2015 in review

At the start of this year, I made a rather vague set of new year's resolutions. As we've only got one day left of 2015, I thought it was about time to revisit them!

Books

The first thing I really wanted to achieve was my Goodreads challenge of reading 50 books. I actually exceeded my goal and extended my challenge to 60 books. Some people might say I'm a bit of a cheater since I study English at university, but I love reading so much that most of the books I read this year were for pleasure.
Here are some of my favourite reads of 2015, along with a tantalising one word review...

• The Outsiders by S.E Hinton - stunning.
• The Green Mile by Stephen King - heart-breaking.
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - surprising.
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman - ridiculous.
• The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling - ...duh.

hate to be that guy but if you've only seen the film, PLEASE read the book too

Music

One of the major events in my summer holidays was my first ever festival, T in the Park. I had such a great time; some of my standouts were Kasabian, The Proclaimers and Jamie T. The constant mud, overpriced food and portaloos (which should probably be renamed death traps), I could have lived without...but it was all part of the experience. 

However, my favourite gig of the year was without a doubt Muse at the Barrowlands. They've been my favourite band for about 9 years and I'd seen them before already, but had resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably never see them in a small venue. I was wrong!!! I also had the opportunity to meet the band, which was so surreal and incredible. To top it all off, I ended up getting barrier! Probably one of the best days of my life, let alone of the year.

~ enjoy my shitty gig photography ~

Television

For my 17th birthday, I received the Buffy the Vampire Slayer boxset - the show rapidly became my favourite thing in the universe and I got so excited before watching new episodes, especially around season 5. SO GOOD. But that's not to say I let it stop me from getting addicted to multiple new TV shows - some more things I watched this year include Buffy's spin-off, Angel, Parks and Recreation, How To Get Away With Murder, Daredevil, The Mighty Boosh and Master of None. Right now I'm really into Reign and Gilmore Girls. 

♥♥♥

Life

Okay, so my life has changed a lot in a year. I moved away from home, started university at Edinburgh Napier, made new friends, and got my first job. Most of it has been a huge learning curve for me; I'm more independent and confident now than ever, which I'm really glad about. However I've became so comfortable in my own company I think it's made me a bit antisocial, so I'll need to work on that. 

Lastly, I did keep my diary all year! I didn't write every day, but every month of 2015 is down in writing and I'm pretty proud of that. 

I hope 2015 has been a good year for you, and if it hasn't, don't worry! 2016 will be better.

badass ladies of TV

I don't know about you, but I often find it pretty difficult to appear confident. In my own experience, it takes practise. I find that one of the best things to help this is to envision a person you admire, real or fictional, and think about them whenever you're feeling uneasy about yourself. This instalment will be about some super cool ladies on TV - I might make this into a series, who knows? God knows I can never get enough of well-written, well-rounded female characters!

 1. Buffy Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy as a character is just so so important. She subverted the stereotype of the blonde girl in a horror, and basically stuck two fingers up to the 'damsel in distress' trope. She saves the world (a lot) and manages to think up countless witty one-liners whilst staking vampires - no easy feat. Buffy is an immensely strong person and a capable leader but she's also a fierce friend, a caring sister and a loyal partner. She is someone you'd want by your side in the event of an apocalypse, but equally someone you'd love to go the movies with.

2. Blair Waldorf - Gossip Girl 

She is known to most of New York as Queen B so this one is pretty self-explanatory. One of the best things about Blair is how incredibly self aware she is - if someone calls her a bitch, she corrects them; Blair Waldorf is the queen bitch, and you can bet she'll use it to her advantage. She is also extremely self-motivated, determined and literally tireless. Whether it's revenge on a backstabber or success at a fashion show, Blair will not sleep until she achieves her goals. On top of all that, she looks flawless at any given time of day. She even created her own look, identified by the infamous headband - but no matter how hard anyone tries, they will never pull it off as well as she does.

3. Zoe Washburne - Firefly

Zoe's most admirable trait has to be her loyalty. However, one of the most interesting things about her is that this loyalty takes two completely different forms. One is to her husband Hoban, whom she loves unconditionally and whole-heartedly. The other is to her captain Malcolm, whom she fought alongside in the Unification War, and continues to serve faithfully on his ship Serenity as first mate. Zoe therefore has to balance her work and personal life and her husband's occasional jealousy, which she of course does with grace, tact and a level head. Although Malcolm is the captain, Zoe is indispensable; her unwavering sensibilities and clear mind make her the true voice of reason onboard. Many characters with Zoe's level of skills and prowess with a gun get pidgeon-holed into the 'warrior woman' trope, but she easily manages to break free of these constraints. (PS. Sorry for 2 Joss Whedon creations. I'm done now.)

4. Margaery Tyrell - Game of Thrones 

This girl knows what she's doing. She lives in a world where one mistake can mean your head (literally) and she is cautious to the last to ensure she ends up on the winning side. Her charms have enabled her to switch loyalties to whoever is at the top of the ongoing power struggle, which is pretty impressive, considering it's constantly changing in Westeros. Although Margaery is evidently ambitious and even cunning, that's not to say she isn't a caring person. She has a very close relationship with her brother Loras and strives to protect him. Margaery also has the interests of the common people at heart, and often finds opportunities to provide food and support for the masses. She wears priceless dresses, but at the same time isn't afraid to get mud on her hem. Some people (cough cough Cersei) think her actions are all simply a ploy to make her more popular, but I think she has the makings of a great queen. (PS. I am a book purist at heart, and in most instances prefer the ASOIAF series, but in this case I think the characterisation of Margaery is a great part of the TV show.)

5. Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson - Orange is the New Black

Taystee basically defies all stereotypes set against her. She spent her childhood an orphan, moving from one institution to another; but becomes the mother of her group of friends, the one everyone goes to when they've got a problem. She was involved with drugs; but this was only because Vee was impressed by her incredible numeracy skills. Taystee is incredibly smart and well-read, but also unashamed and confident. Even though she's in prison she strives to be taken seriously, beating out all the other candidates at the job fair - and is rightfully outraged when she doesn't get a real job at the end of it. To top it off, she's hilarious and quick-witted, and amazing at freestyling.

Okay so I ended up realising I could write forever about characters that I love, so before I go, here are some honourable mentions:

• Lady Mary Crawley - Downton Abbey
• Peggy Carter - Agent Carter
• Cordelia Chase - Angel
• Irene Adler - Sherlock
• Jodie Mills - Supernatural
• Sun Bak - Sense8
• Michaela Pratt - How To Get Away With Murder

I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favourite ladies from TV and you're feeling inspired! I had a lot of fun writing this, so I might continue it soon.