Search: “kuwait”

The winners of the 2011 Emporis Skyscraper Award was recently announced and Kuwait’s Hamra Tower came in second place. The Emporis Skyscraper Award is a renowned architecture prize for new skyscrapers and the winners were chosen from over 220 skyscrapers completed in 2011. The tower that came in first place was the 8 Spruce Street which looks pretty impressive as well. [Link]

I’m probably one of the few people left in Kuwait who hadn’t been to Oriental Cuisine before. I had heard about the place but never really felt like going until a couple of days ago. For those of you who don’t know, Oriental Cuisine is a Thai restaurant located in Kuwait City. It’s not a new place but it started off as a small and awhile back expanded into a larger restaurant.

I went with a friend and we ordered a whole bunch of things including:

Chicken Satay KD1.750
Khanom Pang Na Moo (Shrimps on toast) KD2.750
Tom Yum Soup (prawns) KD2.750
Kaeng Khiao Wan (chicken green curry) KD1.750
Honey and garlic chicken KD1.750
Pad Thai (chicken) KD2.000
Plain rice KD0.300

People told me everything on the menu is good and from my one time experience there it seems that could be possible. All our dishes were at the very least good but most were great. My least favorite was probably the chicken satay since there wasn’t much flavor there but on the other hand my favorite dishes were probably the honey and garlic chicken along with the shrimps on toast which I couldn’t have enough of.

Their prices are pretty affordable and they weren’t stingy with the food quantity. My only complaint about the place would be the fact that their service wasn’t that great. When I arrived no one greeted me and I had to wait at least 5 minutes for anyone to give me any sort of attention. Other than that minor quibble it’s a pretty cool place. If you’re interested, they’re open all week except on Mondays and their phone number is 22470400. Here is their location on [Google Maps]

A 48-year-old passenger who owns a reptile shop in Kuwait smuggled a cobra onboard an Egypt Air flight to Kuwait from Egypt. Right after takeoff the snake bit the guy and then escaped slithering under the passenger seats. That’s pretty freaky. CNN has the full story [Here]

Thanks Naveen

I went to have dinner tonight at the Singarea Korean Restaurant and to my surprise I found it closed (even though it wasn’t a Tuesday). So I asked the Korean supermarket downstairs what happened and she told me they shutdown. There was a language barrier so I couldn’t understand why but I’m really upset. It’s such a unique place and it’s sad to see it go.

Manchester United are going to be holding their #IAMUNITED fans party in Kuwait on December 9th. The party will feature a live broadcast of the biggest game of the season between Manchester United and Manchester City.

Alghanim Automotive is giving away 10 tickets to five winners to attend the #IAMUNITED fan party. The five winners will be able to bring a friend along to watch the Manchester derby match at the Scientific Center with the presence of legendary goalkeeper and club ambassador Peter Schmeichel.

If you’re interested in winning tickets all you need to do is leave a comment below.

Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond another winner will be randomly chosen.

Update: The comments have now been closed.

Update2: The five winners according to Random.org are comments #79, #94, #7, #59 and #17. I drew one more as backup in case one of the first five don’t respond and that number is #89.

This story begins with an honest truth: A summer survey of Kuwait’s public access desert would reveal a landscape comprised primarily of farm animals, garbage, and earth (sand, dirt, and dust). A careful eye would notice some plants, but very few, very small, and nearly dead. I’m talking about those areas outside of the city, where urban civilization ends and nature begins. The obvious reason for the lack of plant life is that we live in a desert. We get very little precipitation. Plants need water. Sand is the natural substrate of the desert. These factors combined equal a quasi-moonscape, right? If you’ve made these conclusions, you are, I’m happy to say, mistaken, and it is my goal in writing this to amaze you with the beauty of Kuwait and encourage everyone to do better for the sake of our natural heritage.

The images of giant drifting sand dunes and storms that swallow up entire houses that so many of us associate with the word desert simply do not represent Kuwait. Our ecosystem is harsh: it’s hot, it’s dry, it’s wind-swept, it’s dusty, but most importantly, it is positively teeming with life. Actually, it SHOULD be positively teeming with life, but for the most part, it isn’t. It would be teeming with life if nature were allowed to take its course. Instead, we see the results of decades of under regulated grazing, off-road driving, and winter camping. It seems grim, I know. I’m here to tell you there is hope. More than that: there is life out there, just waiting for a safe place to live.

Enter the Abdaliya Nature Project.

The Abdaliya Nature Project was conceived in late 2010 by Kuwait Oil Company employees with a particular interest in seeing the restoration of Kuwait’s desert. These employees, acknowledging their role to utilize petroleum resources while protecting Kuwait’s natural environment, took the initiative to preserve an area of desert approximately 1.5 million square meters in size. Prior to reutilization as a nature project, this area was in the public domain and was being used for winter camping. Winter camping in Kuwait, while originally nothing more than a traditional way to enjoy the cool winter months has become so invasive and destructive that the desert ecosystem cannot compete with the concrete, garbage, tires, and other pollution dumped annually upon the spring abandonment of the campsites.

