2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I got the following email today with a link to the trailer above:

I’m one of the people who are working on a Kuwaiti film, and we would love to post the trailer on your blog so we can get feedback from the viewers before we move to the next step of production. We are a group of Kuwaiti youth who are interested in Film-making and cinema. We are trying to make serious Kuwaiti films, but since we are doing it ourselves and without any form of support, we need all the help that we can get.

I really like the fact that more and more people in Kuwait are getting interested in film and it’s great these guys took the time to work on this movie. But, I am going to give my opinion now on this trailer and I will try not to be too harsh. I just watched the trailer and found it too long and unexciting. There also is a ton of cheap special effects and the whole thing looks like a B-rated Ramadan TV series. Now I know they didn’t have any form of support and I am guessing no budget but why think of an epic movie that would need a budget and cast equal to Lord of the Rings? They should have gone with a movie that focused more on the story and characters instead of the special effects and large battle scenes. The film Sharq for example focused around a handful of characters, no special effects and no expensive hard to shoot locations.

Now that I’m done giving my opinion whats yours? [YouTube]

A friend of mine sent me this picture of The Meat Company from the outside at 360 Mall. Looks like they’re nearly done with the interior which means they should be opening soon.

Thanks B!

Update: A reader posted a comment that it will be opening this Sunday but I don’t have any official confirmation yet.

This site lists 7 of the world’s most luxurious airlines. My favorite based on the pictures has to be Cathay Pacific which is pictured above. [Link]

Why does Sultan Center in Lebanon carry Cadbury Chocolate Milk and the one in Kuwait doesn’t? It used to be my favorite chocolate milk back when they did carry it. I bought one at first and drank it while still in the supermarket parking lot and then I went back inside and got two more which I also drank on the spot. Still tastes as good I remember it.

I am in Lebanon for a few days so I managed to pass by my parents house where all the family photos are stored. They were one of the few things we managed to take with us during the 1990 Gulf War and I haven’t flipped through the pictures in ages so not really sure whats there. I am really hoping to find pictures of Salmiya from the glorious days but any other cool photos of Kuwait from the 80s would be great. Whatever I find interesting I will scan and post here.

Back in 2007 I posted about “The Running Man“. He’s the guy most of you have probably seen running on the Gulf Road in the middle of the summer heat or in the middle of winter when it’s raining and freezing cold. I tried to interview him back then but after finally catching up to him I was out of breath and couldn’t communicate with him and he ended up running off again. Well Student Talk managed to interview him and it turns out he has a very interesting story. Since Student Talk don’t have a website I scanned the article and uploaded it online. You can view it [Here]

In case you want to pick up the actual magazine its the November issue, he’s on the cover. Here is a list of locations you can find the magazine [List]

A reader found a dog with a collar in Abdulla Alsalem area today at around 2pm. If dog in the picture above is yours then you can contact Dalal on [email removed]

It wasn’t very upsetting for me to watch but Nat isn’t going to eat fish ever again so don’t watch this if you get grossed out easily. [YouTube]

BBC received a lot of responses with my previous post and are now looking for something very specific and they need your help with it.

BBC is looking for anyone (young or old) who might still have weight to lose, or who might be larger, but happy to be that way – people who are leading the typical less healthy Kuwaiti lifestyle.

If you fit the profile then email BBC on [email protected]

When Aramex increased their prices because oil hit over $100 a barrel I was fine with it. When oil prices fell back to normal and Aramex didn’t decrease their prices, I was like no biggie. When Aramex decided to charge an extra KD1 for to each package I receive and added a compulsory 5% customs tax to all my packages worth of $100 I was like whatever, I can deal with that. But, to pay this much more than what I was paying before and have my packages arrive slower? That’s something I won’t accept.

I had a package arrive to Aramex on November 6th. It showed up in my mailbox on November 12th and then shipped the next day on November 13th. As of November 21st I have still not received the package. Since a lot of people have been saying good stuff about DHL’s similar service EasyShop, I decided to sign up with them and use their service instead.

It took me under 5 minutes to setup my account with DHL and also pay the $37 setup fee all from within their website. The DHL forwarding mailbox is based in Ohio which means I don’t have to pay the NY taxes when ordering from Amazon. I also pay for the package by weight only and not dimensions. With Aramex they charge based on weight and size which can result in a higher shipping fee. Once a package arrives to my DHL mailbox it should also ship right away to Kuwait since they have daily flights. Once the package arrives to Kuwait I have to go pick it up myself from DHL. There are 4 collection points to choose from and I chose the Kuwait City branch since its near my office.

If you want to open up a DHL mailbox it’s really easy, just follow this [Link]

I passed by Geant tonight since it’s become a habit for me to pass by every weekend and see what their current offer is. This weekend they are selling the 32inch Samsung LCD for KD99. Actually you pay KD147 but you get a KD48 voucher to use in Geant and a scratch and win card. On my way out I spotted a few people with Sony 32inch LCD’s in their carts so I asked one guy how much it was for and he said KD149 but you get a KD29 voucher back. The TV I want still costs over KD800 sadly…

I passed by and spoke to the manager today and he told me they were opening on Sunday. He said they “might” open Saturday night but he can’t confirm since they still have some training to do.

Some more failures [Here]

Thanks NJ!

A friend of mine found this at the supermarket. According to the website it’s “Middle East’s Number 1 Steel Wool”. It’s a Lebanese company which makes sense since racism is still pretty widespread there. [Link]

Thanks Farah!

I met this cool BBC director a couple of days back who’s in Kuwait to film a documentary about people who are pursuing a healthy lifestyle. She’s looking for young Kuwaitis who would be interested in appearing on the show and I told her I would help out by posting their request on my blog. Here is what she sent me to publish:

BBC– 4x Part Educational & Health Series/Travelogue

BBC3 is working on a series of one-hour long observational documentaries looking at young people who are trying to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

In each episode two young people from the UK who are struggling with their weight will travel to a different country.

As well as an hour on Kuwait, the series will also be filming in the USA, Argentina and Greece.

The programme will be used as an educational tool to discourage young people from leading an unhealthy lifestyle as well as giving viewers a unique window to the country we visit.

In Kuwait we want to show Kuwaiti traditions, lifestyle and culture – including weddings, malls, restaurants, diwaniyas, a trip to the desert, etc.

At the moment we are looking for young Kuwaiti’s who might be interested in appearing in the show, and we would love any help and guidance that you can give us in this matter

Yemisi Brookes
Location Director

BBC Factual

London 
Mobile: +44 (0)7977 420 192
Kuwait Mobile: 94950982
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]