Search: “sti”

Foundation just came out last week it’s so good! If you’re into sci-fi and are looking for a new epic series to watch, get AppleTV+ and start watching Foundation, only two episodes are out and a new one will be released every week so you can catch up pretty quickly.

If you don’t know how to get AppleTV+ working, I pay for the service with Apple Store cards I buy from Xcite and I use SmartDNS to trick AppleTV into thinking I’m in the US (Same for Hulu, HBO etc.).

Around 12 years ago I was introduced to a restaurant that had Korean BBQ, the only condition was I wouldn’t be allowed to post about it. I didn’t mind that, I had a few places that were just mine and not to share and just added Golden Dragon to that list. It was one of my favorite places and I used to frequent it a lot. It used to always be busy since the Huawei staff lived in a building nearby and they’d always pack the place. But, a few years ago I just stopped going, no particular reason, maybe because it was too far or some other reason I forgot, but I only went back again for the first time last week.

Golden Dragon is a small hole-in-the-wall Chinese/Korean restaurant in Mahboula. It used to be an interesting-looking space because of the network of DIY-looking vents that ran around the ceiling and would drop down to the table (the picture above is an old picture I took). These vents could be pulled down onto the table and be used to extract all the smoke and carbon monoxide coming out of the charcoal grill located in the middle of every table.

The place looks a lot different now, based on images posted up on Google it looks like the change happened 3 years ago around the time I stopped going. The interior is a lot darker than it used to be and the walls are now covered in wood with all the seating replaced with wooden benches and tables. It kinda looks more like a steakhouse than a Korean grill. The other major change is the fact the charcoal grills are no longer in the middle of the table but off to the side with the smoke extraction system built into the grill. It doesn’t work as efficiently as the previous system but does look more professional. I personally don’t like the way the place looks like now, and because the vents don’t work as well, you will 100% leave smelling like a BBQ.

I’ve only tried one thing on their menu, the beef. That’s it, never tried anything else on the menu nor am I interested to try anything else. I just like getting the raw beef and grilling it on the charcoal grill. I hate that the grill is off to the side now since previously when I’d go with friends everyone would grill their own food in the middle of the table. With the new set up you now need to assign a griller to do the grilling and that person is going to be the one closest to the grill.

The beef is still as good as I remember it being. They slice the beef a bit thicker now but it still tastes the same. The price of the dish is KD3.5 and you would need one per person plus maybe veggies on the side to grill (I go for sweet potato). I’m not aware of any other place in Kuwait that has a charcoal grill built into the table so Golden Dragon is unique in that. If you want to check the place out, here is their location on Google Maps.

The game-changing all-new Peugeot 508 GT 2022 has been completely re-imagined to emphasise Peugeot’s new sharp, futuristic design language. Its exemplary road-handling, efficient new engines, and, countless technology features is a quantum leap in terms of quality and innovation, making the new Peugeot 508 a game-changer in the executive salon segment, challenging premium automotive brands.

A bold design

The designers behind the new Peugeot 508 stated their aim clearly; to move away from the conventional boot-lid, four-door shape and evolve the design towards a five-door fastback.

The front end’s purposeful stance is highlighted by the radiator grill, complete with a chrome-plated chequerboard effect, it sits between the LED headlights with the famous Peugeot Lion centered on its grill and the 508 logo on the bonnet.

Vertical LED daytime running lights provide a distinct identity, and the bonnet has been lowered to enhance the dynamic look perfectly aligned with modern Peugeot design language, as well as the roof line of the new Peugeot 508 is low and sleek – following premium sector design cues.

Cutting-edge technology: PEUGEOT i-Cockpit®

Inside the new Peugeot 508, the focus is on quality and originality. The premium instrument panel is centred around the latest version of the exemplary Peugeot i-Cockpit® which is now in its third generation.

PEUGEOT i-Cockpit® includes:
• A compact steering wheel
• 8-10-inch HD touch-screen
• Head-up display unit with a high-resolution 12.3-inch digital screen
Entirely customizable with six different display modes, the i-Cockpit® head up display unit is positioned above the steering wheel and presents driving information within the eye line of the driver.

