Search: “mis”

The continuation for the Red Mango commercial has been released and I now think their commercials are my favorite this Ramadan (and yes I prefer it over the Qualitynet one). [YouTube]

If you missed out on the first part you can watch it [Here]

Update: I just noticed the video says part 2 of 3 which means there’s still another one left. I don’t mind a series of ads for the same campaign but I’m not a fan of one single ad divided into smaller parts. This is YouTube, you can release one long ad and not have to worry about the advertising cost…

I passed by Bang & Olufsen recently to check out their computer speakers and although I didn’t end up getting anything I always love checking out their stuff.

They had the Beolit 12 (pictured above) which is their Airplay compatible portable music system. Design wise it looks very sharp and if I didn’t already have the BeoPlay A8 I would have considered getting this. Price wise it’s selling for KD250 which is very reasonable for a B&O product.

When it came to computer speakers they had two models available. The first I saw were the BeoLab 4 (pictured above). These speakers look very cool but at KD325 they were a lot more than what I wanted to pay.

They also had the BeoLab 3 on display which looked even cooler than the BeoLab 4 but these also cost nearly four times more coming in at over a thousand Dinars so I didn’t even consider them.

If you’re interested in passing by their store they located in Symphony Mall next to Missoni Hotel in Salmiya. They haven’t launched the new store officially but the shop is open if you want to pass by.

A few days back a reader contacted me and told me he was leaving the country for good and wanted my recommendation on a shipping company. Since I had just used a shipping company myself I figured I might as well write about my experience.

Back in May I shipped some furniture and electronics to my apartment in Lebanon. I didn’t really look for a shipping company, I just contacted Alghanim Freight since I previously heard they were the best and so didn’t even bother looking for any other options. My experience was a mixed bag but truth be told, not sure they can be blamed for all of it.

The problem with shipping stuff to Lebanon right now is the the fact there is internal conflict taking place in Syria right now. Before the internal conflict shipping stuff from Kuwait to Lebanon could take anywhere from 1 to 4 days but now it takes around two weeks. The shipping trucks are held at the Jordan/Syria border a few days and then formed into a convoy and led by security to the Syria/Lebanon border. Once they get there they get stuck in a long queue waiting to be cleared into Lebanon.

Based on a previous conversation with Alghanim Freight we were told our stuff would arrive to Lebanon on June 3rd. So me and Nat booked out tickets from May 31st to June 16th. Alghanim Freight sent over a packing crew and they did an amazing job. They worked around 10 to 12 hours with just a small break packing everything into carton boxes and wrapping up stuff with bubble wrap. In the end we had a total of 105 boxes which they loaded up onto their truck and took off.

Insurance
The day after they picked up the packages and while talking to Alghanim Freight we found out that although our shipment was insured, it was only insured up to $20,000. That amount was far less than the cost of the items we were shipping. To increase the insurance we were told that we would need to state the value of the items in each box. Although we had a list of all the boxes and what was inside, the descriptions were generic. Majority of the boxes were described just as “Furniture”, a few boxes were described as “Kitchen” and only a few boxes mostly the electronics were more specific. Since there was no way to know what was in each box there was nothing that could be done and so we didn’t get the extra insurance. We should have been asked ahead of time if we needed extra insurance kinda like how McDonalds asks if you want to upsize your meal while taking the order and not after you’re done.

Delivery Dates
This is where we had the biggest issue but now looking back at it I realized it mostly wasn’t in their hands. Originally we were told our shipment would arrived June 3rd. Two days after our packages were packed and taken we were told our shipment would arrive to Lebanon June 8th. That’s already a 5 day delay and the packages hadn’t even left Kuwait. When we got to Lebanon we found out that the shipment would get delayed again and in the end the shipment finally arrived on June 12th.

The Delivery
Our biggest concern was if all our items would end up arriving to Lebanon and how much we would get charged for customs. Luckily we didn’t end up having any problems. All 105 boxes were delivered with nothing damaged and nothing missing. In addition we also didn’t pay any customs at the border. Seems Alghanim Freight use trucks who have good relationships with the border people and so their cargo don’t get unloaded which is why we didn’t pay any taxes.

