Inglot O2M "breathable" nail Polish

A while ago I posted about the "breathable" nail polish that has been approved for Muslim women. There is an INGLOT store in the Avenues if anyone is interested and if you want to find more locations click here.

 

 

Unfortunately the creator of this polish has passed away suddenly on Saturday at the age of 57 after suffering internal hemorrhaging. (link)

What To Do in Kuwait- Behbehani Complex

If you are into visiting historical places in Kuwait then this is one of the places to see. After having lunch we took a tour of the Complex as I had never seen the inside of the complex. Since the construction of the highway the Complex is not as crowded and you can take a walk and check out the buildings. It is so beautiful and I wish I could live there! Unfortunately it seems as if no one is taking care of it anymore. Some buildings need some new paint and the foliage needs some trimming but I love it. 

A little history about the Complex:
Behbehani Complex is located in Al Watia area which means "footmarks" in Kuwaiti dialect. The area was given the name because people used to stroll beside the shore leaving their footprints in the wet sand. In the early 1940's Yusuf Shreen Behbehani built the Complex as his first major real estate project. The Complex was designed by an Iranian architect and built by Iranian workers. The complex has 28 dwelling units in which half of the units were occupied by the Behbehani family while the rest were rented out to foreigners. In the mid 1960's the Behbehani family left and over time the houses fell into a state of disrepair. During the Iraqi invasion the Complex was looted by Iraqi soldiers. The complex is considered on of the very first two-story residential sites and 40,000 KD was spent on repairing it. Cities in Transition scroll to page 32.

The back side pictured above used to have a huge parking lot and there was a round-a-bout and was once a crowded place to visit.  I remember getting stuck in traffic and having to fight for parking sadly the highway cut the area in half and a lot of the businesses relocated or shut down. I think it can once again be a happening place to visit if the NCCAL would put me in charge.

What to Do in Kuwait- Shatiya Watiya Kuwaiti Restaurant

This will be the first of a series of posts on what to do in Kuwait. This is the first place we visited on my last day off. I wanted Kuwaiti food but I knew Freej would be over crowded with people since it's the holidays. I remembered the old Kuwaiti restaurant in the Behbehani complex. I was taken there for the first time in 2003 and I fell in love with the place. Since then it has changed dramatically with the construction of the new highway. The complex now sits alone and only has a few tenants but it is such an amazing place to visit.

 

When you enter the restaurant it's like stepping back in time, the decorations are from the old days and you could just imagine what life was life back then. It's a fairly large area which can seat plenty of people and it was so quiet, of course there was my table and one other table with guests, it gets a little loud when it's crowded so I suggest going there for an early lunch. They let me explore the rooms and memorabilia and it was like a museum.



I had my favorite gaboot and marubian while my hubby had the dried shrimp one. Great place to visit! It's located behind the Church in Kuwait City. Contact number: 22422088 FYI: They only take cash.

K's Path Work Truck Road Rage

This morning I heard the story of the K's Path truck involved in road rage with one of my co-workers. He was driving to the base this morning when he had flashed a slow moving "work" truck in front of him. All of the sudden the work truck turned on bright yellow lights and slammed on the brakes as the guy avoided hitting the truck he noticed the words K's Path in blue letters on the side. As he got back in front of the truck again the yellow lights were turned on as if to intimidate or something. It was a white guy in his late 30's driving the truck with license plate 14258 or 12458. Did the driver of the K's Path truck think he was tough or something? After all it was 6 in the morning which is a little early to be ticked off. It's not just Kuwaitis who drive crazy, everyone does it.

Interesting facts about Kuwait's Independence Day

Here's a press link from Kuwait Times about Kuwait and it's Independence Day. (link)

Police in full effect- Be Careful!

This past week there has been a cop posted on the street above the 40 highway. He has a radar gun and knows how to use it. This is the road leading to Arifjan and the perfect position to catch speeding vehicles coming from KSA or the chalets.

 

He has been there every day for the past week so I wonder how many people are going to have to pay fines soon. On my way home from Arifjan the 30 is covered with police vehicles pulling over people. Every day I count at least 10 police cars on the highway so everyone slow down because you may not see them but they are lurking somewhere. The MOI is raking in the dough!!!!!

Happy National Day Kuwait!

Foreign nationals on Strike?

Last week I was heading to the gas station in Fintas when I had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting 20 foreign nationals crossing the road. There were hundreds of them on both sides of the street standing around. I don't know if they were on strike or what but they seemed to be working for the Sea base in Fintas? There was one lone police officer standing there but no officers guiding traffic. It was kind of like they were playing Frogger with the traffic on that road because everyone speeds on that road and then suddenly coming around the curve there is a sea of people.