The project began with months of clearing garbage and debris left behind by more than a decade of camping. The most common forms of waste removed included water tanks, concrete blocks, concrete septic tanks, car tires, food and beverage containers, and materials used for shade. With a clean slate to work with, the next steps included constructing access roads and water pipelines followed by the planting of nearly 40,000 seedlings and saplings. Why not simply let the plants return on their own? The answer is diversity. While the “if you build it they will come” model is less costly and much more simple, the result is an imbalance of species. Much like a farmer’s field left empty and consumed by weeds, bare desert in Kuwait will result in a few species taking over the entire ecosystem, thus absorbing nutrients and precipitation and excluding other plants. From the very beginning Abdaliya was planted with a diverse group of native species.

Replanting commenced in early 2011. In less than a year, the Abdaliya Nature Project transformed a barren and utterly destroyed wasteland patch of desert into a unique and incredibly beneficial oasis of flora and fauna. During this period, K’S PATH has proudly been working with KOC on this project doing clean up, wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching, feral dog management, and more. Even in this relatively short period, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of birds, lizards, snakes, rodents, and insects in the project, none of whom were introduced. Our goal for the next two years is to introduce fox and hedgehogs to the area as we continue to strive toward a natural, balanced, and well-managed ecosystem. KOC is also planning to build an education center at the site so that we can begin to spread this message of diversity and protection for Kuwait’s future. The fact is that it will take all of us working together to protect Kuwait’s natural heritage for future generations.

If you participate in winter camping or drive off-road, please consider the implication of your actions. Properly dispose of your waste, remove everything you bring into the desert, and stick to established driving tracks.

For more pictures click [Here]

Post by John Peaveler
Managing Director
Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat (K’S PATH)

This is a remix to “Niggas In Paris” by Jay-Z & Kanye West made by Kuwait’s Army of One. I think its good. [YouTube]

Thanks Faisal

Me and a friend went through all the questions submitted in the giveaway held a couple of days ago on the blog and managed to choose 4 really good questions which we will be asking Kim this week when we interview her. I will be contacting the winners soon but this means there is still 1 more ticket I need giveaway.

So, if you want to meet Kim Kardashian and get photos taken with her at the Millions of Milkshakes grand opening this coming Thursday, all you need to do is leave a comment below with your favorite milkshake flavor and using random.org I will randomly choose a winner.

Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours another winner will be randomly chosen.

Update: I’ve closed commenting

Update2: The number that won is comment #204 which is Dima DaveyWalker. Someone will contact you soon.

Update3: A reader made me realize I made a mistake with the counting. I was counting from inside wordpress which turns out displays the comments from new to old while on the blog its old to new. So the actual winner is DaveyWalker.

As I mentioned a couple of days back I have 5 “Meet & Greet” tickets to giveaway. These tickets will allow you to meet Kim Kardashian at Millions of Milkshakes during the opening as well as take pictures with her. Since I will be interviewing Kim Kardashian for this blog I’ve decided the competition will be as follows:

What would you ask Kim Kardashian if you could ask her just one question? Leave your question in the comments below. The five people with the best questions will each win a ticket. I will decide which questions are the best.

Make sure you use your correct email address because I will be emailing the winners.

Update: Here’s a video of Kim talking about her upcoming visit


[YouTube]

Update: I’ve closed the post for comments so I can go through the questions. I was so not expecting to get 400+ comments I have no idea how I am going to go through them all…

Update2: And the four winners are…
Roy
Rehab
Q8 Teacher
~LE~

It’s been awhile since I’ve linked to the blog re:kuwait but Barrak has an interesting post about the Jaber Bridge, the bridge that will link Kuwait City to Silk City in the North. Barrak is not in favor of the bridge and wants the idea to be scrapped completely. He does have an interesting case which you can read [Here]

It’s been quiet here the past few days but it’s because I’ve been working on a bunch of stuff for the blog. As most of you know Kim Kardashian is coming to Kuwait next week for the launch of Millions of Milkshakes which will be opening in Avenues Phase III (picture above). Kim will be arriving to Kuwait on the 28th and then leave on December 1st to Bahrain.

I’m trying to get as much content as I can regarding her visit and right now I’ve managed to score 5 tickets to giveaway here on the blog. These 5 tickets are for a “meet and greet”, so 5 lucky readers will be able to meet and talk to Kim Kardashian as well as get their photos taken with her.

I’m still trying to figure out how to give away these tickets so if anyone has any ideas let me know. It will have to be some sort of competition and I already have an idea in mind but I’m hoping someone can come up with a better one.

This wasn’t made for Kuwait I guess? [YouTube]

Update: The KDD commercial has been pulled from YouTube so if you didn’t watch it you missed out.

New music video by Kuwaiti artist Killa.D and features 248AM’s most infamous artist Big D! [YouTube]

According to Z District, most of the popular American hot dog brands like Oscar Mayers and Ball Park Franks have been banned in Kuwait because they don’t have the Halal label on them. Sucks. [Link]

I can’t believe the picture above is in Kuwait. CNN have an article on how land that was used during the 1990 invasion as an important base for Saddam Hussein’s army has now flourished into the beautiful landscape you see in the picture above. The article is not too long and they also have a short video about the reserve, both of which you could check [Here]