2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

[YouTube]

The Kuwait to London guys which I posted about last year are doing a Kuwait to Paris trip this year. Last year we got a ton of great videos (check here and here) but so far this year I’ve only seen the one above which was taken off a German news broadcast.

Based on the route displayed on the side of one of the guys car, they started their journey from Turkey and will drive through Europe all the way to Paris, then up to London, then back down to Spain before crossing the Mediterranean Sea and ending their journey in Morocco.

If anyone comes across more videos please send them to me.

Escape games are adventurous group games where each group is locked in a themed room and have 60 minutes to solve the mystery. Back in June I posted about one called Room of Clues thats located in Kuwait City but there is a new one opening up in Symphony Mall in Salmiya and it’s supposed to be the largest facility in the region. They started taking bookings yesterday and the prices range depending on how many people you are but generally they’re around KD10 per person and up. The most interesting aspect is that I counted six different type of games available to play which means if you take part in one escape and like it, you could come back and play one of the other games.

[YouTube]

Trapped Inn opens on September 2nd and if you’re interested in finding out more or booking a game you visit their website [Here]

One of my favorite brunch places Street have expanded their Saturday morning brunch menu with a lot of new items. Under their “Egg” category they’ve now have Shakshuka and they’ve also created a new category called “Toast” where they’ve added a bunch of new items as well. I had the shakshuka and honestly didn’t like it so I’m going to continue sticking with my favorites, the egg shroom bao or the ribs & egg. Check out the new menu over [Here]

A couple of weeks back I was talking to a friend who had recently posted on the blog and they were irritated by a reader who had complained about their writing style. I was like yeah thats one complaint, now imagine that on a daily basis for over 10 years because thats what I have to deal with. I’ve been blogging for over ten years now and I don’t think a single day has gone by without me getting some kind of hate from a reader.

In the beginning I used to get really bothered and take things personally but over the years I’ve just grown immune to all the hate comments. I’ve basically heard everything, or I thought I did until I got a divorce a few years ago. Some asshole started coming in and leaving hate comments on the blog and signing off with “No wonder Nat left you”. First time I read that I was like WTF, why would anybody be so mean? It hurt reading it the first couple of times but then again I just became immune to it like everything else. And it’s not only from readers, I’ve gotten hate from business owners as well. There is one I have saved on my phone because it’s so mean it’s funny. A girl emailed me and wanted me to post about her cupcake businesses. I replied back to her politely thanking her for contacting me but my readers wouldn’t find a post on a cupcake business interesting. She ended up leaving the comment below on her Facebook status (a friend in common sent me the screenshot)

That’s from a girl who sells cupcakes and has a cute cat as her Facebook profile picture. WTF.

Yesterday I got a bunch of hate in my post about snapchat broadcasting Kuwait live today because some people were upset at me because I was thinking of snapchatting all the garbage in my neighborhood. They weren’t upset about the garbage, they were upset at me wanting to snapchat it.

I tweeted yesterday how I tend to start off most of my replies to people as “Go fuck yourself” and I wasn’t kidding. Thats how I tend to start off my replies but then I send a screenshot to my best friend who usually replies no Mark thats not appropriate and I end up trying to respond more decently to people. But how much more of this do I have to take?

I’ve grown immune to these negative comments or at least I think I have but what is the long term effects of all this bullying on a subconscious level? Emotionally I’ve been told by some people I’m like a robot, I’m not sure if I’ve always been like this or if I’ve become like this after a decade of daily verbal abuse by people. Does it affect my self esteem? Do I get angry quickly because of it? When people keep telling me to get the fuck out of Kuwait, does it make me resent Kuwait? I’m not really sure, I don’t know how deeply all the daily bullying has effected me but I’ve finally decided I don’t want this anymore. I love the blog and I love my readers but I’m done with this.

Over the weekend I will be thinking of different solutions to this problem and one option might be to permanently shut down the comments on the blog. One of my favorite blogs Daring Fireball did that way back and he doesn’t regret it. I think I have some of the smartest and most intelligent readers in Kuwait and I learn so much from the comments every day, but I also don’t want to deal with the negative aspect of the comments anymore.

Got talent? If yes then check out the competition below.

Together with Art Jameel, Crossway Foundation has recently launched an open call to find talented young artists, photographers, filmmakers and designers aged 18-25 in the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Eight winners will have the opportunity to travel to Japan in November 2015 where they will experience one of the most inspiring cultures in the world. Kuwaiti visual artist, Monira Al Qadiri, has been appointed Artistic Lead, and will mentor the winners during their time in Japan.

To enter the competition, applicants must complete an application form on the Crossway Foundation website: www.crossway-foundation.org

Applicants must submit a creative project that relates to the theme: “Encounters with another World.” The project can either be pre-existing artwork or devised especially for the competition. The deadline for the competition is 15 September 2015.

Snapchat will be broadcasting Kuwait live tomorrow (Thursday) for the whole world to see. Last time they broadcasted Ahmadi which turned out to be so bad it was funny but, from what I understand this time all of Kuwait can participate. I haven’t been on Snapchat for over three months now since I’m so over it but I’m actually tempted to get back on it tomorrow and just snapchat all the overflowing garbage behind my house.

