2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Spotted in Shaab.

The Ecoxbt is an interesting little speaker since it’s completely waterproof. While I use my Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12 on the shore, once I get into the water the Ecoxbt takes over. It’s a small lightweight speaker that not only is waterproof but also floats on the water. I’ve been using it now for three weeks and it’s really made chilling in the sea more entertaining.

The first time I took the Ecoxbt to the beach I literally threw it as far as I could into the sea. I didn’t have a specific reason other than the fact I could do it knowing the speaker would still be ok. The Ecoxbt pumps out just 6 watts of sound which isn’t much but surprisingly it’s more than enough when you’re out in the water. It’s a bluetooth speaker and I use my iPhone with a waterproof case to stream music onto it. When I’m home I have the speaker setup in my shower and I could stream music to it from my iPhone which would be charging in the adjacent room. So give or take around 10 meters apart. Out at sea though the distance drastically drops. Water kills the signal so if you have your phone in your back pocket under the water the bluetooth signal won’t get to the speaker.

Another downside is the Ecoxbt floats away if you leave it floating in the water. If you want to just leave it in the water like that then its best to do it in the pool where there are no waves. What me and my friends have been using the Ecoxbt mostly for is listening to music while relaxing and tanning in the shallow waters near the shore. I just dig the speaker into the ground and then dig my iPhone into the sand right next to it and they’ll both stay there until I take them out. These are small speakers so don’t expect any kind of thumping bass but they more than do the job. The rechargeable battery also lasts a ridiculous 15 hours so we’ve never run out of juice.

I’ve really been enjoying this speaker and it now has a permanent spot in my beach bag right next to my Beolit 12. The Ecoxbt costs KD42 and is available to purchase online from [Blink] and [uBuy].

[YouTube]

Yesterday I passed by a small Jamaican restaurant that’s run by a Jamaican woman living in Kuwait. I only found out about the place last week from the owner of Caribbean Hut but turns out Taste of Jamaica has been around for awhile now. This is another hole in the wall place that had around four small tables inside an a few outside. The interior was decorated with Jamaican ornaments like flags and photos of Bob Marley while the radio was pumping out some Jamaican tunes. I think everyone who was working at the place was Jamaican although I should have asked just to be sure.

I never had Jamaican food before but one of my friends had before moving to Kuwait so we put him in charge of ordering and we ended up with the following dishes:

Caribbean Shrimp KD3.5
Jerk Chicken KD3.5
Braised Oxtails KD3.5
Curry Goat KD3.5
Spinach Rice KD0.800
Rice & Peas KD0.800
Baked Potato KD0.800

We had also ordered sides of Stir Fried Okras, Jamaican Patty, Corn Bread and Mac & Cheese but we were told they were out of them.

Once the food arrived my first impression was that the presentation of the dishes weren’t as good as Caribbean Hut. The dinnerware were regular looking and the food was just filled onto the plates like you would at home. The food on the other hand tasted a lot better than it looked. I’m not a fan of chicken on bone but my friend who had the Jerk Chicken thought it was pretty good. The caribbean Shrimp was good, nothing special but the Braised Oxtails and the Curry Goat were the two dishes with lots of flavor. Between the two, Curry Goat was my favorite but the oxtails was super tender as well. They both had new exciting flavors I hadn’t tasted before which is what I was hoping to experience by visiting this place.

On the negative side I thought the prices were a bit high especially when compared to Caribbean Hut which I thought was a super good deal. But other than that I found the place interesting and worth passing by just for the experience especially if you’re bored of your regular routine and are looking for something new to try out.

Taste of Jamaica is located in Mangaf, Block 4, Street 19 and Building #1. Their phone number is 67086852 and they’re open from 5AM to 11PM.

Secret Stage is a local Instagram business which I find interesting because they rent out arcade machines and deliver them to your home. The arcade machines have over 100 games built in ranging from classics like Donkey Kong and PacMan to newer releases like Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter x Tekken. They have a bunch of different rental plans but their daily rate starts at KD40 but get cheaper if you rent them for more than a day.

If you’re interested you can check them out on instagram [Here]

According to the FlyDubai website, starting from September 15 they will be flying into and out of Kuwait from the Sheikh Saad General Aviation Terminal at Kuwait Airport. The Sheikh Saad terminal was previously used by Wataniya Airways before they went bankrupt. [Link]

According to a reader, Tim Hortons at the Avenues will be opening this coming Saturday, August 24th.

No idea what the building used to be but I found the door open and just walked in. It’s located in the parking lot behind Jashanmal in Kuwait City. Like all old Kuwaiti buildings there’s lot of nice open space inside and someone really should take the building over and renovate it.

This is my attempt at a fashion post. I spotted the sneakers above at Harvey Nichols last night and I think they look super cool. I would have gotten them myself if I didn’t already have three pairs of sneakers that look exactly the same. They’re Jimmy Choo and they cost around KD90 after their 50% discount.

Not sure if all the parking lots in Kuwait have increased their prices but all the ones I’ve been to this month now have a minimum charge of 200fils for the first hour instead of 100fils.

