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I’m going to hold an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session tomorrow morning similar to the ones that take place on Reddit. You’ll basically be able to ask me anything you want in the comments and I’ll try my best to reply to you right on the spot. I was originally thinking of holding two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening but I figured we’ll see how the morning one goes first before setting up a second session.

If you’ve ever been curious about anything or just want to know more about me then this is your chance to get your answers. Just check this blog tomorrow at 10AM and I’ll have the “Live” Ask Me Anything post up for you to ask me questions under. The AMA session will take place from 10AM to 11AM tomorrow July 8th. I don’t think I will set any rules or have any subjects that are out of bounds, we’ll just have to see how it goes.

Wonderland ” A True Story”, Wonderland from danaalmojil on Vimeo.

Wonderland, the short film by local director Dana Al Mojil is now available to watch online. Wonderland was the Zero Film Festival Grand Jury Winner back in 2011 and I’ve been wanting to see it ever since I watched the trailer last year.

Wonderland is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass” that is set in Kuwait. it highlights the similarities between The social and political situation in modern Kuwait and Wonderland. The film starts when Alice doesn’t understand why does the Ace in playing cards equals 11 when it says one. And that becomes her mission that drives her through all the hierarchy of changing in Kuwait. On her way, for better or worse, she meets the Cheshire cat, the Mad hatter, Mosa’ed and Mes’ed “tweddlee Dee and tweddlee Dum”, the Caterpillar, the Joker and the Queen, which will shape the outcome of her mission.

You can watch the full film on top or check out the trailer below.

Wonderland from Zero Film Festival on Vimeo.

via Confashions from Kuwait

1 – Abu Dhabi International Airport
2 – Dubai International Airport
3 – Bahrain International Airport
4 – Doha International Airport
5 – Muscat International Airport
6 – Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport
7 – Kuwait International Airport
8 – Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
9 – Riyadh King Khalid International Airport
10 – Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport

I love Qatar Airways but their Doha airport is just depressingly cramped and crowded all the time. I’d even go as far as saying I prefer Kuwaits Airport. For the list of best airports around the world click [Here]

Note: Image above is of the Kuwait Airport when first constructed. More pictures can be seen [Here] For pictures of the new Kuwait Airport that will hopefully be built one day click [Here]

This is something completely random I just fell upon but found really interesting. It seems there was a series of UFO sightings in Kuwait at the end of 1978 and it was supposedly the first time UFO’s were sighted in our region. Reports of the sightings were published in newspapers and even the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) got involved. Below are some quotes I got from various places but at the end of the post is a link with a lot more details.

Finally, the investigating committee established by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research held a press conference on January 23, spurred on, they said, by the Arab Times photograph, to which “The committee attaches special importance….” They admitted that they were “groping in the dark,” and said they could neither confirm nor deny the appearance of UFOs over Kuwait. – The Muffon UFO Journal 1979

Some local wags have made light of the first UFO sightings which came near the end of the long and traditionally exuberant holiday celebrations of Eid-al-Adha. However we have learned recently of an event coincident with one of the UFO sightings which has confounded some of our most level-headed Kuwaiti friends, and may have been what persuaded the GOK to make a serious investigation of the matter. A senior Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) official told us the the “UFO” which first appeared over the northern oil fields seemingly did strange things to KOC’s automatic pumping equipment. This equipment is designed to shut itself down when there is some failure which may seriously damage the petroleum gathering and transmission system and it can only berestarted manually. At the time of the “UFO’s” appearance the pumping system automatically shut itself down and when the “UFO” vanished the system started itself up again. This event was not addressed by the KISR committee report – Message sent by the American Embassy in Kuwait City to the State Department in January 1979

I believe. Check out these two links for more [Link 1] [Link 2]

zDistrict posted on twitter about a jetski rental company with a delivery option so I called them up to get more details. Turns out the company is called Xtreme and they had a website listing all the Sea-Doo jetskis they had available for rent along with the prices. Other than the fact you get to rent 2013 model year jetskis, I found it pretty cool that they also delivery the jetski to you. Check out their website [Here]

Kuwait: Continuing its slow climb. Kuwait (9th) rises three spots as its economy grows steadily and outlook remains favorable amid increasing consumer spending and a greater presence of international retailers.

