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The Cage (القفص) a new Kuwaiti series is slated to premiere on Netflix this coming Friday, September 23. This will be the platform’s first Kuwaiti series and will be composed of eight episodes.

The show features several popular Kuwaiti talents including Khaled Ameen, Hussain AlMahdi, Rawan Mahdi, Lamya Tareq and Hessah Al-Nabhan.

Ameen portrays a social counsellor who is working with a married couple — played by AlMahdi and Mahdi — to help them better communicate and empathise with each other in an effort to save their marriage. However, as the counsellor helps them rekindle their relationship, he faces struggles in his own personal life as well. source

I tried looking for a trailer but strangely couldn’t find one. If you find it, please leave the link to it in the comments.

Was going through old versions of the TEC website using web.archive.org and I came across an old map with all the various TEC projects. Sadly most of the places have been closed down:

1. Kuwait Towers
2. Waterfront
3. Bend Algar Club
4. Green Island
5. Swimming Pool Complex
6. Ice Skating Rink
7. Musical Fountain
8. Shaab Club
9. Yacht Club
10. Al Shaab Slipway
11. Shaab Garden
12. Ras Alard Sea Club & Harbor
13. Showbiz
14. Plajat
15. Al Bida Sea Club
16. Missila Beach
17. Touristic Garden
18. Entertainment City
19. Abdali Shelter
20. Sabahia Garden
21. Ugaila Beach
22. Mangaf Beach
23. Nuwaiseeb Shelter
24. Kheiran Resort

You can view the larger version of the map by clicking here.

While prepping for my previous post on Pinot, I was going through some old emails and found one where he sent me photos of the old Al-Manara Bookshop that was located in Salmiya next to The Video Club.

Al-Manara was a fairly popular bookstore but there aren’t any photos of it available online. It’s one of those places you never thought about photographing and eventually it’s gone. The photos were taken on March 28, 2008 with a Nikon Coolpix P1.

via Pinot

Pinot is a digital artist that was living in Kuwait up till 2014 and is incredibly talented in pixel art and animation using vintage computers. He gained worldwide fame through the service Vine which back before Twitter acquired it, used to allow users to share six-second-long looping video clips. Eventually a digital agency in New York found out about him and offered him a job so he packed up and left Kuwait with his family to work and live there. Since then he’s gotten even more popular with nearly 400K followers on Instagram and even ended up on an MKBHD episode where he showed Marques how to paint on an old Mac.

His Childish Gambino video that went viral

Sadly back in June he suffered a stroke and fell into a coma. Since then he’s been gradually progressing ever so slowly and eventually was taken off life support since he started breathing by himself. He also started making hand gestures and moving one of his arms and legs and is still slowly improving.

Art for Pinot is an initiative from the Indonesian NFT community to help him by inviting fellow creators to donate their artwork as a form of support. If you’re an artist reading this you can help by donating an artwork. For more information visit bit.ly/ArtforPino

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pinot (@pinot)

If you’re not an artist but still want to help, there is a GoFundMe page.

If you’re just curious and want to check out some of Pinot’s work, his Instagram is @pinot and his twitter (which he posts animations in progress) is also @pinot

If you want to stay updated on his progress, his wife is sharing updates on her Instagram @ditut

If you’re a Disney fan then you’ll probably be excited to know that two different Disney shows are coming to Kuwait soon. ‘Disney on Ice‘ is coming to THE ARENA, while ‘Disney Princess – The Concert‘ is coming to JACC.

Not sure how the “ice” part of Disney on Ice is gonna work inside THE ARENA, maybe using fake ice? They also haven’t announced a date although they are on tour in Saudi in September so they’ll most likely come to Kuwait after that. Dates for the Disney Princess show on the other hand have been announced and it will be taking place in October.

It’s been a month since I got my Toyota Hilux and since then I’ve done two Saudi trips and driven over 5,000KM in it. I’ve also started personalizing the car with various upgrades similar to what I did with my FJ Cruiser 12 years ago and my Wrangler before that. But, the difference this time around is that I’ve mostly managed to find everything I needed locally instead of having to ship things in. Here is what I’ve gotten done so far and from where:

Window Tint
The first thing I did was get my windows tinted, I previously used Huper-Optik on my FJ and decided to use the same brand again since I didn’t have any issues with it after 12 years. Motorworks are the dealers for it so went and got my tint done there at their new workshop. They took over the old Mercedes garage on the 4th Ring Road so their place is now HUGE. I dropped the car in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon and it cost me 110KD. Need to actually take one of my other cars back there to get tinted as well now that I think about it.

