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For those of you considering getting an iPad here in Kuwait here is a helpful tip. The App Store, one of the most crucial parts of the iPad experience doesn’t work with your Kuwaiti credit card. There isn’t a Kuwait iPad store yet just a US one and you won’t be able to access the US one from your iPad unless you have a US account.

If you’re like me and don’t have a US based credit card then you need to do the following:

Open iTunes on your computer. By default it should load the Kuwait store. Scroll down to the bottom of the store and click the Kuwait flag on the right. Then choose the US flag on the next screen, that will take you to the US store. Now you need to create a new US iTunes account. For your address enter a US mailing address like your Shop&Ship address. When they ask you for credit card choose none. This will allow you to download free apps from the US app store without a problem. If you want to purchase apps from the US app store then you need to purchase an iTunes gift card from [Here]. They will mail you the code instantly. Once you get the code go to the US iTunes store and choose to redeem your gift card. Again for credit card choose none. You will now end up creating a US iTunes account with some cash in it. (Check step by step instructions below)

On your iPad when you launch the App Store it will automatically take you to the Kuwait store and then quit giving you an error that the Kuwait store doesn’t exist. What you need to do is log in to your US iTunes account which you just created above. To do that go to Settings and then Store and log in from there. Once logged in you will get a message saying you can only use this account to purchase apps from the US store. Click ok, then exit to the main screen and click on App Store and it should launch now without any issue and log you in directly to the US store.

With the above trick I was able to purchase and download apps and books from the App Store including for example the My Blackboard app pictured above.

The only thing I wasn’t able to do was stream TV shows from the ABC App but that can easily be solved with a VPN (completely different story). If you have any questions post it below and I’ll try my best to answer it.

Update: Here is a step by step walk-through…

1) Go to maximuscards.com and purchase an iTunes card
2) Open up iTunes and go to the iTunes store
3) Make sure you’re not signed in to your Kuwait account
4) Scroll to the bottom of the store and make sure the US flag is showing on the bottom right. If its not click the flag and choose US.
5) On the bottom of the iTunes store you will find a bunch of text links
6) Click on “Redeem”
7) Copy and paste the code Maximus Cards emailed you
8) Then choose create new account and follow the instructions (enter a US address)
9) When it comes to payment options there should now be an option called “none”, click that
10) Continue till the end and you should end up with a US account without having to use a credit card

When you run out of credits in your account you need to follow steps 1 to 7 and then for step 8 sign in the account you previously created. Below are screenshots showing the steps above.

Now if you aren’t interested in purchasing anything from the US app store but instead just want to download free apps that aren’t available in the Kuwait store (like CNN, Amazon and eBay) you can follow the steps below:

1) Make sure you’re not signed in to your Kuwait account
2) Scroll to the bottom of the store and make sure the US flag is showing on the bottom right. If its not click the flag and choose US.
3) Buy any free iPhone or iPad app from the US store
4) When you are asked to login create a new account
5) Enter a US address and choose “None” for payment method

Yo! Sushi has reopened in Kuwait again but this time at the 360 Mall. I passed by for lunch today and although I found the sushi below average I will be going back again.

The place was pretty packed when we got there but we managed to find a table in the back. Wherever you sit in the restaurant you have a conveyor belt in front of you. The idea is that you sit down and watch the different types of sushi pass in front of you on the conveyor belt, when you see something you like you just pick it up. There are 5 different colored plates, each representing a certain price. So for example a green plate is 700fils while a blue one is 900fils. When you’re done with your meal, you call the waiter over and he calculates how much you’ve eaten based on the colored plates in front of you.

I actually found an app for the iPhone that allows you to keep track of how much you’re spending but it was in British Pounds so I’m probably going to make one thats in Kuwaiti Dinar since its a simple thing to do.

Anyway the sushi isn’t really that great. I had a bunch of stuff and they were below average BUT this is like a fast food sushi place so you can’t expect Kei quality sushi specially when they’re really cheap. Me and Nat had around 6 different dishes plus a drink and our bill came out around KD8. As I said, although the sushi wasn’t that great, my experience was and they’ve still got a ton of stuff I haven’t tried so I’m bound to find something I like sooner or later.

