Blogger Mathai

I've moved !

2009-08-15T11:42:00.001+03:00

I'm leaving never to return again !

Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds coz now I'm on Wordpress

Blogger Mathai on Wordpress

http://bloggermathai.wordpress.com/

We met, we talked, we talked some more

2009-08-14T21:52:00.005+03:00

A big "Thank you" to Grey (and family), Mario, Ray and Purple for a wonderful evening today at the blogger meet. Unfortunately Mrs. Blogger Mathai couldn't make it to the meet thus leaving Mrs. Grey alone with a bunch of guys who yapped like a bunch of excited school boys who've just had too many sugary drinks.

It was our first meeting with Grey and the even more famous Grey Jr. who has already started practicing vocals to be the lead singer in a Death Metal band :) . Even though we always try to avoid computers in our conversation eventually the meeting turns into a nerd convention with terms like DHCP, POE, SSL, DSL, and ASDFGH being hurled around like weapons of mass destruction ( ok, maybe not the last one :D) Which left Purple and Grey looking at us like we were aliens from Jupiter.. sorry guys!

Thanks once again and hope to see more new faces at the next meet.

ps.. the person who can guess each blogger's phone correctly will win something from me !

update: Grey has just posted about the meet on his blog too [link]

Shrimp overload

2009-08-14T21:48:00.003+03:00

We got a whole lot of shrimp today at the Sharq fish market.

The medium sized ones are KD 1.750/ Kg and the bigger ones (not quite jumbo sized) are KD 3.000 /Kg

Shooting light beams

2009-08-13T00:41:00.002+03:00

A lot of people create light beams in Photoshop for their action figure shots but then there are some others who want the real deal. I've been following the work of various photographers in the Gunpla and Action Figure groups to learn how they achieve this effect and now I've done it myself !

You need
1. Focused LED light
2. Candle light or tea light

For this to work, there should be only two sources of light during the shoot or you wont get a good effect. Position your action figure the way you want it and setup the tripod so that its in your range of view. Now Set the Shutter speed to anywhere from 10 to 15 seconds while in shutter priority mode.

Set the camera to go off on timer and then bring the LED to the starting position of the beam and when the shutter opens gently draw along the imaginary light path. When you complete that then you need to fill in the light using your candle or tea light. Make a few passes to highlight the model or create shadows. Thats it ! All this in 10-15 seconds.

Heres what it should look like finally.

Swine Flu Alert

2009-08-12T20:36:00.003+03:00

Lets face it, Swine Flu is here and it wont go away easily. In Kuwait even medical staff have been infected and its in our best interests to take some precaution. My fellow blogger 'Name is Bond' has a post on this subject and you can read about it here.

On a lighter note.. I got this in the mail today about what you'll look like if you're infected by the H1N1 virus.

Glow-in-the-dark Dino

2009-08-11T22:29:00.000+03:00

This is what I bought from Toys'r'us last weekend. I got the Triceratop and they have a few more varieties like the Stegosaurus etc.

Cost: 1.5 KD

When the lights go out...

Warning: Inform your wife there's a glowing skeleton in the bedroom before she switches off the lights.

Time and place

2009-08-11T12:55:00.005+03:00

Ok so its been decided to have the blogger's meet at our usual location; Coffee Bean in Salmiya. Its the one attached to Al Rasheed Hospital. Theres parking right opposite the coffee shop and it may not be too crowded on a Friday afternoon. Hope to see you guys there by 3.30 Respond by comment or email and let us know if you're coming or not.

Date : Friday 14th August
Place: Coffee Bean
Time: 3:30 PM
Wikimapia location : [link]

Dangerous Homo's

2009-08-10T21:54:00.010+03:00

Recently the Government of India legalized Gay Sex and the amount of media buzz it generated was huge ! There were press comments from religious leaders, political leaders and other prominent members of society about how Indian culture and society was about to do down the toilet coz now two members of the same sex can have some quality time without getting a bum rap (is that even a pun ? I dont know!)

Anyway, the comments from our country's ignorant millions were fun to read.. let me print a few here as I recollect them from memory. My comments are in brackets.

1. This is against our culture ( where does it say so ? is there a rule book ?)

2. Homosexual relations is a western thing (tell that to the millions of desi bhais who don't give a damn about the west)

3. Now that its legal everyone will start doing it ! (I was in India last month on vacation and I still had straight sex, so who are these people who will 'start doing it' just coz its legal ??)

4. If you spend time with 'them' you'll become one yourself (c'mon, its not a virus)

5. Now all the young fashionable people will do 'it' coz its the trend (really ? I wouldn't have gay sex no matter how 'trendy' it is)

6. Homosexuals cannot donate blood or organs ( WTF ?? neither can a straight person if he has some communicable disease)

I've had enough of of this hype.. all this anti-gay propaganda is another form of racism. Why the hell should someone be bothered about his neighbor's sexual preference ? Then there are a lot of people who say gay people hit on everyone, well.. so do straight horny guys. I've known a few gay people and even worked with a gay European designer on a project here in Kuwait and I'm still straight ! (see ? its not contagious!)

The thing that got me writing this post is the picture that you see at the top of this page ! This is outrageous ! How does Gay Sex become a threat to national security ? I think its a picture from a protest that took place in the United States.

update: I found a better picture of the same poster on Flickr [link]

Nikon D5000 at Ashraf and Co.

2009-08-10T07:53:00.002+03:00

I helped one of my friends pick out a new camera last weekend while we were at Ashraf and Co. They had just received the new D5000 and we bought it along with a tripod, extra batteries and an 8GB high speed SD card. They dropped a Caselogic SLR pouch into the bag to sweeten the deal.

We just had time to unbox the thing but havent played around with it yet.

Nikon D5000 with rotating LCD

Ashraf and Co. website [link]

These young men!

2009-08-10T07:43:00.004+03:00

Last weekend I went out with my friends to 360 mall coz one of them wanted to buy some clothes and accessories from Marks and Spencer but since we're all hot blooded young men, it didnt quite turn out that way. To make things short this is what happened...

Mathai: hey guys lets check out Toy 'r' us and Geant first !
Others: oh alright, you wanna buy some toys right ? still playing with toys ?? *snickers*
Mathai: uh yeah right !

Summary of the events afterward

Young pretty helpful sales girl + 4 young men = lots of shopping bags

My friends bought more stuff than I did !!!

Shooting Flora and Fauna

2009-08-09T07:00:00.008+03:00

During the course of my vacation I shot a little over 500 frames and am still sorting thru most of it. Here are some of my favorites. Click on the pictures to see them in larger size.

Latha - Sri Lankan restaurant

2009-08-07T22:29:00.000+03:00

I was only recently initiated into the world of Sri Lankan Cuisine at this place called Latha in Kuwait City. Its in Qibla right next to Ashraf & Co. and Caesar's restaurant. Its a small place divided into 2 floors with the ground floor mainly for tea and snacks while the top floor is for dining.

