THIS & THAT: 2017

The End of Year

2017 is over! I am sat here on the sofa unsure whether this year flew by or lasted forever!?

We survived the first year with Trump as president, we did THAT! This year really has been jammed pack for me and I'm pretty sure I said this last year but I think I need to hibernate for 2018 to catch up on sleep. I feel like 2017 was really that bitch, like after 2016 we needed something and oh my 2017 gave us more than SOMETHING! In this post I will be talking about some of my No1 Pick's from the year and so will all 12 No1GuestBlogger's, they are all back to have their say! So without further ado, my No1 Film is...

No1 Film: Moonlight

Although originally released in 2016, this film wasn't released in the UK until this year and it also won the Oscar for best picture this year so I'm counting this as a 2017 film. It's so nice to see a member of LGBTQ+ community as the lead in a film, yes it is sadly a cis gay man but often on the rare occasions the LGBTQ+ community is represented, 99.9% of the time they are white so it is so great to see double whammy here with a BAME LGBT film! A side from some fabulous representation, it is a beautiful story and has stunning visuals. If you take anyway anything from reading this post, add Moonlight to your watch list! I would 100% recommend. There is no way this film cannot be my No1 Film of the year! It has to be one of my favourite films ever.

Other notable films this year include; Girls Trip, Get Out, Five Foot Two, Valerian and Wonder Woman. Which are all brilliant in their own ways.

No1 Album: Beautiful Trauma by P!nk

With P!nk's last album The Truth About Love not only being my favourite P!nk album but one of my all time favourite albums it was going to be hard to beat. And unfortunately she didn't but she still managed to claim my No1 Album spot this year! P!nk is still a lyrical genius after been in the game forever, honestly a legend. With almost every song on the album being pop perfection, I have narrowed down to my fav 5 songs from the album; Better Life, Beautiful Trauma, For Now, I Am Here and You Get My Love.

Other notable albums include; Melodrama by Lorde and Younger Now by Miley Cyrus. For me this year was a weak year for albums, although I enjoyed many songs this year not many albums stood out for me. But in 2018 almost all of my favourite artists are due to drop a new album so I think I will have a harder time picking my No1 album next year!

No1 Song: Agenda by Kate Nash. It was close but Agenda has to be my No1 song! This song is up and down and in and out, like it sounds like three songs put together showing how diverse Kate's talents are, this bitch can kill every genre! This song is everything I could ever want in a song, I cannot believe we were blessed with such a BOP, thank you Kate. Also you might catch me in the music video for a second (literally for a second hahaha) I had the pleasure of seeing this woman live 5 times this year. It should be the law that everyone has to see Kate Nash live, she is an incredible performer, she gives her all! She gets up and close with her fans and her vocals are insane, I love you mum.

Other notable songs include; Trigger Bang by Lily Allen ft Giggs, Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft Rihanna and Bryson Tiller, The Cure by Lady Gaga, Cigarettes & Cush by Stormzy ft Kehlani and Lily Allen, Milk & Honey by Celeste, Liability by Lorde, Bodak Yellow by Cardi B, I Am Here by P!nk, Yet Another Dig by Bob the Drag Queen ft Alaska Thunderfuck, Inspired by Miley Cyrus, Truth Hurts by Lizzo. To name just a few!

No1 Show: Yerma. For my birthday present I got tickets to see Yerma at the Young Vic starting Billie Piper which is the best theatre show I have ever seen. I am still not over how brilliant it was. If this show ever runs again it is a must see. It honestly changed my life slightly, it inspired me so much. In second place has to be Angels In America which was on the National Theatre this summer. I love that play so much.

No1 Moment: I have had a great year and so many fab moments with my friends and family, I went to 4 pride events, did many performances, went to lots of protests, amazing concerts and shows, plenty of brill moments, but my No1 moment has to be attending Lily Allen's party, celebrating her 32nd birthday and her label, Bank Holiday Records! Like can you actually believe I went to Lily Allen's party!? It was such a brilliant night and so great to see one of my favourite people again, that woman really has changed my life. If you wanna know more about my No1 moment I made a vlog about it which you can watch HERE.

