Trying something you don't like - Sunday Surprise [15-June-25]
Go a little outside the comfort zone...
Bula!
It’s only been a few hours since we got back from a whirlwind trip to Fiji. Yes, another one. And after the last few newsletters about the joy of being home, I have to say—coming back still felt wonderful.
That said, I didn’t expect to enjoy the trip as much as I did. But it worked out far better than I thought…
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Here’s a funny thing about trying something you think you won’t like: sometimes you’re right. But sometimes, you’re... surprisingly okay with it.
Case in point: this week, I booked a resort holiday in Fiji.
This wasn’t my idea of a perfect trip. If you know me, you know I’ve never gravitated toward resorts, beaches, or the thought of being out in warm weather (I feel like I’m melting if it gets over 22℃ / 72℉). I’m more of a “roam the streets, climb the hill, find a great photo spot” kind of guy. I’ve always assumed resorts were a kind of relaxing I wouldn’t get.
But it was my wife’s birthday. She loves warmth. It’s cold in Melbourne. Fiji sounded sunny. So I booked it as an experiment.
We’d never done the high-end resort thing before, so everything felt a bit novel. The staff greeted us with a warm “Bula!” and a heartfelt “Welcome home.” It sounds cheesy, but it was said with such genuine warmth that it caught me off guard.
Our flight was delayed, and we arrived very late. I’d left a little note about the occasion while booking, and the staff went above and beyond. The room had “Happy Birthday” spelled out in leaves on the bed, a cake in the fridge, and champagne waiting (we don’t drink, but still—a lovely gesture).
We arrived just before the restaurant closed. I braced for an awkward “sorry, kitchen’s closed” moment. Instead, the check-in team moved swiftly, phoned ahead, and the restaurant staff welcomed us like royalty. Another surprise cake appeared after dinner, and the staff—who stayed back after closing—sang “Happy Birthday” to my wife. We were the only diners left. It was all unexpectedly moving.
I had to admit—it was... kind of wonderful.
The next day, we did the resort thing: lounging, beach-walking, pool-lazing, and not-much-doing. For a little while, it was soothing. But by the next morning, we didn’t quite know what to do with ourselves. I think the idea is to repeat the nothingness each day—but the sudden whiplash from our usual pace meant we weren’t built for that. Good thing this was a short getaway!
Still, I’m really glad we did it.
Because trying something you don’t think you’ll like can still be valuable. Not because it’ll change your mind completely—but because it helps clarify what you value. It offers contrast. It sharpens your sense of self.
We learned that resort life is lovely in small doses. And probably perfect when you’re so burnt out you don’t want to think—just float. If I were to do it again, I’d add in some buffer time beforehand to decelerate. You can’t go from fifth gear to idle without a bit of friction.
So no, I’m not a resort person. But I’m glad I went. Glad I got to see my wife so delighted by all the thoughtful touches. Glad I got to surprise myself, just a little.
Creative update
Youtube - I Didn't Upload for 40 Days – Here's How Much YouTube Paid Me
Fresh out of the (Youtube) oven is a video I made about what happens when you DON’T upload anything to Youtube - do you still get paid. Given that I had just become monetized, I didn’t know what to expect so I’m glad I ran this little experiment…
Cool finds
This little tool I bought a few months ago came in very handy this week. It’s an air compressor that’s great for bike tyres and works for cars too. It also doubles as a power bank and has an LED light for emergencies.
Why was it helpful? The air pump at the service station broke—and while my wife thought she was inflating her tyres, it actually deflated them dangerously low. Luckily, I had this on hand to save the day.
Cool reads
Scientists have found the secret to the perfect day
It’s a bit of a clickbait-y title and this version is a summarised one (the one I read is likely paywalled, but you can try and see if you can read it!).
It looks at data on how much time people spent on certain types of activities in a day that was classified as “ideal”. It’s an interesting look at how we should be spending our 24 hrs.
Weekly Update
Boy did this week induce whiplash hard! We had only just gotten settled back in and off we were on another trip! Here’s a quick recount of the week
King’s birthday (Monday) - I was so glad about this being a holiday - managed to catch up on a lot of life admin
Tuesday and Wednesday was pure madness. This Tuesday is a long day normally (finished at 945pm)
Then my wife had the tyre issue so I had to come back and sort that out
Then I had decided to go work in Albury NSW (about 4 hrs drive away)!! I arrived there at 3am! Got some sleep and…
Worked in a new hospital I had never been to before. This always makes things a bit slow since I need to find all the emergency equipment and people haven’t figured out your “style”
Weirdly, my anaesthetic nurse had worked with me in Melbourne. It was nice to see a familiar face so far away!
Drove back home after the morning list since it was my wifes b’day and we were going out for dinner.
Whew! More details and photos over on the blog
Quote of the week
This week’s quote is from a comedian who’s show I’ve been to!
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