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I flew to Dubai for my 30th birthday. Now I’m stranded 8,000 miles from home and terrified after the US strikes on Iran.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shanice Day, a 30-year-old stylist based in Houston, who is stuck in Dubai after traveling there to celebrate her birthday with a friend. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

I came to Dubai with one of my best friends. We left Texas on February 23 and arrived in Dubai early on the 24th, the day of my 30th birthday.

The hotel staff gave me a cake, roses, and drinks. They even sang “Happy Birthday.” It was wonderful. Every time I told someone it was my birthday, they made me feel special.

February 28 was meant to be the last full day of my birthday trip to Dubai. That was when the Iranian strikes started. Since then, we’ve been trying to get back to the US, but we’ve hit so many roadblocks.

I planned my birthday trip to Dubai about 5 months ago

I had planned this trip for my best friend and me about five months ago. We usually travel everywhere together. We decided that this time, Dubai would be a good place to go for such a big birthday. I’d always wanted to visit the Middle East.

At the start of our trip, we did a lot of cultural things. We visited a mosque, the Miracle Garden, and the beaches. We really indulged ourselves and tried so many different kinds of food.

Dubai is a beautiful city. Everyone here is very kind, and in my first few days, I felt the safest I’d ever felt. I never expected anything like this would happen here.

The final day of my trip

On Saturday, the 28th, I was shopping at the Dubai Mall. My best friend stayed behind to go to the beach at our resort.

When I went into a store, I asked the clerk if I could come back before my flight. He told me I might not be able to, and I didn’t understand why. I checked my phone and immediately saw that the US and Israel had struck Iran. My best friend called me and told me that I needed to get back to the resort.

I was shaken up by the strike in Dubai

We’re staying at a five-star hotel in the Jumeirah Beach Residence area. It’s not too far from the Fairmont The Palm, which caught on fire during an Iranian air attack on Saturday night. I didn’t see the smoke, but I heard the sounds from the air-defense systems.

In the US, we don’t hear things like that. It really shook me up. A lot. It felt like an out-of-body experience.

Sunday in Dubai felt very eerie. On Monday, we went out just to get a bite to eat, but the energy still felt off. I think people are trying to make the best of the situation, but the mood has shifted.

We broke down in tears when our flights from Dubai were canceled

Our flight was meant to depart on March 1 at 5.30. The night before, we were notified that it had been canceled. We broke down in tears. We’re 8,000 miles away from our family and friends. We don’t know when this will be over. We didn’t know how we were going to get out.

We immediately started looking for any way out. When we realized we couldn’t find one, our hearts broke. We were devastated and scared. I’m very spiritual, so we both started to pray.

My friends and family back in Texas are concerned about us. I had to tell my immediate family that I don’t know when we’ll make it home.

I feel traumatized and am hesitant to travel overseas right now

I’m trying to see the positive now: We’re still in Dubai, and we’re still safe. Our hotel has taken precautions to make us feel at home, but it’s still very traumatic.

I’ve been traveling since I was 14. I love experiencing different cultures, but this has been overwhelming. I’d say that traveling overseas will not be at the top of my priority list after this.

I’ll probably get therapy after this experience. I know it’s going to take me a while to build up the courage to travel again.

All I want is to get home to my dog, my cat, my mom, and my friends, and honestly, I even miss my job as a personal stylist.

I love Dubai, but I want to be home and at ease

My friend, who is watching my cat and dog while we’re away, FaceTimed me with my pets. I got to see my babies. I just want to see them again. I just want to feel normal again.

I’m not at ease, and I don’t think I will be until I cuddle up with my animals again.

But despite all this, I still love Dubai.

Do you have a story to share about leaving or trying to leave the United Arab Emirates? Contact this reporter at jzitser@businessinsider.com.




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Career tips for creators from 5 of Steve Jobs’ powerful friends on what would have been his 71st birthday

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Late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs had a variety of powerful friends, and they’re honoring his legacy by sharing their recipes for success.

