Monday, December 24, 2012

Peace to the World


My wishes for the holiday season PEACE for each and every good person -in small country in big country may their days be great !

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Doomsdays in our Life

I remember a cold November day in 1999 in Hungary .My friend came to see me and she was anxiously talking about the end of the world in 2000 .She was so much worried and I tried to see her point of view . I tried to explain her two things:
1. If the world really comes to its end then there is not much we can do  -useless to worry
2.Calendars are made by humans  - this 2000 is a nice number but it is  totally different in other cultures

 The sad truth is that the  world would go on as it is . And we have to figure out and fight for a  better one .The sad truth  is that the world will not change  -we will be exploited like before /we will have to worry about keeping our badly paid jobs .

Sometimes I feel that people wish in secret the end . That would solve many things -they think.

My mum told me that  in 1959 there was an end of the world panic among villagers as well . The catholic church was the main source of this scare . Some priests even declared that the church service they hold is the last one ...

No wonder that it is coming from them  - they are expert in it . Keeping the masses in fear during  centuries .
Other  fear mongers  are the media who can exploit people's ignorance  very easily .
Other "doomsday" I can remember was the solar eclipse in Hungary . I went out to the nature to witness it in its  full beauty .I saw the sky turning into dark  violet - then the  sun and the moon covering and the  "diamond ring" shape  then I saw the moon so close and so much detailed  that I could imagine that only in films . It was a spiritually uplifting experience .A great thing  -when I returned to our town then I was shocked that some people were crying that it was the sign of the end of the world .I just felt sorry for them ...

Have a Happy December 21 !

Monday, December 17, 2012

Qatar national Day 2012


If you decided to go out this year to participate at the National Day's celebrations then you can choose from a wide variety of programs and events .The main venues will be The Corniche ,Darb al Saii ,The Palm island ,Sheraton Park . There will be exhibitions /kids activities /The National Parade / old boats/ fireworks and many more things to see and do ... you can read more on the official page

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

a child drown again

Drowning into the swimming pool .Drowning into the sea . Drowning  into a bucket of water . The leading  cause of death among children in Qatar . Watch out ! Your children might be in danger . The other day a six year old Indian boy drowned into their compound  swimming pool .As  most of the pools  it was without lifeguard without fence . He was seen riding his bike nearby ...  I guess not every case is reported  - but basically every compound  with swimming pool is a danger . Even if you let out your kids just for riding or playing with the other kids .
How many death will teach a lesson and authorities force the compound owners to build a fence and pay a guard ?

Personally I am against these private swimming pools .compound pools . They are too small for the whole compound  /they are usually not clean enough   . I think it would be much better if every district in Doha had its own swimming center for children  for adults   with  hours for ladies only with professional   lifeguards .

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Philippino waiters /shop assistants

I   hate going out when I know I have to deal with waitresses and shop assistants from the Philippines .
Some of them are nice and really professionals  - but the rest of them is only someone who thinks that it is enough to smile and  after they can do whatever they wish to do .

 it happened to me that the product agent at the supermarket told me " hi mam , are you pregnant ?"
 -it is not your business  I thought  but I suppressed  this  sentence  in me with a polite "No" .. but it was not enough she came after me with a product and kept talking to me as I was pregnant .Finally I had to tell her  in a dry  voice" leave me alone " for she understands ...

Another time  I went to a quite expensive clothes shop and left there  some money . Then  she made herself as she wants to be kind to me ..."Mam , you  remind me my mother  -she is like you exactly- and she was  showing  round shapes with her hand " ... if she was someone in her twenties  then it was not a big deal  but she was minimum 35 ...so I am like her mom ...my friend from Abu Dabhi said their shop assistants also love asking about the " madame's age" then commenting not nicely about that .

If you are a man  you might never experience similar things  - just the opposite  - the same women  who  like to   comment negatively  about their   female  customers are too much polite  with men especially if they have the slightest smell of money ... it is just funny to see how differently the same person is talking to me and to my husband ...last time  when serving  the coffee  the waitress  leaned so close to my  hubby   that it seemed as a ridiculous offer from her part/if i were a jealous type  I would have slapped her  for openly  trying to flirt with him ... but I just laughed in myself ... and I can not understand these women .. how can they lower themselves so much ... what do they hope at all ?


Monday, December 10, 2012

"Qatar National Day" Photography Competition

capture some amazing moments on 18th December 2012 Qatar National day and send it to 

reggie@regencyholidays.com. 

to participate  you must be amateur photographer
you must be a fan  here

1st Prize : Return Flight Doha- London-Doha.
-2nd Prize: Return Flight to Doha-Amman-Doha.
-3rd Prize: Return Flight to Doha-Dubai-Doha.

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Being dizzy ? You can wait ....

  This is a true life story  that has happened to me here in Qatar .  A comedy   in four scenes /    scene one
a hot August day  in Doha/Qatar

 the Hungarian woman in Qatar feels very dizzy in the morning  - the slightest position changes causes  nausea  - she is suffering  at home and tries not to move AT ALL

 scene two

 somehow  she  gets  to the Hamad  hospital emergency / her heart is checked - it is OK / her head is shaken very much by a doctora - but she does not feel  dizzier than before  - so the lovely doctora claims that it is her ears that may cause the problem

 she submitted a paper for appointment  -  but she did not think it was an urgent case
  this way  the patient got an appointment with ENT specialist only after 3 months

scene three

 the poor sick woman having suffered  from dizziness  for three days - tries home remedy  -  as her ears  had been mentioned /she is sucking candies and chewing gums  - she is feeling better and better  -  a day after this  home cure dizziness had gone ..

