CityPagesKuwait May 2014

MAGAZINE

Issue 53, May 2014

INTRODUCING

MOUDI

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LIFESTYLE / PEOPLE / EVENTS / FASHION

Coming Soon

At the Gate Mall - Kuwait

ISSUE 53, VOLUME 4, MAY 2014 ART 68 ARTronauts Create Art Live!

BEAUTY 86 Flowers Used in Perfume Making 88 The Summer Bride 90 Mother Nature’s Herbs

ENTERTAINMENT 102 May Movie Releases 103 Top Music Charts

INTERVIEW 36 Abdulkader Al-Mursal 44 Dr. Akhil Kumar 54 Nora AlHathran 62 Moudi AlMahmoud 70 Arielle Ford 78 Marino Maganto 93 Danah Alfares 98 Basil AlHadi 120 Mustafa Mansour

KIDS 162 Kids Pages

FASHION 130 ZOUCH Fashion 132 Wear Denim and Walk the Fashion 134 Crazy for Kaftans 136 Ted Baker SS14 GET IN ON THE ACT 137 Pronovias Is 50 Years Old

FEATURE 16 Kick - A word with many meanings 18 Trending Human Personalities (THP) - Is There a Cure?

20 ‫احلرية املصرفية‬ 22 Highlighting Arab-Americans and Arabs 24 The cup in question 26 Pick Your Battles 28 Black Gold- A Closer Look into the Worlds Addiction to Oil 70 History of Perfumes 98 My Best Oscar 2014 Moments 100 Hollywood's History of Faking It

FITNESS 48 It’s PFD not PDF!!!

50 2nd IHRSA Gulf Conference

HEALTH 30 What do you know about your thyroid gland?

32 Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) 34 Gynaecologist or General Practitioner - When and Why 40 Creating a Birth Plan That’s Right for You 42 Glaucoma

LITERATURE 104 Short Stories by Nadia AlHassan 108 Poetry by Nada Faris 110 May 2014 Book Releases 112 The Nightmare Before Christmas

NUTRITION 52 Nutrition to Relieve Your Seasonal Allergies 58 Salad in a Jar

REGULARS 60 One-On-One with Kinda AlFaris 74 Tea with T 76 City Guide 96 Know About Your Birthstone 111 CP Book Club by Nada Soliman 113 Moonstruck by Faith Al-Fahad 138 Events 150 Press 160 Say Cheez with CityPages 164 Horoscopes 166 Homework for GrownUps

PHOTOSHOOT 124 Blissfull Ramadan by Bliss Boutique & Samarish

TECHNOLOGY 114 Cool New Gadgets 118 ‫أفضل تصنيف لتطبيقات االجهزة الذكية‬

CCE

CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION at the AMERICAN UNIVERSITY of KUWAIT Presents

CUSTOMlZED CORPORATE COURSES The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at the American University of Kuwait has the resources and flexibility to design customized programs that meet specific corporate requirements.

We work with university professors and certified professional experts to offer internationally recognized curricula, flexible schedules, convenient locations, and academic learning environments, which help you build a professional network and reach your corporate training goals.

Contact us for a consultation to build the perfect program for your corporation.

To register or for more information, please contact: Phone: (+965) 1802040 / (+965) 2224-8399 | Ext: 3197, 3198 Email: cce@auk.edu.kw | www.auk.edu.kw/cce CCE AUK

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Dear Readers…

Dhari Al-Muhareb Editor-in-Chief

Jameel Arif

General Manager & Editor

Abeer Al-Abduljalil Managing Editor

Kinda Al-Faris

Executive Editor

Muhammed Altaf Sr. Sales Manager

Claudia Farias

Content Supervisor

Tanya Burns

Creative Director Graphic Designers Mohammed Syed Khaled Al-Enezi Contributing Team Abdullah Y. Shams AlDeen Mohammad Al-Sharrah Abdulaziz Al-Khamis Nadia Al-Hassan Abdalla AlMuzaini Nada Soliman Adnan Najeeb Al-Abbar Nada Faris Ahmed Al-Ragum Nour Al-Zaabi Ali - DJ RAVEN Oussama T. Hussein ARTRONAUTS ASAMA Perfumes Reshmi Revi BirthKuwait Sanaa Abdul Hamid Dr. Nazia Nausheen Sandra Bakhamian Eng. Homoud AlMuhareb Sherihan A. Hassabo Faisal Al-Dhofari Talah Alabdulaaly Khaled Al-Zawawi Layla Harmony Zahra Ashkanani Maha Al-Rashed Zahra Taqi Photography Team Abdulaziz AlSoraya Shahbaz Hussain Abdulaziz AlShayaji Abdullah Hamadah Ahmad Emad Othman AlMishaan Natalia Sitcai

I’d like to wish everyone a Happy May! And a Happy Mother’s Day to my #extraordinary mom — and everyone else’s, too!

It's that time of the year again, when colleges and schools close down and most of you'll start planning for your early holiday trip – don’t forget to pick up a copy of your favorite lifestyle magazine – CityPages – for an interesting read, as we have some great interviews with some amazing and talented people this month.

My interviews this month have been quite good learning experiences, as I had the honor of meeting Marino Maganto - the newly appointed CEO of AlHomaizi group, Basi AlHadi - who is all set to introduce Arabic Reggae as a new genre of music, Nora AlHathran - a creative fashion designer, Mustafa Mansour - the Group Marketing and Communications Manager at D&H International, and last but not the least Abdulkader AlMursal - a seasoned marketer.

We have over the years, always adhered to the simple but effective ideology that we need to dish out fresh and newer content and talent with every edition. Keeping that in mind, we have also increased the number of pages.

So, for our cover this month, we bring you an exclusive interview with Moudi AlMahmoud, who is working as Client Relations Manager at TwentyTwo11 - a Kuwait based new public relations and brand marketing company.

Innovation and creativity has always been the hallmark of our magazine. Hence, we are pleased to inform you that we are now totally active on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/citypagesmag)and you can now read and share your favorite articles with your family and friends.

We're always on the lookout for the unusual or original, so if you are interested in writing something for CityPages Magazine, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

With the bond between us now stronger than ever, we wish you have a great time reading all the articles and features we have put together for you.

