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As far as the regular Uber cars (a.k.a. uberX) the experience in London can be mostly described as no frills. The driver takes you from A to B and you’re done. A few drivers from a certain ethnic background try to cheat the system. The platform is designed in a way that the driver doesn’t know the destination until he starts the trip. To avoid accepting a short trip that won’t make them a lot of money, some drivers call you to ask about where you’re going or falsely start the trip on the system and either way if they don’t like it, they’ll cancel or worse ask you to cancel because they’re “stuck on the road”. According to Uber rules, if you cancel the request when the car is less than five minutes away from you, you’re charged £5.00. Of course, I complain through the app and within minutes they apologise in an email and refund me. Not that much of a pleasant experience, and that’s in London. Strange enough, the driver’s attitude in New York is much better.

I don’t claim to know how Uber will legally operate in Kuwait – that’s if they manage to make it happen. However, if they open the door to individuals as they do elsewhere I am concerned about the quality of the experience customers will have. The Kuwaiti market suffers a great deal from poor customer experiences caused by both sides: untrained and/or unfriendly staff and rude or unresponsive customers. I know I’m generalising but this is the mainstream scene. With immature consumer behaviour and a lack of professionalism from drivers who feel empowered to treat you anyway they like when they’re hiding behind the app’s platform the experience can be rigged or ruined in spite of regulations. That being said, Uber claims to be strict with drivers who receive poor ratings. Regardless of the business model Uber chooses, it would be better for the Kuwaiti market if Uber offers existing taxi companies to join their system conditional to following strict regulations that can be monitored. At least, we’ll have less horn-honking on the streets from taxis trying to get the attention of people walking by. This week’s tip: Expanding from one location to another is a sound move, if and only if, you can consistently maintain the standards of operation everywhere.

Post by Loaay Ahmed, a strategic business therapist since 1995. He currently lives and works in London, UK, while earning his master’s in Service Design Innovation, and managing knightscapital in Kuwait. For Loaay’s advice on business or work matters, send a short email to [email protected]. Regrettably, only the questions chosen for publishing will be answered.

With the release of Star Wars Force Awaken, a lot of new Star Wars merchandise has gone on sale like clothing, Lego’s (the Millennium Falcon is KD170!), new figurines and now a new addition, the Sphero BB-8. Being a big Star Wars I’m pretty much on cloud nine. Not only was The Force Awakens a great movie, the new toys look great and even the clothing isn’t bad at all. So I was excited to test out the BB-8 and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked.

So what’s so cool about the Sphero BB-8? You can control it using your smartphone and it’s compatible with both iOS and Android devices so no one is left out. This little guy can move fast and can take a beating. When I first tested it out, the first thing that popped into my head was that BB-8 would make a great (albeit expensive) toy for my cat. It was impressive watching it speed across the floor especially that the BB-8’s head is attached to the body using a magnet and two little wheels so it stays in place while the rest of the body rolls. It has barely fallen off, even as I’ve hit the wall multiple times and the legs of chairs. The body itself has an “upright” position that corrects itself with the help of the stabilizers that are part of the internal mechanism. There’s also a gyroscope and accelerometer that will assist in controlling BB-8 by being aware of its movements and make subtle and slight adjustments to help you out.

If you get tired of controlling it you can set it to patrol mode. Patrol mode works similar to the way a Roomba does. The BB-8 will roam around your room on its own and will move around objects, like chair legs or people. What’s cool is that there is an event log that that lets you know if BB-8 hit a wall or detected an object.

The price tag for the BB-8 is steep, it costs KD69. Ultimately, this is a cool piece of tech, but it’s not something I would play with everyday. Right now I have it on my shelf next to my Samus figurine and my Super Mario Amiibo and sometimes I’ll tease my cat with it once in a while, but at the end of the day it’s a glorified figurine. House guests will find it impressive and it makes for an interesting topic of discussion. I love the BB-8 and it’s unique in a world of cheap toys. It’s a Star Wars toy that can be enjoyed by kids and adults.

