hadn’t planned on it to be but other plans got in the way and so did COVID so I ended up missing quite a few of my scheduled shows this year. Still, glad I was able to enjoy this one as it was a good time.

A few days after Bimini and Lawrence, I went to see Kevin Hart in Belfast with my boyfriend. I was so happy to have gotten tickets to the show since Kevin Hart had been doing a bunch of shows in Belfast in preparation for his upcoming tour. This show though was part of the official tour and in a bigger venue so I managed to snag tickets. It was really good, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from it but I enjoyed it.

Sadly after that June took a turn as I tested positive for COVID on my birthday. Nothing says mid-20s like getting ill on your birthday lol. I can’t say if I got it from my drag show or Kevin Hart but those were the last two big events I had before I got sick. So the second half of June was spent chilling out, watching a lot of Glee and playing Sims 3. Living my best life.

Thankfully, my illness wasn’t too bad and I was testing negative again after a week and a bit. I was raging I had gotten COVID though because I had avoided it for so long but these things happen. I’m just glad there haven’t been any long-term affects.

Another reason I am glad I recovered from COVID when I did is because I had tickets for me and my boyfriend to go to Cirque du Soleil in July. We were meant to go a couple years ago but it was another thing that got rescheduled because of COVID. It was a stressful day that day because we were going to Dublin but the traffic was bad because there were like 5 things on in Dublin that day and everyone was travelling down. Also, the tram wasn’t running to where we needed to go so we had to walk and I was worried we weren’t gonna make it on time. Thankfully though we made it to the show and it was super fun, I had never been to a Cirque du Soleil show before and it was really enjoyable so I would highly recommend.

At the end of July, I also started my proper driving lessons with my current instructor. Naturally, I was nervous about it considering my track record for driving instructors was not good. Thankfully, my instructor is really nice and we get along and the lessons are going well. I don’t really know what I would have done if I had to get another instructor lol probably given up hope of driving. It’s definitely not been all smooth sailing on the driving front but I’m closer to passing my test than I was this time last year so that’s a good sign.

In August, my pole teacher opened his own pole studio which was super exciting! I have been taking pole classes with the same teacher for five years, and when he announced he was opening his own studio of course I had to jump from the old studio to join him on his new journey. The new studio is super nice with high ceilings which means high poles, and more work to climb but it just means getting stronger as I reach the top!

I’ve actually been making really good pole progress over the last year and it’s crazy because the last couple of years I feel like progress wasn’t really happening due to inconsistent classes due to the pandemic. But now I’m back in a routine and can definitely see an improvement.

Along with moving pole studios, I also attended a couple of workshops that my hoop studio was doing. Including one that was three hours long lol. I mean when I first decided to do it I thought it was going to be a challenge and I was correct. I headed to the studio straight after work and then proceeded to do one hour of pole, one hour of chair work and then also a bit of a twerk workshop thrown in at the end lol. It was so much work but a lot of fun, not as hard as I thought it was going to be since I made it to the end but it was wild. Would do it again but probably not for a long time.

Another workshop that we did was silks with hoop and I was obsessed with it if only because the moves we were doing were super pretty, there’s something about wrapping yourself in nice fabric that makes things look nicer than usual lol.

In August, my boyfriend and I also went for a weekend away with all his friends to Enniskillen. It was a great weekend to get away because we were in the midst of a heatwave so there was lots of time spent outside sunbathing and chilling out. We held a game night which involved quiz questions and party games and went go-karting. There was a lot of chaos involved but that’s what happens when a group of 20 adults go on holiday lol. Still, it was nice to get away, even if it wasn’t a holiday abroad.

At the end of the month, my boyfriend and I went to go see Six in the Grand Opera House. I went last year with my niece but when I found out they were coming back I decided to get tickets for me and my boyfriend. He had never been to see anything in the Grand Opera House before and I just wanted to see Six again so off we went. Naturally, I enjoyed the show and it was a cute date night for us.

