2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

If you’re a tea drinker then you should check out this kettle before they get sold out. I first spotted it maybe around a month back at Xcite but I didn’t get it and I’m glad I didn’t because they’re currently heavily discounted and are being sold for a lot cheaper than Amazon.

The reason I was checking out kettles in the first place is because I was looking for one which would allow me to select a specific heating temperature instead of just boiling it to 100° like my regular kettle did. For some teas like green tea, pouring boiling 100° water on the leaves can scald them leaving a bitter taste. That’s why for green tea for example, it’s recommended to heat up the water up to just 80°. This Breville BKE820 Smart Kettle allows me to do just that. There are a five preset temperatures ranging from 80° to 100° and I select the one I want and click on start. Very easy and very cool to use. By cool I mean lots of nice flashing lights and beeping sounds.

Now the reason I’m posting about this is for some reason Xcite have dropped the price of the kettle from KD47 down to KD28. It’s a ridiculously good value considering my other two alternatives were a Cuisinart and KitchenAid kettle, both of which cost over KD60 at Williams-Sonoma. Last time I found a good deal like this was for my Breville juicer. They don’t have the kettle listed online and I’ve only seen it at their AlRai branch off the 4th Ring Road, so that’s where you need to go to get one.

A beautifully produced flip-book of memories from the 2013 Nuqat Conference that was held in Kuwait last month. [YouTube]

If you’re interested in the tech behind the film, it was shot by Tarek Jammal with a Canon 5D Mark III using the 24-70mm f/2.8 Sigma lens. The film was composed of around 9,000 photos and they were color corrected in Alien Exposure before compiling them in a Mac app called Time-Lapse and then edited in iMovie.

There is going to be bungee jumping at Souq Sharq later this month. The jump height will be 100 meters which I understood is the highest it’s ever been done in Kuwait before and it will be held over the water. Here are the details:

Date: December 19th to December 21st, 2013
Time: 10AM to 10PM
Location: Souq Sharq Mall
Price: KD25

If you’re interested, the last day for booking is this Thursday December 12th. To book send a whatsapp to 94004335. For more details follow them on instagram @bungeekw

Save Sea Life is an awareness campaign for a healthy sea life and this Saturday they’re having a beach clean-up in coordination with the Kuwait University finance club. If you’re interested in participating here are the details:

Date: Saturday, December 14th 2013
Time: 10AM to 12PM
Location: Kuwait Towers beach

Kuwait was the first Gulf country to grow a motor racing industry. But it lost out and these days, Bahrain and the UAE host prestigious Formula One races while the last proper track in Kuwait closed a few years ago.

Kuwait actually has a motor racing heritage dating back to 1964 not 74 (like mentioned in the news report) if you consider the Ahmadi karting track. [YouTube]

Although I personally prefer riding in the summer, now is actually the best time to ride a bicycle. Since not everyone owns a bicycle or wants to buy one I thought I would post about this instagram account that rents bicycles. They’re not cheap but I don’t think there is anyone else renting bicycles (that I know of). They charge KD5 for the first hour and then KD3 for every hour after. Delivery is included. The instagram account is @bike2u_kw and you can call them up or Whatsapp them on 94942122 to rent a bicycle.

Friday night I passed by with a friend to the Alshaya Staff Shop in Shuwaikh. The shop is located inside the Alshaya headquarters and its only for Alshaya employees, their family and friends. The store sells heavily discounted leftover stock from previous Alshaya sales, and my friend told me there were a ton of items left over from Harvey Nichols which is why I HAD to pass by.

For those of you who’ve been to the Villa Moda discount store when they were open, you’ll feel right at home at the Alshaya Staff Shop. The place is packed with luxury items but packed on top of each other and you basically need to flip through the items one by one to find anything. The first section I tackled was the shoes and for some reason it felt like Black Friday, so I started flipping through everything as if there was a crowd behind me fighting over the shoes. In reality though, the shop was empty except for me and my friends but I kept getting the feeling that if I didn’t go through the shoes fast enough they would quickly disappear. I panicked, I was all over the place and I was in heaven.

Once I was done with the shoes section I started flipping through the clothes. According to the employee there, the last time the mens section got restocked was three months ago and I was flipping through the leftover of the leftover. That didn’t make sense because I found a bunch of gorgeous Alexander McQueen shirts just sitting there, three of which I had my eyes on when they were still displayed at Harvey Nichols. How those shirts were still available at the Alshaya Staff Shop I have no clue but better for me. Not only were most of these items being sold at 70% at Harvey Nichols when they were on sale, but once they get moved to the Alshaya Staff Shop they get discounted even further and then on top of that discount there is an additional 30% off if you’re an Alshaya employee or you’re with an Alshaya employee.

I ended up leaving with a couple of sneakers and shirts. Just to give you an idea of how ridiculously cheap the prices were, I got the pair of hightop sneakers pictured above for just KD17.5 after discount. KD17.5 for really soft leather sneakers that are more comfortable and look better than my Loubs. Their original price at Harvey Nichols was KD220 and they’re still selling for nearly KD200 online. So if you have a friend that works at Alshaya, force them to take you to their shop. Women are supposedly getting a restock this week.

