Author: Mark

If you have an iPhone I highly recommend you get the Amazon app. Along with a fast and easy to use search feature, Amazon have included an amazing service called Amazon Remembers. Say while over at your friends place or while out shopping you found something you’re interested in, maybe its a CD, or a TV or as in my case a book, all you need to do is snap a picture of the item with the iPhone and the Amazon app uploads it online where a community of people research your photo and try to find the same product on Amazon.com. I just tried it now with a book I was interested and by the time I got home I had already received an email with a link to the product on Amazon.

Update: Just for the fun of it I took a picture of my dog eating his bone with the app and it got sent to Amazon. A few minutes later I got an email back pointing me towards a dog bone on Amazon! Amazing stuff, they’ve got a great sense of humor!!

Cool earrings made out of Lego flowers. [Link]

Number 7 and 4 are my favorites. [YouTube]

I just got the following in my email from a passenger on a Kuwait Airways flight who’s currently stuck at the Cairo Airport. This incident just happened awhile ago:

Hey Mark –

I wanted to contact you for a [potentially] new post you might want to write. First off, what I’m gonna write about isn’t in the news yet but it will almost definitely be in the morning, so you get the insights before they do.

I was on Kuwait Airways flight 542 from Cairo to Kuwait today with my family. Basically, after the plane left the gates and was on the runway, we stopped and the crews opened up the doors claiming there was an apparently major technical problem with one of the engines. About a half hour later, they said it was fine and we could be on our way. Plane taxis once again, but I noticed that the ride was strangely bumpy.

We took off, and about 20 seconds after take off with the plane going up rapidly, the right engine exploded. The plane shook hard, another explosion went off with another hard shake, and then one final boom and the plane dipped. Passengers in the back started screaming that fire was coming out of the engine and the plane began to lose altitude freakishly quickly. People were screaming, panicking, praying and getting out of their seats. I was flying first, but even from there, I managed to see flames and smoke billowing out of the engine. Mix all that together, and voilà, a scene from Hell. I thought it was all over, and clearly, so did the 200+ others on that nightmare flight.

Lucky for us, after thirty minutes or so spinning around in the air, the pilot managed to stabilize the plane and we made an emergency landing at Cairo International again, complete with fire trucks and ambulances. The plane stops just off the runway, they offload everyone and the airline offered to set us up in a hotel. Things got a bit messy on the ground when a passenger blacked out and collapsed on the runway, but I hope he’ll be fine.

Definitely adds to Kuwait Airways’ stellar reputation lately, don’t you think?

I’m on the next Kuwait Airways flight out of Cairo in an hour or so. Wish me luck.

I hope to hear back from you.

– Khaled

Thats really freaky, I am never going to fly Kuwait Airways again. I just checked the Kuwait Airport website and it’s showing the plane as currently being delayed. This is crazy!

Update: I couldn’t find a mention of this incident in the Arab Times but the Kuwait Times have written about it. [Link]

Its the time of year again when AUK hold their annual car boot sale in their parking lot. If you’re interested in selling items out of the trunk of your car, one parking space is for KD10 while two is for KD15. The car boot sale will be held on January 10th, 2009. [Link]

Kuwait ranked 31st in the world in computer ownership. Doesn’t sound that bad until you realize Estonia, Slovania Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Latvia scored higher than Kuwait. Not that I have anything against those countries mind you! [Link]

Update: I just purchased the ebook version of The Pocket World in Figures 2008 and here are some interesting facts I found related to Kuwait…

– Kuwait ranks second in lowest death rate per capita. UAE is first, Qatar is third.

– Kuwait ranks 20th in most deaths in road accidents, I used to think we were first?

– Kuwait ranks 2nd in most injured in road accidents, Qatar is first with more than 3 times the amount!

– Kuwait ranks 3rd in death by diabetes, UAE is first, Saudi is second.

– Kuwait ranks 2nd in largest amount of carbon dioxide emissions per person. UAE is first.

– Kuwait ranks 4th in “Proportion of a country’s population residing in a single city”. That city being Kuwait City which doesn’t make sense since not many people live in Kuwait City.

– Kuwait ranks 3rd in Least economically dependent on agriculture. I don’t know if thats a good thing, I doubt.

– Kuwait ranks 1st in Largest consumption of energy per head (oil). UAE is second, the US is 5th.

– Finally, Kuwait ranks 5th in most crowded road networks. Qatar is first, Hong Kong second and Germany third.

