AUK Lecture

Kids for a Greener world from KidZania

The Light complex in Mahboula

Work finally started back on this complex after a few months of no action. It looks like someone has already crashed into the wall of the building.

Some of the restaurants include:

Caribou Coffee
Sultan Chef
Nino
Wok n Roll
Margherita Pizzaria

OTG Motor Sports D1 LFA Shake down

Awesome car!

Operation Hope Yard Sale

Everything is ready for the OH yard sale tomorrow. I hope everyone will join us for a day of shop til' you drop!

Thanks to all of the kind people who donate and make it all possible.

Illegal Animals in Kuwait

I saw this video on Mark's blog, after reading the comments and watching I had to re-post it. There's so many wrong things! I would have liked to see her record an interview with the Cannibal guy who was eating the live rabbit and Hanan the animal activist but that didn't happen. The guy did make some comments about Saddam Hussein, Drag 965 is involved with illegal animals and at 21:27 the singer from Kuwait Miami is there as well. 

She also interviews someone from the zoo, yes there are people behind the scenes of the zoo but the girl couldn't say much due to censorship and the wrath of the government for telling the truth. There are certain people on earth who are walking advertisements for birth control and this guy definitely qualifies!

This has connections to the maid killed by a lion last year, go to mark 26:00. Yet this guy still roams the streets of Kuwait! 

The Hits Market

Kuwaiti Diwaniya

Visit their website to register.

Professional driver scares Instructors

She is awesome, one day I will learn to drive manual!

Russian caught with Alcohol

A Russian national was nailed by security officers for trafficking in alcohol, and 345 bottles of exotic liquor were confiscated from his possession. An Interior Ministry press release said the Drug Control General Department was tipped-off about the activities of the suspect, and he was placed under surveillance by detectives until the information was confirmed. Armed with search and arrest warrant from the Public Prosecution, the officers raided the apartment of the suspect and also conducted a search inside his car where they recovered 345 bottles of imported liquor. He admitted ownership of the contraband, but claimed they were for his personal use. He was referred with the contraband to concerned authorities.

Damn, this man had some premium alcohol. I bet they will 'destroy' it like they did recently with a bulldozer. I wonder how much of it was actually 'destroyed' by drinking? No way the alcohol was 'destroyed' I'm sure the bottles were filled with tea or something to make it look like they did their job.

Operation Hope Yard Sale

Catch OH's yard sale this weekend, the last open day of the season. OH will be closed until summer ends so this is your last chance with low low prices.

Donations for Operation Hope's Mother's Day Event

Every year Operation Hope holds a Mother's Day gathering for their supporters. Tickets are sold for 20 KD and all proceeds go directly towards supporting the less fortunate in Kuwait. OH supports several embassies and special cases that are approved by the committee. OH team has helped provide two wheelchairs for expat children and helped repatriate a maid who survived a really bad accident and had to be flown back to the Philippines on a medic flight as well as financial help for her mounting medical bills.

There are still 17 tickets left for the Mother's Day event to be held on April 25, 2015 from 8:30 am til noon if anyone is interested in joining OH at the English Tea Lounge. There will be games and prizes and amazing food as well.

OH is also looking for donations for the event:

--Donations wanted: Business owners are kindly asked to consider making a donation of one or more items from your business to support this year's Mother's Day Tea.  All donors will be mentioned at the event and in a follow-up news article (Arab Times), which will be written by Photo/Journalist, Mrs. Claudia Al Rashoud.  Furthermore, your donation will bless our fundraising event greatly!  Interested business owners should contact Sheryll Mairza at hope@ohkuwait.org.  Your consideration is most appreciated.  

I'm sure there are several companies in Kuwait who have corporate social responsibilities (CSR) in place and are looking for new ways of implementing them. Find out more about Operation Hope on their FB page. A little effort goes a long way!

Mad Stand Comedy Event

You can book your tickets here

Earth Hour Kuwait

More malls to be built in Kuwait

--"The plans are nothing if not ambitious. The group’s five current properties – which include 360 Mall and Al Kout Mall generated KD162m ($540m) of retail sales in 2014, and the target is to roughly quadruple that figure by 2020. Among the projects Tamdeen will be working on are a huge expansion of 360 Mall itself, which will also incorporate the new home of the Kuwait Tennis Federation and a 4,000-seat tennis stadium. The hope is that the site could play host to ATP-ranked tournaments in the future, similar to those already taking place in Dubai and Doha.

