Search: “kuwait”

I think it currently only applies to Kuwaitis since you would need one of the new SMART Civil ID cards. The way it works is you add funds to your Civil ID card using Knet and every time you pay with your Civil ID you get the amount deducted from your balance.

I can’t see how this could be useful for anyone with a Knet card. You can’t use this for your drivers because they need to be a Kuwaiti to get the new Civil ID’s and your children don’t have Knet cards but they shouldn’t be driving and filling up gas anyways. Am I missing something here?

You can get more information by visiting the ALFA website [Here]

Thanks Kuwait!

There are some parts of my car I want to black out. Instead of painting them black I figured I would foil them black. Can someone recommend a place in Kuwait that does good clean foiling?

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

Eating out isn’t necessarily a problem, but can be a fuss to those around me. I start by scanning the restaurant’s menu for a lean source of protein, followed by a good source of carbs and a great source of fat. Usually, I pick a great option, a good option and a decent option; the waiter that’s about to approach me is bound to shut me down with words like fried, breaded and sauteed, so might as well make due with other sources since I’m already at my 3 hour mark and my muscles are aching for some food.

Me: “I’ll have the Cajun Chicken Platter with no Monterey jack cheese, crisps, refried black beans and mashed potatoes.”

Waiter: “You mean you want the Cajun Chicken Platter with absolutely nothing on it?”

Me: “Yes, but I’m not done yet. Do you serve sweet potato?”

Waiter: “No sir, we only serve mashed potatoes.”

Me: “Do you mash it in with butter?”

Waiter: “I’m not sure sir.”

Me: “Would you ask someone that knows please.”

Accompanying Friend: “Dude, are you serious? No he’s not doing that.”

Me: “Ok, may I have a baked potato please.”

Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we serve only mashed potatoes.”

Me: “Are they mashed before or after they arrived in the kitchen?”

Waiter: “After sir.”

Me: “Ok, so take one unmashed medium sized potato and bake or boil it.”

Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we cannot do that.”

Annoying Fat Friend: “FHAID! Cut that crap out! I want to order!”

Me: “Ok Ok. I’ll have the Cajun Chicken Platter with nothing on it, and only broccoli on the side. Is the broccoli sauteed or steamed?”

Friend: “F*ck you.”

I am literally a waiter’s worst nightmare and I don’t care. I even question a restaurant’s supposedly healthier options, and after a thorough investigation (i.e. annoying the hell out of the restaurant’s staff) it doesn’t seem healthy at all. I persuade any health conscious individual to do the same.

The Awesome Subject at Hand

I was contacted by a 248am subscriber in order to help him out with a diet plan. His routine was simple and average, and could easily relate to anyone who decides to pursue the healthy lifestyle, so I used him as an example in order to explain the ins and outs of nutrition calculation and timing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to simplify things as much as possible.

Stay up to date with 2:48AM, the most popular blog in Kuwait. The app allows you to check the latest posts, comments and posts in the forum. You can also check out the latest posts from the Kuwaiti blogosphere via Safat and read the latest news from Arab Times.

This is a cool new Pedigree commercial which was shot at 1000 FPS using the Phantom camera, the same camera we used for the Wataniya Airways commercial. The dogs look very cool in slo-mo. [YouTube]

I read about this incident a few days ago. Seems the married British ambassador at the local embassy got one of his employees pregnant and that employee was also married. Lots of soap opera drama but it seems now its over since they’ve moved the British ambassador out of Kuwait and the employee moved back to England. Here is a link to the news article [Link]

How is the title related? You know, Tiger Woods.. cheated on his wife, the British ambassador cheated on his wife… get it? Ok maybe the title is a bit lame…

Thanks Reem!

