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Buying digital games is becoming a more realistic option with this recent generation of consoles. This is mainly due to the fact that the consoles all have big enough storage, support external hard drives and because our internet speeds are pretty decent so buying a physical copy of a game isn’t necessary anymore. This is positive, especially in Kuwait where games are expensive and since not every game is sometimes even available. On top of that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft discount a bunch of games for their consoles throughout the year. The problem for us in this region is that our gaming consoles only accept credit cards from the region you have your location set, which will always either be the U.S. or the U.K. So it’s good to know what websites offer digital codes that could be sent directly to your email.

Keep in mind that the only websites that support KNET are local. So if you’re planning on purchasing a digital code from Amazon, be prepared to use your credit card. So what’s the advantage of buying a digital code off Amazon? Well if you’re buying the $10 PSN card, it costs $9.99 which is equivalent to about KD3. $10 PSN cards in Kuwait go for KD3.750 to KD4 depending on the site you choose. If you have a credit card then there aren’t many disadvantages to getting a digital code from Amazon, the only one I can think of is that if you’re an owner of a Nintendo console, you’re out of luck since Amazon doesn’t sell digital codes for the Nintendo consoles.

For those who want to use Knet, we’re not short on options when it comes to local websites. Currently the websites that offer digital codes (to my knowledge) are Blink, X-Cite and GamesQ8. Digumz sells cards, but it’s unclear if they email the digital codes or not. The website that seems to have the best deals when it comes to PSN and Nintendo cards is X-Cite, but their Microsoft cards are more expensive than the others. GamesQ8 is generally pricier than the other websites and will only send you the digital codes through email only during their working hours.

It’s also important to note that if you’re looking for iTunes cards, both Blink and GamesQ8 currently sell digital codes.

Posted by Patrick

A few events got canceled this weekend because of the storm but below is what’s still on as of this post. Battle of the East is taking place on Friday and Saturday so if you’re into competitive sports thats something to check out. Shakshooka is also back for the first time this season, they’re going to be at The Secret Garden this Saturday night. Make sure you double check the actual events instagram pages before you head out just to make sure they’re still on. Below is the full list of events taking place this weekend:

Thursday
Exhibition: Still (Curated by Mark Dean)
Play: Stepping Out
Mask Making Workshop

Friday
Play: Stepping Out
Book Club Meeting
Battle of the East
Kuwait Global Education Fair
Fright Night

Saturday
Battle of the East
Kuwait Global Education Fair
Yoga at the Park
K’S PATH Shelter Open Day
Writing at the Park (Teens)
Shakshooka Market

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

I previously interviewed Mohammed Taher, the Kuwaiti creative director and founder of the Brave Wave record label. Since then he’s been busy helping in the releases of various projects like Keiji Yamagishi’s (Ninja Gaiden’s composer) first solo album, Shovel Knight’s soundtrack and an album by duo composers Saori Kobayashi (Panzer Dragoon) and Yumiko Takahashi (Suikoden) under the name of AKANE.

It doesn’t seem like he or Brave Wave take any breaks because they recently started a new label called the Generation Series. Under the Generation Series name they’ll be releasing definitive, remastered soundtracks of classic games. The first game they’re working on is Street Fighter II. The Verge recently interviewed him and sound engineer Marco Guardia about the challenges they faced working on such a huge project.

The project is interesting for various reasons. First of all, convenience. Video game soundtracks are hard to come by and when you do find them they usually cost more than they should because of rarity. The reason I personally think the Generation Series is interesting is the idea of preservation. Other forms of media (like film) have people restoring and preserving them. Preservation is a new concept when it comes to gaming, especially video game music, so I really appreciate Brave Wave taking the initiative.

It’s great to see Kuwait being represented by someone like Mohammed Taher, so be sure to visit Brave Wave’s releases page to support them.

Back in 2011 I posted a list of places that are open 24/7 in Kuwait. Figured its about time I update the list with your help. If you know of a place that is open 24 hours and isn’t on this list, let me know in the comments:

Places open 24/7 in Kuwait:

