Search: “ace”

The second time in a couple of months that an attack on police was captured on video. This time though one of the cops manages to pull out his weapon which ends up scaring off the attackers. This is one of the cases where the video ends too soon since it stops just as the cop starts running after the attackers with his weapon pulled. If anyone knows what happened after let us know in the comments.

Here is a link to the other incident I mentioned about that took place back in April [Link]

The movies below are now showing at either Cinescape, Grand Cinemas or Sky Cinemas:

New This Week:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (3.3)
Gifted (7.8)
The Bleeder (6.8) ♦

Other Movies Showing:
Alien: Covenant (7.0) ♦ ★
Everything, Everything (6.2)
Fast & Furious 8 (7.5)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (8.2) ♦ ★
Here Alone (5.2) ♦
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (7.2)
Monolith (4.7)
The Boss Baby (6.5)
Smurfs: The Lost Village (5.8)
The Circle (7.5) ♦

The movies below are now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

A Beautiful Planet 3D (7.9)
Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (7.6)
Humpback Whales 3D (7.2)
Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D (N/A)
Journey to Space 3D (6.5)
Kenya 3D: Animal Kingdom (6.0)
Mysteries of the Unseen World 3D (7.5)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.

The alarm has been sounded again in Kuwait after figures for 2017 show that around 60 per cent of Kuwaiti marriages have ended in divorce.

Figures released by the Ministry of Justice indicate there were 2,001 marriages in January and February, down from 2,425 in the same period last year. The figures also show there were 1,193 cases of divorce in the first two months of 2017, up from 1,180 last year. [Source]

That would put Kuwait with Luxembourg in 6th place on the World’s Most Divorced Nations list:

1- Belgium (71%)
2- Portugal (68%)
3- Hungary (67%)
4- Czech Republic (66%)
5- Spain (61%)
6- Kuwait and Luxembourg (60%)
7- Estonia (58%)
8- Cuba (56%)
9- France (55%)
10- Lithuania (53%)

The movies below are now showing at either Cinescape, Grand Cinemas or Sky Cinemas:

New This Week:
Alien: Covenant (7.0) ♦ ★
Everything, Everything (6.2)
Here Alone (5.2) ♦

Other Movies Showing:
A Family Man (7.0) ♦
Fast & Furious 8 (7.5)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (8.2) ♦ ★
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (5.9)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (7.2)
Monolith (4.7)
Smurfs: The Lost Village (5.8)
The Boss Baby (6.5)
The Circle (7.5) ♦

The movies below are now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

A Beautiful Planet 3D (7.9)
Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (7.6)
Humpback Whales 3D (7.2)
Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D (N/A)
Journey to Space 3D (6.5)
Kenya 3D: Animal Kingdom (6.0)
Mysteries of the Unseen World 3D (7.5)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.

Whats your favorite fish and chips place in Kuwait? I’m drawing a blank just trying to think of a place other than Shrimpy that even has fish and chips on the menu.

Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure), a contraction of the words costume play, is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture and a broader use of the term “cosplay” applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage.

The video above by UrbanQ8 is of all the cosplay from last months ComFest event that took place here in Kuwait. From all the previous videos and photos of similar events I’ve seen, it looks like the local cosplay scene is growing pretty rapidly and I’d say we’ve got a pretty legit scene at the moment. It’s also not male dominant as you’d imagine it being, it’s probably close to a 50/50 split. [YouTube]

Yesterday I mentioned I found an old copy of a Kuwait TV Guide from 1989, what I failed to mention is that I bought it from an antique shop. I thought I had posted about these antique shops before, but when I searched through my blog, I couldn’t find anything about them. There is a basement in old Salmiya near Marina Mall filled with shops that sell antiques.

I passed by there last week since I needed to pick up a few items to use as props for a clients photoshoot, and thats when I got the old TV guide and a few other things. The shop I was in actually had a whole bunch of old TV guides along with a whole lot of old magazines and newspapers (even books) from the 50s and 60s all the way up to the 90s. I ended up buying a few things, a copy of “Majala Al Kuwait” from 1975, two 8-track tapes, the old TV guide and most importantly, a 7-inch vinyl record for the song “Haydoo – Our Camel, Lovely Camel”. If you aren’t familiar with the history of this song, I posted about it back in 2006 and its still an interesting read today. Here is the [Post]

Off of my head I think there are around 8 shops located in that basement all of which sell old memorabilia. There is one store that specializes in old records and another in old coins and rare bank notes, but most sell stuff you grew up with as a kid. In between all this randomness you’ll also find some super odd things like Nazi memorabilia.

