bazaar magazine, May 2012 issue

COVER

SOOR C

CENTER

TED B

BAKER

H&

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AMERICAN T

TOURISTER

FRANKLIN M

MARSHALL

RIVER IS

SLAND

AMERICA

AN EAGLE

GERARD

D DAREL

DESTIN MATER

NATION RNATY

IKE

EA

AU

UK

Intr

The bazaar team...

Boss Ahmed El-Adly

Operations Business Development I hab M ok alled

This issue of bazaar is another whopper! Speaking of burgers, this month we got a taste of not one, but two new burger concepts; Smashburger and Queen’s Burger, each offering their unique twist on the ‘perfect burger’. But our culinary adventures didn’t end there – for years we’ve been griping about the lack of genuine Mexican cuisine in Kuwait, and with the opening of En Mexico, we gripe no more! For authentic Mexican cuisine and by “authentic” we don’t mean a few tacos here, and chips and salsa there, look no further than En Mexico. After all that gorging on burgers and braised beef brisket tacos, you’ll need some time at the gym to burn away those calories – it is time to hit the beach after all – and Inspire Gym is just the place to do that. Doing “fit” a different way, Inspire Gym is a no-nonsense establishment for those serious about changing their lifestyle and getting healthy.

From bazaar’s up close and personal, Hind Al-Awadi, and her climb to the pinnacle of Mount Kili, to new local talents with the likes of Timothy Carr and his filmmaking adventures in Kuwait and Sara Al Ateeqi’s Qumar 14 line bridging the gap between the traditional and the modern for the Arab fashionista, the talent is endless as is our search to bring them to you. So sit back, pray for sunny weekends and don’t forget the sunblock!

Design Sumaiya AL-Shar han

Staff Writer/Social Media Yasmine El Char if

Staff Writer Kevin Smith

Communications Consultant Hala Y. Sharara

Editor A. Al-Duaij

Contributing Writers Arwa Saifi Bibi Al-Falah Christopher Charles Hockey Deepa Pant Dr. Juliet and Dr. Nisrine Jaye Sonia Layla AlAmmar Liane Al Ghusain Lily k.

Loaay Ahmed Noha Al-Awadi Selim Savsar Strawberry Girl Sumayyah Meehan

Photographers Abdullah Al-Naser Christian Ghammachi Christopher Charles Hockey Kevin Smith Khalid Al Sahaly Louis Nasta Nermeen Bishady Sumaiya AL- Sharhan

Printing Happy Reading!

British Industries for Printing and Packaging

LA Times Daily Star USA Today MTC International MIT Review Travel Times Hollywood Watch Tribune Media Services

bazaar can be found at the following locations:

Yusra Ahmad

Wouldn’t it be great to have real insight into the rest of the GCC and what’s going on in their cities on a monthly basis? I mean, sure, we are all painfully aware of what’s going on in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with regards to concerts, and certain huge events like their respective film festivals, and the Formula 1 race etc., but I’m referring more to activities and organizations and the popularity of certain food items like here in Kuwait. For starters, do they all have organizations like K’s Path and Paws, which are pretty amazing animal shelters run by amazing people? What about burgers? Is the rest of the GCC as madly in love with burgers as Kuwait is? At last count there were over 18 burger joints here in Kuwait, all serving pretty similar burgers and fries (I KNOW the owners will object to that statement, but you know what I mean!). What about the art scene? Are there as many talented local artists in Qatar, Oman and Bahrain as Kuwait? Do they have similar controversial cutting edge exhibitions? What about Saudi Arabia? We never hear any art news coming out of there, and we all know how conservative it is. Do they have a growing art scene too, but more underground? I know, it’s naïve to assume that Kuwait is “special”, but I actually do think that there are an extraordinary number of really talented locals here, whether artists, chefs, entrepreneurs, and so much more. Here at bazaar, we barely have time to cover all the art events, restaurant openings, meet and interview people who have done something extraordinary, and by the time we put one issue of bazaar to bed, we already have a huge list of new things we simply MUST cover the next month. It’s crazy, but in a good way!

Syndicates and Sources

Starbucks Coffee (65 branches) Cozmo - 4 branches Topshop Galleria Complex The Video Club Souk Sharq Energie Costa Café H&M Bredz Jacques Dessange Miss Sixty Airport Mall Häagen Dasz Virgin Megastore The One Café ACK (Australian College of Kuwait) AUK (American University of Kuwait) AUM (American University of Middle East) Boxhill College Marble Slab D’Lush Early Bird Café Harley Davidson Al-Kout Mall Centrepoint Café Johnny Rockets Pizza Express Al Corniche Club Kuwait Airways Oasis Club Shay W Nanaa Le PQ Cafe Boushahri Clinic Al Salam Hospital 4 x 4 Customs Ligne Roset Hard Rock Café Pilates & More Mowasat Hospital Camille Albane Dar Al Funoon I.O. Centers Cutting Edge Salon Dasman Diabetic Centre The Burger Hub Dunkin Donuts Waterlemon Café Supreme International Clinic Casper & Gambini’s Segafredo Cafe O Pao Cafe

Ahmed El-Adly The views expressed in bazaar magazine are those of the respective contributors and not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff (but sometimes they are).

No one likes to be dumped;

recycle me, please.

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VOLVO

INDEX MAY ' 12

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EN MEXICO

SMASHBURGER

INSPIRE PURE FITNESS

CLEANSING IN THAILAND

QUMAR 1 4

Offering authentic Mexican cuisine in a cosy yet cool locale, En Mexico serves up food that will feed not only your appetite, but a little bit of your soul, too. Find out which dish bazaar still can’t stop thinking about.

Want to know what happens when you take freshly ground Angus Beef and smash it onto a searing hot buttered griddle?

Smashburger does just that and produces some topnotch burgers in the process.

Looking to get serious about your fitness? bazaar headed down to newly-opened Inspire to be put through our paces by some of the best personal trainers in the Middle East.

Now we’ve recovered, find out how we got on.

Find out what happens when you take an early bird from Kuwait and fly her to Thailand for a week-long cleanse at a luxury purification resort. Bianca Simonian lets us know about her experience at Atmanjai Wellness Center in all its purifying glory.

From oriental-chic Ramadan Kaftans, to a one-of-a-kind lifestyle brand that features ready-to-wear collections, Sara N. Al-Ateeqi ‘s Qumar 14 offers the modern Middle Eastern woman the stylish marriage between East and West.

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CONQUERING KILI

THE OVEN EXPERIMENTS

With a special edition of up close and personal, we’re going on an escapade to the heights of Mt. Kilimanjaro with filmmaker, art director and explorer, Hind Al-Awadi.

Your sense of adventure starts here.

One late night Ramadan craving for desserts resulted in the daily culinary experiments in the life of bonafide foodie, Budour Al-Qassar. Our truth or dare, and oven experimenter tells all about the evolution of her love affair with food.

The early bird f lies to Thailand, p. 52

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THE RAWIYA COLLECTIVE

ZERI CRAFTS

SUMMERTIME AT CUCINA

TJC FILMS

TREE HUGGING

Using in depth photo essays and long-term projects, the Rawiya Photography Collective unites women photographers from different parts of the world to tell the tale of universal hardships and challenges faced

by Middle Eastern women.

Inspired by Zeri (brilliant threads of gold used in traditional embroidery) Laila Al-Hamad modernizes the cultural icons of the Gulf to reveal a journey of discovery that takes her from the Far East to England, and back.

In the style of its fashionable home, Hotel Missoni, the hotel’s beloved Italian restaurant, Cucina, launches it SpringSummer menu with a feast of flavors to entice the senses.

Check out our review of the allnew cast of culinary delights.

Unearthing and documenting Kuwait’s urban cultural scene wasn’t Tim Carr’s original reason for coming to Kuwait.

From traceurs to artists, if it’s a little underground Tim has probably discovered it – and then filmed it.

Hiba Arshad wants to change the world and to do so she's starting with the youth of Kuwait. From wearing the same t-shirt for a year to challenge materialism, raising awareness of climate fatigue, to women’s rights, Hiba loves a challenge!

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VICOMTE A.

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Too lazy to go pick up bazaar from your local café, now you can browse through the complete physical magazine online via issuu.com. Featuring our in-depth interviews, reviews, stellar photography, and the latest ads showcasing what hot in the market right now; you can browse through bazaar freely and securely, whether you're on your PC, laptop, Smartphone, or tablet.

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TISSOT

up close and personal

CONQUERING KILI Hind Al-Awadi By bazaar staff

Although not a fan of the limelight, Hind AlAwadi finally conceded to let us publish her story, her inspirational feat of conquering Mount Kilimanjaro. As far as we’re concerned, we weren’t going to take no for an answer, as we are avid believers that accomplishment should always be merited with acknowledgement.

An art director and filmmaker by day, Hind loves being behind the camera, putting her wealth of experience in production to good use. From television commercials to documentary films, she nourishes this creative career by scheduling trips to far fletched destinations. She explains, “I love doing new things, traveling, exploring. This year alone, besides the Kilimanjaro climb; I managed to fit in Vietnam, India, China, Hong Kong. I can’t get enough, and

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I even have a trip to the United States and South America on the agenda.” However, the question begs itself. How does anyone simply decide to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

A naturally active person, Hind has always been an outdoors person, yet never a gym buff. When she first thought about doing the climb, she had to make the gym a part of her routine. Although she might nonchalantly state that she gathered a bunch of her friends and decided ‘to go for’ Kilimanjaro, Hind realized that she had to make an effort to train beforehand.

“After living abroad for so long in the 'walking' cities of London and New York, one becomes accustomed to always being on the move, and exploring. I don’t have to make an effort to do anything, yet here, in Kuwait,

I realized I've become so immobile!” She also carried around her huge pack for a few hours each day to accustom herself to how she would spend eight days trekking the ‘rooftop of Africa’.

Being the only girl amongst four guys, Hind was even further challenged to make it to the summit. Choosing the Lemosho route, which gave the team a total of 8 days to get to the summit and back, Hind recounted that the time allowed her team to bond closely with their guides. She adds, “We chose Lemosho because we wanted to give ourselves time to acclimatize to the high altitudes we were going to experience. Even though it was slightly longer, it was a great time. We even surprised our guide with the fact that we covered more ground

in a shorter amount of time than we had planned.”

Despite the long journey, and even the altitude sickness Hind experienced, it was all worth it when they finally reached the summit.

Her eyes light up as she recounts that experience, “The summit was absolutely breathtaking and I suddenly had a burst of energy that came with the realization that 'this was happening'. Waking up every morning and not having to think of anything back home is a cathartic experience. I just have to get from point a to point b, follow a guide's advice, and take in every moment of it all.”

Today, Hind is currently working with one of the Kilimanjaro guides on a documentary about the whole

experience, which she would repeat in a heartbeat.

After the successful journey, Hind and her teammates headed down to Zanzibar for some well-deserved R&R. Upon her return, she decided that she wanted to further her knowledge in mountaineering and is considering a specialized course in the US that would prepare her to pursue climbing the seven summits.

bazaar questionnaire: What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A dry aged Peter Luger medium rare porterhouse steak.

What is your greatest fear?

Public speaking and cockroaches. They bite you know.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I am a food bully. Do not go to dinner with me if you do not intend to finish your plate.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Bad driving. THE EMERGENCY LANE IS FOR EMERGENCIES! Which living person do you most admire?

My parents and husband. Though they were discussing placing a man3 safar on me during our last family lunch.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Travel and decadent meals. Also kitsch pet clothing.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“I think I ate too much.”

continued on next page...

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When were you happiest?

See answer to first question.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I'd love to be a hyperpolyglot, wouldn't mind playing the guitar either.

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continued from previous page

What would you consider your greatest achievement?

Taking a chance on myself. Conquering the roof of Africa is also pretty high up there.

Where would you most like to live?

Besides the obvious beautiful island somewhere, I'd have to say NYC. My inner hipster can't get enough of it.

Hind Al-Awadi is also one of the founders of the highly addictive blog, the dusty co. To follow her posts, please visit www.dustyco.com.

G-STAR

what's on?

GALLERY TILAL

to make way for new commercial developments.

Al-Foudery's work has also been widely exhibited outside of Kuwait, including at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Greece.

Sultan Gallery is located in South Sabhan, Block 8, Street 105, Building No. 168. For more information please call 2471 4325 Ext. 110 or email sultangallery1969@gmail.com.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Artist: Date:

Hassan Abd Alwan 6th-17th May 2012

The visual texts of Alwan heads towards a selection of heritage items, wherein his works and paintings are displayed in the Tilal Gallery to restore to the minds the glory of a world that has been lost, whether in terms of imagination, folk tales or even the retrieval of memories from the tradition of narration, by the use of various amazing contemporary techniques, not devoid of imagination.

Artist: Nadia Al Foudery (Kuwaiti artist) Title of Exhibition: Savage Donkey Dates & Timings: 22nd - 31st May, 2012 Opening: 22nd May 2012, 7- 9pm

23rd May, 10am - 2pm & 7 - 9 pm.

24th May – 31st May, 10am - 2 pm

(Closed on Fridays & Saturdays) "Savage Donkey" features black and white photography combined with embroidery.

Al-Foudery's "Savage Donkey" exhibition follows two dynamic prior showings at the Sultan Gallery.

Her first exhibition in Kuwait, "Yazd: A Thread of Light Through the Bazaar," showcased abstract photoembroideries from the bazaar in the mud brick town of Yazd in Iran, and her second "A Requiem for Old Kuwait," highlighted the heritage buildings that have been knocked down in the last fifty years 32

Tarek Atoui recreates the sounds from the novella, Men in the Sun, by Ghassan Kanafani, of three men and their desperate attempt to be smuggled into Kuwait via Basra in the summer of 1958 in an empty water tanker. Atoui challenges the desert by recreating the sounds drowned by the echo-less vastness of the desert. The debut will be in the desert somewhere between Basra and Kuwait. This will be recorded and reproduced to create an installation in two sound proof rooms of a portacabin, with a monitor on loop of the visuals of Atoui’s challenge. The intensity of the sound, and heat, in the installation rooms remind the viewer who is the ultimate survivor in the challenge of man vs. desert.

The Museum of Modern Art is located directly across the Gulf Road from Souq Sharq near a large dhow. It is free and open Saturday to Wednesday 9am-1pm and 5pm9pm. Very informed and friendly tour guides who speak English are available. For more information please call 22468348/ 22468354/ 22468401 ext. 105 or 115.

Gallery Tilal is located in Shuwaikh, Jahra Road, Tilal Complex, M3-M4. For more information please call: 222 56101 or email gallerygallery@hotmail.com.

You can also check out their facebook page.

SULTAN GALLERY

First installation between Basra and Kuwait, May 19, 2012 Date: May 22 - June 11, 2012

CAP KUWAIT

Title of Exhibition: Museum of Manufactured Response to Absence Collection Date: May 22 - June 11, 2012 The Museum of Manufactured Response to Absence (MoMRtA), in response to the absence of a minority group of Palestinians that were in Kuwait from before 1948 until 1990, 28 works have been commissioned to be "manufactured" to fill a void. These objects do not exist, they are manufactured imagining the “what if” element. This imagined museum installation is an intervention in the Museum of Modern Art, in Kuwait. In the absence of documentation, memory has become the document. Memory is fragile, accumulated, dismantled, reassembled, and sometimes lost work. None of the objects exist as is, some are disfunctional, all of them were made from scratch, from conception to execution. *Museum collection project curated by Ala Younis, produced by MinRASY Projects.

Title of Exhibition: Method to Madness Dates & Timings: April 18 – May 9, 2012, 7- 9pm CAP Kuwait showcases the works of artists Jowhara AlSaud, Noor Al Suwaidi, Nadine Kanso and Jaffar Al Raibi, focusing on their evolution.

CAP Kuwait is a nonprofit veture, supported by an extensive private collectection of modern and contemporary artwork. The Contemporary Art Platform is located in Industrial Shuwaikh Block 2, St. 28, Life Center, top floor (Across from the Shuwaikh Immigration Dept). For more information email info@capkuwait.com or call 2492 5637.

Title of Exhibition: Sound installation Tarek Atoui (In collaboration with MinRASY Projects)

by

MERCEDES

ZERI CRAFTS Reviving the traditional crafts of the Gulf By bazaar staff

To this day, Laila Al-Hamad is still amazed by how her desire to recover and modernize the traditional crafts of the Gulf region, such as Bedouin Sadu weaving and woodwork carvings, has taken her on an astounding journey to distant locations across the globe. One would naturally imagine that the great craft of Sadu weaving is a prized heritage that our region naturally excels at, yet Al-Hamad comments, “With only 7 master weavers in Kuwait, expert weavers who can execute the most complicated Sadu designs, it is obvious that this art is lost to new generations.”

The founder of design brand Zeri Crafts, AlHamad wishes to revive and modernize the iconic symbols and traditional crafts of the Gulf region by enhancing the quality of craftsmanship involved, as well as the materials employed. Zeri, the traditional form of embroidery using gold thread, is a central feature in traditional regional attire, also inspiring Al-Hamad to consider the cultural symbols that define our region. From her recent experience in social and cultural development with her previous job with the World Bank, she traveled to developing regions of the world where crafts formed a viable economic aspect of the society. She adds, “I was especially impressed with the artisans in East Asia and I learned to appreciate that, and it would be 34

nice to revive and modernize the traditions of crafts in the Gulf region as a source of identity. We really need these ties to our culture. It would be interesting to create an organization focused on uplifting the art of crafts in the GCC." Instead of working with artisans from the region, who were in essence a diminishing breed, Al-Hamad decided to involve talented designers and artisans from different parts of the world. Taking a typical Gulf icon, like the mabkhara, or the traditional vehicle for burning incense, she comments, "The mabkhara is something we all love, we grew up with it and we love the smell, yet I cannot go anywhere and find one that is of high quality and appeal. That’s when I met Nada El Asmar, a talented Palestinian-Belgian designer, who redesigned this icon. She expertly beautified something so traditional, uplifting its standard. After that, I focused my energy on modernizing the Sadu.”

Al-Hamad describes her journey with the Sadu as rather serendipitous, after her effort to find local weavers didn’t pan out the way she planned, she met with textile expert Keireine Canavan, and created a final year design competition for students at the University of Wales Institute of Cardiff. Their goal? Turning the traditional Sadu symbols into textiles that were wearable, light and airy. She adds,

“I wanted to lighten the Sadu to bring it back into our homes, and wished to focus on recreating the design on silk.”

After selecting her winning designer, Al-Hamad then went on to consider the implementation of these remarkable designs. Interestingly so, she was back to where she was initially impressed with the talent pool of local artisans, Eastern Asia. "In Laos, weaving is a thriving business and an art form that is passed on through generations. Oddly enough, I was back where I started." Currently working with a specialized team of weavers, she is happy to report that three of the women at the studio have now learned how to recreate the Sadu pattern, all done by hand, with silk textiles.

In doing so, Al-Hamad discovered a crosscultural exchange of expertise, technique and craft.

“I’m hoping to work with artisans from different parts of the world, any beautiful work that is executed by the hands of a skilled artisan deserves my utmost recognition.”

Zeri Crafts showcases its debut collection at the Sadu House in Kuwait on May 7th. For more information visit www.zericrafts.com , email info@zericrafts.com.

CK

bazaar goes dining

EN MEXICO Mexican food from the heart of a Kuwaiti By bazaar staff

The little corner of Jabriya known as Block 1a is turning into a fantastic place to check out when you’re on the lookout for somewhere to hang out and get some great food. The franchises are there of course, but what we’re more interested in at bazaar are the home -grown places, and En Mexico is the latest addition to this pleasing trend.

Situated just off the craz y four th ring road, you’ll find solace from the traffic in this cosy little Mexican joint, which is fast gaining a reputation as the go-to place for Mexican cuisine in Kuwait.

Red painted walls, adorned with por traits and paintings of Mexican scenes and people like Frida Kahlo, create an atmosphere that is warm and inviting – especially appreciated considering the torrential rainfall that accompanied our visit! These red walls evoke 36

feelings of Mexican fieriness that is matched in the food, and enthusiasm of the owner. Fresh herbs hang in baskets from the wall next to the obligator y Tabasco sauce and other condiments.

All this paired with the limited seating (twenty five people would be a squeeze) makes this the antithesis of a franchise. Just the way I like it.

There is a definite authenticity to En Mexico. This is a place set up by someone who is highly passionate about the food he ser ves.

That impassioned individual is Abdullah Al Najdi, who set up En Mexico after a visit to New York. He discovered that the best places to eat were the ones off the beaten track, sometimes with no signs – places that build reputation by word- of-mouth fuelled by top-notch food.

But don’t worr y, there’s a big sign above the door because, as we all k now, it ’s hard enough to find places in Kuwait already. But what else Abdullah took from the trip was that it ’s better

to keep things simple. The menu at En Mexico is small, and this is a good thing, ever ything on it is made from scratch. Abdullah talked about his menu with such ver ve that my mouth was watering before we even sat down.

The Homemade Chips & Salsa quick ly sated my appetite, though and The Queso Fundido, a cheese fondue with fire -roasted chilies, ser ved with more of those homemade tor tilla chips delighted, and set the tone for what was to follow. The subtle warmth of the roasted chilies mixed with the cheese delivered a great flavor.

The two chip star ters would be great ordered for the table as ever ybody peruses the menu. Or you could always dive right in and opt for the Por tobello Quesadilla – a roasted Por tobello and melted Gouda explosion folded in a grilled flour tor tilla ser ved with sour cream. If you’re look ing for something new then the Jicama & Mango Salad is a solid choice. Jicama is a sweet

vegetable that tastes a little like an apple and pairs well with the mango. I preferred the Grilled Chicken Taco Salad and its melange of flavors and textures, brought together with a little fire by way of a jalapeño vinaigrette.

What I like about Mexican food is ordering a selection of dishes that the whole table can share. If you do this, be warned, the two sides offered at En Mexico may end up being fought over. The Eloté is corn on the cob Mexicanstreet style that looks stunning when ser ved and tastes just as good – crunchy yet tender.

The Jalapeño Corn Bread though is on a whole other level. Topped with honey butter, and somewhere between sweet and savor y, this stuff is seriously tasty! Load these sides on the table with a few of the main dishes and your group is good to go. This was hard for me because I’d heard whispers on the internet about the Braised Beef Brisket Tacos at En

Mexico. So while I enjoyed the Grilled Chicken Burrito and Grilled Fish Tacos thoroughly, I was think ing only of melt-in-your-mouth beef as I was eating them. This is the k ind of item on a menu I simply cannot ignore and I already k now I’ll be ordering it ever y single time I visit En Mexico. The brisket is slow- cooked for hours until it ’s falling apar t, ser ved up with caramelized onions and cheese in fresh corn tor tillas and accompanied by rice and homemade frijoles (refried beans). It ’s wor th going to En Mexico for this dish alone.

Just when I thought I may have to roll to the car, desser t was swiftly delivered to the table. And what a desser t! Churros, for the uninitiated, are sor t of like Mexican donuts sticks. En Mexico ser ves them freshly made and still warm with a spic y chocolate dipping sauce.

These things are fluffy and light on the inside and crispy on the outside and coated with

cinnamon sugar. Dipping these crunchy pieces of heaven into the dark and spic y chocolate sauce was the per fect end to an outstanding dining experience at En Mexico.

It ’s all about authentic food made from the highest quality ingredients and attention to detail at En Mexico. Founder and owner Abdullah Al Najdi is in no rush to expand. He prefers to let things grow organically, focusing on keeping his small menu as per fect as possible and letting people discover this small delight on their own terms, much like he did with those places in New York.

En Mexico is located on Street 6, Block 1a in Jabriya.

For more information please call: 9911 1015 website: www.enmexicokw.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/enmexicokw Facebook: www.facebook.com/enmexicokw 37

MILA

ANO

CUZ CREATIONS Pimp your ride By bazaar staff

There are a few places in the world where having a car is simply a necessity. As can be seen from countless TV shows and films, Los Angeles is a tough place to be unless you have a set of wheels. The rest of the world may not know it, but Kuwait is definitely one of those places, too. Here, a car could be considered an extension of our living space with how much time we spend in it.

And like our homes, we want our whip to look and feel good. There’s no doubt about it, Kuwaitis love their cars and take them very seriously.

Enter Mijbil Al-Ayoub and Sabah Al-Bader and their car customization service, Cuz Creations.

Established in 2010, they aim to be the premier service in Kuwait for all things car-related, whether it be enhancing, building, maintaining, acquiring or selling. These guys are car-mad and between them have been working on cars for over twenty years.

For a country so focused on the automobile industry, and one populated with some serious car enthusiasts, there can be limited options in Kuwait when it comes to servicing and renovating. The guys at Cuz Creations, as car enthusiasts themselves, were frustrated by soaring costs and poor quality 40

work for car products and services locally. Given that they both got into cars seriously when living in America, this is understandable. So what better way to solve this problem than to set up their own business offering the services that are lacking? Cuz Creations seek out the most qualified and specialist car technicians in Kuwait and internationally, then build strong relations with them. What this means for you and your car is that as you hand the keys over to Cuz Creations when they pick up your car from your home, you have full trust that your baby is in the best of hands, and people who care about your car as much as you do are handling it. They work constantly to ensure they keep a balance between fair prices and offering only the very highest quality of work and care for your car. Then after all the work is complete, Cuz Creations will deliver your car back to you at your home – no more trips into the heart of darkness that is traffic in Shuwaikh!

Whatever you want for your car, they can do. From simple services, tinting windows, to a renovation of the car’s interior. They can also clean, detail, polish and protect your bumpers, lights and mirrors by applying clear plastic. As we all know in Kuwait it can

be easy to pick up dents and Cuz Creations can fix these, both minor and major, and then paint over the affected areas so you’ll never know it happened. They are a trusted source for premium after-market parts for all car makes and models. They are also specialists in restoring vintage automobiles. You no longer have to put your trust in the mechanic. With Cuz Creations you can instead put your trust in like-minded car enthusiasts and let them take care of everything.

They showcased some of their work last month at ACK’s Motor Show. As can be seen from our pictures, they had some seriously pimped out rides, and their own personal cars were on show there, too.

For more information visit www.cuzcreationz.com, contact info@cuzcreationz.com, or call 60355993.

If you’re feeling social, check out: www.facebook.com/CuzCreationz.

Or @CuzCreationz on twitter.

HAMILTON

THE TREE HUGGER Hiba Arshad loves a challenge By bazaar staff

We featured Hiba Arshad in last month’s ‘In The Green’ feature and were so impressed by this 18-year-old social activist, we just had to ask her a few more questions.

Did you really wear the same t-shirt for a year?

I had many different colored t-shirts with ‘i am hiba’ printed on the front. So I didn’t wear the exact same shirt for a year, I rotated between colors! But, I did commit myself to wearing the same type of shirt for a year.

Why? Wearing the same type of shirt for an entire year is an unprecedented challenge for any teenager living in the 21st century, particularly in a country like Kuwait where brand-consciousness is almost contagious.

However, the motive behind this challenge is what inspired me and a number of youngsters in Kuwait to take up the challenge.

The purpose behind wearing the same type of shirt for an entire year, everywhere we go, is simple. To show a united stand against the cycle of materialism that exists amongst teenagers, to empower the youth, to spend a year not caring about what we wear or our image, and instead think about issues larger than ourselves!

Tell us about the Global Youth Summit you attended in 2010.

In 2010 I was one of 60 youth activists chosen from around the world to participate in the Global Youth Summit held in London, UK. This summit is organized by the Global Changemakers, an initiative run by the British Council. Each year, at the Global Youth Summit, youth activists from around the world come together to share ideas and solutions to the most pressing issues in today’s world. They also work together in organizing and implementing projects which address 42

these issues in each of their local communities.

This was by far the most incredible experience of my life and I got the chance to meet some of the most inspiring individuals. It was here that I met Dan Cullum, a student at the University of Auckland, who initiated the ‘I AM Challenge’ youth movement in New Zealand.

What was the ‘I AM’ Recycling exhibition all about?

Realizing that Kuwait is the 3rd most polluted country in the world, the ‘I AM Challenge-Kuwait’ team decided to do something about it. In the summer of 2011, a few of the participants taking up the challenge collected old t-shirts and jeans and with the help of a tailor converted them into new items such as trendy laptop bags, handbags and pillow covers. The purpose of this was to spread awareness of how things that we’d normally throw away can be reused, reduced and recycled into such useful items.

These items made from recycled materials were then put on display and sale at the ‘I AM Recycling’ exhibition held at The British School of Kuwait. The money raised from the sale of the items was then donated by the ‘I AM Challenge-Kuwait’ team to the famine relief efforts in the Horn of Africa.

If you had the power to change one thing in Kuwait what would it be?

If I had the power to change one thing in Kuwait it would be the ‘climate fatigue’ that exists among the people. At present, the mindset of the people towards environmental issues is very passive and nonchalant, when in fact these issues are the ones that require serious attention.

What campaign is currently getting the activist inside you all fired up?

Human Rights issues are often the ones that get

the activist side in me fired up the most. In particular, it would be that of women’s rights. Even in today’s society, in several countries, women are not given the same rights as men, and not just as a woman, but as a human being – I find this unacceptable. In my future projects I hope to work towards providing women in less developed nations equal access to education, as I believe education is the best tool for empowerment.

What does the future hold for Hiba Arshad?

This September, I’ll be moving to England to pursue my higher education at the University of Nottingham where I will be studying Chemical and Environmental engineering. I want to relay my passion for environmental preservation in my career so that it becomes part of my everyday life.

I intend on keeping social activism as an integral part of my life as I am a strong believer that power lies with the people. A personal dream of mine is to one day climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with my sister to raise money for a charitable cause, although it would probably take some serious convincing of my parents!

What would you like to say to the youth of Kuwait?

My message to the youngsters in Kuwait would be that, never for a second think that we need to be an adult or in a position of power to make a difference.

As youngsters, we can very well achieve anything if we set our minds to it. Passion and determination are enough to bring about a positive change in society.

‘I AM Challenge-Kuwait’ has now entered its second year with a newer and larger team with over 20 teenagers taking up the challenge!

For more information on I AM Challenge Kuwait visit www.facebook.com/iamchallengekuwait or contact Hiba directly on hiba.arshad93@hotmail.com.

BANANA REPUBLIC

QUMAR 14 The stylish exploration of East meets West By bazaar staff

Sara N Al Ateeqi is undeniably a solutionoriented fashionista. If she searches for an item of clothing that she cannot find, she simply makes it as she envisions it. From her practical work trousers to elegant Ramadan Kaftans, Al Ateeqi’s designs depict an effortless, Arabinspired charm. The charm of understated beauty, Al Ateeqi’s lifestyle brand, Qumar 14, is unattached to passing trends. On the contrary, Qumar 14 reflects Al Ateeqi’s passionate affair with beautiful, well-made garments that reflect her style and attitude towards modern attire suited for her and like-minded women.

With a career in finance, Al Ateeqi never neglected her eye for design, color, and style.

Her look is nonchalant from afar, understatedly elegant, and simple. Meeting her for a pre-work coffee, we immediately notice her passion for color and interesting design in the way in which she accessorizes; her monotone outfit of subdued shades of gray and cream comes alive with her vibrant shoes.

Surprisingly to most, Al Ateeqi has been making her clothes for years. She explains, “I’ve been 44

making Kaftans and daily wear garments for years without publicizing my work. It was never quite my intent to do so, yet as I started making Kaftans for myself four years ago, my friends were eager to have some, as well.” Her intent was actually far simpler, as she searched for a simply-styled Kaftan that wasn’t overly embellished, nor made from cheaper quality fabrics, and sometimes even rather overpriced. Although Al Ateeqi never approached people to sell her Kaftans, she received requests with each Ramadan season that came and went.

After an editorial experience about her Ramadan Kaftans with Khaleejesque, an online lifestyle magazine geared towards the Arabian Gulf region, word spread about Qumar 14’s simple, classic, yet captivating line of Kaftans. Al Ateeqi was surprised at the unexpected interest she received.

Last year, she undertook several charity projects with sales from her Kaftans, and finally decided that 30 percent of all of her sales from Qumar 14 Kaftans would always go to charity.

Al Ateeqi clearly has an affinity for cultural elements of the Arab region, and her rendition of Kuwait’s traditional Bisht is but a mere reflection of

that passion. In this collection, she humbly contests that she wanted something she couldn’t find to be available, so she went on to do it herself. She adds, "I really don't make to sell, I make what I like, and what I feel represents my style. I love the traditional shapes, and designs of our culture, and wished to take them one step further." The winter Bishts were well received for their unique representation at last November's Pretty Little Things event, yet another astonishing surprise for Sara.

In her latest creative endeavor, Al Ateeqi wished to deliver the Qumar 14 vision in the form of a ready-to-wear, spring summer collection. Keeping in line with her branding of Qumar 14, there might be a difference in the aesthetic of Al Ateeqi's collections in the form of ready-to-wear, yet her focus on small and enticing Arab-inspired details makes her signature vision sharply apparent. It's not about simply creating modern wear, yet it’s about creating a modern collection that is wellmade with quality fabrics, with an oriental touch that represents Al Ateeqi's brand ethos. Highlighted by sleek Arabic calligraphy, embellished crescents, vibrant colors, and modern cuts, Q14 is Al Ateeqi’s

of clothing that effectively expressed her style, Al Ateeqi bridges the gap between the old and the new. Traditional attire is evolved to suit the taste of the modern, discerning fashionista, and Western, modern pieces are rendered with traditional glances that are understated and minimal.

From ready-to-wear, traditional Kaftans, accessories to upholstery fabrics, Al Ateeqi sees the Qumar 14 in anything she creates, and is challenged by the opportunities that lie ahead. Although she doesn't carry the aspirations of a typical designer, Al Ateeqi will go where her challenges take her, "It's really all about how people respond, and react to my work. The point is to make something beautiful and well-made, using quality materials.�

representation of modern wear for Arab women.

She explains, "I wanted to create modern clothing for Arab women, and traditional regional attire

for modern women. Q14, and Qumar 14 are in essence, two lines that deliver the same lifestyle message." In her quest for creating valuable pieces

Photography by Louis Nasta.

Sara Al Ateeqi’s Ready-to-wear Spring Summer collection showcased at the Art and Fashion event, Alwan, at Dar Al Funoon.

For order inquiries, email info@qumar-14.com.

Follow Qumar 14 on twitter by visiting, www.twitter.com/qumar_14, and facebook, www.facebook.com/qumar14 or please call 6644 3360.

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truth or dare

THE OVEN EXPERIMENTS Fun loving, food loving Budour By bazaar staff

In our experience, it has been proven that Ramadan cravings in the late hours of the night mostly revolve around desserts, and the results are usually devastating to our waistlines.

According to Budour Al-Qassar, her oven experiments started with one typical Ramadan night three years ago. Budour explains,” I was having the most insane food cravings, and would end up making so many different kinds of desserts.” An impulsive person (and cook) by nature, Budour decided that it was time to create her first live food diary: the oven experiments.

However, Budour’s experiments in the kitchen started much earlier in her life, as she started making Swiss rolls at the tender age of eleven. A clever mix between Budour’s original, and other researched and modified recipes she comes by online, food travels suited for the most devout foodies, food videos, website links, and cool kitchen gadgets, the food diary that is the oven experiments has evolved into a much-loved online destination for foodies all over town. Why do we love it? Her food antics are extremely appetizing, and highly entertaining.

