Categories
Kuwait Personal

They filled the hole!

I was on my way back this morning from walking my dog when I noticed a lot of dust coming out from the empty sand lot near my house. When I got closer I realized the local baladiya were there with two trucks. They were filling up the hole I posted about two days back! One large truck dumped sand in and around the pit while a larger bulldozer proceeded to fill it up until the hole disappeared.

That absolutely made my day. Thanks to everyone who helped out, I am sure the whole neighborhood really appreciates this. I also suddenly feel like I am in a real life scene from the hilarious TV show Parks and Recreation which means I should now try and convince the baladiya to turn the empty lot into a park.

Update: The Governorate of Hawalli responded with the following:

Dear Mark,

The Governorate of Hawalli would like to thank you for your kind efforts in pointing out an issue that has been causing distress to the surrounding residents of the area around the “hole”.

After receiving instructions from the Governor of Hawalli, Governorate officials contacted the appropriate officers at the Municipality of Kuwait – Hawalli Division – and notified them of the issue.

The Governorate has made sure that the issue has been dealt with immediately and accordingly, and followed up with the Municipality to ensure that the issue was resolved appropriately. We would also like to confirm that the hole, that was unfortunately used as a waste disposal site by many, had been thoroughly cleaned and the waste removed before being backfilled.

The Governorate of Hawalli has always tried to be on top top of such issues, and hopes that this would only be just one part of a cumulative effort that symbolizes a greater collective awareness, taking us one further step for a cleaner, and hopefully greener, Kuwait.

It is refreshing to find that such a sense of responsibility and care is still active in our beloved country. On behalf of the entire Governorate team, we would like to thank you all for your support, and the Municipality for their great work and quick response. Please rest assured that the Governorate of Hawalli will always try to tackle such issues in the future head on.

Of course, there are important lessons to learn from this experience. The strength of Kuwait is not found only in its government, but through the dedication of the people of Kuwait as a whole. It is truly found in the compassionate and caring hearts and the dynamic spirit of our citizens, residents and visitors.

Thank you.

I have to say I am EXTREMELY impressed! I am really at a loss for words. I thought no one actually cared about “old” Salmiya but it seems there are some people who do. I did not expect this. I’ve lived on the street for 30 years now and I’ve posted about my frustration before (here and here for example) but now I feel there might be hope. Thank you!




Categories
Complaints Kuwait Personal

Hole full of garbage

I am 100% sure this can’t be legal or healthy. I live in Salmiya in the old souk on Salem Mubarek Street. Right behind my building there is an empty sand lot which is used as a parking by people coming to shop in the street. The sand lot is also used as garbage dump. It has around 7 regular sized garbage cans… and one big hole in the ground.

A hole in the ground! For some reason it seems the local baladiya or whoever is responsible for garbage collection can’t afford new garbage bins or something and have decided instead to dig a big hole in the ground and fill it up with garbage. Every morning a bulldozer comes and digs up the garbage.

Why can’t they place a large garbage bin or two or three more regular sized ones instead of digging a hole?

First of all the lot is heavily surrounded by residential buildings. Second of all there is a mosque just 20 meters away from the hole. Finally people use the lot as a parking lot. Salmiya is over crowded and lacks ample parking and people are forced to park in the sandy lot filled with garbage. At night the lot is pitch black since there isn’t any kind of lighting and people end up parking right next to all the garbage bins and holes. That can’t be healthy.

Hopefully by me posting about this maybe something can be done about this. It’s just too disgusting, I mean it’s a frickin hole in the ground that’s being filled with garbage!




Categories
Food & Drinks Information Kuwait Personal

Turkish Grill vs Kebabji vs Villa Fayrouz Express

Every night as part of my diet I am allowed to only eat grilled food and veggies. After the gym the most convenient thing for me to pick up is grills from either Turkish Grill, Kebabji or Villa Fayrouz Express. I usually call them from the gym parking lot and by the time I get to them the food is ready for me to pick up. Recently Kebabji increased their prices which annoyed me since their main competitors offered more for less. I decided to put up this post in hopes of someone from Kebabji reads this and realizes they need to go back to their old pricing.

Below are the three restaurants with some figures I took so I could compare them. The weight of the meat was calculated by placing just the meat on a digital scale and not the whole box. I ordered the exact same dishes from the three restaurants, grilled tikka meat and a side of tabbouleh.

Turkish Grill
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD2.000
Pieces of meat: 15
Weight of meat: 175grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 600fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 272grams
Telephone: 25752565

Villa Fayrouz Express
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD1.950
Pieces of meat: 19
Weight of meat: 196grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 850fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 508grams
Telephone: 25755527/32

Kebabji
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD2.390
Pieces of meat: 12
Weight of meat: 66grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 950fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 295grams
Telephone: 1861616

I took the liberty to plug the figures above into a table for easier comparison. I highlighted the best prices and weight in green while I used red for the worst prices and weight. As you can see Villa Fayrouz Express surprisingly came out to be the best deal. I said surprisingly since between the three it’s actually the least fast foodish. Kebabji on the other hand didn’t fare too well. They had the most expensive prices and the least quantity.

