Categories
In Focus Shopping

In Focus: Barakat Store

Barakat is an old school store located in Salmiya that has been open since the early 80s. They sell supplies for knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlework, sewing, weaving, as well as hobby and crafting materials, and magazines relating to all these.

I thought they had closed down their old Salmiya location since they had opened a small shop in Al Bustan Mall, but turns out the original store is still alive and kicking.

I passed by with a friend the other night and it reminded me of when I was a kid and I would accompany my mum. When I was a kid I hated trips to Barakat since I used to get super bored, but now as an adult, I appreciate the place a lot more.

I was tempted to get something, so ended up leaving with a “My First Embroidery” kit of a cute cat. Since I’m always curious to try new things, I figured I could try embroidery for fun and this kit contained everything I needed to learn embroidery.

If you’ve never been to Barakat, you should pass by to check the place out especially if you’re looking for a new hobby to get into. They’re located on the first floor of a building near Beit Dickson Restaurant in Salmiya. Here is the building on [Google Maps]. They’re also on instagram @barakat_kuwait. If you do pass by, make sure you pick up some kunafa from Al Tibawi down the street before you leave the area.




Categories
Automotive

Why aren’t people removing these stickers?

I keep seeing more and more of these stickers on cars, if you hadn’t noticed them before you will now. Do you still have this sticker on your car?




Categories
50s to 90s

The Kuwait Invasion Anniversary

Every year on the anniversary of the 1990 Kuwait Invasion, I like to share some links related to the war. The last two links are new this year, check them all out below:

Free Kuwait
This is a website that focuses on the campaign that was led by Kuwaitis in exile and is loaded with photos and information.

Kuwait Invasion – The Evidence
This is a website that contains over 1,200 pictures taken right after the 1990 invasion as photographic evidence to all the destruction caused by Iraq.

Short movie: Hearts of Palm
Hearts of Palm is a short movie set in August 2nd 1990 and deals with Kuwaiti students living in Miami Florida during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait.

The Class of 1990
This is a short documentary about reuniting class mates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

Homemade video from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Video clips taken by a Kuwaiti family during the Iraqi invasion

Desert Storm Photos
Photos taken by soldiers during Desert Storm.

Short Animation: Sandarah
A captivating story based on true events that took place during the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

First Account of Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait
Interviews with various Kuwaitis that were in Kuwait during the 1990 invasion.

Iraqi Invasion Pictures
Photos of the Gulf War aftermath.

Politics of Wor
A tumblr account with some not so commonly seen photos from the Gulf War. (Warning some are graphic)

Magnum Photos
A gallery of images taken during the Gulf War by some great photographers. (Warning some are graphic)

Photos in this post are by Bruno Barbey




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from The Spy Who Dumped Me

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

New This Weekend:
Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa (5.4)
Our House (5.3)
Patrick (5.8)
PLOEY – You Never Fly Alone (5.5)
Shock and Awe (5.0) ♦
The Ashram (5.1)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (6.3) ♦

Other Movies Showing Now:
Ant-Man and the Wasp (8.0)
Billionaire Boys Club (5.6) ♦
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (6.5)
Incredibles 2 (9.2)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (7.2)
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (8.9)
Ocean’s Eight (6.3)
Skyscraper (6.0)
Still/Born (5.4)
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (6.8)
The Little Witch (6.3)
The Lullaby (5.8)

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

Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters 3D (7.4)
America Wild: National Parks Adventure (5.9)
Hurricane 3D (7.0)
Tiny Giants 3D (8.0)
Watermelon Magic 3D (7.4)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.




Categories
50s to 90s Interesting

Kuwait on the Muppets Show (1978)

This is a random little tidbit sent in by a reader. Back in 1978, the British-Irish comedian Spike Milligan appeared on an episode of the Muppets Show sporting a t-shirt with Kuwait written on it in Arabic. You can watch a clip of that episode above (Spike pops in at around the 1-minute mark) while the story about the controversy behind is t-shirt is below:

For years, it has been said that Milligan’s shirt translated to “hashish,” and this was a sly opportunity by Milligan to sneak a drug reference into the show (hashish is a preparation of cannabis). As the story goes, no one noticed what he was doing until the episode had already aired. Is it true? It is not true.

