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So I was at the popular Al Remal Al Dahabi garage the other day with a friend of mine sitting in the waiting room when someone lit up a cigarette. Right away to my surprise someone comes in over the PA system and announces that there is no smoking allowed in the waiting room and they should go smoke outside.

I was like completely taken aback by this. If a garage in Al Rai has started enforcing a no smoking policy then there’s still hope that malls and restaurants will also stop indoor smoking as well. At least I hope so.

I’m not a fan of football but my brother is and he thinks it’s pretty cool that an Arsenal Soccer School has opened up in Kuwait. They’ve got a website up and running with information on the courses plus a registration form to fill if you’re interested in joining. I’m guessing the school is only for children but I couldn’t find any details on their website regarding the age limit. Anyway here is the link so you can check it out for yourself [Link]

Back in 2009 right after 360 Mall had opened I posted about how they needed to install plaques to tell people about the vertical gardens and the Dale Chihuly structures. That was back in September 2009 and nearly two years later 360 Mall started installing these plaques. I shot the one above in front of Ladurée while heading towards OFK. Good move.

I found out about Contemporary Art Platform from the Art Kuwait website and it looks like a big and cool looking space that might end up becoming the trendiest exhibition spot in Kuwait.

CAP already have a Facebook page with a small description and pictures which I just realized were taken by my brother so I’m going to try and get some more information from him. Here is their Facebook page [Link]

A reader sent me an internal 360 Mall memo which contains more information on the world record attempt that’s taking place at 360 Mall. Turns out Habchi & Chalhoub will be attempting to build the biggest perfumes pyramid in the world using 50,000 bottles of Paco Raabane perfume cartons.

According to the memo the pyramid will be ready and on display starting today since a judge from the Guinness World Records as well as the media and other personalities will be there to check it out. Here are some more details regarding the pyramid:

Base: 36 m2
Height: 5.5 m
Number of perfumes used: 50,000 pieces
Building time: 32 hours for 2 days

Thank Yousuf

[YouTube]

Yesterday I posted about the NewAir recycling program but a reader emailed about another organization which he is part of that also provide recycling solutions (but only for companies). The organization is called Istidamah and the video above is one of their projects which they worked on with Al Diwan Al Amiri.

A couple of you were also asking about electronic waste in the comments. According to Istidamah they are currently developing a campaign with the Kuwait Municipality regarding electronic waste recycling. Currently in Kuwait e-waste (which consist of hazardous chemicals) is mixed with other types of waste and dumped in poorly designed municipal landfills. At this current time Istidamah is the only company in Kuwait that works with UN certified electronic waste recyclers. What they do basically is segregate and dismantle e-waste in Kuwait but then ship the items to the certified recyclers abroad. They’re hoping to one day develop their own local facility for e-waste recycling but for now that isn’t an option.

You can find out more about Istidamah by visiting their website [Here]

A friend of mine shot the picture above yesterday of a Chevrolet Traverse with a speed camera in the back. Previously the ministry were using GMC Envoys and tiny Suzuki Jimny’s with cameras in the back to catch speeders but now we’ve got to keep any eye out for one more kind of car parked on the side of the road.

There is a company in Kuwait called MRC (Metal & Recycling Company) and they’ve got a recycling program called New Air in which they recycle paper, cartons, plastic, metals, PET bottles, water cans, aluminum, boilers, kettles, taps, door handles, electronic items, etc… Now the best part is that they can give you recycling bins for your home so that you could also help the environment by recycling.

All you need to do is get in contact with MRC (details below) and they’ll send recycling bins over to your house. You could then either set up pick up schedules (for example once a week) or the better more environmental friendly option is to call them once your bins are full and they’ll then come by pick up a full load.

So if you’re interested in recycling just give them a call on 97285044 or send an email to [email protected]

Thanks NJ

Note: This service is provided to offices, educational segments, industries, government, complexes etc.. and not only houses

A proper Adidas and Adidas Originals store will be opening up at Hamra Tower. Right now there’s a tiny one at Marina Mall but supposedly the new one will be much larger and most importantly we’re getting Adidas Originals which I personally favor over the regular Adidas. Not sure when they’re opening exactly but Hamra Tower is schedule to open in December so maybe then.

If gas in Kuwait was the same price as Venezuela would you drive more? I personally don’t think it would make a difference…

1 Venezuela: Caracas — $0.047 per litre
2 Saudi Arabia: Riyadh — $0.127 per litre
3 Libya: Tripoli — $0.142 per litre
4 Turkmenistan: Ashgabat — $0.19 per litre
5 Bahrain: Manama — $0.206 per litre
6 Kuwait: Kuwait City — $0.222 per litre
7 Qatar: Doha — $0.238 per litre
8 Egypt: Cairo — $0.30 per litre
9 Oman: Muscat — $0.317 per litre
10 Algeria: Algiers — $0.317 per litre

[source]

There’s a building being constructed right behind mine in Salmiya and recently trucks have been coming, parking in the middle of the road and literally closing a busy main road way causing a lot of traffic in the area. I’m sure this can’t be legal (I think) so I was wondering, in a situation like this who would I have to call to report this closure? The only number I know is the 112 emergency number but I don’t think that’s appropriate.

