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2022 - Pick the Right Country to Travel to in Ep45
10 Plays3 years ago
Salman soliloquizes on the Secret to turning your Country into a Tourist Hotspot, Celebrates his Birthday, and Shares Advice from his Mother.
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Transcript
Introduction and Eid Reflections
00:00:12
Speaker
Hi, everyone.
00:00:13
Speaker
It's Salman Kureisha.
00:00:14
Speaker
You're listening to the Expat Brad Podcast.
00:00:18
Speaker
Welcome back, guys.
00:00:19
Speaker
I hope you are all recovering from your wonderful Eid holidays last week.
00:00:25
Speaker
Was it a week ago?
00:00:27
Speaker
I don't know where the time flies.
00:00:29
Speaker
And have got back into your workplaces because it's so exciting to go into a desk job and spend time.
00:00:36
Speaker
Your time from 9 to 5.
00:00:39
Speaker
Or it is 8 to 5 in this country.
00:00:42
Speaker
8 to 5.
00:00:43
Speaker
You know, I didn't want to understand that song.
00:00:46
Speaker
Working 9 to 5.
00:00:48
Speaker
Because I...
00:00:51
Speaker
Because you have to do 8 to 5 here.
00:00:53
Speaker
It includes a lunch hour at most places, but I figure, man, people work here too long, too early, and no wonder everyone's just stressed about things, right?
00:01:04
Speaker
They got to reduce work hours for everybody here.
Commuting, Podcasting, and Car Culture
00:01:07
Speaker
Anywho, now that you guys are all back at your desk jobs, going in your cars, it's great for podcasters like us because, hey, you need some kind of entertainment.
00:01:17
Speaker
On the way back...
00:01:18
Speaker
If you were sitting at home, would you care to listen?
00:01:22
Speaker
Right?
00:01:22
Speaker
Think about it.
00:01:24
Speaker
If you could travel by cycle with a bicycle or the metro easily, would you buy a car?
00:01:31
Speaker
Think about the damage to the economy, you selfish, green earth loving.
00:01:39
Speaker
I'm not even going to finish that sentence off.
00:01:41
Speaker
That's right.
00:01:42
Speaker
Okay?
00:01:42
Speaker
We need to keep this stuff going.
00:01:45
Speaker
Keep it running.
00:01:47
Speaker
So you gotta be in the rat race.
00:01:49
Speaker
We don't want people stepping out of the rat race too much, okay?
00:01:53
Speaker
All right, nice.
00:01:54
Speaker
Who's gonna buy entertainment if their lives are entertaining enough?
00:01:59
Speaker
Oh dear.
00:01:59
Speaker
Am I onto something?
00:02:01
Speaker
Who knows, who knows?
Tourism Reflections and COVID Impact
00:02:03
Speaker
Welcome, and it's, what are we talking about this episode, man?
00:02:08
Speaker
You know, everyone's going on summer holidays, and I think I've hit upon
00:02:16
Speaker
The secret for a country, a very simple thing for countries to turn their wonderful nations into tourists attracting scums, scums, not scums, scums is a person, I guess.
00:02:33
Speaker
What was that European country where, you know, when COVID hit, they were just really glad, the locals were just really glad the tourists were not coming in anymore because they were like, wow, you know, the air is cleaner.
00:02:48
Speaker
There's less congestion.
00:02:50
Speaker
We're going to have to take crap from these crappy tourists.
00:02:54
Speaker
Probably destroyed their economy, but a lot of the local population was quite happy.
00:02:59
Speaker
Was it Venice?
00:03:00
Speaker
I'm not sure.
00:03:03
Speaker
I'd look it up, but I'm lazy.
00:03:05
Speaker
Anyway, the point is, you know, tourism does...
Improving Tourism: Instagrammable Attractions
00:03:11
Speaker
help a lot because you want the guys you want the people coming in who are going to spend money i don't care about like the hitchhiker gang right like there's no point advertising just beautiful mountains and stuff because that's the crowd it'll attract and then you know what are you really getting out of it right these guys come in spread some joy and love we want the dollar okay we want people coming in spending big big money so
00:03:38
Speaker
Here's the thing.
