Search: “ace”

Someone in the forum is selling a brand new 60GB PS3 for KD250. Thats KD50 cheaper then the cheapest place I know of which is ClicknBuy. Here is the link to the post in the forum. [Link]

I am going to start off by saying I am not a fan of Wataniya. I have been an MTC user since 1995 and I am very loyal to the brand. So, when I was contacted by Wataniya to try out their new W-net internet router I wasn’t very thrilled because I would rather it had been MTC calling me. But I still went ahead and met with the Wataniya guy who turned out to be cool and a Nintendo Wii fan and he explained to me what W-net was and told me that Wataniya had hooked me up with a 6 month prepaid subscription. I was thinking worst case scenario if the connection turned out to be crap I could take the router to work and hook it up over there since my office lacked a wifi connection which annoys the hell out of me whenever I take my Macbook to work. After using the device for over 2 weeks I can say I am impressed.

When I first opened the package I found the Quick Start Guide which involved 11 steps on how to setup the connection. I ignored the guide, turned on the router and connected to it via wifi on my Macbook. Thats it, I was connected to the Internet. Its a lot easier then 11 steps.

The Wataniya router works on the HSDPA network which is a 3G mobile protocol. Currently 3G isn’t covered everywhere in Kuwait so if you don’t have 3G in your area you will end up connecting onto the much slower EDGE network. So if you want to take full advantage of W-net you better hope you live in a 3G zone. I live in Salmiya and I have 3G here.

The most impressive thing about the W-Net connection is the download speed. I have a 512 DSL connection by Qualitynet and I usually download files at around 63 KB/sec. With W-net on the other hand I download at around 107 KB/sec which is nearly twice as fast as my DSL connection. The upload speed is slow though at around 15 KB/sec where as my Qualitynet hits around 35 KB/sec.

Loading websites feels slower on the Wataniya connection. When I type in a URL its always quicker to load on my Qualitynet connection. I thought it was because of the connection latency but I pinged mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com on both my Qualitynet connection and the Wataniya connection and the results were very close so I don’t know why the lack of acceleration.

Qualitynet
PING mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com (66.199.240.42): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=0 ttl=45 time=321.393 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=1 ttl=47 time=305.564 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=2 ttl=45 time=325.444 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=3 ttl=45 time=356.846 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=4 ttl=45 time=376.722 ms

Wataniya W-Net
PING mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com (66.199.240.42): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=0 ttl=45 time=306.380 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=1 ttl=47 time=327.925 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=2 ttl=45 time=383.964 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=3 ttl=45 time=295.931 ms
64 bytes from 66.199.240.42: icmp_seq=4 ttl=45 time=472.001 ms

For the geek users, you can customize the settings of the router to your liking just as if it was an ordinary router. It originally came set with the IP address 192.168.1.1 but my network runs on 192.168.0.X so I just logged in to the router settings and just changed stuff like turning of DHCP and changing the routers name. The router has an Ethernet port so you can connect it to the regular network or directly to your computer in case you don’t have wifi.

The price of the router plus Wataniya data line is KD135. The monthly charge for the connection is KD28, or KD300 for 1 year and KD565 for 2. I don’t know if you can order a different cheaper router off the web and use it with the Wataniya data line, I guess it could work.

Would I give up my DSL connection for W-Net? No I wouldn’t. I upload a lot of stuff all the time and 35 KB/sec is slow for me yet alone 15. I also browse the web a lot and like it when pages load instantly. The W-Net connection reminds me of my previous Shownet connection (which was Satellite based). It has a high top speed but slow acceleration meaning when browsing websites you don’t really feel the connection is fast only when you start downloading files do you notice it.

Would I recommend the W-Net connection? Yes in certain situations. For example in my old place in Salwa I couldn’t get a DSL line setup because the phone network in my street didn’t support it. My only option was a Satellite/Dialup combo which sucked. If I was still living there then I would definitely get W-net. Also for people who can’t get phone lines for one reason or another or for people who simply want an Internet connection wherever they go (camping, challet, anywhere with a power outlet) then this would also be a good option.

Am I going to take the router to the office? Nope, whenever I have files to download I just switch over to the W-Net connection and download them. Its really convenient having it because its cutting my download time in half. Anyway if you have any questions regarding W-Net just leave a comment below and I will try to answer it.

www.wataniya.com

Yesterday night I finally got to meet Shark of Kuwait and I have to say, he turned out to be wayyy cooler then I expected him to be. We decided to meet in Starbucks Marina Mall which as you might have guessed is one of Shark’s most seen places. I got there first and he came in a few minutes later, we shook hands, sat down and we started talking. We spoke for around an hour and half to be exact before I had to leave. Here are some things I found out:

His name is Ahmed, he is 43 years old and he works in customs under the anti drugs department. His schedule is pretty cool, he goes to work one day then has two days off, and the cycle repeats, 1 day work, 2 days off, 1 day work, 2 days off etc. When he does have work its from 9PM to 7AM which is also pretty convenient. He used to be in the Kuwait Special Forces back in the day, nowadays though he freelances as a VIP security escort. He has a couple of clients which require his services whenever they travel abroad.

