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Etihad Airways have a ridiculous promotion right now. A return flight from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi is only KD19.950 including tax. It’s 8KD to go there and 12KD to come back which is so cheap! This doesn’t include any checked baggage but if you’re going for a weekend you can just fly with your carry on.

There is UFC 294 taking place in Abu Dhabi this weekend which is why I think they have this promotion. Even if you don’t end up going to the @ufc event there is still a lot to do and see in Abu Dhabi.

I wasn’t planning to review the iPhone 15 Pro this year and mainly because I didn’t think people were still interested in the iPhone anymore, but I was wrong. After watching countless TikTok’s of the long queues in Dubai and then similar long queues in Kuwait of people lining up to get their hands on the new iPhone, I realized, people still care a lot.

Full disclosure, I have a long-standing relationship with Xcite who provided me with this iPhone to review. They’ve been very supportive from the very early days of the blog and I’m a huge Xcite fan.

I’ve been using the phone for over a week now after upgrading from my iPhone 13 Pro, and to be honest, it doesn’t feel any different. This isn’t a phone that’s going to make Android users want to switch over, and it also isn’t a phone that’s going to make existing iPhone users run out and buy one.

But, this is the best iPhone ever made.

People complain about Apple’s incremental updates but I don’t understand why they make it sound like it’s a bad thing. The new iPhone is faster, has a better screen, better camera, better battery life, is lighter, and now even has USB-C. It’s better in every way compared to the previous iPhone but that doesn’t seem enough.

I tend to want to upgrade to a new phone because of the camera which I use a lot for my blog. I do have my Fuji X100V always nearby, but the iPhone’s standard 28mm and the ultra wide lens tend to be more useful than my Fuji’s 35mm and the iPhone is always on me while the Fuji isn’t. So any extra bit of improvement in the camera is always beneficial for me.

So, should you upgrade?

I upgraded from an iPhone 13 Pro and didn’t really notice much of a difference overall. If a friend with a 13 Pro asked me if they should upgrade, I’d tell them they didn’t have to. On the other hand, if you’re an iPhone Max user, the weight difference alone might be worth the upgrade. A friend who uses a Max felt a huge difference moving to the 15 Pro Max.

In any case, as of right now it’s still difficult to get a hold of an iPhone 15 Pro in the color and size you want from an authorized reseller. So good luck with that.

One of my favorite museums in Kuwait is the Tareq Rajab Museum. I always found the museum interesting since it was packed with a vast variety of objects covering many different subjects. They have an incredible collection of over 30,000 pieces many of which can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Over a year ago, the museum closed for renovations but they’re now finally reopening again tomorrow (Oct 17).

The museum was originally founded in 1980 by Tareq S. Rajab and his wife, Jehan S. Rajab. A couple of years ago their grandson Tareq N. Rajab took over the responsibility of the family museum and started the process of rejuvenating it. He originally started with the website and Instagram account, that was followed by the creation of the new Arms & Armor wing of the museum before being handed the rest of the museum to renovate.

Tareq invited me to visit the museum for a sneak peek and although before visiting I was worried it might have lost its charm with the renovation, I’m pleased to say it hasn’t.

At first glance, the museum’s aesthetics remain largely unchanged, but there have been significant improvements. The displays, previously overcrowded and lacking descriptions, have been completely revamped. They are now curated with clear descriptions for every item. There is also a new and HUGE diorama in the museum depicting the famous “Battle of Hattin”. The diorama is composed of 3,500 tiny soldiers that were hand painted individually by Tareq, his dad and three other colleagues over a period of 14 months. There was clearly a lot of time and passion involved in the museum renovation.

If you’re looking for an interesting place to visit then I can’t recommend this museum enough. The entrance fee is still only 2KD and it also gives you access to the “Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy” that’s located in the same neighborhood.

The opening hours are:
Saturday to Thursday: 9AM – 1PM & 4:30PM – 8:30PM
Friday: 9AM – 1PM

The museum is in Jabriya and here is the location on Google Maps.

Pixel House was designed by the Kuwait and Madrid based firm AGi Architects. It was completed this year and designed around two main features, privacy and temperature filters.

The garden which looks visually amazing serves as the first barrier to the warm air and the retention of dust. This first thermal filter is followed by the swimming pool which is covered with a perforated slab that will eventually be covered with climbing plants. The living room next to the garden area has openings to the shaded outdoor space, minimizing heat gain caused by solar radiation. Finally the courtyards in the middle act as thermal filters for the interior of the house.

When it comes to privacy, the living and entertaining areas are located in the most public part of the house, near the entrance. On the other hand, the private rooms are tucked away but are still attached to the outside area through gaps, patios and courtyards. The whole facade surrounding the pool also opens and closes for privacy.

For more photos, click here.

Photos by @ngphoto.com.pt

I thought the events were starting to pick up but I guess it might be still a bit too warm. Below are some events I found taking place this weekend, if I missed anything, let me know.

