Author: Mark

For some odd reason there is a stamps exhibition currently taking place at the Avenues. I say odd not because I am not a stamps fan but because it’s 2010 and I thought stamp collecting was dead. I still have my stamp collection tucked away somewhere in my bookshelf and I should probably pass by the exhibition and see if I have anything that’s worth something. The exhibition is going to be there until the 27th and they’re located in Phase II opposite Diesel and Marc Jacobs. It’s a stamps exhibition!

I first heard about G-FORCE back when k.thekuwaiti posted about them on my blog back in 2008. I thought the place looked amazing (check above) but I never ended up passing by them until recently. I needed to get some paint work done on my Z4 since the previous paint job I got was starting to peel for some odd reason. My friend recommended I pass by the G-FORCE body shop since their prices were cheaper than the dealers and yet their paint work was better. So I passed by for an estimate and to check out the place.

I passed by them in the Free Trade Zone (behind Villa Moda) and was met by their sales manager. I asked him if I could check out the place first since it was my first time there and he gave me a tour. On the ground floor is their car showroom where they display their Cobras (by Backdraft Racing), Big Bear Choppers bikes (they’re the dealers) and other random but interesting cars for sale. The Cobra on display looked incredible but I figured it was one of those if you have to ask then you can’t afford it kinda cars so I never found out how much they cost. They looked really amazing though. On their top floor they had a whole bunch of items on display ranging from clothing and racing gear to car parts and memorabilia. Turns out they had a ton of cool brands like Sparco, Recaro, HRE wheels, Autoart, some other brands I don’t remember and even Fomula 1 and MotoGP clothing. In one corner they had a signed Rubens Barrichello racing suit which had worn and won in but it wasn’t for sale. At first impression this place looked nothing like a garage should look like and I mean that in a very good way.

Anyway once we were done I went out back and checked out their body shop, it was super clean and organized even though they were busy working on a bunch of cars. I got to check out their DynoJet (yup they have one) and then check out their prep/paint booth which according to k.thekuwaiti is Ferrari approved. Their painter checked out the panels I needed painted on my car and he told me right away what was wrong with the previous paint job. It was a bit too technical for me to understand but basically the previous painter hadn’t prepped the panel properly and so the paint wasn’t sticking to the car. I got a price quote which was better than I expected and booked an appointment to drop my car.

They ended up doing a great job on the paint job and since it turns out they also did mechanical work I had them fix a small oil leak I had. I figured I would post about them so I asked the guy what other services they offered and he told me they did everything from 1000hp upgrades to custom paint jobs and get this… they have something called the G-Force Advanced Driving Academy. Twice a year they take 24 people from Kuwait to the Autodrome track in Dubai where they hire out cars (TT’s, R8’s, single seater racers) and teach them basic to advanced driving techniques. I thought that was pretty cool but again I didn’t ask how much it cost. Anyway if you’re interested to find out more you can visit their website [Here] and their Facebook page [Here].

Did you know you could request an ambulance online? I didn’t until a few moments ago when I read it on Q8-Dewaniya. Just go to Kuwait’s EMS website and click the link at the bottom that says ambulance request. [Link]

I’ve updated the Kuwait Blogs app now to version 2.0. Basically I’ve fixed a ton of bugs and also updated the bloggers list by removing inactive blogs and adding new ones. The total amount of blogs in the App has increased and is now 21. Here is the list of blogs:

2:48AM
2:48PM
360 Dewan
4th Ring Road
Ansam
Banana Q8
Black Market
Buz Fairy
Buzberry
Confashions
Fereej
Frankom
High Street Q8
His & Hers
iLSul6ana
Me Blogging
P0ach
Tidbit Du Jour
Trying to be Fahad
Up Till One
zDistrict

Another major update is the graphics. All the icons were redone in high resolution so they will look much better on the iPhone 4’s. Previously they were looking a bit blurry but now they’re back to looking extremely sharp. You can download the update from the App Store or if you haven’t downloaded and installed the App before then you can find it in the store by searching for Kuwait Blogs or by clicking [Here]