We had Sri Lankan rice meals and Kothu-Idi-appam (rice noodles with shredded meat, chicken and fish) The rice comes with an assortment of curries and fried veggies all very tasty and have that 'home cooked' feeling which every expat longs for.

Personally I liked the Kothu-Idi-appam for its spiciness and flavor and their pickled dried anchovies. Another one of my favorites here are the 'short eats' available in the evenings, they're basically fried pastries with a variety of stuffings like chicken, beef, fish and vegetable.

Phone: 2461157

I'm an Otaku

2009-08-05T20:30:00.001+03:00

Otaku (おたく/オタク) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, and video games.

I wouldn't call myself obsessed but I do tend to get carried away with my hobbies sometimes. I've always been intrigued with Japanese culture and their television series since I was a kid. Even at this age I watch anime and buy Japanese hobby kits to build in my spare time.

One thing which I could never understand was the Japanese infatuation with cuteness and miniature things. Gundam models come in a variety of scales and shapes but recently I was tempted into buying an "SD" Gundam. SD stands for Super Deformed and they're quite popular in Japan. What they do is take a normal proportioned character and then deform the proportions to make it look child-like or cute.

I just finished this set and now I understand why they're crazy about it, it does look nice !

Note: this is a Grade 2 skill kit and can be finished easily.

MSN Foto Virus

2009-08-05T07:47:00.003+03:00

This mail has been floating around for a few days and this morning I too got one in my inbox. Apparently by opening the picture files in the attachment it infects your PC and sends mails to all your contacts. Not really harmful but can be very annoying.

I found a couple of links on how to remove it if you've been infected. The threads are more than a year old.

Bleeping computer [link]
Tech guy forum [link]

Back to salads

2009-08-04T14:21:00.000+03:00

After a fortnight of boozing and stuffing my face while on vacation its back to the same ol grind and the same ol lunch routines. I try to avoid the salads with heavy dressings but sometimes vinaigrette get boring. I usually dont order from restaurants coz I feel guilty making the delivery guy come all the way up to my floor just to deliver a salad or a sandwich so I just ask the snack trolley guy to get me something when I'm hungry.

The Caesar salad from Americana is acceptable if you want to have a quick and light lunch. The croutons are packed separately which keeps em nice and crispy. The dressing is not bad and lettuce is always fresh and has a satisfying crunch.

Blogger meet coming soon

2009-08-03T08:25:00.003+03:00

Yesterday Rayboy suggested its time to have another blogger meet and meet some new faces. I totally agree ! This will be open to both bloggers and readers, so Purple don't worry man, we're not discriminating against non-bloggers :)

The venue is not yet decided but it might be this weekend or the one after. Send me an email to let us know if you want to join.

ps. Grey, stop lurking and come for the meeting!

Uneligible Bachelor

2009-08-03T08:17:00.003+03:00

Recently I came to know about one of my friend's predicament while he was trying to get a driver's license in Kuwait. When I asked him why he didn't have a license he informed me that hes not eligible for one! Hes a Chartered Accountant (CA) with multiple certifications, worked in world renowned Audit firms, currently works for one of the largest banks in Kuwait in a managerial position and makes around 1.5K a month. So why isn't he eligible ? Coz hes not a graduate. The rules here state that a person has to be a college graduate with a minimum salary of 400 KD to apply for a driver's license.

As I see it now my friend has two options;

1. Go back to college to get a basic degree
2. Forfeit his present designation and get a Driver's visa

Anyone with a better option can leave a comment.

Connaught Place

2009-08-02T07:05:00.001+03:00

We had a few hours on Sunday morning to do some shopping and sightseeing in Delhi but I wasn't aware that the shops in Connaught Place open late on Sundays. So when we got there it was like a ghost town and we took a stroll around the place at our leisure.

Tao by Zen

We stopped here for lunch but the service was so horribly slow that we just had drinks and Sui mai. The Sui mai was pretty good and nicely flavored. Decor is not too bad and had this Buddha Bar Vibe.

Haldirams
Who isnt familiar with Haldiram's ? We had the best Rasmalai there and even finished off all the milk that it was served in.

48 hours in the Capital

2009-08-02T06:23:00.002+03:00

Towards to the end of our vacation, my wife and I spent a night and day in the Capital, New Delhi. It was'nt my first visit to this city and I personally prefer Delhi over Bombay since the roads are better,there isnt so much congestion and it doesnt stink as much as Bombay.

The highlight of our trip was a ride on the Metro system and we spent a couple of hours traveling both ways along the circuit. According to people who've traveled on the 'Tube' in UK, its the exact same system, right down to the announcements.

Here's the deal;
You enter a metro station, buy your token, swipe it at the gates and get on the train. When you reach your destination just drop your token at the exit gates and continue on your merry way ! Its the best way to beat the city traffic. If you're a frequent traveller you can get a swipe card that you can use for a specified period of time.

Warning: Photography is prohibited at the Metro Station and on platforms. But nobody bothers you if you're using a mobile phone camera. Are the terrorists paying any attention to this ?

We also visited a Gurudwara near where we stayed which we later on found out was the biggest in Delhi. At the entrance a friendly Sikh guy gave us instructions on what to do and dress code inside.
. Both men and women have to cover their heads when going in.
. Remove footwear and deposit it at the locker room.
. Wash hands, feet and face at the water taps leading to the courtyard.

You can move around freely and take in all the sights at your own time. I didnt take take any photos inside since there were prayers going on at the time.

Veli Lagoon and Beach

2009-08-01T08:17:00.001+03:00

I wanted to show my wife around a few places in Trivandrum coz shes new here so we headed off to Veli one evening to watch the sunset. Since my last visit here, a lot of sculptures from the artist Kunjuraman have sprung up all around the resort area, (he's either a genius or a lunatic.. maybe both!!)

There isnt much you can do there, just stroll around the place, have some refreshments and then wait for the sun to set, but it was time well spent with the family.

WARNING: Do not take photographs after the second bridge towards the city. Its a restricted military zone as it houses the ISRO. How do I know all this ? coz as I was taking photos this police patrol boat comes out of nowhere and gave me a warning to turn off the camera and walk away ( this is my second brush with the cops :) )

Enjoy the pictures...

Final Moments
For those of you who'd like to visit the place, here it is on the map. Wikimapia [link]

Auntie Annes @ 360 Mall

2009-07-31T17:06:00.002+03:00

I decided to check out the much publicized 360 mall today. Since it was a Friday morning there wasn't much of a crowd except for the shoppers at Geant. I wasnt really interested in any of the shops in 360 except for Toy'R'us but because of the rush of shoppers going to the basement I headed in the opposite direction.

The food court seating area is probably the best I've seen in Kuwait. A variety of seating arrangements from booths to counters and bar stools makes it look good. We bought a couple of hot pretzels from Auntie Anne's and then washed it down with a couple of drinks from Boost.

I had the Pepperoni and Cheese Pretzel and a 'Vita C' juice. The pretzel was hot, chewy and perfect but needed a little more pepperoni while my Vitamin C drink was refreshing and cool.

