Search: “ace”

Because I live in an apartment building that was constructed in the 80s, the central AC is no longer strong enough to cope with the hot weather and so I installed a couple of split units in my place. A couple of evenings ago I noticed that one of the units had ran out of refrigerant gas since it was blowing out uncooled air. So I called up the Xcite support number and connected to their AC service department.

The whole experience was super smooth, I told the guy I needed someone to come over check my AC since it wasn’t working. He asked me what brand my AC was, he then confirmed my address (they have my mobile number on their system) and then told me that they would send someone over the next morning and that the cost to send someone over was KD10, but that amount would be deducted from the repair cost.

Next day I get a call from the repair guy asking if I was home, then two guys come over, check the AC and let me know there was a refrigerant leak. They fix the leak, refill my unit with refrigerant gas and charge me KD15 for the whole thing. In under an hour, they were gone.

This was the second time I had a great experience with their AC service department. I love how quick they are in sending someone over and how smooth the whole process is which is why I wanted to post about them. If you ever run into AC trouble and want to get things fixed asap, I highly recommend you give them a call. Their number is 1803535.

Over the weekend I posted the photo above on my story and got a lot of messages asking me what it was and where it was taken. So I decided I’d share the location on the blog in case anybody wants to head to it for a photo shoot.

The stairs to nowhere are located on the side of the highway that leads to Boubyan island. It’s adjacent to a large metal structure which I believe was used for a military parade a few years ago. Because of the metal structure, the stairs are pretty easy to find, if the metal structure is on your right, the stairs are right after it.

If you’re interested in heading out there, here is the location on [Google Maps]

Since Mogahwi closed down next to my place in Salmiya, I’ve resorted to going to Jarir in Boulevard Mall since that’s currently the closest decent stationary shop to me. But, I might stop doing that after dropping by Mogahwi’s Kuwait City location yesterday.

I used to pass by the Kuwait City branch whenever I needed anything urgently for work since it’s right down the street from me. But the store was old and outdated and I generally didn’t like shopping there.

But recently they gave the Kuwait City store a much-needed facelift. Other than the fact they’ve improved the lighting and given the space a paint job, they’ve also expanded the store and brought in a lot more brands and new items. They’ve now got a much larger variety of arts and crafts supplies as well as a large variety of spray paint brands including popular brands like Montana. They even have their own resident artist.

So if you’re a fan of Mogahwi but hated the Kuwait City store like me, then you should pass by now and check it out. They’re open daily from 9AM to 9PM except for Fridays when they open from 4:30PM. Here is their location on [Google Maps]

PS: If you’re a Copic Markers fan they now carry a very large assortment of their pens. (they still cost an arm and a leg though)

Last night I was at The Avenues and decided to pass by the newly opened Pick. When I got there I walked up to the tiny 2 person line behind the cashier and waited for my turn. While waiting, I noticed a long queue on the left side of the place lined up behind another cashier. I realized it might be a one-line queue for two cashiers and that I might have been cutting the line. Or maybe the other people didn’t realize there was a second cashier?

I decided to leave Pick because the situation was confusing, but decided to message them on Instagram just out of curiosity to see if it was actually two separate lines, or one line with two cashiers. My exchange with them was so good I felt it was worth posting about.

Firstly, someone saw my DM right away, they then quickly responded to my question and were apologetic and admitted the situation was actually confusing. The whole conversation was so friendly and sincere, they made me an even bigger fan of the brand.

The situation made me realize again how amazing social media has become for communicating with brands, especially when you have a problem. I’ve DM’d brands a ton of times either to complain, give feedback, ask questions or even to try and cut through lines at clubs (Thank you @the.garten). Other than my internet provider I no longer contact brands any other way. When I had an issue with AVIS in the US I tried calling them on the phone and after spending an hour either on hold or trying to navigate their robotic call center, I decided to tweet them. I ended up getting a response back on twitter in less than 5 minutes! In Kuwait it’s been no different, other than the local Ikea and Jeep dealer (still waiting for a response guys), my experience with customer service on instagram has been pretty good so far. I love it.

The Kuwait Harps are starting a new season of Gaelic Football and are looking for new faces to join the club. Gaelic Football is a form of football derived from the Irish ball games. There are some major differences between regular football and Gaelic football like the fact Gaelic football is played with 15 players per team and you can also hold the ball with your hands.

