Search: “maki”

[YouTube]

Check out the energy drink commercial above then watch the video below which is a kind of making of.

[YouTube]

I take it back, there IS a big difference. When I first started using the iPhone 4 I didn’t notice much difference in the screen until I put it side by side next to my old iPhone and I loaded up a website. The text on my iPhone 3Gs screen looked blurry and gray compared to the very sharp and black text on the iPhone 4 screen. I was very surprised and just like that my iPhone 3Gs screen started looking out dated.

One downside to this sharp high resolution screen is that it makes icons and apps seem low res. That should go away once everyone starts making their apps iOS4 compatible.

The screen on the iPhone I got doesn’t have the yellow spots that have been talked about in the media recently but even if it did it’s not really a big deal. Both Gizmodo and Endgadet have reported that the yellow spots are just screen adhesive that disappears after a few days.

Since we’re on the subject of health and fitness, yesterday I picked up my new diet plan from Fahad. It’s a lot tougher and he’s added an extra work out day bringing it up my work out days to four. They’ve also increased my weights considerably and are going to be giving me a harder time at the gym. My new diet plan also includes supplements for the first time. I will be taking two supplements, Whey Protein Isolates and Ripped Fuel. Whey Protein from what I understand and have read will help me considerably in a variety of ways from helping me grow and repair my muscles to strengthening my immune system. Ripped Fuel on the other hand will help me burn fat, give me an energy boost and also help me gain lean muscle mass. I got both these supplements from Souk Sharq from the shop across from Nokia. Whey Protein was KD25 while Ripped Fuel was KD20.

Below is my new diet plan, you will notice it now includes burgers. Not any burgers though, I can’t have McDonalds or Johnny Rockets for example, it’s got to be better quality burgers like from Burger Boutique, Slider Station, Applebee’s and Chili’s. I tried the Chili’s burger today with a side order of broccoli and I have to say that’s the most horrible side order I have ever had with a burger. If I ever had a burger nightmare that would have been it. On the bright side I did have a burger.

Here is the diet plan:

WORKOUT DAYS

8:00 am: Upon Waking:
500ml of Water + 2 capsules of Ripped Fuel

8:45: BREAKFAST
2 Egg Sausage McMuffins (No orange juice)

11:15 – Snack
1 scoop of ON’s 100% Whey Protein mixed w/ water

1:30: Lunch
Option 1: 1 Burger (double patty), no cheese, no mayo + salad w/out dressing
Option 2: 1 edamame w/out salt, 6 pieces of maki, 9 pieces of sashimi
Option 3: 1 Shish Tawook or Tikka Meat, small hummus w/out oil, 1/2 white bread, tabboula without dressing

4:00 – 2 capsules of Ripped Fuel

5:00: SNACK
1 scoop of ON’s 100% Whey Protein mixed w/ water

8:00 – 8:20: WORKOUT + 10 minutes of cardio

Immediately After Training:
1 scoop of ON’s 100% Whey Protein mixed w/ water

60 Minutes Later:
No carb, low fat, high protein, high veggie dinner

_____________________________________________

NON-WORKOUT DAYS

8:00 am: Upon Waking:
500ml of Water + 2 capsules of Ripped Fuel

8:45: BREAKFAST
2 Egg McMuffins (No orange juice)

11:15 – Snack
1 scoop of ON’s 100% Whey Protein mixed w/ water

1:30: Lunch
Option 1: 1 Burger (double patty), no cheese, no mayo + salad w/out dressing
Option 2: 1 edamame w/out salt, 6 pieces of maki, 9 pieces of sashimi
Option 3: 1 Shish Tawook or Tikka Meat, small hummus w/out oil, 1/2 white bread, tabboula without dressing

4:00 – 2 capsules of Ripped Fuel

5:00: SNACK
1 scoop of ON’s 100% Whey Protein mixed w/ water

8:00 – Dinner
No carb, low fat, high protein, high veggie dinner

12:00 – Late Night Snack
1 scoop of ON’s 100% Whey Protein mixed w/ water

I spotted another street fair today in New York and this time I told myself if I found fried Oreo cookies I would try it. After a bit of a walk I found a kiosk that was making them, 1$ per cookie. I decided to order two.

The things I do for this blog. The fried Oreo cookies looked gross and very greasy. I told Nat these will probably be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. Guess what? They weren’t. In fact, they were really good and I actually ate both cookies. They tasted like the Lebanese awamat (fried doughnut balls) except with Oreo as their filling.

I leave New York tomorrow and get back to Kuwait so everything should go back to normal then. Basically a lot less food posts.

This happened last night at 7:20, the guy started making donuts in the middle of the 40th blocking traffic for nearly 20 minutes! [YouTube]

Thanks Ayman

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

Consistency in dieting can be a challenge, especially when living in a country that endorses food more than anything else. Most of our days start out with food, some coffee and dessert, a little strolling around and shopping, and some more food. And at night, a small gathering of friends that involves barbecuing and a lot of muffins.

