Search: “ur”

Kuwaiti visual artist Monira Al Qadiri just unveiled her latest work, a large-scale public sculpture in Central Park, New York. Standing nearly 5 meters tall, the piece is titled FIRST SUN and takes the form of a giant burgundy bust with a face concealed by a flat iridescent beetle. I’ve always found Monira’s work interesting and weird, and this sculpture, inspired by her research into ancient Egyptian history, is no different.

If you’re in New York anytime over the next year, the sculpture will be on display in Central Park from September until August 2, 2026. It’s a very cool achievement, and if you want to see more photos of this sculpture or her work, head over to @moniraism

Thanks Zaydoun!

Bas Ya Bahar (or The Cruel Sea in English) is a Kuwaiti film directed by pioneering filmmaker Khalid Al Siddiq and released in 1971. It’s considered to be the first feature-length motion picture made in Kuwait, and also one of the first from the Gulf region.

I recently got my hands on what I think are two important pieces tied to the movie, the original film poster and the international film brochure, so I figured it was the right time to do a post about it again (previous post here).

The film is set in Kuwait before the discovery of oil, when people lived in poverty, surviving on small-scale farming and fishing. Their only hope of changing fate came from the sea, where pearl divers risked everything for the chance of finding a life-changing pearl. The story follows a young man ashamed of his family’s poverty and his inability to win over the family of the girl he loves. Determined to change that, he becomes a pearl diver, returning to the same sea that left his father crippled and half-blind.

Bas Ya Bahar starred the then-young, now legendary actors Hayat Al Fahad, Mohammed Al Mansour, and Saad Al Faraj. The film was selected as the Kuwaiti entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 45th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

I purchased the poster from a guy who watched the movie at a film festival in Algeria back in 1975. He got the poster from Khalid after the show and kept it stored away until I bought it from him. What struck me most about the poster were the colors. Everything I’d seen related to the film was always in black and white, so the neon green and pink instantly caught my attention. The Brochure is also in great quality and is in three languages, English, Arabic and French.

I took a few photos of the poster and scanned the brochure since I don’t think many copies are still around today and so I wanted to share them. I also reached out to @badshaiji to see if he had any photos in his collection, and he did. The black and white shots are from him and were taken at the film premiere at Cinema Al Andalus on 03/27/71.

Khalid Al Siddiq passed away in 2021 at the age of 76. If you want to watch the film, it’s on YouTube and I’ve embedded it below.

I’ve uploaded all the photos in their original resolution to my Flickr account, you can check them all here.

IKEA currently has a huge sale taking place, but this time they’re also doing something special.

Every weekend they’re hosting a variety of fun activities for kids, so you can shop, save, and make memories together. From balloon shows to science shows, the activities are happening at all IKEA branches:

IKEA The Avenues
IKEA The Warehouse, Sabahiya
IKEA Khiran Mall
IKEA 360 Mall
IKEA Assima Mall

Different branches have different schedules, so click the branches above to see what’s happening and when. @ikeakuwait

@VisitKuwait posted the 4 different categories that were recently introduced for the Kuwait tourist visa. source

The cost of the tourist visa is just KD 3 so around $10. source

Back in June Amazon started offering free delivery to Kuwait which I’ve obviously been taking advantage of. One incident recently happened to me which I thought was worth sharing.

I was looking for a DAC that would take digital audio from my Mac mini and convert it to analogue to send to my KEF LSX speakers. I was using the Apple USB-C to headphone jack dongle but wanted something better. I previously ordered an optical in analogue out converter but it didn’t allow me to control the volume from my Mac mini, I had to do it from the speaker which I didn’t want to do. Anyway, after a lot of research with ChatGPT, and a limited budget of under $100, ChatGPT recommended I get the iFi UNO. According to ChatGPT I’d be able to control the volume from my Mac which was perfect.

