I was invited along with a number of other bloggers to Wataniya’s “Bloggers’ Night” event at Tatami restaurant a couple of days ago. They briefed us on their new Give Kuwait campaign targeted at Kuwaiti youth with business ideas.

What is Give Kuwait?

لماذا GiveKuwait؟

GiveKuwait هي مبادرة من شركة الوطنية لتمكين المهارات ومنح الشباب من الجنسين الفرصة لطرح إبداعاتهم وإمكانياتهم عبر هذا البرنامج من خلال إبراز ما لديهم من مهارات وتسويق أفكارهم ومشاريعهم. هذا العام، GiveKuwait ستتضمن عدد أكبر من المشاركين وستخصّص لهم فرص لعرض منتجاتهم وكسب الخبرة اللازمة.

ما هو GiveKuwait؟

تبحث الوطنية عن أفكار مبتكرة، منتجات مميّزة وخدمات مبدعة وستختار GiveKuwait المشاركين لتضعهم على طريق النجاح من خلال تنظيم معارض كبيرة تضم 250 مشارك ستتاح لهم مساحات وأجنحة مجانية لترويج سلعهم وخدماتهم لمدة خمسة أيام. كما ستقدّم حملة إعلانية لتعريف الجمهور بعدد معين من المشاركين عبر الراديو، الإعلانات في الشوارع والصحف.

من يمكنه المشاركة في GiveKuwait؟

رجال الأعمال:

• لابد أن تكون لديهم أعمال/أفكار جديدة/موهبة/مشروع صغير

• ليس لديهم محل أو معرض أو منشأة تجارية تخص هذا المشروع

• سنّهم يتجاوز 18 سنة

• يتعاملون مع منتجات مبتكرة بجودة مميزة

• لا يقومون ببيع منتجاتهم أو خدماتهم بصورة غير قانونية أو أن تكون ذات طابع سياسي

• لابد أن تكون البيانات التي يقدّمونها قانونية وسارية

• ما أن يتم اختيارهم، لابد أن يلتزموا لمدة 18 شهراً مع الوطنية بعقد قيمته 35 د.ك. شهرياً في أي باقة من اختيارهم. لضمان مشاركتهم في الحملة الإعلانية والدعائية لمنتجاتهم أو خدماتهم، سيُطلب منهم دفع مبلغ 10 د.ك. إضافية

• يحق للوطنية استخدام إسم المشارك، صور لمنتجاته أو له شخصياً لغرض الحملة الإعلانية في GiveKuwait

• سيُمنح المشارك جناح ومساحة مجانية في المعرض 

• لا يسمح للمشاركين تقديم أي دعاية أو مواد إعلانية لمنتجات أو علامات تجارية أخرى تتنافس مع المشروع المقدّم

المتدربون:

• يجب على المشارك تعبئة نموذج بتفاصيل المشروع

• سيحضر المشاركون الذي تم اختيارهم دورات تدريبية لتنمية مهاراتهم وسيخوضون اختبار شخصية

• ما أن يتجاوزوا الاختبار، سيتم الاتصال بهم لاستكمال الإجراءات

• عند اختيار المتدرّب، لابد من أن يلتزموا لمدة 18 شهراً مع الوطنية بعقد قيمته 45 د.ك. شهرياً في أي باقة من اختيارهم

• من حق لجنة الحكم في GiveKuwait اختيار المشاركين للتأهل لحضور الدورات التدريبية وورش العمل

• تتحمل الوطنية مسؤولية كافة النفقات التي تنجم عن ورش العمل والدورات التدريبية

You can signup here

Last Saturday was the last day of Proud to be Kuwaiti (P2BK) event. The place was over packed and they only allowed families in which caused chaos at the main entrance with single guys being denied entry.

While I was there, what caught my eye was that well established international franchises such as Taco Bell and Haagen Dasz where present at the event and in the main hall.

Also, with the event being called "Proud To Be A Kuwaiti" I found it ironic that a Saudi company was present at the event too.

Not only did the event had a number of new startups but also a bunch of familiar faces too. There was a lot of food stuff that were mostly offloaded to a separate tent and not in the main hall.

I’m sure that the 5th year of PB2K broke attendance records but I also think that it lost its identity. I really like the original idea and I hope they get back on track.