Update: I contacted the creator of the Yo! Sushi iPhone app (SumSushi) and asked him if he could include Kuwaiti currency, turns out he was planning on adding more countries/currencies to the app but didn’t have access to the prices. Since I had emailed him the prices in Kuwait he is now going to add it in the next update which should be by the end of the month. He even sent me a screen shot of his app with KD. Should make the Yo! Sushi experience even better.

A friend of mine was having lunch at TGIF at the Avenues when he spotted Sopranos star, James Gandolfini. When he asked him what he was doing in Kuwait James replied that he was just visiting and that he loves Kuwait. According to the Washington Post it seems he’s in the Gulf as part of the USO to support the American troops. Damn I would have loved to have met him…

Thanks Jerry!

Note: This is not an April Fools post.

Update: This photo was taken yesterday at a US Army camp in Kuwait [Link]

Tony Sirico and James Gandolfini from HBO’s “The Sopranos” pose for photos with service members stationed in Kuwait on March 31, 2010. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is accompanying a USO tour in the region with New Orleans Saint Jon Stinchcomb and actress Rose McGowen. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Chad J. McNeeley/Released)

This is the second app that I’m releasing for the iPhone and one that should be very useful to many, its the Kuwait Blogs app. I’ve taken all of my favorite blogs and placed them in one app which is very convenient and practical. I will still be adding more blogs in the next update but for now these are the blogs that are included in the app:

2:48AM
360 Dewan
4th Ring Road
Ansam
Blushberry
Buzberry
Confashions
Frankom
iLSul6ana
P0ach
Some Contrast
Tidbit du Jour
zDistrict

I would have added more blogs but it was very time consuming trying to create an icon, header, footer and color scheme for every blog so that it matches their actual blog theme. So if you’re not in this first release I’m sorry but you might be in the next update.

For the Kuwait Blogs icon and launch screen I wanted to use a picture that represented Kuwait but didn’t want anything cliche like the Kuwait Towers or flag so I ended up going with an abstract shot of the Ice Skating Rink which I had taken a few years ago for Miskan. I love the design of the Ice Skating Rink and thought it would represent Kuwait very nicely.

To install the app search for Kuwait Blogs in the App Store on your iPhone or install it into iTunes by click this [Link]

The only reason I am posting about this is because I no longer can eat Count Chocula because of my diet. I love Count Chocula and I wouldn’t want Sultan Center to stop getting it but since I can’t have it now no one will (insert evil laugh here). A reader called Zack sent me an email saying that he asked General Mills (the company behind Count Chocula) if it contained any pork products and they told him it did. Of course I had to check myself so I emailed General Mills and this is what they replied:

Hello Mark :

Thank you for contacting General Mills with your inquiry. In answer to your question, the gelatin that is used in the marshmallows of the cereal is derived from pork.

We hope you find this information helpful. Please let us know if we can help you again.

Thank you,

Paula
Customer Care Specialist

So there you have it. Count Chocula contains pork. I wonder if other cereals that contain marshmallows like Lucky Charms also contains pork gelatin?

Turns out you can watch the Allah Made Me Funny show for free tonight and skip on paying to watch it at GUST. The Ministry of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs with The Grand Mosque Western Perception Of Islam Center are sponsoring the show tonight. The show will take place around 7:30PM (after the Isha prayers) and the location is the Grand Tent close to the Grand Mosque. There are an estimated seats 1000 and enough parking for 550 people. The event is for free and there’s no reservation!

Thanks DarkWolf80s via Q8geeks

Update: The show turned out to be a press conference were the fans were able to meet the guys. No stand up comedy sadly.

Once upon a time there were two cool photography stores in Kuwait City. One day the building that hosted the two shops got demolished and the stores disappeared…

After a bit of looking around I then noticed one of the shops ended up moving to Muthana Complex but since I didn’t know what happened to the other store I assumed it just closed down. Then out of the blue, a friend of mine tells me he found the place in Shuwaikh. It seems when they demolished the building they decided to move out of Kuwait City and into the industrial area of Shuwaikh for some reason. I passed by and noticed they still had all the used film cameras and lenses on display for sale. They also still have Cokin filters and various tripods, camera bags and studio lights for sale. I was checking out the Nikons, they had the F3, F4 and F5 for sale but none of them were really in great condition. They had two medium format cameras (a Kiev and Mamiya) and also a bunch of compact cameras.