New blog friends

2009-07-31T09:00:00.001+03:00

I'd like welcome some new guys to the Blog roll

Mentabolism

Elegant Chic

Name is Bond

Lordraj

Abid

and thanks to all my regular readers like Purple, Jonyboy, Onlooker, Q8NRI etc for your comments and feedback :)

Scenes from a moving train

2009-07-30T06:30:00.001+03:00

Random scenes from a train traveling from Trivandrum to Cochin. By the time I reached Kottayam I was caught by the Police who wanted to confiscate my film roll and were confused when I told them that I didnt have any film in the camera. Apparently photography on a train is prohibited ! WTF ??? Since when ?

We like to do it 'Indian Style' :P

Pai Brothers Fast Food

2009-07-30T06:00:00.000+03:00

After a night out in the city or after a late movie ,Pai Brothers Fast Food is the place to go to if you're looking for a bite to eat in the wee hours in Cochin. When we got there it was jam packed even though it was close to midnight! They serve 36 different kinds of Dosa, kind of like Baskin Robbins but with Dosa!

I had the Spicy Humman Egg Dosa (I didnt get a chance to find out what 'Humman' means) which is the basic 'Paper' Roast layered with onions, tomatoes, green chilies, chutney powder, chili powder and a couple of chicken eggs. It was served with coconut chutney and sambar but with so many flavors in the dosa I really didnt need it.

The place is neat and the food looks hygenic so I'm sure most travellers can safely eat there. Just be sure to order bottled water since Monsoon season can bring with it a lot of water borne illnesses.

Michael Crichton- Next

2009-07-29T20:56:00.002+03:00

I just finished this book and I'm not too pleased with it. OK I like the plot which is about industrial espionage, Genetic engineering and bio medical research but some of the stuff in it is just like its out of a Hindi movie. Although I'm a fan of Michael Crichton this book is not gonna be in my favorites list.

I'm back !

2009-07-28T22:21:00.004+03:00

I'm back to *cough cough* dusty ol' Kuwait. I have a ton of catching up to do, especially with email and my blog feeds, which has about 1000+ unread posts ! Sorry if I haven't visited your blogs in a while but I'll see you guys soon.

Vasudeva Vilasom Rejuvenation massage

2009-07-24T12:25:00.003+03:00

Vasudeva vilasom Rejuvenation massage

Since i've been dealing with some work related stress recently I had decided earlier on during my vacation to make a trip to one of the well known Ayurvedic wellness centers in the city. As some of you know, my shoulder acts up sometimes so I needed to get that checked out too.

View from my room

I went to Vasudeva Vilasom for a check-up and consultation on my condition... as most doctors have said to me in the past " You need to lose some weight" !!. Alright alright, old news. After all, I'm a Mallu in the Gulf.. I'm bound to gain weight whether I like it or not. Ok now onto the oily slimy details.

Many of my friends get an instant hard-on when the phrase "full body massage" is mentioned, well I have one thing to say to my buddies..."go to Thailand" coz you wont be getting any oiled-up, sexed-up, limber asian girls to massage every nook and crany of your disgusting body. Instead you get an a 5 1/2 foot tall dark muscular guy with hands of steel that can turn your body into a pile of mush in minutes.

For those of you not yet initiated into the world of Ayurvedic Rejuvination here are the steps involved.

1. Strip buck naked and wear a 'loin cloth' also affectionately called an Indian Tie by some people.

2. Lay down on a solid wooden bed called an Enna Thonni (Oil Boat). I found out that this wood is treated by oil and herbs to impart its goodness onto the client, ie yours truly.

Massage bed

The massage is split into 4 sections
a) The special oil is heated to a specific temperature and then slapped all over you as you turn over to your right, left and face down
b) now here comes the hard part, your personal massuer then works his magic by twisting, wringing, squeezing and massaging all the stress points in your body. At first it may be a little hard to handle but feels really good at the end.
c)He then runs steam all over your body while gently massaging it so that all the pores open up and absorb the 'goodness'. The water used to create the steam contains Eucalytpus leaves, Neem leaves among other herbs.
d)Another oil is used for your head and face, he firmly rubs each part of your skull and you end feeling like you've just had brain surgery!

3. While all this is going on, your bath has been prepared in the ajoining bathroom where the following greets you; hot water, Payaru Podi(exfoliant/body scrubbing paste), shampoo and herbal soap. They are willing to bathe you as well but I just asked him to scrub my back.

Imagine doing this over a period of three days and you'll know what its like to have a new body.
The generic Rejuvenation massage is 600 Rs per session and varies if you add other extras.

Vasudeva Vilasom Homepage [link]

Scenes from a Village

2009-07-19T05:33:00.000+03:00

This was shot on a clear sunny day in my Dad's village. I just love this place.. the air is clean, the skies are blue and the grass is green. My short vacation is halfway thru and I'm trying to make the most of it.

BSNL Cellone Excel

2009-07-18T04:50:00.005+03:00

I got this new connection from BSNL cellone as my old number had expired. Its a good option for NRIs if your visit to India is not very frequent and you want to maintain the same mobile number.

Starting charge: RS 499
Talktime: RS 400
Validity: 3 years !!!

So now I don't have to worry about an expired pre-paid connection.

BSNL mobile [link]

Kingfisher chicken

2009-07-16T06:46:00.007+03:00

First off I'd like to thank Dr. Vijay Mallya for making one of the best beers in the world. Even though I've had a lot of other brands of beer, a chilled bottle of KF has a special place in my heart. As some people already might know, beer can quench your thirst and be used as an excellent marinade!

As usual more pictures and less talk.

You need:

2 chickens quartered (or 1/8ths depending on the size)
Half a packet of chicken masala
Half a packet of Ginger Garlic paste
Salt and Pepper
2 bottles of Kingfisher Beer (one for the chicken and one for you)

How to:

Score the chicken pieces with a sharp knife and pat dry. Mix the curry powder,salt,pepper and ginger garlic paste in a bowl then slowly add the beer in small amounts. The mixture will be frothy and the consistency of a cake mixture. Now pour it over the chicken pieces and thoroughly coat them. Cover and set aside for atleast 4-5 hours.

Get the coals nice and red hot then grill them till the juices run clear from the chicken. Enjoy !

Sights and sounds of cochin

2009-07-16T06:13:00.013+03:00

This being the monsoon season, the skies were overcast and grey most of the time but I managed to visit a few places when it wasnt raining. The face of the city is changing because of all the construction going on. Pretty soon its gonna turn into a concrete jungle like Bombay or Dubai which is sad.

click on the pictures to view in larger size

View from my wife's apartment

Mattanchery and Fort Cochin
You can read about my previous visit to Fort Cochin here link

Santa Cruze Bascilica
This is and old town with a lot of history and some really old churches. First stop was Santa Cruze Bascilica. The Bascilica has a lot of art work on the ceiling much like the Sistine Chapel. There are lots of textures and colors which makes this a good opportunity to take an HDR shot.. so I did !

St. Francis Church
This church was made by the Portugese in 1516 and was the original resting place of explorer Vasco da Gama. His remains were later moved to Lisbon in his home country.

