Author: Mark

Last night I watched Skyfall with some friends at Grand Cinemas in Hamra Tower. Unlike my brother I didn’t think too highly of the movie. I mean it was good but I didn’t think it was great. One thing I regret not doing is getting a jacket. My brother wasn’t exaggerating when he said the theater was freezing. The cold could actually be one of the reasons why I didn’t enjoy the movie much, I just wanted it to be over so I could get outside where it’s warmer. Tip: Take a jacket!

The food stall outside the theater is very similar to Cinescape except they were a lot slower. A LOT slower. The theater seats were comfortable and really other than the fact it was freezing cold the only other issue I noticed was that there was dirt on the projector lens which could be seen on the top left of the screen.

If you’re interested in booking tickets their website is now live and you can check it out [Here]

Update: It seems the link doesn’t work for some people but it works for me. No idea why.

Update2: The link seems to be working now for everyone but you can’t purchase tickets from the website as of now since their KNET system isn’t active yet.

According to the Prada Kuwait store manager, Prada will be opening at 360 Mall on November 15th.

Fitness First, the largest privately owned health club group in the world is opening soon at 360 Mall. They have another branch that supposed to open in Salmiya near my place but I guess the 360 Mall location is going to be their first.

On the occasion of the James Bond 50th anniversary, a James Bond World is going to be setup next month at the exhibition hall in 360 Mall. There will be a whole bunch of activities taking place at James Bond World but probably the biggest highlights will be the actual cars from the James Bond movies. Among the cars that will be on display is the Aston Martin that was used for the big crash scene in “Casino Royale”, the Aston Martin with mounted weapons used in “Tomorrow Never Dies”, the Vanquish DBS from “Quantum of Solace” and the DB5 featured in the latest James Bond movie “Skyfall”.

Originally the hot actress Gemma Arterton from “Quantum of Solace” was also supposed to attend the opening night but that was when the opening night was originally set for October 26th. Now that the event has been pushed back she most likely won’t be able to make it.

James Bond World is set to open to the public on November 1st. The pictures of the James Bond cars in this post were taken by my contact who also provided me with the information above.

Update: Just added all the pictures of the cars I received below.

Their old logo (above) was not that great but their new one (below) is just horrible. They should have just hired the agency that did the 360 Mall branding.

Getting close to the opening of The Avenues new districts and our plans for future expansion of The Avenues we created a new iconic logo with a distinct personality that conveys a more abstract thought of simplicity and boldness. It’s an interactive logo with maximum flexibility for messaging.

Iconic? Don’t think so.

The Voice for Success program was initiated by en.v to give greater visibility to social activists who are trying to make a positive impact on their society and community. The videos and articles were created by en.v to celebrate the achievements of people we consider successful, not in the traditional sense of being C.E.O. of a company or a film star, but because they have dedicated themselves to a specific cause / issue, doing what they can to make a positive contribution.

The Voice for Success program recently announced the winners to their online competition. The three winners were Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh, a leading Kuwaiti women’s rights activist, academic and political researcher; Maali Al Asousi, co-founder of the Business and Professional Women’s Kuwaiti chapter and founder and chairwoman of Tamkeen, a non-profit organization promoting development in the Arab world; and last but not least, Zeina Al Sultan, founder of the Special Mothers group working to raise awareness about adoption and promoting the rights of orphaned / abandoned children and adoptive parents in Kuwait.

The video above is for Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh. [YouTube]
Here is a link to Maali Al Asousi’s video [YouTube]
Here is a link to an article on Zeina Al Sultan [Link]

Last month I purchased and posted about the Mophie Powerstation, a small device that will charge your USB powered devices like an iPhone or iPad while away from a power supply. This month I purchased and tried the Trent IMP120D iCarrier, a slightly bulkier device that holds three times the amount of power reserve at 12000mAh compared to the 4000mAh of the Mophie Powerstation.

Although the Trent holds three times as much power its selling on Amazon for the same price as the Mophie which makes it a great deal. I tried it out last weekend while camping and found it very practical. The Trent comes with two USB ports which allows you to charge two devices at the same time. I ended up charging three phones that night, an iPhone 4s, a Galaxy III and a Blackberry. I also had the iPhone plugged into the device all night playing music. By next day the Trent iCarrier was showing me that it still had around half the power left! That’s just crazy.

The only disadvantages over the Mophie is the fact the Trent iCarrier is bulkier and the build quality isn’t as good. If you squeeze the device a bit you can hear the plastic squeak so not sure how it’s going to handle being thrown around in my backpack in the long run. But, at around KD22 on Amazon this is a great buy specially if the size of the device doesn’t matter much to you. [Amazon Link]

The largest cinema chain in the Middle East is opening in Hamra Tower this coming Friday with the movie Skyfall. The theater once open will have a total of 9 screens with one of them being a VIP theater which I’ve previously been told will rival those of Dubai. [Link]

I follow Radisson Blu (previously known as SAS) on Facebook and one thing about them I find cool is the fact they keep posting pictures of the build progress. Below is how the hotel will look like once completed and the above is one of their latest shots showing the progress of the hotel. Originally they were even supposed to have a live webcam but that didn’t work out. You can check all the latest shots of the place [Here]

The U.S. Embassy is hosting an (Early) Voting Day for eligible U.S. citizens. Below are some details.

Who: Eligible U.S. Citizen Voters
Date: October 21, 2012
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 PM
Location: U.S. Embassy (Masjid al Aqsa Street, Bayan)

If you have any questions you can contact them on [email protected] or visit their website [Here]

A gas leak took place while drilling an oil well wednesday at the Al-Rawdhatain oilfield, Kuwait Oil Company and security sources said, as that the pungent and repulsive smell of hydrogen sulfide reached as far as Kuwaiti City as reported by many residents. The sources said Abdali firemen and KOC emergency teams later contained the leak by burning out the escaping gas to prevent it from spreading far. [Source]

Lucky for me I’m not in Kuwait right now.

Thanks Jafar

The Kuwait Science Club sent a Kuwaiti flag into space using a weather balloon. They recorded the whole thing with a GoPro camera and you can watch the footage above. [YouTube]

Thanks Anes

It was bound to happen. [YouTube]

Thanks Salem

Dubai Session has a bunch of photos of the UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid walking around the Avenues. I have no idea what he was doing at Carrefour though. [Link]

K’s PATH is organizing their second Bark in the Park event. There will be a dog show competition, funny races, fabulous vendors, children’s entertainment and a lot more.

Date: Saturday 3rd November 2012
Location: KOC Ahmadi Japanese Garden (GPS Co-ords: 29.091577,48.074874)
Time: 11:00AM to 4:00PM

Mutt Competitions:
1. Best Look Alike
2. Best Mixed Breed
3. Most Obedient
4. Most Adorable
5. Temptation Alley
6. Best Child Handler
7. Best Dressed
8. Best K’S PATH Alum
9. Agility Round (Simple obstacle course)

– Advance registration & entrance fee required
– Download registration form at this link: https://www.kspath.org/latest/item/download/10
– Registration closes Wed, Oct 31st
– Entry fees: Adults KD5; Children under 14 KD3; Participating dogs KD6; Non participating dogs KD2
– Civil ID or Passport must be shown at entrance

To book your very own booth or general inquiries, email: [email protected]
For more information visit the event Facebook page [Here]