Weekend in Dubai

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 252016
 

I was away from my computer and Abu Dhabi this weekend, so I could not really post. It was a nice 24-hr break away from the crazy realities of life these days.

When we were in Bali everyone was keen to organize a monthly get-together when we were all back in the UAE to keep our connections strong. Although their saying this may have been similar to the passing phrases of “we should get together soon” that people often make knowing that it will likely not happen, I attempted to make it happen for this month.

There was a Yoga Tune-Up workshop advertised a couple of months ago that I really wanted to attend. So, I used that as a reason to make a trip to Dubai. I accepted the offer of one of my yogini friends and stayed at hers on Friday night. I arrived around lunch time and we had a slow start, but eventually got to Dubai Mall where one of our yogamates was in a food festival as an executive chef of a rebranding vegan restaurant. It was nice to show support and to see her and her husband briefly. 🙂 While my friend and her son did some ice skating I walked around the mall, which is just really an insane place to be. If I had had more time and money, I probably would have shopped or at the very least eaten much more! 😛

(Vegan restaurant where my friend is the chef)

(Her delicious vegan chocolate orange cake)

(Dinner mostly made by my host but with some help from me 😛 )

In the evening, we got back and made dinner together (or tried) while another yogamate came over for drinks and dinner with her two sons. It was nice to catch up with them and to see people in their own environment.

The next morning (Saturday), we were up bright and early to get to the Surf House to rent Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP) for some paddling and attempts at SUP yoga with the Burj Al Arab as our background. It was a real shame that no one had a camera to take photos. While I have tried SUPing a few times, this was the first time that I actually enjoyed it. Maybe it was the scenery or just knowing what to expect. So, M and I will likely give it a try by the mangroves when the weather is a bit cooler and we are feeling a bit more relaxed in our activities.

Once back from that, I had a little bit of time to relax before heading off to the workshop. I got to see another yogamate there and the workshop was absolutely fantastic. I am a HUGE fan of Yoga Tune-Up balls as they really help to relieve muscle strain and in my less luxurious days, it saves on the lack of spa visits. 😀

tuneup

All-in-all, it was a really nice weekend despite being rather busy and not getting to ‘chill’ that much. Who needs to chill every weekend, anyway?! 😛 It is a busy week ahead, but should be good!

-T 😀

Still Anti-Vegan?

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 012016
 

So, back in June, I wrote about how veganism is not for me. Remember then I said that I had issues about it as a diet?

Well, recently a vegan friend of mine finally posted on FB how being vegan is not about the diet, but simply about protecting animals. Instead of preaching about health benefits, she is sticking with her passion in ‘protesting’ against animal cruelty and is actively offering tasty, healthy and reasonable alternatives to eating meat. This much I can accept. 😀

The other day whilst in the car, M was speaking to D and he complained I was trying to turn him into a vegetarian. This is not really true, but by the sheer fact that it is a bit difficult to cook much meaty food, we do eat more veggies than we used to. She then asked if I am still anti-vegan, to which he replied, yes. 🙁

Therefore, I write to clarify this a bit. It is not a matter of being anti-, it is a matter of being pro-. I am pro-health and pro-smart choices. As my friend stated, veganism is not a diet, but a belief system like any philosophy. Unfortunately, it is not a philosophy I am willing to buy into at the expense of health and smart choices.

What I would be interested in hearing are more stories about how being vegan has led to better health and longer-life. Instead what I have read and heard are stories of people who have developed incurable autoimmune diseases or damaged their organs so much from a lack of proper nutrients because of being vegan. Why on earth would anyone want to do this to themselves? Again, how is killing yourself going to actively help the animals from cruelty? I would rather see someone get injured from an actual protest against farm factories or riots in inhumane butcheries. At least then I could see how the injury to the body might actually have an effect. However, merely choosing not to buy something in the supermarket (which is already there!) and damaging the body just seems … well, stupid. Sorry if that offends, but honestly, how can causing the body to slowly deteriorate actually help the animals in need of protecting???

So, my challenge to those vegans out there who do read this blog, send me actual articles from a health standpoint that shows long-term benefits of being vegan OVER being vegetarian or eating whole natural foods. In other words, prove how veganism is better for the health than just eating in moderation or less meat and more veggies. Please leave the animal activist argument out of it and prove to me that this philosophy and belief system is actually worth the sacrifice of your body. I will happily read the evidence and re-consider whether or not I could actually become pro-vegan. However, at the moment, the arguments I see are no different than choosing to be Paleo or deciding to eat whole natural/raw food over processed food.

If we are simply talking about choice of food for the sake of animals, well, then we have nothing to discuss. It is like Muslims not eating pork or requiring halal food due to their beliefs. I respect these decisions to believe as one likes; however, it is best not to preach it as if it is a healthier, better-than-thou life-choice, because that is when indeed I am ANTI-anything. 😛

Still, do not get me wrong – I respect everyone’s personal choices and love them even if I do not agree. We can agree to disagree. 😉

~T 😀

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