How did he get the nickname Shark?
When he was a kid he saw the movie Jaws and fell in love with it. He kept watching it over and over and got really obsessed with the movie and he even started scribbling the word shark on his jeans. Thats when his friends started calling him Shark and the nickname has stuck with him ever since.

He is a health freak. He doesn’t smoke, drink nor has he ever done drugs. He is on a vegetarian diet five days a week eating mostly his homemade salad creations. On weekends he allows himself to indulge in meat but he never has junk food. He likes anything extreme like parachuting or car/motorbike racing.

His regular day looks something like this:
– Wakes up 12pm
– Goes to Starbucks and has coffee
– He has a small snack at 3PM
– Goes to the gym from 5 to 7:30
– Showers, cleans up and then goes back out to meet friends usually at various Starbucks around Kuwait but mostly either Marina Mall or Souk Sharq

His music style is a split between two different styles. He likes techno and specifically Scooter. I tried to tell him how much Scooter sucked but I wasn’t able to convince him. Now here is the cool part, he also likes Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osborne, and Guns N Roses. I asked him if he also liked Nirvana but he told me he didn’t… he found them “too noisy”.

I asked him about his look and if he likes sticking out. He told me that guys today mostly dress like fags with their spiky hair and wrinkled up jeans. He prefers the more masculine look and thats why he dresses the way he does. He actually designs some of his clothes himself like the jeans he was wearing during the interview and honestly they weren’t half bad. He told me it amuses him how sometimes people freak out when they turn and see him but he also doesn’t like the problems his looks sometimes cause him. When he travels he sometimes isn’t allowed to go into clubs. The bouncers look at him and think he is a trouble maker so they tell him he can’t come in. He told me that although he gives out this aggressive and tough look he is actually a regular joe on the inside.

The Shark also has a passion for cars. He has a Bugatti racer but its a kit car not the original thing. He also just got a hold of an excellent condition 1972 Camaro which he had shipped in from Switzerland. He collects VW Beetles, he has a 1970, 1975 and 1981 model. I think he told me the 81 model was a convertible. He also has 2 Harleys, a Road King and a 1977 Shovel Head. And yeah he loves the show American Chopper. For his everyday car he has an Audi S8. He is also a mechanic. He takes care of his car himself and even does engine swaps and repairs. He just purchased a souped up engine for one of his Beetles and he will be swapping out the engines himself.

His favorite place in the world is Thailand. Every year he spends 3-4 months there chilling with his friends who also come in from various countries around the world most of whom are body builders and Harley riders too.

When March comes he will be traveling to Siberia to get married. He met his fiancee in Thailand while scuba diving. She is Russian, 23 and a really hot model. He showed me pictures of him and her together and they looked like a nice couple. He loves her a lot and he can’t wait to be with her.

Thats basically everything. He showed me a lot of photos of himself all over the world having fun with his friends. He is a really chilled out guy who is having the time of his life. I am really glad I got to meet him. Everyone who knows him says he is an extremely friendly and trustworthy guy and I can easily imagine that. I asked him if he had anything he wanted to say to my readers and he said all he wants from people is to leave him alone and let him be. And I agree, let him be.

www.SharkofKuwait.com

Tracking the top videos from Break.com, Daily Motion, Google, iFilm, Metacafe, Myspace, Revver, vSocial, Yahoo, and Youtube. [Link]

I had the best chocolate cheese cake ever today. I was at Lorenzo having lunch when I decided to try their dessert. I heard a lot of good stuff about their cakes but I am usually too full to have any. Today I still had room after I finished lunch so I decided to order the chocolate cheese cake.

Its the best chocolate cheese cake I have ever had. Its also not too expensive. The whole cake costs KD7.500 while a large slice costs I think KD1.750 but its sooo worth it. I mean I would easily pay KD10 for the whole cake without thinking twice.

I actually heard Lorenzo supplies cake to a lot of places in Kuwait. Starbucks for example get their oreo cheese cake from Lorenzo. Speaking of Starbucks, has anyone noticed how terrible their cookies taste a the moment? It seems they changed their cookie supplier and the new one just sucks.

Anyway back to the chocolate cheese cake, if you are a cheese cake fan you HAVE to try it. It easily gets a 5 out of 5 stars. Lorenzo is located across the street from Sheraton in Kuwait City but by end of the month they are moving to Salhiya near Johnny Rockets. You don’t have to have lunch there to have their dessert, if you go into the restaurant the cakes are located on the right hand side. They also have chocolate marble cheese cake and chocolate pie which I want to try the next time I go there.

