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Blogger Patrick sent me a link to a page on SkiLeb.com with pictures of the Faraya Mzaar ski slope in Lebanon. Whats cool about the pictures is that they were all taken on December 30th but each picture was taken on a different year. 2009 is the worst year with practically no snow. It’s pretty sad. [Link]

Thanks Patrick!

I should have posted about this last week but I just started catching up on all my emails. Luckily the exhibition is still on so you’ve still got time to catch it.

“Our exhibition is about “عتيج الصوف ولا يديد البريسم؟” rethinking the way we view our Kuwaiti culture from its proverbs to its simplest and quirkiest words illustrated through traditional calligraphy but digitally enhanced to create an art piece.” -Jassim and Anas

The exhibition is being held at thenumber4 in Shuwaikh Industrial area, Mahdi Habib street, opposite the BMW showroom. [Map]

The exhibition started on the 24th but will be there till the 5th of January.

Confashions passed by and took some pictures which you can check [Here]
And here is a link to the exhibit [blog] and [Facebook Group]

If you’re staying in Kuwait for New Years then here is something for you to do. GUST is holding a talent show on December 31st from 5pm to 7pm at their university campus. The students will be performing a wide range of shows from a comedy play to song and dance. A blogger called Mish is giving away 4 tickets to the show which you could win just by leaving a comment on his post. So if you are interested, here is the [Link]

Found out about Capital District from iLSuL6ana’s blog and I think I like where they’re going with the brand. Their clothing are unique in that they’re based on Kuwait and it’s past which automatically differentiates them from everything else out there. They have a few designs at the moment which you can order at very reasonable prices. If you’re interested in checking out their designs and placing an order visit their Facebook group [Here]

Note: You can see their designs in the photos section.

I’ve always wanted a navigation system in the car that uses Google Maps and it seems this is going to happen very soon since the 2011 Audi A8 will be the first production car to include Google Earth. What I would also like to see one day in the future is real time updated maps. Imagine Google Maps with real time updates while you’re stuck in a traffic jam. You could just zoom in to the area in front of you and see what’s causing the traffic or even better you could check the traffic on the roads before you leave the house.

Actually, I just realized, you don’t need real time updated Google Maps, why don’t we have video cameras or still cameras along major roads which people can access and check online? Something like [This] and also the picture above. The technology has been around for some time now and shouldn’t be too difficult to implement here in Kuwait. Can we please get live traffic cams? Pretty please??

Abdullah, a reader of the blog put together a price chart comparing the 4 most popular mail forwarding services, Aramex’s Shop & Ship, U Shop We Ship, DHL’s EasyShop and My US. Is color coded it and the price chart goes up all the way up to 30KG. The conclusion is USWS is the cheapest until you hit 20KG when MyUS becomes cheaper.

You can view the chart by clicking [Here]

There are two old cartoons I remember watching on KTV2 which I can’t seem to find anymore. They weren’t a series, just a single story cartoon.

The first was kinda like a documentary about cavemen, and what I remember from the cartoon was how the cavemen dragged their wives from their hair and they carried big sticks. They also lived in like in apartment buildings that were built out of one big rock and each floor had a ladder that takes you from the ground to the flat.

The second cartoon was about this bug (I think it was a bee but not too sure). The bug wears thick glasses and they somehow break and he ends up getting lost.

Does anyone remember these two?

Update: I can’t believe this but a reader called Fahad found the caveman one!! It’s called The First Bad Man by Tex Avery. Here it is…

1955-09-30 The First Bad Man (MGM Cartoon) from Bram on Vimeo.

Update2: It’s moments like this that makes me love this blog so much. Another reader by the name of Bo Jaij found the second cartoon I was looking for. Turns out it wasn’t a bee it was a mole!

The little mole, 2006 from Yaffe Shlomi on Vimeo.

Here are some other old cartoons I found that were also great:
TV of Tomorrow
The House of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Homeless Flea
The Counterfeit Cat
Big Heel-Watha
Happy Go Nutty
What’s Buzzin Buzzard
Field and Scream

I was just checking the blog Tidbit Du Jour and found out about this beautifully designed jewelry store called Octium Jewelry that recently opened up at the 360 Mall. The store is designed by Jaime Hayón a Spanish born designer who judging by his work is one unbelievably talented guy. The best part about all this is that the store was just featured on the popular design blog The Cool Hunter. I can’t wait to pass by the place and check it out in person. [Link]

A reader sent me the following email with a few pictures (of which I’m sharing two).

i received my aramex package today , i saw the package little bit outta shape i thought something was up. i payed shipping charges then i headed to my room opened the box and here comes the SHOCK there is a puddle of water inside and the items are soaking wet. the funny part that the box contained a 400$ digital camera :S. i called aramex they told me customer service should contact you soon and hoping a refund for the item and shipping charges. been waiting and no one called :S. waiting till tomorrow.