For the oven experimenter, she considers her website from a pragmatic point of view, “If I forget how to make something, I’ll look no further than my website. At the same time, I provide people with tips and tricks I learn along the way, allowing 46

readers to interact with me. I love it when someone actually tries a recipe and likes it, that's the best part about blogging!”

When it comes to traveling, Budour makes food the main event. She adds, “I literally travel to eat, I don’t make anything else the focus of my trip. My current favorite food city has got to be Milan! My blog is flooded with images of food I had in Milan.” A fan of simple and uncomplicated food, it is obvious that Budour isn’t about fad cuisines; she’s all about fresh ingredients that shine with flavor. She continues by giving us another example, “I also love Indian food, especially southern Indian cuisine. I might not have it on a regular basis, nor in its original form, yet Southern Indian cuisine is one of my greater kitchen inspirations. I love what can be done with vegetables; a simple vegetable can be so rich in taste with coconut milk, peppers and other spices.”

Even though Budour took an extended (and greatly missed) break from blogging a while back, she marks her return as a happy occasion. "I really missed it, and I'm motivated to redesign the look of the website." Working on several projects, including an upcoming exhibition entitled Ecological Urbanism, Budour is helping with developing the link between urbanism and food in Kuwait; her team of participants will map out Kuwait according to the underground food scene. We’re certain of one thing about Budour,

whatever her future holds, it will include food.

How would your mother describe you in one word?

Stubborn.

How would you describe your mother in one word?

Sensitive.

What is the most insane question you’ve ever been asked?

I have no idea.

What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

I’m not very spontaneous, unfortunately. I pretty much plan everything in my life.

What word in the English or Arabic language do you wish you had invented? ‫طقم‬ Where would you like to live? / What is your dream retirement location?

On a farm where I can pick my fruits and vegetables every day.

What is the first famous quote that comes to your mind?

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own. What animal best describes the kind of partner you’d be interested in?

A bear; warm and cuddly.

What do you miss about your childhood?

Playing in the neighborhood park.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

I wouldn’t. I love my name.

How would you describe your handshake in one word?

Firm.

What is the toughest part of your character?

Being stubborn.

Who is your favorite historical figure?

I don't have a favorite.

What in the world do you least desire?

Food with no character.

What do you think is lacking in the world, which would make the world a better place?

Parks.

Why do you think most girls/guys like you?

Because I feed them!

Finish this sentence: “Happiness is a thing called…”

A satisfying meal.

Follow Budour Al-Qassar’s kitchen creations by logging onto www.theovenexperiments.com, or follow her on twitter, www.twitter.com/ovenexperiments.

SBNY

RICE PUDDING FACTORY Producing the ultimate comfort food By bazaar staff

Tucked away in the corner of Nuzha supermarket is the site of something a little bit different happening in Kuwait. If you’re lucky enough you’ll find it the first time, but if like me, you get the taxi to drop you off at the wrong Nuzha supermarket, don’t stress too much. The walk from the one supermarket to the other only made my rice pudding reward taste all the creamier when I found it.

Rice Pudding Factory only opened recently and some people are still trying to figure out what exactly rice pudding is. Me, I needed absolutely no introduction. I remember fondly my mother serving 48

up bowls of the dessert/meal from my childhood.

Although the rice pudding ladled out at Rice Pudding Factory is more of the creamy American kind than the milky stuff with the burnt skin on top preferred by us Brits.

You’d be forgiven, like a lot of people, for mistaking it as a frozen yoghurt or ice cream place.

The concept is pretty similar; pick a flavor of rice pudding, choose your size and then choose your toppings. But this is where the similarity ends. They serve five chilled flavors and two warm ones, and the sizes are named Joy (small), Charm (medium), Delight (large) and finally the Happy Box which houses six Joy sized containers of rice pudding. The first chilled flavor I tried was White Original and honestly, I could have stopped there. When the basic flavor is done right you know you are in good hands - simple, creamy and tasty. I tried it topped with buttery pound cake, caramel sauce and fresh strawberry too, but I must say I would prefer to eat this one unadorned - it simply doesn’t need adding to. This got me thinking that if the original flavor was so tasty, then the other flavors would be the same recipe with extras and so I decided to give them a go, too. I tried the Cookies & Cream, Tiramisu, Cacao and Raspberry Cheesecake flavors and they were also very tasty. The taste of the original was still there with a hint of the

flavor detectable in each creamy textured mouthful.

But for me rice pudding was always served warm and so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the two warm flavors – Caramel Praline and Chocolatu. I much preferred the Chocalatu which has a Nutella flavor with chocolate kisses added to it. They melted into the warm rice pudding, adding an extra touch of decadence.

The beauty of the concept of Rice Pudding Factory is that you can go plain white original or you can combine flavors like Cacao and Tiramisu to create a mocha flavor, however you want it. Then you can feel free to load the toppings on or opt for a few sprinkles. Whichever way you choose to eat it, you’ll probably feel good about it. As they proclaim on their website “It’s what happiness tastes like.”

So whether you’re looking for something new, a little ladleful of home, or just looking for some comfort, you can’t go wrong at Rice Pudding Factory.

Rice Pudding Factory is located at Nuzha Supermarket, Block 3 (next to Starbucks).

For more information visit: www.ricepuddingfactory.com or call 5547 9001.

Follow them on twitter @RicePuddingFtry or like them on Facebook.

EXPRESS

STARBLU Luxury Resortwear for a stylish summer in K-town By bazaar staff

The brainchild of a group of women residing in Hong Kong, StarBlu was set-up in 2004 to realize a gap in the market for luxury, quality beachwear at an affordable price. The philosophy, from its early beginnings, has been fairly straightforward, and easy just like your summer clothing—providing quality and lightweight beachwear products that are easyto-pack and great fun to wear. StarBlu offers the sophisticated client a complete capsule holiday wardrobe that can take you effortlessly from day to night at your favorite resort.

Now, with a Starblu representation in Kuwait, your resortwear options are endless! For us beachgoers, StarBlu is a heaven-sent brand, with flexible options to take us from the Corniche club, to that boat adventure to the sunny sands of Kubbar.

Caroline Ericson, the StarBlu brand representative and agent in Kuwait, deeply connected with the brand when she was living in Singapore since its early beginnings. She was immediately interested in the stylish and simplistic approach to resortwear that fit her lifestyle. She comments, “Not only are the items of high quality, they are also very accessible and fashionable, StarBlu is for everyone looking for sophisticated resortwear.” After her recent move to Kuwait with her family, she immediately noticed that StarBlu would fit perfectly with the market in Kuwait, she 50

adds, “The vibrant colors and styles, I believe the whole brand fits with the Kuwaiti lifestyle.” After spending her time organizing bazaars and StarBlu events in Singapore, her move to Kuwait will now allow her to bring in a new wave of chic resortwear to Kuwait’s fashion savvy shoppers.

A fashionable and socially responsible brand, StarBlu aims to leave as light a footprint on the planet as possible. Launching a new environmental campaign in 2011 using the men and boys swim shorts range, the collection features a different endangered species each year, with a pledge from the company to give 5% of all sales to the charities protecting these critically endangered sea creatures. Using the gorgeous green turtle print for 2011 the focus for 2012 includes the humpback whale. Caroline adds, “With father and son matching shorts, any given visit to the beach is more special.

The collections are usually color coordinated, so even the mom can enjoy a swimsuit to match the father and son team.”| For Summer 2012, inspiration comes from the tropics with its clear blue skies, azure warm waters, lush green vegetation filled with exotic flowers such as vivid purple orchids and bright pink lilies.

Prints are graphic with the use of dip-dye, cutout embroidery and beautifully soft-flowing fabrics used to create a relaxed but elegant barefoot-chic style.

What’s not to love? Gorgeous architectural prints add some edge to the beachwear wardrobe!

The vibrant, vertical patterns in their new chiffon Bali kaftan and Tahiti maxi line give the illusion of a sleeker silhouette – in luscious feel-good fabric, which co-ordinates with their on-trend giant polka dot Rhodes swim wear. Included in the 2012 collection is a new silk limited edition range, featuring hand printed fabrics in jewel tones, such as the beautiful Zante maxi dress and Maldives Silk Bandini boat neck kaftan . The StarBlu kaftan collection also features hand printed silks, cool cottons and chiffons in bold prints and striking designs, specially designed to take you from day to evening in style and comfort.

For the guys, StarBlu has crafted three cool new prints in the swimming shorts range. For the discerning traveler, there is a vintage luggage trunk print, and for the superstitious, a fun “lucky koi” print.

The creative talent behind this fabulous design line includes a St. Martin graduate’s fashionable expertise, as she supports the StarBlu team in realizing the dream of creating stylish, fun, wearable resortwear classics. She coordinates the shared passion of a globally inspired team to bring together colors, prints, embroidery and the finest of fabrics to deliver a desirable, quality range of resortwear for ladies, men and children.

Hit the beach in style and be seen in StarBlu. For order inquiries, log on to www.StarBlu.com, or email caroline@starblu.com.

NOKIA

THE EARLY BIRD FLIES TO THAILAND By bazaar staff

You may not know who Bianca Simonian is, but you’ve probably wolfed down one of her damn tasty breakfasts at the Early Bird Cafés in Fahaheel or Jabriya. We all know the tribulations and difficulties we can face trying to live a healthy lifestyle here in Kuwait. As an LA native Bianca sometimes misses her health-crazed home town, but she’s always trying to introduce her health-conscious mind-set to her adopted home. So when she arrived back from Thailand, where she’d dedicated herself to a seven day cleansing and purification program, she couldn’t wait to tell bazaar all about it, spreading the word to all you readers.

This was her experience.

Every time I visit Thailand I have to overcome obstacles. It’s like I’m being challenged by a higher power – I have to prove I’m worthy of reaching paradise.

In the past I’ve experienced minor nuisances such as the Malaysian lady who wouldn’t stop jabbering or the Thai child inexplicably shouting out in Italian on my last flight. But this year I thought I would have 52

to give my life to prove my worth. Traveling through a sandstorm, the pilot tried twice to land in Doha and it felt like we were in the spin cycle of a washing machine each time. I didn’t know which way was up or down. When the guy a couple of seats over started praying, I thought I was toast for sure. We eventually got redirected and landed without incident in Al Ain. And I thought sandstorms were annoying in the city…

With a feeling of accomplishment I arrived in Thailand and then on to Atmanjai in Phuket.

Browsing through the brochure on my arrival, I learned that at Atmanjai Wellness Center, they believe the key to purification is not simply about cleansing the body but also about clearing the mind, too. This kind of cleansing program can help with type 2 diabetes, skin problems, irritable bowel syndrome and other stomach problems, too. While I was there a man with severe eczema saw his skin almost clear up from the cleansing.

I had opted for the Raw Cleanse which focuses on colemas twice daily and cleansing drinks; one with

magnesium oxide, bentonite clay, psyllium and one with honey and apple cider vinegar. I would also be drinking herbal tea throughout the day, a vegetable broth in the evening and taking a cleansing blend and herbal nutrition supplement daily. This would be paired with daily yoga sessions and massages.

I couldn’t wait to rid my body of all those toxins.

Day 1: After the ordeal of getting here today I was filled with fatigue. Early morning yoga started the day after my first cleansing shake. In the afternoon I walked around Rawai and Instagram’d; so much to see. A selfadministered colema brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘letting go’ by the way! During the day I met expat bankers living in Singapore, A Lebanese film director, an artist from San Francisco, and a couple from Australia on their routine bi-annual cleanse. I took an evening meditation class and early to bed.

Day 2: Still adjusting to the daily routine today. Did yoga again in the morning and a swim in the

afternoon. Had a fair amount of energy still, so feeling pretty good. As I’m writing this I realize I can smell cigarette smoke on everything I own (of course, no smoking allowed here).

Day 3: Didn’t sleep much at all last night and woke up exhausted; was told that the third day is the toughest as your body is eliminating the toxins. Managed to make it through the day sticking to my cleanse though. The weather was fantastic and I was told I was radiating after a healing session which helped me get through the day. I took a sauna which was a bit too much with the heat and the detox. Ran in the morning today and swam in the afternoon but looking forward to my yoga session with Julie tomorrow who mentored me on my last brief stint in Thailand.

Day 4: Felt much better today. Realized that I’ve not really been hungry since being here. We are always putting something into our body like shakes, teas, broth or raw vegetables. Didn’t get

to tan today as it poured down. Julie cancelled the yoga and so went for a run in the morning.

Went to a raw food “cooking” class where we made cheese out of cashews, crackers out of flax and veg, pad thai from zucchini noodles (delicious!) and met a lot of seriously quirky people. Must be something about raw food that attracts these kinds of people. What does that say about me?

Day 5: Lost two-and-a-half kilos so far! My blood pressure has also dropped considerably. It rained again today but it made my morning run so liberating. I swam again in the afternoon.

Day 6: Finally got to see Julia today for my hour-and-a-half private yoga session. I ran again in the morning and ventured into town with a couple of fellow cleansers in the evening. Three kilos of weight shed so far!

Day 7: Last day. Took a walk in the morning and squeezed in a final few sessions of energy work before heading

off to Bangkok. In Bangkok I took a hot yoga class the next day. It was on the nineteenth floor of a building downtown and heated to between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius. I was the only white girl among about forty Thais. In Thailand I never feel like I don’t belong.

I love the bliss that Thailand provides – the magic of the place. I left feeling blessed by the sanctitude that this magnificent country breathes.

I have brought back what I learned there and look forward to using it to bring success to 2012. When I was in Thailand I realized that nothing is forever and I found comfort in that impermanence. I will shine a different colored light from now on and live like the old “new” me.

Let it be.

Follow Bianca and her adventures on her blog www. birdtalk.kw or visit earlybirdkw.com to find out more about her yummy breakfasts.

For more information about the cleansing programme visit www.atmanjai.com.

53

snap

Title: Apocalypse

Photographed by: Christian Ghammachi

Location: Cape Town, South Africa Description: This was shot this April 2012, which is fall season in South Africa. Sunsets at this time of year can be breathtaking. I had just returned from work and walked into the house when I looked outside and saw this fiery red sky that seemed apocalyptic. But if apocalypse day looks like this, I don't mind!

The beauty of photography is that it is left open for the viewer’s interpretation. It is an art form in which the artist sees and captures a moment in time for us to forever contemplate. Instead of saying “this is how I saw it” a photo asks the viewer to simply “see”.e For your snap submissions, please send an email including the photo with its title, location, and description to snap@bazaar-magazine.com. Give us something to see.

freedom to express 54

www.christianghammachi.com FB: Christian Ghammachi Photography

ICE WATCH

QUINTESSENTIALLY K ARIM GHIDINELLI There is an aspect of mystery, rhythm and enigma about his perfectly choreographed oeuvre.

Overstepping the mundane and the predictable, the beauty of oil colors on aluminium adds a tactile sensuousness to his hypnotic vignettes, so typical of Karim Ghidinelli.

By Deepa Pant

With a one-of-a-kind style abstractexpressionist, Italian artist, Karim Ghidinelli is well known for his central iconic image of a fingerprint, a theme that has been central to his work since he started working.

Dar Al Funoon art gallery featured a selection of Ghidinelli’s twenty-one large format works in an exhibition that ran from April 2 to April 23. He laces his work with vibrant energy, gripping charm and numerous storylines. His enchanting perspective is as unique as it is refreshing, yet, it is not so easy to decipher the mesmerizing mystery of his art.

The originality of Karim Ghidinelli’s eye-catching paintings is inspired by a powerful inner tension and his constant travel experiences. Over the years, he has developed a richly appealing body of work dedicated to fluidity and spontaneity as textures and heady colors coalesce in an immersive visual.

Ghidinelli and his vibrant enamel colors on carved aluminium offer a confluence of engaging narratives, questions and nuanced splendor. He makes reference to various personal narratives, which are humorous at times, and at times rather complex.

In his art, this acclaimed artist celebrates the differences that make each of us unique. “The hand 56

carved fingerprint is enlarged and delineated with the twists and turns that are unique to each individual,” notes the artist. Throughout, there are umpteen narratives that integrate well with his compositions and add more depth and provocation to his works.

Ghidinelli carries forward his signature in his paintings such as ‘Phenomenal Division’, ‘Confessing’ and ‘What do you see?’ all of which are equally evocative and engaging. According to the artist, his work is based upon passage, mark, and assurance.

“Identity is naturally a part of the evolutionary process of the passage; the mark is embodied by my distinctive trace on the page. As my work documents the passage of others, it simultaneously assures me of my own journey,” he further explains.

Commenting on his artistic journey, he says, “The mutation from print, to portrait, to metal, oil or collage represents the myriad of influences I draw upon when composing my thought. Being the living testament of an eclectic path, it is impossible for me to ignore the possibilities that surround me. My eye reads them all as one.”

Meanwhile, speaking of his art work, Ghidinelli states, “The piece is never concluded; rather it symbolizes the continuation of a phase, from

himself to the public, from his interpretation to ours.”

Karim Ghidinelli was born in Brescia, a city in the north of Italy. After having travelled extensively, he now lives and works in Miami, USA. He holds an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) degree in Painting in 2002 from Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA. Ghidinelli’s works are widely collected throughout the world by some of the most discriminating private collectors including many celebrities and institutions.

He has exhibited widely in the US, UK, Canada, Italy, Ireland, and Kuwait.

Dar Al Funoon Gallery is located in Behbehani Compound, House No: 28, Al Watiah. For more information, please contact telephone no: 2243 3138.

GAP

Goji's Pick

WHIMSICAL CHARM By bazaar staff

Fashionistas! Take note, your favorite online shopping destination, Goji Boutique, welcomes yet another fabulous designer to the Goji family.

Sretsis (sisters spelt backwards) is definitely having a fashionable moment. Founded in 2002, the label is the creative vision of three sisters.

Born in 1979, Sretsis’s lead designer, Pim Sukhahuta, is a fashion prodigy. Her career started before she knew it, with an overnight decision to open her first boutique while she was still a junior at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. Upon her graduation with a degree in fashion design in 2003, Pim had already opened a store and showcased two fashion shows.

The former Mark Jacobs intern quickly became noticed for her girlish yet quirky designs using 58

whimsical prints on delicate fabrics like silk, chiffon and charmeuse. With a collection characterized by a dream-like aesthetic, her designs on airy fabrics and ethereal style illustrate an inspired makebelieve world.

Collectively, Pim’s sisters, Kly, a magazinestar-turned-fashion-marketer, and Matina, who collaborates with a jewelry line for Kim’s collections, create a powerful fashion label that would hardly go unnoticed: Sretsis. Operating on an international scale, Sretsis imports fabrics from all over the world, including Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. Focusing on personal details and special hand-finished touches, the wonderful Sretsis line is produced by a talented team of 25 seamstresses working at their Bangkok headquarters.

Commenting on the brand’s signature style, Pim focuses on the unconventional, "It’s all about whimsical prints, nostalgic details with a modernday attitude. We don’t believe in locking up clothes only for special occasions. We want girls to experience the regular joy of dressing up.” Why wouldn’t we enjoy that? With effortlessly chic styles, single pieces make a profound, lasting visual statement; a single dress will take you from the office to a social event, t-shirts are easily dressed up or down. The opportunities are endless, yet always fashionable.

Sretsis is carried by Goji Boutique, shop the collection now at www.gojiboutique.com.

HACKETT

THE INTEREST IN...

By Ashley Primis

As a graphic designer, Mike Dew is inspired by what he sees - especially while tooling around on the Internet. "I come across things that I want to cook, or stuff for my apartment, or things for work like type, design, architecture."

Now, it all gets tacked on his Pinterest page.

Get ready to embrace the newest social media darling - because along with your Facebook wall, Twitter handle and LinkedIn profile, now you must have a Pinterest page.

That is, if you are the creative, visual type. The website, launched two years ago by Yale grad and former Google product specialist Ben Silbermann, enables users to produce virtual bulletin boards on which they can "pin" their favorite images. It's a lot less celebrity gossip and photos of your neighbor's kids, and a lot more of the prettier, less newsy things in life.

That handmade baby mobile you spotted on Etsy? Pin it. The farm-to-table vacation retreat you want to take? Up on the board. The Danish folding 60

chair you lust after? Pinned! Capture Bali beaches, drool-worthy chocolate tarts, or a vintage armoire in a whitewashed boudoir.

Pinterest, named one of the top 30 U.S. websites by analytics company Experian Hitwise with more than 103 million U.S. visits in February, was created as a way to organize, in one place, the memorable things that float around in users' virtual and real-life worlds. And like the Facebook phenomenon, where thoughts/actions/interests/musings somehow interest others, now our aesthetic souls can be shared, too.

For Tricia Hwalek, her page is as aspirational as it is inspirational.

"When I was a teenager, I would cut things out of magazines and put them on poster board," says Hwalek (follow her at pinterest.com/ princessespana), a Connecticut-based accounts manager. She has created boards filled with outfits to buy when she reaches her goal weight, ideas for a playroom when she finally buys that new house, and snapshots that remind her of past vacations.

When people visit your page, they can decide to "follow" or "like" you (a la Facebook and Twitter), or repin those images or boards onto their own profiles.

It's almost like walking into someone's living room and discovering their taste in furniture, the pictures from their family getaways, the colors they painted their walls. It's also a way to spy on others' aesthetic playgrounds, hence the popularity of pages by wellknown design giants.

And, of course, Dew. Dew was recently named one of the 10 most popular people on Pinterest, right up there with the founders of the site, a creative coordinator for Williams-Sonoma, and popular graphic designer/ bloggers like Joy Cho of Oh Joy! He now has more than a million followers. "It's just bizarre to me," says Dew (pinterest.com/tempspaz). "I just put stuff up there for myself ... and the whole thing just snowballed."

Dew's boards titled Cartography, Awesomeness and Threads (as well as the one dedicated to lamps) are like looking through a catalog of cool. His status

as superuser is the ultimate feel-good nod, the equivalent of a million people stopping you on the street and saying, "Excuse me, but I dig your taste."

Dew is humble, and a little in shock over the hoopla. "I'm not really a style person," he says.

"People aren't always complimenting me on that sort of thing." The many followers haven't changed the way he uses the site, but he's a little more aware of sourcing. "If I put a photo up of food and there is no recipe, people lose their mind in the comments."

For others, it's the social side of Pinterest that is appealing. Sibyl Lindsay, who is in marketing, and her friend Lindsey Love, owner of Coco Love Homemade bakery in Philadelphia, decided to host a Pinterest Potluck at Lindsay's home in February. "It was a social networking thing," says Lindsay, who used to work in the corporate office at Urban Outfitters. "It brought a bunch of creative people together."

The group was made up of women from around the Philadelphia region, whom Lindsay and Love either knew or connected with by following boards on Pinterest. Some had never used Pinterest before,

but signed up at the party.

They talked food, kids, shopping, and shared their trials and tribulations of being small-business owners and breaking into the creative marketplace.

"We got to talk about business without sounding like we were marketing or pushing things."

As with Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare, as Pinterest gains momentum, savvy marketers are taking notice. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., the group responsible for the Visit Philly campaign, created its own Pinterest page in January."It's a no-brainer," says Caroline Bean, the social media director for the GPTMC (pinterest.com/ visitphilly). "Photography is a great way to show off our assets."

That translates to boards filled with images - from the Liberty Bell and City Hall to the handknit sweaters, letterpress cards and jewelry sold in Philly's fashion-forward independent boutiques.

There's also the edible eye-candy of just-shucked bivalves from Oyster House, and a mozzarella-laden hoagie from Sarcone's.

GPTMC has launched a video campaign with notable Philadelphians picking their 101 favorite things about the city, which are being added to its Pinterest page.It's a way to show off the hipper, best side of Philadelphia. "We want to capture people when they are still dreaming about where to take a trip," Bean says. The site can also lure people back to the organization's website, the way that the events and news bites it pushes out on Twitter and Facebook do. "We can see what other people are pinning and learn something about Philly, too," Bean says.

The biggest appeal of the site may be its ability to make permanent those fleeting virtual experiences."The Internet moves so fast," Dew says. "You could see something one minute, and then it's gone."

Or not, if you stick a pin in it.

Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services.

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bazaar techno Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ~ Arthur C. Clarke

PAPER Another day, another revolutionary iPad app. Paper (Free with $8 add-on) is an absolutely beautiful app for creating anything you would normally do on real paper — you know, stuff like storyboarding your indie film, general note taking, sketching, or painting a watercolor landscape. You can create unlimited Moleskine-esque journals to store all of your masterpieces. Oh, and it was made by the touchy-feely folks at Microsoft who developed the failed Courier notebook thing. P.S. It's time to buy a stylus. Either the Cosmonaut or Bamboo or Jot Pro.

www.itunes.apple.com

GIZMON iCA iPHONE CASE Take the iPhone as camera metaphor to its near conclusion with the Gizmon iCA iPhone Case ($70). Inspired by classic rangefinders, this crazy case adds an optical viewfinder, a top mounted physical shutter button, a detachable tripod mount, and a conversion lens mount with your choice of fisheye, wide angle, or macro lenses. Also available in silver.

www.fourcornerstore.com

TUNTO POWERKISS LAMP If you're looking to power your phone, provide some light, and preserve your modern decor at the same time, check out the Tunto PowerKiss Lamp (â‚Ź1,050; roughly $1,400). Made from bent, ultrathin wood board, this unique lamp features PowerKiss wireless charging technology built into the base, touch-sensitive sensors for power and light intensity, and nine ultrathin LED lamps to provide plenty of light.

www.nostraforma.com

WHITE & WHITE CLOCK If the advent of Blu-ray playing PS3s and minimalist Apple TVs has you missing the old digital clock from your VCR, fill that void with the White & White Clock ($180). Designed by Vadim Kibardin, this LED clock is a 3D interpretation of those formerly ubiquitous displays, offering alarm, date, and time functionality, ABS plastic bodies, an ambient light sensor to dim the digits in darkness, and striking white numbers. No word on a "flashing 12:00" mode.

www.kibardindesign.com

THIRD ROCK FIRE PIT If you've ever seen the finale of Epcot's fireworks show, then you have some idea of what the Third Rock Fire Pit ($1,700) is about. Although this model doesn't float, shoot roman candles, or sport a slew of LEDs on the outside, it is made from quarter-inch thick carbon steel, and features an iron oxide finish, cutouts of the world's landmasses, an interior coating of high-temperature-resistant paint, and a rain drain on the bottom.

http://shop.firepitart.com 62

NUE

bazaar getaways

FOWL CAY RESORT Bahamas

By Jane Reynolds

The luxe Fowl Cay Resort in the Bahamas has a beach-y, laid-back feel - it's all about the sun and the sand here, not the scene. Crowded beaches are unheard of on this private island resort, where a maximum of 28 guests at a time have free range of 50 acres and three beaches; only six villas, ranging from one- to three-bedrooms, comprise Fowl Cay's accommodations. Each villa includes its own fully stocked kitchen, spacious living room with massive flat-screen TV and DIRECTV, and multiple private terraces and decks.

While the villas are clean and feature authentic island decor, quality varies from villa to villa. But 64

personal boats for daily excursions, on-call service and a host of all-inclusive activities such as free use of kayaks and snorkel equipment make Fowl Cay a standout gem in the Exumas. Plus, guests love congregating at the Hill House, located on the highest point of the island with stunning views of the sunset. Hill House hosts cocktail hour starting at 6:30 every night in the pub, and many guests eat dinner on the veranda.

Fowl Cay is a private retreat located among the Exumas Islands, a Bahamian chain at the apex of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Neighboring islands play host to a smattering of

celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Faith Hill, and Nicholas Cage, all of whom own vacation homes on privately owned cays.

Accessible by small charter plane via Fort Lauderdale or Nassau, the islands are known for marine life-rich coral reefs, underwater caves, and exceptional yachting. Flights from Fort Lauderdale on Watermakers Air are around 90 minutes, and Nassau flights aboard Golden Wings Charter are approximately 40 minutes. Boat transfers to and from the airstrip are included in resort rates. Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services.

RACOON

FIRIN Kuwait’s first gluten-free bakery By bazaar staff

We all know Kuwait isn’t up there on the list of healthiest places in the world. A lot of the time even if we want to opt for the healthy choice it’s not always so easy to find. But if you dig through the piles of processed foods, and ignore the chains offering junk and explore a little, you’ll be surprised.

Did you know, for example, that Kuwait has a gluten-free bakery? Well, it does. And not only is it gluten-free, it’s also a local concept started by three sisters; Mai, Sarah and Ghada Khalaf, who benefitted personally after ridding their diet of gluten. We wanted to know more about the gluten-free movement here at bazaar, so who better to ask than the three sisters who founded Firin; Kuwait’s first gluten-free bakery.

Why did you choose to follow a Gluten-free lifestyle?

At first, it was part of a three week detox diet.

The purpose was to eliminate processed foods from our lives, and although it was tough in the beginning because gluten is in almost everything we eat, we felt so much better and more energetic after the diet that we decided to continue on a gluten-low diet. Eating gluten-free made us more aware of overall food quality.

Why might somebody follow a Gluten-free diet?

There are many reasons to follow a gluten-free diet, and this depends on the individual, but overall going gluten-free can mean more energy levels along with reduced digestive issues.

Modern day diets have become gluten-rich, and we need to make a conscious effort to reduce this as 66

it can have a negative impact on our health. Therefore we have witnessed an increased number of gluten-free followers. Especially athletes that believe it improves their digestion leading to improved absorption of nutrients, which can then translate into improved performance. A prime example is Novak Djokovic who has dominated the tennis world since he switched to a gluten-free diet. And the list of celebrities going gluten-free is growing; among them are Russell Crowe, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Victoria Beckham.

If you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, or another health issue caused by gluten, the only way to heal your body is to completely eliminate gluten from your diet. Completely. 100%. A "little bit" of gluten is not OK. Do you think that there is a demand for gluten-free products in Kuwait?

The Kuwaiti consumer is growing more healthconscious, and as people become more aware of the benefits of a gluten-free diet, such as it helping the body with nutrient absorption and improving digestive health, demand will grow. At Firin, we believe there is demand for the healthier alternatives in the Kuwaiti market.

Moreover, the number of people diagnosed with celiac disease in Kuwait is rapidly increasing, as awareness of the disease spreads. And we would like to contribute to the society by providing an alternative for those who cannot enjoy the breads and cakes that we take for granted.

Can someone tell a difference in taste between Gluten and Gluten-free food?

You can think of gluten as the glue that holds breads and cakes together. By eliminating gluten from flour the end product is usually dry and crumbly. However, many advancements have taken place in gluten-free cooking, and I am proud to say that Firin’s gluten-free cakes and breads taste as good, if not better than, many of the baked good out in the market. I personally believe we have some of the best muffins in Kuwait!

What gluten-free delights does Firin offer?

Firin offers a wide variety of products including cupcakes, chai o haleeb and bundt cakes. For those who prefer savory dishes, Firin offers a variety of breads and fatayer. We also have gluten-free pasta and other frozen breads that can be prepared at home. Our intention is to grow into a complete supplier of gluten-free foods.

What are your personal favorites?

I love our eggplant fatayer, they make a great healthy lunch when at work. I also love our chai o haleeb cake that goes so well with tea or coffee whenever you need a small snack. If you fancy some gluten-free cooking yourself, you can always purchase our Bob’s Red Mill flours and try some gluten-free pancakes at home, they’re delicious!

Firin Bakery is located in Hawalli, Tunis Street, Block 3, Building 213/1, Store 9. For more information visit www.firin.co or call 22666100 for delivery and special orders.

BOSSINI

INSPIRE PURE FITNESS Fitness in the truest sense of the word By bazaar staff

Inspire Pure Fitness, a new gym recently opened in Al Beda, is taking fitness back to its roots and reminding people why they signed up for a health club in the first place. To get fit.

Since arriving in Kuwait it could be argued that my fitness level has dropped somewhat. This would be an easy argument to win, trust me! I’ve never been the super-fit guy, but I believe I take care of myself, or rather, took care of myself. You see, I’ve never owned a car, I don’t have a driver’s license, I’ve never even had a lesson. In fact, I don’t think I know how to drive a car at all. I always opted for walking or cycling to get me around and so I kept a reasonable level of fitness without even really thinking about it. It’s only since being here that I’ve realized how much I took this simple exercise for granted.

It’s no surprise then that in Kuwait, gyms, fitness studios, health clubs – whatever you want to call them – are big business. But herein lies the problem; with all the different names it’s sometimes not clear what you’ll be doing there, there’s too much going on.

This is what intrigued me about Inspire Pure Fitness. At Inspire they don’t have a beach, they don’t have a pool, they don’t have a restaurant.

What they do have is some of the best fitness 68

equipment in the world, the best personal trainers in Kuwait and a space that has such a focused, simple, positive energy, you’ll only have one thing on your mind once you enter – fitness.

If you want to get fit, and I do, then why would you join a beach club?

I was given a tour of the place by general manager Mike Campbell, who has four years PT experience under his belt in Kuwait already. All the weight equipment downstairs is Technogym Pure Strength, which is professional level equipment that allows the benefits of free weight training with none of the risks. They have been the official sponsor of the last two Olympic Games. Speaking of Olympics, they also have an Olympic weight lifting platform and they’re teaching all their members how to Olympic lift! This is following the current resurgence in back-to -basics fitness, especially for women. Mike told me, “We are breaking myths about women lifting weights, they are lifting big weights and they’re getting leaner, we test their body fat and it just keeps going down and down.” He quotes a recent success story of one of their female members dropping from a US 12 to a US 6 dress size in just six weeks at Inspire.

What this place is really all about, is the personal trainers. You can have all the equipment

you want but if you don’t have someone to motivate you, to focus you, to inspire you, then it’s just equipment. Mike told me, “The trainers drive the place and without them we wouldn’t succeed. So I’m very careful about who I hire in terms of experience and their character. In terms of qualifications, I can quite happily say that our PTs are some of the most highly qualified in the Middle East.”

Enter Craig the PT… Craig would be my introduction into the philosophy of Inspire. The first time I met him he took hold of fat on various parts of my body and measured it – but in a good way! What he was doing is known as BioSignature Modulation, a system developed by Charles Poliquin, one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in the world. By measuring my body fat at different locations Craig was able to tell me things about myself that had me convinced he’d been spying on me. My lean calves told him that I regularly get a good night’s sleep, my belly fat let him know I eat too may carbohydrates (damn you pasta!) but a relative lack of fat on my upper back rescued me, because it shows I can process all those carbohydrates fairly well. To convince me he wasn’t a psychic or a spy, Craig explained the science behind the system, which I’ll admit I didn’t

really understand, but that’s why he’s a PT and I, a lowly writer who eats too much pasta. He then told me to try two weeks without grains and to only eat protein, and nuts or berries for breakfast, assuring me that I’d notice the benefits without even working out. I can’t argue with a guy who knows me as well as my wife does.

I thought I’d gotten off lightly until the next day when I met my PT for my introduction to the methods of Inspire. He met me at reception and told me to change and meet him upstairs. The changing rooms are a sanctuary of peace, with keypad lockers that don’t require you to always need a pocket for your key (a gym pet-peeve of mine). Upstairs is a very spacious Zen-like group fitness room where they offer a variety of classes.