As it is with every issue, it is our goal to inspire and uplift you. Don't be afraid to pursue your dreams, and never be reluctant to believe that you are worthy.

Till then, stay healthy and stay happy.

Jameel Arif General Manager & Editor

jameelrf@citypageskuwait.com

Corporate Copies and Subscriptions Distributed through:

On the Cover: Moudi AlMahmoud Extra care has been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this magazine. However, the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors and omissions in the publication. In addition, the views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Photos have been altered to comply with the Laws of Kuwait.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication including pictures, articles, artworks, and overall design may be reproduced, copied, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated in any language in any form or means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the editor or the publisher.

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Photographer: @cherrysphotography by: Shereen

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TIS S OT LA DY D IA MO N DS P OWE RMAT IC 8 0 . AUTOM AT I C M OV E M E N T A N D TO P W E S S E LTO N D I A M O N D S O N A M OT H E R - O F- P E A R L D I A L . U P TO 8 0 H O U R S O F P OW E R R ESERV E . IN N OVATO RS BY T RAD IT IO N .

TISSOT. C H New Street: 22453927 :‫ • ال�شارع اجلديد‬Al-Bustan: 25713901 :‫الب�شتان‬ Salmiya Souq: 25718224 :‫ • �شوق ال�شاملية‬Marina Mall: 22244839, 22244882 :‫مارينا مول‬ Behbehani Complex: 22406795, 22453863 :‫ • جممع بهبهاين‬Souq Sharq: 22433770, 22433500 :‫�شوق �رشق‬ Al-Kout/Fahaheel: 23930338, 23930339 :‫ الفحيحيل‬/‫ • جممع الكوت‬Laila Gallery: 25719780/1 :‫ليـلى جاليــري‬ Avenues: 22597727, 22597728 :‫ • اأڤنيوز‬TIK TOK(SoKu, The Avenues): 22200726 :(‫ الأڤنيوز‬،‫تيك توك (�شوكو‬

Reach Us Your Way! @citypageskuwait

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Hello Our Beautiful Readers!

Dear CityPages Readers,

I hope summer’s advent will be an excitement for you as you will be planning your trips to different destinations.. It is a time to hangout and discover new destinations according to your choices. The

www.citypageskuwait.com

beautiful oceans with blue water are ready for its guests. Let’s plan out for the vacations and make them memorable this time and do all the

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enjoyments which were left unfulfilled last summer.

May issue of CityPages has kept its tradition of

66973003

highlighting the diversified talent. Every month we are coming with new faces & new talents as we believe in the power of our community as long as we

CityPages

can support we will always do it with full happiness.

To know about new talent and learn their new ideas is always inspiring and interesting experience. There

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are lots of surprises inside the issue which will give you new learnings and inspirations. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as we did preparing

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them.

TO INVITE CITYPAGES TEAM TO YOUR EVENTS E-mail: events@citypageskuwait.com

I had the chance to sit down with a true environmentalist Nicolas Hulot who has completely dedicated his life to the remedying of our ailing climate and pollution problem which is gripping some of the highly industrialized countries; and hurting what’s left of our beautiful ecosystem. Read more about that in my column this month.

Also in this month’s issue is an interview with Arielle Ford the self help author and coach who has appeared on Oprah and collaborated with Deepak Chopra. She was in Kuwait recently to conduct a seminar about attracting ones soul mate. I for one found the seminar very potent and raw, and witnessed first-hand what a difference one day led by her could make. If you weren’t able to attend, Arielle’s books can be purchased online.

all activities related! Do share with us!

Stay Tuned for June issue with more surprises!

Goodbye until the next issue.

Abeer M. Alabduljalil

Kinda Al Faris

Managing Editor

Executive Editor

love to know more about your summer routine &

FOR PRESS COVERAGE & PRESS RELEASES E-mail: pr@citypageskuwait.com

Our issue this month is packed with interviews, and informative content provided by old and new contributors. We are very pleased to welcome some newcomers to our growing and evolving extended family.

Make sure you pick up your issue of CityPages this month from one of our 200 distribution points, we can be found everywhere. We’d love to hear from you too, tell us what you’d like to see and read more of, so drop us a line at info@citypageskuwait.com.

Summer is here with all fun days & activities, we

FOR ADVERTISING E-mail: advertise@citypageskuwait.com

Welcome to the May issue, we are glad summers here and can’t wait to begin planning our holidays, which are literally around the corner. Booking tickets and finding a decent hotel are time consuming and confusing, so although it may be easier to it oneself, I would rather let the travel agent handle it! How do you plan your travels?

CityPages accepts unsolicited ar ticles (1000 words or less) in English or Arabic. Submissions may be sent to:

submissions@citypageskuwait.com

in .rtf, .pdf, .doc, and .docx format. CityPages will notify the author upon acceptance but will not entertain inquiries.

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May, 2014

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NAIL CONCEPT

SALON CONCEPT

SPA CONCEPT

SLIMMING CONCEPT

facebook/spaandmore

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Jabriya - Tel:. +965 25353248 - Fax: +965 25353249 14

‫شركــة سبــــا آنــد مــــــور‬ citypageskuwait.com

Email: spa@spa-more.com www.spaandmore.net

HAIR SPA

HAIR CARE

COLOR CARE

‫صبغة البروتين‬

PROTEIN HAIR COLOR

SKIN CARE

Opening Soon at Symphony Mall, Salmiya

NAIL CARE

‫متخصصون في تجهيز الصالونات‬ ‫ومراكز التجميل والمعاهد الصحية‬ May, 2014

15

A word with many meanings

I recently heard a program on radio which made me thought that yes, "KICK" is actually an interesting word which has many different meanings based on when and how it is used.

From birth to death, the word “kick” has been given an important part in expressing human experience. The proud and happy mother feels the first signs of life “kicking” inside her womb. And that same life -- many years later -- comes to its end in a widelyused expression, to “kick the bucket,” meaning to die.

The expression to “kick the bucket” is almost 200 years old. One belief is that it started when an English stableman committed suicide by hanging himself while standing on a pail, or bucket. He put a rope around his neck and tied it to a beam in the ceiling, and then kicked the bucket away from under him.

After a while, to die in any way was called “kicking the bucket.”

