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| FOODTUBE VIDEO BELOW |
This must have been my longest blogging absence
ever, but in all honesty I just needed to take some time off to sort a few things. Halfway throughout the year I noticed that I had actually burnt out. Simply.
It's strange but in our do-it-all world, people
are surprised when I say this out loud. But yes, it's a fact I burnt
out a few months ago and fully admit that I took on way too much. Some people have told me that they feel the same way - but don't necessarily discuss it. In this social media age, people tend to showcase only the sweater sides of life, and not necessarily reality. But as I've mentioned before - this blog for me is not just a recipe site - it's my online journal, and so I will stay true to that.
I started tracing back to find out where and when
that "burn out phase" came along- did I really take on that much or was
I just not capable of juggling as many things as I should or thought I could??
I went through a reflective period and realized the following..
I started work when I graduated from college and set up my business 1 year later (10 years ago now!) And when you are self
employed - time off is very, very tricky. Granted you are your own boss and
can manage your own time - but you are never really off, or closed for
business. So in effect - you actually have much less "down time" then you would get working for someone. From launching a
bunch of f&b projects (some official, some not), to the book, having two babies, catering private events, assisting my sister in our glaucoma charity, other fantastic projects, keeping up with events in ever so busy Dubai, it was simply too much all at once. And with what's happening in our region, I just felt more tense and stressed than usual to top it off. So this
summer I took off completely. Something I had not done since I was in school, and I enjoyed every single second of it guiltlessly!
And after that much needed summer break, I am back to feeling like my good old self again. On a personal front, all I need is some more quality and fun time with my loved ones and on the professional front I have learnt to organize
myself more (my friends call me a chaotic perfectionist - which is the worst
kind)! I also realized that it ok to say NO sometimes and not have
too much on that plate. I hope I'll stick to that new resolution which I read on Forbes actually :)
But today, for my little blogging comeback, I'm sharing a video I shot for the incredible Jamie Oliver and his foodtube team earlier this year. I have certainly had a weakness for the English chef for years! From his wonderful food and charming cooking approach, to his passion to feed children real ingredients,
to being such a cool and loving husband & father! I watched the Naked chef growing up and I
would be lying if I didn't admit that he was a true influence in many ways.
So to be the first Middle Eastern on his
foodtube network is something special for me, and I admit that the timing of being a Syrian on such a platform during current events means that
this is more than just a recipe video for me. Food is a beautiful bonding tool and something that helps us all appreciate our different cultures.
Middle Eastern ingredients are packed with flavour
and I absolutely love adding them to every day recipes, like in this Omelette. I urge
you to try it. Everyone who has had a bite of this has raved about it endlessly!
And if you enjoyed this, please like, share and do let me know :) I would love to hear from you! Much love, D xx
FOODTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAXvE7KXfTc
