17 January 2018

How To Do The Grand Prix In Style

I absolutely love Formula One.  I am fairly new to the sport, only starting to watch at the beginning of Jenson Button's winning year.  I was hooked (and totally gutted when he retired last year).

I have yet to get to a track to see a race myself, but have always fancied going to see a race abroad as you can combine a holiday with seeing the Grand Prix.

Next year I turn 40.  I want to do something special to celebrate my birthday and not being the birthday party type, what I have decided to do is combine my love of F1 and a holiday to a far flung destination.  

As I am turning 40, my holiday will be luxury all inclusive all the way, combined with going to one of my favourite tracks; but which one?

Singapore


Singapore is an island city state off the shores of southern Malaysia.  But don't think that a city state island make you think that there is nothing to do.  Apart from the Grand Prix weekend, there is lots to do.

Think an island city can't be green?  Try going to Gardens by the Bay which covers nearly 250 acres.  Check out the amazing picture above.

Want the city break experience?  Check out Marina Bay which has everything from science museums to bars, restaurants and casinos.


Abu Dhabi


If you want to really make Abu Dhabi a Formula One experience, you can visit Ferrari World which boasts the world's fastest rollercoaster.   You can't visit Abu Dhabi however without seeing the breathtaking Emirates Palace.

For something a little different, why not visit the Abu Dhabi Falcon hospital where people from all over the country send their beloved animals.  There is a museum and a free flight aviary whilst at the same time providing essential care to the falcons.


Mexico


One word.  Tequila.  Only kidding, there is so much that you can do in Mexico which is still near the track.  The nightlife in Mexico City is amazing but for some cultural visits, you can visit the Chapultepec Castle which has fantastic views of Mexico City and also houses the National Museum of History.

For an essential day trip out of the city, 2 hours drive away you can visit the Pyramid of the Sun which is estimated to have been built in approximately 200 CE.

So what do you think of my options?  I really cannot decide.

11 January 2018

Improving Fitness

Hi everyone!  Happy New Years, holidays and all that.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday break, caught up with loved ones and didn't have too bad a hangover on New Years day!!

This is the time of year where everyone talks about the New Years resolutions that they made.  Dry January.  Quitting smoking.  Joining a gym.  Be a new, better, you (what even is that??).  For me, I don't do New Years resolutions.  There is nothing less of an incentive than creating one in my opinion and you just feel guilty when you inevitably break them.

Everything comes at its correct time and you will do things when you are meant to, when you are ready, not when some silly tradition tells you too.

What I tend to do is assess any goals that I want to achieve and put them into action in my own time.  For example, I want to quit smoking (again) but post Christmas is not the right time.  I need to be in the right mode and mind frame.  So I have ordered the book that worked for me last time (Allen Carr's How To Quit Smoking) and post birthday in March will be the time.

One thing that I have improved upon in the last year and want to continue with this year is upping my fitness levels.  This little teddy bear who we got last year has definately improved that.  Walking him up and down the hill where we live, going up and down the hallway playing with his toys over the past year has resulted in a 2 stone loss so far.


I want to continue this and expand my levels of fitness as I can really feel a difference.  Going back up that hill at home is definately much easier than it used to be.  With that in mind, I tried to think of something else that I could do to raise my fitness that would also be something I would enjoy.

The answer I came to was swimming.  Swimming is a great all round exercise for your body and I love to be in the pool.  I have already bought myself some speedo swimwear.  The only issue I have is that unlike the pool in my monthly day spa, the swimming pool has chlorine in it which my eyes really don't like.  So what is the answer to my dilemma?  Some swimming goggles.


Turns out after some investigation that, as you can see, goggles are no longer the huge, ugly looking monstrosities that your school used to make you wear when you went to the local pool.  

If I am going to start something I always ensure that I have the right equipment so that I cannot later say "Oh I didn't do it because I didn't have x, y and z".  I have always loved swimming and after my research, I have found several local places where I can go, with times specifically allocated to those who wants to swim lengths and more importantly, sectioned for those wanting a fast lane and for fitness beginners (me!).

So what about you?  What fitness activities do you enjoy?  Tell me!


*Collaborative post

19 December 2017

The Benefits Of Moving Onto Pastures New



Humans come in two separate forms. Either they are intensely territorial or somewhat nomadic. You likely already know exactly which one you fit into. We all have our preferences for living. It might be desiring to move away to a culture completely alien to us, or moving to a city hundreds of miles away from where we are raised. Conversely, some people are born, live a full life and die in the same city or town.

While this latter option is surely not a bad or incorrect way of living life, the alternative could potentially be considered preferable for some people. We’re not here to make a judgement one way or the other, but we are here to potentially explore the benefits of moving onto pastures new. As we become adults we gain our independence, and are able to move anywhere we please. If we feel like we need a change of pace, or we need to experience something new, moving away can be a hugely positive step.

