2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

It’s a super busy weekend again. My personal picks are the Gardens of Al Andalus which is the first exhibition being held at the newly opened Al Shaheed Park. If you’re a UFC fan like me then the Gold’s Gym opening is a must just because you’ll get to see and meet the legendary Anderson Silva. On the other hand if you’re a Harley fan then on Friday you should pass by the dealership since they will be revealing the Street 750 as well as offer test rides. Finally on Saturday the Secret Garden is holding their second Saturday Night Lights event, the first one (pictured on top) was a lot of fun with a lot of great food. Check out the full list of weekend events below:

Thursday
Kuwait Dino Park
Exhibition: Gardens of Al Andalus
Gold’s Gym Opening with Anderson Silva
Out of Kuwait Film Screening

Friday
Kuwait Dino Park
Exhibition: Gardens of Al Andalus
Behind the Scenes Seminar
Culinary Event: Pie, Pie & More Pie
Harley-Davidson Street 750 Reveal

Saturday
Kuwait Dino Park
Exhibition: Gardens of Al Andalus
Be A Gunner, Be A Runner 2015
Guided Tour: Grand Mosque
Akon Concert
K’S PATH Open Day
Madeenah Tour: Mubarakiya
Saturday Night Lights
Kids Story Telling
Play: Antigone

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For the rest of the months events click [Here]

Awhile ago as I was pulling up into my street and into my buildings underground parking, I noticed a cop car parked on the side of the road. I then noticed a bunch of cars that were parked legally on the side of the road had tickets on them. So I pulled up next to the cop and I asked him if this was a no parking street, he replied saying no he’s ticketing them for “عرقلة” which means obstruction.

What exactly are these cars obstructing (for example the 4 pictured on top)? I checked the tickets and noticed he left the space where he’s supposed to explain what the ticket is for blank. That can’t be right or fair can it?

The beautiful and recently refurbished (or should I say completely rebuilt) Al Shaheed Park which I posted about [Here] is now officially open to the public. They’re open every day from 5AM to 10PM except on Fridays where the park is open from 1PM to 10PM. There is no entrance fee but there are some park rules which are the following:

– No smoking
– No littering
– No use of bicycles, skateboards, skates, or recreational scooters inside the park.
– No outside Food or beverages.
– No barbecues or picnics.
– No pets allowed.
– No damaging any part of any building, sign, sculpture.
– No picking or damaging any flower, plant or tree
– No writing on the walls.
– No stepping inside the lake and fountains.
– No sitting on railings or climbing on any part of the buildings.
– No engaging in business or commercial activity inside the park without authorization from the Park Management.
– No distribution or placement of notices or advertising device without approval of the Park Management.
– No film or photography requiring equipment or exclusive use of an area without permit from the Park Management.
– Please supervise your children at all times to ensure their safety.
– Please note that stepping on grass is not allowed except in the Circle of Peace, Amphitheater and around the Constitution Monument. Baby Strollers are not allowed on the grass except for wheelchairs
– Please note that the Park management has the right to ask visitors who violates the rules & regulations of Al Shaheed Park to leave the park immediately.
– Please note that the park management reserves the right, if necessary, to stop picture taking and video recording.

The rule I had an issue with is regarding the no film or photography but after asking them about it, turns out its geared more towards commercial photography and not personal photography.

So if you’ve been wanting to check out the park you now can. For more information check out their instagram account [Here]

A couple of readers sent me a link to a feature on Dezeen, the world’s most popular and influential architecture and design magazine on a new apartment building in Salmiya. The building pictured above looks very cool but I can’t figure out where in Salmiya it is. If anyone has an idea let me know but for now check out the write up on the building and more photos [Here]

Hopefully this is a start to more tasteful looking residential towers in Kuwait.

