Search: “salmiya”

The same people who brought bungee jumping to Marina Crescent are now bringing The Human Catapult for the first time. The Human Catapult is a booster seat that shoots a person into the sky up to a height of 70 meters and at a speed exceeding 100km/h.

Like previously with the bungee jumping, if you’re interested in this you need to book in advance. The Human Catapult will be at Marina Crescent from October 3rd to the 6th. There are a limited number of seats and it will cost KD25. For more information and booking you can contact them on 94004335 or 22621766.

Date: October 3rd to October 6th 2013
Location: Marina Crescent, Salmiya
Price: KD25

Back in April I bought the Bang & Olufsen A9 sound system for my apartment. The A9 had looked so beautiful in the store but when it came time to take photos of it for my blog I just couldn’t make it look good which is why I ended up using stock photos from their website instead. I realized I couldn’t make it look good because my apartment looked horrible. Around the same time I was invited by the team at West Elm in Avenues to pass by and check out their store. I had only passed by the store from outside before and had gotten the impression it was an expensive brand so never really went in. But on that day I got shown around the place and I just fell in love with everything since their furniture had a very New York loft feel. Then I found out their prices were slightly more expensive than IKEA but less than THE One and it hit me, I needed a makeover. My apartment was looking outdated and I needed a fresh start anyway with my recent divorce and all so I asked them if they’d be interested in doing a makeover and they liked the idea. Last week I finally had everything done.

My apartment is a beautiful duplex located in one of my favorite places in Kuwait, the old Salmiya shopping street. The apartment has very nice space and a lot of potential but wasn’t getting any TLC. When I first moved in I was broke and couldn’t afford to furnish it properly and then later when I did have money I was spending it all on my apartment in Lebanon. Not only that but the walls had the most horrible colors that somehow seemed like a good idea years ago. The first thing I did when West Elm came over to check my place out was let them know what my issues were with the current setup and what I was expecting from the makeover. For example my living space had enough seating for around 5 people so when my friends were coming over I wouldn’t have enough space for everyone and the space I already had was very focused around the TV. I couldn’t have big lunches or dinners at my place either since my dinning room table fit only 4 people. I hated the lights in my apartment, I hated my kitchen which was an ugly purple and my living space was a bright magenta (it was a phase I went through so don’t judge me) which I honestly couldn’t stand anymore. I didn’t want a TV in my new space because I thought having a TV would be anti social plus I already had a TV room upstairs. I wanted the space to be very social and one that could hold a lot of people. Usually when people come over the groups are divided between the kitchen and the living space so I wanted people sitting in the living space to be facing the kitchen so they’re more connected. Finally I needed to have my iMac downstairs because I do most of my work on my iMac and I didn’t want to take any work with me upstairs. Based on those criteria’s we sat down and decided what we were going to do.

The first thing we decided on obviously was to change the color of the walls. They recommended I go with a dark grey which I was hesitant to at first but now I’m so glad I did. I also ended up ordering really beautiful Orla Kiely wallpaper to add a bit of color to the walls. I’ve loved Orla Kiely’s stem patterns for a very long time and figured it would give a slightly retro feel to the space which it did. I’ve also always loved baby blue walls and thought it would match perfectly with my KitchenAid Mixer so I had my kitchen painted a baby blue. I actually ended up repainting my whole apartment including my bedroom and my TV room since after I saw what a big difference it made to my space downstairs I wanted to change everything.

On my first visit to the West Elm store the first thing that caught my eye was an incredible bookcase/sculpture they had on display. I right away asked them about it and they told me it wasn’t for sale and that it was actually built by one of their talented employees out of wood recycled from their crates. It was love at first sight and I knew I had to have it. So after nagging them about it they finally told me I could take it. This was going to be the centerpiece to my living space. It was just insane looking, it wasn’t perfect, it had flaws and it was all over the place but that’s who I was and that’s why I needed this.