What Milligan’s shirt translates to is “Kuwait.”
Why Kuwait? Well, Milligan was, at the time, doing the TV series Q, which was a sketch comedy show that had a different number attached to it for each season it was on the air, beginning with Q5 in 1969. Because of the similar Monty Python’s Flying Circus program, which ran from 1969-1974 (it began a few months after Milligan’s series), it would not be until 1975 that Milligan was allowed a second season/series of Q, titled Q6. Q7 followed in 1977, and in 1978, as the time of the Muppet Show taping, Milligan was doing Q8.

Q8 was, appropriately enough, nicknamed “Kuwait” because of the fact that, well, you know, Q8 sounds like Kuwait! So no, no sneaky drug references for Spike Milligan! [Source]

So random.

Thanks Dalal!




Categories
Automotive

New Jeep Wranglers are Now in Kuwait

The all-new Jeep Wranglers are finally in Kuwait. Although the outside looks pretty similar to the previous model, it’s actually been completely reworked and the interior given a major overhaul.

The local Jeep dealer just got the new Wranglers over the weekend and they should end up being in the showroom anytime today or tomorrow. They’ve only brought the 4-door Wranglers for now but in three different trims that include the Sport, Sahara and the Rubicon edition (pictured here). Sadly, the Sahara and Rubicon models they’ve brought come with a beige leather interior (puke) and only the sport model comes with a black interior. I’m pretty sure you could probably order a Rubicon with a black interior, but right now if you want one, you don’t have another choice.

The prices of the new Wranglers start at KD12,500 for the Sport edition and go all the way up to KD16,000 for the Rubicon. I’ve had my Toyota FJ for 8 years now and although I love it, the new Rubicon is really really tempting.




Categories
Music News

No More Kiki-ing

Captain Abdullah Bu Hassan from the Interior Ministry pointed out that engaging in this dance challenge could lead to payment of KD100 fine and imprisonment for three months once the case is referred to the court.

In addition, Al-Shahid daily has reported that Director General of Public Relations and Security Media General Department in the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Tawheed Al-Kandari has affirmed that the ‘Kiki’ dance challenge video clip, which went viral on social media, is a violation of the Traffic Law. Under such circumstances, the vehicle will be impounded and a citation will be issued to the motorist, he added. [Source]

Expats, on the other hand, will get deported (no not really, I don’t think so at least).




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from Mission: Impossible – Fallout

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

New This Weekend:
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (8.9)
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (6.8)

Other Movies Showing Now:
A Prayer Before Dawn (7.1) ♦
Ant-Man and the Wasp (8.0)
Billionaire Boys Club (5.6) ♦
Escape Plan 2: Hades (3.8)
Gotti (4.7)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (6.5)
Incredibles 2 (9.2)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (7.2)
Ocean’s Eight (6.3)
Skyscraper (6.0)
Still/Born (5.4)
The Domestics (5.7)
The First Purge (5.5) ♦
The Little Witch (6.3)
The Lullaby (5.8)

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

Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters 3D (7.4)
America Wild: National Parks Adventure (5.9)
Dream Big 3D (7.9)
Hurricane 3D (7.0)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (6.3)
Tiny Giants 3D (8.0)
Watermelon Magic 3D (7.4)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.




Categories
Automotive

McLaren Senna in Kuwait!

A friend shared the picture above taken from the instagram account @street965. The photo was taken at the port or airport (probably airport) and shows a dark grey McLaren Senna (also pictured below) in the background.

I hope it’s going to go on display at the dealership but my guess would be it’s already been sold and is going straight to the customer.

Thanks Stan!

Update: Here is another better photo (thanks K!)