Paint Protection Film
For PPF I decided to get it done at ProTech Monte-Carlo. To save money I originally went and got it done at another place first, but they didn’t do a good job and had missed some spots so I decided to get it done again at ProTech. This happens when you try to save money, you end up spending more than if you had done it right the first time around. I only got the front of my car done, so full hood, full fenders, front bumper etc. I think I paid around 190KD but that’s because I kept some of the previous PPF from the first place on. ProTech are really the best at details with the aim of making sure you can’t tell there is any protection on the car. I really regret not going there to begin with but oh well.

Wheels
I originally was planning to buy my wheels online but the vast amount of options available was giving me anxiety, especially since you basically have to imagine them on the car. In the end I decided to go local and ended up trying to decide between two brands, EVO Corse (Epic Overland are the dealers) or BRAID (Formula Wheel are the dealers). I decided to go with BRAID and now that they’re on the car I think I made the right decision. The original Hilux wheels were 18″ but I went with 17″ BRAID’s because I prefer having more rubber between the road and the car. I tend to hit or scrape my tires on curbs so more rubber means less chance the wheels are getting scratched. I paid 590KD for 4 wheels.

Tires
I’m a big fan of BF Goodrich and Michelin tires, the same dealer (KAICO) sells both brands and they’re the only two tire brands I use on all 7 of my cars. I decided to get the BFG All-Terrains for the Hilux, the same ones I had on my FJ and they’re great because they’re pretty much puncture proof. The original tires on the car were 265/60/R18, I decided to go larger and so went with 265/70/R17. They’re just over an inch taller and I was able to fit them with no bodywork modification. Other than looking better and raising the car height, my speedometer is now also accurate instead of it being around 10km off. Four tires cost me 420KD.

Lift Kit
To fit the larger tires and also improve the ride quality a bit I had to get a lift kit. There is only one place I trust for any 4×4 work and its ORP. I posted about them 12 years ago when I had the lift kit on my FJ installed there. Back then they had just opened, it was a tiny garage and they were just getting started. Since then they’ve grown a lot and now have a pretty big showroom with a much much larger garage in the back. They are also dealers for multiple 4×4 brands including Old Man Emu, ARB, WARN, Rhino, Mickey Thompson, Fabtech, Total Chaos, Method, TJM, FOX, you name it. They’re so good that people from around the GCC bring their 4x4s to them to get them modified for offroading. They’re so miles ahead of everyone and their customer service is the best there is.

Anyway, because I’m continuing to stick to brands I trust I went with Old Man Emu for my suspension again which is the same brand as what I had on my FJ and my Wrangler before that. ORP was out of stock on my rear shocks so had to get those from Alsayer who are also the dealers. I then needed OME upper control arms and both ORP and Alsayer were out of stock so I checked in Dubai and Riyadh since I had trips to both places. Dubai was also out of stock but I did find one last piece at the OME dealer in Riyadh and so got it from there. In total it cost me around 450KD for everything including installation and alignment (which ORP do in-house). Installation took a day so dropped the car in the morning before work and then picked it up after work.

Sound System
The last thing I did to my Hilux was upgrade the sound system and I decided to go with FOCAL since they made speakers that were plug and plug with my Hilux. I ended up installing the speakers myself which were relatively easy and only took a few hours following a step-by-step video on YouTube. What a difference the speakers made, I can’t believe they sound this good and they didn’t even require me to install a separate amp. I ended up ordering them from a website in South Africa called Angrijeep because the price there was 50% cheaper than anywhere else. They cost me 115KD and another 35KD for shipping plus I ordered a Dynamat Kit from Amazon which cost me 30KD plus 16KD for shipping. I definitely got the best bang for my buck.

Whats Next
I’ve pretty much done everything I wanted to do except I now need to get a roll cover for my tub in the back. That way I can put tools and gear in the back and not worry about them getting stolen or damaged by the weather. I want a Mountain Top EVOm roll cover and the only dealer in our region is Arctic Trucks Dubai, so I’m heading there in a couple of weeks. Since I’m driving all the way there I’m also going to get a few other things including a Mountain Top spots bar and Rival 4×4 skid plates. Once I get those fitted the only thing left will be installing a tailgate control locking kit since right now the tailgate doesn’t lock and unlock with the remote. I think I’ll be done after that, I hope.

If you have any questions or are curious about the availability of any brands locally, let me know in the comments.

Update: Ended up driving to Dubai and getting the Mountain Top EVOm roll cover installed, plus the sports bar and the Rival Underbody guard. Got it all done at Arctic Trucks Dubai.