To celebrate his birthday on Tuesday, the Steve Jobs Archive released two collections of letters from business leaders, designers, writers, and more.

The entries were originally distributed to 2023 and 2024 fellows of the SJA program for young creators, and they’ve been compiled into two volumes titled “Letters to a Young Creator.”

The volumes feature the words of advice from tech trailblazers like Tim Cook and Jony Ive, to successful businessmen Bob Iger and Arthur Rock, to creative minds like Pixar’s Pete Docter and filmmaker Jon Chu.

Some wove their lessons together with personal anecdotes about their relationships with Jobs, while others laid out lists to aid in the creative process.

Tuesday would’ve been Jobs’ 71st birthday. The former Apple CEO died in 2011 after living with pancreatic cancer for a number of years. Jobs became known for his inspirational public speeches and quotes shared by those who worked closely with him.

Volume one of “Letters To a Young Creator” ends with an email Jobs sent to himself in 2010. In the note, he reflected on how his appreciation for human creativity.

“I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well being,” Jobs wrote.

In volume two, Jobs referred to himself in a 1984 quote as a student.

“Don’t take it all too seriously,” he concluded.

Here’s what his friends had to say about pursuing success as a young creator.

Tim Cook posed one question to young creators


Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook took over for Jobs in 2011.

Perry Knotts/Getty Images



Cook took over as CEO in 2011 after Jobs stepped down to focus on his health. Before his death, the pair worked closely together at Apple. Cook has been with the company since he met Jobs in 1998.

In his 2024 letter, Cook described the fateful meeting that led to a decadeslong career at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. He said he was warned against taking a job at Apple as the company had been struggling around that time. One conversation with Jobs changed everything.

“I had never met someone with so much passion and vision,” Cook wrote. “I knew I had to be a part of it.”

His advice to young creators facing similar decisions on their future career paths was to ask themselves one question.

“And so when you imagine your future, and the winding path that is laid before you, remember the question you should ask is not ‘What will happen?’ but ‘Who will I be when it does?'” Cook said.

Jony Ive said that Jobs liked to focus on ideas


Former chief design officer of Apple Jony Ive

Former chief design officer of Apple Jony Ive worked closely with Jobs.

Mike Windle/Getty Images



Ive, Apple’s former design chief, worked with Jobs for nearly 15 years. The pair would often have lunch together as they came up with ideas that led to successful products like the iPhone.

Ive wrote about his relationship with Jobs.

“His insatiable curiosity was not limited or distracted by his knowledge or expertise, nor was it casual or passive,” Ive wrote. “It was ferocious, energetic, and restless.”

Ive and Jobs connected over their shared curiosity. He encouraged people to be like Jobs and show their admiration for humans by being creators themselves. According to Ive, Jobs was focused on ideas rather than the problems that come along with them.

“Ideas are fragile. If they were resolved, they would not be ideas, they would be products. It takes determined effort not to be consumed by the problems of a new idea,” Ive wrote.

Pete Docter listed tips that help his creative process along


Pixar's Pete Docter

Pete Docter directed several Pixar movies.

LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images



Docter is the chief creative officer at Pixar, which Jobs owned before Apple’s comeback. In recent years, Docter has been vocal about the intersection of tech and animation, saying artificial intelligence won’t fully replace humans in filmmaking.

He’s known for directing hit animated movies like “Monsters, Inc.,” “Up,” “Inside Out,” and “Soul.”

Docter laid out nine tips that he uses in his own creative process. Here are three of them:

  1. Start with whatever shows up. Go as far as you can on that initial confidence and enthusiasm.
  2. Start fast and rough; worry about details later.
  3. Each day, start by pretending you’ve never seen it before, with no expectations or preconceptions. Take it in as your audience will: see what it is, not what you HOPE it is. Then change or add to make it better.

