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 !
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 .
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 ?
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.
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
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 .
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 ...
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 /
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 ...
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
- 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 !
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 ...
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
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 ...
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 .
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
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 .
I could not believe my eyes when reading that . But I did not stumble upon any soldiers so far .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