Another old expression that comes from England is to “kick over the traces,” meaning to resist the commands of one’s parents, or to oppose or reject authority.

“Traces” were the chains that held a horse or mule to a wagon or plow. Sometimes, an animal rebelled and “kicked over the traces.”

The word “kick” sometimes is used to describe a complaint or some kind of dissatisfaction. Workers, for example, “kick” about long hours and low pay.

There are times when workers are forced to “kick back” some of their wages to their employers as part of their job.

This “kickback” is illegal. So is another kind of kickback: a secret payment made by a supplier to an official who buys supplies for a government or company.

“Kick around” is a phrase that is heard often in American English. A person who is kicked around is someone who is treated badly. Usually, he is not really being kicked by somebody’s foot -- he is just not being treated with the respect that all of us want.

A person who has “kicked around” for most of his life is someone who has spent his life moving from place to place. In this case, “kicking around” means moving often from one place to another.

“Kick around” has a third meaning when you use it with the word idea. When you “kick around an idea,” you are giving that idea some thought.

There is no physical action when you “kick a person upstairs,” although the pain can be as strong. You kick a person upstairs by removing him from an important job and giving him a job that sounds more important, but really is not.

Still another meaning of the word “kick” is to free oneself of a bad habit, such as smoking cigarettes. Health campaigns urge smokers to “kick the habit.”

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Salhiya Complex, Mezzanine 1, Gate 3, Shop 36, Tel: 22 99 64 35 info@mosaic-enterprises.com Instagram: @mosaickuwait www.shopmosaickuwait.com

May, 2014

17

Trending Human Personalities (THP) Is There a Cure?

Inspired by Mr. Men and Little Miss Characters

In a world where a trend became more like a virus

MR.STRONG

The Hulk of his world; Mr. Strong makes every other “Mr” feels uncomfortable around him. He is like the super hero that every man dreams to be. Mr. Strong comes in two different editions though; the original edition: full of himself even though he is not that “genuinely” strong, and the “very” limited edition: down to earth and modest in spite of his strength.

LITTLE MISS PRINCESS

She is the little miss that always had servants to “take care of her every need” and who loves to tell this story over and over again; just to remind everyone that she has to be treated differently. Some call her spoilt; others perceive her as, well a “true royalty”.

The way her whole attitude is interpreted really depends on the receiver.

MR. NOBODY

Mr. Nobody is one who never had a plan; ever in his life. He pretends he runs on a “Carpe Diem” philosophy and that he doesn’t have a problem with just living day by day. In fact, what Mr. Nobody doesn’t really have is a “goal”, he sees everyone fighting to reach their dreams and thus decides to take the easy way out and don’t have any. Of course, Mr. Nobody doesn’t know his real name; he confuses himself with a combination of Mr. Cool and Mr. Risk-Taker.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Happy Happy Happy! Endlessly cheerful and bright, Little Miss Sunshine drives her friends, neighbors, and co-workers crazy.

They wonder if she has ever been sad or if there is anything on this earth capable of wiping this smile off her face. Although it is fun to be around a happy person, being happy “all the time” makes her secretly hated.

Is it jealousy? Maybe, but it is still annoying.

Sherihan A. Hassabo Sherihan A. Hassabo is a passionate writer who started expressing her opinion about controversial subjects when she was 14. When she is not directing events, she likes to investigate the interesting relationships' controversy in our Eastern society. Every month, and from real life experience; Sherihan will share a story, an idea, opinion, or a simple advice for men and women to live happily ever after.

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MR. RUDE

Mr. Rude is that man who thinks being harsh and rude makes him respected. Inside his own house, at work, or out in the street, he is simply rude to anybody that crosses his path. Rudeness being his trusted book of life, Mr. Rude lives and dies without ever learning that he might have grown fear in everybody’s heart, but people knew he is just a un-happy person; and nobody has ever respected him.

LITTLE MISS GREEDY

She is the Little Miss who always want more, the Miss that can make diamond mistaken for rocks merely because nothing is ever good enough for her. She is on a mission to retrieve a non-existing magic wand to own the entire universe.

During this mission, she also unintentionally destructs anyone’s will to make her happy or satisfied.

What’s the use anyway?

May, 2014

19

‫الحرية المصرفية‬

‫في‬

‫" ما حك جلدك إال ظفرك فتولى أنت جميع أمرك"‬ ‫اإلمام الشافعي‬

‫جميع أمور حياتك تكون‬ ‫أنت المسؤول عن حياتك‬ ‫وقراراتك‪ ،‬ما تعيشه اليوم‬ ‫هو ماتخذته من قرارات‬ ‫باألمس‪ .‬في األمور المالية‬

‫كذلك أنت المسؤول عن وضعك المالي الحالي وأنت الذي‬

‫تعرف كيف ستكمل طريقك‪.‬‬ ‫المال هو الشغل الشاغل لكثير من األشخاص ويعد األكثر‬ ‫أهمية في حياة الناس‪ ،‬فبالمال تتوفر الحياة الكريمة‬ ‫ويشعر الشخص باالستقرار واألمان‪ ،‬ولكن هل أنت فع ً‬ ‫ال‬ ‫تعلم ما تعمل؟‬ ‫قبل الدخول في مواضيع االستثمارات المالية والتوفير‬ ‫وأهمية المال وغيره‪ ،‬لنعود لنقطة البداية وهي األهم‪،‬‬ ‫في العمق‪ ،‬في داخلك‪ ،‬كيف تتعامل مع المال؟ ما هي‬ ‫اعتقاداتك اتجاهه؟‬ ‫في البداية جرب هذا التمرين لتعرف بالعمق وفي عقلك‬ ‫الباطن ما هي اعتقاداتك اتجاه المال‪:‬‬ ‫اكتب بورقة ( المال هو ‪)....‬‬ ‫كلمة واحدة تعبر عنه‪ ،‬ال تحاول التفكير أبدًا ‪ ,‬في حال‬ ‫وجود كلمه سلبية اكتب مقابلها كلمة ايجابية كإشارة‬ ‫للعقل بأنك تقوم بترسيخ معتقد إيجابي جديد‪.‬‬ ‫او يمكنك كتابة في اعلى الصفحة ( المال) وتكتب‬ ‫تحت كل الكلمات التي تخرج من عقلك ‪ ،‬هذا التمرين‬ ‫يساعدك لتنظيف معتقداتك تجاه المال‪ ،‬كذلك يمكنك‬

