The simple way to check how messed up a movie is in Kuwait is to check the runtime. I’m happy at least KNCC posts up their real runtimes of these movies and not fabricated numbers, but this time around I’m a bit shocked of how much they chopped off from Harry Potter.

The Original Movie Runtime: 153 Mins
The Kuwaiti Approved Version: 135 Mins

11% of the movie has been chopped off, meaning that you will lose 11% of the story and that is too much for my tastes. I think I’m going to wait to watch it outside of Kuwait or wait for the Blu-Ray to come out. I tend to avoid movies with magic, or female interaction in Kuwait. I try to watch some movies and try to limit them to Pixar movies but sometimes I want to enjoy the movie in the theater but this time around I think I will wait for the Blu Ray version.

What a weekend, we had a week of pure dusty to a decent Thursday and Friday, I couldn’t wait to get into the water and we did at last. It was a perfect day, some waves but nothing we couldn’t deal with. The best part is that there wasn’t too many people in the water so this time around there wasn’t too many jetskis or boats in the water that we have to get around and it wasn’t as hot as last week.

As soon as we got to the haalah, or little island just at the tip of Al Zoor, some of the guys jumped out to relax at the beach and some wanted to go swimming. One of our friends passed out and he is a heavy sleeper, so most of the other guys decided to bury him. The swim was perfect for most of the day, and we did have a lot of fun this weekend, bumming was at the top of the list.

After being in the water the past couple of weeks I wanted to get some cheap but good sunglasses which I can use in the water and not worry about. I decided to pass by International Optics in Central Plaza, I don’t think I have been to that mall in at least five years but everything remains the same. Their escalators are backwards, you get used to the right one going up and the left one going down, but its the opposite in this mall. I remember international optics but it seems its gotten a little bigger then before, when I walked in for some reason I just looked lost, decided to turn left but there weren’t any sports sun glasses so I went back in the other direction and found what I was looking for, called Sports Wear Sunglasses for 26 KD. Nice quality sun glasses and they have an image of guy sitting on a Jet Skit wearing them, exactly what I was looking for. Usually the wrap around sun glasses from Oakley don’t fit me, they just wrap wrong around my head but this one for some reason fits and looks pretty decent. I still think that International Optics is the best place to find what your looking for and those who need glasses for a medical reason this place is your best bet.

We have a little problem at the Beach House for the past couple of weeks, more and more of us are heading out there and Preetoo made horrible design decision with the bed situation. One other note is that the mattresses that were chosen are hard as stone, not the medically good type either, just hard as stone. Our situation is mathiamtically simple, there are 6 spots available and we average between 10 to 14 people so its you and your luck to find a spot, I have a favorite spot on the couch so I just watch some movies and tv shows until I pass the hell out. So we have thought of reorganizing these three rooms, taking out two beds from the room with the higher ceiling and moving them into the other two rooms, one extra bed in each room. So room one and two will have a capacity of 3 for a total of 6, now this room we plan on putting 3 bunk beds for a total of 6, we will make the bunk beds with a help of welder but we have to find the right beds first and so we started off in Khaleejeya because some body recommended it to us.

Turns out these are temperpedic beds, there were a few normal ones but they aren’t cheap running between 130 to 200 KD. What we are looking for are in the 40 – 80 KD range, and we don’t like the ones in IKEA since that was the first place I checked. Some of those temperpedic couches/beds like the grey one was ridiculously comfortable but that costs 750 KD and is out of our budget. We was for a 2mx1m bed and the deal he would get us for 6 beds, now we shall continue our search.

Its been about four to five weeks now since my Norco DS1500 debacle and I haven’t gotten any resolution at this point. I filed a legal letter with Kuwait Airways, Global Logistics and Customs but I haven’t gotten any where. I have even called some people I know and they basically told that I would have to file a lawsuit to see any money and it isn’t really worth it. The problem is that Aramex did deliver to Kuwait, it was lost by the handlers of customs. Looks like I got the short end of this stick, and I don’t think I want to file a lawsuit against customs or Kuwait Airways at this point. If I left it with Aramex I could have gotten into an argument with them and gotten something out of them but now can’t do anything, this is frustrating.

There has been a lot of hype regarding 360 over the past few years, and especially this past month. There was a little delay but hopefully it will be worth it since this is supposed to be an extremely nice mall. I can’t wait to check out the movies they are planning on playing in the IMAX theater hopefully it will be uncut because these days they are switching to digital film. I know they are also building a recreational center that I’m really looking forward to, even we enjoy going to Magic Planet every once in a while so I wonder how this one is going to turn out.

These are the ones that are open in this time, and a lot more stores are supposed to open. They had a tough time staying on schedule so a lot of times didn’t have the right time to prepare for the opening, so I’m assuming over the next couple of months the other stores will open as well.

• Van Cleef & Arpels
• BEBE
• Cosch Bottegs
• Geant Hypermarket
• Freedom Furniture
• Inter Sport
• Toys R US
• Turquios
• Zahar Allayom
• Meat Company
• Cafe Meem
• Cinema with IMAX + VIP + Theaters
• Wagamama

Update: Check out 360 Dewans Post on 360 Mall, they have a lot of pictures of the interior, you really get a feel for the mall!