In September, I had my first-ever pole photoshoot. I saw it advertised online and thought it would be something fun to do. I also really wanted some nice pole photos because the only photos I have are years’ worth of video screenshots that I was lucky enough to get at a good angle lol. So now I have some pretty photos I can show people that don’t have anyone in the background or bad lighting. I learnt that day that pole photoshoots are a lot of work in terms of having the strength to hold a move long enough for photos as well as finding poses that will photograph well. Still, I am obsessed with the photos I was able to get and am looking forward to getting more in the future when I am stronger and can do cooler things.

September was also when I went to Comic Con Northern Ireland. It was my first ever Comic Con experience and it was a good time. I did make a separate blog post about that so won’t say much but I am looking forward to seeing what guests are announced for 2023! I haven’t decided for sure if I will go or not but if they get the right guests I’m sure I could be persuaded.

I think September was also when my Disney Dreamlight Valley obsession began, it was a game I decided to try out on a whim and once I started I couldn’t put it down. It even spawned the longest and most consistent Let’s Play I have ever had on my YouTube channel. That being said, there are two final episodes I filmed but have yet to edit and post but I am hoping to do it soon because I would like to get it wrapped up. I hate leaving things unfinished so even if the videos don’t come out months from now, just know I did film an ending and it’s coming lol.

In October, my boyfriend started work on our new kitchen which is exciting. It’s nice to have some house progress going, even if it’s been slow going a little progress is better than none. It was very noisy for a long time with all the construction going on but we now have a new functional kitchen! It’s not complete by any means, but we have a counter and cupboards and a functioning fridge, oven and stove so we can cook in it but not much else lol. There’s still a lot of work to go, but at least we got the main things going for now. We did go through about 2 weeks of takeaway and while that sounds great in theory, it was not good for my skin or my stomach in the long run.

Also in October, I hurt my ankle lol. Which is a random thing to note but it was the first big injury I have had in a while. I had gone over my ankle as I was coming down the stairs after pole class because I’m super clumsy. It was also embarrassing because I was walking out with people but at least they were able to help me back up and get me to the bus stop lol. It was sore for about two weeks afterwards which made activities such as pole and driving lessons difficult. Moreso pole than the driving lessons but it was fine. Not great but we dealt with it.

In November, I feel like I was busy a lot just in general because I had lots of dentist and doctor appointments. Nothing super exciting about that but I guess it’s just life. I was having a lot of dentist appointments because I am planning to get Invisalign so I’ve been to the doctor more in the last 3 months than I have in the last 3 years lol. Hopefully, it all pays off in the end and I come out with straight teeth. I haven’t even got the retainers yet but have just been doing prep work so hopefully, that’ll kick off soon.

Aside from that the only other big event in November was Liverpool Comic Con. It is where all my fangirl dreams come true because I got to meet the Cullens, the Salvatore brothers and Chad Michael Murray. I have to say though I was not as excited as I thought I would have been? I guess my main fangirl days are behind me which is sad but I’m still glad I went because I know it meant a lot to my younger self. Plus you know when would I ever get the opportunity to see all these people in one place again. If you want to know more about my Comic Con Liverpool journey then check out this blog post.

December is supposed to be a month for winding down and relaxing and while that may be the case for some, it was not for me lol. I feel like I was always doing things leading up to Christmas, meeting friends or hanging out with work ones etc. There was always something.

At the start of December, I had a flying pole workshop, which is something I always wanted to try and thought it looked cool. Basically for flying pole, the pole is only attached to the ceiling and the bottom is free so you’re just swinging around on a very mobile pole. It was a fun workshop and everything was going really well until I fell lol. I mean most things go well until you fall.

The fall was quite a bad one considering I was injured for a while after that. Nothing super crazy like I didn’t have to go to the hospital or anything but it was a painful fall. And it’s probably my first big pole injury since starting pole fitness classes a few years ago so I mean I pride myself in being able to say I’ve gone this long without seriously injuring myself lol. But yeah, I basically landed on my ass and the impact was harsh so I was sore for a while. Didn’t affect day-to-day life too much but I definitely had to take it easy at aerial classes for the rest of December.

