The worst/best of 2014

Hello from my first post of 2015!

I’ve attempted many times to write this post in my head now and I really ought to just get it out there. 2014 pretty much sucked.

This post is a lot more personal than the usual but I’ll spare you the boring details. In 2014, I struggled for the majority of the year over study, mental health and various illnesses. I cried a lot. I hid a lot. I agonised over everything. I missed some fantastic opportunities. I made some of the biggest and hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my life. And that still feels like an understatement.

Yet, I’ve come out of 2014 with a lot to be grateful for. I also achieved a whole bunch of things that I didn’t know I was capable of.

So really, this post is a list of my achievements in 2014. Things that I’m proud of. Things that make me emotional and feel good about myself. Presented here in rambling, non-logical order:

• Finally talked to a real psychologist. Several times.
• Survived over 6 months without income and no government support – experiencing true middle class poverty.
• Learnt humility. Getting help, for whatever reason, is not a sign of weakness. I am so grateful for the support from my parents and sister at my lowest.
• Created this fantastic rotation curation Twitter account – @WeAreBrisbane – because I love Brisbane and it’s people and it’s still going strong!
• Interviewed on radio, on one of the best breakfast radio shows in Brisbane (whilst the sun was still rising, an accomplishment in itself).
• Made front page headline news of Brisbane mX newspaper and also featured on news.com.au for my success in dating for charity for Five in Five.
• Made a whole bunch of new friends (through Twitter and elsewhere).
• Bleached my hair by myself – and it turned green by accident (I’ve always wanted green hair!)
• Finally created a stupid Facebook page for this blog!
• Ate at a ridiculous number of great Brisbane restaurants via PR opportunities (this still blows my mind that I have “value”).
• Had the busiest day on my blog ever for my Vietnamese coffee ice cream recipe!
• I helped organise a national food blogging conference called Eat Drink Blog with zero budget. Biggest achievement here was negotiating free flights and accommodation for an international blogger from RubbishEatRubbishGrow!
• Hosted my first ever dinner party whilst raising money for charity! A dream come true.
• Succeeded in finally growing basil on my balcony!
• Started pilates and yoga at home – and lost 6 kgs! (But gained back 4kg whilst overseas – worth it.)
• Traveled to Taiwan for the first time ever and to Singapore for the first time in two years and ate myself stupid (see above).
• Ate at 2am dessert bar in Singapore – a place I’ve wanted to go to for years now!
• I got my first first-author journal article accepted! (And published very early 2015).
• Had one of the happiest days of my life by visiting the Charlie Brown cafe in Singapore – Peanuts/Snoopy is one of my favourite things in the whole world.

I’m hoping that 2015 will be just as productive. I’m hoping that I get a job (ahem, here’s an online resume just in case about.me/kellyyyllek), I want to learn more things, find ways to help others more. Maybe even go crazy and register a domain name for this blog. Who knows?! I’m so excited for a new year of new opportunities and chances.

I’m going to post a few travel-related blog posts soon. There’s A LOT that I ate whilst in Singapore and Taiwan. Patience, friends.

Here’s to 2015, feeling good about myself and eating my way through life.