F***er!
Moroccans will understand this one... again.

North Cackalacky!!

Hey check out what I found in the parking lot of the US embassy in Kuwait, after a happy hour there :) Cackalacky in da house!

French 101

In the restrooms of the Kuwait International Airport... check out the French translation. WTF????

Adidas Marrakech Edition

Marrakech is in da housa y'all !!

WTF ??

Check out the postcard I found at 'Sultan Center' (it's a grocery store that most western expats shop at).

Although I agree with most of it, I find it quite insulting to the locals. Obviously, this card is aimed at the US military stationed in Q8.

Censorship in Q8

Check this out! Beyoncé gets a black pencil T-Shirt to make her attire respectable.

Even Buddha Bar gets a treatment. Apparently, images of idols (cf idolatry) is condemned even if it's just for a freakin' CD cover.

The funny part is that, once you unwrap the CD, you can see it. So it's ok to watch it at home, but not display it in stores...

Si la betise pouvait tuer...

Desert Storm II

Another desert storm, this time it lasted 3 full days. The first day (picture) was particularly impressive... like fog but NOT.

Sand everywhere. In your eyes, nose, ears, car, house... sucky.

Abu WHAT??

Again... Moroccans will understand this one!

El Omri in training

Mulla Omri with a 44... watch out you motherf#@*ers!

Shooting Range

We went firearm shooting yesterday and it was my first time shooting guns... Needless to say my heart was beating pretty fast... actually, i think I was a bit afraid at first. Such power in your hands and so easy to fire. I chose a Beretta, a favorite among US police agents. I was surprised that the gun was larger than I thought, and heavier too.

The instructor showed me how to hold the gun, how to put the bullets in the magazine, and how to aim. Then I took aim while my hand was trembling a bit... and bang. My first shot was in the A zone... not bad. There is quite a pull when you press the trigger. The empty casing ejects every time you shoot.

At the end the instructor said "it is your first time and you shoot like this? Not bad!" The picture shows my first attempt to shoot with a Beretta. I was very excited and it's a lot of adrenaline, fun! However, I still believe these things do not belong inside the house or in private hands. Try it if there is a shooting range near you.

Shanzilizay...

No Comment...

MelodyHits - Commericial

Hilarious Egyptian commercial for Melody music channel! No more boring private lessons.

Taal

Great Indian restaurant, highly recommend.

Trip to Wafra

Self explanatory... meet Jerry the djamal :)

Independance Day

This past week was marked with celebrations of the independence and liberation (from Saddam) days. Basically, kids and many grown ups spray cars and each other with foam, honk their horns, and block traffic for hours. An American friend of mine said "if we'd known the celebrations would be so messy and so long, we wouldn't have liberated the little bastards in the first place."

Oman

I took a short trip to Oman through work back in November... gorgeous country!

The Dahiyya (suburb)

I took a short taxi trip to the Dahiyya, stronghold of Hezbollah in the south of the Beirut to witness first hand the influence of this organization and the extent of the Israeli bombing a couple of months before.

Pic 1: as you get closer, you get a bunch of billboard celebrating "the divine victory" (nasr min Allah)... as if Hezbollah had won...

Pic2: Popular heroes in the Palestinian camp, Rantissi, Sheikh Yassine, Yasser Arafat, and... Thierry Henry!

Pic 3: some of the destruction

Pic4: The Hezbollah Souvenir Shoppe :)

Beirut

A short weekend spent in Beirut, Lebanon.
Hope this country finds stability soon...

Chillout at Momo's

A nice shisha & Rai evening at Momo's in Dubai. Even Psycho was there :)

Party Recap

Since the last 'Bad Taste' party, we had a wig party, and an 'All White' (the attire, not the race) party.

Last Launch

Last June, in my last job with Alghanim, I helped them launch the new Tahoe in Q8. We had quite the show that night: professional football juggler, 2 giant screens transmitting live World Cup games, full stage, show, and top model from Milan. The works. Too bad this company sucks! I'm putting my skills to better use with the next employer.

Morons Unltd.

Remember last summer, when Israel started its bombing campaign over Lebanon? Some supporters of the sieged country thought that by displaying Nazi swastikas they could better help their country... Only in Kuwait.

Worst Blogger Ever...