Back in September I posted the logo Nataly designed for the Choowy Goowy New Yorker Cheesecake. Well the packages are now also finally done and printed and they’ve started delivering the cakes in them. So if you haven’t tried the New Yorker yet now is the perfect time. It’s KD11.5 for a full cake and you get to choose any crust you want, my favorite is the brownie crust.

To order a cake call them on 22620011 or 22626559.

Beautiful weather today so I took my Tamiya car to a parking lot across the street from my house to play around with. I even tried shooting a video (below) which didn’t come out as I planned! Its a really cool car but I keep wishing I had the real version instead. I am going to get soooo much more Tamiya cars though, its like I finally found myself a hobby! [YouTube]

I am sooo hungry right now! [Link]

So last week I bought two tickets to London since I am going to be there from the 27th of January till the 31st. Well today I wake up and check my email and it tells me I can now check in. I look at the email closely and it turns out I booked the tickets for December 27th and not January 27th! I now can’t fucking change my booking online for some reason, British Airways is currently closed and the flight is 8:55AM tomorrow! What is there I can do?? I have no clue how I booked December instead of January, no clue whatsoever!

Update: I couldn’t cancel or change my online booking because the departure time was less than 24 hours. I couldn’t get a hold of BA in Kuwait or UAE. I tried calling the UK office but it kept giving me errors since the number I found only works if you call from within the UK. Finally I tried with Skype and I got through somehow. The BA agent on the other end of the line was extremely nice and helpful. He fixed my booking and saved my ass basically. I think this is the last time Nat is going to make me handle anything related to traveling especially after my last fuck up in Paris!

I just got an email from a reader saying he saw a Schlotzsky’s opening soon sign at opposite Alraya Mall in Kuwait City. I used to LOVE Schlotzsky’s back when they were open in Lebanon. They make the best sandwiches ever!

Thanks Aliman!

Aramex dropped off my first Tamiya radio control kit this morning. The Frog which I purchased early in the month was a ready built model but now since I really want to get into this hobby I ordered two more car kits so I could enjoy building them.

I originally wanted to purchased the Tamiya’s from the local dealer since his prices are cheaper than the Internet but both of the cars I wanted were out of stock here, actually one of them (pictured above), the Lancia Delta HF Integrale was a discontinued model so I only managed to find it on eBay. The other car, an old Dodge van nicknamed the Lunch Box was coming in the next shipment due to arrive in February but I couldn’t wait that long so I also ordered it from eBay.

First thing I did once I got my kit today was pass by the Tamiya workshop in Muthana and pick up a metal ball bearing set and some spray paint which I am going to use once the Lunch Box arrives next week. Now I am going to spend all day and put this kit together. Will post pictures once I am done. The fact that my car was delivered to me on Christmas morning makes me feel like a kid all over again.

Update: Ok it took me around 5 hours but I finally was able to put the whole thing together and take it out for a spin in my parking lot. The car is great but I definitely need to do some upgrades, first thing will probably be a more powerful engine motor followed by better grip tires and probably a suspension upgrade.

Some guys in Qatar managed to play the Super Mario theme song on a oud and the outcome is actually good. [YouTube]

Denis Leary is the coolest. [Link]

It seems Starbucks is having a Toys Drive where all toys collected will be donated to the orphans at Dar Al-Atfal. A reader spotted the sign above with a basket full of toys at the Starbucks branch located at The Palms so I don’t know if this is something that’s exclusively being done at that branch or if all branches are participating in this. If someone can clear that up it would be great and also does anyone know when will this toys drive end?

Thanks Someday Red!

Update: The following email was sent to me from Alshaya containing more details on the Toys Drive…

Thank you for your interest in Starbucks “Holiday Joy” toys drive. I am happy to share with you an overview of the toys drive, the first time to launch in the Starbucks Middle East Markets, in selected stores in Kuwait, UAE & Lebanon.

Participating stores in Kuwait are:
Al Kout, Palms, Mishref, Jabriya, Behbehani, Keifan Sporting Club, Flagship, Hilton Hawally Plaza, Souk Sharq, Shamiyeh and Free Zone.

Duration of the drive is from 1st week of Dec. till 1st week of January.

The idea originated mainly as we were looking for ways to give back to our communities, especially during the holiday season, so we are inviting our customers to join our partners (employees) in sharing the joy of the season, by donating a toy to an orphan.

Warm regards,