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I was only out for a day but I feel like I missed out on a lot of action.

I’m heading to Riyadh this weekend for the Noor Festival so I’ll be missing out on a couple of my favorite events this weekend, the Fall Festival at the Yarmouk Cultural Center and the BLS Winter Bazaar. If you’re here don’t miss out on them. Let me know if I missed anything:

Thursday, Nov 10
Ali Alghanim & Sons – Padel Tournament
Disney on Ice Presents Mickey & Friends
Melenzane by the Sea
Chinese Cultural Festival
IFK Cinema Night: Comme un Lion
Healing Powers of Cacao
Healing Circle at Art Therapy
Art N Dine: Desert Eyes Painting Experience
Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament
Seoulian and Friends at Bonjiri

Friday, Nov 11
Disney on Ice Presents Mickey & Friends
Melenzane by the Sea
Sailing: Friday Sunset Cruising
Yarmouk Cultural Center Fall Festival
Yarmouk Cultural Center Fall Bazaar
Seoulian and Friends at Bonjiri
BLS Winter Bazaar
Hot Rods & Classic Cars Festival

Saturday, Nov 12
Disney on Ice Presents Mickey & Friends
Melenzane by the Sea
Story Time: The Rabbit Listened
Miseen Scene: You Will Die at Twenty

Exhibitions
Sara Shamma “Age”
Warhol of Arabia by Raed Yassin

Activities
Albohayra Farm
Ascend Rock Climbing
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

The November schedule for JACC’s Cinema Hall is out and this month they have 5 indie films playing:

90 Days – Saudi Arabia
Farha – Jordan/Palestine
Beirut Hold’em – Lebanon
Frère et Soeur – France
Official Competition – Spain

There is only one showing per movie so if there is one you’ve been meaning to watch don’t miss it. You can book your tickets on Jacc-kw.com

Lots of interesting things happening this weekend, let me know if I missed anything:

Thursday, Nov 3
Perfume & Cosmetics Exhibitions
Improv Comedy Night
Concert: Music is Where Cultures Meet
Art Therapy: Healing Circle
Space Month at Scientific Center
Book Exchange
Kuwait Track Challenge

Friday, Nov 4
Perfume & Cosmetics Exhibitions
Flare Fitness Crossfit Games
Sailing: Friday Morning Cruising
Space Month at Scientific Center
19th Kuwait Rapid Chess Championship
Touch Rugby
Kuwait Track Challenge

Saturday, Nov 5
Perfume & Cosmetics Exhibitions
Hindrance Race – Flare Fitness Festival 2022
Uncovering: NBK Tower Walking Tour
Space Month at Scientific Center
Workshop: Host Florally
Story Time at Amricani: The Gruffalo
Kuwait Track Challenge

Exhibitions
Sara Shamma “Age”
Warhol of Arabia by Raed Yassin

Activities
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

Lots and lots of things to do this weekend! If I missed anything, please let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Oct 27
Perfume & Cosmetics Exhibitions
Bazzar Expo
Basmat Kuwaiti Expo
Workshop: Palestinian Embroidery
Street Food Festival at Blajat
Young Italian Musical Talents Around the World
Huntertones Live at Abdulhussein Abdelredha Theater
OCCTI at Arraya
Outdoor Sport & Safari
Bloody Good Time: Karaoke in Costume

Friday, Oct 28
Perfume & Cosmetics Exhibitions
Bazzar Expo
Basmat Kuwaiti Expo
Old Cars at Marina Crescent
Padel for Paws Market
Street Food Festival at Blajat
American Car Show
Kids Cooking Class: Mini Burger Adventure
OCCTI at Arraya
Outdoor Sport & Safari
Family Fun Friday
Trunk or Treat 2022

Saturday, Oct 29
Perfume & Cosmetics Exhibitions
Bazzar Expo
Basmat Kuwaiti Expo
RunKuwait 2022
Al Hamra 2022 Rowathon
Sailing: Saturday Morning Cruising
Miseen Scene Club: Frantz
KASA Film Festival
Art Therapy Workshop
Halloween Workshop for Kids
PSYCHO at JACC
RISO Halloween Workshop
Treasure Hunt at Shaheed Park
Kids Story Time: Maybe Something Beautiful
Barriers – Storytelling with Seham Al Khrayef
Street Food Festival at Blajat
Fright Fest
Outdoor Sport & Safari
Harley Davidson Ride
Barba Brunch & Yoga
Benefit Sale of International Art & Artifacts