Restaurants
• Burger King – Bneidar Gas Station 1, Bneidar Gas Station 2, Fintas, Hawalli, Messilah and Plajat.
• Caribou Coffee – King Fahad Road (towards Chalets)
• Coffee Republic – King Fahad Road (towards Kuwait City)
• Costa – Dar Al Shifa Hospital, Hawalli
• Dunkin Donuts – Amman Street (Salmiya) and Fintas
• Finger Sushi – Kuwait City
• Geant Easy – Salmiya
• Gloria Cafe – Salmiya
• Hardees – Bida’a and Salmiya (opposite Fanar)
• Johnny Rockets – Salmiya
• KFC – Kuwait City, Salmiya (opposite Fanar)
• McDonalds – Airport, Al-Qosour, Al-Rai, Bayan, Bnaider, Fintas, Jabriya, Surra and Yarmouk
• Pizza Hut – Faiha, Fintas, Hawalli, Mishref and Salmiya City Center
• Pizzetta – Seef
• Prime & Toast – Seef
• Shawerma Shuwaikh – Bneid Al Gar
• Starbucks – Dasman, Hadi Hospital and Salmiya opposite Fanar
• Subway – Khaldiya, Mangaf
• The Grove – Opposite Kuwait Stock Exchange

Supermarkets
• City Centre – Dajeej
• Co-op – Al Adan, Al-Faiha, Al Qousor, Al Qurain, Dasma, Jabriya, Mishref, Qurtoba, Rumaithiya, Salmiya, Salwa and Yarmouk
• Saveco Supermarket
• Sultan Center – Dajeej, Fahaheel, Hawalli, Jabriya, Mangaf, Al Rai, Salmiya, Salwa, Shaab and Souk Sharq
• Trolley Market – Alfa Gas Station Hateen

Other
• Burgan Bank – Airport
• Debenhams – Airport
• Edge Fitness – Crown Plaza Hotel Farwaniya
• Gold’s Gym Salmiya
• Oula Car Wash – Jawazat Roundabout, Salmiya
• NBK – Airport
• Pharmacy 24 – Baghdad Street Salmiya
• Platinum Gym – Salmiya and Kifan
• Viva – Airport
• Wataniya – Airport
• X-Cite Electronics – Al Rai, Fahaheel and Hawalli
• Zain – Airport

Note: The list above might not be accurate, please call locations before heading there

The Kanye West, Yeezy Season 1 collection is launching worldwide on October 29th and Kuwait will be included as part of the launch. Like with the Yeezy Boosts, Harvey Nichols will be carrying the Yeezy Season 1 collection exclusively in Kuwait. I’ve got my eye on two pieces which I’m hoping (a) I will be able to pull off and (b) will be worth the price. I’ve seen some price lists floating around the web and most of the pieces looks pretty expensive. According to my contact at Harvey there will be no shoes released with this collection, the only accessory will be bags. They’re also just releasing menswear so tough lucky ladies. If you’re interested, the pieces are launching this Thursday, October 29th at 10AM at Harvey Nichols in Avenues. I’m assuming they’re going to sellout pretty quick.

One interesting tidbit I learned from my contact is that they will be releasing the white Yeezy Boosts sometime November/December. According to rumors online, Adidas might be releasing a new colorway for the Yeezy’s next month but no official announcement has been made yet. In fact, Adidas are expected to make a Yeezy Boost announcement tomorrow so it could be in regards to these white boosts.

Netflix has confirmed they will be launching in the Middle East soon. In an email to IGN ME, Netflix’s Joris Evers said, “We plan to complete our global expansion by the end of 2016. Of course the Middle East is part of that, hence our hiring.” [Source]

Around 10 days back a local redditor noticed that Netflix had changed their usual error message while trying to access Netflix from his Roku device. The usual error message “Sorry, Netflix hasn’t come to this part of the world yet” was replaced with “Good news! Netflix will be coming soon to this part of the world. Stay tuned.” Now it’s actually confirmed which is pretty interesting news.

I wonder if the regional library of films and shows will be similar to that of the US. But I think I’m even more curious to see how this will affect OSN as well as the other regional streaming services like Telly.

A bunch of interesting events are taking place this weekend. Tonight I’m heading to the Staged in Kuwait Improv Comedy night, I went to it last year and it was hilarious so looking forward to it again. Tomorrow there is an interesting event hosted by the Korean embassy, if you’re looking for a unique cultural experience then it should be worth going to. Finally there is the Fit4Life Expo taking place at Murouj on Friday and Saturday which should also be worth visiting. Check out the full list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Still (Curated by Mark Dean)
Exhibition: Al Maqama
Mix N’ Mentor
Diwaniyya en Español
Staged in Kuwait: Improv Comedy
Outdoor Sports & Safari Expo

Friday
Flying Start Triathlon
Time and Space in Harmony – Korean Cultural Performances
Fit4Life Expo
Outdoor Sports & Safari Expo

Saturday
The Secret Garden Project
Fit4Life Expo
Outdoor Sports & Safari Expo
Writing at the Park
US Military Band Performance

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

A good friend of mine is hosting a Zumba event early next week. She’s bringing the international recording artist and world renowned Zumba instructor Liana Veda to Kuwait for this event. If you’re interested in taking part, it’s for women only and you can get more details [Here]

Update: Just remembered I previously posted her impromptu dance in Japan with a bunch of strangers [Here]

The Aquarium Lounge is the ideal touristic platform for exploring sensational dining while enjoying top-notch panorama: a truly one of a kind experience. The dining outlets carefully handpicked exclusively present unparalleled offerings at Aquarium Lounge that features only the finest restaurants.