I was rummaging through some boxes and found some photos of when I was in Sunshine School back in the early 80s. For those of you who don’t know, the British School of Kuwait (BSK) used to be called Sunshine School before the 1990 invasion. Sunshine School originally started off as a nursery and then moved to the campus showing in the pictures below (except for the one with the Kids R Us bag). After that they moved to another campus (the picture with the Kids R Us bag) and then the invasion happened. After the invasion they moved to their current location and renamed themselves to BSK. My class was the last class to graduate from Sunshine School (Junior 4). They didn’t have a high school back then, Junior 4 was their highest grade. Anyway check out the photos below:

I’ve been hearing rumblings of a third cinema operator coming to Kuwait for awhile now but I didn’t think it would ever happen. The market is just too small and Cinescape is so dominant that I figured it just wouldn’t make financial sense for a third cinema operator to want to come in and compete. I guess I was wrong.

Sky Cinemas is the new cinema operator in town and they’ve just soft launched their first location in Dalal Complex on Salem Al Mubarek Street. If you’re wondering what building that is, it’s the new tower opposite Zahra Complex [Map]. Right now they have one theater operational and it’s playing Ant-Man but by next week they’ll have two more theaters operational as well as more movies to choose from including the new Mission Impossible.

Their ticket prices are KD3.5 which is exactly like Grand Cinemas and Cinescape plus they don’t have IMAX, so I don’t really see what their advantage is. They’re also located right in the middle between Cinescape Fanar and Cinescape Marina Mall so they have their work cut out for them. If you’re interested in trying them out, check out their website [Here]

The mall they’re located in is fairly empty at the moment with I think 4 shops open only.

I didn’t even know you could drift a tank! Kuwait also took part in last years Tank Biathlon which has to be the coolest and most insane sporting event ever. [Link]

If you want to see the full video leading up to the incident click [Here]

Update: According to Al Watan Newspaper, Kuwait is denying it was their team that flipped the tank [Link]

Failaka Island, Kuwait – About 20km off the coast of Kuwait City, tiny Failaka Island stands as a constant reminder of the Iraqi invasion a quarter-century ago.

Prior to the Gulf War, Failaka was reportedly home to about 2,000 residents, but they fled when the Iraqis invaded and most did not return. Over the years, the homes and offices they left behind have crumbled, many still scarred with bullet holes from the war.

Today, much of the island lies empty and in ruins, although a small tourism industry has emerged – with boat trips, overnight accommodations and cafes springing up on Failaka for curious sightseers. Failaka is also still used today for military exercises by the Kuwaiti army.

The last time I went to Failaka was back in 1989 so maybe it’s about time I head back there. Check out all the photos on the Al Jazeera website [Here]

Thanks Erik

The Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Center is set to be the largest museum in the world covering Natural History, Science, Space and Islamic Heritage, together with a Theatre and Fine Arts Centre. Construction has been on the way since June of last year and from what I am told construction will be completed by the end of this year. Once the buildings construction is completed, the interior work will begin and new renderings were recently released giving us a glimpse of how the museums might end up looking like. Below is some information on each of the museums as well as a link where you can check out the renderings.

The Space Museum (4,300m²) incorporates a 130 seat planetarium and tells the story of planet earth, the universe, space exploration and will also include an immersive reconstruction of the International Space Station. [Link]

The Science Museum (6,800m²) includes galleries for Human Body & Mind, Technology & Transport, Experiment and Robotics, with exhibits featuring hands-on experiments, games and simulator experiences. [Link]

The Natural History Museum (7,700m²) will offer visitors a unique insight into the natural world and includes a stunning ecosystem experience that allows visitors to explore a living rainforest, mangrove and coral reef. [Link]

The Islamic Museum (2000m2) tells stories of the importance of knowledge in Islam, the Islamic way of life and Islamic legacy in Kuwait. Features include stunning scale models of iconic mosques from around the world, a Treasures gallery and interactive exhibits that communicate the development and preservation of Islamic knowledge in science, arts and literature. [Link]

If you’d like to see how the exterior is going to look click [Here]

Thanks Khaled

So about my garbage problem, I decided to try and create a timelapse to see how the garbage ends up building up so much. I hadn’t done a timelapse before and this was my first attempt and although it’s not great I think it’s pretty clear what the main problem is. Not only do we need a few more garbage bins in the lot but some of the bins aren’t being emptied which is why the garbage is getting pilled up all around them. In the video you’ll see a garbage truck come by but they only empty one of the bins and leave the other three. This timelapse was around a day and half long, 432 images in total, one image taken every 5 minutes. I’m going to try and make one thats a few days longer and see how that turns out. [YouTube]

The documentary above was uploaded onto YouTube yesterday and includes interviews with various Kuwaitis that were in Kuwait during the 1990 invasion. The documentary also features a lot of amateur video that was taken during that time. Sadly (for non Arabic speakers), the video is in Arabic and doesn’t have English subtitles. [YouTube]

Thanks Q8D

Honestly I’m just sharing this timelapse because I love the first 10 seconds of it with the Kuwait Towers. The rest of the video is fairly boring. [Vimeo]

The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) promotes scientific and applied research, particularly in matters related to industry, natural and food resources and other primary constituents of the national economy. The project is located in the dense urban coastal neighborhood area of Salmiya facing the Gulf Road.

As well as its use for research and development of plants and sustainable technologies, the project aims to demonstrate the best practice in the field of research and development for the management of green space by current and future generations of Kuwait.

…

In addition to landscaping the site, Pace has designed nine buildings within the project, including an educational and research facility, observation pavilions, a demonstration greenhouse, and research offices.

The area where this project is proposed to be built is on the coastal part of Salmiya near where Gia and The Secret Garden are located and right down the road from where the worlds largest museum is being built. [Link]