Search: “ace”

I haven’t been this excited about a new place opening up in quite a bit but last night I passed by Smash Hub and I had a blast. So much fun that I’m actually headed back there tonight again.

Smash Hub houses two games:

Smash Therapy
This is why I basically dropped by. Their Smash Therapy section is composed of two rooms where you go into and destroy stuff. You have different packages you can choose from, I ended up choosing the Troublemaker in which they provided me with 12 glass cups and 1 electronic item to smash. I could choose between a receiver or printer and ended up going with the printer. You can also destroy other items like a TV but at an additional cost. Once you select your items they set it up in the room and provide you with disposable overalls and protective gear to wear. You also get to choose two weapons of choice, I ended up going with a sledgehammer and a baseball bat. I was tempted to go with an axe but figured with my clumsiness I might not leave the room in one piece. Finally, I also got to choose my on smash playlist which was a nice surprise. I didn’t have much time to think but I think I made the right choices:

Beastie Boys – Sabotage
Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade
Nirvana – Rape Me

Once inside the room they take you through some basic rules and then leave you to it. I have to say, this was so insanely fun. It didn’t take long to smash 12 glass cups and a printer, in fact, I didn’t even get past my first song on the playlist, but damn it was fun. After I was done I told the guys they should create a monthly membership package since I’d love to drop by once a week just to vent out on a flatscreen TV. Below is a video I shot of the guy before me smashing some glass cups. Even smashing something so small and fragile like a glass cup was fun. I also have a short video of the guy smashing a TV with an axe, it’s a vertical video though and you can watch that here.

Axe Throwing
The other activity Smash Hub offers is axe throwing. I was just very recently having a conversation about this with a friend since it’s an activity thats gaining popularity in the States right now and I was telling them someone should bring it to Kuwait. Well it’s here now. It’s similar to throwing darts except you throw an axe.

I tried it out and it wasn’t as much fun as smashing a printer, but maybe if you’re with a group of friends it’s more enjoyable. Also maybe with lots of beer and loud music.

So lets talk prices. They currently have launch prices which are as follows:

Smash’n’nGo: 6KD for a dozen glassware or a dozen axe throws

Therapy Pack
Troublemaker: 12 glasses + 1 electronic (10KD)
Therapy box up to 2 people: 24 glasses + 2 electronics (20KD)

Axe Pack
Smaxe session: 20mins per person (10KD)

Specials:
Smash Special (for 2 people): 35kd = Therapy Box + Smaxe (50% off yard sale)

Smash Hero: Hit Bullseye 3x in a row = Free TV (valid when purchasing a Therapy pack)

Yard Sale:
Glass pack = 5KD
Small electronic = 10KD (receiver/printer)
Glass panel = 10kd
TV = 20KD

I went with the Troublemaker and Axe Pack so my total came out to KD20. In hindsight, I would have taken the Troublemaker pack and added a TV to it for an additional 20KD. And maybe a glass pack on top of that as well. In case you want to bring your own items to smash you can, but they would have to approve it first.

If you want to try out Smash Hub they’re located inside Sirbb Circuit in Shuwaikh (go all the way to the left once you walk in). They’re open daily from 6PM to 10PM and you can check them out on instagram @smashhubkw

The ice skating rink which has been around since 1980 will be closing down tomorrow to get demolished. In its place I’ve been told they’ll be building a concert hall which will be used to hold the Hala February concerts.

It doesn’t make sense I know, and whats worse is that I don’t understand why they can’t just keep the ice skating structure and just turn the interior into a concert hall. In any case, the decision has been made and this historical site will be demolished in the same way many other significant structures have been demolished in the past.

Today (Monday) from 4PM to 6PM there will be a last skate at the ice skating rink as a way of protesting this decision. So if you want to experience the ice skating rink for one last time this is your chance. See you there.

This past weekend I picked up a Mercedes GLE to review for the blog and since it was a pretty comfortable car to drive, I decided I needed to go on a long road trip. So I headed to Al Bohayra Farm on Friday to check it out.

