Author: Mark

A couple of weeks back Ice Breaker gum got banned for containing non-halal ingredients and now a bunch of protein bars were also banned for containing non-halal ingredients:

Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) has called to ban all imports of several protein bars as it contained non-halal ingredients. Secretary General Adel Al-Suwait said that it was found that products like Snickers, Mars, Bounty and Milky Way protein bars contained non-halal ingredients. Source

The odd thing is I looked through the ingredients and can’t figure out what the non-halal item can be. For example, this is the ingredients list for the Mars protein bar:

Protein Blend (27%) (Soya Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate, Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey Protein Concentrate (from Milk), Egg, Albumen, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin)), Caramel (16%) (Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk, Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup, Palm Oil, Butter (from Milk), Sugar, Emulsifier (E471), Stabiliser (Pectin), Salt, Natural Flavouring), Milk Chocolate (15%) (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Skimmed Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Lactose and Protein from Whey (from Milk), Palm Fat, Whey Powder (from Milk), Milk Fat, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Natural Vanilla Extract), Hydrolysed Collagen (12%), Humectant (Glycerol), Fructo-Oligosaccharide, Humectant (Maltitol), Flavourings, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Salt.

So bizarre.

via Reddit

Kuwait ranks last once again, a position it also held in 2018 and from 2014 to 2016. It still places last and second to last for the ease of settling in and quality of life, respectively, though it has improved for personal finance (from 50th to 38th in 2019). Results for working abroad remain bleak, though: Kuwait places 60th. While expats are mostly satisfied with the state of the economy (63% positive ratings vs. 63% globally) — the majority (59%) moved there for work-related reasons — 36% are unhappy with their work-life balance. All in all, Kuwait is the country expats would recommend the least. Source

I really think all this has to do with the simple issue that expats are made to feel unwanted in Kuwait.

I recently joined the Rimowa world by purchasing my first Rimowa suitcase last month and I loved it so much I ended up buying a second bag when I visited the Rimowa store in Dubai. Their stores are pretty cool (for a suitcase store) with lots of different accessories you can buy from limited edition stickers to customizable parts. Now Kuwait is getting it’s first store and it will be opening up in Avenues Phase 4, right next to the VOX Cinema escalators.

Yesterday night I dropped by Calma, the first float center in Kuwait. Float centers (sometimes called spas) use large pods called isolation tanks that you float inside of in complete darkness to deprive your mind of external senses. The pods are soundproof and filled with extremely salty shallow water that is heated to your body temperature. The saltwater allows you to float effortlessly on the surface while zoning out in complete darkness and silence.

People use flotation tanks for muscle relaxation, to lower anxiety and to help with depression.

When you first walk into Calma it feels like you’ve just walked into a spa. After a small introduction on isolation tanks you’re led into one of their four flotation rooms where you’ll have access to your own pod and private shower. There you’re given some more instructions before you’re left alone to start your float session.

Although I had heard of flotation tanks before, I only got to try it for the first time yesterday. I was curious to know how it would feel floating in the tanks but I was also curious to see if it would feel claustrophobic or not. I did an MRI scan once and it felt extremely uncomfortable and so was worried this would feel the same. It surprisingly didn’t! The pod actually feels spacious once you’re inside, even after you close the lid. Then, once you turn off the lights it no longer feels like you’re inside a pod, it feels like you’re floating in the ocean in complete darkness or even in space.

The flotation sessions last one hour and cost KD30. Compared to prices abroad that’s fairly reasonable considering we’re in Kuwait and that Calma is located in the basement of Symphony Mall and not some shady first-floor building in Salmiya. Right now they’re in their soft launch phase and only accepting bookings through direct message on instagram. So if you’re interested in trying this out you can find them on instagram @calma_kw

Back in 2010 Sultan Center stopped carrying Lucky Charms because it turned out the marshmallows in it contained pork gelatine. Since then it’s been off the local market but now Lulu has started selling them. Not sure how long that’s gonna last so if you’re craving Lucky Charms you should pick up a box ASAP. It’s being sold for KD2.990.

UFC 242 is taking place this coming Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Because the fights are taking place right next door, the event timings work really well for us with the first fight starting at 9PM on Saturday.