00:03:40
Speaker
I chanced upon this.
00:03:41
Speaker
I came up with this.
00:03:43
Speaker
or I realized this because I was, I'm planning to travel to Algeria in September, October for some work.
00:03:52
Speaker
And so out of curiosity, I looked up online.
00:03:56
Speaker
I was like, what are the top 10 things to do in Algeria or top places to see?
00:04:01
Speaker
And after like, when I went down the list, after number three, everything else just seemed like they had put that in to fill up, complete the top 10, right?
00:04:15
Speaker
It was really bad.
00:04:16
Speaker
It was like, and I'm not, I'm not trying to shit on Algeria.
00:04:20
Speaker
I'm talking about in general, there are loads of countries who just don't do it right.
00:04:23
Speaker
Yeah.
00:04:24
Speaker
So after like the first couple of great stuff, it trickled down to, I don't know, you know, like, uh, we have a mountain, we have a river that's blue, but
00:04:36
Speaker
There's a chair at the local cinema, 4B.
00:04:39
Speaker
It's cleaner than the others.
00:04:41
Speaker
You could see they're grasping at straws by that point.
00:04:46
Speaker
And it made me go, hey, that's a nice first A. If you're looking to tour around, visit countries.
00:04:54
Speaker
then you got to find, then you just, this is like the test.
00:04:58
Speaker
What do they call it?
00:04:59
Speaker
Like, it's a test, all right?
00:05:00
Speaker
It's a test.
00:05:02
Speaker
If a country doesn't have a top 10 good list, then you know how bad it'll be when you actually get there.
00:05:07
Speaker
So don't put it on your things to see, think countries to visit list, all right?
00:05:14
Speaker
But vice versa, when I think about it, I'm like, look, that's all countries need to do.
00:05:18
Speaker
They need to have, here's the thing, they need to have 10,
00:05:23
Speaker
10 things on their list that really make people go, yeah, I wanna see this, all right?
00:05:30
Speaker
Just 10, all right?
00:05:31
Speaker
I don't think that's too hard to do.
00:05:33
Speaker
Just 10 marvels.
00:05:37
Speaker
Dress it up.
00:05:38
Speaker
Ideally, five of them should be something in one of your main cities that you're trying to turn into the tourist hub because then you can have like a little bit of shopping malls, bars,
00:05:50
Speaker
restaurants, clubs, whatever, that will suck up their money.
00:05:53
Speaker
You know, we want to suck them dry when they come in.
00:05:55
Speaker
We want to give them a good time, but before they leave, we've got them maxed out, all right?
00:06:00
Speaker
Just spend their credit card, overdraft that shit, and your country will do well then, all right?
00:06:08
Speaker
So 10...
00:06:09
Speaker
Things like that you need to come up with, all right?
00:06:12
Speaker
Something that will attract.
00:06:13
Speaker
And really look at that list.
00:06:14
Speaker
Show it to a few of your friends around.
00:06:16
Speaker
And if you really, like from a neutral ground, point of view, just go, would that make people
Aging, Health, and Personal Reflections
00:06:24
Speaker
go?
00:06:24
Speaker
Because here's what I'm thinking, right?
00:06:26
Speaker
It's got to be think Instagrammable.
00:06:29
Speaker
All right.
00:06:30
Speaker
So everyone going there to a place wants to take a picture.
00:06:34
Speaker
And this isn't something new.
00:06:36
Speaker
All right.
00:06:36
Speaker
I'm not coming out.
00:06:37
Speaker
Instagrammable is just a new word for it.
00:06:39
Speaker
Back in my day, they called it showing off.
00:06:42
Speaker
OK, it was showing off about where you went and what you got to do and that your sucky neighbor couldn't do it.
00:06:53
Speaker
Your relatives were too poor to travel, but you got to do it, all right?
00:06:58
Speaker
So you feel, we've always suffered, humanity suffers from a lack of self-esteem.
00:07:04
Speaker
Let's feed on it, people.
00:07:08
Speaker
Let's milk it.