After posting about The Flying Start Triathlon below, the Smoke House restaurant in Mahboula sent me the graphic above. Well played.

The last day for this years Flying Start Triathlon early bird registration is coming up soon. They’ve got two levels of competition:

The event takes place on the 15th of November but early registration earns you a nice discount. If you’re interested to find out more head to their Facebook page [Here]

I’ve been spending a lot of time at the beach this summer and one of my most important summer accessories I’ve been using is my iPhone5 LifeProof case. It’s my need-to-have accessory since it allows me to use my iPhone on the beach or in the sea and not worry about sand or water ruining my phone. The size is perfect and so far I haven’t had a leak but the case does have its shortcomings. Firstly the case doesn’t have a wrist strap nor a place to connect one. When I went paragliding I was worried I would drop my phone so didn’t take any risky shots, if I had a wrist strap I would have taken a lot more interesting photos. A wrist strap is really a must on a take everywhere case and it sucks the LifeProof doesn’t have it. The other issue I have with the LifeProof is the fact they recommend submersing it to a maximum of 2 meters for 30 minutes. This means I can’t keep my phone in my back pocket the whole time I’m in the water since I’m usually in the water for a lot longer than 30 minutes. Finally, even though I’ve never had a leak I’m always worried I will since the case is pretty thin and the only thing that’s stopping the water from getting into the case is a flimsy o-ring which seems to always get loose when I open the case.

The Hitcase Pro wasn’t available back when I purchased the LifeProof case and I didn’t even know they released an iPhone5 version until the local dealer contacted me asking if I would be interested in reviewing it. I quickly checked the specs of the case online and emailed the dealer back with a big yes and to send me the case before the weekend so I could try it out. That was three weeks ago and since then I’ve used the case a number of times and it has now officially replaced my LifeProof. I love it.

I don’t know where to begin this review since there a bunch of cool things about the Hitcase Pro. I’ll start with the case answering the shortfalls of the LifeProof. The Hitcase Pro comes with a wrist strap, that alone would have convinced me to jump ship even if it didn’t have any other advantages but it does. The Hitcase Pro can be submersed down to 10 meters so it can basically stay in my back pocket all day under the water and I won’t be worried about it leaking. The Hitcase Pro also feels and looks heavy duty so when I put the phone inside it and close it I don’t have any of the confidence issues of the LifeProof. So already without going any further the case has already solved all of my issues with the LifeProof and there are two more additional features that were interesting to me.

The Hitcase Pro has a built in wide angle lens for the iPhone camera. This was a bonus feature I didn’t think would make a big difference to my shots but it has. Other than the fact I could fit more scenery and people into my shots, the wide angle lens has made selfies a lot easier to take and the very slight fisheye look has made the shots a lot more interesting looking. The other cool feature of the Hitcase Pro is the fact it turns your iPhone into an action camera. The case allows you to use GoPro mounts or mounts that use the tripod socket. This means all my Contour+ mounts now work with my iPhone case so I could mount the camera on a jetski, a car or my bicycle. I’ve actually decided to sell my Contour+ now since I wasn’t using it much and if I do need an action camera I can just use my iPhone 5 now.

The Hitcase Pro does have two shortfalls though when compared to my LifeProof case. The Hitcase Pro is a lot more bulkier than the LifeProof case which doesn’t make it practical to use as a day to day iPhone case. I only use my LifeProof at the beach but I know a couple of people who use it as their everyday case. The second issue is you can’t charge the phone without removing it from the case. With the LifeProof there was a little latch at the bottom which when opened allowed me to access the Thunderbolt lightning connector. I don’t usually charge my iPhone while at the beach but I do connect it to my Bang & Olufsen portable speaker. None of these issues are major though and I’m willing to sacrifice them for all the other advantages the case provides.

The Hitcase Pro costs KD39 which is the same price as Amazon and is available to purchase online from [Blink] and [uBuy]. According to the dealer it will also be available soon at GoSport, Extreme Sports and Explorer’s Base.

Every year on August 19 the world remembers all those aid workers who lost their lives while trying to help people in need. The World Humanitarian Day pays tribute to them by raising awareness of humanitarian issues and efforts to help people. This World Humanitarian Day marks 10 years since the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad was bombed and 22 UN and aid agency workers were killed.

World Humanitarian Day in Kuwait is holding an event today (19th of August 2013) at 5PM at Al-Hamra Mall.

What do you think the world needs more of? Contribute with your word and help build a local movement to support a world event.

For more information follow them on Instagram @whdkw

Kuwait Labor Law is a new app available on Android and iOS devices. The app provides you with a quick reference to the Kuwait labor law, Kuwait traffic violations with all the penalties listed as well as all the requirements and the latest changes to the driving license requirements.

Although the information is readily available for free online the app creators believe that their $3.99 asking price is still worth it. I had a conversation with the creators by email and they managed to convince me that ponying up around KD1 for the app could be worth it. Their app allows you to add certain articles to your favorites tab, the ability to type in a word or phrase and search the entire listing and most importantly, if there is a change in any of the laws you will be notified by the app immediately.

If you’re interested in purchasing the app here are the links:
Android Version
iOS Version