I know why they implemented a curfew for us, I think it’s great that they did, but it’s still gonna suck. For someone who is usually constantly out and about, since the public holiday started I’ve spent 99% of my time at home working during my work hours and then playing videogames and watching TV for the rest of the day.
But, whenever I felt like I needed to reset, I’d hop in my car and just go for a long drive. Now I won’t have that freedom anymore. It sounds like something small, but it was my way of coping with the whole thing and it helped me not feel like I was stuck at home.
Like with everyone (I’m assuming), it’s been pretty difficult having to adjust to this new lifestyle. My eating habits have changed, I no longer exercise, I don’t see people and now I’ve got three more weeks of this left at least. I’m gonna end up like Tom Hanks in Castaway at this pace.
How is everyone else coping with all this? Are some of you still going in to work or is everyone now working from home?
I was talking to my friends in Dubai on Thursday letting them know what was going on in Kuwait and to my surprise, life was still normal over there. People were still going to work, going out drinking and partying, going to the gym as if there wasn’t a global pandemic.
It made me realize how on top of things Kuwait is right now. We were one of the first countries to shut down schools, we were given a public holiday not because we have an emergency but because they were being proactive in avoiding an emergency. Over the weekend cops were blocking off access to the beach so people don’t end up hanging out there and last night they announced the closure of malls and hair salons.
Things aren’t perfect for sure, but I can’t think of any other country I’d rather be in right now during this pandemic.
So, as with my films of the decade, here are according to my not so humble opinion, the best shows of the decade. Since I can only limit it to 20, it’s likely that a lot of your favorites aren’t on here. It’s also important to note that I am nowhere near as well versed in TV as I am in cinema, so maybe I’m not even the right guy for the job. Finally, some of these are still running, and they’ve been amazing so far, but if they ruin themselves near the end (ahem GOT ahem) I might have to publish a retraction. Oh, and before you throw a fit, I haven’t watched Bojack Horseman or Mr. Robot, so they’re not on here due to ignorance note preference. So without further ado, here they are:
10) Girls
There may be certain shows that are more deserving of this slot than Girls, but in writing this article I wanted to keep in mind the shows that weren’t just great but also defined the decade for me, Girls introduced us to the kind of female led storytelling that brought us a new voice in the form of Lena Dunham (let’s keep her annoying public persona out of this), the creator and star of this little gem. Filled with moments both hilarious and heartbreaking, the show wasn’t afraid to explore some darker edges of relationships, and most importantly gave us unpolished insights into the lives of millennial women, warts and all. Ad to that the bragging rights of discovering and launching Adam Driver’s career, and ending the show with some of the most emotionally satisfying final episodes, and you got yourself a winner. Let’s just hope this isn’t a fluke in Dunham’s career, and just the first of many greats.
9) Ramy
With just one season under its belt, Ramy already made its way into TV pantheon status for me. It’s smartly written, wonderfully performed, and most importantly it introduced the world into the life of a modern Muslim trying to make it in a western world without whitewashing or hiding any of our cultural quirks and flaws. The show depicted its characters as real humans, full of all the complexities that came with it, while hilariously pointing out all the extremities we deal with in our families (conspiracy theories, male chauvinism, hypocritical religiousness,etc). The first season of Ramy was an almost perfect 10 episodes of comedy drama and character building, and I can’t wait for season 2.
8) Game of Thrones
A few years back, and this might have landed in the top three. It’s first 4 seasons were utter perfection, and after a slight drop in season 5, it started to gather itself up for an excellent if flawed season 6. Seasons 7 and 8, however were a different story and are the sole reason this show was pushed down so low. Looking back, however, no show defined the decade and collective experience of an international audience as much as Game of Thrones. Marked with the impossible task of creating an adult fantasy genre, risking alienating most of the audience, it ended up being the most successful show in HBO’s amazing history. This all comes down to excellent source material, incredibly deft casting, unprecedented set design and VFX for a show, and creating year after year of heart stopping memorable moments from Ned on the chopping block, the Red Wedding, the Red Viper, and of course The Battle of the Bastards.
Last week Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre organized a private music performance in Vienna called “The Sounds of Kuwait”. I saw bits and pieces of the performance on instagram but a friend just sent me the 10-minute long video above.
If I get my hands on a better quality video I’ll update this post with it, but for now this should do.
It’s starting to look like one of those abandoned Soviet parks. On the bright side, they’re building a new Entertainment City soon in its place although as a nostalgic person I just wish they keep the park as is and just refurbish it.