scene four

 the big day of the appointment  came   - the patient goes to the Hammad hospital  out patient clinic -  she tries to renew her health card first -  she is waiting in a  wrong line " this is here just for registration " no sign  at all .. so she is waiting at another window ... only cash  here ( no sign about that either ) ... so she goes to the ATM  she  grabs the cash waits again  for her turn when  she gets her renewed health card  ...    she rushes to the ENT  doctor / she waits again  at a window / she pays for the visit she goes to  another counter  just to learn that she was late and the doctor refuses to see her .The nurses were very nice they tried to persuade the doctor that this is a first time patient who does not know the rules here and who will have to wait a lot for a new appointment .Again 3 months . But the doctor did not accept their reasoning . So she  has to  look for a supervisor  who will stamp a paper and she has to wait again at a window(  for a fifth time  that morning) to get back her  cash ... Now she  should go the   Health Center ( another part  of the city ) and explain  a doctor what has happened to her and to her  appointment  - but she is too tired and anyway - the  dizziness   came and left  three months ago ...she just hopes that it was nothing serious  and in her free time when her children are sleeping she tries and educates herself about home remedies and  she is reading  the personal  accounts  of  other people   who had tried cures that work ...

   THE END

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Numbers in Abu Dhabi - nine million

Nine million trees were planted in Abu Dhabi  during the rule of Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed .
No wonder that this city got an  award  of the best liveable city in the world  in 2012 .

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Doctors and errors and the level of HMC

Error is human . No doctor is always right .  But in the last ten years I have  witnessed how the level of  medical workforce  dropped sharply . In my view the main reason  for that is the famous  slogan of this country " If you don't like something you can leave this country "

 Contrary to this belief  it is not easy to find a good specialist at all . This  fact  is reflected in the complaints of many  locals and residents in the Qatar  Radio program . Malpractice ,error .I can tell you  stories from our family . Eight years ago  our toddler slipped in the kitchen and  had a big fall .She fainted and she was unconscious for some minutes . Then every help was given for us at HMC .Observation ,X-ray etc . Four years later another toddler of ours bumped his head seriously - he was even bleeding .But no x- ray , no observation was given .Only a bandage on his wound and such remarks " some kids fall from the second floor and they survive , do not worry "  .... thank you   doctor .. and some kids fall in the room and they happen to die ...we turned to private doctor to be sure that his  skull was not broken .
Another time  one of my relatives went to a private eye -clinic  with pain in the eye . She could see a serious condition at once  when looking into the eyes . The private doctor suggested HMC for eye surgery - as it is nearly free . It is a wonderful thing that the most modern laser  surgeries are made  at nominal fee .But the HMC eye specialist did not see any problem " Your eyes are healthy "  come back after half year . Unfortunately , he believed the  false good news and when  he returned after half year the other specialist was terrified seeing the eye in question and sent him  urgently to  be operated .

For the newcomers : HMC = Hamad Medical Corporation    a government  run  large hospital
 you must have a health card to get services there  ( 100 rial per year )
It has got a lots  of specialists and modern equipment ...  and it is not always working perfectly ...


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

CHILDREN'S ART COMPETITION

 "Airplanes flying to the moon? Spaceships floating acrosss the universe? Flying cars? Let your imagination fly and make a drawing that reflects the theme "The Future of Travel"

For children between age five and twelve 


 DEADLINE  15TH DECEMBER  2012

Prizes   -  five kids will be chosen with their parents to travel to Zurich Kindercity




Learn more about this exciting competition here /


Monday, November 26, 2012

It was a security guard who murdered a woman in Qatar

I was astonished to read in the local daily that a forty year old American teacher was killed . Jennifer
Brown was teaching at Al Wakra Campus of English Modern School . What is more disturbing that the killer was a
security guard .... He is from Kenya .Ten days ago it happened - this is the first time I hear about it ...


Is Qatar a green-minded country ?

 YES    -  22 % of the country's land is a protected area by the ministry of environment
           - it protects and reintroduces rare fish species and their coral habitat
          - seasonal sea turtle grounds are protected
          - protecting dugongs -sea animals


NOT so much  - the nationals of Qatar use the water and electricity free  and the per person usage is the largest in the world

Qatar does not have a plan to reduce its  emissions

  Cars are used extensively  - and only little effort was made to turn the city buses into a family friendly mean of transportation

Saturday, November 24, 2012

So the festival is over

 The last Day of the film festival was the best one for us . The festival's family programs started early on Saturday  at two  in the afternoon .We were sitting in the terrace of an affordable place and we were having our lunch while the weather was just perfect and the jazz groups were preparing  for their performances . The kids repeated all the quest again and  collected all the stamps they needed just to get some very little prize .... some kind of plastic bracelet with florescent liquid in  ....
 But all in all   that afternoon was very nice . We need more festivals like that . Doha really went multicultural  and we saw performing many different nations living here ....my favorite was  an Indonesian pop group .They were all so innocent looking teenagers and they  played wonderfully .. The singer was wearing hijab   - in Qatar anything is possible....
I have only one request to the organizers   -please arrange some school holidays during the festival to be able to join the screenings during weekdays as well !

Friday, November 23, 2012

Family Day at DTFF 2012

It was quite crowdy at the Katara on Friday .There was a huge selection of programs ...glowing kites were dancing over the sea - huge stilt walker butterflies were walking among us  -the smell of the kebab and  shawarma filled the area  - two stages with different performers - drummers/jazz /Arabic jazz or something like that (wonderful ) classical Indian dance and Bollywood dance / acrobats .school kids performing / local talents / or just sitting in the sand of the beach and watching ET .It was a real fiesta where    Doha residents and the visitors could relax and celebrate  the   wonderful end of the November  ...

