2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

A friend of mine who owns a sporting goods shop is importing a new brand of sneakers to Kuwait. So I was over at his place a couple of days back and asked him if the sneakers had arrived yet since I was looking to pick up a pair for myself. My friend told me that they had arrived to Kuwait but they’ve been held in customs for a month now. I was like why? He told me you’re going to laugh at this but basically the sneakers are made in China, and the certificate of origin says they’re made in China. But, the customs officer is refusing to clear the shipment because inside the sneaker tongue it says Made in China but it also says US, UK and EUR. He says it’s misleading and so is holding the shipment at the port.

At first I thought he was kidding but he was actually serious. Obviously the customs officer is looking for a bribe to release the shipments but he could have at least come up with a better excuse for not releasing them.

This weekend is an interesting one not because of the amount of the events but because of the wide variety of events that are taking place. The biggest thing happening this weekend is GAME Expo 2015. If you’re into video games or cosplay then pass by this event since it’s the largest of its kind that takes place in Kuwait. On Friday my neighborhood gym Desert Fitness are holding their first Olympic Weightlifting meet so I’ll probably be passing by there. Finally if you’re into pilates theres a session taking place this Saturday morning at Al Shaheed Park. Check out the full list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: New Species by Hunt Slonem
GAME Expo 2015
Japanese Speech Contest
Workshop: Introduction to Calligraphy
Rooftop Movie: Force Majeure

Friday
GAME Expo 2015
Poptastic the Musical
Olympic Weightlifting Meet
Culinary Event: Searing, Sautéing, and Deglazing
Let’s Go Forward Desert Run

Saturday
GAME Expo 2015
Poptastic the Musical
Pilates at the Park
Guided Tour: Grand Mosque
Rooftop Movie: Locke

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

If you’re into How It’s Made style documentaries then you’ll appreciate this video on the making of the Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City Marina. The most interesting part for me is the fact that you can take Styrofoam, cover it with cement and then end up with a 20ton floating concrete deck. It’s only 11 minutes long so check it out. [YouTube]

On the bright side, the government has decided to retender the new airport project after the ministry rejected all the bids back in February. [YouTube]

Thanks Salem

I’m in contact with one of my readers who has some old photos of Ahmadi and I’ll be posting some every now and then. Kinda like what I was supposed to do with the KOC Archive posts which I realized I’ve completely forgotten about. Anyway this post is about the Ahmadi Hospital and this is what he had to say about it:

Ahmadi Hospital is known to many people especially the oil sector. Ahmadi Hospital was in inaugurated in April 1960 by Kuwait Oil Company and was called then “Southwell Hospital” after Kuwait Oil Company Sir Philip Southwell who was KOC president from 1946 to 1959. Sometime during the 80’s it was changed to “Ahmadi Hospital”

Before the hospital was built in Ahmadi town, KOC had a hospital in Magwa area (North Ahmadi Town, separated with Kuwait airport by the 7th ring road). That is where I was born and many others in that period. Attached are some pictures of Magwa Hospital.

I’ve also uploaded the two photos of the hospital staff in high resolution in case you’re interested in seeing them up close. You can view those [Here] and [Here]

According to an instagram post by the Ministry of Interior, the emergency lanes on some of the major highways are now open to the general public to use from 6AM to 10PM as long as you don’t exceed 45km/h. The roads are the ones highlighted in blue in the map above. Their post is in Arabic so I couldn’t understand most of it but looking at the map my best guess is the emergency lanes they’re talking about are on the 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th roads, as well as the 5th and 6th Ring Roads.

Now for a bit of venting…

Why isn’t this information on their website? What about all the expats like me who can’t read Arabic? Why is the road open only from 6AM to 10PM? I mean if it’s open during the whole day why not just keep it open 24/7 instead of making it illegal after 10PM. It just complicates things. And why are they limiting the speed to 45km/h? Why don’t they just pave the road and turn it into a proper lane and again simplify things. It’s as if they still haven’t made up their minds on if they should completely cancel the emergency lanes or keep them.

