While walking around in the Dubai Mall I saw the Cinema 1 shop which sells cool movie memorabilia, right next to the movie theater. They have a lot of Star Wars items, G I Joe, Predators, and other cool movie items. Then I see the War Machine Bust above, I have the Iron Man Bust so I thought to complete the team. I asked for the price and they told its 1500 Dirhams which is insane, it costs $80-$90 with shipping to Kuwait probably around $150 but they were asking $410 for the same product. I always thought that certain items they have over priced in Dubai, it might be the same in Kuwait, but in Kuwait it wouldn’t sell. Because of the way the customs operate in Kuwait they make it difficult to import items for companies to sell so we get annoyed and that created the market for forwarding companies such as UShopWeShip and Aramex, I’m not sure if that service is available in the UAE but for us who live off ordering online its an amazing service. So ridiculously priced items in Kuwait or any other country for that matter isn’t accepted, we try to find the best deal we can.

This is just one simple example, when the iPad and iPhone 4 came out we got it the same time if not earlier then Dubai. We had insane pricing when it first came out but prices dropped quickly as competition grew, at first they were more then double or triple the price and it drops like a rock within a few weeks. Dubai usually hovers a little above us when it comes to Apple products for some reason, when the first wave came in they were about 20% more then the prices in Kuwait and they were selling like crazy. Overall Apple products are more expensive in Dubai but other consumer electronics such as TVs are cheaper in Dubai. I think in this matter people in Kuwait are always looking for a better deal.

A quick trip came up for Amman, we had to go for a meeting out of the blue. I was trying to fly in the same day and leave at night but no flight times worked out and on that day only Jazeera and Royal Jordanian, but only Jazeera worked out with the timing. We went a day early and finished a lot of work and then went to grab a bite to eat. There is a traditional place called Reem Al Bawady that has food that will knock you out until the next day. The weather was perfect and we walked a hell of a lot while we there, it was nice and cool, loved sitting outside. Landed back in Kuwait at 2:00 am and got in the car and went straight to the shalaih to stay up until the sun came up, then passed out getting ready to jump in the water the next morning.

British Airways have been up and down for the last few years, price increases and major service outages and deterioration. I have a lot of mileage with them and whenever I chose the dates to go somehow they don’t work out and its annoying, they black out a lot of dates for different reasons. I tried to book for Eid but literally the week before and after Eid is blacked out, so I check to see how much the tickets were and it was just purely insane. Kuwait to London round trip unrestricted business class ticket was for 1340 KWD on British Airways, and an extra 400 KWD would take you to Los Angeles or San Francisco at these prices. I decided to check Emirates for the same dates and it was a lot cheaper, 842 KWD which is almost half of British Airways. I used to be a loyal flyer on British Airways but over the years they have lost me as a client, for trips in the region I stick to Wataniya and for long trips I try to fly on Emirates. A lot of people fly on British Airways for the comfort of a direct flight to London but I don’t mind the switch in Dubai, its not a really an inconvenience for me but I understand when families are flying together and its easier for them. British Airways think they can just charge ridiculous rates and get away with it, its very sad.

Its been a little while since I have been online or at my computer to make any posts. I took a very nice vacation in California for the last 21 days, and during that time I barely sat at a desk or had a laptop to work on any posts. I tried to have as much fun as possible and go out as much as I could, I tried seeing as many movies as I could as well. Just got back from a 16 hour and 35 minute flight from San Francisco to Dubai, not including the short trip from Dubai to Kuwait which feels like a short trip to the supermarket in comparison. I will be back to posting normally, I have a lot to post about, thank you for everyone that emailed and asked if I just disappeared off the face of the planet but I think I was having too much fun for my own good. Still it wasn’t enough, it has been the first long vacation I have taken in almost two years and it has been much needed. I literally purged my brain of all work and any other responsibility as soon as I walked through immigrations & customs at San Francisco when I landed in the beginning of September. I didn’t even read anything from GoogleReader, and I’m looking at it right now and its the most I have ever seen, I wish the GoogleReader went above the “1000+” mark so I can know that I am denting it since its probably around 5000 to 6000, and I will go through them when I have a chance. Having the iPad 3G with AT&T service in the US basically made the laptop useless, I almost never was on a computer during my stay since the iPad 3G provided for all my internet needs, searches, email, and any type of connectivity, I basically lived off the iPad and I would recommend anyone traveling to the US to get the 3G version with them since their is 3G coverage in most major cities and locations.