A few days ago a news clipping circulated on social media about an Italian woman who lost her cat and is offering a reward of €120,000 to whomever finds it. The article seemed fishy since the lady mentions that she had read a lot of good stuff about animal rights in Kuwait so that should have been a big clue. Well turns out the whole thing was not real and it was actually a marketing stunt for the hilarious Instagrammer @instasayood.

Sayood is joining SHASHA TV and will be launching a new animated show called ‘Fabio’ which like his previous animations will be dealing with local issues. The trailer is out now and you can check it out below. It’s in Arabic so if you were thinking about learning the language, now you have an incentive to do so.

I was going to go try this out before posting about it, but then I found out the place was located in Khiran so that’s not gonna happen. But, if you don’t mind driving to Khiran with friends, there is a place there called Nomad that has Blacklight Minigolf. I’ve tried it in Dubai before and it was super fun although me and my friend were pretty drunk when playing and she hilariously ended up breaking her pinky finger when she tripped and fell over one of the holes. But even if no alcohol is involved miniature golf is always a fun activity.

Nomad also has laser tag although that’s not something I care for but you might. Check out their Instagram account @nomad.kw and their website for booking is nomadkw.com

Below is the list of things you can do this weekend. As usual, if I missed anything please let me know in the comments:

Thursday
Back to School at The Avenues
Gate Mall Expo
IFK Cinema Night: Illusions Perdues
Kuwait 2022 Open Championship for Ice Hockey
Glass Art: Hot Shop Live Demo

Friday
Back to School at The Avenues
Gate Mall Expo
JACC Concert: Face2Face
Afrobeats Painting Experience

Saturday
Back to School at The Avenues
Gate Mall Expo
Come Play with Us! (Chess, Backgammon and/or Scrabble)
ASCC: Giant Mammals Tour
Trash Tag Beach Cleanup
Qesati: The Science Behind Design
Florist 101 Masterclass
Ceramics Workshop: Qahwa Cups
Cooking Class: Learn How to Make Dumplings

Activities:
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit:
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

Exhibitions:
Exhibition: Sanad at ASCC
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi

I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older, I rarely eat at new places anymore. Well, that’s not completely true, I’ve just gotten a lot pickier with where I eat. I have my goto places that’s for sure, and Cocoa Room is my favorite breakfast spot. Earlier this year Cocoa Room launched a dinner menu and yesterday I decided to pass by and try it for the first time as part of my new goal to try a new place once a week.

The Cocoa Room dinner menu is Mediterranean influenced and so the mains section has lots of pasta, a couple of steaks, one seafood dish, and a burger. Not a big variety to pick from, and nothing really interesting but that’s because their starters section is where all the exciting dishes are. Thankfully they had an iPad with photos of all their items because all the dishes were in French and I had a difficult time visualizing what they were (You can check out the full menu here). I ended up ordering the following items:

Milefeuille D’avocat
Brioche De Champignons Crémeuse
Carpaccio De Boeuf
Spaghetti De Capri
Gratin de Maiz

Picking just three starters was difficult and if I had to pick again I’d probably go with the seabass carpaccio instead of the beef only because it’s not something I’d find elsewhere. For the pasta, I decided on the Capri because I wanted to try a new flavor and I never had a zesty spaghetti before (it was pretty ok).

Overall everything I had was good, the avocado millefeuille was probably my favorite dish while the mushroom brioche my least favorite (not enough mushrooms). The only complaints I have with the menu is the item names being in French and the lack of interesting mains. Lots of places in Kuwait have pastas and steaks so I was looking for something a bit more different to try. Also the desserts section wasn’t that appetizing but you can always head to Burger Boutique after dinner for their chocolate brownie pudding.

The total bill came to KD27.500 so expect to pay around KD15 per person. I had to reserve before heading there although there were empty tables so you could probably just walk in. Cocoa Room is definitely my favorite breakfast spot in Kuwait, but not sure I’d go back as often for their dinner.

I assumed everyone already knew about this place since they’ve been open for a while now but recently I realized that wasn’t the case. There is a little bagel shop in Kuwait City next to Solo Pizza called While I’m Baked. If you head there in the morning before they sell out, you can get some of the best bagel sandwiches in Kuwait. I always order either their Turkey Avo Boi or the Kramer, and now while I’m typing this out I’m craving a sandwich so I’ll probably pick one up on my way into work this morning.

If you want to check them out, here is their location on Google Maps and they’re on Instagram @whileimbaked

Clean Kicks, the dedicated sneaker cleaning and customization shop in Shuwaikh now has a pickup and delivery service. The biggest issue I had with the place was the location which had major traffic and never any parking.