ChatGPT was wrong. Last time I’m using it to help me buy electronics. Once plugged in I had to control the volume either from the speakers or the DAC but the volume control on my Mac wouldn’t do anything. I had bought it for around $80 plus I had ordered some high quality cables with it so I was down over $100. I was just going to dump it in my electronics box but decided to see if I could return it. I had thrown the box and manuals out already so wasn’t hopeful. I checked the return policy for Amazon and it turned out that if I returned the item even though it was without the box I might be entitled for possibly a 50% refund. Figured that was better than nothing.

So I applied to return both items. Returning the items was free of charge, I just had to print the DHL labels Amazon gave me and go to the DHL store to drop them off. Process at DHL took like 5 minutes, I didn’t even have to bring any packaging, they just dumped them into the standard DHL bags and shipped them. I mailed them back July 25, on July 31 I got a full refund back from Amazon!

That’s crazy. Forget the fact that they’re shipping the stuff for free to Kuwait, you can actually return the items for free as well, that’s really insane.

Last year, Kuwait competed for the first time at the Asian Surfing Championships after officially joining the International Surfing Association (ISA). They’re back again this year, continuing to build their presence in the sport.

This year’s Kuwait team consists of three surfers:
Ahmad Alrefae @a.alrefae2
Essa Alessa @eksultan
Naif Alkhatrash @kuwaitisurfer

The National Surfing Coach is:
Ibrahim Egan @egan_18

Ahmad and Essa grew up in Kuwait, spending most of their time in Bnaider engaging in various watersports. They began surfing during their teenage years but gained most of their experience after moving to California for university. Naif, on the other hand, moved to Bali, where he currently lives and has been surfing for over 10 years.

The Asian Surfing Championships are currently taking place from August 3 to 12 in Tamil Nadu, India, organized by the Asian Surf Federation. Nineteen countries are competing, and Kuwait’s first heat took place earlier today. You can check out some photos of the team from today in the carousel. This marks the second time Kuwait has been recognized as a country with surfers by both the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Asian Surfing Federation (ASF).

If you want to stay posted on the Kuwait Surf team’s progress at the Asian Surf Championship, follow their instagram account @kuwaitsurfcommittee

I first used the MyHome app back in 2018, it was a super convenient way to get things done around the house. If I needed a plumber, a carpenter or someone to come check my AC, I’d just get on the app and order the service.

Recently I found out they have a subscription service called MyHome+ which offered a number of benefits including:

Unlimited free assessments
No more KD 5 charges just to get a quote.

5% cash back on maintenance and cleaning services
Painting, repairs, AC work, deep cleaning, all of it.

No zone fees
No extra fees even if you live in harder-to-reach areas like Khiran or Wafra.

90-day extended warranty on all jobs
This is really great, if something isn’t fixed right the first time, you’re covered for up to 90 days.

The biggest benefit for me is not having to pay just to get a quote. With the subscription, it feels like I have a team on payroll that I can bring over anytime I need something fixed, painted, built, or anything else. I love that.

The subscription to MyHome+ usually costs KD 3.750 per month, but right now they’re offering a super discounted rate of KD 2.950 per month, or just KD 14.700 for 6 months, which comes out to KD 2.450 a month. Even if all you use is the cleaning service, you’ll still save money with the 5% cash back. And if you’ve got a big job coming up, the membership basically pays for itself.

Honestly, this is one of the few services that actually makes financial sense. If you want to find out more about MyHome and the services they offer, head over to @myhome_app or download the app by clicking here.

Orion Strom, one of Europe’s fastest-growing mattress brands, has officially opened its first standalone showroom in Kuwait.

The journey that brought the Greek brand here wasn’t led by a marketing push or franchise expansion, but by a personal connection and a shared belief in doing things right. The local owner, a longtime friend of the family behind Orion Strom, had long admired their commitment to craft. When his friend visited Kuwait and toured local mattress stores, they were both struck by the same thing: high prices, low standards, and a market flooded with outdated or gimmicky mattresses that fell short compared to the offerings in the European market.

