My guilty pleasure of 2018 was... Watching ASMR and DIY videos. There were a few months where I would fall asleep to a video of someone eating exotic fruit. I also enjoy watching people explain things whether it's art and film, science, food, glass blowing, DIY. I think watching someone immersed and passionate with their hobbies and craft reminds me of being a kid, and asking my dad why it was called 'the milky way', and watching my mum sew. It's that or my new sex toy.
The highlight of my year was... My mum and brother came to a return run of my comedy show. Mum teared up at the end, and my brother said he didn't see his sister on stage; he saw a comedian. I also met my long-lost half siblings - I had known of them most of my life but I'd never seen or met them until March. Another highlight was having laser hair removal done on my face. I have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) and like many other sufferers, I have a hairy face. I saved up some money and had it done, and one day, I realised I wasn't self conscious about putting my hair up in a bun. I think another highlight was walking down the road with a friend and comparing walking pace. We were both walking a similar pace and we were trying to figure out what our walking pace would be if we were walking alone. Turns out she walks twice as fast as me. It was just fun feeling like a kid again, and figuring it through application.
But the lowlight was... Doing months of a comedy festival show that was deeply personal. Doing personal shows every night for months on end was a new experience for me. I don't think I realised how lonely comedy can be. As much as comedy is social, there are many times you find yourself being existential. Performing jokes to people who may or may not like you can take a toll.
One thing I did/read/watched this year that made me feel smarter was... Reading the original translation of The Arabian Nights. I found a PDF. FUN FACT: PDFs are annoying to read on a laptop and I probably need glasses now. It was interesting seeing how tales had changed considerably from the original to the children's version. The Arabian Nights was my favourite book as a kid. I'd constantly get it out from the school library. I still remember the cover. I also like watching people refine metal and explain chemical reactions. There's a YouTuber who does this. He extracts precious metals from rocks, and computer parts, crockery with gold leaf. He ground up old computer chips and extracted gold from it. I remember in chemistry our teacher talked about how it is possible to extract gold from sea water. I didn't believe her but 2018 me knows now.
