Author: Mark

I just downloaded this great looking Ramadan app called “Siraj – Your Ramadan Light” by a developer called Forsan. It’s got a really cool simple to understand interface and is great for knowing what time Suhoor and Iftar is as well as all the prayer times.

Ramadan apps shouldn’t feel outdated.

So I built one in pure SwiftUI that feels like a modern iOS product.

Meet Siraj 🌙 pic.twitter.com/6cLuBMGcYv

— Forsan (@forsan87) February 17, 2026

Forsan wanted the app to feel calm and have an animated live sky that changes from Suhoor to Iftar throughout the day. It has a clean countdown, no clutter and the following features:

• Accurate prayer times
• Live fasting countdown
• Qibla compass
• Daily Quranic duas
• Widgets + Dynamic Island

The app is free to download, no ads or anything. Link

@balsayegh on twitter spotted the above poster at the Kuwait Airport which was clearly created using Ai. I’m really curious if the graphic designer noticed something was off and didn’t really care, or if he didn’t notice anything at all.

A short 5 minute video that looks at Kuwait and how it was designed around cars instead of people and how that’s contributing to issues like pollution, asthma and diabetes. It’s pretty accurate especially the bit where she mentions how cars are parked in the shade occupying what in other countries would be the sidewalk, while pedestrians are in the sun walking on the street.

Back in 2020 I posted about the Extreme Sports van parked outside Green Island renting bicycles to anyone who wanted to ride up and down the Gulf Road. That was before the waterfront makeover and the addition of dedicated bike paths.

A few days ago, Extreme Sports soft launched their first Extreme Bike Rentals storefront on the Gulf Road pathway outside Green Island. They’re planning to open four more spots along the Gulf Road, with approximately one new location launching every 10 days.

The other locations will be next to the Kuwait Towers, opposite the Kuwait Society of Engineers, next to Villa Fayrouz, and next to the Swimming Pool Complex.

They have bicycles and tricycles available to rent in adult and kids sizes, and they haven’t increased their prices. It’s still just KD3 per hour. At the moment they’re open from 6AM to 10PM, but during Ramadan the timings will change to 3PM to 3AM. @extremebikerentals

eL Seed, the popular French Tunisian street artist known for creating large scale murals that blend Arabic calligraphy with graffiti, is currently in Kuwait. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters invited him to paint a mural around the Abdulhusain Abdulridha Theater in Salmiya as part of an overall revitalization and maintenance of the building.

I always thought the building looked dull and lifeless, but the burst of color from eL Seed’s mural has completely transformed it. The mural should be finished by tomorrow from what I’ve been told. I was going to wait until it was finished to take photos, but the sky and light yesterday were perfect, so I had to take my pictures then.

If you want to pass by and see them working on it, you still can. The Abdulhusain Abdulridha Theater is located in Salmiya across the street from the Kuwait Bowling Club. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Lorry Now is a new Kuwait based on demand lorry and moving app built for anyone who needs to move furniture, large items, or move from one home or office to another. Think of it as the Uber for trucks, or a local version of U-Haul but without having to drive the truck yourself.

Need to move furniture? Did you go shopping and end up with items that don’t fit in your car? Or maybe the store gave you a delivery date that’s too far out? Just open the app, book a truck, and a driver shows up and takes care of it.

It’s a simple concept, but a very convenient one, with pricing calculated in the app based on the distance. If you’re moving furniture, you even have the option to specify whether you need assembly on delivery or both disassembly and reassembly.

The app also lets you track the truck in real time so you can monitor the driver’s route and progress. The service is available across Kuwait, so even if you need to move things to your chalet in Khiran, you can.

Lorry Now is available on both iOS and Android. The iOS version just got a major update a few days ago, and the Android version should be getting a similar update this coming week. If you want the download links or to find out more, head to their instagram account @LorryNow or their website LorryNow.co

The Kuwait Towers Garden, located right underneath the towers, is opening to the public for the first time. Previously, you needed a restaurant reservation or had to pay for access to the viewing deck to get into that area, but now the garden will be open to everyone.

Starting Ramadan and until May 14, access to the garden will be free. According to the organizers Hekaya World, the space will feature art, culture, and coffee. I passed by earlier today for a quick sneak peek and they were busy putting the final touches in place for tomorrow.

The acai spot Say Suco will also have a pop up under the tower with its own seating area.

The Kuwait Towers Garden has an instagram account if you want to check out, it’s @kuwaittowersgarden

Don’t forget to get your loved one a Shani today. shaniday.com

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, check out the list below.

Thursday, February 12
Opening Up: Musicals in Celebration
Palestinian Cultural Exhibit
Salt Movies: Gran Turismo
Graish Market at Messilah Beach
The Bazaar at Hessah Plaza
Zai Ramadan Expo

Friday, February 13
Opening Up: Musicals in Celebration
Graish Market at Messilah Beach
The Bazaar at Hessah Plaza
GR Yaris Cup Race
Oil Pastels & Coffee
Cars & Coffee
Slice Party
Toastmasters Annual Speech Contest
Giant Kites Display

Saturday, February 14
trunk show pop-up
Storytelling: Breaking Limiting Beliefs
Graish Market at Messilah Beach
The Bazaar at Hessah Plaza
Zai Ramadan Expo
pre-Ramadan DAI StoryTime
Alandalus Market
A Cultural Talk by eL Seed

Valentine’s is this weekend, so here’s a list of 16 romantic restaurants that have something planned for the occasion.

All the places shared are doing something for Valentine’s, whether it’s special set menus, live music, or decorations. I’ve also included the starting price, but keep in mind that some restaurants charge more for outdoor seating or offer different set menus, so it’s call the restaurant you’re interested in for more details.

