2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I have no idea who the “fashionista” is, actually while we are at it, I have no idea what a fashionista is. But, I was inspired by Mark’s post and a few of the comments to write about this.

Hang on, just 10 days for traveling on a forged passport? Am I missing something here?

Yeah you’re missing quite a bit, you’re missing the legal system!! Let’s get a few things straight:

– She didn’t forge a passport she used another persons passport, forging a passport is her printing or changing a name on a passport

– 10 days is not her sentence. She is being held for 10 days “detained” and at this stage, it’s likely there is a investigation by the public prosecution. In other words she is just being held so they can investigate.

The next step would be for the prosecution to start at court where a judge will look into the facts presented by the public prosecutor. We don’t have a jury system in Kuwait, instead we have a “public prosecutor”. If you have been in a car accident in Kuwait, and you were taken to the nearest police station for an investigation, remember the guy you had to talk to (and I am going to stereotype)? The guy sitting inside an office, with the real nice dishdasha, stale cigarettes, Arabic coffee and an attitude, yep it is that guy. So in conclusion, those accused of crimes are usually held for an investigation and then taken to court until they are proven guilty.

As for the reader that commented:

Another Kuwaiti who thinks they are above the rules for the rest of us. problem is, Kuwait itself teaches that lesson

I will have to openly disagree with you… Take a stroll down the court rooms and see how many Kuwaitis are being prosecuted. The law is there, the foundations of the law in Kuwait are there, we have a competent and fair judicial system, a democratic parliament and our systems are better than anywhere else in the Middle East!

What went wrong? I know there’s a lot of idiots in Kuwait that think they are above the law, but trust me and I say this from experience, they aren’t just Kuwaitis, they come from all walks of life (except Israel) and the authorities are doing all they can to prevent this. But what really went wrong? I will tell you. What went wrong is that we allow people to say comments such as “Kuwait teaches you not to follow the law” when it doesn’t! Don’t believe everything you read in the media. If anything I should be saying that, I receive 20-30 emails a day from readers about legal issues. But I don’t say that! Cause I believe in the system. I just believe that we need to change our attitudes. Change the way we perceive things and we shouldn’t allow people to say such comments.

P.S. She’s looking at a fine or/and up to 7 years jail, as mentioned in the Kuwait Penal Law!

Feel free to email me on [email protected] with any legal questions. I do not have the capacity to answer everyone for free (but I try), and I am happy to announce that I am currently working with a great team and therefore we are able to reply back to all emails with a reasonable time frame.

Post by Fajer Ahmed – Legal Counsel
The legal opinions expressed in this post are those of the author Fajer. Opinions expressed by Mark or any other writer on mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com are those of the individual’s and in no way reflect Fajer’s opinion.

The Division has been out for quite some time now and it’s taken me this long to write about it because I wanted to make sure my opinions didn’t change the longer I played the game. The game has generally been received well by critics, but as always that doesn’t reveal the extent of a games quality. If you don’t know what the Division is, it’s a cover based shooter with RPG mechanics, that’s a quasi MMO. Think of Destiny, yeah. It’s sort of like that.

The set up for the Division is simple. A lethal virus breaks out during Black Friday and spreads across New York City, ravaging the city and killing thousands. Manhattan is quarantined and the US Government activates sleeper agents known as the Division to assist emergency responders to bring stability and order to the city.

The game puts you in the shoes of an unnamed Division agent. You create your character and you’re forced into action. After a few missions you unlock your base which is split into 4 distinct sections. You have the general area where the stores and your stash are located. You have the medical, the security and a tech area. Whenever you upgrade each section you’ll see your base grow, with more personal and more people populating the base. It’s a great thing to see and very satisfying to observe. Each base upgrade also helps your character by adding perks or abilities. So you have more then one reason to upgrade your base. It also makes you think about what upgrade to choose first. Think of these three sections and the abilities they unlock as different play styles: If you focus on the medical section you should consider yourself a healer, if you focus on the tech, a rogue and if you focus on security a tank. Obviously you can mix and match, but generally this is how I thought of it.

