The Best of 2017: My Top 10 Epic Moments

Ah! 2017 is almost over! I almost didn’t want this year to end! But alas, another year has flown by and it’s time for a new one, le 2018! I am actually crazy excited that 2018 is almost upon us, despite the fact that I’ll be one year closer to turning 30 (le shock)! But be that as it may, 2018 is only going to be another epic year, and I am readyyyyy!

But of course, surely I can’t begin a new year without first looking back at some of the best moments of 2017! After picking my brain and scrolling back through my journal app entries, I came up with a list of ten really good ones. And here they are; my top 10 epic moments of 2017!

1. My epic trips

In 2017 I got so much done and still had room in my schedule for planning and going on trips! But of course, one must always have room in one’s life for taking a trip, no? This year I went on not one, but two epic trips! The first was my birthday trip to Aruba and Curacao on a solo adventure, and the second was to New York City with friends.In Aruba, I parasailed, did a sunset cruise, ate great food, and did their version of jouvert (a pajama party!). And in Curacao, I fed ostriches, drove a car on the right side of the road, got my first ever tattoo (which I’ll talk about more next!) and scuba dived.

The Aruba and Curacao trip was also the first time I ever travelled anywhere alone. It was worth it! I had the freedom to go anywhere I wanted and do anything I wanted and not have to compromise. Sure, there were times when it got lonely, but for the most part I was busy doing fun activities and eating great food so it wasn’t so bad.

And then there was New York City. My New York trip was truly one for the ages! My friends and I stayed in Midtown East Manhattan, which was the perfect place to stay. It wasn’t my first time in New York, but it was my first time staying in Manhattan. And staying there was nothing like Brooklyn. It was the first time I really got to feel the energy and the vibe of the city. It was everything like in the movies (and Sex and the City) and more! From Broadway, to Central Park, to the Met, to drag queen bars, to the subway (yes, the awful-smelling subway), to the highline, to viewing the sunset and the NYC skyline on the water, I did it all!

It was also really great to meet up with a friend who I made in Aruba on my last night in NYC. She took us to a fancy club at the Standard called Le Bain and we were fortunate to get in that night! Speaking of fancy: there was a pool in the middle of the club, and there were people in the pool.  And the bathrooms are sooo risqué. Each bathroom has a window from ceiling to floor which faces the road. Fortunately, there is a lace curtain that covers the lower half, so your jewels won’t be exposed to the public, well, if you so choose.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of exposing oneself, it brings up a fun fact. If you happened to see the movie Shame where Michael Fassbender was having sex with that woman against the window, buck-naked for all to see, well it was the Standard where they did that. It’s a hotel that’s known for people doing that kind of thing there. Anyway, moving on!

2. My first tattoo

So back to that tattoo. Yes, there were times in Aruba and Curacao that I got lonely. I was having a lot of fun, but there were times I missed my family, my friends, and even being in a relationship. On my last night in Curacao, I decided that I needed a reminder of my awesomeness. That I could do anything I put my mind to. That I also needed something to remember Curacao with. Curacao, as I said before, was the place my dad was born, and after visiting almost fifteen years ago, I always planned on coming back. So yes, here I was in my father’s birthplace on my last night and feeling all of these feelings. And then I finally knew what I wanted for my first tattoo.

I’m so proud of this tattoo. It’s dainty, it’s inspirational, it’s meaningful. It’s also for the most part obscure. When I came back home my parents didn’t notice until maybe a week after. They certainly weren’t pleased, my mother in particular, but so what? It’s my life. I had to do a lot of reclaiming of it this year anyhow.

3. Dancing ballet and performing in a production

While I was in Curacao, I found out that there was a school in Trinidad teaching ballet to adults. Dancing ballet was something I would have liked to do when I was younger, but I thought that it was too late to do it because of my age and my weight. How glad was I to know that I was wrong about these two things!

I started the school in March and eventually enlisted one of my other friends to join me. She brought along some other girls as well. For four months, we learned ballet at an easy pace and had so much fun. But that’s not all! I even ended up performing in a production in July based on the seven days in the bible! I performed in two different pieces. Mind you, they weren’t ballet but were actually modern. But it was such a wonderful experience! I got to cross something else off the bucket list!

Sadly, I don’t have a picture of me in action, but I can tell you, it was really good 🙂

4. Modeling for the first time

Modeling had always, always been a dream of mine, but I never thought I would do it. Enter Closet Red. Closet Red is a plus-size boutique that has a fashion show once a year. One day I came across their Facebook post inviting all plus-sized women to try out for their model casting in July. And so I went. And I moved on to the model casting party. And then I got through that as well and modelled in their fashion show!