Jew town and Jew street
This was one of the oldest Jewsish settlements in India and is place to the oldest existing Synagoge in the Commonwealth. It was built in 1568 and is maintained by the few remaining Jews in Cochin. There was an older Synagoge in Kochangadi, built in 1344 but it no longer exists. Photography is strictly prohibited. All along Jew street there are many antique shops and handicraft workshops.

Lagoons and backwaters
I took a couple of shots of a fishing boat leaving the shores of the lagoon. This was a single RAW file then made into an HDR image.

Syrian Orthodox wedding
I was lucky enough to attend a cousins wedding while I was in Cochin. Had a good time catching up with relatives.

Kerala Breakfast
Puttu and Kadala (steamed rice cakes with brown chickpeas)

Idiyappam and Motta curry (rice hoppers and egg curry)

Chivas Regal

2009-07-12T06:36:00.006+03:00

As usual my first stop was the duty free was to pick some booze and the 'nice lady' at the counter informed me of this offer.

In the box: 2 x 12 year old Chivas regular
1x 18 year old Chivas mini

And I got this neat little strolley to carry my booze home( I bought more than a box :))

Airline food sucks

2009-07-10T09:13:00.003+03:00

Why does airline food always suck ? Just coz I'm traveling in economy doesn't mean I have to be served dog food. The rice was dry, the lentils undercooked and the lamb was chewy. The best part of the meal was the yogurt coz it wasn't from the catering company.

Meal featured: Lamb and rice on Oman Air.

Vacation time

2009-07-09T05:30:00.003+03:00

Original photo uploaded by Mathai [link]

Its that time of the year once again. I'll be on a short vacation to my home state, Kerala. Hope I can take my mind off work and enjoy my time there. There are a couple of things I'd like to do this time and I'll be posting about it when I get the opportunity.

Joe Satriani - Professor Satchafunkilus And The Musterion Of Rock - Review

2009-07-07T08:00:00.000+03:00

This man is a Guitar god and I've had the pleasure of meeting him in person and watching him play "Surfing with the alien" and other fantastic numbers live in concert. Recently due to busy work and family schedules I haven't really had time to spend quality time with a god album. I got this album to play on my player while traveling this summer and have been listening to it on the way to work this past week.

On the whole this album is not very different from his past work but some of the lightning fast techniques and 'awesome-ness' is missing. There is more of an emphasis on funk and classic guitar styles. I especially like the track "Asik Vaysel". And some trivia, his son plays the Sax in the intro on "Professor Satchafunkilus" :)

Give this album a listen.. Satch fans and guitar lovers wont be disappointed.

Tracks

.Musterion
.Overdriver
.I Just Wanna Rock
.Professor Satchafunkilus
.Revelation
.Come On Baby
.Out of the Sunrise
.Diddle-Y-A-Doo-Dat
.Asik Vaysel
.Andalusia

Lowepro fastpack 250 has arrived

2009-07-06T21:51:00.005+03:00

I just received my Lowepro camera bag today from Amazon. Thanks a bunch to my friend Ray ! It arrived just in time as I'm going on a short vacation to India and needed a bag that could carry my laptop, camera, lenses and a whole lot of accessories. The model is Fastpack 250 and it can accomodate upto a 15.4" widescreen laptop and DSLR with lens upto 300mm which is perfect for my needs.

Heres the unboxing and initial tryout, but stayed tuned for a detailed review when I get back from my vacation.

Lowepro Fastpack 250 on Amazon [link]
Lowepro Fastpack website [link]

Protein lunch

2009-07-06T11:59:00.001+03:00

It looks like a lot of people are reducing the amount of carbs in their diet in an effort to lose weight. I was asked by a few of friends as to what I have in my lunch box since I too have reduced my carb intake by a significant amount. This what I usually have for lunch and I keep switching between Chicken, Fish and Lean Beef while the beans and veggies remain almost the same.

Pan fried fish filet, baked beans and brocolli.

Beef Franks, beans sprouts and cucumbers.

Beef franks, baked beans and cucumber.

Tv watchlist

2009-07-05T06:00:00.000+03:00

I've finished off most of the shows on my list and now its time to bring in some new ones.. well the shows on my new list are not actually new but ones which I didn't get the chance to watch earlier.

The Twilight Zone

I was a big fan of the new version when it aired on KTV2 in the 80's. I've managed to get a hold of the original series by Rod Serling which aired from 1959 to 1964. Its a fantastic series and anyone who calls himself a Sci-fi fan should watch it. There are 156 episodes in total and I'm gonna enjoy everyone of them.

Sci-fi TV [link]

The Big Bang Theory

I heard about this series from my friend JJ. Its a sitcom about a couple of nerds living next door to a chick and the situations they' encounter. I normally dont watch silly sitcoms but since I've been watching too many serious stuff recently I'll use this to relax my mind.

Tv.com [link]

Chuck

Once again this is not a new show but came up on my watch list. Its about a geek who gets the world's greatest spy secrets implanted into his brain by his buddy who works in the CIA. This might be interesting.

Tv.com [link]

Britelite Wazp LED Flashlight

2009-07-04T00:03:00.007+03:00

I was checking out some LED flashlights today at the department store and came across this rather nice model. Its a Britelite Wazp. I always thought Britelite was a cheap knock off of Maglite but it looks and feels a hundred times better than some Chinese brand flashlights.

In the box you get; a Wazp flashlight body, battery charger, battery pack and an instruction manual.

Features:
. 1 watt led
. Runs on two NiCad rechargeable batteries
. Aircraft grade aluminium body (really ?)
. Long range and long life
. Charging time 5 hours
. Running time 1 hour

What I like:
. Bright white light
. Light spread is very sharp and focused
. Feels more expensive than it really is
. Light and easy to handle

What I dont like:
. I cannot change the beam spread like I can on a Maglite

Price : 6.000 KD

Weekend pleasures

2009-07-03T11:16:00.002+03:00

There's nothing like waking up on a bright sunny weekend and enjoying a hearty breakfast of eggs sunny side up.

Kobe Tetsujin

2009-07-02T06:00:00.000+03:00

First it was Odaiba with a 1:1 scale Gundam, now its Kobe and they're setting up a 1:1 scale figure of Tetsujin. If this keeps up pretty soon Japan is gonna be filled with life size robots from various animes. Maybe this is part of their defense system against Korea.

More info at Kobe Project [link]

Penguins at Kuwait Aquarium

2009-07-01T07:52:00.001+03:00

Just saw this in today's paper. I'm eager to see what kind of enclosure has been designed for them. Hope its something cool) pun intended.

Wasted lives

2009-07-01T05:00:00.000+03:00

Have you noticed the increase in young road accident victims lately ? Most everyday I see news items with the heading ; "19 year old critical", or "youths in fatal crash", "young lady flips car on Gulf street".

If you notice the crashed cars the majority of them are either luxury german cars or premium Japanese sedans and the victims are in their teens or early twenties. What does that say ? reckless driving ? If you've seen the way some maniacs weave in and out of traffic endangering themselves and other motorists you may understand why I have no sympathy for those unlucky bastards.

