Hamburger expert and filmmaker George Motz meditates on meat and makes the perfect burger. [Link]
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Items by Mark
2:48AM [The B-Sides]
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Burgers are good
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 4:29am PDT by Mark
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Kuwait in really really really old magazines
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 9:00am PDT by Mark
Yesterday BuYousef emailed a link to an article in LIFE about Kuwait dating back to 1959 which contained a good amount of pictures and information. He had found that article by using the search feature in Google Books and it made me realize I might be able to find other hidden treasure and I did. Since his email I’ve been reading old articles none stop and I’m still not 0.0001% through them all.
A search for Kuwait in Google Books will get you tens of thousands of results but I managed to narrow down the search a bit and found the ones below:
1952 Venus is a crook in Kuwait
1955 Proved in the Blazing Heat of Kuwait!
1958 Fresh Water from the Sea
1959 Kuwait: the fabulous sheikdom
1961 A dusty vigil
1965 Everything’s up to date in Kuwait
1975 What happens when the oil is gone?
1979 Bite that tiger
1980 Solar power station for oil-rich KuwaitSome of the interesting stuff I read weren’t just articles about Kuwait but articles that mentioned Kuwait. I didn’t post them above because there were too many but I did read some interesting stories like I was reading an article from 1961 about a Nazi war criminal that was hiding in Kuwait and then I read another small snippet from someone in Kuwait who had sent a letter to Boys Life. It’s just random bits like that which I found really entertaining to read. Google Books is just amazing.
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Street Lamp Numbers
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 5:10am PDT by Mark
Not sure if many people have noticed this but street lamps have unique numbers on them. I remember reading once that these numbers are used to identify the location in case of emergency like say you get into an accident and you call for help, you could read them the number on the lamp post and they would know exactly where you are. I wonder if that applies in Kuwait.
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They filled the hole!
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 12:23am PDT by Mark
I was on my way back this morning from walking my dog when I noticed a lot of dust coming out from the empty sand lot near my house. When I got closer I realized the local baladiya were there with two trucks. They were filling up the hole I posted about two days back! One large truck dumped sand in and around the pit while a larger bulldozer proceeded to fill it up until the hole disappeared.
That absolutely made my day. Thanks to everyone who helped out, I am sure the whole neighborhood really appreciates this. I also suddenly feel like I am in a real life scene from the hilarious TV show Parks and Recreation which means I should now try and convince the baladiya to turn the empty lot into a park.
Update: The Governorate of Hawalli responded with the following:
Dear Mark,
The Governorate of Hawalli would like to thank you for your kind efforts in pointing out an issue that has been causing distress to the surrounding residents of the area around the “hole”.
After receiving instructions from the Governor of Hawalli, Governorate officials contacted the appropriate officers at the Municipality of Kuwait – Hawalli Division – and notified them of the issue.
The Governorate has made sure that the issue has been dealt with immediately and accordingly, and followed up with the Municipality to ensure that the issue was resolved appropriately. We would also like to confirm that the hole, that was unfortunately used as a waste disposal site by many, had been thoroughly cleaned and the waste removed before being backfilled.
The Governorate of Hawalli has always tried to be on top top of such issues, and hopes that this would only be just one part of a cumulative effort that symbolizes a greater collective awareness, taking us one further step for a cleaner, and hopefully greener, Kuwait.
It is refreshing to find that such a sense of responsibility and care is still active in our beloved country. On behalf of the entire Governorate team, we would like to thank you all for your support, and the Municipality for their great work and quick response. Please rest assured that the Governorate of Hawalli will always try to tackle such issues in the future head on.
Of course, there are important lessons to learn from this experience. The strength of Kuwait is not found only in its government, but through the dedication of the people of Kuwait as a whole. It is truly found in the compassionate and caring hearts and the dynamic spirit of our citizens, residents and visitors.
Thank you.
I have to say I am EXTREMELY impressed! I am really at a loss for words. I thought no one actually cared about “old” Salmiya but it seems there are some people who do. I did not expect this. I’ve lived on the street for 30 years now and I’ve posted about my frustration before (here and here for example) but now I feel there might be hope. Thank you!
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Dyson AirBlade
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 2:47pm PDT by Mark
Ok this might sound weird but one of the things I remember the most about Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport was the hand dryer in the bathroom (video above although it really doesn’t do it justice). It was just incredibly powerful, like it must have been connected to an extra airplane jet engine they had lying around because it was just vicious.
I never found another hand dryer as powerful until recently while I was in Lebanon I was washing my hands in a bathroom at a mall when I spotted the Dyson AirBlade (video above but there are like a million others on YouTube). Dyson if you don’t know make some very cool vacuum clears and fans so it kinda makes sense I guess that they make hand dryers. Anyway although the AirBlade wasn’t as powerful as the Terminal 5 hand dryer it looked really cool and it currently ranks the second most powerful hand dryer I’ve ever used. So I was checking to see how much it costs cuz it would be cool to get one for the house and it turns out they’re selling on eBay for over $1,200!
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What line?
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 7:51am PDT by Mark
I passed by Pinkberry last night and noticed they’ve increased the amount of staff from the usual 4 to 15. I am guessing the majority are being trained for the other two new stores that are opening up but with 15 employees the line was nearly non-existent.
In other frozen yogurt news, I spotted what looks like a frozen yogurt machine being installed and tested at IKEA!
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Goodbye Starbucks, Hello Starturk
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 1:57pm PDT by Mark
This is just amazing! I can’t stop laughing. The Arabic lines read:
Istanbul in Hawalli
Restaurant and coffee shop under Turkish management
Hawalli – Beirut Street
Next to Al Ameed Coffee, in front of the Pakistani SchoolThanks Phoenix
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Kuwaiti? I don’t think so…
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 9:18am PDT by Mark
Very strange fellow. [YouTube]
Thanks Saad -
Hovercraft in Kuwait
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 8:26am PDT by Mark
I didn’t know we had hovercrafts in Kuwait, how can I get a ride in one?? [YouTube]
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Hole in the bus
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 12:02am PDT by Mark
Spotted this bus on my way into work this morning. Turns out there was a building under construction that was lifting some metal beams via a crane but the beams crossed over the main road where a Citybus was passing by.
On a similar subject some of you might not be aware of this but the employees of KPTC, the public blue buses are on strike because they’re protesting a KD50 salary cut. [News]
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Hole full of garbage
Posted: August 28th, 2010, 6:37am PDT by Mark
I am 100% sure this can’t be legal or healthy. I live in Salmiya in the old souk on Salem Mubarek Street. Right behind my building there is an empty sand lot which is used as a parking by people coming to shop in the street. The sand lot is also used as garbage dump. It has around 7 regular sized garbage cans… and one big hole in the ground.
A hole in the ground! For some reason it seems the local baladiya or whoever is responsible for garbage collection can’t afford new garbage bins or something and have decided instead to dig a big hole in the ground and fill it up with garbage. Every morning a bulldozer comes and digs up the garbage.
Why can’t they place a large garbage bin or two or three more regular sized ones instead of digging a hole?
First of all the lot is heavily surrounded by residential buildings. Second of all there is a mosque just 20 meters away from the hole. Finally people use the lot as a parking lot. Salmiya is over crowded and lacks ample parking and people are forced to park in the sandy lot filled with garbage. At night the lot is pitch black since there isn’t any kind of lighting and people end up parking right next to all the garbage bins and holes. That can’t be healthy.
Hopefully by me posting about this maybe something can be done about this. It’s just too disgusting, I mean it’s a frickin hole in the ground that’s being filled with garbage!
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Closed for renovation
Posted: August 28th, 2010, 6:00am PDT by Mark
I took the picture above outside Costa at Marina Crescent but I’ve noticed quite a few restaurants have also closed down during Ramadan for renovations. I never liked that Costa branch since I found it too bright and uncomfortable. I’m not a fan of coffee shops anyway but I do prefer the cozy feel I get from Starbucks.
