Search: “kuwait”

Choowy Goowy cookies are now available at the NUMI Cafe infront of Dasman Complex in Kuwait City.

The other day I posted about bluetooth advertising and how if you are shopping in Sultan Center you can now receive ads on your phone. I like many of you had some concerns regarding this service and how easily it can turn into spam. Well someone from the company responsible for this bluetooth advertising commented the following:

Hi, I’ve been following your conversations regarding bluetooth. My company is actually implementing these bluetooth services in Kuwait and I’m always interested to hear what people have to say about it. I agree with everyone that spam is a major problem which is why when we put our network together we were sure to set non-spam parameters. If you reject the message once, you shouldn’t receive another request for at least a week. Also, no matter which location you go into, you shouldn’t receive more than 3 messages in a week. If this is not the case in any particular location it’s probably because we are doing testing and optimization. Within the next few months we hope to bring a number of services that you would actually find useful, so bear with us. I think you’ll be impressed.

I think the fact that its limited to 3 messages a week per person is a good thing. But the big problem is that I don’t think its possible for us to opt out of this service. This means anyone with a bluetooth phone is forced to receive 3 adverts a week. Sucks.

Update: Nibaq pointed out something very important regarding this bluetooth service. Read below:

Very interesting. So it registers your MAC address of your phone. Even though you aren’t accepting messages when the machine does a search it will regonize your phone and store it.

Spread these machines around town not sending anything but just registering phones and what do you have? A wonder tracking device.

Sultan can see how many times you visit the store in a month, and which stores. You can even track how long a customer is at the store.

Just another reason to have my bluetooh on Non Discoverable mode or simply off.

Kuwaits rank increased this year from 141st to 134th place. Zurich scored the highest for quality of living while Baghdad ranked the lowest. Lebanon is in 155th place, Saudi Arabia 162, Dubai 85, and Bahrain 125. For the full list and more details click the [Link]

Yesterday I went to the first dog show ever held in Kuwait which was organized by PAWS. The event took place in the British Embassy gardens from 2 to 6PM and it was open to everyone even if you didn’t have a dog just as long as you signed up ahead of time and paid the KD2 entrance fee. The weather was perfect a lot of sun and a little cold breeze.

The British embassy is really nice and their garden is huge. There were a lot of stands selling stuff from used books and dvds to sandwiches and and soft drinks. It was Geo’s first time out to a public place since the me stepping on his leg incident over a month ago so he was very excited to be out surrounded by other dogs and children. I have to say Geo must have been the most playful and friendliest dog there. Their were other friendly dogs at the event but all of them at one point or another got upset by another dog or person and tried to attack/bite or bark back. Geo on the other hand never got upset with anyone.. even the dogs who tried to bite him.

There were easily around 40 to 50 dogs at the event yesterday if not more. You had a lot of good-looking dogs like my favorite which was a Sheepdog and you also had some previously rescued dogs that were mostly mutts. Speaking of rescued dogs, there were a couple of puppies during the event that were wearing “Adopt Me” bandanas, they were puppies and dogs that didn’t have homes and could be adopted by anyone interested in them. Geo had a lot of fun playing with two of them, actually as usual, Geo runs and jumps up and down by himself thinking he is playing with the dogs but they actually just sit there and watch him.

The events were fun to watch, Geo of course as I mentioned yesterday came in second place in the Best Puppy category, the puppy that came first was a German Shepherd and Husky mix and looked really cute. Maybe if Geo was 2 months younger he would have had a better chance at getting first place but yesterday he looked oversized compared to the other puppies. I didn’t get a decent picture of the puppy that came in first but I was checking the PAWS website and I found the puppies picture there, his name is Bear and he in the one on the right [Picture].

The US ARMY K9 unit was there and performed a fun show for everyone. I will talk about that in more detail once I post the video of their show maybe later on today or tomorrow. Anyway overall it was a really fun event and I would for sure participate again next year. I got to meet two Kuwait bloggers at the event, Stallion and iDip, they turned out to be a lot different then I expected them to be.. in a good way of course. I also met 3 readers of the blog, which is always a nice experience. I had a lot of fun and it was really exhausting for everyone but definitely a lot of fun. Check out the pictures from the event. [Pictures]

If you are interested in adopting a dog then check out the PAWS website, they have pictures and information on all the dogs they have available. [Link]

I managed to get more information on the Mardi Gras event that will be held at the US embassy. To keep it short, its invite only.

