Danderma's Blog, page 119

Picture of the Week: Warmth

In this cold weather there is nothing more appreciated than a flame of a heater ablaze with the warmth and light of the night. Especially those high flames of the pyramid like heaters every restaurant seems to have in its outdoors area. They are so lovely, modern, and most importantly warm am always glad they are around.

Counting Down to Removing my Braces

In exactly 4 weeks, or 28 days, I have an appointment with my orthodontist to remove my braces. On the 19th of February 2012 after one year and eleven months of wearing braces I finally get to remove them and feel free again.

The good news is I willl be removing my braces. The bad news is I am not going to remove all my braces, only the bottom ones But one half of them is quite all right! I can't wait for half the metal load to be gone, to be able to run my tongue along my teeth without getting stung by metal. I think I will feel lighter, I will be able to smile better and look much better. I simply cannot wait.

I wonder if I could whiten just the bottom half of my teeth? I would do it in a heart beat if it is. Hallelujah!

January's Top 100 Kuwaiti Blogs According to Alexa

First off I apologize for not doing the December 2011 post for it was extremely hectic. To be frank I didn't realize there were many people waiting! So I made it up to you by getting the January 2012 ratings early before the 31st of the month

2012 is different indeed! Not a lot of new blogs but the rankings are all over the place and the competition is fierce! The best thing is that I am back in the top 10! Yeeees

Disclaimers again. For the love of god read them!

Disclaimer One The blogs that made it to the list are blogs about Kuwait whether originating from Kuwait or not or whether they are by Kuwaiti nationals or expats living in Kuwait. That's why I said KUWAITI blog.

Disclaimer Two I still believe the Alexa rank is way overrated, easily manipulated, and highly volatile. It is not a real measure of how a blog is popular but it doesn't hurt to check it every once in a while as some sort of measure. Its the only semi-reliable measure I can think of. No fighting please.

Disclaimer Three DO NOT ASK ME how to calculate the Alexa rating. For the love of god go to Alexa.com and enter your blog URL. If no local rating is there then THAT's IT!

Disclaimer Four If you know of a blog I missed or a new blog that is gliding up the top in rocket speed please let me know 

Disclaimer Five I am Danderma, not Alexa! I do not have the power to rate you or give you a number. Therefore trying to be nice to me will mean nothing. Please remember that.