Also in December, I did get sick which is not surprising considering I was doing a lot of socialising. And I feel like since COVID everyone has started to get sick again like even with the cold, it’s very easy to pick things up. I suppose it was bound to happen when all the mask-wearing and things stopped. But still, not great. I had a cold for like two weeks and it was not my fave. Though it does fall in line with the pattern of me getting sick once a year, I guess technically this year I was sick twice but that’s better than being sick 24/7. Though ideally, we would avoid being sick altogether.

But yeah, Christmas was pretty quiet this year, I feel like as everyone gets older there’s less chaos going on with presents and toys etc. But it was good to spend a few days with family since I hadn’t seen them in a while. In all my efforts to try and see people more this year I feel like I still didn’t see family as much as I would have liked, so still something to work on in the new year.

And finally, the last big event I had of the year was a drag queen show between Christmas and New Year’s. It was my first show since Bimini and Lawrence back in June so it was good to get out to a show again. Though they haven’t really been announcing drag shows recently which is weird since for the last few years I feel like they were going non-stop. Even with a pandemic, they were still doing their best to bring the best of the best to Belfast.

Still, can’t complain I guess it gives me the opportunity to do other things and also saves some money in my bank account. I do enjoy a good drag show but I also feel like since I’ve been to so many now that I don’t need to go to every single one. So we’ll see what directions the shows take next year and if I’ll be going to them or not.

The show I went to in December was Danny Beard and Cheddar Gorgeous and they were both fabulous performers. I knew I was going to get a good show from them after Drag Race UK and they did not disappoint. And I think it was a fun way to wrap up 2022.

And that brings us to the end of another wild ride of a year! And I guess into the first month of 2023. I had planned to write this blog post sooner but time just got away from me. Maybe for 2023, I will write month by month so it’s a lot easier to compile in the end lol. But still, thanks for sticking with me this long if you did.

January is over and I gotta say I have done very little. Which is fine, I mean I needed some chill time after last year being so busy. That’s not to say this year won’t be equally as busy once we get things going but it would be nice to take more time to rest in between activities. If there’s anything I got of 2022 it was that sometimes it’s okay to say no to things and take a break. But at the same time, I liked being busy so we need to find a balance lol.

Aside from that, I am sending good vibes into the new year as always. Hoping everyone has a good one this year because I feel everyone deserves a good year after the last few pandemic-ridden ones. Not sure exactly what the next year holds for me but I know there are exciting things coming up so we’ll see where it takes us. And I look forward to recounting all the tales and adventures right back here in 2024! See you then!

Another year has gone by and as always I am wondering where the time has gone. It seems like year after year time just keeps moving faster. I guess this is what happens when you get older. And as always with this time of year, I like to reflect on all the things I have done the past year and think about what is coming ahead.
So, 2017, what a year. Honestly though when I try to think of all the things I have done this year I can’t really think of any. Which I think means my memory is getting worse with time. But luckily with the help of the internet and social media, I can kind of piece together how my year was.
I started out the year with my boyfriend, which was a first for me. I have never had someone to kiss on New Year’s and have never even had plans to go out on New Years. Not that the kissing part was ever a big thing for me, but it was nice to start the year with someone special. And going out was nice and a good change from staying home and playing Animal Crossing to ring in the new year. That being said, I love playing Animal Crossing on New Year’s because it’s so cute and all the villagers wear hats. 😛

New Years

The first month of the year of me is usually a lazy one. Especially last year because I didn’t start back at university until the end of the month. That meant a lot of my time was spent playing Sims, watching Netflix and sleeping. Which is always an ideal situation. Not for too long though, mainly because after a while you do feel like you should maybe be a little productive and do something.
February in comparison was a much more productive month. I started back at university and started my level 2 Korean classes. I completely forgot that I took Korean for 10 weeks. As you can see I learnt a lot – I enjoyed the Korean classes though. It was interesting and I also think it is one of the easier Asian languages to learn in terms of reading and writing.
On top of Korean, I also continued to work on my second year Android game project. That doesn’t have the most pleasant memories attached to it. A lot of late nights staring at code. If I am honest, I know that I could have done so much more with that project but I let the other members of my group overshadow me. I think the learning curve really threw me. But I still feel like I learnt a lot and we did end up with a pretty great game in the end. Even if my contribution to it wasn’t the biggest.