I take the Gulf Road every morning to work and every evening back home. I also take the Gulf Road on my way to the gym and back. Every single freakin day I have to put up with jerks on the road trying to hit on chicks. The Gulf Road is just 3 lanes and if there is a car with a girl in it then you find a car on the left of hers and a car on the right of hers filled with a guy or two driving at the exact same speed as the girl (or girls). It’s ridiculous! Sometimes there would be a car in front of her as well and maybe a car or two behind also trying to get some action. These idiots block the whole Gulf Road driving at a slow pace hoping to get the girls number or whatever (I have no clue how that works) while everyone else is forced to drive at an abnormally slow pace behind them.

It’s not just guys that are the problem, sometimes you get these group of girls with a ton of makeup on giggling and laughing in the car with the windows open driving slow actually wanting the guys to hit on them. It really pisses me off. Where are the cops? Why don’t the cops do anything? Why don’t they assign the female cops (pictured above) to the Gulf Road and have them take vengeance?? Instead of installing new speed cameras on the Gulf Road they should figure out a way to stop these morons.

Sorry I’m venting but I just got home after getting stuck in traffic because of some jerks.

Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia & Radisson Blu Hotel present:

Carmen – Georges Bizet

Date: Saturday December 11, 2010 at 8PM
Location: Al Hashemi II Grand Ballroom at the Radisson Blu Hotel

Performed by International Soloists:
Alicja Wegorzewska – Whiskerd – Carmen – Verica Grmusa – Micaela – Tomasz Kuk – Don Jose – Adam Szerszen – Escamillo

Tickets: KD16 (available at Radisson Blu tel 25673000 and Virgin)

For more information visit www.kuwaitcp.com

Has any paper other than the Kuwait Times mentioned anything about the DSLR ban in Kuwait? A lot of news sites online have been posting about the ban and their only source is Kuwait Times. Isn’t that a bit odd?

I just found out that Shake Shack is opening in Dubai in March while Kuwait still doesn’t have a launch date! This absolutely sucks. It’s the worst food related news I’ve heard this year even surpassing the mechanically separated chicken post.

Dasman Diabetes Institute is having a big event this Thursday for World Diabetes Day, check the below for more information:

——————————————

How much do you know about diabetes? Did you know that Kuwait has one of the highest rates of diabetics in the world? You know that beautiful glass building in front of Souq Sharq? Ever wondered what it was? Be it “yes” or “no” you are invited to join us at the Dasman Diabetes Institute to celebrate World Diabetes Day.

When: Thursday, 25th November
Time: 4:00PM to 9:00PM
What: A jam packed event of educational and entertainment including:
– A cooking class by celebrity Kuwaiti chef Adlah Al-Sharhan who will show us how to make healthy machos
– Interactive gallery where you can learn, feel and explore modern ways of healthy living
– Outdoor performances by Traditional Kuwaiti Musical Band and Takht Sharqi
– A special performance by Electrik Crew, a local Kuwaiti urban dance group
– In house doctors and nurses performing free medical screenings and health stats and personalized nutrition consultations

For kids:
– Nintendo Wii tournaments
– Fas9la fitness un
– Face painting
– Nutrition knock-outs
– Magic show
– Balloon art

Snacks and refreshments included. The purpose of this event is to promote awareness, education and prevention of diabetes.

For more information contact: 22242999 ext 1160
Here is a link to the [Invite]
and here is a link to the [Facebook Page]

It looks like Al Salasil will be opening their bookstore at the Avenues soon. It’s supposed to be the largest bookstore in Kuwait, yes you read right… BOOKSTORE! Over the Eid they placed transparent boxes filled with books at the airport with a teaser message “Heading to the biggest bookstore in Kuwait”. I hope it turns out to be cool.

I’m not a big fan of True Value (I prefer Ace) but I was there over the weekend looking for something when I found two interesting items.