If you’re interested in passing by they’re easy to find. Go to Canada Dry street and if McDonalds is on your right keep going straight past the traffic light and straight under the bridge. Keep going straight you will see a huge place on your left called Ramez. You need to keep driving until you hit the round about and then do a u-turn and head towards the direction you came from. Before the Ramez building you take a right and then you turn left behind the building and drive straight. You should see World Photo in front of you.

As you know the Animal Friends shelter burned down last week and many of their dogs were left without homes. The Royal Animal Hospital near the Friday Market were kind enough to host their dogs while they found homes and yesterday we ended up passing by and getting the dog above which we’ve decided to call Dyski. Originally we were going to call him Blacky but figured no one would realize we meant Blacky from Grendizer. We then thought about Kooji (also from Grendizer) but realized it sounded like Gucci which would have been lame. Anyway Dyski and my dog Geo (named after the Neo Geo) weren’t really getting along the first day but now it seems they’re doing ok. I am hoping they both bond and become best friends like big dogs and small dogs usually do in cartoons.

If you’re interested in fostering a dog temporarily until the Animal Friends shelter gets rebuilt please call 66187301 or e-mail [email protected].

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

“Dude, I’m really skinny up top, but down below I’m a MESS!”

“I’ve been doing ab work for ages! I literally spend hours in the gym everyday crunching and leg raising my butt off! Why do I still have this belly!? Where’s my six pack!?”

“I might as well paste that muffin I just ate on my thighs, because eventually that’s where it’s going to end up.”

“I’m a 27 year old guy that has better breast development than Pamela Anderson!”

“I’ve been on Lipo-6 for 3 months! Nothing happened!” Me: what’s your diet like? “I pretty much eat whatever I want.”

These pretty much sum up what I am about to tackle today (and obviously the title). Before I do, I’d like to point the finger of blame:

1) Training is 20-30%; it only refines a physique.
Nutrition is the other 70-80%.
2) Abs are made in the kitchen.
3) Why are you crunching with no weights when you clearly don’t have any abdominal muscles?
4) The abdominals are a muscle. If you work a muscle everyday it’ll shrink and never grow.
5) If you eat like a pig and train like a horse, you’ll lose overall weight; except for those stubborn fat stores you want to get rid off.

Too many of you quit too early to see any significant results. You tend to give it all up once results start to slow down. It took you years to gain all that fat, so why do you expect to lose it in such a short time?

It’s hard to make your first million, but once you do, you’ll know exactly what kind of work ethic you’d have to give in order to get it. Same thing goes with a set of abs or shapely thighs; you’re pretty vague about how long or hard your journey will be, but once you give into the commitment then it’ll be all worth it.

I’m here to serve as a guide to that journey, where simple bouts of information may prove useful for that much needed push you’ve been looking for.

I got an interesting email from Mohammed Boland the creative behind local fashion label Capital District last night. It seems a Saudi based fashion label called Kalimah Jeans has copied one of his popular designs. He was walking at the Avenues when he spotted the familiar design in a shop display. Understandably he’s upset and he knows that very little can be done about it which must be really frustrating. I’m not sure which store in Avenues was selling the shirts but maybe if the owners found out they would be willing to withdraw the item from the store and return it to Kalimah as a way of supporting local talent.

UNO restaurant at the Avenues has a pretty cool offer where if you buy one of their burgers you get another one free. Sadly I wasn’t impressed with my burgers (stay tuned for a review) but it’s still a pretty good deal.

I just found out from a friend that Blimpie is opening up in Kuwait. Blimpie is a American submarine sandwich chain just like Subway and Quiznos. Since Quiznos has closed down their only store in Kuwait, Blimpie will now be our alternative to Subway. First Blimpie branch will open in June, location still undisclosed.

