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Last week I posted about how a tall metal fence was being constructed around Kuwait’s Constitution Monument. Well a reader who I presume is somehow connected to the project left a comment explaining why the decision to erect a fence was made:

Initially the monument and the garden hosting it were supposed to be opened to the public, as the garden was designed to tell a story, the story of the state of Kuwait before and after the constitution. The side of the garden as you enter it from the Tijaria tower represents the past, you`ll see only desert plants arranged in randomly and in groups, planted in sand, representing the tribes scattered over the deserted area of the country. Once you pass trough the monument, which represents the Kuwait Constitution (and which is actually built from titanium plates electroplated with bronze and the bronze blocks you see on the monument are representing the articles of the constitution, one block for each article) you enter the garden representing the present, on the right, and the future on the left. The fountain to the right has few vertical sprinklers representing the oil-wells. The flowers are representing the people of Kuwait (diversity of flowers for diversity of people) and a stream of water that goes to the roots of the monument is the symbol of the will of the people feeding/changing the constitution according to the modern needs. The left side has a mirror fountain, still water, beautiful flowers; is the future of Kuwait.

This is how the park was designed/imagined by the architect.

All those olive trees were brought from Italy and carefully selected to look almost the same in shape and height. Flowers have been brought from outside most of them. The marble used for pathways is also from Italy.

A lot of work/expensive materials/money have been invested in this project. It was supposed to be a place for leisure/ relaxation.

Few days after it was inaugurated flowers/plants were uprooted, stones and plants thrown in the water olive trees with broken branches and the disaster continued. Two times the plants/flowers were replanted with the same effect on people (uneducated / unsupervised kids mostly).

As so.. the decision to place a fence around this area has been taken very easy. This fence will be in place until the second phase of the project (rehabilitation of the entire park) will start/finish.
In conclusion, THAT fence is there because of the people (not drawing a conclusion that all people are the same so don`t jump with lame comments, who wants to understand what i mean will understand; see Mark`s article related to the Zoo) not because someone wanted to stop access of the people to the park. Hopefully one day will be open for everyone to see and admire.

This past weekend I traveled to Dubai to take part in the Dubai Marathon that was held there early Friday morning. Me and my running partner took part in the 10KM run and it was so much fun. I hadn’t taken part in a marathon before and the furthest I had ever run previously was around 6 or 7KM so it was such a rush to actually finish the race. Not only that but I had set a personal target of completing the 10KM run in under an hour and I managed to do it in 00:57:31 and with just 3 hours of sleep that night.

There were close to 20,000 people competing in the marathon and it was really like nothing else I had done before. The run started near Dubai Mall and when we got there around 6:30AM it was super packed everywhere with loud music playing. Even though it was pretty cold and foggy I don’t think anyone cared.

If you’ve never taken part in a marathon before you need to add it to your bucket list. The experience of running with thousands of people is like nothing else. Here is the link to the Dubai Marathon website [Link]

With all the gun control talk that’s currently taking place in the States right now I thought this little bit of information was interesting. According to gunpolicy.org, the rate of private gun ownership in Kuwait is 24.82 firearms per 100 people. When I first heard that figure it sounded like a lot until I realized the rate in the US in comparison is 88.8 firearms per 100 people. But, confusingly, the rate of private gun ownership in Lebanon is just 21 per 100 people.

You can get a lot more information on gun numbers in Kuwait along with more facts and figures by checking the following [Link]

Back in November a Golden Jubilee monument of Kuwait’s Constitution was revealed in Martyr’s Park in Kuwait City. The monument looked really cool surrounded by a beautiful garden and a water fountain. Fast forward a few months and the design of the monument and surround garden is being finalized and two things caught my attention.

The first is they’ve now erected a high metal fence around the monument and monument garden. There is literally another park inside the Martyr’s Park and one that is going to be closed off to the public.

The second issue is they’ve basically cut the Martyr’s Park in half by building the Golden Jubilee monument park across the Martyrs Park from one side to the other. The oval running track which people used for exercising now ends in the middle as roughly demonstrated by the yellow box in the image above.

These two issues kinda seem like poor planning to me. I understand they probably erected the high metal fence to stop barbequers from barbequing inside the monument park but I think they could have created some sort of path way that would still allow people to at least walk up close to the monument but keep them outside the monument garden. Right now there is a hole in the metal fence which is how I got in a took my picture but once the hole is closed you won’t be able to stand in front of the monument or even get near it. It also sucks that the running track has been sliced in half since they could have shrunk the Golden Jubilee monument space slightly and built the whole thing inside the oval instead of over it. Oh well…

[YouTube]

Local label Mouse Music have launched a remix competition for the track Little Girl by tamtam with $750 as the prize.

