2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
I spotted an Alfa Romeo 8C on the Gulf Road today and it looked stunning. Usually some cars look really sexy in pictures but then when you see them in person they’re so so but in this case the 8C looks gorgeous in the pictures and even better in person. I know the Alfa Romeo dealership shutdown in Kuwait so I am guessing the guy imported the car so I wonder where it gets serviced? Then again, if you can afford to import a $230,000 car you probably fly in a mechanic.
Just a reminder, today (Saturday) is the last day of the Gulf Run car show at 360 Mall. All the Gulf Run cars are displayed around 360 Mall on the outside with a few inside. The raffle for the Vespas will also be held tonight at 8PM. It’s a great chance to check out the cars up close plus the weather is great so see you there.
I’ve had the Canon G11 for just over a month now and after using it practically on a daily basis. I did a lot of research before choosing to go with the G11 and I don’t regret my decision. I have mostly great things to say about this camera and will go through the different categories one by one.
Battery Life
I got my Canon G11 on December 11th and I charged it that same day. Its now January 15th and I still haven’t charged the camera since then. Not only that but the battery meter is still showing that the battery is full. This is perfect because it means when I travel I don’t need to pack the charger or buy an extra battery.
Usability and Feel
The camera doesn’t fit in my pocket so I spend most of the time either carrying it in my hand or in my bag if I am carrying one. It comes with a strap but it isn’t long enough to wear across the shoulder just around the neck which isn’t practical for me. The camera feels very solid and it’s also a bit heavy so it gives it a very durable feel. I love the dials on top and I use them a lot. I always keep the camera on “P” (Program Mode) which automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed but control the exposure (make the shot brighter or darker) I use the dial on the left to control that. On the right there are two other dials, one for the ISO which I also use a lot and the second to swap between the different programs. Other than the regular programs which you find on most cameras like aperture priority, shutter priority, automatic mode etc.. there are two custom modes called C1 and C2. These two positions contain your custom camera settings. For example I have C1 set the camera to “P”, change the format of the image to JPG, the dimensions to wide shot and the color setting to vivid. That’s the mode I use mostly when taking shots for my blog. C2 on the other hand sets the camera to “P” but then changes the image format to RAW+JPG and at full resolution (not wide). I use that setting in case there is a beautiful shot I want to capture at the highest quality. There are a ton of other settings you could also set for each mode as well but I won’t get into them here. I really wish my Nikon D90 had a custom mode feature and dials on top to control the iso and exposure.
Image Quality
It’s great for a point and shoot camera but no competition next to a good DSLR. The noise at fairly high ISO’s is pretty decent and I find myself often using ISO800 with no worries about the image coming out noisy with ISO1600 also being very usable. The only issue I have is with the white balance. Sometimes when indoors the images come out a bit too cold for my taste and that’s actually the only issue I have with the camera.
Swivel Screen
One of the coolest features in the camera for me is the swivel screen. It allows me to take pictures without having to hold the camera up to my face. I also like the fact that when the camera is not in use I fold the screen to face inwards which protects the screen while in my bag. For people who don’t like the swivel feature they can rotate the screen towards them and fold it in and keep it that way like a regular camera.
So overall I really love this camera. There were a lot of occasions where I wished I had purchased the Panasonic GF1 but in the end I realized the reason I got the Canon G11 is to use for my blog and when I travel and the GF1 although a great camera isn’t as practical (and also twice more expensive). I highly recommend this camera to anyone that is looking for small highly controllable and fully featured camera. I am going to give it a 4.5 out of 5, it looses points for the white balance issue I faced and the fact that it doesn’t fit in my jeans pocket.
If you’re interested in this camera it’s available in Kuwait for KD228 but I purchased mine from Amazon for just KD127.
Here is the link to the Canon G11 on Amazon [Link]
After my session at Core Fitness I passed by the Al Falah car wash in Kuwait City where the Gulf Run cars were getting all nice and shiny and having their sponsors decals stuck. I took a few pictures which you can check out below and a video which I will post later be.
[YouTube]
I was at the Al Falah car wash for the Gulf Run event when I noticed that the Al Tijaria building or what I used to call the monolith now has blinking lights that also change color. It looked like it was ready to party. [YouTube]
So I passed by Core Fitness today for my assessment. I figured it would be a Q&A session like How old are you? How tall are you? What is your favorite color? etc.. Turns out the first part of the assessment was getting my stats but then they got me started on the machines so they could see what weights I will be using and that session completely destroyed me. And the scary thing is my trainer said that wasn’t even a proper session and that its going to be a lot tougher when I start on Saturday. Freaky shit.
