2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

BBC recently did a report on the internet speed in Lebanon and watching should give you an idea of why I fall in love with Kuwait’s internet every time I get back from a trip. [YouTube]

via BlogBaladi

Helle Wallah is a rap song by local group W.A.S.T.A. The song is in English and this is their first release. [YouTube]

A friend of mine sent the email below which was sent to him by his couriers account manager:

The Kuwait customs have gone on an indefinite strike. The strike will affect clearance at the airport and land customs, as well as the border between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. There will be no road movements into or out of Kuwait until the strike is over.

Clearance of inbound material (including Documents) at both the airport and land customs will be suspended throughout the strike.

Export from Kuwait will also be affected, and only Conveyable Non documents and Documents that can be transferred via passenger channels at the airport will be able to move.

Regular pickup’s will be carried out, until further notice.

There is a possibility that the strike could last more than one day, however we do not have confirmation of this as yet and will communicate as soon as we do.

I’ve got six packages currently held in customs and I guess I shouldn’t be expecting them to be cleared anytime soon. This sucks.

Update: Spotted the below on Buz Fairy taken outside the customs department. Can someone please tell me what “Customs we apologize to serve you strike a comprehensive” means?

Google Maps recently added driving directions to Google Maps in Kuwait meaning you could now tell Google where you are and where you want to go to and it will calculate the route similar to navigation devices. You can try it by visiting Google Maps [Here]

Thanks Ds

I woke up this morning to find out that Tikka and the Fashionway complex opposite Fanar in Salmiya had caught fire this morning. I don’t have any information yet on what caused the fire but it looks like the fire engulfed the whole top floor and probably causing damage to the shops below as well. The video above is of Tikka on fire and below are some shots taken after the fire was put out. [YouTube]

Thanks Rami and Karim

Update: Below are some shots of the fire taken by Hudson

Update2: Below is a 27 minute video of the fire, better quality than the one above.

Thanks Khaloody

The price isn’t mentioned neither is the mileage but it does looks pretty clean (ie. can’t see any blood stains). [Link]

Thanks Mohammad

I just read on twitter that Kuwait Customs are going on strike tomorrow. I really hope that’s not true, customs already take forever to clear packages and with a strike I’m sure things are going get delayed even longer.

Arabian Business has a list of GCC’s top employers and the only local company to make the cut and come in at #2 is Alshaya. Siemens Kuwait also makes a cameo appearance due to their state-of-the-art office, which according to the article is fully equipped with a gym, pool and shops. Sounds like my kind of office. Here is the link tot he full list on Arabian Business [Link]

Spotted the video above on the His&Hers blog. Fights at the Avenues isn’t anything new but watching the video above you kinda wonder where is security? With the amount of fights that take place there I would have cops stationed all around on weekends. [YouTube]

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival starts in a few days time (October 13th) and there is only one Kuwaiti movie playing during the festival and that’s the short movie Swing directed by Abdullah Al-Daihani. There isn’t a trailer for the movie online yet but in case you’re in Abu Dhabi on the 14th or 16th of October you can buy tickets from [Here]

Here is the Swing Facebook page [Link]

A Flickr user uploaded two high resolution shots of the British Airways plane that was destroyed at the Kuwait Airport during the Iraqi invasion back in 1990. I had seen shots of the plane before but this is the first time it’s in high resolution. According to the uploader the shots were taken by his boss. [Shot 1] [Shot 2]

LoYAC has started their part-time program. This program is for college and university students and what it does is allow you to work part-time at companies that are relevant to your major. If you’re interested in joining this program check out the LoYAC blog for more details [Here]

I just read about this in Arab Times and I’m kinda concerned since all I drink is mineral water and I drink a lot of it, around 6 liters a day.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 5: The US Embassy in Kuwait has warned its citizens against drinking a certain kind of mineral water, reports Al-Shahed daily. The report could not be independently confirmed.

The embassy in a statement said this water contains contaminants and materials unfit for human consumption and harmful to public health.

The statement said random samples of mineral water, the type sold in the local market, were sent to a special lab in the United States and the results were not convincing.

Sources say the statement added it is surprising the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Kuwait Municipality laboratories have failed to warn citizens and residents against drinking this water.

Here is the link to the article [Link]

[YouTube]

I posted this video earlier in the week on 248PM but it feels appropriate to post it here today. I’ve been a Mac guy since before the iPod but it’s hard to deny how much the iPod has helped Apple. So I flipped through my photo archive and found some pictures of my original iPod. Steve Jobs didn’t invent the iPod, but he did make it happen and Apple is what it is today because of him.

Below are some shots of my original iPod. The picture taken in front of the Kuwait Towers is actually Nibaq, we took the picture for iPod Lounge back in 2002.

According to an article on KuwaitNews.com, the municipality is going to be closing down some streets in the city and opening them up to pedestrians. The municipality is hoping to make the city a nicer place by doing so. They will be closing down Abdullah Al-Salem Street which is the one next to Liberation Tower as well as Palestine Street which is near Safat Square and the old souk. Both streets will be opened up to pedestrians from the first of November.

Although I find it a bit strange they’re closing down those two streets specifically, I do hope this experiment becomes a success since I want them to do the same to Salem Mubarek Street. Now that’s a street that would make more sense open only to pedestrians. Here is the link to the article [Link]

Thanks Ads2Blog

Update: Looks like it’s not the main Abdullah Al-Salem Street but the smaller branch of it on the opposite side of Safat Square (pictured above). It seems they’re closing the streets in and around the old souk which makes a lot more sense. I’ve highlighted in red on the map below what I understood are the streets they’re closing.

Thanks Barrak