14 Injured in fire at Address Hotel -Dubai

Fire Still Rages at The Address Hotel in Dubai; 1 Dead, 14 Injured -https://t.co/npxBy7cS2z pic.twitter.com/9KPhqQyycj

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 31, 2015

Later the news talk about injured only  - hopefully  nobody died in that towering inferno ... I do not like tower buildings anyway  ..do you ?

Happy 2016

Swirling vintage Japanese abstract -happy 2016 Classic Round Sticker by almawad

Palestinian children's choir sings the national anthem of Hungary

I found this at youtube while looking for the usual midnight anthem ...

Happy New year  to everyone !

Thank you for reading my blog !

Andaloussi Music - 29th December Katara

Today at 7:00 pm, starts the Algerian Concert “Andaloussi Music”by Lila Borsali in #Katara Opera House pic.twitter.com/5P8SKrd51u

— كتارا | Katara (@kataraqatar) December 29, 2015

New Year Eve Parties &Celebrations in Doha 2015/2016

Cool blizzard penguins -2016 party 5x7 paper invitation card by almawad

 A lots of four and five star  hotel are waiting for the guests with dinners ,countdowns ,pop crackers ... read more about them

Cuban bands , jazz ,1920's party ,DJ -es ,bouncing castles ,"recovery brunch " ,celebrity show,circus-themed extravaganza ,and more ... browse the pages to find the events that suits you ..
Going to  cinema on New Year Eve ?
 Check out  what's on !



win 2 complimentary tickets to our New Year’s extravaganza PARADE

Hurry up and win 2 complimentary tickets to our New Year’s extravaganza PARADE! Winner will be announced today @ 3pm pic.twitter.com/kxc2oHDUiR

— Grand Hyatt Doha (@GrandHyattDoha) December 29, 2015

My Childhood Xmas Stories

Do you feel like reading some real stories ? I had some  Xmas memories from my childhood  and  wrote  about them some years ago  for my kids and husband .Hope you will enjoy them too !

 Grandma used to come to see us every December
 A story of my early childhood  and its Decembers .   Grandma made it very special .

A Christmas story or the Ugly Book's tale
Sometimes the dreams are so far from the reality ! When a mother has to buy some cheap ,discount priced item for his child and she expects  disappointed face ...
A Christmas story - my auntie's house    Everything looked so wonderful at auntie's house ...they seemed to have all the luxury  and charm but one year at Xmas I found out that they missed something very much !

Syrian Women Learn to Ride Bikes for the First Time - Berlin

Syrian Women Learn to Ride Bikes for the First Time
Keep pedaling!In Germany, Syrian asylum-seekers learn to ride bikes for the first time.
Posted by AJ+ on Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Palestinian Santa Claus in Jerusalem

Palestinian Christian Issa Kassissieh, dressed as Santa Claus, rode a camel through Jerusalem on 21 December during the annual distribution of Christmas trees. Photo Credit: Reuters
Posted by The Institute for Palestine Studies on Tuesday, December 22, 2015

 Did you know ? There are around  150 -200 thousand Christians among the Palestinians . 

Vintage camels in the desert

Vintage camels in the desert poster by almawad

Qatar National Day 2015 - my thoughts

I do not go out on National Days . I stay at home  , I watch the military parade  . Why ? Due to the crowds . Previous years we went out to see the Darb el Saaei events  - which were good but the crowd . Another year we were watching the fireworks  just to be stuck in a traffic jam .15 minutes entertainment   and two hours traffic jam . The organizers made everything to avoid this year the crowds -  many programs are available even today .
But I stay at home .

 The military parade's planes were just flying above our heads  -we could see them from very close .All the days before the National Day they were practising .

 I saw the  military parade on Al-Jazeera live channel . After the parade the emir and his father were walking on the road .Shaking hands with people .
 Qatar is a safe country  - wrote my little boy in an essay about why he loves this country .

Let's hope that it remains safe  and the whole area /whole world will be a safe place one day !
 The sooner - the better !