00:07:09
Speaker
All right, so now we call it Instagrammable.
00:07:13
Speaker
So you gotta give them stuff that they'll go, I wanna come in, take a picture next to it, or tell my friends that I experienced this thing, right?
00:07:21
Speaker
It's gotta be a showing off thing.
00:07:24
Speaker
So that's your aim.
00:07:25
Speaker
Create those 10 things that do it for you.
00:07:29
Speaker
And that's the other side, right?
00:07:30
Speaker
So countries, if you come up with that list, I guarantee your tourism will go up.
00:07:35
Speaker
Look at me, I'm offering government feedback
00:07:38
Speaker
Free advice that's going to change your nation.
00:07:42
Speaker
I should get paid for this.
00:07:43
Speaker
I should be hired as your ministry of tourism.
00:07:47
Speaker
But now that I've given my great idea away, maybe it doesn't make sense.
00:07:51
Speaker
I don't know.
00:07:51
Speaker
Shit.
00:07:54
Speaker
I just realized that.
00:07:56
Speaker
Anyway, it's out there.
00:07:57
Speaker
And that's all you got to do.
00:07:59
Speaker
And once you've come up with that, your country will shine.
00:08:01
Speaker
And you'll have people flocking to it and going...
00:08:04
Speaker
Oh my God, look at me.
00:08:05
Speaker
I took a picture next to a tall building.
00:08:08
Speaker
Woo-hoo!
00:08:09
Speaker
Wow, it's a marvel.
00:08:11
Speaker
I don't know.
00:08:12
Speaker
In my mind, tourists talk like that.
00:08:14
Speaker
Okay?
00:08:14
Speaker
So we're going with that.
00:08:16
Speaker
Okay?
00:08:17
Speaker
All right.
00:08:17
Speaker
Don't judge my acting skills.
00:08:22
Speaker
And I say that, but I bet no one, none of these guys in government.
00:08:28
Speaker
That's the problem, right?
00:08:28
Speaker
There are too many old people at the top in governments in too many countries who just don't want to get on with the plan.
00:08:39
Speaker
Don't get the hint, mother...
00:08:41
Speaker
nature is giving them that, hey, look, I've grayed up your hair.
00:08:45
Speaker
You can't, it takes you 15 seconds to get out of the car and straighten your back up.
00:08:51
Speaker
You ever see older people, you know, unfit people?
00:08:56
Speaker
I'm including myself.
00:08:57
Speaker
I kind of experience this myself.
00:08:59
Speaker
That's why I know this.
00:09:00
Speaker
We get out of the car, and then as we're walking, we're straightening our back up.
00:09:05
Speaker
It's not like a straight, you know, fit people, young people just get out and back straight.
00:09:10
Speaker
We kind of walk out, and then we slowly arc the back up slowly, slowly with each step until we're erect.
00:09:16
Speaker
So it looks like the evolution of...
00:09:20
Speaker
of humanity we get out of the car like neanderthals not ninja turtles that was sound like what i said and we walk walk till we're like completely a proper human being um but just a dying one because we're older
00:09:38
Speaker
Yeah, that's what you want to do.
00:09:42
Speaker
And yeah, so these guys are standing, sitting, not giving up their spaces in the government.
00:09:48
Speaker
And here we are because they won't take up great ideas like the ones I'm giving them.
00:09:51
Speaker
Do the obvious stuff and get going.
00:09:53
Speaker
All right.
00:09:54
Speaker
I'm talking a lot about age because it was my birthday yesterday.
00:09:57
Speaker
Thank you very much for the wishes.
00:10:00
Speaker
I did get a lot and social media reviews.
00:10:03
Speaker
really is a great way to make yourself feel better.
00:10:06
Speaker
And I see that one of the things, so I spent my birthday with my family and friends and that was great.
00:10:13
Speaker
The day before I went to the doctors, all right, not out of any emergency or anything.
00:10:19
Speaker
I decided, look, I'm like an
Vision Challenges and LASIK Plans
00:10:21
Speaker
aging car.
00:10:21
Speaker
I better have regular surfacing done.
