Danderma's Blog, page 115

Help: Where to Find Funky Modern Tableware in Kuwait?

I am looking for a place in Kuwait that sells modern tea sets (estekanas and ma6arat) and tableware. I want something really really modern and funky, uber modern, reasonably priced and doesn't cost 300 KD per cup.

Do you have any idea where I can find such a store? Ever since I moved I realized I don't have proper dining supplies at all apart from my bodum collection of cups and tea and coffee pots. Help please?

Preview: The 99: Unbound Movie

In case you have been living under a rock or something recently, The 99 are a group of superheros created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and basic on Islamic & Arabic culture. The 99 have been getting quite a recognition lately, most famously by President Obama himself. The movie, The 99: unbound has made its debut in NYC and will hit the screens of Cinescape by the end of February but I was fortunate enough to have been invited to a VIP preview of The 99 last week

I was in the middle of moving house. I was sick with a high fever and a bad cough. However I did not stay home and went to the event at 7:30 PM on the dot as the invitation had stated. I would not miss this, not for illness or personal reasons. 7:35 PM and we were seated, punctuality meaning something for once in Kuwaiti events!

The movie theatre was chock full of media and people. However it did not take that long to start the movie after a short speech given by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa. We sat back and enjoyed the show.

If you love comic books and animation movies you will love the movie. 99 refer to 99 different power stones called "Noor" stones that when awarded to someone he gets special powers that they can use for good or for evil. Dr. Ramsey leads the hunt for people with Noor stones and is in a race with the Evil Rughal who is doing the same except he wants the power of the Noor stones to help him rule the world.

The Noor stones when put together can actually become stronger and make use of each other's powers. Here is a shot were three of the stones were joined together.

Was the movie good? Movie is good. Plot is interesting. The graphics are excellent.  An unfamiliar recognition of familiar names rings in your ear and you remember that this created by a Kuwaiti man. We are very proud indeed.

At the end as we left each guest was presented with a 99 bag chock full of 99 stuff. It was quite a night indeed which filled us with pride and joy. A night to remember for sure. My Bu Tootee was so jealous :p

Thank you Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa for extending this invite. We wish you more success in your future endeavors. To learn more about the 99 you can check out their website e(link) their facebook page (link) or follow them on Twitter (@the99comics).

P.S. Does anyone else think that Dr. Ramsey actually looks a little like Dr. Naif :p

Movie Review: Safe House

If I learn about a movie starring Denzel Washington then to me it becomes a must see movie. Therefore I couldn't wait to see "Safe House" when it arrived to the cinescape next to us recently. I had taken time off my hectic schedule just so I could enjoy an hour and a half of Denzel acting on the big screen.

So how was the movie? It was good. It was really good and Denzel was great. We enjoyed it thoroughly but the story line is not that original. It has been overused before: A rogue ex-CIA agent brought it for questioning in a safe house and then the safe house gets breached and he and the CIA agent who is the housekeeper go on the run.

Lots of action: blood, car chases, and bullets. A twist in the end that makes you like the movie even more. The movie was a good movie in general but not something I would want to watch again or have in my DVD collection. For Denzel standards this could possibly be his most boring and unoriginal movie ever. 7safa

Shanghai Tang's Valentine Gift

I came home yesterday for another surprise: a Valentine's day gift from Shanghai Tang in their signature pink and green bag!

Inside was an immaculately wrapped package that looked so good I thought opening it would be a pity!

and a nice card along with it

What was inside?

A bottle of "Tea Tonic" home fragrance! A perfect gift for someone who have just moved house and loves collecting home fragrances and perfumes

Smells good too!

Thank you Shanghai Tang for your generous gift. I must stop by and check the rest of the home fragrance range Shanghai Tang's shop is located in the Avenues Phase II.

10 Things You Should Know Before Moving…

1- There are three ways to look for an apartment: Wasee6 listings, Findq8.com listings,and driving around newly built houses, looking for the night guard and asking for the owner's mobile number. Our favorite method is FindQ8. You choose real just list the area and you search and all the latest offerings are available for you, updated daily. We found our current apartment there.

2- If you look around for an apartment, and you will see tons of apartments, then make sure you are viewing it during the day time so you would know the amount of natural light that is let in by the windows. Check the parking spaces of the building, are there enough parking spaces for everyone? You will be surprised that not many care about parking, figuring you can probably park your helicopter in the helipad above your building!

