Search: “sti”

I had seen a few adapters that convert the car lighter into a powered USB port but they were all ugly looking or too bulky. Then I read about the Belkin Micro USB adapter on Gizmodo and decided to order one from Amazon.

Because its tiny it fits perfectly into the car lighter without sticking out so it actually gives the impression that it came built in from the factory. I am currently using it to charge my iPhone and BlackBerry but you could use it to charge other devices. Very practical.

It costs KD5.750 and comes with an iPhone cable. [Amazon Link]

Update: Changed picture to a better one

Update2: According to a reader its available at Alghanim X-cite for KD8

The Hummingbird Bakery is one of my favorite dessert places in London so when I heard they released a cookbook I ordered one right away from Amazon. Since I have a lot of free time during Ramadan I will be baking a lot more and today I started off with an Apple Pie.

I passed by Sultan Center to pick up my ingredients around 3PM but it was a huge mistake. The supermarket was packed and everyone there was shopping in large quantities. My favorite line I overheard today was a daughter telling her dad “but that’s a lot, we don’t need that much” and then the dad replying “it’s Ramadan so it’s fine”. That’s why the 10 items or less line was practically empty and why I was able to leave so quickly without waiting in the humongous lines with people who had carts filled to the brim with food.

Anyway back to baking. The cookbook has a lot of pretty pictures and instructions for baking but they really don’t take you in great detail through the process. Since I hadn’t baked an Apple Pie before I used a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 70’s that had step by step pictures which helped out a bit specially when it came to putting the bottom crust in the pan without ripping it (you fold it twice so its a triangle and then you put it in the pan and unfold back into a circle).

According to the cookbook you’re supposed to bake the pie at 170degrees celcius for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. It took me 1 hour and 30 minutes to get the crust golden brown! Next time I will be increasing the temp up to 180 to try and speed things up a bit. The result though was an extremely delicious tasting pie. I had only one minor issue and that was with the bottom crust and top crust separate while baking on one side of the pie but its a minor quibble which I should be able to solve next time.

So far the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook looks to be working. If you want to order it, it’s available on Amazon for around KD5. [Amazon Link]

Previously: My favorite cookie recipe

I’m back in Kuwait finally. Just an update about the Jeep garage they never ended up emailing a cost estimate since they ended up repairing the a/c at no cost. This is the email I got the day before yesterday:

Dear sir,
At the ouset, I would like to wish you a very good day. I would like to inform you that we have completed the service of your vehicle & also we repaired the a/c of your vehicle. We cleaned your a/c system & we road tested your vehicle & it is working fine. Also I washed the vehicle & kept for ready for delivery. The total repair charges coming to 58.00 KD/-.

Also assuring you our best of services always.

Thing is the problem with my a/c was that it was making a very loud sound and it would let in the smell and air from outside even if I had it to circulate internally. Not too sure what a cleaning would do but I guess will see tomorrow if that fixed the problem.

Update: Picked up the Jeep, its perfect! They did end up fixing my AC and it now finally sounds normal. They also did a pretty good job of cleaning it, the interior is spotless. Not bad, wasn’t expecting this.

For some reason the latest trend in Lebanon food wise is hot dog stands. I tried a couple and they’re ok, nothing extra ordinary I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s over hyped. Food in Lebanon generally sucks just like Paris. Someone recommended I try Nandos in Lebanon, I did, it sucks compared to the one in Kuwait. I had the chicken burger with side order of coleslaw. The coleslaw sucked big time while the chicken was stingy tiny and although I had asked for it to be medium spicy I think they made it extra spicy because I was burning up like crazy. Can’t wait to get back to Kuwait. Only good thing that came out of Lebanon food wise? Hummingbird Bakery.

I took these today with my Nikon D90 and 50mm 1.8/f lens. I was freelensing with the lens held the wrong way round to get the macro ability. No retouching, just some minor color color grading. The yellow flowers were growing from a white plant which I hadn’t seen before.

Update: Added some more. Also I’ve placed some typography (NIN lyrics) on some of the shots to help bring out the picture.

I have a problem with my Jeeps AC in that it sounds like a jet engine when at full blast. So, I took the car to the dealership to get it checked since I will be in Lebanon for the next few days. While there the service guy suggested I do a full checkup since my cars millage is 75,000km. He then suggested since I am going to be out of the country he could email me a detailed cost estimate and I could reply back to him telling him what to fix and what to leave.

For a minute the guy must have thought I didn’t know what the Internet was because I kept asking him questions like:
“You have internet?”
“On this computer here?”
“So you will email me yourself and I can reply to you?”
“Do you check your email?”

