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[YouTube]

I’ve posted about MILSIM before [Here] and [Here] but in case you missed it MILSIM is short for military simulation. It’s an outdoor activity where unlike paintball you use very realistic weapons and the game focuses more on strategy than running around shooting randomly. Anyway they’re now open in Shaab Park, I haven’t been there yet but you can see a bit of the place in the video above in which they demonstrate some of the weapons you get to use. If you need more information you can visit their website [Here]

Hairspray is the latest musical performed by the Kuwait Little Theater. It’s directed by Kirsty McDonagh with an all singing, all dancing KLT cast of talented actors. Most of the performances are already sold out but they still have some openings available so if you’re interested you need to book right away.

Location: Kuwait Little Theater
Dates still available: May 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th
Time: 7:30pm
Price: KD5 per person

You can book online [Here]
or call the Box office on 99373678

For more information visit the [KLT Website]

Back in October I posted about a reader who’s neighbor installed telecom transceivers on his roof and covered them up to look like decorations. After complaining to the baladiya they came and removed the telecom towers a few weeks ago. So a happy ending right? Well a few days ago another neighbor suddenly had what looks like a water tower popup on his roof. After careful inspection turns out there were telcom transceivers hidden inside them.

So now he’s going to go back to the baladiya to complain again. This time he knows the correct department to talk to so the towers should get removed pretty quickly. It is illegal to place telecom transceivers on the roof tops of residential buildings. So know your rights and know how to spot them.

A reader shared with me a story that happened to him recently which I found shocking and wanted to share on the blog. I don’t have anyway of verifying his story but if it is true then it’s pretty messed up and freaky. Below is his story slightly edited by me.

Two weeks ago, I got jumped by five guys! Yep, five guys. It all started in the gas station, where this SUV loaded with these a-holes eyeballing me for no obvious reason. I have never met them in my life. So I gased up my car and left not caring about them or causing any trouble.. I mean come on who am I to cause any trouble with an SUV loaded with muscular guys.. I was alone.

So I left.. as I entered some dark parking lot, this SUV appears and blocks me! And they come out running towards me, so I obviously shift to reverse and let my foot give an orgasm to the pedal. BUT! They run back into the car and follow me, RAMMING ME.. yes, this is in Kuwait.. just like in the movies, they’re ramming and whacking the shit out of my 2009 Corvette and trying to block me, they did that for like 5 or 6 km! Everyone was looking at them just basically ramming me trying to stop me, I managed to escape to a main street where people would see me and help! Finlly, they hit me from the left rear and my car spins and ends up a few meters away from the street light!

And the story doesn’t end there. After everything they did one would think they’d run away or something but that didn’t happen. They got out of their car came over to mine and beat the shit out of me! All of them! Can you imagine? Everyone on the street was just standing there watching not helping. What the hell, am I being executed? I was shocked, alone and helpless.

The reason he emailed me is he wanted to know the legality of self defense weapons like stun guns and pepper spray. If you had one would it be legal to use in a situation like his? Is there a store in Kuwait the sells self defense weapons? I don’t know what I would have done in his situation.

Update: Below is a picture of the rear of the car. Note the rear wheel…

Update2: Here are more shots plus a map of where the incident took place. This was also in the papers.

Here is a large size of the map [Picture]

Update3: Here is an update I just received which explains a lot of things. It wasn’t a random attack and it did involve a girl.

I had my girlfriend with me and the reason why I was going to the parking lot is to drop her to her car. After the investigation it appears that the SUV’s driver is her ex-bf which she left over a year ago.. Some fucking grudge huh? And one of the guys with him is his younger brother, and rest are his friends.

I didn’t want to give out that information since I didn’t want it to interfere with the investigation or whatever, I’m telling you now because I made sure that it is ok to talk about the incident and won’t cause me any legal issues.

Anyhow, the girl was with me the whole time and they beat her up too! And the reason why no one in the street helped is because the guys were yelling “it’s a family/honor matter” Which it’s not! I tried to explain to them on the spot but no one listened.

When the police came, all of the guys managed to escape except the driver. But they eventually got them because their were a lot of witnesses. And of course, they’re denying everything they did!

Since I’m traveling for five days I decided to give my diet the finger tonight and headed towards Dandosh right after my gym to get a kebab. I first ordered a chicken shawerma since I wanted to make up my mind on if it’s better than Badar Al Badoor or not. After careful consideration I believe that Badar Al Badoor still has the better shawerma.

