Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Publication: Dubai

Showing posts with label Dubai. Show all posts

Another Star Gone...

R.I.P. Whitney Houston 1963-2012 by classy-n-glamorous on polyvore.com

OMG! So sad. Before Sade, Whitney Houston was my favorite female singer. I LOVED me some Whitney. She had a beautiful voice and a gorgeous smile. I will truly miss her! I love this tribute to her by classy-n-glamorous. And below is the Dubai Fountain synchronized to her hit, "I Will Always Love You."

Looking Back...Moving Forward

Happy New Year!

Can't believe 2012 is already here. 2011 passed by so quickly to me.

Looking Back

This time last year, I was struggling financially, trying to figure out if I should keep subbing or not, and having to move out of my beloved town home after the lease was up. I remember asking God what the theme for 2011 should be and Him telling me "Change." He told me I'd be going through some changes in 2011; some I'd like and some I wouldn't, but He promised He'd be with me along the way. Boy have I gone through changes - the biggest change being my move to Abu Dhabi.

I would have NEVER thought I'd be living on the other side of the world, away from family, friends, and everything I know. NEVER. And yet, here I am, a resident of the UAE. This move was obviously a God thing cos I wouldn't have done it on my own. It's definitely a HUGE step out of my comfort zone. Waaayy out of my zone. Like I'm not even in the same vicinity of my comfort zone. It's quite scary, actually, which is why I'm so glad I'm not doing it alone. God is right here with me, just like He promised.

By moving to Abu Dhabi, I took a giant leap of faith. I chose to go where God led me to go and I do NOT regret my decision. I'm loving it. Abu Dhabi is a beautiful place. And I've met some wonderful new friends. And I'm in a position where I have to lean on God and not my family. I've gone on a desert safari, rode a camel,tried new food, stayed in a few 5-star hotels, gone to 2 awesome concerts, visited Dubai several times, went into the tallest building in the world, lost 20 pounds, etc. I'm learning Arabic, teaching active, yet precious 3-4 year olds, living in a high-rise apartment (rent free), making tax-free salary, etc.

This time last year, I was broke, no money in the bank. Now, I have money in, not one bank, but TWO.

2011 was a monumental year in my life. 2012...2012 is gonna be even more awesome.

Moving Forward

I have goals for 2012. Some have to do with my health; some have to do with my writing; some have to do with my relationship with Jesus. I won't list all my goals, but here are a few:

Lose 50 more lbs
FINALLY finish novel #2
Revise novel #1; start search for agents
Use my spiritual gifts to glorify God
Finish business plan
Blog consistently

I also plan to do something "big" each trimester of my 1st year in AD. Last trimester, I went to see both Janet Jackson & Sade in concert. This trimester, I'm going to Morocco (in March). I haven't figured out what I'm going to do the last trimester of this school year, yet.

I can't wait to see what God has planned for me in 2012. Whatever He has planned, as long as He's with me, I'm good.

Mail Call: Dubai Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Here, we post books that we have bought, borrowed, or received.

About 2 weeks ago, I visited Dubai, which is only about an hour and a half away from me. One of the places on my "Must Visit" list was Book World by Kinokuniya in Dubai Mall. My goodness the place was HUGE! So. Many. Books. We're talking about 68,000 sq. ft. of awesomeness here. You know I was in heaven, right? Cos I was. Book Nerd Heaven.

I had to stop myself from going crazy with the book-buying. I ended up buying a few books. Just a few...