Some clients, relatives and friends call me every weekend, with inquiries such as “I’m at Gaucho. What do you recommend?” or “Pinkberry! Yay or nay?” and “Dude, why isn’t my girlfriend returning my calls?” For starters, you can’t really go wrong with Gaucho if you stick to Filet De Lomo; Pinkberry’s loaded with 20g of sugar per serving; and you should try being less douchey.

I’m not saying you should eat out everyday, but when you’re cornered into a meal, the right recommendations will prove useful. Moreover, dieting puts you in a state of hunger similar to that of a heroin addict; aching and scratching for that next meal. One last advice before I start dissecting each and every restaurant: if it tastes too good, then it’s probably not what you’re looking for.

Oh, Fahad-san! Ret us begin with hearthy restaurants!

What I hate more than carb and fat-infested fast food chains are eateries that preach about health, but are everything but healthy; which is why I’ll be poking at them first:

HSBC Kuwait launched their retail services in Kuwait making them the first international bank to launch retail in Kuwait. I just checked out their site and it seems for now they’ve just launched with their HSBC Premier account. So if you’ve got an extra $100,000 lying around you’re lucky because thats the amount you need to open up an HSBC Premier account. The rest of us will have to hold out until their other accounts become available. [Link]

Thanks Hamad!

Nat was about to leave to the gym when she decided to take little dyski (the dog) for his walk. I sat down in front if the TV and loaded up The Rainmaker to watch. Five minutes later Geo (my other dog) starts barking and someone is banging crazily on my door. I run down and open the door to see my neighbor yelling the dog the dog and pointing towards the lift. I closed the door and ran to the lift and noticed the elevator door slightly open and the dog glued to the door.

I’ve scaringly visualized a scene like that before in my head and it was horrifying just thinking about it, but now, it was happening for real. Turns out Nat got into the elevator with the dog and then just as she was pressing close the dog ran out and the lift closed and started going down. She had a retractable leash (pictured above) which she let go of just as the door was closing. The leash handle got jammed between the doors and when the lift started going down it pulled the little dog which was outside the door. The leash handle was stuck in the lift near the top of the door and the dog was getting squashed outside still tied to the lift which was around a full floor below and trying to take the dog down with it. Then somehow the lift stopped.

Nat didn’t have her phone with her and the dog was screaming in pain and crying. She was yelling and banging on the lift door for help but no one was coming. She tried to open the door and push the leash out but she couldn’t do it, the door wouldn’t budge. Luckily a neighbor on my floor was going to use the lift when he heard the dog and noticed him getting squashed.

Thats when he decided to call me. I came running towards the dog in my socks and slipped and hit the floor hard. From the immense pressure on his chest the dog pissed on himself while he was getting squashed and I didn’t notice until I slipped. I got up quickly as a second neighbor arrived, they tried to pull the doors apart while I tried to squeeze my hand in between so I could try and pull the leash up or at least disconnect it from the dogs harness. I couldn’t do it. The leash wouldn’t budge and because it was pulled extremely tight I couldn’t even unhitch it from the harness. I quickly decided to try and cut the harness off the dog which wasn’t making a sound anymore and looked like it could barely breath. I ran back into the house and into the kitchen and came back with two sharp knives and a scissor. I tried to cut the harness but it was squeezing the dog so tightly I could barely shove the scissor between his body and the harness to cut it. At that point one of the neighbors went to get the building caretaker. Nat was still stuck in the lift below yelling wanting to know where the dog was and if it was still alive. It was just too crazy, the whole time I was concentrating on trying to cut the leash and thinking I wasn’t going to let this dog die like this. I managed to cut two straps from the leash but had one more which was extremely tight and I just couldn’t get the scissors in. I thought about sticking my hand through the lift door and try to cut the main line but the gap was too tiny and I barely managed to squeeze my hand through the first time and I wasn’t going to risk dropping the scissor which was the dogs only chance of getting freed. I don’t know how long all of this took, it felt like a few seconds but it must have been a few minutes. I just kept trying to cut the last strap off to free the dog when suddenly the leash loosened up, the door opened slightly and I managed to pull the dog towards me and unhitch the leash which fell down the elevator shaft. The lift came up and I could see Nat inside. With the help of the neighbors we pulled the door open. Nat ran out towards the dog which looked like it was in shock but other than that fine. The neighbors had gotten the building caretaker to force the lift up which ended up saving the dogs life.

What a horrifying experience, just really fucked up. We took the dog to the vet right away and they checked him and didn’t find anything wrong. This dog seriously has gone through hell this past 3 weeks. First he gets lost, then Animal Friends rescue him, a few days later there is the big fire at Animal Friends which he luckily survives, he gets adopted by us, he then get neutered and then a week later nearly gets squashed to death!