This is by no means the only positive point to moving. If you’re on the dividing line between moving and not, this article might help you make this decision:

Starting Fresh

Some people are simply looking for a new pace of life. The location where you live will always have a significant effect on this, because we are intensely connected to our environment. Our environment is part of us, in that if it wasn’t there neither would we. For that reason, it behooves you to assess if your environment is helping you or harming you. If it’s the former, then you should feel comfortable in staying there. If you find that your local environment leaves something to be desired, moving somewhere new can help you immensely. Even moving a few miles out of town introduces you to completely new people, new locations of interest, and a new pace of life.

For some people, moving somewhere no one knows them is heaven. This can help you reassess how you approach the world, and the current and present relationships you form, free from the knowledge of the interpersonal past. If life could use more novelty, and you’d prefer making your own decisions with nothing but your newly formed reputation to follow you, then this can feel like a breath of fresh air.

Of course, we’d recommend that you visit areas you plan to move to before you go. One or two extended vacations to this area can give you a taste of the local populace, and how friendly or close to your personality they feel. Sometimes you just know a place is right by the general interactions you have there. If the opposite is true, then never be afraid to cast your net elsewhere. You always have freedom of choice in your living situation.

Careers

If you find that the jobs in your local environment aren’t as great as they could be, moving away to form a better career might help you. For example, if you’re positively set on a career in the performance arts, living near theatre districts, media hubs or even moving to Los Angeles to be part of Hollywood could be part of your aim. Careers will all have their ‘golden location’ depending on how localized some jobs are. Even those careers completely online can have their own blossoming hubs, such as Silicon Valley’s investor nest.

It might be that making the move from a village to a city could grow your career prospects from dull to thriving. It’s always best to do this research online. A good measure is to search online for the average income in an area, the house price average, the employability index as well as how quickly urban development is taking place. If all of these figures look good, it could be the location of your interest offers some real opportunity, especially if you’re looking to take your career to the next level.

You Define Yourself

This is more of a personal benefit. As you move to new places, you become more able to define yourself in the world. You not only become a citizen of the village you once lived in, but you become more of a national explorer. You become more independent as a result, not tied to the small cultural identity you might have been carrying. The pace of life is dramatically different in small towns compared to cities, and so experiencing the two makes you more of a complete and rounded individual.

This takes a certain form of inner strength, and willingness to experience the unknown. It might be that a city or new town takes a few months for you to fully appreciate. You might not feel settled there until two years in. But the effort of living somewhere new will give you that ability to live almost anywhere, because you’ve already conquered living somewhere you are unfamiliar with. As you learn new habits of resting in a new environment, you become better suited to travelling, exploring, growing your courage and generally becoming a better person.

You Trust Yourself

Another personal benefit, arguably even better than defining yourself - is you begin to trust yourself. As you rely on yourself to achieve everything you must do, you begin to form a sense of complete faith in yourself.

If you move away by yourself, or you move into a flat share with random strangers, you become much more able to form friendships of necessity, and trust yourself to carry out the tasks you need to survive. It’s much less tempting for you to wait for your siblings or parents to carry out your chores. Of course, the days of living at home might be long behind you, but even living near home can lead you to bring laundry around to your childhood home and eating plenty of meals there. When you completely have yourself to rely on, you become much more comfortable in your daily responsibilities.

Resting in a comfort zone is the fastest way to stagnate, yet by trusting yourself to carry out your general tasks in a new place, you become much more able to explore outside of this. As a human, nothing could be healthier for you. After all, it’s much better to be a small fish that can grow in a big pond, than a big fish stifled in a small pond.

Variance In People

When you move to new locations, you meet a wide range of people. It could be that the best friend you will ever make in life rests behind your next move. It could be the one you become happily married to forever is the first person you’ll meet. Both of these could actually be the same person. As you meet a variety of people, you start to experience cultures and worldly perceptions face to face, no through a television show or book you’ve read. This real-life experience offers so much it’s hard to put into words. You’ll know when you experience it.

You Become Better With The Next Move

If you feel you need a new change of surroundings once more, then you will be much more able to capitalize on this if you’ve already done it once. Selling the apartment or nullifying the lease and finding one many miles away will be easy this time, as will the process of moving. You might find that you’re more shrewd in your apartment choices, or are more interested in purchasing a development property this time. If so, check out resources such as Property Guru to make the best decisions. It could be that international move for your job becomes a little less scary than it might have otherwise seemed. One thing is for sure, you’ll be more relaxed and more organized during the process.

Moving to pastures new can be scary, exhilarating, truly interesting and a great adventure. If you’re heavily considering it, we hope this article has gone some way in convincing you.