Every year has a combination of exciting events and uneventful days, but 2018 was filled with many memorable highlights. Since I didn’t document them all in detail on the blog yet, here is a summary of the most unforgettable moments of the year.
Highlight #1: Bryan Adams’ surprise appearance on the reputation tour
When I bought tickets to see Taylor Swift’s concert last December, I had no idea if she would have any surprise guests like she did on the 1989 World Tour. In August, I went to her second show in Toronto and I couldn’t believe I had a chance to see two of my favourite artists perform Summer of ’69 together. In those 5 minutes or so, I was convinced that every penny I spent on those tickets was worth it. It was unreal to see Bryan Adams and Taylor Swift onstage at the same time!
Highlight #2: I became virtually famous!
After building a presence in the Kim Kardashian game’s online communities with a digital alias, I earned a cameo in the actual game itself with my own video game character. I was able to design her physical appearance and outfit using the game’s customization options, which meant I could put her in red jeans. I’ve called myself “the girl in the red jeans” for over 5 years and this year, I was able to extend my personal brand into a popular mobile game. As Kim would say, I was so excited!
Highlight #3: Shania Twain’s Now Tour
Shania Twain has always been my favourite singer, so seeing her Now Tour at Scotiabank Arena was a highlight of the summer. No one can compete with her. I’ve intentionally cut back on taking notes at concerts so I can let myself enjoy the show without worrying about writing a review.
We had really good seats! In fact, when Shania started the show, she walked down the stairs next to us. My mom and I had aisle seats, so she was super close. And when she sat on her special swing that looked like a guitar case, she basically sang right in front of us. What a special night!
Highlight #4: Celebrating my birthday in Times Square at midnight
Even though New Year’s Eve is coming up, I feel like I already celebrated it. My mom and I went to New York in September so I could spend my birthday in my favourite city. Our hotel was in the heart of Times Square. After spending the day in New Jersey at the Grammy Museum (with a Taylor Swift exhibit) and outlet mall, I came up with the idea to stay up late and stand in Times Square at midnight. Even though bright, flashy billboards surrounded us, Times Square was peaceful and quiet, and I felt totally safe. I did my own countdown and it was really extraordinary, not to mention it was the perfect time to take pictures in Times Square!
Highlight #5: Private concert with Sam Roberts
I saw Sam Roberts Band with a friend in high school at the Danforth Music Hall and I’ve been a fan of them for a long time. So when I was invited to attend a private, acoustic concert with Sam Roberts, I jumped at the chance to go. I stood closer to Sam than any of the other guests and we made eye contact multiple times. That definitely does not happen at bigger venues. After the event, I struggled with how many pictures I took and regretted not living in the moment enough. It was such a rare opportunity. I just hope that if this is something I got to do at this age, hopefully I’ll have bigger and better opportunities down the road that I can try to appreciate more.
Highlight #6: On the news with Dragons
After attending a charity event for young professionals, I learned that CP24 recorded me talking to a couple stars from Dragons’ Den! I was on the news alongside Arlene Dickinson and Michele Romanow, which was totally candid.
Highlight #7: Met reality star Simon Huck
One of the perks of meeting famous people is that after I go home, weeks or months later, I’ll see them on TV and think, “wow, I met that person!” After meeting Kim’s friend Simon Huck in New York, he continues to appear on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. We only talked for a few minutes and it became immediately apparent to him how much I love Twitter. You can read my full recap of our meet and greet here!
Highlight #8: Going to Walt Disney World
The last 2 times I went to Disney World, I went with the intention of studying their approach to business, marketing, entertainment and customer service. However, once I’m there, I just absorb it and become a complete fan that’s impressed by everything the whole time. No feedback, just pure fun.
Next time, I’d like to revisit Hollywood Studios and track down the store that sells merchandise from The Muppets. I’d really like to own something featuring Miss Piggy, as she’s hilarious on Twitter!
Highlight #9: My birthday party
I’m not much of a partygoer, but I love planning birthday parties. This year, I hosted a girls-only brunch with some close friends. I liked that it was low-key and I had a chance to show my friends our renovations. It was all about catching up with friends in a meaningful way. Even though my friends don’t like taking pictures, as much as me, they still posed because they know I like to save photos. It was a really nice afternoon and of course there were cupcakes, as per tradition!
Highlight #10: Chatting about Lainey Lui
On International Women’s Day, my team at Glu was invited to talk about women we admire. I chose to speak about Lainey Lui. As I’ve mentioned on the blog over the years, I’ve been a big fan of hers for a long time and I’ve admired how she blogged her way to high profile jobs in Canadian media. I joked about how Lainey studied and eventually taught at Western, which is where I went to study celebrities. Considering I improvised my speech, I was pleased by how I made a lot of people in the office laugh. This made me feel good about my public speaking skills because lately I spend so much time behind a screen. I realized I had never communicated how much she has inspired me before. The best part was that a few weeks later, I ran into Lainey at an event with Fran Lebowitz and I was able to tell her about my speech in person!
I’ve started making some fun plans for next year, so I hope 2019 will have some epic moments too.