I’m sitting typing this post with one hand by the way. It seems when I first slipped and fell I landed on my wrist in the same place I had injured it a few years ago when I fell off my motorbike. I have a cast on and need to go back on Monday for another check up. I am very pissed since it means I can’t work out for at least 2-4 weeks. I sooo did not need this right now, I hate wearing casts and I NEED to go to the gym! Its depressing! On the bright side the dog is fine and although Nats a bit shaken up and traumatized by the whole thing shes doing ok. I am glad I’ve got some great neighbors, not sure what would have happened if they hadn’t spotted the dog and called for help. What a day…

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

“Dude, I’m really skinny up top, but down below I’m a MESS!”

“I’ve been doing ab work for ages! I literally spend hours in the gym everyday crunching and leg raising my butt off! Why do I still have this belly!? Where’s my six pack!?”

“I might as well paste that muffin I just ate on my thighs, because eventually that’s where it’s going to end up.”

“I’m a 27 year old guy that has better breast development than Pamela Anderson!”

“I’ve been on Lipo-6 for 3 months! Nothing happened!” Me: what’s your diet like? “I pretty much eat whatever I want.”

These pretty much sum up what I am about to tackle today (and obviously the title). Before I do, I’d like to point the finger of blame:

1) Training is 20-30%; it only refines a physique.
Nutrition is the other 70-80%.
2) Abs are made in the kitchen.
3) Why are you crunching with no weights when you clearly don’t have any abdominal muscles?
4) The abdominals are a muscle. If you work a muscle everyday it’ll shrink and never grow.
5) If you eat like a pig and train like a horse, you’ll lose overall weight; except for those stubborn fat stores you want to get rid off.

Too many of you quit too early to see any significant results. You tend to give it all up once results start to slow down. It took you years to gain all that fat, so why do you expect to lose it in such a short time?

It’s hard to make your first million, but once you do, you’ll know exactly what kind of work ethic you’d have to give in order to get it. Same thing goes with a set of abs or shapely thighs; you’re pretty vague about how long or hard your journey will be, but once you give into the commitment then it’ll be all worth it.

I’m here to serve as a guide to that journey, where simple bouts of information may prove useful for that much needed push you’ve been looking for.

The other day I posted about Kuwait’s first drift track, well it turns out the picture above is from the original drift track in Kuwait back in the 1970s. Ok, that’s not true, I actually retouched the picture to give it a vintage feel because I found pictures on the blog Every Little Thing that were taken today at the track and literally ALL the cars in the pictures were from the 70s. Seriously its like every Datsun from that era was at the track today, it was like a vintage car meet. Check out the pictures [Here]

On the bright side its great seeing those guys drifting on the track instead of blocking the highway and making donuts in the middle of traffic…

Update: Thanks to a reader, here is a [Video]

This Friday a drift track will be officially opening up in Kuwait called Auto Test. The track is located off the 6th Ring Road and will be open every Friday for anyone interested in either drifting or just making donuts. Later on things will be more organized and competitions (dirft/autocross/auto-x) will be held there. For now anyone one can go and have fun, all you need is a car and a driving license. There are also places for spectators to sit and watch the action. Here is how you find the place:

Take the 6th Ring Road towards Dajeej Area past 360 Mall and then take the right exit that takes you to Dajeej. The road will turn and you should then be passing under the 6th Ring Road heading towards Dajeej. Don’t exit to the main road, stay on your right and head back onto the 6th as if you’re heading towards Messila. Stay on the right side and continue ahead. You should then see the exit to the Airport and as soon as do take the exit. You should see a dirt road on your right, go on the dirt road and continue straight ahead until you see a bunch of small hills and dirt. That’s where all the tracks are (rally/motocross/karting/ATV and drift tracks).

The official website for the track is www.q8racing.com. At the moment you can see the Auto Test logo on the bottom right but the link isn’t clickable. I am guessing the section will be open once the track opens this weekend.

Thanks Othman!

A friend of mine is starting a small casting business here in Kuwait. She’s looking for people who are interested in starring in ads that will appear locally and regionally. I told her I would help her out by spreading the word so if you’re interested in making some extra cash while starring in TV commercials or photo shoots then email her on [email protected]

Please send your picture along with your contact details and age.

Although this year I’ve noticed a lot more cops on the roads than the previous years, I don’t think its making much of a difference. Gulf Road is still jam packed and the inside roads parallel to the Gulf Road (like Baghdad Street) are also packed.

Picture by Pretty Point of View

I am craving soft eggs which I don’t think I’ve had since the 80s. It’s all because I found this really cool guide on how to make the perfect soft eggs awhile back and since then I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I should try making some tomorrow. [Link]

I am about 20 years late but I finally got myself a label maker. I never owned one before but I picked one up today from Ace Hardware. I’ve been making and sticking random labels on anything and everything. At around KD3 its pretty affordable.