Search: “sti”

I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I really hate the water balloons throwing trend as much as I used to hate the foam spraying. But… I also don’t think it deserves up to three years in prison in case you’re caught.

The environmental police in Kuwait have emphasized that throwing water balloons constitutes a violation of environmental protection laws. Offenders may face penalties of up to a KD 5,000 fine or imprisonment for a maximum of three years. source

I highly recommend you click the source link and watch the hilariously sounding English dubbed video which reminds me of old Kung Fu movies.

Here are some events taking place this weekend, if I missed anything let me know in the comments.

Thursday, Feb 8
Autoland
Al Khiran Marina Market

Friday, Feb 9
Wellness Market
Autoland
Ramadan Market
Al Khiran Marina Market
Let’s Go Hiking
KMT Race Weekend – Round 2

Saturday, Feb 10
Wellness Market
Autoland
Ramadan Market
DAI Storytime
Mirror House Art Festival
The Folio Club: Richard III
Shakshooka Market
KMT Race Weekend – Round 2
Al Khiran Marina Market

Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12 just started and the first episode was hilarious. It got me thinking about my top 5 funniest shows ever and I think Curb definitely makes the list which would look like this (in no particular order):

• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
• Parks & Recreation
• The Office (US)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Seinfeld

If it was a top 10 list I’d squeeze Veep and Arrested Development into the list, maybe Lucky Louie, Malcolm in the Middle, Party Down, Master of None, Extras, and Eastbound and Down. Ok that would be a Top 13 list. I also feel like I’m forgetting a show.

This past week I also tried to watch “The Curse” but couldn’t get into it. I actually still have no idea what the show is, might have to try again later. I also started Griselda, I’m two episodes in and I like it so far.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve watched anything interesting this week.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Autumn and the Black Jaguar (6.7)
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (7.2)
In the Land of Saints and Sinners (6.1)
Peter Five Eight (N/A)
Skeletons in the Closet (N/A)
Sorry, Charlie (5.4)

Other Movies Showing:
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (6.0)
Argylle (6.2)
Cult Killer (5.3)
Migration (7.5)
No Way Up (5.3)
Riki Rhino (5.8)
The 100 Candles Game: The Last Possession (7.2)
The Beekeeper (6.8)
Wish (5.8)
Wonka (7.4)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Titanic (7.9)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

I recently heard that any expat wishing to travel by car outside Kuwait now requires a car “TripTik”. No idea why they announced this new rule but it basically means you need to get an additional paper now for your car before traveling.

A reader recently had to get this paper done at KIAC and this is what he shared:

There are 2 options for the TripTik, 1 month & 12 months validity. 1 Month was recently introduced by KIAC on announcement of this new rule to make it more affordable for expats, but if you travel a lot you should get the 12 months validity. The TripTik will be stamped entering and exiting the border similar to a passport.

Here is what’s required:

For 1 Month
Fee: 20KD
Deposit: 50KD that you’ll get back when you’re back from your trip
Paperwork Required: Civil ID, passport, and car registration

For 1 Year
Fee: 50KD
Deposit: 50KD that you’ll get back when you’re back from your trip
Paperwork Required: Civil ID, passport, and car registration. In addition to that you also need a Kuwaiti guarantor as well. The Kuwaiti guarantor needs to have their Civil ID as well as salary certificate.

Issuing the TripTik takes a few minutes after submitting all the correct paperwork.

In case you’re traveling by car, please double check the above information since it might change over time. You can contact KIAC on 24827524 if you have any questions or visit their website kiac.com.kw

As someone that travels often by car I’m personally really annoyed by this.

Thanks Uzair

UPDATE: According to a number of readers, they were able to travel to Saudi without requiring the TripTik. So looks like it might not be required or they haven’t started requesting them yet.

UPDATE2: I just went to Saudi yesterday and came back, didn’t require TripTik and nobody asked me about it either.

Two episodes of Masters of the Air is out on AppleTV+ and I watched both this week. The first episode was pretty slow and not that great, but things picked up in the second episode. As I’ve previously mentioned, I watched both Band of Brothers and The Pacific in preparation for Masters of the Air which is considered the third companion to the series. I feel it’s still too soon to judge the show with just two episodes out, so not sure how it already has an 8.0 on IMDB, but in any case, I’m looking forward to the third episode.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve watched anything interesting this week.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Argylle (6.2)
Cult Killer (5.3)
Riki Rhino (5.8)
The 100 Candles Game: The Last Possession (7.2)
Zodi & Tehu – Princes of the Desert (6.1)

Other Movies Showing:
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (6.0)
Bad Connection (5.8)
Confidential Informant (4.1)
Migration (7.5)
Mother, May I? (5.2)
No Way Up (5.3)
Thabo and the Rhino Case (8.1)
The Beekeeper (6.8)
Wish (5.8)
Wonka (7.4)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Titanic (7.9)
The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

This weekend, Kuwait Motor Town will be hosting the first and second round of the newly launched, F4 Saudi Arabian Championship. But, there are also a lot of other things happening at the circuit this weekend.

