I have read this famous book Da Vinci code. I do not know what I expected from a book like that. But I am deeply disappointed .I do not like detective stories first of all.
I expected more historical facts , more interesting details .Something like Umberto Ecco: Il nomma della rosa .
Jesus s life and death is an ever interesting topic for me. Why was not I puzzled by learning in the middle of the book that the holy cup in fact is the symbol of Jesus wife??or the feminine power?
Why was not I excited to learn that cartoons are full of hidden symbols? And that in the fresco of Leonardo we can see a woman sitting next to Jesus?
All these things left me indifferent perhaps because I had the feeling during reading this badly written story that someone wants me to believe very much that Roman Catholic church and alone is responsible for the oppression of women in the world . That the freemasons are all nice guys. And that it is OK if they are practicing erotic rituals because they do it for high spirituality and so on. They are the good guys and the Roman Catholics and the insane British aristocracy are the bad ones. Everything is so simple in the story like a cowboy film ... All in all it is not written for me...

more information :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code

Bad news from home. A girl or woman from the secondary school –died. We used to go four years to the same school – to the same class .Though we had never had close friendship – it is horrifying to imagine that she is nowhere nowadays .Cervix cancer – that is what she was killed by . The one which can be totally cured – in case it is discovered in time.
The strange thing is that she is not the first girl from our class suffering from that. Ten years after we had graduated from the secondary school we had a reunion. Then a girl spoke up – told about her story very openly – to be warning for every girl. She was pregnant when the cancer was discovered .The baby had to come early at the 8 months for she can be operated as soon as possible .She has fully recovered and thank God the baby as well- was O.K. But had not she been pregnant at that time she would not have noticed that something was going wrong. Her message was for us: girls get checked every year.
Did this message arrive at anyone of us ? We just think – it is a bad luck story- why would it happen to me ?And who likes those medical check ups ?
It is a tragedy to die at this age - especially when someone has two little kids to bring up .

some of my mandalas in refreshing colors to cheer you up on a dark winter day . available in : www.comboutique.com/tapolca

WE have a landlady. Nobody has ever seen her. We have a landlady. Several things prove her existence. The rent for example. Her Indian driver takes it every month .We have a landlady. Someone was banging the door the other day. Early in the morning. My husband had just left for work.
- Open-Open - he shouted.
- NO WAY – he knows very well
- Open - I am the driver – you know me.
- Call my husband.
- Open, the lady, you know – the owner - she gives something.
- Ok. Put it down next to the door.
He made me very upset. I was watching him through the window as he leaves. Then I opened the door. It was a plastic bag with some souvenirs from Mecca: dates, water.
Why could not he simply say: present from the owner?

Anyway – he is the unofficial watchdog of the house. He lives 500 meters from our block.
Last month we had made some alternations of the flat. My husband invited a lots of repair men to ask for a price offer. They were coming and going .Ten minutes after the first men had arrived – the driver called my husband: - there are lots of men – strangers – are going into your flat. What is going on?
We are being watched –we realized.

Anyway, the dates were tasty. Dipped into honey filled with some nuts ...This is the most often mentioned fruit in the Quran ... so they are widely used to cure different ailments or to prevent different conditions. Especially it is recommended for pregnant women and nursing mothers because after the birth of Jesus Mary was encouraged to eat some of this fruit.:
So she was pregnant with him, and she went to deliver in a far place.19:23 Then the birth pains came to her, by the trunk of a palm tree. She said: "I wish I had died before this, and became totally forgotten!"19:24 But then he called to her from beneath her: "Do not be sad, your Lord has made below you a stream."19:25 "And shake the trunk of this palm tree, it will cause ripe dates to fall upon you."19:26 "So eat and drink and be happy. If you see any human being, then Say: "I have declared a fast for the Almighty, and I will not talk today to any of mankind.""
According to this vers Jesus was born in summer. Fresh dates are available at that time of the year .

Kerala is a tiny state in South India. It boasts with excellent literacy rate .Nearly everybody can read and write – just like in Europe- contrary to the general literacy rate in India. No wonder that they send so many educated workers to his area.
They are lovely people – so no wonder that our first friends here in Qatar were from that state.
But they send not only people-but rice. Brown rice from Kerala. It is a good choice for your health...
Unless –it is full of stones. "stones less " It was written on it. Less than what? It is still unclear. And how on earth stones are getting into that rice?