I tried to find some info in the Arab Times but there wasn't anything about it. The whole area has turned into a bachelor city and it's time for us to move because it doesn't feel safe anymore. Imagine if all of the bachelors got together and protested, they could probably take over Kuwait if they wanted to. 



Spinsterhood in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 23: Latest census on registered marriages in Kuwait unveiled a ‘phenomenon of spinsterhood’ of shocking rates, which necessitates the society to exert tremendous efforts in eliminating the problems encountered by girl and families in this regard, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

According to the statistics, approximately 30,000 Kuwaiti women of ages between 25 and 64 years are ‘spinsters’ as they have never been married.

After reading and analyzing the causes of the growing phenomenon, psychologists and sociologists said the increasing phenomenon of spinsterhood in the Kuwaiti society will result in serious demographic and psychological repercussions on the structure of the society.

They indicated that the problem cannot be tackled by issuing laws that restrict marriage to a non-Kuwaiti or encourage marriage through financial incentives and facilities.

They insisted that the problem can be solved through awareness campaigns to urge young men and women to marry as well as urge parents to make it easier for those who wish to marry without demanding excessive dowry.

The psychologists and sociologists suggested a set of ‘immediate solutions’ such as giving priority in employment to citizens who are married to Kuwaitis, banning marriages to foreigners and so on.

Regarding the psychological effects on these unmarried girls, they indicated that referring girls as ‘spinsters’ could make them feel inferior and insecure.

Maybe those are the lesbians who don't want to marry? Between Kuwaiti men marrying foreigners and Kuwaiti men who are gay I guess the number of available men decreases?

Islamic Studies Degree

Operation Hope Yard Sale Pictures

We had a great turn out for OH yard sale and we are now out of debt from our winter warmth campaign, yay! We can now focus on our other areas of contributions. Thank you to all of those who participated! We are still selling raffle tickets for the quilt shown below, if you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets please contact Operation Hope. The winner will be announced during our Mother's Day event and winner need not be present.

 

Esther's Attic is open every Saturday!

Joplin Tornado: United Arab Emirates pays millions for rebuilding of Missouri town

Joplin Tornado: United Arab Emirates pays millions for rebuilding of Missouri town | Mail Online:

 After a devastating tornado wreaked havoc on much of Joplin, Missouri in May of 2011 the town found a financial savior in an unlikely source: the United Arab Emirates.


The tornado, which killed 161 people and destroyed six public schools, had left the community in an almost hopeless situation until the UAE reached out through their embassy in Washington.


It's not the first time the UAE has reached out to the United States for charity, as the nation has embarked upon a campaign to provide assistance to the most dire of the areas in the country.

See, not all Arabs are terrorists or have bad intentions.

Holy Quran verse posted at Harvard University

The US Harvard University has posted a verse of the Holy Quran at the entrance of its faculty of law, describing the verse as one of the greatest expressions for justice in history, a Saudi newspaper reported on Sunday.

Verse 135 of Sura Al Nisa (women chapter) has been posted at a wall facing the faculty’s main entrance, dedicated to the best phrases said about justice.

A Saudi student who studies at Harvad published a picture of the poster in his Twitter page, according to the Saudi Arabic language daily Ajel.

“I noticed that the verse was posted by the faculty of law, which described it as one of the greatest expressions for justice in history,” Abdullah Jumma said.

Harvard University was established in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1636 as the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.(link)

IHOP- Avenues Yum!

My boss wanted me to check out IHOP and let him know how it went, no problem! It was the grand opening on Saturday, it wasn't too crowded at 2:30 pm. The restaurant was full of eager staff waiting to help us. Since I never really go to IHOP it took me a minuted to find what I wanted. I ended up choosing the stuffed omelet with steak and my hubby got the sirloin tips breakfast.

It didn't take very long for the order to come out and it tasted so good. The sirloin tips were juicy and melted in your mouth. The orders came with pancakes on the side, you can add .750 fils for a spoonful of fruit with whip cream but I got them plain. 

If you like your hash browns crispy you should let them know when you order or else they are kind of mushy. Overall a great meal!