Exhibitions
Sara Shamma “Age”
Warhol of Arabia by Raed Yassin

Activities
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

Below is this weekend’s list of events and activities, if I missed anything, please let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Oct 20
Art Therapy: Heart Social
22nd Kuwait Theater Festival Launch
IFK Cinema Night: Fahim
Hangouts at LAPA
Disney Princess – The Concert
Space Month at Scientific Center

Friday, Oct 21
Sailing: Friday Sunset Cruising
Disney Princess – The Concert
Space Month at Scientific Center
Armenians in Kuwait Karaoke
Roll Race at KMT: Sword Champions
KMT: Car Open Track Day

Saturday, Oct 22
Discover America 5K Fun Run
Art Therapy: Portrait Reflections
The Gulf Bank Walkathon
Disney Princess – The Concert
KMT: Car Open Track Day
Miseen Scene Club: A Separation
Story Time: Khaled & Recycling
ALHULI Creative Jewelry at Sadu House
Boubyan Cycling Race
Space Month at Scientific Center
Makers Bazaar

Exhibitions
Amira Behbehani x Mercedes
Sara Shamma “Age”
Warhol of Arabia by Raed Yassin

Activities
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

The Jordanian film “Daughters of Abdul-Rahman” will be screening tonight at The Cinema Hall in JACC. The filmmaker Zaid Abu Hamdan will also be in attendance and a live discussion will take place after the screening.

Storyline: Years after escaping a dictated life, four estranged and offbeat sisters are forced to come together to find their suddenly-missing father. In their secret searching journey, secrets are revealed and more question marks are raised.

The film has won various awards and currently has a rating of 8.4 on IMDB. It’s in Arabic but has English subtitles. If you’re interested in attending the screening at JACC tonight, the film starts at 9PM and tickets are for 5KD. You can book your tickets by visiting jacc-kw.com/whats-on/

Below is this weekend’s list of events and activities, if I missed anything, please let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Oct 13
Classical Music Concert: The Four Seasons
Flamenco Performance by Arsa Toma
Bazzar Expo
Al Mulla Automobiles Padel Tournament
4th Asian U18 Athletics Championships
Space Month at Scientific Center
Meditative Coloring Workshop
Ceramics Workshop: Mud Vessel

Friday, Oct 14
Q8 Moto Academy Season Opening
Classical Music Concert: The Four Seasons
Bazzar Expo
4th Asian U18 Athletics Championships
Space Month at Scientific Center
ABBA Tribute Band Live in Kuwait

Saturday, Oct 15
Bazzar Expo
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
Workshop: Inkle Loom Weaving
4th Asian U18 Athletics Championships
Impression: Storytelling with Humood Al Khudher
Trash Tag Beach Cleanup
Space Month at Scientific Center

Exhibitions
Matter of Material – Sculptures from CAP Collection.
Warhol of Arabia by Raed Yassin

Activities
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

In case you missed it, the TikTok video below went viral a few days ago of someone in the US trying Shani for the first time.

@exoticmunchiezz Wood trying some exotic drinks. #drink #soda #arab #exotic #munchies #snacks #fyp #exclusive #high #cornerstore #evanstonillinois ♬ original sound – exoticmunchiezz

It’s been a while since I last complained about a business, but this experience was too much not to share. A few weeks ago I ordered a new MacBook Air from Apple.com. I sent the MacBook to MyUS forwarding mailbox and then selected the cheapest shipping option to Kuwait because I wasn’t in a rush to get it and I’m cheap like that. MyUS ended up shipping it with a courier I hadn’t heard of before, SMSA Express. I was like fine, whatever, I wasn’t in a rush anyway.

The package took around 10 days to arrive in Kuwait, similar to how long Aramex would take so it wasn’t too bad. But that’s when I ran into a problem. The package went out for delivery last Saturday, I didn’t get a call, and there was no attempted delivery. If you check the tracking via their website, it shows that it’s out for delivery, if you use their WhatsApp service to check the tracking, it says that the receiver requested a new delivery date. So I started calling customer support:

Sunday: I called customer support who told me they’d have someone call me back regarding delivery. Nobody did.

Monday: I call customer support again and they tell me their tracking system hadn’t been updated since September 25 and that my package was showing still in Bahrain. I tried to have them explain to me how my tracking data was more current than theirs and they couldn’t.

Tuesday: I called customer support again, they don’t have a local office so I have to keep calling their Saudi number btw (thank you Skype). They tell me my package will be delivered today or tomorrow.

Wednesday: I called customer support, and they told me my package will be delivered today.

