Categories
Sports

Kuwait Mooseheads Ice Hockey Team

hockey

The Kuwait Mooseheads Ice Hockey Team are looking for new members. If you can ice skate and play hockey then this is for you:

moose

Looking for something fun, active and social? Miss those days at the rink? Well you’re in luck, the Kuwait Mooseheads hockey club is looking for new members to join us for our weekly scrimmages. We play twice a week at the ice rink next to Discovery Mall. The club also takes part in international tournaments throughout the year. Full equipment is required, and some experience is necessary. Check us out on Facebook or contact Graham via email at [email protected]




Categories
Sports

Football Referee Gets Attacked

A fight took place earlier this evening during a football game between Al-Jahra and Khaitan. During the match, the manager of the Al-Jahra team attacked the referee due to a disagreement over one of the calls resulting in the chaos you see in the video. Kuwait is already suspended by FIFA so this altercation is definitely not helping. [YouTube]

fight

Thanks Sala6a




Categories
Food & Drinks

Singarea Asian Supermarket has Moved

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Singarea, the Asian supermarket which was located in Dajeej has now moved to a newer and larger location in Shuwaikh. I ran into the owner by chance while I was there yesterday and he gave me a little tour of the place. They were still moving in with workers putting up a sign outside and shop staff busy stacking the shelves inside.

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According to the owner they moved to Shuwaikh because the traffic and parking situation in Dajeej was unbearable. They were originally supposed to move to this location last year but due to licensing issues they weren’t able to until now. Their new location is larger and they will soon be setting up a fresh fish section (with fish imported from Japan) as well as their own in house bakery.

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For those of you who’ve never been to Singarea before, they sell a lot of Asian products that aren’t available anywhere else. A lot of sushi and Asian restaurants buy their supplies from them. There also used to be a very cute Korean restaurant over the old supermarket but that closed down a few years ago. According to the owner there are sadly no plans to reopen the restaurant at the moment.

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If you’re interested in passing by the new Singarea location, search for “Singarea Asian Supermarket” on Google Maps or just use this [Link]. Their phone number is 24912564.




Categories
Animals & Wildlife

The Animal Market is Still Horrible

deadcats

I haven’t been to the animal market next to the Friday market since 2013 but it doesn’t look like anything has changed. Someone recently found the area where the shops were disposing of sick or unwanted pets and it looks horrible. According to the person who posted all the pictures on Facebook, they found 16 cats alive and some kittens sitting on top of their dead mothers corps. It’s depressing how this issue with the animal market is never going to be fixed. Check out the post with more photos [Here]




Categories
Events Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

The better the weather the more events that take place and this weekend is a prime example. A few cool things taking place this weekend with my personal favorites being the Holiday Bazaar at Pink Moon, the Ahmadi Music Group Concert the Unbirthday Picnic and the KBSC Yard Sale. KBSC is the new name for the Kuwait Little Leagues and I passed by the same event last year and loved it. You get to watch some baseball games, eat a hot dog and then check out the yard sale, a very not Kuwait like experience so I’m definitely passing by again this year. Check out the full list below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Behind the Crisis
Exhibition: People vs Architecture
Holiday Bazaar at Pink Moon
Pulse: Health and Fitness Expo

Friday
Exhibition: People vs Architecture
Holiday Bazaar at Pink Moon
Pulse: Health and Fitness Expo
Theatre: Around The World In 80 Days
The High Street
Ahmadi Music Group: Family Seasonal Concert
KBSC Yard Sale
Chill-Out Fridays

Saturday
Pulse: Health and Fitness Expo
Theatre: Around The World In 80 Days
The High Street
Ahmadi Music Group: Family Seasonal Concert
Qout Market
Madeenah Tour: Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street
Camel Races
The Secret Garden Project
Protein Sheikhas: Bootcamp
Unbirthday Picnic

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

Note: Sometimes events get canceled, postponed or have details changed but the organizers don’t inform me of the changes. I also always try to make sure all the information is accurate but mistakes can happen.




Categories
Events Sports

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Official Opening

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium will be officially opening on December 18th by holding the Kuwait Champions Challenge, which according to their website is the largest entertainment and sports event of its kind to ever take place in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti All-Star Team will be playing a friendly match against the Football Champions Tour which will be a team made up on international football stars.

