2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
If you’re a Shop&Ship customer you probably just got an email about the fact they will be increasing their rates starting August 15th. The odd part is… they don’t mention what the new rates are.
The new rates will be available on the Rate Calculator on our website from the above mentioned effective date.
I think that’s super weird, like you’re sending an email about your prices increasing, why not tell us what the new prices are?
Aqua Motif is a local business that creates custom aquarium reefs. Just going through some of their work on Instagram makes me want to get an aquarium even though I have zero interest in fish. The one pictured above is their Kuwait skyline reef but they’ve got some other amazing ones including (and completely random), a Gorillaz band reef.
They’re located in the Pearl Marzouq complex in Salmiya but you can check out their work on Instagram @aquamotif
SodaStream is a very popular company that makes home carbonation appliances. It’s a small kitchen appliance that allows you to create sparking water by forcing carbon dioxide into regular water making it fizzy. You can also add different flavors to create your very own mix. The only problem is that SodaStream is an Israeli company so we can’t get their machines or CO2 canisters in Kuwait.
But, there is now a local brand that just launched called Gulf Soda that sells a machine that does the same thing. They’re selling the soda machine for 50KD without the gas cylinder and come in three colors. The CO2 gas cylinders cost 15KD each and 5KD to refill. So you’re going to pay an initial cost of 65KD to start making your own home carbonated drinks.
If you want to check out their products, their website is gulfsoda.com and their Instagram is @gulfsoda
The Supra name evokes the power, performance, and handling that defined a succession of world-class cars for a quarter of a century, which built a reputation both as formidable performers on the road and all-conquering machines on the racetrack. The GR Supra is the first Toyota global model developed entirely by GAZOO Racing (GR). The team has been developing its cars and people through its participation in motorsports with the goal of making ‘ever-better’ cars ever since first competing in Germany’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race in 2007. GR’s years of knowledge and expertise have been channeled into bringing the Supra back to life in the form of Toyota GR Supra, an all-new expression of pure sports car performance that people the world over will find fun to drive.
The launch of the all-new GR Supra marked the end of a 17-year hiatus since the production of the previous generation concluded in 2002. As with all previous generations, the GR Supra is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. Extensive attention has also been paid to the fundamental elements of wheelbase, tread, and center of gravity, thus achieving superior handling performance befitting a pure sports car.
GR Supra’s 3.0-liter turbocharged engine produces up to 335 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The torque comes on strong even from very low engine speeds, thanks to a combination of a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection, and continuously variable timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. Engine response is further enhanced thanks to the inline six’s variable intake-valve lift system, which adjusts intake valve timing and duration for optimal performance. The 8-speed automatic transmission delivers speedy up and downshifts, and features paddle shifters for manual control when desired. Short ratios for the lower gears and a launch control function, which is not intended for use on public roads or repeated short interval use, enable powerful acceleration with maximum traction.
The Supra offers two driving modes, Normal and Sport. The Sport Mode sharpens throttle response, increases steering weight, and improves transmission shift crispness. This mode also engages a more aggressive active differential tuning and amplifies the exhaust sound. Meanwhile, Traction Mode can be activated as part of the Vehicle Stability Control System to provide track-driving capability by reducing the intervention of the traction and stability control functions. Launch Control is available only when the vehicle is in Sport and Traction modes.
For performance driving enthusiasts, the all-new GR Supra offers an active differential that uses an electric motor and multi-plate clutches to control lateral torque. The active differential precisely controls torque distribution between the rear wheels when cornering under both acceleration and braking, enabling greater momentum through a corner, with step-less variable locking from 0-100 percent. Excellent handling and stability and superior ride comfort are realized through the vehicle’s optimized construction, which incorporates both front double-joint type MacPherson strut suspension and rear multi-link suspension.
For more information or to book a test drive, click here.
Below is the list of things you can do this weekend. As usual, if I missed anything please let me know in the comments:
Thursday
Dino World at The Gate Mall
IFK Movie Night: Rouge
Friday
Dino World at The Gate Mall
Saturday
Dino World at The Gate Mall
Come Play with Us! (Chess, Backgammon and/or Scrabble)
Activities:
Ascend Rock Climbing
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma
Museums to Visit:
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum
Exhibitions:
Exhibition: Sanad at ASCC
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:
New This Weekend:
Bullet Train (7.5)
Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (5.4)
School of Magical Animals (5.5)
Other Movies Showing:
A Day to Die (3.6)
DC League of Super-Pets (7.9)
Elvis (7.7)
Jurassic World Dominion (6.2)
Minions: The Rise of Gru (7.4)
Paradise Highway (5.3)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (5.6)
The Black Phone (7.4)
The Deep House (5.4)
Top Gun: Maverick (8.7)
Classic Movies Showing:
Casino – 1995 (8.2)
The films below are also showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:
IMAX Movies Showing:
Antarctica
Ocean Odyssey
Turtle Odyssey
Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
Dry Drink is an online store that sells non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a UAE-based company but they do deliver in Kuwait by the next day so they must have a local warehouse. I have zero interest in non-alcoholic drinks and I don’t understand why people drink them (there are better-tasting drinks if you don’t want alcohol).
But, if you’re one of those people who enjoy the taste of non-alcoholic gin (🤢) or other drinks, Dry Drink seems to have a good variety of options, most of which I haven’t come across before.
They offer free delivery if you order 30KD or more worth of drinks and they offer taster bundles which is a good way to try a variety of different drinks on a budget. If you want to check it out, here is the link.
Lessons of Darkness is a film about the Kuwaiti oil fields in flames directed by Werner Herzog and released in 1992. I posted about the movie 8 years ago but it wasn’t available to stream online back then, and now it is.