Conclusion
The fact that all our items arrived safely and the fact we didn’t pay any Lebanese taxes on our shipment is more than enough reason to use them again or recommend them to people. They were not accurate with the delivery dates but I truly believe it wasn’t in their control this time around. Total cost for shipping was around KD650.

Some of you might already know that playing video games is a favorite hobby of mine and now I’ll be able to write about my thoughts on games as they get released here in Kuwait. Mark worked out a deal with the local online game rental service Digumz.com who will be providing the games for me as soon as they’re out. I’ll be reviewing a game every week or two depending on when they get released and if there aren’t any new releases I’ll probably write about an older game I find worth sharing.

This week I’ll be reviewing a fairly new release called Spec Ops: The Line, spoilers will be kept to a minimum.

[YouTube]

Spec Ops: The Line is not your ordinary war themed video game. It isn’t anything like Call of Duty, Battlefield or Medal of Honor. Spec Ops: The Line has a proper, mature script that will have you talking about the game long after you put the controller down. The gameplay is flawed and has trouble dealing with the issues that the script raises, but it’s still a lot of fun to play. Think of it this way: if Call of Duty is a Michael Bay movie, Spec Ops: The Line is Apocalypse Now (which it has been compared to). There was some controversy in our region due to the fact that the game takes place in a destructed Dubai. Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. All major metropolises get destroyed in games and movies; how many times has New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo been demolished by either a giant monster, war or aliens? As far as I’m concerned, the fact that Dubai is destroyed in this game is a good thing. If the UAE government is concerned about the portrayal of their citizens, then they have nothing to worry about. In the game, Dubai may resemble real Dubai, but it’s not an exact replica. You’ll see skyscrapers that look like they should belong in Dubai, but you won’t see an exact copy of Burj Khalifa.

The Al-Hasawi family promised if they took over Nottingham Forest they would offer Kuwaitis a chance to play for the team. Looks like they’re sticking to their promise because Kuwaiti footballer Bader Al-Mutawa is set to begin a month-long trial with Nottingham Forest.

Arabian Business have more details [Here]

The Fixtures just posted a short interview with Nasser Al Sayegh who is Kuwait’s first nuclear engineer. He seems like a smart guy (obviously) and if people like him ran the plant Kuwait would be in safe hands so it’s too bad Kuwait scrapped all their nuclear ambitions. You can read the interview with Nasser on The Fixture’s blog [Here]

In case you missed it, here is a previous video interview with Nasser taken from AlRai TV. [YouTube]

Update: Some readers have pointed out in the comments that Nasser is not the first Kuwaiti to get a degree in Nuclear engineering. But, it’s possible he might be the only Kuwaiti nuclear engineer to actually work in the field. I’m trying to get some more clarification on this.

Update2: Nasser has posted the following comment in relation to the above:

To clarify things up I’m the first specialized person in the nuclear field In Kuwait. Although the others did get there certificates before me they didn’t actually work in a nuclear reactor so all what they have is theoretical backgrounds. I’m also the only person in the gulf that has a security clearance to work in nuclear reactors around Europe.

I’ve collected most of this years Ramadan commercials and listed them all below after the jump. If you prefer you could also watch them all consecutively by playing the video above or on YouTube [Here]

Note: I will keep adding to the list below, if there is any good commercial I’ve missed let me know.

Update: Added the National Youth Project commercial
Update2: Added Asnan Tower’s commercial
Update3: Added 6alabat and ABK
Update4: Added new Zain, Viva and McDonalds commercials

Qatar has retained its position as the Middle East’s most innovative economy in the annual Global Innovation Index 2012 (GII).
…
The study, commissioned by leading business school INSEAD in partnership with other firms, scored 141 countries based on the degree to which their economic environment enables innovation, as well as actual innovative outputs.
…
Saudi Arabia was ranked 48th (up six places on 2011) while Kuwait was the lowest ranked GCC nation at 55th, down from 52nd last year.