Getting there was a bit dramatic. Other than the fact it was a long drive (around an hour and a half) but Google Maps took me on a strange route. I took the causeway bridge to the other side and everything was great for a while after the bridge but then suddenly the highway ended with barriers and was diverted to a small pothole-ridden road (pictured above). The remaining highway was still under construction but oddly some cars were going through the barrier and driving on the semi-finished highway. I drove for a while on the pothole-ridden road but it just got really bad and even though I was in an SUV it was still really bad. So I got off the small road and drove down onto the unfinished highway which was pretty finished actually not sure why they had it closed off. But, after a while, even the unfinished highway ended with barriers diverting all the cars onto the adjacent road going against the flow of traffic. Some cars drove through the barriers into the even more unfinished highway while the rest of us were suddenly driving on a highway with cars coming towards us. It was super confusing and after a few minutes, we found a way to enter the unfinished side of the highway where we continued driving until we got back to normal roads. There definitely must be an easier way of getting there but it must have been one of those days where Google Maps wanted to mess with me.

Once we got to Al Bohayra Farm I was surprised at how busy it was. There were tour buses parked on the main road and their huge parking was pretty full. There is no entrance fee, you just walk in through the main gates and explore the farm. There are various things to do on the farm including renting bicycles, picking strawberries, exploring the farm, shopping at the farmers market and having delicious corn on the cob or lunch at one of the many fast-food restaurants like Burger King, Applebees, Pizza Hut and a few more (no farm to table restaurant if you’re wondering). There are various play areas for the kids, pony rides and lots of farm animals to see.

Even though there were so many people on the farm it never felt too crowded. The farm is large and the facilities there are made to handle a large number of people. Even some of the restaurants like Burger King had two branches on the farm. I really had a good time and I want to start checking out some of the other farms now that are also open to the public.

Al Bohayra Farm is located in Abdali which I had never been to before. I drove around the area a bit after visiting the farm and it felt like I was driving through one of those random towns while doing a U.S. road trip. There was also a bit of a wild west feeling which I kinda liked.

Al Bohayra Farm is worth checking out if you’ve never been. The farm is open every Friday and Saturday from 10AM to 9PM. Their instagram account is @albohayra and here is their location on Google Maps.

I’m not sure why this isn’t made a bigger deal of but one thing that really bothers me is how Kuwaitis are discriminated against when it comes to renting apartments. It’s one area where expats have it much better and I don’t understand why no one seems to be protesting this. It just doesn’t make any sense how everyone seems to be ok with ads advertising homes and then having a large note stating its “Only for foreigners” on it. How is this even legal?

I’ve had a lot of friends struggle to find apartments because they were either single male or female Kuwaitis. There is a post on Reddit right now by a Kuwaiti guy who had to leave home due to family issues and ended up living in his car because he couldn’t find an apartment that would rent to him. Eventually, he managed to crash at a friend’s place for a couple of months but now he needs to move out and he still can’t find a place that would rent to him.

salam people of r/Kuwait. some of you may have seen my post slightly less than 3 months ago about how i am homeless due to family issues and could not find a place that would rent for a single Kuwaiti male. i wish they would trust me because i am a nerdy guy whose day only consists of going to work and playing video games so i never have anyone over. i am very responsible with spending so inshallah i would never be late for monthly rent payments unless a great emergency occurs.

some compassionate people have messaged me either offering emotional support or offering to help me find a residence to rent. i was planning on accepting one of those offers after getting my salary but a chance for free stay came up and i took it. i am sorry for ghosting on those who offered me help but i felt too awkward to tell them that i didnt need it anymore (rude and stupid of me).

now unfortunately i have stayed more than was comfortable (2.5 months) for the friend who provided me with free stay. i need to find a place of my own before Friday otherwise i will have to sell most of my stuff and go back to sleeping in my car. it will make me so happy to find a clean place where i can sleep comfortably without hearing shouting all day and without worrying whether i will be told to leave the next day. source

It’s pretty absurd that a single guy who has a job and the ability to pay rent is forced to sell his belongings and live in a car because he is Kuwaiti and can’t find an apartment to rent. I’m not sure if it’s because a lot of Kuwaitis aren’t aware of this housing issue and that’s why it’s not a big deal, but if I was Kuwaiti I’d be calling up MP Safa Al Hashem daily to get this changed.