Thursday: This time when I called customer support I made a big fuss about how my package has been out for delivery for one week and they keep promising me delivery every day and how no one ever calls me. I get transferred to a manager who promises he will make sure my package will get delivered today before 3 PM.

Less than an hour later while on my way to Shuwaikh, I get a message from their driver asking me for a location. I call him up and ask him if he prefers to deliver in Kuwait City which is the original address listed, or Shuwaikh since I’ll be there. He tells me he’s delivering to Wafra 🤦🏼‍♂️. My office is in a building called Wafra Downtown Tower, so the dispatcher had read te first word, ignoring the rest of the address and decided that my package should be delivered to the area Wafra. I explain to the driver that the name of the building was Wafra, but the address was Kuwait City, he told me the office told him to deliver to Wafra and that’s where his deliveries are. So I ask him if I could come to him, he said I could and that he was in Farwaniya, so I got his location and headed there.

I get to the driver less than 15 minutes later and find out that SMSA Express use a local courier called OCS Express for their Kuwait deliveries. I finally get my package from the driver but he then asks for a payment of KD23.900 for customs. I was like it’s a laptop, there is no customs on laptops in Kuwait. So I ask the driver for an invoice and he says he doesn’t have one. Told him there was no way I was going to pay without at least an invoice. So he calls up his office and I talk to a lady and explain to her the situation. She says she will send me an invoice later, I told her I needed it first before paying, it’s a normal request. She told me it would take around 5-10mins, I was like fine I’ll wait and hung up. A few minutes later driver comes up to my window and hands me the phone. It’s the lady again, supposedly the accountant isn’t there and the driver needs to go make his rounds. I told her I’d been chasing this package for a week and I even drove all the way to Farwaniya to pick it up, I’m not leaving without the package. I hand the phone back to the driver and he goes back to his car. A few minutes later he comes to me and shows me a WhatsApp he got of a photo of the invoice. It said 23.900KD so I ask him to send me the photo and I hand him the amount cash to get my package.

After he left, I look at the invoice carefully and they charged me 20.400KD for customs. So I call the company up and talk to the lady I had spoken to earlier and explain to her that laptops don’t have customs charges so how was I being charged customs? She transfers me to another person who I assume is an accountant or manager. The guy tells me the item costs 408KD which is why there is customs on it. I told him the value doesn’t matter since it’s a laptop, and there are no customs on laptops. He says the description says there were notebooks in the box as well. I was like wtf, they’ve written notebook cuz it’s a notebook computer and if he doesn’t, believe me, I still hadn’t opened the box and he can check! I then proceed to tell him it was illegal that they were charging customs on a laptop when the government doesn’t charge customs and that I was going to report them for this. He then told me they would refund me the customs charge of 20.400KD but not the remaining charges. I told him fine and I sent them a payment link and got my refund.

So much drama for such a simple thing as a delivery. The fact that I was being charged customs when I shouldn’t have been is also super dodgy. If you ever use MyUS make sure you don’t select the cheapest delivery so you don’t end up getting your items shipped with SMSA and OCS!

ABBA
Tribute Band
Live in Kuwait on 14-October-2022
The Arena Kuwait, 360 Mall

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC

After their performance in more than 65 cities from New York, Rome, Milan, London, Berlin, Paris, and Dubai, Finally the ABBA tribute Band will perform live at the Arena Kuwait on 14th October. Sing along with Abba’s biggest hits such as “Waterloo”, “Fernando”, “Take A Chance On Me”, “Dancing Queen”, “Mamma Mia”, “Money Money Money” and, of course, “Thank You for the Music” still have the power, as they did back then, to bring the audience to their feet.

The two-hour concert transports the audience back to the 1970s and brings the Swedish pop phenomenon back together again on stage in the form of a band whose appearance, sound, and gestures, as well as glitzy outfits and choreography, mimic the originals down to the last detail.

Don’t miss this day and join us on October 14th at The Arena Kuwait for an unforgettable concert.

Tickets start from KD 25 and are available at thearenakuwait.com/events/abba

Below is this weekend’s list of events and activities, if I missed anything, please let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Oct 6
Lets Be Aware Popup
Kids Storytelling at PCC: I Love You Little Monkey
Kids Weekend Activities at Discovery Place!
Hangouts at LAPA with Silverhammer & Friends
Melemele Karaoke’s Second Year Anniversary

Friday, Oct 7
Lets Be Aware Popup
Kids Weekend Activities at Discovery Place!
Sailing: Friday Sunset Cruising
Trashtag Beach Cleanup
18th Kuwait Rapid Chess Championship
Q8 Moto Academy Season Opening

Saturday, Oct 8
Lets Be Aware Popup
Polymer Clay Workshop: Pressed Flower
Glass Bead Making Taster
Terrarium Masterclass
Workshop: Watercoloring at the Habitat Museum
Emperor of the Mats Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
JACC Movie Night: Ibrahim
JACC Movie Night: Costa Brava Lebanon

Exhibitions
Exhibition: Matter of Material – Sculptures from CAP Collection.
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
To Hug by Rita Hassouany

Activities
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

Since we’ve been on the subject of food delivery apps this past few days, here is another interesting tidbit.