The opening hours of the shops are pretty random since from my experience the owners are rarely there. But the building caretaker has the keys and will let you in if the shops are closed. If you find something you like he can take a photo and whatsapp it to the owner to get you a price but it also makes haggling more difficult. If you’re interested in checking these places out, the shops are located in the basement of a corner building near Marina Mall. The ground floor has shops that sell hair products but the basement is all antique stores. Here is the location on [Google Maps]

Off Road Performance (ORP) is a 4×4 aftermarket parts specialist that’s located right here in Kuwait. They are my go-to place whenever I need to upgrade anything in my FJ Cruiser and I’ve been using them ever since I found out about them back in 2010. They carry a bunch of popular 4×4 brands like FOX, Warn, Teraflex, KC Hilites, Bushwacker, Fabtech, Mickey Thompson and a lot more.

A couple of weeks ago, ORP launched an online shop which I found out about over the weekend and I’m in love with it. I also hate it a bit since I’m now worried I’m going to be on the website all the time looking for items to buy.

The website is clean looking and easy to flip through but my favorite aspect of it is that once you choose one of the sections (pictured above), you can then choose your car from a dropdown menu and the website will only show you parts that are compatible with your car. This small feature makes flipping through all the items a lot more efficient.

I’m so glad they setup a full fledged online store instead of going with the easier route of just turning their instagram account into a shop which is what a lot businesses tend to do. So if you’ve got a 4×4 and are looking for parts for it, check out their website [orp.com.kw]

Anybody who’s been to the Arabica coffeeshop in downtown probably noticed an opening soon hoarding across the street for a place called Skinny Fork. It had been under construction for the longest time, at least I noticed it ever since I first started passing by Arabica. Last week it finally opened and I got to pass by yesterday and try it out.

As you can guess from the name its a healthy restaurant. I was with a friend so we ordered a bunch of things including:

Kalafel: kale, chickpea falafel with tahini (KD1.300)
Lentil Tacos: brown lentils, cabbage, raw walnuts, spelt flour tortilla (KD2.500)
Messy Chickpea Burger: chickpea, avocado, homemade cashew sauce, oat bun and sweet potato fries (KD3.750)
Tropical Avo Dip: avocados, mango, lime (800fils)

Everything we had was actually pretty good and priced reasonably well. The place is small and cozy but I wish there was more natural daylight. They’re in their soft launch phase at the moment so their opening hours are bit tight if you’re planning to lunch there in the middle of the week. As of this post they open during the week only from 9AM to 2:30PM, Saturday 10:30AM to 4PM and they’re closed on Friday.

I took a picture of their menu and you can check it [Here] and make sure to check their instagram account for their latest opening hours @skinnyfork

Another busy weekend with a lot of variety, check out all the events taking place below:

Thursday
“La Lune” Summer 2017 Popup Shop
Musical: Beauty and the Beast
Art Stick Liquid Lip with Eliano Bou Assi
Cosmic Circus x Solo Pizza at BARBA
The Divan’s Movie Night: Bab’Aziz

Friday
Hatha Yoga in the Park
Good Game: Magic – The Gathering
Musical: Beauty and the Beast
RBMA presents Ah! Kosmos – Boom Beats & Essa Hashemi
Khaleejesque Magazine Pop-up

Saturday
Yoga with the 3
Musical: Beauty and the Beast
Khaleejesque Magazine Pop-up
International Museum Day
Guided Tour: Grand Mosque
Workshop: Art of Timelapse with Nikon
Introduction to Sign Language
St. Spray Soup

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.