The Kuwait Harps compete primarily in tournaments based in the Gulf region and new players are always welcome and immediately feel at home within the club. The majority of the current squad were actually new to Gaelic Games when they first arrived in Kuwait. While many clubs in the Gulf region can depend on a strong pool of Irish players, this is not the case in Kuwait. While a core of the club may be Irish, it relies heavily on the support of players from the international expat community. Kuwait Harps Players have come from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Canada, USA, Australia and even Sudan to name but a few countries.

If you’re interested in joining the club, they’re holding taster days. Taster days are just for people to come along and see if they like the sport and want to join. It’s aimed at all abilities (both fitness and Gaelic wise) so anyone can come along and there is no reason to sign up. All you need to do is come out in your normal workout gear and bring some sunscreen, water and maybe a hat or sunglasses.

When: August 31st, 10AM to 12PM and September 5th, 5PM to 7PM
Where: GUST Univsersity [Map]

For more information email [email protected] or visit their [Facebook Page] or on instagram @kuwait_harps_gaa

Over the years Cinescape has gotten multiple of new logos with the last one being in 2014. My first impression, I don’t think I like it. I think my biggest issue with the new logo is that it’s two different logos slapped together to make one.

The red icon with KNCC written under it is the logo of the Kuwait National Cinema Company. Then you have the Cinescape wording with its unique typeface and sideways letter A “<" forming a secondary logo. In usage, they're either using the wording Cinescape with the KNCC icon combined as above, or they're using the < as their icon by itself. So they're flip-flopping between two icons constantly and that seems messy. I also see the shape < in two places, the first in the Cinescape wording and in the second in the red KNCC icon which makes it repetitive.

Their previous logo didn’t have the KNCC logo attached to it so not sure why they’ve attaching it now in this one. Personally, I think I might have preferred it simpler like in my mockup above. That way they can use the < as their icon when they want to and not have a secondary confusing icon next to the brand. I'm curious to see how the brand will develop over the next few months once all their theaters get the new facelift.

For non-coffee drinkers out there, you’ll be interested to know that a new matcha place has opened up in the downtown area, specifically on Coffee Boulevard. The matcha place is called Cha Matchacha and they’re describing themselves as the first matcha bar in Kuwait.

I haven’t tried them since I prefer coffee over matcha, but if you’re looking for a new non-coffee shop to try out, they’re located at the start of Coffee Boulevard, near Koi and Little Purple Door. Here is their location on [Google Maps] and their instagram is @cha_kw.

Have you guys been to the Tampopo ramen restaurant yet? I’ve been wanting to go back ever since I posted about them but I’ve just been waiting for the line to get smaller and it doesn’t look like that’s happening anytime soon.

The picture on top was taken by me last week while the picture above was taken by my brother yesterday. If you missed my post on the place, check it out [Here]

The Kind Ones is a local breakfast place located in Mangaf. I’ve never been to it because it’s so out of my way but I recently found out that they’re opening in LA. According to the website Eater LA, The Kind Ones is opening up in Beverly Hills this coming September. This would make them the second local restaurant after Rock House Sliders to open up in LA this year. Like RHS they’ll also have some pretty strong competition there so I’m curious to see how they’ll do.

The local Ferrari dealership is currently running a campaign this week on their Ferrari approved range of pre-owned cars. I passed by their showroom yesterday and they’ve basically removed all their new vehicles and replaced them with pre-owned Ferrari 488’s, Californias, FF’s and even the incredible GTC4Lusso I just recently test drove.

One of the biggest advantages of buying a Ferrari approved car other than getting an extra two years warranty is that the cars have to go through a 190+ point check by the dealership. Any issues that pop up during this check have to be repaired before being given the certification by Ferrari to be allowed to be sold to their customers. So you’re getting a car that’s basically new.

If you don’t have time to pass by the dealership, they have all their pre-owned cars uploaded online and you can check them out [Here]

Barakat is an old school store located in Salmiya that has been open since the early 80s. They sell supplies for knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlework, sewing, weaving, as well as hobby and crafting materials, and magazines relating to all these.

I thought they had closed down their old Salmiya location since they had opened a small shop in Al Bustan Mall, but turns out the original store is still alive and kicking.

I passed by with a friend the other night and it reminded me of when I was a kid and I would accompany my mum. When I was a kid I hated trips to Barakat since I used to get super bored, but now as an adult, I appreciate the place a lot more.

I was tempted to get something, so ended up leaving with a “My First Embroidery” kit of a cute cat. Since I’m always curious to try new things, I figured I could try embroidery for fun and this kit contained everything I needed to learn embroidery.

