Some tickets were relisted on resale sites for as much as Dh38,581
While there are many things to dread about day one of a work week, there’s one that always sends me ducking for cover. It’s the question you all love to ask with an earnest smile: ‘So, what did you do over the weekend?’ On weekends, I wake up at 3pm and stay in my jammies all day. Half a day is spent deciding what to watch and what to eat while watching, and the rest would be a blur. I wasn’t always like this, though.
Recently, I saw a group of youngsters chasing each other on the Olympic-size ice rink of the Dubai Mall and then I remembered — I was a figure skater once. In the summer of 1997, mum enrolled me in an ice skating class that saw me go from walking like a penguin to gliding like a swan. My coach believed I was ready to take my boots and blades for a twirl on ice. Back then, however, I was just renting a pair of skates because we couldn’t afford one, and since I needed my own boots to take the advanced classes, I had to stop. One day, I thought, I’d go back and become a pro.
Last week, at the gym, I watched two muay thai fighters spar and then I remembered — I was a fighter once. In my fourth year in college, I got judo for a PE class. And what I thought would be just another subject to pass turned out to be a sport I would take seriously. I trained hard as a judoka and learnt how to throw people ‘the gentle way’. At the end of the course, I won bronze in an inter-school judo match. When coaches offered me a spot in the judo varsity team, I had to say no because I was just a few months away from graduation. One day, I told myself, I’ll be back in the dojo.
A few days ago, my husband was checking out guitars at the Fish Roundabout when a three-year-old caught my eye. She was learning how to hold the violin properly and then I remembered — I was a violinist once. I was 22 when I signed up for lessons. There were days I would practise for hours on end, trying to play the right notes and stop my violin from squeaking. I learnt four songs but then I flew to Dubai.
Last year, I saw my poor violin covered in dust and thought it deserved to be with someone who could make time for it. So, I gave it away but promised I would pick one up again and, one day, get up on stage for a recital. Aren’t we all ‘someone’ once? Now that I realise how much of a couch potato I have become, I think I’m ready to be someone else again — even just on weekends. Figure skater, judoka or violinist? You’ll know the next time you ask me my ‘favourite’ question.
Some tickets were relisted on resale sites for as much as Dh38,581
Here's a list of the places you can go; entry is free to most of them
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