Sweet Dreams

As I'm about to tuck myself into bed... I discovered this beautiful song by none other than one of my favorites, John Mayer... replicating the soulful Sinatra...

What a perfect bedtime song...

Goodnight :-)

xox

My Muay Thai love

I have been taking Muay Thai classes at Reza's Martial Arts Centre in Duraz, Bahrain for about two years now... and it is an addictive style of fitness. I experimented with Capoeira at the same centre, but quickly realized my love was in the boxing... 

What all sources agree on is that Muay Thai began as a close combat battlefield fighting skill... More deadly than the weapons it replaced...The sources aren’t clear and often contradict each other. But there are two main theories:

1) One says that the art developed as the Thai people moved down from China; honed in the struggle for land

2) The other theory of the history of Muay Thai says that the Thai people were already here and that Muay Thai developed to defend the land and people from constant invasion threats...

The history of Muay Thai second theory, while controversial, has considerable academic backing and archaeological evidence... The first is, however, possible as the area opened up to the early pioneers...

What is known is that the history of Muay Thai was an essential part of Thai culture right from its dawn. And in Thailand, it’s the sport of kings.

Muay Thai has changed across the years... Changed and evolved from a battlefield close quarters killing ground technique based on a fighting tradition passed on from generation to generation up to the present time...

But despite the changes of history, Muay Thai has lost none of its exotic appeal and even mystique... Muay Thai is still the fighting art to beat... The fighting art that defeats all challenges from Kung Fu, Karate, Taekwando and the latest kickboxing fashions... They have all come to Thailand, not just once but many times and from many places to test themselves...

Muay Thai has lost none of its appeal in Thailand... The television fight broadcasts rate among the Kingdom’s most popular programmes... In the provinces, villages cluster around any available TV to watch... In the city, people disappear from the streets while Thailand is watching Muay Thai... I remember walking down the streets of Pattaya, wedging among huge crowds gathering at the bars, cheering excitedly at the opponents... What an amazing atmosphere it was!

I am continuing to dedicate myself to this form of fitness I truly love and enjoy - always an perfect combination :-)

Beautiful surprise

I received a thoughtful special gift from a favorite person of mine delivered secretly to my workplace...

How lucky am I ? :-)

Put the biggest smile on my face...

Report Robot Mode

As the season of report writing for teachers is upon us, I have been seriously lacking in keeping my blog updated... And I have been lacking general 'me' time...


I started a diet and tailored fitness plan today and plan to sprinkle little breaks into this hectic time at work... Even if its just curling up and reading a book or taking a long bath or learning a new recipe... I feel its needed right now...

Hoping for some luck...

Tonight will be my first proper 'poker game' night... After a run-through this morning on the rules and objective of the game, I am looking forward to this evening :-)

*Fingers crossed I win a round!*

Friendships

I grew up traveling around the world due to my father's job... always changing schools... I attended 14 to be precise (!)... Therefore, it was perfectly 'normal' for friends to come and go... I always got used to being the 'new kid in class'...

I found myself sighing and saying: "here we go again, time to make a new group of friends"... I remember always getting 'addresses' before I left, and having friends scattered around the globe with whom my mom would help me write regular  letters to....

I strived through these friendship difficulties and I believe these experiences have made me who I am today... I am definitely not one who has a 'big gang of acquittances', but a select few close, meaningful friends... Which I find to be more real...

The moments I experience with close friends are like a fairy tale... It's always an amazing feeling when you not only discover friends who 'enjoy what you enjoy', but people who truly understand you and vice versa....

But, it always felt like just when the friendship was being sealed, it was also time to take our final picture for remembrance as one of us would move on to another part of the world...

But, thus is the 'expat' life, so they say...

Now with social networking, there are so many ways to check where your old friends are and I have luckily managed to keep in touch with many around the world... and strangely enough, you gradually begin to realize what a small place we live in... paths cross and people meet for various reasons at different times in their lives...

I am thankful for the many wonderful friends I have worldwide... you are all special to me in many unique and wonderful ways...

I was browsing some photos of myself and close friends... weirdly discovering the ones I have posted below have strange coincidence's attached to them... we have all crossed paths in life at various times... Incredible :-)

Sarah - friendship in two continents... my oldest friend :)

Middle East girls re-united 

Dubai - Bahrain ... and back to Dubai ? ... :)

Road-tripping with the girls, UAE

Belle Jordan 

Do you remember?

Do you remember when we first met?

I sure do

It was some time

In early September

You were lazy about it

You made me wait around

I was so crazy about you

I didn't mind

So I was late for class

I locked my bike to yours

It wasn't hard to find

You painted flowers on

Guess that I was afraid

That if you rode away

You might not roll back

My direction real soon

Well I was crazy about you then

And now the craziest thing of all

Over 10 years have gone by

And you're still mine

We're locked in time

Let's rewind

Do you remember

When we first moved in together?

The piano took up the living room

You'd play me boogie woogie

I played you love songs

You'd say we're playing house

Now you still say we are

We built our get away

Up in a tree we found

We felt so far away

Though we were still in town

Now I remember watching

That old tree burn down

I took a picture that

I don't like to look at

Well all these times

They come and go

Alone don't seem so long

Over 10 years have gone by

We can't rewind

We're locked in time

But you're still mine

Do you remember?