00:10:26
Speaker
So I went in for my knee.
00:10:28
Speaker
Last year, my right knee was off and I actually needed an operation.
00:10:32
Speaker
It was a
00:10:33
Speaker
It was a meniscus tear.
00:10:38
Speaker
It's just so horrible.
00:10:40
Speaker
And at one point, I was like, I'll never recover from this.
00:10:44
Speaker
But the last few months, I've been up.
00:10:45
Speaker
Now my left knee is giving me trouble.
00:10:47
Speaker
I got it.
00:10:48
Speaker
I went in.
00:10:48
Speaker
I got it checked.
00:10:50
Speaker
I had a couple of different checkups, by the way, just so you know.
00:10:54
Speaker
And it turns out, this is what I was feeling.
00:10:58
Speaker
There's like a little dislocation.
00:11:00
Speaker
And so I've got a few meds.
00:11:01
Speaker
Hopefully, it'll be sort of a physiotherapy.
00:11:04
Speaker
But just my body falling apart is really annoying to me because that's the bit that makes me feel older.
00:11:10
Speaker
In my mind, I'm still 18.
00:11:13
Speaker
Even if you ask my wife, probably by my habits as well, right?
00:11:21
Speaker
I'm so alive up here in my brain and then my body's just like slobbering over and dying.
00:11:29
Speaker
I'm just like, stop doing that, you know?
00:11:32
Speaker
So my left knee, this dislocation thing is a problem and possibly...
00:11:37
Speaker
A meniscus tear, but I'll find out when an MRI gets approved and we'll figure this out.
00:11:44
Speaker
But, you know, one thing with aging that I've become smart about is just proactively go, man.
00:11:49
Speaker
I was so terrible about doing checkups and going to a doctor and stuff.
00:11:53
Speaker
Now I'm just like, oops, little twitch.
00:11:56
Speaker
Better go to see a doctor.
00:11:58
Speaker
And I feel better about it.
00:11:59
Speaker
So that's happening.
00:12:01
Speaker
And then I went and got myself checked for LASIK surgery.
00:12:06
Speaker
Now I wear glasses and one of my problems are my right eye is actually pretty much normal.
00:12:14
Speaker
Slight number.
00:12:15
Speaker
And then my left eye is weak and it's my lazy eye.
00:12:19
Speaker
If you don't know what a lazy eye is, it's basically your eye acting like a teenager.
00:12:23
Speaker
Like, why should I throw out the garbage?
00:12:26
Speaker
I don't want to do that, you know?
00:12:28
Speaker
So my left eye just sits there.
00:12:30
Speaker
I'm kind of one-eyed, I suppose, in a way.
00:12:32
Speaker
Although I...
00:12:33
Speaker
I don't know how it works.
00:12:34
Speaker
Basically, my left eye just let me down.
00:12:37
Speaker
All right.
00:12:38
Speaker
My mom tried to get it fixed when I was younger and I just fought off any attempts and I'd run away and she gave up eventually.
00:12:45
Speaker
She had four other kids to worry about.
00:12:47
Speaker
I don't blame her.
00:12:48
Speaker
And she just went, you'll have to do with that good eye.
00:12:53
Speaker
All right.
00:12:54
Speaker
And so, yeah.
00:12:56
Speaker
Too late to completely repair it.
00:12:58
Speaker
I'll never get 2020 vision, but as we know from the year 2020, it was overrated, which made me a little sad about the thought.
00:13:05
Speaker
But I was like, hey, I'll have improved vision.
00:13:08
Speaker
I'll get to get rid of my glasses.
00:13:10
Speaker
You know, one of the two things I particularly hate about wearing glasses.
00:13:14
Speaker
are these.
00:13:15
Speaker
A, when you've got a kid, they go through this phase where they just wanna pull it off, all right?
00:13:20
Speaker
So they break it.
00:13:21
Speaker
It's such an extra cost to you, right?
00:13:24
Speaker
I think my kid almost mocks me because sometimes he takes it and he puts it on and he walks around with this expression on his face like he's imitating me.
00:13:34
Speaker
It's just like a mocking impression of me and really smug.
