Author: Mark

As part of a series of events to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Kuwait’s independence and the 20th Anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait after the first Gulf War, the British Council brings the Arun Ghosh Quintet to Kuwait for two live music performances.

First Show
Date: Thursday, 17 February 2011
Time: 7:30pm
Location: The Performing Arts Centre, The English School

Second Show
Date: Friday, 18 February 2011
Time: 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Location: The Avenues, Phase 2 outside Dean & Deluca

Admission is free to both events but for The English School performance it’s strictly on a first-come, first-served basis and you should arrive in good time in order to secure a seat. For more information visit this [Link]

Thanks Guy

Around a week ago the local blog His & Hers posted about a price discrepancy they spotted at River Island and they were very upset because they felt cheated. River Island responded to their post by inviting them over for a meeting so they could explain to them why things are priced the way they are. They didn’t have to do this but they took the extra effort to make things right. You can check that post [Here]

Yesterday on the Dubai Eye radio station during the show Techno Tuesday (Listen here 2nd file starting at 3:30) they brought up the issue I am having with Benihana and one of the hosts mentioned Aramex as a company that handles criticism really well which I have to say is absolutely true. Those of you who have been reading my blog know how much and how often I’ve criticized Aramex in the past and it never got personal. I’ve actually been with them for over 10 years now and I was one of their first 200 customers and they’ve always taken criticism from me and their customers and used it to try and improve their service. Not once did I receive a warning from them or have a package of mine “accidentally” get sent to China. In fact they even wanted me to post asking my readers what issues they also had with them, which I ended up doing.

Now that’s good customer care.

Kuwait Charity Run has teamed up with Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospice to raise funds and awareness within the Kuwait community, bringing you Kuwait’s 1st Half-Marathon Run!

Kuwait Charity Run is a non-profit group founded to encourage community members, runners, and athletes to raise funds and donations for good causes and engage in outdoor sports activities.

Distance: 21km or 10km
Date: March 19th 2011

For registration and much more information visit their website [Here]

I just found out from local blog Brake Banzeen that Valentino Balboni, the famous Lamborghini test driver was in Kuwait during the Concours d’Elegance. I also found out Wayne Carini from Discovery Channel’s Chasing Classic Cars was also there. Not sure how I missed them since I was there that day. Luckily Brake Banzeen spotted them and you can check out his two posts below:

Chasing Wayne Carini on Brake Banzeen
Valentino Balboni at Concours d’Elegance

I just found out there is a website dedicated to the golden jubilee of the independence of the State of Kuwait. The website has a downloadable PDF of ALL the events that are taking place this month, for example did you know that tomorrow the 2nd Kuwait National Arabian Horse Championship will be held under the Patronage of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait or that tomorrow in Mubarek Al Kabeer there will be a Sports Day and Entertainment Festival? I didn’t.

Here is the link to the PDF [Link]
Here is the link to the website [Link]

Thanks Franklin

PechaKucha Night #7 will be held tomorrow, Wednesday the 16th of February. 20 images x 20 seconds will be presented by:

Najiba Marafie
Bader Al Bassam
Haider Al Mosawi
Monira Al Qadiri
Naif Al Mutawa
Mohammed J. Aldhubaib
Najwa Marafie
William Schuilencerg
Ola Alrefai

Date: Wednesday, February 16th 2011
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Open air ampitheater at Gulf University of Science & Technology campus, West Mishref
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/kuwait-city
Facebook: Pecha Kucha Kuwait

Update: Just corrected the dates above, it’s February 16th NOT 17th

Ace Hardware are selling UV flashlights. CSI fans will know what a UV flashlight is and can be used for and I picked one up for that very reason. Lots of warning labels all over the place, I didn’t think a UV flashlight could be dangerous. Now I understand why they wear those orange goggles on the TV show. Price? Just KD2.770

Note: As someone mentioned in the comments, this is not a toy and not for kids. There is a reason for all those warning labels on the package and flashlight.

Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons will be opening up in Kuwait. Back in 2004 I took the picture above in Salmiya, supposedly Tim Hortons was opening up there but Dunkin Donuts ended up opening instead. [Link]

Thanks Omar

I know I haven’t mentioned anything about the Benihana case recently and thats not because they’ve dropped the case against me but because I’m trying to keep a bit of normality on the blog. Today though blogs around the world have taken my original Benihana review and reposted it on their blogs while twitter also lit up with supporters tweeting against Benihana’s actions. So, I decided to post a status update on the situation so far.

