Dolphin Shows Souq Waqif Spring festival 2015

When :  daily  during the festival   23 january to 6 february
Time : first show  from 3:30 to 5 pm
              second show : 6;30  to 8 ;30 pm
Where : souq waqif   -near Bida Hotel   see map
 Tickets ;  50 rial /100 rial   - they are sold before the show - better to arrive one hour in advance to secure your tickets

dolphin print by MehrFarbeImLeben

See Prabhu Deva & Ileana D'Cruz show in Qatar

Post by Qgrabs.com.

Show Date: 27 Feb. 2015
Show Time: 8pm to 12pm
Doors Open: 6pm
Venue: West End Park Amphitheatre

Prabhu Deva! An Indian actor, director, dance choreographer – He’s even referred to as the ‘Indian Michael Jackson’!

Good -bye Demis Roussos

He was in Qatar in 2008 - he was not in his best shape -actually he was only 60 then - I believed that he was over 70 !
He brought us a lots of wonderful melodies - Thank you for the music ! Rest in peace !

A New Day in Old Sana

.@DohaFilm presents, A New Day in Old Sana'a. 29 and 30 Jan, 7pm MIA Auditorium. More http://t.co/8oSrCiVapq #Doha http://t.co/8yxttCfOsL
— MuseumofIslamicArt (@MIAQatar) January 27, 2015

Numbers in Qatar -fatal traffic accidents

Most  fatal traffic accidents happen on Sundays and Mondays between 6pm and 9pm.

 90% of the fatalities are male. They are around  20-30 years  old .



See here more facts about vehicle accidents in the country: http://bit.ly/GT-QtrAccdnts

The fate of the killer of Jennifer Brown

 The legal heirs of the murdered teacher Jennifer Brown ( +2012)  have to decide on the fate of the killer . According to the Islamic Law they can choose  whether  1 .they demand
the death penalty for the accused

2 . they accept blood money 
(QR200,000) 

3 .they pardon him 



source

___________________

Well , the family chose number three - it means the killer gets life sentence
and his life is spared

National Day of India celebration

Embassy of India in Qatar
published an invitation in the Gulf Times
"To Celebrate the 66 th National Day of India Flag hoisting will be held at Embassy of India ,Villa 19 ,street 828 ,Wadi Al Neel , Al Hilal ( behind Gulf Times building )
on Monday , 26 January , 8 AM"

All Indian national are invited . ( show your ID at the entrance )

India Flag Heart Christmas Tree Ornaments by Vexillophile

Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani and the Handball Championship

I have just read about it . The famous singer Pharrell Williams performed in Doha yesterday at post-match concert .Right after a match between Russia and Denmark.
I do not go personally to these events but I read that they go very well - they are well organized and attract a lots of fans .
Gwen Stefani will sing on Saturday January 24 after a match between Denmark and Poland.
Venue : Lusail Multipurpose Hall
Ticket prices : QR25 -QR125
You can buy tickets at City Center, Villaggio, Landmark, and Al Khor malls, and will be sold at the event entrance as well
The Handball Championship will continue till 1 st February

 source

Shaun the Sheep Live Show (SAVE OUR TREE)

Where :  Qatar, Alrayyan Theatre  - Souq Waqif

When :  on Friday the 23rd January 2015 through 28th January 2015

What Time : Two shows a day: 4:00 pm & 7:00 pm

What to expect : Shaun’s Big Farm Adventure 

Tickets : from 100QR at Virgin mega

Dinning out with coupons

We have had nearly one year experience with dinning with coupons . We used Qgrab coupons and Mybook vouchers .
Qgrab is something that you have to pay in advance . That is only a problem when the staff is so much unwelcoming ...It happened to me at the Horizon Manor Hotel in July 2014 .The booking was a nightmare and I wished to cancel all the dinner but I have already bought 7 coupons ! Luckily during our dinner everything went smoothly .

Avenue 23 cafe offered breakfast but when we went there with our Qgrab coupons on a Friday morning they were shocked " Breakfast on Friday morning? We got no chef at this time !People are sleeping on Friday mornings " How much they are wrong ! Nice , relaxed Friday morning breakfasts are more and more sought in Doha !No wonder that more and more restaurants are offering it !

The other terrifying experience with Qgrab coupon was the breakfast at Casa Paco .It was advertised as Spanish breakfast but they served nothing special and even that came in very small portion with  stale bread .Well ,after reading the reviews I understood that I should not have bought at all any coupons before reading about the place .

We had nice dinner once at a posh Chinese restaurant and breakfast at the Mercury hotel - iftar  at Ramada Encore  -all with Qgrab vouchers .