High-end/ sporty finishing and first-class quality

The 508 GT features a refined, yet sporty interior and is fitted with comfortable AGR certified, red Nappa leather seats- or optionally black Alcantara & Nappa leather seats which envelops passengers in a soft, modern, refined environment. The car is also equipped with a wide-opening panoramic sunroof that floods the cabin with light, a hands free tailgate with a foot sensor and a premium audio system by Focal® for unmatched acoustics.

An intense driving experience

The new Peugeot 508 is faithful to its DNA and benefits from technology and dynamic expertise developed by the PSA Group ensuring a sensational driving experience and breath-taking performance.

The new Peugeot 508 features the PureTech turbo engine with six-speed EAT6 automatic gearbox has an electric gear-lever with one-touch control and electric power-steering ensures the perfect balance between smooth and firm handling for all driving situations.

Exclusive offer for Peugeot 2022 models

Peugeot is offering exclusive offers that you don’t want to miss out on, ranging from Lease to Own programs to 6 yrs offer for your peace of mind!

Lease to own program starting from 145 KD monthly!

6 years peace of mind exclusive offer:
• Starting from 6,950 KD
• 6 years warranty or 150,000 km
• 6 years maintenance or 100,000 km
• 1 year comprehensive insurance
• Highest trade in value

Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram: instagram.com/kaico_peugeotkwt
Facebook: facebook.com/PeugeotKwt

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Dune (8.5)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (6.2)
Willy’s Wonderland (5.5)
Worth (6.8)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (4.2)
Black Widow (6.8)
Copshop (6.5)
Cruella (7.4)
Don’t Breathe 2 (6.1)
F9: The Fast Saga (5.2)
Free Guy (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Malignant (6.7)
PAW Patrol: The Movie (6.2)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (8.0)
Tom and Jerry (5.3)

Classic Movie Showing Now:
Gone in 60 Seconds (6.5)

The films below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Antarctica (N/A)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Turtle Odyssey (7.2)

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

There is a new roller skating rink opening soon in Salmiya called the Roller Hub. They haven’t opened yet but they’ve already stirred up controversy with their prices:

1 Hour – KD20
45 Mins – KD15
30 Mins – KD10
15 Mins – KD5

Their post has over 100 comments calling them out on the over-the-top pricing. To put it in perspective, you can go ice skating for 1.5 hours for just KD5. Check them out @rollerhubkw

Also found the video above that gives a sneak peek look at the rink.

So last week I posted about DesertCart and ever since that post I’ve been searching for other items I want but wouldn’t be allowed to ship with Aramex. While adding one such item to my cart, I got an option to ship for free if I agreed to become a DesertCart Plus member where for just 5KD a month I would get unlimited free shipping. That didn’t make any sense. Does that mean I could order a bowling bowl every day and not pay shipping for it? I decided to investigate things further.

Firstly, DesertCart already has a flat shipping rate of 3KD for items valued under 30KD and free shipping for items over 30KD. That alone is a great deal. But when you read the fine print on their website, (which also applies to their “unlimited free shipping” offer) you’ll see the big “but”:

We have a flat 3 delivery charge for all orders below KWD 30. If your order is KWD 30 or above, your order is delivered for free! You can see the final cost of your order after adding an item to your cart. If the item you have ordered is oversized, an extra shipping charge may apply. If your item exceeds a courier’s standard dimension or weight, they may charge an additional fee. We will communicate this with you before we charge your order.

I highlighted in bold the sentence that caught my attention so I got in touch with customer support via their live chat to get clarification on what exactly constitutes being oversized? What a frustrating and waste of time that was. Their support staff seemed to have been trained to maneuver around a straightforward answer but I kinda managed to squeeze out a number from them, 1-1.5KG. According to the first live chat operator (yup I contacted a bunch), as long as the item was below 1 to 1.5kg, they would ship it for free.

That’s actually not a bad deal, 5KD a month to ship an unlimited number of items that weigh around 1KG. But why isn’t that information on their website, why not make it clear or mention it in the fine print? I needed someone else to confirm that to me. So I got in touch with customer support a second time on a different day and no matter what I asked I couldn’t get an accurate answer from them. Instead, I was fed with the generic answer below:

We do not have the option to check if the item is considered oversized. Normally, if the item has large dimensions or is heavyweight, the international merchants apply the extra shipping charges before shipping the item.

At this point, we notify the customers if they are willing to proceed with the order by accepting the additional shipping charges or the customer can cancel the order from the order status page.

The merchant can only confirm the shipping charges once we proceed with the order.