If you’re interested in the Sphero BB-8, it’s available at the Avenue’s branch of Fantasy World which has a new section catered towards adults called THE EDGE. Fantasy World also has the largest collection of Star Wars toys that I’ve seen in Kuwait so far, including nice figurines of Kylo Ren, Finn and Rey.

Post by Patrick

Full Disclosure: The Sphero BB-8 was provided by Fantasy World to review on the blog.

A reader emailed me a few days ago letting me know they had found another Korean supermarket in Kuwait. According to the reader they were trying to find danmuji so they went to Singarea Supermarket and couldn’t find it there. So they asked their favorite Korean restaurant if they knew where they could get it from and they were told about another Korean supermarket in Shuwaikh called Ginza Market. So I passed by over the weekend to check it out. The store is small and seems to be catered more to restaurants than consumers since I was offered a list of all their items to keep with me in case I needed to order anything. But as a consumer you can also pick up whatever you want from their shelves. They’re open from 8AM to 8PM and their phone number is 22205091. Here is their location on [Google Maps]

While looking for Ginza Market I also ended up finding a Chinese Supermarket called Chinese Food House. It’s located in the same building block as Ginza and the store specializes in food products imported directly from China. I couldn’t figure out what they had since everything was written in Chinese but I did find some odd items like century eggs and salt baked chicken feet. They’re open from 8AM to 5PM and their phone number is 97533702. Here is their location on [Google Maps]

Both those stores have very friendly and helpful staff so don’t be afraid to ask them newbie questions.

Update: Ginza Supermarket has moved and the Google Maps link above has been updated.

Last week, a solopreneur in Kuwait approached me for help after reading my Business Therapy intro post. Her main product is gift boxes containing genuine gold, frankincense and myrrh (a.k.a. in a Christianity context as the gifts given by the three kings or wise men). Apart from how niche her business is being in a Muslims-dominated country selling to Christians, her problem is quite common to many solopreneurs I met before. For what it’s worth, let’s call her Jane. She came across the products accidentally. She was emotionally engaged. Jane felt she could purchase the raw material and package it herself and make it available for others whom would appreciate what the items stand for – a classic lightbulb moment.

Quickly, Jane learned about what really meets the standards of gold, frankincense and myrrh. She worked on the packaging and started to sell at local seasonal bazaars with modest revenue and managed to have her products displayed at an important cultural centre. A basic website for the EU market was setup. Her social media accounts got activated. Yet, so far not so good: no sales. What Jane did, as many small businesses do, is spend great energy on the product or service side and not much, if any, time on understanding who the key customers are, where they are, what they want, and how to reach them. Controlling quality is essential to offer good value. However, what’s the point of the greatest service ever designed if nobody is aware of it and using it?

In celebration of being in business for 20 years I’ve been giving away one-hour strategic business therapy sessions to micro businesses and charities that can’t afford it. Jane and I had a session online and discussed a few possible directions. For the Kuwaiti market Jane is targeting churches, embassies and cultural centres that target foreign newcomers to Kuwait. She’s also seeking out a low-cost chain management services provider to store some stock in the EU and ship directly from within the EU considering how slow and costly shipping from Kuwait to the EU would be. And finally she’s also arranging to meet a few churches in the UK during her summer trip next year. This week’s tip: Knowing your own industry is one thing, knowing how to grow a business is another. You need both to make it.

Post by Loaay Ahmed, a strategic business therapist since 1995. He currently lives and works in London, UK, while earning his master’s in Service Design Innovation, and managing knightscapital in Kuwait. For Loaay’s advice on business or work matters, send a short email to [email protected]. Regrettably, only the questions chosen for publishing will be answered.

As I’ve previously mentioned, Kuwait is currently going through change, for the good and bad although I strongly believe that the changes are mostly for the good. This week Kuwait went through some very important changes.

Around a year ago, the “segregation law” was taken to the constitutional court by Kuwait University students who thought the law was unfair since they weren’t able to register for classes that were available for females only. This was the first time in Kuwait’s history where people were allowed to take a law to the constitutional court, previously only the government or parliament were allowed to do so.