‫أن تستخدم كلمة ( االغنياء) او ( األثرياء) او ( الثراء)‪.‬‬ ‫يمكنك استخدام التمرين كما تشاء حتى تحصل على‬ ‫معتقدات إيجابية وبدون معيقات‪ .‬تخلص كذلك من‬ ‫األمثلة والحكم المسيئة للمال‪/‬‬ ‫( لو جريت جري الوحوش غير رزقك ما تحوش)‬ ‫( الفلوس وصخ دنيا)‬ ‫هذه حكم وأمثلة تخالف كالم اهلل تعالى ( المال والبنون‬ ‫زينة الحياة الدنيا) ولم تُحرم أبدًا‪ ،‬بل العكس‪ ،‬فالصحابي‬ ‫عبدالرحمن بن عوف كان من أغنى الصحابة وكان هدفه‬ ‫تمريل ودعم الجيوش اإلسالمية لنشر الدين اإلسالمي‬ ‫ونصرته وتحقق هدفه‪ .‬لذلك ضع نية وهدف واضح هلل‬ ‫تعالى ليعينك على ما تنويه‪.‬‬ ‫بعد ذلك قم بفتح محفظتك ماذا ترى فيها؟ عقلك‬ ‫الالواعي يخزن الصور ويعشق لغة اإليحاء‪ .‬عن تجربة‬ ‫شخصية قمت بالتخلص من كل بطاقات المستشفيات‬ ‫والمواعيد من المحفظة‪ ،‬فقط االثباتات الرسمية وبطاقات‬ ‫البنك تكون في المحفظة والمال بعمولة دولتي ال لدولة‬ ‫أخرى انتبه‪ ،‬تخلص من أي أوراق وفواتير توضح أنك سحبت‬ ‫أو صرفت مبلغ معين‪ ،‬ال بأس بوجود أوراق ايداعات‪.‬‬ ‫وجود بطاقات المطاعم‪ ،‬المواعيد الطبية‪ ،‬صور شخصية‬ ‫ألحياء أو أموات‪ ،‬الفيزا‪ ،‬هذه تعيق استيعاب عقلك لوفرة‬ ‫المال‪ .‬تخلص كذلك من الرسائل النصية التي تصلك‬ ‫لهاتفك وتشير لنقص مبلغ لديك انتبه لما يقرأه عقلك‪.‬‬ ‫اآلن ابدأ باستخدام كلمات وتوكيدات إيجابية عن المال‪،‬‬ ‫متوفرة بكثرة في كل مكان‪ ،‬ابدأ بالتحرك لنحقيق هدف‬ ‫مالي ‪ ،‬مشروع صغير‪ ،‬أيًا كان المهم الحركة ( في الحركة‬

‫بركة) ‪ ،‬وعليك أن تؤمن بأن اهلل تعالى يرزق الطير والنمل‬ ‫والنحل فليس بعاجز أن يرزقك ( وما من دابة في األرض إال‬ ‫على اهلل رزقها) ان كان هذا معتقدك وإيمان فأنت بخير‪.‬‬ ‫قم بقراءة الكتب المتعلقة باألمور المالية‪ ،‬احضر الدورات‬ ‫التدريبية‪ ،‬تابع من يتحدث عن أمور االستثمار‪ ،‬ان كنت‬ ‫تحب شخصية ثرية تابع أخبارها‪ ،‬اقرأ قصة حياتها‪،‬‬ ‫ستشعر بالراحة والثقة وتترك لنفسك بصمة خاصة‪.‬‬ ‫اآلن احسب ايراداتك المالية وعليك تقسيمها كالتالي‪:‬‬ ‫‪ ٪١٠‬للتوفير‬ ‫‪ ٪٢٠‬للديون والتقسيط‬ ‫‪ ٪٧٠‬مصاريف‬ ‫هذه النسب العامة والمتعارف عليها ويمكن تغييرها‬ ‫حسب وضع الشخص المادي‪ .‬التوفير يجب أن يكون‬ ‫له هدف واضح لتستطيع الوصول له وتحقيقه وهو‬ ‫االستثمار‪.‬‬ ‫‪Nour AlZaabi‬‬

‫‪Nour holds a Master in Business Administration‬‬ ‫‪and a Bachelor in Marketing and is a Member at‬‬ ‫‪The Kuwait Economic Society and British Council‬‬ ‫‪Entrepreneur Network in Kuwait. Stay tuned for‬‬ ‫‪her articles and features in the CityPages magazine.‬‬

‫‪citypageskuwait.com‬‬

‫‪20‬‬

Highlighting Arab-Americans and Arabs

I

t was a bright and sunny September morning in Washington, DC. Around 8:30am, as per my usual morning routine as a communications specialist at the largest Arab-American civil rights and cultural organization, I grabbed the New York Times and the Washington Post and headed into conference room to read the papers and watch the morning news with a colleague.

At 8:50am, the news program we were watching was interrupted for breaking news update about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Barely able to absorb what was happening and even before the second plane hit, the phone next to me rang. I answered the phone “Good Morning, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,” to which the caller said, “I know you did this and we are going to get you for it.” I replied, “What is it that I did and who is going to get me for it?” The caller’s voice was threatening, “Your people did this and you better watch out or you’ll be dead too.” I looked over at my colleague and we saw live coverage of second plane hitting the World Trade Center at 9:03am. I knew what the caller was talking about, even though at that point no one knew who was responsible for those horrific attacks.

Not long after that first call, the Police Chief of Washington, DC, called the office to tell us he was dispatching police protection to our office. They would be stationed both inside and outside the perimeter, because he knew we were going to need it. He was correct, there were numerous hate crimes (including some resulting in death) committed across the US against the community and people who were perceived to be members of the Arab and Muslim community. The Sikh community suffered some of the worst violence. Although Sikhs are neither Arab nor Muslim, those committing the hate crimes believed them to be.

