Turning 35: A Birthday Iftar Celebration and Some Reflections

My 35th Birthday Iftar at Tesoro Dubai
My 35th Birthday Iftar at Tesoro Dubai

 

This year, my friends and I chose a Peruvian restaurant for our Birthday Iftar celebration. My friend’s husband’s birthday is on the 16th of July. My birthday falls on the 15th of the same month. So we’ve been doing a one day celebration with our groups of friends for the past two years.

Tesoro is a fine dining Peruvian concept located at the new Taj Hotel Dubai. The place has a very eclectic and modern feel to it. It’s also very spacious with a huge terrace overlooking the Burj Khalifah.

Thankfully, everyone had a great time and loved the tasty creations by the Chefs at Tesoro.

So, another year has passed. I’m 35, single and still looking for a suitable job or paid internship in Dubai.

I’m grateful for the good friends that I have in this magical city, and those who shared my special day with me.

I’m also blessed for being able to constantly learn new things and new ways to develop and grow – both professionally and personally.

I’m thankful for the experiences that I had and that I continue to have. Like doing random activities, meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures, and discovering something new along the way.

What’s my plan for future days?

Honestly, I think it’s time for me to be more self-involved and self-centered. Nothing can be more disappointing to a diva than investing time and energy into projects or people and not getting similar vibes in return.

Some people like to put their self-interests first, set their own rules, and then expect others to entertain them. Well, I can publicly declare that I’m not Mother Teresa and that I never will be!

When I give someone my time, it’s because I genuinely want to. But I also have realistic expectations to be treated in the same way!

Basically, it’s now time for me to focus more on my career and personal life. I need to eventually land a full-time role that I enjoy doing. I also need to find a loving and supportive partner.

As for this blog – a project that has been so exciting to work on, and very close to my heart. It was an honest representation of my life, my struggles, my dreams and aspirations.

The time for this website to end is getting near. But I have plans to start another blog with a different niche. You can stay updated with my news and new blog news by following me on social media:

Facebook Page

Twitter

 

Instagram: nadaalghowainim

 

Update: New Blog is now Live!

Here’s the link for my new blog:

Saudi Diva Blog

 

I’m very active on Twitter and Instagram these days. So make sure to follow me to stay in touch with my news.

Being 35 and single means that I have the strength and independence to make significant life decisions.

It also makes for a good time to reflect on those life decisions and possibly rethink my priorities.

Love,

The Rebellious Saudi Diva XXX

 

Lovely Birthday Iftar at Tesoro Dubai
Lovely Birthday Iftar at Tesoro Dubai

 

A dual Birthday Celebration with genuine Dubai people
A dual Birthday Celebration with genuine Dubai people

 

Bonus Track to listen to while working or reading this post!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6B8btpBWNo

Personal Post: When Business Always Comes First

IMG_7608

 

Upon observing my long-term single status and extremely selective approach to men, a friend directed this question to me: “What do you look for in a man?”.

I answered with some simple traits like someone who is mature, wise and understanding. I also like people who are very deep and intellectual. But I forgot to mention a highly important quality that is probably at the top of my list – except that it’s not something that is constantly on my mind. My response to my caring friend’s question would’ve been something like this: “I’m looking for someone who doesn’t view me as a business opportunity or investment.”

I don’t know about you, but I grew up with controlling, highly opinionated and self-centered parents. They would always put their careers and business matters as a top priority, and wouldn’t let anything else get in the way. Even if that other thing that required their attention was their own children! Now I won’t get into too much detail as this article won’t be sufficient enough to talk about this subject, but I will give you some examples to make my point clear. Throughout my school years, my dad would often ask me about the names of the fathers of my friends and what they did for a living – not out of simple curiosity – but purely to see if there was an underlying business connection that could be of interest to him.

While on a leisure trip to a nearby Arab country, the private cab driver – who we hired for the short trip – noticed how my mom’s commutes revolved around her business and relevant exhibitions or meetings. After a few days of the same routine, the witty and observant driver asked my mother why she wasn’t giving any attention to my needs or my interests to visit places for the main cause of any leisure trip: fun!

But now that I live relatively far away from my mostly selfish and business-obsessed parents (the UAE was the furthest I could go for now), I was recently faced by another similar situation. A specific incident is what inspired me to write this post. Having visited a highly reputable dermatologist in town a couple of times, I was incredibly shocked at the way she ended my last visit to her. She has decided that since I am no longer continuing with the skin treatment that she has prescribed to me (due to undesirable side effects), that she no longer needs to see me again. Now, what was surprising is that I still had a few months on the medication and I was asking her if I could come back for a follow-up once I am done…but she made it clear that she doesn’t want me to come back for a follow-up. The thing is that the follow-up session is not free of charge, and most dermatologists usually see their patients at the end of any skin treatment to review the results (I’ve been going to dermatologists since I was 10), but what I concluded from my visits to her and from her business mindset, she didn’t want to see me again because she had more important (and most likely more valuable) patients on the waiting list!

When did medical care that was created for the sole purpose of “caring”, accommodating and supporting people’s needs turn into this greed-centered and purely commercial game? Why was this popular and experienced dermatologist treating her patients as business entities and cash flow machines? Does she think she is in such high demand that no one would ever complain or spread negative stories about her personal ethics and immoral ways of dealing with patients?

My parents and the extremely greedy dermatologist are not the only ones who have contributed to my hurtful memories and scarred soul, but I will leave the rest of my stories for another post.

So to answer my loving and caring friend’s question about what do I look for in a partner, it’s as simple as this:

I look for someone who doesn’t see me as a business opportunity or investment. But someone who is genuinely interested in me and in who I am as a person and a human being. Someone who is truly loving and caring, who will constantly support me and be there for me through thick and thin.

If what I’m looking for sounds too idealistic and unrealistic for today’s world, then I’d rather live in eternal solitude than repeat the painful story of my past and sadly recurring present.