Going off on a long trip you always wonder what you have forgotten, I don’t think I have forgotten anything yet. Packed up all my cloths and my carry on for a long trip, headed to the airport with plenty of time. My flight take off time was at 6:05 pm so its before futoor and I have been up since 8 am and hungry as hell. After check-in I wondered why I don’t get a starbucks since I’m hungry but then I remembered I’m fasting. Got to the lounge and I was one of the few non-foreigner sitting in the lounge, I’m assuming most people prefer to travel after sunset. The plane was a little delayed but not too bad, as soon as I got to the gate they took my ticket and slashed the seat number from 9J to 2J, I wasn’t sure why but I didn’t bother. When I got to the plane I found out that they upgraded me from Business to First Class which is great, that hasn’t happened to me in years and I was surprised. When I asked why they said its because of my Skyward Card, I was happy and got comfortable. I was just waiting for the prayer time to break my fast, and as soon as it did I asked for a date and water, then prayed in my seat. As soon as the plane took off the steward brought my food right away since he saw I was hungry as hell, I ate like a starved man, and the food hit the spot before settling down to watch a movie.

I usually try my hardest not to travel in Ramadan as it takes a toll on a person and I honestly can’t justify breaking my fast during these short trips in the Gulf. This one came up urgently as I had to go to Oman for the day full of meetings and they started from early in the morning with three meetings in total.

We came in on the Oman Air flight the night before and staying at The Chedi hotel. After my last stay I don’t think I want to stay anywhere else in Oman but sadly the restaurant closes at 10:30 pm and we arrived around 1:30 am. But the hotel was comfortable as usual with only about 50% capacity it was relatively empty but we didn’t get to enjoy the resort much other then relaxing because we were fasting. But the weather was amazing between 23 to 28 degrees, with mild humidity which wasn’t too bad, it was very pleasant. As soon as we were done we relaxed at the hotel for about an hour and half before heading to the airport to catch our 7 pm flight back, the best part of the hotel is their very good policy about late check out. The next time I go to Oman I plan on renting a car and getting a little lost, I’m curious about a few different places there.

As any man who has an inkling to cars and driving fast I know of the Nuremberg Ring aka The GreenHell. One of the most sought after tracks in the world, every manufacturer tests their cars on that track to beat out other manufacturers. There was even that little shuffle between Porsche and Nissan, and Porsche threw a tantrum about a Japanese manufacturer beating them on their turf. I want to drive on the Nuremberg Ring and its simple to do it but I was think that I lack the skill to drive on it since a lot of professional drivers are on their at the same time, so its a no mercy situation, but their is a small solution and that would be the BMW M5 Ring Taxi. For €195 you can take a lap in a BMW sponsored M5 for the track with a professional driver. I would want to try it out to see what I could learn from the professional driver before taking my shot at it.

Some Interesting Facts about those M5 “Taxis”

• Tires changed every 10 Laps
• Brake Pads Changed every 20 Laps
• Suspension Changed every 50 Laps
• Cars Changed Annually

Having an IPad 3G I wanted to take advantage of it while in the states next week. I have been looking online at T-Mobile & AT&T but I can’t seem to find any Pre-Paid Micro-Sim data plan. It’s always these contract plans, so I wondering what I would have to do to get a Pre-Paid Micro Sim for the iPad while I’m there for a few weeks.

I found this site called: iphonetrip but the pricing is ridiculous.

Anyone have any luck with this?

Everything about Yas Island has been planned perfectly from the hotels to the track, and all the other possible venues around it. Now they are building others services and infrastructure outside Yas Island with so much to do. I have yet to visit there and I honestly can’t wait. But nobody has really mentioned the Marina which has the view of the F1 circuit when your parked in your boat. They sell the yacht parking spots for the F1 just like they sell normal ticket seats but with a closer and better view. They have really thought everything out with this setup, I just can’t imagine how much the yearly fees are to park a boat there.

The Yacht club has sparkling white exterior shells integrated with LED façade lights which transform the giant structure into a pixilated viewing screen against the night sky. The 5 star club houses restaurants, bars, lounges, function rooms, outdoor decks and 45-metre observation tower.

Link: TheDesignBlog

One of my favorite cities in the world is San Francisco, and it has a lot of meaning to me. I spent a long time living in the Bay Area with a lot of great friends, and it still wasn’t enough. Every time I see pictures I remember some of the crazy stuff we did. Then there were the comedy clubs, and the fantastic steak houses, probably the best in the world. I remember riding in the city, always going to the city on my bike because its easier to find parking. I woud use any excuse to ride to the city, I remember going once on the bike just to go pick up tickets for the D L Hughley from Cobbs Comedy Club, there were limited tickets and I knew they were going to sell out. Lots of intersections with roads with high inclines and declines, I remember one time going pretty fast on the bike that I jumped across the intersection and I was freaked out and loved it. A city so much good food you have so many places to choose from. Click on the link below for larger pictures.

Link: PictoryMag