To enter the Competition and create a remix, go to the Competition’s Folder Page, download the Official Competition Rules and the available Track Samples’ folder at: https://bit.ly/WQI99z

Judging & Prizes
Submitted remixes will be reviewed by the sponsor for eligibility and posted on Zahed Sultan’s Facebook Page https://on.fb.me/dZSjMo, where fans will be able to vote for their three favorites for a limited voting period. After voting closes, Zahed Sultan will pick one Grand Prize winner and two Runners‐Up from among the fan favorites.

One Grand Prize Winner will:
• Receive US $750 (Seven Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars only) in cash
• Have their Remix released on the official “tamtam – Little Girl Remixes EP” (alongside Runners-Up) under the Mouse Music record label

Two Runners-Up will:
• Have their Remix released on the official “tamtam – Little Girl Remixes EP” under the Mouse Music record label

Important Competition Dates
• Download track parts; create and submit a remix: Jan. 21st 2013 to Feb. 24th 2013.
• Voting by fans: March 1st 2013 until March 15th 2013.
• Grand prize and runners-up announcement: March 15th 2013.

About The Artist
tamtam is a young lyricist and singer of mixed heritage. tamtam draws upon personal experiences to tell passionate and relatable stories for listeners, while leaving her songs open to interpretation. tamtam has been most influenced by Michael Jackson’s showmanship when performing live. Onstage, tamtam truly comes into-her-own.

Website: https://www.mousemusic.org
iTunes: https://bit.ly/SICTFU

Contact Information
Tel. +965 2252 4614 Fax. +965 2252 4615
Email. [email protected]

I heard they were forced to change due to a trademark issue with another place called LuLu. Awkward.

Thanks Rob

Kuwait has the 4th highest average price per minute for voice calls in the Arab world and the highest among GCC countries. Lebanon on the other hand is in 1st place with the highest average price per minute while Egypt has the lowest prices. Check out the full graph [Here]

via BlogBaladi

Organica Fish & Chips has been open for a couple of years now but I just got to pass by and try it today. I ordered the large fish & chips platter which included 2 pieces of fish along with chips in addition I ordered an extra side order of calamari. I went to the Salmiya branch which has a lot of seating inside but since it was a nice sunny day I decided to sit outside.

While waiting for my meal I got served lemonade which I thought was a nice thing to do. Once my fish & chips basket came I snapped a few pictures before I dug in. I thought the whole basket tasted pretty bland and between the calamari and the fish I think I preferred the calamari. The tartar sauce which I personally believe makes or breaks a meal wasn’t that great either but it did help add some much needed flavor to the meal. On a side note if you want to know what good tartar sauce tastes like go to try it at Sheraton Hotel. Finally the chips were the most disappointing part of the meal, they were undercooked and soft which was a let down.

Overall, even though the fish basket didn’t awestruck me I still think it’s a good place to pass by for a quick bite. It’s not located in a mall, there’s lots of seating, places to park and the food was above average. Price wise the large fish & chips platter goes for KD3.750 (KD2.750 for the small) while the extra calamari cost me an additional KD1.400. They have three locations around Kuwait and if you want to find out more you can visit their website [Here]

Just before Christmas I decided to get myself a KitchenAid mixer. Originally I wanted to get the regular 4.8L mixer similar to the one I reviewed back in 2011 but it turned out there was a new larger 6.9L KitchenAid mixer and I ended up getting that instead.

I used to think the regular KitchenAid mixer was pretty hardcore but once I saw the 6.9L version the regular one started looking pretty tame. Other than the obvious size difference the other thing that sticks out is the fact with the 6.9L KitchenAid the head doesn’t tilt. Instead, the bowl is locked into place and then lifted up towards the mixer head. Not sure what the advantage of this is but I like it better this way.

Since I got the mixer I’ve baked an apple pie, five different brownies, a cake and muffins. I could have done them all with the regular sized mixer but I realized my mixing is a lot less messier using the 6.9L mixer since with the larger bowl, whatever is inside it tends to stay inside. Also because you can raise or lower the bowl to the mixing head I tend to lower the bowl first before I stop the mixer and that way whatever is stuck on the paddle or whisk gets released into the bowl.