Felix Baumgartner who became the first human to break the sound barrier without vehicular power is coming to Kuwait next week. Among the activities he’ll be taking part in there will be a meet and greet with fans at 360 Mall. Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, 11th December 2013
Time: 7:00PM
Location: 360 Mall

Now Red Bull will also let you win a small part of history. The original Red Bull Stratos helium balloon was cut up into small pieces and turned into a small souvenir. There are 1,500 limited editions of this souvenir which is pictured above. If you’d like a chance to win this souvenir as well as meet and have your photo taken with Felix Baumgartner, then leave a comment below. Sunday night I’m going to close the comments and randomly choose a winner. Good luck!

Rules: 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 within 12 hours another winner will be randomly chosen.

Update: I closed the comments and using random.org, the winner of this contest is #52, “Aziz mma”. Check your email.

The 248AM iPhone app is finally updated and available in the Apple Store to download. There are two main fixes, the first is the fact the app now works with iOS7. The second fix is that the app now runs in full screen. I also submitted the updated Kuwait Blogs app into the store and that should be come available to download in the next few days.

To download the app just search for 248am in the Apple Store or click [Here]

Kuwait Mapping Meetup is a meetup for mapping enthusiasts. They’ve already held four previous mapping meetups and their fifth meetup is this coming Sunday. If you’re interested in maps, then this is a great way to socialize and network with like minded people.

Kuwait Mapping Meetup 5
Date: Sunday, December 8th 2013
Time: 6:30PM
Location: Costa Coffee Starbucks in Al Bida’a

Also for those interested, here is a link to the Kuwait Mapping Meetup [Facebook Group]

The GulfRun team are holding their third 24 Hours Karting Endurance Race this weekend. This year the race is taking place at the newly opened SIRBB Circuit in Shuwaikh and will follow international regulations from start to finish. Tonight is the practice race which will be held alongside the Shakshooka Market and tomorrow starting at 4PM will be the beginning of the 24 hour race. 18 teams are participating in total so pass by and check them out.

For the full details on this event, check out their website [Here]

The Kuwait Textile Arts Association is hosting a ‘Winter Bazaar’ at the historic Beit Al Sadu where you’ll be able to find original designs, quilts, bags, table linens, silks, designer jewelry, shawls, crochet, hand embroidery and more. It’s taking place this weekend so if you’re interested here are the details:

Date: Saturday, December 7th 2013
Time: 10AM to 6PM
Location: Sadu House, Gulf Road [Map]

BigMo – “Stuck Between” from N. S. Wynn on Vimeo.

I’m not really into rap but BigMo is probably my favorite Kuwaiti rapper. This new video is off his debut album called “Both Sides of the Sand” and it’s about being stuck between two worlds.

I promise, no more rap videos for awhile.

Below is this months schedule for Cinemagics rooftop movie nights. If you’ve never been to them before, they’re held twice a week, every Thursday and Saturday on top of the building that has Xcite in old Salmiya. I think this is the first time where I haven’t seen a single movie from the list they’re playing. Usually I would have watched at least one but this time none. Actually the only one I’ve even heard of is Caché. Check out all the movies and their timings below:

Thursday, December 5th 2013 at 7:30PM
DEAD MAN
On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.

Saturday, December 7th 2013 at 7:30PM
SHADOWS
Cassavetes’ jazz-scored improvisational film explores interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City.

Thursday, December 12th 2013 at 7:30PM
TO THE WONDER
After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church’s Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.

Saturday, December 14th 2013 at 7:30PM
A MAN ESCAPED
French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. Then, on the same day, he is condemned to death, and given a new cellmate. Should he kill him, or risk revealing his plans to someone who may be a Gestapo informer?

Thursday, December 19th 2013 at 7:30PM
CACHE
A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.

Saturday, December 21st 2013 at 7:30PM
SURPRISE FILM OF THE MONTH
Every month they’ll be playing a surprise film, where you won’t know what you’re watching until just a minute before the film begins. One thing is for sure, every month the surprise film will be either one of their favorite film on the list, or the most unique in one way or the other. This month’s film won and was nominated for over 30 awards worldwide including the Oscars, Golden Gloves, Independent Spirit Awards and the Baftas. A unique, hilarious, bizarre and poetic little film.

Thursday, December 26th 2013 at 7:30PM
MUD
Two young boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

Saturday, December 28th 2013 at 7:30PM
NO
An ad executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile’s 1988 referendum.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Xcite and LG and there is no entrance fee [Map]. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

Shakshooka, the nomadic farmers market is taking place tonight from 6PM to 8PM at the new SIRBB Circuit in Shuwaikh. Due to more venders participating this week the market will be open for 2 hours instead of the usual 1. Also as an added bonus the GulfRun karting practice sessions will be taking place at the same time (more info here). Here is the location for the circuit on [Google Maps]

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

Photo above by @faisalthef