For the couch we decided to go with the Tillary 8-piece Sectional. It was comfortable, cozy and it would fit perfectly in my space while holding a lot of people. It came in a bunch of colors but I wanted grey which I thought was very bachelor pad’ish and worked well with the wallpaper and the black glossy floor. For the dinning room table we went with the Parker Dining Table. I liked it because it was minimal while still looking slightly retro like my wallpaper and it was also expandable so it could hold 6 people when closed and 8 when open. To give the table a funky touch we chose the John Vogel designed chairs and got matching barstool versions to use with my kitchen bar. Finally the accessories and lights, they had a ton to choose from and other than the lights I let them decide on the accessories for me and damn what a difference the accessories make. The rugs and the random accessories on my tables all around the apartment just give the place such a warm and cozy feel.

I can’t believe how my place looks so different after the makeover. I still need to buy my dinnerware and a few more accessories from them but the overall look is done. The difference is night and day and I now love spending time chilling on my couch listening to music while browsing on my iPad or hanging out with friends. Friends are also loving the fact that I don’t have a TV in the space since without it all the attention goes on socializing. To think all this started because of my Bang & Olufsen A9. I just wanted it to look good at home and I ended up getting a whole makeover done around it. Now my A9 looks like it was made for the space and the bookcase looks like it was built around it. If you’re interested in checking them out, West Elm is located in Avenues Phase III near Harvey Nichols and opposite Life with Cacao. Here is a link to their [Facebook Page]

Photos of the bookcase and accessories were taken by the super talented @tammyque

Gia is a small new cafe that’s opening soon and so far it looks very cute. It’s opening in Al Khalid Complex in Salmiya, a complex which I think has so much potential to be a great trendy spot. Not many places like it anymore..

Two days ago I was parked at the traffic light on the Gulf Road before KFC heading to Kuwait City when a cop in a tracksuit walked out onto the road towards a Ford Mustang that was a couple of cars in front of me. I recognized he was a cop because he was wearing a fluorescent orange vest with the words “POLICE” printed on it plus it looked like he was wearing his badge on a necklace.

Last night I was dropping a friend off near Holiday Inn Salmiya when I noticed a checkpoint on the opposite side of the road with cops again dressed in casual civilian clothing with the same fluorescent orange vest and badges hanging around their necks.

Not sure why they’re in civilian clothing but my guess is it’s connected to the recent crackdown. I’ve been hearing a lot of stories recently in regards to the crackdowns and it’s hard to tell what is real and what is just a rumor. Fajer has been trying to find out more in regards to that but she’s been facing difficulty as well.

A reader left the comment below under on of the old posts:

I will clear everything at the current moment, this house belongs to my dad’s uncle. In the Late 50′s all four brothers built quite similar houses, 4 of them to be exact, One in Shamiya, Two in Daiya and one in Salmiya (the one posted). Three of them were lived in and the fourth was made a diwaniya (the one in Salmiya). All the houses have been demolished and still are held by the same owners. They were two toned, white and blue. The only one left is in AlDaiya you could visit it, holds the same desgin. The house is not haunted, it was held on a valuable location that at the time it was impossible to forecast how much it was worth. How could people lower the prices of such a land create rumors about it. The family kept away from media and didnt care about any rumors. Since it was a sharp location

So basically the reason the house was vacant for all this time was because it wasn’t being used anymore and the owners were just waiting for the right time to sell it and not because the house was haunted.

Tonight I passed by the Al-Maidan Cultural Centre for a showcase of new Kuwaiti writing and directing talent. It was just a one night event and a friend of mine was taking part so I passed by with some friends to watch the performance. It was my first time at Al-Maidan Cultural Centre and I was surprised to find out that the place was located just a 2 minute drive down the street from my apartment in Salmiya. It has a very nice setup on the inside and there seem to be a lot of different events that take place there all year round.

If you want to check out some of the events and performances that take place at the Al-Maidan Cultural Centre then you should download their calendar from their website [Here]

Art Kuwait recently posted about Boushahri’s Art Library in Salmiya. The library is filled with both Arabic and English art and design books and you don’t need to be a member to access the books. You just pass by, sign in and read whatever books you want.