MYbook vouchers are the things " Buy one get one free " . We used it for a lots of meals /ice creams ,cafes and at most places they were fair with us . However some restaurants were not fair at all . For example Crepaway in Salwa road denied us the voucher use as it was the time of the " football world cup " and they decided not to allow it . Though in the rules of the voucher book only major holidays are mentioned "Eid , Christmas ,New year " when the vouchers can not be used . At Roger's Diner we were not allowed to use more than one voucher at a time .One place issues 3 vouchers and there were no restrictions in the rules about using them at once or three different times . This Roger's Diner offered one free sandwich /one free salad / one free burger in case we buy one .The waitress told us the manager said only one voucher can be used at a time -we must return another time to use the other ones . We had our salad then we decided not to return here .
Some restaurant do not understand the concept of the vouchers . That they give discount and let the guest be happy with a half price dinner . They can win new customers this way .If they set up unfair rules or they serve something miserable they are the losers .
Biriyani huts had on their menu " tiger or jumbo prawn curry " -we got small prawns and a very small portion ! A handful of cocktail prawn !
The other tricky thing about using BUY ONE GET ONE FREE vouchers is the bill . They calculate the cheapest item . It happened to us that we had family breakfast and we had two identical meals with my husband. We believed that we eat at half price then they calculated the kids smaller and cheaper meal . So we asked for two separate bills . This way we really ate at half price .
But the waitress looked very angry . At some places you are served this half priced meals with great pain like the waitress herself will loose money ...

The bottom line is : 1 . if you go to a restaurant that you do not know -read reviews about it !
2. always call them and let them know that you want to use your vouchers
3 .let the staff know that you want separate bills if you happen to eat out with people who do not use vouchers

Eating out with vouchers is a great adventure ! It took us to places that we would not visit otherwise - we tasted dishes that we had never tasted before !Qatar has every kind of restaurants ! And for most of the times it was a real deal !

Coupons I used and reviewed above was  Qgrabs and Mybook

MUSEUM SELFIE DAY Wednesday 21 January

Post by Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).

Welcoming the Champion

Welcoming back @dakar champion @AlAttiyahN at the @HIAQatar ministerial lounge #Doha #Qatar pic.twitter.com/Zhw0ykotPM
— Qatar Olympic Team (@qatar_olympic) January 19, 2015

The Biggest Music Concert in Qatar

Ya Hala Events-Qatar & Music Lounge Proudly present The Biggest Music Concert in Qatar:

Feat Cheb Khaled - Haddaway - Dr Alban - Melissa - PSY cover

Age Limit: 10 years and above only



Tickets: VVIP (500QR) VIP (400QR) Platinum (300QR) Gold (200QR) Silver (100QR)

Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 10pm

, Doha - Amphitheater ,Westend Park

Thursday - February 12, 2015

Dakar rally winner Al - Attiyah , the Qatari sportman

Event name was South American edition of the Dakar Rally 2015 .Its final stage took place in Buenos Aires . Al -attiyah won it and his succes was not the first one .He is also a sport shooter and bronze medalist of the London 2012 .

source

Qatar inaugurates the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship in Style

Qatar inaugurates the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship in Style http://t.co/xfMU9mLYU5 #LiveitWinit pic.twitter.com/30bCSNDZds
— Qatar Handball 2015 (@2015Handball) January 16, 2015

Men's Handball World Championship in Qatar

Landmark mall plaster ceiling falls

A witness said in Doha News Forum

"It happened around 8:35 and not 10 so it was very busy. The ceiling collapsed without warning and stirred up a lot of dust. I didn't notice any adults hurt, but a baby carrying basket was overturned and a dad rushed the baby inside the tea shop."

two injured were reported  -one baby and a woman
I hope they recover soon

"@GulfTimes_QATAR: Section of Landmark mall ceiling collapses There are reports of minor injuries #qatar #accident pic.twitter.com/fgqQJVRJm6"
— Mica Silvederio (@chinitabeast) January 14, 2015

perfume - sweets withdrawn from the shelves

A kind of perfume and some European sweets withdrawn from the shelves

 A perfume brand had  in the name  champagne   -that was the reason to withdraw it .It hurts the feeling of some  customers .
It reminded me a famous brand  of perfume  called Opium  - would it be also illegal in Qatar ?
A European sweet had   the ingredient rum flavour  - that is not rum just flavour but it was withdrawn as well .The officials said it might cause misunderstanding  otherwise it is not a forbidden .
Rum flavor is part of many Hungarian cakes . Here it is not available  and most of us does not dare to bring it into the country .

Winter is here

Winter is here : In Qatar the temperature dropped bellow10 C . With window AC -s and no heating systems it can be quite uncomfortable . Especially  for small babies .Electric heater is a must have item in every  home .Too bad - they are very weak devices  -some of them last no longer than two weeks ,
It is the time to learn to how to make " karak"  the famous  local  hot  tea . It is time to show off your boots and  and  fur coats . Winter fashion is a status symbol here .Most people do not have a full set of winter wear in their wardrobe .

Winter is the death for some people in  areas with war and refugees .Syria , Gaza ..There was a big snow storm there last week.