00:13:39
Speaker
And I just...
00:13:41
Speaker
If I wasn't laughing at it so hard, I'd smack him, you know?
00:13:44
Speaker
But he's so cute doing it.
00:13:46
Speaker
And I have to like fight off my glasses back from him.
00:13:49
Speaker
The second problem is when you live in a country like Dubai, it's so hot and humid in the summer.
00:13:56
Speaker
Like you go through this phase of a few months where you walk, get out of your air conditioned nice car and the smog just hits your glasses and you're blinded within like a second, right?
00:14:06
Speaker
It's so quick.
00:14:08
Speaker
Like it's the equivalent of Flash, right?
00:14:11
Speaker
Like the superhero.
00:14:12
Speaker
It's there.
00:14:13
Speaker
And you just turn blind and you look like an idiot, right?
00:14:18
Speaker
And you have to just, I don't know, live with it.
00:14:20
Speaker
I'm sick of it, all right?
00:14:21
Speaker
So I'm hoping, well, I was hoping that this time they'll fix it.
00:14:27
Speaker
And there were a couple of good things because when I went 10, 15 years ago, one of my doctors at that time was just like, no, look, it won't do much for you.
00:14:34
Speaker
Don't do it.
00:14:35
Speaker
I don't know if it's a technology that's changed or this current doctor just wants to make money.
00:14:39
Speaker
I don't know what it is, but I'm happy to go along.
00:14:42
Speaker
All right.
00:14:43
Speaker
And so I got myself checked up.
00:14:46
Speaker
And one good news that came out was apparently my doctor was like, why have these guys been giving you these glasses with your left eye just giving up on you?
00:14:54
Speaker
And I know she's like, it's not going to be 100%, but it has a lot more scope than it shows on your glasses.
00:15:01
Speaker
I've basically been
00:15:02
Speaker
kind of misdiagnosed for a while, which is cool to know now, but also makes me angry about it.
00:15:08
Speaker
She was like, basically, she was just a bit lazy about trying to get to the right number with it.
00:15:13
Speaker
And I saw better.
00:15:14
Speaker
And I was like, wow, it's a miracle.
00:15:16
Speaker
Because she was, you know, they put the funny glasses on you where they keep changing the lenses.
00:15:22
Speaker
It always makes you feel like a...
00:15:24
Speaker
James Bond villain or something and then go, can you see any better?
00:15:27
Speaker
Huh?
00:15:28
Speaker
Can you?
00:15:29
Speaker
I feel bad when I was a kid.
00:15:30
Speaker
I couldn't tell.
00:15:31
Speaker
I'd just be like, yeah, yeah, that likes to look at two.
00:15:34
Speaker
Yeah, that also looks like a two.
00:15:35
Speaker
I don't know.
00:15:35
Speaker
It looks a little smaller.
00:15:37
Speaker
That one looks like a little more blurred.
00:15:39
Speaker
I can't tell the difference between the last three you just put in.
00:15:42
Speaker
And so you just get fixed with that.
00:15:43
Speaker
And they think you can't you can't do much more than that.
00:15:47
Speaker
Anyway,
00:15:49
Speaker
So I go through that and she goes, she sits me down.
00:15:51
Speaker
She's like, look, your left eye will be improved a lot.
00:15:54
Speaker
And your right eye is pretty good as it is.
00:15:56
Speaker
And the only reason I have to wear glasses with a number on my right eye is to apparently to keep my perspective correct.
00:16:07
Speaker
Because if they just put a lens on my left eye, it would throw me off balance.
00:16:10
Speaker
She described it as, what'd she say?
00:16:12
Speaker
She said it would be like you're walking on heels with one heel higher than the other.
00:16:17
Speaker
And that's how you'd see everything.
00:16:18
Speaker
And I was like, that sounds kind of fun and trippy.
00:16:21
Speaker
It would have been cool to do it sometimes.
00:16:24
Speaker
Right.
00:16:24
Speaker
Just walk around.
00:16:25
Speaker
If I'd known that, I probably would have tried that at some point.