My game’s Menu Screen

February was also the month that I celebrated my anniversary with my boyfriend. It’s weird to think we have been together for so long but at the same time, I couldn’t imagine not being with him. We just spend so much time together that being apart from him for too long feels weird.
I also spent February wrapped in some new TV shows, and they happened to take up a lot of my time this year. It was a big year in terms of TV for me. Mainly because two of the biggest shows in my life ended in 2017. Pretty Little Liars and Vampire Diaries. At first, I really did wonder what I would do without them, I always looked forward to the new episodes, but now part of me is glad the shows are over. I guess all good things must come to an end. And it makes way for new TV shows. But I will say, I will miss making Pretty Little Liars videos, I don’t think I will find another show that will get me as worked up as that one.
March seemed to be another blur of uni work and Sims. But one super exciting thing for me was meeting YouTubers for the first time. I had the opportunity to meet James Turner aka TheSimSupply and Dylan Clawson aka ConflictNerd. They decided to hold a meet up in Belfast and I just happened to have a free afternoon from class so I thought I would go and hang out with them.

ConflictNerd and TheSimSupply!

I was super nervous. I am not good in situations where I am meeting new people by myself. But I am really glad that I went. It is super weird to talk to people you have only seen online, I mean they are just people so you talk to them like you would anyone else. But at the same time, it’s crazy because you have gotten to know them through their online persona, so when you meet them in real life they are different. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, from making my own videos I know that you can’t expect people you watch online to always be so energetic and happy in real life.
James is actually a quiet person in real life, especially when the rest of the people at the meetup and I started talking about Northern Ireland and James didn’t have any idea what we were talking about because he is from Australia haha.
I really enjoyed meeting them and I am glad that the first time I met YouTubers I was able to sit down and talk to them rather than a standard meet and greet. Plus, there were only a small number of people at the meet up which made it a lot easier to talk too. It was very relaxed and I am a fan.
April was spent doing a lot of coding and playing Another Brick in the Mall. I haven’t played Another Brick in the Mall in months now, but it has updated a lot so I think I should revisit it again soon. But, I was watching Conflict Nerd’s Let’s Play of the game and I thought it would be a fun thing to try out and it was. I was very invested for a couple of months.
I also got to attend my second ever hackathon with my boyfriend at the end of April. I was nervous about it because I never have ideas for those things and also I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to contribute anything and just be sitting doing nothing for 12 hours.
But things took a surprising turn as we ended up joining up with a team that was working next to us, they had a similar idea and instead of looking at them as competition, we decided to team up. And I think it worked out in our favour as we ended up coming in second.

The hackathon team!

It was really fun and interesting teaming up with new people and getting to know them in a short space of time. Again it’s not something that I would immediately think of when attending a hackathon but I enjoyed it a lot. And when you are all working together 12 hours can feel like nothing.
I have yet to attempt a 24-hour hackathon but I don’t think I would be able to do it. Normally after a hackathon, you feel drained and all you want to do is sleep. So I feel like after a 24-hour one I would need a lot more than one night’s sleep. But who knows, maybe 2018 will be the year of the 24-hour hackathon?
After the hackathon came the final stretch of university – finishing my Android game and exams. I remember sitting with my flatmate working on our project and then Git went down at like 5 a.m. It was not ideal, we sat refreshing our laptops for an hour before it came back up. Talk about cutting it close to the deadline. Luckily everything was submitted and I was able to get a well-deserved rest afterwards.
Then in June, I headed to my second hackathon of the year, again a 12 hour one with my boyfriend and a couple of my university friends. I have to say this one might not have been as productive as the first one as this one was from 4 p.m to 4 a.m and I had been at a technology event during the say so got pretty tired.

