ABODE Magazine

We have moved our offices

dfurcoi — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:54:33 +0000

Send us your thoughts, drop us a line or just drop by.

Effective WORDZ

KFLO — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:30:33 +0000

Mimiz Blog - Diary of a Qatari Girl, mimizwords.wordpress.com

How do you think people in Doha perceive blogging?
So far the majority of the comments I get are positive. Only few disagree with my writings, but it always good to know the opposite point of view. I learnt a lot from those who oppose my opinion. It’s taught me how to control my emotions and reply objectively, as well as develop discussion skills.

What do you think Doha smells like?
Smells like? What a weird question! Mmmm it smells like the sea and the dust I guess.

What do you do on a typical day off?
My day off means friends day, even though I see them during the week as well. But I would go out with my friends. Doesn’t matter where as long as we are hanging out together. We might go the movies, or just stay at home. After I am done with my friends I have to visit my grandmothers. I see them at least once a week, it gives me such joy when I see them smiling as I am walking in. They always greet me and offer me so much food to eat. I adore listening to their stories and always appreciate their advice.

If you had one superpower what would it be?
Tough question! It is not enough to have one superpower! But I guess I will say to fly, not just on earth but to be able to go into space and see other galaxies.

What’s on your iPod (three current favorites)?
I depend on my little brother for that. He would always update it for me. He has all kinds of songs you can imagine, but my favourites are “La Solitudine” by Laura Fabian and Laura Pasusini and “Bleeding Heart” by David Vendetta.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Doha?
W Hotel restaurants are the best.

Do you prefer reading print magazines/newspapers or online media?
Magazines.

Guilty pleasure (tv show, junk food, etc.)?
All kinds of Manga – Japanese anime, Marron Glece and cheeseburgers!

Top place you want to travel why living in Doha and why?
I would like to discover Africa and see the Serengeti (the region in north-western Tanzania) and animal migration.

Just another day…

KFLO — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:39:32 +0000

Mohana from A Day In Doha

What do you think Doha smells like?
Dust

What do you do on a typical day off?
Go to the movies, read, and hopefully write on the latest project.

If you had one superpower what would it be?
Be indestructible.

What’s on your iPod (three current favorites)?
Haven’t updated it in months

What’s your favorite restaurant in Doha?
Noodle Shop.

Do you prefer reading print magazines/newspapers or online media?
Print

Guilty pleasure (tv show, junk food, etc.)?
Big Love (tv show)

Top place you want to travel why living in Doha and why?
Australia – closer than anywhere else!

Skeptics in Qatar?

KFLO — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:28:18 +0000

Glen McKay of qatarskeptic.blogspot.com

What do you think Doha smells like?
Dust. You really notice the difference when you fly somewhere without all the sand and dust. You can feel the difference in the air.

What do you do on a typical day off?
Usually errands or visit friends, sometimes play tennis. If the Qatar Natural History Group is having a field trip I try to attend.

If you had one superpower what would it be?
Telekinesis, it’s a very versatile ability.

What’s on your iPod (three current favorites)?
Skunk Anansie, Weezer and the Beatles. Most of my music is alt-rock but the Beatles’ music continues to interest me.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Doha?
Pizza Ciao, but I can sometimes be found at Sushi Minto or at a restaurant in the Souq Waqif.

Do you prefer reading print magazines/newspapers or online media?
Most things – online definitely, except newspapers where I prefer print. I like relaxing with a coffee and a newspaper.

Guilty pleasure (tv show, junk food, etc.)?
Chocolate. Anyone who knows me knows I have a big sweet tooth and dark chocolate is my favourite.

Mr. Q’s View

KFLO — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:44:02 +0000

We hope you’ve seen our latest issue, out on stands now, and as promised here’s the lowdown one of our featured bloggers:

Mr. Q of blog.iloveqatar.net

What do you think Doha smells like?
Literally: An old book
Figuratively: Hope

What do you do on a typical day off?
I’m always up for Anything and Everything.

If you had one superpower what would it be?
Freeze things

What’s on your iPod (three current favorites)?
Ke$ha – Tik Tok
Craig David – Insomnia
Chipmunk – Diamond Rings

What’s your favorite restaurant in Doha?
Can’t say, love Butcher Shop and Grill, Chilis, Johnny Rockets, but most of all, home cooking

Do you prefer reading print magazines/newspapers or online media?
I prefer online media. Can’t wait to grab an iPad so that it makes life so much easier.

Guilty pleasure (tv show, junk food, etc.)?
Burgers. I love burgers. Did I mention I love burgers? Lucky thing I have a high metabolism.

Top place you want to travel why living in Doha and why?
That’s a very hard question to answer. On a serious note, I’d love to travel to California to see what ti’s all about. It’s one of the few places I haven’t been to. Choosing a country live in? Maybe Cali or Tokyo. I love Japan.

Anything else about you or your blog that you think I should know?
Mr. Q is just a small section of iLoveQatar.net. It’s purpose is to create a fantastic positive community where people can share knowledge and generally, ILQ itself sponsors a variety of different events to encourage culture in Qatar. There has to be an underground scene to inspire new culture. ILQ is also strongly committed towards charitable causes. One cause is called ‘Labour Day’ where we take a percentage of profits from ILQ and pick a random work site and give them cold drinks, shirts, towels and top up a phone with credit so that they can call their families back home and say: “I’m fine.” That’s the least I can do to show my appreciation to the people who work in the hot sun to build my country.