3- If you see an apartment and you have a sinking feeling in your heart even if it ticks all the right boxes, then don't take it. DO NOT TAKE IT. There are one million and one apartments in this country, new ones coming up everyday. One day you will find the one for you that makes you happy to live in. You don't have to spend money to live in a place that makes you miserable and eventually drives you to move out!

4- Start packing the moment you decide moving. Before packing throw away anything that you can leave behind. Basically anything you've never used for over a year you can live without. The less you move the faster you are settled. Trust me, I am surrounded by one million boxes and they are driving me mad.

5- You can buy boxes for around 750-1.500 KD a box. You can also get empty boxes from Co-Ops by asking any of the guys that work there. The money you save can be used towards redecorating your new place especially if you have a lot of boxes to use.

6- When choosing boxes always go for the small and medium ones. Ask for Kitco, Mary biscuit, or comfort boxes because the smaller the box the less heavy it will be when filled up. Kleenex boxes are big and good for moving pillows and/or clothes.

7- There are many companies and many options for moving out there. Heed my advice and remember this: Always always ALWAYS hire Egyptian Sa3ayda movers.  They are strong masha2 Allah and move in and out of the house in a flash as apposed to other movers who cannot move much or take forever talking and chatting. No wonder the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids!

8- The last thing you should pack (and unpack) is the carpets. If you make the mistake of packing them first and putting them on the floor so it would feel much homier and cosy, then be ready to hire a cleaning company to pick them up because there will become dirty.

9- Extra thick extra large black garbage bags with a handle are your moving buddy. Use them before the move, during the move, and after the move to pick up the debris.

10- Pack a bag for your first night in your new home just like you would pack for a weekend trip to Dubai. If you can afford move in several days rather than one day the first thing you should move is the bedroom. If not then make sure your bedroom is the first thing you have set up and unboxed.

Happy hunting/boxing/unboxing/moving!

P.S. If you require a brand new apartment that has never been lived in before be firm in your demands over the phone with the agent. Several times we've seen dirty apartments and when we said we wanted a new one they would say "Well it is new. Its only been lived in a year before!".

Review: The Kitchen

I received an invitation to try out The Kitchen 's newest branch in The Village. To be frank I was very reluctant to accept given that I had had a very bad experience with the Kitchen food when it first opened. But then the restaurant manager Mr. Tijoe Mathew George told me that they have changed the menu entirely so it would not be what I had experienced before.

It was a sunny yet chilly weekend day when we arrived. Which seems like a life time away now. The restaurant had a very nice outdoorsy seating area but the weather is still too cold to sit outside so we decided to go inside!

Inside was nicely decorated in a rustic country with a modern touch style. Floor to ceiling windows let in a lot of light inside. The plush cushions on the chair make it very comfortable while you are sitting on them too.

As we sat down we were greeted by the Mr. Tijoe Mathew George who was very sweet and actually does read my blog. Here is a shout out to him *waves*. As we were talking we got the m wooden covered menus and the utensils which are served in clear preserve jars. Very nice indeed.

Then as we were flipping through the menu a complimentry tray of fresh Tabbouleh with mini pita bread pockets and a Tzatziki (Yogurt with cucumbers) and Tahina sauce were presented to us.

We started with drinks: me a diet sprite and Bu Tootee had a fresh red apple based drink that he adored and kept raving about.

For appetizers and based on Mr. George's recommendations we got the following: The beetroot salad.

One of the Kitchen's popular salads, this is a dish that was hogged by Bu Tootee who adored it and said it was really good. I am not a fan of beetroot so it was fine by me.

If you are a fan of beetroot then you must try this salad.

Next we had breaded mushroom toast with two dips.

A dish that is great for sharing especially when dipped in Marinara sauce.

Was it good? It really was. There is something, some herb or spice used for the mushroom that gave it a distinctive taste and made it very tasty. I truly enjoyed this dish.

Next came the Quesadillas: Chicken for Bu Tootee and Vegetarian ones for me. The Tortillas were really good and freshly made. Even though Quesadillas are not my favorite Mexican dish but these were really good.

Freshly made guacamole and sour cream accompanied the Quesadillas. Really good!

We were pretty full by then but The Kitchen insisted we try a main dish so we opted for the cream of mushroom pasta.

A perfect dish for a cold winter day.

After the pasta we were officially full. We couldn't take one more bite but then this Chubby balls dish was there.