If you want to watch the fights live then the easiest way to do so is by downloading the UFC Arabia app from the Kuwait Apple Store (I’m guessing its the same for Android devices). For $4.99 a month the UFC Arabia app allows you to stream live Pay Per View (PPV) events at no additional cost, in addition to the weigh-ins, post-fight press conferences, and various other videos.

I just signed up to it to try it out based on a recommendation from a friend who already tried it out. The commentary is in English as well not in Arabic. If you can’t find the app in the Apple Store it’s most likely because you’re not in the Kuwait store so make sure you have an Apple account registered with a Kuwait address. Alternatively, you could just go to the UFC Arabia website and sign up there. Link

Screenshot from IT Chapter Two

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Berlin, I Love You (4.5)
IT Chapter Two (7.7)
Light of My Life (6.6)
Playmobil: The Movie (4.5)

Other Movies Showing Now:
47 Meters Down Uncaged (5.3)
Aladdin (6.5)
Angel Has Fallen (7.0)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (5.9)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (7.5)
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (8.4)
Ready or Not (7.3)
Spider-Man: Far from Home (8.2)
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (6.8)
The Final Wish (4.2)
The Lion King (6.2)
Toy Story 4 (9.0)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

Movies Showing Now:
Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (8.4)
Oceans: Our Blue Planet (7.4)
Volcanoes 3D (6.6)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.

The Ministry of Interior website has finally been revamped and although it still needs some work, at least it no longer looks like it was done by an intern using Microsoft Frontpage. The biggest change other than the visual appearance is the ability to check your traffic fines right from the front page (scroll down). That’s probably the most used feature on the website and so makes sense to have it on the main page.

I actually hadn’t checked mine in ages and just did and found 5 violations! I used to get an SMS telling me I had violations but I guess the SMS feature isn’t working. Sucks.

Anyway if you want to check out the new look click here.

Thanks Santo

Al Qabas newspaper launched a new service recently called Al Qabas Premium where they’ve digitized all their issues going back to 1972 and made them available online.

This is such a cool thing and I’m so surprised they did this. Previously the only way I could access their archive is by going to the National Library and having to flip through large and heavy books, so this is way more convenient.

Al Qabas Premium isn’t free, it costs $60 a year but you can sign up to a monthly package ($6) if you want as well. They do have some free content available and I just found the picture on top of Cinema Salmiya dating back to 1972 as part of their free content. But, $6 is pretty reasonable so I’ll be signing up to their monthly package.

Al Qabas Premium is in Arabic and if you want to check it out then click here.

Thanks Omar!

Update: Here is a video they just published about Al Qabas Premium

Back in July I posted about the steps needed to import a classic car. I’m going to be documenting the process so figured I’d post about the first issue that has come up.

My car arrives this week and everything was going smoothly until it came to getting a temporary import license. My friend who I’m importing the car under his name went to get a temporary import license and his request got rejected.

Turns out he thought he had imported his last car over 2 years ago but instead it turned out he had imported it 1 year and 9 months ago. If you recall I posted that a Kuwaiti can import a classic car once every 2 years so now he can’t import this one under his name. The only way he can is by getting an exception which supposedly is very difficult to get.

So now he needs to do something called a “tanazool” where basically he has the put the car under another persons name. A complicated process that will delay the release of the car from the port by up to 3 weeks. Hopefully that process will go smoothly at least.

I have Zain 5G at the office in the city and I average around 650Mbps there which is pretty incredible. This got me curious to see how 5G would perform at my apartment in Salmiya so Zain hooked me up with a unit to try out. Right now I have a Zain Beam connection at home and I get a stable 30Mbps.

My experience so far with 5G in Salmiya has been really weird. I’ve gotten speeds as low as 3Mbps and as high as 350Mbps. I don’t understand why the speed fluctuates so much here. I’m gonna continue to experiment with it and move the router around to see if that helps. If I can get a stable connection over 100Mbps that would be pretty crazy considering just up until a few months ago, I couldn’t get anything higher than 10Mbps at my place.

Update: Problem got solved, click here for an updated post.

Russell Peters, the popular comedian and actor will be coming to Kuwait next month for a one-night comedy event. He was previously set to come in June but for some reason that show never materialized, this time around it looks like it’s really happening. Tickets go on sale in a couple of hours (at 10AM) and will probably sell out quickly. The last time Russell Peters was in Kuwait was back in 2016.