Now the ratings, enjoy

1
Q8ping
59
Same Rank


2
Aboflan
130
Same Rank


3
248 AM
201
Up From 4


4
Hornett
248
Up From 15


5
ilsul6ana
253
Up From 6


6
Frankom
296
Down From 5


7
Banana Q8
316
Up From 14


8
Meenakon
334
Down From 3


9
Danderma
342
Up From 13


10
7aji Dude
373
Same Rank


11
Al Jalawi
388
Up From 21


12
Q8 Blend
452
Down From 8


13
Cake o Bake
536
Up From 22


14
Omarker
538
Up From 17


15
Pink Girl
561
Down From 11


16
His & Hers
574
Up From 18


17
Habbat Q8ya
584
Up From 24


18
Kuwaitiful
639
Up From 61


19
Hi Kuwait
663
Same Rank


20
Ansam 518
672
Same Rank


21
13 Cups
771
Up From 26


22
965 Malls
775
Up From 29


23
Chapter Q8
786
Down From 12


24
Kuwait Music
871
Down From 7


25
QrQasha
889
New


26
Kumail Plus
950
Down From 23


27
Kaifan 5
975
Down From 25


28
Ent Ya
1034
Down From 16


29
Made in Q8
1114
Up From 35


30
Al Zain
1133
Up From 40


31
Me Blogging
1195
Up From 41


32
Fe9l
1265
Down From 9


33
 Q8 All in One
1358
Up From 44


34
360 Dewan
1408
Up From 38


35
Al Mangaf
1430
Up From 93


36
Q8 Lol
1505
Up From 49


37
Social Slave
1510
Down From 31


38
Im Geek
1530
Up From 60


39
El Derwazaa
1551
Up From 82


40
Buzfairy
1574
Up From 46


41
Crazy Yet Wise
1689
Up From 71


42
4th Ring Road
1750
Up From 76


43
Rashedd
1826
Down From 36


44
T7l6m
1891
Up From 59


45
Q8 Rain
1901
Down From 27


46
Confashions
1912
Down From 42


47
Blog Laish
1953
Down From 28


48
Kuw Go
1987
Down From 30


49
M3 7md Qalam
2070
New


50
Cup of Blogging
2071
Up From 62


51
Chraimba
2081
Same Rank


52
Q8 Zone
2085
Down From 34


53
p0ach
2118
Up From 70


54
Fro Yo Nation
2205
Down From 32


55
Q8 Path
2209
Up From 86


56
Couch Avenue
2530
Up From 63


57
Fereej
2627
Down From 45


58
Kuwait 10
2819
Up From 83


59
Trying to be Fahad
2823
Back in the List


60
Buzberry
2914
Back in the List


61
Broadcasti
2946
Down From 55


62
Sandooq
2987
Up From 80


63
Dusty Roses
3001
Down From 58


64
Chizwa
3041
New


65
248 PM
3073
Down From 48


66
Z District
3178
Down From 43


67
Q7fya
3312
Back in the List


68
Bint Al Shamiya
3462
Down From 65


69
Q8 Ryuk
3700
Up From 72


70
Zhgaan
3797
Back in the List


71
Fai9alr
3845
Back in the List


72
Blog 37
3892
Back in the List


73
El Deera
3969
Up From 78


74
Grapevine Kuwait
4219
Up From 79


75
7aki 3qali
4253
Down From 57


76
We Lurk
4265
Up From 95


77
Qurtoba
4385
Down From 56


78
Nouf Magazine
4465
New


79
New Q8 Bride
4518
Back in the List


80
Mask Tales
4569
New


81
Precaliga
4608
Up From 100


82
Hello 965
4654
New


83
Chuk Num
4666
Down From 73


84
Some Contrast
4741
Back in the List


85
Trendy Girl
4773
Down From 68


86
Just Noon
4788
Up From 91


87
Khaleejesque
4793
Up From 97


88
Bo Wadh7a
4996
Same Rank


89
B & D
5051
New


90
The Triple F
5132
Down From 52


91
Alblogy
5232
Down From 74


92
Dusty Co
5261
New


93
Nezhawya
5361
Back in the List


94
Q8 Hangouts
5384
Down From 67


95
Eb6ainiya
5452
Down From 84


96
Ma Vie Ma Joie
5633
Back in the List


97
Love Life Q8
5646
Down From 64


98
Thouq
5863
Back in the List


99
Stuff We Come Up With
5943
Back in the List


100
Up Till 1
5981
Down From 94

Gloria Jeans Coffee Course Day 1 & Quiz for my readers

Well I am just back from my first day of my coffee making course and I have to say it was AWSOME! It feels good to be doing something new, different, and unique! Especially if its something you adore and enjoy!

Sadly due to traffic I arrived fifteen minutes late, shameful I know. However I arrived to see Ms. Khulood Abdulsattar Gloria Jeans's Marketing and PR executive waiting for me. I was welcomed warmly by her and by the Mr. Subhi Yosef the store manager and by Mr. Wissam Wafa the operation manager. They totally made me feel at ease and very welcome!

Then I was introduced to Ms. Jhoanna Mariano, the training coordinator who would be in charge of training me for the next five days. She is so great with an amazing sense of humor and I took a liking to her right away especially when she presented me with this surprise!

My very own Gloria Jeans trainee badge! It was a pretty nice gesture and it really made the whole thing sink in: I was going to train at a professional coffee course!  With a training manual and everything!