As you know by now the Animal Friends shelter was engulfed by fire and so they now need help rebuilding it again. Animal Friends are going to hold a meeting on Friday to discuss the next steps in this rebuilding process. This is the email I received from them on this subject:

The outpouring of support and generosity since the fire has been overwhelming. Whether it is volunteering, donating, fundraising or fostering, your offers of help are hugely appreciated and will go a long way to help us get the AFL shelter back up and running as soon as possible. We are holding a meeting to give everyone the latest information, to discuss what the next steps are and how we can work together to help the animals.

When: Friday 26th March
Time: 4.00pm to 6.00pm
Location: Moevenpick Al Bida’a. Gulf Road Salmiya
Room Slaysell 2 & 3

Please email Olivia at [email protected] or call on 9737 7867 if you have any questions.

A big thank you to the Moevenpick Al Bida’a who are big supporters of Animal Friends and are allowing us the use of the meeting room and equipment free of charge.

Desert Girl scanned and emailed me a PDF of a National Geographic issue dating back to 1969 that had a pretty long and comprehensive article on Kuwait. I hate reading articles like this because it just makes Kuwait in the present look slow and untrendy compared to Kuwait in the past (I know I know I should GTFO). The architecture, the lifestyle and the exotic essence seemed to have vanished. I found the picture above of this really beautiful looking villa which I think belonged to Ibrahim Al-Shatti in the article and I was wondering how the villa looks like today. It would be very cool if it was still in excellent condition just like in the picture. If anyone knows where this villa is located or can take a picture of it and email me I can then post it here.

Here is the article [6MB PDF]

Last night I posted about the second fire at the Animal Friends shelter and I now just gotthis email which they sent out on their mailing list that contains more information on the fire and on how you can help:

There has been a second much more devastating fire at Animal Friends. This fire was in the main building and 39 animals perished. Several more are struggling to hold on.

Two fire investigations have shown that the fires were caused by a surge of electricity from the main lines. After the first fire, an inspection of the shelter elecrical system was conducted and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers were puchased and donated enmasse. Despite these precautions, a massive surge occured to the now weakened main electrical lines. All staff were sleeping nearby when the fire started. The fire was not discovered until aerosol cans near the source of the fire began to explode. At this point, the fire was fully involved and too dangerous for anyone but the fire department to fight. Our shelter staff acted herroically to save as many animals as possible, and the fire rescue team also showed great courage as they entered the building to release the dogs from their firey prisons while the fire was still burning. Despite these acts of bravery, at least ten animals died in the fire and many were so badly injured that the arriving shelter staff had to work frantically and desperately to triage them and provide euthanasia where necessary. Thus far, the fire has cost the lives of 8 dogs and 31 cats.

One whole section of the shelter is completely destroyed the entire building will require extensive repairs from smoke and fire damage. Animal Friends and the animals we care for have never needed your help more. Animal Friends simply will not survive without help from all of you. Below is a list of things we need in order of priority.

1. CASH! The rebuilding is going to cost KD50,000. Please donate what you can, hold small fundraisers and get as many people involved as possible. Checks should be made payable to: Ayeshah Waleed Al-Humaidhi and below is our bank information for a direct transfer. If you need further information please call 97377867 or e-mail [email protected].

Bank Name: Bank of Kuwait and the Middle East (BKME)
Branch: South Surra
Name: Ayeshah Waleed Al-Humaidhi
Address Line 1: P.O.Box 71, Safat 13001
Address Line 2: Kuwait
Account: 42043311
SWIFT: BKMEKWKW

2. Foster Homes. We have no shelter and currently have the animals housed at the Royal Animal Hospital and in outdoor enclosures at the shelter. These are obviously temporary fixes. The construction is going to take about 3 months and we are appealing to all of you to house an animal until it can be adopted or returned to the rebuilt shelter. If you are able to foster an animal please call 66187301 or e-mail [email protected].

3. Volunteers. We need help with clean-up and helping care for the animals. We need to salvage anything and everything we can from the building before the demolition starts. This weekend, Friday-Saturday (26-27) are going to be huge clean-up days. Your help would be hugely appreciated. The map will be uploaded to the website shortly.

4. In Kind Donations. We will be putting together an extensive list of items we need in the next few days and will send it out to the list as well as post to our website.

Thank you in advance for your help and support and we hope to rise out of the ashes bigger and better.