Applebee's New Year Celebration

Saudi arrests Christmas tree Smugglers

Saudi customs authorities arrested two Arab men trying to smuggle Christmas trees into the conservative Gulf kingdom through its King Fahd causeway linking it with Bahrain.

Officials said the trees were confiscated as they violated the country’s rules which ban celebrations on this occasion.

Sharq newspaper quoted the causeway’s director Daifallah Al Otaibi as saying legal measures would be taken against the two smugglers but he did not specify the punishment. “The punishment depends on the type of the smuggled products and whether they are for personal or commercial use,” he said.

Around Kuwait

We were at the park, caught this guy tanning, sprayed himself down with lotion and read his book.

Lincoln low rider in Mahboula

 2015 is here and yet primitive practices are still being used. This work is going on where my mom lives, the rock pile is about 5 feet from the parked cars.

 I think they mean the sprinklers will go off at 1 am and 10 am?

 This is a huge dwaniya

 For the bakers out there- Fame Co has a wide variety of kitchen items and ingredients, they are located in Salwa.

Know your thobe- women's Dress

Drifters chasing police in Saudi Arabia

Old video but crazy nonetheless, I don't know what the policeman was thinking. He was lucky to get away alive.

Job Recruitment- Al Shaya

Expat Lawyer

If anyone is looking for an English speaking lawyer to help with their labor disputes I would recommend:

Dr. Muhareb Al-Enezi Law Group
Hawally- 22663969/22663968
dr.attorney@Hotmail.com

He is currently representing several ex employees of ITT fighting against KRH for back pay. He has been in law for over 20 years and specializes in labor cases. The firm can also help with other types of cases as well you would need to book an appointment with him to get more information, just let him know you found his information on this website. He speaks and understands English well which helps a lot when trying to get your point across.

Owning a Lamborghini in the USA

Living in Kuwait we see Lambos, RR, Ferraris and Porche vehicles all day every day so it isn't as big of a deal as it is in the states. I admit I still get the 'ooooooh a Lambo Aventador or oooooh a Bentley Phantom' when I see them because those are my favorite cars. Unfortunately most of the time the family driver is at the wheel or there's an 18 year old girl who can barely see over the steering wheel driving. The other day however, I saw a bad ass RR being driven by a mature female decked out in hijab and abaya owning that car like a boss, that was awesome.

Dairy Queen- Kuwait mid 2015

Dairy Queen, the fast-food and ice-cream seller owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has announced plans to expand the brand’s presence in Kuwait with a multi-unit development deal for DQ Grill & Chill restaurants and DQ Treat stores.

Durra Khaled For Foodstuffs Co has signed a long-term franchise agreement with Dairy Queen and plans to develop more than 20 DQ Grill & Chill restaurants and DQ Treat stores throughout the Gulf state over the next five years.

DQ Grill & Chill restaurants are planned to open by mid-2015, according to a company statement.
The first DQ Treat only stores are also expected to open in 2015 and will feature the soft-serve products that have made Dairy Queen famous around the world.

“As we prepare to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the DQ brand next year, we are building on our global brand equity as well as looking forward to developing future growth opportunities in the region,” said Brad Houser, executive vice president of International Development.

“We are thrilled to be re-entering the Kuwait market and partnering with Durra Khaled For Foodstuffs Co, a group that brings a wealth of business experience through its diverse portfolio.”
Dairy Queen currently has more than 6,300 locations, 1,394 of which are located in 25 countries outside the US and Canada.

Dairy Queen, whose brands include fruit-drink maker Orange Julius and popcorn-popper Karmelkorn, debuted in the region in 1979, according to the company’s website.

Operations in Kuwait started in the 1990s and closed in 2003 when the franchisee decided to leave the restaurant business.

Tiny Toes Nursery- Winter Camp

Winter Camp at Tiny Toes Nursery 

From 17 to 31 December, for ages from 6 months to 5 years

عيالك أمانة عندنا، نسعد بوجودهم في النادي الشتوي في حضانتنا

نستقبل أطفالكم من عمر 6 شهر إلى 5 سنوات، من 17 إلى 31 ديسمبر

لعب ووناسة ومرح ودراسة

You can find more information on their FB page and website.

KidZania's Winter Festival

 KidZania's Winter Festival is going on now  and ends January 24, 2015. There are three programs this year- Winter MimeZ, Winter Karnival and Winter artZ and craftZ check out their website for ticket sales and details.

 Lovely gift basket from KidZania created by Dean and Deluca, thanks KZ!

They didn't forget the children's birthdays either, that was a surprise gift from KZ just in time for winter.

US Navy helicopter from Camp Buehring crashes during Kuwait training Mission

A US Navy helicopter has crashed during a training mission in Kuwait, injuring three crew members, the Bahrain-based Naval Forces Central Command said on Monday.

The MH-60S helicopter went down on Sunday morning during the  training flight at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, it said in a statement cited by AFP.

“All six personnel aboard the helicopter survived the crash and were transported to nearby medical facilities for evaluation. Three of the six crew members sustained minor injuries and received treatment. All have been released,” the navy said.

The crash was not a result of hostile activity and will be investigated, it added.

Kuwait hosts about 15,000 military personnel from the United States, which is leading the international coalition fighting the Islamic State extremist group in Syria and Iraq.

On Wednesday, two Egyptian military officers and two from the UAE were killed when their plane crashed during a joint exercise in Egypt.

Egypt's military spokesman said in a statement a technical failure caused the crash.