Hackathon snaps

Actually, everyone ended up leaving the hackathon early because we had to come back in the morning to present our ideas anyway. So we thought it was better to work a little bit more on the project from the comfort of our house rather than in the hackathon space.
But the next day we were able to pull it together for our presentation. I had to present our idea at this hackathon and it was kind of scary. Public speaking is not a thing I enjoy (I feel like there’s a theme in this blog post…) but it went well. I just always think that people will look at me like I don’t know what I am talking about but I did know what I was talking about and all was well.
Again we came second, but it was okay because we did win a lot of prizes throughout the actual hackathon. Even though the prize for the hackathon was a trip to Dubai to present your hackathon idea to a company. It would have been amazing but I guess there’s always the next time.
June was also exciting because I got to go to England to visit my friend Jasmine. It was her first year at university and I hadn’t seen her in ages. It was also the first time that I was going to be travelling by myself – I had planned to go over and see her with some other friends but all our schedules didn’t line up so I went on my own. Again, a scary thing but I feel proud of myself that I was able to do it.

Visiting Jasmine!

It was so great seeing Jasmine, especially because it was the first time I was going to meet her university friends and her boyfriend. I had heard so much about them so I was excited to meet them. They were all so lovely and it made me so happy to see that Jasmine was settling in well to uni.
While I was there we went to the beach, the arcades, played mini golf and went bowling. It was an eventful few days. And the weather was great while I was in England which was also great. It was my first time in England and it was such a change from being in Northern Ireland. I mean you wouldn’t think it would be because it’s still the UK but just the weather difference was so strange. Not that I was complaining.
Overall it was a great trip and I know I would gladly go back over to see Jasmine anytime.
Not long after my trip to England, I was off to Dublin for my 20th birthday with my boyfriend. We ended up in Dublin during Dublin pride which was super fun. I had always wanted to go to a pride parade and this was my first ever one. I have always loved the idea of pride because everyone is all dressed up and spreading love and it’s just overwhelmingly positive and fun So if you have never been to pride I highly recommend it.

Twitter’s pride float

In June I also pushed aside Another Brick in the Mall for Stardew Valley. It was a birthday present from my brother because I didn’t know how I would feel about it but it turned out to be a really addicting game. I don’t know how to explain it but I really enjoy it. And when it was released for Nintendo Switch I was obsessed all over again. It’s one of those games that is perfect to have in a portable format like Animal Crossing.
After a super exciting month of June, I feel like July was a lot calmer. I was enjoying the last few weeks of summer before I started work placement. Starting work was something else I was nervous about because I was super worried I would have no idea what I was doing but again, not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I feel like I don’t have to say too much about my work placement because I have already made a blog post about starting work, so if you are interested in that you can check it out here.
I need to do an updated blog post about work placement because I am now halfway through. It’s weird to think I have been working for that long but I feel like once you settle into a routine it’s not so bad. Plus, I was able to settle into work and not feel like a total idiot in a couple of weeks. Plus it helped that I was starting with a group of placements rather than being thrown in by myself like other workplaces. So I am thankful I was around with people who could relate.
August was a crazy month as I settled into work and tried to keep up with making time to see all of my friends who were back for summer break before they went to university again. I was probably the busiest in August than I had been in a long time. Because not only was I working 9-5 but then I was also immediately going out to meet my friends. It was kind of crazy but I was also grateful to be kept so busy.
One of the most memorable things in August was going to see Bianca Del Rio and Charlie Hides at Belfast Pride. I didn’t get ready in time to really see the parade but my friends and I got tickets to see Bianca and Charlie and I couldn’t wait.

Meeting Charlie and Bianca!

