2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
The 70 colored photos were taken from 1939 to 1943 and are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. Some seriously amazing stuff there. Makes me want to bang my head on the wall for not taking pictures of Salmiya back in the 1980’s. [Link]
I have had the iPhone for a week now and so far like the majority of iPhone 4 users, I haven’t had any reception problems (note: I am using an Apple Bumper). No dropped calls or anything. As I’ve previously mentioned the reception is actually better than my previous iPhone 3GS. With the iPhone 3GS the 3G wouldn’t work in my office just EDGE while with the iPhone 4 I now have 3G in the office. Another example is when I park my car underground when I go to my gym, before I wouldn’t be able to use the phone there because I would get a no network error, now I get 1 or 2 lines of signals and can make calls.
Other than the much improved reception and antenna, another improved feature is the camera. The iPhone 4 camera is just amazing, I’m actually finding myself shooting a lot more pictures with my phone now and if you check my twitter page you’d see that. The camera is probably the best new feature followed by the screen and improved reception.
Now not all is perfect. What I am facing is issues with the proximity sensor. That’s actually the problem most iPhone 4 users are complaining about. The problem is the sensor the tells the phone that its next to the ear and should shut off the screen doesn’t work all the time. So I would be talking to someone on the phone and then suddenly I put the person on speaker phone or hang up by accidentally pressing a button on the screen with my ear. Luckily Apple are aware of the problem and admitted this was an issue that would get fixed with the next software update.
Other than that it’s all good, The screen is amazing, battery life is great and the phone is just really fast and responsive. I highly recommend it.
Anyone know when this documentary on Al Jazeera will be showing or if they’ve already shown it. The subject seems very interesting since its about reuniting class mates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion. In 1990 I graduated from Sunshine School which ceased to exist right after the Iraqi invasion (later it became BSK). I never ended up seeing anyone ever again but with the help of the Sunshine School Facebook group I was able to get in touch with some of them again. [YouTube]
Update: Taken from the Al Jazeera website
On August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army invaded the emirate of Kuwait, which Saddam Hussein, the then Iraqi president, had declared Iraq’s 19th province.
The occupation of Kuwait may have only lasted seven months, yet the memory of it remains strong, not least in the minds of the children of that conflict.
At the end of the school year of 1990, students in an international school in Kuwait said their final farewells as they headed off for the summer holidays. Many of them would never meet again.
Al Jazeera’s Nashwa Nasreldin was one of those whose family was forced to relocate following the invasion.
Twenty years on, she returns to Kuwait, the country of her birth, along with a group of her classmates as they organise a reunion to find out what happened to their friends – and their school – during the war that separated them.
Kuwait: The class of 1990 can be seen from Monday, August 2, 2010 at the following times GMT: Monday: 1900; Tuesday: 0600; Wednesday: 0300; Thursday: 1400; Friday: 0600; Saturday: 1900; Sunday: 0300.
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
I would first like to apologize for my long absence from the world of blogging and greatly appreciate all my supporting readers for being patient and understanding. Moreover, I’d also like to send my sincerest apologies to those of you who have emailed me but haven’t recieved a reply. I’d like to thank you all for putting up with my crap and style of writing, which by-the-way will only get worse. I’ve stated this a million times. If you’re not cool with my writing nature, then don’t read me. I should warn you, though; you’re going to miss out on some epic nutrition advice.
Before I begin preaching, I’d like to clarify how this guide will work:
1) I’ll list down all the basics of Ramadan eating and training to provide a brief understanding for the readers.
2) The reader will then post his/her goal, physical stats (height, weight, bf % if available) and Ramadan lifestyle (exercise timing, family gatherings, favorite/worst foods, etc).
3) I will then reply with a customized optimal plan for that reader’s goal
4) Other readers/haters who are too lazy to comment/hate can read/[go-kill-themselves] the Q&A’s below so that they may personally implement on their own.
The Q&A below will serve as a guide to unanswered questions anyone might have about Ramadan. Please refrain from emailing me since the goal of this post is to publicly educate through the written facts/opinions/experiences and the associated comments.
Credibility and Experience
It took me around 3 Ramadans to fully understand how my body works when it comes to losing fat and maintaining muscle when fasting. From eating small portions of food to indulging in every calorie dense food item, I’ve realized the only way to survive Ramadan is by doing the exact same thing.
1st Attempt: I dieted in Ramadan, performing 30-60 minutes of cardio 2 hours prior to breaking my fast, and weight lifting 1 hour after a light futoor, followed by a light dinner and a light suhoor.
Result: Managed to lose 10kg in 1 month.
Damage: Managed to lose a lot of my hard earned muscle. Fail.
2nd Attempt: I gorged on endless calories, weight-lifted with less intensity and did absolutely no cardio.
Result: Gained 5kg.
Damage: 5kg of fat; but I kept my muscle. Epic fail.
3rd Attempt: Dieted 3 months prior to Ramadan (low calorie intake, 60 minutes of cardio, 30-45 minutes of weight-lifting). Stuck to the same level of calorie intake and workout-intensity in Ramadan, eliminated cardio completely.
Result: Nothing. Kept my muscle, maintained my superb condition.
Damage: Refer to the above. Boo-Yeah.
Here is some more old footage of Kuwait. This time around it’s 1975. The video has a lot of footage of the Gulf Road, Kuwait City and other various places around Kuwait. Good stuff. [YouTube]
Note: The video contains no sound.