People from Kerala love their own state very much. They simply call it:"god s own country ". I do like this feature in them. I love the same way my wonderful hometown Tapolca – in Western Hungary.
Once, when I used to work as a tour- guide an American tourist asked me:- Do you wish to live in USA one day – if you have the chance?
My answer was: - The only place where I wish to live when I have the chance is my hometown where I was born. It is the best place in the world.
Then the Americans burst out in applauding and cheering. It was a bit embarrassing. I tried to explain them – it is really the best place- I was just lucky that I was born there ... Then also it came to my mind that they might be cheering that one less Eastern European is coming to the USA...
However - Tapolca is really wonderful place-and I do believe that Kerala is the same. Hope to be able to see it one day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala /to read more about it /
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapolca /just a short note about my hometown /

The other day our Indian friends invited us for a picnic. It was around noon. We were waiting for them at the Sheraton park – but they did not turn up. When losing hope to see them they appeared at the port waving for us to come .We had a little boat trip in the sea. It was a nice suprise ...
After at the park we were chatting –our children were playing. The weather was wonderful – calm and sunny. Reminded me rather Easter in Hungary than January.
Everybody agreed that it was a wonderful day.

refreshing mandalas I have created in January .

I have created some refreshing mandalas this month .I have put them on T-shirts and other things here ang there .

Grandma used to come to see us every December

Grandma used to come to see us every December. We lived somewhere in Western Hungary and she  lived on the Great Hungarian Plain .On the day when she left  for seeing us she took her two large baskets very early in the morning and took the little train of her village . It was still dark then .She arrived at a bigger town when the sun rose –where she took the train to Budapest .Then arriving there she had to cross the city with her two large baskets to get to the right station .Then  the train  was huffing and puffing again three hours all along the picturesque lake of Balaton.

Her arrival was  always the greatest present for us. Her baskets were hiding delicacies out of this world. Duck drippings, duck livers, plum jam in a clay pot, raspberry jam and syrup, walnuts.

Once there was a very cold winter . December had a grim look .My father had spent much money and even more on wood and kerosene .He had nearly froze to death during WWII as a little guy .As a result – he overprotected his family  and himself against the cold .

When it was about to buy the Xmas presents –simply- there was no money left  .My mother told us about it very sadly :-"No presents this year .Sorry kids ."
But we were not sad at all .All we wanted to know; - "Will Grandma come as usual?" 

As she did come –we were cheerful .  Her arrival was the greatest present and made all our December very special . Besides the delicacies she brought - she had her crochets and wool and she had made us every year a new pair of slipper.She  had a lots news and stories about relatives and her village .She spoke a very special dialect , a kind of old Hungarian and I looked at her as she was a fairy stepped out of from a tale .

Finally  our  Xmas Eve turned out to be very exciting . My father came home from work with a wonderful metal sledge .He had made it himself somehow from some waste metal.  What a wonderful  surprise it was ! On Xmas  day we went to a hill not far from our compound and close to a stream and were sliding all the day.
 Mom says that those days financially were the most difficult ones for our family .But in my memories there  is no hardship or sadness ..
 Actually ,I always remember those days as the most wonderful times  of our life.

Hungarian Xmas 1902 Greeting Card by almawad

New Year came with sparkling sun and unusual cold weather in Doha.
It was also the last day of Eid. A" twin holiday" as the local media has referred to this coincidence.
It was not the greatest of our Eid holidays, however .My husband was down with flu .And he was not the only one attacked by a virus at the house. So was our computer .Hopelessly we switched it on and off – and it gave us sometimes ten minutes – and
We were able to use it. Then a total black out again.
New Year s day. My husband pulled himself together.
We went to a Chinese restaurant. It seems to me that no one is prepared for the cold here. It was O.K. - not a big deal .Chicken Sichuan style. I have already tasted better ones back in my homeland – in Budapest s Chinese buffets .There the cooks are real Chinese ones. Are the chefs here really Chinese? – I kept asking myself. Or Indian cooks- who know something about the Chinese cuisine?
It was the second Chinese restaurant that I have tried here in Doha. It seems to me- which Doha is the land of tasty curry rather than of the Chinese specialties...
Looking back to December – I can say – that it was a very unusual month. the cold , the rain , the visit of my in-laws – out of the blue .
But after all it was nice and busy month...Especially the children were happy to meet their grandma- and learn some Arabic... They picked up new words with light speed .It made them happy to feel that they have some roots somewhere...
It is very important feeling in this rootless life that we live here...

All of it made me remember my own childhood. December used to mean Grandma is coming and staying with us for a whole month.....