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New Gucci flagship store
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 8:11am PDT by Mark
As I previously mentioned, Gucci shut down in Villa Moda and are opening up at 360 Mall. Well it looks like the store is practically done and ready to open any day now.
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New organic brands
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 2:29pm PDT by Mark
I was at Sultan last night when I spotted a new organic corner. What grabbed my attention was the fact they got some new brands including a brand of tea called Clipper which have pretty cool packing you can see below.
I also spotted the Red Bull bottles pictured below in the fridge which reminded me of the Thai Red Bull’s.
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Aziz and Ramadan TV shows
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 2:54am PDT by Mark
Released earlier this month but I missed it somehow. He’s still funny as usual. [YouTube]
Thanks Ali
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160km/h car crash
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 11:06am PDT by Mark
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More 3gal self defence
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 1:56am PDT by Mark
This Kuwaiti jujutsu guy is amazing to watch, he’s got a new video up where he once again shows you how you could use your 3gal for self defense. [YouTube]
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Naif Al-Mutawa on CNN again
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 4:55am PDT by Mark
Naif Al-Mutawa, the creator of THE 99 comic books was back on CNN two days ago. You can check out the article by clicking [Here]
Thanks Cheryl
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Another cub for sale in Kuwait
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 3:33am PDT by Mark
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Kuwaiti Rapper
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 1:57pm PDT by Mark
I’m not really up to date on the latest rap scene since I’m still stuck in the 90s listening to the likes of Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Onyx, Cypress Hill, Dr Dre etc.. but I do think that if you are a Kuwaiti and want to rap it might be more interesting to do so in Arabic or Kuwaiti dialect. There are a lot of English rappers out there and it would be easier to stick out rapping in Kuwaiti I guess. Anyway Moe is a Kuwaiti rapper and the video above is one of his songs. Check it out and leave him your feedback. [YouTube]
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I’m back, and fat
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 10:59am PDT by Mark
Ok, maybe not fat since I actually didn’t gain any weight on this trip but I do feel flabby. Ten days without my gym routine and ten days of a completely messed up diet full of french fries, mayonnaise and lots of dessert will do that. Not sure what started my downward spiral but I think it was the fact that for the past month I was on a practically no carb diet that consisted mostly of just grilled meat and chicken. I think I just went berserk getting everything out of my system so that once I got back to Kuwait I could go back to my strict routine. This morning before heading to the airport I even had knefe with cheese in ka3k bread (pictured above) which must be like a million calories. I’ve got one more thing I need to do though which is Chinese food. I haven’t had Chinese food since I joined Core Fitness back in January so tonight I’m going to Peacock to celebrate the last day of my 10 day streak of unhealthy eating. Everything will be back to normal starting tomorrow.
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The Kuwait Towers Discotheque
Posted: August 22nd, 2010, 2:20pm PDT by Mark
Awhile back a reader sent me some PDF files related to the construction of the Kuwait Towers and Kuwait Water Towers. The PDF’s contain photos, sketches and information regarding the projects. For example according to one of the PDF’s the total cost of the Kuwait Towers was KD4,700,000 (or $16,450,000) while the cost of the Water Towers was KD2,800,000 (or $9,800,000).
Among the different sketches and architectural plans lies an interesting bit of information. According to one of the diagrams (close up crop above) there was a discotheque and dance floor planned in the Kuwait Towers on top of the restaurant along with an indoor garden. That would have been a pretty cool club although I don’t know how efficient the elevators would have been carrying the crowd up and down. You can download all the PDF’s and check out a ton of pictures from the construction to the completion of the towers by following this [Link]
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جوجتسو يابانية
Posted: August 22nd, 2010, 12:50am PDT by Mark
How to protect yourself in case you get attacked by a glass of water. I like the way he used the 3gal to lock the guys arm. [YouTube]
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Burger King’s NY Pizza Burger
Posted: August 21st, 2010, 12:31am PDT by Mark
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I’m allergic
Posted: August 19th, 2010, 2:17pm PDT by Mark
I passed by a nose doctor a few days ago because I wanted him to check on my nose since it’s always blocked plus I sneeze a lot. He told me I most probably had an allergy and suggested I pass by an allergy doctor to find out. I did that today and ended up getting an allergy test done.
I was expecting to get a blood test but the doctor told me she had a more effective method. Basically she took my arm and marked down around 11 letters with a pen. She then started placing drops of various liquids under the letters and then pricking my skin where the liquid drops were located. The drops represented different things I could be allergic to like dust, humidity, dust mites etc.. but just allergies that would effect my respiratory. I then had to wait for 15 minutes so she could check if any of the dots on my arm reacted, one did. Turns out I am allergic to dogs which sucked since I’ve got a dog and have had one for like 5 years now. Before that dog my family had a dog as well so I’ve always been around dogs.
Luckily it turns out there is a vaccine for my allergy which works by desensitization (picture above). For the next 3 years every morning I need to place a few drops of vaccine under my tongue. After 1 year I will be immune to dogs but I need to continue to take the vaccine for 2 more years after that. It was a pretty educational experience and a very easy process so I would recommend anyone who thinks they might be allergic to something to get the test done. For more information check the following website [Link]
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Bull has enough
Posted: August 19th, 2010, 1:28pm PDT by Mark
30 people got hurt. They should just ban bull fighting already. [YouTube]
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Heroin Greetings
Posted: August 18th, 2010, 3:18pm PDT by Mark
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World yoyo contest winner
Posted: August 18th, 2010, 8:30am PDT by Mark
Very entertaining to watch. Personally I can’t keep a yoyo going if my life depended on it. [YouTube]
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Frank Miller + Gucci
Posted: August 17th, 2010, 11:53pm PDT by Mark
Trailer for the upcoming 60 second commercial which will be released next month. Those of you who don’t know Frank Miller, he is the comic book artist behind Sin City. [YouTube]
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America’s Favorite Burger
Posted: August 17th, 2010, 2:40pm PDT by Mark
According to the latest Fast Food Survey by Zagat, the best burger in America comes from Virginia-based chain Five Guys.
I would have to completely agree based on my experience. [Link]
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Trailer: Enthiran
Posted: August 17th, 2010, 11:30am PDT by Mark
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Update on Bahraini blogger vs AlQabas
Posted: August 17th, 2010, 11:20am PDT by Mark
I posted a couple of days back about how AlQabas newspaper stole an image from a Bahraini blogger and published it in the newspaper. Well just an update, Aysha the blogger will be contacting a lawyer who will be sending a letter to AlQabas. Depending on the response they get they will then decide what action to take. Personally I am curious to see what the outcome of this will be.
On another note, I emailed the editor of Arab Time asking him if he was aware of various cases in which they copy pasted posts from local bloggers into their newspaper without giving any credit. I haven’t gotten a reply yet.
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Insane Indian Pole Gymnastics
Posted: August 16th, 2010, 1:19pm PDT by Mark
This is pretty insane. [Link]
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Sa’ad’s NYC style pizza
Posted: August 16th, 2010, 1:00pm PDT by Mark
There is a guy in Kuwait called Sa’ad who seems to be a pizza fanatic. He recently submitted his pizza ingredients to Serious Eats and ended up getting featured there which is pretty cool. You can check out the post and pictures by clicking this [Link]via Slider Station
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Facebook Pub
Posted: August 15th, 2010, 9:40am PDT by Mark
In Kuwait we’ve got the Facebook Cafe while in Lebanon it seems they have the Facebook Pub. Spotted this today in front of a nail salon called Hotnail.com (seriously).
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Al-Qabas steals pictures from Bahraini blogger
Posted: August 15th, 2010, 1:05am PDT by Mark
A Bahraini blogger called Aysha was surprised to find out that not only did Al-Qabas newspaper steal one of her pictures and publish it in the newspaper but that the picture they stole was a picture of herself. She was completely shocked and surprised to find her picture plastered in Al-Qabas and now wonders if there is anything she can do. She has a full write up on her blog which you can check by clicking this [Link]
Sadly I doubt there is anything she can do about this and we all know this isn’t the first time that Al-Qabas uses pictures without permission.
