Category: Information

I just found out Tory Burch is coming to Kuwait and the rest of the region courtesy of the Chalhoub Group. They’re opening their first branch at Dubai Mall this year and a branch in Kuwait next year. [Link]

It seems to cut down on dog fights the ministry has banned certain dogs from being imported to Kuwait. I personally don’t think that’s the proper way to cut down on dog fights since people who want to fight dogs will fight dogs no matter what breed they are.

Around 6 years ago I posted about these amazing baseball fields off the 6th Ring Road right before 360 Mall (pictured above). There were two fields stuck next to each other and they both stuck out like an oasis in the desert. Well for some odd reason the fields are not there anymore. Below is how the baseball field currently looks like, it’s depressing.

It’s like they were never there! Luckily I took a few pictures of the baseball field back then and you can check them out [Here]

The Avenues have responded in regards to the notice in today’s paper on not being allowed to use the Avenues name, pictures or anything related. Basically that notice was for people who were using the Avenues brand for commercial purposes.

We would like to affirm to our friends and followers on social media networks that your efforts to follow activities of The Avenues Mall are greatly appreciated, and we always stand ready to provide you with the latest news.

With regard to the ad published in some of the newspapers, it refers to the use of the name and the logo of The Avenues Mall in some of the programs and projects on the World Wide Web, as well as to websites that are using the logo of The Avenues as their own logo when in fact they do not represent the company. This is in violation of intellectual property rights. The ad is in no way making reference to your coverage of our activities on social media networks, which is an aspect that we are always keen on further enhancing with you.

We thank you for your interest and we express appreciation for your efforts.

If you want to appreciate your internet connection in Kuwait all you need to do is spend a few days in Lebanon. Most internet connections there are 256Kbps or 512Kbps and it’s just really really horrible. But there is some good news and that’s starting next month everyone’s connection in Lebanon is going to get a huge boost. Check the old and new speed/prices above to get an idea on how it compares with Kuwait.

You’ll notice with the new speed and prices, internet in Lebanon is actually going to be cheaper than Kuwait but what I want to highlight here is the download caps. Those caps listed above are the monthly download caps NOT daily ones. Imagine having a 2Mbps internet connection with just a 20GB monthly cap! I got pissed when my 2Mbps connection here in Kuwait got capped at 85GB a month but it’s like 4 times as bad in Lebanon. It really sucks.

Just an update on whats going on with the Benihana lawsuit. Back in late April I posted about how I won the lawsuit against Benihana and how I thought it was a great victory since it reinforced the right for us bloggers in Kuwait to state our personal opinions. Well around a month after the victory Benihana appealed the courts decision which is their right to do and we headed to court once again. Except the second time it didn’t go so well.

Yesterday I found out that the court ruled in favor of Benihana and have ordered me to now pay them the sum of KD1,000. The court still hasn’t released their decision for this ruling and I have to wait around 2 weeks to find that out. I of course will be appealing the decision and be heading back to court to defend our right of freedom of expression. Once I have anymore updates will post them here.

If you have no idea what lawsuit I am talking about click [Here]

The partial opening of the 1st Ring Road got postponed because they forgot to put up signs so until the project fully opens here are shots of a 1st Ring Road model that will give you an idea of how it will look like once completed.

Thanks Cyril

A reader emailed me to tell me that the Taj Mahal Mosque in Kuwait which I posted about before [Here] is now open. Looks like a palace out of Aladdin.

Thanks Yousuf

I had to pass by the post office to mail some defected RAM back to the States and I have to say the place was as weird as I was expecting it to be. I went to the Safat post office in Kuwait City and I only managed to find it by asking passers by since there wasn’t any sign outside the place.

Once I walked in I thought I took the wrong door and stepped inside the post office museum since there were cabinets with old stamps lining up the wall on my right and I could see more cabinets ahead in a large hallway.

I saw stamps in the cabinet that dated back to the 60’s and figured I might as well check out this museum first and then head to the post office.

After checking out a couple of cabinets the room opened up and I realized I was actually in the post office and not the museum.

I went up to the counter and asked the employee there about bareed mumtaz which is what they call EMS in Kuwait. He took my items, weighed them and told me it would cost KD6 to mail it to the States and that it would get there in under a week. In comparison, Aramex wanted KD10.5 to mail it in addition to another KD20 as a deposit in case US customs charged a duty.

Although the post office does look very outdated I didn’t mind it since the place was deserted which meant no lines. The employee I also dealt with was friendly and most importantly the EMS service seems pretty reliable and reasonably fast. Not bad.

They shut down The Noodle House on the Gulf Road at the start of Ramadan. I thought they were going to renovate but yesterday they put up the hoarding above saying the Moti Mahal Indian restaurant was coming soon. I hadn’t heard of the restaurant before but since there is already a Moti Mahal open in the UAE, I’m guessing we’re getting the same one. [Link]

There are two promotions I know about that basically involve you not doing anything different from your usual routine and yet get entered in a draw to win a prize. One promotion is for Alfa the other is for NBK.

Alfa Gas Stations
Friday I passed by the Alfa gas station on the Gulf Road to fill up and noticed they had mascots, clowns and loud music playing. I thought it was EXTREMELY annoying since all I wanted to do was drive in, fill up gas and leave but instead I was greeted with a long queue of cars stopping to find out what all the commotion was about and parents with kids stopping so they could see the clowns. Some guy approached me to give me a flyer but since I was pissed off at the traffic they had created I didn’t even care what the promotion was about.

Yesterday on my way home from work I passed by to fill up again but this time asked about the offer and it turned out to be pretty good. Basically fill up like you regularly do and get a receipt. Every receipt has a code which you SMS to a specific number and every week you will have a chance to win a bunch of prizes including a car, iPhone and iPad’s. I thought that was pretty easy to take part in. [Details]

NBK
The second promotion is for NBK and is also very easy to participate in. All you need to do is use Watani Online and that’s it. Just by using it you’ll have a chance to win KD1,000 every week. Simple as that. [Details]

If you know of other promotions that are currently taking place and also as easy to take part in, mention it in the comments below.

Note: Full disclosure, NBK is my agencies client but I am posting about their offer on my own accord.

Credit ratings for every country around the world including Kuwait. Our rating is AA which is similar to the US. [Link]

A reader sent me a link to an article in Al Qabas newspaper which you can read below:

Basically what the article says is that the His Highness the Amir found out about the old photographer and has given instructions to have him taken care of, giving him whatever he needs. Isn’t that just the coolest thing ever!

Thanks Tannous

I found out about this yesterday and I think it’s a great idea. The 3 Club along with Viva are launching a campaign to collect a thousand pairs of wearable running shoes from now till the end of Ramadan. Once all the running shoes is collected they will be sending them to Africa and given to people who really need them. So if you have sneakers lying around you don’t wear anymore (I know I do), then follow the instructions below.

For more information check out the The 3 Club blog [Here]

The donation boxes as of now are currently located in the following locations:

Extreme Sports – Tilal and Salmiya
Viva HQ – Salmiya
Lashes Salon for ladies – Yarmouk
Baking Tray – Kuwait City
Tatami – Kuwait City
AUK – Salmiya
ACK – Mishref

The new NBK iPhone and iPad app is finally out. I’ve actually had the demo version of the app for a few months now but I couldn’t show anyone or say anything since I had signed a non-disclosure agreement. The new app is way better than their previous one as you can clearly see by the options and features available. If you want to download it just search for NBK in the app store or click [Here]