A person who can kill/injure another human being or himself with an automobile is no different than a person with a gun. If you look at it this way its a good thing if a suicidal driver kills himself without causing harm to others but my heart goes out to the ones injured/dead for no fault of theirs.

Americana Salad

2009-06-30T14:25:00.005+03:00

Bought an Americana Greek salad box for lunch the other day. Not so great but the lettuce and cherry tomatoes were really fresh and the vinaigrette dressing was not too oily. A good option if you want to have a light but filling lunch.

Get healthy Kuwait

2009-06-30T06:00:00.006+03:00

"Gethealthykuwait.com is a ground-breaking, nation-wide health campaign by Diet Care and Taiba Hospital. Together, they have joined forces to help you make positive changes towards improving your quality of life in just 28 days."

There are also some diet tip videos on this site along with the details of the diet plan which they deliver to your address. Personally I'm not going on this plan but for those interested, there's a trip to Bali.

Gethealthykuwait.com [link]

Transformers 2 - Review

2009-06-30T01:02:00.004+03:00

I just got back from watching Transformers 2, Revenge of the Fallen and it's 1:00 AM ! this is a fricking long movie ! If you like giant transforming robots, hundreds of spectacular explosions,lightning fast action sequences and most importantly Megan Fox, then this is the movie for you.

This time around there are a lot more Autobots and Decepticons in many guises, we even see a couple of two wheeled ones. The story is kind of okay but the concept has already been done in many Sci fi movies over the years. Although I enjoyed the movie there were many parts which felt cheesy and more suited to a Bollywood flick rather than an action movie.

All in all a good movie even though its reaaaally reaaally loooong !

ps. MEGAN FOX IS TOO HOT FOR WORDS !

Summer heat

2009-06-29T07:48:00.002+03:00

Touched 50 Degrees yesterday !

How things change!

2009-06-29T06:00:00.001+03:00

Nice one !

Fishing at Souk Sharq

2009-06-28T06:00:00.001+03:00

Went fishing with a couple of friends at Souk Sharq during the weekend. Spent all night and caught two fricking fish while guys on both sides were pulling in their catch one after the other. Talk about fucking bad luck.

KDD Silver

2009-06-27T06:00:00.003+03:00

The best ice cream cone in Kuwait !

The King is dead

2009-06-26T04:42:00.004+03:00

Wacko Jacko is no more...

King of Pop Michael Jackson is dead: official Reuters [link]

Youtube[link]

Linkin Park - New Divide

2009-06-25T06:00:00.000+03:00

New single from Linkin Park for Transformers- Revenge of the fallen. This should set the mood for the weekend since the movie is coming out today.

Linkin Park - New Divide (Official Version) from Peter Navell on Vimeo.

Jailbreaking and unlocking iPhone 3G

2009-06-23T11:00:00.000+03:00

My friend VM successfully 'unbricked' his iPhone since the new unlock and OS3 versions are out. Heres a summary of what he did.

1. download iTunes version 8.2
2. update OS3
3. download redsn0w ver. 0.7.2 MAC [link] Windows [link]
follow the instructions on screen
4. if your phone is the older generation, redsn0w will jailbreak it and unlock it
if its a 3G iphone it will only jailbreak it
5. unlock using Cydia , add repo666.ultrasn0w.com to Cydia or icy
6. search ultrasn0w in Cydia and install
7. reboot iPhone

From iphone-dev.org [link]

SE W810i software update

2009-06-23T06:00:00.001+03:00

I've been experiencing a lot of white screens, hanging and other completely random behavior from my Sonyericsson mobile and figured now would be the time to give it a much needed software update.

The frustrating thing now with the SE support page is that you cannot get to your specific model easily from the main menu and have to resort to googling the download link and then downloading it.. talk about a pain in the ass.

The steps:

1. Install SE PC suite
2. Install SE Update manager
3. Fully charge phone
4. Remove and insert battery into phone
5. Plug the data cable into any of the PC's USB ports
6. While holding down "C" plug the data cable into your mobile
7. Release "C" when prompted on screen
8. Wait for update to finish and flash the software
9. When prompted, remove the phone, turn back on and run the setup wizard (like starting with a new phone)

The phone works fine for now, I'll post an update later on if any of the issues have been fixed.

W810i software download [link]

Thai Chow King

2009-06-21T06:00:00.009+03:00

Last weekend we decided to try out this Thai restaurant my friend JJ recommended. Its a very small place with 5 tables but we got seats since we were the only ones there on Saturday night!

The staff are all Thai and that was reassuring coz I wanted authentic Tom Yum and Panang curry.

We ordered Soups and Spring rolls for starters; the soups were very fresh light and spicy while the rolls were alright. The shrimp in my Tom Yum soup were medium sized and done to perfection, I also had a little of the beef noodle soup my wife ordered and it was good too.

The main courses were quite good and we enjoyed every juicy morsel of beef and chicken. I must warn you that the dishes are quite spicy and may not be easy to handle for some people, yes even Indians !

Service is quick and friendly and the place is neat and tidy, thats all I can say coz its such a small place and there's nothing to mention about ambiance or 'fine dining experience'

Location: in Al Riggae, between the 5th anf $th ring roads, behind Marzouk building.
Wikimapia location [link]

Phone: 2489 3338
Mobile: 6652 7388

Q8NRI.com

2009-06-19T10:54:00.006+03:00

Q8NRI.com is the latest entrant among a number of sites targeted towards NRI's in Kuwait. I got a mail from the admin of the site, Sonal informing me about his venture.

From first impressions;
. It looks very neat and organized since its based on phpBB hence the bulletin boards are better than the ones already available on other sites.

. There are some helpful topics there like Visa queries, Driver's license information and announcements.

. I liked the "Best of the Blogosphere" topic but the only problem is that its not linked to the original content but rather posted by one of the members and then credited to the original blogger.

. What I'd really like to see is a good welcome page or homepage with hotlinks to most active topics/latest posts/ local news and announcements etc. I'm sure the admins are already doing something about it.

I wish the team all the best and hope they are successful.

Visit Q8NRI.com [link]

update: My friend Mario has also blogger about Q8NRI on his site [link]

Another wonderful weekend

2009-06-19T01:03:00.000+03:00

It's 1 AM on Friday morning and still no sign of the dust settling. Happy weekend guys :(

50 movies in a painting

2009-06-18T10:37:00.005+03:00

There are 50 movie titles hidden in this painting. Some of the hints are funny and quite easy to figure out. I didnt get a chance to sit down and examine it closely but this is something I'll look into later today. How many can you guys find out ?

Found this on Empire [link] via Cracked.com [link]

Twilight Saga Books 1 & 2

2009-06-17T07:35:00.005+03:00

A couple of new books arrived this week; Twilight and New Moon by Stephanie Myers. My wife's a big fan of the movie and they're for her. As for me I still havent finished the books in my reading list so it'll be a while before I buy any for me.

Twilight on Amazon [link]
New Moon on Amazon [link]

IT'S ALIVE!!!