When I highlighted to them that the “merchant” is Amazon and they don’t charge extra for heavy items, they responded to me with the following:

We are not affiliated with Amazon. Desertcart ships products from merchants around the world mainly from the UK, US, and India, and some from local UAE merchants. We cannot confirm what are items considered as oversized as the merchant can only confirm the shipping charges and not us. But in my experience, items that are 5kg is considered as heavyweight and the merchant might ask for the extra shipping cost

This is where their lack of transparency really bothered me. They ARE a storefront for Amazon and they ship the items to their warehouse (forwarding address in Delaware) before shipping to the UAE and then to Kuwait. You can copy-paste any product name no matter how it’s written on Amazon and DesertCart will pull up the exact same item, with the same photos and the same reviews. The customer support person got very defensive when I called them an Amazon storefront.

They were also still being very vague about what weight wouldn’t be eligible for free shipping and the fact you need to purchase the item, pay for it, and then be told if you would pay shipping is bad practice. So I kept at it trying to find out more, I decided to give them a call which didn’t result in anything new either since the person over the phone was also programmed to reply the exact same way. They recommended I email them which I did only to be also given a generic reply.

I really want to like these guys but they’re making it really difficult. They’ve also scored terrible on Scam Detector which doesn’t help their case either.

But, I still wanted to see how this free shipping works so I decided to order a lightweight and cheap item that I needed but wasn’t worthwhile to ship with Aramex, an adapter for my tire inflator. Even trying to order that was a horrible experience. The item on Amazon would have cost me around KD2.200 with tax and shipping to my Aramex address. The price on DesertCart was listed as KD2.900 which is slightly more but they need to make money as well plus currency conversion, etc, so that’s fine. But, when I would select the item to add it to my cart, the price would jump up to 7.5KD (check above). It kept happening over and over and not only with this item but with others as well. I can’t tell if it’s a buy-in their system (they have a ton of them) or if that’s part of their business model. I’d search and find an item I want and the price would say 3KD, when I click on it changes to 5.9KD. It was very frustrating. But after exiting the page and coming back in, and trying it out from the iPhone App and different browsers, I finally managed to click on the item and not have it triple in price. I added the adapter to my cart, chose to become a DesertCart Plus member (it’s free for the first month), and placed the order with free shipping.

We’ll see how it goes, I’ll also try and order a few more items of varying sizes to see what will pass and what will be considered “heavyweight”. I’ll post another update once everything arrives. If in fact, this all does work out, they might be a good option to ship items that Aramex won’t as well as ship items that aren’t too heavy. Let’s see.

As of this post there is no official launch date for the new iPhone 13 in Kuwait nor are there official prices. But, the Anker dealer Astore published their list of prices which should give us a rough idea of what the local prices will be like:

iPhone 13
128GB – 290.900 KD
256GB – 326.900 KD
512GB – 399.900 KD

iPhone 13 Pro
128GB – 360.900 KD
256GB – 397.900 KD
512GB – 470.900 KD
1TB – 544.900 KD

iPhone 13 Pro Max
128GB – 404.900 KD
256GB – 439.900 KD
512GB – 512.900 KD
1TB – 584.900 KD

iPhone 13 Mini
128GB – 256.900 KD
256GB – 292.900 KD
512GB – 365.900 KD

I skipped out on the iPhone 12 last year so going to be getting the 13 Pro in Sierra Blue this year. Not a lot of improvements over the 12, but should be a nice jump for me since I’m still using the 11 Pro.

The last time I posted about places that sold 3D printers was 5 years ago and since then, all the places on that list either closed down or stopped selling printers. So here is a new list:

Dimension W
Located in Promenade they have just one Formlabs printer for 1,400KD

Kuwait Institute for Training and Engineering Simulations
Creality brand of printers with prices ranging between 159KD to 2,470KD

Printa
Phrozen and Prusa Research brand of printers ranging from 199KD to 460KD

Also, here is a list of places and people that can print 3D items for you:

Alternative Solutions
Dimension W
Exfusion
Kuwait 3D Printing
Rapid Manufacturing Technology
StereoLab
Tamim (Robotics)

If there is a place missing that should be on the list, let me know in the comments.