In the days and months following the attacks of September 11, 2001, I spent each and every day talking about Arab Americans, civil rights, Arabs, and Islam. Our press operations were in high gear and we literally couldn’t keep up with all the phone calls and inquiries. We were doing interviews around the clock for national and international news outlets. I never thought I’d be in front of the camera or on the radio giving interviews.

But there I was, and I didn’t have time to think much about it. There was just so much work that needed to be done.

Laila Al-Qatami Laila holds a BS in Journalism from University of Colorado at Boulder and a MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. She was a former spokesperson for the Arab-American community through the largest grassroots Arab-American organization based in Washington, DC. Laila is a Specialist in the image of Arabs and Muslims in US media, films, and popular culture.

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I found myself meeting with government officials, talking with journalists, students, and international delegations; speaking at press conferences; and giving lectures.

I was always on the job. I learned so much during that time and I’m very thankful my work enabled me to meet all types of people and do many interesting things. A series of circumstances, decisions, and events that led me to that job, and it was the perfect fit for my Kuwait-American mixed heritage and educational background. I found myself acting as a bridge between those worlds, at a time when that was crucial.

When I graduated from the American School of Kuwait, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life beyond the fact that I was going to go to college. I didn’t even think about what I was going to study, I just knew that I would attend the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) where my Kuwaiti father had met my American mother, and where both of my brothers and maternal cousin were studying.

Frankly, I didn’t really even have a good idea of what college life was like. My father had told me I qualified for a scholarship from the Kuwaiti government, so I had to pick a major that would be accepted. I looked at the list of majors and decided Journalism would be a good pick. CU Boulder had an excellent multi-disciplinary journalism program, so that was how I picked my major never anticipating just how important that training would later be to me.

After graduation I moved back to Kuwait, but found myself restless and wanting to act on my life-long dream to live in Washington, DC. I’d always been intrigued by the city as the center of world politics. After negotiating with my father, he agreed that I should live in Washington, DC for “a little while” if that’ what I really wanted. Off I went and that “little while” ended up being 15 years!

While I was there I attended Georgetown University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Arab Studies, with a concentration in Politics. As I was preparing to graduate, I started to think about the type of job I’d like.

I wanted to work in a place where I felt like my work would be of benefit and have value.

I saw a listing on a Georgetown University list-serve for a communications position with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). I applied, they called me in for an interview, and then offered me a position. The rest, as they say, is history.

After almost a decade working at ADC, I decided it was time to move on. Now I’m back living in Kuwait, and I thought it would be interesting to write a series of columns for the CityPages on achievement of Arabs and Arab Americans. In particular, I’d like to focus on Arab American and Arab contributions to cinema, the arts, media, and the like. In my next articles, I hope to share an in-depth conversation with an awardwinning, internationally recognized Kuwaiti

Left to right: Laila Al-Qatami; Malek Akkad, ArabAmerican Director (son of famed director Mustapha Akkad); Hany Abu Assad, Palestinian Director; Omar Sharif, World Renown Actor ; Helen Thomas, ArabAmerican Journalist; and Hon. Mary Rose Oakar, former US Congresswoman (D-OH)

Left to right: Shireen Ghareeb, Director of Arabian Sights Film Festival in Washington, DC; Rabia ben Abdallah, Tunisian Actress ; Salma Baccar, Tunisian Film Director; and Laila Al-Qatami

Laila Al-Qatami giving a speech at an ADC Convention

Left - right: Laila Al-Qatami moderating a panel discussion entitled, "Making it in Entertainment" with comedians: Dean Obeidallah, Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader, and Ahmed Ahmed

film maker; provide insight about what goes into creating, writing, directing, producing, and filming a television series here in Kuwait; and offer thoughts from some of the leading Kuwait actors. I hope you will enjoy this series of articles and I welcome your feedback.

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The cup in question However you take your coffee, that favorite beverage is telling your personality! Well, at least according to the book You Are What You Eat: Change Your Food Attitude, Change Your Life by psychologist Durvasula. The book details a survey that studied 1,000 coffee drinkers, connecting coffee choices to specific personality traits. Survey participants were given common daily occurrences such as waiting in line, planning a dinner party or making coffee. Here is a tall version of the venti story... with a little fun stirred in for good measure!

What's your coffee personality?

ESPRESSO You're friendly and adaptive. You actually like the taste of coffee, a rare, but admirable trait.

DOUBLE ESPRESSO You're practical and hard-working. You like knowing that one shot just doesn't do it for you anymore.

TRIPPLE ESPRESSO You're enthusiastic, but obsessive. You've been awake since the late 90's.

MOCHA You're fun-loving and creative. You hate the taste of coffee, but you need the pick-me-up, so you improvise.

LATTE You're reflective, but often indecisive. In a world of unknowns, you like the safe pick.

CAPPUCCINO You're warm-hearted, but oblivious at times. Your friends have to remind you to wipe foam off your lip.

MACCHIATO You're traditional and reserved. but for the most part, you hate foam moustaches.

AMERICANO You're calm and conscientious. You enjoy the simple things in life, like picnics in the park, birds chirping, and watery coffee.

ICED COFFEE You're assertive and outspoken. You don't let seasons dictate how you live your life. Also, you like straws.

FRAPPUCCINO You're happy and energetic. You claim to love coffee, but really, you just love ice cream.

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Pick Your Battles

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f you are a parent, you have surely been through your fair share of battles with your child or children. We all go through these seemingly horrible power struggles between us and our kids, and if you are lucky not to have gone through one yourself –yet!- you have surely witnessed a parent who has!

A power struggle almost always starts over something ridiculous like your child wanting to wear a bathing suit to school in the middle of winter, or your little diva wants to don on her boots in the middle of summer. You have already tried to reason with her and get her to change her mind but what is done is done and your little girl is adamant when it comes to her fashion sense. Power struggles do not always happen over clothes, sometimes its over food, bed time or going out. The choices are always different from one child to another and from one situation to another.

The constant factor however is that tug of war, that power struggle between parent and child.

What is a power struggle?

At its basic form, a power struggle is usually a clash over power with both the parent and the child pulling at opposite directions. The child wants to gain more control over the situation and the parent is tugging on the other end to retain control over the child and choices he makes. Almost always when a parent and a child are in this situation, you will find that emotions run high, with the parent feeling that he should get the final say, after all he is the parent! The child on the other hand is screaming and wailing; and frankly not interested in the parent’s opinion. Unfortunately, if these situations become frequent, occurring again and again without being resolved, they can come to characterize the relationship between parent and child and could undermine the relationship.

