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Not much happening yet but below are somethings you can do this weekend. If I missed anything, let me know in the comments.

Thursday
Exhibition: Between the Walls
Exhibition: HELLA PARAGRAPHS
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Ocean Minded Extravaganza

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association: Friday Sunset Cruising
ASCC: Night of Telescopes
Ocean Minded Extravaganza

Saturday
Exhibition: Between the Walls
Exhibition: HELLA PARAGRAPHS
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Maker’s Movement
Miseen Scene Club: To Sir, With Love
Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association: Saturday Cruising
Ocean Minded Extravaganza

The game-changing all-new Peugeot 508 GT 2022 has been completely re-imagined to emphasise Peugeot’s new sharp, futuristic design language. Its exemplary road-handling, efficient new engines, and, countless technology features is a quantum leap in terms of quality and innovation, making the new Peugeot 508 a game-changer in the executive salon segment, challenging premium automotive brands.

A bold design

The designers behind the new Peugeot 508 stated their aim clearly; to move away from the conventional boot-lid, four-door shape and evolve the design towards a five-door fastback.

The front end’s purposeful stance is highlighted by the radiator grill, complete with a chrome-plated chequerboard effect, it sits between the LED headlights with the famous Peugeot Lion centered on its grill and the 508 logo on the bonnet.

Vertical LED daytime running lights provide a distinct identity, and the bonnet has been lowered to enhance the dynamic look perfectly aligned with modern Peugeot design language, as well as the roof line of the new Peugeot 508 is low and sleek – following premium sector design cues.

Cutting-edge technology: PEUGEOT i-Cockpit®

Inside the new Peugeot 508, the focus is on quality and originality. The premium instrument panel is centred around the latest version of the exemplary Peugeot i-Cockpit® which is now in its third generation.

PEUGEOT i-Cockpit® includes:
• A compact steering wheel
• 8-10-inch HD touch-screen
• Head-up display unit with a high-resolution 12.3-inch digital screen
Entirely customizable with six different display modes, the i-Cockpit® head up display unit is positioned above the steering wheel and presents driving information within the eye line of the driver.

High-end/ sporty finishing and first-class quality

The 508 GT features a refined, yet sporty interior and is fitted with comfortable AGR certified, red Nappa leather seats- or optionally black Alcantara & Nappa leather seats which envelops passengers in a soft, modern, refined environment. The car is also equipped with a wide-opening panoramic sunroof that floods the cabin with light, a hands free tailgate with a foot sensor and a premium audio system by Focal® for unmatched acoustics.

An intense driving experience

The new Peugeot 508 is faithful to its DNA and benefits from technology and dynamic expertise developed by the PSA Group ensuring a sensational driving experience and breath-taking performance.

The new Peugeot 508 features the PureTech turbo engine with six-speed EAT6 automatic gearbox has an electric gear-lever with one-touch control and electric power-steering ensures the perfect balance between smooth and firm handling for all driving situations.

Exclusive offer for Peugeot 2022 models

Peugeot is offering exclusive offers that you don’t want to miss out on, ranging from Lease to Own programs to 6 yrs offer for your peace of mind!

Lease to own program starting from 145 KD monthly!

6 years peace of mind exclusive offer:
• Starting from 6,950 KD
• 6 years warranty or 150,000 km
• 6 years maintenance or 100,000 km
• 1 year comprehensive insurance
• Highest trade in value

Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram: instagram.com/kaico_peugeotkwt
Facebook: facebook.com/PeugeotKwt

The last time I posted about places that sold 3D printers was 5 years ago and since then, all the places on that list either closed down or stopped selling printers. So here is a new list:

Dimension W
Located in Promenade they have just one Formlabs printer for 1,400KD

Kuwait Institute for Training and Engineering Simulations
Creality brand of printers with prices ranging between 159KD to 2,470KD

Printa
Phrozen and Prusa Research brand of printers ranging from 199KD to 460KD

Also, here is a list of places and people that can print 3D items for you:

Alternative Solutions
Dimension W
Exfusion
Kuwait 3D Printing
Rapid Manufacturing Technology
StereoLab
Tamim (Robotics)

If there is a place missing that should be on the list, let me know in the comments.

Kuwait Little Theater started back in 1948 in Ahmadi under the name KUOCO Independent Players and is considered to be the oldest community theater in the region:

The first recorded theatrical activity in Kuwait’s oil era dates back to 1947 when a group of Kuwait Oil Company employees met in the old Magwa Club and called themselves “The KUOCO Independent Players”.

Their first production in 1948 was staged in a large nissen hut located in the Ahmadi Industrial area. Rehearsals were usually held in the producer’s or a member’s home. As the building was also the local cinema the sets were often built and painted and then assembled on stage at the last minute.

In 1950 KOC provided the group with a small hut next to the cinema with a mere 18-inch high platform serving as a stage. The hut was so small that it came to be known as Kuwait Little Theater.

Two years later the group moved to larger premises, (the former KOC food store known as Spinney’s on the Main Street), and this nissen hut has gone on to become the permanent home of ‘Kuwait Little Theater’.