Bob Iger said to take risks


GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 10: Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger looks on prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Disney CEO Bob Iger led the acquisition of Pixar in 2006.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images



Iger has had two stints as Disney’s CEO, starting in 2005. The media giant acquired Pixar in 2006. Jobs became a member of Disney’s board of directors as part of the deal.

In true Disney fashion, Iger wrote about “magic and wonder” in his letter to creators. He remarked that creativity can’t be reduced to math or science.

Being risk-averse, he said, is the “death of creativity.”

“Second-guessing creative decisions is a perilous endeavor. Learn from creative mistakes, and never second-guess why things were made,” Iger wrote. “Instead, ask how they could have been made better.”

Arthur Rock said it’s all about who you keep around

Rock is an iconic Silicon Valley investor behind Intel, Xerox, and Apple. The 99-year-old wrote his 2025 letter about what makes a good leader.

“A good leader chooses good people,” he said.

Execution outweighs ideas, according to Rock, and finding people who can execute is essential. It’s the traits that money can’t buy, like “fire in the belly,” that Rock learned to identify throughout his decades as a venture capitalist.

“You want people who know what they can do, and do it. Even more important: You want people who know what they don’t know,” Rock said.




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You can’t cop Jensen Huang’s GPUs but you can eat the same cake he got for his birthday at work

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Nvidia’s GPUs may be hard to snag, but Jensen Huang’s birthday cake might just be sitting in a display case at your local mall.

A strawberry soft cream cake from Korean bakery brand Paris Baguette was served at a birthday dinner for the Nvidia CEO near the company’s Santa Clara headquarters last Saturday, according to The Korea Times, which cited an interview with the bakery brand’s operator, Paris Croissant.

Huang, who turned 63 on Feb 17, invited about 30 engineers involved in South Korea’s SK Hynix DRAM and high-bandwidth memory for a dinner party at a fried chicken restaurant called 99 Chicken.

Korean business newspaper Hankyung reported that Huang had instructed Nvidia employees to “organize a dinner to encourage SK Hynix HBM engineers.”

“Please supply the highest-performance HBM4 without a hitch,” he told SK Hynix engineers that day, according to Hankyung.

SK Hynix is one of Nvidia’s key suppliers of high-bandwidth memory chips, or HBM chips — the advanced chips that sit alongside GPUs and feed them data at extreme speeds. Memory chips have become one of the biggest choke points in the AI boom.

At one point, Huang personally prepared and served somaek — a mix of soju and beer — to guests at each table.

For about two hours, Huang went table to table thanking his guests, according to Hankyung.

Huang’s cake is a huge marketing win for the bakery brand.

“It was all about the symbolic moment — our brand’s cake being present at a birthday party for the current leader of the global AI industry. It was a total boon without costing us anything,” a Paris Croissant official told The Korea Times.

Paris Croissant operates about 280 Paris Baguette locations across the US, including several in Silicon Valley. It aims to expand to 1,000 outlets in North America by 2030.

The bakery chain is a household name in South Korea, with about 3,400 stores there. Since making its first push overseas in 2004, the Paris Baguette brand has expanded to 15 countries.

The Paris Baguette cake is described as a “vanilla cake filled with soft cream and fresh strawberries, topped with more berries.”

A global AI superstar

Huang has become something of a spectacle wherever he goes.

In October, Huang sat down for fried chicken in Seoul with the heads of Samsung and Hyundai. The casual meal quickly turned into a media event.

A crowd of journalists, photographers, and fans gathered outside the restaurant, while national broadcasters aired live footage of the executives eating and talking inside.

Photos from the evening also captured reflections in the restaurant windows, showing fellow diners lifting their phones to snap pictures.

Following Huang’s visit to the Seoul restaurant, crowds lined up before opening hours, hoping to dine at the same table occupied by the Nvidia chief and his high-profile guests, Korean media outlets reported.

The restaurant has imposed a one-hour time limit on the table used by Huang and the Korean business leaders, the reports added.




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90-year-old determined not to miss birthday party, despite heart attack

by with No Comment Xpandfy

My father has always been a sociable person who loves nothing better than chatting with relatives, friends, and ex-colleagues.