There is a new delivery app that will be entering the market soon and it will be called CARI. The delivery platform is by the previous owners of Carriage who had signed a 5 years non-compete agreement with Delivery Hero when they were acquired back in 2017. Since the 5 years are now up, the previous owners are entering the market again.

What will they bring to the table?

When Carriage initially launched one of the few things that made it different than Talabat was the quality of restaurants over quantity. They had a much smaller list of restaurants available but they were all good restaurants, a curated list. CARI is bringing that back, they have only been approaching companies that have good brands and asking them to join the platform.

Another differentiating factor is that they will guarantee 30 minutes delivery. This is going to be big since you’re more likely to order from CARI if your favorite restaurant on it will deliver to you quicker than other apps. Restaurants that are currently being invited to join the platform will only be accepted if they can guarantee food can be prepared within a specific time (I think 6 minutes). If they can’t, then they won’t be allowed to join the platform. Another way of making sure the food will get to you in 30 minutes is by reducing the delivery zone. Currently, most delivery platforms allow restaurants to deliver within a 10km radius, CARI is going to deliver within a 5km radius. This means the riders don’t have to travel a long distance to deliver the food to you. On the downside it also means you might no longer be in the delivery zone of your favorite restaurant.

Not actual logo

Finally, they’re also doing something different with the restaurants. Most delivery platforms right now charge restaurants a 25-35% fee off every order as well as 1KD from the customer to deliver the food. CARI is taking a different approach. To entice restaurants to join their platform, CARI is charging restaurants 0% commission for the first couple of years. Instead, restaurants will have to pay a one-time fee of **KD (I can’t disclose the exact amount) for every new customer that orders from their restaurant. So say I order from McDonald’s for the first time, McDonald’s would pay CARI 5KD (for example) as a new customer fee. And that’s it, no other fees. It’s kinda genius, CARI gets this big cash influx up front, and restaurants pay it with the hopes that the same customer will order again from them. Most restaurants will need the same customer to order from them maybe 8 or 10 times to cover the initial acquisition fee but after that, all the money goes into their pocket. If the customer doesn’t like the food and doesn’t order from the restaurant again or doesn’t order enough times over the next few years while this 0% commission is in effect, then that’s a loss for the restaurant.

When I first heard about this fee structure I was in awe. Usually, the platform would pay to acquire new customers but in this case they’ve not only managed to make it so that restaurants would pay the acquisition cost, but that fee is going to be a major cash boost at launch which should help CARI fast track their way into profitability. I love it.

With Carriage, Talabat, Deliveroo already owning the majority of the market share, the Saudi app Jahez entering the market, and now CARI also coming in, I think things are going to get really exciting.

Update: Their Instagram account is up and they’ve revealed the logo @get.cari

If you’re a bubble tea fan, a Redditor posted a list of popular boba places in Kuwait. I’m not a fan of bubble tea but ironically like half the places on her list are located on my street in Salmiya.

Check out her list by clicking here.

Below is this weekend’s list of events and it’s kinda busy. If I missed anything, please let me know in the comments:

Thursday
The Improvengers Comedy Show
Let Music Fill the Air – Omrani ‘nd the Crew
World Heart Day at Assima Mall
JACC Concert: Boyce Avenue
Brick Pizza Thursday

Friday
World Heart Day at Assima Mall
Art Therapy Workshop: Discover your spirit animal
Kuwait Sailing School – SUP Race Series
JACC Concert: Boyce Avenue

Saturday
Kuwait Pulls for Lebanon Yoga Session
International Observe the Moon Night
Miseen Scene: Russian Ark
World Heart Day at Assima Mall
Embroidery Workshop By Sezin Sağlam Karaçal
Trash Tag Beach Cleanup

Activities
Ascend Rock Climbing
Cable Park
Ice Skating at the Winter Games Club
Indoor Karting
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Try Windsurfing
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

Exhibitions
Exhibition: Matter of Material – Sculptures from CAP Collection.
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
To Hug by Rita Hassouany