The first is this fire safe/waterproof external hard drive. The idea is that you back your stuff onto it and in case your apartment catches on fire your data would be safe. Price was expensive at around KD180. It costs KD113 on Amazon without shipping and the thing is heavy but I doubt that shipping with Aramex would cost more than KD30 or KD40.

The second interesting thing I found were Daisy brand air rifles. They had the Daisy 840 Grizzly rifle for KD39 (KD12 on Amazon) and the Daisy 880 with Scope for KD49 (KD16 on Amazon). They looked pretty nice.

The gas station on the Gulf Road right next to Shaab Park in Salmiya is nearly done. I passed by tonight and they had the lights on and everything looks pretty cool. I think there will also be a small mini market at this gas station which should prove to be very popular since it’s right on the Gulf Road. This used to be the gas station I passed by the most since it’s on my way back from work so I’m glad it’s finally opening up again.

[YouTube]

I don’t know how many people remember Abdullah Al-Moussawi or know who he is but two years ago a video popped up on YouTube of this young charismatic Kuwaiti 9 year old playing football against older kids and outplaying them. He had long curly hair and people were saying he was the next Maradonna and watching the video above you could understand why. Well anyway a reader emailed me a story about Abdullah he wanted to share, it’s kinda long but it’s interesting to read.

[YouTube]

The story talks about how a talent scout in Holland saw Abdullah’s video on YouTube and came to Kuwait to watch him live. Abdullah was then given an opportunity to go to Holland and compete in a few trials where he proved to be extremely talented and one of the top young players they had ever seen. He was then accepted into one of the best football academy’s on a scholarship without any binding contracts or strings attached. Problem was Abdullah couldn’t move to Holland without his family so they asked for help from Kuwaiti officials who agreed which prompted the family to move with Abdullah to Holland so he could attend school there and join the football academy. They even made a documentary about Abdullah which was broadcasted on Dutch TV and also screened in the Gulf Film Festival held in Dubai last year (promo clip above). Problem is Kuwait never ended up helping out and so the parents were forced to move back to Kuwait after 2 months with Abdullah ending what could have been an incredible experience for him.

That’s basically a quick summary but I recommend you read the full story. It’s very sad how Abdullah was extremely popular and big in the Dutch media while no one gave him any attention locally. It’s also sad how things turned out in the end and I wonder how Abdullah is doing right now. Check the full story below.

Can anyone pleeeeaaaassseeee hook me up with the Humvee simulation. Even the counter terrorist driving at the end looks like a lot of fun. [YouTube]

As most of you already know by now I’ve been enrolled with Core Fitness since January. When I first started I was going twice a week for 20 intense minutes each time. My diet was fairly close to what I used to have before joining Core but it was just a bit healthier. Then I moved up to 3 sessions a week and a stricter diet and after that I moved up to 4 sessions a week with even a more stricter diet. It’s been a gradual increase which I’ve realized now was a great thing since it helped me ease into this new lifestyle. I went from an unhealthy couch potato to being obsessed with fitness and health in under a year.

So anyway starting today I started taking their 1 hour sessions. They just introduced them for people who want to take things even further and I have to say it’s just crazy. I’ve already posted about how intense the 20 minute sessions are and anyone who’s actually tried a session will know what I am talking about, well their 1 hour session is literally their 20 minute sessions x3. Half way through I couldn’t believe I still had another 30 minutes to go! I had a Jujitsu class an hour later and when I got to that class I was already too exhausted to go through the warm up and stretching session. I’ve now actually gone ahead and scheduled my Jujitsu classes to days where I don’t have gym.

My weekly schedule now is:
Saturday – Monday – Wednesday = Core Fitness
Sunday – Tuesday = Sidekick Academy

I’ve got an activity scheduled everyday of the week except now for Thursday and Friday which are my days off. If you don’t do any activities then you should consider adding some since there are tons to choose from and the body really needs it. Finally for those of you who didn’t know, Fahad now has his own health and fitness blog up called Trying to be Fahad. You can check it out [Here]