It’s strange writing a post about the past twelve months; it only feels like I just posted the one about 2023. I think this was the year that made me feel like a proper adult — partly from moving out, but mostly from my transformation into a college geek. That geekiness (and budgeting) left me not watching as many current films as I normally do. Instead, I spent most of my time reading, writing, or planning. It was a pretty good year for me, one that I took hold of, and used every stone and crevice to grab onto and lift myself.
Anyway, before I get introspective, I wanna rattle off some of my highlights of 2024:
Watching Classic Doctor Who
I started watching Classic Doctor Who in January, beginning with Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor in season 7. Whilst I barely made a dent in the series, I watched about 4 full seasons of 20 episodes, and I’m almost at the end of Pertwee’s run.
That one weekend on Twitter with Julie Ragbeer
I like to believe I had a large hand in that meme becoming as big as it did.
PopSoc & Barbie Ball
All the events with PopSoc throughout the year, particularly the quizzes I presented, were great experiences for the future and made me feel incredibly competent. I’m happy that I joined PopSoc in 2023, which has become a large part of my life. The Barbie Ball was amazing — the atmosphere was great, being a part of something that large was so fulfilling, and I will always remember that night…
Malmo Trip
Speaking of Barbie Ball, I left that ball for the Aircoach so I could catch a flight. In 2024 I went to two new countries: Denmark and Sweden. Whilst Denmark was just a day trip in Copenhagen after flying in, it was a beautiful city and I had a lot of fun walking around on 1 hour of sleep… but my poor feet were crying out in pain. Meanwhile, I spent 3 days and 2 nights in Malmo in Sweden. A group of us were visiting Keira for her birthday, and I’m glad we all got to celebrate with her over there. The foggy crispness was eerily beautiful; a few of us were staying in a renovated WWII bunker a good half hour from Keira’s student accom, so it was partially scary but wholly exciting. Every morning when we’d get up, it felt like something out of Silent Hill. I hope I get to visit again in 2025.
Themed Nights
Whether it was Bratz, Lego, ‘swag’, or my weird 20th-century America theme for my birthday, I must say I love a themed night out, and 2024 was full of them. I’m hoping for more themed nights out in 2025, though they’ll probably have to wait til after the college year!
My birthday party
My birthday itself was great. I never really do birthday parties — I get overwhelmed by invitations, but a part of me feels like nobody will show up or give a fuck about me. It’s something that always lingers over my head; that when push comes to shove, the love I give out will come back to publicly slap me in the face and leave me alone to be laughed at. But my birthday went well, and having so many people who care about me show up meant the world to me. I definitely showed it too, as I become a bit of a lover when I drink, and boy did I drink!
Moving Out
Moving in with Vene and living in town properly was the best decision I’ve made in a while. Even though I’ve spent the better half of a month away from that house and instead living with my parents (for reasons revolving around health and a crippling inability to care for myself), it is such a refreshing feeling to have a room that is paid for by myself, without having to worry about bus times messing with your plans or leaving you stranded and dependant on taxis. I will need to develop a better routine over the next year with grocery shopping, however, as there have been way too many days I accidentally fell into the disordered behaviour I exhibited as a teenager, but I’m working on it!
The Interviews I’ve Done
The first was a radio interview with Caspar Lee for PopSoc, which was exhilarating and so much fun. I felt like such a professional, and Ailbhe and I worked well as hosts! The second one was an interview with Oran ‘Aurelio’ O'Reilly for the Motley Magazine, and I am proud of that one. Oran is such a lovely guy and someone who I’d consider a friend now considering the amount of Housewives related shit we send to each other. I’m looking forward to doing more interviews in the coming year; it’s something I’m really getting into, and I have one or two lined up already!!
Motley & Etc. Magazines
In 2023 I had two articles published in the Motley, and in early 2024 I was a contributor to the PopSoc magazine ‘Etc’. This semester, I became the fashion editor of the Motley and the Creative Director of Etc. Between organizing photoshoots for the Motley and Etc, and the articles and editing I’ve been doing, I feel like it’s the start of a promising career!! While the aforementioned interviews were in Etc. Issue 1 and Motley’s ‘Mind’ Issue respectively, I also contributed a transcription of the Chappell Roan VIP Q&A which I attended. I have a lot of plans for both magazines in the coming year, and hopefully, it all comes to fruition!!!
Collage of 2024
Here’s some photos of mine throughout the year, as a cute memory capsule.
My Favourites of 2024
This section will be a list of my favourite albums, EPs, and songs of 2024, and a ranking of every 2024 film I watched. I was intending to include a review of every book I read, but I fear that would be way too long. Instead, that will be a separate post in the next few weeks!! (BTW: There is no method to the madness of how I placed these albums + EPs + songs, just where I placed them!)