I just had the most expensive shawerma I have ever had in Kuwait. I tried this new shawerma place that opened near Restaurant Street (Share3 al Mata3em) called Shawermer. I had just left Sajj House because they were packed and was heading to get shawerma from Dodo when I saw this place and decided to try it out.

When I walked in I noticed they had two large shawerma skewers (one meat and one chicken) laid out horizontally over a charcoal grill. That grabbed my attention, I thought it was pretty original since I had never seen a shawerma skewer laid out like that. So I proceeded to order two chicken shawermas and a coke. The cashier then tells me he wants 900fils. I was like how much is one shawerma? He tells me 400fils. I was like “fuckin A” this is either going to be one really large sandwich or one unbelievably amazing shawerma.

So I stood by the horizontal shawerma skewers waiting to see how the chef was planning on cutting it up when I noticed some guy at the other side of the kitchen taking already cut up shawerma from a metal container and placing it into my sajj bread. I was like what the fuck? The shawerma isn’t even freshly cut!? I was like whatever, lets not judge anything before trying the shawerma. The guy finishes heating up my two shawermas and puts them in a bag and gives it to me with a small 250ml can of Pepsi (I really hate these cans!). I leave the place, go out into my car and decide to eat the shawermas there while they were still hot.

My first reaction was what the hell!? This shawerma had the worst tasting garlic ever. Like way worse than Kurdo’s garlic which I used to count as the lowest of the low when it came to garlic. Now out of the blue Shawermer was able to smash the charts with this absolutely horrendous tasting garlic. I didn’t know what it tasted closer to, cough medicine or tooth paste. Actually what am I saying, I would rather have cough medicine mixed with tooth paste and kitchen soap over a spoonful of this garlic.

So I finished up my two sandwiches and just sat in my car bewildered at what this place was thinking charging people 400fils for a shawerma that tasted like something you can find under your kitchen sink. Then I looked around and noticed the place didn’t look like it was doing any good which is a good thing. It was a Wednesday night and every other restaurant on the street was packed and this place was empty which put a smile on my face.

Final score, half a star out of a possible five. Like Shoo? Shawerma, it gets half a star because if there was a nuclear holocaust and all the food in the whole world got infected with radiation and Shawermer miraculously had radiation free shawermas, then I wouldn’t mind having one.

I just got off the phone with Nat, she has a new Apple 30inch display at her new work place! Thats so not fair…

update: ok, she also has a QUAD core 2.5ghz PowerMac with 8GB of RAM!

Here are the statistics for 2006 but I am telling you from now, 2007 is going to be a lot more fun thats for sure. I already have a couple of cool things lined up including new sponsors and new stuff for the blog, one which I am hoping works out soon because it will involve me and a couple of super cars. Thank you everyone for being part of this blog either by contributing with the comments or even just by visiting. Thank you!

Total amount of unique visitors for 2006: 901,989
Total amount of page impressions for 2006: 7,863,277
Highest amount of unique visitors per month: December – 117,943
Highest amount of page impressions per month: November – 1,224,453

If you haven’t checked the Forum yet then you are missing out on a lot. With over 21,000 articles and 635 users its really an informative place. There is even a section for buying and selling stuff where people have sold things ranging from mobile phones and Nintendo Wii’s to laptops and cars. So pass by and check it out. [Forum]

I hadn’t been out clubbing since I graduated from university back in 2001 until last night. Me and Nat went to this club in Beirut called Basement. Its literally a basement located in a really old building. There was a long line outside but we went with Nats sister who works for Red Bull and she managed to get us some last minute seat reservations at the bar.

We got there at 11PM when the place barely had 30 people. We left at 3AM when we barely were able to pass through the crowd to get to the exit.

It was a lot of fun, I had 6 glasses of vodka with ice and 3 shots of I don’t know what and now I have a really bad hangover. I hate hangovers.

Although I am Lebanese people here in Lebanon when they hear you are coming from Kuwait they think you are fully loaded. It doesn’t matter if you are Lebanese, Kuwaiti or whatever, if you are coming from the Gulf then you have money to spend.

I was supposed to rent a Peugeot 307 from this local rental place here in Lebanon for like $40 a day. So yesterday at 9PM we call the guy to confirm and he is like yeah don’t worry when you come here if we don’t have the 307 you will have a whole range of cars to choose from. i was like cool. So I am now in Lebanon, I call the guy and guess what? He only has a BMW X5 available for $150 a day. Yeah right fucker I am going to rent an X5 from you instead of a Peugeot. Whatever. At least if you are going to rip me off do it gently. Go up 1 level to like $60. Tell me sorry we don’t have a Peugeot but for just $20 more you can get a BMW 1-series. Maybe then I would have considered it but don’t triple my budget up to an X5!