My kids were playing in the sand /playing golf /doing different craft projects /making up the  a story for a film and giving a real interview about that :) dancing  in a group spontaneously ... they were photographed and they were made feel that they were  real stars ...

However not everything went wonderfully . The eighty percent of the volunteers  were very ignorant and uninterested in their job . We tried to find out at the information desk which films were on  for kids that day /"I really do not know" -try to find it in this booklet was the answer ...another thing that made me very upset was the stamp collecting game ...  kids had to go from place to place to  do different things and get a stamp...now my   eight-year-old wanted to collect those stamps ... but we did not know where to go exactly ... during two hours we kept asking  different volunteers about the  places where  she could get her missing two stamps - but no one could answer ... finally we returned to the first station with the kites and there two guys were better informed than the former ones and they told us that it was at the beach football field . That made me very angry  because we had been there before and asking about the stamps but nobody  knew anything about that .So finally she got all her stamps  -it was around nine o'clock - she ran to the prizes kiosk to collect her prize then she got two balloons only because  "sorry  - we ran out of the real prizes = you came too late "  it was very upsetting as we were informed that the festival was on until midnight ...

 The food  -  there were some small stalls by the beach selling kebab /fish and chips /crepe /chapati  and that is it .. There was a huge crowd and  I can't afford standing there with two little kids half an hour ... so we were starving there . . I think that they should be better prepared next year for feeding so many people ...

Monday, November 19, 2012

A Hungarian make up artist in Doha

 Blanca Paloma Montenegro - a Hungarian  make up artist just started 
 the other day  a 5 days Masterclass  Course on the protestic Cinema Makeup.It is right here in Doha . How exciting !You can see her with a well-fed zombie  -her creation ...

Indian Films at Doha Tribeca Film festival

Till I breath this life   -Yas Chopra romance

Venue :Souq Waqif -Al Rayyan theatre
Tuesday , 20 November
from 7 pm  175 minutes


The Brave hearted will take the bride -Aditya Chopra romantic comedy

Venue : Katara -Sony Open Air Cinema
Wednesday ,21 November
from 8 pm  189 minutes


Bollywood Goes To Budapest

Bollywood goes to Budapest to shoot films ... the Hero is thrown into the Danube but survives  and one can see the beautiful sights of the city and the less attractive ones ... all of it was made to advertise a motorbike
 Enjoy the video - it is a full story  - told  in less than four minutes ...

Sunday, November 18, 2012

  Robert de Niro was the  VIP guest of  the opening ceremony at Doha Tribeca Film Festival.It did not cheer me up . I do not like him . Last year it was Banderas who came .It is difficult to find someone more popular than Antonio . But the film festival should be  about films and not  only about the stars .

So far I did not see any trailers which would attract me  to any film .

Saturday, November 17, 2012

When a sport woman turns out to be someone else

Pinki Pramanik   is an Indian woman who  won women's relay gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha .
After that she had gone to a number of international events . What so special about her ? It turned out she is a man .She/he happened to rape her/his room mate . Well ,well I can not even  imagine how these gender tests  take place . They must be quite embarrassing ...and now it is

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Military Exercise in Qatar

Do not panic if you stumble upon troops in the streets of Doha in the coming days .It is only a three day military exercise . Do not get shocked to see if you see soldiers of other GCC countries  - it is only part of all that .Do cooperate and let the troops pass  was the advice of the local daily today .

 I could not believe my eyes when reading that . But I did not stumble upon any soldiers so far .

Monday, November 12, 2012

Hungarian Film at DTFF 2012

Just the Wind (Csak a Szél)

This Hungarian film drama is about a series of shocking acts of racially motivated violence in 2008 -09 .It will be Hungarian speaking with English and Arabic subtitles .

The screening is :Mon, Nov 19, 09:30 The Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium
Wed, Nov 21, 09:30 PM,

When I read this I was less happy than before . The screenings are too late .No way for me to go out and watch a film on a week day . The film is about the suffering of the Roma people in Hungary .And while it was true that there was a merciless criminal group murdering six innocent Roma people in 2008-09 - I guess it got already prizes in Berlin because it shows all the Hungarians as heartless racist people . The Roma appear in the film only as innocent victims . This is what internationally expected when speaking about the topic . This is the way to get prizes - and the director got what he wanted .

The only question remains in me who and when will be brave enough to make a film on the truth showing the life in Hungary from this and that point of view . When a film maker will be brave enough to show how much  for example the teachers struggle with their Roma students to rise them up and what they get in return many times only violence ( yes beaten teachers became commonplace  - I know personally teachers) . When the filmmaker will be brave enough to show how the Roma people's leaders misslead their own people -and instead of encouraging them to study and work they are encouraged to shout and scream on TV showing themselves as victims and they make them believe that it will be enough to survive in the 21th century .

This film did not touch any taboo question - just tells a story in a manner that it is expected . It must be politically correct otherwise it won't be screened .

Numbers and the Doha Tribeca Film Festival

87 films

176 screenings

Be part of the story !

Thursday, November 08, 2012

The Film festival is coming

It makes me so excited .. the most awaited festival in Qatar . At least for me .This year it comes nearly a month later than last year .  I think it is fine this way as last year in October it was just too hot .
The trailers .. they are  made so wonderfully that I can not resist and post them here  ... I know it might cause that  every video opens itself when someone  comes to my blog ...:)

Now the first  trailer . It is called Made in Qatar . Films made right here  by the Qatari/Philippinos /expat Arabs  etc ... total of 19 films ... It makes me very happy - this is a way to get closer to each other . We need it very much  -we live next to each other here without knowing each other .


