Playlist July 31 - August 6

1. The Honeymoon - Dialogue: I downloaded the debut album by this duo from Iceland, in its entirety from iTunes and it does not disappoint. Sweet and breezy light pop, not exactly chilled-out and very easy on the ears.
2. Toufic Farroukh - DrabZeen: I've had this CD since early last year, and I pulled it out yesterday to play by the pool then popped it into the car on the way home. I usually don't like hybrids of Arabic and jazz, but this album is executed with such class it's absolutley hypnotizing. And unlike Ziad Rahbani's compositions, there's not one stray note!
3. Janet Jackson - All Nite (Don't Stop) : This sizzling track has lodged itself in my head and refuses to leave!

Murder Suicide!!

I was thinking it was a quiet day, with not much going to inspire me to write and/or comment. I'd just had a pleasant weekend, spent most of yesterday in a pool until I shriveled up like a raisin.

But then I just looked at Al-Watan and the front page lead with a shocking murder in Khaldiya of a 6-year old boy at the hands of his Fillipino nanny who also stabbed his sister in the neck and then killed herself!! My deep condolences to his family.

A 6-YEAR OLD BOY!!

The Template Wars

I've been trying to convince "new kid on the blog" (geddit?) Badou Inc. to pick another template for his raunchy blog because it's identical to mine and could risk getting us mixed up... or shut down at the rate he's going! He says it's just a coincidence that we both have "cool taste", and doesn't want to change it. I recommended he use the template shown here, which is practically identical but with different colours.



I'm usually an accomodating type of guy, and I would change mine in a second to this new look just avoid the conflict and mix-up, but in this case I've added some customization to my template that I'm really not in the mood to do all over again.

So... please head on over to Badou Inc. and try to - politely - reason with our new friend and convince him to apply the new template shown here. All it takes is one click!

Christmas in Kuwait

I know it's early, and it's so damn hot, but last night on FM 99.7, the ever-annoying Stephanie (I refuse to acknowledge her on-air name!!) was talking about an upcoming Ben Affleck comedy called Surviving Christmas, and she couldn't bring herself to say the word "Christmas"!! Is this an act of self-censorship or did she get specific orders from someone higher up? I demand to know!

For years, FM 99.7 has been playing Christmas pop songs in the mornings around the holidays and nobody ever complained... Or have they? This warped rule of not mentioning Christian holidays on the air is hypocritical at best, and probably comes from the same minds that oppose the building of churches in Kuwait while funding the building of mosques across Europe and America.

It is just one more symptom of the schizophrenic country we live in, where you can't mention "Christmas" on the radio airwaves, but you can walk into any Sultan Centre or Jashanmal and buy the full range of Hallmark Christmas cards and gifts, and then head down to the nurseries on the 4th ring road and buy real Christmas trees!

School of Rock

It's a bit late, since it's been out on DVD for months now.. but I'm curious to see if anything gets censored out of School of Rock as it shows this week in Kuwait's movie theatres. As I recall, it's a pretty harmless movie and lots of fun too. I also wonder if the Islamist forces of darkness might object to a movie about a school for aspiring rock musicians. Remember, folks.. these are the same people who want to ban music lessons from our schools and want to shut down the Music Institute!

Wind Rider

I would love to sign up for a kite-boarding course this year, but not now obviously with these extreme temperatures. It hit 50 degrees celsius yesterday!!

Censored Olympics

Under the pathetically mistaken impression that Kuwaitis will be following the upcoming Olympic games on KTV, rather than the multitudes of sports channels available via satellite, Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai has called on KTV and the Ministry of Disinformation to censor the live broadcasts from Athens so as not to show any women's sports, especially swimming and gymnastics because the female form will be on display in - GASP! - swimsuits and leotards.

I wonder what the women were wearing on the beach in Cancun, Mexico where Mr. Tabtabai almost drowned earlier this year... If he has a problem with the upcoming Olympic games, may I suggest a radical and apparently untried solution: CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!

Whenever I come across stories like this, I have to think twice before posting my comments on it for fear of embarrasing my country in front of foreign visitors to the blog.

Saddam's Sweet Tooth

It seems that Saddam Hussein has developed a taste for muffins while in custody, and insists on having them for breakfast every morning. Could express shipments of Krispy Kreme doughnuts be far behind? Now there's a convoy I wouldn't mind hijacking!

He's also passing the hours writing a "slander poem" - or "Hijaa" in Arabic - about George W. Bush, that he had hoped to submit to the Democratic Convention in Boston this week :-P

Kudos to Sheikh Nawaf!

Just so you know that I give credit where it's due... I am thrilled that our Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad refused to meet with some tribal figures who came begging forclemency (or "wasta") for the recently arrested terrorists.

