Finding Happy in 2023

My son? Kyle Magallon ?and I have enjoyed the jollity of every New Year's Eve ever since he arrived in Dubai in 2017. We have this very special kind of friends living in Downtown Dubai with whom we celebrate the New Year round-up and witness the famed Burj Khalifa magnificently do their enchanting fireworks and laser show year after year.

But Dubai’s New Year's Eve isn’t centred at Burj Khalifa alone. More than 30 locations are set to dazzle the skyline all as impressive and jaw-dropping as the others. The highlight of Dubai’s festive calendar is who wins the most-in-everything-fireworks-bragging-rights and watches Dubai exploding in the sky for free.

This year, we headed to Dubai’s secret beach (well, not a secret actually) with Kyle’s closest circle? Maitham Marzooq ?and? Ayna Gonzales ?– two people I love too. The relatively quiet slither of beach just off Beach Road in Al Sufouh comes alive on New Year’s Eve, pretty much the mid-point between Palm Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab. Just facing The Palm, one can see Ain Dubai at a near distance at the same spot where you stand. You should be able to see at least three of Dubai’s best fireworks displays from the Black Palace Beach, as what this secret beach called by locals. Keep in mind that Burj Al Arab always hugs the limelight as being one of the world’s greatest firework displays from the only seven-star hotel in the world. To witness a firework battle is truly epic in magnitude, and seen from the best-kept secret beach strip by residents and locals of the city just doesn’t get any better.?

In the company of the conniving trio, they wrapped me in layers of heavy blankets and set me up a tent to cave in against the chilly winter weather by the beach. They played video games in a small mock-up gaming table mounted on cold sand under the half-moon shine that night. The stars' light above and the chilly sea breeze against Dubai’s city skyline at night are breathtaking. Waiting for this year’s new year was different. It was almost like an awakening within. The architectural wonders that sweep around the coastline of Palm Jumeirah, the Bluewaters Island where Ain Dubai stands, and of the luxurious and ultra-opulent Burj Al Arab, likely the centre of attention for an emphatic display from all these, made me beyond blessed.

I spent the last few days of 2022 thinking about my year and found some necessary events that have enlightened my soul, conversations that changed me, and those moments I shared with friends who held the same passion, laughter and even sadness that some of us find a bit too earnest. This in itself is incredible to know because I knew I lived the year through. Though we may celebrate midnight in different ways, still the same as everyone, we all reflect the passing of time.

Another year comes, and silently we ask - what have we become?

Today, with fresh starts in mind seems a good time to mention that in this fast-paced society, in dog-eat-dog economics, and an “I got mine” mentality, happiness may seem like a luxury item: something extra to the way we measure success.

But happiness is a foundational concept in life.

Happiness is about being in the ‘present’, this is the crucial link to how we spend time and is the key principle to finding happy.

Like when I saw Kyle with his friends playing video games on the cold sands of New Year's eve and having dim-lit dinners under the stars by the shoreline, hearing waves of laughter that echoes as the wind blew. Suddenly I focused on that very moment, slow downed by time, by not thinking about future events – tuning out the world and tuning in to the person in front of me. I was happy.

Small things, but can make a big difference; they can simply make you happier.

Happiness is not overrated. If there is anything in life that we should overdose on, it is the simplest of the moments that make us happy. Being in a joyful place will help you smile even when times are tough. Remember that as you face 2023.

Go ahead, pour yourself a glass of happy - because your happy hour is now.

Happy New Year everyone! May you find happy!