Fire and Ice

I have often said I much prefer being too hot than too cold. My theory is that I can get rid of hot in various ways, but not get rid of cold. So it goes without saying that warm, sunny days are precious to me, especially since I moved to the UK , where the most common weather conditions are cold and dark. Summer is all-too brief in the UK , with perhaps two months that have the possibility of ‘nice’ weather (i.e. sunny and warm) but rarely is the weather good for anything longer than a week or so. Things quickly revert to the more usual conditions of cool and cloudy, if not actually cold and raining. So for someone like me, that really doesn’t enjoy cold days, the very few nice days are something to cherish, to make the most of, to really enjoy to the max… except that these same warm and sunny days are also the days that bring out my hayfever. AH isn’t that a kick in the teeth?! So basically I suffer so much on these gorgeous days that sometimes I find mys...

As I’ve told you, I kinda liked Dubai because the city is bonkers, the weather is nice and it was a nice place to spend a few nights. I also briefly mentioned that I had to get a visa for Dubai and glossed over the detail because I was willing to let that one slip… I hold a Mexican passport (YES, even after all this time) and this document certifies me as a Mexican citizen and general undesirable in most countries in the world. Yeah, that’s right – but it’s ok, I have grown used to being treated like dirt (or, when I’m lucky, just merely ignored) so I wasn’t surprised when I learned that I’d need a visa for Dubai. The Dubai visa system is a little different from others I’ve experienced: it mainly requires for someone to sponsor me for my visit – luckily this can be done by the hotel you’re staying in. So once the hotel is booked, they send over a bunch of documents that need to be filled and a list of requirements. I dutifully filled out the form and sent copies of my pass...

Today is the 5 th of May* – an important day. Actually, more of a milestone. In exactly four months’ time I will be lining up with thousands of my friends to run the Disneyland Half Marathon . I signed up for this a while ago and since then, to be honest, I’ve been dabbling with the training . I had plenty of excuses: “it’s snowing”, “I’m sick”, “I hurt my knee, need to rest it”… and so on. In the last month or so I have actually started following a training plan and most of the time I do the runs I’m supposed to be doing. But now that the race is only four months away, the training needs to become serious: no more dropping out mid-run because I’m bored, no more skipping runs because I can’t be bothered… mileage needs to start increasing, long runs become longer and short runs become faster. I need to start planning my fueling strategy, need to start running with the gear I am planning to use and need to start putting together a killer playlist. The fundraising needs to get star...

This is pretty cool... (view the animation here) A bit of fun but also part of my U101 Design Thinking course. Even though I am struggling to keep up, I am really enjoying the discovery process and also finding cool little toys like this one!

I wandered around, getting lost a few times… this shopping center sure is big! I popped into H&M and bought a lovely new top, then into Next and Debenhams just to check things out. Eventually I got a bit weary and headed for Starbucks and a Dulce de Leche Frappuccino (my favourite!) and walked out of the mall and into the bright sunshine: when straight ahead of me I suddenly noticed this simply enormous building: Yup, I was in Dubai . I had only arrived that morning but already I was having a look around what is supposedly the world’s biggest mall: Dubai Mall . Besides the usual UK high street brands and popular US shops they also have a bunch of real high-end designer shops and even some more Middle Eastern shops along with hundreds of others… the place sure feels big. And extremely clean, flashy, upmarket and opulent. Pretty much like the rest of Dubai . Our trip was sudden but it had been in the cards for a while. It really was a business trip for my DH and he’d been...

My story is on another blog ! You all probably already know most of the story but what do you think?? Like the photos? Incidentally, I'll be back on the blog soon as I have adventures in Dubai to share... watch this space!

Let's play this game again : here's a recent photo of Jessica (aged 1): And here is one of me, roughly the same age: So who does she look like now? Shall we consider this game over?