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Strange Ramadan Ecards
Posted: August 15th, 2010, 12:37am PDT by Mark
What’s probably stranger than these cards is the fact that people still send Ecards… [Link]
via BoingBoing
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The Internet
Posted: August 13th, 2010, 11:25pm PDT by Mark
I always forget how terrible the Internet is in Lebanon until I get here and then I either want to throw my laptop out the window or save myself from this misery and jump out myself. I can’t live like this!
Update: Ran a SpeedTest and ended up with the results above
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Time Off
Posted: August 12th, 2010, 2:23pm PDT by Mark
I’m going to be in Beirut for the next 10 days enjoying the sun. As usual I’ll still be posting from there. I’m taking my GF1 with me so expect a lot of pictures.
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Heart Attack Breakfast
Posted: August 12th, 2010, 3:02am PDT by Mark
Fried cheese melt, made with four fried mozzarella sticks and melted American cheese grilled between two slices of sourdough bread. It is served with French fries and a side of marinara sauce. [Link]
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Pencil Tip Micro Sculptures
Posted: August 11th, 2010, 2:24pm PDT by Mark
Wow… [Link]
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WedgePad
Posted: August 11th, 2010, 1:38pm PDT by Mark
A reader sent me the picture above of the iPad with the WedgePad. I hadn’t heard of the WedgePad before but I think I am going to get one now since it makes the iPad cozier to use. At $27 with free shipping it’s also a pretty good deal. [Link]
Thanks FYI
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Around the track
Posted: August 10th, 2010, 1:19pm PDT by Mark
Last month I posted about the indoor RC track that just recently got set up by the Kuwait Science Club and today I finally got to pass by and check it out. When I got there I met up with Nawaf from the Science Club who was setting up his car. He took me through the whole set up process step by step explaining how everything works. These tiny radio controlled cars work pretty much like our large cars with similar features. They even have tires with different softness and hardness like proper race cars.
Once we were done setting up the car he let me take it around the track. Some of the drivers there were averaging around 10 seconds a lap and I think I managed to break their record for the slowest lap ever. Once I get back from my vacation next week I’ll be taking my own car to the track at least once or twice a week since it’s like the perfect summer activity due to the fact the indoor track is air conditioned.
Now the exciting part is that this year I will be participating in their outdoor buggy practices and races which are held from October to March at their super large outdoor track next to 360 Mall. They will be teaching me everything there is to know from building a car to setting it up to racing it. I will be driving the Xray 808 which is the car I had my eye on last year (pictured above) so it should turn out to be a lot of fun.
For information on the Radio Control Car Club of Kuwait click [Here]
Update: If you’re interested in getting into this hobby you can call or SMS Nawaf on 99625805
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XD Theater
Posted: August 10th, 2010, 7:02am PDT by Mark
I was in Phase II of the Avenues when I heard what sounded like a movie being played loudly in the middle of the mall. I followed the sound all the way up to the second floor near where Kenneth Cole is and found something called the XD Theater. Turns out for KD3 you can watch a short 3D movie that’s around 5 minutes long. It’s kinda like a small movie theater in the middle of the mall.
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Shake Shack Update
Posted: August 9th, 2010, 11:53am PDT by Mark
So today I wore my Shake Shack t-shirt to the gym and on my way I took a picture and posted it on my twitter. To my surprise, one of my followers on twitter replied back telling me that Shake Shack will be opening in place of Le Pain Quotidien at Avenues. I quickly SMS’d my Alshaya insider to confirm and it turned out to be true.
Of course I was upset since I’ve been promoting Shake Shack ever since I first found out they were opening in Kuwait and instead of getting the information first from my insider, I ended up getting it from a twitter follower. My insider did tell me though that they were planning to have the branch open by end of the year and that I would get more information regarding that next week.
I also found out two more things, one is that they’re planning to open a second branch of P.F. Chang’s next to Al Corniche Club. My guess is they will probably open up where I Love Souk used to be located. Finally, I also found out that Pinkberry will be opening their Marina Mall branch before Eid next month. That’s everything I got for now.
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Fire Safety
Posted: August 8th, 2010, 1:54pm PDT by Mark
A couple of weeks back one of the power plugs at home melted and started smoking. Luckily Nat was in the house at the time and smelled something burning and managed to turn off the plug before anything serious happened. A few days after that there was the fire incident that happened in my office building. Because of these two events I decided I should be “fire ready”.
I have a small fire cabinet in my apartment. I didn’t put it there, it came with the flat and it had 3 empty fire extinguishers inside which I never replaced or even threw out (they looked nice in the cabinet). I decided it was time I got them filled so I took the 3 empty canisters and headed to Rihab Complex in Hawalli. I had seen some fire supply stores on the first floor behind the video game stores and figured they would refill my canisters. Well, turns out although they do refill empty fire extinguisher bottles they wouldn’t refill mine since they were around 25 years old and so weren’t compatible with their machines.
So, I decided to get some new bottles. I figured they were going to cost me an arm and a leg but was completely surprised by how cheap the fire extinguishers turned out to be. There are two main types of extinguishers I found, powder and CO2 based ones. Both put out the same kind of fires but according to the salesman the powder one is cheaper but messier while the CO2 extinguishers cost more but don’t leave a mess. I ended up picking up two small 1KG powder fire extinguishers and one larger 2KG CO2 extinguisher from the shop pictured above. There are around 6 to 8 fire supply shops next to each other which means you can haggle on the price. The 1KG powder extinguishers cost KD2.5 each while the 2KG CO2 extinguisher costs KD8 (4KG powder costs KD8 as well), I picked three of them up for KD11.
So now you know where you can pick up fire extinguishers from and how much they cost so there really isn’t an excuse why you shouldn’t also be fire ready. I put one of the small extinguishers in Nat’s car since she didn’t have one (my car came with one) and I am now going to pick up a few more extinguishers this weekend for my parents home. Its better to be safe than sorry.
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Dear Ahmad,
Posted: August 8th, 2010, 9:31am PDT by Mark
Found the following message on a one Dinar note I was carrying.
Dear Ahmad, if u receive this message while u’re single, call me. I’m sorry – Rasha
I wonder if Ahmad ever ended up reading it…
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Lotus Exige S
Posted: August 8th, 2010, 12:29am PDT by Mark
A friend of mine is selling his Lotus and NegativEffect put this video together for him. I love the sound the car makes… [YouTube]
Note: My birthday is coming up if anyone is interested hint hint
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In-N-Out Lebanon
Posted: August 6th, 2010, 10:46am PDT by Mark
Looks like In-N-Out opened up in Lebanon before Kuwait.
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Road Runner is back
Posted: August 5th, 2010, 9:59am PDT by Mark
Enclosure: [download]
Road Runner is coming back an with an updated new look. Too soon to tell if it’s a look that will grow on me but judging by the short preview clip it might. [Link]
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Oil spill in Mangaf
Posted: August 4th, 2010, 11:20pm PDT by Mark
According to local blogger NicoleB there was an oil spill in Mangaf a couple of days back. I haven’t read about this in the news yet so I am guessing they’re trying to keep it a secret.
This morning when we went to the beach, I saw a bulldozer arriving and one car after another going to the beach. Getting closer I saw workers in coveralls walking along the shore, digging the sand and throwing stuff in the water to soak up the oil – I guess.
Some guys in a Pickup stopped beside me and told me not to let the dogs in the water, because there’s oil. But it’s not a problem. Mh. Right.
I checked the beach past Mangaf, direction Fahaheel. The oil was slowly arriving there as well.
I can’t find any news online and probably won’t at all.Was down there this afternoon again, the workers were sitting on the beach. An oil spill response vehicle was there, two boats out in the ocean, but no action.
You can read her post [Here] and check out pictures of the spill [Here]
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Easa Husain Al-Yousifi & Sons co.