So you have tried everything already; bribing, begging, insisting, threatening, ignoring but you still do not seem to get anywhere, now what do you do? Have you already labeled yourself a bad parent or your child a difficult child? Well let me assure you, your child is Zahra Taqi Zahra is a Certified Professional Coach and the President of Milestones Coaching.

She would love to hear back from you.

So please feel free to drop her a line on her email: zahrataqi@gmail.com or find her on FB: http://www.facebook. com/MilestonesCoaching or twitter: @ MilestonesCoach

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not difficult nor are you a bad parent. Power struggles are just one of the many difficult situations, we as parents have to deal with when it comes to parenting our children.

To make these situations easier for you and your child I have come up with a list of tips to help you out!

The Makeover of the Power Struggle: 1.You are not responsible for your child’s choices. Sometimes we take the choices our kids make personally, or worry about what people will think about the choices our kids have made. The best decision you will make as a parent is to realize that you are not responsible for your child’s choices. I know this is not an easy to decision to make but once you switch to the other side, you will see how freeing and empowering it is! Your success as a parent depends on how YOU behave, not how your child behaves.

2.Be firm and stick to your decisions.

Have your set of rules that you would never concede on, especially when it comes to your child’s safety, for example sitting in a car seat or wearing shoes when going out.

Once you have set those rules, don't back down ever! There are other rules that you can negotiate with your child over, however there are a few set of rules that you make very clear to your child that you expect them to follow and you are not changing your mind about them.

3.Be reasonable in your expectations. Make sure that what you are asking your child to do is age appropriate and within his means. For example, asking your preschooler to clean up his room is definitely not going to end

well as your child might feel overwhelmed over the thought of having to clear up all that mess on his own. The other way to ask him is “lets clean up your room together”.

4.Be clear on the consequence. If you have asked your child to carry a specific task and she has not done so, then calmly and clearly state out the consequences. Make sure that you are not yelling or screaming the consequence but very calmly stating them.

Also make sure that the consequence fits the situation, in other words it doesn't have to be too severe as you might not follow through with it.

5.Follow through. So you have stated the consequence and your child is still refusing to do as he is told; now you need to follow through and carry out the consequence.

Again, this needs to be done calmly as yelling and screaming will get you no where at this point. Your child needs to know that you meant what you said. Period.

6.Catch your children being good. When your child is actually listening, make sure he knows you appreciate his behavior. We often times give our kids lots of attention over their misbehavior; however do not acknowledge them on a job well done. Switch that cycle and make sure your child knows that you appreciate her efforts, that she is a joy to be around and that you value her company and the time you spend with her.

Remember, we all want to feel powerful at times and the same goes to our children.

The more opportunities we can create to give our kids appropriate power, the less power struggles we will have with them. Also the advice I give to parents over and over again, is learn to pick your battles. There are some battles that are worth getting into, and then there are those when you are better off giving your child the reins. If you remember these points, and consistently keep them in mind, the struggles can be effectively handled and many times avoided altogether.

“Call them rules or call them limits, good ones, I believe, have this in common: They serve reasonable purposes; they are practical and within a child’s capability; they are consistent; and they are an expression of loving concern” ~ Fred Rogers

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Black Gold A Closer Look into the Worlds Addiction to Oil The immense quantity of the world’s oil was formed at just two very brief moments of extreme global warming 90 – 100 million years ago. This was created once and momentarily over an extensive period geological time.

Unfortunately, mankind’s arrogant infinite attitude towards this finite natural resource is managing to drain it from the earth in just merely one or two centuries. Whether you realize it or not, oil is the bloodstream of the world’s economy. Almost everything we have today in our modern global civilization is a result of oil. We depend on it, fight for it, live and consequently are alive because of it.

A famous war theorist by the name of Carl von Clausewitz once said, “War is a continuation of politics by other means.” The late Michael C. Ruppert, an American investigative journalist and peak oil activist added, “Politics is a continuation of economics by other means.” Furthermore, I believe that economics can be a continuation of energy by other means.

War is a result of Politics is a result of Economics is a result of Energy Logically, every finite natural resource goes through a couple of critical stages. These stages in chronological order are discovery, extraction, production, peak and decline. Initially, when fossil fuels are discovered in a given area whether it is oil, natural gas or coal, a certain prediction is made on the amount available. Therefore, we can clearly alculate the amount there actually is versus the amount of global consumption and we can precisely predict when that certain non-renewable energy will exponentially grow, peak, and eventually decline and this can be applied to oil and naturally every other fossil fuel. After all, Newtonian physics clearly states that what goes up must eventually come down.

Discovery vs. Production/ Consumption To those who argue that we can always find more oil in new places, the answer to that is basically yes and no. There is always a possibility to find more oil, but then again how much will be found?

During the past 120 years the world has been thoroughly explored and there are no major oil finds left. As a matter of fact, there has been no major oil finds since the 1948 discovery of Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar megaoil field, which is by far the largest oil field in the world.

As of 2014, the planet consumes close to 90 million barrels per day. Since there is extreme unreliability on actual reserve estimates, it’s difficult to pin point exactly when oil would 28

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be depleted. However, there seems to be a general consensus on the closest statistics that at current consumption rates oil will last until about 2050. Naturally, countries often overstate their oil supply in order to produce more oil under OPEC quotas, so the predicted date of oil depletion might come sooner.

Saudi Arabia has 25% of the known oil reserves on the planet. Knowing that, Saudi Arabia has been rushing and investing towards offshore drilling, which is enormously much more expensive than to drill on land. So why does a country with a quarter of the worlds known oil reserves do such a thing?

modern way of life regardless of the power of human ingenuity.

2,000 years ago, the world population was around 300 million people. During the first 1800 years of the Present Era, much like the thousands of years before, the population rose very gradually as humanity spread across the globe. However, around 1800 this began to curiously change after a slight dip due to epidemic and disease (Bubonic Plague), and by 1900 the human population was rising dramatically:

Simple, there is no more oil to find. To broaden the spectrum of the argument, it goes without saying that if Saudi Arabia has past it’s peak and is in the earliest stages of decline then evidently the whole planet has peaked simply because of the size of the reserves that they possess. We have scavenged the earth for it’s black blood for over 120 years. Up until 1962, the rate at which we found new oil reservoirs was an upward curve.

