2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Has any paper other than the Kuwait Times mentioned anything about the DSLR ban in Kuwait? A lot of news sites online have been posting about the ban and their only source is Kuwait Times. Isn’t that a bit odd?

I just found out that Shake Shack is opening in Dubai in March while Kuwait still doesn’t have a launch date! This absolutely sucks. It’s the worst food related news I’ve heard this year even surpassing the mechanically separated chicken post.

Dasman Diabetes Institute is having a big event this Thursday for World Diabetes Day, check the below for more information:

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How much do you know about diabetes? Did you know that Kuwait has one of the highest rates of diabetics in the world? You know that beautiful glass building in front of Souq Sharq? Ever wondered what it was? Be it “yes” or “no” you are invited to join us at the Dasman Diabetes Institute to celebrate World Diabetes Day.

When: Thursday, 25th November
Time: 4:00PM to 9:00PM
What: A jam packed event of educational and entertainment including:
– A cooking class by celebrity Kuwaiti chef Adlah Al-Sharhan who will show us how to make healthy machos
– Interactive gallery where you can learn, feel and explore modern ways of healthy living
– Outdoor performances by Traditional Kuwaiti Musical Band and Takht Sharqi
– A special performance by Electrik Crew, a local Kuwaiti urban dance group
– In house doctors and nurses performing free medical screenings and health stats and personalized nutrition consultations

For kids:
– Nintendo Wii tournaments
– Fas9la fitness un
– Face painting
– Nutrition knock-outs
– Magic show
– Balloon art

Snacks and refreshments included. The purpose of this event is to promote awareness, education and prevention of diabetes.

For more information contact: 22242999 ext 1160
Here is a link to the [Invite]
and here is a link to the [Facebook Page]

It looks like Al Salasil will be opening their bookstore at the Avenues soon. It’s supposed to be the largest bookstore in Kuwait, yes you read right… BOOKSTORE! Over the Eid they placed transparent boxes filled with books at the airport with a teaser message “Heading to the biggest bookstore in Kuwait”. I hope it turns out to be cool.

I’m not a big fan of True Value (I prefer Ace) but I was there over the weekend looking for something when I found two interesting items.

The first is this fire safe/waterproof external hard drive. The idea is that you back your stuff onto it and in case your apartment catches on fire your data would be safe. Price was expensive at around KD180. It costs KD113 on Amazon without shipping and the thing is heavy but I doubt that shipping with Aramex would cost more than KD30 or KD40.

The second interesting thing I found were Daisy brand air rifles. They had the Daisy 840 Grizzly rifle for KD39 (KD12 on Amazon) and the Daisy 880 with Scope for KD49 (KD16 on Amazon). They looked pretty nice.

The gas station on the Gulf Road right next to Shaab Park in Salmiya is nearly done. I passed by tonight and they had the lights on and everything looks pretty cool. I think there will also be a small mini market at this gas station which should prove to be very popular since it’s right on the Gulf Road. This used to be the gas station I passed by the most since it’s on my way back from work so I’m glad it’s finally opening up again.

[YouTube]

I don’t know how many people remember Abdullah Al-Moussawi or know who he is but two years ago a video popped up on YouTube of this young charismatic Kuwaiti 9 year old playing football against older kids and outplaying them. He had long curly hair and people were saying he was the next Maradonna and watching the video above you could understand why. Well anyway a reader emailed me a story about Abdullah he wanted to share, it’s kinda long but it’s interesting to read.

[YouTube]

The story talks about how a talent scout in Holland saw Abdullah’s video on YouTube and came to Kuwait to watch him live. Abdullah was then given an opportunity to go to Holland and compete in a few trials where he proved to be extremely talented and one of the top young players they had ever seen. He was then accepted into one of the best football academy’s on a scholarship without any binding contracts or strings attached. Problem was Abdullah couldn’t move to Holland without his family so they asked for help from Kuwaiti officials who agreed which prompted the family to move with Abdullah to Holland so he could attend school there and join the football academy. They even made a documentary about Abdullah which was broadcasted on Dutch TV and also screened in the Gulf Film Festival held in Dubai last year (promo clip above). Problem is Kuwait never ended up helping out and so the parents were forced to move back to Kuwait after 2 months with Abdullah ending what could have been an incredible experience for him.

