30 Things I Want To Do Before I'm 30 - 1 Year On...

Hello from the adult world. I sit here in bed, writing this post as a 21-year-old, not quite believing the words I'm writing. It feels very strange to be 21 - 20 felt somewhat like a care-free age, 'old enough to know better' but still too young to really know what that meant until it was too late. 21 feels old. Head down, plans in order, the start of your adult life. And since we're currently in the middle of a pandemic (like you needed reminding) it's quite difficult to really feel like there's any structure or plans to make and look forward to. That being said, this last year has been pretty exciting and a bit crazy, and so I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the list I made last year - 30 Things I Want To Do Before I'm 30 - and see how many I can already tick off the list...

1. Pass my driving test. A big fat 'no' to kick off the list. Although I have passed my theory, which is a big step in the right direction, the driver's seat is still an extremely daunting place for this this wibbly-wobbly bag of nerves. 

2. Get a car. See '1. Passing my driving test.' 

3. Graduate from uni. Well... I've kind of done it? I am officially no longer a student of Solent Uni (still such a mind-boggling thought), but my graduation ceremony has been sadly put on pause thanks to Miss Rona. That being said, I'm so so happy with my final major project grade and anticipating my overall degree grade in August. No matter what happens though, my friends and I have much to be proud of. 

4. Travel more. Again, the virus has had a big part to play in why this hasn't been as fulfilled as much as I was hoping by this time. I've had quite a few travel plans put on hold this year, but had a lovely family holiday on the beautiful island of Sicily in August. New Orleans is still very much top of the list. 

5. Settle into a job. Having only just made it out of uni, this isn't something I've not quite met yet. I've been lucky enough to secure some great work experience, and look forward to hopefully finding a job in PR or Digital Marketing soon. 

6. Move out. While it's not exactly a priority at the moment, finding a house share somewhere in or around London is definitely on the cards if I find a job in the big city. Although, living without mum and dad's surprise tea deliveries is going to be something difficult to get used to. 

7. Be able to wear heels for longer than an hour. Guys, I did it!! I've attended two family weddings since writing my last post and conquered the heels. But I'll still be choosing trainers any day of the week. 

8. Start freelancing. This is definitely something I would love to start doing sooner rather than later. I already volunteer at a couple of places, but it would be great to start earning a bit of money from my writing if possible. 

9. Go to a festival. Even before the pandemic, this wasn't really something I'd looked into for this year. Next year, when we're all just excited to see the sun again, I'm hoping a festival makes it onto my calendar.

10. Learn time and money management skills. Okay, maybe the money management skills haven't come into play much yet, but I think working on my final major project definitely boosted my organisation and forced my to analyse how I lay out my time. 

11. Watch more classic films. I do believe since writing this list I have seen Home Alone and a bit of Mrs Doubtfire...but then I have spent a lot of movie-dedicated time re-watching Friends, so...

12. Have a groovy 21st birthday party. I mean, it might not have been the 21st birthday party I was planning, but it was really lovely to have some socially-distanced drinks with some of bestest friends in the garden. Truthfully, there was no other way I'd rather have spent it. 

13. Host a party. No, not yet- but I do fancy the idea of some kind of dinner party at some point (but that could just be because of the promise of food, rather than a party). 

14. Learn at least the basics of a new language. I completely forgot that this was on my list, and have actually started learning French! I still have a loooong way to go, but it's a start. 

15. Get a cat. Still no, but I'm speaking it into existence. 

16. Complete at least one more novel by F Scott Fitzgerald. I mentioned in my original post that I had had Tender is the Night sat on my bookcase for years, and I did start to read it at the beginning of lockdown. And then started reading another book. I'm thinking of picking up his collection of short stories, which might be better for my attention span. I still don't understand why I found it so difficult to get into TITN, because The Great Gatsby is truly one of my favourite books of all time. 

17. Go to Disney World again. I haven't got any plans to, but watching Lucy Wood's Disney and Universal Studios vlogs several times over made me feel like I was back there.  

18. Get a fitness regime going properly/stop being afraid of the gym. No progress on that 'gym' thing, but with a recent purchase of yoga mats, the fitness regime may be swinging into action sooner than we think (help). 

19. Get a professional massage. Not yet, but I think we're very much all in need of a massage thanks to *shudders* 2020. 

20. See Lana del Rey live. I was SO CLOSE. My friend Emma and I were due to see her in February but it was cancelled since Lana was ill. And while I hope she's okay, still not over it. 

21. Start challenging negative mindsets and turn them into positive thoughts. I can't really think of any particular time in which I've done this over the past year - perhaps when I was struggling with my final major project, and I tried to keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it? But I think it's something we all need to bare in mind at times, and something I can still definitely improve on. 

22. Get another tattoo. I have - much to my parents' delight I'm sure. If you check out this post, you may get a little looksey. 

23. Get a Polaroid camera and start documenting things in places other than online. Every time I manage to save up a bit of money, I tell myself I'm going to buy a Polaroid, but clothes and makeup always seem to steal its funds. If I come to do this post again next year, I am determined to be able to tick this one off the list. 

24. Get better at cooking. My standard pasta-with-Linda-McCartney-sausages has still been a bit of a go-to, but my brother and I have tried our hand at baking much more during lockdown. Has it improved culinary skills much? Ehhhh...

25. Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant. Once again, not yet. Fingers crossed the opportunity arises within the next 9 years. 

26. Continue writing for and running this blog. Well, I'm still here. There's no getting rid of me. And while I may not have been as active as I would've liked during my third year at uni, I do have some exciting content planned for the not-too-distant future. 

27. Improve my shorthand and take more speed tests. My shorthand is something that has unfortunately taken a bit of a backseat recently, what with finishing my degree and all. But now I have no excuse - what better time to learn French and improve shorthand than a pandemic? 

28. Climb over the O2 Arena. This isn't something I've managed to do yet, but how cool would it be to finally celebrate the end of corona with a walk over one of my favourite landmarks? I'm hoping that day isn't too far off. 

29. Go stargazing/see a meteor show. Another no, although I did enjoy watching all of Elon Musk's satellites fly over not too long ago. The goal is to lay back on a summer's evening watching the night sky go by - how magical. 

30. See my friends and family thrive. Absolutely. This year has demonstrated how wonderful and resilient my friends and family are, and seeing so many of my pals come out of uni with amazing results is just the best feeling in the world. Long may the thriving continue. 

So, we're one year down, and still got quite a way to go. 9 years in fact. But considering how quickly my 20th year zoomed by (ironically, a steady onslaught of Zoom calls towards the end of it), it won't be long before I'm updating this list at 22. Hope to see you then.