2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Just what I needed. Firefox looks really cool now. [Link]

Alghanim Automotive sent me these pictures of a pimped out Trailblazer. They have an accessorizing arm called Kromozone that specializes in pimpin’ cars and this is their latest creation. I think they should have displayed this car outside Virgin Marina Mall instead of the car they previously had on display which didn’t looked pimped at all. You can check more pictures of the Trailblazer below including some of the inside which is just as pimped.

Trailblazer-0001
Trailblazer-0002
Trailblazer-0003
Trailblazer-0004
Trailblazer-0005
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You can contact Kromozone on 6947719

Update: Here are some better pictures:
Side shot
Inside shot
Front shot

So after work today I went and met with KTM magazine who are located near my office. I wasn’t nervous or anything just really curious to what was in store for me. I met with 2 guys and we sat down and spoke a bit about their magazine. We also spoke about the digital versus print thing and I told them how I don’t find magazine interesting anymore. After that debate we spoke about me and how I would contribute to their magazine. They recently re-branded and with the re-branding they are also restructuring and they are getting new writers and they want me to write for them.

We spoke about what kind of writing I would do and we brainstormed some subjects I could write about and the result turned out to be very interesting. I can’t say what kind of writing I will do or what the subject is but I can say its like nothing I have written before and I am really excited in doing it. I took a risky direction but its more fun this way (for me and you) and its something completely new to me so don’t expect any food reviews or anything predictable like that.

Finally we spoke about the financial end of the deal which is always an awkward and uncomfortable subject for me. We spoke about what Bazaar had previously offered me and then they asked me how much I wanted and I told them. They agreed and my first article is now due August 15th.

Thats it basically, it should be fun.

A video of Street Fighter’s Ryu against the ducks from Nintendos Duck Hunt. The ducks never had a chance.. [Video]

Kleio posted the following comment under the Kuwaitis Stuck in Damascus post:

I was one of those people who was lied to by the Kuwaiti Embassy. They told us all to go up to the Safir hotel in Bhamdoun and that we would be able to catch buses out from there, so we did (two of us) on Friday morning. Once we got there, it was pure chaos. The embassy was totally unorganized and only had about three employees there at the hotel. Why tell all the Kuwaitis to go there if you don’t know how to deal with that many people? The embassy staff (consul and ambassador included) were unhelpful and rude. We couldn’t get on a bus that day because they were giving priority to people with children and elderly. We were told to wait for a phone call telling us when we were assigned to a bus. We naively believed that that would really happen. We missed like 8 buses out merely because we were following the “rules” that turned out to be complete bull. Then, the embassy didn’t offer to pay for the hotel room we had to reserve for the night (even though they had told me when I called that morning that we would “certainly” get a bus out that day).

Next morning, we were told that every single person who was put on a bus to Syria would be guaranteed a seat on a flight out that day. They also told us there would be embassy officials accompanying us to the border, more officials at the border, and then officials from the Kuwaiti embassy in Syria would be there to greet us at the airport. All B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T. Nobody accompanied us – our Lebanese bus driver and one guy on our bus who volunteered to take charge took care of things at the border. Then once we got to the airport, there was no trace of the embassy. It was each man for himself. Went up to the Kuwait Airways office and it was chaos with an enormous waiting list. Guaranteed a seat, my a@@! Luckily, like Nat, we had our tickets booked for Sunday night on Jazeera from Beirut anyway (same flight as Nat, turns out), and so we were confirmed on the replacement flight leaving from Damascus on Sunday. However, we arrived at the airport on Saturday, thinking we had a Kuwait Airways guarnateed ticket out. Of course, all hotels in Damascus were fully booked, and the embassy did nothing to help us find accomodation (I never saw anyone from the embassy in the two days I was in Syria). We had to find our own shelter.

I’m not saying the embassy has to pamper us and do everything for us – quite the contrary, we were perfectly capable of making our own arrangements. All I’m saying is, don’t bloody lie to us and hundreds of others! I would rather they had told us up front: “Look, we’ll try to get you out but there are thousands of you and only a few buses at a time, so we don’t know how long before we can get you across the border. And all we’re doing is getting you to Damascus – from that point on, you have to make your own arrangements. We have extra Kuwait Airways flights arranged, but it’s up to you to get yourself on one of them.” Was that so hard? Why make empty promises and “guarantees” to people who YOU told to come to YOU for help?!

Kleio also has pictures and a video from her evacuation.

I got a call earlier from KTM Magazine, I was pretty shocked at first since they called me up at my office. Its really freaky, I mean I know I don’t try to be anonymous but I also don’t make it that easy for people to find out who I am. Anyway turns out the guy found out where I worked because he recognized my office from a picture I once posted. He called the office, asked for me and I answered the phone.