The 6.9L mixer has one major disadvantage over the regular 4.8L KitchenAid mixer and that is the lack of colors. While with the 4.8L mixer you have 29 different colors to choose from, with the 6.9L version you’re limited to just 5. The other more obvious downside is the price. The 6.9L mixer is more expensive than the smaller 4.8L mixer and it’s selling for KD283 here in Kuwait. Whichever you end up getting be it the 4.8L or 6.9L they’re both a lot of fun to use.

I got my KitchenAid from the dealer Mabrook in Shuwaikh but I also spotted them for sale at Williams-Sonoma. If you’re interested, here is a link to the Kuwait KitchenAid page on Facebook [Link]

Here are some events taking place in the next week:

Royler & Royce Gracie Seminar
Battle of the IMPROVengers (new time slot added)
3D Max Beginners Workshop

Dance Like Nobody’s Watching is a cool concept that has been floating on YouTube for awhile now. The idea is you go to a public place, put on your headphones and then dance as if you’re at home alone while recording yourself doing it. After posting a video on 248PM last week called “Dance Like Nobody’s Watching: Airport“, I decided I wanted to do one as well. And I did. I headed to Souk Mubarkiya, found a cool spot and then recorded myself dancing to a song. It was hilarious and a lot of fun since no one around me knew what the hell was going on since they couldn’t hear any music and all they saw was some random white guy dancing in the middle of the road.

This was supposed to be just a quick test because I wanted to see if I had the balls to actually do it but a short clip got leaked out (complicated story) and somehow it ended up on YouTube which you can watch above. Since this was just a trial video I’m not planning to upload the full version online but the second one should be better and that one I’ll definitely upload onto YouTube myself. [YouTube]

Bazaar released their 2013 Dining guide this month and for the first time ever they’re making it available as a digital download so you can read it on your iPad, computer or any other device that’s capable of reading PDFs. It’s 500 pages big and if you want to download it just follow this [Link]

Note: You need to create an account or login using your Facebook account to download the PDF.

A reader scanned the car ad above from a 1965 Kuwait Little Theatre show programme. I love how the dealerships phone number is just 5 digits. Check out the larger version of the picture above [Here]

Thanks Westwood Heritage

The GulfRun 8 car show is going to take place this weekend at 360 Mall and a lot of super cars will be on display including a McLaren MP4-12C, Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Aventador and two KTM X-Bow’s. The cars will be on display for two days, Friday the 11th and Saturday 12th so make sure you pass by and check them out. Below is the full list of cars (and their quantities) that will be on display at 360 Mall:

2010 Porsche GT3RS (x5)
2013 BMW M6
2007 BMW M6
2013 BMW M5
2011 Audi R8 V10 (x2)
2010 Audi R8 V8
2008 Mitsubishi Evo 10
2009 Mitsubishi Evo 10
2006 Mitsubishi Evo 9
2005 Mitsubishi Evo 8
2007 Subaru STi
2009 Nissan GTR (x2)
2010 Nissan GTR (x2)
2009 Nissan GTR
2012 McLaren MP4-12C
2011 Mercedes SLS
2012 Ferrari 458
2012 Lamborghini Aventador
2011 Ferrari 599
2009 Chevrolet ZR1
2012 Lamborghini LP1500-4
2012 KTM X-Bow R
2011 KTM X-Bow ClubSport

Finally here is a video of the recent Karting event that was held at Mishref by the GulfRun team. [Video]

Over a year ago the owner of 965 Flowers contacted me wanting me to write about his website. It’s basically a website similar to 6alabat except instead of ordering food you order flowers. I’m not a flower kind of guy so the website really didn’t interest me at all. I then kept getting emails from him every few months and even phone calls but I still wasn’t interested and it was kind of getting annoying. But, one thing he did achieve was implant the website into my head so I wouldn’t forget it.

Finally the day came where I needed to send flowers and 965flowers.com popped into my head. The website has 10 flower shops listed which combined means I had hundreds of different flower options to choose from with a lot of different prices. After painstakingly hunting through all the thumbnails I finally found what I wanted and ordered it. I placed the order around 9AM and asked it to be delivered between 11AM and 2PM of the same day. At 12:18PM I get a confirmation email telling me the flowers were delivered.

So yeah it works and I thought it was easy to use and practical. Only thing I would have liked is the ability to view all the flowers from all the stores on one page since it was pretty annoying going into every store one by one and then flipping through pages and pages of thumbnails. Other than that I had no issues at all.

Here is the link to the website if you want to check it out. [Link]

Update: Based on my feedback they’ve now added the option to view all the flowers from all the store at the same time, but you’re still limited to viewing just 15 thumbnails at once.