Danderma's Blog, page 56
March 17, 2013
The Nutri-U Healthy Cookies Package from Local Flavor
Last week a wrapped up package arrived at my door step. The wrapping is very simple yet the combination was attractive, a true testament to the saying “Simplicity is beauty”. I didn’t know what’s inside but I didn’t want to open up the measuring tape which doubles as a ribbon and ruin the package.
Lovely, mo? Alas, I had to know who was it from and what’s inside though. The card said “Nutri-U” and cookies and from the measuring tape I was guessing it was either something to do with diet or sewing.
Inside was a selection of “healthy” cookies from Nutri-U. Whole grain oat cookies in three different flavours: Chocolate Chips & Flax Seeds, Fruits & Honey, and Nuts & Seeds.
Healthy indeed, the size of each is small, crunchy, and full of fibres and grains.
I tried the chocolate chips one and it wasn’t bad at all for healthy cookie. It would be good if you are trying to watch your weight yet craving a big fat gooey cookie with your beverage during a break at work for example.
Thank you Local Flavor for sending me the lovely package, I wonder who did the wrapping for you? Local Flavor are also the PR guys behind the gorgeous “Laila wel Theeb” Picnic Basket (post) and I have to say these guys are going amazingly well indeed! Thank you local flavors and wishing you the best of luck, keep up the good work.
For more information about Local Flavor Marketing and PR you can check their website (link), like their page on facebook (link), follow them on Twitter (@_LocalFlavor_), or Instagram (@_LocalFlavor_).
These are a Few of my Favourite Things…
The one thing I miss most on those dreadful Sunday mornings are my quiet Friday afternoons. I rarely go out on Friday before evening, if at all. I like to stay in and take a day off the face of the earth. After breakfast and the Friday prayers and rituals, I do a bit of housework, order in some lunch while watching something I like on TV. Then when all the hoopla is over its time its time for my favourite things to come together…
My coffee, my strong black -bottomless- coffee. My beautiful retro coasters. Something to read whether its a good novel, an interesting biography, or the latest issue of my favourite magazine. My iPhone beeping away while being used as a music playing iPod playing my favourite songs. My chocolate, again bottomless though diminishing too fast. I take a bite of chocolate, followed by a sip of the bitter coffee, and the combination is exquisite. I look at pretty thing, or read about interesting things, and let my imagination fly away. I can be whomever I want, wherever I want, however I want while drinking coffee and eating chocolate. If the weather is nice I’d open the window and the gentle breeze would ruffle my favourite curtain, making the softest sound as it hits my favourite acrylic side table where all of my favourite things reside. Then I look up and realise how serene it is and I decide to use my favourite camera to snap a picture and remind myself why I love my Friday afternoons so much.
Nothing but me, quietness, and my favourite things that I love in my favourite afternoon of the week! Its my time and my time only and currently I’m missing it desperately. I wish everyday was Friday, with nothing to do but be lazy. Alas, five more days to go until I’m reunited with my favourite things in the peace and quiet I so urgently seek.
What about you, what are a few of your favourite things?
March 16, 2013
IB Art’s Exhibition
Last week I received a very innovative invitation to attend an art exhibition in the form of a blank canvas with two colour tubes and a paint brush.
The exhibition portrays art pieces done by the students of Ibda’a Academy and its their first one held in the exhibition hall of 360 Mall. I have to say I was impressed by the talent I’ve seen when I passed by for the preview night yesterday.
There are many pieces to see so I’m posting my personal favourite ones. Some pieces were painted on canvas, others done by fabric, crochet, or a mix of knitting and paint, or photography. There was an area in the middle of the exhibition showing short films as well.
There is also a table with the student’s art portfolios.
Thank you IB Art students for sending the invitation my way. The exhibition is lovely and the art talent present is striking. Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavours.
The IB Art first exhibition is held in the exhibition hall of Mall 360 today Saturday and tomorrow Sunday 17 March from 11 A.M. until 9 P.M. For more information you can check their instagram account (@IbArt2013).
The Buraiqa’a Ring from Burqa’a & Agal
the other day I stumbled along a new booth in the P2bk village that sold cute accessories. The name of the business is “Burga’a & Agal” and they came all the way from Dubai, UAE to participate in the P2bk exhibition and I loved what they had in display. The traditional “burqa’a” turned into bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, car and bag hangers, and more.