Not a lot going on this weekend but there s the ABBA tribute concert taking place on Saturday which should be good. Check out the full list of this weekends events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Haa – Jassim Meraj
2020 Kuwait Arts Forum
Movies At The Park: The Sound of Music

Friday
Exhibition: Haa – Jassim Meraj
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
2020 Kuwait Arts Forum
Spark Badminton Open 2020
Field trip to Failaka
Yoga in Jabriya Park
7th Men’s International Volleyball Tournament

Saturday
Exhibition: Haa – Jassim Meraj
2020 Kuwait Arts Forum
The Show: A Tribute to ABBA

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double-check with the organizers.

A bunch of these new enclosed pedestrian bridges have popped up around Kuwait and although they had been completed for some time, they remained closed and non-operational until recently.

There isn’t really much to see inside, instead of regular stairs you have escalators to take you up and down and the bridge is air conditioning for the summer.

I’m not really sure why we need air-conditioned bridges since if I’m using it in the summmer, it’s because I got there walking in the heat in the first place. I guess a cool down area or maybe to entice people to use it instead of crossing the street under the bridge? Not sure…

I booked a week-long vacation starting next Wednesday to Tbilisi, Georgia since I heard a lot of good things about the city. The last time I took a proper vacation was back in August 2018 and it was also for a week so I’m really really looking forward to the time off. I’m taking Jazeera Airways since they fly to Tbilisi directly and then going to rent a Land Cruiser LC76 while there so I can also drive over to Armenia next door.

I’m looking for things to do, see, and places to eat at so if you have any recommendations please let me know!

Back in October I briefly mentioned that my 240z was getting a full restoration job and since it’s a slow news day, here is an update. Back in October after getting my 1970 Alfa registration done and I could drive it I decided to drop the car off at a garage called Blue Collar to get it fully restored. Blue Collar was a body shop in Shuwaikh that kept getting more and more classic cars to work on so they decided to open up a separate garage just for classics and I was going to be their first customer.

Progress has been going really well, they nicknamed the car Rusty because of the amount of rust it had on the undercarriage. Instead of the rust getting repaired over its lifetime, previous owners just had metal panels bonded over the rust spots which didn’t really fix things. So they basically had to cut out all the old flooring and install new panels and you can see the difference between the photo above and below. I knew the car had rust issues when I bought it, I just didn’t think it was this bad. There were some other bodywork issues around the car as well but one by one they were all fixed.

A reader who’s restored six other 240z’s previously is also helping me with the car restoration as well. He hooked me up with a guy who rebuilt an engine for me and has been handing me lists of parts to get for the car so that it eventually ends up brand new. When I started the project I honestly wasn’t planning a full restoration but the more I got into it the more I realized it’s something I really wanted. I set a budget for myself upfront on how much I was going to spend on this and based on my expense sheet I’m 80% there but I’ve also pretty much-purchased everything. The most expensive item I’ve had to purchase was a full Fujitsubo exhaust system and the second most expensive item was a fuel injection replacement kit.

I’m keeping the color of the car blue and since all the bodywork is nearly complete it’s going to hit the paint booth soon. I’m really excited and can’t wait until I get the car back. I’m hoping it will be done and ready before the summer hits when I’m going to park the Alfa away for the summer.

Qout Market is back again this weekend but there are a few other things going on including the Kuwait Riders 10th Bike Show. Check out the full list of this weekends events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Haa – Jassim Meraj
‏Kuwait Riders 10th Bike Show
Nour Hammour Pop-Up
Marj Market
Kids Movies At The Park: Home Alone

Friday
Exhibition: Haa – Jassim Meraj
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
‏Kuwait Riders 10th Bike Show
Marj Market

Saturday
Exhibition: Haa – Jassim Meraj
Run & Gun Photography Workshop
Hannibal 8KM Obstacle Race
Qout Market

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double-check with the organizers.

