Search: “sti”

There is a local website called Photo Lenders which rents out photography equipment like lenses and cameras for reasonable prices. This concept isn’t new since it already exists in the States but it’s still great that someone decided to set up something similar in Kuwait. I’m sure all the local photographers are going to appreciate this and I’m personally waiting for them to start renting out cameras as well. Check out the website [Here]

So I was at the popular Al Remal Al Dahabi garage the other day with a friend of mine sitting in the waiting room when someone lit up a cigarette. Right away to my surprise someone comes in over the PA system and announces that there is no smoking allowed in the waiting room and they should go smoke outside.

I was like completely taken aback by this. If a garage in Al Rai has started enforcing a no smoking policy then there’s still hope that malls and restaurants will also stop indoor smoking as well. At least I hope so.

A company in the US called ICON asked themselves a question, if they were to revisit the classic FJ40 how would they improve on it? They kept the same classic styling but gave it modern performance and the result is the ICON FJ Series. Someone needs to import these cars to Kuwait like right now! [Link]

Back in 2009 right after 360 Mall had opened I posted about how they needed to install plaques to tell people about the vertical gardens and the Dale Chihuly structures. That was back in September 2009 and nearly two years later 360 Mall started installing these plaques. I shot the one above in front of Ladurée while heading towards OFK. Good move.

[YouTube]

Yesterday I posted about the NewAir recycling program but a reader emailed about another organization which he is part of that also provide recycling solutions (but only for companies). The organization is called Istidamah and the video above is one of their projects which they worked on with Al Diwan Al Amiri.

A couple of you were also asking about electronic waste in the comments. According to Istidamah they are currently developing a campaign with the Kuwait Municipality regarding electronic waste recycling. Currently in Kuwait e-waste (which consist of hazardous chemicals) is mixed with other types of waste and dumped in poorly designed municipal landfills. At this current time Istidamah is the only company in Kuwait that works with UN certified electronic waste recyclers. What they do basically is segregate and dismantle e-waste in Kuwait but then ship the items to the certified recyclers abroad. They’re hoping to one day develop their own local facility for e-waste recycling but for now that isn’t an option.

You can find out more about Istidamah by visiting their website [Here]

Spotted this closed up area at 360 Mall but don’t have any idea on what kind of record they’re trying to break. All I know is that I’m fed up with these record attempts. It’s not nearly as bad as it is in Lebanon where we’ve broken every stupid food record there is (world’s largest hummus plate, largest fattoush plate, largest wine glass, longest shish kebab, longest taouk sandwich etc..) but it still feels like companies have run out of good ideas.

There is a company in Kuwait called MRC (Metal & Recycling Company) and they’ve got a recycling program called New Air in which they recycle paper, cartons, plastic, metals, PET bottles, water cans, aluminum, boilers, kettles, taps, door handles, electronic items, etc… Now the best part is that they can give you recycling bins for your home so that you could also help the environment by recycling.

All you need to do is get in contact with MRC (details below) and they’ll send recycling bins over to your house. You could then either set up pick up schedules (for example once a week) or the better more environmental friendly option is to call them once your bins are full and they’ll then come by pick up a full load.

So if you’re interested in recycling just give them a call on 97285044 or send an email to [email protected]

Thanks NJ

Note: This service is provided to offices, educational segments, industries, government, complexes etc.. and not only houses

Ninnar is a young Kuwaiti who’s in Spain right now to take part in the Valencia Triatlón. I found out about her from iLSuL6ana and what I found interesting is the fact it’s her first triathlon and that she documented her training for this day. She started her blog back in June in which she started posting about her training, the food she’s eating and other random tidbits in preparation for her first triathlon. I found it interesting to read so check it out [Here]

I’ve got some interesting news for watch fans. The first is that a Panerai Boutique will be opening up in Hamra Tower. There are already boutiques in Dubai, Beirut and Riyadh so it makes sense that we would get one as well. The second good news is that we’re also getting a Hublot Boutique which will be opening up in Avenues Phase III.

Finally, the International Watch Fair will be coming to Kuwait in February. They’re stopping by London first in November and then heading to Kuwait followed by Tokyo and then back to London.