The US Embassy will be having a Mari Gras event on April 18th at the US Embassy starting at 6PM. I will try to get more information on this event but I am guessing there will be a lot of beer available and I am hoping a lot of girls flashing, but most probably no topless girls just beer.

I was just reading Zaydoun’s post on how he has been blogging for three years and it really brought back some good memories. You see, before it was just Zaydoun’s “Kuwait Unplugged” blog and qHate which was made up of me, Rampurple and Nibaq. qHate originally was Nibaqs idea and it started off as a blog about life in Kuwait but when the US decided to invade Iraq, qHate quickly turned into a war blog. We were posting on things that were going on in Kuwait like the sirens, the panics and the gas masks we even got the chance to stalk meet Wolf Blitzer and John Vause. It was a lot of interesting little things that showed people how everyone in Kuwait was living during this uncertain time. Checking my first post (2-2-03) now though I realized it was actually related to the war.. so now I am wondering if war blogging was part of the original plan… It was cool how me, Rampurple and Nibaq used to blog together in one blog and now we all have our own separate blogs. I keep telling Nibaq we were like a rock band that split up and all the members went solo.

In the end the site ended after we hit our peak, the war was over, there was barely anything to post about and only Rampurple was left posting and she finally also said goodbye. Maybe one day we will all be back together again, like a reunion..

Just got the dog show forms and they are scanned and attached to this post. Here are the details of the event again.

Event: First Dog Show in Kuwait
Date and Time: Friday April 7th, 2-6PM
Location: British Embassy Gardens
“Join us for a great day out with bric-a-brac stalls, face-painting, fun competitions & great raffle prizes!”

Admission Form Front
Admission Form Back

Note: You don’t need a dog to join in the fun!

We will be entering Geo in the “Most Adorable Dog” and “Best Puppy” categories.

I just used Alexaholic to graph and compare traffic with my site and other Kuwait bloggers and I found the results interesting. It seems most of the time our traffic dips and peaks together. The Kuwaiti blogging community in a way is connected together which makes sense if you think about it. We all for example got more traffic when the Amir passed away since everyone abroad wanted to find out what was happening in Kuwait. We probably also got a dip in traffic during the vacation when many Kuwaiti students studying in the US came back to Kuwait and stopped checking the blogs. You can check out the chart and see what I am talking about by clicking the link below. You could also plug in your own blogs and check and compare. [Link]

I found some cool info in Kuwait Explorer I didn’t know about, here are some interesting stuff I found:

– Single round of golf at Ahmadi course is KD5, annual membership is KD175
– Horse riding lessons at equestrian club costs KD3 per half hour
– Kuwait Darts & Social Leage [Link]
– If I had time I would do some Kung Fu [Link]

So far I really am liking the book Kuwait Explorer.

Many of you might not know this but the Commercial Bank of Kuwait logo was designed by one of the best design agencies in the world, Pentagram back in 1979. Not only that but the designer who worked on the Commercial Bank identity, Alan Fletcher, is also among the most influential figures in British graphic design history. I decided to share with you what Alan Fletcher said about the Commerical Bank project back in the 1980’s and also the idea behind the logo itself.

The text below was written by Alan Fletcher

Designing in the Middle East requires certain cultural adjustments to one’s normal working pattern and lifestyle. The Gulf States are seven hours’ flying time from London with a time difference of three hours. Travel by Arabic airlines is like arriving in the Gulf before you’ve left. It’s a dry journey – no alcohol. At midday, Muslim passengers are likely to say prayers prostrated in the aisle; one wonders about the flight deck! Normal working hours are 8.00 am to 1.00 pm, and even then a government survey indicated that the oil-rich Kuwaiti only works an average of ten minutes each day. Friday is a holiday but they work Saturday instead. Appointments, are not necessarily appointments, and frequently involve hours (if not days) of waiting.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait had catered only for institutions and businesses within the Gulf States until it decided to expand into international markets and enter retail banking. The new policy created the need for an appropriate visual identity. Since the bank had neither the experience nor resources, it appointed Tony Vines, via Ogilvy and Mather, New York, to set up a marketing department and create a new identity within eighteen months. Vines flew to London in 1979, interviewed various advertising agencies and designers, and on reaching a rapport with Pentagram commissioned us to work on the program. His fast response to locating a design resource set the pace for the hectic schedule that followed.

