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The other day out of the blue I remembered this drink I used to have back in the 80s called Hapi. I used to only have it in one place, a drive-thru car wash I used to go to with my dad. It was in their vending machine and I think it tasted like root beer. I doubt it was a popular drink and don’t think a lot of people remember it.

Anyway, just a random flashback for those who might remember the drink.

One of the first burger franchises to open in Kuwait was Wimpy back in 1969. So when I was approached by Wimpy’s marketing team to visit their newly relaunched concept I was intrigued. There are so many more burger places today than there ever were back in the 70s and 80s so I was curious as to how the OG burger joint would decide to compete. I ended up passing by yesterday for lunch to try the place out and I left impressed. Wimpy didn’t just get a new logo and some new packaging, instead, the whole concept got rebuilt from the ground up and every single part of it got upgraded.

I ended up ordering their Tripple Wimpy B combo but based on the messages I got from my instagram followers, I should have ordered the old school with egg burger or the chicken pury wrap since these two seem to be their most popular items. The last time I had Wimpy my experience wasn’t so great so I’m glad they fixed things up. The new branding is bright and fun and their new burgers are wayyyyy better than they ever used to be. Wimpy now use beef patties that are made fresh to order and they’re smashed similar to other good burger places. I didn’t have the chicken but they’re also now fresh and hand-breaded. For the buns, they’re using custom potato buns by Kuwait Flour Mills. I was only planning to take photos and have a few bites of the burger since I was on my way to a tasting when I dropped by, but I ended up eating the whole burger because it was that good. Oh, and if you’re a fan of crinkle-cut fries then you’re gonna like the new Wimpy fries.

Wimpy currently has two locations, a branch in Nuzha and one in Shamiya. They’re also planning to open a new location in Jabriya next week right next to the large KFC facing the 4th Ring Road. They offer delivery, car hop, and pickup as well as having a small outdoor seating. If you’re interested in checking out their full menu including their all-day breakfast and newly expanded beverage menu, check them out on instagram @wimpykwt

For the seventh time in eight years, Kuwait has been ranked the worst destination for expats, coming in last place in the Expat Insider survey (59th out of 59 countries), Al Anba newspaper reported.

According to the Expat Insider survey, Kuwait ranks last in the Quality of Life Index (59th), with especially poor results in the Leisure Options, Personal Happiness, and Travel and Transportation subcategories (59th for all).

Kuwait is also the worst expat destination worldwide in the Ease of Settling (59th), with 46 per cent of expats not feeling at home while 45 per cent find it difficult to settle down in the country.

This report came out before the long weekend and I’m not sure if it’s newsworthy or not anymore. On the one hand, Kuwait being the worst place in the world for expats is newsworthy, but it’s for the seventh time so it now feels like old news. I also don’t think the ranking is going to change next year since it doesn’t look like anyone even cares what expats think of life in Kuwait. The article mentions that “Kuwait expressed strong dissatisfaction with the report” which means they don’t believe things are as bad as the report makes it out to be. Anyway, here is the link to the article. Link

It’s supposedly going to rain throughout the weekend but in case it doesn’t there are a few interesting outdoor activities taking place. If it is raining then you can always visit the various art exhibitions taking place. Check out the full list of events taking place below and have a Happy New Year:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Albohayra Farm

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
BBT Picnic
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Zahra Farms Wonderland
New Year Run 2022
Pajama Sound Healing
Horse Riding in Seashell
Albohayra Farm

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Grand Mosque Tour
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
BBT Picnic
Zahra Farms Wonderland
Into The Stars Trip
New Year Kayaking for Ladies
Albohayra Farm

Sunday
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Horse Riding in Al Wafra
Zahra Farms Wonderland
Albohayra Farm

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments.

If you’re not traveling and looking for something to do this holiday, this post could be of interest to you. Compass Adventures and Travels have a bunch of activities taking place over the next couple of weeks from camping to abseiling and all taking place in Kuwait. Here are some of the activities they have planned:

December 30 – Fishing Experience
December 30 – Introduction to Survival Skills Trip (Overnight)
December 31 – Desert Experience
January 1 – Abseiling Trip
January 4 – Hiking Rocky Canyons
January 5 – Hiking to Flamingos

If you’re interested in any of the above and want to find out more, here is a link to their website.