2009-06-15T06:00:00.001+03:00

I'd been eagerly following the developments on the life size 1:1 scale Gundam RX-78 that was being constructed in Odaiba, Japan. Bloggers like Danny Choo and Punynari kept us updated with tons of cool pictures* and info. Now the sound effects have been setup and it even moves! How awesome is that ?

Here is the photo article from Danny Choo [link]

Wish I could go to Odaiba to see this in person.
*pictures from Danny Choo and Punynari

Live chickens??

2009-06-14T06:00:00.000+03:00

I prefer freshly slaughtered chicken over frozen but if I order from this place will I have to do the killing myself ? :S

Kuwaiti wedding

2009-06-11T23:23:00.005+03:00

My friend "Negooshi" got married today. I wish him a wonderful and happy married life.

ps.. man that Knafa was good. Note to self; "Get invited to more Kuwaiti weddings"
What is Knafa ? [link]

Serious Lunch

2009-06-11T06:00:00.000+03:00

Came across this site the other day, has some cool stuff on it like photographs, videos and a blog. Some of it is crazy but cool. Check it out

Serious Lunch [link]

They have a Youtube channel as well..

X-men prank :)

Safest places in the world

2009-06-10T16:00:00.001+03:00

Kuwait comes in at number 42 out of around 144 countries. If the people who did the survey bothered to drive here for a day or so I'm sure they would change their minds. Sure we don't have any terrorists or suicide bombers here but we have a lot of suicidal drivers who're just as dangerous.

Rediff news [link]

Safari 4

2009-06-09T10:41:00.002+03:00

Apple announced the release of Safari 4 and many claim it has enhanced their Internet experience with faster web page loading times. I wasn't really impressed with the previous version, lets hope the new one is as fast as they claim.

Download Safari 4 from Apple [link]

Musical fountain

2009-06-09T06:00:00.000+03:00

There's some activity going on at the musical fountain and I've noticed that they've refilled the fountain. Looks like they might reopen in the next few days. Its located on Soor Street, right after the Ice skating rink and next to Discovery mall.

Wikimapia [link]

Smart phone ??

2009-06-08T06:00:00.003+03:00

Which one of the two phones in the picture can send and receive SMS's, store contacts, browse the internet, run Java apps and most importantly make phone calls ? If you thought the one on the left... WRONG !!!

One of my friends got a new iPhone 3G and promptly 'bricked' it while installing an update. Now the 200+ KD device plays mp3 and shows the time. Hes now waiting for OS 3 to come to the rescue. If there are any iPhone geeks out there please help.

ABC Laban with mint

2009-06-07T21:44:00.005+03:00

I'm a KDD guy but this summer I'm hooked on this stuff. Not too salty or thick and with just the right amount of mint. :) I wonder if KDD has an equivalent product.

Awesome Kuwaiti photographers

2009-06-07T06:00:00.001+03:00

A lot of people may not know this but there are a lot of very talented artists in Kuwait and recently I've noticed a lot more exhibitions and art related events in Kuwait, which is a good thing.

Last week I had the honor of meeting one of my Flickr contacts in person when I visited the KVWC exhibition. Here are some more talented guys on Flickr. (click on the names to see their photostreams)

GTM

Bonemer

Talal

AlFoudry

KVWC 8th Environment Exhibition

2009-06-05T23:55:00.000+03:00

I passed by the KVWC photo exhibition at the Avenues today. Very nice collection of photos by Kuwaiti photographers. I met a couple of them and they even recorded my comments on video. Wonder which channel they worked for.. :)
Closes on 6th so hurry.

Bing Search Engine

2009-06-04T06:00:00.000+03:00

Has anyone starting using Bing ? Its still in Beta and touted to be as good as or better than Google? I havent had time to check it out thoroughly but I did try the shopping search feature coz I'm looking for a new bag and want to get the lowest price. Looks wise I prefer the simpler interface of google.

Bing [link]

What am I ??

2009-06-03T06:00:00.000+03:00

There's a well known saying ; " You are what you eat ". Well then, what the hell am I ?? Even though it may not be the tastiest lunch in the world my healthy lunches are sure colorful.

. Steamed Holland mushrooms,
. poached chicken thighs,
. mixed boiled veggies and
. stuffed olives.

. Pan roasted mushrooms,
. poached chicken breasts,
. steamed cauliflowers and
. stuffed Spanish olives on a bed of Romaine lettuce.

Largest bucket of KFC in Kuwait

2009-06-02T10:52:00.003+03:00

The largest bucket of KFC in the world just had to be done in Kuwait. Why am I not surprised ?They might even make this a regular on our menus :P

Business Intelligence Me [Link]

Terminator Salvation - Review

2009-06-02T00:00:00.000+03:00

This is one of 2009's most eagerly awaited sequels and I was beside myself with excitement as I arrived at the theater. I didn't pay much regard to the movie pundits reviews that the movie was without 'soul'. I mean c'mon its a Terminator movie and even though the third installment really sucked this one couldn't be as bad. As many of you have already heard, Arnie is not making an appearance in this one, although there is a digitized cameo.

Once again I don't wish to reveal much about the movie since there's no way to explain the fine points without giving away the story. But here's what I can say; this movie offers real bang for your buck. Mega explosions, Terminators in all shapes and sizes and a great performance from Christian Bale.

For those of you not familiar with the Terminator story line it would be a good idea to re-visit the previous installments.

Book your tickets here. KNCC [link]

Riding to Ponmudi Hills

2009-06-01T06:00:00.000+03:00

This past weekendI was going thru my old biking photographs taken on numerous expeditions to rural areas and now I miss the twisting curves and and open air freedom of a two wheeler. While driving in Kuwait is relaxing when compared to the chaotic traffic in India, I do miss the winding roads sometimes. One of my favorite rides was the one to Nandi Hills in Bangalore and Ponmudi Hills in Trivandrum.

Ponmudi hill, Trivandrum [link]

The more technical route is Ponmudi with its famous/infamous 22 hairpin curves that test the limits of man and machine. When going uphill you have to make sure to keep a distance from the apex and not lean fully into it as you may get thrown over a cliff and when coming downhill always use engine braking and also be careful not to overwork the clutch to prevent it from overheating.

Theres nothing to beat that feeling of accomplishment after a long satisfying ride with a few close buddies or even by yourself. I WANT MY BIKE BACK !!!

Lightwriting

2009-05-30T06:00:00.000+03:00

Lightwriting is the art of creating abstract designs or shapes with light. Its done using a very slow shutter speed like 10 seconds or more and this creates a stream of light across the frame. My friends and I experimented with this technique and this is what we came up with..

This is how you do it;
1. setup your camera on the tripod at eye level and focus on the subject
2. use the Shutter priority mode and use shutter duration of 10 seconds or more
3. you can use the remote to release the shutter or set the timer so that there's minimal blur
4. use a flashlight or portable light source and draw shapes in the air.

Good posture - IMPORTANT

2009-05-28T06:00:00.000+03:00

Being in the IT field we remind ourselves a lot to maintain a correct posture since we're in front of the PC for most of the day. But this is something else completely!

