2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
Check out my favorite things taking place this weekend below. As always, double check the event details with the organizers.
Thursday, July 31
Feels Like Summer Zine Workshop
Literally Open Mic
Pokeman Trading Event
Friday, August 1
Sunrise Paddle with Outdoorish
Saturday, August 2
Pilates on a Yacht
A Critical Reading of Kuwait’s Invasion Aftermath
Urban Sketchers at The Promenade
Girls Game Day
Paint Your Heart
Island Escape to Qaruh
I first used the MyHome app back in 2018, it was a super convenient way to get things done around the house. If I needed a plumber, a carpenter or someone to come check my AC, I’d just get on the app and order the service.
Recently I found out they have a subscription service called MyHome+ which offered a number of benefits including:
Unlimited free assessments
No more KD 5 charges just to get a quote.
5% cash back on maintenance and cleaning services
Painting, repairs, AC work, deep cleaning, all of it.
No zone fees
No extra fees even if you live in harder-to-reach areas like Khiran or Wafra.
90-day extended warranty on all jobs
This is really great, if something isn’t fixed right the first time, you’re covered for up to 90 days.
The biggest benefit for me is not having to pay just to get a quote. With the subscription, it feels like I have a team on payroll that I can bring over anytime I need something fixed, painted, built, or anything else. I love that.
The subscription to MyHome+ usually costs KD 3.750 per month, but right now they’re offering a super discounted rate of KD 2.950 per month, or just KD 14.700 for 6 months, which comes out to KD 2.450 a month. Even if all you use is the cleaning service, you’ll still save money with the 5% cash back. And if you’ve got a big job coming up, the membership basically pays for itself.
Honestly, this is one of the few services that actually makes financial sense. If you want to find out more about MyHome and the services they offer, head over to @myhome_app or download the app by clicking here.
I’m a huge fan of KEF, since Xcite hooked me up with the LSX speakers 6 years ago, I’ve bought a second pair of LSX, a KEF R7 and now just got a pair of LS50 Metas. I wasn’t really looking for speakers but I was refurbishing one of my rooms that had a pair of floor standing speakers and decided I wanted to create more space by getting bookshelf ones. I had an extra pair of LSX lying around but then I found out the LS50 Metas were 44% off on Xcite and ended up buying a pair.
They’re literally the cheapest pair of LS50 Metas in the world. When BestBuy discounted them down to $1,000 in the US people in forums made a huge fuss about how much of a great deal that was, we have them for $650 in Kuwait. Well technically there is only one new pair left in that price point. For some reason the black and titanium colors aren’t discounted, only the white is priced at 199KD. When I bought mine the salesman told me there were only two pairs left, so one left now if anyone wants it. Link
Back in the 80s, there was a ship docked in Shuwaikh that operated as a hotel and was a landmark back then. The ship had been converted into a Marriott and officially opened on February 1, 1980. The hotel had 300 rooms, and in 1989 it was renamed the Ramada Al Salam Hotel.
The hotel was originally a cruise liner called Santa Paula, launched in 1958. It was the last passenger liner ever built at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) in Virginia, USA. Today, NNS is the sole designer and builder of aircraft carriers for the United States Navy.
In 1972, the ship was acquired by a Greek company that wanted to convert her into a Mediterranean cruise ship. That plan failed, and in 1978 she was moved to Kuwait and turned into a floating hotel.
I visited the ship once in the 80s to watch the Egyptian comedian Samir Ghanem perform as Fatoota (فطوطة). That was my only time onboard, but we used to drive by it nearly every Friday as part of my family’s Gulf Road drive after lunch.
During the 1990 invasion, the ship was burned and destroyed. It was never restored and remained closed up and rusting until 2002, when it was sold for scrap.
@claudia_alrashoud met Mr. J.W. Marriott Jr. when he came to Kuwait in 1979 to inspect his soon-to-open hotel. According to her, he had come up with the idea of using the luxury liner as a hotel in Kuwait since the price of land was so expensive. According to Claudia, the unusual hotel became a popular venue with locals as well as international travelers. The onshore coffee shop overlooking the pool was known for having the best fried zubaidi in town, while the lounge in the bow of the ship offered impressive views of ships leaving Shuwaikh port.