Thanks: Daddyz Girl
Link: 248am

I ordered the Norco DS-1500 Sata Storage to incorporate into my Rack Server, planning a very interesting build. I have had it in my Amazon Cart for about 6 months, and I at last decided to buy it as of three weeks ago. Around the 20th of June it came into Kuwait and there was a problem at customs, I knew something was going to happen just wasn’t sure what. The smart people at Aramex listed this Sata Storage device as a sporting goods on the manifest, so how surprised were the customs guys when it looked like a box with a bunch of wires. So automatically they held the box so Aramex contacted me asking for the invoice, I told them the invoice is inside the box and I decided to finish the paperwork myself.

Went to the customs guy and finished all the paper work necessary, they just asked for the MOC clearance for the product. I know that usually they will clear it quickly. The box was opened one day so the next morning I went to the MOC and that took sometime, more then I thought was necessary since I had to find the head of the MOC clearance department and he was taking a longer break then usual, as the secretary said. I didn’t have time to go to the customs so I thought I would go the next day. When I went the next day they couldn’t find the box, I went to Kuwait Airways and they said they returned the box to Global Logisitics for storage. It has been over four days now and I have sent formal letters to both Kuwait Airways and Global Logistics regarding my Sata Storage and nobody seems to be giving me the time of day, I’m bouncing back and forth between the two and they are both denying that any of them had kept it or the other received even though I was with the customs guys when they returned and it has been over a week and I’m asking for financial damages to paid for the item as well as the shipping that I paid for it. Lets see how this all works out and how long it will take, and the customs guys are saying that Kuwait Airways and Global Logistics are responsible for holding the items.

I got this form when we first landed and there was a lot of warning about making sure that we do the check up. I don’t even know how they want to cross check all the people traveling so they make sure they don’t have the H1N1 virus. Its a 50 KD fine or a 1 month jail time if you don’t follow up with one of the clinics designated in the back. I left it to the last day and head toward Sabah Al Salem since I am in the Hawally Area, I found it fairly easily and its relatively close. Once we went in, my friend knew where to go, there was a lady at the register I gave her my form and my Civil ID. She said this is Sabah Al Salem, you live in Mishref so you must go to Rumaithiya. I told her I called before and they said its fine, and the airport said any of the ones in your Area, and today is my last day. She said no, so I told her, your name is “something something” and I will be reporting you to the police for refusing to check if I have the Pig Flu and that if I am jailed I will be filing damages against you. She said fine, and took my paper wrote my name down and the Egyptian gentlemen in the room stood up and point a little red laser to my forehead to take my temperature which took all in all about 30 seconds but the arguing took 10 minutes. She was rude and it wouldn’t have taken too much time, and what would have happened if someone didn’t argue like I did, bureaucracy is annoying as hell.

I couldn’t believe these beauties in front of my eyes, Ducati have perfected an Art form. I got a text from Salem @ Tristar telling me that the Streetfighter and the Streetfighter S were both on the show room floor. I took off as soon as I landed from Singapore. The pearl white from Ducati is beautiful from every angle, they even had one pearl white 1198 just behind the two of these beauties. Then there was the red Streetfighter S which I couldn’t keep my hands off of, I really wanted to throw my leg over the machine and take off. I want to congratulate the owners of the machine whoever they are going to be.

Ducati have really struck a cord with these beauties and I really think they will expand to other beautiful machines. I didn’t know how they could improve on the 1098, then they came out with the 1198. I can’t wait to try the Streetfighter, it looks so enticing, and inviting to ride, I bet the experience would be exhilarating. The Streetfighter is selling 5250 KD and the Streetfighter S is going for 6250 KD, and I think these prices are comparable to the UK. The beauty of the lines, the curves, the shades of this machine have been crafted by an artist, it calls to any rider next to it.

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I have never seen this before, but I was curious to why there was a flag of Kuwait at the entrance of the Ritz Carlton in Singapore. I was told that the Kuwait Embassy has occupied half of the 31st floor for the past 14 months now. I was shocked, they have half a floor with only four Kuwaiti employees and three Singaporian secretaries and two drivers. And they have special parking in front of them which is reserved for the staff of the Embassy.

From my understanding they have bought a building and are slowly renovating, but also from a Kuwaiti living in Singapore that they are so comfortable that they aren’t in any hurry to finish the supposedly new embassy, they are enjoying the services of the Ritz Carlton. I always speak to the door men since they know almost everything about the hotel, and I was asking about the embassy. They were telling me that they are very nice, and the staff at the hotel likes Kuwaitis. I asked him what time do they come in, he told me they have relaxed hours, Monday to Thursday from 9-10 am to 3-4 pm with a two hour lunch in between, and on Friday they come in for one hour then leave for Friday prayer and don’t come back, then they have Saturday and Sunday off. For a country that is suffering from a financial crisis the staff seems to be enjoying all the eminities of the Ritz Carlton.