Last Thursday there was an open day event held at Ali Al-Salim Airbase in collaboration with United States Air Force that also had a number of aircraft in the event. A lot of people and a lot of planes there. I saw an F-16, F-18, Hawk, Apache, Black Hawk, Puma, Super Puma, Gazelle, C-130 (Hercules), C-17 among others.

I really think they should do more of these. Or better yet, they should do a proper aviation exhibit that also has civilian airplanes.

RunKuwait, a first of its kind in Kuwait, is a 240 K self-sufficiency run with 6 participating runners. Yousef Al Qanai, Runner and Founder of Aymstrong came up with the idea of this event and decided to run the 240 K as an effort to promote the Aymstrong message of empowerment by creating a sense of determination, and unity within our society and amongst Kuwait’s youth.

نركض للكويت هو حدث فريد والأول من نوعه لركض مسافة٢٤٠ كيلومترا بمشاركة ٦ عدائين.

جاءت فكرة هذا الحدث من العداء و مؤسس آيم سترونغ يوسف القناعي الذي سيركض ال ٢٤٠ كيلو للكويت بهدف تعزيز رسالة القوة والإرادة التي تسعى إلى تحقيقها آيم سترونغ بالاضافة الى تعزيز وحدة الصف بين شباب ومجتمع الكويت الذي يجب أن يبقى متحدا لمجابهة الصعاب.

سيبدأ هذا الحدث الرياضي في فترة العيد الوطني ٢٥/٢٦ فبراير ٢٠١٢ وسيتم قطع المسافة من الحدود الشمالية وصولا إلى الحدود الجنوبية للكويت ويقدر الوقت المحتمل لإنهاء مسافة السباق حوالي ال ٥٠ ساعة. سيكون الركض مستمرا طيلة هذه الفترة بإستثناء وقوفنا عند ابراج الكويت للتغطية الاعلامية مع بعض وقفات الراحة، علما بأن المتسابقين يجب أن يكونوا مجهزين بمعداتهم الخاصة ومستلزماتهم طيلة فترة السباق.

Last Thursday, my wife was lucky enough to be invited for the opening of Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospice. The place is amazing and is a wonderful accomplishment. This was the graduation project of Mrs. Alia Al-Ghunaim, Hats-off to her.

Under the umbrella of Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital, we started a home care team to provide palliative care for children with life-threatening conditions in 2006, and have since supported over 80 terminally ill children, and their families.

The playful, child-friendly principles of the architecture of Bayt Abdullah were followed through in the design of the interiors by NBBJ of Columbia, Ohio who are leaders in the field of children’s hospital design.

With guidance from our International Scientific Advisory Board, by learning from and collaborating with established Centres of Excellence such as Great Ormond Street Hospital and Children’s Hospitals of Minnesota…

Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospice will provide pediatric palliative care for children in Kuwait with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

A gymnasium and Hydrotherapy pool provide facilities for fun, games, rehabilitation and physiotherapy. Bayt Abdullah Theatre is professionally designed to accommodate different types of performances and entertainment and will also provide therapeutic activities such as Art, Music and Drama therapy.

… we have looked after made wishes to visit Disney Land but few could make the journey. Alia Al Ghunaim, the architect of Bayt Abdullah, decided to give all our children the opportunity to experience the thrills and fun of the fairground by incorporating a Ferris Wheel, Magic Carpet, Rooftop Walkway and Observation Tower in her design.

Eleven chalets give our families the opportunity to have short holidays away from home at a time when it may be difficult for them to travel.

Inpatient facilities are located on the first floor, above the library and cafeteria, overlooking the roofs of the chalets, and facing the sea. There are 6 mother and children suites and 4 mother and baby suites.

This is one of the most wonderful projects not just have been completed, but have been thought out in recent time. Its groundbreaking for Kuwait and the region.

It took 6 years for this project to become a reality while other major projects in the country are still in limbo.

The bedroom

Dr. Mohammed Al-Jassar, one of the many doctors at Bayt Abdullah.

Miami were there for the opening.

Yesterday, I barely managed to pass by 360 mall to catch a glimpse of the Gulf Run 7 car show. The event gets bigger and bigger every year. The place was packed like people needed another reason to go to 360 mall. Some lucky winner managed to go home on a Vespa as a result of being the raffle winner.

They also managed to raise more than 7000KD for Hayat cancer foundation which is great.