On one side of the room they have a bank of BodyBikes – top-of-the-line Danish-made spinning bikes and brackets on the wall for TRX suspension training. The upstairs fitness area is the PT space at inspire - this is where they bring you to get you in shape. There are punch bags, kick bags, kettle bells, free weights and all other kinds of fad-free, tried and tested fitness equipment.

All this appeals to me - they are not trying to hide the exercise behind anything, or dress it up as something else. You’re here to work out

and that’s what you’ll do. This is what really sets them apart from all the other options I’ve seen in Kuwait. They believe in focused workouts dictated by a PT. Each member is required to take one PT session a week. Inspire believe this not only reaps tremendous rewards for your fitness, but also shows a dedication to your program that the PTs can then work with. They trust in this so much that everyone who works there also has to take a compulsory PT session each week.

In the first half of my session with Craig he assessed my body through a series of checks so he could spot particular weaknesses and then know where we need to work, rather than arbitrarily assigning a fitness regime. After identifying a couple of areas where I could improve we then jumped right into a workout. They wanted to give me the full Inspire experience and what better way to do that, apparently, than introducing me to a Tabata workout? This is a high-intensity workout that uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles). If this sounds easy, I challenge you to go to Inspire and try it for yourself! When I was done I had only worked out for twenty minutes but it left me pining after my hour-long plods on the treadmill.

Craig pushed me to my limits but it felt so good I didn’t care. I knew the pain I would be in the next day as I stood under the cascading shower head in the private cubicle after my workout. The freshly laundered towels and pristine facilities offered a pampering experience that is heightened after such a workout – making you feel like you’ve truly earned it.

To me this is what fitness is about. If you want to hang out by the pool, go to the pool, if you want to have something to eat, go to a restaurant, if you want to work on your tan, get to the beach; if you want to get fit I’d suggest getting down to Inspire. With no distractions you can focus on your workout and then when you’re done, your time is your own to do whatever you please.

And you know what? I do feel a whole lot better after cutting down on those pesky carbs.

Inspire Pure Fitness is located in Al Beda at the Al Remal Hotel & Resort. For more information visit www.inspirekw.com or call 2226 3151. You can also follow them on twitter @InspireQ8. Images Courtesy of Abdullah Al-Naser: abdullah.photo@gmail.com or twitter @abdullah_photo.

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REUSE 5.0 By bazaar staff

“What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Now in its fifth year, REUSE has become a date on the calendar you’d be foolish to miss. Even though they care deeply about recycling and reusing, they create something fresh and original with each new version (this year dubbed 5.0).

Once again hosted at the Australian College Kuwait (ACK), organized by en.v Initiative and sponsored by Zain, REUSE 5.0 was a dazzling display of what can be done with an idea and a lot of imagination. Nonprofit organizations, companies, professionals and aspiring creative talents were able to showcase their accomplishments in the field of social responsibility and sustainability. There really is no other event like it in Kuwait.

Each day there was a swirling mixture of artists, galleries, musical performances, short films, a yard sale, a lounge and even eco-fashion and accessories.

The central performance area was put together by the Sadu House, in collaboration with Hassan Hajjaj, known as the ‘Andy Warhol’ of the Arab world, who flew in from London especially for the event. A daily performance by Gnawa musician Simo Lagnawai turned this ‘diwaniya’ in the middle of a car park into 70

a warm gathering of like-minded people and forward thinking individuals - the modern take on ancient Moroccan music bringing everyone present into silence and a little closer together.

The ‘hall’ used to hold REUSE 5.0 was constructed in the ACK car park using materials, equipment and professionals from the Kharafi National Company, showing their support for promoting environmental awareness.

Schools and universities were also invited to showcase their mixed media art, created reusing scrap materials. In all, eleven schools and universities participated.

REUSE 5.0 incorporated Earth Day into the event with a special celebration held on the 22nd April. Over eighty students came along and special interactive presentations were put on by en.v, Ks PATH, Hassan Hajjaj, Tarek Atrissi and Simo Lagnawi. The students were also treated to a healthy lunch by LoFat. En.v also organized a series of workshops called ‘The Designer as Eco-Friendly Activist’ on the 19th and 21st April at the Sadu House. The workshops were conducted by Tarek Atrissi.

REUSE 5.0 is under the patronage of Dr Yousef H. Al-Ebraheem, advisor to Al-Diwan Al Amiri and former Minister of Education and Higher Education.

This year a range of cool eco-friendly products by Kuwait boutiques such as Solarity, L’Occitaine and Green Sac were featured. The event of course could not have taken place without support from private sector partners, which this year included Agility, MRC, Utilities Development Company, El Boutique Creative Group and PH7. bazaar was, as ever, immensely proud to be a sponsor of REUSE, and 5.0 was the first year we took part and had our own stand. We hope you all took the opportunity to pick up our latest issue! We agree whole-heartedly with the REUSE objective of trying to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of recycling and reducing waste, while emphasising the magnitude of everyone’s role in preserving our surroundings and community for future generations.

For more information on REUSE 5.0 visit www.projectreuseme.com or contact them on 2252 4614 or reuse@envearth.com.

MISSONI

PIONEERING DENTISTRY Dr. Eqbal Abdulmohsen Al-Asfour By bazaar staff

It was our greatest honor and pleasure to meet a female figure that has pioneered and driven the field of dentistry in Kuwait. As the first Kuwaiti woman to receive a dentistry degree, Dr. Eqbal Al-Asfour is also one of the select founding members appointed by the Ministry of Health in establishing the Kuwaiti Dental Society. After an honorable service in the public sector for almost 24 years, Dr. Al-Asfour now owns and manages the established multispecialty dental clinic, Al Mubarakiya Dental Center.

Why did you initially pursue Dentistry for your higher education?

My father really wished for one of his daughters to become a doctor, and he was my main supporter from the start of my journey.

Did you feel a great pressure placed upon you to achieve more in your career as the first Kuwaiti female to graduate with a dental degree?

We were five Kuwaiti ladies who attempted to study dentistry, and I was the first to graduate with a fellow female colleague in 1970. At the time, I felt extremely pressured because being a female doctor, let alone a dentist, in Kuwait was considered a very strange notion to the public. I used to work at different clinics, and when patients were confronted with a female Kuwaiti dentist, many reacted adversely at first. I had to prove myself as a Kuwaiti female and a qualified dentist.

Do you feel like you reached your career goal in establishing Al Mubarakiya Dental Center?

After almost 24 years of public service, I figured I should start my own small practice; I deserved to give my self a chance. My transition was very fast, and I had established my first practice, which was much smaller, immediately at a time when there was a lack of private dental services available. It was always my personal goal to grow my practice into a dental center. Expanding is a huge step, and with the encouragement of my loyal client base, friends and family, I took the next step forward.

Do you believe that it is important to better educate and train dentists about the latest techniques in dental studies?

I always support my team to go for any additional training they feel would better their career and future, and this in the long run, has truly paid off in building a sustainable and successful team.

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Do the dentists at the center educate patients?

Of course, I make sure that doctors are always communicating with the patients.

That is after all, the most important aspect of earning your patient's trust. Even though we provide our patients with plenty of educational brochures for them to read, doctors are trained to communicate with patients. When patients read our brochures, they come to the doctor with questions, and even when they don't, the doctors are supposed to ensure that the patient understands his dental condition and what needs done every step of the way.

How has Al Mubarakiya Dental Center improved across the years?

Since 2004, we've expanded our services, modernized our medical equipment, and furthered the knowledge of our team to include new services like orthodontics and implants. Also, we now have a secondary branch in Egaila.

What is the most important quality that you feel separates Al Mubarakiya Dental Center from its competitors?

I believe it is the genuine relationship between patient and doctor, and the familial atmosphere at our clinic, it makes people come back for repeat visits.

We're also very conscious to offer expert dental care at affordable prices, as the flexibility of our pricing structure at our clinic makes it accessible to everyone. This truly separates us from the rest, as we don't wish to pressure the patient more in the hardened economic conditions we live in now. Sometimes, prices scare off the patients and that would lead to greater health risks that I wish to avoid. As doctors, we are supposed to help people.

As an established Doctor, and high-powered businesswoman, what do you do to relax?

Traveling is my only release. I love it! I always worry too much about my work and family, and only when I actually leave the country, I am able to finally relax.

For more information on Al-Mubarakiya Dental Center, please visit www.mubarakiya-dc.com, or follow them on twitter at @mubarakiya_dc. Please call the Center in Salmiya at 2563 0508 / 509 and 2384 6111 / 222 for the Egaila branch.

BUTCHER SHOP

closet Bibi

WORK STYLE

By Bibi Al-Falah

I have seen many different work environments in Kuwait, from extremely casual to very corporate. It becomes a challenge dressing for work sometimes, and you catch yourself thinking 74

whether a certain shade of pink is inappropriate for a grown woman at work. I believe that it’s always fine to be more formal than everyone else, but you should never be less formal. In real

life, it’s not always better to be overdressed than underdressed, but at work, it is. They say you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. No matter how casual your workplace is, you should probably save your bright yellow shirt for weekends at the chalet.

For the easiest closet navigation (and if you want to be a dork like me) keep your work appropriate tops and dresses in one specific closet. When you open it in the morning this will make your life a LOT easier. I would say, “Choose outfits the night before,” but we all know what it’s like when we’re sleepy and unmotivated to do so.

If you want to get super dorky about it, a friend of mine just told me about an iPhone app called Stylebook.

This super time-saving application allows you to organize your entire wardrobe into categories and outfits. It requires effort at first (you must photograph all of your pieces and create outfits) but then it will be so easy to add new items when you purchase them, and to decide what you’re going to wear that very night before even going home! This app would also be ideal for creating a variety of work outfits.

Some great go-to stores for a professional wardrobe are Massimo Dutti, Zara, BCBG and Max Mara. Zara is a definite favorite for jackets, and they always have styles that are as stylish as they are professional. Just because it’s a blazer doesn’t mean it has to be boring! A co-worker wore a pistachio green blazer to work today and it was absolutely divine.

Massimo Dutti is always great for tops and pants, and BCBG has tons of great separates and dresses. Max Mara (although pricier) has well-tailored clothing that will last for years.

Of course, there are always special exceptions to the professional rule. Having worked at a fashion boutique before, the rule was the complete opposite.

At our office of bubbly and stylish girls, the louder your outfit was the better! Blue nail polish? Double yes.

Bright floral dresses? Encouraged. Spiked Louboutins?

The higher, the better.

Still, if you’re not at a fashion-centric workplace then you’ll be safer with the previous options. A final word of advice: if you hate heels don’t force yourself to wear them. Nothing looks worse at a meeting than a woman that can barely walk into it. Stick to smaller heels and comfortable cuts unless you are a genuine heel pro. Also, keep the make-up natural. There’s no need for fake eyelashes and red lipstick at the office.

The last piece of the puzzle is your bag. It’s such a headache to keep changing your workbag, so aim to keep the same one for a few weeks at a time so that essentials (your desk key and so on) are not constantly lost in the transfer. This type of bag is what they call an investment piece, so spoil yourself with something you’ll be happy to use day after day.

NIKE

GIVEKUWAIT Wataniya Telecom concludes GiveKuwait 2012 Exhibition with unprecedented success By bazaar staff

With more than 200 ambitious young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs showcasing their innovations and businesses at Wataniya Telecom’s first GiveKuwait exhibition, it is clearly evident that the number of small businesses in Kuwait will continue to rise.

A reflection of true talent and promising youth, GiveKuwait’s remarkable success marks a huge stepping-stone for emerging young business owners, as a palpable space has been created for small business owners to effectively engage with customers and their peers.

Inaugurated on the 12th of April at the 76

International Fair Grounds under the patronage of His Highness, the Prime Minister, Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, young entrepreneurs and creative minds alike came together during the five-day exhibition to ultimately create the largest business fair in Kuwait—the GiveKuwait 2012 Exhibition. Since its early beginnings, we have followed GiveKuwait’s vision in the making, creating a thriving hub that drives development and raises the spirit of local entrepreneurship. Honored by distinguished dignitaries, a special delegation from the UNDP praised Wataniya’s role in promoting talent by creating an unprecedented event that supports

youth development initiatives.

The participating businesses covered sectors that ranged from fashion, accessories, photography, architecture, interior design, fine art, graphic design, gifts, perfumes, food and beverage operations, entertainment, to car care services and much more.

In his words, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Wataniya Telecom Eng. Abdulaziz Fakhroo said, “ The Wataniya team has worked very hard to bring out a creative and unique platform to support local employment and motivate talented young citizens of our country. The enthusiasm that we witnessed during these five days has

surpassed our expectations. We were also very pleased by the high interest it received from the visitors, which approximately amounted to more than 40 thousand people. They all came to support the entrepreneurs and learn more about their businesses”.

Fakhroo also added, “ The main objective of GiveKuwait 2012 was to introduce projects and creative business ideas to the bigger community.

We wanted to give young businesspersons a chance to shine. Furthermore, we wanted to guide them through the right path of how to become successful entrepreneurs. During the exhibition, we have also welcomed candidates to apply and consider jobs at Wataniya Telecom.

This was done to engage them and encourage fresh talent to work in the private sector which will ultimately result in supporting the economy of our country.”

In a statement delivered on this occasion, Brand and Communications Senior Director Riham Al-Ayyar stated, “It was fantastic to see our talented youth here and give them the opportunity to express themselves artistically.

The exhibition was a huge success with many commenting on the quality of each and every concept. It was great to see the pride that each of

the young people involved took in their creations and their sense of achievement was clear for all to see.” Perhaps the biggest challenge for small business owners is the defining factor of management and direction. With so many young individuals displaying remarkable talent, Wataniya saw the need for providing guidance as a local telecom operation that grew into a defining communications giant.”

To inject the spirit of competition in a lighthearted manner amongst the competitors, Wataniya had a competition for three main

categories: Best Booth Design, Best Product Idea and Best Wataniya Spirit. Winners of Best Booth Design included Choco Drops, SAJA, N-Studio, Darabelna and Jumana Perfumes. Winners for Best Product Idea were Bold Type, Q8ty Sushi, Let’s Customize, Glitz and Roses Remembered. As for the Best Wataniya Spirit, Wataniya awarded Zee Style (Abaya designed for Wataniya) Chocolate House ( Wataniya Logo out of Chocolate) and Rosaymus (GiveKuwait written out in flowers).

The five-day exhibition also proved to be an educational experience for the participants, from planning their participation, setting up their products, preparing their branding, to honing their sales skills for an unprecedented showcase; the participants also attended lectures and seminars provided by business owners, prominent figures, and representatives from the Amiri Diwan to provide them with more guidance and motivation.

For more information on GiveKuwait 2, visit Wataniya Telecom on www.wataniya.com, follow them on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wataniyatelecom, or check their latest updates on Facebook, www.facebook.com/Wataniya, and their latest posts on Kuwait’s first telecom Blog, www.wataniya.com/blog.

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HEAVENLY HOMES Ali Abdulwahab Sons & Co. Opens The Most Modern Home Center in Kuwait By bazaar staff

Making your house a home is a long and difficult process for many.

The avid collector of select brands will wait for months-on-end to receive a certain item ordered from a specific brand abroad, or will travel to farfetched locations for original pieces to highlight their living space. Such is the lover of the finer things in life, a person that strives to make their home a stellar, fascinating place to live, equipped with the most modern amenities and signature pieces.

Providing us with the ultimate solution, Abdulwahab Sons & Co., the leading and renowned name in the world of furniture, Kitchens and electrical appliances opened its new specialized showroom where you can find a group of world-famous brands. This AAW Showroom is considered as an exclusive one-stop shop to serve the needs of elegant and classy homes. Upon any given visit to the new showroom, prepare to baste in its glory for hours, becoming amazed by the unique, lively interior design for this new home center.

The Ali Abdulwahab Showroom, also the latest of its kind in Kuwait, is located in the Shuwaikh Industrial Area, just behind Pepsi Street in a modern new building. Not only is the showroom extremely accessible, the 6,450 square meter home center is a fully fledged three story building, that includes plentiful parking, and even a specialized kid’s area. With such 78

amazing offerings, one can make their visit a lengthy one indeed, providing an entire family with a pleasant shopping experience.

When it comes to signature products, we cannot resist the endless temptations on offer. With furniture brands like Century, Basset, Kingsdown, and the famous LA-Z-BOY, one is completely spoilt for choice. For kitchen mavens, the high-end brand Nolte will leave you wanting a complete kitchen makeover. If electrical gadgets and appliances fascinate you, look no further than established brands like Bosch, Siemens, Kelvinator, and much more.

Raising the bar above the rest, the new AAW home center prides itself in its expertise of customization. Besides the large selection of special designs for furniture, one can customize the design of their bedrooms, cupboards and kitchens. We personally love this option, as this makes any home-making process personal, rather than mechanical. A dream closet turns into a reality, and a fully decked out kitchen is now a feasible possibility. A professional team according to highest international quality standards supports the success of this service offering, delivering to customers modern, elegant additions to the home that emit an atmosphere of happiness, character, and absolute individualism.

If you’re simply looking to replenish the look of your home by accessorizing, then be prepared for a total makeover, as the selection at the AAW is exceptionally special. Decorative items, lighting equipment accessories, mirrors, wall art, lamps, unique pillows and floor cushions, vases, bedcovers, clocks; these are all but a small sample of what is available to turn your bare space into a cozy haven.

In its recent unveiling, Mr. Faisal Al-Mutawa expressed his extreme gratification for opening this up-to-date outlet, an outlet that that will provide a different shopping experience by gathering a variety of international brands under one roof. He also adds that the opening of the new Ali Abdulwahab Showroom is the result of the company's experience over the years in a variety of commercial sectors, and especially in the sales of furniture and home appliances and the company's representation of international worldrenowned brands. All of these factors lead to guaranteeing customers trust and confidence in the company generation after generation.

The new Ali Abdulwahab home center is located in the Shuwaikh Industrial area, behind Pepsi Street near Tilal Mall.

For more information, please call 22261700.

MAKI

QUEEN’S BURGER Royally delicious!

By bazaar staff

Burger lovers rejoice! Queen’s Burger is another welcome addition to feed those endless burger cravings. Yet think of Queen’s Burger as the supreme rendition of your ideal burger experience, where you’re simply spoilt like royalty. At Queen’s Burger, the meat is always fresh, the buns are freshly delivered from an expertly crafted recipe, and most importantly, the burger creations are abundant to suit your every whim.

Although Queen’s Burger offers a dedicated delivery service, we’re still officially jealous of all residents in the Salmiya district where the small and cozy restaurant is located. A simple stroll from the American University of Kuwait, Queen’s Burger has grown an expanding following of loyal ‘burger subjects’ since its opening earlier in the year, where students and professionals alike are now regulars, addicted to the fact that they always leave satisfied, yet never bloated or feeling heavy.

Upon our arrival at the restaurant, we immediately notice that the Queen’s Burger store also houses the much loved and adored Mrs. Fields cookies, where after a delicious meal, you’re able to pick up one of the many available options of heart-warming cookies for dessert.

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We were mystified by the comments we kept hearing from customers about how ‘light’ the burgers were, and upon asking the founders of the independently created brand, they commented, “We noticed that the burger market in Kuwait is missing a healthy beat. Burgers needn't be too fatty, or smothered in a heavy sauce. We felt so intrigued and challenged to provide an alternative way that doesn’t take away from the taste. The result?

People always leave here feeling light! ” Never mistake royal with pompous, as the atmosphere at Queen’s Burger is nothing but inviting, with shades of sky blue adorning the walls, and vividly bright menus printed directly on the tables to guide customers who stroll in for quick bite.

Using finer qualities of reduced fat beef and chicken, Queen’s Burger proudly offers mini options or sliders and regular sized burgers. Focused on crafting original recipes that would leave you wanting more, we ventured to sample the internationally driven burger menu. Asianinspired creations include the highly addictive Thai chicken burger with a signature Satay sauce. We also loved the famous Highway Man burger, a beef patty with crispy turkey bacon, a double cheesy dose of mozzarella

and cheddar, eggs, breaded onion rings, mayo and ketchup. Other bestsellers that we are pretty sure you will develop a deep affinity for include the Nachos Burger, the Mushroom and Swiss cheese burger, and the Prince Burger that has a delightfully stuffed cheeseburger patty.

Complete the Queen’s Burger experience with a Middle Eastern twist on the classic mozzarella sticks, served with a tangy cocktail sauce, or choose from an endless variety of fries like plain, cheesy fries, or twister fries. We also gave our Spanish Nachos burger a fanciful side: Fajita Fries, topped with a spicy, cheesy mixture drizzled with Thousand Island sauce.

From delicious appetizers, to mouthwatering burgers, and Mrs. Fields for dessert, Queen’s Burger offers an unforgettable burger experience.

Queen’s Burger is located in Aliya complex on Salem Al Mubarak Street in Salmiya. For delivery, please call 2573 9939 or order online at www.queensburger.net. For their latest burger creations and updates, find Queen’s Burger on facebook, www.facebook.com/queensburger, and twitter, www.twitter.com/QueensBurger.

BAYAN DENTAL

TIMOTHY CARR An American Filmmaker in Kuwait By bazaar staff

Timothy Carr didn’t come to Kuwait to unearth a vibrant underground urban culture scene; he didn’t even come here to make films. He came armed with a skill you might regard so valuable it’s a wonder he didn’t make millions doing it. Tim arrived in Kuwait two-and-a-half years ago to be a precision driving instructor.

But as happens so often in life, things can turn out differently than we first imagined. After spending time teaching soldiers and marines the techniques of driving defensively or aggressively living on Camp AJ (Arifjan), a United States Army installation, he started noticing that the posters around the camp needed jazzing up. He took it upon himself to do so as he’d previously studied Visual Communications and so had the skills to visually send a message. At around the same time he and a friend formed the Kuwait Paintball League. Unfortunately, they were a lot more advanced at the sport than the others and kept winning easily. This is when Tim decided to step back 82

and start filming the others. He took a job at Camp AJ to create posters and films promoting health and safety around the camp and documenting desert driving exercises.

A chance encounter with a group of guys with backpacks wearing running shoes and track pants on his way to film a paintball tournament opened up a whole new Kuwait to Tim. He knew instantly from the way they were dressed that they were traceurs, or freerunners. He pulled the car over and discovered these guys were the PK Jaguars, a Kuwaiti freerunning team. Freerunning or Parkour is the act of efficiently moving around and over obstacles. It’s a little like skateboarding without the skateboard. It involves rolling, vaulting, running, jumping, and climbing, usually in an urban environment. If you’ve seen it you’ll know it. Most people stop and stare in wonder the first time they encounter Parkour!

Tim has made four films now with the Jaguars, the most famous being Al Sawaber. The film takes

its name from the run-down residential Al Sawaber complex in Kuwait City. This once gleaming place is now a perfect freerunning playground. The film, shot in black-and-white, showcases not only the extraordinary talents of the PK Jaguars, but also the beauty of this ragged urban landscape. The film has been shown on Kuwait TV and has been featured on blogs internationally.

From his first meeting with the Jaguars, Tim has been like Alice going down the rabbit-hole. One of the traceurs put him in touch with a friend who was part of the One Soul Crew – a team of hip-hop loving B-Boys. You may know B-boying by its more popular, although incorrect, name of breakdancing. It began back in the seventies in New York City as a part of hiphop culture and has gained widespread popularity since. The name breakdancing was applied by the mass media and it stuck. So if you ever meet a true B-boy, be sure not to call him a breakdancer! Tim filmed a video of the One Soul Crew that they could

use to showcase their talent on Arabs Got Talent. The crew is a mixture of guys from all over the Arab world but they grew up in Kuwait and represent the country they call home wherever they go.

From there Tim went even deeper into the rabbithole. Through the One Soul Crew he met the 965 Crew who are a group of Dub Step dancers. They also needed a film to use for Arabs Got Talent and Tim obliged. As he was shooting the One Soul Crew he hooked up with the Can’t Stop Us group, who are a bunch of B-boy crews in Kuwait that battle against each other in Dance-Offs similar to the Red Bull DC competition. He subsequently filmed one of their battles that he is currently in post-production with.

It seemed he was fast becoming the go-to-guy for urban culture filmmaking and a useful guy to know if you were planning to be on Arabs Got Talent. He loves the fact that he can bring these things to light in Kuwait, though. He respects what these guys do. It takes dedication and discipline to master something

like Parkour or B-boying. These are not bad qualities for a youth culture to learn, especially here in Kuwait where obesity and diabetes are a serious problem.

If you can get young people interested in running around all day or mastering a certain dance move then they are leading an active and healthier lifestyle.

Tim is currently putting the finishing touches to a documentary about a Filipino painter based in Kuwait called Bruha Eve. She set up a charity back home that she funds with half of all her sales from her artwork.

He still films paintball and recently travelled to the UAE to film a tournament there and will be making films for www.socialpaintball.com where he will be covering Kuwait and the Middle East. The site is the largest paintball website in the world and so his films will gain some well-deserved exposure. He also filmed a documentary about an American rapper named Gran Milli. Not content with all this (don’t forget his day job producing films for the US Army); Tim also documented performances at the Blend Music Festival.

As you can tell he is a busy man!

He also told me he recently heard of a Motocross event that takes place every Friday in Kuwait that he wants to film. And then there is the skating and BMX scene that he wants to explore and document. On a more serious note, he wants to work with K’s Path to make a documentary about the recent spate of dog poisonings that took place around Kuwait. He’d like to raise awareness of these issues.

Tim hopes one day to be able to focus on filmmaking full-time. With the passion and zeal that he radiates this shouldn’t take too long to happen his tireless quest for new things to explore in Kuwait, his films’ appearances on national television and countless blogs, and an eye for spotting talent and capturing it effortlessly with his camera should lead to this in no time.

To see Tim’s films or contact him, visit www.tjcfilms.com where you’ll also find links to all his social media.

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digumz.com Play your days away, hassle-free By bazaar staff

Anybody who plays video games knows too well the cost of the games.

The parents of kids who play these games will know this too. Digumz is here to help, bringing a new concept to Kuwait that will make things easier on the wallet for all those gamers out there – or their parents.

Online since March of last year, Digumz (meaning buttons in Arabic) is a simple-to-use Kuwait-based service that allows members to rent games online as opposed to purchasing them. For as little as KD9 per month you can play a different game every day or keep the same game for the entire month. They also offer the option to rent two games at a time for KD14, or, for the hardcore gamer; KD20 will get you three games at any one time. Games can be added to a list known as ‘My Queue’ so you can always have the next game you want lined up in your queue when you request a game exchange via the website. My Queue can be ordered by priority so they will deliver the games you want the most when you request the exchange.

The idea for Digumz was conceived over five years ago but at that time gamers in Kuwait could get their fill of the newest games for a Dinar-and-ahalf in pirated form. At this price there would have been no market for a game rental service, but technological advancements have now mostly eradicated the pirated game market (a cracked console is incapable of online gaming, one of the most important aspects of modern gaming). Digumz.com is operated 24 hours a day and they also have a real store in the Omniya Complex in Salmiya.

They have a huge library of classics and latest releases for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii that might not otherwise be so easy to get access to.

Membership payment can be made online via Knet or credit card or in 84

person at their Salmiya store, where you can also pick up and drop off games personally, and even try the games first. A second site, digumzstore.com, allows gamers who prefer owning to buy the games in the same easy and swift manner as the rental service. The Digumz store also sells consoles and recently started selling iPads, too.

Families love Digumz because not only is it a great way to keep the cost down for gaming kids, but also because when kids under 18 request a game that may not be suitable, Digumz will contact the parents and warn of any offensive content. The parents can then decide if the game is suitable for their children. This socially responsible behavior is taken a step further in other ways at Digumz. If you spot one of their branded cars on the streets of Kuwait, games won’t be the only thing they are delivering - a message on the back of their cars urges drivers to not use their smartphones whilst they drive. This is a problem the guys at Digumz believe is spiralling out of control on Kuwaiti roads. They also recently donated consoles to Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospital and Digumz members donated used games, too.

Digumz currently delivers to 90% of Kuwait and is the only service of its kind here. There are no hidden fees and membership can be cancelled at any time.

If you’re looking for a cheap, flexible and simple solution to gaming then log onto www.digumz.com or drop by the Digumz store in Omniya Complex (Hotel Ibis building) on Salam Mubarak St, Salmiya. Alternatively give them a call on 2573 3040.

RESET THE MOOD Home fragrances at Lifestyle, Centrepoint By bazaar staff

After a long day at work, we rush to our homes for sanctuary and a little peace and quiet, only to dream about that next visit to the spa. For a calm and soothing atmosphere, we are more than willing to delve deep into our pockets for some uninterrupted down time.

Personally, the importance of recreating that harmonious sense of wellness at home never occurred to me until a recent visit to a close friend’s house.

A manic marketing manager by day, she’s the one person I count on for an immediate burst of energy when inspiration is needed. However, her highstrung attitude, and extremely contagious force-ofnature approach becomes somewhat problematic during the evening hours, when all you want is a simple catch up session with a friend instead of highpitched shrieks of outrage at every little recount of events gone by.

When someone is as constantly wired from working as hard as she is, then at-home relaxation becomes a must. After reading several features online about the importance of aromas and scents 86

and their effect on the home atmosphere; I grabbed my friend, and headed no farther than Centrepoint, where the Lifestyle section is filled with a variety of decadent home accessories and our target item in mind: candles. I always thought that candles added the warmest touch to a home, and with brands like Woodrick and the endless scents on offer from the Yankee Candle Company; I knew we had found the perfect fix.

The first range that caught our eye included the Woodrick range, which looked as great as they smelled. The stunning candles are adorned with distinctive art gallery-inspired designs, and release sense-tingling fragrances. With designs like these, I found a double use from the Woodrick range, picking up several pieces to decorate the lonely dining table at my place. Fun and exotic scents in the collection include, Lavender Ivory, Santorini Melon, Ruby Dragon fruit, Fresh Persimmon and Aegean Sea. Made with high quality soy wax and premium fragrances, each candle features a natural wick made from organic wood to create the soothing sound of

a crackling fire for that extra cozy feeling—and the perfect fix for my perplexed friend.

Another range of scented candles that I absolutely love and avidly collect includes the Yankee Candle, and the new collection only hinted at thoughts of sunshine, holidays, and fun in the sun. I brought several pieces for my house as well, fully embracing the sunny days to come. Why do I love the Yankee Candle Company? Each season brings in a new range that will equally refresh, and relax, as the scents from seasons before.

Before we even went to pay for the great and affordable candles we found, I noticed that my once extremely frazzled friend became immediately relaxed. She wouldn’t leave; taking her time to deeply inhale and relish the smell of each and every unique scent on offer from the latest candle ranges available at Lifestyle in Centrepoint.

For more information about Lifestyle stores and Centrepoint, please call 2575 9716 or visit www.centrepointstores.com.

WATANIYA 2 SELENA

bazaar music THE PEARL SESSIONS (2 CD)

by Janis Joplin

A collection of never-before-heard studio outtakes, live recordings, and other rarities, The Pearl Sessions documents the legacy of Janis Joplin's masterpiece album. For the first time in one package, the original mono versions of the album's 45s can be heard alongside the original LP tracks, as well as intriguing newly-discovered alternate versions, outtakes and vocal takes of Pearl classics. With this exciting discovery of previously uncatalogued tapes, listeners can hear Janis in the studio, joking with producer Paul Rothchild (the Doors) and Full Tilt Boogie band mates, and working through what would become some of her best known songs.

CLUB LIFE - VOLUME TWO MIAMI

by Tiesto

Towards the end of 2011, Tiesto launched his own fashion line CLVB LIFE Clothing, announced the forthcoming launch of his very own Club Life Radio channel on Sirius XM, and played at the global launch of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol in Rio which was live streamed by Coca-Cola. Never one to rest on his laurels, Tiesto kicked off 2012 in style, performing at the first ever live streamed concert on Twitter, launching his very own iPhone app and In The Booth, a behind the scenes YouTube series following him around the globe. As well as taking up residency at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, Tiesto headlined this year’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

SHAPE SHIFTER

by Santana

Shape Shifter is Carlos Santana's 36th album, and the first for his new label, Starfaith Records. Set for release May 15, the 13-song set is an instrumental tour de force featuring tracks spanning from the late 1990's to the present. It's powered throughout by Carlos' instantly recognizable virtuoso lead guitar and the Santana Band's world-class musicianship (only one song features vocals from Santana's lead vocalists Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay). With each track selected and sequenced by Carlos, Shape Shifter is a journey through soaring Santana leads, driving beats and beautifully crafted melodies that have made Santana a household name.

Consistent throughout the project is the world-class musicianship of the Santana Band members, who bring vitality and heart to every note.

MARLEY - ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

by Bob Marley & the Wailers

As an integral companion piece to this critically acclaimed documentary, the official soundtrack from MARLEY was released on April 17, 2012, as a 2-CD collection and a special 3-LP vinyl set. The CD contains 24 tracks, hand-picked by the Marley family and Chris Blackwell, gathering together some of the most significant musical moments of one of the most beloved and cherished artists of all-time. Featured are classic studio recordings, a special Kindred Spirit dub mix of "Exodus" and tracks from various live performances including, for the first time on record, the 1978 One Love Peace Concert performance of "Jammin'" during which Marley joined the hands of bitter political rivals Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, a gesture which went some way towards restoring peace to a strife-torn Jamaica.

COVERED

by Macy Gray

Grammy-Award winning R&B & Soul singer-songwriter, Macy Gray, returns with an extraordinary album of covers from the biggest artists in rock. Her brilliant interpretations of songs from Metallica, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and many others shine a light on her unique artistry and passion. Having sold millions of albums in her remarkable career, Macy will be touring across the country in support of Covered and its massive first single; her haunting take on Eurythmics' 'Here Comes The Rain Again'.

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source: www.amazon.com

WATANIYA 3 AKON

CERAMICS AND THE CITY

By Deepa Pant

“New York City—Kuwait City” features a new body of work that explores the porcelain art of New York based artist Reinaldo Sanguino. Blending modern and traditional techniques, Sanguino’s work is an eclectic mix of visual elements that delights the eye of the beholder.

The visual delights of Reinaldo Sanguino were on view from April 17 to April 19 at the Sultan Gallery in collaboration with Dean Project, New York. Organized into groups based on type-style, the ceramics were displayed in an interesting manner on wooden shipping crates at different levels to resemble the unloading of shipping cargo.

Memory plays an important role in his work. In his creative vocabulary, Sanguino demonstrates how an infusion of text, imagery, vintage papers, photos and personal memorabilia are interwoven in his compelling ceramic collection. The pieces seem quite carefully composed yet still really whimsical and experimental.

His visually alluring ceramics are based on the practice of using Meissen Porcelain as diplomatic exchange gifts

by European Courts during the eighteenth century, and his body of work is a contemporary and personalized reexamination of the diplomatic gift exchange tradition as form of relationship building, explains the artist.

Sanguino’s works are instantly recognizable.

Stylistically he combines intricate textures and abstraction as he forges a unique and distinctive expression. Working in a diverse array of media, Sanguino displays mastery of all aspects of the ceramicists’ art.

