17 in 2017

What better way to kick off my first post of 2018 by looking back into the past?  I've always believed that in order to move forward, one must always look back. Celebrate it, thank it, take what you've learned from it and power on to a new beginning. This is also a fitting last post on the blog as it is. Starting next week, some pretty epic changes are happening here. 

So with that said, I'm taking a cue from literally everyone and reflecting on the 17 things in 2017 that made it what it was. The lessons, the standout moments, and every ordinary day in between. I'll always remember it as the year I was shaken to the core, woken up, pulled and stretched and squeezed into a new reality, one that's so much better. It's like things have turned stagnant and stale, and the universe gave me the biggest shake up ever. It was painful and hard and there were times when I wasn't sure if I could handle it. But I did. And the otherside is so goddamn wonderful.
 

1. Hosting Neighbourhood on TV One. Things I never thought I’d ver get to say in this lifetime, so early on in this dream: “I’m Jess Molina and this is my neighbourhood” MTV cribs style. But that’s exactly what I did last year!  It's been one of the greatest honours of my life to have been asked to host this show. Even more, to do it about my hometown in NZ. I was involved from the start and to have my words turned into a script, and spend a day filing the show while going around some of my favourite places is something I’ll never forget.
2. Being covered in fake Ash for Shortland Street. Funnily enough, my Shortland Street episode aired the same week as my Neighbourhood episode! Loved being part of the show’s 25^th anniversary and it was so much fun to get covered in fake ash and have said ash wiped off you as your scenes progressed!
3. Moving cities. A welcome change to get away from it all. It’s nice to be back in a really big city again, and a few months on, and I feel like I’m only just starting to settle in!
4. Friends who have my back. Throughout the most trying season of the year, around the time that the bullying was getting real bad and I had sought help from my legal team just to make it stop (more on this soon), I’ve been amazed at how the people around me rallied to help, to lend an ear, hugs when I was so down and broken. People who offered help in so many different ways. I look at the people in my corner – how powerful and magical they are – and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
5. ELLE FERGUSON! The ultimate dream interview for me!
6. The magic that was the 2^nd of December, when the signs were too strong to ignore and I’ve never felt that kind of magic envelope me before.
7. The year I realised I was visual AF.  I’ve always said that I wasn’t a very visual person and my strength were in words, but I feel like 2017 was the year where I was like, ‘you know what? Screw that. I am visual!’. I got rid of that limiting belief, started to enjoy taking photos more, and actually looked at my Instagram grid the other day and was surprised at how pretty the photos are. So there we go, gal. Visual AF.
8. Movies. Movies. Movies! I was such a patron of the cinema at the start of the year, going several times a week even. I love going to the movies alone, and I’m one of those people who don’t mind seeing something twice (or four times, like how mum and I watched Lion!) because there’s always something new to discover when watching something the second time around. Now that I live in Auckland, I don’t really go to the cinema that much anymore. I find the cinemas here a bit meh compared to the ones in Hamilton, TBH. They were more accessible too and they served hotdogs! LOL. This year I’m definitely making more of an effort to see films, and I’ve already got plans to watch all the Oscar nominated films in the next few weeks!
9. Writing for Kim Crossman and Thread. I’ve been wanting to write more (to write everyday, in fact) as since Blacklisted folded, I found that I haven’t been writing as much and I was so rusty at it. Loved covering NZFW for Thread this time around, as well as celebrating my fifth year of fashion weeks in NZ! I also picked up an editorial gig for Kim Crossman (one of my favourite actresses and people in the world!) and it’s been so fun having regular columns and features again!
10. Collaborations with some pretty amazing brands like Grand Mercure Auckland and Plantae Skincare! I’ve been going on solo staycations for years, and I’ve never had such an amazing suite before with a bathroom that’s just a real treat! One of my big goals for 2017 (in fact, one of the only ones I managed to do tbh) was to have better skincare routines so Plantae approaching me came at the right time and my life is so much better for it!
11. I bought my first couch! Yes, I feel like an adult. Yes, this is a normal thing for people to do. But I was so proud of getting a couch! I was so excited to move into this house, and love that I get to have my own little flat. I spent New Year’s Eve cleaning my bathroom! That’s how much I love it. Anyway, back to the couch. It’s from Ikea and it’s a lovely grey colour. I’ve only sat in it a handful of times though (like, 6) because I just haven’t been home enough! The goal this year is to use it as a proper place to hang out in rather than a place to hold laundry that needs folding.
12. Being part of the decision panel for the next 30 under 30 list. I made this list in 2015, and it was such a nice surprise to be named as one of the most influential people under 30 in a city that I love! So to be invited back to be on the decision panel was such an honour! I’m passionate about lifting each other up, and to have the opportunity to have a say on this is something I really appreciate.
13. New job, new awesome people. I’ve only been in my new role for a couple of months, but it feels like I have truly found my people. It’s hard to imagine that I existed without the people I see everyday for the first half or so of the year! I’ve welcomed so many new people in my life this year, and they have all enriched mine in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
14. Huffer after after party. That was wild. And wonderful. And will always be one of my favourite nights of Fashion Week ever!
15. The Christmas break that’s just been. The shortest one I’ve had in years but also the most restful. Spent it doing nothing. Napped, went to the movies, Hung out with my family. Just. Had. A. Break. The year was tough for us all so it was nice to have time to just chill together. We watched movies every night and ate midnight snacks!
16. Trusted in the ebb and flow of life. Realising that light cannot exist without darkness, and trusting in the balance of life was such a big learning for 2017.
17. Most of all, 2017 was the year I had crystal clear clarity on what I need to be doing. Dream so big that I’m excited to smash it and a little bit uncomfortable with how it’s all going to unfold. But unlike previous years, 2017 was the year of building rock solid faith in what’s to come. 

