I got this amazing Nike Airmax pair as a gift from a friend of mine who knows about my wood fetish. I would’ve appreciated a bit more colors (beige maybe) but the the sneaker as it is, is still awesome. It might not be clear in this picture but the sneaker actually has a part (bottom) with the texture of dark brown wood.

According to him they’re one pair of only 26 in the middleast and they were released as a limited edition globally too. I had to pick them from the Avenues’ Footlocker as it’s the only store that stocks them here.

Thanks buddy

I just got back from The Avenues mall. I’ve always thought the location was shit, since it’s close to an industrial area and my thoughts couldn’t be more right when I struggled to find a way to get into the mall since I came from the 5th Ring Road from Jahra side. Anyways, after a long unnecessary trip I managed to find the entrance and I parked my car downstairs in their absolutely spacious parking lot.

I knew Carefoure is supposed to open there and everybody is waiting for the gap too but all I cared about was two brands I absolutely love and adore, Footlocker and H&M’s men’s store.

Footlocker absolutely didn’t disappoint, the showroom is way larger than Marina’s and it had an amazing collection. I was like a kid in candy store. They have an opening promotion too where if you buy anything you get a gym bag filled with some goodies (my favorite of which, a shiny red metallic water bottle). Talking about red awesome things, you totally got to check out that red sneaker designed by Porsche Design for Adidas. I just hope somebody wiped my drool off the floor near that shelf.

Now it was another kind of story for H&M, I was looking forward seeing the showroom design and check out their prices really more than seeing their collection as I have already did that when I was at their store in Mall of The Emirates in Dubai. Apparently H&M was so pressed with time they didn’t even bother have a standard for hiring people for the store. More than once I get approached by a salesman who’s unshaved, sweaty and really just plain disgusting as if they just came out of some garage in Shuwaikh’s industrial area. They didn’t even behave like the usual H&M’s friendly staff you find in other stores. Some guy was like “Hay abou el shabaab, keefak?”, “badak shee?” … all I could think about was “badi shee mino shino you disgusting fuck”. I just simply didn’t appreciate the shopping experience I had in a place that I really really love.

OK, I click with a lot of indian things. The people, the culture, the music, the girls, the art and most importantly … the food. I blame our home manager for that, she familiarized us with the indian kitchen so much that we forgot about the thin line between it and the indian-influnced kuwaiti kitchen.

Sargam is one of my favorite resturants in the Mirqaab area. It’s not your average indian resturant, nooo. If Sargam’s owner knew shit about positioning, Sargam would be Indian food for the working indian people. You can’t find keema or any other dish that has any chicken or meat in it because Sargam is a vegetarian resturant, however, their dishes (that I have no idea what they’re called) are always delicious and they will leave your nose running in seconds.

That’s what you would get if you go to sargam for lunch/ dinner, a big steel dish with three tins filled with differnt kinds of food. Some salad tossed on the side and one piece of a dessert item, not to mention the free water. You also get some bread or rice. All of that only for 650 fils. One of the coolest things about sargam is once you’re done with a tin, they would refill it, for free. However, extra bread will cost you something like 50 fils.

It’s very very normal for somebody to just enter the resturant and sit on the same table you’re having your lunch on. Hell, I remember once the manager was doing his books on the same table. OK I got the pictures to prove it.

I just love their shut-the-fuck-up-and-eat attitude.

P.S: Sargam is not a place you want to have your breakfast at.

I might/ might not add to this later.

Two days ago I finished reading Persepolis : The Story of a Childhood. Almost an auto-biographical comic book by Marjane Satrapi about the life of a little girl, marji, during the fall of the Shah of Iran and the rise of the islamic revolution. Marjane’s drawing style was really nice, childish a bit (she comes from a children books background) yet very effective as this whole story is about childhood.

I don’t know why I kept trying to live the story from the girl’s perspective and even found myself linking some of the events to my memories of the Iraqi invasion and the daily happenings in our kuwaiti society these days.

All in all the book was an easy read, full of realities and hardcore drama that puts Fajr Al Saeed to shame. I really wanted to cry by the end of this book.

