Kuwait's Renovations (AKA another reason to complain about corruption & stall everything)

Jaber Al Ahmed Hospital

Everyone's noticed how the landscape in Downtown Kuwait has changed over the last year or so. New, high-rise office buildings, new hotels, Kuwait Business Town, Arraya's expansion, etc...all towards building a true financial district. This happens, of course, without preparing the emergency services (Fire Brigade, Ambulance, etc) with the proper equipment, like long ladder trucks!

Pink Floyd's Latest Album is a Silent Success!

Pink Floyd - The Endless River

I've had Pink Floyd's latest album, "The Endless River" on my iPod since it was released back in November 2014, but wasn't really in the mood to discover new music until a few weeks ago. 

Up until then, I was jamming to some of my old Trance/Techno collection, some Police/Sting music and a playlist filled with some of the best movie soundtracks no one really knew about, like this one.

Sounds like a strange taste, that last part? Try listening to the soundtrack on this clip and tell me you don't feel like robbing a bank afterwards (especially around 4:27, the bit where the mask is off!)

I Forgot I had a Blog!

It's been almost a year and a half since I posted my last blog...I totally forgot that even had a blog! I only remembered when, in passing, I was discussing some analytics tools at work with a colleague when, suddenly, I had a "DOH!" moment and remembered that I haven't blogged in ages!

Not that my blog's anything to write home about (see what I did there?), but in this day & age of advanced graphics, faster internet, and great TV shows, one hardly has the time to note down every rant that springs to mind. 

Not only that, but I've found a few draft entries that I never published, and - to my astonishment - are actually quite good topics to put out there, so I've decided to re-kindle my affinity to writing - meagre as it is, in the hopes of maybe reaching a larger crowd than the automated spider bots that report to Google Analytics!

So, I suppose that this is the first entry of many more to come...so stay tuned.

The Idiot's Guide To Things To Do in Kuwait

So you're in Kuwait, and you're looking for something to do...and your mind's blank because this isn't Europe, or Dubai...or Bahrain either!

What to do? How do you kill the extra time in Kuwait? (of which there's plenty!)

Well, you can stay at home & surf the 'net, or stream a flick or two on a media player (provided that your ISP's speed is capable), order in from Talabat or some similar service, and just munch & crunch the night away.

10 Years Later: Iraq & Kuwait

Image source:AFP

I've noticed quite a lot of hype over the Western Media about the 10th Anniversary of the US-led Invasion of Iraq (and Arab media, who of course copy-and-paste all current events from the Western Media, as they usually do!).

"U.S.-Led Invasion"! Think about it....

An Idiot's Guide to Politics in Kuwait

Image taken from Arab Times Online

This post is actually a re-written article that I'd saved earlier, as part of my "Idiot's Guide To.." series, of which there's only been one article published so far (!). I hope you enjoy it as much as I've written it.

As with everyone else, I've watched closely the developments that took place since the Parliment was dissolved, all the vote-buying, tribal primaries, storming of the House Of Parliament, storming the Al Watan TV Headquarters, the scandals, etc., I followed every rotten political trick that was ever implemented in Kuwait during the last 12 months,  and here's my piece of mind:

Kuwait's Ministry of Unhealth

I took my 4 year old to have her regular vaccination shots the other day, as per the Ministry of Health's schedule that was handed to me after her birth. We first drove to the Faiha clinic, as usual for all the previous vaccinations, only to be told that the schedule's changed and now they only do vaccinations on mornings!

WHY??? I don't know.

So I drove to Adailiya's Al Sager Clinic, and asked where to go for children vaccinations, and sure enough, it was there, on the first floor at the Preventative Health department, and I was directed to the first floor, pulled a number and waited patiently.

Sh. Saud Nasir Al Sabah

I'm not easily moved by any particular public figure, as I have an overall belief that any public figure isn't as public or as open as one may be led to believe. Ulterior motives and conspiracy theories aside, however, there are a select few of them that I feel personally attached to, Sheikh Saud Nasir Al Sabah was one of them.

I say "was", because I'm quite saddened to say that he has passed away last night, after a long struggle with illness lately. And while a part of me is quite saddened to have heard this news, another part of me is relieved that he has passed onto the afterworld, finally rested and free of the grim realities of this world.

Kuwait's Healthcare System: Part 1

Due to a series of recent, unfortunate circumstances, I was forced to experience-first hand-what it's like to be at the receiving end of Kuwait's Public Healthcare System, and I can say with no ambiguity nor uncertainty and it positively and collectively SUCKS! Aside from the small isolated pockets of sanity and humanity here and there, the entire system needs the ministerial equivalent of a full-scale lobotomy, and that's if it needs to be up to par with similar countries like, say, Bahrain! (More on that later)

Anti-Semitism and the US State Dept.

Here's a thought: How do you control how and what people think about you? You make the world's only surviving superpower to impose restrictions on everyone in the world about how you're perceived, under the pretense of 'Human Rights'! And then use that report to justify any possible future economic sanctions or even military action.