Here I am after a long absence... lots of things happened... and then not so many. I'll try to update you guys on some of the events that happened over the last year or so, one by one (even if the dates don't correspond 'cuz I will post all at once). N'Joy!

Hummer H3 Desert Ride

Spent a full day at the Dubai H3 Desert Ride & Drive. Fabulous & peaceful scenery, and fantastic ride on board these 4x4's. I was impressed!

Shisha at Marina Dubai

A beautiful sunset and evening while enjoying a grape shisha with some friends.

Habtoor Grand

The view from our "suite" in Dubai. Beautiful beaches.

Patterns

Burj al Arab...

As viewed from the top floor of Trilogy. Absolutely gorgeous place to be at night. Great view, great music, great drinks!

...and proud of it!

Moroccans will understand.





Tip: 'Al Zammel' means 'Fag' in Moroccan.

Loud & Clear!

A proud auto parts shop sign on Canada Dry street. Who says Kuwait isn't progressive?

Daaaamn !

Some kid in the supermarket couldn't wait to unwrap the chocolate bar... The little monster bit right through the wrapping!

Abstract...

Whatever!

Parteeeey!

We threw a 'bad taste' party last weekend which turned out pretty well as you can attest from the shots. Fun happens even in Q8!

Mamma mia...

The uncomparable Aston Martin DB9 at the Dubai Motor Show. Bee-you-tee-fool.

Dubai!

Back after a long blog absence due to the lack of happenings lately. I went to Dubai for the Mideast Motor show and was pretty impressed by the cosmopolitan nature of the place. Amazing night life too! Put Dubai on your travel list.

Hungry Anyone?

...only in Q8

Burj el Hamam

A Ramadan foutour with a view on the Arabian Gulf. Ramadan is pretty cool over here, it's a whole month of festivities, late nights, hanging out, chicha, etc. The weird thing is that it's still hot over here this time of year, we still get 40 degrees celcius during the day!

Banal?

Yes, it is an Aston Martin DB9, parked in a freakin' mall like a vulgar Fiat Uno. That's how ridiculously rich Q8 is, or the display of money I should say.

What do women usually do when they are depressed? Shopping & spending makes up for the lack of social, cultural, and intellectual stimulation (for guys & girls) in Q8.

In the meantime, if you are a car buff, rock on!

Q8 City

Cellphone snapshot of downtown Kuwait City. At first sight, could be any other modern metropolis... don't be fooled!

I know, I haven't posted in a while... well, i guess nothing too exciting to write home about. Work is getting on the routine side of things. Started to get sick of my "entourage". The lack of intellectual and cultural stimulation is getting to me finally (to be continued)

Kamikaze

I'm at this point where I'm really pissed with the driving in this country. I have yet to meet a decent, civil driver.

Usually you have a combination of a stinking driver, driving to close to other cars, speeding, passing at the last minute, switching 2 lanes at a time, no respect for yield... (sigh)

3/4 Weekend

Short but cool weekend. Party was happenin'. Cool diverse crowd. Dr. S. got jiggy with it and Adnan proved to be a virtuoso salsa dancer. An evening full of surprises.

Check out what I found in the supermarket tonight.

Hip BearZ

Yeah, i'm back after a little absence from the log. I guess things were not as eventful as I had hoped they would be. Oh yes, I organized a little get together last weekend with some friends around 2 big chichas and belly dancing music.

This weekend, party in the works. I'll keep you posted.

So, I was passing by this store in MarinaMall and I thought those 2 teen bears were just too cute to miss.

N'joy!

Cadillac Island

Check out this cool poster at Marina Mall theatre ;-) My first baby.

911 my love

Yesterday, during a business meeting with a partner, i had the illustrious honor to drive his Porsche 911. I was careful with it, but when he took the wheel later on, we sped at 160km/h in a 80km/h road in the middle of the city!! Nuts but you can imagine the adrenline rush you get. I'm still euphoric... Jalal si t'etais la, salopard!

Hmmmm...

Et alors les autres membres ne postent pas de blog? C'est quoi ces histoires?

Nice People

Met owner of Ostoura (fashion mag), the guy drives his Porsche 911 at 245km/h on the highway. Also met first 2 Kuwaiti women through work and I have to say I was impressed. Charming, open minded, and very professional. Also had a quick private projection of "The Island" featuring an awesome Cadillac concept car. A domani!

