101 in 1001 XXXIX

What a couple of months I've had! From finally attending Eurovision, to jetting off to Aruba for my first press trip, I've had the perfect opportunity to tick off lots of goals. I've definitely found that my third set of my goals are much more achievable than the first two, and it's making me feel really positive about getting at least 75% of them completed before the 1001 days are up in 2020. 
#2 Visit 10 new-to-me foreign cities 3/10

Technically, Lisbon isn't new to me. I visited when I was a child but I was very young and my only memories are seeing the black-and-white tiled floor, and a very vague memory about a big glass building that may not even be in Portugal after all. For the purposes of my goals, I count a new city as anywhere I haven't been as an adult, so I'm including it. Oranjestad in Aruba, however, is absolutely a new-to-me location. Two new cities in one month, taking my total up to three- what a great few weeks!

101 in 1001 XXXVIII

As I said in my last 101 in 1001 post, the first of this third list, I've made a conscious effort to make sure my goals are realistic. I've set up a little spreadsheet and everything so I can plan when I'm going to achieve them and tick them off when they're completed. This new approach means I've got off to a really great start, with ten in progress, three completed and a further twelve arranged for the next couple of months. I'm determined to get as much done as possible this time! 

#1 Visit 10 new-to-me foreign cities 1/10

Back in March, I popped over to Copenhagen for a little solo day trip. It was my first experience of flying somewhere for a day, and my 8 hours in Denmark were the perfect way to visit a new city (and a new country, for that matter) without using up a lot of time and money. I'm already looking into potential cities for my next day trip.

Read about it here

101 in 1001 XXXVII

My first 101 in 1001 recap since I started my new goals! I worked really hard to make my new goals realistic so I'm feeling pretty optimistic about getting at least 75% completed. I've got off to a very good start!
#30 See 15 shows

1/15 I adore Oscar Wilde, so I was thrilled to see the Vaudeville Theatre are staging their Oscar Wilde season- an entire year celebrating his work. Right at the end of December, I saw A Woman of No Importance, but that was before these 1001 days began. Just after New Year, I went to see Simon Callow in the one-man production of De Profundis: the letter Wilde wrote to his lover while incarcerated in Reading Gaol. It was incredibly powerful and I was struck by Callow's use of his hands to add to his performance (I wondered if this is a classic thespian thing as Alan Rickman- love of my life- always acted with his hands too). Currently showing is Lady Windermere's Fan until April so I really must make time to go and see it. 

101 in 1001 Review

By coincidence, my second 101 in 1001 ended on December 31st, meaning I get to start the new year with a brand new challenge. Crazy to think I've been blogging for over 2000 days. In fact, this week was my sixth blog anniversary! When I finished my first set, I wrote a massive review post covering every single goal and whether I achieved it. It was a long ol' post but it was very well received so I'm going to do it again. Strap yourselves in!

101 in 1001 XXXVI

I'm trying really, really hard not to wish my master's away. I keep thinking 'I can't wait until my work is over so I can have a life again' and then realising this means my MA will be finished, which is a sad thought! I just love studying, ok? As you might imagine, this means I haven't done a great deal towards my goals in April or May, which seems to be what I say at the beginning of every month! I've got a huge amount of things planned for autumn/winter 2017 though so I'll more than make up for it later.
#49 Get my teeth whitened

Bad quality selfie because I'm still getting used to smiling with my teeth showing! I started this in March but forgot to include it in last month's post. Man, teeth whitening is a pain. I'm doing the at-home course from my dentist which is supposed to take two weeks but I've taken a little break until after my next appointment. Sitting with mouth guards in for two hours, not able to swallow, having gel and saliva building up in your mouth is a horrible, horrible sensation. As if that's not bad enough, I then have to deal with intense sensitivity afterwards. Ugh. Still, I'm halfway through and my teeth are looking good! They're not white at the moment but they're brighter and paler- more like a luminous beige. Hopefully the remaining 7 days will sort that out!