KMT has been actively hosting international events over the past two seasons, and this year, they’re aiming to make the events more accessible to the public so they’ve made these races free for spectators. There are no tickets this year, all the races taking place this weekend are free to watch.

Not only that, but in addition to the F4 races, the Red Bull Car Park Drift is taking place this weekend at the track along with the Toyota GR Yaris Cup races, and Bugsha Market.

Spectators are free to come throughout the day to watch the races and the various activities happening at the track. There will be something suitable for all ages ranging from food trucks to bouncy castles.

F4 Races
Friday and Saturday

Red Bull Car Park Drift
Friday at 7PM

GR Yaris Races
Friday and Saturday

2K Races
Friday and Saturday

Bugsha Market
Friday and Saturday
10AM to 8PM

For more information, visit @kmtkw, @redbullkuwait, @gazooracingkw, and @streetfoodkuwait

Photo on top by @mubarakalqattan

If you have children and are looking for activities to stimulate their minds, this post should interest you.

Let’s Explore is a dynamic program dedicated to nurturing creativity and curiosity in children aged between 4 and 12. They pop-up in different places around Kuwait and this month they’re based at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre.

Their classes are designed to inspire and empower young minds through hands-on experiences, and lots of exploration. It’s a great way for kids to discover new interests while also making new friends.

There are two types of classes currently available, Little Explorers and Future Engineers:

Little Explorers:
– 🧪 Chemical Engineering with Sensory Play
– 💡 Electrical Engineering
– 🔬 Science
– 🎨 Arts and Crafts

Ages: 4 to 6
Days: Monday and Wednesday
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm

Future Engineers:
– 🤖 Robotics
– 🛠️ Mechanical Engineering
– ⚡ Electrical Engineering
– 🚀 Aerospace Engineering

Ages: 7 to 12
Days: Monday and Wednesday
Time: 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm

There are limited seats available so if you want to sign up your child, click here.

You should also follow them on Instagram if you want to find out about their upcoming Ramadan location, they just shared it with me and it’s going to be really fun for the kids. Here is their account @letsexplorenonstop

The Henley Passport Index is released every year and is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A passport is considered powerful based on how many countries people from that country can visit without needing a visa.

For 2024, Kuwait ranks 55 on the list with 102 visa-free destinations (check image below). Compared to neighboring GCC countries, Kuwait has the 3rd best passport coming in behind the UAE and Qatar.

Here are how some other countries ranked compared to Kuwait:

1 – France
4 – United Kingdom
7 – United States / Canada
11 – United Arab Emirates
53 – Qatar
55 – Kuwait
59 – Bahrain
60 – Oman
61 – Saudi Arabia
80 – India
87 – Egypt
95 – Lebanon

If you want to check out the full list, click here.

I finally finished the new season of Fargo, it was great, a very cool ending and sad that the season is over now. Other than that I haven’t watched anything new, been rewatching The Expanse so currently binge watching that but I do have some of the previous TV shows and movies recommended by you guys on my to do list. Need to start going through those as well.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve watched anything interesting this week.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Bad Connection (5.8)
Confidential Informant (4.1)
Mother, May I? (5.2)
Thabo and the Rhino Case (8.1)

Other Movies Showing:
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (6.0)
Migration (7.5)
Night Swim (4.9)
No Way Up (5.3)
Oppenheimer (8.4)
Race for Glory (5.7)
The Beekeeper (6.8)
The Hunted (7.0)
The Last Rifleman (6.6)
Wish (5.8)
Wonka (7.4)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Rush Hour 3 (6.2)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

This is interesting, according to Reuters, Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in Riyadh which will serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats. The store will be located in the Diplomatic Quarter, a pretty nice neighborhood I’ve visited before, and where lots embassies and diplomats reside.

Even though this store will only be for diplomats, it’s one step closer to Saudi legalizing alcohol.

I wonder how legalizing alcohol in Saudi would affect Kuwait. Will we get alcohol if they get alcohol? Not that I care honestly, but I wouldn’t mind a Tomatini every now and then.

Update: I found another article with a bit more info..

The store sits next to a supermarket in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a socially sensitive topic in Saudi Arabia. The diplomat walked through the store on Wednesday, describing it as similar to an upscale duty free shop at a major international airport.

The store stocks liquor, wine and only two types of beer for the time being, the diplomat said. Workers at the store asked customers for their diplomatic identifications and for them to place their mobile phones inside of pouches while inside. A mobile phone app allows purchases on an allotment system, the diplomat said.

Back in November I posted about Khalifouh Village which is owned by the popular Kuwaiti actor, Khalifa Khalifouh. Khalifa, who worked on various TV shows involving old Kuwaiti villages, built an old village himself because he wasn’t very happy with the quality of workmanship in the show-built villages they would film in.

Khalifouh village is filled with many buildings that a real village would have like a mosque, a bakery, a tea shop, a theater and a main square.

