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My escape from Lebanon was a long and adventurous one. Looking back at it now it was an interesting experience but while I was in the car on my way to the Syrian border it was a completely different story. I wasn’t afraid or anything but I really didn’t like the idea that at any moment the road will be blocked and I would have to turn back and cancel my whole trip.

The roads from Lebanon to Syria were randomly getting blocked with burning tires, rocks and sand mounds. There were a lot of taxis offering to take people to the border but none could guarantee you would get there because of the way roads were getting blocked randomly. I needed a “sure thing” and this is why one of my relatives hooked me up with this guy who managed to arrange a series of rides from one area to another until I finally got to Damascus.

The main theory behind changing cars after every area is that the drivers would be very familiar with the roads. So for example if I take a car with a guy who lives in the neighborhood, if one road is blocked he would know another way out and if that road is also blocked he would know another way. By the end of my journey I had taken 6 cars including one that was a van that carried fish! As you can see from the photos, we didn’t stay on the main roads or even the inside roads, we spent most of the time on muddy farmland trails.

The Syrian border I went to (Daboosiyeh) was pretty empty but thats because the roads to get to that border were all blocked. I had some friends who had left much earlier in the day and had gotten stuck at another Syrian border for over 6 hours. Nat did a great job in getting me a Jazeera Airlines ticket before they got sold out and then managed to find me a room in a hotel to stay in even though most hotels in Damascus were fully booked. Anyway I am back and its good to be back but I will be leaving again in a couple of days to Munich.

I got back earlier tonight from Beirut (Syria actually). I have pictures to share and an adventure to write about but don’t know if I will have time tonight.

What a trip! Just got to Syria, my day was full of adventure but will post about that once I get to Kuwait. Just checked in to my hotel and am going to walk around the city now. (Posted from my Nokia E61i)

I am back at my hotel now and I have the balcony door open. I can hear heavy machine gun fire outside but it isn’t close, its in the next neighborhood. My hotel is located in Achrafieh which is on the edge of the Christian area where everything is pretty much normal. The lobby is filled with tourists who I am guessing are freaked out with whats going on outside. This might sound weird but the machine gun fire outside is pretty soothing. I guess hearing the gun fire in the distance kinda keeps me in the loop with whats going on and the fact thats its not close by is assuring.

I just bought a Jazeera Airways ticket from Syria to Kuwait that leaves on Saturday since the Beirut airport is closed. I now need to find a cab that will take me to Syria. My biggest concern is that the main road to Syria is blocked so I have to take another longer road that will take me 5 hours! That’s a plane ride from Kuwait to London!

Speed Racer is getting released in Beirut tonight (two days ahead of US release) and even though there are demonstrations and strikes taking place at the moment the movies are open as usual. Hopefully it will turn out to be good since I’ve always been a fan of the original cartoon. Will post my feedback later tonight.

update: I just got back from watching Speed Racer. I was the only one at the premier I guess because of all the rioting and blocked roads today in Lebanon. The movie was over 2 hours long but it was pretty good. I was worried the style of the movie would turn out childish but it was actually cool. Its extremely colorful, like you need to be on acid to watch this movie kind of colorful. The races are action packed and super fast and my favorite character Racer X was really cool. Only thing disappointing is that they didn’t play the Speed Racer theme song as often as I would have hoped for. The movie should be watchable in Kuwait with only 1 scene that would probably be cut and its a kiss in the last scene of the movie.

This video was shot when Massari visited Marina Mall. Its crazy, I wouldn’t be surprised if some people got hurt or trampled. [YouTube]

Yesterday Vodafone released the following press release:

Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network.

Hopefully Zain will also sign an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in their markets which would include Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. I doubt Wataniya would get the rights to the iPhone since they are not located everywhere.

I got the following in my email today:

The November Boutique is proudly announcing its first Charity Toy Drive! On the 9th of May (Friday) we will be accepting old* and new toys and books you may donate to benefit those families wishing to share toy joy with their children, who haven’t the fortune to afford such luxuries. This is our chance to share the joy and teach our children the value of sharing and the gift of giving!