However, 1962 was the peak of oil discovery.

Since that year, the discovery of new oil deposits has been in a steady decline. Even though oil discovery peaked almost 50 years ago, consumption is continuing to grow.

You have to understand that the issue is not that the world will run out of oil. The implications of an oil shortage based on demand are just as catastrophic. The time where oil demand will exceed the available supply is not too far out. As a matter of fact it might be just around the corner. As soon as the rising curve of oil consumption intersects with the declining curve of production, then you have a very life-altering problem.

World Population: The Rise and Fall At the core of a global oil shortage, is the concern of human overpopulation. Now, to grasp the implications of a rapidly exploding population you must look carefully at the strings that are interconnected, in other words what causes what. Common sense tells us that while growth is positive, sustaining that growth is the main challenge.

As of 2014, we are 7.1 billion people on the planet with current projections expected to reach between 8.3 and 10.9 billion by the year 2050 according to the United States Census Bureau.

Sustainability becomes an issue. How do you keep up with a surging global demand for food and energy when your supply cannot meet an exploding demand?

To make things clearer, we will see how oil plays a major role in our current and future population and how its exhaustion will lead inevitably be the dismemberment of our

A minor part of the early rise in population can be due to the settlement of the Americans, although this alone can’t possibly explain the relatively sudden explosive rise in human population. What could have caused this? It had to be something that could increase the planets’ carrying capacity and revolutionize the world in every aspect especially transportation, agriculture, medicine and more.

When the industrial revolution came along in the 18th century and through the 19th, it brought the invention of the steam engine, and coal and the seamlessly infinite possibility of growth in every aspect. So, when oil was first introduced it was like hitting the mother load.

When oil was first generally used around 1900, the world population was about 1.6 billion not even hitting the 2 billion mark. So in a span of a 110 years global population triples, due to technological advancements in health, agriculture, transportation and generally improving our global standard of living.

The following graph illustrates how the sudden explosion of global population takes place at roughly the same time of that oil is discovered and produced.

So how is oil really responsible for our current overpopulated world? Here is how it works. First you have to know about carrying capacity, which is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available. In other words, the planets’ own storage room.

Petroleum has allowed unprecedented improvements in the industrial agricultural world. Oil powers the machines that plough, seed and harvest. Oil is used in the pesticides and the chemical feedstock that is sprayed on the soil that without those chemicals, the soil would be virtually useless. Oil is used in the packaging and transport to local as well as international destinations.

The genetic engineering element of agribusiness generally targets four objectives: drought resistance, pesticide resistance, insect resistance, and yield enhancement, which always require mechanical irrigation and again, depend on oil. These technological advancements have allowed the planets carrying capacity to increase like never before, thus allowing the population to increase as well.

As the oil supply begins its inevitable decline, food production will be affected. This boom in the agricultural world is also known as “The Green Revolution,” and without large quantities of oil this revolution could not have occurred.

As you can see, oil is the heart of The Green Revolution, which is connected to the explosion of human population. As oil starts to run out, growing and transporting food for a population that exceeds the carrying capacity of the planet becomes a serious problem. Since oil is finite, there will come a time where oil will run dry and when that time comes, sustaining the global population beyond the planets’ carrying capacity will be impossible.

"Infinite growth collides with finite energy." ~Michael C. Ruppert

Abdullah Y. Shams Al-Deen Abdullah is a graduate with a B.A. in Journalism/Public Relations from California State University at Northridge - Los Angeles, California. Abdullah was a columnist for the National Union of Kuwaiti Students in America, Nebras E-zine for almost 4 years covering a wide range of topics from the oil industry and technology to sports and culture.

An investigative Journalist at heart, researching and presenting intriguing, inspirational and important topics that otherwise do not find the light of day gives his great satisfaction. Follow Abdullah on Instagram: @a_shamsideen

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What do you know about your thyroid gland?

Thyroid is a small gland located in the middle of your neck. Your thyroid gland has very important function in your body, it accelerate the metabolism by secreting hormones T4&T3 mainly formed from iodine.

These hormones should be circulating in the blood in certain level, if not the thyroid function will be disturbed resulting to different thyroid diseases, the most common is hypothyroidism which mean that the thyroid is secreting less hormones, this disease is more common in females than male, also more in females during pregnancy & after delivery.

What happens in hypothyroidism?

The patient will feel tired, sleepy and his weight will increase even if he will eat less or do exercise, constipation, dry skin, feel cold, hair fall and in case of female she will have irregular cycle and pregnancy may delayed.

What to do if there is enlarged thyroid?

Ultrasound will be needed but if size of the gland is normal no need to do it.

What is the treatment of hypothyroidism or lazy thyroid?

The treatment is by taking thyroid supplement in the form of tablets, the dose is adjusted according to thyroid function test which is usually done every 3 months.

Does hypothyroidism need surgery?

No, it is not treated by surgery. Surgery is performed only in cases when there is big thyroid causing pressure over the neck or tumor.

Blood test will be taken to know the level of thyroid hormones; free T4 & free T3 and the level of the hormone which controls the thyroid hormone called TSH which in this case will be high.

Dr.Latifa Al-Duwaisan Salmiya Clinic

Will continue next month and talk about other thyroid dysfunctions.

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Yo tu u s h are elp b e yo aut u if u re l, ve al it le

Salmiya Clinic

Treatment for All Dermatological Conditions Laser & Aesthetic Offering the latest techniques for: • Laser Hair Removal • Fractionated Laser Resurfacing • Skin Rejuvenating Peeling • Eczema & Psoriasis • Customized Skin Care Programs • Acne Scars & Rosacea

Under the Supervision of:

Dr. Wael Abdullah

Specialist Skin, Beauty, and Laser

Tel. : 25727004 - 25726004 Fax: 25729004 HOTLINE: 1823344

Salmiya - Baghdad Street www.salmiyaclinic.com May, 2014

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Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS)

S

noring is the most common sleep disorder. Snoring is the loud sound coming from the mouth during sleep. It happens due to narrowing of upper airway most commonly oropharynx due to enlargement of the tonsils and sagging of the soft palate.