Vigonovo
No minimum

JARS
From KD 25 per couple

Kei
From KD 45 per couple

Cantina
From KD 50 per couple

Roka
From KD 60 per couple

Al Boom
From KD 70 per couple

Paparazzi
From KD 70 per couple

Solange
From KD 80 per couple

Mei Li
From KD 90 per couple

Peacock
From KD 100 per couple

Dai Forni
From KD 110 per couple

Li Beirut
From KD 110 per couple

Republique
From KD 110 per couple

OFK
From KD 110 per couple

Sintoho
From KD 120 per couple

Ricardo
From KD 160 per couple

There has been a lot of news lately about countries banning social media access for children, mainly because of concerns around mental health, harmful content, cyberbullying, and how hard it has become for parents to manage online safety on their own. Although Kuwait hasn’t implemented a ban on social media access for children yet, Virgin Mobile Kuwait is one step ahead.

Virgin Mobile just launched a new mobile plan designed to offer a safer online experience for children called Aman (meaning safe in Arabic). Aman works at the network level, so it’s not an app or software you install, and there are no complicated device settings you need to deal with. Everything is handled automatically through the network, which makes online safety a lot easier for parents.

Once the Aman plan is active, popular social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and X are automatically restricted. You don’t have to do anything else from your end.

Another cool thing about the Aman plan is that it’s designed to improve over time with feedback from parents. That means parents can influence future updates, including which platforms or apps should be blocked next. It makes Aman feel less like a fixed product and more like something that grows and improves as families use it.

Also, just to be clear, this works on phones and home routers as well.

If you want to find out more about Virgin Mobile’s Aman plans, head over to @virginmobilekw

The 62nd exhibition by the Palestinian Culture Center, in collaboration with the Embassy of Palestine, kicks off today, celebrating the heritage, resilience, and artistry of Palestinian women.

The center has been active in Kuwait since the early 1970s, and each year they host this exhibition to help keep Palestinian culture alive while supporting underprivileged women and children in refugee camps.

The exhibition features handmade embroidery, ceramics, traditional foods, and books for sale. Every item reflects the rich culture of Palestine and supports the women who continue to preserve it with care.

This year, the exhibition is taking place at a new location, the Contemporary Art Platform in the Design District, Shuwaikh (Google Maps). Conveniently located next to OVO and Cantina.

The event runs from today, Monday, February 9 to Thursday, February 12, from 10AM to 8PM daily. @palestiniancc

Photo by @prettygreenbullet

I recently found out that the UAE cinema brand Star Cinemas is planning to open in Kuwait. They currently operate in two markets, the UAE and Oman, with over 150 screens across both. They’ve been around since 1964, although this is the first time I’ve come across them, which probably has more to do with me not living in the UAE than them not being very popular.

For their first location, they’re planning to take over the old Cinescape space at Al Fanar Mall in Salmiya (pictured in this post).

From what I’ve been able to put together, they won’t be competing directly with the likes of Cinescape or VOX. Instead, they’re likely to go up against smaller cinema brands such as Sky Cinemas and Ozone Cinemas.

I wasn’t able to get a launch date from Star Cinemas, but I do know they’re currently looking for F&B partners for their concession stand, so I’m assuming it’s happening soon.

Cinescape at Al Fanar opened back in 1997 and was the first cinema in Kuwait to be located inside a mall. The location was extremely popular in the late 90s and early 2000s, before eventually closing last October.

As a pet owner myself, I think this is a pretty cool idea.

Bubbles & Paws is a local pet furniture concept started by three pet lovers who ran into the same issue a lot of pet owners have faced before, they couldn’t find pet furniture that worked with their living spaces. Most of what was available was either too plain, too bulky, or looked like it belonged in a storage room. On top of that, a lot of the options they came across weren’t very comfortable or didn’t feel safe enough for their pets.

So instead of settling, they decided to create what they couldn’t find.

The goal wasn’t to make flashy designer pieces, instead, it was to design furniture pets would actually enjoy using, while still fitting naturally into a home. Furniture that felt cozy and looked good, not something you felt like hiding when people came over.

What started as a personal frustration quickly turned into a business idea. One built around the idea that pet furniture shouldn’t feel like a compromise, either for your pet or your living space. They currently have around a dozen different designs, each in its own color, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find something that fits your space. Their Minty Heaven bed for example might work for my dog, while the Frosty Ears bed could be a better fit for your cat.

They have options that work for most living spaces, so if you want to see the full collection, head over to their website bubblesandpawscompany.com

Last night I found out that Xcite have the JBL L100 Classic MkII speakers for sale. I had my eye on these years ago but shipping them to Kuwait would have costed an arm and a leg on top of the already crazy expensive price. Eventually I ended up getting the KEF R7’s, but now the JBL’s are available in Kuwait.

These speakers were originally released in the 1970s and became an iconic model. These’s MKII’s are a modern take on them and they’re selling at Xcite for KD 540 per speaker. So KD 1,080 for a pair. Sounds like a lot, cuz it is a lot but it’s still cheaper than how much they sell for abroad. This is technically a good deal.

It also looks like they recently got some new FOCAL speakers and updated their Marantz collection. Only reason I found out about all this is because I’m always looking for KEF items and it seems they’re no longer getting anything new. I need speaker stands for my LSX and LS50 speakers which they were selling at a steal at one point when they were getting rid of them, but now they don’t have any left in stock.

If you want to check out the JBL’s, here is the link.

I also noticed their website no longer lists any SVS subwoofers nor any Bowers & Wilkins speakers. Looks like they stopped getting those two brands as well. It’s really sad they stopped getting SVS products, they make the best subwoofers. I guess I’m lucky I bought the PB-2000 Pro and SB-2000 Pro when they had them in stock. Can’t recommend them enough!