Update: Apartment building is located behind AUK and rent start from KD450 upwards (that was a few months back)

I have a huge wall in my apartment I needed to fill and wasn’t sure how. I figured I might either get some shelves or possibly a painting but I also didn’t want to pay a ridiculous amount of money for it. Originally I was looking for a specific Andy Warhol Camouflage print but after having a difficult time procuring one I decided to give up on that dream. In the end I went with a super large black and white photo from a website called Sonic Editions.

I originally found out about Sonic Editions because they had a Dave Grohl photo reenacting the old Maxell blown away guy (pictured above). All their photos are limited to just 495 prints and after flipping through hundreds of photos I finally fell in love with one, Al Pacino on the set of the movie ‘Serpico‘ in New York in 1973. The only issue was the largest size they had the photo available on the website was 60x75cm and I needed one much larger. So I emailed them and asked if they could customize a size for me, one that was 80×100 (100x120cm with the frame) and they said yes they could. They also would ship directly to Kuwait at a fairly reasonable price of around KD55.

I placed the order and around 20 days later I received the print framed. Everything about it exceeded my expectations. First the package was huge and barely fit sideways in my FJ Cruiser. Any larger and I would have needed a pickup truck probably. The frame was packaged extremely well and when I finally got all the packaging out of the way I was very impressed with the quality of the photo print as well as the quality of the frame. The workmanship was top notch and there was even a patch on the back of the frame with details of the photo including the photographers name, where it was shot, the date and the limited edition number. I was blown away at how easy it was to order and ship the photography to Kuwait and I’m now looking for another one to order for a different room.

So if you’re looking to purchase an artwork for your wall, check these guys out www.soniceditions.com

One of my favorite UFC fighters, the legendary Anderson Silva is coming to Kuwait this weekend for the opening ceremony of Gold’s Gym. This caught me by complete surprise when I found out and I have no idea how they managed to pull it off. I was lucky enough to be put in touch with the organizers Activate Kuwait (Thanks Pat), the same guys who brought the BASE jumper to Kuwait to jump off Al Hamra Tower. I managed to get myself a VIP ticket to the event as well as a ticket to giveaway on the blog.

There will be a bunch of activites taking place at the opening including:
– Live radio broadcast on FM88.8
– Spin the wheel game with valuable prizes to be won
– DJ
– Bike show
– Percussion artist Albert Boyadjian will be performing
– Anderson Silva will meet and greet people

The event is open to the public but the general admission crowd will be located outside the Gold’s Gym premises while the VIP ticket (which you can’t buy FYI) will grant you access inside the building. The VIP ticket will allow you to hang out and chill with Anderson Silva inside the gym as well as guarantee you a photo with Anderson Silva as well as an autograph if you want one.

Just incase I wasn’t clear, ANDERSON SILVA IS COMING TO KUWAIT! I’m definitely going to have him sign my UFC tshirt which so far has signatures from Dan Henderson, Brian Stan, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and a few other fighters.

If you’re an Anderson Silva fan and would like to win a chance to meet him then all you need to do is answer the following question in the comments: Who did Anderson Silva last fight in the UFC?

Rules: The comments will be closed tomorrow morning. Winner will have to pick up ticket from Salmiya. Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond, another winner will be randomly chosen.

Update: Post has been closed for commenting

Update2: Using random.org I chose a winner which was commentator #57, Tania. Email has been sent, if she does not respond in time a second winner will be chosen. Thank you everyone for participating. Just a reminder you can still pass by and get the chance to see Anderson Silva in person but, depending on the amount of people at the event, you may or may not get a chance for a photo opportunity with him.

Mrs. Jehan Rajab passed away earlier this week. She was the co-founder of the Tareq Rajab Museum and the New English School.

While a student in the United Kingdom, Tareq Sayed Rajab met his future wife, Jehan Wellborne, who from her childhood was interested in folklore and particularly the arts and life of exotic peoples and minorities.

They got married in 1955 and after their return to Kuwait; Mr. Rajab was appointed as the first Director of the Department of Antiquities and Museums of Kuwait. He resigned from his post in 1969 and together with his wife opened the New English School for Kuwaiti and foreign children. By then they were already involved in collecting material for a future Museum of their own.

