Sophie's Diary: 2016 hasn't been a favourite as lows outweigh the highs

I remember last year sitting down to write my year in review – 2015, for me, was an incredible year and would be difficult to top.

Usually I’m quite the optimist, however, I’m struggling to look at 2016 in a largely positive manner. This year hasn’t been a favourite.

It gave me something of an indication as to the types of people human beings are becoming.

The vote to leave the EU, leaving Farage on a winning platform, was a shock to people my age, but perhaps not quite as gobsmacking as Donald Trump being elected as US president. Never had I thought the morals of humans had stooped so low but, as Charlie Brooker explained in an interview recently (Black Mirror being one of 2016’s highlights), this isn’t a fantasy: this is the world we live in.

The Orlando shootings; the Bastille Day attacks in France; the Dallas police shootings – these are only some of the horrific attacks which occurred this year.

Not so deliberate, though, were the deaths of some of the most influential people in the world: Bowie, Rickman, Ali and then the slaughter of a gorilla in America which broke hearts worldwide.

But 2016 saw Leo win his first Oscar. The first ever refugee Olympic team was created, Stranger Things gave us all 80s fever, Pokemon GO! helped us donn our walking shoes and the world tiger count rose for the first time in more than 100 years.

The negatives outweigh the positives but the highs were better than the lows.

As for me? I kept a steady job, passed first year with flying colours and took the first step in chasing a dream.

My 2016 hasn’t been the best but the highs have been pretty damn good.