Because we need another restaurant complex, Aquarium Lounge is another one that’s being constructed in Mahboula. It will be trying to set itself apart from all the other food complexes by having restaurants overlook a huge aquarium. No word on completion date but the project has already started. For more information click on the different sub-categories of “Projects” on the developers website [Here]

Thanks lovelykuwait

Early last month I posted an article about Abdulai Shani, a former teacher back home in Ghana who got an opportunity to come to Kuwait to work as a security guard and earn good money. On arrival it turned out all the promises were empty ones and he was taken instead into the middle of the desert to live in a tent surrounded by a barren landscape to take care of sheep. If you haven’t read that post then check it out [Here]

After posting that article I asked if anybody would be able to help Abdulai get a better job. I received a lot of responses (thank you everybody!) and after filtering through them I ended up connecting Abdulai with a reader named Abdulrahman. Abdulrahman visited Abdulai in the desert and after meeting him decided to contact his sponsor. To quickly summarize things, he managed to convince his sponsor to let Abdulai go, at first the sponsor agreed and then on the day Abdulai was supposed to leave, the sponsor backtracked and asked for money. Abdulrahman ended up paying the sponsor off and once he collected Abdulai’s passport and civil ID, he handed them to Abdulai and then they drove off towards the city and back to civilization.

Abdulai is now living in Mahboula in an apartment he is sharing with a couple of other guys from Ghana. His new sponsor Abdulrahman is a great guy, they called me last weekend from the Avenues where they were out having lunch. Abdulai’s paperwork is currently being finalized and he’ll be starting his new job soon. He’s clearly in a much better place and he’s thankful to everyone.

The Kuwait Government Online website is getting a facelift and you can get a preview of it right now. The redesigned website looks a lot cleaner and up to date than the current version as well as being easier to navigate. The new website is still in beta form so not everything is working yet but you can get a sneak peek at it by clicking [Here]

Will I get slower WiFi as an expat?

Update: For those arguing that this is “just for research” purposes, replace the nationality question with one asking if you’re Sunni or Shia or if you’re straight, gay or bi or if you’re white, black, colored or whatever… Would that be ok even if it’s “just for statistics”? Obviously not and asking if I’m Kuwaiti or an expat is exactly the same thing. It’s invasive and it’s promoting segregation and all just for free wifi.

A reader was watching a Lexus car concept video and noticed something peculiar. The last scene of the video shows the concept car driving off into a futuristic city but on closer inspection, the city features buildings from Kuwait. If you enlarge the video full screen and look carefully you can spot Al Hamra Tower, Arraya Tower 1, Arraya Tower 2 and KIPCO Tower (there might be more). So it kinda looks like Kuwait City in the future, check out the video [Here]

Thanks Sulaiman

Over the holidays I worked a bit on the blog layout and I’ve done some more changes. First thing I did was update the Classifieds and Community sections to match the new look of the blog. The second thing I did was reduce the amount of main sections on the blog by removing the Fashion and Entertainment section. I will continue to post music videos, gaming and movie reviews and fashion related topics but, depending on how interesting the post is it will either end up on the main page here or in the B-Sides section. So if there is a great music video I want everyone to watch I’ll post it here, if not it will go in the B-Sides. Easy-peasy.

Burger Boutique are opening a new location at the Sahara Country Club food complex (Murooj). Instead of opening the same restaurant as their current one in Arraya, they’re opening a more upscale version they’re calling Burger Boutique ‘Black’. It will have a completely different and upgraded menu, less fast food and more like a proper restaurant kind of menu. To me it felt like somewhere in between their current Burger Boutique and their Open Flame Kitchen restaurant at 360 Mall. One of the highlights of the new location is their use of dry aged beef on the menu. The burger pictured below for example (the Black Burger) uses dry aged beef in the patty mix for an added bit of flavor.

The new Burger Boutique is currently having tasting sessions going on and it’s expected to open up to the public from October 22nd onwards. Here is the location on [Google Maps]