This was the second time I would be seeing Bianca perform because I had seen her earlier in February while she was on her comedy tour. But I love seeing Bianca perform. She was the first Drag Queen that I ever got to meet and see in person. And now anytime she comes to Belfast I feel like I have to see her.
And on top of that, pride was the second time that I got to be on stage with her! I had another opportunity to lipsync for my life and this time I was more than ready for my moment. It was so much fun and I loved it. And as always it was great to see Bianca again.
Aside from Bianca, I also got see Charlie Hides perform and she was great too. I was a fan of her on Drag Race but she was put out of the competition for her lack of lipsync performance. Luckily she more than makes up for it live and in person.
As well as Charlie there were also local drag queens who performed and they were amazing too. I can’t really describe how it feels to be at a drag show. It’s just not like anything else I have ever experienced – they are just so much fun and I highly recommend them.
Another big thing in August was that it was time for me and my flatmates to move out of our university flat. One of my flatmates moved out early because he was going abroad for the year so we had a temporary replacement flatmate for a month. The moving out process was kind of crazy – especially because we left it so late. We didn’t intend to leave it until the weekend we had to be out of the flat – we had just been so busy with work and trying to house hunt for a new place to live.
Luckily we were able to have the place spotless and had our stuff moved in one day. We didn’t live in a big house so there wasn’t that much to clean, but because it was the first place we had ever rented we didn’t want the Landlord to have any reason to deduct money from our deposit. But luckily we got it all back.
I really liked living in our flat, I was unsure about it moving in but it actually turned out to be super cosy. And as for it being the first time I was living away from home I thought it went really well. I lived with great people and it was always warm. And I consider that to be a good uni flat, and if our third flatmate hadn’t have been going abroad this year we totally would have stayed in the same place.

Our flat keys

But for our second house, my remaining flatmate and I decided to find a place closer to where we are working. So far this house has been nice, I don’t really have any complaints although we did have some heating trouble when we moved in. And so I finally got to experience what an actual student house was like because it was so cold, but we have the heating sorted now. Well, we did until we ran out of oil a few weeks ago but it’s all sorted now haha.
I definitely prefer gas heating because it’s so much easier to top off and a lot cheaper than oil. So hopefully when we go for our third and final university house we can get somewhere that’s got oil heating.
Then we move on to September, which was a pretty calm month. Though I do remember that this was the first month I really got to enjoy having a paycheck as a splurged and got myself a Nintendo Switch. I think it was a perfect purchase for me. I mean, I’m not really a console kind of gamer in terms of PlayStation or Xbox but Nintendo always seems to do it for me.
And like I said earlier, they brought out Stardew Valley for the Switch and that made the console worth it entirely. I am excited to see what other games they bring out for the Switch because I am enjoying playing it. Whether that’s battling it out with siblings in Mario Kart, or trying to teach my family how to play Overcooked – it’s just a great console.
Plus, I always thought I would only play it in handheld mode, but I have been enjoying TV mode too. I mean honestly, this is the console dreams are made of. And I’m so excited for them to bring Animal Crossing to the Switch because I need that in my life.
From what I can tell October was also a pretty calm month – towards the end of the year I guess things start to wind down and everyone is working hard at uni so I didn’t really get to see them. Of course, I was still working but there’s not too much to report on that.
One thing that definitely perked me up in October was the fact they announced an Animal Crossing mobile game. This was the first new Animal Crossing game to be released in years and I was more than ready for it. I just got so excited starting to think of what it would be like. I won’t say too much about it here but I did happen to make a blog post and a video about it if you are interested in knowing my first thoughts on the game.
Obviously, when the game was released in November it completely took over my life. And with the screen recording tool on iPhone, I have been capturing gameplay non-stop. It’s all so cute and I love it and it gets me excited for the Nintendo Switch game and what it could be. So yes, there’s that.
Animal Crossing wasn’t the only thing that made November exciting though. I also got my very first tattoo in November. I have thought about getting a tattoo for years, and I finally decided to bite the bullet and book my tattoo. I always wondered what kind of tattoo I would get too, and one night when I was searching I found the perfect thing.

My tattoo!