So it seemed like a fun idea to throw him a surprise party for his milestone 90th birthday at a cricket club in the English town where I grew up.

Our intention was “go big or go home,” and my sister, Alison, and I asked dozens of people to join the celebration.

We decided on a newspaper theme because Dad was the former editor in chief of a local newspaper. I spent hours designing the invitation, emphasizing that the event was top secret, and using the font of an old-fashioned typewriter.

The party was organized with military precision

Mom was also kept in the dark because we wanted it to be a surprise for her, too.

The guest list grew by the day as we contacted people from every part of Dad’s life, including his sister-in-law, cousin, nieces, nephews, and neighbors.

Most of the attendees were journalists who’d worked with him during his seven decades in print. We imagined his delight when he met them again.

My sister and I planned the party with military precision from our homes on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.


A group of people at a birthday party.

The party took place after all.

Courtesy of the author.



We bought runners for the tables, framed a huge welcome poster, made bunting, and ordered a massive cake that looked like the front page of Dad’s beloved paper.

Then, two weeks before the party, Dad had a cardiac arrest. He’d shown signs of slowing down over the previous few months, but it was a terrible shock.

Thankfully, the heart attack was relatively mild — but it was enough to keep him in the hospital, followed by a rehab facility for the next seven days.

Mom and Ali stayed at his bedside, while I made concerned calls from the US. It was horrible to live so far away while my family was in need.

The worry was bad enough, but I admit it was compounded by the fact that we’d organized the birthday party. Dad’s health was the absolute priority, but people had been looking forward to the occasion and booked train tickets and hotels.

Dad could have made a virtual appearance

I felt selfish for having those thoughts, but couldn’t bring myself to cancel the celebration quite yet. I consulted with Ali, who agreed we should reassess in a few days’ time.

While Dad quickly showed signs of improvement, we faced a dilemma. Should we do the “sensible thing” and call off the party? Perhaps there was a compromise. What if the event went ahead in Dad’s honor, whether he attended or not?

He was as generous as he was sociable, and wouldn’t have wanted anyone to be disappointed or sad. Besides, he’d get a kick out of all the tributes to him.

We sent an email to tell the guests what had happened. We said we understood if they wanted to decline, but hoped they wouldn’t. Dad could even make a virtual appearance on a giant TV screen, we said.


A woman in a blue dress making a speech

The author making a speech at her father’s birthday party.

Courtesy of the author.



Most people thought it would be nice to get together for a reunion and celebrate Dad. If they couldn’t raise a glass and appreciate him together, then when could they?

To our relief, Dad rallied over the following week. He returned from the hospital and became quite jovial again. My husband and I flew to England as planned, and he was pleased to see us.

Nevertheless, a big question mark remained over the party. Dad’s medical team was impressed by his continued recovery, and Ali sought their advice. She wanted to know whether it was safe for him to attend. They said it would boost his morale and give him something to look forward to.

Dad delivered a speech himself

Obviously, we no longer kept the lunch a surprise and asked Dad for his opinion. There was no pressure, we said, but if the thought of a celebration appealed to him, we’d do our best to get him there.

His face lit up. “I can’t wait to see everyone,” he said.

We left it until the morning itself for him to finally decide. If he felt up to coming, great. If not, that would be fine. It didn’t really matter because he’d be there in spirit.

Still, proud and determined, Dad made it in person. He shook hands with everyone in the room and laughed at the speeches. He even gave one himself.

The party was a roaring success. Ali and I agreed that we’d done the right thing. We hadn’t seen Dad so happy in years.




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I took my 5-year-old to the wrong birthday party. It taught me a lesson about the grace of strangers.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

My son, Bobby, had always been a shy person. When he started kindergarten, I was hoping he’d make a lot more friends.

I was delighted when I saw an Evite in my inbox from a mom inviting him to a classmate’s 6th birthday party. The little boy’s name was Nathan.