His current work is an embodiment of his personal reflections and diverse techniques creating a fantastic mix of visual storytelling. Among the highlights are “MaLucky”, ceramic, mixed media, and “BS Tarzan”, ceramic, mixed media. Both the pieces are very textural and beautiful to look at. His other piece, titled “RT Red” a bowl in ceramic and mixed media is also very striking.

Another work that stands out for its endearing vocabulary and fusion of ideas is “Ma-S, Twice”, in ceramic and mixed media. What is very appealing about this piece is that it features a tiny nostalgic image of Curious 90

George amongst many, which peeks out of the shadows of lace trimmings and antique crochet elements.

According to the artist, “the ceramics are simple shapes and have little to no recognizable painted-glaze imagery; instead the surfaces are abstract and graffitilike with elements of collage and assemblage.”

The objects are some of his most prized possessions, making them an ideal source of inspiration for this body of work, says Sanguino.

Over the past twenty years, Sanguino has collected miscellaneous items that were given to him, including greeting cards, gifts, souvenirs, photos, and clothes. As a whole, the collection represents the many and diverse relationships the artist formed during this time, and the objects, therefore, are the material manifestation of the meanings of these relationships.

A prolific artist, Sanguino has evolved a unique and distinctive style that has found tremendous resonance with his audience. While explaining the creative process, the artist explains that he scans and digitally preserves the original items then sorts them by kind and color to print them on malleable material.

In his artist statement, he says, “the malleable material is then applied—in the form of woven rope, collage, and assemblage—to the ceramic surfaces. The adhesion of the material to the ceramics adds color and texture to the works, challenging the traditional appearance of ceramics.”

Another important aspect of the exhibition is a sculpture-crown, part of his "Gods & Designers" series, which is based primarily on ideas of social class.

“I was particularly interested in making an object that represents the blurring of social classes in contemporary society."

The artist uses well-known luxury brands, such as

Hermes and Tiffany's, and ceramics crowns made of porcelain with a high-gloss black glaze.

“By combining imagery of our contemporary society (the luxury brands) with a historical symbol (the crown) I'm interested in displaying a timeline in the development of the visual imagery we associate as social upper class.

“I employ the color black as the color that defines pop culture in my view. The crowns are made out of a breakable material atop luxury cardboard boxes accessible to anyone willing to consume the brand; both of these qualities are my way of representing the blurring of social classes and the fragility that the upper social class seemingly faces today,” notes the artist in his statement.

Reinaldo Sanguino was born in Caracas, Venezuela (1973). He graduated in 1993 from the School of Visual Arts Cristobal Rojas in Caracas. After graduating he relocated to New York City from where he currently works and lives.

Sanguino is the recipient of many awards and honors and has participated in artist residency programs throughout the United States. His work is consistently sought by galleries and collectors. He has had numerous solo exhibitions, and group shows throughout the United States and Latin America.

Sanguino is represented in prestigious collections, most notably the Museum of Arts & Design, NYC, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, TX, MINT Museum, Charlotte NC, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis MN.

Sultan Gallery is located in South Subhan, Block 8, Street 105, Building 168. For further details please contact:sultangallery@sadeer.com or call 6097 0001.

WATANIYA 4 GROUP

FURLA A contemporary rhythm By bazaar staff

Less is always more. In the sophisticated world of Furla, simplicity and beauty make for the reigning elements of success that have distinguished this Italian house of fashion since 1927. Created by the Furlanetto family over 80 years ago, the family-owned brand powerfully expresses authentic Italian style, defined by elegance, refinement and creativity.

Today, Furla’s vision sways to a contemporary rhythm, reinventing a tradition of creativity in various ways. Using the most precious leathers often combined with other natural or technical materials, Furla’s creations are expertly crafted by hand. By focusing on injecting these handcrafted creations with fresh colors, or innovative shapes for style and functionality, every single Furla product illustrates a wonderful story of Italian creativity.

Personally, I’ve always admired Furla for the brand’s take on style. Simply timeless yet fashionable, each collection meets the elegance-seeking desires of women throughout the world. Such is the sophisticated taste of knowledgeable consumers, they quickly shun 92

short-lived trends, finding in Furla both style and elegance in timeless yet highly modern styles.

For instance, the Candy Bag collection is iconic for its loyal following. Loved by stylists, fashion bloggers, editors and fashionistas all over the world, this collection is the ultimate fusion between innovation, creativity and tradition that is also symbolic of Furla’s brand ethos. For the Spring Summer collection, this vision is realized in a soft and resistant type of PVC leather. With an adorable metal lock that decorates the zipper closure of the bag, also available in brilliantly seductive colors, the Candy Bag is a functional and fabulous must-have.

Not only so, Furla dared, experimented and further imagined the Candy Bag in different forms, creating four new special editions of the iconic bag for Spring Summer 2012. Each of the four editions proposes an unexpected and surprising combination of materials and colors, which, with a touch of freshness and irony, turns elegance into a game. The special editions include the Candy Pic Nic, Candy Aerospace, Candy Burlesque and Candy Rockstar.

In yet another tribute to its Italian journey, “Opera” by Furla reveals the deeply intertwined paths of art, creativity, and innovation. For the first time, and starting from the Spring Summer 2012 season, Furla entrusted the art direction of its advertising campaign to none-other-than the artist Sissi. Earlier winning the 2002 Furla per L’Arte award, featuring artists like Sissi is Furla’s dedication to the world of art. Today, Furla is going above and beyond with the creativity of one of the most promising emerging talents of the contemporary scene. As an emblem of the performance “Candy-brissima” realized by Sissi, “Opera” reveals the philosophy of the artist, who sees fashion as a perpetual blend of personal emotions. In doing so, Furla speaks directly to women, with vividly sophisticated representations of these emotions through the slogan, ‘Furla and I’.

Discover the project at www.furla.com. Furla is located in Arraya Mall, tel 2299 7755, and Al Khaliji building in Kuwait City, next to the Kuwait Sheraton Hotel, tel.

2242 2401.

WATANIYA 5 MADONNA

SMASHBURGER A smashing good burger By bazaar staff

Sometimes it seems that we’re heading back to The Village in Abu Hassaniah every week here at bazaar. But when there’s this many great eateries popping up at this cool, laid-back location, with a touch of European flair, what are we supposed to do?

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Every time I’ve been down there lately though, I’ve been teased with the promise of ‘Smashburger coming soon’ on the hoardings. Well, the wait is over and we finally got to check out this latest addition to the better burger movement that is spreading across Kuwait. We’re fast realizing here that burgers don’t

have to be soggy, lukewarm affairs thrown together by people with no passion for their food. The simple burger can reach great heights when prepared well (as an intense debate in the bazaar office over the secrets of a great burger this month illustrated) and that’s what the newly opened Smashburger is doing.

Smashburger was founded in 2007 in Denver, USA and if you’re wondering about the name, it comes from the way in which the burgers are prepared. The technique is nothing new and has been implemented in diners and ‘mom and pop’ places across America for decades, but this great way to cook burgers got lost somewhere along the way. With the ubiquity of fast food chains, we have become accustomed to pre-formed patties that are usually cooked from frozen. Smashburger take a freshly-ground 100% certified halal Angus beef meatball, and literally smash it down onto a buttered griddle to form the burger with a twohanded press and hold it down to start searing the beef. What this delivers is a patty that is full of flavor from the quality of the beef and a crunchy exterior from the searing that adds an extra level of texture to the burger. I opted for the All American served with American cheese, onion, pickles, and ketchup and mustard. The bun that holds this all together is an egg-glazed one that adds a unique twist to the hamburger bun. The burgers come as Smash or Big Smash, and this relates to the weight of the beef being smashed. The burger is no thicker on the Big Smash but is simply wider because of the technique.

This is Smashburger’s first location outside of the US and was opened by Kayan Restaurants here in Kuwait. They also hold the franchise for the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain and Smashburger wanted them to start with Dubai as they, like most people, believe

it be the centre of the Gulf. Yousef Alessa and Khalid Hajjar of Kayan Restaurants insisted that Kuwait was a better market to launch from - they figured if they could succeed in Kuwait’s competitive burger market then they can make it anywhere. And judging by the crowds that accompanied bazaar’s visit it seems they were right. They did take heed from the founder of Smashburger, Tom Ryan, though when

sourcing beef. Khalid told me they must have tried over fifty different types of halal beef before Tom was satisfied. Not only that, he could also detect the age of the cow at slaughter from tasting the meat.

Tom Ryan is clearly a man who knows his beef!

What sets Smashburger apart from other burger places is the level of customizability they offer.

While they offer options such as Mushroom Swiss,

Spicy Baja and BBQ Bacon & Cheddar, you can also create your own burger exactly as you like it.

Decide on the size, pick an artisanal bun, add your favorite toppings and sauces and finally your cheese of choice. They offer the exact same set up with chicken breast instead of the burger. They also offer a Veggie Burger and a few different salads.

You could also visit Smashburger for the sides alone. The offer five different fries; Smashfries are tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic and Kuwait Fries are seasoned with hawaij spices and cilantro.

You can also try Fried Pickles, Fried Jalapenos or Veggie Frites, which are flash-fried carrot sticks and green beans. The shakes at Smashburger are all hand-spun with Häagen-Dazs ice cream and they also have an Ice Tea bar along with the usual sodas.

The inclusion of Kuwait Fries is something that Smashburger do all over. They always craft their menu to reflect the tastes of the local market. So on the menu here you can also find the Kuwait Burger and Kuwait Chicken which are served with hot pepper cheese, hawaij grilled jalapenos, labneh, baby spinach, tomato and cucumber and served on a spicy chipotle bun. This makes each Smashburger outlet a unique dining location.

So get down to The Village and see what smashing quality beef can do for a better burger.

Smashburger is located at The Village in Abu Hassaniah.

For more information please call 5029 8884. For Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: SmashburgerQ8.

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‫ت�صوير احليوانات‬ ‫بقلم‪Strawberry Girl :‬‬

‫الكثير منا لديه حيوان أو حيوانات منزلية‪ ،‬و بالتأكيد أصحاب‬ ‫هذه الحيوانات مرتبطون بها كثيرا‪ ،‬حتى أن أغلبنا يعتبرها قريبة‬ ‫منهم كفرد من أفراد العائلة‪ .‬و لذلك نحب أن نحتفظ بصورها‪،‬‬ ‫حيث أن الصور هي أفضل وسيلة لالحتفاظ بأجمل اللحظات‪ .‬و‬ ‫هذا ما يقدمه جابر الهزاع من خالل مشروعه ‪Q8 Petography‬‬ ‫لتصوير الحيوانات‪ .‬جابر في السادسة و العشرين من عمره و‬ ‫تخرج من الجامعة األمريكية في الكويت‪ ،‬و هو يعمل لوحده في‬ ‫هذا المشروع اآلن‪ ،‬إال أنه وجد المساعدة من أسرته و أصدقائه‪.‬‬ ‫و كان لمجلة بازار هذا اللقاء‪:‬‬ ‫متى بدأت بهذا المشروع؟‬ ‫لقد بدأت مشروعي (‪ )Q8 Petography‬في ديسمبر ‪.2011‬‬ ‫ما الذي ألهمك لبدأ هذا النشاط؟‬ ‫منذ طفولتي أحب الحيوانات و كذلك التصوير‪ .‬و خالل‬ ‫البضع سنوات الماضية كنت اصطحب الكاميرا معي في كل‬ ‫مكان أذهب إليه تقريبا‪ ،‬و كنت ألتقط أي شيئ أراه سواء كانوا‬ ‫أشخاص‪ ،‬مباني‪ ،‬مناظر طبيعية‪ ،‬أو مجرد آثار األقدام في‬ ‫الرمال‪ .‬و كذلك كبرت و كان دائما عندي كالب‪ ،‬حتى أنه في‬ ‫فترة كان عندي ‪ 6‬كالب في آن واحد‪ .‬و حبي للكالب و التصوير‬ ‫في نفس الوقت ألهمني الفكرة لبدء ‪ ،Q8 Petography‬و الذي‬

‫يعتبر حلمي و حبي‪.‬‬ ‫أي نوع من الحيوانات تصور؟‬ ‫هدفي الرئيسي تصوير الكالب و القطط‪ ،‬إال ن خدماتي‬ ‫متوفرة ألي نوع من الحيوانات التي يطلبها الزبون‪.‬‬ ‫ماذا كان أغرب حيوان قمت بالتقاط صورة له؟‬ ‫في الحقيقة لم أصور أي حيوانات غريبة‪ ،‬إال أن أصعبها‬ ‫كان حصانا‪ ،‬حيث أن األحصنة كبيرة و تتحرك بسرعة‪ ،‬و‬ ‫خاصة إذا كانت تستعد للقفز‪ ،‬مما يتطلب الكثير من الصبر‬ ‫و التركيز اللتقاط الصورة المميزة‪ .‬كما أن استعمال الفالش‬ ‫يعتبر فكرة سيئة ألنه يمكن أن يثير الحصان‪ ،‬و خاصة إذا لم‬ ‫يكن المكان مضاء و هذا يزيد من صعوبة األمر‪.‬‬ ‫هل لديك أستوديو أم تذهب للتصوير في المواقع؟‬ ‫في الوقت الراهن أنا أعمل من المنزل‪ .‬إال أن خدماتي‬ ‫تشمل الذهاب إلى الزبون أو مكان التصوير أو أي موقع يختاره‬ ‫الزبون في أي مكان في الكويت‪ .‬و ذلك ألنه من الصعب أحيانا‬ ‫التقاط صورة حيوان ما و خاصة إذا لم يكن مدربا أو مروض ًا‬ ‫بشكل جيد‪ .‬و أيضا إذا كانت الحيوانات في البيئة التي تعيش‬ ‫بها أو التي تزورها بشكل دائم‪ ،‬فإنها تكون هادئة و مرتاحة‬ ‫أكثر و هذا ما يسهل التصوير في أغلب األحيان‪.‬‬

‫هل تلقيت أي طلبات لم تتمكن من تنفيذها؟‬ ‫نعم‪ ،‬فخدماتي ال تشمل برواز الصور المطبوعة ألنني أؤمن‬ ‫بأنه يجب أن يكون للزبون حرية االختيار‪ .‬لكني أفكر أن أضيف هذه‬ ‫الخدمة في المستقبل و أوفر مجموعة براويز ليختار الزبون منها‪.‬‬ ‫ما الذي يجعل خدماتك مميزة؟‬ ‫أظن أنه لم يتم تقديم هذه الخدمة في الكويت بنجاح من‬ ‫قبل‪ ،.‬و هي خدمة فريدة و محدودة‪ .‬أنا أعلم أن أي شخص‬ ‫يمكنه التقاط الصورة لحيوان أليف‪ ،‬و لكن ما يجعل خدماتي‬ ‫مميزة هو أنها مقدمة من قبل مصور محترف و متمكن و‬ ‫باستعمال كاميرات متطورة‪ .‬كما أن الخدمة تشمل أيضا‬ ‫التعديل‪ ،‬الذي يتطلب جهدا ووقتا إلكماله‪.‬‬ ‫ما الذي يحصل عليه الزبون عند طلب خدماتك؟‬ ‫خدماتي تشمل التصوير في بيت الزبون أو المكان الذي‬ ‫يختاره‪ ،‬و ملف الكتروني على قرص مدمج ‪ CD‬مع جميع‬ ‫الصور األصلية‪ .‬و أي خدمات إضافية مثل عمل الفوتوشوب‬ ‫أو الطباعة فإنه يتم دفع رسوم إضافية‪ ،‬و أنا أقدم الطباعة‬ ‫الفورية على الورق أو الكنفاس و بأحجام مختلفة‪ .‬ال حدود‬ ‫لخدماتي‪ ،‬و أحاول بأي شكل أن أرضي الزبون لكي يكون‬ ‫سعيدا في النهاية‪.‬‬ ‫‪96‬‬

PAUL

CUCINA The Spring Summer menu By bazaar staff

Dining at this impeccable restaurant overlooking the Gulf made me very nostalgic for Italy. As soon as you set foot into Cucina, you are greeted by the hostess with a warm smile and a welcoming “buona sera,” which subtly sets the mood for all that is to follow.

The ambience is soothing at Cucina, with the entire restaurant draped in hues of gold and royal blue, with interjections of bright floral prints in various sections.

Colored floor-length threads drape the windows across the length of the restaurant, allowing diners a veiled, albeit breathtaking, view of the Arabian Gulf. A variation of the draping threads also envelop the chandeliers, one of four various types of light fixtures that are spread across the restaurant. With different chairs in various allocations throughout Cucina, the sofas are the most eye-catching, draped in vibrant tapestries in abstract floral patterns in the colors of spring, such as fuchsia and green. Beautifully decorated, every small detail in this restaurant lends itself to the whole, including the Italian cutlery and the Missoni Home tableware, flaunting flowers in shades of gold and bronze. The lighting, the soft candles and the background music all come together effortlessly, yet cohesively, allowing diners the opportunity to indulge in the experience of Cucina.

After being given the menu to select dishes, diners are served a complimentary semi-dried tomato and chili paste, extra virgin olive oil and a black olive tapenade, alongside a selection of bread, which includes savory pizzetas, polenta bread, as well as other magnificent creations.

With a wide variety of starters to select from, Cucina 98

Chef de Cusine, Claudio Barzano, suggested two dishes, the Seppie Piccanti alla Griglia, which is char-grilled cuttlefish that comes with a delicately spicy salad of baby rocket leaves, enclosed by a circle of capsicum.

The cuttlefish is tender, and is grilled to perfection. A second starter recommended is the Carpaccio di Cernia con Insalata di Finocchi e Melograno, and this is one that will appeal to all with its fresh flavor and refreshingly crisp texture. A presentation of paper-thin slivers of fresh local hammour comes with a bed of shaved fennel strips, delicately crisp in flavor. Decorated with sweet pomegranate and hints of fresh dill that accentuate both the hammour and the fennel, the Carpaccio is indeed a starter to be reckoned with. If diners prefer a starter that is not seafood, Barzano recommends the Bresaola di Manzo con Rucola e Funghi sott’olio. Thin slices of in-house cured Angus beef bresaola, created

by Barzano and his team in a multi-step process, are presented on a handful of rocket leaves and decorated with wild mushroom, slivers of parmesan cheese and flavored with extra virgin olive oil.

The meal, so far, is as authentically Italian as you can imagine, reminiscent of lovely times spent dining in various Italian cities with the flavors triggering memories of Venice, Rome, Florence and Milan with every bite.

No Italian meal is complete without a selection of Primi Piatti, or pasta dishes, and Barzano recommends two of his most popular dishes. The Tonnarelli con Gamberi e Pomodorini, a homemade tonnarelli with prawn and cherry tomato sauce, is succulent and indulgent. Square-shaped strings of egg-free pasta are lightly bathed in a sweet cherry tomato sauce, infused

with hints of fresh parsley and olive oil. Bite-sized pieces of shrimp are hidden treasures throughout the dish, adding to the rich flavor. Another pasta selection that is unique to Cucina is the Gnocchi di Patate ai Quattro Formaggi; a dish of homemade potato dumplings, made from purple potatoes, beautifully sitting atop a just-perfect sauce made of four cheeses, which are: parmigiano, taleggio, fontina and pecorino. The gnocchi is soft and simply delightful.

Offering a various selection of entrees, two dishes were highlighted by Barzano. One is the Branzino in Crosta di Pomodoro con Purea di Patate al Basilico, which is a fillet of Sea Bass, gently enveloped in a simple sundried tomato crust, sitting upon a generous helping of basil-infused mashed potatoes. This selection came very well recommended, and every bite of the sea bass and the mashed potatoes, which has strong overtones of the freshest pesto you have ever tasted, will keep diners satisfied and win them over time and again. The second entrée recommended by the Chef is Tagliata di Manzo con Rucola, Parmigiano e Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva; thin slices of Super Prime US Beef, grilled to perfection and seasoned with parmesan and extra virgin olive oil, accompanied by a salad of rocket leaves. Barzano explained that this selection is typical of the type of food often served in Florence, Italy.

Overall, the recommendations made were superb and every bite was an experience within its own. Flavors are understated, yet confident, and the professionalism of Chef Barzano and his staff do not go by unnoticed. Apart from the meals offered at Cucina and the unrivaled location and view of Hotel Missoni, the service here is unparalleled. Servers

and hosts are attentive, yet respect the privacy of their diners, offering their guidance and service when required, but also allowing room to indulge without imposing.

Do not overlook the wonderful desserts on offer at Cucina. Even if you are fully satisfied with your meal and feel that there is no room for anything else, simply ask for the Tiramisu, described on their menu as a “pick me up. � This dessert, with its basic components, will excite,

transform and delight, as well as serve as the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

The overall experience offered at Cucina is magnificent, and it not only sets the bar for Italian cuisine in Kuwait, it would even compete on a regional or international level. The dining experience here, cohesively, is unparalleled anywhere else and is reminiscent of fine dining in Italy - where food is a facet

of the life and the core of living, and meals are served to bring families and loved ones together, and this passion is transformed from the kitchen to the table. This is, indeed, the essence of Cucina at Hotel Missoni.

Cucina is located on the first floor of Hotel Missoni on Gulf Road in Salmiya. For reservations, please call 2577 0006 or visit www.hotelmissoni.com.

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bazaar travels

FOR A FASHIONABLE VISIT‌

By Leigh Grogan

Even if you're not a devotee of haute couture, the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco is an opportunity to almost rub shoulders with the gorgeous Gaultier gown worn by actress Marion Cotillard at the 2008 Academy Awards (180 hours in the making) or one of Madonna's many corsets.

There's no dress code for the exhibit - which runs through August 19 - but you'll honor the mood by sporting something more stylish than Crocs and a backpack. Your best ballet flats (for comfort) and jeans will do. Make your whole visit stylish, while you're at it. And make it a full day - or a weekend.

In the museum gift shop, grab one of the $25 T-shirts with Gaultier's illustration as a souvenir.

We tapped Laurie Armstrong, director of media relations for the San Francisco Travel Association, for ideas for a Gaultier-inspired visit. "In San Francisco, everything is so compact. You can stay close by (the de Young) or stay downtown and still not have to drive," she said. "So if you're in an artsy, fashionable mood, which is perfect for this exhibit, you can match 100

that with places to eat and shop and stay."

She suggests strolling the neighborhood of Irving Street and Ninth Avenue, or as the locals call it "Inner Sunset." "It's very charming, with a thriving street scene and cool nightlife," Armstrong said. "A great place to knock around."

She recommends eating in neighborhood restaurants. While in San Francisco, Gaultier was spotted noshing at the Foreign Cinema (2534 Mission St.) with its industrial-chic setting and a menu that combines film with food. Or try the noisy, crowded but rocking House of Nanking (919 Kearny St.) for Chinese fare.

Shopping? Don't limit yourself to the retail adventure in Union Square. The "other" Union - Union Street - offers an edgier fashion bent, as does upper Fillmore Street and Hayes Valley.

WHERE TO STAY Hotel Palomar: 12 Fourth St., www.hotelpalomar-sf.com, (866) 373-4941 Hotel Triton: 342 Grant Ave., www.hoteltriton.com, (800) 800-1299

W Hotel San Francisco: 181 Third St., www.starwood hotels.com, (800) 828-6544 Clift Hotel: 495 Geary St., www.clifthotel.com, (415) 775-4700 WHERE TO SHOP Swankety Swank: 289 Divisadero St., (415) 932-6615, www.swanketyswank.com Urban Bazaar: 1371 Ninth Ave., (415) 664-4422, www.urbanbazaarsf.com Favor & Hotcakes (super fun jewelry): 2420 Polk St., (415) 563-2741, www.shopatfavor.com EXTRA INFO www.511.org: This is a great transit trip planner. Look up where you are and where you want to go. You can build a route based on how much you want to walk, factoring in both BART and the Muni (municipal railway). www.sanfrancisco.travel: Everything you need for activities beyond the museum, including 10 Things Not To Miss in San Francisco. Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services.

ZEEBRGR

KHALID AL SAHALY A picture tells a thousand stories By bazaar staff

As a writer, when I interview people I’m looking for the story - the thread that I can use to piece an article together. Normally this doesn’t pose a problem, but when I met with seventeenyear-old Khalid Al Sahaly I wanted more from him.

After seeing his photography on his flickr page I was so impressed with what he could capture in a single image, I expected him to be able to articulate the same in words. But of course this is why he is a photographer, and this is why photography is such a powerful medium. One click and you can capture something that perhaps can never be expressed in words. A photograph can convey an emotion, a feeling; it can just make you feel something even if you don’t know what it is. I asked Khalid some questions but I felt the images on these pages said so much more than he could tell me or I could write so I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

What makes a good photograph?

One that carries a message, well-composed and exposed, and artistically presented.

Have you exhibited any of photos?

Yes. I've participated in two exhibitions so far, Kuwait Youth Photographers and Without Boundaries that was held in FA Gallery last year.

What are your photographs about?

In my photography I reflect my emotions, my state of mind or that of who I am photographing.

It always carries a vision or a story hidden in the details.

See more of Khalid’s work at: www.flickr.com/photos/khalid-al-sahley.

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103

big boys toys

GARMIN APPROACH S3 We've seen several GPS-enabled golfing assistants, but the trouble with those is often simply remembering to bring them along. The Garmin Approach S3 ($350) alleviates this problem by taking the form of a touchscreen GPS watch, giving you handy access to data for over 27,000 courses worldwide — including distances to doglegs, layup points, and pins — a rugged, waterproof body, and a "digital caddy" to keep track of your strokes.

www.buy.garmin.com

CLASSIFIED MOTO FURNITURE Who said you needed gaudy Harley-Davidson gear to show your two-wheel pride? Classified Moto Furniture ($200-$1,500) lets you subtly show your love of motorcycling with a selection of stylish lamps, lighting fixtures, and tables that are built from salvaged/recycled parts taken from Japanese motorcycles from the '70s and '80s. Or you could just start parking your bike in your living room — totally up to you.

www.classifiedmoto.bigcartel.com

BMW C 650 GT SCOOTER Think scooters are just for the city? Think again. Designed for comfort both in traffic and on twisty country roads, the BMW C 650 GT Scooter ($TBA) features a 60 hp, 647cc engine, a CVT transmission, a stainless steel exhaust, a hybrid tubular steel and diecast aluminum frame, disc brakes at both the front and rear, an advanced instrument cluster with integrated LCD and analog speedometer, a large seat and high handlebars for more comfort on the road, a large, electrically-adjustable windscreen, and twin headlights with an LED rear light assembly.

www.bmwmotorcycles.com

DOUBLEBACK VAN Why pull a camper behind you or drive an oversized motorhome when all you really need to drive is a van? Based on the VW Transporter, the Doubleback Van (£55,000; roughly $87,000) is a deceptively large recreational vehicle, powered by VW's 2.0 TDI engine, and featuring an electric slide-out rear pod that adds almost six feet to the length of the vehicle when stationary, a pop-up roof that lets you walk comfortably around in the living and kitchen areas, and the ability to function as a regular van during those times when you need something a bit more practical.

www.doubleback.co.uk

HANDPRESSO AUTO Don't have time to make yourself a proper cup of coffee before you head out for the day? Use the Handpresso Auto (€150; roughly $200) to brew up a jolting shot of espresso from the comfort of the driver's seat.

Powered by your car's 12V cigarette lighter, the Handpresso takes water and E.S.E. coffee pods, and lets you know when your drink is ready with three audible beeps, so you don't need to take your eyes off the road.

www.handpresso.com

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VISION EXPRESS

THE UPS AND DOWNS Of a connected society

By Jeff Herring

So lately I've been reading a Stephen King novel, Cell. It's about what happens one afternoon when a pulse is sent out through all cellphones.

Anyone on a cellphone at that time, and anyone using one thereafter, is turned into a mindless and violent, homicidal zombie.

Pretty far-fetched, I know, but still it got me thinking... About the effect on our lives and society, both good and bad, of all this connected technology and social media. First, a look at some of the downside. And then a look at some of the upside.

THE DOWNSIDE - Folks that talk on cellphones in theaters, along with those that text thinking no one can see the light.

The higher up you sit, the more you can see.

- The maddening belief that we must respond immediately to every buzz, ring, bing, etc., and respond to a message. Even in the middle of important conversations. I've always believed that the doorbell and phone, and the cool things that have come along since, are for my convenience, to be answered and responded to when it works for me. I realize that is a radical notion.

- The anonymous nature of these things enables the mean and gutless among us to be even more mean and gutless. There is something just plain nasty about hiding behind a nameless text, Facebook update or Tweet.

- The overwhelmingly obvious truth that it is only going to get more so this way.

THE UPSIDE - Massively convenient to stay connected. For instance, I was able to know right away that a former student, now a friend and colleague, was in the hospital for the second time with pneumonia.

- For an Internet entrepreneur like me, each new form of connection allows you to build and communicate regularly with people hungry for what you have to offer and say.

- Staying connected across the miles to friends and family.

- Anyone with an Internet connection can now share their thoughts and opinions with the world. (I realize this can go in the category above, too.)

- Parents, the smart ones that is, can keep up with what their kids are thinking that they might not EVER share otherwise.

- Increasingly creative ways to tell folks to turn off their devices. Our church has a message on screen before the service begins: "Remember to turn your phone on after the service." Nice.

Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services.

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CAFE SUPREME

THE STORY TELLER The Rawiya Photography Collective

By Liane Al Ghusain

The Rawiya photography collective began through a series of informal meetings all over the world in 2009, launching their first official group exhibition in the UK in March 2011. Their name Rawiya means storyteller, and although they do their work independently, the individuals of Rawiya have united around this common identity as women photographers.

Via in-depth photo essays and long-term projects, the Rawiya collective thoughtfully depicts the hardships, contradictions, and ultimately, the poignancies of a region that is in constant flux. It is quite fitting that the following interview was conducted with the members of the Rawiya photography collective via a number of virtual means, including Skype, instant messaging and e-mail.

The individual and group challenges that the six members continue to overcome in creating their collective have been formidable—Myriam Abdelaziz (Egypt), Tamara Abdul Hadi (Jordan), Laura Boushnak (Jordan, Bosnia),Tanya Habjouqa (Palestine), Dalia Khamissy (Lebanon) and Newsha Tavakolian (Iran)–have yet to all physically be in the same place, at the same time. And yet they go on determinedly carrying out the vision of the Rawiya collective, spreading social awareness through photography.

LAG: Why did you choose to be a collective specifically of women photographers? What is special about the way that women in particular tell stories about the world?

Dalia: Women in general, and in the Middle East in particular, are subject to a lot of stereotyped ideas… We wanted to change the way we were seen and show our societies in our own ways, which is why we chose Rawiya to be a female photographers 108

collective. We all tell stories of people we relate to.

Newsha: Rawiya for me is a combination of strength. We are from different countries and all have different ideas and visions, but as a group we can have a louder voice. In Persian, we have a saying, “If one person claps their hands, nobody hears them, but when many join in, the sound will be thunderous.”

LAG: Do you avoid “taboo” places where men and women mix for fear of being censored or do you simply find the spaces of gender division more interesting?

Laura: Not at all. I basically work on provocative issues that raise questions to challenge stereotypes. I never do any self-censorship… as long as I’m sensitive to the subject matter I’m dealing with.

Tanya: I personally have a belief that intent comes through in your approach.

Recently while photographing Syrian torture victims who had fled into Jordan, there was an uncomfortable moment for some who took off their shirts to show me their wounds. One remarked shyly “I know this is 3aeb, but I want the world to know.”

Approach and intent is everything. Sometimes because we are women I feel we get unique access to situations.

Tamara: Gender division is a given in some societies and I don’t impose my views towards that, rather I try to show it as it is.

Dalia: I have been in places where I had to cover my head or even wear an abaya to be able to enter, to take a picture of a sheikh or an ayatollah, or even to enter a hawza (traditional Islamic school of higher learning). But I never had any problem in doing that and I was always respected in those places and welcomed with a lot of respect and a

smile… Maybe because I showed respect when entering the space of others – I think this is the main key.

LAG: How does being in a collective change the way you see the world around you?

Tanya: We are working in a region where the dignity of representation is often contested by stereotypes and agenda. It is empowering coming together on the Rawiya platform as I feel it gives us an "agency" in challenging the status quo of racism and orientalism that can be prevalent in media (mis)representation.

The growth of both great regional artists and photographers along with respected regional news platforms like Al Jazeera is an opportunity to push back. There is a growing interest in photography in the region, in new galleries. We have come a long way…I remember when I started in my early 20s my Jordanian grandmother looking at my portfolio and saying, “Interesting. So why do you do this? And when will you get a real job?” Today, we have young photographers writing us and asking us for advice.

LAG: Who coordinates the Rawiya collective? Are different members responsible for different things?

Myriam: It is a group effort. We do not have a coordinator; instead we share tasks and rotate if necessary. We are all equally participating according to our personal, professional or regional situation.

LAG: How do you inspire each other’s work? Any specific examples or stories about how you have learned from each other?

Myriam: Inspiration is food for creativity, we all need it. I have no specific situation in mind, but for sure just following each other’s work is, in itself, stimulating.

Laura: The fact that we simply exchange ideas and comment on each other’s work has been a great source of inspiration for me.

LAG: The artist and the photojournalist are both observers, but how would you say that the way they observe things is different?

Myriam: Photojournalism has rules, there are ways to tell a story, you need an opening and a closing shot, details and actions shots etc… so you have to tell the story while following the ‘Photojournalist’ way. I find that frustrating so I never call myself a Photojournalist. I want to tell the story the way I saw it, the way I felt it with no rules or boundaries.

Tanya: It is true, there are more “rules” in photojournalism. If I am on an assignment for a news outlet, I have to put on my journalism “chapeau” but try to bring my specific style/nuance to that approach. I take the required opening/closing etc., and if there is time after, take some shots for me as well. (Which sometimes ARE used in a news story).

Or I form a relationship with that person and go back and shoot without the journalism chapeau, so I have more time to shoot relaxed, slowly…my favorite approach.

Dalia: Personally I never said I was a photojournalist or an artist. I always use “photographer” to introduce myself. I always feel the work of the artist is more conceptual … it takes more research to [artistically] approach a subject. As for the photojournalist, his work is different; it is a reality he has to convey to the world … it could be a subjective reality, which is always the case, but still something he has seen with his own eyes that he has to document.

LAG: When did you make the shift from documentary photography to art continued on next page...

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photography? Do the two continue to overlap?

Myriam: I don’t like categories: photojournalist, documentary photographer, artist, etc., all these are categories that limit you as soon you have indentified yourself as one of them. I am just a photographer, photographing what I want, the way I want.

Tanya: I feel that some of the most impactful, great images/stories reach magical potential when they overlap. For me this is the ideal situation, you have succeeded when you are in that liminal state between. When it is art. But it is documentary. For me, good documentary is art.

Laura: When I worked for the French News Agency AFP, that was always my challenge - how to make news images but artistic ones at the same time. Now I prefer to look at my work as experimental storytelling, which could be published in magazines and exhibited in galleries.

Dalia: I always introduced the work I did as social documentary photography … I studied photography at a Fine Arts faculty, so the aesthetic was very important in our work. We spent our years studying the work of masters of photography and those surely became “masters” because their photographs were aesthetically different than others…

LAG: Would you say that working with news agencies such as Reuters is an integral part of your process as a photographer?