That moment was the spark. They launched with just one model in Kuwait, selling it without a showroom or proper display. It quickly sold out, reaffirming their belief in the product. That early success led to a carefully developed range of ten models, each tailored to different sleep preferences. Now, with the showroom open, customers can finally see, feel, and experience the difference firsthand.

Founded in 1998, Orion Strom isn’t just another mattress brand, it’s a company built on substance and experience. Their mattresses are made in Greece using certified European components like springs from Portugal, foam from Italy, latex from Belgium, and Kevlar from Bulgaria. If you’re someone who cares about certifications, the factory is TÜV Nord certified and holds four ISO standards. All the materials used in the mattresses are also certified with CertiPUR, OEKO-TEX, and SGS.

Orion Strom focuses on real materials and proper craftsmanship. The mattresses are dense, built to last, and nearly twice the weight of most mattresses in their price range.

This isn’t a mass-market chain, it’s a product-first company, driven by people who believe sleep is serious. If you’re looking for a proper mattress that is designed to give you better sleep and built to last, check them out orion-kw.com or visit them at Waves Mall (Google Maps).

Just a quick update on my post yesterday about trying to stop Eureka from spamming me with SMS’s. According to Future Mobility the company that Eureka hired to send out the SMS’s, the service doesn’t rely on phone numbers.

Eureka used an Ad Zone geo-targeted SMS service that Future Mobility provides. This service doesn’t rely on numbers, instead, it automatically sends SMS messages to customers physically present in a selected area, using the operator’s mobile towers.

Future Mobility doesn’t have control over which numbers receive these messages, it depends entirely on the telecom operator. What they recommended to me is to activate a Zain service called Do Not Disturb (DND). I don’t know what that service is and can’t find any info on the Zain website so looks like I’m going to have to call Zain to find out.

It’s really interesting though, I assumed bulk SMS services required phone numbers, the fact they don’t is both fascinating and upsetting since even if you work hard to keep your number out of databases, you’ll still get SPAM.

I don’t get a lot of SMS spam, I don’t tend to give my number to businesses and when I do get SPAM I usually contact the business and ask them to stop and they do.

If I get one message every few months I don’t tend to bother stopping the messages because it’s not worth the effort, but if I get daily messages from you then I’m contacting you to stop. Which is what I did with Eureka.

I got three messages back to back from Eureka so I messaged them on Instagram asking them to stop sending me messages, and gave them my number and the screenshot above. A couple of days later I get a call from someone, she was like I spoke with management and they said they can’t stop sending the messages because they don’t send the messages, a third party company does. I thought that was stupid. You’re spamming customers with unsolicited ads with no way for the customer to opt out? That’s definitely not gonna piss people off right?

Anyway I didn’t even bother to try and explain to the person how ridiculous the idea was that they themselves can’t stop their customers getting spammed, so I asked her who the third party company they were using was and they told me mustaqbal, or Future.

So Future, the same people who used to be the Nokia dealers and have their own electronics shop Future also offer a service of bulk smsing people. So now I emailed them asking to remove me from their SMS list.

But my question is, what other option do I have? Is there another way I can stop Eureka from spamming me? I’ve tried the block function on my phone but that doesn’t work.

I got a message from my dogs’ vet last week (IVH) saying that, for the first time ever in Kuwait, they’ve introduced pet insurance. It’s a collaboration between them and the insurance company GIG Takaful, and it covers both cats and dogs. The coverage includes:

• Consultations and examinations
• Accidents and illnesses
• Surgeries, medications, and hospital admissions
• Blood tests and CT scans
• Euthanasia and cremation (where applicable)
• Third-party liability (for dogs)

I checked the prices and there are two plans available for both cats and dogs. Cat plans start at KD79 per year, while dog plans start from KD99. If you want to find out more, click here.

Models: August and Hugo

The popular London burger spot Supernova is coming to Kuwait. Supernova is part of BVC Hospitality, the same group behind other hit brands like CRÈME, NAC and Barnaby (my favorite).

