2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
Last week I posted about the graffiti parking lot in Salmiya that is getting demolished. They’ve been bringing it down wall by wall and every time a wall falls down a graffiti work is revealed. Today I noticed the wall pictured above that’s now left standing and I thought it looked really beautiful. It’s not a sight you see very often in Kuwait.
Along with the other projects I’ve already posted about previously (Here and Here), the Al Jahra Hospital is another project that was commissioned by the Amiri Diwan. This hospital is going to have around 1,100 beds and will be bigger than the Jaber Hospital which is also currently under construction.
Major departments include: Accident and Emergency with Helipad on the roof and separate Adult and Pediatric treatment areas; over 20 Outpatient Clinics; Outpatient Procedures including Endoscopy, Pulmonary and Cardiology; Radiology and Nuclear Medicine; Same Day Medical observation unit; a modern Surgical suite with 20 OR’s including 2 hybrid rooms; a Women’s Center including Women’s Surgery, Infertility Clinic and Outpatient services, NICU and Special Care Nurseries, Women’s Surgery. Inpatient beds include Adult, Pediatric and Women’s Center beds as well as 12 unique ICU bed units.
The hospital is expected to take just 36 months to complete.
If you’ve traveled recently you might have noticed the Pearl Lounge at the airport was getting refurbished. Well the makeover is complete and someone from the National Aviation Services uploaded a 30 days time-lapse of the whole processes. I think the new lounge looks better and it also looks like it can fit a lot more people. Check out the time lapse below.
[YouTube]
As I’ve previously posted, Emirates is now flying their double decker A380 plane to Kuwait which is now officially the shortest flight for the plane in the world. The flight is only 1 and 25 minutes long and the video below is a behind the scenes look at the inaugural flight to Kuwait. [Link]
For the month of August, British Airways will be airing a short documentary about Kuwait on board more than 3,000 flights around the world. The documentary is called “Kuwait: Through Our Eyes” and is divided into four 10-minute films. Originally British Airways were planning just a 10-minute film but due to the overwhelming demand they ended up turning it into a four part series. Kuwait is just one of twenty countries from around the world that are getting a film done and Kuwait is the first one from the Middle East to be featured.
August is one of the busiest months of the year so Kuwait should get a lot of exposure. I couldn’t find a copy of the film online to watch but I’m hoping British Airways will upload it next month onto YouTube or their website. Check out the full article on KUNA [Here]
Thanks @Buzfairy
Update: Part one is now online, watch it below.
[YouTube]
If you’re staying here for Eid then I’ve got a nice treat for you. Radisson Blu Hotel are offering a chance for one of my readers to win 2 nights stay at the hotel during eid. Not only that but you’ll also get breakfast included, dinner for 2 at Al Boom Steak and Seafood Restaurant and access to the Viking Club swimming pool and health club so you could spend the Eid tanning poolside.
The Prize:
· A Double Room for 1 or 2 Guests
· Super Breakfast Buffet
· Dinner for 2 at Al Boom Steak and Seafood Restaurant
· Access to Viking Club: Swimming Pool and Health Club
All you have to do to win the giveaway is leave a comment with the answer to the question below and I will randomly choose a winner once I close the post for comments Friday evening.
Question: Al Boom (Mohammedi II) and Al Hashemi II are the names of the dhows in dry dock at Radisson Blu. What is the name of the third dhow they have that you can sail on?
Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will only be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours, another winner will be randomly chosen.
Hint: Check the Radisson Blu Facebook Page or Instagram
Update: Post is has now been closed for comments. Winner will be announced tomorrow.
Update2: Using Random.org I randomly generated a number between 1 and 520 and the winner was comment #111 (M. Ahsan). An email has been sent to them and if they don’t respond within 24 hours a second winner will be announced.
Local instagram star Ascia was recently featured in Coca-Cola’s #OpenUp Ramadan campaign. The campaign pays tribute to the holy month by spreading happiness and encouraging people to open up to each other, rekindle lost connections and mend unresolved tensions. It’s pretty touching and both her and her husband “open up” in front of the camera which is never something easy to do, although I guess if Coca-Cola came knocking on my door I’d probably do the same thing as well. Checkout the spot below.
[YouTube]
via Life in Kuwait
Since I’m planning to stay in Kuwait during Eid I figured I’d pick up a new video game console. I’m probably getting a Nintendo Wii U and an Xbox One although I haven’t really finalized my decision yet. But, I have been doing some research and I’ve put together a list below of the different console prices around Kuwait as of today:
Nintendo Wii U Mario Kart Bundle
Xcite: KD135
Blink: Not Available (KD119 Zelda Bundle)
Digumz: Not Available (KD112.9 Zelda Bundle)
Digumz Store: KD135
Rihab Complex: KD130
Mr Babu: Not Available (KD99.9 Zelda Bundle)
GamesQ8: KD135
Sony Playstation 4
Xcite: KD149.9 (KD142.9 with inFamous Second Son)
Blink: KD124
Digumz: KD124.9
Digumz Store: KD135
Rihab Complex: KD118
Mr Babu: KD119.9
GamesQ8: KD125
Xbox One 500 GB + Kinect
Xcite: KD209 (KD148 Without Kinect)
Blink: Not Available (KD137 Without Kinect)
Digumz: KD152.9 (KD134.9 Without Kinect)
Digumz Store: KD155
Rihab Complex: KD150 (KD135 Without Kinect)
Mr Babu: KD155
GamesQ8: KD155 (KD135 Without Kinect)
Update: Added the prices from the GamesQ8 online store.