I enjoy enemy A.I. that is dynamic and that are smart. Bar some inconsistent moments the A.I. in this game is that. The enemies will try to outflank you so seeking cover in one place isn’t going to guarantee you safety. Your best bet is to shoot, cover and move. Staying out in the open will most likely lead to your death. The game features different groups of gangs that each offer different challenges. Within these gangs you’ll come to be familiar with the different types of enemies you’ll face. There are your melee enemies, who are probably the dumbest of all enemy types. They’ll just run up to you and try to hit you with a bat. They’re easy to kill, but if they do end up hitting you, they’ll deal a lot of damage. Then you have the other typical enemy types: a sniper, a shotgun, and regular grunt who uses automatic rifles. Depending on what gang you’re facing you’ll face more types of enemies. For example there is a gang called the Cleaners. They usually come equipped with flame-throwers and will burn anything that comes close to them. Then you have the boss-type characters who have a ton of armor and take some time to kill. Sometimes you’ll have to fight more than one and these fights can be pretty intense.

The official second episode of Double Jump has been delayed indefinitely because one of my co-hosts just got married. So until things settle back down with him, here’s a solo episode I recorded a while back. In the podcast I discuss a few 3DS games I’ve been playing, the closure of Lionhead Studios and the Nintendo Direct. Recording solo was a challenge since I’m used to having discussions with co-hosts, but it was an interesting experience nevertheless. Talking to myself for half an hour felt like I was back in school presenting a project to a class.

We’ll be recording “.5” episodes whenever there’s a lull in recording either due to busy schedules or if we have a few ideas that don’t fit into the main show. Recording this episode made me realize that I’d have to use a different format than the one we use for our full episodes so instead of discussing what I’m playing and the news, solo episodes will focus on one specific topic. So until we get back on track with our main show, I’ll be recording more solo episodes and should have another one recorded this week.

Until then, enjoy!

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Post by Patrick

The public prosecution yesterday detained a well known fashion blogger in Kuwait for 10 days and referred her to the criminal court on charges of forgery. She allegedly left the using her friend’s passport before the forgery was discovered at Dubai airport and she was returned to Kuwait. [Source]

Since I like gossip, does anyone have any idea which fashion blogger Kuwait Times is talking about?

It’s a sports filled weekend with rugby, volleyball and show jumping competitions. No markets oddly this weekend even though the weather is perfect for one. Check out this weekends events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Edge by Abdulrahim Sharif
TedxAlShuwaikh
Show Jumping Competition
Rooftop Movie: Ai Weiwei – Never Sorry

Friday
Show Jumping Competition
Taichi in the Park
Yoga at the Park (Hatha Yoga)
Kuwait Men’s Local 7’s Rugby Tournament
Mamaste: Mother’s Day Restorative Workshop
International Men’s Volleyball Tournament

Saturday
Farmers Trip
Yoga at the Park (Vinyasa Flow – Women Only)
Guided Tour: Arab Organization Headquarters
Yoga at the Park (Yoga with the 3)
Madeenah Tour: Made in Kuwait – Subhan Tour
K’S PATH Shelter Open Day
Gardening at The Secret Garden
Rooftop Movie: Samba

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 double check info with organizers.

Gia have finally opened up their new location in Kuwait City after countless construction related delays. Their new location has a slightly revised menu to better cater to the employees in the area including different ready made sandwiches and munchies to go like muffins and manaeesh.

The new location has indoor seating as well as outdoor seating and they’re open daily except for Friday’s from 8AM to 4PM. Here is their new location on [Google Maps]

Ministry of Communications (MOC) prepares to undergo the largest privatization process in its history after a proposal has been already made to privatize the mail sector, long distance calls and landlines and their infrastructure, Undersecretary Hameed Al-Qattan said. Qattan added that the once established, the Telecom and Information Technology Authority would be responsible for offering those services for privatization.