Note: I am going to get my stats on Saturday from them and post them here along with my nutrition plan.
Just a reminder since some of you were asking in my previous GulfRun post. Tomorrow and after tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) the Gulf Run cars will be on display at 360 Mall from 10AM to 10PM. In addition to that there will be a GulfRun stand selling gear and raffle tickets to a Vespa. The money from the raffle tickets will be going to the Hayat Cancer Foundation. In addition some of the profits from the female gear will also being going to the Hayat Cancer Foundation.
They will be selling long and short sleeve polos and sweatshirts and hoodies in both white and black. I have the long sleeve white polo (pictured above) but will also be getting the black short sleeve polo.
On January 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. Join recovery efforts mobilizing around the world to assist earthquake victims. Your donation will help disaster victims rebuild their lives and their communities.
Google has setup a page making it extremely easy to donate for this relief. Here is the [Link]
Amazon also has a page where you can donate using your Amazon account. Here is the [Link]
Photo by Munoz/Reuters
Tonight starting at 5:30PM onwards all the cars participating in this years Gulf Run 5 will be getting a wash and sponsorship decals placed at the Al Falah Car Wash in Kuwait City. If it’s anything like the previous years it should be a fun gathering. Tomorrow the cars will be going on display at 360 Mall so if you can’t make it tonight you’ll still be able to check out all the cars this weekend.
[YouTube]
Two days back I posted about how I was looking for a personal fitness trainer to come over to my place and give me a work out in my home gym. Surprisingly only two people emailed me recommending me a trainer, the rest of the emails were gym owners asking me to try out their gym. I don’t have time for a gym, I work till 7 and once I get home I start working on posts for my blog. I have two full time jobs basically with no time to waste at a gym. That’s why I declined all the offers.. except for one. The owner of Core Fitness emailed me. It turns out we had met via a friend last year when we went offroading and he promised to transform me from top to bottom for free if in return I reviewed his gym. As I was typing my thanks but I have to decline your offer email I decided to check out his website. There wasn’t anything there except for the logo and the line “Only 20 minutes Twice a week”.
20 minutes? Twice a week? I thought that was interesting. So I emailed the guy back asking if that was true. He told me to pass by the gym and he would explain everything which I did earlier tonight. So this is the deal. I’ve signed up for a 7 week course at Core Fitness and I will be going 3 times a week instead of 2. The gym is located opposite Al Massalah building on the Gulf Road which is the road I take back home after work making it very convenient. At any time there are a maximum of only 3 guests working out at the same time at the gym and each guest will have a personal trainer through out the whole 20 minute session.
I told him I found it very hard to believe that three 20 minute sessions a week would do anything. He told me to try it out and just share with you guys my experience and my honest opinion which is what I am going to do. Tomorrow I have an assessment session where I will get all my body stats, find out what weights I will be using and have my diet plan finalized. Once I do all that I will post everything here (including my diet plan) and we’ll see how things develop from there. I’m strangely excited to try this.
Update: Found this on their Facebook page
1) Every workout is 20 minutes, provided a scheduled appointment and personal trainer.
2) Each membership is based on the client’s specific needs. We do not have a set membership because people do not have common requirements and goals.
3) We aren’t a spa, we don’t have a jacuzzi, a steam room or a swimming pool; as far as we are concerned, those things are only for pussies and deliver no significant results.
4) We are a facility that delivers results. We provide the necessary tools to promote healthy lifestyles to our clients.
5) Failure to witness results will be strictly held against a client, since he was too busy eating his hamburgers and nesting on some couch rather than busting ass at Core Fitness.
In short, we own you for 20 minutes of your life (be it 2,3, or 4 times per week) and push you to the point of no return till you go home and cry like a baby.
Personal diet and demoralizing dietician included.
Contact us on 22520407 and find out 101 ways on how we can make your life a living hell.