The library is located in the Boushahri building on Baghdad Street in Salmiya and it’s open from 9AM to 1PM and then again from 5PM to 9PM. Their phone number is 25621215 ext 110. For more information click [Here]

Note: Art Kuwait mention that it’s the first art library in Kuwait but I believe CAP (Contemporary Art Platform) have had a similar library in their space for some time now. Photo below.

The weather is still good right now catch a rooftop movie while you still can. Volver and The Life Aquatic are two movies I would want to see and maybe for nostalgia purposes I’d watch Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal again. Check out the full list of movies for Maybe below:

Thursday May 2nd, 2013 at 7:30PM
SAMSARA
From the award winning director of Baraka, Samsara takes you on an incredible journey, filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

Saturday May 4th, 2013 at 7:30PM
BALLAD OF NARAYAMA
In Kabuki theatre style, the film tells the story of a remote mountain village where the scarcity of food leads to a voluntary but socially-enforced policy in which relatives carry 70-year-old family members up Narayama mountain to die. Given a masterpiece rating by the late Roger Ebert, and winner of Best Film at the Mainichi Film Awards, a unique insight into Japanese folk culture.

Thursday May 9th, 2013 at 7:30PM
ROSEMARY’S BABY
Multiple award winner, and considered to be one of the most haunting films of all time, Rosemary’s Baby tells the story of a pregnant woman who fears that her husband may have made a pact with their eccentric neighbors, believing he may have promised them the child to be used as a human sacrifice in their occult rituals in exchange for success in his acting career.

Saturday May 11th, 2013 at 7:30PM
HAROLD AND MAUDE
Chosen by the AFI as one of the top ten classic American comedies of all time, and considered a huge influence on the work of Wes Anderson and Jared Hess. Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.

Thursday May 16th, 2013 at 7:30PM
DAYS OF HEAVEN
Cinematic Master and Aueteur, Terrence Mallick (director of Tree of Life and The Thin Red Line) won the Best Director award at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival for Days of Heaven. The film has since then been considered an American masterpiece, being called “one of the most beautiful films ever made”. Days of Heaven follows a hot-tempered farm laborer who convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.

Saturday May 18th, 2013 at 7:30PM
VOLVER
On over 25 top ten of 2006 lists, and winner of Best Actress and Screenplay at Cannes, plus over 50 other awards worldwide, Volver comes from the masterful Pedro Almodovar. After her death, a mother mysteriously returns to her home town in order to fix the situations she couldn’t resolve during her life.

Thursday May 23rd, 2013 at 7:30PM
THE LIFE AQUATIC
From Acclaimed director Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, and Fantastic Mr. Fox) takes us on a dreamlike journey in this award winning film. With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.

Saturday May 25th, 2013 at 7:30PM
THE SEVENTH SEAL
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, and ranked #8 in Empire Magazine’s “100 Best Films of World Cinema”, Ingmar Bergman’s most recognised films follows a man who seeks answers about life and death as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.

Thursday May 30th, 2013 at 7:30PM
CHUNGKING EXPRESS
From the critically acclaimed director of In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar Wai’s Chungking Express holds a 96% rating on rottentomatoes.com, and winner of 15 international awards. Two stories, two lovelorn cops, two objects of desire: one a big-time heroin dealer in deep trouble with her boss after the cargo disappears, the other a seriously flaky take-out waitress who inadvertently gets hold of the keys to her admirer’s apartment, all shot in a breathless kaleidoscope of color and hand-held camera work to create a mesmerizing portrait of Hong Kong in the 1990s.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG and there is no entrance fee. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

Below is a comparison between the old airport taxi prices and the recently updated ones. I tried to be as accurate as possible but they’ve divided up the areas in the new pricing system slightly so it was a bit confusing creating this list. For example Hawalli and Salmiya were both KD5 previously but now Hawalli is KD7 and Salmiya is KD8.