Paranoia Attack

KFLO — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:53:40 +0000

For those of us who miss art house theaters/ filmmaker series, our friends at Northwestern University Qatar have come to the rescue. As you might have seen in our February issue (with Dana and Noor Alfardan gracing the cover) the Hitchcock in Technicolor series kicked off last night with his 1958 film, Vertigo, which is a mystery/thriller about a retired detective, with a serious case of vertigo, who is hired to follow a friend’s suicidal wife.
For both fans and those unfamilar with Hitchcock this is an incredible (and free) opportunity to soak in some cinematic history and get a little lesson afterwards during the audience Q&A.
I was somewhat disappointed when the group of stundets sitting in front of my friends and I, decided to leave about 40 minutes into the film. Could they not leave their Blackberrys and Facebooks long enough to experiece a two hour long movie that has probably never been shown in Qatar? When I asked why NU-Q decided to show the Hitchcock series the moderator, Brian, replied that they’re trying to encourage students to see historic movies and they thought by bringing his series in technicolor, it might hold their attention longer.
I for one enjoyed the extra long shots spun from Hitchcock’s hand and the spot-on 50s fashion, even though I missed Hitchcock’s signature appearance in the opening scene.
Vertigo dealt with many themes that I find still relevant today including the power struggle of women and that eerie feeling of being followed. It is also considered “a love letter to San Francisco,” as much of the fiming was done in some of San Fran’s now historic locations.
The succeeding films in the series can be caught on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Carnegie-Mellon University Room 3035. Rear Window shows on the 17th and North by Northwest on the 24th.

Pearly Whites

KFLO — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:16:20 +0000

Yesterday, our managing editor, Tessa, and I went to the MIA for a preview of their latest temporary exhibit: “Pearls.” As if we need an excuse to visit, we were pleasantly surprised with how well organized the press event was (sometimes they’re not so promising).

Rare Peal Collection

We learned from the press conference that pearls never form around a grain of sand, they can grow in any type of shell, they are found all around the world (21 lenders have contributed to the event) and that different colors of pearls like red and rainbow (the rarest) naturally exist. We got to take a sneak peak at the exhibit which features over 1.7 million pearls…including the Hussein Al Fardan collection.

Mr. Hussain Al Fardan

Learn about the cultivation of pearls, pearls presence in the Gulf (before natural gas pearls were the biggest source of income in Qatar), and view the treasured pearls of Chanel, Marilyn Monroe and royalty from all around the world.

Queen Mary's Brooch

We hear there’s even a carpet made from pearls, but that won’t be unveiled until the opening on Saturday. Be sure to check out the event and keep your eyes open for our February issue hitting the stands soon.

*We’re sorry for our online absence lately. Don’t write us off quite yet. We’re brewing up a new series for our blog to go along with a March feature. More to come!*

Death By Chocolate…I’ll Take Two

KFLO — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:07:10 +0000

Managing editor, Tessa, and I have lately been indulging ourselves in mid-afternoon chocolate breaks (Tessa with a caramel Big Kat and me with Mini M&Ms) courtesy of the Woqod petrol station located conveniently in front of our offices. It was to our self-indulgent gratification that this morning we were invited to the Grand Hyatt for the launch of their partnership with Swiss chocolate producer, Felchlin.

The chocolate spread

We were welcomed with chocolat chaud (liquid hot chocolate)…which we had two cups of before watching pastry chef, Christoph Reinthaler, show us how to pour chocolate bars and make truffles…rolling them in cocoa powder for the final touch. He taught us that darker chocolate (chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa powder) is healthier for you because the bar uses less cocoa butter. Good to know. Executive Chef, Mark Hagan, said that good chocolate should snap because it has less milk fat (Hershey’s definitely doesn’t snap). We then sampled chocolate that tasted like it did 100 years ago. I thought it tasted like solidified brownie mix, but I think the point was they wanted to show how attentively produced their chocolate is now.

Cut it, Split it, Sort it

As if we didn’t already consume enough, we sampled the dangerous chocolate buffet pictured above. We decided that the cheesecake topped with the mandarin orange was the best. “You cannot rush chocolate, you have to give it time,” said Christoph.
The sugar rush was a different story.

Cheeky Detour

Maria — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:42:21 +0000

Hey there! I’m Maria Gasan… a new addition to Abode magazine. I’m a Photographer and Graphic Designer, working on whatever I can get my hands on at Abode. Honestly… I really enjoy working with Abode Magazine, as it’s great to be in a fun-loving environment with welcoming people.

Last month I helped out with my first Abode fashion shoot… it was set at the Volvo truck yard over at the Industrial area here in Qatar. The day was a full of hard work, good fun and great shots. Which… You’re now able to see in this month’s October issue.

It's no party without a Cat Fight

Of course… the shoot wasn’t ALL business. The girls brought the shoot to life by REALLY getting into their roles

As a photographer… I have to stick to saying that a picture is worth 1000 words… so only imagine what this video is worth!!!

DTFF Revealed

KFLO — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:45:50 +0000

Amanda Palmer, executive director for DTFF, with Maggie Kim, managing director of TFF

At the end of the month, the first Doha Tribecca Film Festival will commence. From their online presence to their one-minute movie screenings, the festival is certainly causing a stir in the community. Visit their website to see the just released film program which will open up with “Amelia,” the story of Ameila Earhart starring Hilary Swank. Make sure to check out ABODE’s October issue for more lowdown on the festival. Which film are you most excited for?