THRIFT SHOP (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

WARNING: Bad Words

Hala February Events 2013

In my 9 years of living here I have never attended any events for Hala February mostly due to the fact there is almost 0 information out there. I tend to find out about events I missed when I see pictures in the newspapers which sucks. I'm mostly interested in traditional/cultural events rather than circus acts. I've seen some pictures of the races in Jahra but that's not the type of area I would want to go to see them. An ideal scenario would have been having all of the cultural/traditional events held at "Heritage Village" but alas that project has come to a screeching halt and no one seems to know why(I'd say it has something to do with Wasta).

I know Kuwait has some Kuwaiti singers and traditional dancers but where are they? Aren't there any "family" shows with falcons and tents for people to visit? Where are the traditional Sadu weavers? Here's my idea, rennovate the old Al-Shaya Kuwaiti house and turn it into a heritage museum where they hold traditional venues for tourists. I know it's right beside the Emir's palace but it can be gated, right? It's a huge piece of land and the house itself is huge as well. It seems every country has it's own heritage village, why not Kuwait?

After searching for hours I came up with a few things to do at Green Island. I have no idea when or where there may be more parades or shows which is ok because I can't see myself fighting the crowds and places for parking.

Green Island:

Graffiti Art Contest: February 16/23
Magic Show: February 17-22
Kid's Circus: February 17-26
Daily Contest Show: February 17-26-- 6-7 pm
French Parade: February 17, 21 and 26
Hanging Musician: February 17/18 and 22-26
Crazy Dunkers: February 17-23
Sponge Bob Meet and Greet: February 17, 21 and23
Dora Meet and Greet: February18-20 and 24-26
Loud Arabia: February 21-23
Sand Castle Contest: February 22
Poetry Event: February 28

You can also contact Al Watan 1822255 or Touristic Enterprises 1806806 they may have more events coming.

How the UAE handles debts of their Citizens

This is how UAE is working out defaulted loans by their citizens:

Up to 1,600 UAE citizens have signed up for a AED1bn (US$410m) government-backed personal debt settlement scheme, the Gulf state's deputy prime minister said.

Speaking at the Government Summit in Dubai, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed said Emirati nationals were "blindly" signing up for personal loans that they were unable to pay back later, leading the government to create a personal debt bail out scheme.

“A loan is a dilemma, do not get into it. You should be careful when it comes to personal loans,” he said. “The banks are taking advantage of the unawareness of some Emiratis who blindly sign on the contracts.”

Last year, UAE authorities set aside AED1.05bn (US$410m) for the Nationals' Defaulted Debts Settlement Fund, a programme aimed at clearing defaulted debts owed by Emirati nationals.

Under the directive, rescheduling of loan repayments by indebted citizens will not exceed 50 percent of their monthly salaries, while banks have agreed to cut interest on monies owed by 1 percent.

Sheikh Mansour said the fund had dealt with approximately half of the 3,200 registered Emirati applicants. “There is a lot of confusion about the law; it is simple and clear. Any person that with personal loan debts and not commercial or trade loans unpaid before December 2011 will have it covered by the programme.”

The 17 banks taking part in the fund include are National Bank of Abu Dhabi Bank, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, First Gulf Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Union National Bank and Al Hilal Bank.

“The agreements endorse mechanisms for settling defaulted loans owed by nationals against whom courts of law have passed judgments or cases are pending,” a statement read.

Authorities in November freed around 290 Emiratis who were jailed for bouncing security cheques, considered a crime in the UAE. They have been presented with certificates to protect them from any future prosecution while citizens in similar situations should report to the Public Prosecution to receive their certificates, state news agency said. (link)

Good to know Kuwait is not the only country with defaulters, at least UAE is doing something to help them out.

The English Tea Lounge- Sheraton

The founder of Operation Hope held our annual meeting at The English Tea Lounge located in the Sheraton in Kuwait City. This was the first time I had been there but Sheryl is a regular there and now I can see why. It was so cozy and there was a lady playing the harp while we sipped tea. I think I had about 15 cups as the waitress kept those cups full.

 

It is a very nice relaxing place and there are windows all around with views of the inside of the Sheraton. The manager had a special set up for us so we were all anxious to see what he had in store for us. We started off with drinks and then we had sample towers brought out and they were wonderful. There were so many different types of finger foods and they were all so good. The service was outstanding with the waitresses taking our dishes and replacing them with clean ones and always making sure we were taken care of.

 



There was a huge chocolate fondue and I just wanted to stick my face in it, good thing it was under lock and key behind plexiglass. I think the manager read my mind as he brought out little chocolate fondues for us and I was happy to see them. One was milk chocolate and the other was dark chocolate with fruit, brownies and marshmallows. Yum! If you are looking for a quiet place with good food this is definitely the place.