The event took place at a retro slot-car raceway, where you raced tiny, electric-powered replicas of full-size cars on narrow tracks with “grooves,” known as “slots.”

Neither of us had been to one before, and we were excited to accept the invitation. I was also looking forward to finally meeting the other parents.

I didn’t buy a physical gift

I didn’t know anyone, partly because Bobby attended a school in a different suburb, about five miles from ours.

He took the bus, so my husband and I never did pick up or drop off. We worked in the city, so there was no waiting at the school gate and chatting with fellow moms and dads.

Nathan’s mother asked people to give half the money we’d have spent on gifts to an animal shelter. She’d use the other half to buy something big that he really wanted.

I ignored red flags

I was relieved that I didn’t have to go out of my way to purchase a present, so I donated $20 online.

As a result, Bobby and I arrived, empty-handed, at the slot-car venue at 11 am on a rainy Sunday morning. The hostess greeted us at the door.

“Is that Nathan?” I asked, pointing to the child I assumed was her son. The boy had a giant rosette on his sweater. “You mean, Oliver,” she replied. It was the first red flag that I ignored.

My son had a lot of fun

I’ve always been forgetful and apologized profusely. Bobby and I sat down by the racetrack and grabbed his remote control. A dad showed us how to work the cars.

Time went by, and Bobby had a lot of fun. He didn’t interact much with the other children, and they didn’t interact much with him either. I thought nothing of it because he was often withdrawn in busy settings.

I introduced myself to many of the parents. They talked animatedly in groups and clearly knew each other well. Still, they included me by asking me how Bobby liked the teacher.


A group of children at a slot-car racing track.

The author’s son, far left, thoroughly enjoyed himself at the party.

Courtesy of the author.



“Oh yes, he loves her,” I told one of the moms, mentioning the teacher’s name. She looked puzzled. It was another red flag, but I didn’t see it waving right in front of my face.

I spotted a large pile of presents on a table nearby. Wasn’t it odd, I thought, that so many guests bought gifts when Oliver’s mom had wanted us to make donations instead? Still, the penny didn’t drop.

It was time to cut the birthday cake. I helped hand out the slices. I wanted to leave a good impression. One mom said how nice it was of me. I joked that I was expecting a tip. She laughed politely.

Something was off

We left 15 minutes later. “Did you have a good time?” I asked Bobby. He nodded,

Fast forward a week, and I looked through my email and clicked on the Evite from Nathan’s mom. I intended to write down her number and see if her son would be interested in a playdate.

“Come to Nathan’s 6th birthday celebration,” the invitation said. I thought it was Oliver’s party. Something was off. I looked at the date. Nathan’s slot-car racing took place at 11 am the previous Saturday, not 11 am the previous Sunday. We missed his party by 24 hours.

Worse, we’d shown up at the wrong party. Most of the kids were much bigger than Bobby. Now I knew why.

We had crashed a party

I recalled the moment when Oliver cut his cake. I was fairly certain there were more than six candles on top.

No wonder there were so many presents on that table. No wonder the woman looked at me strangely when I mentioned the teacher’s name.

I cringed. What on earth had Oliver’s mom thought of me? I was the bonkers party crasher who showed up uninvited with their kid. I didn’t even bring a gift. What if the other parents gossiped about me and sniggered behind my back? It was mortifying.

My negative reaction shifted

After I called Nathan’s mom to apologize for missing his party, I took a breath and reflected on what had happened. It was actually quite amusing. My negative reaction shifted. Bobby thoroughly enjoyed himself, which was a promising outcome for someone so shy.

The hostess might have wondered who the heck I was, but she was too considerate to ask and embarrass me in front of people.

Everyone at the party had been warm, kind, and full of goodwill. It didn’t matter who I was. They welcomed me with open arms. Those strangers taught me a lesson in grace.




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A rattlesnake bit my toddler at a birthday party. What happened next changed me.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

I was sick at home when my 2-year-old son was bitten by a rattlesnake at a kid’s fairy-themed birthday party in LA.

