2014

End of 2014 is fast approaching and nothing beats an end-of-year-reflection.

Recently, specifically after moving back from Rome, I have been feeling down and this could be due to the fact that I was no longer employed by one of the biggest fashion house in the world, I am now back on the unemployed/freelance market, the weather is a little colder here than in Rome, and my future looks quite bleak. So I have been hiding away, I have not been running as much, and generally felt a little fed up with everything, while watching those around me continue to thrive and succeed in what they emerge themselves in.

However, reading this post from Bang's blog, and speaking to Miss Waite, I have decided I needed a little cheer me up and look back on what I DID manage to accomplish this year. I do feel sometimes I overlook many things, especially because they happened to me, so I don't feel it is that big of a deal… But may be they are. So here goes.

First of all, I would love to say a massive congratulation to my friends, Jen and Jen over at Stitch & Story for having an amazing year, and continue to grow. It was such a pleasure to be able to witness their determination and to be part of this. I am so honoured. Let's hope for an even better knitting year in 2015!

Then there was the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon. I didn't do the marathon, but I did do the half. And to be able to finally be part of the Bridge the Gap movement in Asia was amazing, and surprisingly intimate. It was an impromptu visit home and I am sure my parents were quite happy to see me even though it was just 6 days and I was ill for 4 of them.

This race meant a lot to me (as I have previously written in an older blog post) because this is the race my dad has participated in for a long time. Unfortunately he is a little older, so he no longer competes (well that, and he could not be bothered to spend an hour refreshing a crashed website to register due to high volume of applicants in Hong Kong, because everyone is quite famously known for blindly following whatever the trend is, true story)

Anyway, to be able to run in that race, although did not achieve a time I really wanted, was still a part of a dream come true.

And the big part of 2014 was my move to Rome, Italy. To me this felt very normal and natural, as I have been away from home since I was 10 and was always moving around (between dorm rooms, from Bristol to Hong Kong, from Bristol to London and around houses in London) so it didn't feel big. It only really hit home when I was at Gatwick Airport about to board the plane and realise I didn't know how long I would be out of the UK for and then the tears started streaming down (ok, the boyfriend being there at the airport made it worse for me too).

Luckily, the move went smoothly and pretty much everything went the way I had hoped for. I found a great flat in a great location with great people shortly. Had no problem with my phone, registering for my Codice Fiscale (kind of a national insurance number thing?) and even had the best bank manager anyone could have hoped for. Whenever I thought about Alessandro, I still thought how was that possible. (Ginny would agree with me on that).

However, the main problem I had was the language barrier, oh and I had to come back after 6 months. But let's not dwell too deep into that so I could keep this post as positive as possible.

I met some great people in Rome whom I am sure will remain my friends for a very long time. Friend I made (mind you, pretty much everyone I became friends with were all from running, funny that) were compassionate, patient, encouraging and so welcoming. Never once did I feel left out and I am so grateful for that. I knew that if I had not met them as soon as I did (landed on Sunday, met them on Monday), I would have felt a lot more lonely and wanted to come back to London more.

And how could I forget my wonderful flatmate of 3 months, Sonja! She showed me how to watch a world cup match properly with all the german etiquettes (which unfortunately I have forgotten already).

My job in Rome was amazing. It taught me so much in regards to how a fashion house operates. 

Yes, the language was a problem but because I was pretty much thrown into the deep end I had to really try to stay afloat and I think that would have been the time my brain worked its hardest in 2014. Not to brag, but I was able to pick up most things at a meeting with all other design teams and the creative directors by the time I was in the company for 3 weeks. I wanted to sleep immediately after that because I was so drained, but it was fun and challenging and stimulating. Definitely a skill I do not want to lose now that I have moved back to an english speaking country.

Then there was #ChaseSummer, which, was fun and still a bit annoyed we didn't win anything, but we were the only crew in Italy that made it into the top 5 in both Running and NTC categories. That was quite a very challenging month. Running the most I have in a very long time, and proving to myself that I do have enough motivation to do a 2 hours or 3 hours NTC workout by myself! Insane, I know.

Oh, my wisdom teeth removal! Yes, normally this is classed as a negative thing, but for me it was quite a positive experience! I have been one of those lucky souls who since I was young, even if I missed a few nights of teeth brushing I never really had any problems and never had any work done inside my mouth. But this hole on the side of my wisdom tooth was really bugging me, as I often strain my tongue trying to twist it and see if I have any food debris left inside the hole. Slowly, becoming paranoid it's going to eat away my tooth, I had to go to a dentist to get it removed. Turns out, that hole was there before my tooth was fully grown anyway and it was a dead tooth, apparently. So have to get that remove. And because my bottom one has stopped growing and was covered by gum (Have I mentioned this section will be TMI?) might as well get that out too.

So, first time getting local anaesthetic, and I couldn't help but laugh once I stopped feeling my lips. It was a weird feeling and I just cannot stop laughing. My mum heard me from the waiting room. At least it wasn't screaming. Then there was the slow 90 minutes of drilling and wriggling and pulling of the teeth. Turns out, my bones are really strong (due to the amount of sports I do) and therefore making it really difficult to get the teeth out of their socket. And because the bottom roots were really close to my nerve endings, he couldn't use too much anaesthetic. So there would be moments where I was dozing off (Yes, somehow the position I was in and with the drill in my mouth I managed to doze off) and saying 'oowwwh, that kind of hurts a little.' All in all, it was good. And the dentist said it was the longest ever for him to remove the two teeth and joked by saying 'Thank god I didn't go to the gym yesterday'. He was sweating by the end. Glad I was able to be part of his daily work out.

Now the last month in Rome was quite hard. I was still working, trying to work as hard as I could for a company that I didn't know how I felt towards. Part grateful and part annoyed? But I kept working hard right until the last day and felt this was the right and the only thing I should have done.

I ran more, by myself, seeing more of Rome, and with friends, cramming in as much time spent with them as possible. Then there was the food. Trying to eat as much as possible, mainly gelato (still need to try more in London but am quite happy with the ones I have found). Then there is the headache with finding a removal company and asking for compensation from my work without overstepping my boundaries.

Alas, everything went smoothly and I am back in London. Slightly deflated but am happy to have my boyfriend and all my friends here to pick me up. And all the virtue love I receive from my family and my aunts. I am so eternally grateful for everyone that helped me.

One last thing that I would love to share is some running related facts. I finished 2013 with a great PB of 44.18 which I thought was enough for my ability. But this year, despite the lack of racing and the constant moving and stressfulness, so happy I received a new PB of 43.15. This makes me feel like I can actually may be achieve that sub 43 and get into the 42minutes zone. I am going to work hard and see where my legs take me in 2015. I do love a 10k race.

Now, onto the brighter and bigger 2015. I have set myself some goals, including running a marathon, finding a job or ways to maintain a stable incomes. Lots of projects and design ideas in my mind that I would love to be realised towards the beginning of 2015. Friends that I have made towards the end of this year that I am so grateful to have met. Friends that I have since the beginning of time and have always been there to support me whenever I felt down. Friends that I have drifted apart with but managed to grow even closer together now. Family that I have not spoken to a long time but are now speaking more than ever. And all the opportunities and chances that came along the way, because people believed in me, or felt I was capable of doing and completing.

What a long post and thanks for reading, for those that did. Have a virtually knitted scarf on me and have a happy holiday and a great new year!

C

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