The display inside the mall was also great with a 8 really cool cars being displayed like the Mercedes SLS, Audi R8 and a beautiful Backdraft AC Cobra.

I’m a few days late posting about this but I have been really busy the past couple of days. Last Thursday evening all the cars that are participating in the 7th annual gulf run had to go freshen up at Al-Flah Car Wash as they do every year. I arrived a little late and most of the cars were already done.

The cars usually go there to get washed, polished and get the stickers on. DJ had the music pumpin’ and it was a another great chance to mingle with the drivers, fellow bloggers and organizers.

I also managed to pass by the Car Show at 360 Mall and will be posting about it later.

More pics after the break.

And as with every gulf run event, there was food.

I was invited yesterday to attend the 7th annual GulfRun meet up were all the drivers have the opportunity to meet each other and it was also a chance for non-participant/drivers to also meet the organizers and the great guys behind The GulfRun.

The iconic wall of photos was also on display again this year with some fantastic pictures  from previous GulfRuns and had some awesome memories.

Also on display were 3 super cars, a Ferrari 599, Porsche 993 Gemballa and a Hennessey powered Chevrolet Camero LS9 with 725hp.

GulfRun 7 is just a few weeks away, the event will be held at Bahrain International Circuit as usual on the 26th-27th of January 2012. Can’t wait.

Watching the video above is like having déjà vu with what happen 6 months ago here in Kuwait. A 100KM winds in Lubbock, TX knocked down power lines and even flipped airplanes.

Kuwait march 25th 2011:

We just heard yesterday from Apple the specs of the latest iPhone 4S. Next week its Samsung and Google’s turn to announce the anticipated Nexus Prime/Galaxy, a rumored 4.65″ screen with 720P Super Amoled Plus display And from the teaser video it looks like it will have a curved screen. And by the end of the month Nokia world will be taking place and we should see the first Nokia Windows Mobile Phone device. I hope they don’t reveal something too awesome or that means I’ll be broke this month. That’s not taking into account the Amazon’s Kindle Fire that was announced last week.

Another day another Social event. This time we were invited by Viva to attend the 2nd annual Social event that was held in Marina Hotel yesterday. I finally managed to meet some bloggers that couldn’t make it to Zain’s Event a few days earlier.

MIKE MBALTA3 hosted the event that made it really amusing. He held a couple of competitions were I took part in one and lost to Kuwaitiful (Congrats again Bro)

Viva also held a raffle, the prize was a fully paid trip to watch the Red Devils (Manchester United) at Old Trafford.The winner was first HiKuwait but he refused to receive the prize as he is not a football enthusiast and asked to do another draw. Winner Number 2 was AboFlan who also wasn’t a big fan of football and also declined. I have no idea who winner number 3 was as he said he wan’t a blogger but he was shouting before getting on the stage “I’M TAKING IT, I”M TAKING IT”.

On our way out we were handed little gift bags that contained an IDEOS X5 Huawei phone and a mini gergai3an bag.

Thank You Viva for the invite, it was nice seeing my fellow bloggers in real life again.

Is the Ferrari California the car of your dreams? Then it’s your lucky day. Zain will be holding an open to the public photoshoot. A professional photographer will take your picture with the car of your dreams (the Ferrari California) and Zain will kindly print it out, set it up in a custom frame and give it to you…..for free. That event will be held tomorrow and tomorrow only from 6pm – 9pm at the 360 mall.

On display were 3 super cars. The Ford GT, Mercedes SLS and the Ferrari 599. They were a joy to look at and a glimpse of what is to come in Gulf Run 6.

Also on display were a lot of pictures from the previous 5 Gulf Runs that organizers were very proud of, and rightly so.

One of the announcements that was made yesterday was that the Mercedes SLS will be a “special car” appearing in this Gulf Run. And there will be a taxi driver service to take you around the track, but they are being tight-lipped about it and keeping it a surprise.

Before leaving, we were told that we must have a bite to eat. There was a very good selection of burgers right out of the grill, chicken or beef shawerma and make your own fajita. It was delicious.

Gulf Run

We Are Volunteers is a team of girls (ages13-19) from Eshraq Girls Center who work together to offer a helping hand to whoever is in need in our communities. The team meets up two times a month to take training courses and carry out voluntary projects.