I’ve been visiting Bayan Dental for over 5 years now. I first found out about them from Zaydoun and ever since me and Nat have been getting all our dental work done there at their Salmiya branch. They were actually featured in my Miskan project back in 2005 as Day 303 which is where the picture above is from. Once every few months I pass by my dentist (Dr Samer Khaddour) for scaling because I know that the longer the gap between my visits the more I am going to suffer during my session so I try to keep the gaps small. My dentist and Nat always seem to team up on me since they find my fear amusing but I’m slowly slowly getting over it.

Anyway I recently got approached by Bayan Dental and got offered veneers for free if in return I could post and explain what veneers were on my blog and also about my experience getting them installed. I didn’t have a clue what veneers were but after a quick google followed by a detailed explanation from Bayan I found these two words the best way to explain them… Hollywood smile. Veneers give you the perfect smile and you get them installed in one hour without any pain or anesthesia and they last forever.

I asked them if my dentist could install them for me and since he specializes in restorative and aesthetic dentistry they told me it shouldn’t be a problem. Since then I’ve already had a couple of visits with my dentist getting a mould of my teeth done so I could see how my teeth currently look and how they will look once I am done. They will be sending me a bunch of pictures of difference cases before and after veneers so I could share them here with some proper information about veneers and how they work. For now I thought I would post this to keep everyone in the loop on whats going on. If you have any questions about veneers (and I guess anything dental related) you can post them below since someone from Bayan will be reading the comments and answering any questions you might have.

Since we’re on the subject of dentistry for those of you who have a fear from dentists you could post what concerns you have below and I could try to answer them from my experience like for example how much pain or discomfort a procedure might have or how long certain things take etc.. I haven’t done all the procedures but I think I’ve done most of the general ones. One thing I’ve learned from my experience is that if you have a dental issue now and you don’t take care of it, it will only get worse tomorrow and the fix becomes more complicated.

Update: If you’ve never been to Bayan Dental before, just mention my blog when you go in and you will get a 17% discount on non cosmetic procedures.

Last month I posted about a drive-through car wash near my house in which they let you sit in the car while it’s getting washed. Well a reader pointed me towards another car wash also nearby that had what he called a LaserWash. So not knowing what exactly a laser wash was I decided to pass by today and check it out.

Turns out LaserWash is a touch free automated car wash which means that it doesn’t contain brushes and nothing except water and soap touch your car. The idea is that since there is no physical contact then there isn’t anything that will scratch your car. I recorded a video of a wash which takes around 5 minutes which you could watch above. My car was just dusty except for a bug stain on the windshield. After the wash the dust was gone and the car was all shiny but the bug stain was still there.

Would I use it again? Maybe, I had to wait an hour and a half today to get the car washed which defeats the whole purpose of a quick drive through. I might have as well driven to Al Falah in Kuwait City, gotten my car washed there properly and gotten back home. But if the place is empty and my car is just dusty why not.

The LaserWash is located at the Oula gas station next to the Jawazat roundabout near Souk Salmiya. The cost was KD1.750 for just an exterior cleaning. [YouTube]

I have two sets of photos to share with you in this post. The first set is taken I think in 1979 on the Gulf Road near the Kuwait Towers. I am assuming they’re taken in 1979 because I was born in 1978 and I think I look like a year old in the pictures. I am not enjoying the fact that I am sharing my baby pictures with strangers but these were the only pictures of a vintage national day parade I could find and I feel its important they be shared.

The second group of photos below were taken in 2005 in Salmiya, Salem Mubarek Street near Sultan Center. The whole street starting from Central Plaza down to Eureka was closed and made pedestrian only. It was like a big carnival mixed in with a parade. Lots of fun and as you can see from the pictures it was pretty packed but not chaotic.

So my question is why have these parades stopped? How did National Day celebration turn from a wonderful event into something that’s gotten completely out of control with foaming. This year I heard a lot of reports of actually spray paint being used instead of foam and I actually saw a car that had been spray painted. Kids and teenagers are still opening your car doors and spraying you and whoever else is inside with you. Many people decide to travel during this holiday so they could avoid this chaos while other people like me try to spend time indoors to avoid being attacked on the streets. And yes I am calling it attacked because when you get foamed against your will that’s harassment. No one has the right to foam you, foam your car and they definitely don’t have the right to open your doors and spray you. I am not even talking about spray paint, urine or any other chemical some kids use.