Albums:
Brat - Charli XCX
Here in the Pitch - Jessica Pratt
My Light, My Destroyer - Cassandra Jenkins
Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay
Britpop - A. G. Cook
What a Devastating Turn of Events - Rachel Chinouriri
Songs of a Lost World - The Cure
GNX - Kendrick Lamar
Patterns in Repeat - Laura Marling
Charm - Clairo
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - Billie Eilish
13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips - Xiu Xiu
Diamond Jubilee - Cindy Lee
Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii
Chromakopia - Tyler, The Creator
Desire: Everasking Edition - Caroline Polachek
Short n’ Sweet - Sabrina Carpenter
SOS Deluxe: LANA - SZA
Bright Future - Adrianne Lenker
EPs:
Heat - Tove Lo
Sable, - Bon Iver
Tender The Spark - Cecile Believe
Club Shy - Shygirl
Sophcore - Moses Sumney
Singles / Songs:
Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan
Girl, so confusing (feat. Lorde) - Charli XCX
YAYA - Beyonce
Alter Ego - Doechii
Diet Pepsi - Addison Rae
Sympathy is a knife - Charli XCX
Angel of My Dreams - JADE
Tiny Moves - Bleachers
Juna - Clairo
Endsong - The Cure
Life Is - Jessica Pratt
Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar
Coma - Caroline Polachek
Lucifer - A. G. Cook
BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish
Scorsese Baby Daddy - SZA
Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter
S P E Y S I D E - Bon Iver
All I Ever Asked - Rachel Chinouriri (actually from 2022 but sh)
The Bolter - Taylor Swift
NISSAN ALTIMA - Doechii
Veneficium - Xiu Xiu
Cry For Me - Magdalena Bay
Let me go OH OH - Tove Lo
BODYGUARD - Beyonce
Sadness is a Gift - Adrianne Lenker
That’s So True - Gracie Abrams
we can’t be friends - Ariana Grande
Eusexua - FKA Twigs
Kitchen - SZA
Punish - Ethel Cain
Clams Casino - Cassandra Jenkins
luther (with sza) - Kendrick Lamar
2024 Movie Ranking:
Anora
The Substance
Alien: Romulus
Late Night With The Devil
Longlegs
Nosferatu — expect a review post of it soon, I have a lot of feelings
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
V/H/S: Beyond
Trap
This Time Next Year
The Strangers: Chapter 1
If you’re interested in my opinion of any album, EP, song, or movie… Leave a comment below!!
An Introspective Look At My 2024
I’m not much of a spiritual or superstitious person, but I feel that I’ve been developing a bit of a belief in ‘fate’, especially with New Years’; I spent New Years’ Eve 2019 alone and depressed, binge-watching Peep Show — Covid Lockdowns and worldwide tv binging happened. New Years’ Eve 2022 I was alone and physically sick with mono + tonsillitis — I spent the year with chronic tonsillitis and horrible trouble with the removal of them, and I struggled mentally a lot in 2023. New Years’ Eve 2023 was spent with friends, and in particular a lot of friends who I had a strained relationship from the mess of the previous year. The next 12 months was a year of new friends, the strengthening of friendships, and reconciliation with people I had fallen out with; I put myself out there but also focused on myself and what was beneficial for me, and with that I think I’m in a fabulous position.
Another thing I started to see mystically was a situation in 2023 that shook my life up and had me reeling and recovering for the next year. It’s something I’m not gonna talk about in-depth, as it’s personal and is not my business to be airing out publicly, but it really hurt me. It actually ruined my life for a bit — my uncle died, I had a haemorrhage in my throat that had me rushed into hospital to close up, and even then, this ‘situation’ was the one that affected me the most. Anyway, the reason I’m talking about it is not to mope or be melodramatic, but it’s because while it was happening, and I thought my life was over, I had this deep feeling that it happened for a reason. At first, I thought “This happened because I’m a bad person and I’m too unwell to be around people” which was not it, I was just going through a lot physically and emotionally to be constantly out socially. Later I thought, “This was a sign for me to remove myself from certain friendships and situations”, which was not it, though it did teach me that I really enjoy solitude sometimes, and how to develop boundaries with friends that strengthen those relationships. Now that it’s been a year and a half, and the fallout has been cleaned up, I think that it did happen for a reason, and that reason was so that I could be where I am now. If what happened didn’t happen, I would not have travelled by myself, I wouldn’t have taken time offline, and I wouldn’t have become as close with certain people in my life. I would have repeated essays in the summer, and gone straight into Final Year. I would have never joined PopSoc or the Motley and had all the experiences I’ve had. Most importantly, I would not have become as passionate about writing as I am now. When I was sitting in bed at home, after the week of 4 am pain and hospital room loneliness, when all I could do was think and cry, I ordered an array of books online. One of these was a book that I had been meaning to read since I was 17 but never did. This book was Closer by Dennis Cooper. I have never read a book that was so harrowing and uncomfortable, yet so felt like it looked into my soul and my life. Throughout the months and years since April 2023, I’ve read almost all of Cooper’s novels, made his work the focus of my dissertation, and have been in contact with him for the past three months. In fact, I’ve sent him my work, which he has enthusiastically complimented, and in less than a week, I will be meeting up with him in Paris! Without all that happened, and what had felt like one of the worst moments in my life, I would not be where I am today. I would not be as confident, as content, and as passionate as I am. And for that, I feel indebted to all that pain that I thought was going to kill me.
I know that last year was a hard year for many people, especially a lot of people close to me. They’ve gone through so much in these past 12 months. But I hope they know that time will heal those wounds, and someday in the future, what once kept you up at night with tears will be something you can see as an important step in the path of your life. And to those people, I hope that 2025 bandages you and treats you well.
Stephen <3
I had never heard of Magdalena Bay before that album came out but yes it was so good!! So cohesive and interesting <3