Search: “cop”

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.

Kuwait City’s impressive skyline has welcomed a new skyscraper that sets a new benchmark for high-end urban living. Located in Bneid Al Gar and rising a stunning 22 stories above the city, Al Maha Tower offers a new definition of contemporary apartment living complete with breathtaking panoramic views and provides its residents with subtle but exclusive luxury.

Al Maha Tower’s strategic location near the city centers, trade zones and famous shopping centers enhances convenience and provides the perfect home next to workplace and modern lifestyle experiences.

Adding to that, Al Maha features superior amenities including a rooftop infinity pool, fully equipped gym, rooftop barbeque area, high-speed internet, 24/7 security service, landscaped gardens, and outdoor and indoor children’s play areas that enable kids to safely enjoy. These amenities offer endless possibilities for comfort, security, independent lifestyle and enhanced quality of life.

To learn more about all that Al Maha Tower has to offer, please call 5173 5543

This weekend is jam-packed with things to do to the point I think I’m going to bring back the permanent Events page again. Something interesting is happening every day this weekend so check out the list below. As usual, if I missed anything just let me know in the comments.

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Face to Face II
Exhibition: Beyond the Abyss
The Avenues Sky
Korean Street Food Festival
Perfume Expo
Latino Night with Hassan Jomah
360 Terrace Market
Comic Festival Convention
Murouj Kuwait Electric Vehicle Show

Friday
The Avenues Sky
Perfume Expo
Jusoor Run 2021
Kites Show at Shuwaikh Beach
Super Run – Car Race, Car Show and Food Trucks
360 Terrace Market
Comic Festival Convention
Murouj Kuwait Electric Vehicle Show

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Face to Face II
Exhibition: Beyond the Abyss
Grand Mosque Tour
The Avenues Sky
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
Perfume Expo
Ultimate Frisbee: Community Catch-and-Throw
Sailing: Saturday Cruising
Miseen Scene Club: Modigliani
Kasa Walks – Uncovering Shadadiya Campus
Intro to Palestinian Embroidery Workshop
360 Terrace Market
Comic Festival Convention
Murouj Kuwait Electric Vehicle Show

Last week I posted about how you can now add your driving license to the Kuwait Mobile ID app as part of Kuwait’s move to digitization. Well according to the MOI you can’t use a digital driving license!

I guess the different departments didn’t coordinate together or something because although you can use the digital form of your CiviL ID as a form of identification, if you try using the digital driving license without having the physical license with you then you’ll get fined. Hilarious. Source

Note: If you prefer a horribly written English source, click here.

Update: Last night the MOI backtracked and released a statement saying that the digital license is now considered an official document. You can check that post here.

I’ve previously posted about the PASS and Mawqif apps, two apps that offer you ticketless and cashless parking. I love using them because I love the convenience of not having to get a ticket or look for coins in my car to pay for parking. I now have two apps on my phone dedicated to parking which is kinda annoying but it might get worse because I found out another new app called PARK IN just got launched.

It must be frustrating for businesses when they come up with a good idea only to see copycats pop up seemingly overnight. Competition is usually good but in this case, it’s going to go from being a convenient thing having a parking app, to an annoyance if users will have to install different apps for different lots and manage wallets across them all.

PARK IN just launched so they don’t have a lot of parking lots they work with, only two right now, Souk Al Wataniya in Kuwait City and International Hospital in Salmiya. If you want to download this app as well then click here.

This was a surprisingly very interesting and well-put-together short video on showjumping in Kuwait. Lots of interesting tidbits on the history of the sport in Kuwait including info on how it all started. I also had no idea that in 1982 three girls from Kuwait won first, second, AND third place at the Asian Games showjumping competition. That’s pretty wild, and what a year it must have been for sports in Kuwait with the football team also taking part at the World Cup just a few months earlier.

The film is just 7 minutes long so definitely check it out. YouTube

A couple of days ago the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) updated the Kuwait Mobile ID app with the option to add a digital copy of your driving license. The instruction to do it are only in Arabic so here is a quick how-to:

1) I’m assuming you already have the app and are registered. You need to make sure you have the latest version of the app since the previous versions didn’t have this new feature. The new version was updated 2 days ago and is version 1.9.0.

2) Once logged into the app click on credentials. If your verification level is “Medium” you will now be presented with the option to scan your face similar to how you set up Face ID on the iPhone.

3) Once you are done with the verification process you will then have the option to add your driving license. I have two, a motorcycle license as well as a driving one so I have both showing in the app now.

