Saturday, October 29, 2011

http://dohanews.co/post/11862277819#disqus_thread
I have heard about this only yesterday . A building being pulled off in Mushreib district in Doha collapsed unexpectedly around a week ago and fell onto the road . At peak hours !Oficially the number of deaths is low.Let us hope this is the truth .
Hopefully it won't happen again .

Friday, October 28, 2011

I'm walking along the street of the cultural village of Doha this evening with my two little kids and look who I just see there ?It was Banderas - his face could be seen sometimes from the dense of the reporters .. he was not too tall, was not very handsome, the hardened features of his face reminded me to an officer rather than to that Latin heartthrob with charismatic look ...I understand he is refusing even the idea of plastic surgery - the age is an honor according to his view - I do agree with him ...

GUESS WHOM I MET IN DOHA

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A film that looks funny and interesting . Though it is out of competition ....Almanya -Welcome to Germany ..A charming cross cultural comedy on three generations of German - Turks ...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

GUESS WHO IS COMING TO DOHA

Family Day at  Doha Tribeca Film Festival

The week - end seems to be very special BECAUSE of the Film festival 's family day .There are too many activities to enjoy ... and as the weather is not so hot one can start in early afternoon to avoid the crowds and to secure a ticket for the free screening of the family movie Spy Kids .
You can take some  sand toys as well -at least last week a part of the beach was opened for the public and kids were allowed playing in the sand ... otherwise if you wish to swim the beach is open until sunset and it is around 100 rial for an adult and 25 for a child . The family day   will start at 2 pm

on Friday and will be open till Midnight

There will be arts & crafts, sports, workshops, film making, video gaming, storytelling, music, dance, kite making, and animation. Families can also experience local Qatari customs, crafts and traditions.

Enjoy free family film screenings in the Katara Open-Air Theater and evening performances along the Esplanade. There are activities and interactions for youth of all ages, from toddlers to teens, and even for parents and caregivers to enjoy as well.
6:00 PM in the Open Air theatre

Presentation of SPY KIDS FREE  -but according to my experience you must get a ticket from the cashier to be able to enter ....it is a huge place but tickets ran out last year by the time we decided we wanted to see the film   ..more info on this event

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Traditions and modernity -striking photo showing these two aspects of Qatar .

Saturday, October 08, 2011




Congratulations ! Tawakul Karman -the Yemeni woman got the Nobel prize for the peace this year shared with Liberian female activists .
At long last someone who really deserved it !
NUMBERS - 100

Qatar Airways has just collected its 100th Boeing ....

There's a week long Latin American festival in Doha  taking place in the Cultural Village /katara . By the time I learned about this event all the tickets had gone for the circus and the ballet .
:( ...


So we went to a park instead of the circus .Luckily the weather is much nicer than last week ,. We arrived around 4 pm to the Aspire park . It is so nice to come out and  enjoy it  at long last.After so long to find nice weather ....We saw the ducks - had a long walk and finally we were sitting  outside near a green tree  in the stylish white armchairs of the Petit Cafe and were having some drink  It was fantastic feeling !Only the small black flying insects were annoying after sunset ....

We were invited to a reception . The caterer was  the Grand Hyatt . It was an Egyptian themed buffet . The starters were really nice :green beans salad ,stuffed tomatoes ,stuffed egg plants ,stuffed grape leaves , eggplant puree  ,koshari . I was full after those entrees  so i skipped the main courses (like a child) and went to the dessert table . That was not so fantastic .I liked their ummali -but neither their baklava or basboosa was worth to try ... anyway we were having  silver cutlery ....:)

illustration

Saturday, October 01, 2011

The park was full of birds' song : minas , parrots ,doves ,sparrows and the low twittering of  some rarely seen swallows .The weather  is unusually hot this September .We have to go before nine in the morning .Before it gets too hot even under the shaded playgrounds ...
We like early breakfasts en plein air  ...    only a few families , listening to the birds , feeling the luxury of being almost alone in a park .. parks are safe in Qatar ..  at least you do not have to be afraid of dogs , drunken people ...like elsewhere in the world....

 Then soon we heard terrible shouting . Three cleaners in orange overalls had  a fight . They were very furious then started to beat each other with brooms and other garden tools .  The security was nowhere and other families were escaping .
I was  shouting with them with that dry and  determined voice that had helped me at times here in Qatar . " Stop it right now .. stop it or I will call the police "  ..it  helped they stopped beating each other but they kept shouting . The park is big but they had to do it right next to the  playground .

When my husband arrived he asked the security man how all this could have happened . He answered " I must have been to the hammam  that I did not  notice "

Parks are safe in Qatar - just their unsupervised staff can mean danger to the visitors .  This was not the first time  that we were annoyed in a public park by the staff .  Two years ago an Egyptian woman  who had some kind of vague position was disturbing us at New Salata Park .We left  the park we were so much annoyed .  Another time the security guard and  his local landlord were fighting  at day time - they had some row over unpaid rent before - it was last December in Aspire park .... it was not against us but somehow disturbing ....  and now early in the morning the staff behaves as they were allowed to do anything at Dahl al Hamam  ....


 They should not employ such substandard people   or if they do they should be strictly supervised .


 But after all this morning was  wonderful due to the birds  due to the rapid wings of low lying swallows and some cream colored small butterflies ...
expat Qatar