I originally started writing this article last week because I wanted to share what was happening but then I decided to wait until the constitutional court ruling came out which it did yesterday. Lawyers, politicians, professors, non-profit organizations, were all waiting patiently to see what the Constitutional Court would rule, was segregating the sexes legal or not?

Back in 2000, the Kuwaiti Parliament voted by democratic ways a law that seemed to many as being undemocratic. In English media outlets it was referred to as “the segregation law”, and in Arabic media as “منع الاختلاط” which translates to “preventing integration”. But, the actual name of the law was “The Establishment of Private Universities” and was inspired by “The Higher Education Law” that was voted for in 1996. The law is very simple and short, with not a lot of details to its articles, for example ‘Article 2’ states “Student attire, behavior and activities shall be according to Islamic values”. Somewhere along the line though the Ministry enforced segregation on all higher private universities by referring to the law mentioned above.

Yesterdays court’s verdict came to everyone as a surprise. Although the court did not claim that the “segregation” law was unconstitutional, it instead stated there has been a mistake applying the law, as segregation was never mentioned in the original law.

On another brighter note, Kuwait’s Parliament yesterday finally passed an Animal Rights law making animal abuse in Kuwait illegal, as well as banning people from having certain pets like lions, cheetahs, etc. The law also enforces pet owners to take good care of their animals. The law shall be implemented within 6 months.

Feel free to email me [email protected] with any legal questions. I do not have the capacity to answer everyone for free (but I try), and I am happy to announce that I am currently working with a great team and therefore we are able to reply back to all emails with a reasonable time frame.

Post by Fajer Ahmed – Legal Counsel
The legal opinions expressed in this post are those of the author Fajer. Opinions expressed by Mark or any other writer on mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com are those of the individual’s and in no way reflect Fajer’s opinion.

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Below is this weekends list of events. If you still haven’t had the chance to the try my friends Portuguese tart pastries called Al Nata, they’ll be at Qout Market this weekend so make sure you pass by and check them out. They’ve got some delicious new flavors.

Thursday
Exhibition: Behind the Crisis
Thuraya Lynn X Do Chan Art Show “I saw the cat hiding”
GulfRun Karting Race
Rooftop Movie: Singing in the Rain

Friday
Thuraya Lynn X Do Chan Art Show “I saw the cat hiding”
GulfRun Karting Race
The Market at Al Kout Mall
Gingerbread Decorating Event
Movie in the Park: The Machinist
Chill-Out Fridays

Saturday
Thuraya Lynn X Do Chan Art Show “I saw the cat hiding”
GulfRun Karting Race
The Market at Al Kout Mall
Yoga at the Park
Qout Market
Madeenah Tour: Mubarak Al Kabeer Street
Kidsarty’s Fun Outdoor Art Workshop
The Secret Garden Project
Protein Sheikhas: Bootcamp
Kuwait Writing Club Open Mic Night
Rooftop Movie: Vanya on 42nd St.

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Note: Sometimes events get canceled, postponed or have details changed. I try to make sure all the information is accurate but always double check with the organizers to be sure.

A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch with a friend and not sure how the subject came about but I brought up the fact that I’ve been having a really hard time finding a nutritionist to contribute with posts on the blog. Thats when my friend recommended Hyatt from Fork Fed. So I checked out her blog and instagram account and right away knew she would be perfect. Her posts were not too long, they were interesting and I loved her photography taste so I right away got in touch with her and asked her if she would be interested in writing here. She thankfully agreed and starting from today she will hopefully be posting here on a frequent basis. Her first post is up below so check it out.

On a side note if there are any other kind of topics you’d like to see covered on this blog let me know. Right now I’ve got contributors for business, nutrition, video games and law posts plus I’m trying to get someone for fitness. What else would you like to see here?