My dad was only six years old when they had to hide in a cold cellar during  the siege of his village .He was about to freeze to death when the siege was over and he was given  snow massage by a soldier .

What for we are here on this Earth ? To ease the suffering of the others  - a Hungarian  philosopher told so  .. he just died the other day ..
If you can help just a little bit  then do so ...you might have some blankets/warm clothes -then  put them near  the garbage for anyone can see that they are free ... there are 1 .5 millions of people who came here from terrible conditions .It is not sure that they can afford a coat or a blanket ....

Lady Reading 16 th century

Post by Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).

Expats' Financial Hardship in the UAE

I have always heard  - that the Emirates is an expensive place .But it is a lovely place  . At least many Hungarians like it  - especially Abu Dhabi . Easier to make friends  -I hear often  - here in Qatar the expats  are too much reserved at times ,too much show-off is going on . 
Sometimes ,  I wished we moved there  .But after reading this article  where one of my Hungarian acquaintance is telling about their financial hardship  I see that for the time being it is better to stay in Qatar . 
" rental prices in some areas of Dubai have risen 60 per cent over the past 12 months and some schools are proposing an increase in education fees of up to 7 per cent this year"

In British papers  savers are advised to offset predicted price rises by cutting down on life’s luxuries.  But many expats  note  that even  without  luxuries  the cost of living in the UAE  is now so high that it  is not worth for families to come here . Especially if they plan to save. Unfortunately  ,the majority of employers no longer pay rent or school fees .

The rent of a  two bedroom flat for example was  Dh85,000 (  23  thousand dollars ) in 2003 annually . The same flat is around 180 ,000 dirham ( 49,000 dollars ) nowadays .  It is difficult to find  jobs with decent packages . Salaries are decent   but still not enough when someone comes here with kids .

Dhows in the Harbour

Dhows in the harbour stretched canvas print by almawad
View other Dhow Canvas Prints

Dhows in the harbor no2 stretched canvas prints by almawad
Get your own canvas transfer prints

Dhows in the harbor no3 gallery wrap canvas by almawad
Visit Zazzle for digital photo printing on canvas

Qatar A 350 Airbus launch today

The #QatarA350 Ceremony will commence soon. Watch it live at http://t.co/fJMcv0dyRQ #QatarAirways pic.twitter.com/5wyx8jIm82
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) January 7, 2015

newest aircraft in the world
extra wide body
wider seats /more space

Al - Khor Fly In

Where : Al- Khor Air Field
When 9-10 January 2015
Events : 7am-11:30 am
Free Flying Show

11:30 -1pm
Kite flying

1pm-2pm
Free Flying Show

2pm-3pm
Parachute Jump

3pm-5 pm
General Flying

5pm Parachute Jump

Kids Zone = entertainment for kids
Family Day

the first parachute by Jacques Garnerin Poster by almawad
Find other designs of Art & Posters at Zazzle.com

Banana island in pictures

Post by TTG MENA Luxury.

Post by TTG MENA Luxury.

Post by TTG MENA Luxury.


I found some photos  on the FB  - I could not resist  -I thought  I must share it with you  now !

25th Doha International Book Fair

When ; on Wednesday until January 17
Where :Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC)
What to expect :
 432 publishing houses
from 29 countries
 12,000 Arabic titles
 2,500 foreign titles
 art exhibition, 
cultural and children activities
a play titled “Saqr Quraish"
guest of honour this year is Brazil

wise people quote in bright green wall decals by almawad
Look at another Room Decal at Zazzle

Donors with O type of blood wanted

Calling all Blood Donors - there is a need for type O blood.
The Blood Donor Unit next to Hamad General Hospital is open from 7am to 10pm frpmSunday to Thursday and 8am to 8pm on Saturdays.

Call 4439 1081 for more information

Most donors are able to give blood three times a year. It usually takes less than an hour to help save someone’s life...

Banana Island resort opened

Post by Minor Hotel Group.

The new resort island was inaugurated by the PM and IM of Qatar on Thursday. on Friday it was opened for the grand public as well They expect local families ,expat ones ,leisure travellers and tourists from abroad .


For me the biggest attraction is the clean air !And it is only 20 minutes by ferry from Doha !Kayaking ,pedalos ,stand up paddle boarding ,wake boarding ,banana boats ,triple tubes ,donut boats are all available for the guests .For those who want something more luxurious there are luxury yachts to cruise around ...fishing trips ...restaurants serving international or Middle Eastern dishes ....great place to escape from the city ...

I tried to check out prices and I found rooms for 2 adults and I child between 300 and 400 dollars . No pets or service animals are allowed to the island .No alcohol ,either . Guests must inform the property owners 24 hours before arrival .

Who are my readers ?

30% of my readers are Americans
15 %  clicks from Qatar
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8 %  Germans
8% UK clickers

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