Beautiful commercial for the upcoming International Forum for Islamic Art which is going to be held from December 29th to January 9th 2014.

This is going to be the 6th time the forum is being held in Kuwait. The forum will feature various exhibitions and workshops but sadly all the information I could find was in Arabic so I don’t have the exact specifics of whats taking place. If you do read Arabic though you can check out the official website for this event which has the full schedule of all the activities [Here]

Bayt Lothan are holding a poetry reading this coming Thursday night. If you’re interested here are the details:

Date: Thursday December 19th, 2013
Time: 7PM
Location: Bayth Lothan:
Tickets: KD5

The tickets are sold at the Q8BookStore or at Bayt Lothan. They will also be sold at the door on the same night.

If you’ve got a mountain bike then this is for you. This Saturday a casual mountain bike race is going to take place as Mutla Ridge. The invitation is open to everyone and it is not sponsored, there is no entry fee and there is no prize money to be won. The distance that will be covered is around 20KM and it will take about two hours to complete. According to the person organizing it, other than the tough, short 600m climb right at the beginning the rest of the route is fairly easy. Here are some details:

Date: Saturday, December 14th 2013
Time: Be there 7:30AM, race starts at 8AM
Location: Mutla Ridge [Map]
Distance: 20KM
Duration: Approx. 2 hours

For a lot more details including directions from Salmiya and Fahaheel as well as information on the route itself check out the following [Link]

See you guys there!

A beautifully produced flip-book of memories from the 2013 Nuqat Conference that was held in Kuwait last month. [YouTube]

If you’re interested in the tech behind the film, it was shot by Tarek Jammal with a Canon 5D Mark III using the 24-70mm f/2.8 Sigma lens. The film was composed of around 9,000 photos and they were color corrected in Alien Exposure before compiling them in a Mac app called Time-Lapse and then edited in iMovie.

Save Sea Life is an awareness campaign for a healthy sea life and this Saturday they’re having a beach clean-up in coordination with the Kuwait University finance club. If you’re interested in participating here are the details:

Date: Saturday, December 14th 2013
Time: 10AM to 12PM
Location: Kuwait Towers beach

Felix Baumgartner who became the first human to break the sound barrier without vehicular power is coming to Kuwait next week. Among the activities he’ll be taking part in there will be a meet and greet with fans at 360 Mall. Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, 11th December 2013
Time: 7:00PM
Location: 360 Mall

Now Red Bull will also let you win a small part of history. The original Red Bull Stratos helium balloon was cut up into small pieces and turned into a small souvenir. There are 1,500 limited editions of this souvenir which is pictured above. If you’d like a chance to win this souvenir as well as meet and have your photo taken with Felix Baumgartner, then leave a comment below. Sunday night I’m going to close the comments and randomly choose a winner. Good luck!

Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond within 12 hours another winner will be randomly chosen.

Update: I closed the comments and using random.org, the winner of this contest is #52, “Aziz mma”. Check your email.

Kuwait Mapping Meetup is a meetup for mapping enthusiasts. They’ve already held four previous mapping meetups and their fifth meetup is this coming Sunday. If you’re interested in maps, then this is a great way to socialize and network with like minded people.

Kuwait Mapping Meetup 5
Date: Sunday, December 8th 2013
Time: 6:30PM
Location: Costa Coffee Starbucks in Al Bida’a

Also for those interested, here is a link to the Kuwait Mapping Meetup [Facebook Group]

The GulfRun team are holding their third 24 Hours Karting Endurance Race this weekend. This year the race is taking place at the newly opened SIRBB Circuit in Shuwaikh and will follow international regulations from start to finish. Tonight is the practice race which will be held alongside the Shakshooka Market and tomorrow starting at 4PM will be the beginning of the 24 hour race. 18 teams are participating in total so pass by and check them out.

For the full details on this event, check out their website [Here]

The Kuwait Textile Arts Association is hosting a ‘Winter Bazaar’ at the historic Beit Al Sadu where you’ll be able to find original designs, quilts, bags, table linens, silks, designer jewelry, shawls, crochet, hand embroidery and more. It’s taking place this weekend so if you’re interested here are the details:

Date: Saturday, December 7th 2013
Time: 10AM to 6PM
Location: Sadu House, Gulf Road [Map]

Below is this months schedule for Cinemagics rooftop movie nights. If you’ve never been to them before, they’re held twice a week, every Thursday and Saturday on top of the building that has Xcite in old Salmiya. I think this is the first time where I haven’t seen a single movie from the list they’re playing. Usually I would have watched at least one but this time none. Actually the only one I’ve even heard of is Caché. Check out all the movies and their timings below:

Thursday, December 5th 2013 at 7:30PM
DEAD MAN
On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.

Saturday, December 7th 2013 at 7:30PM
SHADOWS
Cassavetes’ jazz-scored improvisational film explores interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City.

Thursday, December 12th 2013 at 7:30PM
TO THE WONDER
After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church’s Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.

Saturday, December 14th 2013 at 7:30PM
A MAN ESCAPED
French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. Then, on the same day, he is condemned to death, and given a new cellmate. Should he kill him, or risk revealing his plans to someone who may be a Gestapo informer?

Thursday, December 19th 2013 at 7:30PM
CACHE
A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.

Saturday, December 21st 2013 at 7:30PM
SURPRISE FILM OF THE MONTH
Every month they’ll be playing a surprise film, where you won’t know what you’re watching until just a minute before the film begins. One thing is for sure, every month the surprise film will be either one of their favorite film on the list, or the most unique in one way or the other. This month’s film won and was nominated for over 30 awards worldwide including the Oscars, Golden Gloves, Independent Spirit Awards and the Baftas. A unique, hilarious, bizarre and poetic little film.

Thursday, December 26th 2013 at 7:30PM
MUD
Two young boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

Saturday, December 28th 2013 at 7:30PM
NO
An ad executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile’s 1988 referendum.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Xcite and LG and there is no entrance fee [Map]. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]