Search: “ace”

My Alpine W407 head unit along with a bunch of parts have arrived. I’ve actually got everything except for the rear view camera which I should get next week. Aramex has been pretty good, my GPS took 10 days to clear but all my other parts took just a few days. So far I’ve ordered the following stuff for my FJ:

Alpine iXA-W407 Digital Media Station $554.48
Alpine HCE-C107D Rear View Camera $176.99
Scosche TA2076B 2007 Toyota FJ ISO/Double DIN With Pocket Kit $19.58
Scosche Stereo Wire Harness Toyota FJ Cruiser $12.31
PAC TR7 Multi control interface bypass module $23.26
PAC SWI-JACK $42.90
Total: $829.52

Currently my plan is to install everything myself just like I did with my Wrangler (1, 2 & 3) except this looks like a much more complicated install specifically the amount of wires I will have to solder. But, I don’t trust anyone with this so I’ll just do it myself. Will post more pictures and details hopefully this weekend when I work on the car followed by a review of the W407 since there doesn’t seem to be a decent one available online.

By the way, the prices above are what I paid for the items. I just checked now and every single item is now available cheaper than what I paid which kinda pisses me off. In addition to the above I also picked up a Garmin 255 for $99 which is ridiculously cheap and I also tinted the FJ which I will post about separately. Next on my to do list is the lift kit and bigger tires followed by the blacking out some of the silver parts.

Update: I originally purchased the Scosche adapter for the Toyota FJ Cruiser but it turned out to be really crap and wouldn’t fit the stereo right. I ended up installing the Alpine using the Metra adapter which worked out a lot better. Here is a link to it on Amazon. [Link]

A friend of mine is selling a Herman Miller ‘Resolve System’ which simply put is a very cool and trendy workspace. The system which he is selling (check picture above) is made for three, it has three different spaces each fitted with a desk. There is a PDF file at the end of this post that contains all the details and prices.

Now he is also selling three Keilhauer ‘Tom’ chairs for KD70 each. I asked him if he would sell me one alone and he said no but maybe if two other readers are interested in the two other chairs we can offer to buy all three of them from him. So if you’re interested in the chair email me.

Here is the PDF that contains all the details on the Herman Miller system and chairs including their prices. [PDF]

Update: He also has the chair below called the Junior which he has decided to sell, he’s asking KD90 for it (actual price was KD320). If you want it email me saying you want the Junior.

Update2: The three regular Tom chairs are all gone, only the Tom Junior chair is left.

This is a complete shocker. Turns out there is a Mexican catering place in Kuwait thats run by two Mexican women! All this time we’ve been complaining about the lack of good Mexican food in Kuwait and it turns out we had a place that specialized in home cooked traditional Mexican food. They’re called Sahuaro and they have a pretty decent website with their menu, prices and pictures of their dishes. I haven’t tried them but hopefully after Marzouq reads this post he will have them cater for us this coming Thursday (pretty please Marzouq). Here is a link to their website [Link]

Thanks K!

There are some parts of my car I want to black out. Instead of painting them black I figured I would foil them black. Can someone recommend a place in Kuwait that does good clean foiling?

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

Eating out isn’t necessarily a problem, but can be a fuss to those around me. I start by scanning the restaurant’s menu for a lean source of protein, followed by a good source of carbs and a great source of fat. Usually, I pick a great option, a good option and a decent option; the waiter that’s about to approach me is bound to shut me down with words like fried, breaded and sauteed, so might as well make due with other sources since I’m already at my 3 hour mark and my muscles are aching for some food.

Me: “I’ll have the Cajun Chicken Platter with no Monterey jack cheese, crisps, refried black beans and mashed potatoes.”

Waiter: “You mean you want the Cajun Chicken Platter with absolutely nothing on it?”

Me: “Yes, but I’m not done yet. Do you serve sweet potato?”

Waiter: “No sir, we only serve mashed potatoes.”

Me: “Do you mash it in with butter?”

Waiter: “I’m not sure sir.”

Me: “Would you ask someone that knows please.”

Accompanying Friend: “Dude, are you serious? No he’s not doing that.”

Me: “Ok, may I have a baked potato please.”

Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we serve only mashed potatoes.”

Me: “Are they mashed before or after they arrived in the kitchen?”

Waiter: “After sir.”

Me: “Ok, so take one unmashed medium sized potato and bake or boil it.”

Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we cannot do that.”

Annoying Fat Friend: “FHAID! Cut that crap out! I want to order!”

Me: “Ok Ok. I’ll have the Cajun Chicken Platter with nothing on it, and only broccoli on the side. Is the broccoli sauteed or steamed?”

