Tuesday 21 March 2017

The year of the [fiery] Rooster..

Tuesday 21 March 2017

The year of the [fiery] Rooster..

'"I'm not smirking. I'm smiling."'

3 months into 2017, the year of the Fire Rooster. Or as I thought my  flatmate said, the "year of the chicken" (admittedly, I scoffed at the thought of a chicken signifying fidelity and punctuality). Ironically and in typical Holly style fashion, this blogpost was meant to be written and uploaded about 2 months ago. I guess the Rooster hasn't kicked into action for me yet...

Even more ironically, my last blogpost was about my first few months at Uni, whereas I feel this one is veering towards a frightened fresher with little time left in first year. Time just flies by when you're an English student luxuriously indulging in Brontë novels and catching up with chums in cafes in all our contact-free hours. (Oh, and did I mention the perpetual cycle of essays?)


Sure, every year we make the same resolutions to make more effort with certain people, try a different look and to stay more organised. In classic January fashion, I detoxed, ditched the food baby and died at the gym... 


My favourite form of 'detox' was a spa day with my Mum. I really feel I benefitted from the menthol air of the steam room and the dainty sandwiches to refuel subsidised energy levels... Sauntering around in fluffy robes and slippers really does take it out of you.

More recently, I also tried being veggie for lent but 8 days in and I was unconsciously tucking into a cheese and ham panini (oops). I need my protein anyway, right? (In all honesty I think I was just using choc fingers as a substitute to my 'lacking diet'.

Okay, there's no denying that the whole detox regime is not for me. But diet aside, I can wholeheartedly commit to one thing - travel. I've concluded that punctuality and a tight schedule is essential for this, so perhaps the Rooster will benefit me after all. 


Within just a few days of 2017, my friend and I bopped on down to London town for the day. Short
 but sweet, as is generally the case with city breaks, the day consisted of shopping, drinking and eating (we classed Oxford Street's Topshop as our famous landmark). Of course, the day flew by all too quickly as we caught up with Uni gossip amidst flinging clothes over the top of our changing rooms.   


But this city trip was just a taster of things to come in 2017 luckily! This summer promises plenty more travel, with a family holiday booked to New York, Boston and Cape Cod. (I'm already scouring the internet for the places with the fluffiest stacks of pancakes and copious cups of coffee.) Anyone who knows me (or just reads this blog) will be fully aware that I developed a profound love for New York at the age of just 12. Since then, I've been twice more and each time the Big Apple has invited me to explore new aspects of its charm, so I'm looking forward to it opening up more of its secrets to me. The other places we're visiting are completely new to us, so top tips from anyone are welcome...


Shortly after this big trip, I'll be 'rehydrating' with a glass of sangria alongside my two best chums in the bustling city of Barcelona. We're yet to plan our schedule but we'll be sure to absorb some of the city's finest culture, like Gaudí's park, amidst our cocktails and tapas. To tell you the truth, just under a year since studying Spanish in A Levels and I can already feel the language slipping, so I'll be glad to embrace this sassy language once again!


Okay, so it may seem late to be making resolutions, 
but I've decided to make my 2017 the year of laughter. (It's doing a pretty good job so far.) From Uni, to returning home for a long summer, to exploring new places, I'm ensuring my amigos and I leave a little bit of laughter wherever we go.

But resolutions can have a habit of forcing us to over-analyse blunders, or projecting us too far into the future. I don't want to live in the past frankly, and I don't want to be wishing away the future. So this year I'm living in the present (hopefully punctually) and appreciating every minute. So, I guess what I'm saying is carpe diem in 2017. Seize the day, boys.
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