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They haven’t listed the international players that will be coming but right now voting is open on choosing which players you want to be on the Kuwaiti All-Star Team. Tickets to this event will also be available next week. For more information check out the official Kuwait Champions Challenge website [Here]

I guess whatever issues the stadium had they’re all fixed now.

via sala6a

Update: The international players are being announced, so far the following players will be coming

Ronaldinho
Robert Pires
Carles Puyol
Gianluca Zambrotta
Paul Scholes
Deco
Luís Figo
Andriy Shevchenko
Alessandro Nesta
Steven Gerrard
Mohamed Aboutrika

Keep checking the official website for more details [Here]




Categories
Food & Drinks

Dogmatic – A Philosophy of Hot Dogs

dogmatic

Dogmatic is a new hot dog place that opened up at The Cube in Salmiya. It’s the second dedicated hot dog place to open this year with the other being Haute Gourmet Hot Dogs in Kuwait City. I haven’t had the chance to try Dogmatic yet since my cheat day is on Friday (and I’ll be stuffing down lobster rolls at Burger & Lobster) but I did take a picture of the menu for those of you who might be interested [Menu]. They’re open from 11AM to 1AM and they deliver. Here is a link to their [Instagram]




Categories
Design In Focus

Zeri Crafts

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I pretty much know my neighborhood inside out but every now and then I find out about a new place that ends up completely catching me by surprise. Zeri Crafts is one of those places.

zeri2

Zeri Crafts is a small boutique located on the Gulf Road near the soon to open Dar Hamad restaurant. Back in the day when the Gulf Road used to still be a sandy beach, the location used to be a boat chalet. The place is still mostly all original with beautiful wooden window frames and the hooks to which the boats used to be tied to still embedded into the ceilings.

zeri3

Zeri Crafts don’t have a lot of products but what they do have is very tasteful with a lot of thought going into them. All their items relate to the local culture be it with the designs or the materials they use. Their most recent collection which you can see in this post is very colorful and consist of textiles, objects, paperware, and leatherware.

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You really need to pass by and check the place and their stuff out. They’re open from 10AM to 6PM and here is their location on [Google Maps]. You can also check out their website to get a better glimpse on some of their items as well as more information on Zeri Crafts. Here is the [Link]

zeri5




Categories
Reviews Video Games

Video Game Review: Star Wars Battlefront

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Star Wars is one of the most recognizable entertainment brands with a huge cult following 38 years after the first film was released. The gaming studio DICE is also a great studio with a reputation for making fantastic large-scale multiplayer shooters. So you’d think putting these two together you’d get a home-run of a game but for some odd reason, Star Wars Battlefront isn’t the game it should be. Instead, it’s an online-only bare bones multiplayer shooter.

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DICE for the uninitiated, are the studio behind the critically acclaimed Battlefield series, a game known for its online multiplayer. It features large scale maps, destructible environments, vehicles, and objective based modes that encourage team work. Battlefield also features a character class system: assault, engineer, support and recon classes. Each class has unique abilities, for instance engineers can repair vehicles while support units can revive fallen soldiers. The Battlefield games also feature an unlock system that encourages you to play more to gain more weapons and more customization features, like skins for your guns, new camo for your soldier or new attachments for your weapons. Battlefield has been my favorite multiplayer shooter because of all these things. All in all, if any studio was going to make a new fantastic Star Wars game, DICE would be it.

But DICE played it too safe. Star Wars Battlefront feels like an introduction to online shooters for the casual gaming audience which in itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are nine multiplayer modes with some of these multiplayer modes having up to 40 player battles (so 20 v 20). Each mode has up to four or five different maps based on the Star Wars worlds Tattoine, Hoth, Endor, Sullust and Jakku. You can choose to either be a Rebel soldier or a Stormtrooper and as you level up you unlock new weapons, gear and abilities. When you’re fighting you’ll also come across various items you can pick up on the battlefield which includes things like shields, turrets or the ability to control certain vehicles. Once in a while though, you’ll come across an item that will let you take control of a hero or villain like Han Solo or Darth Vader, depending on which side you’re fighting for.




Categories
Blog Info

Monthly 248AM Meetups?

Elevation Burger approached me recently and offered to let me takeover their Al Bida’a location once a month. I could basically host any kind of event I wanted as long as it wouldn’t get them shutdown and me deported (so sadly no local winemakers meetup and no speed dating event). I’ve been trying to brainstorm and see what I could do, I’m not great at organizing things and socially awkward in general so not sure if thats the perfect skill set for something like this. I can choose between their indoor space upstairs our their outdoor space.

elevation

So, I figured I’d ask you guys for ideas, what kind of event could I host once a month that you would be interested in attending? I held a 248AM meetup back in 2006 and 35 people attended which was pretty cool. It might be an interesting way for people to meet new people? I don’t know I’m horrible at this. If anyone has any ideas let me know below.




