"Dubai Money"

"After achieving that wealth, he decided he wanted more. He wanted Dubai money."

Some months ago, I was conversing with a client after a photoshoot. The subject of travel came up, in particular Dubai, a place I have always wanted to visit. I listened intently and was regaled with tales that were downright obscene. The client's daughter had recently moved there with her husband and he visited them frequently. He talked of the insane wealth in the nation, some of which they had managed to procure. Within a few years of hard work and clever investing, they were millionaires. 

I left that encounter intrigued. I like to learn about new things. But moreso, I like to experience them.

In my lifetime, I would really like to experience "Dubai money". 

So that's why I decided to visit and thus extend my year of adventure. 

I'm sure part of that initial conversation was embellished. Or, at the very least, any hardships covered up. Few want to hear about the blood, sweat, tears and setbacks that go into success. Most just want to believe that dreaming big is all one has to do. Because that's all most people choose to do. It's such bullshit. Unless you are born affluent, success comes at great cost. Friends, family, sanity. At the end of the day, for some, it might not be worth it. I thrive on it though. I love the challenge of setting a goal and meeting it. My ultimate goal is to look back on my life as I near its end and be proud of the person that I was, rich or poor.

But we're on the topic of wealth now, so ... I'd still really like to experience "Dubai money". 

The one problem, of course, is that I will be visiting as an imposter. I am not rich in Canada. I am certainly not Middle-Eastern rich. After doing preliminary research and trying to establish a daily budget (with an increasingly sinking dollar), I quickly realized that I will probably be frequenting the McDonalds in the mega-mall located next to my hotel. They have a value menu, just like my home and native land. In terms of activities, I'm a cheap tourist. 95% of my time is spent walking about doing photography. For the remaining 5% this trip, I am willing to laze about on the beach. That should be free. I hope. 

All in all, I am very excited for the experience, whether or not it includes driving a gold-plated Ferrari. But if someone could hook me up, I am so down for it. I drive a Nissan. 

Redux

I set out a goal in 2015 to live a year of adventure and feel I fared pretty well. So often we get caught up in the motions and minutia of everyday existence – wake up, go to work, return home, vegetate and complain that life is passing one by – without actively trying to improve the situation. I've certainly been caught in that vortex. It's unfortunate that a traumatic life event was the catalyst towards re-evaluating things, as I would have loved for my father to meet the person I am today. But even without this sudden motivation, I still needed a completely uninhibited best friend to keep me committed to the challenge of truly stepping outside my comfort zone. 

It's been exciting.

It's been life-affirming.

My confidence has been raised.

My fear is practically non-existent. 

My entire goal in life, now, is to be as bad-ass as my father was. As he was considerably legend in this regard, it's a grand proclamation. And while it may seem easy to write about personal growth from a position where I can actively entertain it, exacting change doesn't have to be a herculean journey. The most powerful initiative I undertook last year was in simply opening my heart. It was, however, harder than climbing a mountain. 

In 2015, I studied a lot. I learned a lot. I traveled. I explored. I loved deeply. I got hurt deeply. I was empowered. I was vulnerable. It was my year of adventure. 

In 2016, it shall continue. 

Next stop: Dubai. 

Bowie

I've written about it before. Such a huge part of my life has been spent driving around Winnipeg, rather aimlessly, while listening to classic rock. Despite lack of apparent purpose, it was never wasted time though. In retrospect, it is those seemingly unexceptional moments, with friends or just my thoughts, that I now reflect upon wistfully. There's magic in the mundane. The quiet hours contain the essence of what life is all about. 

David Bowie was a massive part of the soundtrack for those moments. I first heard about him when I was a wee kid growing up in the eighties. My mother was in love with him (as she should have been; he was quite regal) and would often blast "Let's Dance" while tackling housework. I would be on the floor, creating yet another mess with my toys, fully cognizant at that young age that the song was really good, at least from an instrumental perspective. I was too young to understand the lyrical content. 