Ouch! [Link]

Originally I was planning to write a small post on my experience with the Synology backup drive and maybe compare it to my Drobo but in all honesty, the thing turned out to be a lot more than just a simple backup drive and so the tiny post has turned into a much bigger one.

Synology DS1511+ Web Interface

Firstly a quick brief about what the Synology DS1511+ is. In it’s most simplest form it’s an external backup hard drive that can take up to five 3TB hard drives and has data protection which means if one of the five hard drives fail my data is still protected. But the DS1511+ (from here on I’ll just call it the Synology) is also a mini server and so doesn’t require to be connected to a computer.

Xbench disk test

Performance wise the Synology turned out to be a lot faster than my Drobo. How fast? Copying a 2.48GB file from my computer over FireWire 800 to the Drobo took 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Copying the exact same file over gigabit ethernet to the Synology took just 42 seconds. That’s over 10 6 times as fast!

So yeah if you’re looking for a backup drive to put all your important files onto it and still have your data protected in case the drive fails, the Synology is great. But, the Synology is also more complicated to setup than the Drobo. Cost wise they’re selling the Synology drives in Kuwait for cheaper than Amazon and you can find them at either Blink (where I got mine from) or Cameo. Cameo also has the newer but slightly more expensive DS1512+.

Now that I got all that out of the way this second part is what REALLY makes the Synology cool. Continue below for the second part of this review.

Big D’s on a roll, this is his second video this week but this one’s produced by our friend TJCfilms. Here’s the YouTube description:

Big D is on a mission to open the minds of people all over the world and educate them in regards to the citizens, places, religion and culture of Kuwait and the Middle East. With Relevant Existence he is shining a light on what the people of Kuwait suffered through in the Iraqi invasion.

[YouTube]

Turns out it was parked illegally in the taxi bay along with another Mercedes G Class from Kuwait that was also got towed. [YouTube]

via Q8allinone

Update: I found out what happened in the video above and it turned out to be just an innocent mistake that was blown out of proportion because the car that was towed was an Aventador. The store is the owner of the car parked the car in an illegal parking spot not knowing it was a spot dedicated to taxis. The sign was written in French and there were other cars parked so he just parked next to the other cars. Turns out the spot he parked in specifically was a taxi spot which is why it got towed.

Late last month I picked up the Fuji X-Pro1 camera from Xcite to review and after spending a lot of time with it I can confidently say I loved it. How much? Well I wouldn’t mind it over the much more expensive Leica M9 but more on that later. I took the camera with me to Lebanon while on vacation and I carried it around and shot with it as much as I could.

The first thing I loved about the camera is the way it looks. When I first saw pictures of it online I was like I need to have it! It’s a simple black boxy looking camera that has a very timeless look to it. It’s bigger than I expected it to be but not that much different from the Leica M9. One thing that’s a lot different to the Leica is the weight. While the Leica M9 is a pretty hefty camera, the X-Pro1 is a lot lighter and that’s a good thing. I walked around with the X-Pro1 strung across my shoulder and I never felt the camera was bothersome or heavy. On the other hand I’ve walked around with a Leica M9 slung over my shoulder before and it’s presence was felt very quickly. Although the camera doesn’t look very ergonomic it felt comfortable in my hands and during use.

The X-Pro1 is a 16MP camera with a sensor that’s similar in size to most DSLR’s. I had the very bright 35m f/1.4 lens for the review and it’s really the only lens you need. The 35mm lens is equal to a 50mm lens on a full frame camera and that’s generally considered the most popular focal length since it’s close to what the eyes see. There are two knobs on the top, one for the shutter speed and one for the exposure. The camera also has a quick menu button which brings to focus the most commonly used options and a customizable FN button which in my case was calling up the ISO list.