Once those projects see the light, the MOC would only be responsible for marine transportations, he said. [Source]

I hope this means we’ll finally have a proper mail service.

Tonight is the final night of the Green Caravan Film Festival and it’s going to take place on the rooftop of CAP (Contemporary Art Platform). Other than short films there will also be live music and food tonight.

If you’ve never been to the rooftop of CAP it’s a great venue and the weather is perfect for it right now. Tickets cost KD5 and are available [Here]

For a map and more details of the event, click [Here]

As very early adopters of consuming flowers online and in looking for something already in existence they came across Q8flowers.com. “If you look at the region, the [online flower] community is fragmented, and if you zoom in on Kuwait it’s even more so,” AlOtaibi said.

The undisclosed investors, are, according to AlOtaibi’s office, a pool of angel investors who now can add Q8flowers.com as the seventh addition to their portfolio. “Like the PayPal mafia, we’re the Talabat Mafia,” one of the investors told Wamda.

According to a spokesman for AlOtaibi the user growth of the site has been growing at 100 percent year on year, “and this was with minimal traditional [marketing] efforts,” they said.

Going forward the new owners have a 12 month plan that involves, revamping the IP infrastructures of the site, expanding into other geographies and expanding into similar services within the same vertical of online and flowers. [Source]

Great for Q8flowers.com but I have to say I’m pretty surprised, I didn’t think they were doing that well.

via Sala6a and Frankom

A couple of days back I headed with a friend to AAB World in Symphony Mall to check out the Sony A7R II camera. She wasn’t planning on buying the camera from them since we figured it would be much cheaper from Amazon, but she did want to check it out in person before placing the order. When we got to AAB World to our surprise we found out it was actually considerably cheaper to buy the camera locally, which she ended up doing. Below are some popular camera price comparisons from three brands to Amazon, keep in mind with the Amazon prices below you still need to add around 8% tax and the shipping fee to Kuwait in addition to Kuwait customs. So the actual cost is even higher. AAB World is also slightly flexible with their prices, if you’re buying other stuff along with the camera they’ll more than likely give you a small discount.

Sony A7S II (Body Only)
Amazon: KD 962
AAB World: KD 949

Nikon D810 (Body Only)
Amazon: KD 841
AAB World: KD 799

Canon EOS 5D Mark III (Body Only)
Amazon: KD 752
AAB World: KD 649.950

If only more things were priced like this in Kuwait.

My brother spotted the vulture above in the trunk of a Chevy Trailblazer while waiting at a stop light a few days back. So random.

Yesterday evening I was invited to the launch of the book “Modern Architecture Kuwait 1949-1989” that was held at Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah in Yarmouk. I really didn’t ask any questions about the event before I went since I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the book ever since I found out about it last year. So when one of the book authors invited me to the launch, I just went no questions asked. What I didn’t know was that there was going to be a presentation by Mr. Khalid al-Essa, the former Minister of Public Works and Dr. Ibrahim al-Shaheen, the former General Director of Public Authority of Housing and former Minister of Municipal Affairs. Both those presenters were around and involved during Kuwait’s architectural rise and once their presentation was over they took part in a panel discussion.

For those of you that have following the blog for awhile now you already know my obsession with Kuwait’s past and so I felt extremely lucky to be in attendance last night listening to the stories of how Kuwait went from mud buildings to having world renowned architects like Kenzo Tange, Jørn Utzon and I. M. Pei involved in local projects. Listening to the two of them talk last night reminded me again how truly young Kuwait is.

The book “Modern Architecture Kuwait 1949-1989” is a combined effort by Roberto Fabbri, Sara Saragoça Soares and Ricardo Camacho. It involves over two years of investigative research as well as gorgeous photography taken by the gifted architectural photographer Nelson Garrido who travelled across Kuwait to document over 150 buildings that are featured in the book. The buildings are divided into four categories:

Specimens I – building as infrastructure: 1949-1960
Specimens II – building as national identity: 1961-1979
Specimens III – building as cityscape: 1971-1979
Specimens IV – building as programme: 1980-1989

As you can imagine, the book if fairly thick but with the amount of constant demolishing of old buildings taking place in Kuwait, its important to document as many buildings as possible before it’s too late.