Thursday, October 12
Bunka x Cadillac

Friday, October 13
Game Night at Bonjiri

Saturday, October 14
IFK Brunch in the Garden
Storytelling with Aseel AlYaqoub
Sunrise Paddling
Risograph Workshop

Exhibitions
The Eye of The Sky Drone Photography Exhibition
Sacred I by Yasmine El Hazek
SIF, An Introduction by Mohammad Kassem

A few years ago I came across the photo above taken by George Rodger in 1952 of the first elephant in Kuwait. Initially, I thought the elephant was for our current zoo, but that couldn’t have been possible since the zoo opened much later, in 1968. Turns out there was another zoo in Kuwait before that called “Salwa Garden”.

Salwa Garden was the first zoo in Kuwait and the first modern zoo in the Arabian Gulf. It was established in Rumaithiya by Sheikh Jaber Al-Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 1954 back when the area lacked basic infrastructure like roads or electricity.

Sheikh Jaber traveled to India and Africa in search of animals, and whenever he got the animals he also brought with them their minders to help ensure that the animals received proper care. He also strived to establish near-normal conditions for the animals. For the Himalayan bear for example, he purchased ice slabs for it from the Al-Ghanim ice factory until it adapted to Kuwait’s climatic conditions. He also made sure that all the animals were well fed and medically cared for.

The garden was called “Salwa” because it was an Arabic term for recreation and entertainment. Admission was free because Sheikh Jaber wanted to share his love for nature with others and it the garden ended up attracting both locals and foreigners.

A decade after establishing the garden, Sheikh Jaber decided to close it due to rapid urbanization and the establishment of the Kuwait Zoo in Al-Omariyah which he ended up donating most of his animals to.

It’s a really interesting story and if you want to read more about it, there is a great paper written by Rua Alshaheen, Yousef Alharoun and Mohammed Alajmi called “A case study of Kuwait’s Salwa Garden” which has a lot of info and where I got most of mine from.

There is also a book called “Salwa Garden” that was published by Mona Al-Sabah which contains information as well as a lot more photos of the garden.

A couple of hours ago the Sadu House officially revealed the Sadu brick road which they’re calling “AlSadu Street”. The street is located adjacent to the Sadu House and was inspired by their appreciation and deep comprehensive study of the Sadu techniques and patterns.

Here are some interesting facts about the street:

• AlSadu Street consists of 190,000 custom-made bricks.

• AlSadu Street took 10 workers and 300 hours to complete.

• The bricks used in AlSadu Street are custom made multi-purpose Kuwaiti bricks in colors that match the Sadu pieces.

• The Sadu patterns were transferred digitally and rendered in a graphic design to meet the nature and shape of the street without altering the motifs and patterns.

• During the design process, a graphic structure was created for the street to shape the Sadu motifs to match the shape and size of the bricks.

• AlSadu Street is located within the Qibla area and connects four prominent cultural museums and centers.

• The street draws inspiration from AlSadu‘s vibrant design motifs, specifically “the Shajarah pattern” 

• The Shajarah pattern is the one of the most complicated design of the Bedouin weaving.

• The Shajarah pattern consists of a vertical strip of geometric patterns in the center of the rug, usually woven with black thread within specific squares. each showing a geometric pattern depicting some aspect of Bedouin life.

They have more photos on their instagram account but if you want to check it out in person here is the location on Google Maps.

This week I started watching Gen V, the new show on Prime Video that takes place in the same world as The Boys. The best way I can describe it I guess without spoiling it much is if Euphoria and The Boys had a baby you’d end up with Gen V. Like The Boys, it’s also a very violent and bloody superhero series but this one takes place at a super hero college and deals with younger heroes who are still discovering their powers and abilities. It’s really fun and as of this post there are only 3 episodes out which I binge watched on the same night. I definitely recommend it.

What did you watch this week?

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

New This Weekend:
Accused (6.5)
Desperation Road (N/A)
Saw X (7.2)
The Canterville Ghost (7.6)
The Inseparables (7.5)

Other Movies Showing:
13 Exorcisms (4.3)
A Haunting in Venice (6.7)
Blue Beetle (6.8)
Cats Museum (4.4)
Elemental (6.8)
Expend4bles (5.1)
Gran Turismo (7.0)
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (6.1)
R.A.D.A.R.: The Adventures of the Bionic Dog (5.4)
Retribution (5.3)
Sound of Freedom (7.8)
Supercell (4.3)
The Creator (7.3)
The Equalizer 3 (6.9)
The Kill Room (6.9)
The Nun II (6.3)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Coraline (7.7)
The Addams Family (6.9)
The Thing (8.2)

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

Two common complaints people tend to have are that there isn’t anything to do in Kuwait or they’re frustrated they found out about an event after it was already over. It’s mostly why my “Things to do this Weekend” list gained so much popularity. Then you also have complaints from people who are trying to organize workshops or events and find it difficult and frustrating to do so. This is where PIQR comes in.

PIQR is a newly launched social media app that allows people to find and attend various events like concerts, workshops, seminars, and more. From the other end of things, it also allows people and brands to organize and host their own events.

Hosting your own public or private event through the app is very simple to set up. If you’re a business planning an opening for a new store, you can easily create and promote the event using the app and extend the invitation to the public. Alternatively, if you’re organizing a birthday celebration for just you and your friends, you can set up a private event within the app and invite only the people you know.