Update: Thanks to a tip from a reader called Environmental, it turns out I can get the grilled tikka from Turkish Grill at half the price. You need to order the grilled meat tikka with “no service” and then the cost amounts to just 850 fils! You don’t get bread, veggies, pickles, hummus or a fancy box, just the meat wrapped in aluminum foil. Now the strange thing is I counted the pieces today and I got 25 pieces of meat, that’s 10 more from the regular which strikes me odd but hey I’m not complaining. That’s over a 50% savings, not bad at all. Below is a picture of the “no service” tikka.

If anyone from Turkish Grill reads this I have one comment, please install a Knet machine at your Salmiya branch. I don’t carry any cash with me most of the time so when I don’t have cash I usually head over to Villa Fayrouz since they accept Knet. There are no Knet machines on my way from the gym to your Salmiya branch.

Update2: It turns out Kebabji have a savings meal which gets you an extra skewer for around 200fils more. Below are the new updated details. Check the following link for more info on this [Link]

Kebabji
Grilled Meat Tikka Cost: KD2.595
Pieces of meat: 18
Weight of meat: 105grams
Tabbouleh Cost: 950fils
Weight of tabbouleh: 295grams
Telephone: 1861616

And here is the updated chart:




Categories
Photography

America in Color from 1939-1943

The 70 colored photos were taken from 1939 to 1943 and are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. Some seriously amazing stuff there. Makes me want to bang my head on the wall for not taking pictures of Salmiya back in the 1980’s. [Link]




Categories
Funny Kuwait Strange

The most wonderful green place in Kuwait

The below is taken from the Boulevard project about us page:

Nestled in the heart of Salmiya, the vibrant area southeast of Kuwait City, with rich demographic diversity, Boulevard is an emerging oasis in the middle of the city, a fabulous world full of real facilities!

Once a large desolated plot of land, the area is now one of the most wonderful green places to visit in the State of Kuwait, benefiting from excellent road access on all sides principally from the Fifth Ring Road and Arabian Gulf Street.

Today, Boulevard is the largest touristic hub in the country, including more than 353 thousand square meters of fabulous year-round family fun, and offering a splendid range of cultural and recreational events and activities and a constant source of wonderful delights.

Notice anything strange? Well below is a picture of Boulevard today. I don’t think it looks that green and popular but I could be wrong… [Link]




Categories
Funny Internet Kuwait

Facebook Cafe

Somebody opened up a Facebook cafe in Salmiya near the American University of Kuwait. Now someone needs to open up a FarmVille mini-market right next door.


Thanks Patrick




Categories
50s to 90s Kuwait Movies Photography

Old Cinemas in Kuwait

Cinescape uploaded pictures of old movie theaters here in Kuwait to their Facebook group with the oldest theater dating back to 1954. I hope they upload pictures of Cinema Salmiya and the drive through cinema as well. [Link]

Thanks Mohammed




Categories
Interesting Kuwait Shopping

A good idea

Yesterday a reader emailed me telling me that the Electrozan branch in Salmiya got shut down by the ministry. So I emailed my Electrozan contact to find out what happened and it turned out to be a license issue. Now the cool thing is that today they put up stickers on the door which you can see above.

The first message apologizes to the customers for being closed and explains why. The second message tells customers that if they take a picture of the door with the message on it and show it to any employee at another one of their branches they get a 5% discount.

I thought that was pretty cool since usually when shops get closed by the ministry no one knows why and rumors get spread. In this case they actually tell everyone why and offer a nice little discount in return.




Categories
50s to 90s Kuwait Photography

Sultan Center 1986

I recently got a hold of this beautiful picture of the original Sultan Center in Salmiya taken back in 1986. Here is a link to a larger version of the photo. [Picture]

Update: This picture was taken in 1986, not 1982.




Categories
Fashion Kuwait Sports

Where to get local football team jerseys?

A reader emailed me an interesting question. Where can one get original local football team jerseys like Qadsia Club or Salmiya Club jerseys here in Kuwait?




Categories
Kuwait

From the top down

I am sure most of you know the round green building at the corner of old Salmiya on Salem Mubarek Street. If you don’t its an old tall circular shaped building that is sadly being demolished. Now funny thing is how they’re demolishing it. It seems using a crane they lifted and placed a bulldozer on top of the building and that truck has been destroying the building bit by bit from the top to the bottom. That has to be more dangerous than crab fishing. Now the million dollar question is… how does the bulldozer driver get down at the end of the day?