Friend: “F*ck you.”

I am literally a waiter’s worst nightmare and I don’t care. I even question a restaurant’s supposedly healthier options, and after a thorough investigation (i.e. annoying the hell out of the restaurant’s staff) it doesn’t seem healthy at all. I persuade any health conscious individual to do the same.

The Awesome Subject at Hand

I was contacted by a 248am subscriber in order to help him out with a diet plan. His routine was simple and average, and could easily relate to anyone who decides to pursue the healthy lifestyle, so I used him as an example in order to explain the ins and outs of nutrition calculation and timing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to simplify things as much as possible.

I spotted this at the Free Trade Zone today and thought the name was very 90’s internet cafe like. The place was a shisha joint strangely…

A friend of mine spotted this sign outside a shisha place. For those who don’t read Arabic it says the third sex is not allowed to enter.

Thanks Manaf!

Here is the calendar for Cinemagic’s rooftop movie nights for March. This month it’s Oscar nights! Check out the full list of movies below:

Thursday, March 4th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film 2006”
CORPSE BRIDE, USA 2006
Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Animation | 80 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Saturday, March 6th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 2006”
SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS, GERMANY 2005
Director: Mark Rothemund
Genre: Drama | 127 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+

Thursday, March 11th @ 7:00 PM
“9 Oscar Nominations 2010”
THE HURT LOCKER, USA 2009
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Genre: Drama | 131 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+

Saturday, March 13th @ 7:00 PM
SURPRISE FILM

Thursday, March 18th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 1998”
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, IRAN 1998
Director: Majid Majidi
Genre: Drama | 89 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Saturday, March 20th @ 7:00 PM
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 1999
CENTRAL DO BRAZIL, BRAZIL 1998
Director: Walter Salles
Genre: Drama | 113 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Thursday, March 25th @ 7:00 PM
“Best Screenplay Based on Published 2010”
IN THE LOOP, UK 2009
Director: Armando Lanucci
Genre: Comedy | 106 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+

Saturday, March 27th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 1986”
WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS, YUGOSLAVIA 1985
Director: Emir Kusturica
Genre: Comedy | 136 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG. There is a KD1 charge for the venue fees which includes refreshments, popcorn and much more. Here is a link to their facebook group [Link]

Last month I posted about a drive-through car wash near my house in which they let you sit in the car while it’s getting washed. Well a reader pointed me towards another car wash also nearby that had what he called a LaserWash. So not knowing what exactly a laser wash was I decided to pass by today and check it out.

Turns out LaserWash is a touch free automated car wash which means that it doesn’t contain brushes and nothing except water and soap touch your car. The idea is that since there is no physical contact then there isn’t anything that will scratch your car. I recorded a video of a wash which takes around 5 minutes which you could watch above. My car was just dusty except for a bug stain on the windshield. After the wash the dust was gone and the car was all shiny but the bug stain was still there.

Would I use it again? Maybe, I had to wait an hour and a half today to get the car washed which defeats the whole purpose of a quick drive through. I might have as well driven to Al Falah in Kuwait City, gotten my car washed there properly and gotten back home. But if the place is empty and my car is just dusty why not.

The LaserWash is located at the Oula gas station next to the Jawazat roundabout near Souk Salmiya. The cost was KD1.750 for just an exterior cleaning. [YouTube]

The Alpine iXA-W407 which I posted about a few days ago is supposed to sell for around $750 but for some reason it’s being sold for just $379 on Amazon right now. I’m sure its a mistake so I quickly placed an order for one. If you’re interested in it here is the [Link]

Update: I purchased the unit twice and both times the seller canceled my order. Did this happen to anyone else?

Update2: Price is back up now to $550. I placed an order for the fourth time and it seems to have worked now. $550 is still a good deal. I ordered the following items so far for my Toyota FJ install:

Alpine iXA-W407 Digital Media Station
Alpine HCE-C107D Rear View Camera
Peripheral PTR7 Multi control interface bypass module
Scosche TA2076B 2007 Toyota FJ ISO/Double DIN With Pocket Kit
Stereo Wire Harness Toyota FJ Cruiser 07 2007

The PTR7 will allow me to change the system settings and watch movies while the car is in motion and not just parked.

Update: I originally purchased the Scosche adapter for the Toyota FJ Cruiser but it turned out to be really crap and wouldn’t fit the stereo right. I ended up installing the Alpine using the Metra adapter which worked out a lot better. Here is a link to it on Amazon. [Link]

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

It takes me 8 hours to write an article, 8 more hours to review it and 60 minutes to press publish; and I still make spelling and grammar mistakes. I shower 3-4 times a day, wash my face with the most expensive fascial cleansers out there and I still get mild acne. I see people train hard, diet hard and recover, but they still lack that muscular maturity. Females go through episodes of anorexia to look like that Cosmo model, yet they lose a lot of hair, the sparkle in their eyes diminish, their nails start to break off, their skin barely shines and their bones are as fragile as a piece of tissue.