Aldajeej – Air Cargo
Old Price: KD6
New Price: KD4

Sabhan – Almagwa – Alfarwaniya – Jileeb Alshuyoukh – Khaitan – lshbeelia – ardhiya industrial – Alrabiya – Alrehab
Old Price: KD4
New Price: KD5

Alshuwaikh industria – Alodailiyah – Alrai – Alriggae – Alandalus – Gurnada – Alrawda – Alyarmouk – Qortuba – Alsurra – Aljabriya – Salwa – Almessilah – Bayan – Meshrif – Dahiyat Mubarak Abdulla Aljaber – sabah Alsalem – Alzahraa – Alsadeeq – Alsalam – Huteen – Alshohadaa
Old Price: KD5
New Price: KD6

Alshuwaikh Residential – Alshamiya – Alkhaldiya – Alfaiha – Kaifan – Alsulaibikhat – Alnuzha – Algadisiya – Aldaia – Al mansouriya –Aldasma – Midan Hawally – Hawally – Alnugra – Alrumaithiya –Algurean – Alqussor – Aladan – Mubarak Alkabeer – Jaber Alali – Aldaher – Abu Fatira – Al Funaitees
Old Price: KD5
New Price: KD7

Hadiya – Al Rigga – Al Fintas – Al Ogailah – Abuholaifa – Alsobahiya – Almahboula – Alahmadi – Al Mangaf – Al Fahaheel – Alqaser – Alnaseem – Alnaeem – taimaa – Aloyoon – Alwaha – Aldoha – Alshedadia – Amgarah – Kuwait City – Salmiya – Bneid Algar
Old Price: KD5
New Price: KD8

Almotlaa – kabd – Abdulla port – Alshuaibah lndustrial Area
Old Price: KD7
New Price: KD8

Um Al-Haiman
Old Price: KD8
New Price: KD10

Benaider Chalets – Aldhubaeiah
Old Price: KD10
New Price: KD12

Alzoor port – Alwafra – Alkhiran
Old Price: KD17
New Price: KD19

Alabdelli – Alsalmi – Alnuwaseeb – Alsabeya
Old Price: KD20
New Price: KD20

Photo above by Crazy in Kuwait
Old prices from [Here] and new prices from [Here]
Thanks Vineeth

Smash Burger are opening a new location, this time it’s in Salmiya and down the street from AUK. They’re actually opening in the same location where Organica Fish & Chips used to be before they closed it down.

[YouTube]

Two years ago by complete randomness I found out who the Tikka “I like it spicy” guy was and posted about him. Now out of nostalgia curiosity I’m hoping to find out who the Pizza Italia guy from the commercial was and what he’s doing right now.

So if you have any information on the guy running in the commercial (pictured above) then let me know. Actually any information on the commercial like who did it, how it came to be etc.. would be interesting as well.

Update: Here is some information according to two readers. The Pizza Italia guy in the commercial is actually a Lebanese actor. The commercial was directed by Nick Cate, who is now living in the UAE. The scene in which is he running in front of shops was filmed in old Salmiya where Alamiah and Waleed Toys were located. The camera was located on the first floor of the building on the opposite side (the one with Xcite and Cinemagic).

Update2: According to Nick the director of the commercial, it was shot on a hand cranked 16mm Bolex camera and the music was composed by an Egyptian composer called Mohammed Al Banna.

There are two really great films I want to see this month at Cinemagic, the first is Samsara and the second is Gomorrah. I’ve been wanting to watch these two movies for sometime now but never got the time. Grave of Fireflies was supposed to show last month but the BluRay got delayed in customs and the movie Once was shown instead which I watched and thought was pretty good considering it was a musical (I hate musicals). Grave of Fireflies is now going to be shown this month instead. Check out the full film schedule below…

Thursday April 4th, 2013 at 7:30PM
SAMSARA
From the award winning director of Baraka, Samsara takes you on an incredible journey, filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

Saturday April 6th, 2013 at 7:30PM
GRAVE OF FIREFLIES
Called “one of the greatest and most powerful war films ever made” by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert, and universally considered one of the best animated films ever made, Grave of Fireflies is a tragic film covering a young boy and his little sister’s struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Thursday April 11th, 2013 at 7:30PM
GOMORRAH
Winner of the Grand Prix Jury Prize at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Gomorrah intertwines 5 separate stories of people whose lives are touched by organised crime. A harrowing look into Italy’s modern-day crime families.