Posted: August 4th, 2010, 2:12am PDT by Mark
Does anyone from Easa Husain Al-Yousifi & Sons co. (Panasonic dealer) read my blog? If yes I have a strange question. Around 6 years ago you had a stash of all video game systems on the top floor, far corner of your Kuwait City branch. Overnight the video game section closed and all the merchandise (Gameboy’s, Super Nintendos, Sega 32x’s etc..) where taken somewhere. My question is where is this stash now? If you can help [Email Me]
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Lulu Hypermarket
Posted: August 4th, 2010, 12:42am PDT by Mark
I passed by the new Lulu Hypermarket that opened up recently. The place is huge and I found a ton of stuff that I hadn’t seen before. I do all my shopping at Sultan Center since they have a lot of imported US and UK products but I will probably be adding Lulu to the list now. This is just an example of what I found at the first fridge once I walked in: Diet Coke “caffeine free”, Diet Coke with lemon, Diet Coke with cherry, Fanta Zero orange and Fanta Zero lemon, Sprite Zero, and Dr Pepper Zero. They also had a whole variety of Tropicana juices I hadn’t seen before (and for a reasonable KD1.600) and even the UK brand Innocent. I didn’t take any pictures after that fridge since there were “No Photography” signs everywhere (not sure why). I did manage to snap a picture of a strange fruit I found, hadn’t seen one like it before (pictured at bottom of post).
To get to Lulu you take the 40th and then exit on the 208 heading towards the Wataniya Airways airport. It’s located on the main road so you won’t miss it. Check out some more pictures below.
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Porn on the BlackBerry?
Posted: August 3rd, 2010, 1:09pm PDT by Mark
A reader emailed me an article in which Kuwait asks BlackBerry to block around 3000 porn sites so I went to myself what? I opened my browser on my BlackBerry and typed in playboy.com and hit go and guess what? It opened! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before? I never knew I could access blocked sites on my BlackBerry.
Kuwait has asked BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) to block pornographic sites though will not suspend services like other Gulf states have threatened to do, a local newspaper reported Tuesday.
RIM has given “initial approval” to block 3,000 porn sites at the request of Kuwait’s communications ministry, the al-Jarida daily said, quoting a source it did not identify by name.
It said the Canadian manufacturer asked the ministry to give it until the end of the year to implement the block.
It’s also good to know that the BlackBerry service won’t be blocked in Kuwait. Here is a link to the [Article]
Thanks Deborah
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Kababji Responds
Posted: August 3rd, 2010, 10:33am PDT by Mark
Dear Mark, Readers and Valued Kabab-ji Customers,
We would like to express our sincere respect and appreciation to the blog post comparing Kabab-ji with its competitors as well as the constructive feedback received by the blog readers.
At the start, the comparison shown within the initial blog post was misrepresented, we contacted Mark and he took the kind liberty to amend the post which is now accurate and resembles a fair comparison.
As mentioned within the amended blog post, it is true, we do focus and pride ourselves when it comes to high quality meats that are delivered to our customers at the highest quality standards.
We are passionate about our meat and care about where it comes from. We distinguish ourselves within Kuwait by utilizing Australian bobby veal meat which is an extremely tender & lean nutritious meat produced in South-Eastern Australia , inspected and certified for export by AQIS (Australian Government Quarantine and Inspection Service) and AUSMEAT (Meat-Standards Australia). No meat leaves Australia without accreditation and certification by the above bodies, on every shipment.
Being meticulously selected from Australia, our Hallal bobby veal meat is unbeatable in terms of quality. Most importantly, the animals used are growth hormone and antibiotic-free, are fed a vegetarian diet and of course, are humanely raised.
Furthermore, once the meat arrives to Kuwait, our production facility specialists handle it with utmost respect and attention to the BRC standards which is a leading global product safety and global certification program, which our production facilities strictly follow on a daily basis. You can read more about BRC on their website: http://www.brcglobalstandards.com/
In the end, yes, we may be a bit more expensive when it comes to our products, but our customers are also paying for unparalleled quality and flavour, with safety measures on a global standard.
Thank you once again for your initiative and we will do our best to continue offering our valued customers with the highest quality products and services.
We look forward to receiving feed forward from Kebab-ji fans and comments that can help us improve and better serve our valued customers.
Please do feel free to contact me directly on 97285651 or email me at miguele@kfg.com.kw
Best Regards,
Miguel Angel Estevez- Gonzalez
KFG – Group
Director of Operations CD & IDD innovation Officer -
Watch “Kuwait: The class of 1990″ on YouTube
Posted: August 3rd, 2010, 6:23am PDT by Mark
Al Jazeera English have uploaded the documentary “Kuwait: The class of 1990″ on to YouTube. It’s 47 minutes long so I haven’t watched it yet but should do so tonight. [YouTube]
Thanks Moey
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Share your iPhone’s internet onto your iPad
Posted: August 3rd, 2010, 1:00am PDT by Mark
If you have an iPhone and an iPad you will probably understand how annoying it is that you can’t share your phones internet connection over wifi to you iPad. Well now it’s super easy.
Visit www.jailbreakme.com from your iPhone browser and follow the instructions to jailbreak your phone and install Cydia. Shoul take around 2 minutes.
When done launch Cydia and search for the app called MyWi. It costs $20 but you can try it out for free for 10 days. Using MyWi you will be able to share your phone’s internet connection over wifi which you could connect the iPad to. Very easy.
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Hello GF1!
Posted: August 2nd, 2010, 11:24am PDT by Mark
My new camera arrived in the mail today, the Panasonic GF1 (pictured above next to my Konica rangefinder). It’s a micro four-thirds camera which mostly means it has a larger sensor than point and shoot cameras and also has interchangeable lenses. I ordered my GF1 with the bright 20mm f1.7 prime lens and I think this will be the only lens I will be using with the camera.
The reason I got this camera is because I was looking for one that would help inspire me to take more pictures. I don’t feel comfortable carrying my D90 around everywhere and the Canon G11 picture quality was lacking compared to my D90. I think the GF1 lies somewhere in between the two.
First thing I did when I picked up my camera was pass by this place next to my house and take pictures. One of my favorite features in the camera is that it allows me to take pictures in the square format. Below are some of the pictures I took earlier today.
I purchased the Panasonic GF1 from Amazon, here is the [Link]
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Kebabji Update
Posted: August 2nd, 2010, 10:33am PDT by Mark
I got a phone call today from someone at Kebabji regarding the comparison I did the other day. They told me instead of ordering 2 grilled meat tikka skewers for KD2.390 I could order their savings meal which comes with 3 skewers for KD2.595. They told me only then would it be a fair comparison. They also told me the reason their meat is more expensive is because it’s sourced from Australia. In any case I’ve now revised the review to reflect this new update.
As you can see with the chart below, even with this update Kebabji still provides the least amount of meat for the price. The picture above is also of the 3 skewers from Kebabji. I guess they’re focused on quality more than quantity.
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Iraqi Invasion Pictures
Posted: August 2nd, 2010, 12:52am PDT by Mark
Around 5 years ago I collected some photos of the Gulf War aftermath from various sources online and put them all up in a Flickr group. There are 48 pictures currently which you can check by clicking [Here]
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Washing Machine Self Destructs
Posted: August 1st, 2010, 12:23pm PDT by Mark
This is what happens when you throw a brick into a washing machine. Action starts at the 55 second mark. [YouTube]
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Fire in my building!
Posted: August 1st, 2010, 1:05am PDT by Mark
We just had to evacuate our office building due to a fire on the 6th floor. We had to walk down from the 21st floor. Will post pics and more later.
Update: I’m back home now so I can post about what happened. Our office is on the 21st floor of Jawhara Tower behind NBK on Fahad Al Salem street. It was around 10:30 I think and I decided to go down to the grocery to get some water. I took the lift and when I got to the ground floor I noticed a small crowd of people gathered outside the lifts but I didn’t think much. I was on the phone with Nataly and when I walked out of the lift area into the main lobby I noticed more people gathered there and I started to hear the fire alarm. I didn’t know what was going so I told Nat I would call her back. I then called one of my workmates up in our office and told him it looks like there could be a fire in the building since the fire alarm is on and there are people downstairs. He asked me what we should do I told him I would come up and talk to him.
