Categories
Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

Surprisingly, there are a lot of things happening this weekend. Check out the list below and if I missed anything, let me know in the comments:

Thursday, May 4
The Perfume Exhibition
Safat Square Festival
Artistic Night with artist Marah
Jungle Treasure Hunt
SiK: Improv Comedy Night
Madang Day at the Korean Culture Center
Shlonik? Star Wars Edition

Friday, May 5
The Perfume Exhibition
Safat Square Festival
Workshop: Al-Hassala Design and Riso Printing
Jam Session 2.0

Saturday, May 6
The Perfume Exhibition
Safat Square Festival
Peak Race 2023
DAI Storytime: The Hugasaurus
Workshop: Screen Printing on Fabric
Workshop: Live Floral Drawing Session
Googoosh Live in Kuwait
From Planet to Table

Exhibitions:
Traces of Nostalgia
Wmdah




Categories
Now Showing

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Air (7.7)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (8.3)
One Ranger (N/A)
Renfield (6.6)
The Black Demon (4.2)
To Catch a Killer (6.9)

Other Movies Showing:
Detective Chirp & the Golden Beehive (5.2)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (7.6)
Evil Dead Rise (7.7)
Guy Ritchie’s the Covenant (8.5)
John Wick: Chapter 4 (8.2)
The Big Punch (6.7)
The Challenge (6.5)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (7.4)
The Swiss Adventure (4.4)
The Tank (4.6)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Aladdin – 1992 (8.0)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles – 1987 (7.6)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.




Categories
Shopping

Sneak Peek: The Warehouse Mall

Another day another new mall, I know we have too many already but this one at least looks visually interesting. The developer Tamdeen describes it as having a “rustic-industrial aesthetic” and it’s like a grittier or industrial-looking version of Avenues Phase III. They used lots of bricks everywhere, and the roof is covered in a steel structure that casts interesting shadows onto the floor. Plenty of daylight everywhere so it does feel like you’re walking down a street.

The largest IKEA in Kuwait and one of the biggest in the region will be opening there as well as Abyat’s second store so that’s a plus. The mall is located off Highway 40, where the old Ahmadi drive-in movie theater used to be. It’s catering to that area so the main competition is Kout Mall and Gate Mall.

They’re expecting to soft open the mall in mid-August with an official opening in September. Here is the location on Google Maps.




Categories
Information

Help Me Update the Suicide Prevention Hotlines List

Back in 2018, I posted a list of suicide prevention hotlines in Kuwait. I updated the list again in 2020 with more numbers but today I realized those numbers not only no longer work but have rotated back into the public and are now owned by other people. I called the Kuwait Center For Mental Health and asked them if they had a suicide prevention hotline, that call turned out to be a joke.

The guy I spoke to didn’t understand how a hotline would help a suicidal person and told me the person needs to come to them. So after explaining to them the benefits of having a hotline, he said the person should seek help from his family who will then bring them to the center. I thanked him then hung up.

So now I need to update the list of numbers but I’m at a dead end, I think most of the information might be available online but in Arabic. In any case, if you can help me update the list of numbers, get in touch with me.




Categories
Sports

UFC Gym Opening this Month in Assima Mall

There are only two sports I watch, Formula 1 and UFC. Years ago I wanted to take mixed martial arts classes so I could have a better understanding of the sport but was very limited in options. Since then things have gotten better with more MMA gyms popping up but they’ve mostly focused on either jujitsu or kickboxing. UFC Gym will hopefully be encompassing all forms of MMA under one roof.

Located on the 5th and 6th floor of Assima Mall, the new UFC Gym is around 5,000sqm2 in size. Since there is a hotel connected to the mall the gym is going to be mixed but they do have a separate ladies-only floor for those who prefer not to train in a mixed environment. There is also a separate children’s area on the opposite end of the gym where children can train in mixed martial arts without disturbing or interacting with the adults.