Tanya: I would say that working for reputable, competitive news agencies/papers/ magazines is an intense educational experience. It can certainly be frustrating at times because your production is not always your own. Last year I had an assignment for a reputable New York based paper on the so called “economic boom of Ramallah”, 110

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however, when they sold images to a subsidiary paper in California, they mis-framed it, “How Palestinians Really Live.” I was outraged as this is not the case of 90 percent of lifestyle in the occupied territories. However, there was nothing I could do. The positive is that there are times your work in that medium can make a serious impact. That is an amazing feeling.

Laura: My 9 year experience in the wire service agencies had taught me how to be disciplined, work under stressful situations and yet be able to deliver work on time, and above all I had trained my eyes through editing other photographers work. However, I’ve reached a point where news coverage was not enough and felt the need to go deeper into issues.

Dalia: I think every experience we have in life is integral to the progress of our work. I did 3 years of architecture in university before studying photography and this was very integral to the way I take photographs now. I also worked for an international news agency for 18 months as a photo editor and I learned a lot from my local and international colleagues… I always thought they were some of the best photographers of our generation.

LAG: Which audience do you have in mind when you create your work?

Myriam: I never have an audience in mind when I do the work. I do it for my selfsatisfaction first. Then people who are interested in it appear.

Tanya: In my educational background as an anthropologist, I am intensely aware of my audience. Being half-Jordanian and half-American, I spent my life between narratives. Especially viewing media representation from my time in each country. I

know when editing a story if it is framed this way, it could be misinterpreted in that country. Since I am often telling somebody’s story, whether in art form or news, I have a responsibility to uphold that with integrity.

Laura: It depends on the project I’m working on, but recently I have been focusing on showing my work in the Arab world. For my ongoing project about Arab women and education it’s definitely directed at the Arab audience, for both men and women, to show how important education is to the evolution of our society.

Tamara: My work is for all audiences. In my portrait series “Picture an Arab man” I attempt to dispel stereotypes imposed on Arab men by the mainstream media and socially-imposed norms. That does not mean it is intended only for Western audiences.

On the contrary, it is aimed at anyone with a one-dimensional view, from East and West.

Dalia: I usually work on the aftermath of wars and social and political issues in Lebanon and the region, where it is the people who suffer the most…Then the more people [the work] reaches, the more I feel I am sharing my society’s stories. The stories I document usually can happen in every country – war, kidnapping, gender- based violence and all forms of violence and discriminations; those themes are not really only specific to Lebanon or the Middle East, they happen everywhere in the world.

LAG: Some of the Rawiya collective’s work was recently bought by the British Museum. Is this an aim of your work or merely a pleasant byproduct? How do you feel about institutions owning your work?

Tanya: I think it is a high honor to have the work of a fellow Rawiya member in an institution such as the British Museum. This museum has a history linked with

colonialism—artifacts taken from that period. So to have images/representation from a Middle East photographer telling it from her perspective and framed accordingly, is amazing. I hope more instances follow.

Dalia: It is always an honor when renowned institutions own a photographer’s work, be it museums, institutes, galleries and even on a more individual level, collectors or individuals buying the work we do… It shows people appreciate the work, that it moved them and made them think about the message behind the image.

LAG: What was the selection process like for the work to be exhibited in Kuwait?

Laura: I have worked with Abed El Kadiri, the director of CAP, and I must say the process has been extremely creative. Abed is the kind of curator a photographer would love to work with. He has a great eye and appreciates photography and is quite open to comments and suggestions.

LAG: Finally, many in Kuwait have a fetish for cameras—can you tell us what equipment you use?

Laura: I have two bodies. I use Canon 5D and 5D Mark II. I have many lenses but I mainly use the fixed 50mm and 24mm. I have been using my Camera to shoot videos as well so I have the audio gear.

Thanks to all the members of Rawiya. Check out ‘what’s on’ for more details on Rawiya’s upcoming exhibition in Kuwait at the Contemporary Art Platform (CAP Kuwait).

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bazaar books Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures. ~ Jessamyn West

source: www.amazon.com

I AM A POLE (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert The book started as a joke during Colbert's Colbert Report interview with bestselling children's author Maurice Sendak. But the story, which follows a pole searching for his purpose in life, will become Colbert's second Colbert Report-related book release. His 2007 humor book I Am America (And So Can You!) was a New York Times bestseller, and he'll follow up I Am a Pole with another adult book, America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't. Stephen Colbert was The Daily Show's longest-running and most diverse correspondent. His personality, insight and overall rightness could only lead to The Colbert Report, a half-hour nightly platform for him to give his take on the issues of the day, and, more importantly, to tell you why everyone else's take is just plain wrong. The show has been hugely successful.

I'LL GO HOME THEN, IT'S WARM AND HAS CHAIRS. THE UNPUBLISHED EMAILS by David Thorne new exclusive content –new articles, emails, complaints, boats, minibikes, time-travel and cats than you can poke a pointy stick at, I'll Go Home Then, It's Warm and Has Chairs is an absolute goldmine of previously unpublished material by author David Thorne and the perfect follow-up to his first book, The Internet is a Playground and 27bslash6.com, featuring more than 200 pages of brand-spanking-new material. In David’s words, "That's right, all new, never before published, words and pictures. I am giving it a completely unbiased five stars and maybe an air punch like the moody guy does at the end of ‘The Breakfast Club.’"

SOLDIER DOGS (A Mostly True Memoir) by Maria Goodavage People all over the world have been riveted by the story of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who was a part of the Navy SEAL team that led the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. Maria Goodavage, editor and featured writer for one of the world's most widely read dog blogs, tells heartwarming stories of modern soldier dogs and the amazing bonds that develop between them and their handlers. Beyond tales of training, operations, retirement, and adoption into the families of fallen soldiers, Goodavage talks to leading dog-cognition experts about why dogs like nothing more than to be on a mission with a handler they trust, no matter how deadly the IEDs they are sniffing, nor how far they must parachute or rappel from aircraft into enemy territory.

DARTH VADER AND SON by Jeffrey Brown What if Darth Vader took an active role in raising his son? What if "Luke, I am your father" was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad? In this hilarious and sweet comic reimagining, Darth Vader is a dad like any other-except with all the baggage of being the Dark Lord of the Sith. Celebrated artist Jeffrey Brown's delightful illustrations give classic Star Wars moments a fresh twist, presenting the trials and joys of parenting through the lens of a galaxy far, far away. Life lessons include lightsaber batting practice, using the Force to raid the cookie jar, Take Your Child to Work Day on the Death Star ("Er, he looks just like you, Lord Vader!"), and the special bond shared between any father and son.

JOHN DIES AT THE END by David Wong In this reissue of an Internet phenomenon originally slapped between two covers in 2007 by indie Permutus Press, Wong— Cracked.com editor Jason Pargin's alter ego—adroitly spoofs the horror genre while simultaneously offering up a genuinely horrifying story. The terror is rooted in a substance known as soy sauce, a paranormal psychoactive that opens video store clerk Wong's—and his friend John's—minds to higher levels of consciousness. Or is it just hell seeping into the unnamed Midwestern town where Wong and the others live? Meat monsters, wig-wearing scorpion aberrations and wingless white flies that burrow into human skin threaten to kill Wong and his crew before infesting the rest of the world. A multidimensional plot unfolds as the unlikely heroes drink lots of beer and battle the paradoxes of time and space, as well as the clichés of first-person-shooter video games and fantasy gore films.

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BHS

A DENIM LOVE-AFFAIR GONE WRONG

By Lily k.

I am in love with a pair of jeans. These denim pants do all the right things in all the right places. They make me feel sk inny, cool and in style. They are just the right fit around my waist so they don' t give me a muffin top. They are the per fec t length as to make me seem taller without dragging on the floor. They have just a little stretch to accommodate my random weight fluc tuations. They are the per fec t color so I can dress them up with a fanc y blouse or dress them down with a casual polo. This pair of pants are my go -to pants to feel and look great.

I tr y to stay fair with all my jeans and feature them in outfits equally, but like children, you always have a favorite. I f it weren’t for the necessar y washing, I would wear them ever y day and for ever y occasion. But of course, with this much exposure, jeans are bound to come across some difficulties.

The bottom of the jeans began to show signs of overexposure when they began to fray. I solved this problem by tak ing them to the tailor and having them re -hemmed. Then suddenly, and without warning, the button above the zipper came off in my hands one morning while getting ready. I went back to the tailor and he found me a similar button, and stitched it on a few centimeters from where the old one used to be. The jeans were fine for a few weeks when disaster struck again.

One day while jumping into my car in a hurr y I heard the worst noise a girl can hear when on her way to work (riiippp). I frantically looked around to pinpoint the location of the rip, hoping desperately that the sound came from the car seat and not my pants. Unfor tunately, I quick ly discovered that the tear came from the inner right thigh of my jean. I am proud to say that this split did not even deter me from wearing them all day long.

A little embarrassed this time, I went to the tailor to see if he could patch up my little accident. He did, and I was able to rek indle my relationship with my favorite piece of clothing. Finally, not too long ago, the unthink able happened; another tear. This time the tear was on the other thigh. I was devastated, but refused to give up on my jeanfriend (that ’s what I call my denim boyfriend). I decided to take them to a new tailor ; one who didn’t k now my tumultuous past with this pair of pants.

I t feels as though this pair of jeans is tr ying to break up with me and break my hear t in the process. This pair of jeans is clearly tr ying to die, but I just can’t let go. Yes, they have ser ved me well, but I can’t bring myself to pull the plug (or the stitching in this case). What if I throw them out and then regret it for the rest of my life? What if I never find another pair of jeans that fit so well? What if, from this day for ward, all my pants are too long, too tight and create M ichelin tire love -handles?

Hopefully I can find a pair of jeans that fit me just as well before this denim ‘love affair ’ goes sour and they disintegrate while wearing them.

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MUBARAKIYA DENTAL

HEY HONEY!

By Sumayyah Meehan

“The only reason for being a bee that I know of is to make honey.... And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it.” ~ Winnie the Pooh The average life span of a honeybee is an estimated six weeks, give or take a couple of days. Known as one of nature’s hardest workers, the honeybee spends the entirety of its short life cultivating nectar from various flowers and turning it into rich golden honey back at the hive.

It sounds simple, but the task is arduous which makes the honey all the more valuable. Honey is one of nature’s greatest products. It is an allnatural sweetener that contains several vitamins, minerals and enzymes that promote healing.

Honey is also fat-free and is more figure-friendly than cane sugar.

With the abundance of shops around Kuwait selling the best quality honey that money can buy, take advantage of this precious resource for the betterment of your health and waistline. Different varieties of honey offer a host of options when cooking with various foods. There are several ways to make honey a part of every meal!

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Beverages – Honey is sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a very long way. Add a few drizzles of honey to your coffee or tea instead of sugar. Experiment with different varieties of honey such as Clover, Eucalyptus or Alfalfa for different taste sensations.

Sauces – A flavorful and hearty sauce is the perfect accompaniment to meats such as chicken or lamb. Chefs often use honey when making cooked sauces as it provides thickness and a delicate sheen to the finished dish. The most popular types of honey used in cooked sauces are Buckwheat and Macadamia.

Salad Dressings – Salads lose their luster, and health benefits, when drenched in calorie-laden processed salad dressings. A simple mixture of equal parts honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and olive oil is the perfect heart-healthy salad dressing to dress up your greens.

Cakes and Muffins – What better way to make a cake, or even muffins, healthier than by replacing the sugar with honey instead? Honey makes baked

goods richer and the texture smoother. Leatherwood and Orange Blossom are the preferred types of honey used in baking desserts.

As a Topping – Drizzle honey directly over freshly cut fruit, ice cream, pancakes or even toasted bread.

Honey is a healthy substitute to artery-clogging butter and cream cheeses. Manuka, Basswood and Heather are all types of floral honey that make the perfect topping.

Straight Up – If all the above seem unappealing, honey can be consumed straight up. Simply fill a spoon with honey and swallow it whole (minus the spoon). Alternatively, you can mix a spoon of honey with warm water and drink it.

Honey should be a staple in every kitchen. In addition to its use as a source of nourishment, honey can also be used as a medicine to cure sleeplessness, soothe a sore throat and lessen the pain of burns. Any way that you pour it, honey is a cook’s best friend in the kitchen!

PROMOD

CHEF MANAGEMENT

By Arwa Saifi A chef is a person who has studied for many years in the culinary arts, learning how to run a successful kitchen and prepare proper meals in a professional environment. If you have decided to opt for a career in this field then love for good food is the foremost criterion. To be a successful chef, you also need to know how to supervise a variety of kitchen staff, create a nice food display, garnish a meal, plan menus, order the required stock etc.

Types of Chefs / Specializations Pastry Chef - A pastry chef needs to know how to create baked dishes, confections and specialty items. Pastry chefs generally specialize in desserts.

Saucier - This is just as it appears. This chef specializes in making sauces and sometimes meats that are cooked in sauces.

Garde Manger - The Garde Manger chef is a specialized cook that is responsible for cold food presentations. The cold foods included in this specialization are salads, pates, canapés and hors d’oeuvres (an appetizer served before a meal).

Gourmet Chef - The gourmet chef specializes in specialty cuisine, often foreign dishes. This type of chef is generally very skilled in foreign delicacies and what is often considered “fancy foods”.

Difference between a cook and a chef A cook can be referred to a household staff member who is responsible for food preparation. The term can refer to the head of kitchen staff in a great house or to the cook-housekeeper, a far less prestigious position involving more physical labor. On the other hand, a chef is a person who cooks professionally (mostly in restaurants, hotels, clubs etc.) and is in charge of everyone else in the kitchen. He writes the menus/recipes, does the costing/scheduling, controls labor costs/food costs, orders the products/inventories, hires, fires, teaches, disciplines, and performs many other job functions, too. In short, a cook is a person who simply prepares meals. Many people are "good cooks", but only few are "chefs".

A career in this field Cooking these days has stepped out of the confines of the traditional kitchen and become a high flying career as an important adjunct to fine living. The work of a chef today, has become rather unconventional and combines passion, creativity and hard work. Students who do not have a degree or diploma in Hotel

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Management and wish to pursue a career in this field can go in for a diploma/ post-graduate diploma in chef management. Certificate courses in Food Production & Catering will also prove to be highly beneficial.

Job prospects In the hierarchy of the kitchen, at its most basic levels, there are four positions: - Executive Chef (Head of the kitchen) - Sous Chef - Line Cook - Pantry Cook Some of the jobs that you can land in the culinary industry while trying to work your way into Executive Chef position are Line Cook, Sous Chef, Chef’s Apprentice and Prep Cook. These positions are great for a chef-in-training, and can provide the experience necessary to, one day, become Head Chef. Students who have obtained the required training in this field can seek employment in restaurants, hotels, resorts, cruises, private clubs, spas etc.

Future Job opportunities for chefs, cooks and food preparation workers are expected to be plentiful because of the continued growth and expansion of food service outlets, resulting in average employment growth. There will be a variety of jobs in this field and growth will be spurred by an increase in population, household income, and demand for convenience that will lead to more people dining out and taking vacations that include hotel stays and restaurant visits.

What it takes to be a successful chef If you want to be a successful chef, you should have an experimental mindset and the curiosity to know the chemistry of various food ingredients. You should also be knowledgeable about different kinds of food and cuisine and how they are prepared. You need to have an aptitude for service and hospitality and as in other professions, you should be an outgoing person and be able to work in a team. In a nutshell, you should combine the three qualities - passion for cooking, the ability to enjoy your work and the ability to offer your service with a smile.

LAURETANA

desert vents

JUNGLE GUIDEBOOK

By Selim Savsar

I've always wanted to venture out into the Amazon jungle to admire the diverse beauty of nature. The hundreds of trees living within close proximity of one another, their roots entangled reaching deep and far under the soil each to their own, the waterfalls of immense height producing the most serene and comforting of sounds, the mind-boggling number of animal species all equipped with their own attack and defense mechanisms keeping stable a food chain (granted the human hand has not reached in and destroyed it) that is itself worthy of admiration. But it is this diversity that appends to my dreams the likelihood of my coming under the attack of a venomous creature and either dying then and there only for my decayed corpse to be mistakenly discovered much later, or having to ask of a fellow companion to do what will, most likely, end our relationship upon returning home, namely the sucking and spitting out of venom from my punctured appendage. It has recently occurred to me that I need not go out of my way to travel far and wide, and in the process harm the environment, seeking out jungle book adventures when right underneath my nose there is one readily available, inhabited with much the same deadly creatures you would, in any instance, want to avoid. The jungle I am referring to is the insufferable traffic we are facing nowadays. There is no denying that the situation has somewhat gotten out of hand and is getting worse at frightening speed. On any given day, and any given point in time within that day, you are bound to end up stuck in a long line of cars reaching out farther than the eye can see. It is at this point if you, like me, have an unstable mind, will play around with the idea of whether there exists slugs who laugh in derision at how we, despite all that we have accomplished with beaming pride, have ended up moving at a pace equivalent to, or at times slower than them.

We can't of course blame the government for not improving the infrastructure because after all they, after being scammed multiple times and in a time frame long enough for the roads themselves to have evolved, constructed a beautiful savior of a road, exiting the Sheraton roundabout, that has… one lane. A lane I'm hoping will expand under the heat of Kuwait's sun. We can't blame the explosion of cars, with every household immediately buying a car for every child who has reached driving age, with just the prerequisite of having five fingers fit for wrapping around the steering wheel (the other five being, by 120

birth, attached to prayer beads in the case of males, and portable mirrors in the case of females), on the general public either.

So rather than point fingers at anyone and limit my rant to just the traffic jams, I have compiled a guidebook classifying the three prominent species you will inevitably come across whilst driving and would do best to avoid at all costs. The world's smallest guidebook for the stable and sane of mind but void of experience. For the amateur driver who is venturing out into the wilderness, joining the herds. Even the experts who have found their own ways of dealing with this jungle can learn a thing or two from it. So tear out this page, stuff it into your back pocket or your glove compartment and refer to it when needed.

The Oblivious Dame of the Tarmac - Of the female gender and as the name suggests knighted, this royal specimen has been endowed with an adaptable title of deeds, one on which the letters rearrange themselves in accordance with the road she is on. Given out at exactly the time land was so freely and without rule given out ('From where you are standing to where your eyes can see is all yours, my son'), this magical document (of heritage) immediately clears her of any wrongdoing. Us minions do not have the right to exist let alone share the same road as them is the assumption hardwired into their yet-toevolve, Johnny-come-lately brains. Naturally, with this mindset, they, without so much as a glimpse, switch lanes, merge into highways and even abruptly brake without warning whilst driving. To them, rear-view and side-view mirrors are accessories built into the car with the 'clumsy girl who forgot her portable mirror at home' in mind. The indicators are but additional sparkles of light to occasionally accompany their royal sheen. Too bad, they must think, they aren't purple, the internationally accepted color of royalty.

Regardless of how expensive and lavish the car they are using may be, they will always think of it as means of transportation for the common folk, and will treat and handle it with contempt.

Raised in a pristine environment where, as the Turkish saying goes, they 'didn't move their hands from warm water to cold water', these women are as delicate as the fragile-boned Samuel Jackson in the movie Unbreakable. If you have the misfortune of colliding with one of them, do not expect any sort of sane reaction to come of them. They will cry, call their friends and family and spread the word faster than Paul Revere did of the warning that the British forces were coming, cry some more, walk back and forth in

confusion, and possibly even throw up (All of this I am telling you from experience). Once a paternal figure arrives, he will send her off and handle the situation deftly, making full use of his connections and the magical document, to prove you, in all cases, guilty.

Advice: Be very careful and alert when driving near this species, and expect the unexpected giving probability to even the laws of physics being broken.

The Rowdy Road Warrior – Usually of the male gender, this boisterous species has ‘insecurity’ spelled out in their genetic code and ‘brash stupidity’ carved in their synapses. They were at first assumed to have been a rare mutation that, like the curious goldfish, had made a quick bold leap out of the gene pool and were expected to die out just as fast, their fins flopping and flailing helplessly. But much to scientists’ surprise, this stubborn species survived and had Darwin rolling in his grave. Unlike the dames, they go to great lengths and put in great effort when choosing their ride making sure it can roar loud enough to have the decibel hand in its resignation, and be agile enough to give them a fighting chance at stitching together our broken roads. With impressive and unwavering vehemence to impress members of the opposite sex (the dame being their favorite prey), they will deploy every trick in the book to do so (their book being much different than the one you and I are accustomed to).

Their ways of dealing with life will never make sense to the common man. Take, for instance, the fact that they are always rushing to get exactly nowhere.

Or insisting on recklessly driving cars, which can, and have been known to, topple over with ease (yes Pajero, I’m looking at you). Or modifying their cars to look more and more like patched up tractors built in an underground laboratory at the hands of a psychopathic machinist. The list is as endless as the number of traffic violations they commit on just one trip.

Advice: If in your rear-view mirror you see a car approaching you, swinging like a pendulum between lanes, do not panic and just act as if it were a ‘give right of way’ sign gone awry. We are all waiting on evolution to correct this mistake and for the time being correcting our dictionaries and textbooks to cite them as examples of entropy.

The Ill Informed Chauffeur – Be especially weary of this kind for they are plucked out of their natural habitat and brought here with the sole purpose of driving their employers’ children around. The only certificate admitting them to having any sort of skill or education is their driver’s license, which can be

obtained by passing a kindergarten level written examination followed by proof of ability to steer an automobile around a track with obstacles spaced far enough from one another to allow two mammoths to pass through.

[Side-note: When preparing to take the examination myself I asked one of the drivers there to show me the paper (which they are allowed to take out of the examination room!) and was comforted to see that it was only six straightforward questions, of which three he had gotten wrong].

The examination itself can be avoided if the employer’s connections reach high enough. Hesitatingly confident, these driving oxymorons will only realize the dangers of their errors three quarters of a way through committing them. For example, when trying to turn into a road, they will hesitate when there is a healthy enough gap for them to make use of but will jump in when the gap has dangerously tightened. They will not complete their turn, however, and having realized their miscalculation will freeze up like deer in headlights. Their confidence comes from a combination of the newly laminated driver’s license in their breast pocket and the clout of their employers. Their hesitation comes from their lack of experience in ever having commanded a vehicle more technically advanced than a bicycle. It still surprises me to this day that we are entrusting them with the safety of our children.

Advice: Guide them with all the tools you have at your disposal (indicators, flashing headlights etc.) and try not to take your anger out on them for they have grown immune to it.

Well there you have it. A short and in no way exhaustive list of the creatures dwelling in the traffic jungle you have to hack through every day to survive. Don’t hesitate to scribble in descriptions and defense tactics of your own when you encounter other kinds of equal danger.

Use it, abuse it, deface it, and keep it handy at all times.

Godspeed.

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VISION EXPRESS For better eye care By bazaar staff

The importance of eye care has long been underestimated by many. Yet at Vision Express, your eyes are the prime focus. Built on a passion for delivering the very best in eye care Vision Express continuously delivers unparalleled levels of professional and complete eye care service, eye health advice and after-care consultation to every customer. Telling us more about eye care and Vision Express is Business Director Mark Finn.

Q: What makes Vision Express so special?

A: Vision Express is accessible for everybody, where we offer products and services that cater to each and every customer’s taste and needs. For example, we have great brands, but we also recognise that a number of customers are price-sensitive so we make sure we provide a value range that includes frames and sunglasses that start from KD15.

Q: What happens during a typical visit to Vision Express?

A: Customers will receive a warm greeting, where we start from the position: we want to help our customers to see better. In doing so, we take time with everyone to complete a thorough eye exam in order to recommend the right options for their lifestyle (taking into account their individual prescription). If customers have great vision we also take the opportunity to help 122

them understand the impact of sunlight on their eyes and help them in choosing a suitable pair of sunglasses.

Q: What are some services offered uniquely at Vision Express?

A: Great brands and price transparency; what you see is what you pay for. This means we offer great prices for every customer. Another service we pride ourselves on is specialising in eye tests. We have an optometrist in our store every hour we are open, throughout all of our branches. In that sense, we take eye health seriously.

Q: What does Vision Express do to raise awareness about eye health?

A: We offer free eye exams, we talk to our customers about the importance of eye exams and we engage in university outreach programmes. For example, we set up consultation booths in several universities in Dubai this year and plan on doing the same in Kuwait soon. We talk to the students about the importance of eye health and provide eye tests.

We also engage in campaigns to promote eye health awareness. We sponsored a campaign in The Avenues last year, and we performed over 350 eye tests during the campaign.

Q: Is Vision Express also a fashionable outlet?

A: We always make sure that the latest brands are quickly available on display because we know customers in Kuwait are fashion savvy. We always have top fashion optical and sun ranges in our stores. We believe that if an average woman has over 30 pairs of shoes, she should also have a choice of at least three frames for different occasions.

We display limited edition items from selected brands every few weeks; we also carry some quirky styles that are popular with our customers. We constantly receive

positive customer feedback about our fashionable frames and sunglasses, and this motivates us to always strive to meet those expectations. In addition, we offer a wide variety of coloured contact lenses.

Q: What brands does Vision Express carry?

A: We carry all the major brands from Gucci to Dior, Ray Ban to Oakley, Tag, Tiffany and Tom Ford.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about the history of Vision Express in the UK? A: In the UK, Vision Express started off as a low cost optical retailer whose vision was to provide people with spectacles in an hour’s time. Over time, the brand has expanded and grown more sophisticated by better understanding customer needs.

The business recognises that speed is not necessarily the best option for customers. In order to deliver the best lenses, produced professionally and to a higher quality, some lenses can take up to a week to be produced. It’s all about quality; after all we’re dealing with vision, which is not to be taken lightly. Now Vision Express has more than 330 stores in the UK alone and is recognised as the best optical retailer, one that is completely focused on customers’ eye health.

Q: How many branches does Vision Express have in Kuwait?

A: We have a total of 25 stores across the Gulf region, of which seven are in Kuwait. We also have a new store opening in the new Phase III of The Avenues.

We are truly looking forward to this new development.

To find a Vision Express branch closest to you, please call the Vision Express branch located at The Avenues, tel: 2495 4649.

POTBELLY

HOW TO START YOUR OWN MOVEMENT Five tips

By Jeff Herring and Maritza Parra

As we've seen with the rise of social media and the Internet, it's never been easier to have your voice be heard in the world today. A recent example is the interest and awareness generated by the Kony 2012 video campaign.

The campaign's success serves as proof that people who have a cause or want to start a movement can do so effectively on the Net. This means you can be the media. You are a publisher, if you want to be. If you have a mission, cause or purpose close to your heart, you can now fulfill it more easily than any other time in our history. Of course, it takes courage to stand up for what you believe.

There's no excuse for not turning your passion or purpose into a way of influencing others into awareness or action. This is the perfect time to do it.

Here are five ways to start your own movement: 1. Choose your cause. If there's been something that's been in the back of your mind, something you've been thinking of doing for a longtime, do something about it. Choose what 124

your movement is going to be. Helping raise awareness for any cause, no matter how niche, is a good choice, as long as it's important to you. It could be teaching young children how to be more financially aware, helping find homes for animals, talking about self-image issues for teen girls or Alzheimer's awareness.

2. Choose your platform. There are so many different platforms online today for spreading your message it can be confusing, and it's going to be impossible to do them all. So, choose two or three different platforms. For example, you can start with a blog as the hub for your movement. Then you could add in YouTube with videos that are supporting your cause and in alignment with what you're doing on your blog. And a third option could be Twitter or Facebook accounts, two great places for finding like-minded people for gaining interest and support and starting conversations.

3. Begin publishing. Now, you have to have content that's out there talking about what your vision is, what your cause is, or what you want to change or bring awareness to in the world. You can't have just one blog post or one video about

whatever your movement is about. Once you begin publishing, publish content consistently. Make sure that you're going to be publishing something at least once a week, so people know and expect it, and so the search engines won't ignore you since you have no new content.

4. Ask for help. Once you gain some momentum with your movement, ask for help from other experts or other people who are interested in the same cause. You can assemble a "panel of experts," which has multiple benefits. One is you'll take some of the work off of yourself from having to post once a week (or more) and you'll have new perspectives and conversations about your topic, while still providing new content for your followers.

5. Keep moving forward. Just like anything that is worth doing, starting a movement doesn't happen overnight. But, if your heart is in it and if it's something you've been thinking about for a long time, just keep moving forward. You'll see momentum build for your movement. Who knows how you can positively change the world?

Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services.

ME BATH

bazaar psych

By Dr. Juliet and Dr. Nisrine

Do you have questions for a psychologist? Are you afraid or embarrassed to see one?

Well, we may have the answers you need! Now you can ask Dr. Juliet and Dr. Nisrine for psychological and social advice for free!

Dr. Nisrine

Dr. Juliet

Q. Do you think people who study psychology or work in the field will eventually develop psychological problems?

Regards, Psychology Student A. Your question is a very interesting one as it is a common one in the field of psychology. People that are attracted to the field are often people who are seeking some understanding of themselves, as well as having a genuine desire to help others. However, there are a lot of myths surrounding this topic as some people do believe that if you listen to problems all day, this will lead you to become psychologically ill. Becoming overly involved with clients, exhausting too much energy on giving and not receiving and having poor boundaries are all risk factors, which if not attended to, can undoubtedly lead someone who is immersed in the field to develop certain psychological symptoms. With regards to studying psychology, it has been our experience that some students and trainees are initially over enthusiastic and lack experience, thus come to magnify certain symptoms that they or close people around them experience, which causes them to see all the negative aspects of psychology instead of the positive ones. It's important for students and trainees to talk with their professors and supervisors to help them gain a more realistic perspective. To maintain a healthy balance in life and not feel a burnout effect, one of the first things that we advise new practitioners and implement ourselves, as psychologists, is self care. Self care is taking care of one’s psychological and physical needs by time-managing, discussing the stress of work, consulting with other professionals, etc.

Q. Why do humans feel the need to be loved by someone and get married, why can’t we live independently?

Thanks, Struggling for love and happiness A. It seems that you are confusing love and independence. The two can complement each other and not necessarily be in competition. Love is an innate need. We all have the need to be loved and show others our love, as it makes us feel needed and special. Love also comes in many shapes and forms; family, friends, significant others, etc. Individuals can be independent

yet still need love. Independence is a style of life, a desire or a wish, but love is a must. Being independent does not mean you have to be alone, tough and isolated from people. An individual who is independent knows how and when to love. Not everybody should or needs to get married if they don’t feel that this will make them happy but everyone needs to love and be loved. Also, committing in a marriage can be a wonderful experience and it does not mean you have to give up your personal independence. Marriage is a choice but love is a need.

Q. If someone is socially awkward or socially anxious, what little tricks can be applied to help them overcome this?

Thank You! Anxious A. Individuals have different personalities.

Some love to be around other people and are “social butterflies”, while others prefer to be in the company of only close friends and family members. Also, some individuals don’t like to be around others at all, and some don’t know how to be alone and always need to be around others. The key is to find a balance and understand your personality, keeping in mind that you need to be comfortable enough to be alone, and comfortable enough to be in social gatherings. Being a little socially awkward or anxious is not a problem as long as it doesn’t interfere with your obligations and expectations. If you find yourself avoiding social gatherings, feeling anxious prior to leaving the house, making excuses and avoiding people at work, in malls or big gatherings, then what you are experiencing is social anxiety. Interacting with the outside world is a must and it is unrealistic to think otherwise. In a social gathering, if you find yourself to be a little more anxious than usual, make sure you sit next to somebody you know, and mingle with people that you are comfortable with. Before the social event, take joy in preparing yourself, ask who else will be going and you can even go with a friend instead of driving alone. Some of the other things you can do to help yourself relax when anxious are: relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, and yoga. If the anxiety does not decrease despite all of your attempts then it’s probably time to see a psychologist who can help you with Cognitive Behavioral techniques.

Q. Why do you think people cheat on their wives/husbands?

Sincerely, Living with a cheater A. There are many reasons why people decide to cheat on their wives/husbands. Some people cheat because they know they can, and also know that they will not have any consequences as a result. Some other reasons revolve around the fact that they are either unhappy, dissatisfied, or have lost respect for their spouse. Men and women, however, often cheat for different reasons, given their biological makeup. Men usually cheat because they are visually stimulated and, unconsciously, are testing to see how much they can get away with. Women, on the other hand, often cheat because of their need for affection and intimacy. This, however, is not always the case, as each individual, male or female, has his/her personal reasons. Regardless of what the justification or reason is, individuals who cheat think that this is the only way to make up for what they are emotionally lacking. However, what they need to realize is that cheating will only hurt them in the end. Cheating may become a lifestyle as it involves manipulation, lying and a constant fear of being caught. In addition, the consequences of being caught may be huge on various levels. Individuals have their various reasons for cheating but they need to understand that it is never the solution to unhappiness, dissatisfaction, or the inability to control oneself. Individuals who are unhappy should be honest with their partners and give him/her a chance to make things better. Inviting someone else in your relationship/life without the consent of your partner is unfair and only fuels the fire. Remember, you can always seek professional help in the form of couples and/or marital therapy as it will assist you in gaining a healthy perspective and understanding your options.

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For psychological advice, send your questions to dr.jdinkha@kaizen-kw.com. Please note that not all questions can be published. Dr. Juliet and Dr. Nisrine are bilingual and bicultural expert psychologists on various personal and social issues.

Visit www.kaizen-ke.com. or follow them on www.facebook.com/kaizen2q8.

ASHAS

bazaar around town

RED BULL FLUGTAG IS BACK IN KUWAIT Calling all flying lunatics and wannabe pilots: red bull flugtag is back!

Fasten your seatbelts! Two years after the second Red Bull Flugtag, the event is taking off again. If you’re an adrenalin junkie, flying enthusiast or simply love a bit of airborne fun, then you may just be crazy enough to enter the Red Bull Flugtag. This hilarious man-made aircraft flying competition is back in Kuwait at the Marina Crescent on Friday 19th of October 2012.

The 2012 Red Bull Flugtag event will be the third of its kind in Kuwait following the hugely successful 2010 event which saw 20,000 spectators cheer on over 30 man-made flying machines as they flew into the sky before plunging into the water.

The world's first Red Bull Flugtag took place in Vienna, Austria, in 1991. Since then, more than 100 Red Bull Flugtag events have been held around the world, from London to New York, attracting up to 300,000 spectators! The record for the farthest flight to date currently stands at 60 meters, set in 2000 at Red Bull Flugtag in Austria, but who knows what records could be broken in Kuwait!

A 6 meter high by 30 meter long launching ramp will be constructed upon a barge anchored next to the Marina Crescent. Competitors will access the take off ramp via a long bridge. Think you’ve got what it takes to soar at Red Bull Flugtag? Then prove it! Show us your stuff and apply by simply visiting the following website: www.redbullmea.com/flugtag . Deadline for participation is June 15. But remember, even though Red Bull Flugtag is a flying competition, creativity and showmanship are part of the judging criteria, so save your plane-jane replicas for next year’s science project.

We’re looking for the unusual, the head turning, and the hysterical! So think big, get sketching and show us what you’ve got.

