2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I just heard from a friend they’ve started power cuts in Kuwait. My friend didn’t have electricity for 6 hours today! I hope this isn’t going to be a habit. In Lebanon we get power cuts but come on its Lebanon, the country doesn’t have any money and worse comes to worse the weather really never gets that hot there. In Kuwait on the other hand the government DOES have money so they can build more power plants and the weather gets extremely hot in Kuwait which means a home without AC is unlivable.

Today I finally had a day off work and I managed to properly see Munich and I am seriously in love with it after today. I have a ton of pictures and videos to share but since I am coming back to Kuwait tomorrow will do that when I come back but for now I leave you with the shot above.

Computer controlled, super-bright multi-color LED Light output equivalent to a typical 27″ TV

Pretty smart device that comes on at night and gives the effect that someone is watching TV. Its supposed to trick burglars into thinking someone is at home. Not really useful in Kuwait since we don’t really have burglars but it still looks like a fun toy to have and at only $31 its pretty cheap. [Link]

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet about Munich is the weather. It’s FREEZING, the temperature during the day is like 9 degrees and ever since I came its been raining a lot. Thats why when I passed by Puma in the evening and found their official Volvo Ocean Race gear I had to get a jacket. Pictured above is the official PUMA Race Team jacket which has a Gortex shell, a high collar and a packable hood. I wore it on the way back home in the rain and it was just fantastic.

I also managed to find Adidas Jeans by Diesel. Diesel and Adidas teamed up for this new line of jeans and the Adidas Originals store next to my hotel had some in stock. I ended up getting the pair pictured above. I am having a hard time shopping in Munich since everything closes early (8PM). By the time I finish with work and decide to do some shopping I don’t have time. Even supermarkets close at 8!

While walking back to my hotel today in Munich I spotted a weird Z4. At first I thought it was very tacky customized Z4 but then I realized it was actually the new unreleased 2010 model. The car was camouflaged pretty well with black body work and tape but as soon as I figured out what the car was I quickly took out my camera and turned it on. By then the traffic light had turned green so I was only able to take two shots.

It was pretty cool seeing an unreleased test car but sadly only a few car freaks will appreciate this! For me this was an amazing experience, I spend soo much time checking car blogs and magazines and seeing “spy shots” just like this all the time. Now that I was able to take these same kind of shots feels pretty great. Below are the two pictures which I managed to shoot, they are in full resolution.

2010 BWW Z4 Rear
2010 BMW Z4 Side

update: This post made Jalopnik, yay!

A reader of the blog sent an email to inform me that Dean & Deluca will be opening in Kuwait before the end of the year. According to the reader the upscale gourmet food grocery store will be brought to Kuwait by Alshaya and that they are working overtime to try and have the place opened by Q4 of this year. I don’t know the accuracy of this information but if its true it would be something to look forward to. Alshaya launched the Dean & Deluca Cafe in Dubai early this year but they haven’t opened their store yet.

Thanks SJM MUKI

Interesting Kuwaiti site where you can upload your car and have people rate it for you. [Link]

via zDistrict

Its such a beautiful place, I was soooo not expecting Munich to be like this. The streets, the weather, the people, the buildings everything I’ve been experiencing in Munich has just been perfect. I am staying at a hotel called H’Otello, its a small boutique hotel but one thats super affordable and seriously excellent value for money. Its the trendiest hotel I’ve stayed in and I love my room, again because of the minimilism.

I found this place in the local market that has like a million kinds of olives. I love olives so I will probably have to try as much of them as I can. Internet is free at the hotel so I will be posting from here but probably late in the evening and early in the morning since I will be trying my best NOT to spend my trip here in the hotel.

Just got to the Munich Airport and so far I think its the nicest airport I have ever been to design wise. It’s very minamilistic, no clutter and a lot of empty space. (Posted from my Nokia E61i)

I am taking off to Munich tonight, will be back next Sunday. I am taking my Nikon FE camera pictured above. The camera originally belonged to my parents and when they went to Munich in the late 70’s they took the camera with them. Now thirty years later I am going back with the exact same camera, thats quality!

Awhile ago I passed by Boushahri to pick up some Fuji Reala and Velvia film and it turns out they don’t carry them anymore. So I ended up picking up some Fuji Pro 160’s which I’ve never tried before but I guess I was lucky to actually find any Fuji 35mm film. Sucks. So anyway, once I get back will develop the film and post some pictures up, should be interesting.