In line with an optimistic economic outlook for 2013, the retail sector is expanding and demand for retail space is growing despite expensive real estate. The country’s largest mall, The Avenues, opened its phase-three extension in 2012, and other developments, such as the Gate Mall, are opening their doors in 2013. The country’s mostly urban and suburban population has high levels of disposable income, and Kuwaitis are drawn to luxury products and high-end concepts. The Avenues’ new extension includes a street area of high-end standalone shops to cater to this luxury demand.

Kuwait is typically the second MENA location (after the UAE) for international brands. International retailers Cheesecake Factory, Victoria’s Secret, and COS entered in 2012 with franchise agreements with Kuwaiti retailer M.H. Alshaya Co. Prada opened its second Kuwait store at The Avenues in early 2013.

While the luxury market remains bright, Kuwait is a difficult environment in sectors with slim margins. In grocery, for example, large and well-established retailers (such as Sultan Center, City Centre, and Casino), expensive retail estate, and limited space for expansion pose obstacles for entry by foreign grocery retailers.

It’s all very interesting but I’m more interested to know where this Casino is located please. [Link]

The concept consists of a plan in the shape of infinity, around the existing Jaber Stadium and a new man-made lake on which will float three Olympic sized stadia. Contained within the main superstructure are another Olympic stadium, a five star hotel and a shopping centre. The tower, working within the long tradition of Kuwaiti tower-based architectural icons, contains a seven star hotel as well as luxury apartments, VIP suites for the stadium, and a Michelin star restaurant with extraordinary views. [Source]

I’m guessing the project was never approved since the last I heard of this was back in 2011. [Vimeo]

The photo on the left has been making its rounds on whatsapp with people saying its so hot the traffic lights are melting. That’s not true of course with the picture on the right explaining how that traffic light actually melted.

Visual Therapy presents their first ever art show, “Not Just a Pop-Up”, featuring original artwork and prints by Kuwaiti artist F160 and Brooklyn-based artist Zebadiah Keneally.

Local graffiti artist Monstariam will be painting a live mural during the show which will also include a graffiti shop offering a unique selection of street art supplies and merchandise. In addition, the shop will debut Visual Therapy‘s 2nd t-shirt collaboration. This time they teamed up with Iranian artist A1one, a pioneer of the street art movement in Tehran.

Date: July 16th 2013
Time: 8-11PM
Location: Dar Al-Funoon.

Please visit www.visualtherapyonline.com for more details, and follow @VisualTherapy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A couple of weeks ago I was driving on the highway when a Jaguar F-Type drove past me. It was the first time I had seen one in person and I thought the rear end looked amazing which is why once I got home I emailed my contact at Jaguar asking if I could borrow the car, which I did, last week.

The F-Type turned out to be smaller than I was expecting it to be and that’s a good thing since I’m not a fan of large sports cars. It’s a 2-seat roadster convertible with a soft top that comes with either a V6 or a V8 engine. The model I tested had the V6 S-type engine which has 40 more horsepower compared to the regular V6.

The F-Type is by far the best looking Jaguar in production right now and is easily one of the hotest looking roadsters available on the market. I love the direction they went with the rear end but even the front of the car looks slick and aggressive. The interior of the car I drove was a combination of black and tan. I’m not usually a big fan of tan but since the dashboard and everything else was black and just the leather seats and leather trim in tan, the combination looked pretty good.

Performance wise although the car I drove was the F-Type S it wasn’t as fast as I was hoping it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I risked deportation a number of times while driving the car (by accident of course) but it wasn’t the “this car is going to kill me” kinda fast. On the other hand the car sounds INSANE! The model I drove was the fully loaded F-Type S with the optional exhaust system installed and if there is one option you have to get with this car this is the one. The exhaust system by default sounds fairly normal but there is a little switch on the centre console which once pressed transforms the exhaust into a completely different beast. The car was easy to drive (slow and fast) and it felt pretty responsive and agile weaving in and out of traffic.

