Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bombay | Report 249

18 Oct 2021 . category: report . Comments
#startup #travel #dubai #india #fitness

Welcome to #249, typing this blog sitting outside the Mumbai airport waiting on Sodhi, waiting for my flight to Bengaluru!

i returned to work in the second half of this week, and spent some time brainstorming and planning ideas with Divyansh. i did not return to active coding, but will be doing that actively this week onwards.

i did a 4-day trip in the UAE, and met up with Gyani after 3 long years. We stayed in Dubai for a day and a half, where we visited the Burj Khalifa up top from the 123rd floor, saw the fountain show below, roamed around the Dubai mall and the Marina, visited the Dubai expo for a quick hour, had some baklava at Mustafas, and watched Dhoni kick some serious ass in the IPL playoffs as we shouted and danced back after CSK’s win!

We travelled to Abu Dhabi in the second half of my trip, where i solo-explored the Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan and the Louvre musuem. These were good resets for my brain, as i spent time immersed in these curated experiences studying and understanding the history and culture of the country. i also had the chance to have some freshly made Bedouin coffee from local artisans, and i was super impressed. We spent the weeknights hopping around different malls in Abu Dhabi looking for souvenirs, had some Emirati local cuisine and discussed life with Gyani. Good times, i’ll remember this trip fondly :)

One thing i realized after this trip was how differently governed countries like Singapore and UAE can still prosper as long as they stick to the fundamentals of capitalism and finance. There’s no one way to run a country!

i flew back to Mumbai on Wednesday morning after a nightout at the airport, and spent good family time till Sunday night. We had a couple family friend get togethers over dinner, which was good fun too. i spent quite a bit of time getting admin work done because of the move back to India, with my SIM cards, bank accounts and ID cards that had to be updated. i also spent an evening exploring Lower Parel with a friend, and it was a good reminder to see the good and bad of Bombay up close. i’ve noticed that my Instagram/social media usage dips when i’m back at home and that is probably because my longing for belongingness is well met - as soon as i go solo, i turn to IG for human connection.

On the fitness front, this week was not great as i couldn’t put in any runs because i had to dump my running shoes in Singapore before leaving. However, i did hit the gym at the Dubai airport hotel last weekend, and then got in two home workouts and one yoga session on NTC back in Bombay. i am currently going strong on Day 11 of the NoFap streak.

i met up with Sodhi on the Mumbai airport after 3 long years, just as i was writing this blog - another nightout at the airport this week! Good times with friends and family this week, finishing up this blog from our hotel(home & office) in Indiranagar as i get back into the grind.

Keep hammerin’

---