Categories
Activities Events Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

The most interesting event taking place this weekend I think is the Top.of Market or Foug Market I’m still not sure what its called. Its a market taking place on Saturday at the top of the Arraya parking lot where Qout Market used to take place. Why I find this market interesting (or confusing) is the fact there are a bunch of different activities and workshops taking place at the same time. Weirdly, the market starts at 5AM which is kinda absurd unless you’re coming back from a late night party. The other activity I personally find interesting is the Madeenah Tour which is also taking place on Saturday. But it’s already sold out so if you didn’t book you’re out of luck. Check out the full list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Behind the Crisis
Palestinian Cultural Exhibition
Rooftop Movie: Timbuktu

Friday
Aswat 3
Kuwait Motocross Race
The Big Bazaar
Chill-Out Fridays

Saturday
Aswat 3
Yoga at the Park
top.of Market
Run Q8 Charity Run
Al-Ghanim Bilingual School Winter Festival
Madeenah Tour: A Kuwaiti Haven
Protein Sheikhas: Bootcamp
Rooftop Movie: Water

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




Categories
Geek

Ooredoo 4G+ vs WiMD – Part 1

ooreedoo

A few weeks ago a reader emailed me a screenshot of a speedtest he ran on his Ooredoo 4G+ connection. His result? A download speed of 141Mbps and an upload speed of 40Mbps. I was pretty surprised at the result, I knew 4G+ was a lot faster than regular 4G but didn’t think it would be this dramatic. So I got in touch with my contact at Ooredoo and asked them for a test unit so I could try it out myself.

As I’ve mentioned before, I live in an old building in Salmiya where the max DSL speed I can get ranges from 1Mbps to 2Mbps. Luckily I have WiMD which works much better than DSL at my place, I’ve got a 10Mbps connection which I’ve been happily abusing for the past three years.

Since I had both connections at home I figured I’d run speedtests on both and compare the results.

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Kuwait Server – Ooredoo (Left) vs WiMD (Right)

4gvswimdusa
American Server – Ooredoo (Left) vs WiMD (Right)

Although I didn’t get anything close to 141Mbps I was still pretty impressed I got a speed faster than my WiMD connection since I didn’t think I had a faster option where I lived. Not only that but the ping speed was considerably lower with Ooredoo which means it would be better for when I’m playing games online. The difference in the upload speed was even more dramatic with the Ooredoo connection being 13 times faster when connected to the US server.

Cost wise, a 10Mbps WiMD connection with a 200GB monthly download cap would set you back KD310 a year. A one year 4G+ Ooredoo connection with a 300GB download cap would set you back just KD132 (even cheaper if you commit).

Since the connection speed of the Ooredoo varies depending on the area, signal strength and time of day, I’m going to continue to use it for the next couple of weeks in different locations around the house and also different places around Kuwait. I’ll then share the results here in a different post. I’m also curious to know how consistent the Ooredoo connection will be. Even though my WiMD connection is slower, it’s been fairly consistent for the past 3 years and I like that.

If you have a Ooredoo 4G+ device and are getting faster speeds, let me know below what speeds you’re getting and in what area you’re in.




Categories
Food & Drinks

Thanksgiving Dinners in Kuwait

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I figured I would put together a list of places that are offering turkey dinners tomorrow night. If there is a place you know I haven’t listed, let me know so I can add it below.

Dine In
Hilton Resort
Little Ruby’s
Radisson Blu

Takeaway
Baking Tray
Dean & Deluca
Jeans Grill
Munch
Radisson Blu
Sultan Center




Categories
Food & Drinks

Pataya Beach Restaurant is For Sale

pataya1

The rumors are true, the popular Thai food restaurant Pataya Beach is for sale. Turns out the shop owner no longer wants to rent out the space to Pataya and instead is looking to sell the spot. So Pataya Beach will remain open until the location is sold. There is no closing date, if the shop gets sold tomorrow then Pataya closes tomorrow, if the shop gets sold in two months then thats when they will close down. I asked them if they would be moving to another location once the shop gets sold but it seems that they don’t want to and instead will leave Kuwait once the shop gets sold and they close down.

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A lot of people consider Pataya the best Thai food restaurant in Kuwait (I personally don’t) and so it would be sad if they closed down. I asked them if they would be interested in selling the business, to have someone take over the brand if they wanted to leave and they seemed open to the idea. In any case, if you’ve never tried Pataya Beach then you probably should before they close down for good. They’re located on the mezzanine floor of Al-Dawliyah Complex (behind the old Kuwait Airways building). Here is a link to their building on [Google Maps]




Categories
Events Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

secretgarden1

A number of interesting events are taking place this weekend from a Peruvian Textile arts and crafts Exposition to a Korean Street Food Festival. Check out this weekends list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Four Hands Can’t Clap
Exhibition: Behind the Crisis
Peruvian Textile arts and crafts Exposition
Rooftop Movie: The Thin Blue Line

Friday
DAI’s Fall Festival
The Divan’s Salon – The Lord of the Rings

Saturday
Yoga at the Park
Qout Market
KTAA Bazaar at the Sadu House
Writing at the Park
The Secret Garden Project
Guided Tour: Dickson House
Korean Street Food Festival
Protein Sheikhas: Bootcamp
Rooftop Movie: Annie Hall

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