I will definitely check out her Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return and Embroideries. Anybody has any idea what’s the right way to pronounce her name? Is it like Mary-Jane? or Marjaan?

That beauty spot is killing me.

Update: I meant to write something about how this book reminded me of the Iraqi film “Al Hodoud Al Multaheba” الحدود الملتهبة I don’t know why I totally forgot about this film, I don’t think I even thought about this film for the past ten years. I just remember this scene where a soldier is riding a motorcycle and jumping a little clef only to be greeted by a bazooka rocket.

After few successful singles, James murphy released his first and his best album. He recentlly announced from the Bowery Balroom in newyork while they, LCD Soundsystem, were playing their last gig in their tour, “After this show, we’re done. We’ll go on and quitely make bad albums.”

I think that line will be a good starter for “Losing My Edge” Part 2.

His music is something like a rock band making dance music. So yeah check out the guy who played daft punk for the “rock kids” in CBGB.

Talking about CBGB, according to popbitch, They lost their house in Newyork but they were offered a new one in Las Vegas.

NOT AVAILBLE FOR DOWNLOAD ANYMORE

The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
I’m not familiar with thier earlier releases but I love this two-guys prog rock band not only because both of them has an afro but because they knew how to use the idea of the ’single’ to its full extent (They just released a 77 minute single, 5 tracks) and while SPIN magazine recommends ‘The Widow’ track and describes it ‘Like Led zepplin with a bigger organ’, I recommend “L’via L’viaquez” for the smooth transitions between prog rock solos and sweet slow latin parts and the almost Oud-ish solos by the end of the 12:28 minutes track. I don’t know what the title means nor some of the lyrics of that track (latin lyrics) but it just does it to me.

The Outlaws - Too Many Fools Following Too Many Rules
A Kick ass mix CD, Availble for your downloading pleasure for free.
Ideal for a MoParty.

فيروز - بيتي زغير بكندا
Fairouz is realizing in this track how suitable jazz music is for her. She sang this track in two concerts in canada last month. This track’s music is not composed by ziad, which is like ‘what?’. It’s written by her daughter Rima Al Rahbani and composed by Louise Gaste. For my fellow fairouz suckers out there, I need five requests to put this track online.

I was sitting in the almost empty first row minding my own business, when this muhajabah chick who’s somehow related to hala February festival (PR Shit) came and sat next to me. Now I’m ok with sitting next to muhajabaat and everything but I’m not ok with a million fucker trying to get pictures of that muhajabah who sat next to me. I started involuntary shifting in my seat, doing some weird body gestures saying ‘FUCK OFF I DON’T WANT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED, NOT NEXT TO THIS CHICK’. However they continued taking pictures (Stills & Video). Who knew Kuwait cinema club film weeks are that important to the hala wallah festival. Tell me If you see a weird guy wearing orange shirt with afro sitting next to a muhajbah. It should be in the papers today.

Tangos – Silvana Deluigi & Luis Di Matteo

Gotan Project - La Revancha del Tango

The Soundtrack of ‘Tango’ of course.

BTW, I still want to dance.

Goran Bregovic & Iggy pop - In the deathcar
From the soundtrack of Arizona Dream. Here’s your only chance to hear Iggy pop sing over some Arabic kanoon and gypsy brass music, he also do some ‘aaaahh’ in very Arabic/middle eastern way. This track was used as the Intro track for the movie. Another Version of this track was used as the outro, the title is “This is a film”. This lyrics of the outro are kinda funny but also wise and thoughtful, but you have to see the movie to get it. He doesn’t really sing, It’s almost rapping in a very slow way Actually the whole track have this weird hip-hopish feel to it, No snares involved though.

The Cardigans - Love Fool
I’m addicted to this track and I have to sing with it in a very high pitch every time I listen to it … In addition to some girlish hand moves and steady left/right/left/right body movement.

Tenacious D - Fuck Her Gently
Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks! Jack Black Rocks!

Duane Eddy- Rebel Rouser
Lately I’ve been trying to listen to as much surf rock as I can, I just love the sound of the guitar with the spring reverb cranked to the max. This track is a classic surf rock anthem, complete with a brass section. Very Tarantino if you know what I mean.