No1 Lesson’s of the Year

From January to December I shared a lesson each month that I learnt. I made a summary of all 12 and make a list of the lessons I’ve learnt this year.

1. Don't jump to conclusions.

2. Too much of anything is bad.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask and to learn.

4. It's half fate and half your own god damn fault!

5. Don’t wait, start today! Do it.

6. Love is stronger than hate.

7. You can’t judge something until you’ve done it.

8. Being rude is so not cool.

9. Alone time is important.

10. Explain it. Avoid miscommunication

11. Be organised so you can be kind to your future self.

12. We are as strong as hell.

Now over to all 12 of this year's fabulous No1GuestBlogger's for their No1 Picks of 2017.

No1GuestBlogger’s

January

Kira’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Get Out

No1 Album: Turnover - Good Nature

No1 Dog: Lennon (again, 4 years in a row, so proud)

Big changes and big chances can be scary, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for them ! If something isn’t scaring you, it isn’t pushing you. Believe you can cope with these things, and you will be able to.

To read more from Kira and to find out more about her head over to January’s post.

February

Cora’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Annabelle: Creation

No1 Album: Good For You - Aminé

No1 TV Show: One Day at a Time

The No1 moment I had this year was (I know this is quite basic and predictable) Reading festival. I had just finished GCSEs, pretty much everyone I know was there, and live music is maybe my favourite thing ever. The only regret I have was going to Wiley instead of Giggs and missing Drake’s surprise appearance, facepalm.

To read more from Cora and to find out more about her head over to February’s post.

March

Ajiana’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Wonder Woman

No1 Album: Heartbreak on a full moon

No1 Designer: Antonio Berardi

Have the courage to live a life true to yourself not the life people expect of you.

To read more from Ajiana and to find out more about her head over to March’s post.

April

Sarah’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Beauty And The Beast

No1 Album: Prisoner – Ryan Adams

No1 Book: What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah

My No 1 lesson learnt is this time last year I was feeling sorry for myself, the fun of Christmas day was over, the new year with all its resolutions was just around the corner and I had recently moved from a city I loved to be back at home jobless in the country with my parents. However this year, has been so much better than ever expected, I've started a new job that I love, have made great relationships with a variety of people and have actually made and saved a lot of money. This year I've learnt that when one door closes another opens, and just because you're not yet where you want to be, doesn’t mean you won't ever get there. Happy New Year xxx

To read more from Sarah and to find out more about her head over to April’s post.

May

India’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

No1 Song: The Architect - Paloma Faith

No1 Person(s): Sarah and Steve

Being away at university often means you’re unable to see all your favourite people from home. My favourite moments of this year have been being reunited with my wonderful friends, whether it’s back in Dorset, or at their universities. Me and Harry went up to Exeter to see Olivia for a night, and it was 24hrs of pure joy. I’m looking forward to seeing both of them at Christmas, and all my gorgeous friends to celebrate into the New Year.

To read more from India and to find out more about her head over to May’s post.

June

Dan’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Call me by your name

No1 Album: Beautiful Trauma - Pink

No1 Book: The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry

If 2017 taught me anything it is that now is the time to have a voice and to use it, much of what happened this year made me question not only the actions themselves but what it is that I’m doing in response. It seemed that everything I believe in was being threatened and those groups that I belong to were under attack, which is why having been inspired by Harry himself, this year was the year that I decided I could no longer sit back and accept that thanks to my privilege everything would be ok for me, so if I can persuade any of you to do one thing it would be to stand up and speak out. We can all be somebodies friend, together we shall always be stronger and alliances will help unite us in the fight for equality, diversity and inclusion.

To read more from Dan and to find out more about him head over to June’s post.