So I casually went back into the lift and headed back to the 21st floor. When I was passing the 9th floor I noticed it smelled like fire. I was like WTF? I got to our floor and I started to tell people there was a fire. We weren’t sure if we should evacuate because everything looked normal on our floor. No fire alarms, no smoke, no smell and nothing unusual. So we were thinking maybe it was just a false alarm when someone noticed the elevators area which I had just come up from was now starting to fill up with smoke. That’s when we started evacuating everyone.
The building isn’t fully occupied yet, I think out of the 26 floors only 10 are occupied. We started heading down the fire escape, it was a long way down and for most of it uneventful until we hit around the 10th floor. That’s when we started to notice a bit of smoke. When we got to the
7th6th floor we noticed the smoke got a lot heavier and that on the fire was on the6th5th floor below us. I snapped the picture above which was of the poor building security guard trying to put out the fire.We decided to cut across to the other side of the building and take the fire escape on the other side since I figured there should be less smoke and water there. When we crossed and got to the second fire escape we noticed it was filled with construction material. Large rocks, pieces of metal, foam, nylon bags… I wish I took a picture. We cleared some out of the way since there were people coming down that fire escape and the trash was slowing things down. There was a line of people going down the escape and it was moving pretty slow since there was a woman who seemed to be exhausted going down and we were all waiting behind her. Someone was helping her go down but it was still just very slow. By the time we got to the second floor I noticed one fireman coming up that fire escape and then finally we got out of the building.
Now that I am home I am thinking of all the mistakes that occurred like why didn’t the fire alarm go off in the whole building? If I hadn’t gone down to the ground floor by coincidence I wouldn’t have heard the fire alarm and I wouldn’t have been able to warn people upstairs. Also usually when there is a fire the elevators stop working and all automatically go down to the ground floor. The elevators in our building actually allowed me to go up to the 21st floor during a fire! Thirdly the fire escapes contained a lot of items in them which made our escape hazardous and slowed everything down. The security guards although were being brave to try and put out the fire shouldn’t have been doing that, if anything they should have been helping people get out. They didn’t have any masks on or proper gear and I am sure they are all now suffering from smoke inhalation. Hopefully they all made it out ok. I didn’t experience that much smoke and I am already blowing out black sooth from my nose. Because they also had the fire escape door open when they were trying to put out the fire, that resulted in the whole fire escape filling up with smoke and making things dangerous for the people escaping.
This all brings me to my final question. The other day the elevators weren’t working in my apartment building so I took the fire escape down. It was dark so I used my phone to light up the way and there were a ton of obstacles in the way which made it very difficult for me to go down. Who can I call to complain to so they can come and check our buildings fire safety? I am sure it’s illegal to fill up the fire escapes with garbage. Below are some pictures I took with my iPhone of the fire in our office building.
Update2: Sorry just proof read what I wrote and noticed a bunch of spelling mistakes and grammar errors. Didn’t have time to do that earlier. Also the fire turned out to be on the 5th floor not 6th.
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Turkish Grill vs Kebabji vs Villa Fayrouz Express
Posted: July 31st, 2010, 11:56am PDT by Mark
Every night as part of my diet I am allowed to only eat grilled food and veggies. After the gym the most convenient thing for me to pick up is grills from either Turkish Grill, Kebabji or Villa Fayrouz Express. I usually call them from the gym parking lot and by the time I get to them the food is ready for me to pick up. Recently Kebabji increased their prices which annoyed me since their main competitors offered more for less. I decided to put up this post in hopes of someone from Kebabji reads this and realizes they need to go back to their old pricing.
Below are the three restaurants with some figures I took so I could compare them. The weight of the meat was calculated by placing just the meat on a digital scale and not the whole box. I ordered the exact same dishes from the three restaurants, grilled tikka meat and a side of tabbouleh.
Turkish Grill
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD2.000
Pieces of meat: 15
Weight of meat: 175grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 600fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 272grams
Telephone: 25752565
Villa Fayrouz Express
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD1.950
Pieces of meat: 19
Weight of meat: 196grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 850fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 508grams
Telephone: 25755527/32
Kebabji
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD2.390
Pieces of meat: 12
Weight of meat: 66grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 950fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 295grams
Telephone: 1861616I took the liberty to plug the figures above into a table for easier comparison. I highlighted the best prices and weight in green while I used red for the worst prices and weight. As you can see Villa Fayrouz Express surprisingly came out to be the best deal. I said surprisingly since between the three it’s actually the least fast foodish. Kebabji on the other hand didn’t fare too well. They had the most expensive prices and the least quantity.
Update: Thanks to a tip from a reader called Environmental, it turns out I can get the grilled tikka from Turkish Grill at half the price. You need to order the grilled meat tikka with “no service” and then the cost amounts to just 850 fils! You don’t get bread, veggies, pickles, hummus or a fancy box, just the meat wrapped in aluminum foil. Now the strange thing is I counted the pieces today and I got 25 pieces of meat, that’s 10 more from the regular which strikes me odd but hey I’m not complaining. That’s over a 50% savings, not bad at all. Below is a picture of the “no service” tikka.
If anyone from Turkish Grill reads this I have one comment, please install a Knet machine at your Salmiya branch. I don’t carry any cash with me most of the time so when I don’t have cash I usually head over to Villa Fayrouz since they accept Knet. There are no Knet machines on my way from the gym to your Salmiya branch.
Update2: It turns out Kebabji have a savings meal which gets you an extra skewer for around 200fils more. Below are the new updated details. Check the following link for more info on this [Link]
Kebabji
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD2.595
Pieces of meat: 18
Weight of meat: 105grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 950fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 295grams
Telephone: 1861616And here is the updated chart:
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Parkour with Ladders
Posted: July 30th, 2010, 12:20am PDT by Mark
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ria wtf
Posted: July 29th, 2010, 9:19am PDT by Mark
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Is this Pinkberry?
Posted: July 29th, 2010, 4:40am PDT by Mark
Noticed today they closed up an area next to IKEA, I am guessing this is the location of the second Pinkberry branch.
Update: I just got a confirmation, this is the new location of the second Pinkberry. Nothing still on Shake Shack.
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America in Color from 1939-1943
Posted: July 28th, 2010, 6:13am PDT by Mark
The 70 colored photos were taken from 1939 to 1943 and are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. Some seriously amazing stuff there. Makes me want to bang my head on the wall for not taking pictures of Salmiya back in the 1980′s. [Link]
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The iPhone 4 so far
Posted: July 28th, 2010, 5:39am PDT by Mark
I have had the iPhone for a week now and so far like the majority of iPhone 4 users, I haven’t had any reception problems (note: I am using an Apple Bumper). No dropped calls or anything. As I’ve previously mentioned the reception is actually better than my previous iPhone 3GS. With the iPhone 3GS the 3G wouldn’t work in my office just EDGE while with the iPhone 4 I now have 3G in the office. Another example is when I park my car underground when I go to my gym, before I wouldn’t be able to use the phone there because I would get a no network error, now I get 1 or 2 lines of signals and can make calls.
Other than the much improved reception and antenna, another improved feature is the camera. The iPhone 4 camera is just amazing, I’m actually finding myself shooting a lot more pictures with my phone now and if you check my twitter page you’d see that. The camera is probably the best new feature followed by the screen and improved reception.
Now not all is perfect. What I am facing is issues with the proximity sensor. That’s actually the problem most iPhone 4 users are complaining about. The problem is the sensor the tells the phone that its next to the ear and should shut off the screen doesn’t work all the time. So I would be talking to someone on the phone and then suddenly I put the person on speaker phone or hang up by accidentally pressing a button on the screen with my ear. Luckily Apple are aware of the problem and admitted this was an issue that would get fixed with the next software update.
Other than that it’s all good, The screen is amazing, battery life is great and the phone is just really fast and responsive. I highly recommend it.