I didn’t have or spot any major issues with the car during the time I had it but I was supposed to drop a friend off at the airport with the car and I couldn’t. The trunk of the F-Type is so small that I couldn’t fit a medium sized bag into it. I also had an issue with the car dials, during the day they just seemed a bit dark and I kept wishing they were much brighter. Finally the soft top, it’s not just with this Jaguar but in general I’m just not a fan of soft tops in Kuwait. For the good part of the year the roof is going to be closed and a foldable hard top would be much more practical solution for our weather.

One thing that surprised me about the car was the price. Whenever a friend asked me how much the car was worth I told them I didn’t know but that I assumed it cost upwards of KD30,000. When I was returning the car I found out the car actually starts at around KD22,000 which I felt was undervalued. The car looks like it’s worth a lot more than that and if you look at what else is available at that price range the Jag looks like a great buy. Of course with all the extra options the price does add up. If you want the F-Type S that starts at 25,000 and the model I drove was a fully loaded F-Type S (exhaust, rear camera, 20inch wheels etc..) which costs 29,500. The V8 model is even more expensive of course.

Anyway if you’re interested in test driving the car yourself you can pass by the Jaguar dealer in Al-Rai (Al-Zayani) and check it out there.

Found this funny headline along with a 10 day weather forecast for Kuwait on Reddit. In case you missed it, Arizona has been all over the news because of the heatwave they’re currently facing which, when compared to the weather in Kuwait really is just another summer day.

Bel Jerm El Machhoud is a Lebanese TV series similar to the US show COPS. Its a reality show that follows the Lebanese Internal Security Forces behind the scenes and in their recent episode they foil a kidnapping attempt of a Kuwaiti citizen. It’s not one of their most exciting episodes but it’s still worth watching. [YouTube]

Action starts at the 15:20 mark if you want to skip it all.

Thanks Camil

I don’t listen to 99.7 at all but a lot of people do and a couple of weeks back a friend asked me if I had heard the morning show recently since Linda was no longer on and instead two other hosts instead who are supposedly a mess. Then a few days back some readers started complaining about the two new hosts under one of my posts and awhile ago someone left the following comment:

Right now the rumor is that Linda from 99.7 has left Kuwait permanently which comes as a surprise to all of us. Though she wasn’t a favorite of everyone, she was certainly a part of Kuwait in her own way. She hosted the morning radio show for as long as I can remember. I’m sure not hearing her in the mornings must be a stark reminder of the changes Kuwait is currently experiencing.

I originally figured she just left on vacation but I wonder if she had a Latina Mina incident on air and had to leave the country like her?

Yum Galore – Pasta Ravioli from Yusif on Vimeo.

Yum Galore is the blog of Sarah, a Kuwaiti chef in training who’s currently living in London. Recently she started posting cooking videos and I just checked them out and I really like them. They’re more artsy than your regular cooking videos with gorgeous colorful shots and great framing. If you like the one above then you can check out the rest of her videos on her blog [Here]

Last week I posted about the cheapest sashimi in Kuwait and a reader mentioned Sakura’s open buffet might be considered cheaper since it’s basically all you can eat sashimi (and everything else) for a set price. Although I disagree with that fact it did remind me of a Japanese buffet a friend had told me about. Fusion (the one next to the Kuwait Towers) have an all you can eat Japanese buffet for KD7.950. Compared to Sakura’s KD12,900 it’s a pretty good deal.

I passed by last night with some friends to check it out and honestly, it’s clearly not award winning food but there was a lot of variety and you can’t go wrong with sashimi. I ended up eating a ton of salmon sashimi, some spicy grilled chicken on skewers and a shrimp with veggies dish so I managed to keep it mostly healthy stuff although the eat all you can eat shrimp tempura they kept freshly frying for us wasn’t really helping my cause. They also have eat all you can eat teppanyaki and a whole variety of regular and unhealthy/mayo/cripsy sushis as well.

Again, don’t expect to have the best Japanese food in Kuwait but for the price it’s really hard to beat. I’m not sure if they have the buffet for lunch or just dinner but here is their number 22418901 if you want to find out (I’m too lazy to call and ask).