That’s basically a quick summary but I recommend you read the full story. It’s very sad how Abdullah was extremely popular and big in the Dutch media while no one gave him any attention locally. It’s also sad how things turned out in the end and I wonder how Abdullah is doing right now. Check the full story below.

Posted by Fahad

A lot of people crucified Core Fitness thinking that our 20-minute version of a workout was for everybody. As per what Mark has stated earlier, our 20-minutes were meant to cater to those who a) don’t have time for high-volume conventional training, b) new to the world of health and fitness, c) are the center of mockery and scrutiny because they’re too fat and d) hate to pursue health and fitness, but need to lose some weight due to health and Sharm Al Shaikh reasons.

To shed some light on our 20-minute workouts, we are merely a single idea in the fitness industry. We don’t defy ourselves as the be-all and end-all of exercise; we represent a technique that combines both convenience and intensity in one package. One big huge gargantuan awesome incredible package.

Gradual Transition

Back in January when Mark signed up with Core Fitness, I honestly thought the dude was a hopeless case. He looked motivated, but acted kind of lazy. Mark wanted to get in and out and just live life outside of the gym. Gradually, he kept on coming for more and asking for harder diet plans. He even low-carbed his meals without inquiring with me, and refrained from cheating for over a month (which is something I wouldn’t even think of doing).

I remember the day he sluggishly walked into my office. Last Thursday, the dude walked in with his shoulders back and his chest high, ready for what’s next.  I presented him with the idea of signing up for 60-minutes. What shocked me the most is his prompt reply; I even had a list of come backs in order to negotiate him into 60-minutes. Conclusively, Mark now dedicates 5 days of his week to gym and MMA work; he has officially caught the fitness-bug.

By Popular Demand

In order to cope with the  “high volume” and the “we-have-more-than-20-minutes-to-spare” fitness crowd, we at Core Fitness developed a training technique roughly 3 times as intense as our initial 20 minutes, but with 40 more minutes of pain and agony. Keep in mind that we would like our clients to stick to the 20 minutes, so expect 1-hour training to be our way of saying “Today, we will give you 60 reasons why you should stick to 20 minutes. FUL.”

Offering Healthy Lifestyles Since 2008

Does anyone remember the last time Mark posted a burger review? Go ahead and look back at his posts. Taco Bell was a total bust, but they do have a semi-healthy menu. The Abercrombie and Fitch post was LOLingly homorific, but I’ll give him credit for finally setting a target. And what does every strict dieter do? Post about their next cheat meal.

It’s safe to say the fitness-bug he caught also effected his posts, including activity oriented articles and topics pertaining to how people can achieve a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing their current one (Michel Dines in Hell).

The point is, Core Fitness offers lifestyles and not just a means to an end. We at Core want you to be healthy, stay healthy and live healthy, since health and fitness is our business. We promote diversity with our clients by asking them to try out what the market has to offer, and only then can they differentiate a Core Fitness workout from a conventional one. The point is we do lose clients like any other business, but we rarely fail to permanently stamp them with healthier lifestyles.

All top-notch health clubs and gyms in Kuwait already have 60-minute personal training services far before Core existed, but how many of them offer you individualized lifestyles and a training technique?

Training Services

Mark’s currently enrolled in Muscle Building, since he earlier decided to dedicate 30-minutes of post-workout treadmill cardio work to his already activity-infested routine. Mark and cardio don’t mix at all, and I couldn’t convince him to do 10 minutes (I swear to God). Those 30-minutes were his idea.

For the 60-minute personal training workout, we offer 4 training categories specified below:

– Muscle Building

– Fitness Boxing

– Fat Loss

– Sports Performance

20-Minutes is still our Bread & Butter

For those of you contemplating on signing up, I’d advise you begin with at least one 20-minute workout membership to get the feel of the technique. The intensity of our 60-minute workouts are no joke and require a certain level of physical fitness experience. We designed it to transition our current 20-minute clients who have already been through the short torture.

