MILESTONES ON MY ONLINE ART BUSINESS

It is time to celebrate ! I got 100 orders till now and the last one was cleared yesterday !I have been member at Zazzle since August 2007

Zen –dream mandala by almawad
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I got my first order from Qatar . Perhaps because of this free shipping special offer !

Cute purple giraffe designed for kids ! The little ones will like Alma Wad's unique mug !

PURPLE Giraffe by almawad
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Thank You A . from Qatar for the purchase !

Scenes from our life

It felt like we were at home

We were sipping our cappucino in a fast food place .It was our unofficial monthly gettogether , Hungarian expat mums ..
- Alma ,you got new handbag ,wow ! -said Marta
- Special offer ,Carrefour ,it had a junk flower on it which had to be removed - 20 rial( less than a dollar) -I answered
- Then Timi showed off her handbag .What do you think about this ?
Twice but nice shop ,Hungary 50 forint ( 25 cents) ...

Then we burst out laughing .... that was the best laugh I have had in this "you must show off" country where I have been living for almost seven years !

expat life in the world

according to an article in the gulf -times expats earn the best worlwide in japan , russia and qatar

though prices are the lowest in india ,malaysia and china - but in the three above countries one third of the expats earn more than $200.000 per year ...

i made a little calculation - it means 60 - 70 thousand rial per month ...
who are making this big money ?
one third of the population here?????

Lost on a train - my childhood stories

 from my childhood stories

It was a wonderful trip with my father to Budapest .I do not remember exactly why and how but we traveled to the capital and visited my uncle and my cousins . We had great time together and Budapest ,the metropolis was always full of wonders for the little girl who I used to be .
Our two or three days were filled with joy and fun and when the time came then we took the train as usually to ride along Lake Balaton to reach our home hundreds of kilometer far ...Traveling together was pure joy . The beauty of the nature and the kids magazine that dad bought for me on the train made me feel that all the time was very special ! When the  young man who was selling sandwiches and coffee came then my dad bought a coffee for himself .  I asked him to buy for me some chestnut puree which looked so delicious  with some whipped cream on the top . I did not suspect then that this sweet treat  would turn our dream journey into a nightmare .

Summer at lake Balaton Canvas Prints by almawad
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It was a very hot day and the whipped cream must have been stale on the chestnut puree ! At least it made me sick soon after I had it  and I threw up the whole  thing . This was just the beginning of the troubles . After cleaning me - my father was looking for potable water on the train -but nobody had any of that . Two hours or more ride was ahead of us and it was scorching heat .
"There is no other solution than getting out of the train and filling your bottle at the tap" said the conductor woman on the train . She consulted her timetables then she added " We will wait 20 minutes at the next railway station - you will have plenty of time to get water "
So my father left the train . I promised him to keep sitting there where I was whatever happens !
I was waiting quietly . One fellow passenger looked out of the window and told me " lots of folks at the tap - you must be patient ,little girl !"
So was I .
Then I heard the sound of whistle soon . Then the train was rolling under me . I could not understand the whole thing ! But one thing was clear : only some minutes passed after my father left the train and he was not back !

As the train started to gain full speed my hope to see my father faded . Suddenly I wished to cry - but I kept telling myself : "Do not cry ! There is no problem ! If you cry then it means there is a problem ! "
A fellow passenger looked up from his magazine "little girl - your father did not come back ?"
"No"
Then he went on reading ...
The conductor woman soon arrived excited ." Little girl ,your father missed the train - but do not worry I will take you home once we arrive " "what is your name address - can you tell me please ?"
Luckily ,my mother taught us well our personal details.Though I was so little but I knew all my personal data by heart .Then the conductor woman was relieved ."so no need to go to the police to find your family" "Do not worry your father is coming soon in the next train "
I looked at her at that moment like a savor !

All these things made me quiet but also made me wonder about other things :" what will my mom say when she sees me with this woman and my father lost ." "what will she say when it turns out that all the problems started because of that chestnut puree because I wanted it so much " 'will she blame me for all that ?"

But I did not have to think about those things for a long time ...
The train started to slow down  and we were approaching another railway station ... The door opened violently and my dad stormed into the compartment .He just hugged me and did not say a word . He was not able to....He was exhausted !

I could not understand anything nor did the other passengers !
Then came the conductor woman and started to yell at him : " You made a terrible thing it could have cost you your life ! It is strictly forbidden to jump on a train while it is moving "
Then my father shouted back and other passengers were angry with that woman who made a terrible mistake when consulting her timetables  and gave wrong information about the time the train would spend at that station.

Finally everything became quiet around me ...And sitting in my father's lap I could listen to his story ....

When it was his turn at the tap then the train started to move . He filled the bottle and was running after the train . He was running more than two kilometers when he managed to jump on the last carriage . All he could do was to hold himself tight while the train was at full speed .He could open the door and enter only when the train was slowing down ...

He knew very well how dangerous all of it was .. But he felt he must do it because all the time a terrible image haunted him : his little daughter opens the train's door wishing to find his dad and falls out of the carriage ...

Since that time I had known that my daddy is a real hero ...

DO you adore trains like I do ? See this Hungarian trainspotting page !

ladybug family by almawad
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Qatari girls - education and marriage

Numbers
According to a blog written by a Qatari woman 35 % of them suitably aged for marriage are single !

