So judging by all other end of year synopses, it looks like I should be saying how terrible a year 2016 was. But I had a pretty good year. So there 2016.
I moved to India, that's a pretty big, exciting thing, right? Being exposed to a whole new way of life. Being based a quarter of the way round the world with access to a raft of new weekend breaks. And even ignoring the last three months of India living, I went to ten countries across five continents. Five. Who goes to five continents in a year? That's a whole heap of travel. Plus I chalked up some major league sights including two of those Modern Wonder things. Travelling highlights? Fave city was Montreal (and the croburger I ate there gets a shout for dirtiest food) - although Seville and Turin both get mentions. Place that took me furthest from my comfort zone? Hebron, easily. Nowhere else comes close. And that includes being soaked by horizontal sleet on an Antarctic beach and crossing the road in India.
Finally made it to Notting Hill Carnival (only a lot of years too late) which was maybe representative of a year when my live music highlights all tended to be DJs rather than bands. As for fave album, in the spirit of 2016 I feel I ought to go for a "You Want It Darker", or a "Black Star", or a "We've Got It From Here" but I've enjoyed "Let Them Eat Chaos" a whole heap more than any of them.
Read a fair few classic books this year (including a re-read of Catch 22 which I have occasionally said is my favourite book - turns out it's not as good as eighteen year old me thought it was - maybe I have grown up after all), none of them win my much coveted Book of the Year prize, instead it's The Call by Paedar O'Guilin which gave me a good sized dystopian YA hit.
What else? Theatre: Yerma was the best thing I'd seen in ages. Comedy: Daniel Kitson was ace (and the Noize Next Door weren't too shabby either). Immersive experience (it just about gets it's own category): The Crystal Maze.
I'll leave you to read about 2016 gloom somewhere else, I've had a pretty good year. Hashtag Smug.
I moved to India, that's a pretty big, exciting thing, right? Being exposed to a whole new way of life. Being based a quarter of the way round the world with access to a raft of new weekend breaks. And even ignoring the last three months of India living, I went to ten countries across five continents. Five. Who goes to five continents in a year? That's a whole heap of travel. Plus I chalked up some major league sights including two of those Modern Wonder things. Travelling highlights? Fave city was Montreal (and the croburger I ate there gets a shout for dirtiest food) - although Seville and Turin both get mentions. Place that took me furthest from my comfort zone? Hebron, easily. Nowhere else comes close. And that includes being soaked by horizontal sleet on an Antarctic beach and crossing the road in India.
Finally made it to Notting Hill Carnival (only a lot of years too late) which was maybe representative of a year when my live music highlights all tended to be DJs rather than bands. As for fave album, in the spirit of 2016 I feel I ought to go for a "You Want It Darker", or a "Black Star", or a "We've Got It From Here" but I've enjoyed "Let Them Eat Chaos" a whole heap more than any of them.
Read a fair few classic books this year (including a re-read of Catch 22 which I have occasionally said is my favourite book - turns out it's not as good as eighteen year old me thought it was - maybe I have grown up after all), none of them win my much coveted Book of the Year prize, instead it's The Call by Paedar O'Guilin which gave me a good sized dystopian YA hit.
What else? Theatre: Yerma was the best thing I'd seen in ages. Comedy: Daniel Kitson was ace (and the Noize Next Door weren't too shabby either). Immersive experience (it just about gets it's own category): The Crystal Maze.
I'll leave you to read about 2016 gloom somewhere else, I've had a pretty good year. Hashtag Smug.
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