Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

Our daughter is such a happy, funny, animated and outgoing child. Yesterday at Matt’s (the son of our friends Kutch and Matet) 4th birthday party at McDonald’s, she definitely showed all these qualities. She joined all the games, well almost all the kids did, but she did with so much gusto and enthusiasm. Out of the 4-5 games that they had she won 2. Well, one she won fair and square while the other one, she won using her wits, charm and persistence.

In the first game where she won, all the children were asked to take off their shoes. Then the shoes were all piled up in the middle and the kids were told turn around. Then they are told do an about face, now facing their shoes. The first one to find his/her pair of shoes and be able to wear it wins. Well Xiane spotted her shoes right away and was able to wear them in a matter of seconds. Luckily, she was just wearing her pretty gold slip-ons. She was more than happy to have won in that game because she got the red, swirled straw that she had been eyeing even before the game started.

Then there was the Musical Chair game. In this game, the children are asked to go around a number of chairs forming a circle. The number of chairs should always be 1 number less than the number of participants. Music is played and once the music stops, each kid should be able to sit on his own chair. Whoever didn’t get a chair will be out. Now it was down to 2 chairs and 3 contestants: Xiane and 2 boys probably about 5-6 years old. So there they were going round and round, then the music stopped. The 2 boys got up the chairs and then Xiane, rushed to and got up the same chair where the other boy was already sitting on and even held on to the boy. Naturally, she was out. But she didn’t seem to know. She really was determined to keep her place in the game. Seeing her persistence, the party-host herself couldn’t get Xianelle booted out of the game. So she asked the 2 boys “who’s out?” The boys replied “Xianelle” but Xiane told the host “but I’m still sitting on the chair. Everybody had a good laugh at hearing this. The host made the 3 of them go around the chairs again only to get the same results. Having seen that nobody would want to give up; the host decided to make Xianelle and the 2 boys the winners of the game. At least her persistence or in a more mature term, her determination really got her a nice prize. It was really fun to watch Xiane enjoy these things. Then you really get to realize that she is no longer a baby though you know deep in your heart that she’ll always be your baby.

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Yesterday we discovered something that we never expected to see here in Doha. Back in Bahrain, before coming to Doha, we used to have Papa John’s twice a week. We just couldn’t get enough of it. But since we moved here in Doha in 2005, we would talk about Papa John’s Pizza from time-to-time. Tian and I would talk about how delicious their pizza was and how different it was from the other pizza joints like Pizza Hut or Pizza Inn. How our mouths water whenever we remember the taste of their Pizza Sauce and Garlic Sauce dips and the freshness of their pizza dough.

It’s been 2 years since we last tasted Papa John’s Pizza so just imagine our surprise and excitement when we saw the Papa John’s store at the Al Emadi Building, along Ras Abu Abboud, Old Salata just a few steps away from McDonald’s and Costa Rica Café. We had a party to attend at McDonald’s but we really had to drop by Papa John’s first. There we found out that it just opened on the 1st of August and that they actually have a branch at the Food Center in Al Khor. We took a copy of the menu with us before we left the store.

Right now they don’t have delivery services yet. But there is a number to call for take-aways, so that you won’t have to wait a long time. You can call the number, place your order and just drop by to pick it up. In any case, we will surely be eating at our favorite Papa John’s Pizza anytime soon. I just hope that they still got the best-tasting pizzas ever and that they have remained true to their tagline “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza.”

 

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Yup there is a new branch of McDonald’s in town. It is located in a newly-built Al Emadi Building along Ras Abu Abboud, Old Salata. The store looks new and smells like it. The smell is the first thing you’ll notice as soon as you enter the store. The architecture of the store is also quite different from the rest of the other McDonald’s branches here in Doha. It’s quite modern and very chic.

We only got to visit this store yesterday when we attended a birthday party. The party room wasn’t that big but if you only have around 50 or less number of guests, this new McDonald’s is definitely a nice venue for your children’s party. They even have a 32”-40” plasma TV mounted on the wall and a long table that could seat around 20 persons. If not for the balloons what was intended as a party hall surely would pass as a posh conference room in an office. Just outside the party hall is a dining area that could accommodate the guests. The only aspect that’s on the down side is that they don’t have their own parking space, so customers would either wait for a parking space or park someplace a bit far and walk your way to the store. But it’s ok, if we managed last night, you can also manage.

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OWFs are up in arms against Malu Fernandez and her article which talks about her experience riding economy in Dubai (UAE) with a plane full of OFW's. The derogatory remarks she made has tarnished her reputation will forever be cursed by Filipinos around the world. There is no excuse for what she wrote as it is not witty nor was it humorous. As of this writing, Malu Fernandez has resigned from her post. I would have hoped that they sacked her earlier instead of letting her resign. It's bad enough that they (The Editors) let this kind of article be published. 