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (4.2)
Copshop (6.5)
Don’t Breathe 2 (6.1)
PAW Patrol: The Movie (6.2)
Tom and Jerry (5.3)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Black Widow (6.8)
Candyman (6.2)
Cruella (7.4)
F9: The Fast Saga (5.2)
Fatale (5.4)
Free Guy (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Malignant (6.7)
Queenpins (6.7)
Settlers (4.7)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (8.0)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (4.4)
Spycies (5.6)
Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (6.6)
The Night House (7.0)
Till Death (5.8)

Classic Movie Showing Now:
The Patriot (7.2)

The films below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Antarctica (N/A)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Turtle Odyssey (7.2)

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

I wasn’t planning on posting about this until I bought a watch for myself, but I don’t need another watch so I need people to go buy everything and not leave anything for me to impulse buy.

Al-Batel is an old watch store that was established back in 1959. Back then they used to carry a number of watch brands including Breitling, Heuer (before they were purchased by TAG), Nivada, and Zodiac. Incredibly, they still have unsold watches available for sale (New Old Stock) dating back to the 60s and 70s. They have some of them listed up on their website but they have more on display in their shop in Mubarakia next to AlFares (Google Maps).

If you’re into vintage watches then definitely check them out ASAP. Their prices are pretty much the same compared to online prices for used versions of these watches except the ones they have are all new. Link

If you’ve ever searched for a product on Google then you’ve most likely come across the website DesertCart. It’s an online store that will ship and deliver items to you from around the world, think of it like if Amazon and Shop&Ship merged together because that’s what DesertCart is. DesertCart’s catalog is composed of items from various other websites but with the added convenience of being able to ship the items directly to you.

I haven’t had a reason to ever use them, I just order my stuff directly from Amazon to Kuwait or have items shipped to my Shop&Ship mailbox. But, a couple of weeks ago, I ordered a Dewalt Cordless Tire Inflator from Amazon. It’s really the best cordless inflator you can buy and my friend has one which we use at the race track. It’s super convenient and runs on batteries which you need to purchase separately since they aren’t included with it. The local Dewalt dealer sells 18V 5000mAh batteries for 35KD but I wanted to get 20V batteries which they don’t get locally. Amazon also doesn’t ship batteries directly to Kuwait nor does Shop&Ship. MyUS do ship batteries but they’re too expensive and so wouldn’t make sense with such a low-value item. So I started googling other options and I ended up finding a Dewalt 20V 4000mAh battery for sale on Desert Cart for 29.600KD plus 3KD to ship to Kuwait. So 32.600KD total and that also included customs. So I placed the order.

The battery turned out to be available in the UAE and within a couple of hours, it got sent to the DHL warehouse and prepared for shipping. I got a notice by email that the item was classified as “dangerous goods” and that it needed more handling and packaging but that they would still ship it. Due to it being classified as dangerous, shipping took a bit longer than usual since I don’t think batteries can’t be mailed on regular flights. A week later, I got the item.

Throughout the whole process, my order tracking was updated constantly, and overall my experience was pretty great and I’d order through them again, but I did run into issues:

• Originally I wanted to purchase two batteries, for me and my friend, but every time I tried to pay for the items I got a weird error regarding payment. I got in touch with their customer support through live chat which was impressive, but after trying a few things and placing the order from different browsers, we couldn’t figure out the issue. I then tried purchasing just 1 battery and the order went through. Turns out that there was only 1 battery in stock which is why my previous orders were confusing their system.

• The second issue I ran into was with my account. I have an account but no password, everytime I try to log in I need to enter a code that gets emailed to me. There doesn’t seem to be a way for me to create a password for my account and I think I have three different accounts with them all using the same email and number? I don’t know, it’s confusing because when I log in from the app on my phone, I can see my previous order. When I log in from the browser on my Macs, I can’t. Also, I verified my phone number on my MacBook but now when I logged in to DeserCart from my iMac I noticed my phone number wasn’t verified so I just verified it again. It’s really buggy.

• All my issues with them seem to be related to random strange bugs, the menu button on the iPhone app for example pulls up an empty list (see above). It’s really odd because they’ve been around for years now so how come no one has run into all these issues before?

But, as I mentioned, my experience was pretty positive since I ended up getting an item which under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be able to get. Even talking to their customer support was a positive experience. I’m still not sure what I’d use DesertCart for again since I don’t need any more batteries, but what’s going to happen from now on is that anytime I want to order anything online, I’m going to check and compare the cost to DesertCart. I just really hope they work out all their kinks. Check them out at desertcart.com.kw

Have you tried them before? Did you face any issues?