Carrying the camera around and shooting with it was a lot of fun. The camera has a hybrid viewfinder similar to the Fuji X100 which is always fascinating to use. The hybrid viewfinder is something unique to Fuji and it’s basically an opticalviewfinder with information digitally displayed on top of it. There is also a switch on the front of the camera which when pressed turns the hybrid viewfinder into an electronic one. I didn’t use the EVF much since I’m not a fan of them but many people will appreciate it’s accuracy over the hybrid viewfinder. Although I read online about the camera’s focusing issues I didn’t run into any while shooting with the camera. I didn’t shoot any sports or fast action but I was shooting with the camera wide open and in different lighting conditions and maybe only once or twice did I have difficulty getting focus. ISO performance is another thing this camera is good at. At ISO1600 the noise is barely noticeable.

I have a few issues with the camera but none very major. First the on/off button gets switched on by mistake all to often and I can’t even count the times I found the camera on when it should be off. I have a similar issue with the aperture ring on the lens, it’s too loose and easily rotates with a minor bump or rub. Another more important issue is manually focusing with the camera. Manually focusing using the hybrid viewfinder isn’t an easy task since there are no markings on the screen to aid you and you can’t estimate using the focus ring on the lens since the focus ring works digitally (it also rotates infinitely).

Now the difficult part is deciding if this camera is right for you. If you’ve always wanted a Leica M8 or Leica M9 then get this camera. Other than the fact the Leica is nearly 4 times more expensive, the X-Pro1 has another advantage and that is the fact it has auto focus. The lenses are also like 10 times cheaper so really it’s a no brainer. If you’ve considered the Sony NEX-7 at one point then you should also consider the X-Pro1. I think the NEX-7 is a great camera but let down by a terrible collection of lenses. Personally I want this camera but I can’t seem to figure out when I would use it. I have the Panasonic GX1 which is my compact camera I take on vacations and dinners. Then I have the Nikon D800 which is what I use for my important stuff. The Fuji would have to replace one of those two but it wouldn’t be able to do the job of either of them right. It’s not compact or versatile like my GX1 and it also doesn’t have the large full frame sensor of my D800 or the lenses to compete with it. As I said earlier, deciding on this camera is the most difficult part.

The camera is selling as a kit for KD646. The kit includes the X-Pro1 camera, the 35mm f/1.4 lens and the original case kit. It’s only available at the new photography section in the Xcite store in Avenues. I just found out the camera kit is actually available at three Xcite branches:

X-PRO 1+X35mm Lens+X-Pro 1 Case (kit) – KD646 – Available in Rai, Fahaheel & Avenues
X18MM (Prime Lens) – KD159 – Available only in Avenues
XF60MM (Macro Lens) – KD182 – Available only in Avenues
EF-X20 (Shoe Mount Flash) – KD58 – Available only in Avenues

I passed by Symphony Mall to check out the new Bang & Olufsen store but found it closed so I decided to wonder around the mall to check out what other stores are open. The whole mall is pretty much vacant except for a new store in the basement called Destination XL. It’s a big and tall men’s store that opened up just two weeks back.

The place from the inside looks pretty nice with the layout looking very similar to a men’s section in a large department store like Macy’s. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the inside but I spotted brands like Lacoste, Polo Ralph Lauren, Joseph Abboud and Calven Klein among others.

It’s too bad the store is just for the big and tall since I liked the fact they carried a bunch of brands all in one place. Symphony Mall is located in Salmiya right next to Missoni Hotel opposite American University of Kuwait. The entrance is from the back side and the mall looks like it’s still under construction but DXL are open in the basement.

Taken from Arab Times:

Last weekend in Kebd, farm areas: Volunteers found a horse in a terrible condition in front of a farm on a paddock. When we arrived the horse was lying lifeless in the middle of the sun, that time we had about 46 Degrees Celsius. We tried to inform the people inside of the farm but nobody answered. Without hesitation we went inside and tried to motivate the horse to move into the shaded area at the corner of the paddock. When the horse got up we realized his terrible constitution …he was sighing under great pain and was not able to stand on his front legs, he tried to jump on his shivering back legs into the direction we asked him to…after an hour for us endless time the horse made the 4 m distance and fell down in the shade with a scream of pain and desperation. We fixed provisionally fences around him that he couldn’t roll back into the sun, then we immediately pored cool water over his whole body and had a closer look on his front leg hoofs…the picture was indescribable…

He was obviously suffering of an advanced laminitis, the coffin bone becomes detached from the horny wall and may rotate or sink. In lay terms, this is known as “founder,” from the maritime term meaning to sink.