Spooky Cabbie

Creepiest taxi ride I've ever had. I hop in, give directions, then the guy asks where im from, what city. I immediately think to myself "f***! another cabbie who wants to chit chat." Then, from the way he drives (lead foot) I figure out he must be "special". Then, he starts asking what my religion is, if I'm sunni or shi'a, and where I was in the US, about North Carolina, etc... Then out of the blue he asks "what do you think about 9/11? Was it really BenLaden or was it a Jewish plot?" (Yeah, no sh**). Not wanting to get into this stupid ploy, I say "God only knows." Then he starts saying that no one ever saw the plane wreckage from the Pentagon crash yadi yada and he gets all emotional saying it was all bullshit and that it's a Jewsih conspiracy. At the same time, his driving gets crazier, and I cannot wait to get home. 30 seconds later, we arrive, I hand in a 1KD bill, and jump out happy to be home but worried this guy knows where I live...

The Weekend... part II

There is life on planet Q8... went to a decent house party. Nice people, good music, cool vibes, even dancing. Reality > Expectations. Let's hope this continues...

Noodasia

I wasn't tempted by this place at first because it always looked empty. But wanting to escape the "barbarious" weekend crowds at Marina, it was the only refuge... and it turned out to be pretty good. Noodles, Thai and Chinese dishes served.

The Weekend...

For those who aren't aware of this fact, in Q8 the weekend is Thursday and Friday, the latter one being the holy day for Muslims. However, the company I work for makes us work thursday morning, the equivalent of working Saturday morning... sucky. But in our brave defiance, we decided to start the weekend tonight (wednesday night) and organize our first private partayyy. Well, ok, it was just hanging out. But we had nice deep house playing, munchies, 2 chicha's, and even a bottle of Red Label (SHOCKING!) Our efforts to curb the social morosity are off to a good start i think. Keep up the spirit comrades!

BEST OF...

I came across this 'best of Q8' list while browsing. Although it only involves the author's opinion, it's worth a look at...

1. Best Haircut: Salmiya: Hadi at GQ, Downtown: Mesbah at Hello.
2. Best Travel Agent: Barakat
3. Best Office Supplies: Mogahwi, Sultan Center, and I'm told that Jarir is good too
4. Best Men's Gym: The Palms is pretty impressive. I haven't yet seen the new one called O2, but I'll report on it when I do.
5. Best way to get rid of your belly: Sign up for Hypoxi Vacunaut at JW Marriott. Now!
6. Best Pool Club: The Palms (NOT!)
   
7. Best Beach: Hilton Resort
8. Best Dentist: Bayan Dental Clinic. Get your teeth checked with a killer view!
9. Best Sports Injury Clinic: International Clinic, Mowasat Hospital
10. Best Outdoor Hangout: In decent weather, you can't beat Marina Crescent at sunset. The terraces at Souk Sharq and Le Notre are pleasant during the week too, especially after work.
11. Best Indoor Hangout: Marina Mall if you can handle the noise and the crowds.
12. Best Private Party Space: "Hangout" at Galleria 2000, Astro Lounge in Shaab.
13. Best Bookstore: Qurtas for Arabic books. Sadly, Virgin Megastore for English. I haven't yet been to Jarir, mainly because I hate that area, but I hear it's good.
14. Best Outdoor Terrace: Burj Al-Hamam's terrace is spectacular. The balcony at Le Notre is nice too
15. Best Dishdasha Fabric: Abdulla Taqi, Abul-Hassan.
16. Best Dishdasha Tailor: Al-Mas (I've been going since I was a kid).
17. Best Headgear: For qutras and gahfiya's there's only Abdullah Al-Musallam in the old souq.
18. Best Dress Shoes: Go during the sales to Villa Moda, Tod's, Comfort Shoe, Emporio Armani.
19. Best Casual Men's clothing: Villa Moda, Polo Sport, Diesel, Top Man.
20. Best Suits: Zegna, Paul Smith, Canali, Lanvin.
21. Best Designer Bargains: The Villa Moda sale, designer knock-offs at Zara and Top Man.
22. Best Jeans: Diesel if you're fit, Ralph Lauren jeans if you're not.
23. Best Sunglasses: Hassan's (have they been sued by Harrod's yet for their logo?)
24. Best Bokhour (incense and sandalwood): Al-Marshood
25. Best Watches: Kuwaitis have this obsession with expensive watches that I somehow escaped. There all kinds of expensive watches available here, but nothing says pure class better than a Cartier.
26. Best Boat & Jetski servicing: Al-Sabih
27. Best Cinema: The one at Laila Gallery for unbelievable seats. Since it's a single theatre and not part of a multiplex, this would ideally be the place to show serious arthouse flicks and documentaries... sigh!
28. Best Audio: Fahad Bourisly can totally refit your space with premium audio equipment at half the cost of the bigger dealerships.
29. Best ISP: Qualitynet is a misnomer if ever there was one. Gulfsat will be coming soon with a high speed DSL service that leaves the others in the dust.
30. Best Music Store: None. Even Virgin sucks.. Buy online!