Key Statements In Malu Fernandez’s People Asia Article

However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.

While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga san ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?” Translation: “Hey there? Where are you from? Are you a domestic helper as well?” I thought I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell.

On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.

All in all, it’s been a pretty good summer. Jetting from the Aegean Sea to the Pacific may sound a bit pretentious until you wake up in economy class smelling like air freshener.

Response By Marlu Fernandez

As I type this, I’d like you to know that it’s not about whining, complaining and bitching but just stating the facts. Just recently, I wrote a funny article in my magazine column and my friends thought it was hilarious. It was humorous and quite tongue-in-cheek, or at least I thought so, until the magazine got a few e-mails from people who didn’t get the meaning of my acerbic wit. The bottom line was just that I had offended the reader’s socioeconomic background. If any of these people actually read anything thicker than a magazine they would find it very funny. Most people don’t get the fact that they need bitches like me to shake up their world, otherwise their lives would be boring and mediocre. I obviously write for a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading.

Although it may sound elitist to you the fact is this country is built on the foundation of haves, have-nots and wannabes. One group will never get the culture of the other. Although I could mention that it is easier to understand someone who has a lower socioeconomic background that would entail a whole other page and frankly I don’t want to be someone to bridge the gap between socioeconomic classes. I leave that to the politicians in my family who believe they can actually help. Now I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense? Perhaps it’s a little of both!

read her Full Article here - From Boracay to Greece 

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Over the last couple of years, Crocs shoes have exploded as one of the biggest footwear trends since UGG boots. But over the last couple of months, the rubber clogs have come under some scrutiny due to escalator accidents involving children wearing the beloved colorful shoes.

While Crocs are popular enough to be identified by name after such an accident occurs, it's important to note that other shoes can also pose a risk to riders.

from BillieSM

 

This is not the first time an accident involving children, escalators and rubber clogs has happened.

14,200 search results turned out when I typed “crocs,escalator,injury” on Google. My three-year-old daughter’s toe injury caused by her right Croc getting caught in the side of an escalator is not an isolated case, and many more injuries could follow unless substantial solutions are delivered at the soonest possible time.

Parents, mall operators, and the company or companies behind the manufacture and sale of Crocs footwear should act immediately to put an end to the disturbing number of accidents involving Crocs and escalator mechanisms.

What happens is that the slip-resistant quality of the footwear, ironically the same quality that ranks among its unique selling points, causes it to adhere to the side of a moving escalator upon contact. Resulting injuries have ranged from simple scratches to toes being actually ripped off. (I found a collection of news stories on http://crocsaccidents.blogspot.com. That there is such a site should speak for the gravity of the situation.)

There is no point in raising arguments along the lines of escalators being inherently dangerous for children, or of the possibility of similar accidents with every other kind of footwear, or of parents being solely responsible for the safety of their children when under their care. The fact is that so many children have been hurt because the traction of their clogs is unsuitable for escalators. This danger had come to our attention prior to the accident involving my very own daughter, which is why we are always very careful when making her ride the escalator with her Crocs on. She even constantly recites the line “stay on the center,” as we always remind her to do so. But it just took a millisecond for us to fall victim to an already familiar mishap. Being careful just wasn’t enough.

Parents, stop making your children wear Crocs in malls. Believe me when I say that you can never be too careful when it comes to the nasty combination of Crocs and escalators.

Mall operators, adopt more child-friendly measures. Post visible notices on the dangers of wearing rubber clogs on escalators. Make known the presence of emergency stop buttons. Make your security guards aware of the alarming number of escalator accidents and train them to render urgent responses. This is not just token advocacy; this actually makes good business sense.

To the company or companies manufacturing and selling Crocs, mark your products accordingly. Indicate that they are not safe for riding escalators because, really, they aren’t. Stop saying that they are completely safe. You owe this to the children who love your shoes. My daughter owns three pairs of Crocs— a pair of Caymans, a pair of Athens and a pair of Mary Janes. That’s how she likes wearing those clogs. Even the first words that came out of her mouth after her tiny scream of pain were, “My Crocs! My Crocs!”.

Andie is fine now. After the accident, which happened in Megamall at around 9pm of August 19, we rushed her to the Medical City where she got the proper treatment for her wounds (no quick first aid response in the mall, we had to run from building B to building A where we were parked… but that’s another issue), x-rays of both her feet, and a tetanus shot. All her toes are intact and the wounds she got were merely superficial, thank God. With the way her right foot bled and with the hideous torn and deformed state of her Crocs right after the accident, we thought the injury would be much worse.

But will she ride the escalator again with as much self-confidence as she’s always had before the accident? We pray that she does. Trauma is not healed with a simple wound dressing and tetanus shot.

 

 

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