Monday, November 05, 2012

people and their life in Qatar

An American English teacher living in Qatar is not able to fly home and visit his own mom .When he wanted to fly he learned that he was  put on no-fly list by his own country's government  . He is not allowed to fly home . He has never visited  countries like Afghanistan , Pakisthan , Somalia . He had spent the last ten years of his life in  Egypt ,UAE ,Qatar .

 He has no idea why he was put on that list  and when . He is  not accused of anything .He has been  serving in the US army for ten years .

 A  cracking article  about the   life of many Amercian Muslims in the post 911 world .

Omani tour operators on study tour in Hungary

Omani tour operators were  on study tour in Hungary  last month  - in cooperation  with  Qatar Airways  - I read here . They were interested in thermal baths with special medical services ,luxury hotels , Hungarian culture of   horse riding .Hunting opportunities have seized their attention as well because in Oman Hunting  has not been allowed  for ten years .

Will the    khaleeji tourists discover Hungary ? This is an exciting question .So far  they know and prefer Austria and the Check republic   in the area .


Sunday, November 04, 2012

17,000 visitors to Qatar - Numbers

 There will be a huge UN conference in Qatar between Nov 26 and Dec 7 . Be prepared for that  - you who are living here . The topic of the conference will be the Climate Change .17,000 people would participate ...and there will be 400 buses just for them to go around Doha .



Friday, November 02, 2012

My childhood memories - my brother never got sick

 I must always smile whenever I remember this story . It started in a winter afternoon ...we expected the form teacher of my   big  brother  to visit   us .  He was a five grader at that time .It was/is the custom   in Hungary that  the  form teachers visit once a year the family of every student to  have better  idea about the surroundings of the student and have a friendly chat with the parents .

Well, she was a very nice lady - she was sitting in the kids room  and drinking coffee with my mum . She told many good things about my brother  - he is smart , helpful  and very popular . My mother was very proud .

Then the teacher added and "what is really  exceptional  - he did not miss a single day from school last year . He seems very healthy child as well ".... Then my mother went overconfident and she told  her "  I do not intend to brag  but ... he has not been down with any illness for one and a half year ."

The teacher praised him and added that only the art teacher  is complaining about my brother that his level is not good enough  for his age ..Perhaps if my mother encouraged  him he would  show more talent .

When the form teacher left our home  my mother was disturbed by this art teacher's remark . It turned out that they had  homework - they had to paint  something colorful   around their  home . My mother looked out the kitchen window and told to my brother   : Look  there  !  The fence which is hiding the garbage  cans !   it is a nice topic ... I remember him drawing that colorful fence   it  had large orange/yellow triangles  and really there was not many other colorful things to choose that winter day ....  my mother was cooking and encouraged him  "   be brave  - do not be afraid to paint it large .... "  everybody loved the result


 So my brother was  waiting very much to go to the school the next day - he wanted to tell  the other students about the teacher's visit and he expected some nice words  from the art teacher .  . But when  he woke up he was very unwell : high temperature , sore throat .... My mother felt miserable .... She was nearly  crying  'I am so much ashamed  now .... I  was too proud yesterday that you are never ill .  They will laugh  when they hear you are down with flu "


 Luckily , nobody teased him  for this  ... then this story  always reminds me not to take the good health of our child as a personal victory  .  Some kids gets sick more often than others  .

And what happened to the painting ?  My brother could show it to the teacher after a week !  The only thing she could tell him  was " this is not your work - somebody else has made it "  and deterred him for life from the career as an artist .

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

a lots of kids ill during Eid

 I read in  the local daily that  around 3300  cases were treated during the  first two days of Eid holiday .They  catch cold  and get asthma or gastroenteritis .I feel really sorry for those families and children who spent the holidays  in bed suffering from high temperature and bad cough  and I feel I must share with you what we had been through .
 Around 1 and half year ago our preschooler got ill over and over again . One week he is OK then he got this upper respiratory track infection again . It came with very high fever and he had suffered a  lot .  The antibiotics took his appetite and he looked like a stick figure  ... he was so thin .
Whenever we went to the Paediatric Emergency Center at Al-Sadd they told me very kindly /smiling that it was normal  -kids fall ill often when they are small ...
Somehow my motherly instinct said that it was not normal . Struggling with those diseases some months -we gave up asking help from PEC Al_sadd  and  turned to  a private doctor . We just chose randomly a place not too far  from our home  ...The doctor was very sympathetic  -and he understood quickly our problem .He advised us  to give up  regular milk from the supermarket and try a formula  made specially for his age .And behold  -it helped . Our little guy   did not catch any infection for months .... the quality of his life changed so much that he started to show outstanding abilities in some fields which shocked everyone ... He had been our smart little guy before   but becoming almost disease free he developed  mentally  at an incredible pace .  Then I told to myself "why should we have to accept recurring disease  as an unchangeable  fact of life ?" I think that we have to look for solutions when  some ailments attacks so badly  our little children ? I do not understand why doctors    think that it s OK to be  sick so often ...perhaps they see so many serious illness that a mother's complaint about recurring upper respiratory track infection is just  a ridiculous  concern
We are living in such a crazy world that the special milk powder is healthier than the fresh milk from cows . At least that was the thing that we have experienced ..Our bigger child had suffered a  lot from heavy coughs at night . When she had given up dairy products and milk at least for the afternoon  then those nasty night coughs stopped .(touch the wood)

Nowadays we rarely go to the doctor .  I try to arrange our daily life in a way  that they spend some time on the sun .
It protects one from the infections very well .And a lots of vitamin C from fresh food .

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sepia dark espresso ornaments by almawad

http://www.zazzle.com/sepia_dark_espresso_ornaments-175435344307190089?gl=almawad&CMPN=addthis&lang=en&rf=238379705041286148

Hail Storm in Qatar

  Most of Qatar remained  dry  during the Eid holidays but  large parts of  UAE got heavy rains .We have heard of hail storm in Al Khor , Doha  and it was confirmed by the local media as well . I hope to see the rain soon ... it feels like home  when it is raining ...