Yes, Benihana are still suing me

If you don’t know what all this is about here is a quick summary. Last December I passed by Benihana for dinner and then the same night I posted about my experience which wasn’t that great. The next day a person claiming to be the GM of Benihana commented on my post threatening to sue me for my review. A month later I got served with a court order, Benihana was suing me for posting a not so positive review.

After getting the court order and talking to my lawyer, I decided to share with everyone what was happening to me. Originally I had thought this lawsuit was just going to affect me but I quickly realized this lawsuit was bigger than me since the outcome of this case would affect all the bloggers in the region. The amount of support I started receiving from people was unimaginable. Bloggers and tweeters all around the world posted what they thought about this lawsuit and the media quickly picked up on it.

As of today the case still hasn’t been dropped by Benihana and I am still being sued by them. According to the court order they’re suing me for a yet undisclosed amount that will be over $18,000. I am not sure why they want my money and I really think this lawsuit is unfair. Being sued for a review that wasn’t even that negative is just ridiculous.

My court date is still scheduled for March 8th. Below are links to my previous Benihana posts. Thank you once again everyone for your support.

My Benihana Experience
I’m being sued by Benihana
Media coverage on Benihana post

Have you gotten your loved one a Shani today?

A reader emailed me awhile back asking me if I could use this blog and my readers to help me create a list of places that are open 24 hours in Kuwait. I thought that was a good idea so I’ve started the list below with some places I know of that are open 24/7. If you know of any place that’s open 24/7, post it in the comments below and I will add it to the list.

Places open 24/7 in Kuwait:
• Burger King – Bneidar Gas Station 1, Bneidar Gas Station 2, Farwaniyah, Fintas, Hawalli, Khaitan, Messilah, Plajat, Sadiq South Surra and Salmiya opposite Sultan Center.

• Caribou Coffee – King Fahad Road (towards Chalets)

• Coffee Republic – King Fahad Road (towards Kuwait City)

• Co-op – Al Adan, Al-Faiha, Al Qousor, Al Qurain, Dasma, Mishref, Qurtoba, Salmiya and Yarmouk

• Costa – Dar Al Shifa Hospital, Hawalli

• Debenhams – Airport

• Dunkin Donuts – Amman Street (Salmiya) and Fintas

• Fedex Kinkos – Fahad Al Salem street, Kuwait City

• Geant Easy – Salmiya

• Hardees – Khaldiya, Rumathiya and Salmiya (opposite Fanar)

• KFC – Kuwait City, Salmiya (opposite Fanar)

• McDonalds – Al-Qosour, Al-Rai, Bayan, Bnaider, Fintas, Gulf Road, Jabriya, Surra and Yarmouk

Pizza Hut – Faiha, Fintas, Hawalli, Mishref and Salmiya City Center

• Platinum Gym – Salmiya and Kifan

• Prime & Toast – Seef

• Subway – Khaldiya

• Sultan Center – Dajeej, Fahaheel, Hawalli, Jabriya, Mangaf, Al Rai, Salmiya, Salwa and Souk Sharq

• Viva – Airport

• Wataniya – Airport

• X-Cite Electronics – Al Rai, Fahaheel and Hawalli

• Zain – Airport

A Kuwaiti architect called Omar Al-Rajhi decided to start a new hobby after graduating from Kuwait University. He decided to recreate Kuwait City in 3D bit by bit. So far he has already has gone ahead and created 3D models of some of the most famous buildings which you can see on the projects FaceBook page.

It’s a painstakingly slow task and he currently doesn’t know what this could be used for once he’s done (maybe commercial or educational purposes) but for now he’s focusing on remodeling the whole of Kuwait City and once he’s done he’ll see what he can do with this data he is creating. Personally I think this could probably mean we could finally get 3D navigation like some of the main cities in the US. Here is the link to his projects Facebook page [Link]

This is just a reminder that the deadline to submitting your film for the Kuwait Young Film Contest is March 10th which is less than a month away. If you need more information about the contest, its rules, regulations and details on how to submit your film then visit their website [Here]

They’ve also set up a YouTube channel with tip and tricks to film making [Here]

[YouTube]

On the occasion of Kuwait’s 50th National Day as well as the 20th anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation and the 5th anniversary of HH The Amir of Kuwait “Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, Al-Sayer will be attempting to break the Guinness World Records by releasing 5000 doves into the sky.

Date: February 24th, 2011
Location: Marina Crescent
Time: 3:30pm to 6:00pm

For more information visit their Facebook page [Here] and [Here]