00:16:27
Speaker
I'm like, I don't need your drugs.
00:16:29
Speaker
I'm just going to put this lens on my left eye and woo.
00:16:32
Speaker
Woo.
00:16:33
Speaker
Right.
00:16:34
Speaker
Just just be excited about it.
00:16:36
Speaker
So there you go.
00:16:38
Speaker
So now I'm getting LASIK done.
00:16:39
Speaker
It's the day after tomorrow.
00:16:42
Speaker
No more glasses.
00:16:45
Speaker
I'm paving the way in my family.
00:16:47
Speaker
Not too many people have done it.
00:16:48
Speaker
I don't know why.
00:16:49
Speaker
It's like such a simple, easy process.
00:16:51
Speaker
Now, it's really affordable as well.
00:16:53
Speaker
I was shocked at how cheap it is at a really good hospital too.
00:16:58
Speaker
So I don't know.
00:17:00
Speaker
I don't know what the discount is.
00:17:01
Speaker
Is there a summer discount or something going on?
00:17:03
Speaker
I have no idea.
00:17:04
Speaker
So I'm going to do that.
00:17:06
Speaker
It sounds exciting.
00:17:07
Speaker
You know what was not exciting?
Public Transport Woes and Reflections
00:17:08
Speaker
This is going to get me into a little bit of trouble, but I have to say it, all right?
00:17:11
Speaker
I was coming back.
00:17:12
Speaker
I took an Uber back and forth because I wasn't sure.
00:17:16
Speaker
Today they were going to put some things in my eyes, like diluted.
00:17:21
Speaker
Is it diluting?
00:17:23
Speaker
I don't know what it is.
00:17:24
Speaker
They put something up to test it better.
00:17:26
Speaker
And so I was a little worried that on the drive back I might kill people because I can't.
00:17:32
Speaker
And that's never good.
00:17:33
Speaker
It's so much trouble for you because you have to go to your insurance, have it covered, and apologize to the family of the deceased.
00:17:44
Speaker
It's just too much trouble.
00:17:46
Speaker
So...
00:17:47
Speaker
I took an Uber and I felt car sick on the way out on the way back.
00:17:51
Speaker
And I'm trying to think what was it.
00:17:52
Speaker
And I realized it was the smell man.
00:17:54
Speaker
It just smelled really bad.
00:17:56
Speaker
I was kind of surprised.
00:17:57
Speaker
I never complain on the app.
00:17:59
Speaker
I'm not doing this.
00:18:00
Speaker
I know how people react when you bring this crap up.
00:18:02
Speaker
People go,
00:18:03
Speaker
But have you seen their lives?
00:18:05
Speaker
They have a tough job and they're driving around all the time and they have to deal with crap and blah, blah, blah.
00:18:11
Speaker
And I'm like, hey, that just sounds like everyone else in this world right now.
00:18:14
Speaker
All right.
00:18:15
Speaker
Everyone has shit going on.
00:18:17
Speaker
So while I sympathize with their problems.
00:18:23
Speaker
Just smell better, man.
00:18:24
Speaker
Just smell better.
00:18:25
Speaker
I felt so sick I wanted to puke, okay?
00:18:27
Speaker
So, there's got to be – you've got to allow making fun or talking about something without everyone getting up in arms about it.
00:18:38
Speaker
Just because I made fun of that one ass, doesn't mean I don't feel for him, all right?
00:18:41
Speaker
So, yeah.
00:18:43
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know how you guys feel about that, about why I brought it up.
00:18:46
Speaker
It just bugged me today because it made me feel sick.
00:18:50
Speaker
I was just like, come on, you got to find a middle ground.
00:18:52
Speaker
We should be allowed to – there's got to be a way for them to drive all day.
00:18:58
Speaker
Hey, treat them like humans.
00:18:59
Speaker
I'm not the one doing it.
00:19:00
Speaker
I pay my full price and I treat them nicely.
00:19:04
Speaker
Well, I speak to them nicely.
00:19:05
Speaker
So, you know, I'm doing my bit.
00:19:07
Speaker
What more do you want me to pay them their wages as well directly so they can live a better life as those companies that are screwing them up in the first place?