They travelled all over the Islamic world and beyond to Central and South-East Asia and the Far East, collecting artefacts and photographing monuments, peoples, their customs, everything they believed could be used and exhibited in a museum. As a result of their hard work and research, they were able to open the Museum to the public in 1980. [Source]

The photo on top of Mrs. Jehan was taken outside the New English School following liberation of Kuwait from Iraq. The photo was taken from the Al Jazeera Class of 1990 documentary [Here]

The largest marina in Kuwait is opening on April 16th at Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City. The marina can hold 410 boats and the video above is a cheese commercial for it. The last scene where the group on the yacht cheer with water bottles is priceless. [YouTube]

I’ve had my Vespa for over 6 months now and not only have I not gotten bored of it, but I love it even more than ever. It’s by far my best purchase of 2014. As I mentioned in part 1 of my review, whenever I’m riding my Vespa I feel like I’m on a vacation and 6 months later that feeling hasn’t changed one bit.

I don’t even know where to begin this post because there are so many great things about living with a Vespa. The obvious one is the fact there is no traffic when you’re on a Vespa. Throughout the past 6 months whenever I had any kind of work in the city or Shuwaikh during the day, the Vespa was my go to ride. You would think any motorbike would fair the same in traffic but that’s not true because scooters are much more agile and nimble. In Shuwaikh where there’s lots of road construction taking place the cars don’t really line up properly because the lanes aren’t properly divided. So you could be making your way between the cars in traffic and then get to a point where the cars are just too close too each other and you’re stuck.. unless you’re on a scooter. Scooters are much more lighter and more compact so it’s so much easier to just weave your way between cars in traffic and the fact the Vespa has an automatic gearbox also means it’s quicker and less of nuisance to stop and start. There hasn’t been a single traffic jam yet in which I wasn’t able to make it to the very front.

Imagine if the roads were empty all day long… thats life with my Vespa.

I own the Vespa Sprint which has a 125cc engine. It’s not that fast, the maximum speed is around 95km/h and I can sometimes hit just over 100 when going downhill. Although that doesn’t sound fast it’s more than enough when riding on the Gulf Road or even the 4th Ring Road where the maximum speed is 80km/h anyway. Vespa do have have different models with larger engines but the bikes themselves are also slightly larger and heavier. My Sprint is usually the first off the line at a traffic light but after that acceleration is fairly slow. But really you don’t need the bike to be faster since it’s not like you’re going to ride the Vespa down to the chalets on the weekend, it’s for city errands and at that I can’t imagine anything performing better. Even though my Vespa isn’t fast I still ride like a hooligan because the bike gives so much confidence. Probably too much confidence because I slid and fell at a small roundabout near my house a couple of months back scratching up the left side of my bike. Luckily my favorite pair of jeans and sneakers were unharmed.

The Sprint has a good amount of storage space in case you do some shopping. Under the seat you’ve got a large compartment which I use to store my helmet in and you also have a small glove compartment in the front which I use to store my phone and wallet. In case there isn’t enough space under the seat for your grocery bags, there is a small hook that comes out from the seat in the front which you can hang your bags on. I also love the retro looking analogue speedometer since it adds a lot of character to the bike.

A lot of people have asked me if you need a license to ride a Vespa and the answer is yes, you need a motorbike license to ride one. That wasn’t an issue for me since I got my license years ago when I got my first motorbike, but it’s still worth noting for anyone considering getting one.

With all the traffic issues in Kuwait I’m surprised not more people have gotten scooters. It’s obviously impossible to ride one in the blazing summer heat but there are at least 6 months a year where the weather is great for them. I really don’t have anything negative to say about my Vespa, maybe if there was a built in USB port to charge my phone that would have been convenient but actually thinking about it now, I probably could get one installed easily. Honestly it’s so much fun riding a Vespa I can’t stop recommending it to people. Get one if you can.