Anyone who knowingly tries to influence the government to go easy on a confirmed terrorist, should also be branded a terrorist and thrown into jail as well!

The Missionary Government

No, not that kind of "missionary"! Get your minds out of the gutter! ;-P

You can always count on Abdul-Latif Al-Duaij to call things as they are and not mince words. In his column today, he recalls reading in the papers about an "anonymous source" who blames the current increase in wayward teens being brainwashed and recruited into Islamist terrorist squads solely on these kids' parents. "How can a child disappear for a whole week without his parents knowing anything?" this source snorted derisively. Al-Duaij counters with his own sarcasm: "How can extremists control the country's mosques and pulpits, not for a week or a month or even a year, but for decades without the government 'knowing anything'?"

Of course parents are ultimately responsible for how their children turn out, but they also look up to a government that has forged an unholy alliance with the Islamist forces of darkness since 1976 - the year parliament was suspended, incidentally. The past 30 years have given us a missionary government hell-bent on spreading the word of Islam across Kuwait, as if we were a nation of heathens, in collaboration with Islamists who have infiltrated every aspect of public life from schools to mosques to security forces. Instead of learning things that kids could put to practical use in their adult lives, they are taught fear and loathing and eternal damnation in hell. It's reached a point where supposedly normal, God-fearing, law-abiding Kuwaitis continuously feel they're not "religious enough" and end up deferring to religious authorities for guidance in every aspect of their lives.

In another column by Ahmad Al-Sarraf, also in today's Al-Qabas, he asks why it is that after over 14 centuries of Islam, 10 centuries since the founding of Al-Azhar, 100 years of religious education in Kuwait, and 75 years of public education.. there's still an increasing number of ignorant people who feel the need to ask so-called "religious figures" if running a red traffic light is a sin!

Is it any wonder today's kids are so screwed up? Thank God I'm old enough to have escaped that tide of ignorance and repression, and that I had the benefit of educated parents who brought us up well.

Oh Bluetooth.. what have you done?!

Unless you've been living in a cave the past few weeks, you will no doubt have heard about the latest cries of outrage from our permanently outraged Islamist MPs over the use of Bluetooth technology to "spread evil and corrupt the minds of our youth and erode our traditional values!!"

This all came about after a few guys with too much time on their hands used their camera-phones to take still pictures or movies of unsuspecting girls (and boys!) in compromising positions and broadcast them all over the place using Bluetooth wireless technology. I haven't seen any of these pictures, but they apparently run from totally harmless shots of girls stuffing their faces with french fries to other more, um, "explicit" shots.

As expected, our Islamist MPs can be counted on to call for a total ban on these devices. The question I have is this: Can we find similar incidents of abuse of Bluetooth technology in Europe, where it was invented? Or is this sick behavior exclusive to bored and repressed societies such as ours? There is a correlation at work here; the more repressed a society, the more depraved its frustrated teenagers. Hence, in Saudi Arabia the big scandal a few weeks ago was the filming and subsequent broadcasting of a video of a girl being RAPED!!

Norway has our problems too

I read this interesting article in the New York Times about Norway. You need to register for free to read it, but here's the opening paragraph:

Before the oil boom, when Norway was mostly poor and largely isolated, the country survived on its hard work and self-reliance, two stalwart Scandinavian virtues. Now, with the country still bulging from three decades of oil money, Norway is discovering that sudden wealth does not come without complications: The country's bedrock work ethic is caving in. Like the overindulged children of newly minted millionaires, Norwegians now stay home from work at a rate that is the highest in Europe, outdoing even the former titleholder, Sweden.

Sound familiar? Of course it does, but don't be fooled. When Norwegians do show up to work, they actually work very hard and are very productive. The same cannot be said about government workers in Kuwait, whose presence or absence have pretty much the same effect.

Playlist July 24 - 30

I'm back to listening to both of Alicia Keys's albums. I am in awe of her incredible talent and beauty. Long may she reign!

I also bought Amr Diab's new CD, which is a return to form after last year's disappointing release. The track "Laily Nahari" is terrific. Now let's get him a new photographer and will someone tell him to cut back on the peroxide? It's not healthy!

Other tracks that caught my interest and prompted a download:

1. Martin Solveig - Rockin' Music: A rockin' dance tune. Unless you've got 2 left feet, I defy anyone to sit still for this one
2. Jamie Cullum - High & Dry: A live jazzy version of the Radiohead classic.
3. Wendy & Lisa - Are you my baby?: I've searched high and low for this one. A slinky, funky Prince-inspired gem from 1989 by - wouldn't you know it? - Prince's former bandmates.
   

