VIVA today announced that they’ve rebranded to STC in Kuwait. This was expected to happen after the Saudi Telecom Company purchased a majority stake in Viva back in 2016.
If you’re planning on using road 40 this weekend then you might be in for some traffic since they’ll be completely closing off part of the highway near Mishref because they’ll be demolishing a bridge. For those heading to KMT this Saturday for Open Track, might be better to take Fahaheel Expressway instead.
I’ve previously posted about the US Embassy’s Air Quality Index page which shares data on the pollution level around the US Embassy in Bayan. The data most of the time is pretty alarming because of the high level of pollution we generally have which is why it interested me when I found out it’s not that difficult for someone to set up their own air quality sensor.
PurpleAir is an air quality monitoring network where people can purchase an air quality sensor from them for $229 and then set it up near a wifi spot to allow it to measure and share pollution data over their network. As of now there are three sensors located around Kuwait, one at the Kuwait University Khaldiya Campus, one in Mishref (I think that’s my friend’s place) and one at the ArtStudio in Funaitees.
If you want to check the pollution levels around Kuwait then click here.
On the other hand, if you want to purchase your own air quality sensor and be part of this network then click here.
Spotted this in Dubai over the weekend. It’s an autonomous vehicle that just drives around until someone waves at it and then it stops. Once it stops you can then buy water and snacks from it.
It’s so weird driving by these billboards on my way to work every morning advertising the electronic music festival in Saudi. I still can’t get over how ridiculous this is.
Over the past few months, I’ve been obsessed with the TV series Forged in Fire in which bladesmiths compete on the series to win $10,000 and earn the title of Forged in Fire champion. So when I found out there was a local bladesmith I decided to get in touch with him to find out his story.
Fahad Alsayer goes by the handle @theblademaker on instagram and has been making knives for just over a year. He started making knives for fun before realizing there were people who would be interested in buying his creations. He actually hadn’t thought of selling them until one day while low on cash, he got a phone bill message on his phone. He hadn’t started working at that time and was trying to figure out how to pay his bill when he decided he’d try and sell one of his knives. After managing to sell it, he paid his phone bill and reinvested the remaining amount back into his hobby. Eventually, it became a source of income with local chefs and knife collectors getting in touch with him for one-off creations. He’s even shipped his knives to customers abroad.
I passed by Fahad’s workshop last week, a room in his family home which he converted into his workspace. It’s a pretty cool setup with a knife kiln on one side of the room for heat-treating the metals, and sanders and a sharpening station on the other. Fahad doesn’t forge his metals but instead purchases them in sheets online which he then either shapes manually with a sander, or cuts out using a laser cutter. Due to the cost of the materials as well as the time and skill it takes to create a knife, Fahad’s knives cost KD90 and up, depending on the size of the knife, amount of work it took and kind of metal used. Some of his customers include @chefkb and @foodninja whom he created custom knives for. Fahad isn’t the only knifemaker in Kuwait, according to him there are others albeit a small group but they tend to meet once a week to talk knives and help each other out.
If you’re interested in purchasing a knife or checking out Fahad’s work then make sure you check out his instagram @theblademaker
Back in 2014, the Pearl Lounge at the main airport terminal got redesigned and I hated it. The lounge looked cheap and dated while the seats were pretty uncomfortable to sit in. But, a couple of weeks back the lounge finally got a makeover and it now looks better than it ever did.
The new color scheme, the style of seating and the choice of floor tiles give the space a much-needed facelift. The lounge now looks more premium and stylish than before, and by moving the food into the middle of the lounge they were able to break the large space without having to put up any dividers.
Accessing the lounge is the same as before which is either by flying business class on certain airlines or with a credit card. I used Priority Pass to gain access but for a list of other cards accepted click here.
Last year when self check-in kiosks started appearing at the airport they were only working with Turkish Airlines. This past weekend though I noticed the check-in machines have started working with more airlines including:
Emirates
Middle East Airlines
Qatar Airways
Saudia
So now if you’re heading to Dubai or Beirut for the weekend with just a carry-on, you don’t have to wait in line at the check-in counters, you can just print your own boarding pass yourself at the kiosks.
Last Tuesday I was invited to the VOX Kuwait premier for the new Jumanji film, The Next Level. Not my typical cup of tea, but I remember being pleasantly surprised at the last film when I took my son to watch it a couple of years ago. So when I got the invite, I called my son up and told him to get ready, and he was ecstatic. That’s the real value of these films, they aren’t true cinema, but they are the kind of kid friendly adventure films that I used to watch in the 90’s. Not to say this is another nostalgia driven film, it’s it’s own modern tale but it reminds me of 90s films because of its spirit.
VOX blew it out the park this time. The red carpet was replaced with a shifting landscape inspired from the film (starting with walking on a draw bridge, to a sandy desert floor, to a snowy landscape (ok tiny foam balls but it looked the part). Once we got into the theater, we had a local drum circle give it their all drumming away and getting the audience involved, it was more exciting than expected.
If you’re a fan of the last Jumanji, you will be a fan of this one. It’s that simple. The Next Level finds new ways to play with its formula, most cleverly by switching which characters takes on once back in the game, which allows us to see a different sides of the cast. One of the criticism from the last film was that the in-game characters didn’t act like the humans they came from but just acted like themselves (Kevin Hart was just Kevin Hart in shorts). This time around they all play against type, with Dwayne Johnson playing an elderly demented Danny Devito, and Kevin Hart playing a slow soft talking sophisticated intellectual (see what I mean?).
In terms of censorship, it’s a family film so really nothing to worry about except the occasional kiss that’s cut, but the plot remains intact.
This is pure popcorn cinema. It’s funny, well directed, with some exciting action sequences and occasionally well executed gags. Again this isn’t anything to write home about, but with films like this you gotta judge on a curve and keep in mind what the movie is trying to do. Take your kids, take your nephews and nieces, or if you enjoy a good easy unironic time at the cinema, take yourselves and enjoy it. God knows we can use more fun in movies, and at the very least, Jumanji The Next Level delivers on that.
This Saturday is going to be super busy with 4 different markets taking place at the same time with Qout Market, Feed Market, the Christmas Bazaar and the Winter Wonderland all taking place. Check out the full list of this weekends events below:
Just a quick note, there seems to be an issue with my blog at the moment where some readers on Android devices are reporting pop-ups. Not sure how and why its happening but I’m working on fixing it. In the meantime, if you get a pop-up asking you to download flash or whatever, do not download it please. Sorry about this!
Update: The issue should be resolved now (thanks Burhan!)
