Life on the Spot » City Center

Brrrr!

mavisrueda — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:17:27 +0000

It’s been a cold week in Qatar since there had been a sand storm last Monday. This came as a surprise because the past weeks have been quite warm unlike last year’s. We actually thought that it’s really starting to get warm and that the winter will be over soon. People coming from their holiday were even more surprised.

With the temperature ranging from 8-9 Degrees Celcius early in the morning and 16 Degrees Celcius the whole day, we had to equip ourselves with warmer and thicker clothes and dress up in layers. We had to go to City Center yesterday after fetching my husband from work to look for undergarments for Xiane. Luckily we found some underpants at Baby Shop for only QR12 each. We also looked long-sleeved undergarments but never found any even at Debenhams or Next which are now on sale. So we had to go back to Carre Four where I got Xiane some long-sleeved shirts for only QR12.75 each.

Today, Xiane wore a sando, a long-sleeved shirt, her uniform, underpants, a light jacket with hood, a thicker jacket, socks and her school shoes. I guess it finally kept her warm since she didn’t complain that she was cold this morning. When we got to her class though, I made her take off the light jacket and just left the thicker one.

Well it won’t be long till it starts to get hot again. I know, everybody feels cold and everything but I guess I like this better than scorching heat in summer. It’s nice to go out and not be subject to the burning heat of the sun and the annoying humidity. So might as well make the most of the winter, put on your knitted sweaters, your coats and whatever it takes to keep you warm. But most of all have a little more cuddling because nothing beats the warmth of a having a “human blanket”.

Asian Games

mavisrueda — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:32:12 +0000

It’s definitely just a day away. Qatar, Doha in particular has been preparing for the Doha Games. I know everybody here in Doha has got a taste of the inconvenience brought about by these numerous road constructions. Thank God it’s almost over soon although unfortunately, some of the main thoroughfares are still not complete. Two weeks ago, you still can’t feel that Asian Games is coming but yesterday when we went out, I felt that indeed it is just around the corner. In the mall yesterday, there were delegates roaming around. Everywhere you go, there are flags of multiple colors and banners that have tag lines on them, my favorite would be “The Game of Your Life”, makes you realize that it is really happening right here, right now. Now, you feel the spirit of Asian Games and that you can be a part of this historical event.

We won’t be going to the opening ceremonies on Friday, aside from the fact that the tickets are quite costly (QR500), we thought that tagging along a kid might not be a good idea. Who knows, Xiane might get bored halfway into the ceremonies, so there goes the QR 500. We’re also anticipating that there would be heavy traffic on that day. What we plan to do it just watch the fireworks display from afar and just watch the sport events that we’d like to see, synchronized swimming being the first on our list. FYI, I overheard the staff of the DAGOC kiosk in City Center that the tickets for the opening ceremonies have been sold out. But I also heard her say that there is a call center you can call to see if there’s a chance that you can still get tickets. So for those who plan to go on Friday, better rush to the nearest ticketing outlets now (City Center Cinema, Main Post Office, all QNB branches). Happy viewing to all!

Amira Magic Cream

mavisrueda — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:48:16 +0000

As I’ve said on my previous post, I’ve been doing Pilates. The only bad thing that has come out of doing Pilates is having dark spots on the knees because in Pilates you do some kneeling. My trousers aren’t long enough to cover my entire knees. Two weeks into Pilates, I noticed that I’m starting to get dark knees. I got alarmed and tried using my bandages to wrap my knees every time but I guess it just got worse. So I started looking for knee pads and found them at Sun and Sand Sports at City Center. I bought 2 pieces of Body Sculpture brand but unfortunately failed to check the size, so now I still have to return them. I’m hoping to get my size.

Now I’m trying to do some damage control on my knees. I’ve been applying Amira Magic Cream which I brought from the Philippines. Just a short note on Magic Cream, they say that it originally comes from this part of the world, Saudi Arabia in particular. How come it’s more expensive in Saudi and even in Qatar. I saw some being sold at one of the Filipino stores in the Souk. They’re selling it for QR50 (700 pesos) while I bought mine for only 500 pesos. Anyway, for those who use it, just make sure to get the Amira brand because they say it’s the original. And if you wish to get it cheaper, bring some from the Philippines. I just don’t know if it’s going to pass the inspection at the airport.

Then two days ago, I started rubbing lemon on my knees whenever I take a bath, hoping that it’s going to have any effect. I just thought that if "kalamansi" does have a whitening effect, so does lemon. Well I really hope it does.

