New Year's Resolutions

I know what you're thinking - Here we go with the new year, new me nonsense. Well, not this time. This time, I'm determined to keep my resolutions for the entire year and I have this idea that if I write it down, I can hold myself accountable. And what better time to better yourself than a completely new year.

1. Say no to fake and phoney people

​This resolution will probably be easy as I had already started cutting off fake people. Last year I decided that anybody who wasn't genuinely happy for me or wanted to be proactively present in my life, I had to simply cut off. I cut off a few so-called friends and relatives. It was easy to spot the fake friends and phoney relatives. They were the ones who never bothered to pick up the phone to congratulate me when I gave birth to my son. And even if perhaps they were real friends, I have learnt that certain people are in your life during different periods. Seasons change, right? I have no hard feelings, and although I still look at photos with fond memories, my life just seems so much happier.

2. Be more consistent on social media

I am lucky to have a good following on Instagram, Twitter and on this blog. However this year, I struggled to keep up with posting consistently. I had pregnancy health issues which left me bedridden then I gave birth to my son and had to take time out to adjust to a new routine. I also had post-natal health issues and spent a lot of time between my doctor, hospital and the pharmacy. This meant that I couldn't devote enough time to go on photowalks. But having gone though my camera roll, I realised that I'm one of those people who photographs everything little beauty I see around but I just don't share it. I think I fear over-sharing. So in 2017, I want to change this. I am going to post a lot more, ideally once a day on Instagram and I will blog at least once a week.

Isle of Wight sunset

Marrakech Palmerie

London girls night out

3. Visit a different art gallery every week during my maternity leave
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I'd be a fool not to take advantage of my time off work and do the things I love. With so many galleries in London and so many exhibitions every week, I know I could never finish every gallery out there. I don't just intend on visiting galleries in central London. I intend to visit north, south, east and west London too. I will of course be blogging about this experience so keep an eye out. I will tell all the good ones I find.

​4. More positive conversations in 2017
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Although 2016 brought me a son, I found myself worrying for his future because of what is going on in the world around us. Police brutality around the world.... The plastic Kardashians... Musical legends dying.... Terrorist acts all over Europe... Brexit... Trump... When will good people start winning in life? How will I teach my son about racism, about xenophobia, about prejudice? When I opened twitter or the news media, I would read about the woes of the world. When you're isolated at home nursing a newborn, the things you read start to affect you. I didn't like it. Whilst I'm happy to have a respectful political conversation with anybody, I have decided that in 2017, I will not be reading or speaking about politics. It's not that I don't care. It's just that "ignorance is bliss" and sometimes you just need that break from the world's problems.

5. Other resolutions

There are other things that I want to do this coming year. In 2016, instead of clubbing, because I was pregnant, I went to quite a few concerts. Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Brandy, Kelis, Mary J Blige - I was there for all the big names. So in 2017, I want to do more of this. Go to more concerts, more football games, more cricket games and more ballet shows. 2016 also saw me doing more road trips than I thought possible. I drove down Kent's coastline, Isle of Wight coastline, Southampton to Bournemouth and Marrakech to Fes. I was really trying to inspire people to show them that if you love travelling, you don't have to feel confined to one place. Move! You're not a tree. In 2017, I plan to do more road trips. Perhaps Iceland. Perhaps Spain. Maybe even Wales. We shall see.

Yves St Laurent garden

Whitstable rescue team

Isle of Wight sunset

Bournemouth beach huts

Dover port

Canterbury Cathedral