The second thing I ordered was the double kebab sandwich. I didn’t know they did the double until a reader pointed it out. While a single kebab sandwich costs 300fils a double costs 500fils and involves two kebab skewers. Personally I think I prefer the single kebab since it’s easier to eat but single or double the kebabs are amazing.

When I was done I decided to head over to Tabab and try their kebabs as well. I’ve heard A LOT about Tabab but never had the chance to try them out until tonight. I ordered a single kebab sandwich and since I had it right after Dandosh I found it easier to compare. Tabab didn’t seem as popular or packed as Dandosh and I don’t think anyone goes there for their shawermas.

People go to Tabab for their kebabs and thats actually the center of attention at the shop. The large kebab grill is outside the shop right in the middle with the cashier right next to it. I thought the Tabab kebabs were a lot juicier and greasier than Dandosh. Taste wise is where things get tricky. The Tabab kebabs taste great when you’re eating them but once you’re done all the taste is gone. On the other hand with Dandosh, while you’re eating the kebabs there isn’t much taste but once you’re done there is an amazing tingling flavor which really makes me want more.

But in the end there has to be one winner, or maybe two? Since both Dandosh and Tabab are near each other I would recommend you pass by Tabab first, eat a kebab there and then head over to Dandosh and have another. But, if I was stuck on an island and had to choose only one kebab place to be there with me… I would go for Dandosh. After I had a single kebab at Tabab I managed to leave without craving another. Dandosh on the other hand… I leave by force. To me that’s a sign of a great kebab.

Here is Dandosh on [Google Maps]
Here is Tabab on [Google Maps]

I found out the other day that you can actually order items from Amazon.co.jp and have them shipped to you via a mail forwarding company called Tenso to your Aramex mail forwarding mailbox in New York. This opens a whole new door on gadgets we can buy and price wise it seems pretty reasonable.

Basically you need to open an account with tenso.com who are a company that specialize in forwarding products from Japan to other parts of the world. Their prices are ok, I checked how much it would cost for 1KG and it turned out to be approximately KD10 including their service fee and shipping fee. Once you have an account with them (free to setup) you can order items from Amazon Japan and pay with your Kuwaiti card or order from other Japanese websites or even the Japanese eBay Yahoo auctions. When you place your order you give them your Tenso address in the same way you give US sites your Aramex address. Once the package arrives to your Japanese mailbox they will ship the item to your US mailbox. They sadly don’t ship directly to Kuwait. They also don’t ship batteries so if you order say a camera, they will remove the battery before they ship it to you. You also might have to pay US customs depending on the items you order.

I know there are quite a few negatives but it’s still good to have this option. Check out tenso.com by clicking [Here]

Update: I was just told another option for buying from Japan is using the site From Japan. From what I understood they ship to Kuwait directly as well. Check them [Here]

Here’s a quick spoiler, I’m very disappointed. When I first saw pictures of the X100 I fell in love with it right away but after playing with the camera all day I’m having trouble understanding how Fuji went wrong with this. The issues this camera has aren’t major but there are many which I am going to try and go through some below.

The first issue is with the Menu/OK button on the rear (pictured above). I read a lot of complaints online about how the button is too small and very difficult to press. I thought psshhht whatever, can’t be that bad. Well it IS that bad, I don’t know how the engineers at Fuji missed this but the button is tiny and nearly impossible to press. Every time I try to press it I end up pressing up or down instead. It’s really bad and very annoying when you’re trying to quickly select an option or delete a file since you keep missing the OK button and spend wasted seconds going up and down instead.

The second issue is with the focusing. It doesn’t focus! It’s ridiculous how terrible the focus system on the camera is. At first I thought I was having problems focusing on low contrast objects but I was just checking some portrait shots I took today and I don’t think any one of them is focused properly. Another issue with the focus is the fact the camera thinks macro mode is like a mile away. With most cameras you need to activate the macro mode when you get super close to objects but with the X100 you have to activate macro mode on objects that are more than 50cm away. And if that’s not bad enough after you’re done taking a picture in macro mode the camera puts it back in regular mode so if you have to shoot another shot in macro you need to activate it again. Finally when in macro mode the optical view finder turns into an electric view finder (which I hate) so during my shoot today the camera spent a lot of time swapping between the two modes and it annoyed the hell out of me.