[YouTube]

Kuwaiti country musician Ibrahim Al-Mazeedi is back with a new track called Change. He didn’t give a description since according to him the song speaks for itself. You can check it out above and you can visit his page on PureVolume for more information about him. [Link]

The Kuwait Little League Baseball and Softball is an organization that has been working with the children of Kuwait since the early 1980s. They function strictly with the efforts of volunteers and are a non-profit organization with all the income going towards the maintenance of the field and the equipment needed for the players.

They recently moved to baseball fields inside the Hunting and Equestrian club andast year they had about 400 players (boys and girls) who were divided into 25 teams. During the 2010/2011 season, the Kuwait Little League established the first Challenger Division in the Middle East and Africa. The Challenger Division is for children with physical and developmental challenges. They had two teams in this division and as a result were featured on the Little League International website [Here]

If you’re interested in signing up your children to the Kuwait Little League they’ve just opened registration for the 2011/2012 season. Below is the list of divisions with their ages:

Tee Ball – Boys and Girls – 5 to 7 years old
Minors – Boys and Girls – 8 to 10 years old
Majors – Boys and Girls – 11 to 12 years old
Juniors – Boys and Girls – 13 to 14 years old
Seniors – Boys and Girls – 15 to 18 years old
Softball – Girls only – 11 to 18 years old
Challenger* – Boys and Girls – 7 to 12 years old

*This is a division for children with special needs

To sign up visit the Kuwait Little League website and click on “Register Online Now” [Link]

Architecture of Kuwait got their hands on a ton of renderings of the new airport and have posted them all online. Compared to our current airport the new one is HUGE. I’m still going through all the pictures trying to decide if I like it or not. There are some things I have question marks on like all these steps in the picture below. I think they’re also covering the whole airport roof with solar panels which is a great idea.

The new design is a major and I mean MAJOR improvement over the current airport. Not that the current airport wasn’t as beautiful when it was first designed by the legendary Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. But over time with all the expansions and changes they’ve made the current airport just looks like a mess now. Anyway you can check out the pictures of the new airport [Here]

Last week just before Eid I was able to get a hold of the new Audi A1 from the dealership to test drive over the holiday. I had been nagging them for a test drive since June but since I wanted the car for more than a day I wasn’t able to get my hands on it until now. I’ve always had a thing for hatchbacks but I also got interested in Audi’s recently and even more so after watching Truth in 24 which is a need to watch movie if you love cars.

The car a fuel efficient 2.0l engine pumping out 122hp which doesn’t sound like much on paper but in reality I found the car pretty zippy. That probably has a lot to do with the 7-speed automatic gearbox that comes standard with the car. The first day I drove the A1 I was actually pretty annoyed with the gearbox since whenever I stepped on the gas pedal for just a bit more power the car would dramatically drop down 3 or 4 gears which I thought was overkill. But, by the second day I had gotten used to it and started appreciating the gearbox a lot more. It’s very smooth and really does make the engine power more readily available which is why the car felt zippy. Still 8 gears is a lot of gears and if you use the paddle shift then you’ll be doing quite a lot of clicking.

I’m around 6 feet tall and found the car cozy with a very adjustable seat and steering column. It was actually pretty comfortable… that is as long as you’re sitting in the front. The car is a 2-door and I tried sitting in the backseat and found it too claustrophobic for my size. I wouldn’t mind sitting in the back for a 5 or 10 minute ride but I definitely wouldn’t want to sit there for a trip down to Bnaider. The trunk is also pretty small, you could fit one large travel bag but barely. But since it’s a hatchback the back seats fold down and you end up with a much larger carrying capacity.

Tech wise the car I drove came with LED lights which I think helps give the car an eye catching look. The car I drove didn’t have navigation (it’s an extra option) but it did have a popup screen and a pretty good sound system which comes with two SD card slots to use for MP3s. You could also purchase an iPod cable or even stream music from your iPhone to the car using Bluetooth which is what I was doing most of the time.

Overall I had a lot of fun with the car. I drove it all the way to the junkyards at the end of the 6th ring road and even through Bin Khaldoun Street traffic so I managed to experience a wide variety of environments. It’s easy to maneuver as a hatchback should be but the car also feels really well built with a nice thick steering wheel and great feeling buttons and nobs. Most importantly the car looks great which at the end of the days is probably the most important thing. The starting price of the Audi A1 is KD6,995 but the car I drove costs KD8,995. If you’re interested you can call them up for more information on 1811118.