Categories
Apple

iPhone 11 Official Kuwait Release Date

The new Apple iPhone 11 launched in the US a couple of days ago but the official launch date for Kuwait is currently set for the 27th of September unless there is a delay with shipping. Some of my favorite Apple Authorized Resellers where you’ll be able to purchase the new iPhone are Alpha Store, Digits, Gait and Xcite. All four are expected to sell the phones for the same price, but some might include additional freebies with the phone. Below are the expected prices of the new iPhone 11:

iPhone 11
64GB: KD250
128GB: KD268
256GB: KD303

iPhone11 Pro
64GB: KD358
256GB: KD411
512GB: KD483

iPhone11 Pro Max
64GB: KD393
256GB: KD446
512GB: KD519




Categories
Events Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

There a few cool things going on this weekend so check out this weekends list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: 100 Grams of Reality
Skin of the City by Manuel Benchetrit
Korean Cuisine Contest
Open Mic Nights

Friday
DAI Children’s Book Fair

Saturday
Skin of the City by Manuel Benchetrit
DAI Children’s Book Fair
Yoga at the Park
2019 Kuwait AeroPress Championship
Ultimate Frisbee
Arab Soul Night

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double-check with the organizers.




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from Ad Astra

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Ad Astra (7.4)
Diego Maradona (7.7)
Downton Abbey (7.8)
Rambo: Last Blood (8.1)

Other Movies Showing Now:
47 Meters Down Uncaged (5.3)
Aladdin (6.5)
Angel Has Fallen (7.0)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (5.9)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (7.5)
IT Chapter Two (7.7)
Official Secrets (6.7)
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (8.4)
Ready or Not (7.3)
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (6.8)
The Big Trip (5.8)
The Goldfinch (6.0)
The Lion King (6.2)
Toy Story 4 (9.0)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

Movies Showing Now:
Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (8.4)
Oceans: Our Blue Planet (7.4)
Volcanoes 3D (6.6)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.




Categories
Kuwait

Waldorf Astoria Kuwait Renderings

There are two hotels opening up in The Avenues, the mid-priced Hilton Garden Inn and the luxury Waldorf Astoria. The Hilton Garden Inn is located on the inside road near Avenues Phase 4 while the Waldorf Astoria is located on the opposite end overlooking the 5th Ring Road.

According to the user who shared these renderings, it doesn’t look like either of these hotels will have a good view which I knew would be the case since it’s an industrial area. But, what I didn’t consider was the fact that half the rooms would overlook the Avenues roof which is even a worse view:

I got a sneak peek into one of the second-floor rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn a few months ago and while the decor is nice given the smaller footprint, the room faced directly onto air-conditioning ducts right on the roof of the mall itself. I’m sure if technicians or other people are roaming around on the roof, they’d be able to peer directly into the rooms on the lower levels. The HGI’s pool will also face north onto the garages of Shuwaikh, so not much to see there at all. source

Check out all the renderings below.

Thanks Khaled!




Categories
50s to 90s Photography

35mm Slides of Kuwait from 1961

Not sure what I was searching for on eBay but I ended up finding a 35mm slide of Kuwait for sale taken back in 1961. My curiosity kicked in so I decided to see if there were more 35mm slides of Kuwait and ended up finding a few for sale and a whole lot that had previously sold. I saved all the ones I found, they’re 32 photos to be exact and I’ve shared them below.

All these photos were sold by the same person on eBay and they all date back to 1961. The interesting part is that all these slides were sold individually and each one had multiple bids on them. Some ended up selling for over KD40 (per slide) and some quick poking around made me realize most were purchased by the same person.

Whoever is buying up all these slides, email me!

Check out all the photos below, there are some great shots of Kuwait I hadn’t seen before.




Categories
Travel

Kuwait Airways Gets a 5 star Rating

Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) took feedback from the popular TripIt app and determined the results of the Passenger Choice Awards and the Official Airline Rating. Kuwait Airways ended up getting an5-star airline rating which sounds like a big thing, but technically, the lowest it could have scored on this list was a 4. Still, a 5-star rating puts it ahead of airlines like British Airways and Etihad Airways which both scored a rating of 4. It’s a small victory but still an important one since it shows how quickly Kuwait Airways has changed for the better now that they’ve got the newer planes and a dedicated terminal.

Here are the results of the Passenger Choice Awards:

Best Seat Comfort – Qatar Airways
Best Entertainment – Emirates
Best Wi-Fi – Delta Air Lines
Best Cabin Service – Qatar Airways
Best Food and Beverage – Qatar Airways

On a side note, Kuwait Airways also came ninth in flights timing accuracy between 175 airlines according to the UK’s Official Aviation Guide (OAG).

For the full APEX results click here.




Categories
Videos

YouTube Premium Now Available in Kuwait

I spend more time on YouTube than I do Netflix which is why when YouTube launched their Premium ad-free service a few years ago in the US, I signed up to it right away. The cost was $9.99 a month and it was worth it since it meant I no longer had to watch long ads before and in the middle of my videos.

But last week YouTube Premium became available in Kuwait and for a cheaper price! YouTube Premium costs $5.99 if you live in Kuwait and a family account for 5 people costs just $8.99. So this morning I canceled my YouTube Premium on my US YouTube account and signed up to it again from my Kuwait YouTube account. $5.99 is a really good price if you hate all those YouTube ads.

If you want to sign up to Premium then click here.

via Reddit




Categories
Promoted

PROMOTED: BBQ season has started at Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait

Barbecue that spreads over the entire terrace of Al Bustan Restaurant of Radisson Blu Hotel promises an amazing dining experience and offers variety of freshly grilled specialties inspired by local, European and South Asian urban cuisines. Innovative setup of the ‘all you can eat buffet’ features live grill, cooking and carving stations. The terrace hums with live music throughout the evening to complement that soothing ambiance.