VIVA HAILS THE SUCCESS OF ITS MILLION FESTIVAL VIVA marks One Million Customers with festival of surprises VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, hailed the success of its recently held Million Festival, which took Kuwait by storm. The company celebrated the occasion of the One Million Customers by holding a special VIVA Million Festival for all customers and the wider Kuwaiti community in three locations, Marina Crescent, Avenues Mall and 360 Mall between 12 and 14 April 2012. The VIVA Million Festival was a weekend full of family excitement for Kuwait. The main celebrations took place at Marina Crescent, with additional attractions and activities taking place at the Avenues Mall and 360 Mall. People attending the VIVA Million Festival were entertained by a wide variety of live shows that included: Shadow Motion Show; Laser Show; Halo UV Glow Show; Flame OZ Fire Show; Stilt Walkers the Street United Stage Show which brought the best in street artists and acts. Along the way to its millionth customer, the company has already passed many other major milestones including: launching the Apple iPhone, the world’s favorite smartphone, in Kuwait; introducing Kuwait’s smallest commercial internet router; becoming the first company to officially sponsor the Kuwaiti National football team; and signing the unique partnership agreement with Manchester United, one of the world’s biggest and most successful football clubs.

ZONES Now in Kuwait We are pleased to announce the inauguration of Zones, a value brand retail store that stands by its slogan “Dress for Less”.

Zone’s carries clothing, shoes, beauty products, home accessories & toys to fulfill the needs of all its customers in a store which has been designed to ease their shopping experience, by easy to find & browse sections.

Their friendly & highly trained staff are always at hand to aid shoppers and offer a high level of customer service. Therefore, delivering a shopping experience that is compatible to none. They aim for quality, products and low prices, with customer care and service excellence second to none.

Experience this for yourselves at Zones - Aguila and look out for their monthly special offers featured in their flyers.

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BEAU-TIQUE LAUNCHES THE NEW HAIR STRAIGHTENING AND REPAIR PRODUCT, KERASTRAIGHT Same Day Wash – Formaldehyde Free This month beau-tique launches its 1st keratin product to the market, Kerastraight. The launch event will take place in Hotel Missoni. The launch will be focusing on a training which will be conducted by Mark Todd, Kerastraight Ambassador.

Kerastraight was 1st born when Jez Barnett started to notice a service that was taking the US by storm which is the Keratin straightening treatments. So he immediately worked with a Brazilian company to develop a product that would meet the stringent UK health and safety standards.

Seven months later, Kerastraight was born and was launched in the UK in 2009. And now it is an established brand in 17 countries including the US, Canada, New Zealand, China, India, Australia, Italy and just recently launched in Kuwait.

Kerastraight is a product designed by hair dressers who understand the needs of both the salons and clients. Kerastraight range of treatments is based on the hair’s natural proteins and will gradually fade out of hair. It can be applied to all types of hair including highlighted, bleached, colored and virgin hair. In fact, Kerastraight can work on frizzy, unruly, very curly and Afro Caribbean hair. No need to wait for days to wash your hair. You can just wash your hair and it is treated, conditioned and ready to go on the same day Kerastraight is applied. Also it is completely Formaldehyde and Aldehyde free.

You can find Kerastraight services and products available now at TONI&GUY Al Corniche, and soon in Strands, Top 2 Toe, Brush Salon, Crystal Palace, Emmanuelle, Memento, Casa Del Belezza, Blush Salons & Hermosa.

For more information please contact them on: Tel: 2225 1285 Visit: www.beau-tiqueonline.com Like them on Facebook www.facebook.com/beautiquecosmetics.

KIDZANIA KUWAIT IS COMING TO TOWN Children Role Play At Press Conference to bring KidZania concept to life KidZania Kuwait hosted a media event with a twist for local journalists this Tuesday. As part of a press conference to introduce the award-winning KidZania concept to Kuwait, a number of young children acted as journalists to help preview what children, parents and businesses can look forward to when the unique interactive entertainment park opens later this year at The Avenues. Designed to educate and inspire 4 to 14-year olds, KidZania Kuwait will help young children learn about life in a fun and engaging way by offering a kid-sized city experience, all in a safe and self-contained 7,000 square meter kid-sized city. As in the real world, children choose from more than 75 different activities all reflecting real life professions and businesses such as being a police officer, doctor, journalist or a shopkeeper.

AL-MUBARAKIYA DENTAL CENTER'S MONTHLY OFFERS Take advantage of this month's offer: Special discount on implants Al-Mubarakiya Dental Center announces their offer for the month of May with a special discount on implants. Due to the increase in demand for implants in both Salmiya and Egaila branches, the center has decided to cater to their patients' needs by creating a special offer. Instead of the regular priced implants for 350KD, they are now offered at 200KD. With the coordination of the qualified staff of doctors and latest in dental equipment, Al-Mubarakiya Dental Center is always able to cater and meet their patient's needs and make sure that they leave their centers with a confident smile.

For more information on Al-Mubarakiya Dental Center, please visit our website at: www.mubarakiya-dc.com, or follow us on twitter at @mubarakiya_dc.

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bazaar fiction

THE SAND BLEW FOR 1,710 YEARS

By Layla AlAmmar

That's what they taught us in the Learning Circles, at least. They told us that blankets of dust had unfurled over Lahimaas, day in and day out, for seventeen-hundred and ten years; and as 1710 had crossed over into 1711, it had abruptly ended. The sky had opened up, clearing the way for a sun that, by that point, was little more than an aged and pruned myth, sucked dry from centuries of over-telling.

No one knew why the sand had stopped blowing; then again, no one knew why it had begun either.

Red 8 skipped along the hills of High Tower Mount, light of foot as she neared Orange 14, and dropped to her knees at his side. He paid her no mind, eyes on the ground before him, chipping away with painstaking patience, the kind Red 8 could never muster, at the slanted edge of a blue globe that was just peeking through the dirt.

“Oh, you've broken through!” she exclaimed, hands coming together in a loud clap.

Orange 14 gave her a look that managed to marry annoyance and indulgence. “Keep quiet, Red,” he admonished lightly, looking around for the Minders. “You know how they dislike exuberance.”

“Sorry.” She ducked her head; it seemed she was forever apologizing since her release to the Community.

He smiled, waving away the apology as he said, “The blue came through this morning.” He tapped his brush against the globe's caked and cracked surface. “And not a moment too soon. We were about to write it off as another cone.”

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She gave a nod of understanding, scowling at the boring silver down the slope to their left.

“Well, congratulations,” she said lamely. “I'm off for the day.”

He nodded and uttered an absentminded farewell, eyes not lifting from his work. Red 8 gave a small growl, regained her feet and stomped away, kicking up more dust than was perhaps strictly necessary as she went.

“The Minders said you were speaking with that boy from Orange again,” Red 4 announced at the evening meal.

“He works with me, Aba,” Red 8 answered by way of an explanation.

“He is a Digger, Beeb,” her father said, using his pet name for her. “You know better by now than to associate with them.”

“We were only talking, Aba.” “Regardless,” he replied, a lone finger lifted in warning. “The Honor of Lahimaas Above All Else; you know this.”

“Yes, Aba.” “Just think,” he continued, sifting through his plate of barley, “soon you'll be old enough to be bonded to a Red, Blue or even Yellow. Some respectable Primary, a linkage to be proud of.”

“Yes, Aba.” The next day, Red 8 breached the borders of the digging hole, following Orange 14 as they crossed over the half-wall and down into the valley of ruins beyond.

Orange 14 had seen what looked like the roof of an

ancient dwelling and had been covertly carving at it for weeks. He'd finally unearthed a portion of the wall and needed Red to decipher the old calligraphy he'd found there.

He helped her down into the workspace, pulling her along the exposed wall until they came upon the crude engraving that had been gouged into it.

“What does it say?”

Red 8 stepped up to the stone, running her fingers through the foreign lettering. “This is the ancient tongue, Orange,” she said, shaking her head. “I don't know it well enough.”

“Try.” She attempted to draw up her childhood lesson on that long-extinct tongue, brows furrowing in concentration.

“Ko – Kou – Kout.” The letters were heavy and alien in her mouth.

“Ko-we-it,” she finally sounded out, the 'T' lifting into a pseudo-question at the end.

Orange shrugged, an identical look of confusion on his pale face.

She just shrugged back, following him as they moved to look over the rest of the wall.

About the author: Layla AlAmmar has been writing for most of her life and is currently working on her first novel. Her work can be found at lalammar.net.

BEAUTIQUE

two cents

Loaay’s Two Cents Got business problems or challenges at work? With his Two Cents column, Loaay Ahmed shares his expertise in strategic management consulting to help managers, employees and entrepreneurs thrive.

Q

We have a good database of our customers' demographics and purchase history. How can we benefit from this information in the best way possible?

LA: Have you considered selling it to companies in Nigeria? The Junk Mail business is always hungry for email lists from the Gulf region. Well, putting the option of abusing your customers’ trust aside, helping your company to become seriously customer centric in a cost effective way is the main benefit management can extract from their own database.

While demographics might reveal some semantics like where most of your customers live, how old or young they are and if they were predominantly men or women, purchase history is a much richer profiling tool. From their transactions your team will know how much each customer spends in total, how often they visit, how much they spend in each visit, what they’re buying, what quality they go for, and sometimes if you offer the option, you can tell if their purchases were gifts to others and for what occasion.

Assuming that you have all those details sorted out and have almost 3D profiles of your customers’ purchase behavior, the next step is to know your VIPs. A VIP is not a Very Important Person in the sense of celebrities, royalty and some family members of management. Although for PR purposes it might not hurt to give such customers special attention, the definition of a true VIP is a Very Important Purchaser. Customers who spend the most within any given year earn the top spot. Customers land at the bottom when they spend the least within the same period. Give all customers value for money but do everything in your power to keep the VIPs delighted and continue to spend because without them your business will shut down. All people are equal in the eyes of the law. In business, not all customers are equal…and that’s just my two cents.

Q

Our company is planning a major event and we need to book a hotel. Most hotels offer the same services more or less. How can we better select our venue?

LA: Many local hotels are similar to the early 20th century circus acts. When they setup in a town, they display the most fascinating acts and freakishly intriguing faces. They will shout, talk in rhymes, smile and entertain you enough to think, “I’ll give them a try. They look exciting!” However, inside the tent, you could get a lazy old elephant, boring clown and fat tight ropewalkers that fall halfway.

Other times, you see acrobats that defy gravity, funny sketches that will still make you laugh days after the show, and an unbelievably entertaining and memorable experience. Don’t be mesmerized by the hype or overpromises; focus.

In a recent booking for a networking program, the five-star hotel showed up late, had missing chairs, poor audio and food that looked as if it was cooked by the valet staff. Although they provided an acceptable level of service in the past, this time they didn’t pay attention to any details because they had one of their busiest weeks ever. However, when being confronted with their shortcomings they didn’t like it and reluctantly waived the fees. And at the next event, they asked for the payment upfront minutes before the program to avoid giving away another free booking. Once the venue ticks all the points in your success checklist look at the quality of the managing team, see and sample everything you asked for to make sure it works, document every little detail of expectation. When it comes to events it’s all about the people not the venue…and that’s just my two cents.

Q

With so many new print media outlets, we receive endless offers to advertise. They claim that the big brands’ ads in some of their recent issues are paid for but I have my doubts. How can we tell if a new media is really worth advertising in or not?

LA: Signing up with a new media without doing your homework is like marrying someone from another continent without seeing each other first. Be only in publications your consumers read, not everywhere just for the sake of exposure. Also, if any of the major brands advertising in that media shares your target audience and is not a competitor in any shape or form, pick up the phone and ask them for their feedback.

Knowing information like the actual reach, response level, type of respondents, and readers profile from real advertisers is more realistic than the media itself unless it has been verified by a third party that you trust.

New offline and online media will keep coming up. There will always be someone who thinks that Facebook is messing up, that Google is evil, or that The New York Times is out of date and that they can do better. Advertising anywhere because it’s free or low cost is the wrong reason. Ask yourself: Does it fit with the brand’s personality? Is there a better channel to communicate with our consumers? Your logo on the moon sounds like a great stunt, but what’s the return on that kind of investment? Think communication, not advertising, and measure it constantly…and that’s just my two cents.

For Loaay Ahmed's advice on business or work matters, send a short email to loaay@knightscapital.com. Please note that only the questions chosen for publishing will be answered.

Loaay Ahmed is a management consultant and strategic expert. To learn more about Loaay and his consulting service, strategic business therapy, visit www.knightscapital.com.

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EDIBLE ARR

NBK: MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE You are KD50 away from KD250,000 By bazaar staff

In an outstanding gesture of making dreams a feasible reality, we recently heard that the Al Jawhara account with the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) now offers a chance for all of its customers to enter weekly and monthly draws, and a quarterly grand draw of KD250,000. For those of you who didn’t know, NBK increased the prizes for Al Jawhara account-holders to KD250,000 in the quarterly draw, KD125,000 for its monthly draw and a weekly draw winner of KD5,000, offering customers more chances to win bigger prizes.

Taking place last March, NBK’s 18th Annual Walkathon also showcased the first highly-anticipated quarterly draw of the year for the whopping KD250,000. The first winner, 33-year-old Kazem Mohammed Soleimani, immediately rushed to the Green Island site upon learning of his good fortune, then took home with him the amazing grand prize of KD250,000.

Recently engaged, Soleimani shared his thoughts on winning the Al Jawhara KD250,000 grand prize.

The question that everyone wants to ask, how does it feel?

Ever since the announcement I have checked my account over a hundred times. I keep checking that the amount is actually there. I keep thinking it’s a dream and I will wake up. I cannot seem to comprehend that I have that amount in my account right now. I actually won! The feeling is priceless. Actually, the feeling is worth KD250,000.

Did you ever think you could win?

This is a question that everyone is asked, and typically the answer is, no. I never won 134

anything (then again, everyone I have ever known never did either) but earlier that day I was talking to one of my dear friends regarding financial issues and Al Jawhara account came up; I told him that if I would win the grand prize it would eliminate a lot of my issues right now. A few hours later, an NBK representative called and told me that I had won, no joke, no strings attached. I won KD250,000.

You remind us of that famous Arabic saying, “if only you wished for…”

Yes, we usually say this if we wish for small stuff, buying a phone, or craving a sandwich at the restaurant that you love, and then suddenly you pass it by. But in this case I wished for it! I wished for the grand prize and I got it.

Many people would now assume that Kazem would definitely quit his job, is that part of your plan?

(Laughing) That idea did not cross my mind. In fact, I take this as motivation to work harder. Work is part of who I am, the money I was awarded is an incentive to show me that the more I work, the more determined I am, the more I will succeed. I do not recommend that anyone stop his or her life when given this opportunity; we should always keep going on.

The question that will cost you KD250,000, what will you do with the money?

I recently got engaged, and have been working really hard to save up to have a nice wedding. I believe that my soon-to-be wife is my lucky charm; her presence in my life has made everything so easy for me. Ever since I got engaged, my life has been amazing. I made sure that part of the money would go towards giving her the wedding of her dreams.

We are guessing she was the first person you called?

That is true, she is currently out of the country on vacation and I called her up to tell her that I won NBK’s Al Jawhara grand prize of KD250,000. She still doesn’t believe me. I cannot wait for her to come back and see the number in my bank account.

Any final thought you would like to share with everyone?

I want to thank NBK for giving everyone the chance and creating an account that turns dreams into reality. I want to say that my fiancée is the best thing that has happened to me and I now definitely believe that everything is possible.

The Al Jawhara account offers numerous benefits to NBK customers; not only is it an interest-free account with regular deposit and withdrawal privileges, but also entitles account-holders to enter the weekly, monthly and quarterly Al Jawhara draws. Each KD50 deposited in an Al Jawhara account entitles the customer to one chance in any of the draws. Al Jawhara accounts can be opened at any NBK branches in Kuwait. You never know, you can be the next Al Jawhara winner!

For all the latest updates, and an updated list of Al Jawhara winners please visit www.nbk.com. To connect with NBK, find them on facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/NBK.fans and twitter by following www.twitter.com/NBKPage and Instagram @nbkpage.

HOME CENTRE

KUWAIT HOUSE OF NATIONAL MEMORIAL MUSEUM A glimpse into Kuwaiti national pride

By Christopher Charles Hockey

I found myself sitting in a small diwaniya drinking extraordinarily sweet tea while men ran around shouting worried instructions to one another.

They were seemingly confused as to what to do with me. Why was I here?

Why would I possibly want to visit their museum? “Let’s just give him some tea while we figure this out,” I expect one of them had suggested. I admit I was feeling rather bemused myself. Was I actually in the right place? Was this actually a museum open to visitors?

This was the reception area of the Kuwait House of National Memorial Museum. This was the first of what will be many visits to museums in Kuwait. I will be writing reviews of these visits, to be found here in bazaar for the next few months. Museums, particularly those with galleries focusing on historical events, can play an important part in representing and even creating feelings of identity.

Kuwait’s national identity is an interesting topic for anyone, even more so for an expat with little prior experience of life in the Middle East. What it is that makes Kuwait unique? What makes someone from Kuwait label themselves “Kuwaiti”?

Perhaps the most significant event in Kuwait’s history is the Iraqi invasion of 1990. This was a time when the very existence of Kuwait as an independent sovereign state was threatened and the event has subsequently formed an integral part of Kuwait’s national identity. The Kuwait House of National Memorial or the “Not to Forget Museum” about “Saddam Hussain Regime Crimes” (to give all its titles) therefore seemed like an obvious place to start my series on Kuwait’s museums. I will begin each article by describing what can be found at the museum.

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I will then review the museum as a visitor attraction, assessing such things as the lighting, the layout, the accessibility and how engaging the displays were. Finally I will discuss how it represents Kuwait.

What is the museum?

When the men returned to get me from the diwaniya, I was ushered (along with a group of about 10 other visitors who had appeared from nowhere) into a dark room with little explanation as to where we were going. However, what we experienced was certainly impressive. We walked through a series of rooms with dramatic reconstructions of scenes from the war. There were models with complex lighting to simulate explosions. There were television screens with reports from the time. The continuation of the story was triggered by the visitors’ movement through the gallery. The narration was dramatic and very informative, if extremely one-sided. The first room was a general introduction to Kuwait’s history. It gave details of Kuwait’s independence and information about the origins of the AlSabah family. The tranquillity was then disrupted by news of Iraq’s invasion. The following rooms then relayed the barbaric acts of the Iraqis and the heroism of the Kuwaiti resistance. The way in which the part played by the international community and foreign forces in liberating Kuwait was played down is, at best, an attempt to generate national pride in Kuwait but, at worst , an incorrect re-writing of historical fact for the purposes of propaganda. This, however, should not take away from the beautifully created displays and clever lighting or the fact that the museum acts as a memorial for a brutal war that caused huge loss of life.

Once the ‘panorama’ was finished, I walked through an extremely informative display cataloguing the events of the war and the damage caused to Kuwait as well as the crimes committed by Saddam Hussein against his own people. There are many shocking images of war and the galleries celebrate the martyrdom of the Kuwaiti people. There is also a nice section celebrating the help received from international forces. In another part of the museum, one finds the original head from the Saddam Hussein statue pulled down in Baghdad in 2003 following the US invasion of Iraq. This, in itself, is an impressive monument and an important relic from the Middle East’s recent history. In this section of the museum the visitor also finds documents from the war as well as life-size reconstructions of events during Iraq’s brief occupation of Kuwait. The material on display is impressive but at times there could be a little more explanation.

Overall visitor experience This is a very cleverly designed museum with some really carefully designed models and important relics from the war. The sound and light ‘panorama’ is a brilliant experience to walk through. The museum is informative and carries a clear message. However, I do have some reservations. There was an odd reluctance to show me everything that the museum had to offer. It was only because I asked about Saddam Hussein’s statue that I was taken through to a separate room to see it. Further, once in the room I was forced to ask what was behind some doors before they reluctantly opened them up to reveal some wonderful displays. There are also a number of more practical issues that I would consider before visiting. Firstly, the

museum is not the easiest place to find. I have included some instructions on how to get there. Secondly, there were a number of technical issues while we were there.

The panorama sound and light ‘system’ broke down more than once and there were issues with the television displays. Thirdly, if you are prone to migraines the bright flashing lights may not be the best thing for you. Finally, the museum is certainly not for the faint-hearted. There are gruesome images of war that may be quite disturbing.

What does the museum say about Kuwaiti identity?

The message was clear. The museum promotes strong feelings of Kuwaiti national pride. It attempts to unite the Kuwaiti people over their actions in the First Gulf War. The war is obviously a good starting point in my search for what forms Kuwaiti national identity. It is interesting however that the men at the museum had little pride in what they had to show. There was no real desire to show me the displays.

Moreover, the museum is poorly publicized. It is odd that a museum with such a strong message to preach does not try to target more people. Perhaps the strange welcome I received and the friendly but reserved hospitality are also important aspects of Kuwait’s identity. These quirks do not take away from the fact that the museum is definitely worth a visit, whether you are Kuwaiti, a tourist or an expat.

The museum is located in North Shuwaikh. Travelling west on the Gulf Road (25th Street) you will see the huge KPC (this is your nearest large landmark) building in front of you before the road bends to the left. After the bend take the first left and the museum is one hundred metres or so on your right.

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bazaar goes to cinema The latest from the big screen playing in cinemas across Kuwait in May

THE AVENGERS Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson Synopsis: Nick Fury is director of S.H.I.E.L.D, an international peace keeping agency. The agency is a who's who of Marvel Super Heroes, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When global security is threatened by Loki and his cohorts, Nick Fury and his team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster.

MEN IN BLACK III Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin Synopsis: In Men in Black III, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back...in time. J has seen some inexplicable

things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K's life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him – secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

DARK SHADOWS Genre: Comedy, Fantasy Cast: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green Synopsis: Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master

of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.

GRAYSTONE (IFD-FR Movie) Genre: Horror Cast: Oliver Stone, Alexander Wraith and Sean Stone Synopsis: In October 2009, the filmmakers went into an abandoned psychiatric hospital to explore the 'haunted' institution, famous for its radical treatment of patients with mental illness. Electroshock, insulin therapy, and lobotomies were commonplace.

Once inside, the filmmakers quickly discovered that they were not alone; this story is based on their experiences.

LOOSIES (IFD-FR Movie) Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance Cast: Peter Facinelli, Jaimie Alexander and Michael Madsen Synopsis: A young New York pickpocket Bobby (Peter Facinelli) is confronted by a woman (Jamie Alexander) with whom he has a passionate one-night affair. She tells him she's pregnant, and Bobby is forced to reevaluate a lifetime of missteps, take responsibility for his new child and win over the girl who might just be perfect for him.

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For more details on movie timings and the cinema nearest you, log on to www.cinescape.com.kw

NBK SHABAB

CHIPOTLE For exploding all the rules of fast food

By Danielle Sacks

Mark Crumpacker stared at the job description with disbelief. "A headhunter looking to fill a CMO position for another major fast-food brand got in touch with me," says Chipotle's chief marketing officer. "The description was really bizarre. The head marketing person runs the culinary team and is responsible for the whole menu!" It's the foodmarketing chain gone haywire, Crumpacker explains.

New menu items become fodder for new ads; new ads need to be promoted on expensive mass media; and all that spending puts pressure on finding evercheaper ingredients to invent the next McRib. "It's the crack of marketing," Crumpacker says. "Once you're on it, it's really, really hard to get off."

Crumpacker doesn't play that game at Chipotle, choosing instead a fast-food heresy: Tell customers what's really inside its burritos. "Typically, fast-food marketing is a game of trying to obscure the truth," he says. "The more people know about most fast-food companies, the less likely they'd want to be a customer."

His creative approach is as unusual as that of co-CEO and Chipotle founder Steve Ells, a high-school pal from Boulder, Colorado. Ells continues to obsess over sourcing the finest sustainable ingredients as the company's culinary chef. "Today, even with 30,000 employees, the crew will come in the morning and see all this fresh produce and meats they have to marinate, rice they have to cook, and fresh herbs they have to chop," says Ells.

"There have been many opportunities over the years to take that all away and introduce highly processed foods, but we've done just the opposite." Ells and Crumpacker can point to results that validate their ethical practices: In 2011, total annual revenue reached $2.2 billion, same140

store sales increased 11.2%, and restaurant operating margins hit a staggering 25.9%. "Chipotle has proven it has a better business model," says Clark Wolf, a restaurant consultant. "Grow, invest, grow, invest. It's like a Warren Buffett lunch. They're in for the long haul of profits, not the quick version."

Now opening a new restaurant almost every other day, Chipotle's sustainable-food approach may have an industry-wide effect. Instead of looking for suppliers that can reverse-engineer a chicken patty that costs 89 cents, Chipotle is undertaking ambitious projects such as working with farmers to breed almost-lost heritage chickens that can roam on pastures instead of being confined to crates. "Every time you open up two Chipotle restaurants, we add another naturally raised pig farmer into this farmers' cooperative called Niman Ranch pork company," says Crumpacker. "When we started, there were 50 to 60 of these farmers. Now there are between 600 and 700."

In Chipotle's version of the food-marketing chain, this focus leaves fewer dollars for aggressive, traditional advertising. Crumpacker, who joined the company three years ago, is tasked with making a complex message appealing. "Saying that we don't buy dairy from cows that are given the hormone rBGH is not an appetizing message," Ells admits. Crumpacker did cycle through two ad agencies in his first year, as he tried to find effective ways to communicate Chipotle's "Food With Integrity" message. But when he hosted a series of screenings of the investigative documentary Food, Inc., Crumpacker understood that the only way to differentiate Chipotle was to replace traditional advertising with more emotionally engaging stories.

That's when Crumpacker turned to CAA Marketing, the arm of the Hollywood talent agency plugged in to the best storytellers in the world. Crumpacker told CAA he had seen a heart-tugging two-and-a-half-minute commercial for Chevron called "Human Energy." He wanted a Chipotle version. "If a company like that can make you cry, imagine if we had something comparable for Chipotle," Crumpacker says. His idea was to tell the animated story of a hog farmer who creates an industrialized, efficient farm but one day realizes it's not the right thing to do; he tears down his farm as an act of conscience and reverts to raising hogs on open pastures. CAA hired a director and reached out to Willie Nelson for a soundtrack. Nelson recorded a haunting cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist" for a nominal fee.

Before running the video on 10,000 movie screens, Crumpacker's team released it on YouTube and it went viral, receiving more than 2 million views.

Nelson's "The Scientist" is now the first song out of Chipotle's emerging music label, whose funds go to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which will support family farms. Last October, for Chipotle's second music video, Crumpacker got Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O to cover Willie Nelson's "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." This narrative humanized the devastating statistic that hundreds of families quit working their farms in the United States every week due to competition from big agriculture.

In other words, instead of a goofy king or a catchy slogan, Chipotle is developing a recognizable marketing campaign around the idea that our food production should be healthier and more ethical. It's a theme that lends itself to different media. For example, in Pasture Pandemonium, an iPhone and Android game currently in development, players try to get their pig across a pasture without getting trapped in confinement or pricked by antibiotic needles. And instead of sponsoring a typical concert, last fall Chipotle staged a 17,000-person festival in Chicago called Cultivate. It paired chefs such as Amanda Freitag and Jonathan Waxman with local farmers for cooking demos, while CAA helped line up bands like Calexico to headline. As festival-goers roamed through the entertainment, they also discovered tents that informed them about shocking but common industrialfarming practices—e.g., female pigs being crammed into farrowing crates for months on end. Now Crumpacker says he is in talks with Jonathan Safran Foer, author of the noted pro-vegetarian manifesto Eating Animals, to develop stories that could appear on Chipotle's packaging. "I think they're open to try anything because they inherently want to change food culture," says CAA Marketing agent Mark Shambura, of the brand's bold collaborations. "They're a huge billion-dollar company and they're still able to be nimble and curious."

Š 2012, Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

TAF

5 WAYS YOUR NEGATIVE FRIENDS CAN DR AG YOU DOWN

By Robert Pagliarini

Maybe you've experienced this, too. When you've made a commitment to try to live your best life, to start a side business in the other eight hours, to lose weight or go back to school, weren't you flooded with acceptance, enthusiasm and unconditional support from your friends, colleagues and family? No? I didn't think so. All too often, if you try to better yourself, you will likely face negativity and pessimism from those who are closest to you. Why would those who care about you the most also be the most critical? There are only two reasons. They either don't want to see you fail or they don't want to see you succeed. It's that simple. They're either trying to "protect" you from defeat, or they're worried that you might succeed. I've seen this time and time again. Misery loves company and despises success. If you catapult your life to a new level, your friends may feel threatened or left behind.

Their criticism might arrive in obvious forms like, "That's a stupid idea," or it might be the less blatant but equally deflating kind: "That's interesting. Good luck with that." It's going to hurt. It might throw you to the extent that you decide to give up before you even get started. I don't want this to happen to you. So let's go through some of the more common criticisms you'll hear and try to understand why those who mean the most can also be the meanest.

1. "You've tried [fill in the blank] before, and it didn't work."

That's probably true. Sometimes it takes several attempts to achieve something. Failing once, twice or even two dozen times has no power or influence over your next attempt. In fact, for drug and alcohol addiction counseling, relapse is anticipated. It's not shameful - it's simply part of recovery.

2. "You've never done [fill in the blank] before."

Just because you haven't done something before doesn't mean you can't do it in the future. I think one of the biggest hurdles in achieving change is putting too much weight on the past - what you've done, what you haven't done, etc.

Tomorrow isn't determined by yesterday. Whatever you're trying to achieve, start small. Learn the ropes. Take classes. But just start. The first step might feel 142

awkward, but you'll learn what works and what doesn't. Sometimes you've just got to take the plunge.

3. "Don't you know that most people fail?"

People fail all the time. You've got to know this going in and not be surprised if your first, or fifth or fifteenth, attempt doesn't work out as well as you'd hoped. Of course, a swing and a miss doesn't have to be the end of the ball game. Keep your eye on the prize. Focus on your dream and on what you can control. Look around.

Not everybody fails. There are millions of people who are flourishing, and there's no reason why you can't have a richer life, too.

4. "That's an interesting idea/invention, but I just don't think people will buy it."

Who died and made this person Donny Deutsch? This is probably the most common response you'll hear when starting a business or inventing a product, and it can instantly flush all of your hope and excitement down the toilet. This is why I encourage you not to tell your family/friends about your specific idea until you've done some of your own research. Test your ideas online very cheaply using Google Adwords by running a text ad for your idea and seeing the response rate.

Get some outside feedback. Maybe your idea really is stupid, but no one person can know this. Do a little research and find out for sure.

5. "Are you sure you want to face rejection and failure?"

History is littered with people who were rejected but who persevered. For example, there was once a writer who had an idea for a book about a boy wizard.

She took this idea to twelve publishers, and they all told her, "No way and no thanks." Finally, a little London publisher took a chance and published Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Be prepared for negativity and to hear your family and friends criticize your desire for a better life. Don't let it throw you off track. Use it to propel you forward.

Of course, if it gets to be too much, you could always fire your negative friends. Š 2011 Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.

CENTERPOINT

5 UNUSUAL THINGS YOU CAN FIND USING SOCIAL MEDIA

By Jeff Herring and Maritza Parra

A lot has been made in the last couple of years about the waste of time and productivity that social media has introduced into our lives.

At the same time, there are some amazing ways it has enhanced life and allowed people to find things they desperately want and need.

FINDING KIDNEYS: A 36-year-old man needed a kidney. After his whole family found they were not a match, his wife created a Facebook page and found a perfect match in a 26-year-old woman. Another man found his perfect match after using Twitter to tweet he needed a kidney. And yet another kidney was found for a woman using Craigslist.

FINDING A CHILD: We've heard of some personal friends who found an adoptive child using Facebook. Another couple, Molly and John, went through years of infertility treatments and a lengthy adoptive process that fell through. They talked about their struggle on Facebook and found a child who was going to be given up for adoption. The birth mother was able to see what Molly and John were like before extending the offer of adopting her child.

FINDING LOVE: Since the beginning of the Internet, people have been using it to make a love connection of some sort, but social media has helped turn it into something more casual and less "meat-markety" as some of the online dating sites. Simply by interacting with people and keeping your relationship status as single (or making sure people know you are free), people are finding love and long-term relationships.

Our relationship actually bloomed on Facebook and Twitter, so we're a testament to how this actually works. What's nice is that you get to know 144

how your potential partner thinks and acts by following their social media accounts, before you even go on a date or get serious.

FINDING A JOB: The job search has never been easier using some creative methods on social media. Some people have put up sites where they post their resume, videos and more. Leveraging connections on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn works.

Or, you can go all out and start a full-fledged social media campaign like Eric Romer did to get the exact job he wanted. He set up a Facebook fanpage and a Twitter account and about 24 hours after he began his campaign, he got an interview and was hired for his dreamjob at Headblade.

FINDING CRIMINALS: Several police departments have created Facebook fanpages to help keep the local community informed. One of them in Portland, Maine, boasts of solving several crimes by posting them on their wall. They've successfully posted surveillance videos of crimes and gotten a lot of leads and help from followers. One of the cases was solved within 24 hours and on at least two occasions, people turned themselves in after seeing themselves there. This is the new method of posting a "Wanted" poster where the community can help solve crimes.

Social media seems to have become a necessary part of life in many ways.

Be sure you're using it to make life better. Don't post things you don't want potential friends, donors, employers, lovers and authorities to know about.

You never know what you'll be using it for next. Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services

TAAL

bazaar explores AUDI AG ACQUIRES SPORTS MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER DUCATI MOTOR HOLDING S.P.A. AUDI AG is acquiring from Investindustrial Group the tradition-steeped Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., which has its registered office in Bologna. The transaction will be completed as quickly as possible once authorized by the competition authorities. The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition in Hamburg on April 18. Ducati is known worldwide as a leading brand in motorcycle manufacture, with outstanding expertise in engine development and lightweight construction. Alongside the traditional Italian brands Lamborghini and Italdesign, Ducati is now a third pillar for AUDI AG in Northern Italy. Another building block in the Company’s growth strategy thus falls into place. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, declared: “Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sporty motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers. That makes Ducati an excellent fit for Audi.”

‘HALA RAMADAN’ EXPO II 2012 RETURNS TO MALL 360 The ‘HALA RAMADAN’ Expo II 2012, one of the largest exhibitions to ever launch specifically for the Holy Month of Ramadan in Kuwait, returns once again to host its event at Mall 360 – Exhibition Hall for the second consecutive year for four days starting Sunday April 22nd until April 25th. The first day is going to include a VIP hour where the main doors will be opening at 8:00pm until 10:00pm. Expo hours during the rest of the days run from 10:00am – 10:00pm nonstop. The Expo aims at providing a wide array of Ramadan related products and services which will help the Kuwaiti society prepare for the upcoming holy month. Some of these products include Kaftans, accessories, silverware, desserts, perfumes and so much more. The exhibition consists of around 80 elite participants who were selectively chosen.

Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @HalaExpo or log onto their website for more information www.halaexpo.com.

MILANO DAZZLES WITH 2012 SPRING SUMMER COLLECTION Where summer and style come together.

Summer is here, and there is no better way to celebrate fun in the sun and warm evenings with friends than with beautiful sandals to decorate your feet. From sporting a chic work‐look to rocking an evening soiree, kick off those uncomfortable heels and keep your feet happy with a dazzling collection of trendy sandals to always make the hottest fashion statement. Choose from single and multiple ankle strapped, neon‐inspired looks and Gladiator styles to embellished sexy summer sandals in the season’s most wanted colors and cuts for a casual to dressy look that will surely show off your feet. With so many trends and styles to choose from, you don’t have to look further than Milano’s 2012 Spring Summer collection to fulfill your every summer‐sandal fantasy.