The UFC Gym is targeting to have classes in multiple combat sports including:
– Boxing
– Kickboxing
– Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
– Judo
– Wrestling

UFC Gyms are meant to introduce combat sports to regular people as a means of exercise, so they’re meant to be similar to regular gyms but also provide MMA classes as an added value. The MMA section includes an official-sized octagon ring, a section with boxing bags and a large open mat area for jiujitsu and combat training. The fitness sections of the gym include a cardio machines area that overlooks the city skyline, resistance machines section filled with the latest equipment from Technogym, a free weights section, an area for HIIT classes, and a room for spinning and other activities like yoga and zumba.

The gym is targeting to soft open by the mid of this month with an official opening by the end of summer. They currently have special pre-opening rates which are 900KD a year for men, and 700KD a year for women. This includes full access to the gym and the classes.

For more information, you can contact them on 65107779 or visit @ufcgymkuwait




Categories
Internet

Kuwait has 4th Fastest Mobile Internet in the World

Speedtest.net, the popular website that provides Internet performance metrics also has a global index for internet speeds and Kuwait is currently ranked as having the 4th fastest mobile internet in the world. They have Kuwait listed with an average speed of 135.63Mbps while UAE tops the list with 178.55Mbps. Here are the current top 10:

1 UAE – 178.25Mbps
2 Qatar – 174.56Mbps
3 Norway – 143.55Mbps
4 Kuwait – 135.63Mbps
5 Denmark – 129.95Mbps
6 South Korea – 120.38Mbps
7 Netherlands – 114.19Mbps
8 China – 109.09Mbps
9 Bulgaria – 103.72Mbps
10 Bahrain – 102.45Mbps

I’ve ALWAYS had internet issues in Kuwait until 5G came along. My apartment building could never get DSL speeds higher than 2Mbps, LTE internet averaged around 4Mbps and my only better options were expensive internet services like B-Wireless (WiMD) and Zain Beam. With 5G for the first time in my life, I finally have above-average internet speeds.




Categories
Data

Time Needed to Earn $1M While Living in Kuwait

Analysts at the website Picodi calculated how many years of work are required to make 1 million dollars in different countries while earning an average wage. According to their calculations, it would take you over 41 years to make $1M living in Kuwait. The fastest country to earn a million is Switzerland (14 years) while the slowest is Pakistan (621 years).

Switzerland 14 years
United States 20 years
Qatar 21 years
UAE 24 years
Oman 38 years
Kuwait 41 years
Saudi Arabia 42 years
India 148 years
Egypt 603 years
Pakistan 621 years

They got their average salary data for this analysis from the crowd-sourced database Numbeo. I downloaded the data to see what the average salary for Kuwait was and it turned out to be 622KD. So if you earn more than that, you’re on your way to hitting the $1M mark even quicker.

Click here for the full study.




Categories
Now Showing

Movies Releasing in Kuwait this Eid

The movies below are coming out during Eid at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (7.6)
Evil Dead Rise (7.7)
Guy Ritchie’s the Covenant (8.5)
John Wick: Chapter 4 (8.2)
Jumanji – 1995 (7.0)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (7.4)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.




Categories
Information

Kuwait Post to Start Delivery Soon

Back in December, I posted that starting in February regular mail would start being delivered to your door. February came and went with no sign of that happening. Actually, I personally had to drive to Sabah Al Ahmad last week which is an hour away because someone at the post office read my office building “Wafra Downtown Tower” on my package and thought I lived in Wafra. They sent my package to Sabah Al Ahmad which although the post office there was a much better experience than the Sideeq one, its pretty freakin far…

Anyway, it looks like the post office will start home delivery pretty much right after Eid. They have a new website up, kuwaitpost.moc.gov.kw and according to the website they’ve teamed u[p with a local company called “Sail Shipping & Logistics” to handle local deliveries.

Finally!




Categories
Travel

More Photos of the 1966 Kuwait Airways Plane Crash

Last year I posted about the 1966 Kuwait Airways plane crash after finding a photo of it. You can check that post out here. Recently I came across more photos of the accident and so decided I’d share them here.