The outdoor terrace is transferred into a live cooking / grill show and our Chefs make sure the food is prepared exactly the way you like it! From live BBQ grill section that offers everything from kebabs and grilled meat to selection of fresh fish and seafood including prawns, sea bass, salmon, hamour to live carving section offering whole stuffed lamb, short ribs, prime ribs and more. The special ethnic stations showcase the best of Chinese and Indian cuisines. The buffet will be seasonally updated by the specials of the season bringing even more variety to the menu.

Wrap up the perfect evening with a scoop of ice cream or glass of delicious mocktail while you just sit back and listen to the live music produced by our band. Al Bustan Restaurant is a place to be, make sure you won’t miss it. BBQ is held every Wednesday night at Radisson Blu.

Al Bustan Restaurant & Terrace, Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait
Wednesdays from 18:30 to 23:00
E-mail: [email protected]
T: +965 2567 3410




Categories
Events Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

Not a super busy weekend but the events season still hasn’t really started so it will get busier as the weather cools down. Below are this weekends events:

Thursday
Exhibition: 100 Grams of Reality
Kuwait Game Jam 2019

Friday
Kuwait Game Jam 2019
Staged in Kuwait Welcome Lunch
Q8 Readers Book Club: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

Saturday
Kuwait Game Jam 2019
Yoga at the Park
Guided Tour: Grand Mosque
Q8 Walking Club
Ultimate Frisbee

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double-check with the organizers.




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from The Goldfinch

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Official Secrets (6.7)
Strange But True (5.7)
The Goldfinch (6.0)

Other Movies Showing Now:
47 Meters Down Uncaged (5.3)
Aladdin (6.5)
Angel Has Fallen (7.0)
IT Chapter Two (7.7)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (5.9)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (7.5)
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (8.4)
Playmobil: The Movie (4.5)
Ready or Not (7.3)
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (6.8)
The Big Trip (5.8)
The Final Wish (4.2)
The Lion King (6.2)
Toy Story 4 (9.0)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

Movies Showing Now:
Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (8.4)
Oceans: Our Blue Planet (7.4)
Volcanoes 3D (6.6)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.




Categories
Banned Food & Drinks News

Some Protein Bars Banned in Kuwait

A couple of weeks back Ice Breaker gum got banned for containing non-halal ingredients and now a bunch of protein bars were also banned for containing non-halal ingredients:

Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) has called to ban all imports of several protein bars as it contained non-halal ingredients. Secretary General Adel Al-Suwait said that it was found that products like Snickers, Mars, Bounty and Milky Way protein bars contained non-halal ingredients. Source

The odd thing is I looked through the ingredients and can’t figure out what the non-halal item can be. For example, this is the ingredients list for the Mars protein bar:

Protein Blend (27%) (Soya Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate, Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey Protein Concentrate (from Milk), Egg, Albumen, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin)), Caramel (16%) (Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk, Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup, Palm Oil, Butter (from Milk), Sugar, Emulsifier (E471), Stabiliser (Pectin), Salt, Natural Flavouring), Milk Chocolate (15%) (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Skimmed Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Lactose and Protein from Whey (from Milk), Palm Fat, Whey Powder (from Milk), Milk Fat, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Natural Vanilla Extract), Hydrolysed Collagen (12%), Humectant (Glycerol), Fructo-Oligosaccharide, Humectant (Maltitol), Flavourings, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Salt.

So bizarre.

via Reddit




Categories
Kuwait

Kuwait Still the Worst Place for Expats

Kuwait ranks last once again, a position it also held in 2018 and from 2014 to 2016. It still places last and second to last for the ease of settling in and quality of life, respectively, though it has improved for personal finance (from 50th to 38th in 2019). Results for working abroad remain bleak, though: Kuwait places 60th. While expats are mostly satisfied with the state of the economy (63% positive ratings vs. 63% globally) — the majority (59%) moved there for work-related reasons — 36% are unhappy with their work-life balance. All in all, Kuwait is the country expats would recommend the least. Source

I really think all this has to do with the simple issue that expats are made to feel unwanted in Kuwait.




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from IT Chapter Two

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Berlin, I Love You (4.5)
IT Chapter Two (7.7)
Light of My Life (6.6)
Playmobil: The Movie (4.5)

Other Movies Showing Now:
47 Meters Down Uncaged (5.3)
Aladdin (6.5)
Angel Has Fallen (7.0)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (5.9)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (7.5)
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (8.4)
Ready or Not (7.3)
Spider-Man: Far from Home (8.2)
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (6.8)
The Final Wish (4.2)
The Lion King (6.2)
Toy Story 4 (9.0)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

Movies Showing Now:
Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (8.4)
Oceans: Our Blue Planet (7.4)
Volcanoes 3D (6.6)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.




Categories
Events

Russell Peters Coming to Kuwait (for real this time!)

Russell Peters, the popular comedian and actor will be coming to Kuwait next month for a one-night comedy event. He was previously set to come in June but for some reason that show never materialized, this time around it looks like it’s really happening. Tickets go on sale in a couple of hours (at 10AM) and will probably sell out quickly. The last time Russell Peters was in Kuwait was back in 2016.

For more information click here.

Thanks Fahaad




Categories
Food & Drinks Information

Princi Opening in Kuwait

The popular UK based Italian bakery Princi is coming to Kuwait soon based on job listings by Alshaya. Princi was created by the restaurateur Alan Yau who is behind other popular brands like Wagamama and Hakkasan. I posted about Princi back in 2013 after trying it out and since then the brand Princi got sold to Starbucks a few years ago which is how it ended up on Alshaya’s portfolio. No clue when it’s opening but it’s probably safe to bet that they’ll be opening a location at the Avenues.