In architecture the term ‘fast tracking’ describes the method of designing whereby the architect keeps one jump ahead of the builder. In this case the severe deadlines and cultural differences made it more of a jump in the dark. The brief stipulated that the corporate identity and design style should be Arabic in flavor, but be understood internationally. The symbol, in particular, was required to mean something to both an Arab and a Westerner. Designing within these constraints reduced the normal available options. The two different scripts precluded using the alphabet to form a logotype such as Unisys, or initials such as IBM. An abstract mark would take too long to establish. A pictorial device might have encouraged the client to insist on a heraldic solution such as a scimitar crossed with palms. However the design of the symbol proved to be the least of the problems. Designing from right to left, in a script and language one didn’t understand, and within an unfamiliar culture, required keeping one’s head fast on its feet.

The new Commercial Bank symbol is an amalgamation of calligraphy and image. the words commercial and bank are rendered in kufic, a geometric script, to make a decorative star, recognizable by anyone as a distinctive pattern and, additionally, readable to an Arab. The dual language identity has English type in Paul Renner’s Futura with a compatible Arabic script especially drawn by Ahmed Mustafa.

This is from the article in Kuwait Times about the Al-Rifai crash:

A Kuwaiti woman crashed into shop in Salmiya with her four-wheel-drive vehicle. The woman put her vehicle on in drive instead of reverse and then accelerated quickly. Her vehicle crashed into the shop and broke the glass door causing KD5,000 worth of damage. [source]

Ok so it turns out the woman WAS Kuwaiti but the biggest surprise here is the KD5,000 in damage. According to this picture, looks like the only thing that might have been damaged was the computer at the register, how did they get 5,000 worth of damage?

Thanks Q8techdrive

Susan, a regular reader of the blog just passed by and gave me a copy of the newly released Kuwait Explorer “The Complete Residents Guide”. I have been skimming through the book and at first glance it looks really clean and very nicely organized. I am going to spend the next few days reading it and then give my review on it but so far it looks like it going to kick Kuwait Pocket Guide’s ass. You should be able to find the book at Virgin and the Kuwait BookShop in Muthana Complex. Here is link to the book on Amazon UK. [Link]

Susan, a regular reader of the site recently went on a sky tour of Kuwait and this is what she had to say about it:

A recent start-up called Kuwait Sky Tours is now operating in Kuwait and taking passengers on 15-minute helicopter rides at a cost of KD25 each. The 15-minute flight takes off from the helipad behind the Sultan Centre restaurant on the Gulf Road, travels up to Green Island and then back down to the Amir’s Palace in Salwa, before returning to land. It is a great way too see Kuwait from a different perspective. The helicopter is a MD 500-E and seats 3 adults. There is space for a child or a very skinny person between the pilot and front passenger. If you want to go, give Steve a call on 705 6666. They also fly from Khiran and Failaka on occasion. Cameras are allowed.

You can also go on a larger helicopter, for an hour-long flight for the princely sum of USD1,500. Or, try the executive jet, which is ready to fly you and 13 of your friends to any destination in the world! Don’t know that price; I was too afraid to ask!

P.S. Don’t talk into the headset during the flight. The pilot told me off!

Here are Susan’s pictures from her trip:
The Helicopter
Looking North West
Marina Mall and Marina Hotel
The Scientific Center
View of Salmiya
The Gulf Road and Kuwait Towers
House in Salwa
Radisson SAS

My mum was a flight attendant on Kuwait Airways during the 70’s and she always talks about how great the experience was and how she got to travel to so many places and meet a lot of new people. Two months ago while I was in Lebanon I found a stash of old photos she had taken during that time and I found the pictures really interesting since I love photos from the 70’s and 80’s that deal with Kuwait.

[Click here to view the pictures]

Note: The last two pictures were taken on board the Amir’s plane (Amir Sabah al-Salim Al Sabah) which she served on the last period of her career.

Note 2: If anyone has a bunch of “colored” photos dealing with Kuwait which were taken during the 70’s and 80’s send me them and I will post them online.

Note 3: The uniforms were designed by Dior.