To most people, it probably looks like nothing, but to me, it means so much. It represents Animal Crossing (surprise, surprise). But I thought it was super cute and also a perfect first tattoo because Animal Crossing has been a huge part of my life. From getting my first Animal Crossing game for the DS to making online friends in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It is my childhood and I still love it today. And I know it’ll be a part of my future.
I also think I did well on the tattoo placement, it didn’t hurt that much and it was also a good place in terms of hiding it if I need to, but also showing it off. And it was also really great when it came to cleaning it and keeping it moisturised. Once I started getting into the routine of washing and moisturising it I started wondering how people cared for the tattoos they couldn’t reach or see, but I guess that’s why you have family/friends haha. But the tattoo has healed now and I couldn’t be happier with it. Sometimes I forget about it or catch it in the mirror and I still can’t believe I have it.
Another super exciting thing for me in November was that I got to see Steps in concert. They were my favourite band when I was younger and I was never able to go to one of their concerts. And when I grew up and found out the band had broken up I was heartbroken, but luckily for me, they reunited for their 20th anniversary in 2017.
My sisters always promised they would take me to a concert and they came through with this one as we all went as a big group. I loved every second of it. It was my childhood dream come true. Words can’t even explain how I feel about it. It was just an amazing night, I sang my heart out and danced the whole time. Such an amazing experience.

My Steps ticket

Also in November, I became obsessed with the musical Hamilton. I have never been a musical person before but my boyfriend recommended it to me and I really love it. And not only that, but I was able to get tickets to see Hamilton on the West End for my boyfriend’s birthday. So I am super excited about that. It’s only a couple of weeks away now and it’s so crazy. It’ll be my first West End show, and I know it’s not going to disappoint.
December was mostly a calm month for me, work was winding down and I was thinking about Christmas. I also considered doing Vlogmas this year, as I have done Vlogmas every other year I have been doing YouTube but this year I was mostly working so I wasn’t doing anything worth vlogging. Although I did my best to be more active on YouTube because in between the time of finishing uni and starting work I had slacked on videos.
I also got to go to see the Christmas Queens in December. It was the first time I was going to see a drag queen stage show and not just a club performance. I was super excited but also super nervous because I was once again, going alone. I was mainly worried about what I was going to do at the meet and greet because I would have no one to talk to and I had no idea what I was going to say to the drag queens when I met them.
But I am so glad I decided to go because it was so much fun. Even though I had some awkward moments on my own when waiting in line and sitting by myself at the show, it didn’t matter too much because I was enjoying myself.
The show itself was incredible, most of the queens sung live and are amazing performers. 100% worth the money and also it was amazing to be able to meet all the drag queens too. I knew all of them from RuPaul’s Drag Race and to meet them in person was so crazy. They were all so lovely and wonderful and I wish I was able to say more to them when I was with them but I think I was so starstruck I couldn’t say anything. But I still loved it.
I also vlogged a little bit when I was there so if you want to see some of the performance and know more about how the meet and greet was, you can check it out here.

The Christmas Queens!

Aside from the drag queen excitement, the rest of December was pretty calm. I spent Christmas with my family and friends and it was really nice and chill. It was a well-deserved break from work too and I was able to catch up on all my sleep haha.
And I guess that wraps up a pretty amazing year. Honestly, when I started this I had no idea what it was going to turn out like. I had really forgotten a lot of the things I have done this year, and being able to reminisce about everything in this blog post has been great. It really makes me appreciate what a good year I had and all the amazing people I spent it with and all the things I’ve experienced.
As the new year begins I can only hope that it’s going to be as amazing as 2017. And as always I hope to share my year with you throughout social media. I’m hoping that I vlog more in 2018 because I love looking back at vlogs and seeing all the fun times I had, I guess that’s also why I take so many pictures.
Anyway, that was my year. Kind of crazy and all over the place but at the same time things seemed to all flow well for me. Like I said I can only hope my 2018 is as good as my 2017 if not better. I guess we see what happens. But I’m looking forward to it, and I can’t wait to share it with you guys in a similar post next year! 🙂
~ Courtney x