The village is now going to open to the public starting next weekend. From February 1st, the village will be open on weekends from 10AM to 8PM and entry will be free.

If you’re looking for something fun to do you could turn the visit into a Wafra road trip since there are a bunch of things to do and see there other than the heritage village. Personally, I’d recommend heading to Wafretto for coffee (pictured above) before visiting the village and maybe pass by Mala Garden for pizza on the way back. You’ll also find loads of farms on the way to visit and buy vegetables and fruits from.

For more photos of the village and to stay posted on any updates, follow @khalifouhvillage

IMPORTANT UPDATE
I originally posted that the village was only gonna be open for one day but the English poster turned out to be missing key details compared to the Arabic poster. The village will actually be open every weekend starting February 1st. So NOT for just one day.

Apple launched the pre-orders for the Apple Vision Pro this past Friday and I’m still undecided on it.

I definitely think it has a lot of potential, but at 1,150 KD it’s crazy expensive. I ended up pre-ordering one on Saturday since by then the delivery date had moved back to March which gives me some time to decide. I figured depending on how much money I make from advertising this month, and depending on the reviews that come out, I could decide to get one or just cancel my order.

I’m still trying to figure out what I could use it for. I think it could be a second TV, but I also like the idea of being transported some where else. I don’t know, I’m curious to have one and see where this technology is going to go, but the cheapest Apple Vision Pro which is 256GB comes out to around 1,200 KD shipped to Kuwait. The device itself costs 1,080 KD, but if you ship to MyUS.com there is additional $244 tax on top of it (more if you ship to Shop&Ship). Then calculate around 20KD to ship to Kuwait, you’re looking at close to 1,200KD. Crazy for something that I have no idea what I will use it for.

Did you pre-order one?

SMOKE AND SODA is a new Kuwait based online store that recently launched and is promising to bring something new to the regional fashion scene.

It’s a one-stop-shop with items ranging from electronics and self-care essentials, to clothes and home decor. Everything is curated so you’re only going to find the coolest and most interesting items for sale.

All their pieces are hand picked from places like New York, LA, London, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo, but they also have offerings from within our region. Some of the brands they carry include:

• Billionaire Boys Club
• Converse
• Grown Alchemist
• House of Sunny
• Lottie London
• Modern Home
• Nikben
• Pabe Pabe
• Soxy
• Stojo
• This Works

With all the big franchises selling pretty much the same looking things, SMOKE AND SODA are trying to help you celebrate your individuality with more unique pieces. They’re champions of self-expression and want you to embrace your true self, free from judgment.

SMOKE AND SODA have both an online website and iOS and Android Apps. Check them out by visiting smokeandsoda.com or clicking on the download link in their bio @smokeandsodame

Back in September, I shared a photo of how the new Gulf Road facelift was going to look, and since then, they’ve been really busy working on the transformation.

The 9.7-kilometre-long project involves facelifting the waterfront while also offering essential amenities for people which includes a dedicated bicycle and jogging path among other things.

The project is divided into two phases with the first phase on track to be completed in February while the second phase will be completed in March. Yesterday I passed by to check out the progress, and even though the area is still under construction, it looked great!

The redesign is so tastefully done with beautiful tile work, nice looking benches, and a very minimal and clean design overall. Even the new garbage bins look good.

Runners will also be interested to know that the running track is going to be cushioned.

If you want to check the progress yourself, I’d recommend heading to the pathway next to Green Island. I visited different spots along the water front and the Green Island area was the closest to completion.

If you haven’t seen how the waterfront is going to look like when done, click here.

I’m a huge Formula 1 racing fan, so one of the benefits of having a Red Bull MOBILE by Zain phone number is I get to participate in their Weekly Rewards and win F1 gear and experiences. It usually only requires answering a couple of multiple choice questions, and the person answering all correctly and quickly wins the prize. I won once so far, but missed out on a trip for 2 to watch the F1 race in Qatar including a unique Red Bull Racing garage tour experience back in October.

Now, Red Bull launched their biggest Reward yet, an all-inclusive trip for two to visit the Red Bull Racing Factory in the UK. If you’re an F1 fan (or just want a free trip to the UK) this is for you.

There will be two winners for this reward and each winner will be able to bring one companion with them on the trip.

The package includes:
– Two tickets to the UK from Kuwait
– 2-night stay in a hotel (double room incl. breakfast)
– Red Bull Racing Factory Tour
– Transportation

This promotion is exclusive to Red Bull MOBILE by Zain subscribers. If you’re already a Red Bull MOBILE by Zain member, then head over to the Rewards section in the RBM by Zain app and enter the competition. If you don’t have a Red Bull MOBILE by Zain number, you should really consider getting one. I pay only 12.5KD a month for unlimited calls and 5G internet, plus the ability to take part in their Weekly Rewards program.

Download the app and play to win now!
For more information, follow @redbullmobilekw or visit redbullmobile.com.kw