I’d really like to thank Ms. Red herself, Sonja Pollonais, for giving me the opportunity and helping me to fulfil one of my dreams. She is such an inspiration to me. She’s beautiful, successful, and a brilliant and confident young woman. Before this experience, I had never been fully confident and happy about my body. But afterwards, there was a remarkable change. I noticed that I walked with more confidence. I cared more about how I look. I felt more secure in myself. I felt like a model.

What the hell, I am a model now!

5. Speaking to students at a career day

Much thanks goes out to my aunt for the opportunity to speak at the Naparima Girls High School Career Day this year! Speaking at a career day was something I never thought I would ever get to do before. It was a privilege and an honour to share with these young ladies the expertise I had gained from six years of working in the field of Petroleum Geoscience. I even surprised myself that day when I delivered that presentation. I was so happy with the outcome. I hope they were too!

It was also wonderful to listen to the other speakers and about their fields and businesses. I was also glad to see that even one of the students of NAPS Girls was one of the speakers. She spoke about her baking and catering business. I’m glad to see that even young students are being so entrepeneurial and still able to balance their working life with their school life. Well done!

6. Producing radio jingles for big brands

I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to produce more radio jingles for Heineken this year after getting to do their UEFA Champions League jingles last year. This year, I did the UCL radio campaign again, along with their campaign for Heineken Light. I also got to produce music for the launch of the Atrium in the Piarco International Airport, and I produced a radio campaign for Dos Equis beer. Yay me! Again, I couldn’t have done this without my friend. Every time, I worry about letting him down, and that my ideas might not be good enough and then every time, I end up surprising myself. Hopefully him too! I hope I do continue to make him proud and to not let him down.

7. Starting web development

This year, I thought I was going to focus solely on developing my building my own recording studio and working from home. Instead, I shifted gears and started learning web development! There’s a long story behind why I started learning web development in the first place, but it turns out it’s something I really enjoy doing. It even gets to be quite addictive at times! It makes me feel very fulfilled, as it lets me get to nerd out and be creative at the same time! In such a short time, I’ve been able to build websites and web applications, and even a game or two! It’s been thrilling what I can do with code. I think it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life 🙂

Writing code ends up being like problem solving, almost as if I was doing a Sudoko puzzle or playing a game. I love that about it. Even though I still love producing music, I think I feel more confident about my coding abilities than my producing or mixing abilities. Imagine that! I think it’s because the output of code is more so a visual thing, while music is much more subjective and ambiguous. With code, there may be multiple answers to the same solution, but at least you know only a few are the best ways to get to the right answer!

Since I’ve started my web development journey, a few things have happened. For starters, I’ve started getting into using Twitter. I love interacting with people on Twitter who share a similar passion for web development. I’ve also been trying to find people in the local tech industry. I started doing that by joining a local WordPress meetup. I’ve since managed to find a few other web developers and web designers who are really good at what they do. Lastly, I decided to even register another business, where I’ll be providing both web development and music services, along with other things! So yes, 2017 has been quite a productive, educational and entrepeneurial year for me too!

8. My friends

2017 couldn’t have been the year it was without my friends. From doing 5Ks and yoga with them, to partying with them, to traveling with them, to even just talking to them and catching up with them, they couldn’t have made this year any more special. When I think about how I was such a shitty friend to them in the years before when I was still with my now ex, when I barely spent time with them then, I can only feel humbled and grateful that they’re still in my corner and still so supportive of me. I feel privileged and honoured to know these lovely people in my life. I love you all.

9. Starting ‘A Land Called Me’

Earlier this year, I felt the need to start blogging again. I missed writing about things and sharing them with an online audience. At first I just wanted to write about my experiences, but then I decided that my blog should be about learning lessons and sharing those lessons learned. I’m so grateful to know that people have enjoyed reading my posts. I look back at some of them and can’t believe I wrote some of those things, wishing I phrased certain ideas better, but alas. I’m learning to let go and move forward in life 🙂

10. Rediscovering myself

The best part of 2017 has been figuring out who I am again. I’m so happy to let you all know near the end of the year that I’ve found myself again! But of course, I’m not the same Rezzie I used to be before my last relationship. I’m more confident, more bold, more driven, dare I say, sexier ;), and just a bit more focused 🙂 I discovered new talents in me that I guess I knew were there but never had the courage to explore until this year. I’m so grateful to everyone who gave me the outlet to let those talents shine! And again, this couldn’t have been possible without my friends, my family, and my online therapist 🙂

2017 was just the beginning of this journey of rediscovery. 2018 will be the year that I put all that I’ve learned into action and really take off. If this year’s theme was ‘brave and bold’, next year’s theme will be, without a doubt, ‘limitless’ 🙂

Update:

I just had to include my 2017 recap video in this post. Here it is!