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Kuwait: Class Of 1990
Posted: July 28th, 2010, 1:59am PDT by Mark
Anyone know when this documentary on Al Jazeera will be showing or if they’ve already shown it. The subject seems very interesting since its about reuniting class mates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion. In 1990 I graduated from Sunshine School which ceased to exist right after the Iraqi invasion (later it became BSK). I never ended up seeing anyone ever again but with the help of the Sunshine School Facebook group I was able to get in touch with some of them again. [YouTube]
Update: Taken from the Al Jazeera website
On August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army invaded the emirate of Kuwait, which Saddam Hussein, the then Iraqi president, had declared Iraq’s 19th province.
The occupation of Kuwait may have only lasted seven months, yet the memory of it remains strong, not least in the minds of the children of that conflict.
At the end of the school year of 1990, students in an international school in Kuwait said their final farewells as they headed off for the summer holidays. Many of them would never meet again.
Al Jazeera’s Nashwa Nasreldin was one of those whose family was forced to relocate following the invasion.
Twenty years on, she returns to Kuwait, the country of her birth, along with a group of her classmates as they organise a reunion to find out what happened to their friends – and their school – during the war that separated them.
Kuwait: The class of 1990 can be seen from Monday, August 2, 2010 at the following times GMT: Monday: 1900; Tuesday: 0600; Wednesday: 0300; Thursday: 1400; Friday: 0600; Saturday: 1900; Sunday: 0300.
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Kuwait in 1975
Posted: July 27th, 2010, 5:58am PDT by Mark
Here is some more old footage of Kuwait. This time around it’s 1975. The video has a lot of footage of the Gulf Road, Kuwait City and other various places around Kuwait. Good stuff. [YouTube]
Note: The video contains no sound.
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Event: Kuwait’s Got Talent
Posted: July 27th, 2010, 5:21am PDT by Mark
This coming weekend, July 30th to August 1st, Villa Moda will showcase an exhibition of mixed talent from Kuwait in an exhibition called ‘Kuwait’s Got Talent’. The talent are:
Haya Al Qateefi
Brand: Vogue Jumpsuits – the name is self explanatoryAbdullah Suleiman Al Dosary
Brand: Arabic perfumes, lotions and oud as well as accessoriesAsmah Al Dosary
Amazing up to date trendy clothing lineShaikha Al Houti
Brand: Purse-is-Hers – a line of accessories for women that can be custom made or customized according to the individual’s needs, from materials to finishing. HIS – the same line for menNour Al Jasem
Brand: Butterfly Gallery – customization of everything from shoes to car steering wheelsAscia Al Farraj
Brand: Twenty Ten – great t-shirts with a twist and some handmade accessoriesNili Zahar
Nili Couture and prêt-a-porter clothing –kaftansLolwa Al-Mannaie
Brand: LOLOMASS –clothing collection – featuring some Diraa and kaftans for RamadanNat Bakes
A small business specializing in baked goods, mainly cupcakes, freshly baked and delivered to your door. Customized cupcakes, for events, even weddings. Samples will be available for tasting.Date: Friday July 30th to August 1st.
Time: 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Note: VIP & Press preview is on Friday 30th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm -
Xterra vs Dunes FAIL
Posted: July 26th, 2010, 6:02am PDT by Mark
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Looking for a Mac Pro
Posted: July 25th, 2010, 4:57am PDT by Mark
Anyone have an Apple Mac Pro they’re not using and want to sell? [Email Me]
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New English School and Kuwait in the late 60′s early 70′s
Posted: July 25th, 2010, 1:18am PDT by Mark
This amazing and rare footage was shot with an 8mm camera back in the late 60′s early 70′s here in Kuwait. I think Kuwait looked better back then, I mean we had white picket fences! (Ignore the last minute of the video since that’s Lebanon not Kuwait) [YouTube]
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The most wonderful green place in Kuwait
Posted: July 25th, 2010, 12:40am PDT by Mark
The below is taken from the Boulevard project about us page:
Nestled in the heart of Salmiya, the vibrant area southeast of Kuwait City, with rich demographic diversity, Boulevard is an emerging oasis in the middle of the city, a fabulous world full of real facilities!
Once a large desolated plot of land, the area is now one of the most wonderful green places to visit in the State of Kuwait, benefiting from excellent road access on all sides principally from the Fifth Ring Road and Arabian Gulf Street.
Today, Boulevard is the largest touristic hub in the country, including more than 353 thousand square meters of fabulous year-round family fun, and offering a splendid range of cultural and recreational events and activities and a constant source of wonderful delights.
Notice anything strange? Well below is a picture of Boulevard today. I don’t think it looks that green and popular but I could be wrong… [Link]
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First Impression: Fatburger
Posted: July 23rd, 2010, 12:52pm PDT by Mark
Tonight I was invited to a tasting at the soon to open Fatburger. I hadn’t had a Fatburger before and I honestly only heard about it around a year ago after watching the great documentary Hamburger America. In the documentary they spoke about various popular burger places in America and Fatburger was one of them.
I had the double burger tonight and thought it was great. It was juicy and meaty and I loved that. The senior vice president of Fatburger was there and he turned out to be a great guy in an incredibly colorful and flashy Hawaiian shirt. I meet a lot of burger lovers all the time but I’ve never met anyone into burgers more than me until today. The guy is just incredibly passionate about burgers and he’s been having burgers a lot longer than I’ve been alive. He knows it all and he’s seen it all. I mean he used to have Fatburger back in the 50s when they first opened so he was really there from the start.
Just a few interesting details I picked up from him. Since they want the local experience to be exactly like the US experience they’re importing all their ingredients from the US. That includes the beef, fries and even ketchup. The Heinz ketchup that’s regionally produced is different from the US version. The color is bright red while in the US its a dark red but most importantly the regionally produced Heinz is sweeter. Since they prefer the flavor of the US Heinz ketchup they’re importing it directly to Kuwait. Imagine that, they could have gone with the local Heinz but they’re instead getting it imported from the US. To me that shows how much they care. You’re going to have the exact same burger experience as if you walked into a Fatburger in LA.
If you’re interested in trying out their burgers they’re opening next week in Fintas at Spoons. It’s easy to find since its on the main Fintas sea side road opposite Pizza Express. Good stuff.
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Expensive Grapes
Posted: July 22nd, 2010, 1:35pm PDT by Mark
I passed by Kei for dinner tonight and noticed they had a small fridge full of fruits imported from Japan. The grapes looked really good and I would have bought some if it wasn’t for the fact that they cost KD15 each! KD15 for grapes. KD15 for grapes. And one more time, KD15 for grapes!
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Free iPhone Bumper
Posted: July 22nd, 2010, 12:35pm PDT by Mark
Apple have started refunding customers for the bumper purchase, I just got the following email:
Dear Mark,
Apple recently announced that iPhone 4 customers who purchased an iPhone 4 Bumper are eligible for a full refund.
As of today, we have automatically processed your refund. You have also been refunded for any Shipping or VAT charges which may have been applied to your order.
If you paid via credit card, please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to reach your account.
Thank you for choosing Apple.
Sincerely,
Apple Online Store SupportPretty sweet.
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Can I own a weapon in Kuwait?