Sadly, KLT no longer exists having closed down years ago (I think 2014) because the KLT hut which was still being used contained asbestos and so was no longer safe.

Recently I came across old photos as well as a list of every production that KLT held from 1950 up to 1990 which I’ve decided to upload to flickr. You can check everything out by clicking here.

Also back in 2010, I posted about a documentary that was released to celebrate KLT’s 60 year anniversary. You can check out that old post here.

Barmaee is a new outdoor sports shop that opened up recently. I found out about it by chance since it’s near my garage where I’m getting my Datsun restored and I kept noticing kayaks and paddleboards through the display window so I decided to stop and check the place out.

The store is fairly cute and clearly being run by someone who’s an outdoorsman but the physical store really is just a small display area, their real store is online where they carry so many great brands including YETI, Thule, Marmon, Osprey, Salomon, Black Diamond, Shimano, and many many more. It’s actually pretty insane how much cool stuff they have on their website. They describe themselves as the Middle East’s largest outdoors store and I believe their website could very well be that since I haven’t come across anything like it in the region. (UPDATE: Turns out it’s not true! Read the update below)

The only confusing part is that their physical store is called Barmaee while their online shop is called Just Outdoors. I don’t know why that is, maybe because the physical store doesn’t carry many items but it just confuses things.

If you’re looking for outdoor gear definitely check these guys out. Their instagram accounts are @barmaee.q8 and @justoudoorscom, while the website is justoutdoors.com

Update: So it looks like the whole thing is misleading and not true. They aren’t the largest outdoor store in the region because they don’t have any of the items listed on their website. Their website is just an affiliate store for a US website so everything needs to be shipped from the US store to Kuwait. It’s similar to websites like uBuy and Desertcart which are just affiliate stores for Amazon. Disappointing.

A few weeks ago I decided to finally upgrade my toolbox with a proper set of tools. Over the years I’ve been buying tools as I needed them and that has resulted in a bag full of random brands, missing pieces, and duplicate items. Since I use my tools a lot because of my cars, I decided to reboot my toolbox and put together a nice set of some great brands and great tools.

There are two very popular hardware stores in Kuwait, Ace Hardware and Bin Nisf, but there are a ton of other smaller or more specialized stores in Kuwait which is mainly why I wanted to put this list together. There isn’t one store that carries everything so if you want to build a kit with the best of different brands you’re going to have to visit different locations. Below is a list of my favorite places that carry some great brands, most of them are only available in the stores they’re listed under. I’ll only be listing the brands I think are worth mentioning, for example, Bin Nisf carries a lot of brands but not many quality ones. Also, some brands like Bosch, Dewalt, Stanley, Makita, etc are sold in all hardware stores so I haven’t mentioned those as well. Check out the places below:

A friend of mine put this list together on Twitter of the various trends we’ve gone through over the years and I thought it was so on point!

2010: Year of the Cupcake
2011: Year of the Froyo
2012: Year of the Gelato
2013: Year of the Karak
2014: Year of the Pistachio
2015: Year of the Pudding
2016: Year of the Chicken Burger
2017: Year of the Lotus
2018: Year of the Coffee
2019: Year of the Healthy Diet Boxes
2020: Year of the Shawarma
2021: Year of the Matcha

The only thing missing is the San Sebastian cheesecake phase we went through back in 2018.

via @_M87

I noticed recently on Twitter a lot of people complaining about Aramex. I thought I was the only one having problems with them recently but it looks like it’s everyone. Yes, I’m aware a lot of you don’t like them and prefer using other services, but from my experience, they offer the best bang for the buck. You also get what you pay for, so very affordable shipping but also fairly slow shipping which is why I don’t have an issue with their speed.

Recently things have been a disaster though. Not sure if it’s because of lack of staff or what exactly but not only are packages being delivered much slower than usual which I’m fine with, the mistakes they’re making is what I have an issue with. For example, I had one package go out for delivery only for the driver to say I rejected the package which I didn’t. It then took 2 weeks, 6 to 7 phone calls, 3 complaint tickets, and contacting their social media team twice just to get the package redelivered again.

This brings me to my post. Which company has the worst or best customer service in Kuwait? Everyone makes mistakes, that’s fine but good or bad service for me is based on how you go about trying to solve the mistake.

Worst: Aramex (Shop&Ship)
Like I said, it isn’t because they’re slow, it’s because they’re just terrible at solving problems when they do happen.

Best: Babel
This was difficult to choose because of the lack of options, but in the end I decided to pick Babel. I order delivery from them and their customer service is great. They always call to make sure the food arrived or call the next day to make sure if everything was ok. But really the reason I chose them is because of the one time I had an issue with my order, they went beyond what was required to make me happy even though I wasn’t even upset. They forgot to put the tabbouleh dressing with my order so I called them to let them know just as an FYI. They were very apologetic and insisted on resending the whole order again and even included dessert to make up for it even though I tried to tell them not to. Been a big fan ever since.

I’m curious to know what everyone’s Worst and Best is. Based on social media I’d assume it’s going to be either Aramex, Xcite or one of the telecoms.

Update: I was right! Looks like the majority of readers rank Aramex Shop & Ship, Xcite and Ooredoo as the worst followed closely by Talabat. When it comes to best customer service it looks to be Deliveroo which I also agree with.