I've tried this dish before when my late mother in law Allah yer7amha made it for us then gave us the recipe for it. Chubby biscuit and cream balls swimming in a lovely cream and chocolate bath. Even though we know how to make them -not that easy by the way- we never tasted ones before that were this good. Really good. A Pièce de résistance of the meal good. Needless to say no balls were present after 5 minutes.

We were informed by Mr. George that by next month a special diet friendly menu will be launched in The Kitchen for people who are trying to watch their weight yet still want to dine out. Gluten free is not an alien term in The Kitchen as well. If you would like Gluten free menu items all you have to do is ask a member o the staff and they will be able to help you out. I liked the Kitchen even more for their consideration too! 

Thank you The Kitchen and Mr. George for the generous invitation. We had a really good lunch the other day and we will be there again soon insha2 Allah. Yes I did change my mind about it entirely

The Kitchen is located in The Village at Abu Al-Hasaniya. You can learn more about the by visiting their website (link), facebook page (link) They are also available on 6alabat.com for home delivery.

Review: Life with Cacao's Valentine's Chocolate Egg

Yesterday evening I received a call from Life with Cacao informing me that they have a gift for me! I gave them my new address and very soon afterwards (considering I now live behind 360) I received this lovely box!

The lid itself is a work of art! So cute… I love it when you combine different mismatched designs and come up with one unique and totally works design!

The first thing I loved is this very personalized note. Bu Tootee was happy too. Very touched indeed Thank you!!!

You look inside and you see this blue dome peeking at you…

You take it out and take a step back. Marveling at its beauty and carvings.

I didn't want to break the chocolate egg violently but I also couldn't locate my knives -or my utensils for that matter- so luckily I managed to find a plastic spoon and used it to try and crack the egg open very gently…

Aha! A crack has been made…

Well hello there…

Inside was three red heart chocolates like the one outside filled with liquidy white chocolate. No pictures sorry. Can you take a picture of something that is not there anymore?

Now that is such a great idea! Never knew they made Easter style eggs in Kuwait locally before! I wonder if you can customize what's inside or maybe add a gift, like a little flower or tickets to an event or tickets to London or a solitaire ring! So cute!

Thank you life with Cacao for a generous and very beautiful gift. Me & Bu Tootee both loved it

To order this chocolate egg for your loved ones you can contact Life with Cacao by calling 25309909 or visiting their facebook page (link) or follow them on Twitter (@lifewithcacao).

This horrible horrible chair…

Ever since I could remember I have seen this horrible ugly chair in Kuwaiti homes. I've always hated it and thought it was the ugliest thing ever. Who cares if its comfortable? Who care that it can arch its back and extend its legs? Who cares if its called a lazy boy and is intended for the man of the house to sit on it like its a throne?

Its ugly. Its horrible. It goes with absolutely nothing. I used to banish it to Bu Tootee's office room but now there is no space for it hence the only place it can be displayed is my very own precious living room!!! Its ruining everything! Every time I look over and see it I want to cry! I want it out of the house, plain and simple. But the man won't let go. You would think I was asking him to give up a kid for adoption! He made it even uglier by putting a back massage device on it :'(

Do you suffer from the same horrible piece of furniture sitting in your living rooms? Do you have any ideas on how to mask its horribleness or turn it into something less of an eye sore? Would you be willing to break into the house and steal only it and I will give you a 150 KD for that?

Hmph.

Picture of the Week: Green Bananas

I bought a bunch of green bananas the other day and placed them on the dining table. A while later I realized how vibrant they looked against the yellow dining place mats so I whipped my camera and took this shot. Love the contrasting colors.

Taste of Nature Healthy Bars

Right before the m3m3a of moving had started I arrived in what used to be my apartment in Jabriya to find a brown bag waiting for me. Inside was a letter from Aqar Int'l Trading Company and a box of "Taste of Nature" healthy bars.

Taste of Nature bars are Organic, Gluten Free, Vegan, and without any trans fat or refined sugars. It is great for a quick breakfast or a healthy snack on the go. Plus, they are Diet Ninja Approved.

The most important thing is that they do taste good so you can enjoy them while eating them. They were a great help to us during the move as we didn't have much to eat while we were on the run and there were 10 different flavors to choose from in the box (Berries, Pomegranate, Nuts, Apple, etc.).

Thank you Aqar Int'l for the healthy and yummy box. It was a life saver and came just in time