101 in 1001 XXXV

It's started dawning on me that there are only 9 months until my 1001 days are up and I still have 78 targets to complete. Well done me on completing a whole 23 already in the past 2 years *eyeroll* Some of these are a complete write off (buy a house, learn Japanese, visit Tokyo) while others are already primed to be achieved before the end of the year (visit Florida, read 125 books, get my teeth whitened). Those in the middle- the achievable goals that I have no concrete plans for- are the ones I'm focusing on in the next few months. Hopefully this summer will be filled with zorbing, steam trains and sightseeing. In the meantime, let's look at what I achieved in February and March. Spoiler alert: not much. 

#41 Visit a Lush spa
Finally! I've been planning this for so long, and even had one booked in September when I went to Liverpool but it was cancelled at the last minute. As a congratulations-on-doing-well-in-your-first-semester treat, I visited the original store in Poole for a Synaesthesia massage, which you can read all about here.

101 in 1001 XXXIV

January hasn't been a particularly eventful month.I know I keep banging on about deadlines but they seriously took over my life so I didn't even get the chance to work on my goals, with a couple of exceptions. 

#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 25/50

Right at the beginning of the month, we watched David Brent: Life on the Road. We're big Ricky Gervais/ David Brent fans so obviously we loved it. I've only got until December 31st to watch another 25. Better get a move on! Must remember to watch two films a month from now on! 
#66 See 5 shows 9/5

101 in 1001 XXXIII

There is now exactly one year to complete my goals. By some happy coincidence, I completed my original series exactly 1001 days before December 31st 2017. It pleases me so much that it ends on the last day of the year. Since I've only got 365 days left, I need to start taking stock of what I've got left to complete and find out ways to squeeze them in during 2017. Still, that's getting a bit ahead of myself. Let's look at what I achieved in December.

#16 Visit Germany

In my last update, I mentioned that I was going to Germany at the end of November. Ami and I visited Hamburg, and I also squeezed in a little trip to Munich before Christmas.

101 in 1001 XXXII

Well, this month has been pretty jampacked! Two holidays, a theatre trip, and a superhuman amount of studying (even if I do say so myself!). My goals are coming along very nicely! 

#15 Visit Sweden After years of saying "One day I'll go to Stockholm", I finally did it! It was very snowy but a lot of fun! Read all about it here: Part one & part two

101 in 1001 XXXI

October has not been the most productive of months. Actually, that's not strictly true. It's been incredibly productive but, unfortunately, not many of the things I've been doing have been on my list. 

#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 24/50 I watched Look Who's Back, based on the satirical novel of the same name which I reviewed here. At first, it was hysterically funny (at least, it is if you have a very dark sense of humour) but the mood very gradually changes until a chillingly prophetic closing scene which will stay with me for a very, very long time. Everybody should watch it and reflect on our current society.
#61 See 5 shows 7/5 After years of wanting to see it, I finally booked tickets for Chicago. I have a review going live in a couple of days so look out for that. I'm really impressed with how many shows I've seen- I have another three planned so my total will be in double digits by the end of my 1001 days!

101 in 1001 XXXI

September hasn't been the most productive of months and I don't even have an excuse this time! I've barely even left the house this month, so I've had plenty of opportunities to get my goals done and just... haven't. Oops!

#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 23/50 Rich was very surprised to find out I'd never seen Thelma and Louise as it seemed like such a "me" film. Finally I got round to trying it and he was absolutely right. I bloody loved it! 
#84 Eat in 10 new-to-me London restaurants 5/10 I've been very cultural this month, eating Korean in Bibimbap and Austrian in Kipferl, which now takes me halfway through my goal. Where should I try next?

101 in 1001 XXX

Last month, I didn't write a 101 in 1001 update purely because I achieved absolutely nothing. Ok, that's a lie. I watched a couple of films and read four books but ticking off two goals hardly makes for an interesting post! Instead, I thought I'd roll it over to this month since I knew I had a lot planned and could write a meatier update.