I’m guessing the shipment got damaged while waiting to be cleared at the airport customs so it’s interesting to see how this will pan out. According to their terms & conditions:

Aramex is not responsible for any customs or duties incurred on any package contents. Furthermore, Aramex is not responsible for penalties, loss or damage of shipments while in possession of customs.

Aramex is responsible for the customer’s packages only while they are within Aramex’s custody and control. Aramex’s LIABILITY IN ANY EVENT IS LIMITED TO ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS (US $ 100/=) OR ITS EQUIVALENT PER SHIPMENT as stated on the back of the Express/Air freight waybill.

So legally Aramex are no liable for any damage and even if they are they only cover up to $100 which is not much. Has anything like this happened to anyone? What was the outcome?

Note: Btw if you ever wondered how Aramex’s building looks like in New York, a blogger 3baid found it using google street view. Looks cool, maybe someone from Aramex could get us pictures of the inside? That would be an interesting tour. [Link]

Update: Aramex resolved the issue with the damaged package and refunded the reader. Here is what the reader (Sam) had to say about it:

Dear Members,

NEW UPDATE regarding my issue.

i just got a call this morning from Aramex Shop and Ship Manager notifying me regarding my damaged package, he was very helpful and he took full responsibility of the damage caused, told me to bring the package to Aramex Arthiya for a full Refund of the product & shipping charges.

I went there got my refund and the manager was kind enough to explain to me the cause of the incident due to a leakage in customs warehouse, where they are taking action to solve this issue.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

Thank you, Shop & Ship Manager for Handling this Issue Professionally.

Although I would think by now everyone knows what Ace Hardware is it seems it’s not as popular as I had imagined. Whenever I mention Ace on my blog a few people always comment asking what it was or where it was so I figured I would highlight the place.

Ace Hardware is one of my favorite stores in Kuwait. They’ve been open over a decade now and every year they just keep on improving. They sell everything from bedsheets, towels, sporting equipment, ATV’s, barbecue’s, gardening tools, car accessories, bathroom accessories, hardware tools, power tools, toys, paint, kitchenware, bulbs, pet supplies and the list goes on and on. Everything is arranged nicely, the place never gets too crowded, the staff are friendly and helpful and since they import a lot of items directly from the States, you find a lot of stuff you can’t find anywhere else. I use Ace mostly for the hardware tools section, the barbecue accessories and pet supplies but every now and then I would need something totally random and I would find it only at Ace.

They’re located in Al-Rai in the area between Avenues and the 4th Ring Road. I’ve drawn a map below of how to find the place, they’re open from 9AM to 10PM daily and their phone number is 24769100.

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]

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]


Desert Girl sent me the most amazing thing today, a PDF of scanned pages from a National Geographic issue from 1952 which talks about Kuwait. The article is 20 pages long and contains 25 pictures of which 11 are in color. It’s incredible I love it. The caption under the picture above says:

A Mobile Medical Clinic, Bought with Oil Wealth, Tours Kuwait Villages
For ailing Arabs who cannot travel to the capital, the Sheikdom provides an American-built trailer unit staffed by a physician, nurse, and technician. Here the doctor examines an elderly man at an outlying village; other patients wait their turn. Treatment costs them nothing. New hospitals, including one for animals, are part of Kuwait’s heavy investment in its own well-being.

Here is the PDF for you to down. It’s around 4MB in size. [PDF Link]

Thanks Desert Girl!

9h is a new high end capsule hotel in Kyoto, Japan. The name comes from the idea that you need 1 hour to shower, 7 hours to sleep and 1 hour break which is a total of 9 hours. It looks a lot better than the usual capsule hotel’s I’ve seen and at only KD12 per night (9 hours) its pretty affordable albeit claustrophobic. [Link]

I would just like to clarify that I have nothing against Al Watan Daily and that my posts were directed at the articles and not at the newspaper. I would also like to apologize to Khaled Al-Ramly for posting his email on the blog without his permission. I would also like to apologize to Al Watan Daily for everything I wrote. I have also taken down all the Al Watan Daily related posts. Thank you.