2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

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
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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
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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

[via]

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

Nintendo has a burnt GameBoy from a building bombed during the first Gulf War that still works. [Link]

She called me up at around 1AM telling me one of the cab drivers she was talking to earlier in the day called her and told her that drivers found a diversion around one of the roads they bombed yesterday. He told her if she wants he could take her to Syria for $500. I told her it was her decission to make and that I was half asleep and wanted to go back to sleep. She told me she was going to do it and the driver was going to come pick her up at 11AM, he is coming from Syria to pick her up.

So a few minutes ago I message her asking her what she is doing and if she is packed yet since it was nearly 10AM and I know she leaves things till the last minute. She messages me telling me she is at the Syrian border which pissed me off. I called her up and told her this is no time to joke around but she tells me she IS at the Syrian border. Turns out the driver picked her up at 8AM and when I called her up she had just crossed the Lebanese border and about to enter Syria.

Her cellphone signal was weak so I couldn’t talk to her much but I will post updates when I get them.

update: she crossed the Syrian border

update 2: Nat messaged me at 1:40PM telling me she was at the airport and to call her. I call her up and she sounded a bit freaked. She told me the airport is over crowded and she can barely move. She told me she couldn’t even find a trolley to put her bag on. She was also feeling dizzy since she had been in the car since 8AM and there was no AC so her head was spinning everytime she stood up. Her flight is at 9PM and she can’t find a magazine stand or anything nearby. She is resting now before she goes looking for the Jazeera Airways stand.

Seems like an interesting idea. Its located in the alleyway in front of Palm Palace near Marina Mall. Looks like its opening soon.

Today morning on my way to work I was searching the radio frequencies when I landed on 100.5 FM. It was playing like an old black and white movie or something, really strange. What station is this? I recorded a bit with my phone so you can here hear it. [Video]

update: Turns out its the KTV sound channel [Link]

So Nats got a flight on Jazeera Airways tomorrow that leaves from Damascus. Since morning she has been trying to find a cab that will take her to Syria and she finally called me 15 minutes ago telling me she got one and tomorrow 5AM she will leave her house. Seemed like a good plan until 5 minutes ago Israel bombed her escape route. Now she is trying to find out if there is another route she can take.