Categories
Information

Suicide Hotline in Kuwait

Recently I found out that we have a suicide hotline number in Kuwait which is great news. Sadly, it’s only available from 9AM to 12PM! (UPDATE BELOW)

I’m actually hoping that isn’t really true and that the conversation between me and the Social Development Office (pictured above) got lost in translation. Having a suicide hotline that was only available 3 hours a day would be pretty ridiculous. In any case, the below information might be helpful to some readers especially if you’re looking for therapy:

Hotline for Police Community (managed by therapists)
94000435 – 94000463

Social Development Office (FREE) and have many therapists
94069304 (Masella Branch)
94082761 (West Mishref Branch)
Main Office
22402409/7
Hotline 22440904/22402401
instagram.com/socialdoffice

Update: They no longer are available for just three hours a day. Here are the suicide hotlines and working hours from the Social Development Office (as of September 24, 2020):

94702266 – 10AM until 4PM (for Teenagers and Adults)

99670675 – 2PM until 7PM (for Adults)

66022448 – 12PM until 7PM (for Teenagers and Adults)

99603997 – 11AM until 8PM (for Kids and Teenagers)

65079596 – 4PM until 10PM (for Adults)

93332007 – 5PM until 9PM (for Teenagers and Adults)

66220282 – 6PM until 9PM (for Adults)

Most of these suicide hotlines are available from Saturday until Thursday. Friday is off.

Update (May 2023): The above numbers no longer work, I’m currently trying to find updated numbers.




Categories
Travel

UK Electronic Visa Waiver for Kuwaitis

Come Fly With Me

If you have a Kuwaiti passport you no longer need a visa to enter the UK, all you need is a visa waiver. A friend of mine recently got the waiver two hours after applying for one. It’s cheaper than getting a regular visa and pretty convenient if you’re planning an impulse trip.

The cost for an electronic visa waiver is £15 but it’s only valid for one entry. You can apply for the EVW by visiting the EVW website [Here]




Categories
News

Local Influencer Doesn’t Believe Domestic Workers Should Get Days Off

This story broke out over the weekend and it’s been picking up A LOT of media traction internationally. Local Instagram celebrity @sondos_aq recently went on a rant on the new local regulations requiring a weekly day off for Filipino domestic workers. You can watch her rant in the video above. To summarize, she thinks its ridiculous that domestic workers have to get a day off every week and that she doesn’t believe domestic workers should be able to keep their passports. Pretty racial comments and the worst part is, she has over 2.3 million followers.

Last month the Instagram celebrity 3bodka was caught abusing his dog, and now we have another influencer posting racial comments. Looking at how this is blowing up I wouldn’t be surprised if local authorities decide to create new laws or regulations to prevent situations like this from occurring again.

If you want to read more about this incident, check out the articles on CNN, Independent and Buzzfeed amongst other.




Categories
Television

Must Watch TV: White Gold

Found this show by accident and fell in love with the storyline right away. White Gold is a show about a team of double glazed window salesmen living in Essex, England in the early 80s. The idea of a show that combines Essex, the 80s and window salesmen is so absurd that I couldn’t resist not watching it. White Gold turned out to be such a great show that I quickly became a huge fan and started pushing it to all my friends.

If you have Netflix and like 80s based shows then you need to check this one out. There is only one season and just six episodes so shouldn’t take you long to zip right through it. [Link]




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from Gotti

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

New This Weekend:
A Prayer Before Dawn (7.1) ♦
American Animals (7.6)
Billionaire Boys Club (5.6) ♦
Gotti (4.7)
In Darkness (5.7)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (7.2)
Still/Born (5.4)
The Domestics (5.7)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Ant-Man and the Wasp (8.0)
Deadpool 2 (8.1) ♦
Escape Plan 2: Hades (3.8)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (6.5)
Incredibles 2 (9.2)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (6.8)
Ocean’s Eight (6.3)
Skyscraper (6.0)
The First Purge (5.5) ♦
The Little Witch (6.3)
The Lullaby (5.8)

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

Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters 3D (7.4)
America Wild: National Parks Adventure (5.9)
Dream Big 3D (7.9)
Hurricane 3D (7.0)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (6.3)
Tiny Giants 3D (8.0)
Watermelon Magic 3D (7.4)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.




Categories
Complaints

Fake Plastic Trees

I really hope the picture above isn’t really in Kuwait. Fake grass I kinda get but this is just silly.

Thanks Musaed

Update: It’s Saudi!