Category: Information

Aramex just delivered my D90 camera. I ordered it once it got released late last month as a replacement for my Nikon D70 which had started showing its age. I originally purchased the D70 for my Miskan project back in November 2004 to replace my aging Sony F717. I still love my D70 and it still performs really great but its developed a problem that’s common to the D70’s where it has trouble reading the memory card. Although I hate zoom lenses I ordered the D90 with the kit lens. Since I will be trying to shoot short movies I figured a zoom lens would definitely come in handy. I still have my eyes on the Nikon 20mm f2.8 lens and the Nikon 85mm 1.8f lens. Maybe for Christmas…

Note: The Nikon D90 w/ kit lens is available on Amazon for KD350 [Link]

Louis Vuitton have reopened in Salhiya after shutting down for expansion.

I just found out about this today so I guess it’s better late than never. Shrimpy which is one of my favorite fast food joints has an incredible offer going on at the moment. For KD2,950 you get 4 pieces of fish, 30 pieces of shrimps, 2 tartar sauce, 2 pieces of bread and french fries. If only it came with a large coke it would be perfect. To find out where there is a Shrimpy near you visit their website. [Link]

According to Falantan the blogger who first told us about YouTube getting block, the order to block YouTube was cancelled today morning. YouTube is here to stay for now.

A reader called Omar emailed me a very startling email about his experience with Sultan Center. Now I can’t verify if this is true or not because I don’t know Omar but the pictures look pretty legit to me. This is what he had to say:

I bought two After Eight dark chocolate bars from Sultan Center last week. I opened one and after taking my first bite I almost puked. I checked the expiry date on the sticker and it said 31/10/08. I then decided to peel that sticker only to realize that Sultan had covered up the real expiry date! The chocolate had expired on June 2008! I am heading there right now to make a big scene about this, but I doubt I will get very far.

Who prints and sticks these labels, is it Sultan Center or another company does anyone know?

Update: Omar passed by Sultan Center and it seems the labels are printed by the American supplier, this is what he had to say:

Thanks for posting this Mark. After I sent you the pictures I went to Sultan and asked to meet the manager. A pleasant Indian guy came over to talk to me. He is the floor manager (working in Sultan for 9 years). I showed him the expiry date and the real expiry date underneath. He was truly shocked and not feigning. I can usually tell when people are faking. After the initial shock set in, he got extremely apologetic, saying that he�s worked here for 9 years and never came across something like this. He agreed that this is not an honest mistake and is FRAUD!

We then went to check the rest of the stock, unfortunately it was all sold out (so sadly a few more people are gonna experience moldy chocolate at its finest). The floor manager took my details and promised that the “big” manager will call me soon.

30 mins after leaving Sultan I get a call from a very apologetic, sweet talking Lebanese guy who identified himself as The Manager. He apologized a million times, and also admitted that this was not an honest mistake. However, Sultan is not the source of the fraud. Apparently the �ministry of something� here in Kuwait insists that food products come with that Arabic sticker from the source, and should be tagged before clearing customs. So the “American Food Supplies Inc. ” which provided Sultan with the chocolate (already with the sticker) is the one to blame. They have been using that company for over 10 years and are truly shocked. To prove to me they are serious they will keep me updated of the proceedings with the American supplier. He also asked me to come back so they can compensate me for my troubles (whatever that means). I will go see him tomorrow.

I must say, I was expecting complete indifference by the management, but I am pleasantly surprised that they took the matter very seriously. If the stickers really are applied by the supplier, before they reach customs, then Sultan is not the source of the Fraud. Can anyone confirm that those stickers are in fact applied before they reach customs?

Falantan a blogger that works at a local internet provider just posted that today they received an order from one of the department heads at the Ministry of Communication asking them to block Youtube.com. I hope this isn’t true since if they block YouTube they might as well just go all the way and block the Internet completely.

You can find more info on Falantan’s blog. [Link]

As many of you already know starting October 17th Kuwait is shifting from 7 digit numbers to 8. Zain numbers will get a 9 added at the beginning, Wataniya a 6, landlines will get a 2 added and commercial numbers that start with eight will get a 1 added to the front. Already over this weekend Zain and Wataniya started adding the extra numbers so its basically time to start converting all your phone numbers as well.