I had a hard time choosing something but I’ve had my heart set on one the tiny “Buraiqa’a” ring so I took that. I’ve seen the tiny ring sported by many girls around Kuwait and I didn’t know where they got it from but now I know!
The ring I took is gold plaited with a matt finishing. There are other colours and other finishings and the bracelets also come in fabric or studded with crystals and are very bling bling.
I called my new ring “Um Khammas” after my favourite character from the Emarati cartoon series Fereej! Welcome Burqa’a & Aqal to Kuwait and I wish you the best of luck!
Burqa’a & Aqal are located in shop # 4 in the P2BK village and will stay there until 20 March. For more information you can check their website (link) or contact them on their instagram account (@Burqaandagal).
March 14, 2013
How to activate the 4G LTE on your iPhone?
I’ve been hearing amazing things from people in Kuwait who are subscribed to Zain and already are using the 4G LTE technology so when my mobile service provided VIVA enabled their 4G LTE service I called them at once to check how to activate it and if there are any extra charges. The service is for free with no extra charges, all you have to do is send an SMS to activate it and whenever you are within the LTE range you will be connected. These are the steps I followed to enable the 4G LTE on my iPhone 5 in case you didn’t enable it already.
First, check you have the latest iOS update on your iPhone 5. I didn’t so I backed up my iPhone 5 and updated it to iOS 6.1.2.
After checking you have the latest update on your iPhone 5 just send the number 99 in an SMS to the number 567.
You will receive this SMS to confirm the 4G LTE service has been activated.
Now restart your iPhone then go to Settings –> General –> Cellular. You will get a message that there are some updates to the settings and you should download or update them. Say yes. Afterwards, you should get the “Enable LTE” instead of the “enable 3G” on your settings page like the snapshot below. Enable the LTE.
Now depending on your location in Kuwait you will either be connected to 4G if you are in range or 3G if you aren’t. I wasn’t connected to the LTE when I was at work in Shuwaikh. I wasn’t connected either when I was at home in Al-Zahraa in south Surra this afternoon either but this is the speed test of my 3G connection.
16 minutes later I drove into Mishref and I was in the 4G LTE range and fully connected. Check out the speed test and the difference in figures.
Was the LTE fast? Thunder fast! You no longer have to wait and posting things online went by like a blink. I like the 4G LTE thing and now understand what people are raving about! I wonder how fast it will be if I connect with my Macbook using the iPhone as a 4G hotspot! I will try that and see.
VIVA’s 4G LTE network should be expanding to cover all areas in Kuwait soon as I was assured. Currently if you are in the road that cuts between Hiteen and Al-Zahra you might get a weak signal but there is no signal in Al-Zahra and none in Shuwaikh. Amazing coverage and very strong signal in Mishref though. The LTE will only work for the iPhone 5 though and not older iPhone versions and I’ve heard it doesn’t work on Samsung devices either but I’m not sure about that. If you have an iPhone 5, you must activate the LTE thing and check the difference. Viva technology!
The “AquaPlan” water drinking application
After I posted about drinking water yesterday (post) my friend Shaima sent me pictures of a water drinking app she is using called “AquaPlan”. The application actually calculates how much water your body needs to keep it hydrated per day according to your weight, then will divide the amount of water into number of glasses and distribute it through your waking hours, reminding you with an alert to drink your next one and calculating your drinking progress throughout the day.
The idea of the app is very straightforward. Simple yet very handful and very easy to use. The App “AquaPlan” is available in the iPhone App store (link) if you are interested in keeping track with keeping up with your daily water intake. Thank you Shaima dear, this is just what I needed :)
March 13, 2013
Blast from the Past: Castle Excellence on MSX
Almost everyone who owned an MSX Sakhr in the 80′s know and loved “The Castle” game (post). One day back in the 80′s we stumbled into a small shop in Hawalli, maybe it was Al-Alamiya maybe not I’m not sure, possibly a computer shop in Bin Khaldoun street. There displayed on its window was another Castle game! The second Castle game was “Castle Excellence” and after a little bit of whining, the game was taken home with me to play with.
Castle Excellence or Castle 2 was no walk in the park. It was hard and, frankly, is still hard! Every room is a quiz to solve and takes a while to think about and finish. There are a lot of things you should “smash” when you encounter or else you will be stuck later on with no way to back track, which is probably why I never gotten very far when playing it back in the 80′s.
There are also a lot of “elevators” you push manually back and forth to carry stuff. These elevators do appear in Castle 1 but just a few times in the very advanced stages in the game. In Castle 2 they are more common, and I hate them.