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

November December Escape to Dubai Atlantis

Just read on the facebook - I thought it might be interesting for those who love dolphins ,marine biology , luxury stays at special rates    the cheapest room for 2 kids and two adults comes at 990 AED per night   
- that is  really something very special !
I am not an agent and I am posting this only because we have been dreaming of this Atlantis  weekend for a long time  There are not many places in the world where one can swim with  dolphins.( though that comes with extra fee )I saw rates of a weekend stay by 6 thousand AED at some agencies ... what a difference this 1000 AED per night !

 the very special rate  is applied only for GCC residents ! Wow !
 to swim with dolphins ,  enjoy the sea and the  waterpark ... it must be a nice  thing to escape for one or two days  from Doha   http://www.atlantisthepalm.com/promotionpages/residentoffers.aspx?CID=SM_FB

Saturday, October 20, 2012

 the Aida opera ,the postal conference , the Russian ballet , Dora the explorer , MIA exhibitions on the  inventions of the Golden Era of the Muslims ,the coming film festival ... so many events hard even to list or to follow all of them ....  where is Qatar now from the " most boring country of the world" as an old  travel book once  described this country ...    however the summers are so much poor in events that  one can believe  that once it was the norm for all the year ....

 what is Qatar like ? so many newcomers are asking  me ...  it is all depending where do you come from and where are you going to live here ... I knew expats who had been expats in Moscow and Libya  before and they said that  Qatar is so much better place / Qatar is the place of freedom and fun compared to those countries ...I knew expat who had been expats in Alaska  and  on a Caribbean   holiday island   - and they preferred Qatar to those places ....

but also I know Hungarians coming from Abu Dabhi who say that city was so much better organised  and the  new rich attitude was not as much wide spread as here ... I have not been there yet ... I really wonder what it is like .... they say it is like  Doha just in much better edition ...

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

New committee to study Villaggio fire reports

New committee to study Villaggio fire reports

I wonder what could they find after half a year , just to read the reports again . The building is repaired . The victims are buried . Most of the evidence however   must come from phone calls . The two most important questions are
1. Where did the phone calls asking for help go ? We must think that they must have tried to call the emergency - from reports we know that the teachers called their boss , their co- workers and even they called abroad to say farewell to their relatives .
How on earth the information about the existence of a nursery on fire does not arrive to the firefighters ...?

2 . When the teachers detected light smoke first - then they called their boss/co -workers to ask them what to do . They told them to call the security then they got the answer that there were no more danger there was a little fire but it was controlled .
Who was the one who misinformed them . and why ?


many times I try to imagine what if I found myself with 13 little kids and "light smoke " I would certainly run out to see what is going on ... many times I wonder why these teachers did not run out ... is it possible that they did not even try it ?...

the nursery fire in mexico in 2009 was much worse than this ... that one came suddenly the false ceiling fell onto the sleeping babies - but still they managed to save a lots of kids

here it was a slow spreading fire and it was rather the smoke that killed but all of them ...no one was saved :(

in Mexico like in Qatar the fire came from a store that they had a common wall with - I often think about it how important the location of the nursery ... when I used to work in Budapest the company had its own nursery and kindergarten at the top floor - on the sixth ... on the roof even there was a park for them en plein air with playground .. everything was wonderful there - at this height even the air of the city is clean .. still something in me told NO ... I left my promising career for the sake of a child friendly place ... in the countryside I worked as a freelancer and it was not always a sure income - but in the kindergarten there were huge chestnut trees to hug and it was a stand alone building .. .



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Where to Go at Eid in October 2012

Dora , the explorer   is  in Qatar  - Musical , interactive show for kids 


 From  October  25  to 27
daily shows   
at the Ladies Sport Hall at the Aspire Zone
prices : from 75 to 400 QR
 details of the show



 The Russian Ballet  performance  - 

Russian Seasons of the XXI Century


Friday - October 26, 2012 - 08:00 PM 
Qatar National Convention Centre - Doha - Convention Centre 
Doors Open 07:00 PM
prices : 200 -750 QR

 more details

 Go for a desert safari ,dhow trip , Camel Riding


St. Regis Hotel

  if you can afford then escape to this luxury seaside hotel in Doha  - their Eid offer includes an overnight stay with Eid brunch starting from 1350 rial


  Qatar Tourism Authority Organized

 the main venues  are   The Mall ,Al Wakra Park ,Cultural Village ,Souq Waqif ,The Pearl - Porto Arabia ,Hyatt Plaza , Lagoona Mall , Gate Mall  - most of the events start on 26th of October and finishes on the 1tst November ...

Monday, October 15, 2012

Sunday, October 14, 2012

A scary incident at the Villaggio theme park

Yeah  - it is Villaggio again  ! It must have been a nightmare for   those kids  when they got stuck on a ride upside down very high and it took one hour until the technicians and the Civil Defense  managed to bring them down safely .
It is crazy ! The rides gone crazy all over the world .That  Sky Loop ride should not exist at all  anywhere ...
 I am fed up with malls generally . I am trying to avoid them . It is possible to entertain our kids without those facilities which offer every kind of  possible things I have never longed for ...

 read more here 

win a weekend stay and dinner at a five star hotel

Wyndham Grand Regency Doha Hotel is offering at weekend one night stay and a dinner for a couple who will be lucky enough to win this prize . Just click here   - a trusted site reviewing restaurants - and answer a simple question about gastronomy  - then you can check out your e-mail . If you win then you will be notified   within two weeks ... The site is offering this month other games as well - to win dinner at fine restaurants in Qatar ...