I had a hard time starting this post because I couldn’t find the right words to describe Royce Gracie. He is the first ever UFC champion dating back to 1993. He’s also the younger brother of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie. Back then there were no weight classes in the UFC so you had big and heavy fighters against smaller and skinnier ones and Royce Gracie proved to everyone that size didn’t always determine the outcome of a fight. You can view his fights on [YouTube] and you can read more about him [Here]
The reason I am posting this is because Royce Gracie is coming to Kuwait for a 3 day seminar on the aspects and fundamentals of Gracie Jiu Jits. Royce himself will be teaching and participating in the sessions. Students will also get to roll with Royce, take pictures and sign autographs. I asked if people with no martial arts experience (like me) could participate and turns out we can. After the first day, students will be split into two groups (beginners & advanced) and both will be under Royce’s instruction and supervision.
The seminar will be a 3 day event, 3 hours a day, and will cost KD100. Here are some more details:
Abdulmohsen Al Babtain’s Mixed Martial Arts SideKick Academy are proud to present UFC legend Royce Gracie to celebrate the pending launch of the academy Gracie will be conducting a 3 day seminar on the aspects & fundementals of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Learn from the man who started it all.
Location: Al-Arabi Sporting Club, Basketball Arena
Date: January 21st, 22nd & 23rd, 2010To reserve your place in the seminar or have any queries regarding the event contact the following :
Telephone: 94006344/66488858
Email: [email protected]
Here is a link to their website. [Link]
The GulfRun car show will be taking place next this week at the 360 Mall with a variety of race cars and super cars on display. The event will be taking place over a two day period which is January 15th and 16th.
There will also be a raffle on January 16th at 8pm for two special edition GulfRun Vespas, a GulfRun pearl white Vespa and a special edition black Vespa. All proceeds of the raffle will be donated to the Hayat Cancer Foundation.
So pass by, enjoy the cars and please make sure you buy raffle tickets from the GulfRun booth at 360 Mall.
PechaKucha Night #4 will be held this Thursday January the 14th.
20 images x 20 seconds to be presented by:
Roa Al-Shaheen
Reham Al-Sharif
Valerie Buchheit
Barrak Al-Babtain
Zed Alrefai
William Schuilenberg
Alia Al-Ghunaim
Rabaa Al-Hajri and Ahmed Al-Majed
Maryam Al-Hamad
Date: Thursday January 14th 2010
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: The Scientific Center: In the back near Costa
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/kuwait-city
Facebook group: Pecha Kucha Kuwait
Contact number: +965 99480664
Watch the previous PechaKucha Nights [Here]
Yes the burger challenge is still on, I didn’t forget about it I just took a little break. There are a lot of new places that opened up since the last time I reviewed a burger and I will start visiting them one by one soon. First from this new bunch is Napket. Although they’ve been open for awhile they just recently introduced a new menu which includes among other things, burgers.
I had three burgers to choose from, Napket Signature, The Western and Mushroom & Swiss. I decided to go with the Signature burger which has roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. The burger comes with french fries on the side but since I don’t have fried food anymore I asked for alternatives and ended up going with roasted potatoes instead.
The burger took a while to come and once it did it looked overcooked and charred. I was hungry and really looking forward to a good burger but, the forecast wasn’t looking good. Luckily I was wrong. I took my first bite into the burger and got completely surprised. It wasn’t burnt, it wasn’t dry, it was delicious. The beef patty was the perfect thickness and there was this sauce that was slightly spicy but added a lot of flavor to the burger. The caramelized onions were also a great addition, I’ve really started enjoying them in my burgers and in this case they added a very nice touch of sweetness that went strangely very well with the spicy sauce. It would have been perfect except for one major flaw… the roasted tomatoes. They were just too juicy for the burger, so juicy that the bottom bun had become extremely soggy and the whole burger was dripping. It was easily the messiest burger I’ve had since the start of this challenge and I’ve mentioned it before how much I hate messy burgers.
The burger cost KD3.500 which is fairly decent for a dish at Napket especially since it also comes with roasted potatoes (or fries) and a small portion of green stuff (I think they call it salad). The final score is a 3.5 out of 5. Everything was great except for the sogginess and mess that came with it. I told the waiter about the problem and he said he would pass my feedback on to the chef so hopefully it will get fixed. Next time I am going with the Mushroom & Swiss instead.
Napket is located in Avenues
The cost of the Napket Signature Burger was KD3.500
Here are the burger places I’ve reviewed so far:
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Munch
Papa John’s Burgers
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
Smoke House
The Burger Hub
The Butcher Shop
The Little Oven
Wimpy
A reader found this dog wondering aimlessly in Mishref yesterday. She has a collar with her name on it. If this is your dog please [Email Me]