Hi Pubski, long time no see.

Since last time, I went back to see my family and celebrate Christmas. I hadn't seen my aunt, uncle and cousin in a while as they live in Australia but they are moving to the UK this year.

Then I went to Florence with some friends from school. It's such a beautiful city, we ate lots of Italian food and looked at old buildings and art (the Uffizi is a must-see). I enjoyed trying to speak the language having never learned it before, even if the people at the cafe/restaurant then put on a concerned face and replied in English. It's so satisfying when I get it right. Earlier this month I also went to Vienna and being able to get directions and understand people talk in German was such a strange feeling...

Due to various financial hacks (staying at friends houses, budget airline travel, accidentally stockpiling my leave by not taking any breaks for half a year) I have been able to go on four holidays in the last four months. I know this is a disgusting first world problem but I'm starting to wonder if I'm spreading myself a bit thin. I really enjoyed the last holiday to Florence because of the beautiful environment, food and company but I couldn't help thinking that I would have got more out of it if I had properly made the effort to learn about the city beforehand. I don't really know anything about the Medicis, or the Renaissance or classical Greek/Roman art. Some of the people I was with had studied the Classics in university and so were able to explain things to me but this doesn't seem totally right. It doesn't seem right for me to have all this opportunity to see the world and squander it by just appreciating things in the most superficial way. This has been nagging me for a while now.

I think that this year I should perhaps take some of the time off that I have been allocated to slow down and explore where I currently live. Or take fewer holidays. I live in London and while it has its fair share of annoyances (expensive, loud, busy) it also has a rich history, many public spaces and institutions, one of the most diverse populations out of any city in the world, etc. Hopefully I can share that with you. Hubski makes me want to do that.

Oh and on New Year's Eve I got drunk