More expansion is taking place at the seaside Al Kout Mall, based just to the south of Kuwait City in Fahaheel. A further 72,000 square metres of leasable area is being added to one of the country’s most scenic shopping centres, which already boast two piers jutting out into the sea, traditional meat and fish markets and ‘dancing’ fountains. The 160,000 square metre Mall of Kuwait, which was originally conceived about a decade ago, will be built in Sabahiya, along with three other community shopping centres.

In two projects, however, Tamdeen is also making its first move into residential property. Tamdeen Square, a mixed-use project featuring a mall, commercial space, a mosque and a hotel, will also include high-rise furnished apartments that will overlook the beach at Messilah. While Kuwaitis have historically been drawn to living in standalone villas, Al Marzouq is betting on the fact that skyrocketing house prices, a huge waiting list for government-issued houses and their distance from the city centre means that many will prefer the convenience of apartment life."Story link

Of course we need more malls?! How about something fun and entertaining? How about actually fixing up Entertainment City, the one place people can go and be free from crowds.

Violent Hail Storm in Saudi Arabia

Earthquakes, rain and hail storms, scary weather lately!

Jobs in Kuwait

This is the best time for teachers of all subjects to apply to the various schools throughout Kuwait. There are so many openings it's ridiculous, if anyone is looking for an adventure or just a change of pace I would highly suggest trying out Kuwait for a year. Who knows, maybe you will end up staying in this part of the world and if not you can go home after your contract is up. Check out this link to see some of the employment opportunities here.

Earthquake in Kuwait Today- March 21,2015

Today around 2:25 pm I was at my sister's house getting ready to leave when I felt something weird. I thought I was having a dizzy spell but as I sat there shaking I realized it was a freaking earthquake! Although there have been several I never felt it until today. I had instant flashbacks of the great Landers earthquake of  1992. I started thinking about how buildings in Kuwait have no code and the Minsitry is lied to with fake blue prints and they never check up on buildings. I think about how they are built so close to one another and worry about what would happen if a major earthquake happened here, would they all crumble and fall on top of each other?

--Arab Times Article

"Q: How ready is Kuwait to face a strong earthquake?
A: We made a study on the assessment of seismic hazards. This is to study how the magnitude of earthquakes that are likely to happen in Kuwait and how ready are the urban areas to absorb the shockwaves of such strikes. We also tried to study the earthquakes that happened in Iran and their impact on Kuwait.
We conducted studies assuming that an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude strikes Iran, and then calculated the magnitude in which it will be felt in Kuwait. We found that if such an earthquake takes place Kuwait will not be affected. The maximum that will happen is we will slightly feel the earthquake.
However, answering your question, Kuwait has no regulations concerning earthquakes. There is what is called the building code for earthquakes. However in Kuwait we are only using the general code when it comes to buildings. 
Kuwait also lacks the technological advancements to limit the impact of earthquakes but now there is a project developed by KISR to create a center that works on reducing the impact of any earthquake that might take place in the future."

Volvorii Smart Shoe Concept

Every female knows how hard it is to find that perfect shoe, finding space for all of those shoes and money spent matching them to that certain outfit. With this new smart shoe concept we may not have so many of those problems in the near future. Volvorii Timeless is now raising funds via INDIEGOGO for these shoes and you can pre-order yours with an estimated December 2015 delivery.



The company is looking to raise $50,000 by April 15,2015 for the start-up and have raised almost $9,000 so far.

Street Fest

This one will be the last of the season.

Harley Davidson Bike Show

Ascia and Ahmad- The Hybrids win Arab Social Media Influencers Award

'His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit has provided a platform for innovative ideas to establish a new phase in evolution of social media focused on its positive employment by tapping into the capabilities of young people in the development of Arab society. In this direction, Sheikh Mohammed called for coordinated efforts to overcome current challenges in the field.

He said the summit with its varied themes offers the means by which these channels can be transformed from mere hobby and passive use to an integrated work system that combines influencers, experts and funding sources. However, he pointed out that social media is still at the beginning of this journey of transformation and much development can be expected in the coming years.'