Hashtag #kuwaitfail on instagram or email me a fail and I’ll share the best one every week.

Thanks Mathai

This is a little bit off topic from my usual posts but I need two things:

Badminton
So recently I started playing badminton with a friend with IBAK (Indian Badminton Association – Kuwait) and I’m not that great. So I’m looking for a private trainer, if anyone knows of one let me know.

Skateboarding
I also recently fell in love with a skateboard (pictured on top) and I bought it. I’ve been wanting to skateboard ever since I was a kid but never got the chance to so if any skateboarder here is willing to give me some private lessons as well, let me know.

#midlifecrisis

“Choose the one you want,” says one agent with a smile. “I will give you a hundred days’ guarantee. If you don’t like her you can send her back.”

The Guardian published an article two days ago on the treatment of domestic workers in Kuwait, specifically ones from Sierra Leone. They compared it to slavery with every right to do so. One interesting fact the article highlighted is that nearly 90% of Kuwaiti households employ at least one foreign maid. That’s just an insane figure. Check out the full article on The Guardian [Here]

Also Fajer the Lawyer previously posted on Domestic Workers Rights [Here] in case you missed it.

Thanks Laila

Another busy weekend but my personal picks are The Spring Bazaar for tonight followed by The Spring Comedy Show if it isn’t sold out. Tomorrow I’d pass by Open Mic at Bayt Lothan and finally on Saturday I would pass by the last Qout Market of the season which is going to be held in the evening this time around. Check out the full list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: A Wonderful World Under Construction
Kuwait Dino Park
The Spring Bazaar
The IBAK-PROSPORTS Badminton Challenge Cup
The Cube Market
Rooftop Movie: Forks Over Knives
The Spring Comedy Show
MILSIM Failaka

Friday
Kuwait Dino Park
The IBAK-PROSPORTS Badminton Challenge Cup
The Cube Market
Book Club Meeting
Open Mic
Play: The Glass Menagerie
Culinary Event: Pasta Pronto

Saturday
Kuwait Dino Park
The Cube Market
Qout Market
Play: Love Letters
Rooftop Movie: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]

Acura, the luxury division of Honda have opened up their first showroom in Kuwait. I passed by the first time two weeks ago before they opened and was given a tour of the place, and earlier today I went back to take some photos now that it’s actually open. According to the Acura representative who was showing me around, the Acura showroom in Kuwait is the largest Acura showroom in the world. They actually don’t like calling it a showroom but instead prefer using the world facility since it’s a one stop shop for everything Acura.

Acura is a premium brand and the showroom lives up to it. The building is huge and very tastefully decorated with lots of light colors and lots of natural daylight everywhere. As I said earlier, they prefer to call it a facility because of the fact you have the main showroom in the front, a quick service garage in the back, a body and paint shop in the basements and a spare parts store all under the same roof.

Right now the dealer is carrying two Acura models to start off with, the TLX which is a four-door luxury sedan and the MDX which is their luxury SUV. My first question obviously was if they were getting the NSX since thats the car I’m extremely interested in. Turns out they will be getting it once it launches next year. Not only that but their facility is already prepared for it, they have a special location on the showroom floor where they will be displaying the car as well as a special section of their garage designed specifically for the NSX maintenance.

I can’t believe its taken this long for Acura to get here but glad it’s here now that the NSX is getting released. The new showroom is located in Al-Rai right next to Xcite Electronics. Their opening hours are from 8:30AM to 8:00PM.

No idea who Raising Cane’s are honestly but I just read that Alshaya decided to bring them to the Middle East. I’m guessing Alshaya probably wanted to bring a chicken franchise to the region and Chick-fil-A would have been too controversial so they ended up with Raising Cane’s. According to the article, Raising Cane’s will open their first location in Avenues this July (probably at the recently closed Olive Garden or Red Lobster locations. [Link]

Thanks James