Photo by @wkn878

When Apple announced the new 16-inch MacBook Pro I tried to resist buying it for as long as I could but eventually, I caved and placed an order for one towards the end of December. I had a 13-inch MacBook Pro from late 2016 and although I didn’t really have any issues with it, I did feel it had become redundant. I have a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a new 13-inch MacBook Air for work, so having a 13-inch MacBook Pro as well didn’t make any sense. On short weekend trips I’ve gotten into the habit of just taking my iPad and for anything longer I’d rather take the slightly lighter MacBook Air. Since I was using my MacBook Pro mostly while sitting on my couch in front of the TV, I decided size wasn’t as important for a couch computer and went ahead and ordered the new 16-inch.

My first laptop ever was a 2001 12″ Apple iBook and since then the largest laptop I’ve ever owned or used had been a 13″. I always went for the smallest size possible since they were usually cheaper and also because they were more portable. So you can imagine the look on my face when I first put the 16″ MacBook Pro on my lap and opened it up. It was HUGE! I mean I had played with a display model at Xcite and Gait before ordering one, but in a large store on a large table it didn’t feel that much bigger than my 13″. On my laps, it was a completely different story and I honestly hated it right away and regretted buying it.

Now that I’ve been using the MacBook Pro for around a month, I have gotten a lot more comfortable with the size. I wouldn’t say I’m in love with it just yet, but at least it’s become a lot more bearable. There has been a lot of hype online about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro with a lot of reviewers calling it the best laptop Apple has ever made (sorry but the old-school 12″ PowerBook takes that spot), and although there are a lot of positives with the new design, I did face some issues.

First the good stuff and if you’ve read any review already you’ll know there are two things everyone has been talking about, the redesigned keyboard and the speakers. I never really had any problem with the previous keyboards, but I do know a lot of people hated it. The newly updated keyboard is better that’s for sure, there is more key travel so it feels softer to type on and its also quieter. I’m actually on my iMac right now typing this post and the keyboard feels similar to the one on the new MacBook Pro, that’s how good they’ve managed to make the new MacBook Pro keyboard feel. The second big change is the speakers, many people are calling it the best speakers you can get on a laptop, I don’t know about that but I can say that yes the sound on the 16-inch MacBook Pro sounds lightyears better than on my 13-inch. Side by side the difference is night and day but even if you don’t have another laptop to compare the sound next to, you’ll still clearly notice the difference. The sound is fuller and there is now bass which on the previous MacBook Pros didn’t exist. But this also brings me over to the negatives.

The speakers aren’t loud. I haven’t seen anyone mention this yet but the new speakers seem to be limited in volume to avoid distortion? I have this issue with Bang & Olufsen speakers, they tend to limit the volume below the maximum so to avoid any distortion that may occur. But then again maybe because the new MacBook Pro speakers sound larger than they actually are, I expect them to go louder? I don’t know but I noticed this volume issue because of how often I’ve tried raising it only to find out it’s already on maximum. The second issue I have with the new MacBook Pro is the heat. It’s winter right now so the temperature is nice and cool in my apartment but I’ve already noticed the laptop gets really warm on the underside. I would be just watching youtube videos and the laptop would get uncomfortably hot on my laps. I never had that issue with my other laptops and I’m worried in the summer it’s going to annoy me a lot. Finally the battery life. Before my 13″ MacBook Pro I had the older generation MacBook Air and I would easily get 8 to 10 hours of battery life. With the 13″ MacBook Pro that dropped down to around 4 hours and now with this 16″ I think I’m getting around 5-6. The problem is Apple says I should be getting 10+ and they used to be really accurate with their estimates but I can’t seem to ever get there.