Supernova is being brought to Kuwait by Gulf Food Enterprises Co., the same company bringing NAC, which will be opening in the Hessah District. The first Supernova location is set to open at Tilal Complex around September or October.

I tried Supernova in London last March, back when it was all over TikTok. I think I waited around 45 minutes in line? Back then it felt like I had stepped into real life TikTok since I had watched so many videos of it before. It felt weird being there in person, like I was inside TikTok. The burger was a good smashed burger, but not really worth waiting in line for. It would be a good no-frills, get your burger and leave kind of spot.

Supernova Kuwait isn’t the first Supernova outside of London, they recently opened in Bahrain.

via Dahan Fitout

We don’t have a shortage of burger spots in Kuwait, but a new spot just launched that’s doing things a bit differently. GYU is a Japanese-inspired burger concept that just opened for delivery, and it looks pretty interesting.

The name GYU is the Japanese word for “cow” or “cattle,” and is pronounced like “gyoo”. The team behind GYU are clearly fans of Japanese culture. Their idea was to blend Japanese flavors with classic American burgers and sandwiches, and the result is a menu full of interesting twists like Katsu Sando burgers and sandwiches with umami-packed sauces and ingredients.

They also have a bunch of unique items planned for future phases, including some premium secret menu items that will only be available through their website, GYUKW.com.

For now, GYU are operating as delivery only, but I’m looking forward to trying them out. You can check them out on Instagram at @eatatgyu

After my last post on watching AC/DC live, I ended up watching Nine Inch Nails the following day, they were actually why I ended up in Berlin. This was the second time I booked for NIN in Berlin, first time was back in 2018 but never ended up going (I don’t remember why now), but I’m so glad I went this time.

I knew going to the NIN concert I had good tickets since I got them within the first 15 minutes of the tickets going on sale. They were 3rd row seated and near the stage off to the side, but not too much to the side. When NIN started their tour a couple of weeks ago, they revealed they’d also have a second smaller stage in the middle of the arena. I was hoping we’d get that as well since my seats would turn out to be perfect, and we did. My seats turned out to be between both stages so I couldn’t have asked for better tickets.

The concert itself might be the best one I’ve ever been to. The only reason I’m not sure is because I did Foo Fighters in a stadium and I was like front row middle standing in front of the stage which is hard to beat. Also I had to get to that concert 5 hours before the gates opened to stand in line and then run to the stage to get that done so there was quite a bit of work involved. I also watched Smashing Pumpkins with Marlyn Manson live in LA, and Smashing Pumpkins have always been my #1 band. So I guess this NIN concert is my top 3.

Performance wise, I think they were than Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins and I had such a great time. I was actually so upset when the show finished since it felt too short. I just checked how long it was based on the first and last photo I took and turns out the concert was 2 hours and 35 minutes long. That’s crazy because I was just going to type the concert was 1:30-2 hours long max but figured I’d double check. I can’t believe it was two and half hours long, time flew by so quickly. The crowd was great, the lighting and sound was great, and the band were just incredible.

Anyway, I’m mostly posting this for me, as a personal diary note. But, if you’re a fan of Nine Inch Nails I highly recommend you try and watch one of their shows. This was my second time watching them, first time was at a festival, but it’s so much more personal when it’s the bands tour and in a much smaller arena and everyone there is a super fan and knows all the lyrics.

Condé Nast Traveler just published their list of “The 11 Best Restaurants in Kuwait” on their website. Here’s what they picked, in no particular order:

• B+F
• Dandoosh Restaurant
• Better Diner
• Milk Bun
• Freej Swaileh
• Lï Beirut
• Selera Kita Restaurant
• Midar
• Cocoa Room
• Amiti Noura
• Shawarma Mishref

Seems like an odd list. I definitely would’ve included Phet Phet, Matbakhi, and Oak & Smoke. Having two burger spots and two shawarma places also feels repetitive for such a short list.

Pictured up top is Li Beirut.