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Over the weekend I passed by Avenues and noticed that Dean & Deluca was closed. I assumed they were expanding their restaurant and so I sent them an email asking about it and turns out they’re creating a new look and adding new areas for pizza and Pasta. The renovation should be completed by September which means they’re sadly going to be closed during Ramadan. I usually pass by them during Ramadan for their ready made dishes but this year I guess I’ll have to make do with my horrible cooking.

Veep
Veep is a new comedy from HBO starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elain from Seinfeld) and Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development). Julia is the vice president of the United States of American and she’s surrounded by a team of dimwit advisors. Super funny. [IMDB]

Continuum
It’s a sci-fi thriller and a good one which is a rare find these days. The show takes place in two timelines, 2077 and 2012. Without ruining the story too much, a few terrorists from the future end up making their way to 2012 and a female detective accidentally ends up in the past with them. They want to change the future and she’s trying to stop them. [IMDB]

Touch
Honestly I thought this was going to be a lame drama about a single father trying to take care of his disabled kid and the only reason I considered watching it is because the father is Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer from 24). But, after watching the pilot episode I’m so hooked on this show. It’s nothing like I expected it to be and if you loved the movie Magnolia you’re so going to love the pilot. [IMDB]

Earlier today a fire engulfed the construction site of the new Ministry of Education headquarters building. A friend of mine was there with his camera and managed to snap these pictures. No information yet on what caused the fire.

Thanks Edgar

update: Here’s a video also taken by Edgar

[YouTube]

Over the weekend I got the following email from Aramex:

We would like to inform you of an important customs update for incoming shipments to Kuwait. As per Kuwait Customs regulations (Customs Authority 68, 2012), customs duties are calculated based on the weight, value and the customs estimated freight charges of the shipment (as per IATA published tariff).

The new customs calculation formula can be determined by using our new Customs Calculator. Please click here to access the calculator.

So after clicking on their link and downloading the excel file I plugged in the weight of the package as 1KG and the value as KD10 and it told me I would have to pay around KD4 as a customs fee. Previously any package under $100 you would only pay KD1 as a clearance charge. I have no idea if DHL have implemented this new system as well but I’ve got two packages that will be arriving sometime this week to both Aramex and DHL so I’ll post an update once I get them.

I’ve been noticing cars with these two antennas sticking out of the back. Not sure if it’s just a trend or they actually serve a purpose.

Just to be clear from the get go, this isn’t a review about the Galaxy Tab 2 as a tablet nor is it a review of Android’s new ice cream operating system. I have an iPad and I wouldn’t replace it with an Android device. The reason I got the Galaxy Tab is to replace my Archos 7 portable media player and this is what this post is about. So Android fanboys can put down their keyboards and relax.

Back in 2009 I bought the Archos 7 to use as my media player for when I traveled. Before the Archos I was watching movies on my tiny iPod screen (the classic iPod not the touch) so moving to the larger 7inch screen was a huge improvement. Not only that but my Archos also had a large 160GB drive, a replaceable battery that lasted 10 hours and would play any non-HD video format without requiring any time consuming format conversion. Over the years though I’ve started getting more and more HD files and the Archos started to choke. It couldn’t play a lot of the new formats and it also couldn’t play most of the HD stuff I threw it’s way so I started looking for an alternative.

I wanted a 7inch screen, a large hard drive, a replaceable battery and the ability to play HD files without an issue. Surprisingly I didn’t find a media player that had all that so I started being more flexible with my requirements and in the end went with the Galaxy Tab 2 with a 7inch screen. The screen size was correct, it would play any video I threw at it and the battery life was fairly decent coming in at around 6 hours of non stop video playback. But it only had 8GB of internal memory and the battery couldn’t be swapped. Two issues I figured I could solve easily. The Galaxy Tab has a microSD card for expandability and I figured I could take multiple 32GB cards with me on long trips. I also wanted a swappable battery for long trips and although I couldn’t swap the battery on the Galaxy Tab, I realized I could purchase one of those Mophie PowerStations which charge gadgets using a USB port and just run my Tab off it during long flights. Of course the Tab is also a full fledged tablet so I could if I wanted to browse the web or perform other tasks on it if I needed to.

After taking the Tab on two trips with me I’ve come to the conclusion that I made the right decision. Although I’ve lost some of the features that made the Archos 7 so great I did gain three important benefits (among others). The first is that the Tab is much lighter and thinner than the Archos 7. This makes carrying it in my shoulder bag a lot more pleasant. The second thing I also gained is a much better screen with improved visibility from all angles and better touch sensitivity. I’ve also thrown a whole bunch of video formats at it including 720p HD movies and the Tab has played every single one of them without an issue.

So if you’re looking for a great media player this is what I recommend you get. I purchased it from Amazon back in May and it cost me KD82 in total and that includes shipping to Kuwait using DHL’s Borderlinx. I couldn’t find it in Kuwait back then but they might be available here now. [Amazon Link]

“THE DREAM TEAM” – NBATV DOCUMENTARY from // KEEHS PRODUCTIONS // on Vimeo.

