2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I was at the Toyota dealer today and noticed they had an option to install an upgraded navigation and ipod head unit with a rear view camera. It’s installed locally by them (not factory installed) but the salesman didn’t know what brand the head unit was just that it used Magellan maps.

I was planning on getting the Alpine iXA-W407 (video above) since it comes with widgets, has an amazing iPod interface, you can connect a rear view camera and has an iPhone like “flick through menus”. I was just curious if anyone had the Toyota version because I would be interested to hear some feedback. The Alpine W407 costs around $600 without the navigation and rear view camera while the Toyota dealer installed unit is KD550.

Also one more thing, those little kids and grownups that hang around the entrance to the Al-Rai car dealerships asking you if your car is for sale, what’s their story?

Actually one more last thing, while there I noticed a couple of people using the Toyota recall as a bargaining tool.

Update: Found it, the head unit Toyota installs for you is made by FlyAudio and the interface looks horrible. [Link]

A friend of mine told me that the Japanese show Takeshi’s Castle will be coming to Kuwait and they’re looking for contestants. Supposedly they have a stand at Marina Mall and they want at least 3,000 people to sign up. If it’s true than I’m in! [YouTube]

Update: It’s true! Here is a link that contains the flyer [Link]

This is extremely frustrating. I’ve been trying to upload my Wrangler onto Q8car but every time I am done filling up the form and uploading the pictures I get an error. Their website is broken!

Update: Also got the same error with their Arabic version of the site

Also a tip they don’t mention.. if you don’t want your pictures of the cars you upload to look distorted then resize the photo so they are exactly 550pixels wide by 458px height or else they will force your images into that size.

Update2: Spoke to their IT guy, seems they are updating something and the site might work tonight.

Update3: It’s 11:56PM and it’s still broken. If it wasn’t for the positive experience I had with them before I would have signed up and uploaded my car to Q8showroom instead.

My in laws are in town and I was going to take them and show them the Kuwait Towers today after lunch but there was some kind of event taking place there. Not sure what exactly but it was packed with people. Anyone know what it was for?

Update: Turns out there was a Special forces military show [Link]

30″ wheels on a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Like TinyURL shrinks your link to something tiny, ShadyURL takes your link and makes it sound like something shady. [Link]

So as I mentioned a few posts below I will be swapping my Wrangler for an FJ Cruiser. Before I list my Jeep on Q8car I figured I would see if anyone here was interested in it. Here are the specs:

Jeep Wrangler Sport
2004 Model
85,000KM Mileage
3.75″ Old Man Emu lift (details)
33×12.5″ Tires on Cragar black steelies
Alpine + Boston Sound System installed by me (1, 2 & 3)

Dealer serviced and maintained. Full car history available on this blog (search for Wrangler) and here is the full history of my Wrangler in pictures [Link]

If you’re interested in the Jeep [Contact Me]

Just found out about this site called Chat Roulette and I love the idea. It’s a very simple, you go to the website and it will randomly connect you with someone else to chat with. It’s not just typing chat but you also share video and audio. No bells and whistles just a simple navigation system to flip between the thousands and thousands of people there (it was over 30,000 when I was checking it out). Try it out, its pretty cool. [Link]

Note: If you see anything not rated PG just click on the “Report” button to report that person and end the video.

I got the following by email:

The fine arts and crafts association is holding its first exhibition for Embroidery art, Drawing, Knitting, Painting eggs this week to spread awareness of the activities of the society. The first showroom will be held in the astronomers house Adel Al-Saadoon on Saturday 20th of February 2010 from 10 am in the morning till 8 pm in the evening.

Address: Fintas, Block 4, Street 9, House 21 (Aladdin house)
Open Invitation

Note: Please don’t park your magic carpets on the front lawn

LoYAC is having its Annual Music Night on Tuesday, February 23rd 2010 at 6:00pm. The Music Night will be held in the AbdulAziz Hussein Theatre in Mishref and all the proceeds will be going to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. This is considered to be the first step that the Help Haiti Committee in LoYAC (headed by Al Zain Al Humaidhi) will be taking in terms of awareness and collecting donations for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Many musicians from LoYAC will be performing, our main area of focus would have to traditional Arabic music and folklore. We are anticipating having people sing songs for Fairuz, Rashed Il Majed, Shereen, Abdel Halim and many more. We will also have instrumental pieces that will be played. Our pianist Faisal will be performing as well. Faisal has been sent on several scholarships through LoYAC internationally.

The tickets cost 5 KD, and 20 KD for corporate donations, the tickets are available at LoYAC in Bayt Lothan.

For more information visit the LoYAC website [Link]

Post by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

Gym Rat #1: “Dude, you need to eat carbs with that.”
Gym Rat #2: “Your mother needs to eat carbs with that.”
Gym Rat #1: “Bro, what the hell, you need carbs with that protein shake right after your workout.”
Gym Rat #2: “I think your mother’s calling, and guess what? She wants more carbs.”
Gym Rat #1: “Look I’m serious, carbs fuel the muscle building process. You need a decent amount for energy expenditure.”
Gym Rat #2: “Your mother’s an energy expenditure.”

Gym Rat #2 was me a few years back when I thought carbohydrates were evil. They lurked everywhere. That chicken breast from Subway? Carbs. That protein shake? 3g of carbs per serving. Diet Gatorade? Still has carbs, only less, but carbs nonetheless. Splenda, Sweet & Low, Equal? Ayyyup! Dem artificial sweeteners are bayyud mmmkay?

A roll of sushi used to bloat me like the Michelin Man and turn my day into a living hell. I low-carbed my approach and in return found it relatively hard to build muscle. I high-carbed my approach and gained a lot of fat in the process. Don’t forget, I once was fat. I may not look like it, but I do have excess skin that you cannot see, but yours truly can feel. Since I was known for my gargantuan love handles, my lower back carries a fair amount of excess skin (again, you may not notice, but I can feel it). Whenever I consume a lot of carbs, my body begins to fill up nicely with much needed cellular water (water in the muscle). However, since I also carry around excess skin, water retains there easily too, which makes me feel fat. Ukh, the pain, the agony, the suffering; I strive to perfection but those little details stop me faster and harder than a concrete wall idiotically placed on a 120km+ speedway.

Lucky for you, this nutritionist wasn’t born a quitter. I did what I do best, research and experiment, proving time and time again that SCIENCE IS KING.

My last protein-oriented post was (for some) too complex, long, sciency and had a lot of numbers; so I’ll be using a different approach this time around (not really, but please bare with me). If anyone wants more information, feel free to ask.

Wow, can’t believe they spelled transferred right…

Thanks B!

I think these are the oldest photos I’ve seen of Kuwait on Flickr. There are only three images in this set but they’re great ones, here are their links:

Sailor in Kuwait
Camel in Kuwait carrying fuel for cooking
Sailing into Kuwait

Thanks Haya!

Negative Effect lent me his Toyata FJ Cruiser for the night and it only took the ride back home in it to be convinced about getting one. It felt really cozy, comfortable and just well built. Now its just about choosing a color and finding a good deal on a second hand one. I guess I have to prepare a farewell party for my Wrangler.

This video was shot around a month or a month and a half ago but was just uploaded yesterday. Supposedly the plane ran into very heavy turbulence which resulted in everything flying around and a person getting burnt by boiling water. [YouTube]

Thanks KA FAN!