00:19:17
Speaker
So but yeah, like give them some.
00:19:20
Speaker
Maybe I should just start carrying deodorant around.
00:19:22
Speaker
I don't know.
00:19:22
Speaker
Just pass them on to these guys and go, hey, listen,
00:19:25
Speaker
You're working in the heat.
00:19:26
Speaker
I know the car's air conditioned, but yeah, just use this stuff, man.
00:19:30
Speaker
Maybe that's, maybe that's the route to go.
00:19:32
Speaker
Now, great.
00:19:33
Speaker
Now I have to be that, be that creepy guy carrying deodorants around going, Hey, Hey, you want some of this stuff?
00:19:41
Speaker
It's good for you.
00:19:42
Speaker
Sniff it, sniff it.
00:19:43
Speaker
All right.
00:19:45
Speaker
Oh, that's terrible.
00:19:47
Speaker
So terrible.
Birthday Celebrations and Personal Connections
00:19:49
Speaker
Um,
00:19:50
Speaker
Yeah, so I did celebrate my birthday, and I forgot about one of the things I think I try to tell my friends most every year, remind them, like, don't get me gifts.
00:20:02
Speaker
I just feel embarrassed at this age now.
00:20:05
Speaker
Also, I've always just never really celebrated because it falls in the middle of July.
00:20:10
Speaker
All my friends used to leave on their holidays, okay?
00:20:12
Speaker
So I'm not used to it.
00:20:13
Speaker
It kind of almost feels embarrassing, but I was also glad because I got to spend it with very close friends, and I'm happy with that.
00:20:20
Speaker
But when I did get the gifts, I was like, hey, these are pretty cool.
00:20:23
Speaker
I got a perfume off a cologne, a really nice one off a friend.
00:20:28
Speaker
One of my favorite closest friends, Rami and Kylie, they got me this mini arcade that's so kick ass.
00:20:34
Speaker
Like I'm going to play it with my son.
00:20:36
Speaker
So that was very cool.
00:20:38
Speaker
It's just like a mini size arcade.
00:20:40
Speaker
Like it's the size of maybe it's like two feet, less than two feet.
00:20:44
Speaker
It's not two feet.
00:20:45
Speaker
It's like a foot.
00:20:47
Speaker
And a half long.
00:20:48
Speaker
And yeah, and it's got loads of games.
00:20:51
Speaker
I haven't kicked it into gear yet.
00:20:52
Speaker
Tomorrow.
00:20:53
Speaker
Tomorrow is the day we play.
00:20:55
Speaker
Another friend, Ehsan and his family, they gave me a couple of books that I really wanted.
00:21:00
Speaker
I'm really glad it's a set.
00:21:02
Speaker
It's that guy, man.
00:21:03
Speaker
Yuval.
00:21:04
Speaker
I think that's how his name is pronounced.
00:21:05
Speaker
So I read the...
00:21:08
Speaker
His first book, Sapiens, I listened to it on the audio because I just didn't have time to sit down and read it.
00:21:14
Speaker
They're really fat.
00:21:16
Speaker
You know, they're those fat books you look at and you go, either I'm going to go through these or this will become a tripod when I don't have one.
00:21:24
Speaker
filming.
00:21:25
Speaker
All right.
00:21:26
Speaker
So is that big?
00:21:28
Speaker
Are they going to balance the table?
00:21:30
Speaker
No, no, they're too big.
00:21:32
Speaker
Maybe I stand on them as platform shoes to look taller.
00:21:36
Speaker
I don't know.
00:21:37
Speaker
But I'm looking forward to reading them through the summer.
00:21:39
Speaker
His second book's out.
00:21:40
Speaker
The first one was pretty cool.
00:21:42
Speaker
As soon as I told another friend, Kieran, he sent me this link about how people have criticized some of the facts in it.
00:21:49
Speaker
So now I'm going to have to read that too, all right?
00:21:51
Speaker
And I'm going to have to make up my mind.
00:21:53
Speaker
Regardless, it was a fun book.