I just finished watching this documentary and I loved it. If you’re a fan of the NBA back in the 80’s and 90’s you’re going to love this. It’s available to watch on Vimeo but I downloaded the torrent and watched it on my TV instead. Too bad it’s just an hour long.

Anyone know who sells Drobo’s in Kuwait? I previously got mine from Amazon but paid around KD40 for shipping back in 2009 which mean it would probably cost me KD50+ with the current Aramex prices. 3gghead Electronics in Baitak Tower used to sell the Drobo for a good deal but they shutdown a long time back.

If you want to know what a Drobo is you can check out their [Website]

Update: Ended up picking up the Synology DS1511+ from Blink. They’re selling them for cheaper than Amazon [Link]

I don’t think there is anybody who doesn’t like soft serve ice cream which is why setting up your own machine at home, diwaniya or chalet is such a great idea and one that turns out isn’t too expensive.

There are just three things you need, the soft serve machine, the ice cream flavors and the biscuit cones.

I’ll start with the machines since this is where most of the investment is. I passed by two locations, a small store in Dajeej and the Mabrook store in Shuwaikh. I’m sure there are other stores as well but those are two I was told about. The small store in Dajeej had only one machine and was selling it for KD4,000. Mabrook on the other hand a around 4 or 5 different machines with the most affordable starting at KD500. It’s the Italian made Ugolini mini gel and it holds only one flavor. They also had other machines that were more expensive including the Taylor branded one pictured above which is the same brand Pinkberry uses. Obviously that’s overkill for home use but in case you have around KD5,000 to splurge that’s the Rolls Royce of these machines.

The second thing you need to make your soft serve ice cream is the actual product mix which you’ll have to fill the machine with. KDD sells them and they had two sizes to choose from. The picture above is of their 1 liter pack and you can get it in either vanilla or chocolate flavor. Each pack should be enough for around 6 to 9 cones. The 1 liter pack costs 575 fils and this is the size I would recommend getting for home use or small diwaniyas. But, they also sell 12 liter packs. The 12 liter packs cost KD6.5 each and can make around 80 cones. They also have an offer now where if you buy 5 packs they give you one free. Finally you need cones. KDD also sell the biscuit cones and a pack of 800 costs KD4.860.

So to summarize the post it’s going to cost you around KD500 to set up a small soft serve station at home, diwaniya or chalet. Depending on how often it’s used it could be pretty feasible.

I was in Dajeej today and noticed City Centre was opening up over there. The signs on the main road were covered but the signs on the inside road were uncovered which is where I was able to snap the picture above. Looks like they’ll be competing with Sultan Centre which is located very close by. No idea when they’re opening up but I spotted some food trucks at the loading dock so I’m guessing pretty soon. This will be their third location. Here is a map of the [Location]

Unlike initial reports turns out the fire yesterday off the 30th wasn’t actually the electrical transformer station. Turns out someone threw a cigarette near a pile of garbage and abandoned furniture which ended up catching fire. There was a car parked near the burning trash and that also caught fire. As you can see in the picture above this happened right beside the electrical transformer station which is why many people thought that’s what was burning in the video.

Thanks Kazik

An electrical transformer caught on fire earlier today near Kabab al Hajat and one of my readers was able to capture the footage above while driving by. [YouTube]

Thanks Keith

Update: Below is another video taken from the opposite site (heading towards Fahaheel) and it was shot just as the fire had started. [YouTube]

Thanks Cajie

According to surgeons like Al Sanea, the bariatric boom can be traced to the buildup to the 1991 Gulf War. That was when hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops descended on the Gulf nation, bringing with them Taco Bell, Hardee’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, among others. “The [war] was the demarcation line,” says Dr. Abdulwahab Naser Al-Isa, at the Department of Community Medicine & Behavioral Sciences at Kuwait University. Andrew Smith, the author of the Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, says, “The American military went in, and obviously they wanted fast food. Therefore, the number of fast-food establishments expanded exponentially.” And Kuwaitis fell in love.

An interesting take on the obesity issue in Kuwait although I’m not sure I believe the Americans are to blame. War or no war fast food chains were going to start popping up in Kuwait anyway. Check out the full article on Business Week [Here]

Thanks Kris

Back in April I posted a rumor that the trendy furniture brand BoConcept might be reopening again under new ownership at Avenues Phase III. Well today I finally got a confirmation that the rumor was true. Turns out Behbehani have taken over the brand and they should be opening at the end of the year.

Turns out it was parked illegally in the taxi bay along with another Mercedes G Class from Kuwait that was also got towed. [YouTube]

via Q8allinone

Update: I found out what happened in the video above and it turned out to be just an innocent mistake that was blown out of proportion because the car that was towed was an Aventador. The store is the owner of the car parked the car in an illegal parking spot not knowing it was a spot dedicated to taxis. The sign was written in French and there were other cars parked so he just parked next to the other cars. Turns out the spot he parked in specifically was a taxi spot which is why it got towed.