Via Gizmodo [link]

Anuj Nair, photographer and more..

2009-05-27T06:00:00.001+03:00

Mr. Anuj Nair is one of my friends on Flickr and also from my hometown. He is an extremely talented photographer and song writer. If you take a look at his photostream you'll see that he has takes breathtaking nature photos.

Recently I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he had made a series of music videos and one of them is a fully animated music video made by himself.

Check out his videos on Youtube

My love for you [link]

Simple truth [link]

Anuj's Flickr stream [link]

Personal website [link]

Wansa VT 9010 - Review

2009-05-26T06:00:00.000+03:00

Most people in Kuwait are familiar with the 'Wansa' brand thanks to heavy marketing by Alghanim Electronics. Although Wansa is a relatively new entrant in the home electronics market it seems to have captured a significant market share with its reasonable pricing and long feature list. Why am I saying all this ?? Well, for the past decade or more cordless phones in our household were always Panasonic. Over the years we've used a lot of different models and never really thought of straying from it... until now.

Meet the Wansa VT 9010 cordless telephone. I was kinda skeptical about the Wansa brand and thats why I'm writing this review almost 6 months after I bought the phone..coz I expected it to go bust in a month. Guess I was wrong !

What I like:
. Slim and sexy design
. Can sync more than one handset to a single base unit
. 300+ contacts phone book
. Good menu and interface
. Great sound quality and loud speakerphone
. Ni-MH batteries instead of Ni-Cad
. Reasonable price

What I dont like
. High glossy body that attracts fingerprints and scratches easily
. Doesnt have a 'Flash option' to quickly disconnect the line
. Messed up text input system and no T-9 dictionary or similar option

There's one with an answering machine built-in which is around 18KD while this model is 12KD

Wansa Alghanim [link]

Weekend fun in the city

2009-05-25T06:00:00.001+03:00

With rising temperatures in Kuwait the only time to go out without burning yourself into a human tikka would have to be after sundown. I rounded up a few of my buddies, bundled my camera gear into SJ's car and headed off to shoot some night shots.

We did a lot more than shoot SJ's car , we did some experiments with light drawing. I still havent uploaded those since there are a lot of them in the memory card and I need to do some sorting. Keep watching this space for more pictures.

Iraqi driver's license ??

2009-05-21T06:00:00.000+03:00

Got this in the mail today... is this for real ?? ROFL !

Click on image to enlarge

Angels & Demons - Review

2009-05-19T00:38:00.002+03:00

Being a fan of the books by Dan Brown I must say that I had a small doubt in the back of mind whether the movie would be as good. The thing I like about Dan Brown's books are the level of detail and vivid portrayal of the history behind certain events or situations and this could also be why a lover of his books would be left hungry for more after watching the screen adaptation.

Overall this is a very well executed movie with references to all the points made in the novel although the writers had to hurry thru most of them since time is a factor in the movie business. Having said that , this movie is quite long and runs over 2 and a quarter hours with certain parts feeling a little slow in pace.

I'd recommend this movie if you're too lazy to read the book but if you're a book worm... READ THE NOVEL FIRST !

Angels & Demons at IMDB [link]

Book tickets here [link]

D60 vs H5

2009-05-18T06:00:00.002+03:00

A lot of people have asked me about upgrading from a point and shoot to a DSLR and the most often asked question is.. "is it worth spending all that money on a camera?" After using the D60 for a couple of months my answer is "HELL YEAH!!" An SLR provides much more than a P&S in terms of controls and expandability and plus theres lesser noise at higher ISOs and I can shoot in RAW!

On the other hand there are quite a few features that I miss on the D60 that I previously enjoyed on the H5. I've made a list of the features I have now and the ones I'm missing

I have:
. Amazing response and zero flash recharge lag
. Lots of lens options from Nikon and other third parties like Sigma and Tamron
. Hot shoe for external flash
. Solid build quality
. Full manual controls
. Less noise at higher ISO speeds
. RAW image shooting
. Faster burst mode

I dont have:
. Live view (available only on more expensive models like the D90)
. Exposure bracketing
. Depth of field preview
. Live histogram
. Video recording

Some of the features on this list are now available on the newly released Nikon D5000

Yahoo MSN merger

2009-05-17T06:00:00.002+03:00

I get many of these prize email every week and since I'm already a multi-millionaire thanks to the good people of Nigeria and Somalia, I've decided to give away the prize to my loyal readers. Please send them an email with your details and claim the money.

Click on the picture to enlarge

The subject line of this mail is what got my attention. The unthinkable has finally happened and both Yahoo and MSN have joined forces.

New shows

2009-05-16T03:26:00.005+03:00

This month I added a couple of new shows to my watch list;

Fringe
This is an awesome series that's a cross between The X-files and some of those forensics dramas like CSI. The acting can be boring or too wooden sometimes but the sci fi bits are really cool.

Fringe at TV.com [link]

The Mentalist
A detective series, but with a guy whos a real brainiac and a psychic .

Mentalist at TV.com [link]

Also watching

Family Guy Season 7

24 Season 6 (just one more season to go!)

and I just finished Top Gear Season 12 (the Vietnam special was fantastic) [link]

The Da Vinci (Arabic) code

2009-05-14T06:00:00.001+03:00

This is dedicated to all the expats in Kuwait and Middle East who get confused when chatting with their Arab friends. I'm talking about the numbers that are used in place of certain sounds. For example you might see something like this "7alla" or "6alabat". What prompted me to write this post was when one of my friends kept referring to 'Six-al-abat" which makes no sense ! :)

Let me break it down to you

2 = "A"
3 = "Ain"
5 = "Kha"
6= "Tha"
7= "Ha"
9= "Sa"

Update: Soon after posting this I came across this on Yahoo Answers where there's a much more detailed answer from a more knowledgeable person
Yahoo Answers [link]

Update: A reader just sent me an even better link from Wikipedia [link]
Thanks Abid !

Unlucky number ??

2009-05-13T01:00:00.000+03:00

At our gym we have lockers based on first come first served basis and since I'm one of the first guys there I just pick an empty locker. But the past couple of days I've been getting to the gym late and this is the only locker available. The first few days I didnt notice but its been a week now and WTF ?? no one takes locker #13 !! Its like I have my personal locker !

How superstitious are you ? Use the poll to tell me

ps. Just noticed the date today!

Useful software

2009-05-12T06:00:00.001+03:00

I recently had to restore the factory image on one of my computers recently since the DVDRW was acting up and I had exhausted all methods to bring it back to life. Unfortunately the only way was to restore the factory image which is almost like a re-format of the whole machine. (The drive works perfectly now by the way)

One of the chores I have to go thru when I format my PC is reinstalling all the little softwares I had running on it. Here are some of the essential items I have on my system;

Free AVG Antivirus [link]

Irfanview image browser [link]

Winamp music player [link]

Bittorent [link]

From one of my previous posts a few friends asked me about playing .mkv files on their pcs and for this I use a codec pack from CCCP
CCCP codecs [link]

Now for some non-essential yet useful software

File unlocker [link]

Marxio Timer [link]

Creative Zen Xfi- Review

2009-05-10T18:30:00.000+03:00

Ive had this player for about a month I’m really impressed with it. This the Creative Zen Xfi with wireless Lan, 16GB. It’s primarily an mp3 and video player and hosts a whole lot of extras.
I’m one of those types who love to drag and drop files into my directories rather than allow software to ‘sync’ my player and computer. One of my gripes with devices like the iPod were that they didn’t allow the freedom to drag and drop files.