The Milano 2012 Spring Summer collection is available throughout all Milano outlets in Kuwait. Please contact the Milano store at the Avenues, tel. 2495 4640 for further inquiries.

‫انتخاب مجلس إدارة جديد للجمعية الدولية لإلعالن‬ ‫ حيث انتخبت الجمعية‬2012 ‫ إبريل‬10 ‫إجتمع أعضاء الجمعية الدولية لإلعالن – فرع الكويت في فندق سويس إن بالزا يوم الثالثاء‬ ،‫ وليد كنفاني – رئيس الجمعية‬: ‫ ويتكون مجلس الجمعية من‬.‫أعضاء مجلس إدارتها الجديد الذي تسلم المنصب لمدة عامين‬ ،‫ مروان فرح‬، ‫ وكل من عدنان سعد‬، ‫ روني عطا اهلل – أمين الصندوق‬،‫ زينه مقدم – أمين السر‬،‫إقبال الحداد – نائب الرئيس‬ ‫ يهدف المجلس الجديد بأن تصبح الجمعية الدولية لإلعالن في الكويت ملتقى لجميع العاملين‬.‫ميشال بركات أعضاء بالمجلس‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى‬،‫في صناعة اإلعالن ومنبرا لكل من يطمح إلى تطوير هذه الصناعة ضمن بيئة متمثلة باإلبداع والمنافسة الشريفة‬ ‫العمل بروح الفريق الواحد المتمتع بأخالقيات المهنة المتعارف عليها دوليا واالرتقاء بمستوى المهنة خاصة في الكويت على أساس‬ ‫ إن االستراتيجة التي سيعمل عليها المجلس تعتمد بشكل خاص إلى دعم صناعة‬.‫مواكبه التطور السريع لصناعة اإلعالن دوليا‬ ‫اإلعالن في إطار بيئة تشريعية وفكرية سليمة عن طريق إقامة ندوات تثقيفية بمشاركة خبراء في المجال اإلعالني المحلي‬ : ‫ نبذة سريعة عن الجمعية الدولية لإلعالن‬.‫ باإلضافة إلى استقطاب أعضاء جدد للجمعية في الكويت‬، ‫والعالمي‬ ‫ وأما فرع الجمعية الدولية‬، ‫ آالف عضو‬4 ‫ دولة حول العالم وتضم‬76 ‫ فرع تشمل‬56 ‫ وأصبح لديها حاليا‬1938 ‫تأسست في نيويورك‬ .‫ برعاية جميعة الصحفيين الكويتية‬1996 ‫لإلعالن في الكويت تأسس في سنه‬

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ATHLETE TESTED. COMPETITION PROVEN. Introducing the lightest and fastest running shoe The North Face has ever created. Developed in close collaboration with The North Face ultra-runner Tsuyoshi Kaburaki, the Single-Track Hayasa is a purebred racing or minimalist training shoe that provides the stability you need but eliminates the weight you don’t, giving you an unbelievably sensitive, close-to-trail ride. One of the many features the Single-Track Hayasa provides is durable air mesh providing weight savings and breathability where you need it most, cooling the veins over the instep. The SingleTrack Hayasa’s lightweight minimal upper construction provides protection where you need it and eliminates all excess. Another distinction that the Single-Track Hayasa holds is the TPU-welded support overlays that eliminate the need for bulky stitched synthetic edges that can potentially add weight, soak up water or cause hotspots.

The Single-Track Hayasa is found in: Carbon Fiber in The Avenues Mall, Carbon Fiber Kuwait International airport – Arrival area, Explorers Base Al Tilal Mall Shuwaikh. Follow them on twitter TheNorthFaceKWT and Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/tnfkuwait.

J.CURE LONDON AND Q8 LIMITED J.Cure London and Q8 Limited luxury fusion store officially welcomed its guests on Monday 16th of April. Located at Burj Jasim, Kuwait City, Al Soor Street, it is a first fusion luxury concept of its type ever to open its doors in Kuwait. Under one roof ,it incorporates; J.Cure London, a company specializing in exquisite hand crafted crocodile and python custom made hand bags and gentlemen's accessories; and Q8 limited, a luxury watch specialist, acquiring the most sought-after international collection of watches. Furthermore, there is a reference library, a cigar lounge, a VIP lounge for private watch viewing and for the clients to relax, enjoy a cigar or cup of Nespresso.

Feel free to contact J.Cure London or Q8 limited any time to view their opulent collections and for any enquiries! Website http://www.jcurelondon.com, Mobile : 9992 7139, Email info@jcurelondon.com.

Q8 Limited Website http://www.q8limited.com, Mobile 6611 4455 Email info@q8limited.com.

STARBUCKS REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITIES WITH GLOBAL MONTH OF SERVICE This April, Starbucks hosted a global month of service to highlight its continued goal in supporting youth and environmental initiatives in its local communities across markets worldwide. Since 2008, internationally and regionally, Starbucks has begun a series of localized projects to support thriving communities by addressing their local needs and building on current community service efforts. The aim of this initiative is to further the building of flourishing communities by addressing local needs and encouraging current community service efforts. Expectations for the year are to have 1, 750 partner led service projects globally, compared to 1,400 projects in 2011. Starbucks aims to reach 100,000 participants worldwide which will contribute to its commitment to achieve one million hours of community service by 2015. Starbucks partners have been building on the Community Connections programme for the past four years across nine markets. Information on activities varies from city to city, and we encourage you to visit http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility to see how you can get involved in aiding Starbucks in strengthening your community.

Montegrappa ‫مونتي غرابا‬ ً ‫ سبي‬Montegrappa ‫ وجدت‬،‫على مشارف االحتفال بقرنها الثاني‬ ‫ال لتعزيز موقعها باعتبارها مصنّع األقالم األعرق في تاريخ إيطاليا‬ .‫بينما تتطلع في الوقت عينه إلى المستقبل‬ ‫ وذلك في المبنى التاريخي عينه‬Montegrappa ‫ عام على تأسيس صناعة األقالم من قبل‬100 ‫ احتفالية مرور‬2012 ‫سيشهد عام‬ ‫ يقع المصنع على ضفاف نهر برينتا حيث يمتد هذا النهر على إحدى المناطق األكثر روعة في الجزء الشمالي‬.‫الذي شهد انطالقته‬ ‫ وإرثها اإليطالي عناصر‬Montegrappa ‫ هذا ويشكل الموقع الجغرافي لـ‬.‫ أي مدينة باسانو ديل غرابا‬،‫الشرقي المزدهر إليطاليا‬ .‫مهمة لشخصية الشركة‬ ‫ بصفتها "مصنّعاً لعبوات الحبر الذهبية وأقالم الحبر السائل" في أثناء فترة اضطرابات شهدها تاريخ‬1912 ‫تأسّست الشركة سنة‬ ‫ ومباشرة بعد أن أدت الثورة الصناعية إلى‬.‫ منتجًا ثانويًا للتطور االجتماعي الذي شهدته المنطقة‬Montegrappa ‫إيطاليا؛ فقد كان‬ ّ ‫تحديد شكل المجتمع في‬ ‫ تمّت‬،‫كل من الواليات المتحدة األميركية والمملكة المتحدة وفرنسا السيما في البلدان األخرى المتطوّرة‬ ‫عملية االنتقال من القرن التاسع عشر إلى القرن العشرين في إيطاليا على نحو سلس حيث تجلى ذلك بواسطة التغييرات المسجلة‬ .‫في ظروف العمل وبخاصةٍ االنتقال الواسع النطاق من عالم الزراعة إلى المدن‬ 147

JAWBONE For rocking the mobile lifestyle

By Farhad Manjoo

Jawbone, whose $1.5 billion valuation makes it one of the hottest private companies in the world, is setting the standard for today's gadget startups: Invest heavily in eye-catching design and innovative interfaces, and master a globe-crossing supply and manufacturing process that allows for frequent and spectacular upgrades. Jawbone is proof that the Steve Jobs playbook can work outside of Apple.

The company hit it big as the maker of the first Bluetooth earpieces that didn't make you look like one of those guys who greets his buddies with blazing finger guns. But its dazzling second act—transforming from a headset company into an all-purpose outfitter of the mobile lifestyle—is what sets it apart from other cool, high-design consumer-electronics startups, such as Lytro, Nest, and Sonos.

"From the outside, the view of our company was, Okay, they're making interesting headsets," admits Travis Bogard, VP of product management and strategy. "We think we're building microcomputers for the body, and many of the products you'll use in the future will be an extension of what you're wearing or carrying with you."

The first manifestation of that notable shift has been the Jambox, a stunning, jewel-shaped portable speaker that debuted late in 2010. On first glance, it looks like it's all looks. How can this oversized Lego piece, compact enough to fit into a jacket pocket, not sound hollow and tinny? Then you turn it on and it pulls off an eerie ventriloquist trick, pumping out audio that you expect from a device five times its size.

Jambox, crucially, isn't a "dock": It connects to your phone wirelessly. "A lot of people—companies like Bose, for instance—looked at the iPhone and said, 'Hey, we make iPod docks, so this is going to let us sell a lot more iPod docks,'" Bogard says.

"But nobody wants their email, Facebook, Twitter, and everything else tethered to a dock in a corner. You want it in your hand." It sounds like an obvious point, but it's one that nearly every other audio company missed. By focusing on a lifestyle instead of a gadget, by asking how people want to use their phones rather than how 148

the phone could fit into an existing product lineup, Jawbone created a hit. The $200 device rose to command 45% of the wireless-audio-speaker market by mid-2011, according to the NPD Group.

Another secret of Jawbone's success is its unusually tight connection between its design and operations teams, which work together to come up with new products at the same time that they're figuring out how to build them at scale. One morning in a dimly lit conference room at Jawbone's San Francisco headquarters, Bogard points to a thin, curving ribbon of metal that forms the hidden backbone of the company's latest device, a health-monitoring wristband called Up. "We actually wrapped the computer around this bending, flexing surface," Bogard says. It was no easy task. Jawbone's engineers had to figure out how to attach Up's electronics to the metallic structure, and then the operations team had to devise a way of injection molding Up's rubberized skin around the flexing machine. When Up began shipping just before the holidays, reviewers were rapturous and the product was flying off Apple Store shelves.

Then trouble struck—the true measure of the mettle of a most innovative company. A few weeks after Up went on sale, Jawbone began hearing reports that some wristbands were dying. At first, the problem, which engineers tracked to a couple of bum capacitors in some units, looked like it could kill the prospects for the young device. But Jawbone found a novel way to redeem itself. It temporarily put a stop to new orders and offered an unusual guarantee to everyone who'd already purchased a wristband, promising to refund their money, no questions asked.

You didn't even have to send in your dead Up. It was savvier than the way Apple handled the iPhone 4's "antennagate," and the company scored another $40 million in funding after the controversy. In other words, Jawbone is adding its own pages to the playbook.

© 2012, Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

CROCS

'HACTIVISTS' WITH A PURPOSE Helping charities

By Kate Santich

The term "hackers" tends to conjure up images of illicit cyberspace break-ins stealing personal financial information or embarrassing nationalsecurity secrets. But some self-described hackers in Central Florida are coming together to do good instead of evil.

They call themselves "hacktivists." Their event, "Coding for a Cause," will select two area nonprofit organizations and develop websites and digital tools to help spread their message - a move aimed in part at boosting the charities' donations in tough economic times.

"Sometimes 'hacking' gets misconstrued as being something bad," said Ryan Price, a 29-yearold consultant and trainer for Drupal, a contentmanagement system that can be used to build websites and blogs. "But it literally means tinkering, and there are all sorts of different hacking events. ... We wanted to set aside a day and work with nonprofits."

Fueled by caffeine, fast food and a ridiculous number of surge protectors, the volunteer hackers will gather Feb. 11 and 12 at the Florida Drupal Camp at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. (See fldrupalcamp.org for details.)

For charities - and particularly small ones that lack technical expertise - the opportunity could be lucrative. Online fundraising grew 35 percent in 2010, and that rate is likely to continue or accelerate, 150

according to Blackbaud, the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations.

"Anymore, nonprofits are invisible if they're not on the Web," said Margaret Linnane, executive director of the Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center at Rollins College. "Potential donors can't find you, and they can't research your organization or make a donation."

The Rollins center is helping to choose the nonprofits that will benefit. Though more-traditional "snail-mail" letters and brochures still appeal to older baby boomers and their elders, Linnane said, younger donors prefer electronic communications.

Other experts agree.

"Writing a check and mailing it in is really not the way people are giving anymore," said Tyger Danger, an Orlando, Fla., spokeswoman for MyCharityBox. com - a service that uses mobile technology and Facebook to boost digital giving while charging a small percentage of donations. Younger people tend to give when they are sitting down, with laptops or cellphones, and something inspires them - whether a YouTube video, Facebook post or even a TV commercial.

The beauty of the process, Danger said, is that it allows consumers to donate in the moment they feel most passionate about a cause. Let some time go

by, inject a few interruptions, add some costly reality of daily life - like a new credit-card statement - and would-be donors might have second thoughts.

The average increase in donations for nonprofits that sign up for MyCharityBox.com, she said, is 45 percent.

But the Drupal community - united by the idea of sharing computer code for free - believes in helping people to help themselves, rather than charging even a small fee.

"All you have to do is show up and put on your thinking cap. You have to want to be there," Price said.

"The No. 1 thing for us is actually to be able to get inexperienced people in an environment where they can sit down and work next to someone who is very experienced and work on the same project."

It's not just knowledge for knowledge's sake either.

Mike Anello, principal partner at Anello Consulting and one of the camp organizers said he hopes volunteers who want to learn how to use Drupal - employed on websites from WhiteHouse.gov to Sony - might be able to pick up job skills from it. Already, the Merritt Island resident has trained laid-off aerospace workers looking for a new career path. So far, 14 of the 18 students in his recently completed 10-week course have landed internships.

"With unemployment so high," Price said, "we're just trying to create opportunities for people." Š 2012 Distributed by MCT Information Services

KAIZEN

JAMES CORNER FIELD OPERATIONS For creating intimate green spaces out of industrial urban blight

By Margaret Rhodes

James Corner Field Operations says it practices landscape architecture, but its real plan is to redesign the public realm. Corner, founder and principal, calls his work "a totally new landscape of leisure," built from the industrial-era remnants of long-abandoned railways and city waterfronts. With minimalist clarity, Corner and his team have transformed deserted eyesores into new urban destinations. Besides unveiling the second section of the High Line, the celebrated elevated greenway running along Manhattan's West Side, the firm recently transformed a vacant waterfront into a pedestrian attraction (Race Street Pier, in Philadelphia) and is working to convert a 4.6-square-mile dump site into a sprawling park (Fresh Kills Landfill, in Staten Island) and an old freeway viaduct into a waterside plaza (Seattle Park Central Waterfront). The firm has been taking its work overseas too: Late last year, Field Operations won the right to design the south hub of London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Is landscape architecture having a moment right now?

Corner: Yeah, for a number of reasons. First, the whole environmental agenda is something that landscape architects have been trained in and have worked on for years. We've been thinking about hydrological systems, water and air quality, biodiversity. Combined with that is a new interest on the part of cities to create a vibrant 152

and strong public realm. Cities are beginning to invest in new parks, new public spaces, new waterfronts, and the transformation of many of these postindustrial inheritances from the 20th century.

Why focus on transforming urban relics, rather than doing more traditional urban planning?

That's where a lot of the work is today. With the shift from an industrial economy in cities to a service economy, a lot of land is abandoned and derelict. No one knows what to do with it. The High Line is a great example of making something new. When we got hired to design it, the first thing we did was go and look at it and stand on it for the first time. And the immediate feeling was, How do we not mess this up? Because what we found there was so special and strange that any design needed to amplify those conditions.

How did that compare with seeing the Staten Island landfill?

The High Line is about a mile and a half long and about 30 feet wide, quite narrow. In some ways, even though it's long, it's a small thing. Fresh Kills Landfill was one of the world's largest. It's more than 4 square miles. It took all of Manhattan's trash for nearly 60 years. It's three and a half times the size of Central Park. There, the first impression was, Jeez, what are we going to do with this huge volume of land?

There's an edginess and urban appeal that comes

with these sites. It would be a shame to erase any sign of their histories. A part of what was innovative about our Staten Island approach is we devised a methodology around which a very large site could be transformed.

You're also designing parks in Seattle and Qianhai, China. How do they differ from the New York projects?

Both transcend traditional definitions of landscape architecture. They're much more complex projects that are also about buildings, infrastructure, transportation, and all of these different systems that go into making a city. With Qianhai [a new city being built over the next decade to hold an estimated 2 million people], one of the things we're boasting is that it will be a carbon-neutral, fully sustainable urban center.

Does the intimacy of your spaces play a role in their success?

Definitely. But what I'm trying to push is both a concern for the intimate and larger-scale issues of sustainability and lifestyle in cities. The biggest issue over the next two decades is the world's population growing by 3 billion people. You can build more buildings, but it's hard to think about how to have a high-quality public realm. My interest is in these two extremes: the poetics of tactility, the beauty of intimacy; and a larger sense of how cities work and how they're designed at that scale.

Š 2012, Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

BLUE

SET IN LATE 1960S

William Boyd to pen new ‘James Bond’ novel

By Paul Casciato

‘There’s been a kind of Bond/Fleming motif in my life for a long time’

Suave and brutal British superspy James Bond will find himself in the thick of danger at the end of the swinging ’60s in a new novel by author William Boyd due out next year. The best-selling British novelist 154

declared that he will put his knowledge of Cold War espionage to good use to pen the next adventure of the 007 character created

by Ian Fleming, who has grown into a global book and film phenomenon.

Boyd is the third writer in recent years to be invited by the Fleming estate to write an official Bond novel. U.S. thriller writer Jeffery Deaver wrote Carte Blanche in 2011, and Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care was published to mark Fleming’s 100th birthday in 2008.

The author said the Cold War espionage genre runs through his writing. He has worked with three of the actors who have played Bond and has been close to the story since he was a boy. “I never met Fleming, but I knew somebody who knew him very well and I’ve written about Fleming quite a lot and I actually put him in one of my novels,” Boyd said. “There’s been a kind of Bond/Fleming motif in my life for a long time, so it’s rather spooky and serendipitous.”

While Boyd has sworn to keep the details and title of the next 007 adventure secret, he said the book will mark a return to the classic Bond character of the mid-1940s who is navigating the end of the swinging ’60s. He declined to be drawn into conversation on any of the countries Bond might travel to.

Boyd said his previous espionage-themed books and time spent in late 1960s London during his youth made him comfortable with the subject.

The challenge for Boyd is to try and put his own stamp on a global franchise that has seen Bond leap off the pages into a film series that celebrates a high-tech contemporary character – currently played by Daniel Craig – and the official literary figure who remains closer to Fleming’s original template. “Inevitably ... there will be a kind of Boydian element in the new novel.”

The book, which is yet to be titled, will be published in the U.K. in late 2013 by Jonathan Cape – Fleming’s original publisher and an imprint of Vintage Publishing – and

by HarperCollins in North America. With the original James Bond movie Dr. No celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the release in October of new Bond film Skyfall, there will be plenty of buzz to build on ahead of the novel’s release.

The Bond catalogue is one of the most prized in publishing, with global sales totaling over 100 million copies.

Ian Fleming’s estate said earlier this year it had signed a 10-year deal with the Random House Group to publish the James Bond back list both in print and e-book format.

ATLAS

bazaar a la mode

SPLASH SHOWCASES A TROPICAL FASHION PARADISE FOR SPRING SUMMER 2012 Celebrating 10 successful season’s Splash showcased it’s all new tropical collection to make the headlines. The brand hosted a fashion show at the Avenues showroom which was attended by local media and senior officials from Landmark Group Kuwait. Attendees were treated to a sneak peak of the new colorful collection. The collection inspired from the world of Aqua Mania, Out of the Blues, Survivor and Soul Searcher was presented by live models creating a contrasting medley.

Brimming with glitz, glamour and gloss this year’s Tropical collection is a mix of contemporary and traditional fashion statements. A perfect way to unwind with the 60’s for inspiration. The clean graphic lines of simple and dropped-waist shifts, pinafore dresses, A-line skirts, and collarless cardigan jackets, printed and kneelength shorts with highly decorated fabrics lend texture and depth. Shades of grey and white, offbeat mid-tones of burnt orange, parrot green, saxe blue and yellow ochre are contrasted with fabrics like lightweight suitings, drapy viscose, micro checks, twills and jersey.

Changing it up for the season fashionistas mix elements of utility sportswear with modernist shapes and a raft of functional layers in ‘City Sportif ’. Women turn up more elegant with styles that are either timelessly feminine or sporty and activeinspired. Mod, nautical and prints inspired by the flora and fauna of the islands are used in looks that are created with contoured seaming. Zipped-through dresses, cropped tops, racer-shoulder vests and tanks, athletic shorts, mesh knits, tailored sports jackets are the key products to sport this look.

Replete with unique attractions but with a firm focus on fashion, the aptly named Splash Fashion Paradise was a Paradise of vigor, enthusiasm and freshness for fashion enthusiasts. LED screens will be present at all Centrepoint and Splash outlets playing interesting videos from latest Splash Spring Summer 2012 collections.

The trend of combining handcrafted looks with all-things tribal is reflected through ‘Artisan Stroke’ where women are dressed in lustrous silky fabrics alongside jersey, satin and nylon. Mixed-message prints with micro patterns, graphic stripe blocking and deco-inspired geometrics are available in key colours like orange, emerald, black, old gold, navy, white. Men wear the same trend in material like linen or silk, smooth or printed cotton in crumpled finishes with over-dyed effects and textured knits having Traditional filigree and arabesque motifs in ethnic African prints Presenting a world of the choicest of trends coupled with the chicest of shapes that are classic yet bold and edgy, vivid prints, colours and designs, the well-researched Splash collection will be in stores starting now till July, 2012. Splash is located in Centrepoint stores across Kuwait in Al Rai, Salmiya, Kuwait City, Hawally, Fahaheel, Jahra, Fintas and the stand alone store at The Avenues.

GANCINO SPARKLING Effervescent and playful, but no less precious for this, Gancino Sparkling represents a breath of fresh air and good cheer.

A delightful little charm applied to the case-middle at 4 o’clock and coloured gemstones set in the revolving top ring represent two mobile features that give the watch a sparkling, vivacious look and together pay tribute to Salvatore Ferragamo’s passion for gemstones.

The novel Double Tour version revolves entirely around colour, with juxtapositions designed to emphasise the chromatic effects to the full. The strap winds twice around the wrist and is made of supple leather in various colourways: fuchsia, orange, white or tobacco, set off against pink, sky blue or multicolour topaz stones that embellish the steel or IP gold case with flashes of brilliance.

The new Gancino Sparkling Bracelet, on the other hand, has a metal bracelet and is available in two versions: all-steel, with black guilloché dial decorated with the iconic Gancino and a case enriched with black spinels; or IP gold, with dégradé rhodolite stones on the top ring and in the charm.

156

G-STAR RAW SPRING/SUMMER 2012 MEN’S COLLECTION RAW ESSENTIALS: RAW Essentials offers wearers the ultimate in denim craftsmanship, washings and hand-stitched detailing, creating a premium, luxury product for the true denim addict. Spring/Summer 2012 sees the introduction of ‘Moulded Denim’: an innovative new wash that uses steaming and baking techniques to permanently embed 3D human form into the fabric. Selected men’s items include the Morris Tapered five-pocket in Conn denim, with its ‘2 years worn’ wash inspired by French Sateen vintage work pants; the 3301 Straight in Firn denim, featuring local abrasion, scraping, belching and paints spots; and the RE State Chino tapered with its extreme vintage destroyed wash. RAW Essentials also includes this season two new variations on the iconic Arc Pant, the second 3D denim ever designed by G-Star. The denim/linen fabric mix of the RE Arc Loose Tapered intensifies the take-up of indigo dye, which results in an extra deep 3D-effect colour finish. The RE Arc Loose Tapered in Conn denim offers an extra-low crotch, ‘crinkled’ lower leg and highquality hand stitching.

G-STAR RAW. Just the Product.

TED BAKER SPRING/SUMMER 2012 The Great Exhibitionist and his private views Womenswear celebrates the female form with defined waists, full skirts and cut away detailing. Flower power reigns supreme with English roses, peonies and cherry blossom in full bloom on feminine 50s dress shapes. The Rosebug print featuring bright roses, bugs and butterflies is key and appears on everything from cropped jackets to shorts and from peep-toe heels to clutches. The floral theme continues with laser cut appliqué and intricate floral cutwork adding interest to dresses, tops and flirty shorts.

In a way, Ted’s menswear collection is like a self-portrait, capturing all the elements of his personality. Larger than life, it’s bursting with vivid colour and detail, offering a bright and breezy take on riviera dressing.

Chinos in slim and classic fits come in a rainbow of brights and earthy shades such as burnt orange, forest green and rustic red with contrast turn up detailing. Pastel and check chino shorts are worn with nautical stripe tees and polos with slim collars. Prints come through in the form of subtle polka dots and paisley trims on shirts and polos. Layer up with ribbed and fine weave summer knits.

GAP’S NEW SPRING/SUMMER COLLECTION CELEBRATES COLOR With the Launch of the new Spring/Summer 2012 collection, Gap is embracing color in every shade, shape and form. Reflecting a strong, optimistic point of view, Gap’s new global marketing campaign celebrates the vibrancy of its spring product while expressing some of the many interpretations of what it means to “Be Bright” in the modern world —from how a person approaches life and expresses their individuality, to how color can evoke a mood or shape an outlook. Launching with its Spring 2012 collection, which is rooted in colored denim and khakis, this is the first creative expression of “Be Bright”. The women’s collection bursts with color in variety of brightly hued jeans and khakis, including the Always Skinny Cropped Jean in fuchsia, surf pipe, lilac and rose and the Broken-In Straight Khakis in hot coral, active blue, dried fig, greenway and blue sky. The men’s collection also incorporates color into jeans and khakis with the Slim Fit Jeans in French blue and red and the Denim-Washed Garment Dye Khakis in deep cobalt, cedar green, red rose and vintage wine. Men will also find color-infused tops, sweaters, and outerwear that can be easily layered to create perfect springtime looks. The boyfriend khaki denim roll short come in a bold palette of lemon drop, leaf green and surf blue. Trendy accessories for men include coloured leather flip-flops.

So ‘Be Bright’ and come celebrate the Fun and cheerful spirit of GAP this season !

H&M’S HEAD OF DESIGN PICKS HER FAVORITE PIECES FOR THE BEST OF SPRING Spring is an exciting time to try something new, says H&M’s Head of Design, Ann-Sofie Johansson.

“Spring fashion at H&M is just perfect after a long and dark winter,” she says, “with a light and optimistic colour palette of shades of white, pretty pastels and brights. Try wearing separates in new and unexpected colour and print combinations, like an apple green vest with a strawberry pink zip-up blouson jacket, or florals like a printed T-shirt dress with an acid green dot-knit cardigan. Or mix transparence with heavy knits like this great spring cable-knit top.” Ann-Sofie says that, for men, there’s just as much choice. “For men, I’m going for preppy essentials to start off the season – perfect classics like a granddad collar striped shirt and some great navy chinos, to build the foundation of a seasonal wardrobe. Along with accessories like brogues and grey trimmed sunglasses, they will create simple and functional spring style!”

157

ACAI The super berry

Acai Berry is the latest super food Doctors and Fitness Experts are raving about worldwide.

A dark purple fruit that comes from a palm tree found in the Amazon Jungles of Brazil, Acai berry pronounced “ah-sigh-eee” is one of the best natural antioxidants available and can be eaten raw or juiced.

It provide the body with essential nutrients such as amino acids, healthy fats, carbohydrates, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9, minerals like iron, potassium, zinc and calcium and vitamin C, E and B group among others. Acai berry consumption has also been proven to strengthen the nervous system, help treat cardiovascular disorders and boost energy levels.

It’s noteworthy to point out that Acai Berry also has the highest level of antioxidants available in any food known to man. Hence, the rejuvenation and aging benefits that one can redeem from eating Acai Berry are huge; and it was dubbed the “No.1 Super Food” according to Dr.Nicholas Perricone when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Yes, all this in a berry…

Acai Berry is a very important food staple in the northern states of Brazil with consumption dating back to pre-Columbian times. It caught a wave of popularity on the beaches of Rio De 158

Janeiro; as surfers were the first to notice that Acai berry provided the replenishment they needed to keep going after long days of strenuous activities hanging ten on the waves.

It then went from the beach to local gyms, where ultimate fighters and health buffs started consuming it. Acai Berry has now made its way into millions of people’s daily diets; if not for the health benefits then for the fresh and fruity delicious taste.

In Brazil, it’s mainly consumed either as a smoothie or in a form similar to porridge or sorbet and is a popular breakfast, desert, or snack with granola, oats, nuts and fruits. It can also be juiced and blended with different fruits to create refreshing and light smoothies; perfect for hot summer days.

Because Açai expires after 48 hours, the freshest form available is a concentrated pulp form; this is how it’s sold in Brazil and this is how local company ‘Acai Brazil’ supplies it in Kuwait. The Acai pulp is topnotch, where only the best fruit is processed using a state of the art facility.

With all those health benefits, why would anyone not want to introduce Acai Berries into their daily diet? Tempted to try it yet?

Here’s a list of places where you can find Acai Berry Smoothies and Juices around Kuwait: - Cornish Club (Sha’ab - Gluf Road)

- Taiba Hosiptal (Sabah Al Salem) - Dahya CO OP Juice stores (Daheyat Abdullah Al Salem, Al Nuzha) - Club Fit (Al Babtain Complex Mezzanine 2, Sharq) - Dr. Juice (Sha’ab) - Castle Juice (Salmiya Souq - Mango Talat CO OP Juice Stores (Qadisiya, Al Zahra, Heteen, Al Rumaithiya, Khaldiya).

- Juice World CO OP Stores (Surra, Dasma, Daeya, Mansooriya, Shamiya and Shuwaikh B, Saad Abdullah, Salaam and Siddeeq) - Toot Berry (Haroon Al Rasheed st, Maidan Hawalli) - Mix Berry (Al Safat Tower by Qadisiya Club, Hawalli) Coming Soon: - Napket (Al Babtain Complex in Sharq, Avenues Mall) - Froobies (Al Babtain Complex in Sharq, 52 Degrees Complex) - Toot & Mish2 Juice Stores (Kayfan CO OP, Bin Khaldoon street in Hawalli, Farwaniya Arbeed Plaza, Salmiya, Amro Bin Al Aas Street (Restaurant Street)

For more information on the Acai Berry fruit, Acai Berry Juice and ways you can incorporate it into your diet check out Acai Brazil’s website at: www.acaimena.com.

ORGANICA FISH & CHIPS

A RANT On being too plugged in

By Jeff Herring and Maritza Parra

Warning: if you read on, you are about to experience a rant. Instructive in places, I hope, yet still a rant.

Recently my wife Maritza and I were at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the world. We walked up to wait on the tram that would take us to our gate for our flight. About 20 people were waiting around to board on our section.

18 of the 20 were looking down at their cellphones, checking email, texts, tweets and God only knows what else. My thought, which became my out loud words, was "Does anyone ever look up and see the world around them anymore?" I think someone could walk stark naked through most groups of people and no one would notice (unless it became a YouTube video.)

Did you know that one in six cellphone users 160

between the ages of 22 - 36 have their cellphones paid for by their mom?

A recent Facebook update by a long-time friend bemoaned the fact that he had actually (those faint of heart, brace yourself...perhaps you shouldn't even read on) yes, he actually left the house twice last week without his cellphone. I warned you this would be tough information to swallow. There was a time, not too long ago, when all of us did just that every day. How did we survive?

In the book The Winter of Our Disconnect author and mom Susan Maushart had her entire family go a full six months without any screen time. Good on her. Could you do that? Could I? My cellphone allows someone's voice to come in loud and clear. It also has a very sensitive volume

control that allows me to turn up the volume and turn down the volume of someone's voice. So I assume everyone else has this feature, too. Though sometimes I think I must be mistaken, because I notice so many people in public feel the need to practically yell into their phones. Or maybe they actually believe that everyone within 50 feet of them is hanging on every one of their words.

I'm as guilty as everyone else, so I'm pointing at myself here, too. In fact, right now I have immediate access to 3 screens: the laptop on which I am writing this column, the TV on in the background, and my cellphone next to me...

Is there any hope for us at all?

Š 2012, Distributed by MCT Information Services.

PARTY LAND

TAKE A NAP, BE MORE CREATIVE

By Rachel Z. Arndt

An exploration both artistic and scientific, Jonah Lehrer's Imagine: How Creativity Works tells us why a walk can lead to a big idea and how brainstorming dulls imagination.

How does creativity work?

Lehrer: The word itself is a misnomer. We use creativity in the singular, as if there's one way the brain generates new connections. But there are probably three neurologically distinct forms of creativity. One is when you have these moments of insight that come out of the blue—when you have epiphanies in the shower.

Those seem to come from the part of the brain that's involved in things like the interpretation of metaphors and the processing of jokes. Another form is really working hard at solving a problem—it's not nearly as fun as having an epiphany, but it's just as important. The last form is spontaneous improvisation—what Miles Davis did.

Can a person choose which kind of creativity to use?

The type of mental process we should use really depends on the type of problems we're solving. I think we have to do a better job of diagnosing where we are in the creative process and adjusting our thought process accordingly. When I'm stuck, I realize now I need to let myself relax, because the answer will arrive only when I stop looking for it. The things that are most essential for big ideas aren't 162

going to look productive. It's going to involve taking a nap, finding a way to relax. It may look like goofing off, but it's absolutely essential.

You say brainstorming doesn't work. Why? When you look at scientific literature, it's very unambiguous that brainstorming doesn't work. The first reason is because of its main rule: Thou shalt not criticize.

As long as the criticism is constructive, it forces people to engage on a deeper level. The problem with brainstorming is free associations are really superficial and constricted by language and clichés. Criticism is important to get past that.

Why are we so fascinated by the idea of creativity?

It's one of the defining tricks of human nature. We somehow conjure up new ideas out of thin air—we can't help but find new connections. But you really can't just address it from the perspective of the brain. It's also about the cultures we're embedded in and the people we work with, how we work with them, and which cities we live in. © 2012, Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

ALFORNO

‘STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC’ Reviewed!

By Jaye Sonia

Welcome back to another Geeks & Gamers.

This month, I’m going to be talking about the newest (and from what I’ve heard, hottest) MMORPG on the scene – Star Wars: The Old Republic.

This month, however, I’m going to bring in a little help. You see, while I play a fair bit of Star Wars, I haven’t accumulated nearly as many hours of play time as some of my friends have. So, I asked my buddies Mo and Manny to step in, give me their perspective, and help me round out this article. They did just that.

Both Manny and Mo have been playing SWTOR since its public release and both have sided with the Empire, mainly to satisfy their friends. Manny, however, is quick to point out that, “In this game being a bad guy doesn't mean you can't be good (wink).” That’s probably one of the biggest aspects of this game, too, in terms of character development. It doesn’t matter if you choose the Empire or the Republic – you can still choose to walk your own path, be it light, dark, or balanced between the two.