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Alternative Energy and Qatar

 Qatar and the alternative  energy are  not enemies   -as some people might think . Though Qatar's main income is from the natural gas it  has immense solar energy sources as well . Yes -it is very hot here for a half year  - for another half it is less hot - and  we can enjoy the cold just for a month or two . Then   I did not mention the windy side of this country .
So no wonder that they invest in  alternative energy researches . This time a lithium-ion battery  run electric car was introduced . It can run 400km at high-speed without being recharged ... well , well  all of this is very nice . But are not the li-on batteries are dangerous when overheated ?   And this is the thing that might happen very easily in Qatar .   Dubai cargo plane carrying such batteries caught fire  and crashed in 2010 .
 I guess that it is a long way until safely run electric cars will be spread in the world . For me the reports on incidents are rather frightening . Qatar has to invest a lot in researches until result comes .
I am not an expert - I might be wrong  - I would be the happiest to read soon that battery run cars safety issues are solved .

Lady Justice Statue Post Cards

Friday, October 12, 2012

Villaggio fire -court hearing rescheduled again

 The owner of the Gympanzee nursery  -  daughter of a minister . She had promised the parents fun and education ,protection  -she  promised them safety through web cameras and told them that even red crescent  has an office very close . All this was true . But she forgot to mention them that she did not have proper licencing  for her facility . It was not her fault the fire . She   should tell the court that she was not a fire expert and since she got all the permission to run a child entertaining facility -she did not suspect that something was wrong about the fire safety .
 She should stop hiding .She should look into the eyes of the parents .She should appear at the next court hearing .  So far she ignored twice that she  was called to be there .

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Gift idea from Qatar




The photo of the Torch Tower( also known as Aspire Tower) in a beautiful spring like day in December in Doha , Qatar .It was built as a focal point for 2006 Asian games .It has 51 floors and it is 300 metres tall . For the time being the tallest building in Qatar .It was designed by Hadi Simaan .Original photo on an iphone5 case by Alma Wad . Nice gift for anyone who loves Qatar , modern architecture , games . Customize it now with your initials .

Flying Carpet Weekend Brunch at the Torch Tower

If you are for   weekend brunches then try something different . The Torch tower in Doha is the highest building for the time being . It  has several restaurants as well . The Flying Carpet even caters families .( their other restaurant - the three sixty - is only for smart casually dressed adults )

The brunch is an expensive one;- around 200 rials - for kids ;just the half until age 12 . Kids also have a special station with ice cream, popcorn and chocolate fountain . They promise various activities for them as well . So it sounds that parents can have a ; quiet brunch there while their kids are busy with the programs just for them ...


The homepage of the restaurant mentions  smart casual dress code for the place . I think it is better to call them to get more info about it - I can not imagine what do they accept or not . Doha is a multicultural city -many Asians and local people wearing their traditional clothes

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

the luxurious side of Qatar


Dream Car in Qatar displayed at the Lagoona Mall .

McLaren is a British automotive manufacturer of high-performance vehicles= Supercars !


MEDICINE and U

If you love hearing about the news of medical researches in plain simple language then you must visit the lecture at the  WCMC -Q University  -Lecture Hall 4 . It will be about Neurological Movement Disorders and the Aging process .
 Registration and reception from 6:15  Lecture at 7 pm .On October 9th ....

Monday, October 08, 2012

More Gold medals for the Hungarian Swimmer in Doha

Katinka Hosszu from Baja , South Hungary won four more golds at the Doha   FINA World Cup circuit  .  It seems  that she is the new star  .Eight-meet s ahead of  her yet  ...

steps forward Qatar 2022

 The  cooperation agreements with  five  companies were  signed  finalizing the strategic plan for 2012-2015.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee  named the companies they are going to deal with when preparing for the Football World Cup . These are  Qatar Rail, Ashghal, Kahramaa, Aspire Zone Foundation and Qatari Diar  . The  signing ceremony  was held  in Doha’s Four Seasons Hotel.  


They are going to build  9 new stadia  and they will expand 3 existing ones . The constructions will start within months .






Sunday, October 07, 2012

Numbers in Qatar - GDP

Qatar GDP increased 18.8 per cent in 2011 alone

source

Numbers in Qatar

An estimated 15,000 Britons reside in Doha.... and they have hard time finding affordable school with acceptable level .


 source


Barwa Village

This was the first time I saw this commercial and residential  district .  It is somewhere between Doha and Al-Wakra though officially it belongs to Al- Wakra . I saw low-rise buildings - shops , restaurants on the ground floor and apartments on the first and second floor . We saw a medical center and an Indian school and Centerpoint plaza .Small town atmosphere and everything is very well kept . I liked that . If only  there were some areas for kids to play ! It was built for 13 thousand  people and we saw no play area ! It happens in the downtown as well - but why to move outside the city when you find no benefits for kids ?That is very nice that everything is in walking distance .It is far from the city's noise ... They say only the airplanes noise is disturbing ...
I do not understand either how can someone rent a flat there . Is it only for low-income families ? 

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Hungarian Swimmer In Dubai

This Hungarian swimmer won  Gold in the 800m free, the 200m free and the 200 IM, and Bronze in the 200m backstroke.

There was  a Swimming World Cup in Dubai last week .

Katinka Hosszu is a 23 y. old Hungarian Swimmer from South Hungary , Baja .
(My niece  learnt to swim at the same swimming pool where  she trains .)
 Congrats Katinka ! All Hungary and especially those in the South is very proud of you !