Saturday April 13th, 2013 at 7:30PM
HAROLD AND MAUDE
Chosen by the AFI as one of the top ten classic American comedies of all time, and considered a huge influence on the work of Wes Anderson and Jared Hess. Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.

Thursday April 18th, 2013 at 7:30PM
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
Holding 96% on rottentomatoes.com, the multi-award winning story of how an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains footage of Banksy, Shephard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work.

Saturday April 20th, 2013 at 7:30PM
FOLLOWING
Before dominating the world with The Dark Knight and Inception, and before his groundbreaking independent mind-bender Memento, Christopher Nolan made a small film about a young writer who follows strangers for material until he meets a thief who takes him under his wing. A rare debut from a fascinating filmmaker.

Thursday April 25th to Saturday April 28th, 2013
THE KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL FILM RETREAT
Join us for a film festival of Kuwaiti, Regional, and International short and feature length films that we will be screening on these dates, alongside workshops, red carpet photo ops, and other film related activities. Don’t miss this one of a kind film event, and keep checking back on the official website for more details: www.kuwaitfilmretreat.com

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG and there is no entrance fee. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

“The Kuwait Green Wall” project, which aims to plant 315,000 trees on a stretch of 420 kilometers on the borders of the country in a call to implement effective solutions to the rising environmental and climate issues.

I would rather they plant 315,000 trees in Salmiya where I can at least see them instead of all the way in the middle of no where but that’s just me. Sorry I’m just pissed off because the middle sidewalk in old Salmiya has still not been planted. [YouTube]

Warning: Documentary may cause drowsiness

Update: Maybe they should first launch a campaign to stop cutting trees in Kuwait?

Photo by @BasilAlsalem

Isma3ni is an monthly open mic night features all types of artists from comedians and musicians to storytellers and poets. Every open mic night has 15 performers and everyone gets a 5 minute time slot. I haven’t been to any yet (they’re held inside an argeela place) but my friend went to the last two and said it was pretty entertaining. The next Isma3ni event is going to be this coming Friday. Below are the details:

Date: Friday March 22nd, 2013
Time: 7PM to 9:30PM
Ticket: 5KD, includes free drink
Location: Argeela Bar, Salmiya
Keep AUK parking lot on your right and on Salem al Mubarak Street you will see a building with a sign that says ‘DJ Spikes’ on your left. That is Amar Plaza where Argeela Bar is located

For more information visit the Isma3ni event site [Here]
Here is the link to their Facebook page [Link]

Over the holidays one of the cities I traveled to was Rotterdam and while there I was lucky enough to meet the mayor of the city Ahmed Aboutaleb. Before I left Kuwait my friend in Rotterdam told me he managed set up a meeting for me with the mayor and that we would have 30 minutes of his time followed by a private tour of City Hall. I was pretty thrilled, I hadn’t been to Rotterdam before and getting to meet the mayor on my first visit was really exciting.

We got to City Hall early because obviously we didn’t want to be late for the mayor. Once there we were given a very friendly welcome by the mayor himself and his staff who all met us outside at the entrance of his office. Once inside the mayors office we were led to the seating area where I was told to sit opposite the mayor. On the table in front of us was a little stand with three flags, a Dutch flag, the flag of Rotterdam and the Kuwaiti flag since that’s where I was coming from. Their hospitality and professionalism made me feel like I was someone very important.

We started talking about the weather first since that’s always a good ice breaker and then the conversation shifted towards the city and finally to the way the mayor runs the city. One thing I loved is the fact he checks his emails personally. Everyday he receives on average around 50 or 60 emails from Rotterdam citizens regarding various topics and he reads them all himself. Then depending on what the email is about he assigns various members of his team to follow up and sort the issues out. Rotterdam is the second largest city in Netherlands but the way he runs things hands on you would think he’s running a small town like Pawnee. I loved that.

After my 30 minutes were up I was given a parting gift by the mayor and then had a photo taken with him. I was then given a tour of City Hall before I ended up leaving for lunch. It was such a great and inspiring meeting that it made me more determined to want to be the Mayor of Salmiya one day.