One of the members of the team that brought the ship to Kuwait left a comment under an old post I had on the ship in which he shared some interesting details:
I was one of the team of men from Milford Haven , in Wales Gt Britain who went over to Kuwait to bring the ship in and set her down ready to be turned into a hotel . We stayed at the hotel Messila Beach until the ship came into the bay , we then joined the ship and she was towed in to her resting place which had already been dug out for the ship to sit level on the sea bed .Big diggers with wires connected to them towed her in after the tugs had let go , If I remember the name of the company running the job was Hedley Fraser salvage co ltd . It’s been a long time and it was only by chance I came across this article .
– Phillip Roberts
I also found a snippet in a New York Times article from 1977 that also had some cool details:
The hotel in Kuwait will mark a first for the hotel chain. It is a docked ship, the former cruise liner Stella Polaris, which will have 300 rooms.
The nucleus for the Kuwait management team are five Egyptian and Lebanese men who spent the last several weeks in Stamford.
lbrhim K. Hanna, from Cairo, spent much of his time poring over duty rosters and purchase orders in preparation for his position as restaurant manager. In the basement, Ahmed Aboushama, also from Cairo, was wrapped in a heavy parka as he carved meat in one of the freezers. He will be the food and beverage manager of the Kuwait Marriott.Mr. Aboushama was being supervised by Ron Schansman of Holland, who will be going to Kuwait, but who will then move onto other new hotels in the Middle East.
Finding photos of the hotel is surprisingly harder than you’d expect. My original post from 2016 had low-res shots I found online. Recently I was able to acquire better photos from different photographers and you can check those out on my instagram post here.
First photo by Ted Watt
Second photo by Claudia AlRashoud
Third photo by Adel AlYousifi
Aesop is a premium Australian skincare brand known for its clean design, plant-based formulas, and beautifully designed stores. Yesterday, they put up an ‘opening soon’ hoarding at The Avenues, and I’m really excited about it.
I’m a huge fan of the brand and currently have a stockpile of their products at home since I tend to buy bottles of their hand soap and aromatique room sprays every time I travel. To finally have a store here where I can just walk in and pick something up is going to feel so weird. I’ve actually always been confused as to why Bloomingdale’s didn’t carry Aesop in Kuwait, especially since their Dubai branch had it.
The first Aesop store in Kuwait is opening right next to Le Labo, where Tribe of 6 used to be. Aesop and Le Labo are pretty much competitors since they offer similar products at similar price points. That’s why I find it surprising that Alshaya let Aesop take that spot.
I don’t know when they’re opening or who brought them to Kuwait, so if you know, reach out to me.
If you want to check out some of my favorite Aesop interiors, I shared a bunch in my Instagram post.
The Ministry of Interior has set a new validity period for driving licenses. If you’re Kuwaiti the driving license is valid for 15 years while if you’re an expat it’s valid for 5 years. Used to be 10 years before for expats then they decided to make it 1 year for some reason which overwhelmed the traffic departments, 5 years now doesn’t seem to bad and at least we can now get the physical copies again. Link
Jazeera Airways just kicked off their Mega Sale that starts today and lasts till July 31st.
100,000 seats are up for grabs starting at just KD 14 one way. The offer covers a wide range of destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe. The travel window is from August 1 to September 30, making it perfect for an end-of-summer escape or a quick weekend trip somewhere new.
This offer is only for a few days and just 100,000 seats so if you want to take advantage of the deal book through their application or head to jazeeraairways.com
Every photo of the new hall and surrounding buildings at Kuwait University’s Shadadiya campus looks like a rendering, but they’re not. They’re real.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), one of the most influential architecture, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world, and in collaboration with Kuwaiti artist Farah Behbehani, the new hall called The Pearl is part of the university’s administration facilities.
Farah designed the shading structures, reimagining the traditional mashrabiya in a contemporary way by using calligraphic geometry to create façades that play with light, respond to the climate, and reflect cultural memory.