Overall though this is a pretty well-rounded laptop. I got the entry model 16″ and it’s plenty fast for me and comes standard with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. I’m not comfortable with the size just yet but that’s understandable since for the past 20 years I’ve only been using the smallest of laptops. One advantage to the large size is that it’s now making my 13″ MacBook Pro feel a lot smaller and lighter which has made me consider keeping it but I’m not going to. The keyboard touch bar is still there and if you hated it before you’re still gonna hate it but if like me you like the touch bar then you’re gonna like it even more now since they’ve made the ESC button an actual key and separated it from the touch bar. For those wondering why I ordered the MacBook online instead of getting it locally, it’s simply because I wanted a US keyboard without the Arabic letters and also because it would come out cheaper than buying it locally. If you’re thinking of upgrading your MacBook then you can’t go wrong with the 16”. If it’s too big for you then you might want to hold out a bit because rumors are Apple is gonna release a new 14” one to replace the current 13”.

Rafael Nadal the currently ranked world no. 2 in men’s tennis is in Kuwait right now for his exhibition match against David Ferrer, the three-time Davis Cup champion. The match is taking place today at the brand new tennis complex that’s part of 360 Mall and where the Rafa Nadal Academy will be located.

Tickets were being sold for KD75 back in December and I regret not buying one since they’re all sold out now and very hard to come by. Both 360 Mall and the Rafa Nadal Academy have been posting lots of stories of his visit, so if you want to see what’s going on then check out both their accounts @mall360 and @rafanadalacademykuwait

A bunch of new shows came out recently but below are currently my favorite three I’m watching right now. They’re still all new and ongoing with only a few episodes released so you can jump into them fairly easily.

Star Trek: Picard
I grew up in the 80s watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was one of my favorite shows ever and was really the only Star Trek series I ever got into. This new series continues off from the movie Star Trek: Nemesis which I’ve watched but don’t really remember which means if you haven’t watched it you’re fine. You also don’t need to be a Star Trek fan or to have watched a Star Trek series to enjoy it. Personally, while watching the show I kept wishing this was somewhat like the movie The Expendables where all the aging characters from the original The Next Generation show would back to form an aging crew that sail off into the galaxy to kick ass. It hasn’t happened so far but I’ll keep wishing! This show is available on Amazon Prime but you need a CBS All Access membership to watch it.

Avenue 5
Another sci-fi show but unlike Star Trek this one doesn’t take itself to seriously. Avenue 5 is a comedy by the creator of the show Veep that takes place in the future aboard a luxury space cruise ship. The show stars a bunch of comedians including Hugh Laurie from House and the always super annoying Zach Woods from The Office. Only three episodes are out so far and you don’t need to be a sci-fi fan or a geek to get into it. The show is available to watch on HBO.

The Outsider
I started watching this show thinking it was based off the 1967 novel The Outsiders which I read as a kid and the 1983 movie which I also watched as a kid and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and featured an all-star cast which included Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze and Diane Lane. Turns out this show was actually based off the 2018 Stephen King novel and thats when I realized it was called The Outsider not Outsiders. But even after I found out about the mistake I couldn’t stop watching the show. The Outsider stars Jason Bateman and revolves around the murder of a young boy. A really well put together show with a filming style that reminded me a bit of Mindhunter and The Killing. Five episodes are out so far and the show is available to watch on HBO.

There are some other new shows that have come out recently but I haven’t started watching them yet. If you have one I should start watching right away let me know!

There is a new and large ice skating rink that opened up in Bayan a few days ago called Kuwait Winter Games Club Ice Rink. It popped out of nowhere with very little to no information and what’s even more impressive is the fact that the Kuwait 2020 Open Championship for Professional Arab Ice Hockey Clubs is taking place there right now.

All the information I’ve been able to find is in Arabic and there really isn’t that much information anyway but I was able to find out that the rink is an IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) approved size and that all future IIHF tournaments will be held there instead of the Ice Skating Rink in the city. My guess this new rink was created because they had announced that they were going to demolish the old rink (they’re not going to anymore).