Can this year please be the last year National and Liberation Day turn into a horrifying foam fest and instead can we please go back to fun for the family street parades?

update: A reader sent me this link to news article on Arab Times, it seems there were 200 injuries and 1 death due to foaming this year. [Link]

update2: Tonight (Sunday 28th) Nat was on her way back from the gym, she was driving on the Gulf Road casually when suddenly just before Texas Chicken a kid jumps out into the street and sprays her while another kid throws a can of foam at the car scratching the paint job. WTF?

Even Pinkberry was celebrating with cute little Kuwaiti flags. [YouTube]

The Alpine iXA-W407 which I posted about a few days ago is supposed to sell for around $750 but for some reason it’s being sold for just $379 on Amazon right now. I’m sure its a mistake so I quickly placed an order for one. If you’re interested in it here is the [Link]

Update: I purchased the unit twice and both times the seller canceled my order. Did this happen to anyone else?

Update2: Price is back up now to $550. I placed an order for the fourth time and it seems to have worked now. $550 is still a good deal. I ordered the following items so far for my Toyota FJ install:

Alpine iXA-W407 Digital Media Station
Alpine HCE-C107D Rear View Camera
Peripheral PTR7 Multi control interface bypass module
Scosche TA2076B 2007 Toyota FJ ISO/Double DIN With Pocket Kit
Stereo Wire Harness Toyota FJ Cruiser 07 2007

The PTR7 will allow me to change the system settings and watch movies while the car is in motion and not just parked.

Update: I originally purchased the Scosche adapter for the Toyota FJ Cruiser but it turned out to be really crap and wouldn’t fit the stereo right. I ended up installing the Alpine using the Metra adapter which worked out a lot better. Here is a link to it on Amazon. [Link]

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

It takes me 8 hours to write an article, 8 more hours to review it and 60 minutes to press publish; and I still make spelling and grammar mistakes. I shower 3-4 times a day, wash my face with the most expensive fascial cleansers out there and I still get mild acne. I see people train hard, diet hard and recover, but they still lack that muscular maturity. Females go through episodes of anorexia to look like that Cosmo model, yet they lose a lot of hair, the sparkle in their eyes diminish, their nails start to break off, their skin barely shines and their bones are as fragile as a piece of tissue.

The above are all side effects of a lifestyle low in fat. Has anyone seen those Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian and Palestinian documentaries about how their senior citizens live above the age of 90? How do they do it? They have more energy and vigor than Kuwait’s older generation; but how do they do it?

“Ebnakul zaitoon,” or “bin7ib zait el zaytoon kteer.” (English Translation: we eat olives or we love olive oil a lot). Those are literally the two answers available to explain how they managed to live that long.

Or approach a Japanese dude and ask him how they live so long and why heart disease isn’t such an epidemic: “We uuuh, rive very hearthy rong rife because uuuh we eat sushi and aaah hearthy fatty fish high in omega sree! And when Godzirra come again, uuuh we can fight!” (English Translation: I’m not really sure what he said, but it had something to do with karate and sushi).

Fat is a lot more important than any other macronutrient. I’m not saying that fat should be consumed alone; in conjunction with other macronutrients, fat can do wonders. Unfortunately, I learned it the hard way.

When I started weight-lifting, I did what the pros did: ate a diet high in carbs and proteins and low in fat. I wanted to be as big and as ripped as they were. And come on, it’s common sense! Why would I listen to some nerd who majored in medicine and not a freak with veiny arms? Long story short, I paid the price and should’ve listened to the pencil neck. I had terrible acne, my short-term memory was a joke, my hair barely grew to considerable volume, my immune system was a disaster, every joint in my body hurt like hell, I was tired all the time, my muscles looked like soft ballons that only looked decent when training and I suffered constantly from overtraining. Why? Because I went low-fat, thinking that low-fat would get me big and ripped.