July

Olivia’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Get Out

No1 Album: Tell Me You Love Me - Demi Lovato

No1 Colour: Orange

My number one advice this year has definitely been to treat myself (*inner voice yells: TREAT YO SELF! *)! Sometimes things happen which are out of our control and they can either break us or strengthen us. What helps get through these tough moments is being kind to yourself and allowing yourself to make the best of a situation. In my case my number one memory this year was booking a spontaneous trip to Croatia with my sister and it was honestly the best mini holiday a girl can give herself.

To read more from Olivia and to find out more about her head over to July’s post.

August

Jamie’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Call Me By Your Name – iconic

No1 Album: The Thrill Of It All - Sam Smith

No1 Activist: Monroe Bergdorf

Something really important that I learnt this year would have to be that it’s crucial to your own integrity to notice when you’ve done something correct and right, and own that and celebrate it. Take time out, take time for yourself and celebrate yourself for the things you’re doing right, because when it then comes to other things that you’ve maybe not done correctly or are working on, it gives you that boost to know that you can do it, and how you’re the only person that sets the standards for you. <3

To read more from Jamie and to find out more about them head over to August’s post.

September

Milly’s No1Picks

No1 Film: Dunkirk No1 Album: Divide (Ed Sheeran) No1 Announcement: Prince Harry and Meghan's engagement No1 piece of advice I was given this year: Don't expect to go through something extremely difficult and be okay afterwards. Humans are not as resilient as they think. You're going to feel shit and you're going to need help. So allow yourself to be down, acknowledge how you feel and look after yourself.

To read more from Milly and to find out more about her head over to September's post.

October

Olivia’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (my man John Boyega killin' the game as always)

No1 Album: 24K Magic – Bruno Mars. Filled with bangers

No1 TV Show: Black-ish !!!!! It's so nice seeing a family like mine represented on TV

My No1 piece of advice that I would love everybody to take in 2018 is to surround yourself with people that fuel you. Friends that encourage you to express yourself, achieve your best, and improve you are the ones that bring light to your life. If people in your life are feeding your insecurities and bad habits, leave them in 2017.

To read more from Olivia and to find out more about her head over to October’s post.

November

Qezz’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Moonlight - exceptionally filmed, directed and written.

No1 Album: Its between 'CTRL' by SZA & 'GSAP' by Stormzy

No1 Performance: A Tribe Called Quest at the Grammys.

I don't have just one no1 moment of the year because 2017 has been super eventful to say the least! But I recently did my 'Best of 2017' post on my Instagram (@___qezz___) which is basically a recap & collection of all my favourite and memorable videos/pictures of my friends and I. I'm a visual person so I like to capture moments which I can later go back to reminisce about.

To read more from Qezz and to find out more about her head over to November’s post.

December

Eva’s No1 Picks

No1 Film: Paddington 2

No1 Album: Beerbongs and Bentley's – Post Malone

No1 Win: Adele winning album of the year at the Grammys

That you should appreciate university and everyone you've met since going, even if it KILLS you.. You haven't had to get a proper job yet, be thankful you still have time to learn and grow as a person before shit hits you hard xoxo

To read more from Eva and to find out more about her head over to December’s post.

That's all folks!

Firstly Big Up all 12 of my No1GuestBlogger's for making No1Blog this year! I will be back at some point in January, I have decided to ditched the monthly round up posts at the end of every month, so instead of posting once a month, some months I might post 10 times (highly unlikely) and some months I might not post at all (more likely), realistically it will be 1-3 posts a month. Change is coming because change is good, I have also run out of ideas for my unpopular opinions and most of the other features hahaha! One thing I haven't is No1GuestBloggers! There were so many of you guys that wanted to get involved with being a No1GuestBlogger but unfortunately a year only has 12 months. But I am so keen to have more guests in the new year, already got a few of you lined up! So whether you want to collaborate on a post with me, or you have a group of friends that wanna talk about a topic together or you wanna take over No1Blog solo, hit me up! If you don't already have me on social media then links are all over my site so send me a message! But for now, thank you all for reading No1Blog this year and for all the love, it means a lot. I hope your 2017 was amazing and that 2018 is even better. Finally, Happy New Year and remember, Be Number One, Not No One xo

Photo Credits: Jerome Gapas