Pilates

Fruits and Vegetables in Qatar

mavisrueda — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 21:04:20 +0000

Here’s the update to our previous price list for groceries in Qatar. This time, we have a list of the prices of fruits and vegetables. If you go and download the Microsoft Excel file, you’ll notice that items have been given a category and their respective prices in Qatari Rial (QR), US dollar (US$) and Philippine Peso (Php). Again, we got the prices from Lulu Hypermarket as it is closer to our place. Since supermarkets here do not only limit themselves to food and vegetables, we usually call them hypermarkets as they may offer electronic items, kitchen appliances and other stuff not usually found on a Supermarket. Prices in Carrefour, Giant Stores, Family Food Center, etc. might be a bit more expensive by .25 halala but I’m sure that won’t deter you from going to those shops if you’re nearer or if you plan to do more than grocery shopping. Imported specialty goods from Holland (Chinese cabbages, potatoes, lettuces, broccoli, celeries, leeks, asparagus, baby carrots, etc…) are also thrice in amount of items imported from nearby countries like Turkey, Egypt, Saudi and even far off countries like New Zealand and Australia. Thus, I didn’t really include them on the list. If you’re looking for Indian or Pakistani vegetables and fruits, Lulu offers these more than the other shops.

As Fridays and Saturdays are the official weekend here in Qatar, try to do your grocery shopping on a weekday as there as less people then. Aside from the number of people on the groceries during weekends, you’ll also notice the increase in traffic on the streets which you also want to avoid. Thursday evenings are also not exceptions as a lot also do their grocery shopping right after work on this day. If you need to really do it on a Thursday, try to finish before 6 PM.

Download the Microsoft Excel File here

Malls in Qatar

mavisrueda — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:04:52 +0000

We’ve been to the following Malls in Qatar:

1. City Center Doha (CCD) – This is said to be the biggest Mall in the Middle East for now (a bigger mall is being built in Dubai and to be completed next year). Having 4 floors, it has the Carrefour Supermarket, Home Center (furniture), Qtel office, Shoe Mart, Benetton, Splash, Debenhams, Jumbo Electronics, Adams, Mothercare and other high-end shops. They have an ice skating rink, a Water Park for Kids, an amusement center and more than 10 cinemas. In comparison to Seef Mall in Bahrain and Rashid Mall in Khobar, it is indeed quite large. Although SM Mega Mall in the Philippines is twice bigger. You can get around CCD and see everything in less than 30 minutes. They say groceries are cheaper here than the 3 below but probably by a riyal or less. If you’re looking for home furniture and furnishings, you can go to Home Center. It is a bit cheaper here than IDdesign (The Mall) and The One (The Landmark). You have Jumbo Electronics which carries the LG brand, from aircons, televisions and sound systems (they have Yamaha and my sought-after Harman Kardon receivers). Carrefour also sells cameras, phones, PCs and other electronic items. Among the 4, you can see a lot more here.

2. The Mall – The smallest among the 4. It has 2 floors, although the 2nd floor is less than half occupied. You basically have 3 small shops on the second floor and IDdesign. They have Mango, Gulf Greetings, Mothercare, CK, Oasis, Milano, Fuji Image Service and other shops which aren’t that big nor well-known. They have Qmart supermarket, which is the smallest but has a lot of imported goods from the West. They also have cinemas here and would soon have a Chilis restaurant. The Mall is close to the Lulu Hypermarket.

3. Lulu Hypermarket – Having 2 floors, the ground floor has the big Lulu Supermarket and the second floor has the Lulu department store. The department store has unbranded clothes for men and women, infants and children, toys, school supplies, baby items, and electronics and appliances section. They have a perfume section though I can’t comment on the prices as we haven’t tried asking the shops in the other malls. They also showcase a lot of television brands on their floors. I noticed that the Panasonic prices are 1000 to 1500 riyals cheaper than in Bahrain and Saudi. I saw a 29”Digital Progressive TV for 1999 Riyals. But Mavis is interested with the 34” Samsung Digital TV. They also have a Qpost Station for your snail mail needs along with a Qtel office for your telephone (landline and wireless) needs.

4. The Landmark – The Landmark has Bang and Olufsen (Electornics), Jennyfer, Music Master (Cds and DVDs), Mango, Esprit, Massimo Dutti, Godiva Chocolates, Mothercare, Milano, Mexx, Nine West, Osh Kosh B’gosh, Sisley, The BodyShop, The One, Benetton, Zara and other well-known shops. They have a Qtel Station where you can pay your bills. They have Mega Mart as their supermarket. They have a food court and a big amusement park. In all, City Center almost has everything that you could need but it depends on specific shop or service that you are looking for. I don’t know if they have a Qpost in CCD. Also, CCD is quite far from the other malls as the other mall are just like 5- 10 minutes away from each other. There are probably 2-3 other small malls that we have not gone to yet. Also, we’re looking forward to going to the local shopping centers (souks) once we get our car next week.