As an event host, you’ll discover a variety of useful features such as the capability to effortlessly check people in and out of your events, as well as the option to send invitations to your followers. As a user, you’ll appreciate the ability to share tickets and invitations with friends, and you’ll love the convenience of having your unique QR code serve as your entry pass to all the events you’ve booked for.

The app just launched so it’s slowly starting to fill up with events but the more people use it the more useful it will become. If you want to download the free app, head over to @getpiqr for the link.

I only watch two sports, Formula 1 and UFC which is why I find this news so exciting. Former 7-time UFC champion and future hall of famer José Aldo is coming to Kuwait! He is going to be the guest of honor for the FERA Championship which is taking place this coming weekend.

In addition to Aldo coming to Kuwait, Renan Barao, the former UFC bantamweight champion is making his return to the fighting scene after leaving the UFC 4 years ago. Barao at one point had one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history and was regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists in the world.

The FERA Championship looks like it’s going to be a pretty huge event. It’s being held over two days at The Arena and they’ll be hosting 11 fights, 7 of which will be MMA while the remaining 4 will be Muay Thai fights. The first day of the event will be the weigh-ins, meet & greet with the fighters and the music show. The second day will be the meet & greet with Aldo followed byall the fights.

Tickets start at 20KD and you can book them through The Arena’s website. José Aldo meet & greet tickets will be sold on the spot and will cost a 10KD.

Completed last year, Bridge House is a beautiful multi-family compound that is located in Khiran. It was designed by the architects TAEP, and like their Tent House which I previously posted about, it also has a lot of cozy-looking spaces.

The whole plot features one long covered outdoor communal area that stretches from the rear of the house down to the sea passing through four distinct residential units. The concept behind the design was to prioritize family values of gathering and community which is why the outdoor areas in this weekend beach house becomes the main event.

To check out more photos, click here.

Giancarlo Esposito, the actor who played Gus on Breaking Bad and Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian was in Kuwait this past weekend for the comic festival. While here he ended up visiting the Kuwait Towers and he took some cool fun shots which he ended up posting on his instagram account. Check them all out here.

Ok not sure how I just found out about Gilly and Keeves but I spent all night yesterday watching clips on YouTube laughing out loud. Really silly and incredibly funny so I’m probably going to spend this weekend binge watching them or I might finally download Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and play it since I still haven’t done that.

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

New This Weekend:
13 Exorcisms (4.3)
All Fun and Games (4.6)
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (6.1)
Supercell (4.3)
The Creator (7.3)
The Kill Room (6.9)

Other Movies Showing:
A Haunting in Venice (6.7)
Blue Beetle (6.8)
Cats Museum (4.4)
Elemental (6.8)
Expend4bles (5.1)
Gran Turismo (7.0)
It Lives Inside (5.5)
Oppenheimer (8.7)
R.A.D.A.R.: The Adventures of the Bionic Dog (5.4)
Rabbit Academy: Mission Eggpossible (5.4)
Retribution (5.3)
Sound of Freedom (7.8)
The Equalizer 3 (6.9)
The Nun II (6.3)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Casablanca (8.5)
Coraline (7.7)
Space Jam (6.5)
The Addams Family (6.9)
The Thing (8.2)

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

Iroiro is a new Japanese restaurant that just soft opened in the city. It’s by Dong Jin Kang, the same person behind The Kimchi at the Radisson Blu. Iroiroi is a Japanese street food concept with a focus around ramen and the place looks incredible.

The interior is what caught my attention initially. I had been following the construction on Instagram for sometime now and had really been looking forward to seeing the final look. The interior is meant to mimic the popular Izakaya alleys in Japan and they even shipped in a lot of the interior pieces from Japan to help add to the authenticity. It’s an extremely photogenic space so I expect it to be really popular with instagrammers and Tiktokers over the coming weeks.

I came by for a quick lunch and I’m writing this post while waiting for my dessert. Iroiro is located near my office and is a very chill spot on the 10th floor of the Oasis Hotel (the building right next to Pick). They have a soft launch menu now and I ended up just having the Kujirai Ramen. There are no prices on the menu since it’s a free tasting over the next few days before they finalize things. My ramen was really good and I’ll definitely be coming back for it but also to try their Yakitori and Udon.

If you want to pass by they have a soft opening till the 28th and you can call and book a slot. Their instagram is @iroiro.kw.

Image on the very top by @me.folla

Just a quick heads up since I noticed it’s a common question on Reddit. If you have anything you want to sell the blog has a pretty active classifieds section. If you’re on your phone you might not have realized that since the link is hidden in the menu but if you click the 3 dots on the top right you should spot the link. So check it out. classifieds.248am.com

I also get people asking me what happened with the section Kuwestions. Basically, I had to shut it down. The software it was running on hadn’t been updated by the creator in years and bots and spam had taken over the database to the point just the user database alone had grown in size to over 500MB making it extremely sluggish. But, I had created Kuwestions to replace my previous Forum which both were created back when the Kuwait Reddit community wasn’t very active. Now that r/Kuwait is active, I didn’t see a reason for another forum anymore