If you’re planning on ordering a 3D Printer off the internet you should know that customs have released a new decree stating that all 3D Printers must now be registered with the Criminal Investigations Division (CID). I am assuming this has to do with the fact that it’s becoming possible to print firearms with these printers because I can’t imagine why else the CID would be interested in knowing who owns a 3D printer.

via @forzaq8

Until Uber comes to Kuwait we’re kinda stuck with alternatives for now and the most recent one I found out about is the Q8 Taxi app. I haven’t ordered a cab with it yet since I haven’t had a need for one, but I have been playing with the app and noticed two interesting things about Q8 Taxi. The first is that there always seems to be a cab nearby. The second is that the taxis they use have working meters. The description under “Car Type” in the app is “Meter Taxi” but I thought that might just be a generic description so I called customer support to confirm their cabs actually use the meters and they confirmed to me that they do. If thats the case then this could be the best app to use until Uber becomes available.

If you’ve used the app before, let me know below of your experience. For those of you who are interested in downloading the app, it’s available for both iOS and Android. [Link]

As you can see from the picture above, the garbage situation in the sand pit behind my house still hasn’t been sorted (it’s been years of me complaining). I’m not sure why it’s so difficult to just add more bins.

But the reason I’m posting about this today is because I wanted to see if you guys could spot something. The picture below was taken this morning after the garbage trucks came. Notice anything?

Yeah the garbage trucks cleaned the garbage on the ground but didn’t empty the trash bins. Back in August I posted a timelapse of the garbage being cleaned up and the trucks were leaving one of the bins full while emptying the other three. Turned out that one of the bins belonged to the previous company that had the garbage contract and the new company, not to cause an issue with the previous company was leaving their garbage bins alone. Really stupid shit but now I have no idea whats going on because all four bins aren’t being emptied and the already terrible garbage situation has become worse.

I just want them to add more bins, clearly the bins in the area aren’t enough since I’ve been talking about this issue for years now. I don’t know, am I asking for too much here?

And for those of you who are going to argue back by bringing Lebanon into this, yes yes Lebanon is a big garbage dump, I know that. But, I think of Kuwait more highly and would rather compare it to the likes of Calagary, Canada’s oil capital instead of Lebanon.

In a recent business event in Kuwait, I asked the audience: “What would you do if one of your employees rushed over to you saying, “There’s a long queue at the counter in the new store”?” Most of them replied, “Open another counter.” The long queue issue disappears and everything is back to normal, right? Wrong. While opening another counter might be a quick fix to minimise the customers’ negative experience, a long queue is a result of an issue, not the issue itself. And without knowing what the actual problem is how can you tell if you have the right solution?There are many reasons why such an incident occurred: the employee may not have been well-trained; he or she is just slow; your process is too long; an IT meltdown; the store is poorly designed; or some customers are queuing for the wrong reasons, just to name a few. To start go to the store with your team and observe. Take pictures and videos if possible. Discussing a long queue is one thing, being there or at least seeing photos of it helps framing the challenge. Next, map the customer journey (and the employees’ too). Breaking down the current customer experience step by step allows you to spot pain points that may have led to the long queue or to even bigger issues. One particular advantage is that it allows you to see the business from the customer’s perspective – a critical tool for innovation and development that many managers and business owners don’t practice enough.

What follows is analysing your value chain, a formal way of referring to your suppliers, vendors, or strategic partners’ interactions with the business. What areas is the business weak in because of the quality of the services you receive from your value chain and what areas are strong because of it? This analysis helps to realistically evaluate solutions. Last step is mind mapping. Basically, layout all the data you gathered and look for insights and repeated patterns that can give you clues for possible solutions.

You might think by now that the steps above are theoretical and needless because you understand your business, your industry and your customers well enough to jump straight into the solution. That’s exactly where you’ll miss great opportunities for development. Innovation is a process that depends on design thinking principles and tools. Not knowing such tools makes managers rely only on their own experiences and intuition, which are great but not enough for sustainable growth. This week’s tip: Only when the right problem is identified can you explore possible solutions.