If you’ve never been to Barakat, you should pass by to check the place out especially if you’re looking for a new hobby to get into. They’re located on the first floor of a building near Beit Dickson Restaurant in Salmiya. Here is the building on [Google Maps]. They’re also on instagram @barakat_kuwait. If you do pass by, make sure you pick up some kunafa from Al Tibawi down the street before you leave the area.

Every year on the anniversary of the 1990 Kuwait Invasion, I like to share some links related to the war. The last two links are new this year, check them all out below:

Free Kuwait
This is a website that focuses on the campaign that was led by Kuwaitis in exile and is loaded with photos and information.

Kuwait Invasion – The Evidence
This is a website that contains over 1,200 pictures taken right after the 1990 invasion as photographic evidence to all the destruction caused by Iraq.

Short movie: Hearts of Palm
Hearts of Palm is a short movie set in August 2nd 1990 and deals with Kuwaiti students living in Miami Florida during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait.

The Class of 1990
This is a short documentary about reuniting class mates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

Homemade video from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Video clips taken by a Kuwaiti family during the Iraqi invasion

Desert Storm Photos
Photos taken by soldiers during Desert Storm.

Short Animation: Sandarah
A captivating story based on true events that took place during the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

First Account of Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait
Interviews with various Kuwaitis that were in Kuwait during the 1990 invasion.

Iraqi Invasion Pictures
Photos of the Gulf War aftermath.

Politics of Wor
A tumblr account with some not so commonly seen photos from the Gulf War. (Warning some are graphic)

Magnum Photos
A gallery of images taken during the Gulf War by some great photographers. (Warning some are graphic)

Photos in this post are by Bruno Barbey

Is there a place other than Boccini at The Avenues that serves deep dish pizzas which I’m not aware of? Please don’t say Pizza Hut.

Three years ago I posted about how I plastidipped parts of my FJ Cruiser. Plastidip is non-permanent paint which you can just peel off to revert back to the original color. I had plastidipped various parts of my car and the paint had survived pretty well except on my wheels where it started to peel off (pictured below) and look gross. I needed to get my wheels permanently painted but that meant I had to find a paint shop and then keep the car with them for a few days which I didn’t have time for.

Then, last week, I found out a friend of mine started a new business called Dr Dent. He sent me the profile over instagram and I half-jokingly told him what I was interested in was a service where they could come take my FJ wheels, get them painted and then drop them back off to me. My friend told me that was a service they actually offered and it would be done at my place without having to take the wheels away. After a bit of back and forth of me trying to confirm I had understood him correctly, I called them up and booked an appointment.

Dr Dent offer a number of services that include dent, windshield and wheel repair, as well as wheel painting. They came over in their large van which has a built-in paint shop and started work right away. They first took off the wheels from my car, prepped them by removing the old plastidip, and then cleaned them up before taking the wheels one at a time into their paint booth to get painted. I had requested ahead of time to get the wheels painted in the Toyota TRD bronze color, so they got the paint code and mixed the paint for me before coming over.

It was incredibly convenient, I just gave the guys my car keys, got into my Lotus and headed to Avenues to do some shopping while they worked on my car.

The cost of this service varies from car to car depending on the size of the wheel and if there is any damage (like deep scratches from swiping a curb) that need to be fixed but the maximum it would cost to repair or/and paint a wheel is KD50. So if you’re looking for a convenient way to get your wheels painted or repaired, you can check Dr Dent out on instagram @drdentkw

In case you’re curious about the cost of repairing a water damaged iPhone X at an authorized dealer, here is what I found out when I took mine to Digits.

– They opened my phone to find the interior still wet even though I had my phone in a bowl of rice for three days. They dried out the interior and put the phone back together, the cost of that was KD10.

– My rear cameras were still fogged up. Because the camera assembly is enclosed they can’t open it up themselves to dry it out. The solution they offered me was to replace the whole camera assembly which costs KD55. I decided not to do that.

– My front facing camera was working perfectly now (not foggy anymore) but Face ID was still disabled in the settings with no way to turn it back on. According to support if the problem didn’t resolve itself, then the only way to fix it would be to replace the internal phone board. That isn’t something Apple does instead what they do is allow you to swap your damaged phone for a brand new one. The cost of that? 230KD. For a phone that’s badly damaged, I can see that being worthwhile but not in my situation.

Anyway I took the phone home and dumped it into telephone rice again. By evening time the rear cameras were no longer fogged up but Face ID still didn’t work. I’m just gonna keep it in rice for a few more days and if Face ID still doesn’t work I’ll just use the phone without it.