2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Back in June Amazon started offering free delivery to Kuwait which I’ve obviously been taking advantage of. One incident recently happened to me which I thought was worth sharing.

I was looking for a DAC that would take digital audio from my Mac mini and convert it to analogue to send to my KEF LSX speakers. I was using the Apple USB-C to headphone jack dongle but wanted something better. I previously ordered an optical in analogue out converter but it didn’t allow me to control the volume from my Mac mini, I had to do it from the speaker which I didn’t want to do. Anyway, after a lot of research with ChatGPT, and a limited budget of under $100, ChatGPT recommended I get the iFi UNO. According to ChatGPT I’d be able to control the volume from my Mac which was perfect.

ChatGPT was wrong. Last time I’m using it to help me buy electronics. Once plugged in I had to control the volume either from the speakers or the DAC but the volume control on my Mac wouldn’t do anything. I had bought it for around $80 plus I had ordered some high quality cables with it so I was down over $100. I was just going to dump it in my electronics box but decided to see if I could return it. I had thrown the box and manuals out already so wasn’t hopeful. I checked the return policy for Amazon and it turned out that if I returned the item even though it was without the box I might be entitled for possibly a 50% refund. Figured that was better than nothing.

So I applied to return both items. Returning the items was free of charge, I just had to print the DHL labels Amazon gave me and go to the DHL store to drop them off. Process at DHL took like 5 minutes, I didn’t even have to bring any packaging, they just dumped them into the standard DHL bags and shipped them. I mailed them back July 25, on July 31 I got a full refund back from Amazon!

That’s crazy. Forget the fact that they’re shipping the stuff for free to Kuwait, you can actually return the items for free as well, that’s really insane.

I’ve posted about Deboned before since they’re my go-to spot when I want to eat clean or healthy. I like their grilled chicken because it’s packed with flavor, and since they have branches near me, delivery is always quick. To keep things exciting, they’re constantly introducing new flavors, and yesterday they launched their latest one, Sweet & Chili.

The new Sweet & Chili flavor is available across all their chicken dishes, including Shawarma, Wings, and of course, the Half and Whole Chicken options, served with either oven-baked fries or rice.

Their Friday Meal Boxes are also available with the new Sweet & Chili flavor, and they’ve introduced a new Mango flavor for their Rice Pudding dessert.

The last time I posted about Deboned I found out they had branches in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. For now, the Sweet & Chili flavor is only available in Kuwait and for a limited time only.

If you’ve never tried Deboned before, or if you want to try their new flavor, head over to their Instagram page for more info @deboned.kw or order directly from debonedkwt.com

Last year, Kuwait competed for the first time at the Asian Surfing Championships after officially joining the International Surfing Association (ISA). They’re back again this year, continuing to build their presence in the sport.

This year’s Kuwait team consists of three surfers:
Ahmad Alrefae @a.alrefae2
Essa Alessa @eksultan
Naif Alkhatrash @kuwaitisurfer

The National Surfing Coach is:
Ibrahim Egan @egan_18

Ahmad and Essa grew up in Kuwait, spending most of their time in Bnaider engaging in various watersports. They began surfing during their teenage years but gained most of their experience after moving to California for university. Naif, on the other hand, moved to Bali, where he currently lives and has been surfing for over 10 years.

The Asian Surfing Championships are currently taking place from August 3 to 12 in Tamil Nadu, India, organized by the Asian Surf Federation. Nineteen countries are competing, and Kuwait’s first heat took place earlier today. You can check out some photos of the team from today in the carousel. This marks the second time Kuwait has been recognized as a country with surfers by both the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Asian Surfing Federation (ASF).

If you want to stay posted on the Kuwait Surf team’s progress at the Asian Surf Championship, follow their instagram account @kuwaitsurfcommittee

This villa in Abdullah Al-Salem was recently featured in Architectural Digest and is known as the Shell House. It’s a four-bedroom home designed by AlHumaidhi Architects in collaboration with interior design firm Studio Nesef (@studionesef). What caught my attention was the courtyard in the center featuring a private garden and pool. Not a lot of homes are being built today with a courtyard, but it’s a feature I’d want to have in my home.

I think courtyards work really well for privacy. You can have spaces completely closed off from the outside world, while keeping them open to the inside. So you still get views and natural daylight without giving up your privacy.

The villa is called the Shell House because its design, inspired by the natural geometry of shells, gently rotates around the central courtyard across three levels. Each floor shifts slightly, creating shaded terraces, rooftop gardens, and covered outdoor spaces that adapt to sunlight and privacy needs throughout the day. The villa is designed with soft curves and finished in custom stucco cladding, a dust-resistant material chosen to withstand Kuwait’s climate.

The interior follows the same soft, curved style as the outside, with natural colors and different travertine stone finishes. Sliding doors, wooden slats, and metal screens inspired by traditional mashrabiya help connect the indoors with the outdoors while also keeping the home cool.

The photos here were taken by @ngphoto.com.pt. Check out admiddleeast.com for a detailed write-up and more photos.

Today marks 35 years since Iraq invaded Kuwait, starting the Gulf War. I was in Kuwait and just 11 years old when I woke up that morning to find out what had happened. We had just finished celebrating my younger brother’s birthday the night before, so it took a while for me to grasp how much life was about to change.

My family stayed in Kuwait for six weeks before fleeing by road to Lebanon, where I lived until the war ended and we moved back to Kuwait in the summer of 1991. Although I was young, I have vivid memories from that time, mostly tied to the media, from CNN’s Operation Desert Storm coverage to the “FREE KUWAIT” and later “Free Our POWs” campaigns, and even small things like anti Saddam car bumper stickers.

I remember as a kid desperately wanting a “FREE KUWAIT” badge or t-shirt. It was such a strong and meaningful visual that, 35 years later, it’s still a powerful image.

The “FREE KUWAIT” logo was designed by Michael Lorrigan with the help of the British design firm Bostock & Pollitt (now called Pollitt & Partners). Michael, who was a teacher and deputy headmaster at New English School at the time, was in England on summer break when the invasion happened. After the war broke out, he discovered the newly formed Kuwaiti media committee in London and joined them, eventually becoming one of their most dedicated members. The name “Free Kuwait Campaign” was chosen as a unifying label for various London-based groups supporting Kuwait during the invasion. When Michael shared the sample logos with the campaign group, a member called Ali Al Mulaifi suggested making the word “FREE” larger than “KUWAIT.” That became the final version. source

There is actually a great interview you can watch (it’s in Arabic) that details Michaels role in the Free Kuwait campaign which you can watch here.

The photos in this post were all taken in London by Dr. Adel Al-Yousifi. They are part of his photo-book “A Testimony from London” and are also available online at his website, free-kuwait.net. Dr. Adel also created the website evidence-kw.net, which documents the impact of the war on Kuwait and is based on another photo-book he published in 1994.

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