Day 4 & 5: Happiness is Treating Yourself Every Now & Then

Good morning October! My bed’s still messed up… I’m torn between fixing it now and writing this post. So what are we missing? Day 4 and Day 5.

I’ve had quite a few “my firsts” during the past 2 days. Let’s start with my first dining experience in Little Bangkok last Thursday night. I love it! From the satisfying Thai food to the ambiance of the restaurant to the happy gay waiter that served us.  We ordered Khao Pad Sapparod and paired it with Roasted/Crispy Chicken Plate. Really good! 🙂 But what I was really excited about was the famous and much-loved Pad Thai. It’s a meal of rice noodles with meat or vegetables, stir fried in sweet tamarind sauce, and garnished with bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. I have wanted to try it for a while now and it did not disappoint me at all. T’was definitely worth the wait time.

 First Little Bangkok experience? Check.

I wouldn’t deny, it had been a “cheat weekend” for me. See that enticing and tempting California Maki? Yes, I gave in to that temptation during a lunch out yesterday! And yes, I haven’t tried them ever before. Don’t judge! 🙂 I just never attempted because I’m not really a fan of Japanese food, sorry. But I decided to try them for the first time yesterday. We had the California rolls from Sugoi at IBN Batutta Mall. I should have known they’re really good. Surprisingly, I liked it.

First Maki experience? Check.

See, you really wouldn’t know unless you try. I feel really guilty right now but hey, a little bit of indulgence after working so hard won’t hurt.

Treat yourself. You deserve it! 😉

Well, it’s time to get my a** out of my bed and start cleaning the mess around me. Plus I need to burn these thousands of calories I’ve had from pigging out. I might have to run another extra km tonight. 🙂

Day 3 of My First: The Blonde Guy in a Suit

What do you do when you are the only Asian in the room and all the others are Arabic-speaking people?

Is it a first for me? Not really. Ever since I started working in Dubai, I have been in few situations and meetings where I found myself listening to people even though I didn’t understand a thing that they said. Name it – clients and business partners who speak German, Arabic, French, Spanish and Hindi. Can it get more awkward than that? But it’s okay, it’s just one of the things you have to get used to when you’re working abroad. It felt like watching a foreign movie without subtitle!

That meeting warmed up my brain in writing this post. I missed writing about “my first” for Day 3. I was supposed to do it before going to sleep last night but my bed was such a temptation. So here I am recalling what happened yesterday…

“Approach a stranger and make small talk.”

Okay, that’s it. That’s my challenge for the day. I’ve never done that before! I was walking on my way to work and was thinking about how, when and where I could do this when I spotted him. He was walking towards me. A cute blonde guy in a suit. The perfect stranger to approach and have small talk with huh? 🙂 But sorry to say, it didn’t happen. Haha! 🙂 I realized it’s almost 9 and I couldn’t be late for work. (Excuses!!!) We smiled at each other but the small talk didn’t happen. Okay, move on!

It would have been a juicier and more exciting story if that small talk happened huh? 😉 Otherwise, I had a couple of simple “my firsts” yesterday. I tried this new Arabic yogurt for the first time (which unintentionally became my only meal for the day) and was able to fix a problem with our wireless printer in the office. That was a first. I didn’t even bother to know about wireless printers before. Oh I wish you had seen the triumphant smile in my face when I was able to make it work! 🙂

This whole thing of  “trying out something new every day” is kind of exciting. (That rhymes!)

It makes you pay attention to things you never really care about before. It makes you want to do things differently in your everyday life.

Isn’t that good? 🙂

Day 2: Abs Circuit Workout Hurts!

Yesterday’s “my first” was easy. I didn’t even have to think about it. It just happened. While today’s “my first” got me thinking since last night. My clock alarmed at 6:45 AM. After 6 hours of sleep, my brain came up with the idea that today could be a good day to try a new work- out routine. I have been reading and checking out fitness success stories of women because of the famous Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines in Instagram for quite a while now. BBG is a 12 week workout program that helps you achieve your dream body through combination of circuit trainings and cardio exercises. It’s amazing to see the beautiful body transformations of a lot of women who worked hard to complete this program. Definitely inspiring!

So I checked out Kayla’s blog and downloaded the free week of bikini body work out which is compose of circuit trainings for the legs, arms and abs. I must say it’s not for beginners. The routines were easy to follow but I found them hard to execute. Haha 🙂 And it hurts! Or maybe just because it was my first time to try them. I must say that if done properly and regularly, the routines could be really effective. It hurts but it will surely pay off. As the famous saying goes – there’s no gain without pain.

I will continue to do the circuit trainings whenever I can. Wish me luck! 😉

Oh hey, aside from trying a new work-out routine, I had an impromptu “my first” this morning. I decided to take a different way to work. I would normally take the shortcut from Dubai Marina station by passing through the parking lots of the nearby buildings to our office. Instead, I took the other way where I could see the man-made lake in the middle of Jumeirah Lake Towers and the skyscrapers in the area. It’s a nice view to see – a sight I haven’t really had the chance to appreciate until today. That’s why I walked the same path on my way home too. It took me longer and my feet hurt from walking (blame it on the high heels!) but it’s fine. The view was worth it. No pain, no gain right?

So what will be “my first” tomorrow? I’m not even done writing about this post and see how I’m already thinking about the new experience that awaits.

Goodnight from Dubai! 🙂

Day 1: My First Mozartkugels and the Start of Something New Everyday

“And suddenly you know…It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

I had a meeting today with a lovely Austrian lady named Laura. At the end of our meeting, she gave me these “Mozartkugels” or Mozart balls in English. According to Laura, they also call it “Mozartbonbon” in her hometown and is a really famous chocolate in Austria. A bit of trivia: It is made up of pistachio marzipan, nougat and dark chocolate and there are a few brands of Mozart balls out there but only this brand (Mirabell) is allowed to produce round ones.

But wait a minute! Yes, it is no doubt delicious but apart from that I love them because these Mozart balls can seriously change my life! Haha 🙂 My first bite of it was a “eureka” moment for me. While the chocolate was melting in my mouth, I had a really exciting thought – “I want to do or experience “a first of something” everyday starting today!”

It’s either Laura’s or the Mozart ball’s fault but I accepted the challenge. I don’t know how I can do that but I intend to experience something new EVERY SINGLE DAY. It doesn’t have to be monumental or life-changing, it can be as simple as eating a Mozart ball for the first time. 🙂

I was on my 10 minute break after the meeting, savoring this idea and the Mozart balls of course when I came across Lu Ann Cahn’s inspirational blog. She’s a famous, multi-awarded American journalist who chronicled a year of doing something new everyday.  She even wrote an amazing book about it called I Dare Me. She did it! And I’m excited to be able to do it too.

Viel Glück! (That’s good luck in German) 🙂