Why are these things basically kept a secret in Kuwait I don’t know. I couldn’t even find a half-decent shot of the rink and had to get the one on top from the Jeddah Ice Sports Club while the video above from the Kuwait Ice Hockey Girls Team.

Oh yeah it turns out we have a Kuwait Ice Hockey Girls Team and a Kuwait Curling Team, a Kuwait Ski Team and also a Kuwait Speed Skating Team. Who knew? Nobody!

If you want to check out some more pictures of the rink or see the schedule for the hockey championship that’s taking place right now then check out the Kuwait Winter Games instagram account @kuwait_wgc. I’m going to try and pass by tonight to check it out as well. Here is the location of the rink on Google Maps.

Update: I dropped by today to watch the UAE team match against Bahrain. The ice skating rink looks like it still needs work, kinda felt like a pop-up ice skating rink. I guess the rink still needs work but they had to open as is right now because of the championship and then complete the work once the tournament is done. The rink isn’t centered under the roof properly which was super annoying when trying to capture a nice centered photo plus the scoreboard didn’t seem to be working either so I didn’t even know what the final score was.

Even with those issues it was actually really fun watching the game and I’ll probably be going back to watch some more. There isn’t an entrance fee or anything of the sort, you just walk in and sit wherever you want to watch the game. I think there was more closed off VIP seating than there was regular seating but really the best seat in the house is standing ringside anyway.

Jojo Rabbit

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Jojo Rabbit (8.0)
Gretel & Hansel (7.2)
Kill Chain (5.1)
Little Women (8.1)
The Great Alaskan Race (4.8)
The Knight & The Princess (8.7)

Other Movies Showing Now:
1917 (8.6)
Bad Boys for Life (7.2)
Daughter of the Wolf (5.6)
Dolittle (6.2)
Frozen II (7.1)
Jumanji: The Next Level (7.0)
Just Mercy (6.9)
Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs (6.3)
Spies in Disguise (6.1)
The Gentlemen (8.1)
The Grudge (6.3)
The Turning (3.7)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (8.4)
Dolittle (6.2)
Turtle Odyssey (7.7)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.

A few weeks ago a new restaurant opened up called ROTO which is based around the concept of a wood-fired rotisserie. The restaurant is owned by the guys behind Little Ruby’s and Chef Khaled Al Baker (@chefkb) whom I’ve previously posted about on the blog. I’m not generally a fan of rotisserie chicken but because Khaled is a friend of mine I decided to (translation: I had to) check the place out. Good thing I did because I’m now actually a huge fan of Roto.

I think the main reason for me not liking rotisserie chicken in the first place was because I only ever had it from those street side rotisserie places and I always found it too greasy plus I don’t like chicken on the bone. So when I told Chef KB that he assured me it would be a different experience, plus they serve the chicken off the bone so I didn’t have an excuse not to try it. Before even getting to the chicken though I have to say what I probably like most about Roto are the starters. Two things you need to have, his Burrata dish and the Corn Brûlée. I’ve literally gone to Roto just to have the corn brûlée, it’s that good!

The rotisserie chicken, on the other hand, tasted wayyy better than I was expecting it to. It definitely didn’t taste like a regular street side chicken and the ability to choose from a variety of different dipping sauces gives it an even greater appeal. Part of what makes the rotisserie taste so good is that it’s grilled in a Josper Rotisserie using wooden coal, so you end up with a nice crispy exterior, a juicy interior, and a slightly smokey flavor. But, what I liked even more was the pulled chicken sandwiches they have on the menu which have become my new favorite lunch thing. The Musahab panini with extra garlic sauce is my favorite one with the shawarma panini coming a close second.

Pricewise it’s fairly reasonable with the rotisserie chicken costing KD4.5, the musahab panini with fries KD3.5 and the corn brûlée for KD3. So a meal for two can cost around KD10 with drinks which is pretty good nowadays. Roto is located in Kuwait City in the new glass tower across the street from Crystal Tower [Google Maps]. They’re open from 1PM to 11PM and you can follow them on Instagram @ontheroto

Top and bottom photo taken from Roto