The Pearl sits between the administration building and the library, and houses a 1,600-seat theater used for major events like student orientation, graduations, and performances throughout the year.
From the SOM website: The Pearl is enclosed by thousands of sun-shading panels arranged in a complex geometry. The panel design spells out the Arabic word aldanah—meaning a large and extremely precious pearl—in Sumbuli calligraphy, a late Ottoman cursive style. Mounted on a structural frame, these panels form the building’s mashrabiya, culminating in a skylight aperture that brings natural light into the building.
To check out all the photos that were taken by Dave Burk, click here.
The last time I used a 3D printer was back in 2016 when I reviewed the Micro 3D Printer. Things have come a longggg way since then.
I was eyeing the A1 Mini for a few weeks, just out of curiosity since I had watched a YouTube video that had it and thought it was pretty cool for a 100KD printer. Then during Amazon Prime it went on sale for $250 and I actually bought it but then canceled the order before it shipped. Then randomly one night I was on the UK Bambu Lab website and saw it was on sale for £149, so 60KD~ or $200, I bought it right away. Shipping and customs was another 30KD but that was still cheaper than the 140KD price it was selling in Kuwait for.
Total was like 90KDish and I bought the Bambu Lab PLA Basic filament from the local dealer for KD8.750 so to get it up and running it was just under 100KD.
I’ve only had the A1 mini for around a week now, it’s plugged in and always on. There is a really great app for the phone and anytime I find something I want to print I just send to print from my phone. It even has a built in camera so I can watch the printing happening or shoot a time-lapse. The quality of the print outs is amazing, you can barely see any layering and things look like they’re store bought.
I also found it super easy to create something in Adobe Illustrator, import it into the Bambu app and then turn it into 3D. So for basic stuff you don’t even need to 3D model.
I’ll eventually do a proper review of the printer but just wanted to post about it now quickly since I noticed it’s back on sale but at £169 if anyone wants one. Link
The Geekcon pop-culture convention is happening this weekend, featuring booths, celebrity meet-and-greets, and my favorite part, the cosplay competition by @kuwaitcosplayclub.
Check out my favorite things taking place this weekend below. As always, double check the event details with the organizers.
Thursday, July 24
Around the World at The Avenues
GeekCon 2025
Mindful Vase Painting
K-POP Fans Social Night
Friday, July 25
GeekCon 2025
Early Birds Book Club Meeting
Saturday, July 26
GeekCon 2025
Custom Misbah Workshop
Girls Only Game Day
F1 Sprint Race + Quali Session
DAI StoryTime at Amricani
Safat Studios Summer Market
Island Escape to Qaruh
Flowers & Matcha Workshop
Move & Connect
Kuwait Toastmasters – Public Speaking Session
Picture Credit: @hadoolalk
Orion Strom, one of Europe’s fastest-growing mattress brands, has officially opened its first standalone showroom in Kuwait.
The journey that brought the Greek brand here wasn’t led by a marketing push or franchise expansion, but by a personal connection and a shared belief in doing things right. The local owner, a longtime friend of the family behind Orion Strom, had long admired their commitment to craft. When his friend visited Kuwait and toured local mattress stores, they were both struck by the same thing: high prices, low standards, and a market flooded with outdated or gimmicky mattresses that fell short compared to the offerings in the European market.
That moment was the spark. They launched with just one model in Kuwait, selling it without a showroom or proper display. It quickly sold out, reaffirming their belief in the product. That early success led to a carefully developed range of ten models, each tailored to different sleep preferences. Now, with the showroom open, customers can finally see, feel, and experience the difference firsthand.
Founded in 1998, Orion Strom isn’t just another mattress brand, it’s a company built on substance and experience. Their mattresses are made in Greece using certified European components like springs from Portugal, foam from Italy, latex from Belgium, and Kevlar from Bulgaria. If you’re someone who cares about certifications, the factory is TÜV Nord certified and holds four ISO standards. All the materials used in the mattresses are also certified with CertiPUR, OEKO-TEX, and SGS.