The style is similar to movies Baraka and Samsara where footage is combined with beautiful music except, in this case, the beautiful footage is mostly of horror and destruction. The first few minutes look like a scene out of a sci-fi film and it’s really an epic-looking film overall.
The film is available on YouTube and in HD. I have no idea how long it will be up there until it gets pulled for copyright reasons so if you haven’t watched the film this is your chance to do so. Here is the link.
I posted an update to my T1 to T4 shuttle bus post, in summary, there is no airport shuttle bus once you leave the terminal but you can take the public bus. Read the update here.
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the 1990 Kuwait Invasion. Every year on the anniversary I like to share some links related to the war, here they are:
Free Kuwait
This is a website that focuses on the campaign that was led by Kuwaitis in exile and is loaded with photos and information.
Kuwait Invasion – The Evidence
This is a website that contains over 1,200 pictures taken right after the 1990 invasion as photographic evidence to all the destruction caused by Iraq.
Short movie: Hearts of Palm
Hearts of Palm is a short movie set on August 2nd 1990 and deals with Kuwaiti students living in Miami Florida during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait.
The Class of 1990
This is a short documentary about reuniting classmates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion.
Homemade video from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Video clips taken by a Kuwaiti family during the Iraqi invasion
Desert Storm Photos
Photos taken by soldiers during Desert Storm.
Short Animation: Sandarah
A captivating story based on true events that took place during the 1990 Iraqi invasion.
First Account of Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait
Interviews with various Kuwaitis that were in Kuwait during the 1990 invasion.
Iraqi Invasion Pictures
Photos of the Gulf War aftermath.
BBC Documentary: The Last Flight to Kuwait
A series of documentaries on Iraq begins with a look at the fate of British Airways flight BA149 to the Far East in 1990. As the plane landed in Kuwait, Saddam Hussein invaded, capturing its crew and passengers.
Lessons Of Darkness
This film surveys the disaster of the Kuwaiti oil fields in flames, with little narration and scarcely any interviews. Hell on Earth is presented in such transcendent visions and music that one can only be fascinated by it.
Top photo by Steve McCurry, the rest by Bruno Barbey
Alo Yoga, the Los Angeles-based premium lifestyle/yoga brand is coming to Kuwait soon. Alshaya got the franchise and based on their jobs posting, they are setting up their head office in the UAE and then opening their first store in Kuwait.
Once open, Alo will compete directly with Lululemon so I’d imagine they will be getting a very premium location in The Avenues for their first store.
So I flew out of the Kuwait Airways terminal on Friday and parked my car in the long-term parking there, but then had to change my return date and now flying back to Kuwait on Emirates which lands at terminal 1.
Does anyone know if there is a shuttle bus between the two terminals? I checked the T4 website which I didn’t know existed till a few moments ago and there isn’t any info there.
Update: Yesterday I landed at terminal 1 and ended up taking a public bus to terminal 4. There is no shuttle bus once you exit the airport (there is one for transit passengers inside the airport but before immigration). Once you pass immigration and exit the airport your only option is a cab to terminal 4 or a public bus. The public bus station is located off to the side of the airport (Google Maps) and when I got there I found five buses parked.
A KPTC bus was about to leave but I yelled and waved to the bus driver and he stopped. I wasn’t sure if he was gonna pass by T4 but it was one of their new buses so I wanted to try it out. When I got on the bus I asked the driver if he was passing by the Kuwait Airways terminal and he said yes. The cost of the ride was the regular 250fils bus fee. 2 minutes later he dropped me off at the bus station outside T4. Fast and easy.
Below is the list of things you can do this weekend. As usual, if I missed anything please let me know in the comments:
Thursday
The Avenues Carnival
Dino World at The Gate Mall
Scientific Center Summer Festival
The Beach Canteen
Jeudis du cinéma à l’IFK: Z
Nursery Rhyme Time
Friday
The Avenues Carnival
Dino World at The Gate Mall
Scientific Center Summer Festival
The Beach Canteen
Nursery Rhyme Time
Saturday
The Avenues Carnival
Dino World at The Gate Mall
Scientific Center Summer Festival
The Beach Canteen
Nursery Rhyme Time
Interactive Children Book Reading: We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
Trash Hero: Abu-Alhasaniya Beach Cleanup
Come Play with Us! (Chess, Backgammon and/or Scrabble)
Ceramics Workshop: Qahwa Cups
Activities:
Ascend Rock Climbing
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma
Museums to Visit:
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum
Exhibitions:
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:
New This Weekend:
A Day to Die (3.6)
DC League of Super-Pets (7.9)
Paradise Highway (N/A)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (5.6)
Shark Tale (6.0)
Other Movies Showing:
Corrective Measures (4.2)
Elvis (7.7)
Jurassic World Dominion (6.2)
Minions: The Rise of Gru (7.4)
The Black Phone (7.4)
The Deep House (5.4)
The Reef: Stalked (3.7)
Top Gun: Maverick (8.7)
Classic Movies Showing:
Casino – 1995 (8.2)
Seven – 1995 (8.6)
The films below are also showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:
IMAX Movies Showing:
Antarctica
Asteroid Hunters 3D
Minions: The Rise of Gru (7.4)
Ocean Odyssey
Turtle Odyssey
Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
A couple of days back I posted about the lack of an English option in the Sahel App and clearly a lot of people are frustrated by this. But I bring you good news!
According to a source involved in the project, the app has had the English option available for a while now but are unable to launch it just yet because some of the entities that are in Sahel have not finished adapting to English and English data. That’s why it’s taken longer than expected to roll out the English version, but it will eventually roll out.
That actually makes a lot of sense. For some reason, I thought it was just about translating the text inside the app to English but I didn’t consider the fact that the English data we input would then have to work with the various different ministries that all deal with Arabic paperwork. The fact that the ministries are now working to have English be an option is actually impressive.