My husband, Mac, was with our two kids when our son fell into the grass, crying and pointing to his hand. At first glance, Mac thought he was having an allergic reaction to a bee sting, a fair assessment for an Angelino parent, until he identified a second puncture wound in the divot between his little fingers.

It’s one thing to be present when your child gets hurt. The self-blame is straightforward — “It’s all my fault. I wasn’t quick enough. I should have seen it coming.” But when it happens without you, the guilt wanders until it emboldens — “Had I been there, I would have prevented it. I would have lured the snake away with the live mouse I keep in my first aid kit next to the Paw Patrol Band-Aids and butt cream.”


Toddler at hospital crying

The author’s son was admitted to the hospital after being bitten by a snake.

Courtesy of the author



Mac rushed to the Children’s Hospital LA while I went through the suddenly delicate motions of being a parent to our oldest. The CHLA attending doctors, in tandem with California’s leading poison specialist, determined that he would require an anti-venom treatment. A Marvel comic book plotline except this was real life, and the idea of Mads becoming Sssnake-Man was far-fetched, even in our desperation. Ironically, this is when you’re meant to conjure hope. Even if your son’s hand has gone from swollen pink to rigid gray.

As we waited to see if the anti-venom would work, I ran through the unthinkable what-ifs until I landed on a firm bed of memories from the last time I feared death.

My mom died at 67

The first time someone deeply close to me died was 10 years ago, when I lost my mother.

Her death made no sense to me. She was 12 years younger than my dad and only 67 when she died. She’d lived a self-proclaimed glamorous life before meeting my dad and becoming surprisingly pregnant with me at 39.

Before that, she was a “walking model” at Bal Harbour Shops in the 70s, touting signage from the then-emerging designers of couture. We loved each other completely, but it was no secret that becoming a mother deprived her of her golden years.


Mom and daughter

The author’s mom died when she was 67.

Courtesy of the author



I traveled across the county to be with her after her first heart attack. She refused medical advice to be added to a heart transplant list and was vehemently against keeping a low-sodium diet. For this, I was angry. I plead with her. I begged. Did she want to live? What if I were to get married one day? Wouldn’t she want to meet her future grandkids? All she wanted was sodium-rich tomato soup. I was so mad, I decided to cut my trip short so I didn’t have to watch her kill herself. Harsh, maybe, but that’s what it felt like at the time.

“Won’t you stay and hold my hand?” she asked before I left.

She died a few weeks later from sepsis after another heart attack. I made it back in time for her last breath.

Then my dad died at 82

I tried to do better when my dad became ill three years later. His death made more sense. He was an 82-year-old personal injury attorney with diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and eventually bladder cancer.


Dad and daughter

The author’s dad died at 82.

Courtesy of the author



In a word, my dad was basic before it became a popular insult. I mean it in the most endearing way. He was a New York Jew who grew up at the tail end of the Great Depression and was generally satisfied as long as he had a Miami Hurricanes game on and a palmful of peanuts that, in his final hours, he wouldn’t be able to swallow. It was then that I’d watch the games with him and drop ice chips into his mouth to offer some relief.

I knew it wouldn’t be long before he died, but I guess I expected to be there when it happened. Instead, I got a call very early one morning to let me know that my father had “expired.” Like a carton of milk.

My son’s snake bite taught me something important

In the weeks leading up to Madsen’s snake bite, we were preparing to move across the country to be closer to Mac’s family. The decision was made at the last minute, and we had limited assistance. We were moving so fast, we forgot what mattered until Mads was admitted to the ICU.

A decade ago, I had somehow mistaken my mother’s autonomy for abandonment. It was only now that I understood, far too late, that my mom needed me just as much as I needed her.

Madsen received 21 doses of anti-venom over a 72-hour period. And it worked. When I saw him, he kept saying “I got you!” which is what Mac had been telling him since they arrived.

“I got you, too, little buddy,” I said and held his hand in mine.




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