Mr. Wafa gave me a briefing in which I noticed he said that there is a coffee university in Bahrain where employees train! Why don't we have one in Kuwait? Also he promised to come and check on me daily which is pretty decent of him. Then the store manager Mr. Soubhi took me on a tour of Gloria Jeans that included a look behind the counter where all the excitement happens! Yay!

Above is the coffee machine, the heart and soul of any coffee shop!

Thermometers used to measure the temperature of the milk used in the coffee. Never knew those were used before!

The coffee grinders, the source of goodness.

This scale is used to measure the weight of each cup of coffee after its being made to ensure correct proportion and quantity. Gloria Jeans Coffee is the only coffee house in Kuwait that uses this apparently.

I also noticed that they provided sandwiches and salads that are light, diet friendly, and with the calorie count on each item! Plus, they have sugar free caramel and vanilla syrups which should make The Diet Ninja very happy :p

After the mouthwatering tour it was time to start day one of the course. I was offered a drink of my choice and I chose a black Americano coffee.

The course material for day one was about the history of Gloria Jeans Coffee, how it originated in America in 1979 as a gift shop but people kept coming and asking for the coffee made by the owner, Gloria Jeans, and then how it turned into a coffee house and a franchise from Australia! Fascinating. I always thought the Jeans in the coffee bran name was after the trousers jeans. It turns out its a name, Jean, as in X-Men's Jean for example.

Then we progressed on to learn about the coffee history. Meet Kaldi, pictured above, with his goat. Kaldi was a 3rd century monk who lived in Ethiopia and discovered coffee beans when one day he noticed his goat going hyper after eating the fruit of the coffee tree. Thanks to that malqoofa hyper goat we have coffee today

I learned about the different types of coffee beans, how they are grown, what makes a coffee bean so special, how it is grown and collected and roasted. A lot of usual information. I also was told about Gloria Jean's involvement with the Rain Forest Alliance. Given that Gloria Jean's coffee is sourced from Rain Forests therefore the Rain Forest Alliance is supported to ensure the welfare and sustainability of the workers and farmers that source the coffee.

In every bagful of Gloria Jean's coffee beans there is two small slits that allows the beans to breathe and help to maintain the freshness of the coffee beans, which I was taught about as well today too. If you smell the coffee beans throughout those two slits you would want to buy a 1 KG bag of beans and hug it like a teddy bear when you go to sleep!

I also learned what the A-A means :p By the way, did you know that the word "Mocha" is actually the name of a port in Yemen? The association with chocolate came because the coffee beans sourced from there has a chocolate like flavor. Never knew that before.

You can be a part of my exciting journey by answering the Question to the quiz below. The winner will be given a prize on my coffee graduation day! Now read the question, then click on the answer link provided for a chance to win.

Gloria Jeans Coffee Quiz: 

What is the difference between a regular cappuccino and a regular latte at Gloria Jean's Coffees?

1) Amount of foam

2) Weight of the drink

3) Strength of the coffee taste

4) All of the above

5) 1 & 3

Think carefully and place your answer here (link). Good luck!

Day one was mainly about learning the Coffee History including Gloria Jean' s Coffees History. I cannot wait until I start making coffee but that part of the training is coming up soon

Now excuse me I have to go study for my quiz tomorrow at the start of my 2nd day of coffee training. I will be using the machine too!

 

My Photo Made it to The Best of The Day by Q8instagram

I am predicting that this week is going to be a good one. For one thing I was there at work minding my own business when out of no where I real on QsInstagram's feed that my picture is one of the Best Five Pictures of the Day for 22 January!

Happy? You bet! I am both happy and proud of myself! There are amazing pictures out there by real photographers who know what they are doing and my little lady bird won Must go out and celebrate soon!

Instagram rocks! Thank you Q8Instagram

Things 2 Get 4m London: L'Artisan Salted Caramel Truffles

Whenever I am in London I make sure I grab myself a box of Artisan du Chocolat original Sea Salted Caramels.