And with that, thank you 2017. You were my best and worst and I am grateful for both. Thank you. Thank you. 

What better way to kick off my first post of 2018 by looking back into the past?  I've always believed that in order to move forward, one must always look back. Celebrate it, thank it, take what you've learned from it and power on to a new beginning. This is also a fitting last post on the blog as it is. Starting next week, some pretty epic changes are happening here. 

So with that said, I'm taking a cue from literally everyone and reflecting on the 17 things in 2017 that made it what it was. The lessons, the standout moments, and every ordinary day in between. I'll always remember it as the year I was shaken to the core, woken up, pulled and stretched and squeezed into a new reality, one that's so much better. It's like things have turned stagnant and stale, and the universe gave me the biggest shake up ever. It was painful and hard and there were times when I wasn't sure if I could handle it. But I did. And the otherside is so goddamn wonderful.
 

1. Hosting Neighbourhood on TV One. Things I never thought I’d ver get to say in this lifetime, so early on in this dream: “I’m Jess Molina and this is my neighbourhood” MTV cribs style. But that’s exactly what I did last year!  It's been one of the greatest honours of my life to have been asked to host this show. Even more, to do it about my hometown in NZ. I was involved from the start and to have my words turned into a script, and spend a day filing the show while going around some of my favourite places is something I’ll never forget.
2. Being covered in fake Ash for Shortland Street. Funnily enough, my Shortland Street episode aired the same week as my Neighbourhood episode! Loved being part of the show’s 25^th anniversary and it was so much fun to get covered in fake ash and have said ash wiped off you as your scenes progressed!
3. Moving cities. A welcome change to get away from it all. It’s nice to be back in a really big city again, and a few months on, and I feel like I’m only just starting to settle in!
4. Friends who have my back. Throughout the most trying season of the year, around the time that the bullying was getting real bad and I had sought help from my legal team just to make it stop (more on this soon), I’ve been amazed at how the people around me rallied to help, to lend an ear, hugs when I was so down and broken. People who offered help in so many different ways. I look at the people in my corner – how powerful and magical they are – and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
5. ELLE FERGUSON! The ultimate dream interview for me!
6. The magic that was the 2^nd of December, when the signs were too strong to ignore and I’ve never felt that kind of magic envelope me before.
7. The year I realised I was visual AF.  I’ve always said that I wasn’t a very visual person and my strength were in words, but I feel like 2017 was the year where I was like, ‘you know what? Screw that. I am visual!’. I got rid of that limiting belief, started to enjoy taking photos more, and actually looked at my Instagram grid the other day and was surprised at how pretty the photos are. So there we go, gal. Visual AF.
8. Movies. Movies. Movies! I was such a patron of the cinema at the start of the year, going several times a week even. I love going to the movies alone, and I’m one of those people who don’t mind seeing something twice (or four times, like how mum and I watched Lion!) because there’s always something new to discover when watching something the second time around. Now that I live in Auckland, I don’t really go to the cinema that much anymore. I find the cinemas here a bit meh compared to the ones in Hamilton, TBH. They were more accessible too and they served hotdogs! LOL. This year I’m definitely making more of an effort to see films, and I’ve already got plans to watch all the Oscar nominated films in the next few weeks!
