London has finally started getting back into the New Year but it does seem everything has started rather slowly (myself included). Like nobody actually wanted the year to start, or that they weren’t sure what to do with it if it did. It, theoretically is a terrible time, with talks of the dreaded ‘double dip’ (which, I hear, is not a sherbert based sweet), some noise about unrest in the Falklands and we’re all still grumbling about banks, strikes, occupying places and anything else that happens to be less than perfect.

But then, it dawns on me, we do this EVERY year. January is always a month where we complain about the weather (or lack of it), money (well, we spent it all) and frantically look forward to the summer and holidays.

I’ve seen more adverts for holidays and ‘quick cash loans’ (modern-day loan-sharks) than should be legal. And I could complain about this, but I’m not going to. Instead, I’m going to give us all (myself included) a series of reasons to be happy, in nice little bullet points:

1. We live in the 5th most intelligent city in the world.

2. The Olympics are this year.

3. The Queen. And her Diamond Jubilee (we will at least get a street party out of this)

4. We are not in the same situation as a) Greece or b) Italy

5. We live in London!

So chin up, London. It’s only going to get better!

By Ryan Varga-Clark