Heres a quick look at the specs
16 GB capacity
2.5 Inch LCD with 16 million colors
FM radio
Wireless LAN and media streaming from Creative Media Server (I still haven’t used this feature)
Expandability with SD card slot

Pros:
Very light and compact
Good battery life
Sound and video quality is impressive
Drag and drop files to player, recognized in Windows as a external storage device/media player
Plug and play on windows without the need for special drivers or software
In –ear earphones are good but bass response is lower than open air types
No jerkiness or video lag even for large files

Cons:
Buttons are placed together and I press the wrong buttons sometimes
External card is not integrated into the main menu and you have to access the card separately
The glossy front attracts a lot of fingerprints
Wireless LAN not really a useful feature and I could have done without it
Doesn’t come with a power charger, it comes with a USB cable to charge via USB
All in all it’s a neat player and I recommend it.

Reviews
Digit geek [link]

Anything but iPod[link]

Is there something wrong with the water ?

2009-05-10T11:37:00.007+03:00

Whats up with all the water filter salesmen in Kuwait recently? Every other day theres a guy at the door selling one of those multi-stage, reverse osmosis water purifiers. I let the guy do his demonstration once and he went on to test the water in my house with a little electronic device and told me there was a lot of dirt and dissolved solids in the tap water here.

In all my life in Kuwait I’ve never had any issues with the quality of water, sure sometimes there may be too much chlorine in it but water borne diseases are unheard of. How many times have you heard of a cholera or jaundice outbreak in Kuwait?

All these salesmen claim that there are lots of microbes in the water that need to be removed with reverse osmosis and that the water we drink from the tap is full of harmful minerals and chemicals.

What I want to know is if there is a testing facility in Kuwait that can provide an unbiased water purity test or whether there’s a government agency that performs these tests on a regular basis. Any readers out there who can provide more information on this would be greatly appreciated.

Water borne illnesses [link]
Report about water in Kuwait [link]

I use a water filter with a clay filter, do I really need a high end water purifier ? Use the new opinion poll to vote.

Office workers

2009-05-07T06:00:00.001+03:00

Got this in the mail today. Which category do you fit into ?

Click on picture to enlarge

Rate my Q80 ride gathering

2009-05-07T06:00:00.000+03:00

I've never been to one of these events but I might if time permits. Location and time not yet decided so keep watching for updates.

Ratemy Q80ride [link]

New DSL rates for Qualitynet

2009-05-06T09:46:00.004+03:00

I saw this on the Qualitynet website today, I initially wanted to switch over to KEMS or FT since they had better offers but now Qnet is just as good so I guess I'll be staying with Qnet for another year.

Qualitynet [link]

X-Men Origins Wolverine - Review

2009-05-05T00:04:00.001+03:00

Let me begin by saying... I am soooo glad I didn't download the unfinished movie unlike the millions of impatient guys out there. This is one hell of a movie and I'm waiting for the DVD to come out later this year so that I can see it again and again.

Gone are the days when movies based on comic books would be considered childish and nerd oriented. Wolverine's complex history and background are very skillfully depicted in the opening scenes and so too is his relationship with Victor Creed aka Sabretooth. This movie manages to satisfy both comic book fans and new comers to the X-men Universe. I cant write much more without giving away spoilers so go out there and watch this movie.

Is Twitter for you ??

2009-05-03T22:51:00.007+03:00

Yeah this is just what we needed ! another medium to let people know you've just farted or are down in the dumps coz your girl friend left you since you were too busy texting, chatting, facebook'ing and tweeting to notice her. Sheesh ! Twitter seems to be spreading like a virus now, almost anyone with an internet connection seems to be on this latest fad.

The question is.. do we really need to know that you just had a tuna and mayo sandwich or that the itch you had in your groin turned out to be Crabs ? What ever it maybe I don't think the average person would like to update something every now and then with mundane everyday happenings. I see potential with a Rock group for example.. coz you can keep track of the cities they are hitting and so on but for common man Joe ? Nah !

Haven't heard of Twitter??.. well, crawl out from under that rock and click this [link]

20 K milestone

2009-05-03T22:20:00.000+03:00

I got my car back from the service center this evening after an overnight stay at the garage. The car's done over 20,000 and runs like a dream. I've been putting off writing an extensive review since I've had it for more than a year and put it through 80% of its potential. This review will be coming soon I promise, but my post is about something else.

When I decided to buy a Mitsubishi Outlander back in 2008 I met with a lot of disapproval from both friends and family. The most common remark was that the service at Al Mulla was less than professional and not at all a good experience. I beg to differ ! I've been getting my car serviced at frequent intervals as per company recommendation and each service was carried out promptly and to my satisfaction. All the service personell and garage staff are knowledgeable and courteous. So you can imagine my confusion... am I a lucky customer or are they really this good ??

The only bad experience I had was when I went to one of the showrooms to get a first look at the car but thats not an issue now. Anyway the car runs like a charm and I'm very satisfied with the service from Al Mulla. If any of you guys have any experiences with them kindly leave a comment. Thanks

Google Transliterate

2009-05-02T22:26:00.010+03:00

Another gem from Google Labs. This stuff is fricking awesome. For those of you who cant write in their native language script but can speak it this is for you. I was trying it out just now and it works great !

Indian language options are;

Bengali
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada
Malayalam
Marathi
Nepali
Tamil
Telugu

And they have an Arabic page too, I cross checked the output with Google translator to confirm the 'transliteration'.

Google Transliterate Indian Languages [link]
Google Transliterate Arabic [link]

Relaxing weekend

2009-05-02T17:05:00.007+03:00

I've been busy for the past week or so and was looking forward to a much needed break this weekend. Fortunately the weather wasn't too bad last Friday and I had a heck of a time at the beach. Now I'm all charged up to tackle whatever comes my way this week.

This post is dedicated to my buddy "Deshabhimani" who is a fan of my Three B philosophy. Read about the Three B's here [link]

Wolverine in Kuwait, April 30

2009-04-27T19:00:00.004+03:00

This is one of my most anticipated movies of 2009 and we're gonna see it a day before the rest of the world !! Thanks to the weekend movie change here, Wolverine will be released in Kuwait on April 30th instead of May 1st. Now if only the censors didn't butcher the movie and mess up the movie experience.

Book you tickets here [link]

Massive fire in Kuwait

2009-04-26T13:00:00.003+03:00

Theres a massive fire somewhere on road # 50, no idea whats on fire or how it happened