The book costs KD22 and is available on Amazon [Link] and also at the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah bookshop in Yarmouk [Map]. If you have the slightest interest in architecture, design or Kuwait’s past then you should definitely get one.

This morning the architectural and design magazine Dezeen ran a piece on the book along with around 20 photos. Check it out, their article has a lot more details and the photos will give you a general idea of what to expect inside the book. Here is the [Link]

I can’t believe I’m actually saying this but it looks like malls are finally starting to enforce the no smoking law. I know this sounds like a broken record but I think they’re serious this time around. I was at The Avenues over the weekend and didn’t catch anyone smoking outside the new glass smoking rooms they’ve installed. Also the restaurant I sat in made it clear from the start that smoking wasn’t allowed even though we were sitting outside the restaurant overlooking Grand Avenues. Last week while having lunch at The Cube food complex in Salmiya, I was also told smoking wasn’t allowed anymore as soon as I sat down. Finally this morning Al Hamra Tower sent out a notice to everyone in the building saying smoking was no longer allowed in the mall and tower.

I’m impressed Kuwait.

If you’ve ever used the dating app Tinder in Kuwait then you’re bound to have come across odd profiles which is why I found an article by a British girl in Kuwait so entertaining to read. Here is an excerpt:

It’s no revelation that dating in Kuwait can be rather tricky. I am not a fan of internet dating, I find it unnatural and a playground for creeps, but the alternatives are very limited here. Sitting in a shisha cafe twirling my hair is not my thing and, let’s face it, the type of guys who approach girls in shisha bars, Sultan Centre or the Gulf Road are mostly players. No thanks. So I gave Tinder a go — I was curious and liked the idea of being able to swipe left and never have to hear from him. Also, there is the option to be offline so people can only see you when you’re swiping — which I’d do really quickly, then turn my profile to off. After looking at the photos below, you will see why I only swiped right 5 times. Of those 5, I spoke to one for more than five minutes.

When looking at the profile photos and descriptions, one minute I’d be completely bewildered and the next laughing out loud, taking a screen shot and sending it to my bestie. It may seem mean, but some, no not some — many of the profiles are just plain weird and creepy. Is it really so hard to have a normal profile photo? Just smile? Do men really believe that by putting a photo of their erection (see above if you happened to miss it), sucking toes, a blue eyeball, a gun in your crotch, a headless photo with their wedding ring and/or wife that we’re going to swipe right? I was shocked to find a fellow teacher I work with, posing on Tinder, whilst he is married with kids. What is he thinking? He is on my Facebook posting photos of him and his wife whilst fishing on Tinder for a bit on the side. Creep. When I saw him at work, I couldn’t even say ‘good morning’ — just nodded and rushed past. I also saw one of my 14 year old students pretending to be 28. Scary.

So, I’m sharing with you just some of the strange profiles that I came across (I’ve left my colleague out even though he is clearly a douche — karma will bite his bum). To protect their identities, I have blurred out names, faces and any personal info. Kuwait is a very small bubble after all. However, it should give you a good idea of what tinder has in store for us lucky girls here in Kuwait:

Check out her article along with some screenshots of the funny profiles she’s come across on her Medium page [Here]

The World Happiness Report was recently released by the United Nations and Kuwait once again dropped down the list from the previous year. When the list originally came out in 2012, Kuwait was ranked 31st under the list of happy nations. But, since then, Kuwait has been falling back every year and in the latest report Kuwait is now ranked 41. The scoring is based on answers submitted by people who were asked to evaluate the quality of their current lives on a scale of 0 to 10. In comparison, the UAE came in 28th place while Saudi Arabia came in 34th. Let me repeat that one more time. Saudi Arabia came in 34th place. No clue how that happened.

The happiest country in the world? It’s Denmark. Download the full report from the World Happiness website [Here]