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) 🙂

As the Seasons Change

“For what it’s worth: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and, if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”  – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Season had changed here in Dubai. Two days ago, there was a really strong sandstorm which apparently was a sign that winter’s over and summer is here. Sun is shining brightly outside as I write this…

Ironically, I decided to start this blog two days ago as I looked out the window and watched the dusty wind gusts move through because of the sandstorm. The sky looked different and there was almost zero visibility. It’s as if Dubai was trapped underneath a massive cloud cover. It was a gloomy sight to witness but for an unknown reason, it had the opposite effect on me. For me, it was a sign – a reminder that bright sunny days are coming!

Have you ever woke up one day and felt this strong urge to do something? It’s as if you went into some sort of journey to self-discovery while you were fast asleep and then you woke up suddenly knowing what you’ve wanted to do with your life all along – that kind of exciting feeling! I hope you know what I mean. 🙂

Thing is, I’ve been in Dubai for half a year now but whenever people ask me if I like it, my response would always be a plain “It’s okay.” It’s not that I hate it, it’s just that I’m not in love with it. To be honest, Dubai and I started on the wrong foot. It’s like going on a first date: I was really excited to meet Dubai for the first time but then the date did not go well so the spark wore off and I decided to stop getting to know more about Dubai. I guess, it made a not so good first impression on me because my first few experiences were hard and challenging. All this time, I let these bad experiences affect the way I see this place and I take for granted the good things that are happening and can still happen to me in this new city. Hence, I woke up one “sandstormy” day and realized that I want to give Dubai another chance as it gives me my own too. Who knows, I might end up loving it.

For the first time in the last 6 months that I was here, I feel genuinely excited. I remember talking to a good friend yesterday and he mentioned about this list of top ten things to do in Dubai then he started asking if I’ve ever tried doing them. Out of ten, I think I’ve only said yes to two. Can you believe that? I can’t help but feel sorry for myself. What have I been doing all this time?!? Oh poor me… it’s time to change that! Now… I am excited to try new things, explore new places, eat cuisines I’ve never tried before, get out there, meet new people and open up!

It’s never too late… You knew I would say that but admit it, it’s true. I guess, I just want to share this realization that you can do whatever you can with what you have, wherever you are right now. It took me 6 months and a heartbreak! (A heartbreak? – yes, you read that right but let’s skip that for now) 😉  I would like to think that what happened was I came to Dubai wearing my glass slippers but I’ve taken the wrong road, got lost in the desert, left my glass slippers behind because it was too hard to walk on them and continued moving without knowing where I was going. But after deciding to stop, that’s when I realized I badly need to maneuver and turn around back to where I left my glass slippers – only this time, enjoying the ride.

P.S.

It’s never too late for you too. Don’t wait until 6 months or even a heartbreak before you do what you’ve always wanted to do. Let’s do this!