The above are all side effects of a lifestyle low in fat. Has anyone seen those Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian and Palestinian documentaries about how their senior citizens live above the age of 90? How do they do it? They have more energy and vigor than Kuwait’s older generation; but how do they do it?

“Ebnakul zaitoon,” or “bin7ib zait el zaytoon kteer.” (English Translation: we eat olives or we love olive oil a lot). Those are literally the two answers available to explain how they managed to live that long.

Or approach a Japanese dude and ask him how they live so long and why heart disease isn’t such an epidemic: “We uuuh, rive very hearthy rong rife because uuuh we eat sushi and aaah hearthy fatty fish high in omega sree! And when Godzirra come again, uuuh we can fight!” (English Translation: I’m not really sure what he said, but it had something to do with karate and sushi).

Fat is a lot more important than any other macronutrient. I’m not saying that fat should be consumed alone; in conjunction with other macronutrients, fat can do wonders. Unfortunately, I learned it the hard way.

When I started weight-lifting, I did what the pros did: ate a diet high in carbs and proteins and low in fat. I wanted to be as big and as ripped as they were. And come on, it’s common sense! Why would I listen to some nerd who majored in medicine and not a freak with veiny arms? Long story short, I paid the price and should’ve listened to the pencil neck. I had terrible acne, my short-term memory was a joke, my hair barely grew to considerable volume, my immune system was a disaster, every joint in my body hurt like hell, I was tired all the time, my muscles looked like soft ballons that only looked decent when training and I suffered constantly from overtraining. Why? Because I went low-fat, thinking that low-fat would get me big and ripped.

The Kuwait International Rally will start on March 4th at 3PM under the Kuwait Towers. It will be a ceremonial start for the event with the first race day held on March 5th and the last March 6th. It will be two days of gravel special stage action taking place in the Kuwaiti desert. For more information on this event visit the official site [Here]

Thanks Wyn!

I got an email awhile ago that went something like hi, I have a bakery and I would like you to try our food. I get soo many of those emails daily that I could have a blog dedicated to just food in Kuwait (hmmm that gives me an idea runs to buy foodinkuwait.com… damn you nibaq you already bought it!). So anyway, I was about to hit the delete button save under important button when something caught my eye. They had freshly made, thirst quenching Faloodha AND they delivered it!

Currently the only places I know that serves Faloodha ice cream is Baba Taher and the little shop under it on the ground floor called Marafie (I think). Now we have another option and they deliver so if you’re interested call them on 55521207 or 55521208 to order.

The persian bakery is called Toosi Delights and you can check out their Facebook group [Here]

Update: Here is some more details regarding the price and delivery

Faloodha is 250 fils per cup and 1.5 Kd per kilo. They have the following toppings: fresh pomegranate, pistachio or pieces of fresh lemon. As for the iced water its made of rosewater or the option of saffron milk (400 fils per cup).For the sauce you have the choice of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate or almond sauce.

If location is close to Jabriya or Mansouuriya there is a 4 kd minimum order and 250 fils delivery charge. If location is very far then 7 kd minimum order with 500 fils delivery charge.

I was at the Toyota dealer today and noticed they had an option to install an upgraded navigation and ipod head unit with a rear view camera. It’s installed locally by them (not factory installed) but the salesman didn’t know what brand the head unit was just that it used Magellan maps.

I was planning on getting the Alpine iXA-W407 (video above) since it comes with widgets, has an amazing iPod interface, you can connect a rear view camera and has an iPhone like “flick through menus”. I was just curious if anyone had the Toyota version because I would be interested to hear some feedback. The Alpine W407 costs around $600 without the navigation and rear view camera while the Toyota dealer installed unit is KD550.

Also one more thing, those little kids and grownups that hang around the entrance to the Al-Rai car dealerships asking you if your car is for sale, what’s their story?

Actually one more last thing, while there I noticed a couple of people using the Toyota recall as a bargaining tool.

Update: Found it, the head unit Toyota installs for you is made by FlyAudio and the interface looks horrible. [Link]

My in laws are in town and I was going to take them and show them the Kuwait Towers today after lunch but there was some kind of event taking place there. Not sure what exactly but it was packed with people. Anyone know what it was for?

Update: Turns out there was a Special forces military show [Link]