For more info:
Call Eshraq Girls Center: 25212816/7 -97308669
Or visit We Are Volunteers’s Twitter and Facebook page

You are coordinately invited to Zawaya Ashaghaf’s celebratory event held at 360 Exhibition hall on the 14th, 15th and 16th of October. A whole day event with an exhilarating show starting at 6 pm.The event will carry the following:
A) A talent show and exhibition: showcasing different yet unique talents either on stage or off stage.
The event will also include an educational kids corner.
Yasmina Dashti, a unique genius talent and the writer of “The day I found myself living in my book” story, will also participate and have her own corner.
B) Comic book: this book holds the concept of not judging others based on the outside looks, names, nationality or even one’s status, the story also highlights the issue of stereotyping in a very symbolic way.

يولد العطاء المتميز حين يمتزج الشغف بالإخلاص..فتزخر الإنجازات من حولنا..ينطلق مشروع زوايا الشغف في عامه الثاني في 360 مول بين 14-16 أكتوبر 2010 في قاعة المعارض – الدور الأرضي، ليقدم احتفالية فريدة من نوعها تحمل مبدأين أساسيين الشغف و العطاء و عدم الحكم على الغير، و تتضمن الآتي:1) عرض المواهب :عرض مسرحي يسلط الضوء على مواهب متعددة من خلال حبكة مبتكرة وأسلوب إبداعي بالإضافة الى أركان للمواهب وركن أنشطة ترفيهية ثقافية للأطفال.ويبدأ العرض في تمام الساعة 6 مساءا من كل يوم من أيام الاحتفالية1) كتاب الرسم الفكاهي (comic book) :” لاتحكم على الكتاب من عنوانه ” من هذه الحكمة انطلقت فكرتنا، هدفنا، و رسالتنا.. حيث ان مبدأ هذ الكتاب يتمحور حول قضية عدم الحكم على الغير او اتباع التصنيفات من عده اوجه: المظهر , الجنسية , المهنة أو الوظيفة.فالكتاب عبارة عن قصة قصيرة برسومات ملونة و حبكة مبتكرة يحمل اسم “بو خشب بدون عقد”، الكتاب من تصميم و ابتكار شباب زوايا الشغف، و تم تخصيص ركن خاص له في الاحتفالية.بالإضافة الى ذلك تضم الاحتفالية الكاتبة النابغة ذات 11 عاما ياسمينا دشتي والتي ألفت كتابا عندما كانت في التاسعة من عمرها وسيكون لها ركن وأنشطة خاصة بها وبانجازها.

These pictures and the full post is taken from http://1lf2lv.wordpress.com , great job with the pictures.

It was a big turn out and the feedback is all very positive, best of luck to them.

Read the full post here.

Thanks again 1life2live

It is with great pleasure and joy to announce that The House of Etiquette, Kuwait is finally launching!

After over two successful years of effort and industrious training in Europe’s leading internationally certified academy – The Etiquette & Protocol Consultancy and Modular Finishing School Academy of London – UK and a plethora of research in the field of education and etiquette, we are proud to officially announce the launch of The House of Etiquette, Kuwait. The House of Etiquette has spent a generous time planning and forecasting educational strategies to suit our goals and aims, in addition to finding the personal and bespoke needs of our clients based in the Gulf Region. Therefore, our etiquette school is the first in Kuwait specialized to offer children with the grace of elegance and poise … an asset that would last them for a lifetime filled with professional and social success. Not only are children welcome to be a part of our etiquette school … but programs for young adults and adults are available too! Courses for young adults and adults will be launching soon…but courses for children will be offered first!

The House of Etiquette, Kuwait is very proud to state that it has been solely built on two young Kuwaiti ladies – Bibi Al-Ghanim & Ma’ab Al-Qassem. These young ladies have an eternal passion and respect for etiquette – both classical and modern. Both Bibi and Ma’ab not only are certified in the areas of etiquette but in addition, Bibi’s knowledge further derives from her master’s degree in Education Management and Leadership whilst Ma’ab’s corporate educational background and over thirty varied certifications in the corporate realm combine to creating a formula of diversity and achievement. The House of Etiquette presents an admiration for refinement with a unique mission to spreading social grace and sophistication within Kuwait’s society. These young ladies are proud locals who know the cultural codes of the Gulf and are finally ready to share their knowledge with YOU!

Continue reading below for the details of the invitation to our faithful readers. And again best of luck in all their endeavors.

