Bali, Boozing and Broken Resolutions : 2015 to 2016...

Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and in the blink of an eye I find myself at the end of December, wondering how 2015 has managed to fly by so fast. This year has felt the shortest of my life. London is a rat-race, and my work has pulled me in - jumping from job to job - great I know, but leaving little time to reflect on anything. Let alone keep up to date with this blog. (apologies blog).

I took time out of the rat-race in August. I'd been working 12 hour days, had just come back from Ibiza and felt as if my head was about the explode. Only in part due to the Ibiza fun with 7 other girls ;) I flew to Ubud, Bali to stay for a month by myself. There I gave up alcohol, meditated, took up Pilates, read mountains of books, climbed real mountains, took myself off all social media and all in all just got myself back to feeling well in mind, body and spirit. And I actually felt like that. Until I flew back into London on the Friday, and found myself out on the Saturday night.

And I had great plans for the new me - I really did. I bought a Pilates Mat to get up and use at 6am each day. Warning my housemate that when he was ironing his shirt every morning, I too would be there; practicing Pilates. Two months on he commented how he'd not seen me once.

I quickly got sucked into the late nights again, the long hours at work and treating my body as the complete opposite to a temple. And then after an exhausting stint of shoots, I decided to take December off work so I could catch up with all my friends, attend every Christmas party possible, and well, just have a grand old time here in London. Subsequently my bank balance is a lot lighter, my waist line is a lot heavier, and I'm signing up to 'dry January'. With eagerness. Going out every evening in December has definitely taken its toll, my liver needs a break, and I wouldn't mind being able to do up my jeans again. But hell its been fun.

2016 excites me already. I have plans for Sri Lanka, India, Cuba, and Glastonbury. This is the first time I've ever managed to get a Glastonbury ticket and I'm so excited. My boyfriend was rather less enthused however at my proclamation that I will need two tents - one for sleeping, and one for my wardrobe. I mean it makes perfect sense to me - who wants glitter all over their pillow?! So far he's definitely said no to the idea of a clothes rail coming...

Last New Years Eve I brought it in in Sao Paulo, and the rest of the year has been absolutely incredible. I traveled Brazil by myself, danced in Rio Carnival and won it with my Samba school, moved from South London to East London, threw a festival just outside Paris for my best friend, watched two of my best friends get married, was a bridesmaid for one, spent sleepless nights in Ibiza with 7 girls, ran away to Bali to find my inner-self, found my inner-self in more East London drinking establishments then I can count, broke / lost / drowned 5 phones this year, got 2 more tattoos, shot 12 TV commercials, lost numerous important belongings and dignity, and did all of this while having some absolutely lovely people come into my life who I cant imagine not being there.

New Years Eve will be brought in on a London rooftop watching the fireworks. English weather prevailing that is...

Happy New Year everyone, eat, drink and be very merry!

And bring on 2016!

Emily x

Copious amounts of cakes, commercials and hens : life after Rio...

So I've had my feet back on London soil for a grand total of three and a half months now since Brazil. The 'real' tans firmly faded, the four fillings I needed from Caipriniha overdoses have finally been completed, and my Rio Carnival Costume has safely made it's way across the ocean to reside in my mum's garage.



I've found myself working non-stop on my return from Brazil. Terribly lucky as a freelancer, and terribly needed, as the bank-of-Dad required quite a payback after one's abundance on their travels! I've taken this week off, as a long needed break (and I can already see my sisters eyes rolling at this comment - 'you've worked for three months Emily, big deal welcome to the world of a normal worker!') as it's my Birthday week, and I figured I'd be comatosed by Prosecco and cake for days. (I have been).



I've turned the ripe old age of 28, which means every time I get ID'd (twice this month...just saying) it becomes some sort of youth affirming celebration. And obviously I text all my friends with the great news sporting the hashtag #stillgotit.



But turning 28 hasn't actually been that scary. Infact, its been rather delightful. With age comes I guess more wisdom, (yes, obviously still waiting for mine) but it also can't help but make you realize what matters most in life... good friends, and good honest people. To be surrounded by that is pretty much all anyone can hope for, and right now I feel lucky enough to have that. Plus, I also got five birthday cakes made by five amazing friends which spelt out my name. (So quite truly...what more could I hope for in life?!). Whilst others may dream of seeing their name in lights, seeing mine in cake was always more of a goal...


Breaking up nicely the last three-and-a-half months back in England, I've been away twice to France on two different hen-do's. One I organized (as a bridesmaid), and one I didn't. I have to say in organizing my best friend's surprise hen-do the pressure really got to me (organizing large scale commercial shoots are a doddle in comparison!), and if anyone is in line to become a future Bridezilla I think its safe to say I'm at the front of the que. One hen task I happily took upon was to arrange an Easter Egg hunt for the girls on Easter day... and obviously the Easter eggs had to be bought three times over before they even made it into my suitcase for Paris. 



The other hen, I had no part in the organization (phew!) so just paid my money and turned up where I was told to. Or, well, almost did. For some reason I believed the Hen was in taking place Cannes. No-one had thought to correct me that it was infact in Nice, and the bride-to-be only panicked when she saw my Instagram post whilst boarding the plane in London declaring "Cannes I'm coming for you". Alarm bells ring to her as she has this vision of me getting out at Nice airport in my over-sized hat and heels and dramatically declaring to the nearest taxi 'TAKE ME TO CANNES'. Which was infact exactly what I was planning on doing. So once switching my phone off from flight-mode I received a mass of redirection messages, and bashfully took myself to Nice. Thank god the airport for Cannes is Nice airport... otherwise it would have been a slightly more costly and disastrous mistake...

Aside from getting lost in other countries, I'm getting lost in the enchanting ideas of how to spend this summer in London. The city comes alive, and in the warm summer nights it truly is my favorite place to float around. A little project titled '85 Days of Summer' means that a whole-big glorious London bucket-list is in line to get ticked off this year.

July brings two weddings. Remembering to pack my bridesmaid dress to take to Yorkshire for my best friends wedding is something that is worrying me quite a lot, if past scattiness is anything to go by. It's never good when you wake up after a heavy bank-holiday-weekend and feel as though your missing something, to realize sickeningly that somewhere along the pubs you visited last night after you were handed your Bridesmaid dress you no longer have it. And when you raise your eyebrows in shock at this, the feeling of pain also reminds you, that yes, you managed to face-plant a lit cigarette last night too. 



Since the last blog post my little sister ran the Brighton Marathon, one of my best friends completed the Three Peaks Challenge, and I've managed to successfully get a refund from McVities about some burnt chocolate digestives. Whilst my achievement may pale slightly in comparison, hey it's all baby steps. Plus if I don't stand up for our basic human right to get an edible biscuit, well, we may aswell not bother having a democratic society. And I'm all about the politics now I took the Guardian Internet Quiz the night before the General Election to tell me which party I should vote for. 



I'm moving back East, I have a new tattoo and I've booked to go to Ibiza... life is feeling pretty bad-ass right now. Next thing you know I'll be riding a Boris Bike without a helmet. 

Turning 28 is hopefully turning over another incredible year ahead, with filled with good friends, big travels and plenty more cake. (Oh and mum, don't panic, I'll wear a helmet really).

Happy Summer everyone!

Emily x