Orion Strom focuses on real materials and proper craftsmanship. The mattresses are dense, built to last, and nearly twice the weight of most mattresses in their price range.
This isn’t a mass-market chain, it’s a product-first company, driven by people who believe sleep is serious. If you’re looking for a proper mattress that is designed to give you better sleep and built to last, check them out orion-kw.com or visit them at Waves Mall (Google Maps).
This batch of photos was taken by the parents of John Fidler, who used to live in Kuwait back in the 50s and 60s. There aren’t a lot of photos, but a few really stood out to me, which is why I wanted to share them. The main photo, for example, shows the Ahmadi post office which I thought was a great shot with the empty street, the bicycle, and the retro bunting (flags). It has a small-town America feel to it.
The other photos I really liked are of the Fahaheel high street. It wasn’t paved back then, and there’s a cow in the middle of the street eating trash. This is the second photo I’ve seen of that street with what I’m guessing is the same cow, so it must have lived there.
The rest of the photos are just random bits and pieces. The outdoor cinema above was taken at the Hubara Club in Ahmadi. To check the rest of the photos out, click here.
Just a quick update on my post yesterday about trying to stop Eureka from spamming me with SMS’s. According to Future Mobility the company that Eureka hired to send out the SMS’s, the service doesn’t rely on phone numbers.
Eureka used an Ad Zone geo-targeted SMS service that Future Mobility provides. This service doesn’t rely on numbers, instead, it automatically sends SMS messages to customers physically present in a selected area, using the operator’s mobile towers.
Future Mobility doesn’t have control over which numbers receive these messages, it depends entirely on the telecom operator. What they recommended to me is to activate a Zain service called Do Not Disturb (DND). I don’t know what that service is and can’t find any info on the Zain website so looks like I’m going to have to call Zain to find out.
It’s really interesting though, I assumed bulk SMS services required phone numbers, the fact they don’t is both fascinating and upsetting since even if you work hard to keep your number out of databases, you’ll still get SPAM.
It’s that time of year where I need to post about a band that’s NOT coming to Kuwait. Last year it was Lana Del Rey, this year it’s Backstreet Boys.
There’s a fake Instagram account pretending to be @thearenakuwait that, at first glance, looks legit. The account posted that the Backstreet Boys are performing in Kuwait on August 7 and they’re selling tickets for the show. When someone sent me the link, it took me a minute to realize the account name was slightly misspelled, which explains why so many people are falling for it. What’s hilarious is that it’s impersonating The Arena, but the concert venue they list is JACC 🤷🏼♂️
The fake account even copied the impersonation warning from the official account, and their posts are a mix of stolen content and made-up announcements.
I don’t know why The Arena hasn’t shut their account down yet, it’s not that difficult to report an account impersonating you or copying content from you.
I don’t get a lot of SMS spam, I don’t tend to give my number to businesses and when I do get SPAM I usually contact the business and ask them to stop and they do.
If I get one message every few months I don’t tend to bother stopping the messages because it’s not worth the effort, but if I get daily messages from you then I’m contacting you to stop. Which is what I did with Eureka.
I got three messages back to back from Eureka so I messaged them on Instagram asking them to stop sending me messages, and gave them my number and the screenshot above. A couple of days later I get a call from someone, she was like I spoke with management and they said they can’t stop sending the messages because they don’t send the messages, a third party company does. I thought that was stupid. You’re spamming customers with unsolicited ads with no way for the customer to opt out? That’s definitely not gonna piss people off right?
Anyway I didn’t even bother to try and explain to the person how ridiculous the idea was that they themselves can’t stop their customers getting spammed, so I asked her who the third party company they were using was and they told me mustaqbal, or Future.
So Future, the same people who used to be the Nokia dealers and have their own electronics shop Future also offer a service of bulk smsing people. So now I emailed them asking to remove me from their SMS list.
But my question is, what other option do I have? Is there another way I can stop Eureka from spamming me? I’ve tried the block function on my phone but that doesn’t work.