The movies below are now showing at either Cinescape, Grand Cinemas or Sky Cinemas:

New This Week:
A Family Man (7.0) ♦
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (5.9)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (7.2)

Other Movies Showing:
Fast & Furious 8 (7.5)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (8.2) ♦ ★
Monolith (4.7)
Spark: A Space Tail (5.2)
Smurfs: The Lost Village (5.8)
The Boss Baby (6.5)
The Circle (7.5) ♦
The Lost City of Z (7.2) ♦

The movies below are now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

A Beautiful Planet 3D (7.9)
Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (7.6)
Humpback Whales 3D (7.2)
Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D (N/A)
Journey to Space 3D (6.5)
Kenya 3D: Animal Kingdom (6.0)
Mysteries of the Unseen World 3D (7.5)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2017 by the World Economic Forum is out and Kuwait pretty much comes in last place in the Middle East with the only other country that performed worst being Yemen. Below is Kuwait’s world ranking compared to other Middle Eastern countries:

29 United Arab Emirates
47 Qatar
60 Bahrain
63 Saudi Arabia
66 Oman
75 Jordan
93 Iran
96 Lebanon
100 Kuwait
136 Yemen

Going through the data I found one thing pretty shocking, under the section “Environmental Sustainability”, Kuwait came in before last position world wide in 135th place. We also were at the bottom of the list when it came to “Cultural Resources and Business Travel”, “Natural Resources”, “International Openness” and “Prioritization of Travel & Tourism”.

The highest position we reached in any category was 31st place for “ICT Readiness” (information and communications technology). In that category Kuwait came first world wide in “Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions /100 pop.” and third world wide for “Mobile-broadband subscriptions /100 pop”.

If you’re interested in read the whole report you can download it from [Here]

The Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre is currently one of the largest cultural and science projects in the world and once complete will house four museums, Natural History, Science, Islamic and Space.

Construction of the museums was already completed and currently the exhibits are being fitted. As you can imagine, there is a lot of logistics that goes into a project of this magnitude. Here is an excerpt from a recent article on the museum fit-out specialist BECK who are working on this project:

On international projects, there is a greater demand for technology, the use of more demanding and higher materials specifications, higher density of exhibits to floor space, the need for continuous communication on every level and the need for staff to be on location 100 per cent of the time.

This is illustrated at the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salam Cultural Centre where one small area is a live rain forest with soil, irrigation and newly planted trees (combined with specially manufactured scenically created trees and plants), which all back up to a one million litre aquarium with acrylic panels that are 500mm thick to contain the water.

“We have more than 150 multi-media requirements and about 20 films to be shot. Because of the climate there are only really two months that you can film in Kuwait – January and February – to get a good quality image. So, if you have a two-year project you have four months to do all your filming. If you miss that slot you delay the project for a year.” [Source]

If you’re interested in reading more articles similar to that then here are a few you could go through, if you know of any more let me know about them:

BECK – international museum fit-out: breaking the boundaries of what’s possible
International museum fit-out – UK specialists taking on the world
The Hub – from UK blockbusters to mega projects abroad

The cultural centre is slated to open by the end of the year. For renderings and more information on the project, click [Here]

Staged in Kuwait, my favorite local community theater group needs a new home since the rent is increasing at their current location. Over the weekend they posted the following message on their Facebook group:

HELP! SIK needs a new home. With rent prices climbing and climbing we have to vacate our studio rehearsal space this summer, leaving the future of all our activities in jeopardy. As a not-for-profit group working on very small margins we have been very lucky to have our rent frozen for the past five years allowing us to use a villa basement as rehearsal room and storage for everything that we bring to the stage. From kids drama classes to evening and weekend rehearsals, we run a busy program and desperately need to find a new place to call home. If you can help with great real estate contacts, offers, suggestions or the like – please get in touch via messenger. Our sixth season hangs in the balance and without a new home ‘Beauty and the Beast’ may well be the last show you get to enjoy from Staged in Kuwait.

If you can help then get in touch with them [Here]

I thought there wasn’t much going on this weekend, but as I was putting this post together I realized there actually was. Check out the list below on all the events that are taking place this weekend:

Thursday
Hot Dawg x Barba Pop-up
Be-Bop and Contempo Jazz from the Kevin Davy Sextet

Friday
Hatha Yoga in the Park
Red Bull Car Park Drift
2017 Yu-Gi-Oh! WCQ: Kuwaiti National Championship
Book Club Meeting
The Afterthought Live
Good Game: Magic – The Gathering

Saturday
Yoga with the 3
Car Boot Sale at AUK
The Secret Garden – End of Season
Co-exist Open Jam and Live Painting

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.