Family day in Kabd

We were invited to a ladies gathering in Kabd and what an amazing place it was. Who can beat waterfalls, bar-b-que and animals out in the desert? 

I will now a desert chalet in Kabd to my want list.

Fintas Ghetto

When I first moved to Kuwait in 2004 I lived in Fintas and I loved the area. It used to be empty of people and few people from the city had been there. As the country has changed and population has increased those once unknown areas have been overcome with people, traffic and chaos. I drove through my old area and found it turned into a junkyard with cars and garbage everywhere and no one seems to care.

Someone attempted to grow corn

All of the garbage is a total fire hazard, where's @deerakw to help?

Kuwaiti female takes revenge against Hubby's new Marriage

An exasperated Kuwait woman decided to go her own way to greet her husband on his new marriage when she used a knife to scratch all the body of his costly Porsche car.

As if she wanted him to know that she was the well-wisher, she also scratched the Arabic words- ‘congratulations for the new wife’.

Kuwaiti newspapers said the report and picture of the scratched car were circulated on Facebook and other social networks in the oil-rich Gulf emirate.

-I saw this on IG, it was in Arabic so now I know what the problem was.

Hala February 2015

KUWAIT: The 16th Hala February Festival in 2015 will take place from Jan 8 to Feb 6 with humanitarian work as its motto to mark the honoring of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah by the United Nations. This was announced during a press conference by the festival’s higher committee organization yesterday in the presence of representatives of government agencies such as the ministry of interior and the fire department and sponsoring companies.

“We decided this year to choose humanitarian work to be the motto of the festival to emphasize the prominent humanitarian role of Kuwait, which began with independence and the foundation of the Kuwait Fund for Development to stretch the hands of Kuwait to the whole world without discrimination or sectarianism,” the general coordinator of Hala Feb 2015 Walid Mohammed Jassim said.

“The Hala February festival this year features many distinctive events that have been carefully selected from the marketing, tourism and the economic aspects to contribute to the revitalization of the economy,” he said, pointing out that the opening carnival will be held on Jan 16 on the Arabian Gulf Street next to the Kuwait Towers this year instead of Salem Al-Mubarak Street in Salmiya.
“The festival will include events like a walkathon from the Marina Crescent to Green Island on Saturday, February 7 from 9 am to 3 pm. The aim is to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the need to change the negative image related to mental illness in an innovative way. There will be five stops to take a break after every kilometer. Booths will have doctors or psychologists to explain the diseases to the public and distribute brochures about the diseases. Also, the Kuwait Chess Championship will be held from January 26 to February 7,” Jassim said.

Main sponsor
 He pointed out that the Gate Mall will be the main sponsor of the festival for the first time, adding that cars will be given away in raffle draws and 100 prizes will be distributed daily under the supervision of the ministry of commerce and industry. The chief of the concerts committee of the Hala February Festival 2015 Abdullah Al-Quud said 4 concerts will be held with singers Majida Al-Roumi, Nabil Shuail, Shamma Hamdan, Tamer Hosni, Fayez Al-Saeed, Shirin, Ebadi Al-Johar, Fahad Al-Qubaisi, Nancy Ajram and Mohammed Assaf.

Executive director of relations and communications at Zain Telecom Walid Khashti confirmed that the company is keen to participate in the festival as part of the social responsibility of the company, pointing out that the company is seeking to participate in the festival every year through the exchange of experiences and work as a team for a long relationship between Zain and Hala February. “Zain has many events in parks and public places as part of our commitment to contribute to the support of activities, tourism and the Kuwaiti economy as part of the duty of the company’s presence in all national events,” Khashti said.

Every year Kuwait celebrates the Hala February Festival that was first launched in 1997 to rejuvenate tourism in Kuwait and positively influence the Kuwaiti economy. The Hala Feb festival features cultural activities such as parades and entertainment events, and is a boon for shoppers with shopping carnivals offering discounts.
By Faten Omar

Cozmo Christmas

Santa knows whether you have ben naughty or nice but you have one last chance to show him what a good little one you are! Come see Santa and tell him what you would like for Christmas next year and get your picture taken with him! Come see a magician perform amazing magic tricks for an hour as well. For 10KD each you will get 1 game of bowling, A 1KD Arcade card, A Cozmo bag, a coloring book, A McDonalds Kids meal, Christmas goodies and a stocking in addition to your time and picture with Santa and the Magic Show. Kids who come in a Christmas Outfit can participate in the Fashion Parade for the following prizes.

Best in Party Outfit - Boy & girl (little & big) - 20KD voucher
Best in Talent - Boy & girl (little & big) - 20KD voucher

Restaurants in Kuwait

I noticed three other restaurants on the same street as Steak n Shake to add to the Kuwait list.

 

Assaha Lebanese restaurant

 A 'traditional' Egyptian restaurant

 And Dukkan Burger

All of these are located in Bnaid Al Gar

Saudi Man Shoots Himself During Wedding Ceremony

Ouch!

Do 'celebs' in Kuwait buy Followers on IG?

Thanks to Kuwaitiful for compiling the list above showing what happened when IG cleaned house the other day. Someone took screen shots of the IG accounts of popular people in Kuwait and compared them after the clean up, makes people wonder what's really going on when they are demanding amounts as high as 800KD to advertise on their IG account.

Christmas Stuff

Some more places that have Christmas items, Sultan Center below

Carrefour in Avenues

I think just about every store has some kind of Christmas stuff.