Their pickup and delivery service costs 2KD for each direction or 4KD for a round trip and it’s for up to 5 pairs of sneakers. That means you can have them pickup 5 pairs of sneakers and drop them off to you when done for a total of 4KD.

To arrange for pickup you can DM them on their Instagram account @cleankicks.kw or whatsapp them on +96567721222. For a list of their services and prices, click here.

A couple of years back when the MOI banned scooters on the roads I was against the idea because people had no other place to ride their scooters. But, now I think the scooter riders have also gotten a bit too cocky and out of hand. The other day on my way to work I was stuck behind a lady on a scooter riding in the middle of the road. I’m fine with them riding on the side of the road, but it’s not a motorbike, they shouldn’t be occupying a full lane.

Even when they’re not occupying a full lane they’re still driving pretty dangerously. On more than one occasion I’ve come across scooters coming out of a street dangerously the wrong way as I’m about to enter it. I’ve also seen people ride their scooters on the side of the Gulf Road, not on the sidewalk, but on the actual road.

I really can’t understand the thinking process, they must know riding a scooter on the streets of Kuwait is dangerous so why not be extra careful about it, that’s what I’d do.

Monday I headed to Saudi for the first time in my new Hilux. I wasn’t sure if I had all the correct paperwork to make it past border control since I’m an expat driving a pickup truck that isn’t mine and I so heard I needed a lot of different papers and permissions. But, I made it!

As I previously mentioned, as an expat I can’t own a pickup truck so I had to get the car under a friend’s name. The only paperwork I needed to travel with the car was a power of attorney stating that I was allowed to drive and travel with the car. Getting a POA is a super easy process which I posted about. So that was great.

What wasn’t so great is on my way back yesterday there was a major dust storm. Once I got to Kuwait I realized the dust had sandblasted my windshield and the car’s forward-facing camera. I had PPF on the front of the car but not on the camera and not on the windshield. So now I got to figure out how to get this shit sorted out and how to stop it from happening again (if you have any ideas let me know, especially about the windshield!). I now need to see if both the camera and windshield can be polished or if I need to get them replaced. Not something I wanted to do on a brand new car…

The Supra name evokes the power, performance, and handling that defined a succession of world-class cars for a quarter of a century, which built a reputation both as formidable performers on the road and all-conquering machines on the racetrack. The GR Supra is the first Toyota global model developed entirely by GAZOO Racing (GR). The team has been developing its cars and people through its participation in motorsports with the goal of making ‘ever-better’ cars ever since first competing in Germany’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race in 2007. GR’s years of knowledge and expertise have been channeled into bringing the Supra back to life in the form of Toyota GR Supra, an all-new expression of pure sports car performance that people the world over will find fun to drive.

The launch of the all-new GR Supra marked the end of a 17-year hiatus since the production of the previous generation concluded in 2002. As with all previous generations, the GR Supra is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. Extensive attention has also been paid to the fundamental elements of wheelbase, tread, and center of gravity, thus achieving superior handling performance befitting a pure sports car.

GR Supra’s 3.0-liter turbocharged engine produces up to 335 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The torque comes on strong even from very low engine speeds, thanks to a combination of a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection, and continuously variable timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. Engine response is further enhanced thanks to the inline six’s variable intake-valve lift system, which adjusts intake valve timing and duration for optimal performance. The 8-speed automatic transmission delivers speedy up and downshifts, and features paddle shifters for manual control when desired. Short ratios for the lower gears and a launch control function, which is not intended for use on public roads or repeated short interval use, enable powerful acceleration with maximum traction.

The Supra offers two driving modes, Normal and Sport. The Sport Mode sharpens throttle response, increases steering weight, and improves transmission shift crispness. This mode also engages a more aggressive active differential tuning and amplifies the exhaust sound. Meanwhile, Traction Mode can be activated as part of the Vehicle Stability Control System to provide track-driving capability by reducing the intervention of the traction and stability control functions. Launch Control is available only when the vehicle is in Sport and Traction modes.

For performance driving enthusiasts, the all-new GR Supra offers an active differential that uses an electric motor and multi-plate clutches to control lateral torque. The active differential precisely controls torque distribution between the rear wheels when cornering under both acceleration and braking, enabling greater momentum through a corner, with step-less variable locking from 0-100 percent. Excellent handling and stability and superior ride comfort are realized through the vehicle’s optimized construction, which incorporates both front double-joint type MacPherson strut suspension and rear multi-link suspension.

For more information or to book a test drive, click here.