2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

This is related to my previous post. A few years ago I posted a link to photos of Kuwait in the 1950’s. Well if you’re interested to see how Kuwait and the old Kuwaiti houses looked like back when they were still new then you should check out this photo set. There are around 100 photos to flip through, here is the [Link]

There’s a block of very old Kuwaiti houses in Salmiya near my place which I keep passing by all the time. I keep telling myself I should pass by and take pictures but I never did and then today I noticed they put up a fence around them. I figured they’re getting ready to demolish the houses so when I got back home I picked up my camera and went to take some pictures.

I hope they consider saving and refurbishing whatever they can from these houses but my guess is they’re planning to demolish them since they might be too damaged to repair. Too bad since I like these old houses.

I tried these chocolates over at my friends place yesterday and they were really good and addictive. They’re chocolate cubes mixed with marshmallow and biscuits which doesn’t sound like much but after having one it was actually hard to stop eating. It’s KD6 for 1/2kg and you can order them by calling 97767111. They have a ton of pictures of how the chocolates look like on their twitter page [Here]

I’m assuming the picture was taken in 1977 when he visited Kuwait.

I spotted these at Sultan Center the other day but didn’t really think much of it until I found out last night they’re actually self heating drinks. You can make coffee or hot chocolate by activating the heating element at the bottom of the can and within 3 minutes you’ll get a hot drink. Perfect for camping or when you get into a fight with the tea boy at work.

[YouTube]

Photo by Nasser

Frankom posted a video of what looks like a sporting event that took place in Kuwait recently and the girl who came in first was from Kazakhstan. Instead of playing the official Kazakhstan national anthem during the flag raising they mistakenly played Borat’s version of the anthem which I found hilarious.

The look on the girls face is priceless, she’s either thinking “wtf are they playing?” OR “damn it not again!”. [Video]

Update: The original video was removed from YouTube so I’ve uploaded it again and updated the links.

I can’t believe I forgot to submit an entry to the Kuwait Meteorological Department Photography Contest! But, my brother did, and they just released the winners list and looks like he won with his photo pictured above. I was with him when he shot this picture in Salmiya last year during the big black dust storm. You can check out all the winners on the Kuwait Meteorological Department website [Here]

Thanks Colin

I was expecting the screen to be floor to ceiling but it’s still pretty big.

Here is a list of shops I know of that are opening at Al Hamra:

Hermes (already open)
Le Sushi
Melenzane
Cavali Cafe
Gucci Cafe
Chocolate Bar
Elevation Burger
Panerai Boutique
Behbehani Watches
Harry Winston
Gelatissimo
Adidas
Adidas Originals
Reebok

Picture by Fahed

DHL sent out the email below:

The Kuwait Customs strike ended today at noon, and clearance at the airport and land customs are back to normal. Please be aware that whilst the strike has been called off, kindly expect some delays in clearance due to backlog.

Looking forward to getting my iPad!

Thanks BB

Update: It’s official!

(Reuters) – Customs workers, and employees at state-run Kuwait Airways, suspended their strikes on Tuesday after talks between labour unions and the government, Kuwaiti media reported. [Source]

I found out about this yesterday and it completely caught me by surprise. OSN now has their own version of Hulu! If you’re an OSN customer you can register and sign up on their website and then stream movies and tv shows online. How cool is that?

You don’t watch the shows live instead they’re on-demand similar to Hulu. You find the show you want and just start watching it. Right now they have a pretty good collection of content online and I’m sure their library is going to grow with time as well.

I didn’t have any streaming problems and the interface is pretty good with the ability to watch the videos in full screen mode or in a window. You can also turn subtitles on and off for those that need it.

The funny thing is I’m used to watching videos on Hulu using a US based VPN but if you do that with OSN Play you’ll be turned away in a similar way Kuwait internet users get turned away from Hulu.

So try it out, it’s very easy to register just make sure you have the code from your OSN card with you. Here is a link to their website [Link]

At least it’s helping local producers.

Meanwhile, Kuwait Dairy Company (KD Cow) announced on Monday, that it increased its production capacity to meet shortage of dairy products in markets.

The company’s Director-General Saleh Al-Attiqi told KUNA that in order to maintain food security, under the current customs strike that paralyzed the market, the company doubled its production.
[Source]

[YouTube]

I found the video above of the making of Fires of Kuwait on YouTube. If you didn’t already know Fires of Kuwait is an Academy Award winning nominated documentary from 1992 on the oil well fires that were lit up by the retreating Iraqi forces at the end of the 1990 invasion. The video above is a behind the scenes look into what went into the making of this documentary and I thought it was pretty interesting. In case you haven’t watched this IMAX documentary yet it’s currently showing every Friday at the Scientific Center IMAX theater. For details click [Here]

If you look carefully at the 2:24 mark you can see the Big Wind (pictured below) in action.

Hawally Municipality Manager Fahad Al-Fahad urged citizens and expatriates to maintain cleanliness at public facilities along the seafront by refraining from littering and leaving barbeque remains, ash and charcoal.

Speaking during a three-day campaign, his teams along with the Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC), Al-Zayyani Company, Bayan and Mishref Co-opeartive Societies launched a campaign to prevent the practice of holding barbeque events in these areas. Al-Fahad stressed that such violations can be observed during weekends.

He stressed the need to create more active awareness campaigns and strict law enforcement. He also noted that special signs would be placed in such areas to enlighten visitors with by-laws and the penalties. Abdul Aziz Al-Yahia, Cleaning Department Manager said that his inspectors issued 125 citations over the weekend, explaining that fines ranging between KD 100 and 300 would be levied. [Kuwait Times]

My biggest issue with seaside BBQ-ers other than the trash they leave behind is the BBQ smoke. On Saturdays when I ride my bicycle to the gym I have a hard time breathing because of all the smoke. By the time I get to the gym the trainers think I was pigging out on kebabs and kill me with exercises. Not very fun.

The photo of the barricaded doors above are from inside Dr. Adel Al-Yousifi’s home taken after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. Dr. Adel is the person behind the websites evidence.org.kw and freekuwait.org.kw. According to him a Kuwaiti family was taking shelter in his home during the 1990-1991 invasion while he was stranded in London.

When Dr. Adel got back he found out his home was used to shelter a boy sought by the Iraqis. Turns out several boys had seen what they were not supposed to and when they were captured by the Iraqi soldiers they were shot. But, one boy survived and managed to escape. His family hid him in Dr. Adel’s house but they pretended he had died of his wounds and arranged a fake mourning. The Iraqis never found him and he is considered to be a living martyr.

Dr. Adel is now interested in finding out the name of the young man who had survived the Iraqi soldiers and hid in the house. If you know who that person is please contact him on [email protected]

Kuwait sent 66 candidates who sat for 118 exams for a pass rate of 64.4%, the highest pass rate of all candidates sitting for the exam outside of the U.S. In fact, candidates from Kuwait performed better than every U.S. jurisdiction. By comparison, the best performing CPA exam jurisdiction in the U.S. – Utah – pulled a pass rate of 57.4% overall.

That’s an odd but interesting fact. I guess. [Link]

Thanks Uzair