Posted: July 22nd, 2010, 4:52am PDT by Mark
As an expat am I allowed to own a hunting rifle? What about a handgun? Are hunting rifles and hand guns counted as two different things? The video above is supposedly of the largest hunting shop in Kuwait. Lots of rifles on display but can I own one? I am not planning on hunting anything and not sure what people actually hunt in Kuwait but I’m just curious to know the laws of owning a weapon. [YouTube]
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Small World
Posted: July 22nd, 2010, 1:12am PDT by Mark
I got a forward in my email today that contained a picture I had taken at the Kuwait Airport back in 2005 (pictured above). I had spotted a sign that had been placed in front of a security camera and thought that was pretty stupid and took a picture of it. Now 5 years later, it’s become one of those “epic fail” kind of pictures that gets forwarded around. Pretty cool. [Link]
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Kuwait 23rd Happiest Country in the World
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 6:45am PDT by Mark
Gallup World Poll surveyed thousands of people and then came out with a list of the happiest countries in the world. Kuwait came in at 23rd, the second Arab country on the list, the first being UAE which came 20th. Lebanon came in at 73 while Togo came in last and Denmark first. For the full list click [Here]
Thanks Nancy
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How to get an iPhone 4 in Kuwait
Posted: July 21st, 2010, 4:12am PDT by Mark
Getting an iPhone 4 is pretty simple but you need patience since the iPhone 4 is currently in short supply and can take up to 3 weeks to be delivered. To order an iPhone 4 you also need the following:
1) Local credit card
2) Aramex Shop&Ship account (not sure if it works with others like DHL)Then what you need to do is go to the UK online Apple Store which is located at the following link address:
[store.apple.com]Once there click on the iPhones and then select the iPhone you want and check out. If you never ordered from Apple before you will have to create an account. Put your US Aramex mailbox as your billing address
as your Kuwait base credit card addressand then put your Aramex UK mailbox address as your shipping address. The UK iPhones are officially unlocked.I placed my order on June 25th for a black 16GB iPhone 4 with a black Apple iPhone 4 Bumper. I paid the following:
iPHONE 4 BLACK 16GB 424.68 GBP
IPHONE 4 BUMPERS BLACK 21.28 GBP
——–
VAT 17.5% 78.04 GBP
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Final Amount (VAT included) 524.00 GBPI paid with my NBK credit card and according to my bank statement the amount I paid in Kuwaiti Dinars was 236.570.
My iPhone 4 shipped on July 9th and arrived to my Aramex mailbox on July 15th. It showed up in my Aramex mailbox the same day and then shipped from the UK on July 16th. I received the iPhone today July 21st after being held in customs for 3 days.
The Aramex shipping charges were KD5.750 and that included the customs clearance fee. This was only for my iPhone 4, my iPhone Bumper is still held in customs. On a side note when the iPhone arrived it was unopened. Not just the actual iPhone box but the larger box the iPhone came inside had not been opened neither by Aramex nor customs.
I also passed by Zain and picked up a micro-sim card which you need for the iPhone 4. The sim card cost me KD5.
If you have any questions ask it below. Regarding antenna and reception problems, I believe this was blown out of proportion by the media and as Steve Jobs said it’s not a problem and 0.5% of the 3 million iPhone users have had reception issues. Many popular phones have similar reception issues which you will never have to experience if using the phone normally. If you have any questions regarding antenna problems click [Here]
Update: Some examples of phones that have a similar antenna issues
Samsung Galaxy S
Palm Pre
Google Nexus One
Google Droid
Nokia E71
Blackberry Bold -
Head & Shoulders to be banned?
Posted: July 20th, 2010, 6:38am PDT by Mark
According to Arab Times:
Head & Shoulders in danger’
The Ministry of Health (MoH) might get the ‘Head and Shoulders’ shampoo removed from the market, in case it is proven that the shampoo contains carcinogenic substances, reports Al-Hurriya daily. A Qatari newspaper, Al Sahrq, recently published a report stating that research revealed the presence of ‘Deuxan’, which causes cancer, cirrhosis and kidney fibrosis, in the shampoo. The newspaper had warned the general public against using the shampoo and indicated that it will be withdrawn from the markets.
I’ve actually been using Head & Shoulders for years but just yesterday for some odd reason I decided to try Clear (pictured above). It’s actually pretty good, smells great and instead of burning your eyes like Head & Shoulders, Clear actually has this strange cooling effect.
Thanks xboclibe
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Burger Review: Casper & Gambini’s
Posted: July 20th, 2010, 6:23am PDT by Mark
Another Lebanese place I passed by to try their burgers was Casper & Gambini’s. I had heard their burgers were good so I decided to try them out. I went to the Avenues branch on Saturday and it was empty except for another couple sitting behind us. The location was small but cozy and tucked away from all the weekend traffic. I found two kinds of burgers on their menu, I decided to order the one with the thick 200grams patty and I asked for it to be done medium.When the burger arrived I noticed something strange. Instead of one 200gram patty there were two thinner patties stacked on top of one another. I guess they had run out of 200gram patties and decided to replace them with two 100gram patties? I tried to take my first bite and had problems. The burger buns were very dry and with the two patties stacked on top of another the burger was too high for me to bite into. After squeezing the burger hard I managed to take a bite. It was super dry. The burger was cooked well done and the patties tasted like the Khazan frozen ones (no offense to the Khazan burgers). Actually the burger taste reminded me of the burgers I used to order at the beach in Lebanon as a kid. The burgers were usually terrible but because you’ve been swimming and running around all day, by the time it’s lunch anything you eat at the beaches canteen ends up being delicious. Only problem in this case is I’m not 12, and this isn’t a beach canteen.
The final score is a 1.5 out of 5 and that’s mostly because the taste reminded me of my childhood.
For a list of Casper & Gambini’s locations click [Here]
The cost of the Gambini Burger was KD4.350Here are the burger places I’ve reviewed so far:
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Eighty 6 Bistro
Fauchon
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Let’s Burger
Munch
Napket
Nino
Papa John’s Burgers
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
Smoke House
The Burger Hub
The Butcher Shop
The Little Oven
The Meat Co.
Wimpy -
We’re in!
Posted: July 20th, 2010, 2:54am PDT by Mark
As I mentioned last month, me and my friends (zDistrict, Nibaq and K.theKuwaiti) entered Red Bull’s Flutag. This year there were over 100 teams who entered but in the end they had to choose around 35 I think and our team was one of them. They just dropped off a box of Red Bull along with a welcome letter and a pilot license. I guess they liked our previous plane design (pictured below) and want to see how we can improve on it the second time around.
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Sneakers I’m eying
Posted: July 19th, 2010, 1:06pm PDT by Mark
I haven’t purchased any new sneakers for nearly a year now. I didn’t know it was that long until I checked my previous posts and noticed the last time I ordered a pair were back in July. I now have three sneakers I’ve got my eyes on. I’ve already ordered the one above but still looking for a good deal on the ones below. As you can see, they’re a lot more toned down than my previous purchases. I’m also still on the look out for the Nike Air Force 1 X Clot but instead of the prices dropping they’ve now gone up to KD500 for a pair. Doesn’t look like I am ever going to own a pair of those…
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Is this Shake Shack?
Posted: July 19th, 2010, 2:35am PDT by Mark
They’ve closed down the Italian restaurant (Italo’s) that was located in the area on top of GAP over looking Lorenzino and there looks like a lot of construction taking place there. I wonder if that’s where Shake Shack will end up? I guess it could although there would be a problem. The way Shake Shack works is you wait in line to order your burgers and then you go find a place to sit. Originally the Italian restaurants kitchen was located to the side near Mango which means if they apply the same Shake Shack system here then you will have a line of people waiting in the main passage way causing a lot of traffic. But, the idea of having the seating area separate from the kitchen and main ordering area works like Shake Shack. I guess we will have to wait and see.
This does go against what I previously had heard which is that they are planning to open Shake Shack in front of PF Chang. The restaurant will be built where the elevator currently is and the elevator shaft will be used for the ventilation (kinda like a chimney). The seating will be in the open.
Update: OK so it seems Italo’s Cafe was closed down to make way for Cafe Meem. BUT, they had to give up the kitchen location next to Mango. So now I am assuming the space next to Mango that was used by Italo’s as their kitchen is now going to be the second Pinkberry location.
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Burger Review: Let’s Burger
Posted: July 18th, 2010, 10:11am PDT by Mark
I personally think the food in Lebanon is a mixture of good and bad. We obviously do good Lebanese food, we also make some of the best pizza’s, we’ve got some really great crepes and most importantly we have the world’s best beer (Almaza FTW!). One thing we strangely don’t have is good burgers. For some reason no one has cracked a good burger in Lebanon. I’ve been recommended so many places and every time I try a burger there I am left disappointed. Let’s Burger is a Lebanese burger creation which I was hoping would break this cycle.The first thing I noticed when I opened the menu is they had mayonnaise listed under the “5 Elements for a perfect burger”. That’s when I knew things weren’t going to end well. Mayonnaise??? I continued flipping through their menu and decided to go with the stuffed cheese burger. I wasn’t asked how I wanted the burger done.