Last weekend the weather was terrible but this weekend it looks like its going to be nice and sunny. Lots of events and things to do this weekend so take a look at the full list below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Hype Festival
BBT Picnic
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Bunka Desert Experience
Drive In – Bnaider 264 – Movie: Home Alone
A Trip to the Farm
KMT Festival

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
BBT Picnic
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Bunka Desert Experience
Drive In – Bnaider 264 – Movie: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
IAME Series Finals
KMT Festival

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Grand Mosque Tour
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
BBT Picnic
Camel Races
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Kuwait Kites Team at Shuwaikh Beach
Inspire Series – Obstacle Run
Kasa Walks – Uncovering NBK Tower
Drive In – Bnaider 264 – Movie: Home Alone 3
Intro to Palestinian Embroidery Workshop
IAME Series Finals
KMT Festival

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments.

Toby’s Estate have been popping up all over the place. They just opened their Assima Mall location a few weeks ago (pictured above) and now have another new location down the street in Arraya.

Burger Boutique are also now open again in Arraya. They had closed down their location temporarily but reopened again today.

If you don’t know where Arraya is, here is the location on Google Maps.

Yesterday the Council of Ministers announced that anyone who doesn’t get their booster shot before 9 months from their second dose will be considered incompletely vaccinated. I’m guessing that your immune app will no longer show as green and you will no longer be allowed into some places.

If you’re eligible for a booster shot please go get one since I don’t want to go back to curfews and lock downs. The process is super easy!

I tried googling for an answer when I wanted to buy a car jack this weekend and couldn’t find anything so if you’re also looking to buy a car jack, this post is for you.

If you want a car jack to use at home when working on your car, the first place you’ll probably check is Ace Hardware or Bin Nisf. Problem is Ace Hardware is really expensive (50KD for a Craftsman car jack) while Bin Nisf didn’t really have anything. Instead, if you’re looking for a car jack one of the best places to go is Al Maroom in Shuwaikh. They have a fairly large selection of jacks and they carry the brand Big Red Jacks. I ended up picking up a 3-ton Big Red Jack for 25KD plus a pair of Big Red floor jack stands for KD10.

If you’re looking for garage jacks, here is their location on Google Maps.

I just realized that it’s Camel Race season. The races usually take place every Saturday from October to March so if you haven’t been to one before it could be something new and fun to do, plus it’s free. There are also a bunch of other things happening this weekend so check out the list below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Bazaar Commercial Expo
Hype Festival
BBT Picnic
Terrace at the 360 Mall Foodhall

Friday
Hype Festival
Sailing: Friday Moonlight Sailing
Kuwait Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Tour
BBT Picnic
Terrace at the 360 Mall Foodhall

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Grand Mosque Tour
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
Ford Desert Challenge
Hype Festival
Shai Al Doha By Not Necessarily Famous
Kuwait Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Tour
BBT Picnic
Camel Races
Arabic Language Day at The Grand Mosque
Terrace at the 360 Mall Foodhall

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments.

Back in 2017, I posted about the eSports scene in Kuwait and since then it kinda took a dip in terms of activities at one point but it looks to be gaining momentum again. Al-Bayan Bilingual School (BBS) now even has an eSports Club which is pretty cool but probably the biggest thing happening right now is VO’s X-Kuwait Esports division.

X-Kuwait is trying to develop athletes as well as set up sporting competitions like The Fifa Winter Games which is going to be held at the end of this month. The 1st place winner will get a 5,000KD cash prize, while 2nd place 3,000KD and 3rd place 1,500KD. Registration to the competition was meant to close yesterday but they’ve extended it by a day. If you want to try your chance at winning 5,000KD, it’s 10KD to register for the tournament and you need to do so today. Here is the registration link.

Also make sure you follow X-Kuwait on instagram to stay posted on other competitions that come up@xkuwait.esports

MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji yesterday submitted a proposal to the National Assembly calling to restrict vehicle ownership by expatriates to only two and impose extra fees on any additional vehicles, saying the proposal aims at reducing traffic jams. Turaiji’s proposal calls on the interior ministry to take the necessary measures to restrict the number of vehicles foreign residents can own for personal use to only two “to counter the illegal trade in vehicles, reduce traffic jams” and “ensure there are enough spaces for the use of Kuwaiti citizens at commercial malls, markets and public places”. Source

Can someone explain how me owning more than 2 cars causes traffic jams? Is there a way to drive all my cars at the same time cuz if there is I’d love to do that?