There are some cool things about the camera, just not enough to make me want to get it. I love the retro look and the metal body although I do wish it was a bit heavier. The X100 has something called a hybrid viewfinder where information is displayed on top of what you’re seeing through the viewfinder. Hard to explain but imagine looking through a view finder and seeing information displayed on top of your subjects [Check this visual]. Some reviewers online complained about the start up speed and recording speed but it didn’t cause me any issues when I was shooting.

Now compared to my GF1 I prefer the GF1 in every way except for two things, the knobs and the optical view finder. I really like the exposure dial on top of the X100, it’s similar to the one I have on the Canon G11 and it’s a knob that should be on top of all the cameras. The shutter speed and aperture ring around the lens are also two things the X100 has and I wish the GF1 had as well. Lastly I wish the GF1 had an optical viewfinder like the X100. The X100 has both an optical viewfinder and an electronic one which you can swap between. I don’t care for the EVF, I have it on my GF1 and would rather have a proper optical viewfinder instead like the X100. Size wise the GF1 is slightly smaller and heavier than the X100. Focusing, although the GF1 isn’t that great focusing and although it gives me trouble every now and then it’s like ten times better than the X100, that’s how bad the X100 is.

Basically because I got to try out the X100 I’ve decided to cancel my Amazon.com order and stick with my Panasonic GF1. I really really wanted to love the X100 but I didn’t enjoy using it and if I’m not going to enjoy using it then whats the point in getting it? Now keep in mind my review was based on my experience with the camera in one day. There are a ton of better reviews online which I’ve listed at the end of this post. But personally I had issues with the camera shooting today and ones that would effect my ability to take shots the way I want. I’m not a great photographer and need every help I can get out of the camera and I felt the X100 was holding me back with some of it’s annoyances. Below are some pictures I took with the X100, they’re not as is from the camera since I’ve color processed them.

The X100 is available on Amazon for around $1,200 [Amazon Link]

Here are some reviews online:
Luminous Landscape 1
Luminous Landscape 2
The Pictorial
DigitalRev
Steve Huff Photo 1
Steve Huff Photo 2
Steve Huff Photo 3
Enticing the light 1
Enticing the light 2
Enticing the light 3
Photo Radar
ePhotozine
DC Resource
135 Street

Since on Friday I didn’t cheat the way I wanted to I decided I would sneak in 1 kebab sandwich from Dandosh after my gym yesterday (don’t tell Fahad) based on the recommendations of some readers. I made sure I carried only 500 fils with me since I wanted to control my intake and 500 fils would buy me just one sandwich which costs 300 fils. I ordered my kebab with just tahina and fries and started eating it. It tasted like every other kebab I’ve had and was actually kind of let down. Then suddenly the aftertaste kicked in, wow what a shocker. I don’t know what’s in the sandwich but the aftertaste is just incredible. It has a slight tingling sensation since it’s kinda spicy but not too much and for some reason this tingling sensation kicks in around a minute after finishing the sandwich. Since I only had 200 fils left I checked to see if I had any change in my car and I found exactly 400 fils. So I went back and ended up eating two more sandwiches. I think they have the best kebab sandwiches in Kuwait, I left after 3 sandwiches still wanting more… or maybe it’s because I’ve been deprived from this kind of food for too long. Here is Dandosh on [Google Maps]

Hearts of Palm is a short movie set in August 2nd 1990 and deals with Kuwaiti students living in Miami Florida during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait. It’s written and directed by Faisal AlNashmi, a film student studying in the University of Miami. I’ve seen quite a few short movies related to the invasion but they’ve always been from the perspective of people inside Kuwait so I thought it was interesting for this film to be from a perspective of the students studying abroad. I can imagine it must have been very difficult for them being all across on the other side of the world and not being able to do anything other then sit and watch the news. [Video Link]

This must be fake (I hope) but it’s still funny:

It’s like a safari, only better
“Safari” is the Swahili word for adventure and that’s just what we have in store for you.

We sail up and down the coast of Somalia waiting to get hijacked by pirates. We encourage you to bring your ‘High powered weapons’ along on the cruise. If you don’t have weapons of your own, you can rent them on the boat.