I will try to write a mini-review of ‘Black Cat, White Cat’, I’m not sure I will remember everything but let’s see.

Now almost familiar with the director’s style and his story telling tricks, I can safely say that “Black Cat, …” have the most realistic story of all emir’s film that I have seen.

You can totally find yourself there and you can see it happening in our daily life. It’s all about الزواج قسمة ونصيب and how it’s destined for people to be with specific people (hence the film title, Black Cat, White Cat) However, Emir doesn’t fall for the same old clichéd ways of telling this kind of stories (heavily used by our local and Egyptian TV directors).

It’s about this guy and his failed investment and how he’s trying to compensate his investor’s loss by forcing his son, who’s in love with another girl, to marry the investor’s (short and supposedly ugly) sister who’s also against getting married with someone she doesn’t love.

The director did a really good job when it came to portraying the lifestyle of the gypsies of … (wherever). I also noticed something about the director’s approach to the soundtrack of his films, mostly music have to be actually played on the set in front of the camera, I don’t know but it just smells like dogme 95.

They are supposed to be watching ‘that singer who can pull a nail out of wood with her ass’. Crazy. That guy on the left is the director.

I should mention that after the screening of “black cat, …”. I “accidentally” met Shadyq80, really nice guy. We both had nothing to do so we went for coffee. So we were talking and getting to know each other and ‘ebgedrat gader’ I turned our first meeting into a brainstorming session for some project I’m working on. You can’t blame me, I mean we were talking about what we are doing and stuff that’s when I mentioned my idea and he was like ‘dude, this got potential’ and started voluntarily thinking for me and he came up with some good ideas too, smart guy indeed. BTW, Is Branka Katic hot or what?

Umm … what else?

I have some other misc shit, I will save it for one of those ‘ramblings’ posts.

Sorry, I was tired yesterday when I came home and I didn’t feel like writing anything. Now, After a healthy dose of sleep and chicken I feel like writing.

Underground, was indeed the shit, It’s about these two friends … their weird friendship, and the underground society which was founded by one of them .. the story is kinda complex and I sure need to watch again to fully understand it.

The music was pumping almost the whole time, Actually it was funny because it wasn’t a pre-recorded tracks or anything It was (supposedly) a live performance. Their was this band (I believe it’s the director’s band) that goes wherever (blacky) might go and they would always play for him whether it was a ride home, a wedding or even a fight “Play Louder and Faster” Goddamn funny. And there was this very cool actor (blacky’s friend) who looked a lot like (saleh el bawi) … he was funny as hell and his facial expressions were an added quality.

The movie can’t be categorized as comedy at all, although there were some light humorous scenes here and there but mainly it was a dramatic story revolving around blacky (an underground manufacture of weapons) and his friend Marko (politician) and Natalija (Actress and the wife of one of them or both of them … really complex shit).

I really appreciate the fact that nothing was censored, they have this nice rule ‘you have to be 18 or older to join the club’, fair enough.

Ok, so here’s a link to amazon where you can order the film on dvd, and when you do please tell me so I can borrow it from you and never return it back. Thanks.

BTW, Don’t you think saleh el bawi is one of the most under-rated Kuwaiti actors out there. You have to read his books to fully appreciate this person. I would kick any judgmental motherfucker in the face if he said “oh that guy is crazy, he’s nuts, cuckoo … ya know’. Just because he didn’t do ‘masterpieces’ like ‘gergai3an’ it doesn’t mean he’s crazy or boring.

Gergai3an my Ass.

I’m forcing my self to read the last two chapters of this book. It’s a good book and every thing it’s just some times naomi gets very detaild about the issues she’s talking about. No it’s not about logos and graphic design. It’s more about the dark side of big corporations and how they are taking over our lives.

It’s really weird that the only time i read this book is when I’m waiting for my appointment with the dentitst. By the way why people are always starring at me while reading? Is it that strange for some one to read in public spaces? Also for some odd reason people always assume that I’m “studying” when they see me reading a book. The Dentist asked me “what are you studying?” he also asked me “what are your hobbies?” How gay is that.