Bowie wasn't really part of my high school experience. Classmates seeking an icon to emulate flocked to Jim Morrison, while I bopped to the Spice Girls. But my college and post-college life were filled with his genius. A close friend with much more cred and much less embarrassing titles in his music library introduced me to musicians that went beyond the ego of pop culture and embraced genuine artistry. Bowie, of course, lived this. It was eye-opening for me. The depth of verse. The primal desire to create. The willingness to expose and be exposed. To innovate. To try. Bowie did all of these things. His legend was mesmerizing when he was alive. And now he becomes one of those figureheads of history that we feel privileged to have witnessed in real time. Those long drives down Portage Avenue, through Transcona and beyond listening to his vast catalogue were not wasted hours but a study of this philosophy. 

It is rare the artist a generation grows with; even rarer the artist that several generations can claim to be influenced by and share our lives in symmetry with. 

Some people are just born to be. 

True North no.1

I often create artwork based on my travels, but have failed to capture the spirit of the place that runs through my DNA – my home and native land, Canada. Over the course of the upcoming year, I plan to share my interpretation of the beauty and wonder of this majestic nation in a series titled "True North". 

True North no.1 (©Deborah Clague)

True North no.1 (©Deborah Clague)

My favourite things of the year:

It's the season for year-end lists. And as I'm too busy/not motivated enough to write something more original, I will simply detail my favourite things of the year. Enjoy. 

CITY: Seoul
I travelled to Korea last Spring, somewhat on a whim, after becoming fascinated with the culture. I didn't know what to expect upon arrival though. Certainly I didn't anticipate falling as deeply in love with its capital as I did. At this time, Seoul doesn't seem to be on a lot of traveller's radars but it should be: in my opinion, it is the most fascinating place in Asia offering a mix of history, both past and modern, technology, trend, and nature that is unrivalled on earth. To view a gallery of images of Korea, click here. 

RUNNER UP: Paris.
Because, Paris. 

 

BOOK: Nothing to Envy, Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
The author focused less on politics and the autocratic regime, and more on the everyday lives of average North Korean citizens crafting a tale that is universally relatable in its yearning for love and freedom. 'Nothing to Envy' remains one of the best books I've ever read. 

RUNNER UP: The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen
I still can't believe Vladimir Putin's life isn't a work of fiction. 

 

ALBUM: Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd
His lyrics are questionable but I can't get enough of The Weeknd's voice (or this awesome bass line): 

RUNNER UP: '1989', Taylor Swift
'Style' is the perfect pop song. 

 

FACE: Paul Maurice
A friend has gotten me hooked on watching Winnipeg Jets games. I admit that half of my fandom has to do with hometown pride and the other half has to do with watching head coach Paul Maurice's face from the sidelines. I don't think I've ever seen him smile. 

RUNNER UP: I may be a bit biased. 

 

EMOJI: :I
I recall reading somewhere that Canadians deploy the "poo" emoji more than any other nation on earth. I'm not sure why that is. I certainly went through a phase with it. But the emoji I most often use mirrors the way I'm feeling. Perhaps this is why I'm so fascinated with Paul Maurice.  
 

😑

RUNNER UP: 

👫

 

News Story: #WHOOPS
A lot of bad news comes out of Winnipeg. An invisible darkness seems to permeate the city, resulting in crimes so brutal that the rest of the country is left in shock while citizens, used to (and perhaps, at times, numb to) the headlines, continue to treat their reality as routine. I chose #WHOOPS as my news story of the year because it countered this. It was a tale so completely ridiculous – and hilarious – that even thinking about it now causes me to break out in laughter.

#WHOOPS, the perfectly astute hashtag used to document the event as it unfolded, is about three City of Winnipeg police officers discussing the pitfalls of oral sex with someone who is, uh … er, not that familiar with waxing. While this would normally be a private conversation, it was broadcast to half the city when someone in the WPS Air 1 helicopter accidentally hit the loudspeaker transmitting it to everyone down below.

I'm not sure what type of disciplinary action – if any – was used. But I think the sheer embarrassment of being involved, and the international headlines and fodder that followed, is punishment enough. 

RUNNER UP: Syrian refugees
On a more serious note, I'm proud to see Canada open its doors to people who truly need help and hope. 

 

MOMENT: July 13

RUNNER UP: October 16