The reason you want to add your driving license to Kuwait Mobile ID is that in case you forgot or lost your driving license, this digital version will now be accepted by the police.

On a side note, why is the new Sahel app only in Arabic???

Galaxy Juice: A new music video by one of my favorite local bands, Sahran (Rave Arabia) is from their latest album “and the forty thieves“. The music video was made by Salvador Cresta from Argentine who has previously worked with the well-known indie artist Ariel Pink.

If you want to listen to their full album, it’s available to stream on: Spotify, Anghami and Apple Music.

You can also follow Galaxy Juice on Instagram @galaxyjuiceband

Boom.Diwan: An ensemble of traditional Kuwaiti musicians who combine Kuwaiti bahri (sea) music with global jazz, Boom.Diwan’s latest EP ‘Minarets’ was conceived across three countries; UAE, Kuwait and South Africa. The band collaborated with pianist Nduduzo Makhathini for these tracks, the first-ever South African musician signed to the legendary Blue Note Records. You can check out the EP below or on Spotify, Sound Cloud, Apple Music or Anghami.

You can also follow Boom.Diwan on Instagram @boom.diwan

Situated at a scenic and strategic location near the Arabian Gulf coast, Al Nada Tower now introduces a new concept to contemporary living by combining modern lifestyle experiences with design, luxury and comfort.

This premium residential building located in Dasman offers everything that makes up the perfect home. Its elegantly designed apartment units housed over 25 floors offer breathtaking views of the city and sea, and is located in close proximity to Kuwait City, the financial district, and numerous shopping centers.

Al Nada Tower provides a range of amenities and facilities designed for your utmost comfort and convenience, including:

• Rooftop infinity pool
• Large lap pool on the ground floor
• Fully equipped gym
• Outdoor and indoor kids play area
• Barbeque area
• Security personnel, CCTV, and entry/exit access controls
• Underground car parking
• Large built-in closets/wardrobes and cabinets
• Appliances provided for all flats
• Flexibility in renting furnished or unfurnished flats

To learn more about what Al Nada Tower offers, please call 90030901 or visit our Instagram @alnadatower

The 1976 movie “The Message” is one of the classics currently playing at Cinescape’s 1954 movie theater. What not a lot of people know is that the star of the film, Anthony Quinn came to Kuwait back then because of the movie. Kuwait, Libya and Morocco had originally promised to support the making of the film financially, but when it was rejected by the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait still kept its financial support which is why I think the press conference was held here.

Above is a short clip from the conference which starts with Anthony Quinn and then is followed by the director Moustapha Akkad. If someone knows where I can find the full video, let me know.

Sitting two seats down to the left of Anthony Quinn is also Farouq Abdul-Aziz, the creator and host of the Kuwait Television cultural show “Cine Club” which aired from 1977 to 1992. According to a recent interview I found with Farouq, turns out he was later hired to document the making of Anthony Quinn’s movie “Lion of the Desert“. You can watch a short clip from that interview above.

And completely random but related, I just found out while researching the info above that Farouq was also responsible for the Kuwait scenes in Ron Fricke’s award-winning movie documentary “Baraka”. He had researched and produced those scenes which you can view above. If you haven’t watched “Baraka” or the follow up film “Samsara“, then you’re missing out.

You’ve probably seen the ads on the roads for Drops, they’re a grocery store app where you order your items from and they’d deliver them to you. There are a bunch of other grocery store delivery apps but I was attracted to Drops for the simplicity which is why I’ve been using them.

I generally used to love grocery shopping in person but that was mostly when Sultan Center Shaab was open. The place was never too busy and it was always a good calming experience shopping there. Once that location shut down I never really got used to shopping at another supermarket and covid after that just made things worse. I live next to Lulu in Salmiya but that place is so overcrowded and tight, it’s never a chill experience shopping there. The old Sultan Center in Salmiya on the other hand looks great with their new redesigned interior but somehow managed to make the checkout process an even worse experience than before. I’ve stopped shopping there completely because of the checkout layout which is chaotic, squeezed and so old-fashioned. They really should have installed some self-checkout counters at least, it’s 2021! Or at least, at the very least set up a single queue multiple counters layout.

When vacationing in Europe a couple of weeks back I barely dealt with any cashiers, most places I shopped in were self-checkout and a lot of places now had RFID baskets where you just place your items next to the checkout screen and the machine prices everything in it. Super convenient.

