It's been a bit of a funny one for me, it started well, then there was a bit of a rough bit, and it's finished rather well too.
In January it all looked so promising, I was going to finish uni and head out into the big wide world, to start work. I was dipping my toe into photography, and loving it, and Phoenix were doing well in the league. Some things carried on well, others didn't.
2011 will always be remembered by a lot of people as the year Manchester Phoenix became EPL champions. I took a lot of photos of that night, and it still gives me chills looking back at them all these months later.
I attended my first Play Off weekend, which was a fantastic experience (thank you to all those who made me feel welcome and looked out for me :) ). I'd started to go to some away games too, something I've kept up with this season too. Again, thank you to those who are kind enough to let me travel with them and share those experiences :) This means I've been to a lot of places this year that I hadn't before: Peterborough, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Guildford, Telford and Slough, I think that's all of them, anyway!
That leads nicely onto another first. I went on holiday, with my good friend Becky, for the first time. We headed out to Paphos, in Cyprus, and had a lovely week in the sun, back in October. Definitely something I'd love to do again.
There were some low points. I got chicken pox back in May time, which didn't help with university deadlines, at all. I got over it, and managed to submit everything OK. Unfortunately, I was to find out soon after, that I'd not passed some modules. So my plans changed in an instant. I'd have to come back to uni in January, to re-do some films.
A lot of things went through my mind, and I even considered, and applied for, a job as a junior photographer on a cruise ship! That would've meant being away from home for up to 8 months. I didn't get it, so I was wondering what to do with myself.
I decided to do some voluntary work, and that's how I found myself standing in one of the shops of a local charity, the Douglas Macmillan Hospice. This is where I met some wonderful people who have shared in some fun times with me, and have helped me grow as a person.
There have been other good things, like, finding someone who I really care about, and who really cares about me, and that has made the last few months wonderful.
So here's to 2012, which will see me making more films, taking more pictures, and generally being me. It's a year for defining who I am as a filmmaker, as a photographer, and it's about taking chances, going outside my comfort zone and generally pushing myself to achieve my potential.
Happy New Year everyone!