The US State Department, in it's wisdom, has apparently instructed it's embassies worldwide to publish a Human Rights 'report card' on each mission's website pertinent to the country it's in. It has references to Freedoms of Speech, Women's Rights, Children's rights, Political reforms, etc... All well and 'democratic' of them, until you come across the sub-heading "Anti-Semitism", that caught my attention!

9/11 Remembered

Today was a very sombre day for many in the US, as well as other parts of the world. It was a tragic and terrible act of destruction that is by no means equitable to whatever destruction had been witnessed by any country that sees itself as a victim of US repression.

I spent most of today surfing through the major news channels, recollecting what had happened ten years ago, and keep asking myself the same question over and over again: Was it really worth it?

To us Muslims, opinions are varied. To me, as a Muslim and an Arab, the answer is simple: A definite 'No'!

More restrictions, more visa requirements, more security checks, more dangers, more conflicts, more deaths, more destruction, basically nothing was achieved that would make my life, as a Middle Easterner, more respectable.

As for the so-called victims of American Imperialism, they're worse off today than they had been ten years ago, and that goes without saying!

In the end, however, I hope and pray that in the future, the world would be kinder to my children than it has been for me.

Ranting on...

I was discussing Kuwaiti Blogs a while back with a friend of mine, and apparently, I'm not 'in' with the rest of the bloggers out there. I was asked why I wasn't a participant in any of the latest Blog events that were sponsored by the local Mobile Service Providers that are just pouring money into the feeble concept of 'I'm better than the rest', and showering everyone with 

All due respect to all bloggers, wherever and whoever they may be, but

Hayefism At It's Worst!

A while back I blogged about MP Hayef''s disgusting track record, as an MP and as a human being. Today, however, he's taken his anti-moderation antics to a whole new level. This so-called MP, and man of faith, has called for the religious leaders to 'consider sanctioning the death of the Syrian Ambassador in Kuwait'.

When Fiction Becomes Fact

Back when I was in college I had a very wise English Literature teacher who said something that made me a very passionate futurist-observer. He said, "I grew up listening to stories about Buck Rogers and his adventures. He used to fly around in space in a rocket ship, had a laser gun that he'd used to help him fight crime and criminals. Fast-forward to the present, we're seeing lasers in nearly all facets of life as we know it." The comic stories took their turn at maturity, from paperback to radio to TV to the silver screen, all the way from the 1920's to the 1970's and early 1980's.

Internet Caps In Kuwait

I cant say much more than what's been said by Marzouq & Caffeinated on this issue, except that I'm as disgusted with this entire affair as they are, and probably even more so. i wont' get into my own activities, or how they're all rendered useless by the capping and the new FAP's, except that, for the money I'm paying, I'm being ripped off, and this ripoff is being sanctioned by the MOC.

I will also say that this state of affairs will not go on for long. Eventually, the government will capitulate, the ISP's will eventually grow up and face their responsibilities, and we will eventually be able to finally have affordable, price-perfect internet services in Kuwait.

Shutterbug: Recent Events In Pictures

During the last few months we've been seeing and hearing things that were so alien and uncommon to our recent history that some international observers named it the Arab Spring! We've had revolutions, Parliamentary fist fights (with the 'igal' no less!), public and unreserved exchange of personal and profane verbal attacks, scheming and plotting and secret deals made under the table, assassinations, in other words, the usual business of politics, I suppose.

Got OSN? There's An App For That Too!

It seems that Orbit Showtime is (finally) jumping onto the advanced tech bandwagon. By sheer luck, I managed to find out that they've developed an App for iPhone & iPad devices through which they channel their services. I downloaded it from the App store (UK) and tried it. A bit buggy, but it's got some nice features that made me just barely keep it in my phone.

Fringe: Season Finale

Here it is, so good I had to share it! Shame, the series had some really mind-boggling concepts and theories that would have made at least two or three more seasons at least! Take the Cow, for example! And those observers, or watchers, or whatever, who are in each and every episode of the series, like 'Futhooli' in the Arabic children's magazine, "Majid"

The End Of A Terrorist

This is the day many people in the world have been waiting for, certainly in the US and UK; The death of Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaida's mastermind. Apparently gone down fighting, he died in the way he's chosen for himself, and I'm not shedding any tears over him. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say. In my humble opinion, he has not served anyone in his 'Jihad', contrary to some opinions. In fact, if at all, he's turned the entire world against Muslims everywhere. What was once a misunderstood religion is now one whose benevolent principles are spontaneously regarded as suspiciously terrorist-related. 

Joining The World Of Net TV

I download quite a lot of movies & TV shows off torrents, and with good reason, too. I refuse to be a slave to pay-per-view ripoff schemes, courtesy of OSN, and pay for a season-old TV series, or a 6-month old movie hit. I'm one who prefers to be entertained 'in time', which means that I'm able to watch the latest episode of "The Event" or "Stargate Universe" within 3-5 hours of it being aired in the USA. My main issues was that my viewing happens wherever my Desktop is placed, due to a very restrictive home network setup.