I’ve been collecting old video game ads from the 80s and uploading them to my Flickr account. I’ve got over 20 ads so far in the album including ads for the Intellivision, Coleco, Amiga, and Atari consoles. I also found some newspaper clippings of old video game tournaments which I thought was cool.

The big players in the video game business back then based on the ads were Alamiah, Alghanim (Xcite), and surprisingly, Marafie. Check out all the ads I’ve found so far here.

One of our company employees has been stuck in the US for months due to the restriction on expats coming into Kuwait and while there she got her vaccination. When the airports reopened she uploaded her vaccination paperwork to the MOH website to be validated but it still hasn’t gotten approved even though it’s been nearly a month.

She ended up missing her flight back to Kuwait so instead, she applied for a Saudi visa online since we have an office there, and in contrast, it took just 3 minutes to get her vaccination validated and visa issued!

Based on the responses under my previous post, I know a lot of you are still waiting for your vaccinations to get approved, but for those of you who already got it approved, how long did you have to wait??

A couple of weeks ago while flipping through an old newspaper I accidently found a Kids ‘r’ us 1-year anniversary ad. So right away I thought to myself, if I go back one year then I’ll most likely find the original opening ads, and I did! I found the pre-opening ads, the grand opening ad, and a few more and uploaded them all onto Flickr to be downloaded freely in full resolution.

Kids ‘r’ us officially opened on November 10th, 1983. According to the ads it was the largest toy store in the region at that time with over 10,000 toys. The original store was located in Dajeej near where Sears is right now. That location was destroyed during the 1990 invasion but post-invasion they had a smaller store in old Salmiya where Xcite is at the moment. Kids ‘r’ us was an Alghanim Industries concept, the same Alghanim that has Xcite and Chevrolet today.

If you want to check all the ads out, click here.

If you’re into MMA then check this out. Kuwaiti fighter Mohammad Alaqraa just got called a beast by UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. I hadn’t heard of Mohammad up until now, his MMA record is currently made up of just 1 win with 0 losses and he seems to be training out of the popular gym AKA. Based on a video Khabib posted it looks like Mohammad was sparring with Khabib’s cousin and must have impressed Khabib. If you end up missing Khabib’s story, here is a screenshot and you can follow Mohammad on Instagram @mo_alaq

Thanks Azzam

Yesterday I was driving by the Abdullah Salem Cultural Center and it was PACKED. There were cars backed up all the way outside the museum entrance, a scene I hadn’t seen since the museum first opened. That reminded me that I should probably post about the fact that museums are finally reopening again! If you’re looking for something to do, below is a list of my favorite museums and their current opening hours:

Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
They’re open from 10AM to 8PM with the last admission at 7PM.
Fridays they only open from 2PM to 8PM and Sundays they’re closed.
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Bait Al Othman Museum
They’re open daily from 9AM to 1PM and then evenings from 4PM to 8PM.
Fridays they only open in the evenings.
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Tareq Rajab Museum
They’re open daily from 9AM to 1PM and then from 4:30PM to 8:30PM
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Al-Salam Palace Museum
One museum I think a lot of people are interested in visiting is the Al-Salam Palace Museum. That museum was set to open just as the pandemic hit. Their Instagram says they’re opening soon but they haven’t mentioned a date. A friend of mine who had previously booked a tour before the pandemic hit got a call recently though to set up a new date so I think right now they might be going through the backlog of people who had booked early last year. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the museum before they opened and you can check that post out here.

Update: Due to high demand, ASCC now opens from 10AM instead of 2PM.

I used to purchase my US Apple store and iTunes digital cards from Xcite but someone a few months ago left a comment on my blog letting me know I could actually purchase them from Amazon. I assumed that would be the cheapest option since Amazon is selling the $100 gift card for $100, with no extra fees or commission which I assumed Xcite or any other store locally would be adding.

But, Redditor noooris did a bit of math and turns out if you purchase the $100 gift card from Xcite for 29.750 KD, you’re actually only paying $98.94 for it once converted to US Dollars. On the other hand, it cost me 31.072 KD to purchase the $100 gift card from Amazon after converting the amount to Dinars.

So if like me you routinely purchase Apple cards to top off your US Apple Store account, Xcite is the cheapest option I’m aware of for purchasing $100 cards. Here is the Xcite Link

Update: Xcite have now increased the price of the $100 card to KD31. So it’s back to ordering from Amazon again.

Decathlon, the French sporting goods retailer opened their second store in Kuwait at The Avenues Phase I. They’re the third sports shop to open in that very location, GoSports was the first followed by Lillywhites and both ended up closing down. But, Decathlon are doing things a bit differently since they were able to take over some shops on the main side and open up a main entrance there. They now have two entrances, one off to the side where GoSports and Lillywhites had their entrances, and a second new main entrance in the front. This could make a world of a difference to them trafficwise.

The store itself is pretty huge, not as big as their Marina Mall location but I didn’t notice anything that was missing. All the main sections are there just a bit smaller than the Marina location. For some more photos you can check out their post on Instagram here