I got an email awhile ago that went something like hi, I have a bakery and I would like you to try our food. I get soo many of those emails daily that I could have a blog dedicated to just food in Kuwait (hmmm that gives me an idea runs to buy foodinkuwait.com… damn you nibaq you already bought it!). So anyway, I was about to hit the delete button save under important button when something caught my eye. They had freshly made, thirst quenching Faloodha AND they delivered it!

Currently the only places I know that serves Faloodha ice cream is Baba Taher and the little shop under it on the ground floor called Marafie (I think). Now we have another option and they deliver so if you’re interested call them on 55521207 or 55521208 to order.

The persian bakery is called Toosi Delights and you can check out their Facebook group [Here]

Update: Here is some more details regarding the price and delivery

Faloodha is 250 fils per cup and 1.5 Kd per kilo. They have the following toppings: fresh pomegranate, pistachio or pieces of fresh lemon. As for the iced water its made of rosewater or the option of saffron milk (400 fils per cup).For the sauce you have the choice of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate or almond sauce.

If location is close to Jabriya or Mansouuriya there is a 4 kd minimum order and 250 fils delivery charge. If location is very far then 7 kd minimum order with 500 fils delivery charge.

So as I mentioned a few posts below I will be swapping my Wrangler for an FJ Cruiser. Before I list my Jeep on Q8car I figured I would see if anyone here was interested in it. Here are the specs:

Jeep Wrangler Sport
2004 Model
85,000KM Mileage
3.75″ Old Man Emu lift (details)
33×12.5″ Tires on Cragar black steelies
Alpine + Boston Sound System installed by me (1, 2 & 3)

Dealer serviced and maintained. Full car history available on this blog (search for Wrangler) and here is the full history of my Wrangler in pictures [Link]

If you’re interested in the Jeep [Contact Me]

Post by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

Gym Rat #1: “Dude, you need to eat carbs with that.”
Gym Rat #2: “Your mother needs to eat carbs with that.”
Gym Rat #1: “Bro, what the hell, you need carbs with that protein shake right after your workout.”
Gym Rat #2: “I think your mother’s calling, and guess what? She wants more carbs.”
Gym Rat #1: “Look I’m serious, carbs fuel the muscle building process. You need a decent amount for energy expenditure.”
Gym Rat #2: “Your mother’s an energy expenditure.”

Gym Rat #2 was me a few years back when I thought carbohydrates were evil. They lurked everywhere. That chicken breast from Subway? Carbs. That protein shake? 3g of carbs per serving. Diet Gatorade? Still has carbs, only less, but carbs nonetheless. Splenda, Sweet & Low, Equal? Ayyyup! Dem artificial sweeteners are bayyud mmmkay?

A roll of sushi used to bloat me like the Michelin Man and turn my day into a living hell. I low-carbed my approach and in return found it relatively hard to build muscle. I high-carbed my approach and gained a lot of fat in the process. Don’t forget, I once was fat. I may not look like it, but I do have excess skin that you cannot see, but yours truly can feel. Since I was known for my gargantuan love handles, my lower back carries a fair amount of excess skin (again, you may not notice, but I can feel it). Whenever I consume a lot of carbs, my body begins to fill up nicely with much needed cellular water (water in the muscle). However, since I also carry around excess skin, water retains there easily too, which makes me feel fat. Ukh, the pain, the agony, the suffering; I strive to perfection but those little details stop me faster and harder than a concrete wall idiotically placed on a 120km+ speedway.

Lucky for you, this nutritionist wasn’t born a quitter. I did what I do best, research and experiment, proving time and time again that SCIENCE IS KING.

My last protein-oriented post was (for some) too complex, long, sciency and had a lot of numbers; so I’ll be using a different approach this time around (not really, but please bare with me). If anyone wants more information, feel free to ask.