So, now it's your chance to shine, people! I seem to remember in my very first articles many years ago speculating that most of my captive readership was probably going to consist of poor souls stranded in dentists', doctors' and hospitals' waiting rooms.
I can picture you now ploughing through dog-eared back copies, sitting next to kids with saucepans stuck on their heads using my pointless ramblings as a distraction, thinking that nothing that happens with the specialist could possibly be as painful as reading my columns. On the strength of one letter from Channa G I was spot on! Channa applauds me for "making my trip to the dentist a pleasurable experience." The only confusion I have after reading the letter is how someone that ends it "Bless you my brother and friend," also states, "Thanks a lot babe!" But hey, I take all the love that comes my way with open arms!
Ms Naz Neen hit me up with more love, saying, "Love everything that you write," and asking why she couldn't find me on Facebook. So here's the truth… I am there on the old Facebook, but I am undercover! Just for you, though, look for Greg Nice… and if anyone wants to befriend, poke or write on my walls, let me know that you are one of my loyal readers and not a random weirdo!
I am sure that my readers are all well-balanced individuals so I shouldn't have anything to worry about, should I?
Maheen H proves this point to me straight away as she signs off as "an HR Professional from Abu Dhabi". Maheen writes that she "appreciates my impulsive views and grasp over random thoughts… which are close to a common person." It's rewarding to hear that analysis because that's all I would ever strive to be - a common man. I am nothing special, believe me, I have no expertise in anything I talk about… I just keep it real with what I feel, and that's the deal!
Mohammad I from India wrote just asking "to be one of my friends" and hoping that I would "accept his flimsy invitation." Consider it done, I like flimsy, it's one of my favourite virtues!
Saffi G got in touch saying, " I am 13… i wud really want 2 know how was ur high school and what type of company u had… what did u dream of becoming when u were my age?" I will get into this in more detail in a full article but in brief, I was (and remain!) a complete dreamer. I escaped the claustrophobia of my ordinary life by escaping through music and fashion. I was a little wild, ran with an older crowd of like-minded extroverts and longed for a life that felt like it would be fun to live. Nothing has changed.
All I will say is that I was blessed with wonderful parents who were not always as understanding of my ambitions but nonetheless instilled in me a fantastic set of values and sense of right and wrong that I am eternally grateful for. It's those values combined with the character that I built through trial and error which I believe has bought me the luck and opportunities to turn these wild unplanned dreams into something that I can now call a career.
I would not encourage anybody to walk a mile in my shoes because you might end up miles away from where you want to be in shoes that quite frankly might look incredibly stylish but don't fit right. But the moral, if there is one, is find your own way.
Boy - I almost made some sense there, I better make sure I don't ruin my rep!
Surprising-myself-ingly yours.
G*Nice…is a Dubai-based columnist who writes an exclusive column for Friday
Folks, just in case you want to get back to G*Nice, please do. Email: friday@gulfnews.com
He will return the favour and then you will get back to him and he will get back to you… before you know it you have a friend. (Believe that?!)