For more information click here.

Thanks Fahaad

The popular UK based Italian bakery Princi is coming to Kuwait soon based on job listings by Alshaya. Princi was created by the restaurateur Alan Yau who is behind other popular brands like Wagamama and Hakkasan. I posted about Princi back in 2013 after trying it out and since then the brand Princi got sold to Starbucks a few years ago which is how it ended up on Alshaya’s portfolio. No clue when it’s opening but it’s probably safe to bet that they’ll be opening a location at the Avenues.

The Kuwait Harps are starting a new season of Gaelic Football and are looking for new faces to join the club. Gaelic Football is a form of football derived from the Irish ball games. There are some major differences between regular football and Gaelic football like the fact Gaelic football is played with 15 players per team and you can also hold the ball with your hands.

The Kuwait Harps compete primarily in tournaments based in the Gulf region and new players are always welcome and immediately feel at home within the club. The majority of the current squad were actually new to Gaelic Games when they first arrived in Kuwait. While many clubs in the Gulf region can depend on a strong pool of Irish players, this is not the case in Kuwait. While a core of the club may be Irish, it relies heavily on the support of players from the international expat community. Kuwait Harps Players have come from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Canada, USA, Australia and even Sudan to name but a few countries.

If you’re interested in joining the club, they’re holding a taster day. Taster days are just for people to come along and see if they like the sport and want to join. It’s aimed at all abilities (both fitness and Gaelic wise) so anyone can come along and there is no need to sign up. All you need to do is come out in your normal workout gear and bring some sunscreen, water and maybe a hat or sunglasses.

When: Tuesday, September 3rd from 6PM to 8PM
Where: AIS (Google Maps)

For more information email [email protected] or visit their Facebook Page, instagram account @kuwait_harps_gaa or website kuwaitharpsgaa.com.

Up until yesterday, I had never been to the Tareq Rajab Museums. I’m aware that’s odd considering I’ve been blogging about things to do and places to visit in Kuwait for 15 years now, but for some reason, I never thought of passing by the museums until yesterday. There are two Tareq Rajab museums, the Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Art and the main Tareq Rajab Museum, both located in Jabriya and are close to each other.

Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Art
This first museum is located right across from the New English School. I actually wasn’t aware there were two museums until I got there using Google Maps. I typed Tareq Rajab in Google Maps and clicked on the first result but when I got there it didn’t look like the museum I had driven by before. So I asked security about it he told me that was the other museum located down the block. This museum focused on Islamic art and housed an extensive collection of Islamic calligraphy, old Korans and the famous Ka’aba coverings.

Although the building looks large from the outside, the museum itself wasn’t that big and could be covered in under 30 minutes. Opening hours are Saturday to Thursday 9AM to 12PM and 4PM to 7PM. While on Fridays the museum is open from 9AM to 12PM. I’d call (25317358) and double-check before heading there though since yesterday the museums were open till 1PM and not 12PM. Here is the location on Google Maps. The entrance fee is KD2.

Tareq Rajab Museum
After quickly going through the Islamic Art Museum I got in my car and drove down the block to the main museum. Although the building on the outside isn’t as impressive as the Islamic Art Museum, once you walk down into the basement where the museum is located, you’ll quickly realize this museum is much bigger with a lot more things on display (over 10,000 pieces on display according to their website).

The museum is divided into two areas. The first area contains calligraphy, manuscripts, miniatures, ceramics, metalwork, glass and jade, wood and stone-carvings. The second area contains objects which were produced in the Islamic world during the last 250 years including costumes, textiles, jewelry, weapons, and musical instruments.

I loved this museum since there were so many things to check out and they were all displayed pretty nicely. I was not expecting it to be this organized or this big, so I was really surprised and also kind of disappointed in myself that it took me this long to visit it.

Like the Islamic Museum, the opening hours to this museum is from Saturday to Thursday 9AM to 12PM and then from 4PM to 7PM. Fridays the museum is also open from 9AM to 12PM. Here is the location on Google Maps. The entrance fee is KD2.

Here is a link to their website.
Here is a link to more information on the museums.