Like most MMORPs, there is ample opportunity for both PvE (player vs. environment) and PvP (player vs. player) combat. Unlike some of its 164

predecessors, however, SWTOR offers a more immersive storyline with a cornucopia of cutscenes and other immersive elements. The storyline, from level one to level ten, is filled with theatrics and the movie experience really shines through because of it. Of course, unlike some of the other popular MMORPGs (World of Warcraft, I’m looking at you), there is more being said by NPCs than there is text – so you need to put on a good set of headphones when you’re playing or you might miss something!

Of course, it does have its short-comings.

Because it’s still relatively new, some of the raid material is still bugged. Mo says, “…still, it can’t be compared to WoW (World of Warcraft) when it comes to raiding. WoW is more organized than SWTOR.” He’s quick to point out, however, that PvP is smoother in SWTOR. Mo says, “..but the PvP there beats ‘WoW’ and with the new patch coming up, there will be ranking to keep the PvP going.”

It’s not all PvP for Manny, however. He’s found (and I personally agree) that the immersive nature of the setting itself can pull you in. The worlds are vast, the missions long and inclusive, and the objectives offer you a chance to make choices that further define your character in terms of light or

darkness. Manny says, “It is great to see how much open space Bioware gives you to explore and the missions that you get to do while exploring. When tied together with a good story it allows you to become attached to the character you have put so much time into. Then you are able to say, ‘My Sith Sorcerer has traveled all over Tatooine.’ Other than that I enjoy the fact that whether you are on the Republic or the Empire, you still have to make choices that will push you to the dark side of The Force or guide you to the light side.”

That’s a pretty big choice, too, as gear later in the game is tied to either side. So, it’s not just a matter of gearing up for raids or team missions, but gearing up to match your alignment, as well.

(And I don’t care what anyone says, the higher level Sith just look cool).

There’s also a chance to engage in space combat, piloting your own spaceship through asteroid belts while you strafe larger cruisers.

The game play doesn’t allow full, 360 degree movement, but it does offer a great deal of versatility within the railed (your ship follows a pre-determined path) environment. Plus, you can upgrade your ship. If you ask me, that’s cooler than a Wookie!

Finally, there’s the Legacy system. While I haven’t had the joy of playing with it, Manny has already started building an alternative character for just that. He says, “It is an interesting concept and anyone who is a ‘Star Wars’ fan knows that family ties mean the world. It will be cool to have other characters that bare the last name as my Sith Assassin and some of his skills are genetically passed onto them.” That appears to be the crux of the system, too. When you develop a legacy character, you get to take the powers from one class and pass them onto another. So, you might have an agent for the Empire that has Sith abilities.

Or, you might have a Bounty Hunter that can focus like a Jedi. It’s very modular in that sense and, as the game unfolds, promises to open even more storylines for us!

Personally, I think this game is a hit. I haven’t progressed as far as either Mo or Manny, but that’s because I have to juggle my games! That said, this one will still take a fair share of my future time. It really is that good!

Until next time, keep gaming!

CURVES

JOB INTERVIEW? Avoid these 6 psychological 'leaks'

Chances are, you are woefully unprepared for that upcoming interview and you don't even know it. Talking points rehearsed? Check. Company and interviewer researched? Of course. Answers to tough questions practiced? You bet. Psychological tells analyzed? Uh, come again? Without knowing it, you communicate your deep psychological beliefs, attitudes and weaknesses every time you open your mouth. I've interviewed people who looked stellar on paper, but who exposed their hidden tendencies, issues and mental roadblocks as soon as they spoke.

Dr. Aaron Beck, the "father" of cognitive therapy, first proposed the theory behind cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are limiting or weak habits of thinking that are not accurate. We all suffer from these occasionally, but when they come to be how we see and interact with the world, they can prevent us from seeing things as they really are which can limit our growth and success.

If you want to appear confident and project the right attitude, stop leaking negative psychological tells. Here's what you need to know to nail that next job interview: 1. Fallacy of Fairness. We feel angry and frustrated because we think we know what is fair, but life and other people won't agree with us.

Example: "I worked hard for my previous 166

employer for three years but still got laid off."

Here the applicant is angry and frustrated that their efforts were not rewarded when they thought they should have been. The reality may be that the company was forced to downsize because of the economy and their firing had nothing to do with the employee's work ethic. This cognitive distortion can come across as sounding whiny or complaining.

Think of your six-year-old stomping her feet and proclaiming, "But that's not fair!"

2. Filtering. There is reality, and then there is our interpretation of reality. They are always different.

With this cognitive distortion, imagine seeing, hearing and experiencing the world through a special filter that highlights negative details and filters out all of the positive details.

Example: "The last company I worked for went out of business. It was a disaster, and I should have jumped ship before being taken down with it."

This statement is wrong on many levels, but what strikes me most is the focus and emphasis on the negative. Sure, the company went out of business, but was there nothing positive that came from the experience? Maybe the relationships you made? New training you received? Lessons on what you'd do differently? There is always a silver lining, but for folks with this cognitive distortion, they just can't see it.

Can you see the positive in an otherwise negative situation? This is a critical skill that is attractive to employers. Accept your responsibility for what went wrong, but look for anything that is positive from the event.

3. Control Fallacies. Watch out for this cognitive distortion in interviews. There are two types of control fallacies: externally controlled and internally controlled. Externally controlled fallacies occur when we view our behavior and success as something that is beyond our control (i.e., not generated from within but rather from something outside ourselves). In other words, we are helpless victims of fate and happenstance.

Example: "I wanted to go back and get my degree, but there was nothing I could do."

Externally controlled beliefs sound like excuses.

It shows that you have no personal responsibility for your life. Nobody wants to hire someone who constantly says it was bad luck, fate or just not in the cards when something goes wrong (or right!).

The internal control fallacy is the belief that somehow you are responsible for the pain, happiness, failures and successes of everyone around you.

Example: "Because of my involvement, our regional division was number one in sales for the entire company."

If you can back this up with data, this is a

powerful statement that is sure to get attention.

However, if you don't have the data, this statement is a red flag. It may mean that you are a bit narcissistic, prone to exaggeration or have the tendency to believe that you are personally responsible for the success of others - all three of which are not what you want to communicate.

4. Always Being Right. We all know this guy (or gal), so please don't let it be you. Being wrong is unacceptable to them, and they will go to any length to demonstrate why they are right (and why you are wrong). While only a rookie will get into a power struggle with an interviewer, this cognitive distortion can come out when you describe your work history or when the conversation touches on your ex-bosses and co-workers.

For example: "Even though we lost the account, there is nothing that I would have done differently."

Admit your mistakes. Own them. Don't minimize them or suggest you don't make any. Nobody wants to hire or work with a know-it-all... especially when they don't.

5. Polarized Thinking (or "Black and White" Thinking). We are either perfect or we've failed.

Like a light switch, it's either on or off - there is no in between. This cognitive distortion shows a lack of mental flexibility and single-mindedness.

For example: "I want the security of working for a big firm because I started a company a few years ago and it was a complete failure."

Sure, maybe the company did fail, but this kind of thinking tells me that this person is blinded by the company's lack of success - they are unable to recognize any aspects of the experience that were sources of learning or growth. They seem incapable of looking at the experience objectively.

6. Blaming. The motherload of cognitive distortions in the interview process. Here, we hold other people responsible for our pain. It's always someone or something else that is responsible for our problems and mistakes.

For example: "I've bounced around the last few years because I've worked for ineffective leaders."

What's the old saying? When you point your finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you. It is beyond frustrating to hire someone who does not take responsibility for their actions and choices. Be a breath of fresh air and take responsibility - at least some of the responsibility. The fear applicants have is that, if they "own up" to any weaknesses or mistakes, then they won't be looked upon favorably, but the opposite is true.

Š 2011 Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.

KERA STRAIGHT

bazaar checks it out

SEE THE WORLD WITH AMERICAN TOURISTER! Launching a collection of 16 new lines for Kuwait Market American Tourister – one of the world’s leading luggage brands with presence in over 80 countries worldwide –announced an aggressive media campaign in the country.

The company emphasized on its major expansion plans in KUWAIT and has earmarked over US$ 2.5 million over a period of two months starting May 2012. This includes advertisement campaigns across a diverse mix of media encompassing Arab and Asian TV networks, outdoor and market activation programs. This is the highest media spend by a luggage brand in Kuwait In his comments on the media blitzkrieg, Mr Jai Krishnan, Vice President – Middle East, East Africa and SAARC at American Tourister, said: “ American Tourister is entering its 80th year – as you know, it was born in the USA in 1933. We’ve had this continued tradition over the years of offering the latest designs and the best quality at a great value. We know that this is a combination that the consumers in Kuwait look for in the products they buy & that’s why we believe that the Kuwait is a very important market for us. We have, therefore, decided to invest heavily in Kuwait.”

The advertising, which encourages people to travel and see the world is very much in sync with the tone of the brand – which is smart, friendly, practical and fun. The company believes that the new campaign “ Take on the World” will connect very well with American Tourister’s primary target consumers in Kuwait – which are the family traveler and leisure traveler.

It may be recalled that American Tourister had launched an extensive campaign in the summer of 2011 under the tagline ‘Go see the world’ aimed to establish the brand as an ideal accessory for the young and family traveler. It was followed up with a campaign on similar lines which played out on TV and print, but with a different tagline — ‘The world is calling’.

TOYOTA AURION Will impress you with its superior performance Mohamed Naser Al Sayer & Sons Automotive Co., exclusive dealer of Toyota in Kuwait announced the arrival of the new Toyota Aurion 2012 the second generation. From wherever you look at it, you’ll discover a new aspect and dimension of identity with its balanced, attractive stylish design. It features a striking and most appealing combination of emotions and reasoning delivering highest levels of superior quality, comfort and quietness. The world famous Aurion is a dominant mid-size segment model with it fabulous superior performance. Toyota Aurion is full of innovative technology with most attention grabbing performance, topping mid size 6-cylinder class performers to meet and satisfy the need of the most discerning customers looking for distinct and superior dynamics, technology, power, luxury and exquisite taste. Toyota Aurion is most inspiring with unprecedented levels exceeding expectations of both youth and families, based on Toyota deep rooted traditions, reputation and relentless efforts for optimum customer satisfaction.

AUK SWEEPS MICROSOFT IMAGINE CUP AND ADVANCES TO WORLD FINALS In a historical evening, AUK broke the records of the region and advanced to the Microsoft Imagine Cup world finals for the 3rd year in a row. This year, AUK was the sole champion of the event as its teams dominated by winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize as well as “The People’s Choice” award. The cup winner will be representing Kuwait in the worldwide finals in Sydney, Australia in July 2012. Over the years, AUK has established its competence within the world’s most prestigious technology competition that proposes solutions to serve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. This year, the AUK team “Code Breakers” won the Software Design Competition with their project “Universal Sign System” (USS). The young AUK computer scientists came up with a software solution capable of turning sign language into a human voice, bridging the communication gap between the deaf world and the society that encompasses them. Their USS is a Kinect-based application that recognizes sign language and synthesizes them into a human voice in different languages, proposing a solution to a worldwide healthcare challenge.

More information on the American University of Kuwait can be found at www.auk.edu.kw.

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THE NEW MERCEDES-BENZ GL-CLASS First class in all conditions Comfort, safety, elegance, efficiency – the new GL-Class from Mercedes-Benz demonstrates leadership qualities in all the decisive SUV disciplines. Innovations such as the standard-specification Crosswind Assist, the STEER CONTROL steering assistance system, the load recognition and the COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST (CPA) increase the active safety. Other new features to become available are assistance systems such as Active Lane Keeping Assist and Blind Spot Assist, together with a parking package incorporating an automatic function for entering and exiting parking spaces, plus a 360° camera. With excellent driving dynamics and high levels of ride comfort – both on the road and on difficult terrain – the GL-Class pampers its occupants with the first-class comfort of a luxury saloon. Up to seven passengers enjoy an excellent amount of space. Numerous BlueEFFICIENCY measures significantly increase the energy efficiency: the 300 kW (408 hp) GL 500 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY petrol model, the fuel consumption falls by about 18 percent.

The new Mercedes-Benz GL-Class will be available across the Middle East in Q4 2012.

DESIGUAL New and good, but specially good...

With its Spring Summer 2012 Woman collection, Desigual has breathed fresh air into its proposals, rekindling spirits without losing is the essence of its identity. New territories are mingled with the most desigualised lines, which are also presented under new codes for the new Desigual woman. Everything NEW is worked from a constant, inescapable premise... it must be GOOD. The BRAZIL, GREECE, NIGHT and DESIGUAL lines create a generous collection, not just in quantity but in depth. With an even greater mix of materials, charms, more embroidery, etc. Desigual continues to transmit emotion, feeling, color... and life, but seen from a new perspective, enabling it to explore new paths. BRAZIL’s calling card is color, the brightest colors with the most vibrant contrasts.

Greens, yellows, turquoises.... are infused with complete inspiration to create garments that ooze happiness from first sight. The mixes have seeped into the prints, combining with stripes, flowers and embroidery. Shine is an important detail in this line, with several garments created in satin. Watercolored, blurred prints with a slightly naïf inspiration catch your eye. Finally, avoiding the routine, the DESIGUAL line continues to be fun, happy, colorful and positive!

Desigual is not the same. Finding the excitement is part of our DNA!

MAKI’S CHEF LOUIS KENJI HUANG A culinary journey that has just begun!

The past year has seen Maki Restaurant Group welcome an evidently significant addition to the family of chefs that continue to delight their fans with the newest, most progressive Japanese fusion creations. Enter Chef Louis Kenji Huang with his vast experience in the food and beverage industry in order to add great value to this already “culinary-rich” organization. Louis is too humble to boast his many years of experience in five-star Vegas and New York establishments including the Michelin-starred Nobu of Las Vegas!

On the other hand, this true leader is never shy to show his prowess in Asian fusion cuisine, especially when he led a group of his Maki chefs to win Horeca Kuwait 2012 gold medal for best sushi display and creation. Not enough for Chef Louis and his staff, they proceeded to tack on another prestigious award: the Boeker 2012 food hygiene and safety award. The two aforementioned awards added to Louis’ tally of awards he had won in the U.S., including, but not limited to best food presentation award in “Bite of Las Vegas” in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Having fulfilled his calling and won the mentioned honors for Maki, Louis’ next journey included a carefully planned visit to all Maki market outlets, in order to present to all “fusion-lovers” the next great batch of Maki’s fusion dishes and at the same time “meet and greet” his guests and fans. His journey ended in Louis’ new “backyard”: his beloved Kuwait! Louis started with Maki Salhia, going through Marina Waves and the Avenues, in order to finish his creative journey at the iconic Burj Jassem location.

BMW AND MINI SALES IN KUWAIT INCREASE 22% DURING FIRST QUARTER OF 2012 The official importer of BMW Group vehicles in Kuwait demonstrated its intention to complete yet another successful year by retaining its position as one of the five best performing markets in the Middle East, clearly demonstrating Kuwaiti customers’ desire for top-of-the-range, premium vehicles.

The BMW 5 Series was the highest volume selling model. A core product for BMW, it combines sporting and elegant design, excellent comfort, the highest standard in efficiency in its class and sets the benchmark in driving dynamics and safety having achieved 5 stars in both the Euro NCAP and US NCAP vehicle safety assessment programmes. Also contributing to Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive’s solid performance was the flagship BMW 7 Series, the 3 Series, X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and the X6 Sports Activity Coupé.

Reaffirming its position as the fastest growing premium brand in the world as well as in the Middle East; MINI also witnessed growth in Kuwait during the first three months achieving 50% growth. Sales were led by the MINI Countryman, while the MINI Hatch and MINI Coupe were also strong contributing factors to the brand's first quarter 2012 success in Kuwait.

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GREENBOX For inventing the next-generation Chinese fashion brand

By Stephanie Schomer

Here are five words every children's clothing chief hopes to hear in her lifetime: Disney wants to work together. Fangfang Wu heard them last year, when the House of Mouse asked the CEO of Greenbox, a children's clothier based in Shanghai, to manufacture a line of Disneybranded apparel. With Shanghai Disney Resort set to open in 2016, Disney wants to stoke the Chinese appetite for all things Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, and Disney Princesses. The company's licensing division is a $28 billion global business that could immediately boost the fortunes of an upstart brand like Greenbox.

Wu, of course, said no.

"The players in children's clothing in China are original equipment manufacturers," says Wu, who is soft-spoken but totally self-assured. Greenbox is the exception to that norm, a strong brand with a deep commitment to distinctive design and worker safety. And Wu was not going to have her brand name subsumed by Disney's. In a telling surprise that reflects the growing power of cutting-edge brands catering to China's emerging middle class, Wu persuaded Disney, after six months of negotiation, to collaborate. (Disney did not respond to our repeated requests for comment.) The labels on the line that the two brands launched last August read disney 170

by greenbox. "Among China's rising middle class, brand consciousness is becoming more and more important," Wu says.

Launched in 2003, Greenbox is now the No. 1 children's apparel retailer on Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao. Wu, a former marketing exec, started the company a few years after she and her husband welcomed their daughter, Alice, into the world. "I wanted clothing that reflected a personality," Wu says.

"I wanted Alice to live and behave like a princess."

Dismayed by the shoddy, boring clothing she found for sale, Wu, a self-taught designer, created her own.

Indeed, part of the reason for the company's success may be that Wu is her own best customer.

Wu designed her first brand, Miss de Mode, with Princess Alice in mind. The line is ultra-girly—think ruffled dresses in floral prints with plenty of eyelet lace—intended to groom "elegant" girls. (So far, it seems to be working at home: Wu reports that Alice, now 13, enjoys music, art, and cooking.) Early success on EachNet, China's eBay, inspired Wu to open some physical outlets in 2006. But the global financial crisis forced her to shutter the storefronts, and creditors pressured her to sell the business. Instead, Wu relocated to Taobao, which allows companies to open branded online stores. "She realized that a lot of moms—young, white-collar workers who spend their days on the

Internet—have the desire to dress up their kids," says Hurst Lin, a partner at DCM, which invested roughly $10 million in Greenbox last year. That sentiment is increasingly common among the Chinese middle class, especially those affected by the one-child policy, which leaves six adults—two parents and two sets of grandparents—to dote on a single child.

Made in a moment of duress, the shift to Taobao has been Greenbox's most valuable move. "Offline retailing is not an efficient system in China," says Lin. "Once you send items to the store, you almost lose control of the inventory." Moving online gave Wu— often described by employees as a perfectionist— greater’t control, but it also allowed her to drop prices by 30% at the very moment that e-commerce was beginning to blow up in China. The number of Internet users there has jumped 63% since 2008, and 36% of the population is now online. "Greenbox just really hit that growth trajectory," says Torsten Stocker, an analyst with Monitor Group. In 2010, Greenbox netted $8 million in revenue; in 2011, that number more than quadrupled.

Greenbox is also a pioneer in product safety.

"Currently, there aren't strong safety standards for children's clothing in China," Wu says, noting that in recent years, apparel containing dangerous levels of formaldehyde and heavy metals have hit store shelves. Needles have even been left inside clothing. "We're working with industry associations and the government to create standards." Wu monitors Greenbox's quality with regular visits to production facilities and also champions the use of environmentally friendly materials and processes. "The fact that Greenbox delivers a brand that's more than just a name and logo, with good design and the use of nonharmful materials," Stocker says, "makes it stand out from many other apparel businesses in China."

Wu, who gave birth to son Jerry in 2004, is now building two families. She employs 30 designers (though she still insists on designing at least 20% of the items herself ) and has added three additional brands. Jenny Bear revisits the princess aesthetic for younger girls; M.I.L. Boy offers tough-guy street style, complete with big sunglasses and rock-androll prints; and the newly launched Hi Girl, boasting metallic puffer coats and faux-fur jackets, is for the young urbanite. Some American shoppers find Wu's clothing too precious or too adult, and it certainly is a far cry from the mini-me look of Gap Kids. That's the whole point, she says: "Design from overseas doesn't fit the Chinese market, and the Greenbox look is not easily replicated." Which is, of course, why Disney came calling in the first place. © 2012, Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

GULFNET

WHY MOST FACEBOOK USERS GET MORE THAN THEY GIVE

By Stanley A. Miller II

Facebook is made up of two kinds of people: people who give a lot, and people who get a lot.

That is one of the findings of a report released from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which identified Facebook users in a national phone survey, asked their permission to examine their activity and then did the analysis. The goal was to explore the social world of Facebookers. Among the revelations: There is a special group of power players on the social network who dominate various activities.

"Most Facebook users are moderately active over a one-month time period, so highly active power users skew the average," Keith Hampton, the lead author of the report, said in a statement, noting that these power users make up 20 percent to 30 percent of the Facebook community.

"The striking thing is that there are different power users depending on the activity in question," he said. "One group of power users dominates 'friending' activity. Another dominates 'liking' activity. And yet another dominates photo tagging." About 43 percent of the Facebook members in Pew's analysis were power users in either sending friend requests, "liking" something, sending private messages or tagging photos. But only 5 percent were power users in all four.

The bottom line, the research said, is that most Facebook members receive more from their Facebook friends than they give - and power users are the reason why. It makes solid sense: exchanges over social media are supposed to be conversations, and not all conversations are balanced. With some 845 million members, there are bound to be some friskier folks on Facebook "talking" more than others.

Other findings in the report include: Most Facebook friends are not directly connected to each other. Although a friend of a friend is usually a friend, too, on average only 12 percent of all possible connections between Facebook friends were present. Making new Facebook friends is associated with higher levels of social support, while those who make frequent status updates receive more emotional support. Pew asked people about the amount of support that they receive, and its analysis found that Facebook members 172

who received and accepted more Facebook friend requests in the month of the survey reported higher levels of social support. Meanwhile, those who posted more status updates reported higher levels of emotional support.

Facebook users can reach an average of more than 150,000 other Facebook users through friends of friends on the social network. A typical or median user can reach more than 31,000 people. At two degrees of separation - i.e., friends of friends - Facebook members in Pew's sample on average reach 156,569 other Facebok users. However, a small number of Facebook members who had especially large friends lists that were less connected overstated the reach of the typical person on the social network.

FACEBOOK FINDINGS • On average, users make seven new Facebook friends per month; they

initiate three requests and accept four.

• 80 percent of friend requests that are initiated are accepted.

• Women average 11 updates to their Facebook status per month while

men average six.

• Personal messages on Facebook are generally not replacing email; more

than half did not send a private message, and 59 percent did receive a message.

• On average Facebook users contribute about four comments/likes for

every status update that they make.

• In a month, about half of the sample made a comment on a friend's

content, and about half received a comment.

• Less than 5 percent of users hid content from another user on their

Facebook feed. © 2012 Distributed by MCT Information Services

AUTOMAX

SHABBY TO CHIC Transforming bargain cast-offs into whimsical fashions

By Cristina Bolling

Where you see a frumpy long-sleeved shirt salvaged from Goodwill, Devon Freund envisions it transformed into a cute tank-top - with the sleeves becoming two wine bottle bags. Where you see an out-of-date denim skirt, Freund imagines the perfect makings of flower headbands and T-shirt appliques.

The 36-year-old Huntersville, N.C., woman combined her sewing prowess, whimsical fashion sense and frugal outlook to "upcycle" thrift stores clothes into on-trend yet affordable fashions for women and kids. She also repurposes furniture and home goods, and sells all her creations at three locations in the Charlotte, N.C., area under the label Jelbel Designs - named for daughters Isabella, 8, and Jezel, 6.

"I basically take apart anything I can and repurpose it," Freund says.

Freund's business is part of a growing trend nationwide, as the tough economy and a desire to become more eco-friendly have driven people to try to find new ways to repurpose old goods. But Freund has taken it farther than the average craft-booth vendor or online Etsy crafter, and is selling her goods in brick-and-mortar shops around town.

Freund didn't set out to start a business when she began creating new looks for her kids, adding cute ruffles to the bottom of a pair of jeans here or embellishing a top.

But when the compliments and "Can you make one for me?" inquiries kept rolling in, she decided to try her hand at selling in craft shows. The items sold so well, she started selling them in local spots around town. "I think people love the fact that it's one-of-akind and it's very green," she says.

Her designs, also available online, range from the funky to the frilly. She sews 174

seven days a week and shops for fabrics at salvage shops like Salvation Army, Goodwill and Value Village. She wastes practically nothing. Even tiny scraps become little embellishments on tops or headbands. Strips of leftover material can be made into patchwork scarves. Freund says the beauty of upcycling is that she doesn't obsess over patterns or make any extensive plans when working with fabric. "It works best if you don't overthink it," she says.

A NEW LOOK FOR FURNITURE Freund also refinishes furniture, adding color stains, clever drawer pulls and updated cushions to things she finds at thrift stores. Freund says she spends at least two to three hours sewing every day, in addition to the several hours she spends each week stocking the shops where she sells and teaches classes. She says the endeavor is "not too lucrative yet, but it gives me a little bit of cash."

She loves the thrill of the hunt when it comes to furniture. She and her husband, Andrew, bought a small cottage on the Catawba River in 2010 and furnished the entire thing on a $1,000 budget, using all upcycled furniture and accessories. She and her daughters customized old beds by breaking up china and creating mosaics on the headboards.

Stained chair cushions got sweet new appliques to add charm and hide blemishes.

LOOK GREAT, SAVE MONEY Growing up in Ontario, Freund would sew curtains and do simple projects with her mom, the late Deen Goldman. Freund says her mom was a "beautiful woman" who worked in an art gallery and loved fashion but had a knack for dressing well on a budget. "That's how it was imbedded in me that you can look great but not spend a lot of money," Freund says.

The two had a special relationship. Freund was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006, while juggling a move from Florida to Huntersville and raising two tiny daughters. Goldman, who lived in Florida, would come to Huntersville for weeks at a time to help out. Freund recovered. But in 2008, Goldman was diagnosed with melanoma. She died in January 2010. While working in her second-floor sewing room, Freund says she feels close to her mom, who she believes would be thrilled to see her daughter finding joy in this creative venture.

"This is my therapy," Freund says. "She was so positive. I can hear her saying, 'That looks lovely, Devon, keep going.'"

Š 2012 Distributed by MCT Information Services.

TAIBA CLINIC

bazaar bites All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. - John Gunther

TURKEY HAM AND POTATO SOUP INGREDIENTS • 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes • 1/3 cup diced celery • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion • 3/4 cup diced cooked ham • 3 1/4 cups water • 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste • 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste • 5 tablespoons butter • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 2 cups milk

SPINACH ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE INGREDIENTS • 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled • 4 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped • 1/4 cup butter • 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms • 3 green onions, finely chopped • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese • 1 cup sour cream • 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 3/4 cup real mayonnaise • 2 teaspoons garlic salt • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 cup French fried onion rings

FRUIT SALAD WITH LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING INGREDIENTS • 1/2 cup white sugar • 1/2 cup lemon juice • 2 teaspoons diced onion • 1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2/3 cup vegetable oil • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds • 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces • 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese • 1 cup cashews • 1/4 cup dried cranberries • 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced • 1 pear - peeled, cored and sliced 176

DIRECTIONS Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, turkey ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute.

Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roast garlic in oven until softened and fragrant, (~20 minutes).

Set roasted garlic cloves aside to cool. Place spinach in large mixing bowl, and stir in artichoke hearts. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, sautee mushrooms until softened, (~10 minutes). Mix in green onions, and sautee until onions are soft, (~5 more minutes). Transfer mushrooms, green onions, and butter into the bowl with spinach mixture. Soften cream cheese in the microwave until warm and very soft, (~1 1/2 minutes). Stir the softened cream cheese into the spinach mixture, and add the sour cream, water chestnuts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic salt, and lemon juice. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the garlic skins, and mix thoroughly into the spinach mixture. Spoon the casserole into a round 2-quart baking dish. Bake until the casserole is hot and bubbly, (~30 minutes). Spread French-fried onion rings over the top, return to oven, and bake until onion rings are lightly browned, (~5-10 minutes).

DIRECTIONS In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds, and process just a few seconds more to mix. In a large serving bowl, toss together the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, apple, and pear.

Pour dressing over salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

source: allrecipes.com

HYPOXI

bazaar games

TWITTER For amplifying the global dialogue

Across 01 Show that proved voting by text is so American Idol 06 Punk'd himself off Twitter following misinformed remarks 07 Its aftershocks produced 1,200 tweets per minute 08 Hashtag that inspired such tweets as "Where the Mild Things Are" and "The Audacity of Hope Floats" 13 "AA was written for normal people. People that don't have __________ and Adonis DNA." 14 Baldwin bro; had words over Words With Friends 17 99% of you should get this one: Abbr.

18 Hashtag that inspired the tweet "The, Departed: Following a dictionary error, the English language is forced to do without its most commonly used word."

21 Egypt's first day of the rest of its life 23 Fashion powerhouse that staged a "tweetwalk" 178

24 Was Osama bin Laden's least-favorite tweeter Down 02 Anger-management meme; tweets include "when you think just because you're taller than me I become your arm rest" and "asking questions when they can Google it" 03 First tweet: "Being a father is sometimes my hardest but always my most rewarding job. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there."

04 Jobs, creator 05 Filet-O-Fish, but fancy; yes, it actually exists 09 Nickname for Twitter's "fly" interface rolled out in December 10 Do-good Wendy's promotion; became the most lauded retweet of 2011 11 Oxymoronic meme; tweets include "I hate when

people tell me, 'You're too pretty for tattoos'" 12 This pro hoopster brought the thunder in a flag football pickupgame with his followers 14 The junk shot seen 'round the world--or at least on cable news and late-night talk shows during a slownews summer 15 Scrooge-tastic meme; tweets include "a check dated 12-23-2015" and "a homemade doll made out of old pantyhose" 16 Follow Fryyy-day 19 Twitter queen who wasn't born with 17 million+ followers 20 Football's most-talked-about Cowboys 22 Lil' Kim (hint: not the rapper) Copyright 2012, Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

STARBUCKS

bazaar scopes

ARIES

March 21 - April 19

TAU R U S

April 20 - May 20

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21

If you could just figure out a way to move the family into the office, or move the office into your home things would just be dandy. Truth is, most people don’t get that luxury and have to figure out how to balance the two, as you are discovering. But the job you’ll be doing this month will be top notch. The boss could hand you something of a surprise around the 15th. On top of all that, your love life is glowing with some tempting opportunities. Don’t let career and job worries spoil the chance for an unlikely romance to blossom, which is just what you may need to carry you over the rough spots for the next few months.

CANCER

What you’ve got looks one way. What you want doesn’t look like it used to. And what you’ve got is starting to look like a burden rather than an asset. The whole situation is sapping your creative side. This situation is going to be around a while so you should learn to work with it, as opposed to against it. Your committed other or partner will be handing you some joy this month and maybe even a big surprise around the 15th. That’ll make you grin!

June 22 - July 22

You may be asking yourself by month’s end, does the work ever end? I have to caution you here about going overboard and not taking time for yourself. Overwork could turn into a health issue for you, but with all the work you’re cranking out, the money should be good. And then there may be the partner in your life who brings you joy and spurs you on to greater heights. If you’re single, you could meet that very special someone this month...if you can slow down enough to take a look.

LEO

This month could be “High Noon” in the relationship department.

You’ve grown and your partner probably hasn’t. You want to move and your committed other is stonewalling you. Like a rock, isn’t always the best way to be. The 23rd may provide you with just the right words to either work it out or end it. Just know though, that if you choose to end the relationship, that person is going to be in your life for the next year, no matter what. Through all this turmoil, you could come to understand your foundations better. A huge insight could come your way on the 15th.

July 23 - Aug 22

You’ll be fighting “The Good Fight” this month with your checkbook.

Time to put a stopper in those financial leaks. Time to assess where all the money is going and why. You may have to take a strong and final stand on someone who is draining your resources. Consolidate and conserve. This could be the path you take for the next year.

You could find yourself spending less time at home this month and more time with your career. A balance is required as you have been focused on home for the last few months and you need to build up the career momentum again.

VIRGO

Nov 22 - Dec 21 Dec 22 - Jan 19 Jan 20 - Feb 18

Happiness surrounds you and you spread the joy everywhere you go and with everyone you meet. People may accuse you of Perma-Grin.

But who wouldn’t be happy with all the love and attention you’re getting this month. The Sun and Mercury are lighting up your love life and when they move out, Venus, the planet of love, moves in. The 15th could open your eyes to a love that has been standing there in front of you all this time. Funny how that one great love never looks like what you imagined.

Aug 23 - Sept 22

LIBRA

Sept 23 - Oct 22

S CO R P I O

Oct 23 - Nov 21

S A G I T TA R I U S C A P R I CO R N A Q UA R I U S PISCES

Feb 19 - March 20

what’s your sign?

Choose your words carefully this month. They will carry the weight of an elephant. Remember, the best conversationalist isn’t someone who can talk, but someone who can listen...or better yet, HEAR. Also remember that making yourself clear is one thing, being dictatorial is another. Soften what you say, but keep the point up front. Your home life is going to get a real boost now. There are only about a million little improvements you’ve been wanting to use those dusty power tools on, so get to it.

Financial demands are starting to grow and change. You’ll be tested this month on how to do more with a whole lot less. You can be very tight fisted when you have to be, the trick here is how to be that way and still have fun with it. It ain’t easy, but it is possible. Just make sure you get the money that is owed you on a timely basis to avoid any snafu’s with your planning. Your career sector could get a big happy boost around the 15th. Just what the purse was looking for. Or it maybe some plumb job you’ve been hoping for. Either way, it will be of great benefit.

Remember that makeover we’ve been talking to you about? Well, the people in your life, especially your committed other, are going to be your perfect mirrors this month. This can be good and it can also hurt a bit. The truth is never easy. But what you see this month will tell you what you need to change and you get to do this two more times over the next year just to see if you are headed in the right direction. A surprise letter or phone call could really brighten you around the 15th. Or it could be a chance to get out of town unexpectedly.

You are on a roll now. Life is very rosy and things could not be better if Santa Claus showed up in May instead of December.

There is a tendency to overindulge when times like this come around, good ole Jupiter the planet of expansion, so be mindful of that waist line, because what you put on now, is going to be the dickin’s to get rid of later. If you have any problems at all, they may surface in the workplace. There are many changes going on there, especially at the upper levels. It’s just best to roll with it and be ready to respond in a positive way when the revolution starts.

May is full of the pleasures of life this year. Your love life is getting some real boosts from Mars and you may be including people you never considered before. The 15th could prove something of a shock from your committed other, as they may unveil a side of themselves you have been unaware of. Saturn is continuing to help you build a better future, so pay attention to those hard knocks you’re getting.

That’s how the Universe teaches you.

The problem still exists with balancing your career and your home life. And it’s not going to get any easier until you face it and work it out. This can’t be a bandaid fix either, it’s going to require a lifestyle change if you want to keep what is valuable. Starting now, you’ll have the next year to work it out. Happy times abound throughout the month, though. It’s just that you may not feel quite up to par, as your endurance level is at a low during this time of the year. Have fun, just don’t go overboard. source: www.horoscopessign.com

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AUDI

OBC NBK MCLAREN