Therefore, we would cordially like to invite you and your guests to join The House of Etiquette, Kuwait at its official opening reception launch on May 3, 2010. Please find attached an invitation requesting the pleasure of your attendance. We truly look forward to having you become a part of The House of Etiquette family.

This invitation is open to every member of the blog and each member of the blog is allowed to bring a guest. May you please RSVP your attendance by e-mail to the following e-mail addresses:

maab@thehouseofetiquette.com and bibi@thehouseofetiquette.com and info@thehouseofetiquette.com

If you are unable to attend (although we truly would like you to) we would highly appreciate if you can post the attached invitation on your blog…we would be delighted to welcome your readers to attend our opening reception.

Thanking you in advance for your support and interest and we hope to see you soon!

Please Note: The House of Etiquette, Kuwait official website http://www.thehouseofetiquette.com will launch on May 3, 2010.

Best Regards,

Bibi I. Al-Ghanim & Ma’ab M. Al-Qassem

The House of Etiquette, Kuwait

Who?
Small To Big – sponsored by Viva

What?
A workshop designed to help small business owners develop and grow their businesses.

Why?
Small To Big encourages Kuwaiti small business owners to take the challenge.

When? Where?
12-14 May (6-9 pm @ Marina Hotel)
15 May (11-6 pm @ Hilton Resort)

Limited seating!

More info on:

Website, Twitter, Facebook

This year’s P2BK event will be held at the “International Fair Ground” 17th,18th and the 19th of March at hall 8.

The end has finally dawned, and GulfRun 5 at the Bahrain International Circuit was over. I think everyone who participated or went to the event enjoyed it, as there was all out safe action and surprises down the way.  Last night was the closing ceremony in Lenotre, and GulfRun with their sponsors, handed out the timings of all the drivers and events and their awards.

Quartermile Drag

For the Street Category :

1. BMW M5

2. Lexus ISF

3. Audi RS4

For the Super Category :

1. Porsche Turbo

2. Mitsubishi Evo-X

3. Honda S2000

For the Unlimited Category :

1. Porsche Turbo

2. Porsche Turbo 99

Continue below for all the times and more pictures.

Autocross

For the Street Category :

1. Lotus Exige S240

2. Audi RS4

3. VW R32

For the Super Category :

1. Porsche GT3RS

2. Porsche Turbo

3. Cadillac CTS-V

For the Unlimited Category :

1. Mitsubishi Evo-8

2. Caterham

3. Lamborghini LP-560-a

Inner Circuit

For the  Street Category :

1. BMW Z4M

2. Lotus Exige S240

3. Nissan 350z

For the Super Category :

1. KTM X-Bow

2. KTM X-Bow

3. Porsche GT3RS

For the Unlimited Category :

1. Ferrari 430 Scuderia

2. Caterham

3. Mitsubish Evo-8

GP Circuit

For the Street Category :

1. BMW Z4M

2. BMW M3

3. Lotus Exige S240

For the Super Category :

1. Nissan GTR

2. KTM X-Bow

3. KTM X-Bow

For the Unlimited Category :

1. Caterham

2. Porsche Turbo 99

3. Ferrari 430 Scuderia

Overall it seems there is alot of variety with the cars getting podiums and top times. The BMW M-Series have done well in alot of different categories, as well as the Lotus Exige.  The more track-oriented cars like KTM X-Bow and Caterhams are also around the top times.  Alot of different variety of street and supercars were on show here. And splitting them up into different categories also made it more realistic to race similar types of models (power-wise). Even though there were alot of awesome machines at the track this year lets hope some new ones show up next year to add more competition….

All in all, a special thank you to GulfRun, Marzouq from Zdistrict , and also Al-Falah Car Wash for their great dedication and help in making this possible for everyone. Until next year… drive safely.

Simply Stylish is a mini exhibition showcasing the products of nine small local women’s fashion & home accessories shops. Spotlight Events is not profiting from this mini exhibition. The aim of this event is to promote small local businesses & aid them with promoting their products as well as their entities. Feel free to invite all your friends & family to this special event, and come & shop for your Spring essentials, Valentine’s Day gifts, & Fall sale merchandise!

"Simply Stylish" will be held this weekend, February 5th & 6th from 1pm – 9pm daily.

Visit the event’s website for more details & further info