Grateful and appreciation

Be cool. Be grateful.

Simple MindsIt’s simple. I love my weekends and what better way to start it than by attending a concert with my friend? Simple Minds were playing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Wow! The stadium was packed, the band put on a great show and we were just soaking up the fun surrounding us.

As I looked at the stars during one song, I realised again how lucky I am. It’s late January and we were outside (I admit the 21C/70F did feel cold though). It was a Thursday night, last day of our working week, and we were being entertained by a fabulous band from my childhood. I was spending the evening with one of my closest friends. I was simply grateful for what life gave me.

Gratitude which is defined as “being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.” can be such a cool thing. What are you grateful for?

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Me time – Take care of yourself and just breathe

Christmas BeachThe festive season is almost over and the long weekend seems to be months away. It was such a wonderful time celebrating with my loved ones on the beach. But then, I was shocked seeing a Facebook post about my cousin in the US. She was hospitalised – suspected stroke! While she’s better and at now home now, it was terrible news.

It made me realise how important spending time with our loved ones really is. We’d expect something to happen to our parents, not to our cousins and friends.

We’re all so busy wrapping up outstanding projects at work, finalising that sale before year end, preparing for the Holidays, rushing from one party to another, getting the nails done and so on. There’s hardly any time for us to just breathe. Even at the hairdresser’s, it’s writing down what needs to be done next.

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Wrap up the year

Year End PartyThe last few weeks of a year always seem to be a mad rush. Last week, we had our company year end party which was such a great laugh. In less than 2 weeks, we’ll celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Christmas. For a lot of expats in Dubai, this will be time to travel to their home countries and many are also thinking how and where to spend New Year’s Eve. I’m so happy that all this is sorted and I’ve some peace of mind!

Yet, as we’re getting ready to celebrate, it’s also time to wrap up 2015. Nowadays, year end is almost forgotten and few people only use it to reflect. Instead, we’re already focusing on the next year. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s finish this year first. Here’s a list of activities to wrap up in 2015:

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Be kind

Travelling to Hong Kong, I wanted to write about overcommitment and instead watched the film “Batkid Begins”. If you’re like me, you may not have heard about the film but I bet you’ve heard about the story. Miles, a 5-year-old boy defying leukaemia, was fortunate to be granted his wish by the Make A Wish Foundation: he wanted to be Batman! San Francisco became Gotham City in 2013 and thousands of people saw this little boy fight evil. Such an uplifting and touching documentary!

If one little boy had the power to make all these adults happy, what power would two, fifteen or hundreds of children have to make this world a better place? Over the last 2 weeks, we’ve seen too many bloody attacks across the globe. People were shocked, intimidated, yet determined to not give up and continue living their lives. What if there are small steps to improve our surroundings?

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Unplug

This weekend, my friend from London was visiting and we were enjoying the beautiful weather in Dubai. Laying at the beach, soaking in the sun, relaxing, it was gorgeous! As I was looking around, I realised how much I love these moments of peace, quiet and sunshine.

I also noticed how well my friend did without her phone. Fair enough, she didn’t have data roaming and free wifi was not always available. Still, seeing her carrying on a normal face-to-face conversation without looking at her phone every 2 minutes was almost a new thing for Dubai.

It made me look back at a previous holiday where my work phone didn’t have reception. While it was only a short break, it was a very uncomfortable feeling for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m easily replaceable, or so I think. My colleagues thought differently and relaxation was gone once I saw the number of emails in my inbox. For me, this holiday showed me that I can unplug and live without my phone after all!

When was the last time that you stopped being connected 24/7? 

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Start your day the night before

Do you know this scenario: You feel like you’ve just woken up yet it’s already time to rush out of the door? Do you ask yourself where the morning has just gone? So often, we seem to forget that the next day actually starts the night before. What can you do to prepare for a stress-free morning? Here are 7 tips which will help you to plan ahead and relax:

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Summer’s coming – Get ready for the heat

Arriving sleep deprived to a brunch in Dubai is never a good thing. Learning at the entrance that our table is booked outside on the terrace was quite the surprise. The biggest realisation and shock though was that summer is approaching. Fast!

For us in the Middle East, we’ll also observe Ramadan which is expected to be from 18 June until 17 July. This and the heat will impact our activities and it’s time to organise your social and outdoor activities.

Get ahead of the game and get your calendar out. What do you want to do before it gets too hot and Ramadan starts?

Here are some suggestions:

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