00:21:55
Speaker
I think I will enjoy reading it because, you know, I love audio and I feel like if audiobooks weren't around the option, I wouldn't get through so many books as I can because I spend more time on the road sometimes, right?
00:22:08
Speaker
And but I but it's one of those books where you're like, I want to underline this.
00:22:12
Speaker
I want to look this up later and mark it.
00:22:15
Speaker
I know you can do it in Audible, which I use, but it's just different with a book and pen.
00:22:19
Speaker
I'm old fashioned that way.
00:22:20
Speaker
And his second book looks interesting.
00:22:22
Speaker
I don't think it's got as great reviews, but it'll still be interesting to read and see what's in there.
00:22:27
Speaker
Those were nice gifts.
00:22:28
Speaker
And another great gift from, you know, Rushdie, my man, Rushdie, who I do, Sal and Rushdie do the podcast and a lot of other gigs and stuff.
00:22:38
Speaker
So we, he got him and his girl, Marie, got me and my wife, Sarah, a spa pass.
00:22:44
Speaker
Awesome.
00:22:45
Speaker
I'm just reading off stuff to show off about it.
00:22:47
Speaker
I just literally said, you know, gigs, I'm embarrassed about gifts and stuff.
00:22:51
Speaker
And now I'm rattling off about how cool my gifts were.
00:22:54
Speaker
I think I just wanted to give my friends a shout out and thank them in public for them being so kind and wonderful and loving.
00:23:03
Speaker
Right.
00:23:04
Speaker
So this part was very personal.
00:23:07
Speaker
It was nice.
00:23:07
Speaker
But, you know, I have to say the best gift I got was was from my mom.
00:23:12
Speaker
She called me up and I was really sad about not spending it with her this time around.
00:23:16
Speaker
I've missed the last couple of birthdays with her.
00:23:18
Speaker
And I was just, you know, I kind of passed a remark.
00:23:20
Speaker
I was like, hey, I'm getting older.
00:23:23
Speaker
And she said two things that were really cute.
00:23:25
Speaker
First, you know, she's always said that she's like, listen, you'll always be young and a baby for me.
00:23:31
Speaker
And I get it now with my own kid.
00:23:33
Speaker
I'm like, yeah, he's always going to be this age in my head.
00:23:36
Speaker
And it feels nice for your mom to say that.
00:23:38
Speaker
And then she said something nice that I think is a nice little lesson for all of us.
00:23:43
Speaker
She said, we're not just celebrating you completing this many years on earth.
00:23:48
Speaker
It's also marking and creating hope for the coming year of your life.
00:23:56
Speaker
And it kind of feels better than doing a stupid New Year's Eve with everybody else.
00:23:59
Speaker
But mark it from your own birthday to your next birthday.
00:24:02
Speaker
And just, you know, I am hopeful about it.
00:24:05
Speaker
And she wished me well.
Podcast Closure and Audience Engagement
00:24:07
Speaker
And yeah, that was very touching.
00:24:08
Speaker
And I love my mom for that.
00:24:11
Speaker
Really brought my birthday together really well.
00:24:14
Speaker
Yeah, that's what I've been up to guys.
00:24:16
Speaker
Uh, I hope you enjoyed this podcast.
00:24:17
Speaker
I, I'm going to stop there.
00:24:19
Speaker
That's a nice little note on, on my mommy and daddy, uh, who both love me so much.
00:24:24
Speaker
Ha ha.
00:24:25
Speaker
And, uh, and wish me.
00:24:27
Speaker
And it was, that was the best part of it.
00:24:29
Speaker
And I'm going to say bye here.
00:24:30
Speaker
Make sure guys make sure you leave a comment or share the episode.
00:24:37
Speaker
Show me some love, especially birthday love.
00:24:38
Speaker
That's your gift to me.
00:24:39
Speaker
I'm asking for it up front.
00:24:41
Speaker
And have a great week ahead.
00:24:42
Speaker
I'll catch you guys again.
00:24:44
Speaker
Take care.
00:24:44
Speaker
Bye.
00:24:45
Speaker
Or as a dog would say, woof.