There will be music at the event and all the children that contribute to the event will be given treats from The November Boutique.

We are looking forward to sharing this generous occasion with you.

GOD BLESS YOU

* please make sure all donated toys and books are in good condition.

11am – 6pm on Friday, 9th of May @ Karizma
for any questions please contact 7313310

I just wanted to congratulate Mahmood and Bahrain for ranking #8 on the sinful capitals of the world list. There was a lot of strong competition this year but they managed to do pretty well, even better than Dubai which didn’t even make the top 10 list surprisingly. The criteria to enter the sin cities list is pretty simple: The country needs to offer a strong presence of gambling, sex, drinking, drugs, and/or partying. For the full top 10 list click [Here]

One of the most annoying things with the camera on my Nokia E61i is that I can’t turn off the shutter sound. With cCam I think I solved that issue. cCam is a image capture software that runs on Nokia’s and features not shutter sounds and no flash meaning you should be able to take pictures without anyone noticing. [Link]

A forum member called Kuwait posted about what looked like to him new speed cameras that were being installed on Beljaat Street. The new kind of cameras are overhead and there were three of them, each covering a car lane and each would be facing the rear of the cars as they passed by. He didn’t have time to take a picture so if anyone could take one and send it to me that would be great. Send the picture to [email protected]

To me they don’t sound like speed cameras, I mean why would they put one for every lane when currently they put one camera for all the lanes? But it does sound like some kind of license plate tracking system maybe?

Here is a link to the original post in the forum. [Link]

update: I didn’t notice this but Some Contrast actually posted about this today and has pictures. Turns out its not new cameras but a new traffic light system. More info on their blog. [Link]

A friend of mine sent me this picture by MMS. He found this store in Muthana Complex in Kuwait City.

Thanks Saleh!

In addition to the 3g iPhone, here is a short list of the upcoming phones I am looking forward to:

SE Xpreia X1:
After the release of the iPhone, Sony Ericsson have thrown out their usual styling and gone back to the drawing board with their Xperia X1. How different is this phone from its siblings? Considering that only thing SE about it is the logo, as the X1 is powered by Windows Mobile and manufactured by HTC; it should be a significant shift from previous phones. Which could result in a good thing for hardcore SE fans, as they are throwing in every imaginable concept (multiple panels and navigation) into a fairly cooling looking phone. Truth be told, I honestly have no idea what the phone is capable of (outside of dialing/sms), but it looks pretty cool doing it. And with a name like the Xperia X1, it better live up to the hype.

More info [here]

Google Phone (et al):
Now this isn’t really a phone as much as it is the brains behind it.. Late last year, Google launched Android, their open-source (anyone can tinker away) platform for telephones. Android is the basis for the OHA (Open Handset Alliance), which is also in collaboration with 30 mobile/technology companies (which will bring the Gphone to life).

What this means for the actual consumers? We are getting a phone powered by Google; in which any inspiring programmer can change/add/create applications for the public. In essence, you would be able to buy a compatible android phone, and put together your own phone system (or download one) .

One of the first phones rumored to be released is the HTC Omni/Dream..  And seeing how HTC made the Xperia X1 (above) for SE, it should be a very interesting first attempt at a Google Phone.

More info [here]

Nokia Liam (e71)
Saving the best for last, the Nokia e71 is the successor to the e61i; the best Nokia phone I have used since the days of the 6110/6310i. In addition to having the same reliability, extended battery life and qwerty keyboard of its predecessor, its also rumored to have GPS, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, and 3.2 megapixel AF camera in addition to a faster processor in a slimmer case.

More info [here]

Posted by K.

Who knew there were so many different kinds of ice cubes. The one pictured above is called the Orchid Ice and actually contains an orchid flower inside. When you get to the page just click “next” on the top to flip between the different ice cubes. [Link]