Anyway back to Drops. I’ve used them a few times and I like them. Unlike some other apps, with Drops you don’t pick a supermarket and then shop for items. Instead, you treat Drops as a large supermarket and not just a delivery platform. You can shop either by category, brand, or just search for the specific items directly and add it to your cart. You can also create various “wishlists” of items you usually order to make it easier to add the next time. I’ve used them a bunch of times and the items generally arrive within 2 hours. The first time it took longer than 2 hours and they credited my account back with the delivery charge. All the items arrive in Drops branded boxes or bags and the delivery guy has a small trolly so you can order boxes of water for example and not feel guilty about the delivery guy having to carry them.

The worst thing about Drops though is their tracking system is shit. All my orders that were already delivered still showing as “Being Prepared”. When the item goes out for delivery you can’t tell nor can you track the driver even though these features are built into the app, they just never progress past the “Being Prepared” stage.

The prices of the items on Drops are similar to what I pay when I go to the supermarket myself. The only difference is I now pay 1KD to have them deliver the items which really isn’t that bad considering how much time they save me as well as having them deliver the heavy boxes of water instead of me having to carry them up from my car in multiple trips.

If you want to try them out they’re on instagram @dropskuwait and you can download the app from the Apple and Android app stores.

It’s been a while since a movie has been banned in Kuwait but according to Al Jarida newspaper, the Marvel Studios’ film ‘Eternals’ has been banned in Kuwait. The newspaper didn’t give any reason for the ban but it’s most likely because of the character ‘Phastos‘ who is the first openly gay hero.

I really wasn’t interested in watching the film but after hearing of the ban I watched the trailer for it and now kinda want to watch it. I guess I’ll have to stream it when it eventually comes out on Disney+.

Last week the pioneer Kuwaiti filmmaker Khalid Al Siddiq passed away at the age of 76. Khalid was behind the first feature film to be made in Kuwait (and the GCC) which was released in 1972 called “The Cruel Sea” (Bas ya Bahar).

The film caught the attention of the international film community after it was released including film critic Roger Ebert who wrote the article below (source):

Promising first from Kuwait
By Roger Ebert

In term of film production, the Middle East remains a largely undiscovered territory. There are a handful of nations with healthy movie industries – Israel, Iran and Egypt come to mind – but their product has been mostly for home consumption. That’s started to change in the last few years and Wednesday’s session of the Chicago International Film Festival presents excellent new films from Kuwait and Iran.

“THE CRUEL SEA” (8:45 p.m. Wednesday) takes place before the discovery of oil in Kuwait; the people are desperately poor and scrape by with subsistence farming and fishing. And of course, there is always the long shot: The possibility that an oyster-diver will discover a pearl.

The movie is the first feature, not only for its maker but for its country. Director Khaled el Seddik, who did graduate study at the University of Southern California, returned home to make Kuwait’s first feature. He has resisted any temptations to make a flashy or trendy film, and is true to the rhythm and values of Kuwait’s peasant life of many years ago. And so the picture has a strange emotional undertow; the characters behave toward each other in conservative, almost ritualistic ways, yet their emotions come across all the more strongly.

The story involves a young man (Mohamad Monsour) who is shamed by his family’s poverty and by his inability to impress the family of the girl he loves. He vows to become a pearl diver, to return to the sea that crippled and half-blinded his father. The director gives us measured and perceptive portraits of the dignity with which the men face the sea, and his conclusion is not simply tragic but very bitter.

The film won the FIPRESCI award at the 1972 Venice Film Festival and since then has been playing in film festivals around the world (source). If you haven’t watched the movie, it’s available with English subtitles on YouTube and I’ve embedded it into the post above.

The Kuwait Motor Town race track is open again for the public and they’ve started off the season with a ton of events. I think they’re playing catchup to all the events we missed last year because they managed to fit a season’s worth of activities into a single month. There are also some other things happening this weekend so check out the full list below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Maker’s Movement
Treasure Hunt – Searching for treasure in the museums
KMT Drag Open Day
KMT Car Open Track Day
Sunset Paddling (Kayaks & SUPS)

Friday
Exhibition: Maker’s Movement
TRI-IT KIDS SERIES: Aquathlon
Treasure Hunt – Searching for treasure in the museums
Friday Sunset Sailing
KMT Motocross Open Track Day
KMT Motorcycle Open Track Day
KMT Drag Open Day – Test and Tune
KMT Car Open Track Day

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Maker’s Movement
Treasure Hunt – Searching for treasure in the museums
Saturday Sailing
Miseen Scene Club: 99 Homes
KMT Motocross Open Track Day
KMT Race Car Open Track Day
KMT Drag Open Day – Test and Tune
KMT Car Open Track Day

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