A short time later my burger arrived and I quickly took my first bite. Two things grabbed my attention. The first thing is, I liked the beef patty with the stuffed cheese inside. Because the cheese was all soft and gooey it made the beef patty very juicy. The second thing that grabbed my attention is the bun, it was cold and cracking. That meant the bun wasn’t fresh and was refrigerated. Cold bread + hot beef patty = Doesn’t work. Their sauce also wasn’t anything to write home about since although the description in the menu said grainy mustard mayo sauce, what I tasted was mostly just plain mayo.
For the final score I’m giving it a 2.5 out of 5. The patty was fine but they need to fix the bun issue, it shouldn’t be too hard to get fresh buns every morning delivered. They also really need to cut down on the mayo, not only is it not an important element in a good burger… it shouldn’t be on a burger in the first place. Period.
Let’s Burger is located at 360 Mall.
The cost of the Stuffed Cheeseburger was KD3.450Here are the burger places I’ve reviewed so far:
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Eighty 6 Bistro
Fauchon
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Munch
Napket
Nino
Papa John’s Burgers
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
Smoke House
The Burger Hub
The Butcher Shop
The Little Oven
The Meat Co.
Wimpy -
In Focus: The Bed Boutique
Posted: July 18th, 2010, 1:30am PDT by Mark
Recently I noticed that when I sleep for over 9 hours I wake up with neck cramps and a sore ear. It turned out my pillow had become too hard and with the way I sleep was causing me neck pains. Nat suggested I get Tempur pillows so I did a quick google to find a local dealer and landed on Some Contrast’s blog. He had found and gotten Tempur pillows from a place called The Bed Boutique in Tilal Complex. Since I was planning to pass by the Tamiya dealer there anyway, I decided to drop by and see what they had.
The shop has pillows, quilts and mattresses. They had a few brands the most popular being Tempur and Temprakon. Now one reason I felt like coming to this store was because Some Contrast posted they had a small private room (pictured above) in which you could try the pillows which is what I ended up doing. I got around 4 different types of pillows and tried them while lying down which is much better than just trying to feel the stuff in your hands. In the end I ended up getting the Temprakon Ergomagic which is a very comfy pillow (picture and details on their website). It’s a down pillow with a three layered core, one layer is a comfort foam which provides support for the head and neck, the other two layers are foam inserts which are used to control the height of the pillow. If the three layers combined are too high for you, you remove one of the inserts. If it’s still too high you remove another insert. Very practical.
Nat on the other hand got the same pillow as Yousef from Some Contrast which is the Tempur Symphony (pictured above). I tried it and also it was very comfy I didn’t think it was high enough for me since I like high pillows. The Tempur material feels very organic since it takes your shape and molds around it. I tried the Tempur mattress and it felt like the bed was alive since however you moved it slowly takes your form.
Anyway if you’re interested, The Bed Boutique is located at Tilal Complex. Their phone number is 22256172.
Update: Was just reading about the brand Temprakon on their website and it’s even better than I had thought. Their pillows and quilts are made with NASA’s OUTLAST material which is used in the NASA space suits. They’re the only manufacturer in the world allowed to use the OUTLAST material to make pillows and quilts.
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Indoor RC Track in Kuwait
Posted: July 17th, 2010, 2:25am PDT by Mark
Does anyone know where the indoor RC track in the video above is located and is it open to the public? [YouTube]
Update: Here is some more information about the track provided by Nawaf from the Kuwait Science Club.
The track is located at the Yousef Bin Eissa School in Tha7yat Abdullah Al Salem area, the track is for members of the Kuwait Science Club, you pay 20KD and year unless you are still a student then you pay 10KD a year.
To use the indoor track you only need to be a member of the Kuwait Science Club, though this is our first year in Kuwait to have something like this so we are still testing the grounds to see the feedback. More information can be found on [www.rccck.org] about the rules and regulations of these events.
In terms of the track costs the Kuwait Science Club has undertaken the costs and not the members, yes the members have paid in advance so as to speed up the track building process but they are returned the investment by the club once completed.
Track timings can be checked on the official club website [www.rccck.org]
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Facebook Cafe
Posted: July 17th, 2010, 1:19am PDT by Mark
Somebody opened up a Facebook cafe in Salmiya near the American University of Kuwait. Now someone needs to open up a FarmVille mini-market right next door.
Thanks Patrick -
TomTom Master Yoda Commercial
Posted: July 15th, 2010, 6:13am PDT by Mark
Extremely funny commercial for TomTom navigation devices. It’s for their new Star Wars navigation voices product. [YouTube]
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Two new food chains
Posted: July 15th, 2010, 4:30am PDT by Mark
I got an email from a tipster (which was confirmed by another source of mine) telling me that Alshaya have acquired two new food chains to bring into Kuwait. The first chain is called Potbelly Sandwich Works which sells submarine sandwiches similar in style to Subway except supposedly better. The second chain is called Texas Roadhouse which specializes in steaks and has a western theme. I hadn’t heard of these two places until a few moments ago but I guess most of you will be glad the two chains are not burger joints. On the other hand I am still trying to find out some kind of information regarding the status of Shake Shack.
I was also told by another source that Pinkberry will not be opening in the Casamaroc location at Avenues like I had previously mentioned since the owner has refused to sell the place. But, they will still be opening a second branch of Pinkberry in that area.
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Louie
Posted: July 14th, 2010, 1:35pm PDT by Mark
One of my favorite shows before getting canceled was the HBO series Lucky Louie. It was an extremely funny adult targeted comedy that was dirty, vulgar, and just extremely hilarious. I loved it. Sadly the show got canceled for some odd reason but Louie is now back on a different network called FX with his own show again. This time the show is just called Louie and it’s even funnier than Lucky Louie. There are a lot of comedian guest stars on the show including in one episode Ricky Gervais who plays his doctor friend. He’s even got Seinfeld style stand up at the start of the show plus at different points through out the episodes. It’s very cool and it’s now one of my favorite shows easily. You can get a glimpse of the style of Louie by watching the Ricky Gervais scene in HD on YouTube by clicking [Here]
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shop number 4
Posted: July 14th, 2010, 1:16pm PDT by Mark
The trendy shop number 4 which is located in the Shuwaikh industrial area recently launched an online shop (I think it’s recent at least) and it’s not too bad. The site is simple and fast and they have a sale now. I just wish they had a larger Lifestyle section with more stuff. Currently they just have the Wallpaper* City Guides. Here is the [Link]
via mashmoom
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Old Cinema’s in Kuwait
Posted: July 14th, 2010, 6:00am PDT by Mark
Cinescape uploaded pictures of old movie theaters here in Kuwait to their Facebook group with the oldest theater dating back to 1954. I hope they upload pictures of Cinema Salmiya and the drive through cinema as well. [Link]
Thanks Mohammed
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Safe Rape
Posted: July 13th, 2010, 12:41pm PDT by Mark
Spotted this at the airport.
Update: For people who don’t get it, it’s supposed to be spelt as wrap which is pronounced as rap because the w is silent. They spelled it wrape which is pronounced as rape.
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Young Imam Show
Posted: July 13th, 2010, 2:13am PDT by Mark
I heard about this reality show this morning on BBC and thought it was extremely creative. Young Imam is a popular reality TV show in Malaysia where the winner of the show wins a car, a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia, some cash, a pilgrimage to Mecca and gets to be an Imam of a mosque. It’s such a smart idea and it seems to be working really well in attracting younger people back into religion. I found a good article about the show on the Wall Street Journal which is where I got the video above from. You can check out the article by clicking [Here]
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Awkward family pet photos
Posted: July 13th, 2010, 1:23am PDT by Mark
Some funny and random pictures of people with their pets. I thought the one above was very cool but mostly because of the guy since he reminded me of Will Ferrel. [Link]
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Ready to roll
Posted: July 12th, 2010, 1:30pm PDT by Mark
Cute hamster by Cadbury. [YouTube]
