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 ...

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 .

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 .

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  .

Lime Time Card by FreemanDesigns
More Lime Cards

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 .

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 .

Banana Flowers - strange veggies in our supermarkets

photo source

Banana flowers - this dark red purplish thing that looks like a corn cob with its leaves has got a lots of banana

embryos inside  .If you like the artichoke then you will love the flavor of this as well .You can eat it raw in a salad or cooked in a curry .Here is a short video tutorial to learn how to clean  it and get the edible parts ready for consumption .

Back to School with Unique Bags

All these messenger bags/sleeves ,wristlets are from my Zazzle shops .Neon colors are trendy this year at school too .You can customize my items with words /initials/names .See more neon fashion accessories here .

Qatar among most competitive countries in the world

 Qatar is number 11 in 2012 among a total of 144 countries covered by this year’s  Global Competitiveness Report (GCR).

Mabrouk Qatar !

balloons, I am excited for your future. Congrats! Post Cards by mimnastix
Try Zazzle's custom postcards printing.

grim statues in Katara

It was in August that I took this photo on the seaside promenade in Katara .Grim statues made of metal scrap .I was not in the mood to publish them until now .
This 911 attack on the Libyan embassy / the cyber attack on Al-jazeera made me remember all the nightmare of eleven years ago .Arabs and Muslims must be portrayed as savage brutal people -ungrateful for the help that they got ... some background power wants to .provoke.. by their films and cartoons .... I think such films and cartoons should be simply ignored ... when they get heavy reactions from the Muslim world they get some big advertisement ... otherwise very few people would be interested in those "creations" .
So what is the message of these statues in the Qatar Cultural Village ? memento mori ?

witchcraft charges in Qatar ?

I have just read a disturbing article in the Gulf Times .It is about a  maid who had just started to work for a local family when their child turned seriously ill .The family decided that the maid was a witch - there was a doll under  her pillow- they refused to employ her and even they  notified the police .
I am not surprised that some people still do not understand basic psychological terms like projection of our  negative feelings on somebody else ... I am not surprised that they have not heard about the incubation period of some disease . I am just shocked that they  informed the police as well about their allegations .
  Can somebody be charged in Qatar with witchcraft ? This is the  disturbing question I keep asking myself since I read this little piece of news .

School of Information Technology, CNA-Q hosts NRO-Qatar and WRO-Arabia

School of Information Technology, CNA-Q hosts NRO-Qatar and WRO-Arabia

a virtual garden

the garden of contemplation was ( is ?) a fun exhibition at the Katara in summer . There were huge projected pictures of some grass /weeds genlty moving in the virtual wind ....it was nice to enter and cool down .. it had a real zen atmosphere

Jellyfish - I hate you

Everything seemed perfect Friday morning at the beach . The weather was much better than two weeks ago - there was definitely  less garbage on the shore and no one jellyfish was seen . The water was transparent and clear .So when my little boy was screaming and pointing to his tummy I did not think that it was a jellyfish bite . It was a long scratch and I speculated that it was an old wound that became sore in the salty water .Then   comforted with a hug and some kisses he went back to play . Our other kid was floating on the water surface -so happy with it  as she has just learned how to do it .Then she was the one who screamed but it was very painful scream . Her wrist had shown clearly the sign of bite .It was burning weird feeling .It looked like nettle stings .She was crying very much .No one sea creature was seen in the water .

Some local young men told my husband "kandil al bahr"   "pour bibsi on it " ...
WE found some Red crescent staff on the beach ....they applied some vinegar  on it .They confirmed that it was a jellyfish bite .

Luckily  the kids did not show any allergic reaction .
But they refused to go back and play -even  in the sand . Now they are afraid from the sea and they refuse even the idea of  going to the beach again ...
I know so little about the sea and its dangers  -but  for this time I only feel that I hate those jellyfish ...

I will never go to the beach without vinegar and antihistamin .