Friday, October 05, 2012

Grandma's Wall Cloth


This decoration had been  above the stove on the wall of the kitchen .At Grandma's house everything used to be so simple and this was nearly the only thing decorating the wall . It sends a clear message for girls ." the Ones who can cook and bake well will marry easily "  I also remember  the school report of grandma   -  in this booklet we found also some advice on the lifestyle of protestants girls . They were advised to cook simple dishes - using simple ingredients  .Showing off  the wealth by cooking and baking sophisticated and costly dishes is not the style that girls should follow .

Why most of the top chefs are male ?

Light Chef Girl Print
Light Chef Girl Print by girlscantwhat
Get the best poster printing on zazzle.

Can anybody tell me  please  why most of the top chefs are male in the world ?

Top Chefs for Qatar Airways

- Ramzi Choueiri is Lebanese chef .In 1998, he published the first volume of his culinary encyclopedia which reached record sales in the Arab world. • He was recognized as the top chef in the Arab world by important organizations such as: New York Times, Herald Tribune, Associated Press, L’Express, Le Courrier International, La Presse (Montreal), B.B.C., Radio Monte Carlo, Radio France Internationale, CNN. I remember there was a time when this chef's ready dishes were sold in the supermarkets frozen food sections . But they dissapeared - I wonder why ... Vineet Bhatia is the multi-award winning chef and owner of the Michelin starred Rasoi - Vineet Bhatia, located in London Chelsea.His light and imaginative dishes display a clever balance between innovation and an immense respect for the history of Indian cooking.
Tom Aikens and Nobu Matsuhisa as well will be in the team of top chefs working for Qatar Airways . I loved their dishes very much . There is no problem with that and I hope that it would be even be .

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Vintage Middle Eastern Images

These are reprints on postcards from Zazzle . Click on the image and you can see the details .


Street scene from Istanbul with barbers and their clients a from the 19th century . They are wearing red hat the fez .The richly colored image looks like photograph but it is actually a photochrom print an ink-based photolithographs . Courtesy of Library of Congress .




Street cook in Istanbul from the 19th century .




Vintage Istanbul cityscape with moonlight .It features a mosque - the sea and some boats . The moon is half covered by the clouds . It has some exotic real Middle Eastern feel . It is courtesy of Library of Congress .The richly colored image looks like photograph but it is actually a photochrom print an ink-based photolithographs .

Arabian breakfast - The lentil soup



The lentil pottage with freshly baked Arabian bread is a perfect match .Many cheap restaurants / and some luxury hotels will offer in their breakfast menu . This is so much filling and so much healthy that one should try to eat in Arabian style minimum twice a week .
It is full of iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium .It helps in maintaining energy, a strong nervous system and a properly working metabolism.Though it is low in calories -it is filling your stomach and gives energy for a half day . As for me - I am not able to have my usual lunch if I had lentil for breakfast .
 It is lentil, onion , garlic ,cumin and salt cooked for 15-20 minutes .

  See a recipe on the youtube

If you suffer from favism - then it is better to avoid it .

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Views on the leaked documents

" it is an inherent trait of Zionist culture to plant many lies within one truth"

"I despise the regime in Syria and often write against it...... There's no motive and too outlandish, too implausible to believe! Bashar is a brutal dictator, but he isn't an idiot."


"I suggest the relatives of the victims with financial backing from the Qatari government should start legal proceedings against Bashar al Assad personally for conspiracy to kill innocent civilians "

"I think the west is very capable in falsifying documents"

"Setting fires is a skill which Assad and Co. clearly have. Look at the Aleppo market, too!"

 source


"rumors will always circulate to fill the void of real information"

"I'm afraid that this is fact, it has been well known amongst certain circles for some time, the evidence was clear from the start. But I am still surprised to see it in black and white."


"This NOT fact. It just a cheap sensationalist media outlet trying its best to desperately get some ratings against more respectable channels."


"We pray that Qatar may never see such a dark day, ever again."


"It's not below the Syrian government to kill people for policital gain, but I'm skeptical about this."


 source



Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Syrian dictator behind the Villaggio Mall fire in May?

Was Bashar the Syrian dictator behind the Villaggio Mall fire ? Al_Arabya  tv channel claims so  -it has leaked documents which proves  -yes indeed  -they were .They are citing telegrams  between the  ambassador of Syria and the Bashar  government ...

They are talking about punishing Qatar  - and about the VIllaggio blaze .
 The Villaggio blaze ! I had always thought that these cover operations are made by using coded language   and not calling the things on their names . Am I a  naive ?

 My theory is the  following : it was a deliberate act . I do not know who - but someone wanted to scare the expats in Qatar .There was the Doha Mum Club advertising itself and the  Gympanzee  nursery  - there were some moms who were talking on the youtube about their life in Qatar praising the possibilities they can have here when upbringing a child . Like they offered themselves as a target  - I am sorry to say that  - I have been living here for a while  and  observing the events and the reactions and the news  and I know that there are some background powers which hate to hear anything good about  any Arab countries .Youknowwho!

I must think back  about another incident - in another country .
In 1994  there was a ferry catastrophe  where nearly a thousand  Scandinavian people drowned into the cold  stormy sea. They just announced it as a neutral piece of news and then they were talking a lot about Titanic ... I saw how people can be influenced so easily ...they just did not think deep about that nearly one thousand people died  a terrible death ..like 5 passenger plane crashed at the same moment .... then later it turned out that there was some military secret smuggled on the ship  and the Russian  wanted the Estonia to turn back  - so they made a small explosion and then  the ship turned to be in so bad condition that it sank .What if somebody just tried to warn Qatar then everything turned to be so badly organized that the warning turned into a terrible  tragedy .
So- it is just a theory   based on  the facts that  became public . There might be hidden facts  and the truth can be something  totally different .