And now for the food:

1. Best Japanese: Maki, hands down. Yes it's loud and your clothes smell like Tepanyaki when you leave.. but who cares? It's not like you're going clubbing later! Edo and Wasabi are hip and stylish, but something's not quite right there and I haven't yet figured it out. Sakura creeps me out, and Kei is just dull. Haven't tried Kamikaze yet.
2. Best Burger: Johnny Rockets for until some enterprising soul decides to open a non-franchise real burger joint. The mini-burgers at Nino have a cult following even beyond Kuwait's borders! Fuddruckers in pretty good too.
   
3. Best Brunch: Even without Eggs Benedict, Lenotre brunch wins this one by a mile!
4. Best Pizza: La Piazza. Blue Fig has some interesting pizzas, and I hear Nino's pizzas have improved.
5. Best Kabab: Al-Hejja. Absolutely phenomenal! Go early because they usually run out of meat by 9 pm.
6. Best Shawarma: Ajami.
7. Best Falafel: Dodo
8. Best Grill: Kabab-Ji
9. Best Kunafeh: Kanafani, Taibawi
10. Best Ice-Cream: Zahra Cafe, home-made with no preservatives. For commercial cravings, Baskin & Robbins' Strawberry Cheesecake!!
11. Best Arabic Ice-Cream: For you foreigners, this is basically Arabic gelato and it's pure heaven. The best place is Bekdash.
12. Best Cakes: Zahra Cafe, Sugar & Spice, Lorenzo.
13. Best Bread: Bredz. And of course, any Iranian baker with a clay oven. Remember to take your own sesame seeds because they don't usually have them
14. Best Indian: Asha's, Bukhara, Mughal Mahal.
15. Best Italian: A tough one since none of them are really that good. Riccardo is the only one sort of close to authentic Italian but it's also the dullest, most boring restaurant in town!
16. Best Sandwich Delivery: Casper & Gambini's. Fast, delicious, and nutritious!
17. Best Coffee: I don't drink coffee but even I know that Starbucks is the McDonald's of coffee (i.e. CRAP) So I will recommend Blue Fig, Water Lemon Zahra Cafe and Second Cup.
18. Best Cheese Selection: Sultan Center at Souk Sharq.
19. Best Fish: The fishmarket at Souk Sharq. I'm a huge fan of Kuwaiti fish, in fact I think it's the best in the world!
20. Best Fruit Vendor: The one on Baghdad Street whose name I forget, next to Dodo falafel.
21. Best sandwiches for boat trips and picnics: Mr. Baker

Waterlemon

If you like Scandinavian design and exotic fruit cocktails, get thee to Waterlemon in Marina Mall at once. Food sucks a bit but the (virgin) cocktails - of which there are a gazillion - are amazing. Plan for a 1000 calories intake though.

Fenetre sur Cour

I know you don't give a (poop) but this is what I see from my living room window at Jamaica Inn. What do you see from yours?

Desh-dash Party at Hardee's

Fudd you!

... Yeah i know social life revolves around food here but since we need it to survive anyways here's some info. I just returned from dinner a Fuddruckers with 4 other friends. Not the greatest decor but the food is 'diner type' and is yummy and greasy. Try the rich deserts, the malts & the milk shakes.

Welcome to Q8!

First post for this blog that has the ambition of creating a small, fun and dynamic expat community online (and offline). I hope this blog will become our daily boudoir for the good, the bad, and the funky stuff in our daily life in Q8.

Ciao!

S.1