It’s $800 a day plus $25 a day to rent an M-16. [Link]

Thanks Darth Ibrahim

According to the Freedom of the Press 2011 survey release, Kuwait no longer tops the Arab world in freedom of the press, that position now goes to Lebanon. Previously Kuwait was always on top but this year it dropped from a global position of 115th last year to 124th place in 2011. You can check out the full results and press releases [Here]

Below is the freedom of the press ranking for the Middle East and North Africa:

1- Israel
2- Lebanon
3- Kuwait
4- Algeria
5- Jordan
6- Egypt
7- Qatar
8- Iraq / Morocco
10- Oman / UAE
12- Bahrain
13- Palestine / Saudi Arabia / Yemen
16- Syria
17- Tunisia
18- Iran
19- Libya

The Dalsan Women Association are having a book donation campaign to collect books to send off to universities and other educational institutions in war torn Somalia. Students in Somalia have a severe shortage of books in university libraries especially scientific ones and donating at least one book will help students get a better education and a brighter future. I know a lot of people have books they finished reading or haven’t opened in years and now there is a way these books can help people. So if you have books you don’t need then drop them off at the Kuwait Writer’s Association located in Adeliya opposite Kazema Club or if you prefer you can send them to the Somali Embassy in Bayan Block 7 avenue/jaddah 8 street 1. You have the whole month of May to drop of books!

I’ve had a lot of iPods but I don’t think I’ve been impressed with one recently as much as I have been with the latest iPod Shuffle. I got it to use while I am running or walking since the new Nano although small and light, it doesn’t have any physical buttons which makes it difficult to control without looking at the screen. The Shuffle on the other hand is super light and has buttons which for me makes it the perfect iPod for exercising.

Of course the downside is that there is no screen.. you would think but it isn’t. The shuffle has a nifty feature (like the nano) called voice over. There is a little button that you press and a guys voice comes in over your music to tell you what song is currently playing. Click that button twice and the voice tells you how much battery is left. Hold down the button and the voice will flip through your playlist and when you decide on one just press play. This feature is extremely helpful since it really allows you to control the shuffle and find out what you’re listening to all by just feeling your way around the buttons.

Price wise the shuffle is cheap. Sheeel had them on sale for just KD10 and I should have bought one then but I didn’t, instead I bought one from the market for around KD17. Still not too bad, it’s more expensive than Amazon but if you include the shipping cost it comes out the same. The Nano sells for around KD50 here as well so the shuffle is less than half the price. Really the only problem I have with the shuffle is the fact that there is no hold button which is annoying since I accidentally managed to press the forward button a few times by brushing against it. Because of that I was going to give the shuffle a 4.5 out of 5 BUT, I just decided to check the manual and make sure there isn’t a way to put the shuffle on hold and guess what? Turns out there is a hold mode, I just need to press the play/pause button for 3 seconds to activate it. So now it’s perfect. If you’re looking for a music player you don’t want to worry about scratching, breaking or losing and if you prefer physical buttons over a touch screen then the Shuffle is perfect for you. Final score is a 5 out of 5.

[YouTube]

The managing director of the AC Milan Soccer School in Kuwait sent me some information regarding their participation last week in the 24th International Youth Tournament in Rovereto, Italy. It turns out it was the first time in the tournament’s history, a team from out of the EU participates in it. Even though the Kuwaiti team did not win the tournament they still had a great performance. For those of you who don’t know, the AC Milan Soccer School in Kuwait is in collaboration with Loyac and is a non-profit program designed to support the youth and improve football in Kuwait. Fore more information visit their website [Here]

Way to go guys!

So Thursday after work I decided to walk home as a bit of exercise. My office is located in Kuwait City near Muthana Complex and my apartment at the beginning of Salmiya. I estimated the distance would be around 15km and I wanted to try and make the trip in 3 hours or less. Well the whole trip turned out to be 12km and took me around 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete. I thought that was disappointing because my regular walks around Salmiya are 11km long and Kuwait City to Salmiya sounded a lot longer than that. I didn’t feel tired or exhausted and it really wasn’t challenging enough. What was even more depressing was when I got home and was checking Facebook I noticed pictures of a friend of mine who had just gotten back to Kuwait after participating at the Marathon des Sables… a 6 day long 243km endurance race. I guess I’m taking baby steps? On the bright side at least it’s something I can do more often now. I took some pictures during the walk and was uploading them to twitter but in case you missed it you can see them at the bottom of this post.

On a different note I measured my body fat percentage today and it’s 13%. That means I dropped down 1.6% since the beginning of the month (I was 14.6) and I lost 1.2kg of body weight and all of it was fat, no muscle loss. So not what I was hoping for but still better off from where I was earlier in the month.