It’s been a few months since I’ve recommended a new show to watch but that’s just because nothing new really came out that I really liked until just recently. Here are two shows that I think you should watch:

Swagger
This is currently my favorite show streaming on TV right now. It’s a new series by basketball player Kevin Durant that is inspired by his experience playing basketball as a youth. It’s a sports drama and you don’t really have to be into basketball to watch it. It’s an easy show to pick up and watch and there’s tons of great acting with a pretty great soundtrack to go with it as well. The first season still hasn’t finished and the show’s timeline takes place in 2019/2020 so it touches on the various important issues that took place in the US last year including black lives matter and the pandemic. It only has a 6.6 on IMDB for some reason but really ignore that since it’s really great. The show is streaming on AppleTV+.

Cowboy Bebop
This is probably gonna be a controversial one but I really liked Cowboy Bebop. In my defense, I never watched the original Manga series and so I didn’t have any preconceptions or expectations going into this. There is nothing like Cowboy Bebop, it’s a sci-fi series that feels like the 70s which is a very odd combination. So you have old 70s cars for example on the planets, but you also have space travel and all this futuristic technology yet they all look very old school. From the very first scene of the first episode, the show was fun to watch and it really disappointing that it got canceled after just the first season.

Skip: La Brea, probably the worst TV show I ever watched. It was total garbage and none of it made any sense. I have no idea how it managed to score a 5.6 on IMDB. Invasion, this show had potential but didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t very exciting and didn’t make me want to watch it. Too loud to be background TV as well.

Here is the list of events taking place this weekend. The GIG Battle Fitness Festival which is taking place at the Green Island is always worth going to and attracts a lot of international competitors. The Drive-In movies at Bnaider also sounds fun but, if you haven’t gotten tickets yet to the Staged in Kuwait Pantomime, there are still a few available so don’t miss out on that. Here is the full list:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Beyond the Abyss
The Avenues Sky
Pantomime: Dick Whittington
Bazaar Commercial Expo
Drive In Bnaider 264
Arab Masters Tennis Tournament
Farmers Market in Wafra

Friday
The Avenues Sky
Pantomime: Dick Whittington
Bazaar Commercial Expo
The GIG Battle Fitness Festival
Saracen Race 2021
Drive In Bnaider 264
Arab Masters Tennis Tournament
Kuwait Coffee Festival
Farmers Market in Wafra

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Beyond the Abyss
Grand Mosque Tour
The Avenues Sky
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
Pantomime: Dick Whittington
Bazaar Commercial Expo
The GIG Battle Fitness Festival
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
Miseen Scene Club: Goya’s Ghosts – 2006
Kasa’s Padel Tournament
Trashtag Cleanup and Kashta at Shumaymah Desert
Drive In Bnaider 264
Arab Masters Tennis Tournament
Kuwait Coffee Festival
Holiday Monogram Event
Farmers Market in Wafra
Horse Grooming & Yoga
Free City Walk

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments.

Last week while visiting AAB World in Symphony Mall, I passed by a place called the Q8 Comedy Club. I hadn’t noticed it before so I quickly checked Instagram to see if I could find out more about it and I ended up at their Instagram account. Turns out they were holding comedy shows at this location and the next one was scheduled for December 6th so I booked two tickets so I could check it out.

I ended up going last night and I left pretty impressed. The show was a combination of improv and standup, with the majority of it being improv. The host was Ahmad Alshammari from Shenoya3ni and was extremely funny, but so were the rest of the comedians, everyone was pretty great especially when you consider that fact we don’t even have a comedy scene in Kuwait.

The show started 7:30PM and finished around 9PM. The place was packed and although the audience weren’t the participating type, the comedians still managed to work with what they had and do really well. My Arabic isn’t that great and I was cracking up with my friend through the whole thing. Strangely, the tickets were free, probably because they’re trying to promote the comedy club and get people to come to a show which is a new idea here.

Checking their instagram account they haven’t announced their next show yet so if you want to go to the next one, follow them on Instagram to find out about it once it’s announced. @q8comedy1