Categories
Events Information Kuwait Movies

Cinemagic rooftop movie schedule for June 2010 – A Thrilling Summer

Here is the calendar for Cinemagic’s rooftop movie nights for June. This month they’ve got a wide array of thrilling, funny and chilling films. Check out the full list below:

Thursday, June 3rd at 07:00 PM
Paprika, Japan 2006
Director: Satoshi Kon
Genre: Animation | 90 min | English Subtitle
Rated: R

Saturday, June 5 at 07:00 PM
Eastern Promises, UK/Canada 2007
Director: David Cronenberg
Genre: Drama | 100 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15

Thursday, June 10 at 07:00 PM
The Orphanage, Spain 2007
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Genre: Thriller | 105 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Saturday, June 12 at 07:00 PM
Three Monkeys, Turkey 2008
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Genre: Drama | 109 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 15

Thursday, June 17 at 07:00 PM
Jar City, Iceland 2006
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Genre: Thriller | 93 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 15

Saturday, June 19 at 07:00 PM
Festen, Denmark 1998
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Genre: Drama | 105 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15

Thursday, June 24 at 07:00 PM
Tears of the Black Tiger, Thailand 2000
Director: Wisit Sasanatieng
Genre: Action | Comedy | 110 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15

Saturday, June 26 at 07:00 PM
The Unknown Woman, Italy 2006
Director: Guiseppe Tornatore
Genre: Drama | 118 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15

Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG. There is a KD1 charge for the venue fees which includes refreshments, popcorn and much more. Here is a link to their facebook group [Link]




Categories
50s to 90s Food & Drinks Information Interesting Kuwait

The I like it spicy guy

OK be prepared for the best post yet on this blog…

I was talking to a friend of mine about Salmiya in the 80s and one thing led to another and I was telling him how strong a brand Tikka was back then. I was telling him about the “I like it spicy” guy (pictured above) and the Tikka commercials and how if you asked anyone who grew up in Kuwait back in the 80s they would remember the commercial and even sing you the jingle. It became a classic like the Pizza Italia and Hungry Bunny commercials.

Anyway I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool to find out who the “I like it spicy” guy was, what happened to him and how he looked like today? Well guess what… After a bit of research and digging around I found out who he was.

The actor who played the “I like it spicy” character was Galal Zaki. He wasn’t an actor, he worked in the ad agency that came up with the idea. Like Alfred Hitchcock, Galal liked to star in his own work and that’s how he ended up becoming the Tikka guy. the picture below is of Galal Zaki which I found on Google and is dated 2007. Although a lot older now you can still see some resemblance.

Today Galal Zaki is the CEO of Perception Communication in Egypt. He was also recently awarded the Rameh IAA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Update: Here is an old Tikka commercial. It’s not the famous one but its better than nothing…


[YouTube]

Update2: And here is the more popular one…


[YouTube]




Categories
Events Kuwait Movies

Event: Mustache at Cinemagic Kuwait

I’ve been wanting to watch the locally produced movie Mustache ever since I saw the movie poster and now I’m going to be able to since they’re screening the movie at Cinemagic. The film will be screened on Saturday at 7:00 pm just before Cinemagic’s feature presentation The White Ribbon. Here is the link to the Facebook group for Mustache. [Link]

The Cinemagic screening will take place on the roof top on top of LG and Alghanim Electronics in old Salmiya. There is a KD1 venue fee but you have free drinks and snacks so it’s basically a free activity.




Categories
Events Information Kuwait Movies

Cinemagic rooftop movie schedule for May 2010 – Cinemagic at Cannes

Here is the calendar for Cinemagic’s rooftop movie nights for May. This month they’ve got movies from the Cannes Festival. Check out the full list below:

Thursday, May 6 at 07:00 PM
Ali Zaoua, Morocco 2000
Director: Nabil Ayoush
Genre: Drama | 99 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Saturday, May 8 at 07:00 PM
Vozvrashchenie, Russia 2003
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev

Genre: Drama | 105 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+

Thursday, May 13 at 07:00 PM
“Winner for Best Director, Cannes 2008”
Three Monkeys, Turkey 2008
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Genre: Drama | 109 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 15

Saturday, May 15 at 07:00 PM
“Winner of Golden Palm 2009”
The White Ribbon, Sweden 2009
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama | 144 min | English Subtitle
Rated: R 18

Thursday, May 20 at 07:00 PM
“Un certain Nominee 2009”
Precious, USA 2009
Director: Lee Daniels
Genre: Drama | 109 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 15

Saturday, May 22nd at 07:00 PM
“Golden Palm Nominee 2008”
Promise Me This, Serbia 2008
Director: Emir Kusturica
Genre: Comedy | 127 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Thursday, May 27 at 07:00 PM
“Opening Ceremony, Cannes 2001”
LOTR: The Fellowship of the ring, USA 2001
Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Fantasy | 178 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Friday, May 28 at 07:00 PM
LOTR: The Two Towers, USA 2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Fantasy | 179 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Saturday, May 29 at 07:00 PM
LOTR: The Returm Of The King, USA 2004
Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Fantasy | 201 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13

Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG. There is a KD1 charge for the venue fees which includes refreshments, popcorn and much more. Here is a link to their facebook group [Link]