There are now a number of ways to convert all your numbers automatically. Zain and Wataniya both are offering this service. For Zain you need to send the letter B by SMS to 99509 and for Wataniya users you need to SMS the same word BACKUP but to 1618 instead.

Now if you would like to take matters into your own hands some guys have created applications that will do the conversion automatically.

For Windows users the blogger Q8ba7th has created an application that will take all your numbers and convert them with the new digits. You can download his application from his blog [Here]

For Mac users the blogger Q8i has created an Apple script that will also convert all your numbers to the correct format. You can download his script from his blog [Here]

Finally, iPhone users, you’re in for a treat because the local blogger Bojacob has created an iPhone application that will convert the numbers for you directly on your phone. To find out how to install his app visit his blog [Here]

Update: Here is the link to the Zain Mobile Backup site [Link]

Sephora the leading retail beauty chain in Europe opened at The Avenues yesterday.

A friend of mine called me up yesterday, he purchased Salmon eggs from Sultan Center and while eating them he noticed they tasted strange. He took a look at the expiry date and it turned out the eggs had expired over a month ago on August 18th! Sultan Center is the only supermarket I shop at so its really frustrating that something like this keeps happening over and over. From now on I am literally going to be checking the expiry date on every product I purchase.

My friend has now started a Facebook group so people can voice their concerns on this issue and he is also planning on releasing it in the papers this week specially after the fact that when he went to Sultan to complain they took the matter very lightly and told him to come back next week. Hopefully by shinning the spotlight on this issue Sultan Center will be forced to take action in stopping this from happening again. [Facebook Group]

Choowy Goowy have soft launched their new line of cheese cakes. Its a soft launch because their cheese cake packaging isn’t completed yet but the cheese cake itself is out of the testing phase. Since I am good friends with one of the owners I was able to try their cheese cake around 2 months back while they were still working on the recipe and one of the coolest things about their cake (other than the taste) is the fact that you get to choose what type of crust you want. The crust itself is made from their Choowy Goowy cookies so you have a wide range of options to choose from.

You can find out more about their cheese cakes on the Choowy Goowy blog plus get a preview on the package designs and contact info in case you want to order a whole cake or slice. [Link]

FIVE60 are holding a Charity Ghabga event that will take place on September 17th to help raise money for Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospitals – KACCH.

A lot of food and beverages vendors will be participating in the event so not only will you be enjoying fabulous food and drinks but it will also be for a good cause!

Venue: FIVE60
Address: Rawda, Block 5, Street 60, House # 4
Opposite Jamal Abdulnaser Park
Time: 9:00PM – 12:00AM

Note: Ghabga for those of you who don’t know is a Kuwaiti word. Its the meal eaten during Ramadan between Futoor and Suhoor (futoor is when you break your fast, and suhoor is your last meal before sunrise in preparation for fasting the next day).

More information on FIVE60
More information on the event

A reader called Sherv emailed me the photo above which was taken at The Avenues. According to him DKNY is opening up at the Avenues and Donna Karan in Salhiya. Both should be opening in October.

I was just at the Avenues (which was EXTREMELY overcrowded) when I spotted a new place that’s opening up called Obika Mozzarella Bar. I just checked their website and it looks like its going to be a cool and healthy place. They’ve got locations in Roma, Milano, London and Turin but they’re now opening up in Kuwait and New York (guess which is the odd one out). Can’t wait to try out them out. [Link]

An anonymous reader emailed me a link to this article. It seems its confirmed, Kuwait is going with Dodge Chargers which is something everyone thought would happen since the alternatives weren’t as practical. [Link]

I haven’t tried this, its a theory but it seems like a full proof plan. Vodafone in New Zealand sell unlocked versions of the iPhone 3G, meaning unlike the US versions, they New Zealand iPhone would work here in Kuwait without needing to crack/hack it. Vodafone also sell the phone online on their New Zealand website and you can buy the phone using a Kuwaiti credit card without any issues but you can only ship it to a New Zealand address. Whats the solution? Get a New Zealand forwarding mailbox!

Here is the link to the New Zealand Vodafone website [Link]
Here is a link to a company that will setup a forwarding mailbox [Link]

The price of the phone on the Vodafone website is KD212. With the fastest method for shipping (2-4 days) from New Zealand to Kuwait according to the forwading mailbox website it will cost you KD18. That means the phone with the price of shipping to Kuwait will be KD230. Pretty cheap.

If anyone tries it and has success leave a comment below.