2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

One of the guys brought cheesecake from Firin tonight to the diwaniya and it was pretty good. Like I had two slices good and it’s not even my cheat day. The only reason I actually ate it is because it was wheat free. And yes I’m still on my wheat free diet and I it’s been more than two weeks now.

I actually haven’t had any trouble staying off wheat. The only issue arises on my cheat day when I want to have dessert and end up with a lame chocolate bar from a supermarket because all my favorite desserts contain wheat. I also don’t feel more energetic or more focused like the book says I would feel. Or maybe I’m just not noticing. I don’t know will give this diet some more time and see.

Anyway all of Firin’s products are wheat free and you can check out their website [Here]

Larger version [Here]

A friend of mine here in Kuwait got the Wacom Inkling and has some samples up. If you don’t know what the inkling is, it’s basically a small device you attach to your notebook and whatever you draw in your sketch book or on paper will be transferred as a digital drawing to your computer.

According to him “it’s good for fast sketching but not good enough for tight detail doodling”. He has two examples which explain his comments which you can check out. You’ll notice some of the digital lines are not in the same place as the original drawings as well as some details missing. Check out the two samples [Here] and [Here]

The Inkling isn’t available on Amazon yet. He had a friend in Hong Kong purchase it for him and ship it to his Aramex China mailbox.

Thanks Pinot

The new airport will be completed by 2016. That’s in 4 years time. [Link]

What more can I do? I’ve already complained about the issues that take place on the Gulf Road a million times already on the blog and I haven’t seen any improvement. If anything there are less cops on the Gulf Road now then there have ever been.

Note: Yes I took this picture on the Gulf Road

Turns out when it comes to “Nation Branding”, Kuwait for some odd reason scores really well… like really well. Out of 236 countries, Kuwait came in 13th place for Q3 of the 2011 Brand Perception Index. And it’s not a one time fluke, I checked the 2010 index and Kuwait actually came in 6th place overall last year! I think that’s great but honestly I don’t understand how.

Norway for example is currently at the bottom of the list in 236th place… right behind Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. Pretty weird, I mean they had the bombing incident and the shooting but 236? Here is how they rank the countries:

Our indexes rank all countries and territories based on how they are perceived in leading international media, published quarterly and annually. The indexes are based on analyzing millions of mentions in hundreds of thousands of news articles.

For the full list click [Here]

via BlogBaladi

The site works! [Link]

Zeebrgr is a new burger joint by the same people behind Maki. They’re soft opening tonight and they’re located at The Palms in Al Bida. #notenoughburgerjointsinkuwait [Link]

Haven’t seen much Christmas decorations in Kuwait yet this year. Ted Baker had the cool Marilyn Monroe Santa last year but this year they’ve replaced it with a tacky looking banner. I spotted the Christmas tree above at Alraya Mall which is pretty cool (and big). Cartier in Salhiya also has some decorations up but other than those three I haven’t really seen anything else.

A reader sent me this video of the Al Hamra Tower light display which I missed since I was in New York. The light show looks like video footage in some of the shots so I wonder if you can hook up an Xbox and play COD on the side of the tower? [YouTube]

Thanks Robert

Hermès sent out invitations to their opening at Al Hamra Tower which will be on the 13th of December. I’m not sure if anyone can attend the opening without an invitation but you could give it a shot if you really want a bag. The invite says the event starts at 7pm and I’m guessing if they will have any Kelly’s or Birkin’s available they’ll probably all be taken that first night.

Another day another record. This time it’s for the most expensive camel in the world.

A camel named Bedour entered the Guinness Book of Records when it was purchased for 2 million dinars cash after the seller refused to take a cheque or ATM card during the Safat Camel Auction in Sulaibiya, reports Al-Shahid daily.

According to the seller, the camel is expensive because it’s unique and exceptionally beautiful, which makes it different from other camels and on par with camels the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his companions rode. He affirmed that this revelation is verifiable and has already been established. Therefore, the camel is worth the amount he collected from the purchase, the seller noted.

He reiterated that the value of the camel has nothing to do with quality of its meat, hyrax, milk or urine but its offspring and byproducts. He said the buyer will recoup the KD 2,000,000 with huge profit, stressing that mere onlookers were surprised that the camel had been sold for 2 million, which is almost enough to buy a private jet and way beyond the prices of latest automobiles.

He claimed the camel originates from camels the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his companions owned. He also said the buyer could insure the camel just like human beings, cars and houses, even though he refused to mention profit he made through the deal. [Source]

KD2,000,000 cash!

Thanks Tuan

Spoiler: Kuwait came 120th out of 220 countries surveyed. That’s not that great specially when Dubai came in 74. No surprise at the top of the list with European and Canadian cities dominating it all. Vienna came in first. [Link]

I got a sneak peek at ubon awhile ago and the place looks amazing. It’s very tastefully done with a mixture of black burnt wood and concrete. I spoke to the owner while there and he told me they’re going to be playing mostly modern jazz which will suit the place a lot. It’s easily easily going to be the coolest looking Thai food place in Kuwait.