Weekend

A friend told me that he read in Al-Anbaa' the other day, something about plans to unify the weekend for everyone in Kuwait. Whereas now the government and schools shut down on Thursday and Friday, and the oil and banking sectors close on Friday and Saturday, the proposed plan seeks to mandate Friday and Saturday for everyone.

When I worked in banking, I hated the Saturdays off because Wednesday nights were always fun and we'd have to wake up for work on Thursday. And then on Saturday I would be bored out of my skull because most people I wanted to see were working. Friday nights weren't much better either, and the last thing I wanted to do was hang out with my work colleagues.

Now I have Thursdays off and I love it, but there's just one drawback. If I want to go to Beirut for the weekend, I would have to take Saturday and Sunday off as well to enjoy the weekend there, so that's 2 days out of my vacation time.

If the weekend is unified across all sectors, it would be more pleasant and there wouldn't be any "weekend envy"! ;-)

Meanwhile.... it's 49 degrees celsius outside!!!

Qualitynet are morons!

A girl I know just told me that Style.com - the website for Vogue and GQ magazines, is blocked by Qualitynet.

And before some geek tells me to activate a proxy connection to bypass Qualitynet, let me just say this.... "THAT'S NOT THE F&%$ING POINT!!"

You are now fully authorized to send all hate mail to Qualitynet at this address support@qualitynet.net

Zaydoun's List

Last week, my online friend Pink Suede Shoes compiled a list of her favorite things in Kuwait (mainly shopping and eating!) that also served as a useful guide for locals and visitors alike. However, as befits an overwhelmingly pink blog, it was a tad girly.. So without further ado, here's my guys' list in response to each item on hers and a few of the items listed in the comments. I then got carried away...

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
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 now.. 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!
3. Best Brunch: Even without Eggs Benedict, Le Notre 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

Whew!! That was exhausting!!!

Sycophants!

Syc.o.phant -  noun:

1. A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.
2. A base parasite; a mean or servile flatterer; especially, a flatterer of princes and great men.

The front page of today's Al-Qabas features a nauseatingly "sycophantic" full color half-page ad placed by the Commercial Real Estate Company welcoming Sheikh Sabah back from his tour of the Far East. The ad includes some text hoping for a more postive investment climate and more support for the private sector. These are points that I fully support, but they could've been expressed more tastefully in a press release rather than this undignified manner.

I've been increasingly concerned at this growing trend of taking out ads to thank or congratulate the powers that be. Not only are they undignified, but they're a collosal waste of money too since I'm also convinced that the intended recipients of this flattery are chuckling to themselves in their offices and thinking.. "Suckers!"

Untitled

There's a website for everything these days... even urinals!

12 Million Passengers?!

Al-Qabas reports that Sheikh Sabah issued a statement declaring that Kuwait International Airport will be redeveloped to be able to receive 12 million passengers per year. Does this mean the ludicrous land fees that sent many major airlines away from Kuwait will be reduced? Are these 12 million visitors to Kuwait or transit passengers? And how about those ugly pink signs dotting the terminals? No more of those please!!

Has anyone been to the makeshift "business lounge" (if one can call it that) at Kuwait Airport? It's run by a company I've never heard of before and the less said about it, the better!

Street Talk

Have you ever had a thought in your head or made some comment to yourself, and then opened the papers the same day to find a columnist basically expressing your same thoughts in print?

This morning I was driving out of Hawally and onto Istiqlal Street, heading towards Shaab, to show an inspector from the Ministry of Labour where our little Hypoxi Centre is located. I had given her the address, but she had no idea where anything was. I drew a primitive map for her on a piece of paper, but she still didn't understand where to go. I finally gave up and asked her to just follow me there. Bear in mind, that she goes on regular inspections as part of her job and yet she had no clue how to get from A to B!! While I was driving, I suddenly realized why she was so lost. Istiqlal Street had been renamed Issa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa Street, after the late diminutive ruler of Bahrain whose mouthful of a name belied his size... I silently cursed the ass-kissing sycophants who ordered this ridiculous renaming of a street that once had a proud name - it doesn't get any better than "Istiqlal" (Independence), you idiots! - and wondered why in the world they couldn't have named a new street in a new part of the country after him.

When I got to the office, I opened Al-Qabas and found Ali Al-Baghli making the same complaint about the exact same street! He called Kuwait the only country that changes street names like people change clothes, and lamented the lack of respect for streets whose names are part of our vocabulary and history.

In the end it doesn't matter though, since I defy anyone living here to give an address to a Kuwaiti for any place without having to give turn-by-turn directions (i.e. turn left at the Co-op, and then right at the mosque, then 2 speedbumps later turn right at the school). I know several people (mostly spoiled rich girls, coincidentally) who have no idea what their own street address is. They just know how to get there!