I’ve never attempted to finish the game before. Mainly because I keep getting stuck at stages and have to go back which is frustrating. Its 2013 and I’ve finally decided to tackle The Castle. After weeks of playing, look where I’ve reached.
The princess’s room! Finally! But getting through all these doors is no piece of cake! You have to go around the rooms, round round round and round, up down left and right, over and over again until you reach her. Currently I’ve reached this stage.
And suddenly I don’t want to continue. I can finish all right, I just don’t want to. If I do finish it, there would be no more Castle for me to play with I’ve been waiting almost two and a half decades for the day I finish this game and now I don’t want to, the same way it felt when I was at the last three chapters of book 7 of Harry Potter, if I read them there would be no more Harry Potter to read
Why do all good things come to an end? The last bite of that good sandwich, an amazing series of books, a good computer game? Maybe I will finish it, maybe I won’t, but I made it through Castle Excellence for sure almost to the end.
Do you remember playing Castle Excellence or Castle 2? Do you know if there was a Castle 3 perhaps I can play with?
Kuwait Al-Khair Charity Exhibition in Sheraton Hotel
As I’ve said previously, March is definitely the month of exhibitions in Kuwait! I received an invitation by the Saed Akhak charitable foundation to attend a charity exhibition they hold annualy in Sheraton Kuwait under the name of “Kuwait Al-Khair”. The proceeds of this exhibition go towards helping muslims from around the world. I stopped by yesterday and saw many gorgeous things especially the colourful retro furniture section and the catering and colourful plates by Al-Fouz Kitchen.
There are many things to see: books, furniture, food, dresses, jewellery, carpets, incense, perfumes, home accessories, flower arrangements, chocolates, and more. It was very busy and I managed to get those pictures below…
The Kuwait Al-Khair charity expo will be in Sheraton Kuwait until Friday 15 March 2013. Opening hours are from 9:30 A.M. until 1 P.M. then from 5 P.M. until 9 P.M. For more information you can check their instagram account (@SaedAkhaK).
Hannayome’s Wedding Exhibition 2013
I received a very cute invitation to attend Hannayome‘s s Wedding Exhibition in Al-Hamra mall which opened yesterday. I passed by and it was extremely crowded with live music and singers. With the women all dressed up and chatting together, it did feel like I’ve attended a wedding reception. I managed to get a few decent shots though.
Wedding ring from Yara’s Jewellery.
Macaroons and giveaways from boutique fauchon.
Um Kalthoom’s perfumes collection.
Baraka by Salah Zamani‘s new project venture, designing wedding seating areas or “Koosha” as we call them in Kuwait. Very different indeed and very colourful.
Al-Dazzah for Dazza box designs, very nice and elegant. Dazza is the gift given by the groom to his bride in Kuwait and usually comes in boxes filled with different gifts like jewellery, dowry money, perfumes, and other supplies the bride needs.
Wedding cakes by The November Bakery. So good looking they shouldn’t be eaten.
Beautiful flower arrangements by Au nom de la rose.
Thank you Hannayome for extending the invitation. Hannayome’s wedding exhibition will be in Al-Hamra mall until Thursday 14 March 2013. Working hours are from 10 A.M. until 1 P.M and 5 P.M. until 10 P.M. and they also have a website were you can use to make arrangements for your upcoming wedding/reception party (link) and you can also follow them on instagram (@Hannayome).
March 12, 2013
Cucina Restauran’t New Italian Menu
I was invited by Missoni Hotel for a tasting of the new Italian menu by Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli in Cucina restaurant yesterday with a chance to dine with Chef Griogio himself. We were greeted with juices at the door and the modern restaurant was dimly lit and buzzing with diners with a TV crew and media people everywhere.
Yesterday was a crazy day so sadly I couldn’t stay long. I stayed for half an hour and chatted with my fellow bloggerettes before having to leave. Chef Giorgio was busy in the kitchen so I only managed to take a picture of him busy preparing the dishes from a far. I remember once on BBC food he prepared an excellent looking mushroom risotto and when I saw him preparing it on TV, it was the first time I actually wanted to try risotto which I wasn’t a fan of. I hope Cucina will include Chef Locatelli’s risotto in their new menu so I can try it the next time I go back.
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To reserve a table at Cucina restaurant you can call 25770000. Thank you Hotel Missoni and Dareen Awwad for extending the invitation.