Early treatment of a Laminitis is necessary, a delay of even a few hours can literally be the difference between continued healthy living and euthanasia. This horse was obviously not treated properly or at all for days or even weeks…

I sent the pictures of the hoofs to a horse vet, he never saw a laminitis in this stage, the sole of the hoofs were already gone…

We tried as good as possible to disinfect the raw feet, padded the hoofs and applied bandages to protect it from further infections. Actually in this stage there is no other solution than to euthanize a horse. He was in agony, his eyes were broken and he was the whole time sighing that we all had to fight our tears.

After half an hour finally the staff of the farm came out and were quiet surprised about the activity outside. We asked for the number of the owner and asked them to move the horse inside but they were unable to do anything, they haven’t be aware of the serious situation. They told us the horse was treated a while ago and showed us some old medicine, they didn’t even have betadine, bandages or anything else which was appropriate.

After taking care of the horse we had to leave and hoped to reach the owner at least to euthanize the horse in a humane way as it was his duty…but the following hours taught us cruely about the ignorance and arrogance of some human beings.

A few hours later I was called back and was accused to have stolen dogs from the property, I was accused of entering a private property without permission. The Kuwaiti lady was threatening me to send me to jail, she could find out my place of living and tonight her brother would show up with the police to arrest me…I offered her to meet her brother at the police station, because I just helped an animal in pain and asked her if she would be able to pray tonight with a clear heart and without any regrets to leave a creature of GOD/ ALLAH in this condition outside without any medical support or even supervision; her answer was:

“This is my country and I can do whatever I want with my animals, it’s not your business!’’

Really? Is she right? Is it that what this country wants and needs?

I explained to her that any suffering animal or human is our all business, education, empathy and humanity are the keywords for a modern world, for a modern society..

The threats and calls continued, I begged her to euthanize the suffering horse, but she refused. At least her brother, the owner, went out that night to have a closer look….

A conversation with a local horse vet confirmed me in my believe that Kuwait needs urgently regulations, screening, registration, statistics, research when it comes to animal husbandry or breeding.

Animal Pharmacies allow every private person to treat their animals by their own good will, with or without medical background. Thousands of animals are suffering in farms and breeding stations due to wrong diagnoses, wrong treatment and unprofessional care. Most of the animals which are later sold are suffering from incurable diseases, cost the owner a lot of money to cure these diseases or lead to abandoning cases.

I would love to tell you a happy end of this tragic story, but there is none…when we visited the place at the next day the horse was gone…

By: M. Winkler

I spent nearly two months on a really strict diet and working out at Core Fitness 5 times a week trying to bring down my body fat percentage to 12% before I traveled to Lebanon and hit the beach. That didn’t happen (I blame Geneva) and I ended up at 13.6% which is still pretty cool just not what I wanted. I’ve now been in Lebanon for 5 days, I still haven’t gone to the beach and I also haven’t been able to hold my diet.

Whenever I travel I find it impossible to stick to my diet. The only way I actually stick to my diet in Kuwait is with routine, I know I am going to have eggs with turkey for breakfast, grilled chicken cutlets with grilled zucchini for lunch and turkey again for dinner. I don’t mind having the same thing every day but once I’m out of Kuwait I just can’t stick to that very simple plan. It’s been 5 days since I’ve been here and I think I’ve probably put on weight. Sucks.

BTW if you’re curious/nosy, I was 84.7KG when I first joined Core 2 years ago and I had a body fat percentage of 20%. My weight back in 2005 was 90.6KG.