So I spoke to him for a few minutes and he wants to meet me to discuss having me write for them. Their office is like right next door so I am going to pass by them tomorrow. I know KTM when it was called Kuwait This Month and it was a pretty crappy magazine back then but since they rebranded to just KTM I haven’t picked up an issue yet. I might pass by a magazine stand tonight and pick one up just to see if it has gotten any better. Oh a funny thing is, the guy was like I know Bazaar approached you before and you rejected their offer but we appreciate our writers and we will make you a better one. I was like that sounds cool. Will see what happens tomorrow.

Taken by a collegue at work on her way into Syria.
Click here for larger version.

I really like the Kuwait Airport but the lack of seating keeps pissing me off. The food court although containing a nice bunch of fast food places has enough seating for a handful of people. I have mentioned this before and I have to mention it again, why the lack of seating!? People are forced to sit in the food court because there is no where else. These people usually just order a coke and sit and wait while the people that are hungry (like me) and want to eat can’t eat because there is no place to sit.

Well, I am going to share with you a secret. If you are at the airport and need to sit down and kill some time the only place you will find seating is in the arcade downstairs. Their are three seats there that are always empty. They are also pretty comfortable and if you get really bored you can always play Daytona.

My younger brother who is in Lebanon at the moment is going to be evacuated by the Canadian embassy in the next few days. According to him they will be evacuated by ship to Larnaca (Cyprus) and from there he will take a flight back to Kuwait. He is very excited about getting on the ship..

In regards to the post below, Nat was able to get a ticket to Kuwait because she used her Beirut to Kuwait ticket. Her original Jazeera Airways flight which was supposed to take off from Beirut on Sunday took off from Damascus instead. I was worried Jazeera would cancel her ticket “by mistake” but they didn’t and honored her ticket and even her seat number.

I have already mentioned a whole bunch of times on this blog how great Jazeera Airways is and their recent actions in regard to the war in Lebanon has been extraordinary.

So yesterday was my day off. I didn’t go in to work or do any posting, instead I decided to stay home with Nat who was still exhausted from her evacuation. Thanks to everyone who left comments welcoming her, she will most probably post about her experience today. One thing I realized is that leaving Lebanon isn’t a problem, its the Syrian airport that is.

According to a Kuwaiti lady Nat spoke to at the Damascus airport, it seems some Kuwaitis are really pissed off at the Kuwait embassy. According to that lady, the Kuwaiti embassy dropped them off at the airport with the promise they would be able to find a plane back to Kuwait but she had been in the airport for 2 day and she still is on the waiting list. There are also no representatives from the Kuwaiti embassy at the airport either, they were just dropped off and left alone. Hopefully the lady is back in Kuwait now and that there are no more people stuck like that at the airport.

update: just spoke to a friend who arrived yesterday from Damascus. She told me that she was able to get on an earlier Jazeera flight because they has 16 seats free so I guess there shouldn’t be any more Kuwaitis stuck waiting for a vacant seat.

I was watching a movie at home killing time since Nats plane was going to arrive at 11:15PM when I decide to take a break and check my email. I also decide to see if there was any change in Nats flight so I checked Kuwait-Airport.com.kw and to my surprise it said Nats plane was arriving 40 minutes early and at 10:35, it was 10:25!

So I quickly put my jeans on, I stayed in my PJ tshirt, quickly ran down with Geo to walk him and then took the BMW to the airport cuz I knew I had to get there FAST. After driving like a mother fucking maniac I arrived at the airport at 10:45. I quickly ran up to the arrival board and it turns out Nats flight was delayed 15 minutes and was going to arrive at 11:30PM. I was like WTF!? Anyway Nibaq was there paying his MTC bill so now I am with him. I am writing this email from the Kinkos Internet Cafe since I left my laptop at home. Its 11:45PM now and Nats flight should have arrived so I need to go check it. The airport is packed.

Update: Its 1AM and we just got back home. We would have been back sooner but for some unknown reason the cops decided to setup a check point on the 4th ring road tonight. It took us 30 minutes to cross a distance of 50 meters.

As I mentioned earlier today Nat arrived at the Damascus airport around 1:40PM. Her flight takes off at 9PM so she wasn’t able to check in until after 7PM. I spoke to her on the phone and she told me the airport is a disaster. Its understaffed, overcrowded and it seems like there is no AC even. She told me a lot of Gulf nationals were panicking and having nervous breakdowns and that the situation at the airport is unbearable.

1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is
www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com

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Not sure why you’d want a square egg, but here’s the device to make one with. Results may vary. [Link]