According to the 40 minute film below, the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Center that is currently under construction will be the largest museum in the world once completed. The museum will be located next to Shaab Park on the Gulf Road and include:

– A Natural History Museum
– A Science Museum
– A Museum of Islamic History
– A Space Museum
– A Fine Arts Center
– A 350 seat Theatre

[YouTube]

I knew the project was huge but I didn’t think it would end up being the largest museum in the world. I still find that hard to believe. Check out the film above and for more information on the project including 3D renderings click [Here]

Thanks Arad

“Kuwait – Small Country, Big Heart” is a short 10 minute documentary on Kuwait that was requested by Kuwait Airways (most likely to use onboard its flights). It’s made by the same guys who did the Kuwait documentary for British Airways so it’s full of beautiful shots of Kuwait. Only the Arabic version is online and you can watch it above. [YouTube]

I was at LuLu in Salmiya earlier tonight and noticed they were selling the Apple Watch. They only had the 38mm Sport version in white and priced at KD229. To compare, the same model in the US costs KD165 KD105 before tax and shipping. Like the iPhone, as the Apple Watch becomes more readily available the price should drop.

Sandarah by Yousef

Sandarah is a short animated film by Kuwait animator Yousef Al Bagshi. The film was uploaded 7 months ago but it seems to have just been discovered recently. It’s Yousef’s first animation and it took him nearly a year and a half of work to complete it. The film is gorgeous, I really love his illustration style and the way he renders the light in all the scenes. The story is also captivating and from what I’ve been told based on a true event that took place during the 1990 Iraqi invasion. The film is under 7 minutes long so make sure you watch it.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

I didn’t know what “Create Your Taste” was until last week when someone in Australia built a colossal burger and the video below went viral. Now it turns out the same concept is launching in Kuwait by the end of the week.

[YouTube]

The way it works is pretty simple, you go up to the “Create Your Taste” kiosk at a McDonald’s and you create your own burger using a touch display. You choose the kind of bun you want, the amount of patties, the different types of cheeses, how many cheeses, the sauces etc.. etc.. and you then head to the cashier and pick up your creation. The guy in Australia basically tried to build the largest burger the kiosk would let him and ended up with the burger below.

Right now it looks like they’re launching the concept at the Gulf Road location since I spotted the kiosks set up there. Should be interesting to see what some kids are going to end up building.

With all the fantastic HD cameras on every smartphone at the moment I don’t understand why we still get videos that look like they’ve been shot with an old school Nokia. [YouTube]

via Frankom

The world’s fair officially launched in Milan on Friday and with it Kuwait’s pavilion pictured above. Here is some information on the architecture being the pavilion:

The Pavilion’s architecture evokes the Kuwaiti Dhow, the triangular-sail boat still used in the Arabian Gulf. The lateral facades display examples of the greenhouse and hydroponic cultivation used in Kuwait.

The first section of the visitor’s itinerary illustrates the country’s features and climate. The second shows how scientific study and research have made it possible to create fertility in arid landscapes. In the last section, guests can immerge themselves in Kuwaiti culture. [Source]

The three mini water towers in the front seem a bit tacky but other than that I like the sails structure. For more information on the pavilion check out this [Link] and also check out the Kuwait Pavilion instagram account @kuwaitexpomilan

Good Afternoon Kuwait!!! DQ Opening Soon @ Marina and Avenue's Malls. pic.twitter.com/AcWVsKNIC3

— Dairy Queen® Kuwait (@DQKuwait) April 29, 2015

As I’ve previously mentioned, Dairy Queen is coming back to Kuwait after being absent for nearly a decade. Based on their tweet above it looks like they’re starting off with two locations, Marina Mall and The Avenues. No word on when but looks like it’s pretty soon.

Last summer I posted about how tap water is safe to drink even though the general consensus was that it wasn’t. Now a video is making its rounds around social media where four different bottled water brands have their pH levels tested alongside tap water and it seems tap water scores another win by being alkalized. According to proponents, alkalized water can neutralize acid in your bloodstream, boost your metabolism and help your body absorb nutrients more effectively. Check out the video above or on [YouTube]