Sunday, September 30, 2012

Villaggio Mall witnessed crowds

I was really sad when reading that the  plaza where a terrible tragedy happened  attracts visitors in such a large number .It seems that people were not interested in the fact that  justice was not served yet in this case .It seems that the consumerist attitude overwrites the sympathy ....
Or people are just not well informed about the issue ...

Friday, September 28, 2012

Breakfast in a cheap restaurant

We were bored by the usual breakfast restaurants in Doha .We headed towards Al-Wakra and we were randomly looking for places to eat . We did not like  the selection and finally my husband decided to take us to a cheap-looking eatery .Surprisingly ,it did have family section upstairs and not only tables and chairs -but we could opt for the traditional Arabian style little rooms . That was really something unexpected  to have breakfast while sitting on the ground leaning on a sturdy pillow and  enjoying a Arabian breakfast . That was the best lentil sauce (adas)  I ever had . And the fresh flatbread (khobz ) was a perfect match with it . The bean puree with cheese was interesting( foul maa gubn) -and the  scrambles (shakshouska) were all right .
We were sitting on clean carpet and enjoying the polite service and the home-like atmosphere . I only had two things that I did not like ...the melamine plates  and the toilet . There was strong smell there and a    naked wire in the wall . That makes me crazy here n Qatar -  when I stumble upon naked wires at unexpected places and I  am there with two little kids ,

I should name here the restaurant - but I I can not remember .It had a long name  and Bukhari was within .

Monday, September 24, 2012

No nuclear physics for girls - my thoughts on the Iranian ban

Stay  at home and   be satisfied of being a housewife . This was the message that I understood from the  Iranian authorities  ban  for women from so many universities .  Iranian women are well educated ones  . Some think they are too  much educated  and confident  They were marching against the regime in the front lines in 2009  Now 30 universities banned  80 courses for them  - they can not study for example engineering, nuclear physics and computer science, English literature, archaeology and business.
I feel so sorry for those girls -   not everybody can send her daughter abroad and it is totally unfair to deny education from someone talented and  enthusiastic  just because she is a  female .
 It is not good for the society either  -  when a gifted  woman 's talent is wasted .
 But Iranian women are not shy bunnies - they are confident and outspoken  girls  - I hope all the best for them ....

 While you might think that it is typically Middle Eastern thing   I can say that something similar happens in Hungary  as well. A campaign against female education .careers .  Our politicians are not able to improve the financial situation in the country  and people refuse to have a lots of children . Now they started to blame us /women . The birth rate is so low because women are so individualistic  and they do not think about the interest of the Hungarian nation and  about the interest of their political leaders ." Stay at home for 20 years and  realize your dreams after that " was the  sentence  by one of our  politician that made  women so angry . In fact these are not the women who are so  selfish  -  divorced women  stay alone with children financially unprotected so  many times . The father can deny paying   child support for their own kids  as the black and grey market of  companies help them to hide their revenues . Women in Hungary are simply realistic  - they might find themselves alone with kids ,

Qatar Japan friendship



It is an unexpected friendship . Japan with its cultivated pearls destroyed Qatar's main business , the ancient tradition of pearl fishing some sixty years ago . Now they are the best friends / though culturally and geographically they are very far from each other . This friendship is not based on the individual attraction of their people like the Hungarian Polish friendship .Japan is the best client of Qatar  , they  are buying the local natural gas . It is just the beginning of our friendship    - it is claimed in this video
 One can guess that  Japan is going to help Qatar in preparing for the World Cup 2022 .

 On the other hand we can not feel too much  Japanese influence here . There are some sushi restaurants - in some supermarkets one can buy imported Japanese food .In the  Hyatt plaza there is lovely Japanese shop selling Japanese knickknacks  - I can browse  things there for hours .

Sunday, September 23, 2012

A simple secret to control your sugar

While  half of the world became diabetic and especially   here in the Gulf  ... there are online help forums claiming silently that there is a simple way to control your sugar level with diabetics 2 . That is the apple vinegar  or the lime juice . How to do it ? Simply prepare around one liter of water mixed with two table spoons of apple cider vinegar( organic)  ... or the same amount of lime juice then sip it  during the day . Then check your  fasting blood sugar after two weeks .

It might not work  for everyone but why not to give it  a try ? It  has only one side effect  -  destroys the teeth  -so it is  better to  drink it with a straw  .



Friday, September 21, 2012

Numbers in Qatar - 28 thousand QR per student


The Qatari government grants 28 thousand QR per student( nearly 8 thousand USD ) for the education of the local kids from this year . They can spend it school fees /bus transport fees/books . There are around thirty private schools who can accept the educational vouchers issued by the educational authorities .

On the long run it is well spent money for sure . But it can cause hike in the fees and longer waiting lists at private schools .

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Villaggio reopens partly

Villaggio Mall reopens partly this week .
 I have never wished that it was destroyed or closed forever  - but I wished that it would reopen only when the guilty are behind bars . But  many persons who had responsibility  in  the fire tragedy which killed 13 little children  are still at large .  They simply did not turn up  when the court hearing took place .

Still I am sad .

No more Nudity even in Scientific textbooks

No more  nude pictures are tolerated in Qatar schools -even in scientific text books it is prohibited - writes the Peninsula about the strict rules imposed by the Supreme Educational Council . Whatever nation operates that school - their license  can be cancelled if they keep using textbooks with nude illustrations .Parents are encouraged to report on the hotline if they find a school still using textbooks ...
Still it is not clear for me if they can teach about reproduction  or not . So if they can  then how they can teach about the respective organs without illustration ?
I guess some Indian schools must throw their science text book .When my child was around nine grader they got very informative lessons with a lots of illustrations .
expat Qatar