[Cilla's 2016 Highlight Reels] Firsts and Achievements

08:00 Cilla 8 Comments

I've always loved reading end-of-year best-of lists. Now that I have my own blog, I thought I'd write a couple of my own! Every day from 28 to 31 December, I'll be sharing some of the highlights of my 2016 in music, movies, television shows, books (of course), and life.

In case you missed them:
↠ My favourite television shows of 2016
↠ My favourite music and movies of 2016
↠ My favourite books of 2016

It's the general consensus that 2016 has been a terrible year, globally speaking. Personally, it has been challenging and busy, but on the whole, pretty all right! For the last day of year, I thought it's best to end on a high note and look back on the good things that have happened.



One of my resolutions for 2016 was to try new things and take more opportunities. Looking back, I'm pleased to say this is one of the resolutions I actually kept! In 2016, for the first time, I:

↠ Went to Supanova with a new friend. I'd always wondered what it would be like to attend a convention where everyone's unabashedly nerdy about something, and let me tell you - it was so fun. I didn't have time to contemplate cosplaying, but I got to wear my patronus dress from Blackmilk!

↠ Tried freakshakes. You know you have a hard-core sweet-tooth when you finish one of those and don't feel icky at all. 😛

↠ Went to not just one, but two writers' festivals. At the Melbourne Writers' Festival, I got to meet Rainbow Rowell and Lev Grossman and attended some excellent sessions about writing. I also went to the Emerging Writers Festival, which was also fabulous. Both of them re-lit my desire to complete writing my own novel.

↠ Roasted a pork belly on my own for Christmas and succeeded, complete with delicious crackling. Really, anything that involves cooking anything more complicated than a vegetable stirfry has been an achievement for me, and this year I've been surprising myself with what I can cook (even if they may come out a little flawed at times).



↠ Went to my first uni ball. If I learned anything from that night, it's these: events like that are only fun when you have the right group of friends; people bring their glasses to the dance floor so there's a good chance you'll get splashed with alcohol at some stage; a pair of heels that you can comfortably wear for hours is an actual treasure.

Also, this year, I've accomplished some things that I'm proud of:

↠ My short pieces were accepted by The Regal Fox. My first submission to The Regal Fox marked the first time I've made my writing public in about eight years. It's scary, but also thrilling. Read them here if you're interested!

↠ I got into the swing of bookstagram. My account is still small and I only recently feel content about my theme, but I'm pleased with its growth! Check it out here.

↠ And, of course, the biggest accomplishment of all: I completed my first year of my master in psychology. Getting into the program was a huge deal for me, particularly since Master of Psychology programs are notorious for being highly competitive. (I was informed later that the fifteen of us who made the cut had beaten 300 applicants). Plus, it took me two tries: the first year I applied, I didn't get any interview out of the 10 programs I applied to. It's been a ridiculously steep learning curve, dogged with a sense of impostor syndrome. Now that I'm at the halfway mark, however, I feel comfortable acknowledging that I've done well so far!

All in all, I'm happy with how my year has gone. It's my hope that I can continue to work hard and take on small adventures in 2017!