2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

The OA is a new Netflix show that was released this past Friday. It’s science fiction, it has supernatural and fantasy elements, and its super weird, I loved it. I don’t want to say much more about the show other than the fact if you have Netflix then watch it. It’s only 8 episodes (similar to Stranger Things) so shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 days to get through them all.

I’ve shared the trailer above but I think it’s more fun watching the show without watching the trailer. The show also has a pretty weird twitter account which you can go through @the_OA but I also recommend going through it after you’re done watching the show or at least once you’re a couple of episodes in. They don’t have any spoilers but they could ruin things a bit.

Anyway, watch it!

Yesterday I was contacted by the Qadsia Fencing Academy letting me know they are now offering fencing lessons to adults. Previously when I had contacted them, the program was only available for children and teenagers so I’m pretty excited the program is now open to adults as well. So excited in fact that I’m heading there tomorrow to start.

Their prices are extremely reasonable, it’s KD40 a month (for 12 sessions) and KD8 for half and hour of personal training. So if you’re interested in trying out something new and different, check out their website for more information [Link]

Update: Check out the latest post for more current information. Link

Looks like the Kuwait Bowling Sports Club is nearly done and will be ready way ahead of the 2017 World Bowling Championship which will take place in Kuwait next year. I walked by yesterday and they had the lights on and damn the place is huge. In total they have 58 bowling lanes, 350 seats and nearly 1000 parking spots.

The World Bowling Championship takes place once every four years and the last time it took place was in 2013 in Nevada, USA. The next championship event will take place here in Kuwait from December 4th to the 18th, 2017. To see a large version of the picture above, click [Here]

I used to post a gift guide on the blog back in the olden days (jeez wtf) so I decided to bring the list back this year again. If you still haven’t purchased a Christmas gift then the list below might help you with some ideas. Everything listed below is available in Kuwait, the links will take you to the place that sells the item. I might add more to the list as I think of stuff but for now these are my recommendations:

Over KD75
B&O BeoPlay A2 Speaker KD120
B&O BeoPlay H5 Earphones KD85
Micro 3D Printer KD169
Pure Fix Brewster Bicycle KD100
Typographic Light Box KD140

Under KD75
B&O BeoPlay H3 Earphones KD50
Crafted Gift Box KD60
Nintendo Classic Mini KD60

Under KD50
AeroPress Coffee Maker KD17
Alive Yoga (1 Month Membership) KD39
Apple TV (4th Gen) KD47
Breville Smart Kettle KD25
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker KD32.350
Fujifilm Instax Mini8 Instant Film Camera KD25
Nespresso Inissia Espresso Machine KD45

Under KD15
Black Classic Logbook KD8
Brother Personal Label Machine KD9.900
Casio – Retro Gold Watch KD13
Casio – Retro Steel Watch KD8
Eneloop Charger with 4xAA Batteries KD12.950
Klean Kanteen Stainless Bottle KD10
Mossery Dye Notebook KD3
Striped Shopping Bag KD9.750

You can zoom in and watch an animated Google Earth timelapse of Kuwait from 1984 up till 2016 by clicking [Here]

Thanks Dima!

Yesterday Grant from %ARABICA sent me some renderings of their new branch that will be opening up in Shuwaikh. It’s going to be much larger than their current location and have a bunch of cool things. The new location will be their central roastery and house a rare vintage Probat UG22 roaster from the 60s. It will be separated from the main seating area by a glass wall so people can watch the roasting process if they want while having their coffee.

The best part about the new roastery I think is that it will have an education center. Customers will be able to schedule training on any number of brewing methods, even how to make coffee using their Slayer machines which is what I’d be interested in (not that I’ll be getting a Slayer machine anytime soon). The main idea with this center is to teach customers how to make the best coffee at home. The new location is expected to soft launch next month with the official opening sometime in February.

Here is the location on [Google Maps]

I passed by Elevation and Richards Coffee at the Seef strip the other day for lunch and coffee when I noticed a bunch of bicycles parked outside. After seeing some kids take them for a ride I asked an employee about the bikes and found out they were there for their customers to borrow and for free. All you need to do is let an employee know you want to take out a bicycle (or skateboard) and they’ll take your name down and you’re free to borrow the bikes for as long as you want (I’m assuming for the day and not for days). So if you feel like riding a bicycle and don’t want to buy one, pass by Elevation at Seef, here is their location on [Google Maps]

NUKEMAP is a pretty cool website where you select a city and strength of a nuclear bomb and the website will show you the effects of it hitting that city. I selected a 15kiloton bomb to hit Kuwait City similar to the one that was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II and I’m glad to report that my home in Salmiya would be safe. Over 7,000 people in the city would die and nearly 15,000 would be injured, but I’ll be safe! Try it out yourself [Here]

Was Pick called Pick Yo before? Because I keep calling them Pick Yo and I could swear thats because they were called Pick Yo.

Last week Amazon announced that Amazon Prime Video was officially available in more than 200 countries… including Kuwait. I had previously assumed that there was no country restrictions since I was using Amazon Prime Video anyway, but I guess there was. Amazon Prime Video if you haven’t heard of it before is similar to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. They have a ton of popular shows and movies available on the network (like all 8 seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm), but they also have a bunch of great exclusive content like The Grand Tour and my favorite, The Man in the High Castle. If you already have an Amazon Prime account then you already have access to Amazon Prime Video (and Music), but if you don’t then the monthly subscription to Amazon Prime Video is just $2.99.

I use Amazon’s FireStick to stream Prime Video onto my TV but there are multiple ways of watching including using your browser. For more details, check out this [Link]

Update: If you use the Kuwait version of Amazon Prime Video a lot of the content will be restricted similar to how Netflix restricts content based on geographic locations. To get around this you need a DNS proxy and I personally use smartdnsproxy.com

They just opened up this morning. Their working hours are from 11AM to 1AM and here is their location on [Google Maps]

Below is the list of events taking place this weekend:

Thursday
A Fifteen-Year Journey: The Art of Amira Behbehani
Still Departures by George Awde
Japanese Movie Night: Pecoross – Mother and Her Days

Friday
Tai Chi in the Park
AlSouq Market
Good Game: Magic – The Gathering
Van Boom “BLVCK” Debut
Music Jam Cafe Fridays
Salwa Walk and Socialize Meetup
Gulf Run 24 Hours Karting Race

Saturday
Yoga with the 3
Car Boot Sale
Jumo Coffee Farmer’s Brunch
Elevation Brunch
Shakshooka Market
Architectural Photowalk: Salem Al Mubarak St.
Winter Wonderland
Gulf Run 24 Hours Karting Race

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape and Grand Cinemas:

New This Week:
Collateral Beauty (5.4)
Into the Forest (5.9) ♦
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (8.3) ★

Other Movies Showing:
Allied (7.2) ♦
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (8.3)
Hacksaw Ridge (8.8) ★♦
Incarnate (5.6)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (7.4) ★
Moana (8.2)
The Last King (6.1) ♦
The Neighbor (5.8)
Trolls (6.7)
Underworld: Blood Wars (6.7) ♦
Wolves at the Door (7.6)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.

Last night I noticed cops removing plates off of a new Bentley SUV that was parked illegally on the street near Little Ruby’s in Kuwait City. Two things impressed me, the first is that they don’t really care what kind of car you have, no matter who you are, if you park illegally you’re losing your plates. The second thing that impressed me was that the cops aren’t just removing plates during the day, they’re doing it at night as well. I love that they’re still very active with this.

Just a heads up, Rogue One is out in Kuwait already. I just got my tickets for tonight and there were still spots available, so if you want to watch it tonight you need to get your tickets now.