Follow Mark’s foot steps and gradually increase workout intensity and meal planning. You’ll look good, feel good and hopefully live longer assuming a bus doesn’t run into you anytime soon.

For more questions and inquiries concerning timings, prices and location, feel free to contact Core Fitness at 22520407 starting at 12:30 pm to 10 pm, or contact me via my blog here.

Posted by Fahad

Can anyone pleeeeaaaassseeee hook me up with the Humvee simulation. Even the counter terrorist driving at the end looks like a lot of fun. [YouTube]

As most of you already know by now I’ve been enrolled with Core Fitness since January. When I first started I was going twice a week for 20 intense minutes each time. My diet was fairly close to what I used to have before joining Core but it was just a bit healthier. Then I moved up to 3 sessions a week and a stricter diet and after that I moved up to 4 sessions a week with even a more stricter diet. It’s been a gradual increase which I’ve realized now was a great thing since it helped me ease into this new lifestyle. I went from an unhealthy couch potato to being obsessed with fitness and health in under a year.

So anyway starting today I started taking their 1 hour sessions. They just introduced them for people who want to take things even further and I have to say it’s just crazy. I’ve already posted about how intense the 20 minute sessions are and anyone who’s actually tried a session will know what I am talking about, well their 1 hour session is literally their 20 minute sessions x3. Half way through I couldn’t believe I still had another 30 minutes to go! I had a Jujitsu class an hour later and when I got to that class I was already too exhausted to go through the warm up and stretching session. I’ve now actually gone ahead and scheduled my Jujitsu classes to days where I don’t have gym.

My weekly schedule now is:
Saturday – Monday – Wednesday = Core Fitness
Sunday – Tuesday = Sidekick Academy

I’ve got an activity scheduled everyday of the week except now for Thursday and Friday which are my days off. If you don’t do any activities then you should consider adding some since there are tons to choose from and the body really needs it. Finally for those of you who didn’t know, Fahad now has his own health and fitness blog up called Trying to be Fahad. You can check it out [Here]

It seems the ministry has banned the use of DSLR cameras (pictured above) in public places, streets and malls. You can take pictures with regular camera’s and camera phones but not with DSLR’s? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard.

I mean seriously whats the difference between a DSLR and Point & Shoot? Both can take pictures and both can have zoom lenses. Why ban the use of DSLR’s in public and not Point & Shoot cameras? I am not saying they should ban P&S cameras I’m just trying to highlight how ridiculous this new law is.

Maybe if someone from the ministry takes a few moments to go to flickr.com and search for the word Kuwait they can see exactly the kind of talented work they will be killing with this law. Maybe then they will realize how big a mistake this is.

You can read more about this on Kuwait Times [Here]

Some great photos. [Link]

I think they did a much better job when compared to the Caribou staff but McDonalds are still winning this contest. [YouTube]

Note: Video really kicks in at the 3:20 mark

This sounds like an interesting and different event to go to:

“Winter Story From The Land Of Northern Lights” by a Finnish Puppet Theater

This performance tells a story of a girl and a reindeer who were both born on the night of the shooting star. This story is about friendship and courage. The performance is mostly without words and accompanied by beautiful music.

To find out what happened to the girl and the reindeer, who they met and what they experienced, get your tickets now at Radisson Blu Hotel – Viking Club reception.

For booking call 25673888 or 65718000
The ticket price is KD6
The shows will be on the 25th, 26th and 27th of November from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.

For more details head to the Radisson Blu Kuwait Facebook page. [Link]

Bu Ziyad from q80economics emailed me to tell me that foreign magazines are currently banned from being imported into Kuwait. It seems a magazine slipped in with a revealing photo and so the sole distributor for foreign magazines in Kuwait is being punished by banning them from importing magazines. By punishing them everyone in Kuwait is getting punished as well. They are now hoping they will be allowed to resume the import of magazines again after Eid.

Personally I’m glad I have an iPad and the Zinio app so I don’t have to deal with issues like this.