It's The End of the Wor.. Oh Wait, It's Only 2011

I cannot believe it’s 2011 already. How many times have you heard that one today? It’s true though, this year has quite literally gone by like the blink of an eye (and apparently I rhyme in 2011). I had a lovely send off for 2010, complete with the quintessential New Year faves like parents embarrassing themselves on the dance floor, unhealthy liquor combinations and the delightful smell of cigar in my hair.

The Rock and The Hard Place

Basically, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, I could learn to become at least somewhat satisfied with what I’ve been given thus far. This entails a good job with great work experience, living in a country with relatively good weather year-round and paying less than the equivalent of £8 for a week’s supply of petrol (probably the biggest perk living in Qatar, however, if civil infrastructure was remotely more efficient, there may not be the need for a 4 car average/family). This is the rock. 

Taking the Bull By the Horns

It has been brought to my attention recently that I am a coaster. No, not the kind your mam puts on the coffee table to prevent glass rings.

Coast·er (kōˈstər)
noun

One that coasts, as:
a. One who acts in an aimless manner.
b. A sled or toboggan.

Seeing as I have never been on a sled and dont actually know what a toboggan is, we're good to assume that I mean option (a). One who acts in an aimless manner. I wont go into how much this realisation has upset me because to be honest, I've always known I was a coaster, and yet, I continue to coast. I think the hurt that has now surfaced and spurred me to confess my current state is the fact that it was brought to my attention by someone rather than in a moment of self reckoning.

aim·less (āmˈlĭs)
adjective

Devoid of direction or purpose.

I have GALLONS of potential. I know this. In the last three months alone I've met enough people, seen enough sights, completed enough tasks to last myself a lifetime of material for a blog like this.

I've been hosted by Mercedes-Benz on a trip to the bloody Dead Sea (its not actually bloody, its salty, I'm just cussing), test driving their latest SUV range, hence cruising one of the world's most frequented religious historic sites in royalty's ride of choice, i.e. the G-Wagen, amongst others (the lovely GLK features in the photo below). I drove past where King Herod used to live, in a motorcade of ten Mercedes-Benz, and trekked terrain that literally had me sending prayers up to Jesus, Mary and Joseph in fear of 30+ meter drops into rocky abyss.

I was whisked away by Qatar Airways for an inaugural flight launch to Copenhagen, Denmark. I stayed in a five star hotel that charged more a night than some people make in a month. I ate in restaurants that provided Arne Jacobsen cutlery for my perusal - knives, forks and spoons that cost 20,000 kroners a pop. I also partied with legendary Danish pop star Thomas Helmig and watched aerial artists spiral down lengths of curtain as I sipped on vintage champagne and feasted on black truffles.

I completed the Mazda London Triathlon. I trained on my own for months, and with a personal trainer for 7 weeks. I wanted to give up every single session and my back hurt, I got blisters, I cried whilst on a treadmill and fell off a stupid alien looking bike (it was a fantastic bike, but Im a noob) and hurt myself. I swam in the bloody Thames. THE THAMES. Like, the river, you know? I raised 500 pounds for a brilliant charity, YouthNet UK, and intend on doing so again next year. All in compression shorts.

In under a year I've worked a job that's seen me promoted to Deputy Editor of an international luxury lifestyle magazine, met influential figures like the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova and Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter to celebrity chefs, one of the original three tenors and developing relationships with global haute couturier's and jewelers alike.

I am also a masters graduate. With distinction, believe it or not. I have a degree in Social Change and Development, which ideally means I should be working a position that allows me to evaluate and analyse governmental initiatives in SouthEast Asia, i.e. the damming of the Narmada River in India. My thesis was actually based on the evaluation of the labour movement within the construction industry in Saudi. Like drawing blood from a stone, that research, I tell you.

What is my point?

I should not be described as aimless. I am not a coaster. I am much more.

I have enough interests to write a dozen books.

I LOVE to cook. I can identify spices as I eat and have a natural flair for the kitchen. I could name 30 odd chefs off the top of my head, their respective genre's, the shows they've hosted, my favourite dishes and which one's I've actually attempted and conquered. Or destroyed. I could spend hours in a supermarket and would rather go grocery shopping than for a beer at the pub (we can always do that later).

I am a music/movie/reading aficionado. I'll listen to/watch/read anything and have unhealthy love affairs with items I love. I could quote scenes from Lord of the Rings word for word and if you dont think that's impressive, I could do the same with Pan's Labyrinth. In Spanish. No, I dont understand Spanish. I could do the same with Vicky, Cristina Barcelona. I also have more song lyrics in my head than your average karaoke machine in its archives.

I need to put things into perspective and utilise all these wonderful things I've been given. It's one thing to experience and enjoy all of the above, and it's another to bring to life the lessons I've learned and the skills I've been fortunate enough to absorb.

I've just come up with a new commandment of my own: THOU SHALT NOT COAST.