9. Writing for Kim Crossman and Thread. I’ve been wanting to write more (to write everyday, in fact) as since Blacklisted folded, I found that I haven’t been writing as much and I was so rusty at it. Loved covering NZFW for Thread this time around, as well as celebrating my fifth year of fashion weeks in NZ! I also picked up an editorial gig for Kim Crossman (one of my favourite actresses and people in the world!) and it’s been so fun having regular columns and features again!
10. Collaborations with some pretty amazing brands like Grand Mercure Auckland and Plantae Skincare! I’ve been going on solo staycations for years, and I’ve never had such an amazing suite before with a bathroom that’s just a real treat! One of my big goals for 2017 (in fact, one of the only ones I managed to do tbh) was to have better skincare routines so Plantae approaching me came at the right time and my life is so much better for it!
11. I bought my first couch! Yes, I feel like an adult. Yes, this is a normal thing for people to do. But I was so proud of getting a couch! I was so excited to move into this house, and love that I get to have my own little flat. I spent New Year’s Eve cleaning my bathroom! That’s how much I love it. Anyway, back to the couch. It’s from Ikea and it’s a lovely grey colour. I’ve only sat in it a handful of times though (like, 6) because I just haven’t been home enough! The goal this year is to use it as a proper place to hang out in rather than a place to hold laundry that needs folding.
12. Being part of the decision panel for the next 30 under 30 list. I made this list in 2015, and it was such a nice surprise to be named as one of the most influential people under 30 in a city that I love! So to be invited back to be on the decision panel was such an honour! I’m passionate about lifting each other up, and to have the opportunity to have a say on this is something I really appreciate.
13. New job, new awesome people. I’ve only been in my new role for a couple of months, but it feels like I have truly found my people. It’s hard to imagine that I existed without the people I see everyday for the first half or so of the year! I’ve welcomed so many new people in my life this year, and they have all enriched mine in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
14. Huffer after after party. That was wild. And wonderful. And will always be one of my favourite nights of Fashion Week ever!
15. The Christmas break that’s just been. The shortest one I’ve had in years but also the most restful. Spent it doing nothing. Napped, went to the movies, Hung out with my family. Just. Had. A. Break. The year was tough for us all so it was nice to have time to just chill together. We watched movies every night and ate midnight snacks!
16. Trusted in the ebb and flow of life. Realising that light cannot exist without darkness, and trusting in the balance of life was such a big learning for 2017.
17. Most of all, 2017 was the year I had crystal clear clarity on what I need to be doing. Dream so big that I’m excited to smash it and a little bit uncomfortable with how it’s all going to unfold. But unlike previous years, 2017 was the year of building rock solid faith in what’s to come. 

And with that, thank you 2017. You were my best and worst and I am grateful for both. Thank you. Thank you.