The elegant brown cylinder inside the elegant white box makes this the perfect chocolate to bring back as a sophisticated souvenir for a chocolate lover. Or to offer for your guests. Or simply to enjoy their luxurious flavor whenever you decide to have chocolate.

The story behind those little droplets of goodness is that they were invented in 2003 for Chef Gordon Ramsey to add to his menu at Claridges Hotel, London.

The insides of those little balls of chocolateness is filled with buttery caramel with a little bit more than subtle hint of sea salt. The salty caramel is nestled inside a ball of dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder.

Are they good? They are lip smacking good

Better be careful as you bite into these happy orbs: the liquid caramel tends to escape and run all over your fingers if you are not careful.

Eating one ball is more than enough to satisfy your chocolate cravings. I'd rather eat  one ball than an entire bar of commercial mass produced sold in your co-op chocolate bars. This is how chocolate should be eaten and enjoyed

There are many new flavors of the Salted Caramel now but the originals have always been my favorite. Artisan du Chocolat store is available in Sloane St. and Notting Hill. Recently in the past two years or so Artisan had opened a new chocolate corner in Selfridges right below the food court in the chocolate section. You can also order the salted caramels online and send them to your Aramex mailbox. I did that once in 2008 and they arrived perfectly fine but I don't know if they will allow this again or not? Here is the website (link).

Winter in Q8 means: Cloudy Skies and Sensational Sun Sets

This past weekend the weather had been amazing albeit on the freezing side. The clouds since Thursday till Sunday were phenomenal! If only these clouds and this weather could stay all year long. I am celebrating the weather with this post! Just so we don't forget.

Alban Dairy's Qaymar

After I posted about Alban dairy's Akawi cheese (post) and low fat labna (post) many commented that I must try their Qaymar and that it was so unbelievably good so I looked around the sultan centers in Kuwait until I found it in Shaab branch: there were only two boxes left!

I was so excited to try it I was looking forwards to it all weekend long. Yesterday morning as I woke up I heated up a loaf of bread and made myself some Chai o 7leeb so it goes perfectly with my qaymar breakfast.

I opened up the qaymar box and it had this velvety creamy texture waiting for me to scoop it out.

And for my Bu Tootee I added the golden honey.

   

How was it?

Gooood! Amazingly good! So very good! No wonder people were raving about it! I am so going to use it from now on whether in cooking or when I am craving qaymar again! Highly recommended!

Saturday Garage Sale: A Collection of English Books

Whenever I go into a bookstore I tend to lose my mind, grab a basket, and just throw in books without stopping to think. Hence I end up sometimes with multiple copies of some books and an endless number of books never fitting inside my shelves.

This Saturday's Garage Sale Description: A collection of 7 English books, either new and unread or in excellent condition:

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson. *New*
Sex and The City, Candace Bushnell. (SATS TV show is based on this book).
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid. *New*
The Evil Seed, Joanne Harris.
Dear John, Nicholas Sparks.
The Undomestic Goddess, Sophie Kinsella.
The Accidental Time Traveller, Sharron Griffiths.

Price? KD 10.

If you are interested in this collection of books leave me a comment below or send me an email (link). Items must be picked up by the buyer (or their driver) and payment is cash upon pickup. No refunds or exchanges.

Things 2 Get 4m London: Nespresso Descaling Kit

As a person who owns more than one Nespresso machine I know that sometimes the machines gets tired and you would have to take her to the Nespresso office for "cleaning". Only when I was in London this year was I told that there is a "descaling" kit for Nespresso machines to tune it up after a period of usage.

According to the salesman, after 6 months of usage if you notice the machine churning or not producing hot drinks as it used to it means its time to remove the limescale inside it and thus you use a descaling kit. The kit sells for around £7 only and contains two sachets of desclaing solution plus an instruction manual in different languages -including Arabic-.

I wonder if the Descaling kit is available in Kuwait though I highly doubt it? In any case you can always check. Descaling the machine at home sure beats taking it out to the nearest Nespresso shop and leaving it there until its done and paying extra for doing just that.