Yesterday I posted about the HP 2133 and just awhile ago my partner at work brought his friends HP 2133 into the office. First impressions, its a lot bigger and heavier than I expected. The Asus Eee feels tiny and very light compared to the HP. Windows XP was installed on the HP which was running pretty smoothly. I wasn’t able to test out videos but XP booted up at a decent speed and all the applications seem to open instantaneously. The system I had was the 1.6ghz with 1.75GB of RAM, this version I think costs like $800 which isn’t cheap.

The screen is really great and the keyboard felt like a regular laptop keyboard, big keys and all spaced out nicely. But, the size and weight of this thing has really pushed me towards the Asus Eee 900.

Update: I forgot to mention, the trackpad with the trackpad buttons are the worst I have ever used.

Really cool commercial for Specsavers, a UK based eyeglasses chain. [YouTube]

Since my MacBook died on me I have been having a dilemma, what laptop should I get? Here are laptops I am currently considering:

MacBook
I love the MacBook’s and even though mine died I do want to get another one. Problem is there are rumors that a new MacBook will be released in the next few months that will be a significant upgrade from the current ones. Knowing that I can’t possibly get a MacBook now. [Amazon Link]

MacBook Pro
I’ve never been a fan of the aluminum Mac’s. I never liked the PowerBook’s and I don’t like the new MacBook Pro’s. But, I am typing this post out on Nat’s MacBook Pro and I have to admit I do love the screen resolution and the fact that the speakers are loud, two things I had problems with on my old MacBook. But, its huge, I find the 13″ MacBook big so imagine what I think of this 15″ MacBook Pro. I’ve also heard a lot of rumors about a completely redesigned MacBook Pro, one that will incorporate the look of the MacBook Air so I will wait and see what happens with that. [Amazon Link]

MacBook Air
Gorgeous but slow and expensive. I wouldn’t mind paying $2000 if it was at least faster than the cheapest MacBook which costs $1099. [Amazon Link]

So basically with my Mac options I am just going to wait for the next updates and then decide what to get. Until the new Mac’s come out I am considering getting one of those new ultra portable laptops. I figured even if I do get a Mac later I would still have use for one of these, I could for example get a 15″ MacBook Pro and have one of these tiny laptops for when I am on the move:

Asus Eee 900
The original Asus Eee was released awhile back but the new ones come with a larger 8.9″ screen which makes the Eee more practical. The reason I haven’t already ordered the Eee which costs $549 is the HP 2133. [Amazon Link]

HP 2133 mini-notebook
This is the laptop that Apple should have released. It looks like the old 12″ PowerBooks except its even tinier. The screen although only 8.9″ has a resolution of 1280 x 768 which is pretty high. The reason I haven’t already ordered this is because I am still reading reviews on it. Most say its pretty slow but all those reviews had Vista installed on the HP. I want to know how well it performs with Linux or Windows XP. Price for this is $589. [Amazon Link]

Update: After doing a lot of research I’ve decided to go with an Asus 900 for now over the HP 2133. Although the HP looks really pretty its a lot slow than the Asus, A LOT slower. So whats going to happen is Asus for now and once the MacBooks or MacBook Pro’s get revised later in the summer will get one of them.

With voting set to start in less than 8 hours, it all comes down to 4 (or less) ticks on a piece of paper to choose the next batch of politicians to lead our country for the next 4 (or less) years. I am personally going to be voting for Tahalof, as their views echo mine (in respect to the other candidates).

For those of you who are heading to the ballot box tomorrow, I leave you with a fitting quote from Thomas Sowell:

“If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else’s expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves”

Posted by K.

(No more sms messages in the middle of the night, lost friends stuck at a maqar, surprise meetups in diwaniya, or endless phone calls demanding you vote for their cousin/brother/father.)

I’ve been spotting this huge ass truck every now and then but I never had my camera with me to take a picture until today. This isn’t an ordinary Ford F650 which is already huge and super expensive, this is an extreme version which is even bigger and taller. The picture below although not a good one at least gives you an idea of the height of this beast and I was in my Wrangler when I took the picture.

Update: Here is a link with more information and pictures on the F650. [Link]

And here is another picture which better shows the size of this thing