#22 Visit Salzburg

Yay! I returned to the city that has my heart! I spent five nights in Salzburg- completely alone, FYI- and it was absolutely wonderful. I've got a huge amount of posts coming soon and I'm going to be returning for the Christmas markets in December.

101 in 1001 XXIX

Sometimes, I regret not being a little more vague with my goals when I set them. In June, I freaking went to Amsterdam but, as this wasn't one of my 101 in 1001 targets, it counts for nothing. I can have the most jam-packed month ever, like this past one, and yet achieve hardly any of my goals. Memo to self: Make the next ones a bit more generic! 
#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 20/50 Rich recommended Eddie the Eagle to me. Although I don't watch many films, I tend to like British-made, feel-good films based on the true story of an underdog overcoming diversity. It's pretty niche, I admit, but it's my thing. He knows me well as this was right up my street! 
#61 See 5 shows 6/5 Marie and I had a great time at The Rocky Horror Show! 

101 in 1001 XXVIII

It's not really come as a surprise to me that I didn't achieve as many of my 101 in 1001 goals as I did last month. In April, I went to Austria, Manchester, Oxford, went to the theatre- twice- and generally had a gay ol' time. In May, I pretty much sat on the sofa for the entire month. Still, this does mean I got a lot of reading done so swings and roundabouts!

#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 19/50

When watching Greatest 90s Films on Channel 5, Rich was astounded by how many classics I hadn't seen. I'm just not much of a film person- in fact, the last time I watched a new was January so I'm really not a film person! However, Rich did manage to convince me to watch Groundhog Day. I also finally got round to watching Blackfish.

101 in 1001 XXVII

Wow, April has been a good month for achieving my goals! I should quit work more often...

#19 Visit Oxford Helen and I visited Oxford but it wasn't quite what we were expecting! 

101 in 1001 XXVI

I'm doing so well with my goals lately! I won't be able to meet them all but I'm definitely achieving more than I thought I would, and still almost two years left!

#17 Visit my brother in Manchester I think we can all accept that this goal is well and truly met by now, right? I'm actually going back next week too so I can tick it off for April as well! This time, we didn't really do much so I didn't take any proper photos or have any posts to share. Instead, take a look at the gorgeous aesthetic of Selfridges cafe!

101 in 1001 XXV

I'm not entirely sure why but February has been an incredible month for meeting my targets. It's amazing what an extra day can do! 

#17 Visit my brother in Manchester It's funny because "Visit my brother in Liverpool", as he then was, was in my last 101 in 1001 for the entire 1001 days. That's nearly three years in which I didn't once venture up north to visit him. Since I learned to drive 8 months ago, I've been three times. It's amazing what driving can do! This month we hit up Junkyard Golf Club for some pop-up mini golf fun! 

101 in 1001 XXXIV

January has been an interesting month. It seems like I've barely sat down so I've got the year off to a really great start. I've also ticked off more of my goals than I anticipated!

#38 Visit an ice bar

101 in 1001 XXXIII

As you can imagine, December has been a pretty hectic month! Somehow, in between all the frantic running around, I managed to squeeze in a lot of my 101 in 1001 goals!

#61 See 5 shows 1/5
After a good couple of years of meaning to visit it, I finally got round to seeing The Book of Mormon. I took Myles and we both absolutely loved it. Hilarious! Unfortunately, it was only when I wrote this post that I realised I didn't blog about it. I did vlog it though! 

#66 See 10 exhibitions 1/10

Top of my list of exhibitions to see was The Crime Museum Uncovered and, oh man, was it amazing! 

101 in 1001 XXXII

Compared to October, November has been quite a relaxing month. It's all systems go now though as I prepare for Christmas! 
#51 Visit 10 new-to-me cemeteries (2/10) This month I visited the stunning Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol and it was one of the most interesting cemeteries I've been to.