Tell your story about Qatar by a video

#Qatar is full of stories - and we want you to tell yours! Join our #DariQatar initiative! https://t.co/zaba9hsE2O pic.twitter.com/ePcMjkMpn7

— Doha Film Institute (@DohaFilm) December 14, 2015

The story of #Qatar, told by all of us. Join our #DariQatar initiative and share your moments! pic.twitter.com/wFm6vifEDD

— Doha Film Institute (@DohaFilm) December 13, 2015

The story of #Qatar, told by all of us. Join  #DariQatar initiative and share your moments!

Porto Arabia , Pearl - Qatar National Day celebrations

Invitation to witness the spectacular fireworks @ThePearlQatar https://t.co/QehwhCr0Fg #QND pic.twitter.com/KmM7A3uBUp

— The Pearl-Qatar (@ThePearlQatar) December 14, 2015

 Most of the activities will take place at Porto  Arabia , 12 ,la Croisette .

 You can expect fireworks , traditional dance , tent for guests ,water screen projections .

 From 16 to 20  of December

Be captivated with a breathtaking water screen projection @ThePearlQatar https://t.co/hyU3uoOuQX #QND pic.twitter.com/nFltkxINe0

— The Pearl-Qatar (@ThePearlQatar) December 10, 2015

Qatar National Day celebrations - Darb el Saai grounds

س: ما هي أفضل ذكرياتك عن اليوم الوطني؟ شاركنا في التعليقات.Q: What's your favorite National Day memory? Share your comments below. #QF_QND
Posted by Qatar Foundation on Saturday, December 12, 2015

  
  
  
  

   

How to get there ? Free buses will take you and your family there from different points of the city .

4 pick up points : Souq Waqif , Pearl , Aspire Park , Sheraton -park
7 am , 9 am , 3 pm , 5 pm , 7:15 pm
Everyday till 20th of December

Posted by Qatar Day on Thursday, December 10, 2015

Christmas programs in major hotels in Doha

Posted by Kids Doha on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

 Check out the dates and the events in major hotels  before Xmas . 

 As you may know Christmas is not an official holiday in Qatar as the citizens are 100 % Muslims .  There are a lots of foreigners working in Qatar who are Christians .So you will find special programs for them in major hotels .

Solar energy potential -world map

Is solar the answer to the developing world's #energy needs? https://t.co/4lWwhHACJw #COP21 pic.twitter.com/GkMvcAU7mO

— World Economic Forum (@wef) December 10, 2015

Where is the world’s hidden groundwater?

Where is the world’s hidden groundwater? https://t.co/tE3bWAQaiu #environment #water pic.twitter.com/cn09WCZSez

— World Economic Forum (@wef) December 11, 2015

If all Earth hidden groundwater was brought to the ground how deep it would be ?

Beauty and the beast in Qatar

We met the Beauty at the weekend at the Katara .She was charming . She gave a red rose to every kid . She was promoting the performance which is coming soon to Doha .
I love this story about this bookish girl who sees the values in the Beast . But the cheapest ticket is 199 rial .Plus I have already been to an event to the QNNC  theatre  and I know for sure that not much thing can be seen for this money .For instance I could not recognize my own child who was performing on the stage .I kept concentrating but I missed her .
So I am not very excited !However - thank you for the rose !

 You can learn more about it here .

Qatar in the Eyes of Children - 13 – 16 Dec

“Qatar in the Eyes of Children” Workshop starts on 13 – 16 Dec, in #Katara Art Studios, Build 19, from 3:30-5:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/TWfNZws3kq

— كتارا | Katara (@kataraqatar) December 8, 2015

Turkey on demand from IKEA restaurant Qatar

Order your Whole Turkey for QR 499 starting today till the 31st of December! pic.twitter.com/lnoHWXPFop

— IKEA Qatar (@IKEAQatar) December 8, 2015

LEGO Build Event at Ezdan Mall until 5 January

أخيرا إنتهى الإنتظار! إنضموا إلينا في فعالية بناء مجسمات الليغو في #ازدان_مول بداية من اليوم من الساعة 12 ظهراً إلى 8 مس...
Posted by ‎Ezdan Mall - إزدان مول‎ on Monday, December 7, 2015

I was there with two kids last weekend . There was a moderate length line in front of the registration desk . There is one place for little kids 5 years and bellow / other place for 5-12 years . The play time is very short - only 20 minutes .It is enough for nothing for the big ones .Wonderful lego built towers are on display but the time is not enough to build something complicated .I would rather pay than getting this free 20 minutes !