--Arab Social Media Influencers Award- Winners in Institutions category:

--4. Hybrids: Winner in Blogs category. Ascia and Ahmad are the owners of the blog that focuses on fashion and is considered to be one of the most popular Arabic blogs.story link

Congratulations Acia and Ahmad! I really love the picture above, check out the guy totally involved with his mobile phone. Eh, thanks for the award, let me IG this quick, hahaha.

Tour of Hamed Al Fuzia museum from AWARE Center

Opened by a Kuwaiti gentleman in his own home, this museum has an excellent collection of Kuwaiti antiques with a section of the museum dedicated to his relatives who died during the invasion of Kuwait. Join us as he recounts stories about Kuwait and about the antiques housed in the museum. Advance reservations required at joumana@aware.com.kw, Fee: KD 2 per person

Date: March 23, 2015 @5pm

You can check out my post about it and see more pictures on their IG @hamedalfuzia. It's actually free and you can go almost anytime if you call ahead. It's in the basement of his family home and he is a really nice guy. I think my post may have given AWARE center the idea to add it to their list of tours. Oh well, as long as people check out his museum it's all good.

Around Kuwait

The kids had a blast watching these sea birds dive for fish

What are these metal cables sticking out of the sand and why doesn't anyone clean them up?

 One of the yellow benches in Kuwait from the @al_nowair project

Flamingo Oasis Hotel has been torn down

 More restaurants coming, this time Messila next to the gas station

 'Latina' hand soap baby

 I've visited 2 BK branches and it seems they have replaced their fries with big fat ones that look and taste like the frozen ones, not good at all

Another public service message- people when you see these pumps you can use them on either side of your car instead of waiting all day for the specific one for your gas tank

 

Not sure if it's legal to use flashing police lights to speed down 7th ring



Dhow dinner sunset cruise from AWARE Center

Fee: KD 21 per person Before the discovery of oil in Kuwait, dhow builders were viewed as one of the major national resources. Kuwait owned over 800 dhows prior to World War I. By 1919, Kuwait had acquired about 1200 dhows of different types and sizes. They were used for fishing, pearling, deep-sea trade, Gulf coastal trade, and the local transportation of goods and fresh water. The purpose and function of the dhow strongly influenced its design and size. For a relaxing evening on the water, join AWARE for a most unique experience; a Dhow Sunset Dinner. Limited seats. REGISTRATION IS THROUGH CASH PAYMENTS ONLY. For details, please contact joumana@aware.com.kw Deadline: 16 March, 2015(Monday)

When: March 21, 2015 @4:30
Deadline: MONDAY MARCH 16, 2015 to register

Nasser Al-Attiyah Qatari Rally Champ

On my way back to work after my lunch break last week I saw the Qatari rally cars pulling into the hotel, I love anything related to cars so I had to check it out. I'm also a fan of Nasser Al-Attiyah and was hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Turns out it was his crew guys that were driving the cars and inspecting them before the race. As I was taking pictures of the cars Nasser walked up to check out his car, I was so excited. I asked him for a picture and he happily said yes, I wished him good luck and went back to work. Wow!

Most people are excited about Bollywood stars or Arab singers coming to Kuwait but I am excited about rally car guys and Chef Reza along with Jenny Morris of Food Network. They were awesome people to meet.

The Blue Yard

'The Blue Yard' Rooftop Market in Egaila it starts at 11am and runs till 6pm,... many different Cottage Industries will be showcasing their products.

"Mishwarna" - Episode 2 (Hala Febrayer Special)

Filmed and brought to you by LOYAC interns; Rawaf and Tamara. Expect them on our YouTube channel with a new episode every Thursday. They will be exploring Kuwait and all that it has to offer. They will be bringing you and making aware new and/or interesting concepts, places, people or things in our home. They hope to open a new door of opportunities and experiences for the people watching.

 

I can't wait to see what they will bring, I hope they bring more historical places to visit to their channel.

 



#ipledgetomom campaign from Centrepoint

 

Centrepoint's Mother's Day #ipledgetomom campaign

 



Through a social-media led campaign, customers will be encouraged to take the pledge and share this pledge towards the special women in their lives across social media through #IPledgetoHer. Those who takes the pledge stands the chance to win Centrepoint gift vouchers. The first two weeks of this campaign will focus on all the women in our lives, whereas the second two weeks will focus on mothers as Mother’s Day.

  

We can all use a voucher from Centrepoint, submit, submit, submit!

Yard Sale

RISE Lecture