We made a few calls and I just scored a 2007 Renault Megane for $45 a day. Hopefully its the hatchback version and in black.

I spent all day today getting some paperwork done. First I went in the morning to get my motorbike driving license. I passed the test like 2 weeks ago but I never got around to exchanging my learners permit for the actual license. When I got to the place in Jabriya it turned out I had a lot of papers missing, so I had to go back home, get the papers and drive back to Jabriya. The whole process took over 2 hours but I now have my motorbike license.

One thing I found strange is I now have to separate driving licenses, one for riding and one for driving. The new redesigned license has icons in the back for riding, truck driving, car driving etc.. and they mark under each what you are qualified to operate. I figured they would print me out a new card stating I can drive a car and ride a motorbike but instead they printed me a card that says that I can ride a motorbike. Now I have two licenses which are exactly the same except for the little marking in the back. It would have been more practical to just combine the two in one card.. weird why they don’t do that.

Later in the afternoon I had to go to this other place in Shuwaikh to transfer my car into my name. I just finished paying the installments for it and I had to meet a mandoob (the person who does the paperwork) there to transfer the car in my name. That operation also took 2 hours. It would have finished a lot sooner if the employees actually came to work on time. My mandoob had to wait 45 minutes in line waiting for the employee to come in. When the employee finally arrived the line was super long but he didn’t seem to care, he sat down, ordered his tea, spoke to his friend on the phone and THEN started signing the papers. Mandoobs have a lot of patience.

So now I am home, my flight to Lebanon leaves early tomorrow morning so I am packing my bag. We are going for 6 days but Nat is taking practically all her winter and summer clothes. Whenever I say anything about it she yells at me telling me girls are not like guys and she can’t just take just 2 t-shirts and a jeans. “She has to be prepared for any scenario”.

Anyway, I am checking the site statistics and I might hit 100,000 unique users for this month by tonight. Thats 5 days ahead of schedule, pretty cool.

note: thats not my real date of birth in the picture, its their own creation.

I was parking my car outside Sultan Center in Salmiya when I first spotted this place. Its located in the backside area near the clinic and because of the name I felt I had to try their shawermas.

After I was done shopping I put the bags in the trunk of my car and walked over to Shoo? Shawerma to order some food. I ordered two chicken shawermas with no pickles and a coke. Total price? 800fils. I was like “fuckin A” this must be some seriously good shawerma if they are charging 350 a piece for it. So, I picked up my two shawermas and headed to the car where I started eating them.

After my first bite I turned around and told Nat this was a 2.5, but the more I ate it the more I hated it. The shawerma was really bad, like really bad. It tasted really greasy and the garlic flavor was no where to be found so there was nothing to cover up the god awful taste of the chicken. It was so bad that once I was done with my first shawerma I threw the second one away. I had NEVER done that before!

Now if this was any ordinary crappy place selling shawermas for 200fils then I might expect something this bad, but 350fils for a shawerma, thats the big league, fuck that, thats the super league. Most top scoring shawerma places charge 300 fils for a shawerma and this joint was charging 350 for the worst shawermas I have ever had. Even the Pepsi can was the small 250ml one, who still sells these, even Bader Al Badoor sells the 330ml Coke cans!

So super high price, small Pepsi can, and most importantly the worst shawerma I have ever experienced in my life earned this place half a star out of a possible five. It only got that half star because if I was stuck in the desert with no food except for their shawerma then I would consider eating it.

On Amazon.com users can “tag” items with keywords to ease the search process. Here are some tags which people have placed for Kevin Federline’s (Britney Spears Ex Husband) album Playing with Fire (note there are 4 pages worth of tags):

talentless (28) garbage (18) idiot (17) laughable (16) music to make you long for the sweet release of death (15) hack (13) crap (12) loser (10) terrible (8) clown (7) aka vogon poetry (6) bad joke (2) cant understand what hes saying (1) should be working at wendys (2) as good as socks with sandals (1)”

You can check out the rest by clicking [Here]

Yesterday I got an Ericsson 388 and today I started using it as my primary phone. I have been getting a lot of ooooooohs and ahhhhhhhs everytime someone sees the phone. Everyone owned one and everyone seemed to have positive things to say about the phone and good memories to go along with it. The phone simply rocks.

Now the bad thing. The battery isn’t as good as I thought it was. On standbye the phone lasts long but after 4 or 5 phone calls the phone beeps with a “Low Battery” warning and the happy green blinking LED on the top of the phone turns red. To solve it I just remove the battery, shake it and then place it back again. Suddenly my battery is full again until the next phone call.

Other then that though the phone is just fantastic. I have an extra battery with me which I think I will charge now. This way when one dies I just swap in the other.

An Indian runner who won silver in the womans 800 meters race at the Asian Games in Doha failed a gender test. Meaning the woman who won turned out to be actually a guy. [Link]

Thanks Sunny