The Chocolate & Chocolate blog posted pictures of the Eastpak event here in Kuwait where you could get your bag customized by graffiti artists. I like the artwork on the bag above and I’m now thinking of passing by and getting one of my bags tagged if it’s not too packed. The event is still on for another 2 days in case you’re interested. Here is a link to the blog post on Chocolate & Chocolate [Link] and here is a link for more information on the event [Link]

Architecture of Kuwait got their hands on a ton of renderings of the new airport and have posted them all online. Compared to our current airport the new one is HUGE. I’m still going through all the pictures trying to decide if I like it or not. There are some things I have question marks on like all these steps in the picture below. I think they’re also covering the whole airport roof with solar panels which is a great idea.

The new design is a major and I mean MAJOR improvement over the current airport. Not that the current airport wasn’t as beautiful when it was first designed by the legendary Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. But over time with all the expansions and changes they’ve made the current airport just looks like a mess now. Anyway you can check out the pictures of the new airport [Here]

Last week just before Eid I was able to get a hold of the new Audi A1 from the dealership to test drive over the holiday. I had been nagging them for a test drive since June but since I wanted the car for more than a day I wasn’t able to get my hands on it until now. I’ve always had a thing for hatchbacks but I also got interested in Audi’s recently and even more so after watching Truth in 24 which is a need to watch movie if you love cars.

The car a fuel efficient 2.0l engine pumping out 122hp which doesn’t sound like much on paper but in reality I found the car pretty zippy. That probably has a lot to do with the 7-speed automatic gearbox that comes standard with the car. The first day I drove the A1 I was actually pretty annoyed with the gearbox since whenever I stepped on the gas pedal for just a bit more power the car would dramatically drop down 3 or 4 gears which I thought was overkill. But, by the second day I had gotten used to it and started appreciating the gearbox a lot more. It’s very smooth and really does make the engine power more readily available which is why the car felt zippy. Still 8 gears is a lot of gears and if you use the paddle shift then you’ll be doing quite a lot of clicking.

I’m around 6 feet tall and found the car cozy with a very adjustable seat and steering column. It was actually pretty comfortable… that is as long as you’re sitting in the front. The car is a 2-door and I tried sitting in the backseat and found it too claustrophobic for my size. I wouldn’t mind sitting in the back for a 5 or 10 minute ride but I definitely wouldn’t want to sit there for a trip down to Bnaider. The trunk is also pretty small, you could fit one large travel bag but barely. But since it’s a hatchback the back seats fold down and you end up with a much larger carrying capacity.

Tech wise the car I drove came with LED lights which I think helps give the car an eye catching look. The car I drove didn’t have navigation (it’s an extra option) but it did have a popup screen and a pretty good sound system which comes with two SD card slots to use for MP3s. You could also purchase an iPod cable or even stream music from your iPhone to the car using Bluetooth which is what I was doing most of the time.

Overall I had a lot of fun with the car. I drove it all the way to the junkyards at the end of the 6th ring road and even through Bin Khaldoun Street traffic so I managed to experience a wide variety of environments. It’s easy to maneuver as a hatchback should be but the car also feels really well built with a nice thick steering wheel and great feeling buttons and nobs. Most importantly the car looks great which at the end of the days is probably the most important thing. The starting price of the Audi A1 is KD6,995 but the car I drove costs KD8,995. If you’re interested you can call them up for more information on 1811118.

Just a quick update on the attempt by Kuwait’s Al Farsi family to break the record for the worlds largest kite. After yesterdays failed attempt they were supposed to try breaking the record today but they had to call it off since it was too windy.

It’s now not know when they will try to break the record again. [Link]

Yesterday I posted about the attempt by Kuwait’s Al Farsi family to break the record for the worlds largest kite. They already hold the record but they’re trying to re-break it with an even larger kite. Sadly, the kite ended up getting ripped today and so they couldn’t continue with the record attempt. They are currently working overnight to try and repair the kite and will hopefully be flying it again tomorrow. The BBC website has more information on this as well as a video from today’s flight. [Link]

I first saw the brotips website a month or two ago when one of the sites I frequent linked to it and I thought it was a cute idea. Then, a few days ago I found out the website belongs to a young 16 year old Kuwaiti called Yousef Khraibu and thought that was pretty unexpected.

Because of his dads job, Yousef ended up moving from Kuwait to Morocco to England and eventually landing in Canada where he’s currently living. He was always interested in entrepreneurship so he decided to drop out of school to focus on one of his projects when he ended up meeting his current partner Dominique. Together they came up with the idea of packaging commonsense in a pretty way and they ended up with brotips. Their website has gotten pretty popular and they’re now close to signing a book deal.

It’s an interesting story which I thought was worth sharing. If you haven’t checked out brotips just click [Here]