Just For Fun - What We Learned In 2018
1. It doesn't always rain in Wales
In June, we saw 8 consecutive days of weather above 28°C and the average temperature matched the hottest British summer on record at a toasty 19.9°C! In Britain, when the sun comes out, so does the Ice cream and Team Signspeed embraced the heat and our outdoor tea (and ice-cream) breaks.
- However, all good things must come to an end and sadly our tea breaks have returned to actual hot cups of tea again. Wales (of course) had its fair share of wet and windy days too, with an alphabet of storms! Freya being among a list of storms set to attack the UK this winter, not our Freya though, she’s lovely and a lot more welcome than a storm in the Signspeed office!
2. Apparently, not everyone likes emojis
A social media trend that’s grown massively over the last couple of years and a natural part of most people’s text vocabulary was turned into a film last year. This March saw 'The Emoji Movie' awarded a Golden Raspberry for the Worst Film of 2018.
3. Shredding for the environment
At Signspeed we like to pride ourselves on being green by avoiding unnecessary printing and recycling our shredded paper waste. This year saw ‘Girl with Balloon’ by Banksy sell for over a million pounds and then instantly self-destruct by shredding through the frame. Perhaps we’re doing it all wrong, shall we add shredded versions of the office’s ‘to-do lists’ to our product catalogue?
4. Unleash your inner elf!!
On 7th December, #TeamSignspeed all dressed up as elves to raise money for Alzheimer's Society! We had maple syrup cornflakes for breakfast and productivity in the workshop soared. We’re considering changing the uniform to include winkle pickers and striped tights… What do you think? The grand total raised was £390!
5. Stop hogging the ‘Phubbers’ lane
Always at the forefront of technical advancements, this year China introduced a new pedestrian lane for people on their smartphones. Can’t see this happening in Britain anytime soon but maybe we’re wrong? Perhaps people who walk slowly in the supermarket and stop in the middle of the aisle can join the phubbers with their trolleys?
6. Scrabble celebrates its 70th Birthday
Fun fact… 51-year-old Nigel Richards won the World Scrabble Championships this year with winning word ‘Groutier’ scoring him 68 points. The word describes something as sullen, bad-tempered or sulky – not like anyone at Signspeed!
7. When 5 became 4
2018 saw the announcement of a Spice Girls reunion, the big question is will Posh Spice make an appearance or not? Don’t know about you but our systems manager Sioned, is VERY excited about this and has managed to get tickets for next year!
8. The future is bright, the future is PINK!
According to research, bright pink is apparently the world’s oldest colour at approximately 1.1 billion years old. The pigments were found whilst crushing rocks found beneath the Sahara Desert, West Africa.
9. We love a bit of drama!
Along with the Signspeed team, 17.1 million people tuned in for BBC drama 'Bodyguard' every week. It was tough luck to anyone who hadn’t caught up on the previous night’s episode by Friday morning tea break!
10. Laurel or Yanny?
May this year saw everyone talking about the "Laurel vs Yanny" audio disagreement. Much like the blue vs gold dress disagreement of a few years ago, this craze seemed to appear overnight and had the whole world talking about whether they could hear Laurel or Yanny… Team Signspeed was split on the decision, what did you hear?
11. A right Royal occasion
May saw Megan, the newest member of the royal family marry Prince Harry and the nation was glued to the television for details of the big day. She has since announced she is carrying the Queens 8th great-grandchild!
12. Baby Shark do do do do do do...
Along with all the wonderful things that happen each year, there is usually a similar amount of ridiculousness too... This year saw the debut of Baby Shark, a song which whether you love it or hate it, will 100% get stuck in your head… doo doo doo doo doo doo, Baby shark, doo doo do- OH HERE WE GO…
13. Elton John Lewis
The highly anticipated John Lewis advert this year did not disappoint. Showing Elton John growing from a small boy to a man with his Christmas gift of a piano. We had our own little premiere on our tea break. Sam and Freya got a little emotional.
14. Blobby, Blobby, Blobby
Last month saw Noel Edmonds enter the ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Heeeere’ jungle. The big question everyone was wondering: would his luxury item be Mr Blobby? Sadly, he wasn’t (much to Amber’s disappointment – she’s his number 1 fan) and a week after he entered the jungle, he was the first celeb to be evicted, surprising thousands of viewers.
15. Engagement ring fail
Earlier this month, a couple got engaged in Central Park - New York but later that day, the ring slipped off the bride-to-be’s finger and down a grate in Times Square. After searching for hours to no avail, the unhappy couple gave up and had to fly home, leaving the ring behind. However, the NYPD decided to keep up the search and managed to find the ring, using the power of social media to reunite the happy couple and their ring!
16.Kardashian Babies
Not sure if anyone really cares but we’re clutching straws here to reach 18 things! This year has seen the Kardashian klan increase in size somewhat… January welcomed Kim’s third baby ‘Chicago’. February, Kylie’s first baby girl ‘Stormi’ and April, Khloe’s first baby girl ‘True’. Momager Kris Jenner now has 9 Grandchildren, keeping the Kardashian family and therefore their brand, relevant and strong.
17. Only in Canada
2018 saw the owners of 'Discovery Wildlife Park' taking one of their Kodiak Bears out for an ice-cream in American chain soft serve ‘Dairy Queen’. What next? Tigers in Mcdonalds?
18. Centenary of World War One, finishing on a positive
Here we are, at odds with Europe over Brexit negotiations but this year saw the whole nation together; recognising the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War on the 11th day of the 11th month. Let’s all work together and look forward to extended peace and better relationships across the globe as we head into 2019!
