2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Most of you by now know I’m not a big fan of AstroTurf. I think AstroTurf belongs inside mini football fields and shouldn’t be used to beautify Kuwait. If you want to use AstroTurf to beautify the backstreets of Jabriya, sure, I guess I might understand the reasoning behind that. But, using AstroTurf on a monumental location like the Sheraton Roundabout? That I have a major problem with.

Yesterday, while driving around the Sheraton roundabout I noticed workers were busy behind the fence working on the landscaping and I also noticed super bright green grass. I thought to myself no way, they can’t be using AstroTurf are they? So I parked my car in the nearest parking lot and decided to cross the busy street and take a closer look. Turns out instead of planting real grass in the roundabout they’ve decided to go with the tacky and flat looking AstroTurf.

The irony is the landscapers have large signs all around the roundabout stating “We Keep Kuwait Green and Beautiful. Go Green Save Earth”. I guess by keeping Kuwait green they meant literally the color green. On the bright side they’re using real palm trees and flowers so I guess thats a plus.

@mark248am as of 1st January the UFC has decided leave OSN and we are very disappointed at their decision.

— OSN (@osn) January 21, 2014

This absolutely sucks. I used to love recording live UFC event and then waking up early morning to watch them. It’s the only reason I still had my OSN subscription. Instead, OSN are now getting Bellator which no one wants to watch while the UFC has moved to Abu Dhabi Sports.

I just passed the scene above awhile ago on my way home on the First Ring Road. From my position it looked like a nasty accident but I just saw the video below and the accident turned out to be a lot more horrific than I first imagined. This took place during rush hour which means there was heavy traffic. How can such a terrible accident occur during rush hour? It’s insane, it doesn’t make any sense.

The Kuwait Motor Show starts from today at 360 Mall and has over 70 vehicles on display. This will probably be the largest car show this year since I don’t see any automotive event on the Kuwait International Fair events page. [Link]

Four new restaurants have opened up next to each other on Blajat Street, JJ’s Burgers, Sandawicha, Meywa and Abou Jassem. Have’t tried any of them but I do like the wooden looking (dont’ think its real wood) exterior facade of the restaurants. Makes the whole thing look a lot more interesting.

Qatar Airways have a 3-day sale taking place that started yesterday and finishes tomorrow. They’re offering 30% off on flights so Kuwait to London for example now costs KD168 and to New York just KD238. If you’re planning to travel next month during the national holiday, this could be a good deal. Check it out [Here]

The 3D animation video above is of the Jamal Abdulnasser road development project. The Jamal Abdulnasser road is the one that starts from the Sheraton roundabout and heads towards Shuwaikh and all the way to the north. The road has been under construction for sometime now already but the video starts off with the original old road and then takes you through the various stages of construction that the road is and will be going through. Helpful if you take the road often and are frustrated with the slow progress, at least after watching this video you’ll have a better idea of what exactly is going on there. [Vimeo]

The 2013-2014 ‘Global Competitiveness’ report ranked Kuwait the worst GCC country in:

1. Access to loans
2. Direct foreign investment
3. Government surplus/deficit
4. Financial services
5. Quality of primary education
6. Quality of higher education
7. Quality of math and science education
8. Procurement of advanced technology products
9. Intellectual property protection
10. Bribes
11. Governmental laws
12. Brain drain
13. Extent of staff training
14. Starting a business
15. Technology transfer

Ouch. [PDF]

via Kazima

I got an email a couple of hours ago from Courtyard by Marriott letting me know they are holding a Greek Nights Festival for the next four days. It has to be perfect timing because just last week I posted about the lack of Greek cuisine options in Kuwait.

Starting from January 20th till the 24th, Greek chefs Loannis Tsivourakis and Papderakis Michalis will be serving a taste of Greece buffet from 7pm to 11pm. Price is KD12.5 per person, if you’re interested you can call them up for more information or reservations on 22997000.

It frustrates me when I hear stories of cops impounding cars because of a small stickers on the rear window but then I see scenes like the one above where a cop completely ignored a much more dangerous situation. The ATV above obviously isn’t street legal hence the lack of a license plate or any indicator lights but if that wasn’t enough the rider was texting on his phone when the cop just drove past him like nothing was wrong.

The World Design Rankings is based on the number of designers that have been granted an A’ Design Award. Kuwait is ranked 16th (which is pretty high) mostly because of AGi Architects who’ve won 14 awards so far. AGi are the guys behind projects like the Secret House pictured up top and the Star House pictured below.

I absolutely hate the architecture of residential buildings in Kuwait so it’s always great seeing how buildings can be beautiful in Kuwait if they’re done right. Check out all their projects on their website [Here] and their Facebook page [Here]

[YouTube]

I was kinda curious at first to how he was allowed to play with the ball inside Avenues, but then I remembered I’ve actually caught kids before kicking the ball from one side of Avenues to the other.

The friendly American Football game between the Kuwait Gridiron team and the Swiss Neuchatel Knights is taking place tonight (January 18th) at 6:30PM at the Kuwait University Stadium. Entrance is free and it’s not everyday an American Football match involving a Kuwaiti team takes place. So pass by if you can. [Link]

The SIRBB Circuit Classic Car Festival will take place tomorrow (Saturday 18th) at the Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum from 3PM to 9PM. For the full program and location map click [Here]

Shakshooka, the nomadic farmers market is taking place today from 3PM to 5PM at Bnaider exit 258. It will be hard to miss since it’s taking place under the kites. Here is the location on [Google Maps]

Don’t forget to bring cash and a carrying bag if you will be buying stuff.