If you’re interested in Japanese desserts, then there are two concepts that you should check out and they happen to be located right next to each other. Over the weekend I passed by The Port food complex off the Fahaheel Expressway, it isn’t really that interesting of a place except for the fact it houses two Japanese dessert concepts, Kumori and Fuwa Fuwa.

Fuwa Fuwa
They opened up a few months back and have fluffy Japanese pancakes, Asian bubble waffles and Taiyaki ice cream cones. They offer delivery except for their ice cream items. @fuwafuwa.kw

Kumori
Unlike Fuwa Fuwa, Kumori has actually been around for some time now. Previously they were simply called Japan Bakery and I had posted about them back when Kuwait was going through a cheesecakes phase. They eventually rebranded to Kumori and opened up a location at The Port. Their cheesecake is still my favorite fluffy Japanese cheesecake but they also have other items like sweet and savory baked goods, bubble tea and some other fun-looking drinks with cotton candy. They also deliver. @kumori.kw

If you want to check both places out, here is the location to The Port: Google Maps

There are a number of other Japanese dessert concepts in Kuwait just not at The Port, for example, Kane Mochi and Kotton. I should probably put a comprehensive list together of all the Japanese dessert concepts since there can’t be that many, so if you know of ones I haven’t mentioned, let me know about them in the comments.

It’s been a while since I put together a breakfast list and since my last list, some new places opened up, some closed down because of the pandemic, and some just stopped serving breakfast due to lack of staff. Below is the latest list I’ve put together along with their breakfast timings (note: breakfast timings, not operating hours). This is also not a list of every single place that serves breakfast in Kuwait, this is a curated list. If there is a restaurant you think should be added here, let me know in the comments.

My two go-to places are still Cocoa Room and Baker & Spice but check out the whole list below:

Angelina
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Baker & Spice
Weekdays: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Weekends: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Bakehaus
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Cocoa Room
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Dar Hamad
8:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Cheesecake Factory
Friday & Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Frankie’s
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Gia
Avenues: 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Avenues)
City / Salmiya: 6:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Ladurée
9:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Lazy Cat
Weekdays: 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Weekends: 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Lunch Room
360 Mall: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
City: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Madeleine
Wednesday to Saturday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Madison & Heig
8:00 AM – 12:45 PM

Magma
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Mana
Avenues: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

The Breakfast Club
6:30 AM – 3:30 PM

The Early Bird
Crystal Tower: 7:15 AM – 2:30 PM
Jabriya: 5 AM – 3:30 PM

The Kind Ones
6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

The Social Table
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Notably absent: Johnny Rockets, Barba, Bouchon, Princi and LeNotre. I couldn’t get a hold of them.

This is the latest footage shared by the Ministry of Public Works showing the progress on the construction of the new Kuwait Airport terminal (T2). It looks like there is still a lot of work to do but, construction of the new terminal is currently on track to be completed by next summer, August 2022.

Kuwait Little Theater started back in 1948 in Ahmadi under the name KUOCO Independent Players and is considered to be the oldest community theater in the region:

The first recorded theatrical activity in Kuwait’s oil era dates back to 1947 when a group of Kuwait Oil Company employees met in the old Magwa Club and called themselves “The KUOCO Independent Players”.

Their first production in 1948 was staged in a large nissen hut located in the Ahmadi Industrial area. Rehearsals were usually held in the producer’s or a member’s home. As the building was also the local cinema the sets were often built and painted and then assembled on stage at the last minute.

In 1950 KOC provided the group with a small hut next to the cinema with a mere 18-inch high platform serving as a stage. The hut was so small that it came to be known as Kuwait Little Theater.

Two years later the group moved to larger premises, (the former KOC food store known as Spinney’s on the Main Street), and this nissen hut has gone on to become the permanent home of ‘Kuwait Little Theater’.

Sadly, KLT no longer exists having closed down years ago (I think 2014) because the KLT hut which was still being used contained asbestos and so was no longer safe.

Recently I came across old photos as well as a list of every production that KLT held from 1950 up to 1990 which I’ve decided to upload to flickr. You can check everything out by clicking here.

Also back in 2010, I posted about a documentary that was released to celebrate KLT’s 60 year anniversary. You can check out that old post here.