On 30 June 1966, the Trident 1E registration 9K-ACG was destroyed when it crashed 4KM short of the runway at Kuwait International. The plane was on its way back from Beirut when the plane descended at a high rate and the pilot didn’t follow the proper regulations. No lives were lost. Source




Categories
Photography

I Found a Wall

Yesterday while driving around futoor time, I randomly came across the largest wall I think I’ve ever come across. It was huge, really tall, and super long. Right away I saw an opportunity to take a photo so turned around and headed toward the wall.

I really have no idea why this wall is there. It’s not connected to any other structure, it’s just a wall.

If you’re looking for an interesting backdrop for your shoot and want to check this place out, here is the location on Google Maps.




Categories
Travel

The Cost of Driving from Kuwait to Dubai

With the long weekend approaching you might have considered traveling to Dubai but were put off by the high ticket prices. If you’re more than one person and like road trips, you should consider driving to Dubai. There are a number of benefits including:

  • You leave and come back when you want
  • You can purchase large items and bring them back
  • No weight limit
  • You don’t need to rent a car while there
  • You can save quite a bit the more people in the car
  • The long drive is therapeutic

I’ve previously done the trip and I’m planning to do it again this Eid since I need to bring back a bunch of things with me. Here is how much I paid for car insurance at the borders and for fuel. This is with a Toyota Hilux so depending on your car’s fuel economy, it could be a bit less:

Saudi to UAE Boarder
11 KD – Saudi car Insurance
22.500 KD – Fuel

UAE Border to Dubai
17.5 KD – UAE car Insurance
20 KD – Fuel

On the return:

Dubai to Saudi Border
40 KD – Fuel

Saudi Border to Kuwait
19 KD – Fuel

Total: 130 KD

Considering the cheapest airline ticket right now is around 150 KD, if you road trip with a friend, split the cost, and not have to pay for a rental or cab while in Dubai, the savings can be big. And then you have all the other benefits I mentioned earlier so it’s kinda a no brainer… if you’re fine driving for 12 hours that is.

For a more detailed write up about the drive, click here.




Categories
Blog Info

Are you not seeing new posts?

I know its counter-intuitive to ask this here but not sure how else to get this issue sorted.

Over the past 10 days I’ve gotten a number of comments asking me why I haven’t updated the website in a while or why I stopped posting when I haven’t. Turns out there is some sort of cache issue causing people not to see any of the new posts.

For me to solve this issue I need to try and understand it better. If you’re facing or faced the issue above could you let me know what browser and device you were using and which Internet provider? I want to see if there is a connection.




Categories
Things to do

4 Things Happening in Kuwait this Weekend

There are 4 interesting things happening this weekend:

Music of Gratitude
Tonight the Ahmadi Music Group choir and orchestra along with the Kuwait Chamber Chorale will be performing seasonal music by Mendelssohn, Bach, and Handel.

Sunset Hike
On Friday, Outdoorish.kw are having their weekly sunset hike and you can tag along.

Once Upon a Time
Also on Friday, Art N Dine are having a unique artistic and holistic Ghabga experience at the beautiful beach in Argan Albidaa Club.

Makers Pop-Up Shop
Finally, this Saturday the Makers Pop-Up Shop is taking place at the Marzouk Pearl building in Salmiya. There will be arts and crafts, jewelry, homewares, textiles, sweets, and more on sale.

If theres a cool event you think people should check out this weekend, let us know in the comments.




Categories
Mags & Books

Jarir at The Avenues is Now Open and it’s Huge

Jarir at The Avenues opened a couple of days ago and it’s wayyyy larger than I expected it to be. Because the main entrance is where Johnny Rockets used to be I assumed they might have taken over just that space. Instead, it turns out they’ve actually taken that whole wing of Avenues from where Johnny Rockets used to be, all the way back to where Nando’s and Romano’s Macaroni Grill were located.

It’s huge!

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