Post by Loaay Ahmed, a strategic business therapist since 1995. He currently lives and works in London, UK, while earning his master’s in Service Design Innovation, and managing knightscapital in Kuwait. For Loaay’s advice on business or work matters, send a short email to [email protected]. Regrettably, only the questions chosen for publishing will be answered.

A friend messaged me early this morning telling me their pet had passed away during the night. He messaged me because he wasn’t sure what to do with the body. He had considered burying it somewhere but he had read that it was illegal to do so and was hoping I would have an answer for him. Luckily, I had just recently read on Desert Girl’s blog about how the International Veterinary Hospital (IVH) had recently started offering cremation services.

IVH offers two different types of cremation services for your pets. The first option is a standard cremation in which your pet gets cremated with other pets. The cost of this option is KD10. The alternative option is to get an exclusive cremation in which your pet is cremated alone and you are given the ashes to keep. This option is more expensive costing KD23. According to Desert Girl, IVH has urns/boxes you can select from to put the ashes in or you could bring your own box.

Our long time family pet passed away (pictured above) years ago but I still remember how traumatic the experience was. Hopefully the information above will relieve some people of the stress involved with the arrangements involved with their pet. For IVH contact details and a map to their location, here is a link to their [Website]

Shakshooka Market is back again this Saturday (pictured above) and I’m going to be there helping a friend out who’s making delicious Salt Beef Bagel Sandwiches. So make sure you come by, say hi and order a Salt Beef Bagel, our stand will be called “The Untitled Deli”. Check out the full list of events taking place this weekend below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Behind the Crisis
8th Fitness Convention
Pantomime: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Burpees for Humanity
Workshop: Japanese Shibori Tie-Dye
Rooftop Movie: Le Papillon

Friday
Pantomime: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Bungee Jump at Al Kout
Food Truck Festival
AlSalmi Star Gazing Trip
Chill-Out Fridays

Saturday
Pantomime: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Bungee Jump at Al Kout
Food Truck Festival
Yoga at the Park
Shakshooka Market
Workshop: Fabric Printing
Art Night Out
Protein Sheikhas: Bootcamp
Lulwa Piano Concert
Rooftop Movie: Manhattan

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Note: Sometimes events get canceled, postponed or have details changed. I try to make sure all the information is accurate but always double check with the organizers to be sure.

Singarea, the Asian supermarket which was located in Dajeej has now moved to a newer and larger location in Shuwaikh. I ran into the owner by chance while I was there yesterday and he gave me a little tour of the place. They were still moving in with workers putting up a sign outside and shop staff busy stacking the shelves inside.

According to the owner they moved to Shuwaikh because the traffic and parking situation in Dajeej was unbearable. They were originally supposed to move to this location last year but due to licensing issues they weren’t able to until now. Their new location is larger and they will soon be setting up a fresh fish section (with fish imported from Japan) as well as their own in house bakery.

For those of you who’ve never been to Singarea before, they sell a lot of Asian products that aren’t available anywhere else. A lot of sushi and Asian restaurants buy their supplies from them. There also used to be a very cute Korean restaurant over the old supermarket but that closed down a few years ago. According to the owner there are sadly no plans to reopen the restaurant at the moment.

If you’re interested in passing by the new Singarea location, search for “Singarea Asian Supermarket” on Google Maps or just use this [Link]. Their phone number is 24912564.

It’s every parents’ worst nightmare to lose a child, and sometimes the only consolation is to preserve memories and keep mementos. Harry is a hot rod enthusiast, hence his nickname, Hot Rod Harry. He also has a passion for vans and motorcycles, as well as being the proud of owner of a 2011 Ford Mustang GT. As was his son, Dylon, who sadly passed away earlier this year. He was only 24. Dylon actually ended up selling his Mustang back in October 2012 to a dealership in North Carolina, and now Harry wants to buy it back.

According to the article the car was sold to a buyer here in Kuwait and the father is now looking for help in trying to find his sons car so he could buy it back. It’s a long shot but figured I’d try to help him by posting about it here. The vin number of the car is 1ZVBP8CF7B5156798. For more details check out the article [Here]

Thanks Ahmad