Post by Amy Freeman
When I first moved to Kuwait from New Zealand, my workouts stayed pretty much the same as did the contents of my diet. So when I found it really hard to lose weight one of the things that I realized is that I hadn’t taken in to account how somewhat inactive my life had become outside my workouts. It’s a common thing in Kuwait especially in summer which starts in May and lasts all the way till October.
So I started doing something that I had never done before and to be honest I had never had to do before. I started counting my macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein) and calories.
After finding that this had positive results I suggested it to some of my clients to try out as well. They also ended up having positive results.
What this made me realize first and foremost is that ‘accidental exercise’; such as walking down 2 blocks to pay a phone bill or taking the dog to the park does actually make a difference overall to your body composition and it does make it easier to be a little more flexible with nutrition.
It also made me realize how much unnecessary snacking I was doing such as while preparing dinner or when I was bored. Probably the biggest thing I noticed is how much of a difference NOT eating out makes.
There are many ways to find out how many calories a day you should be having and what your macros should be but I suggest going to see either a nutritionist or a reputable coach that has experience. If you don’t have access to either of those things then you can get an idea of where to start at this website [Here]
Most of the time it is a trial and error thing, everybody is different and sometimes it takes a
couple of months to fine tune things.
Lastly remember that not all calories and macros are equal. For example, If you have a 1,500 calorie diet of chips and chocolate versus a 1500 calorie diet of beef, quinoa and broccoli, there is going to be a huge difference in how those two bodies look and perform.
Happy Training Kuwait
Post by Amy Freeman, a Strength and Conditioning Coach from New Zealand and currently a Personal Trainer at Inspire Pure Fitness in Kuwait.
Yesterday while on the Eureka Facebook page I noticed they posted about a new store opening called eFashion. My guess it belongs to them but what caught my attention was the graphic above showing the various brands they are planning on carrying.
A lot of the brands are already available in Kuwait but then you have ones like A&F, Hollister and Under Armor that aren’t. Also the combination of luxury brands like Burberry and Givenchy being sold along with brands like Old Navy and Columbia is a bit odd.
The store is opening in around a months time across from Sultan Center Hawalli and once it does things will be a lot clearer. Most likely it’s probably going to be similar to Sears selling really old stock for cheap prices.
According to the 2014 Global Rights Index by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman are the best countries to work in the Gulf and are on a par with working conditions in the US. The index was created based on 97 indicators such as whether employees were exposed to systematic physical violence, threats and intimidation, had the right to strike and were guaranteed protection under the law.
Kuwait came in category 4 which is similar to countries like the US but also similar to countries like Yemen and Iraq so factors like country stability and the social scene were obviously not included in the study. The 97 indicators are strictly related to workers rights and civil liberties. Check out the full study [Here]
Thanks Zainab
via Gulf Daily News
Last week when I got a hold of the really old Cinescape movie theaters I also got a hold of pictures of the old Cinema Salmiya before it got demolished. That’s the second movie theater I had ever been to (Octupussy at a dodgy cinema in Lebanon was my first) and I remember the movie I had watched was Steven Seagal’s “Under Siege“. I also remember the video store outside the theater where I picked up “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” from. Good days.
The Souk Sharq branch of Sultan Center has a new large organic/healthy section that I’m hoping they’ll start introducing into their other branches. I found lots of products which I hadn’t seen before in any of their other locations and the whole section looks like something from Whole Foods.
Speaking of healthy food, for some reason Natureland has increased the price of their quinoa and they’re now selling 500g for KD2.990. They used to sell it for KD2.050 so that’s a whopping 45% increase. Luckily for us, there are a lot more options for quinoa nowadays and Sultan sell a few options including one which costs KD2.500 for 500g.
Koryokwan, the Korean restaurant located in Carlton Hotel is opening a new location in Symphony Mall in Salmiya. My guess is that they will be moving out of their current location in Carlton Hotel since the building is very old and in the summer the air conditioning isn’t that great. The new location will be located in the basement of the mall right next to Party Land and hopefully it’ll end up looking as good as their current location.
For those of you who’ve been following the blog for a long time, you will know the story of the old photographer. Sadly, I just found out he passed away recently at the age of 84. May he rest in peace.