This coming weekend, July 30th to August 1st, Villa Moda will showcase an exhibition of mixed talent from Kuwait in an exhibition called ‘Kuwait’s Got Talent’. The talent are:
Haya Al Qateefi
Brand: Vogue Jumpsuits – the name is self explanatory
Abdullah Suleiman Al Dosary
Brand: Arabic perfumes, lotions and oud as well as accessories
Asmah Al Dosary
Amazing up to date trendy clothing line
Shaikha Al Houti
Brand: Purse-is-Hers – a line of accessories for women that can be custom made or customized according to the individual’s needs, from materials to finishing. HIS – the same line for men
Nour Al Jasem
Brand: Butterfly Gallery – customization of everything from shoes to car steering wheels
Ascia Al Farraj
Brand: Twenty Ten – great t-shirts with a twist and some handmade accessories
Nili Zahar
Nili Couture and prêt-a-porter clothing –kaftans
Lolwa Al-Mannaie
Brand: LOLOMASS –clothing collection – featuring some Diraa and kaftans for Ramadan
Nat Bakes
A small business specializing in baked goods, mainly cupcakes, freshly baked and delivered to your door. Customized cupcakes, for events, even weddings. Samples will be available for tasting.
Date: Friday July 30th to August 1st.
Time: 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Note: VIP & Press preview is on Friday 30th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Anyone have an Apple Mac Pro they’re not using and want to sell? [Email Me]
This amazing and rare footage was shot with an 8mm camera back in the late 60’s early 70’s here in Kuwait. I think Kuwait looked better back then, I mean we had white picket fences! (Ignore the last minute of the video since that’s Lebanon not Kuwait) [YouTube]
The below is taken from the Boulevard project about us page:
Nestled in the heart of Salmiya, the vibrant area southeast of Kuwait City, with rich demographic diversity, Boulevard is an emerging oasis in the middle of the city, a fabulous world full of real facilities!
Once a large desolated plot of land, the area is now one of the most wonderful green places to visit in the State of Kuwait, benefiting from excellent road access on all sides principally from the Fifth Ring Road and Arabian Gulf Street.
Today, Boulevard is the largest touristic hub in the country, including more than 353 thousand square meters of fabulous year-round family fun, and offering a splendid range of cultural and recreational events and activities and a constant source of wonderful delights.
Notice anything strange? Well below is a picture of Boulevard today. I don’t think it looks that green and popular but I could be wrong… [Link]
Tonight I was invited to a tasting at the soon to open Fatburger. I hadn’t had a Fatburger before and I honestly only heard about it around a year ago after watching the great documentary Hamburger America. In the documentary they spoke about various popular burger places in America and Fatburger was one of them.
I had the double burger tonight and thought it was great. It was juicy and meaty and I loved that. The senior vice president of Fatburger was there and he turned out to be a great guy in an incredibly colorful and flashy Hawaiian shirt. I meet a lot of burger lovers all the time but I’ve never met anyone into burgers more than me until today. The guy is just incredibly passionate about burgers and he’s been having burgers a lot longer than I’ve been alive. He knows it all and he’s seen it all. I mean he used to have Fatburger back in the 50s when they first opened so he was really there from the start.
Just a few interesting details I picked up from him. Since they want the local experience to be exactly like the US experience they’re importing all their ingredients from the US. That includes the beef, fries and even ketchup. The Heinz ketchup that’s regionally produced is different from the US version. The color is bright red while in the US its a dark red but most importantly the regionally produced Heinz is sweeter. Since they prefer the flavor of the US Heinz ketchup they’re importing it directly to Kuwait. Imagine that, they could have gone with the local Heinz but they’re instead getting it imported from the US. To me that shows how much they care. You’re going to have the exact same burger experience as if you walked into a Fatburger in LA.
If you’re interested in trying out their burgers they’re opening next week in Fintas at Spoons. It’s easy to find since its on the main Fintas sea side road opposite Pizza Express. Good stuff.
I passed by Kei for dinner tonight and noticed they had a small fridge full of fruits imported from Japan. The grapes looked really good and I would have bought some if it wasn’t for the fact that they cost KD15 each! KD15 for grapes. KD15 for grapes. And one more time, KD15 for grapes!
Apple have started refunding customers for the bumper purchase, I just got the following email:
Dear Mark,
Apple recently announced that iPhone 4 customers who purchased an iPhone 4 Bumper are eligible for a full refund.
As of today, we have automatically processed your refund. You have also been refunded for any Shipping or VAT charges which may have been applied to your order.
If you paid via credit card, please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to reach your account.
Thank you for choosing Apple.
Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Support
Pretty sweet.
As an expat am I allowed to own a hunting rifle? What about a handgun? Are hunting rifles and hand guns counted as two different things? The video above is supposedly of the largest hunting shop in Kuwait. Lots of rifles on display but can I own one? I am not planning on hunting anything and not sure what people actually hunt in Kuwait but I’m just curious to know the laws of owning a weapon. [YouTube]
I got a forward in my email today that contained a picture I had taken at the Kuwait Airport back in 2005 (pictured above). I had spotted a sign that had been placed in front of a security camera and thought that was pretty stupid and took a picture of it. Now 5 years later, it’s become one of those “epic fail” kind of pictures that gets forwarded around. Pretty cool. [Link]