According to the local news in high school examinations girls got 29 out of the 36 top spots ! Even in Maths !

AWARD WINNING DESIGNS

I keep telling you news about my designer boutique here and there . Lately I have got so many awards that it is difficult to tell it one by one .
So I set up a page just for Alma Wad 's designs .
Also I am featuring other designers' work .Come and have a look at my award winning designs . Any feedback is greatly appreciated !

nippon sunrise by almawad
Browse the other posters prints at www.Zazzle.com

See all my awards here !

Mango season

It's mango season here or rather at the trade partner countries of Qatar - the other day I was at the supermarket and there were a lot of kinds of mango for sale : Indian , Pakistani , Yemeni , Brazilian . The Indian was the cheapest around 2.5 US dollars per kilo . I found a site with very good mango recipes . I mixed some thick cream , with fresh mango puree and some yoghurt and topped it with whipped cream . Some gelatin powder would have made it professional looking gourmet dessert - but I could not make out how to use that strange stick which is sold here
for making jelly . It is made in India and there is no any instruction on it - I just guess that it is an algae the agar -agar .

NUMBERS

HOW MANY PERISHED ?


AIR FRANCE 447 01/06 2009 - 228 PEOPLE
GAZA INVASION BY ISRAEL 2008/09 JAN -MORE THAN 1000 PEOPLE
SRI LANKAN governement raid on Tamil Tigers 2009 April/May - around 20.000 civilians

With deepest Sympathy - condolence card by Rainmountain
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Rita Szarvas; Hungarian; therapist at a Budapest center for children with motor disabilities. Her 7-year-old son was also aboard, but his name was not released.

May they rest in peace !

Why did this young mother have to die with her little son and their friends son ?
Why the modern and safe airplanes are not built though invented some seventy years ago? Why only the military can enjoy that safety and why civil passangers have to fly in outdated models ? Find the answers here !

Zen dream mandala is simple and clear design by me. This was my best selling card last month . This item is a template you need to type your own data to get your unique card ! You can do it online by clicking on the image - you will find yourself on the parent page . Then simply type your data into the boxes ... It comes 100 per pack ..

Zen –dream mandala by almawad
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Thank you A. for your orders ! May the card bring you fruitful contacts !

Most welcoming and kindest people ?
What if your business collapses ?
What if you had been a manager for ten days of a company which failed ?
How can you be blamed for all that ?
How a Qatari sponsor can prevent you leaving the country then ?
When you were only an employee ? Not the owner of the company ...
What are your rights when a Qatari is blaming you for something ?
To find the answers on all those questions read the story of the Belgian man ,
Philippe Bogaert .
Hostage in Qatar

Postcards from Doha: Touring Qatar's Capital City

4 minute video on Qatar's landmarks and culture
a professional video made by the Northwestern Qatar - it is a university where media and journalism is taught

" and we have met the kindest and the most welcoming people I could imagine "
the final worlds of this video postcard

Numbers

According to Forbes Fat Index
Qatar ranks 36
Hungary ranks 84
Japan does not have a rank on the list of World's Fattest Countries

UNIQUELY QATAR 2009 COMPETITION WINNER

ALL THE NICE THINGS ABOUT QATAR ....

An amazing abstract not by me but I feel the urge to share it with you . It is so nice to look at it !

marble by BlueStarr
Browse the other posters at www.zazzle.com

Online shopping from Qatar can be very painful . Once I got an item after two months . It is worth reading this .
I got nearly a hundred orders but none of them from here .I still hope that Qatari the market would open in front of me !

Tiny flowers by almawad
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People suffering from asthma find relief in the underground cave in my hometown Tapolca , Hungary . The high humidity and the 13C -18 C degree cures many respiratory problems .It is part of the town hospital - actually it is right under the hospital building . Does not it sound like a miracle ? A hospital is built then a cave with healing power is found beneath ?

caves in Qatar

Are there caves in Qatar ?
Look at this video where three young men are exploring one bat cave around here .

A new park in Doha

A new park in Doha behind Hyatt plaza . It has got a pond which reminds me very much my hometown . Have a look at this photo .And to go further the pebbles are also much alike .
My hometown is famous for its cave lake and pond in the heart of the old town . I would not be surprised to see and know that there are caves under us as well here .

Four Seasons hotel got this award the other day . I have got only little experience on hotels in Qatar - but I must say that they deserve the award !
As we entered this place a group of intelligent looking people wondered if they could help us with anything . They were not humbling themselves just they were helpful and kind . I must add that we do not have any VIP look - and during the reception the waiters waitresses were behaving the same way . This is a basic thing - in the service industry that they care about the people they employ ...

But unfortunately this is not so evident around here . I heard complains about famous hotels in Doha where the "cheaper the better " is the main ideology when they are recruiting .
Result ? Difficulty in understanding each other , stupidity , behaving to the guest according to his decision whether you are someone important or not ...
I was at la Cigalle for example - I thought I would practice French - but when I asked the doorman about the reception hall then he was not able to answer in French .
I was at the Sharq village - I was amazed by the architecture and the out of this world atmosphere of their cafe - but when we entered an exhibition there - they were behaving as we were not existing . When some American tourists came - they made a big fuss around them - and which was the most annoying is that they were offering them some candy and my child started to scream for candies too - but they went on ignoring us and she got no one candy .... What a stupid way of treating customers !

No more that place for us !