I am not a fan of the Jeep’s dealership and I’ve made that clear before but the ability to receive a detailed cost estimate on my BlackBerry while I am in Beirut just made up for all their previous fuck ups. I’m impressed.

I wouldn’t wear a Tokyoflash watch but I do find them interesting. Sites like Gizmodo keep posting about their different models and every model is like geekier than the next. For those of you who haven’t heard of Tokyoflash they’re basically watches that tell time in unconventional ways using LEDs and mostly without numbers or clock hands.

They’re very weird and I find some of their models nearly impossible to tell the time. But, for those of you who’re interested there is a shop that just opened in Muthana Complex selling Tokyoflash watches and they’re located on the ground floor close to Pizza Hut. [Link]

I never noticed this before but the Vimto bottle says its non-alcoholic. Which brings me to my question, is there an alcoholic version of Vimto?

I got an email from the owner of a new boutique called Twist telling me about these BlackBerry covers they have which I found interesting. The covers are hand made using a technique called decopatch. This makes every cover unique with no two a like. I am not sure if they make them in Kuwait themselves or they’re made outside but I like the idea. She didn’t mention how much they cost but hopefully its something reasonable. If you’re interested they have a Facebook page with pictures of some of their covers and contact information [Link]

I’ve been eating healthy for nearly 3 months now and so far I’ve lost 5KG dropping my weight down from 89KG to 84KG. As my height is 186cm that puts my BMI at 24.3 which is where it should be. Keep in mind I wasn’t planning on losing weight with my diet, I just had to stop eating some types of food due to my acid reflux problem and the weight loss was just a bonus. I am still eating whatever I want I just have stayed away from two things, fried food and fast food. It was difficult in the beginning because I used to have fast food for lunch every day but once I found a replacement things became much easier. I no longer feel like eating junk food, I actually can’t stand it now.

I’ve already posted about two places which I’ve started eating at, Salad Creations and Macaroni Grill. Another place I’ve started going to is Nando’s. I passed by the first time after they started advertising on my blog and since then I’ve started popping in once a week for lunch. I haven’t tried many dishes there because I’m hooked on their Chicken Burger. They have 4 types of marinated chicken, I tried mild the first time but it wasn’t too spicy for me so I took it hot the second time and now thats how I always have it. The chicken is grilled which fits in my diet and the dish comes with a side order of your choice. I tried the corn kernels (pictured above) but I didn’t like it, my favorite side order is their coleslaw which is really good. The dish is KD2.250 which fits nicely in my daily lunch budget. Sometimes I have the Perri-Perri Hommous which is hommous with their spicy sauce, also very good. I think thats for KD1.500. Anyway they’re located at the Avenues in the back near Macroni Grill and Chili’s.

There is another place I have lunch at often and want to post about but I am worried if I do the place will start getting more packed and they might increase their prices so I am still thinking about it.

Kuwait for Kenya is a LoYAC initiative made up of young Kuwaiti volunteers focusing on the overall youth development in Kenya. This year, Genan Dashti, Amna Hussein, Dala AlFuwaires, Sara AlDirbas, Faisal AlShawa, Willy Mathew, and Dari AlHuwail traveled to Mombasa and were able to achieve the following:

Child Development Center (CDC):
Installing and fitting a new kitchen and dining hall

Mombasa Youth Counseling Center (MYCC):
Upgrading the HIV laboratory and VCT center

Goodwill Academy:
Providing student’s desks and chairs

The above video is a summary of this years trip to Kenya. Their website which is still under construction is located [Here]. You can also find them on Facebook by clicking [Here]

I think its really great what they did and I hope they get all the support they need for future trips.

Someone needs to make and sell these in Kuwait. [Link]

[YouTube]

These commercials are a couple of years old but they still make me laugh every time I watch them. The one above is my favorite but here are two other executions which are also very funny. [First] and [Second]

The Kuwait Bookshop has been around for a pretty long time and although its not a Barnes & Noble it does have a pretty decent collection of books and magazines. If I am not mistaken I think it actually has the largest collection of books and magazines in Kuwait. Because its an old bookshop they have a lot of older books that sometimes can be pretty interesting. The bookshop is located in the basement of Muthana Complex and its a very quiet and cozy place with friendly and informed staff. There is a lot of parking which is a plus. Their phone number is 22423876 in case you need to ask about a book.

I was surfing the web on my MacBook in bed when suddenly I heard a loud *POP* sound and I started smelling something strange. So I turn on the lights and realized it was my iPhone charger! I was charging my iPhone 3GS with my 2G iPhone’s power adapter like I did last night except tonight the thing exploded. Luckily nothing caught on fire but this is seriously messed up. My iPhone 3GS is fine and is currently being charged on my PowerMac but I am still pissed.