While preparing my obligatory year-end list for the best films of 2019, I figured it only relevant to reflect on the past decade as we entered 2020. In doing so, I decided to do a little extra work this year and give you guys a few lists leading up to my “best of 2019” , starting with the 15 best films of the decade 2010-2019. Before jumping in, let’s just state the obvious and say that this is an impossible task as every year brings us tons of great films, so take ten years and select this handful was way more stressful than I imagined:
10) Inception
Every decade or so comes a film that catches the audience off guard and breaks what they think is possible with cinema. In the 90’s, it was watching Trinity escape the agents in the opening of The Matrix that made us all realize we were in for something we’ve never seen before (and the rest of the film just got more incredible). In the 00’s, it was watching Sméagol have a conversation with his alter ego Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. And now in the 10’s, it’s watching a zero-G fight happening in a rotating hallway in Christopher Nolan’s Inception that defined the shift in cinema. From the bombastic trailer (which launched a genre of horn blasting Bwaaam trailer soundtracks), to the incredibly complex plot, the vast visuals, and the notional core in the film, Inception became one of the most unforgettable movie-going experiences for all who watched it. Some can argue there are better films that deserve this slot, but none were as effective or influential as this.
9) Amour
Moving on from the gigantic Inception, my number 9 is the tiny and intimate masterpiece from Austrian auteur Michael Hanneke, Amour. A heartbreaking and harrowing tale of love under the worst circumstances, Amour was one of the few foreign films of the decade that crossed over to the mainstream due to nothing more than its cinematic perfection. Equally shocking and moving, it’s a landmark in foreign cinema and the best film in a filmmakers impressive career.
8) Moonlight
Another small film, made famous for being the actual Oscar winner in 2018 although La La Land had been mentioned by mistake first, Moonlight bring the introduction of an entirely new voice to cinema, Barry Jenkins, The film is beautiful, touching, cool, stylish and different than most other films out there, the cinematography is gorgeous, but it’s the raw and real emotions on display that elevate this film and makes it one of the very few Best Picture winners that actually deserved it.
I knew we had at least one automated parking facility in Kuwait (at The Palms) but I didn’t know we also had the largest one in the world. The parking lot of Al-Jahra Court Complex is fully automated and provides 2,314 parking spaces.
The automated parking facility provides 3 times as many car parking spaces as it would in a regular car park of the same volume – and only takes around 177 seconds for car retrieval (source). If you want to see how it works watch the short video on top. Pretty random tidbit for you guys today.
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:
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
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.
I got the email below from a reader who used to live in Kuwait back in the 50s. Not sure how I never came across the video above myself!
Ahmadi In the 50s
I moved out there in 49 and went to the Anglo American school as did my sister Vivienne, In 54 I was sent to school in England and returned every summer to Kuwait on the lollypop Special flights. Most of the Holiday was spent at the Hubara Club around the pool and I remember going to the outdoor cinema with just a chair on the sand.
My last visit was in 1966 with a friend from the uk and I took some movie pictures of my time out there, this has been on Utube for some time under the title “Holiday in Kuwait 1966” which some of you may find interesting enjoy
Local band Galaxy Juice have a new single out called “Dancing Night” which I currently have on repeat. Its their first single from their upcoming album “Galaxy Juice and the Forty Thieves” which will have more Arabic and Khaliji influenced beats and rhythms compared to their previous releases. They’re calling this genre Khalijiwave, check out the new track above or on SoundCloud.
CAPSULE, the “Virtual Experience Center” have taken it upon themselves to recreate the Kuwait Motor Town race track virtually. The track is extremely accurate to the point they might have replicated the same tire skid marks that are actually on the track.
So if you’ve been wanting to experience the race track but haven’t been able to then this is a pretty good alternative since the simulation is fairly realistic.
If you’ve never heard of CAPSULE or been to it then you should check out my previous about it here. A virtual experience center is an arcade that allows you to experience virtual reality games. They’re located near Avenues and you can check them out on instagram @capsulevec
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.
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.
The 2020 Asian Men’s Handball Championship is taking place in Kuwait right now at the newly opened Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sport Hall Complex. If it wasn’t for an email from one of my readers I wouldn’t have known this stadium existed or that the handball championship was taking place in Kuwait.
You’d think with an event this big there would at least be outdoor ads, sponsored Instagram posts or anything really. In the video above the stadium is basically empty.
I haven’t had the chance to pass by and check it out but I’ve been told tickets are free and it’s first come first serve.