Snoring occurs during inspiration as air flows against resistance due to partial obstruction and narrowing of upper airway.

Snoring is a social problem rather than a medical problem. The sufferer is the partner of snorer. Snoring is one of causes of divorce as it turns the partner’s life into hell.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a serious medical problem as it has bad effects on heart, brain, blood pressure, and may endangers life as patient may fall asleep during day activities. The hallmark of OSAS is repeated apneas during sleep in addition to snoring. Apnea is the cession of respiration for a while followed by severe

Dr. Hatem Ragaa Abdelrouf Specialist ( ENT MD ) Specialized Boushahri Polyclinic

Hotline: 66129444 Tel : 1888877 Ext:170

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snoring. This may happen up to 50 times per 7 hrs of sleep in severe cases. The cause of apnea is collapse of the pharyngeal wall with complete obstruction of the airway during deep sleep. OSAS has serious effect on cardiovascular system, brain, and the lung.

It causes somnolence (excessive day sleep) embarrassing the patient and endangers his life.

Half of the patients are obese and smokers, so weight reduction, sports and stopping smoking are enough in mild cases.

Management of OSAS in children is surgical as 90% is due to enlarged tonsils and adenoid as removal of either or both are very effective in treating the condition. In adult cases it is more complicated to treat the patient and the surgery is not effective as in children. The corner stone in diagnosis of OSAS is polysomnography. It includes recording ECG, EEG, pulse oximetry and abdominal belt to record respiratory movements. However, classification of OSAS as mild, moderate, severe depends on how many apneas per hour and oxygenation of the blood. Severe OSAS is considered an urgent medical condition needs immediate management without delay.

However, snoring and OSAS are big problems need consultation of doctors to evaluate the condition and help to alleviate the side effects.

Causes: The main causes of snoring are obesity, late dinner, sedentary lifestyle and nasal problems such as, deviated septum, nasal allergy, nasal polyps and sinusitis.

Management: Management of snoring includes weight reduction, sports, early light dinner and seeking medical advice.

Diagnosis: Diagnosis of snoring depends on tape recording to detect snoring and its intensity.

There are 3 levels at which snoring can occur, soft palate, oropharynx (tonsils and base of the tongue) and laryngopharynx.

The most common site is the oropharynx with enlargement of the tonsils and sagging of the soft palate obstructing the airway while the patient is lying down. To detect site of obstruction CT scan, nasal endoscope and laryngoscope are very helpful.

Treatment: The most common operation for snoring is uvupalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).

Treatment of snoring is mainly medical the surgical role is only if there is any cause narrowing the airway as enlarged tonsils or nasal polyps. The success rate is 80%.

Baghdad Street – Building 38 same as Boushahri Seema Pharmacy, Opposite Suleiman Al-Luhaib Mosque - Tel : 1888877

www.boushahricp.com

Boushahri_clinic

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Gynaecologist or General Practitioner when and why

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woman who feels more comfortable with one specific doctor may see him or her for a variety of health concerns, provided that doctor offers certain services. However, there are instances when specialist best answer certain health care questions. The following information can help women determine which doctor to see when certain situations arise.

Dr. Nazia Nausheen Dr. Nazia Nausheen is a Certified Medical Doctor.

She also holds a Masters Degree in Business, Specializing in Sales and Marketing. Disseminates valuable information in her extensive medical seminars and workshops. Readers should look forward to her regular articles on women health and other general health related issues.

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Annual physicals Gynaecologists and general practitioners can conduct physical examinations. Both can order blood lab tests and urinalysis to check cholesterol levels and for any vitamin deficiencies. Heart rate, blood pressure, weight and height are other screenings that can be handled at either office.

Bacterial and yeast infections or urinary tract infections A general practitioner or gynaecologist can address these infections. However, some women feel more comfortable discussing genital issues with their gynaecologists. A gynaecologist may be more experienced at identifying problems and ordering appropriate follow-up exams. A general practitioner may not require an examination, unless you request it, and may treat broad symptoms.

Mood disorders If changes in mood seem to stem from hormones or the result of a pregnancy, a gynaecologist or obstetrician may have treatment options available that can alleviate specific triggers. Many women initially turn to a general practitioner if they are experiencing depression or changes in mood or behavior. Both, a general practitioner and a gynaecologist may refer a patient to a mental health specialist if the situation seems to warrant more action.

Infertility It is best to visit a gynaecologist or obstetrician to talk about any infertility issues. They are more knowledgeable of the female reproductive system and the latest therapies and studies pertaining to fertility.

Cancer screening PAP tests and breast exams can be performed at either doctor’s office, although patient may feel more comfortable if a gynaecologist performs these screenings.

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Abdulkader Al-Mursal Achieving consistently superior results across a full range of business-critical functions Good marketing interests customers. Great marketing engages customers.

To some, it's a fine distinction. To Abdulkader Al-Mursal it's a game changer.

Through 10 years of intense marketing, PR and business development experience, Abdulkader has honed his ability to separate the great from the good while keeping an eye trained on achieving meaningful results. Having worked in the most vital sectors of Kuwaiti market存 he knows what makes people, organizations, and brands tick. He brings a big picture, strategic perspective AND has the knowledge, skills and understanding of on-theground realities to guide big thinking into successful tactics and deliverables that achieve results. CityPages caught up with Abdulkader Al-Mursal recently and gained some wonderful insights into sound marketing practices, his dreams and achievements.

Kindly introduce yourself to our readers: My name is Abdulkader Al-Mursal, I am 32 years old, and in the marketing, PR, & business development profession. During my career I have worked and gained knowledge in the most vital sectors of Kuwaiti market, like event management sector, financial sector, retail sector and health care sector.

Tell us about your education: I have studied at the University of Miami, USA but completed my final year of graduation at the American University of Kuwait with a major in Marketing and specialization in Marketing Strategy and International Marketing. I have also obtained certificate equivalent to MBA in Marketing Strategy and Direct Marketing from the Liverpool

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University.

Please tell us about your professional career path: I have started my career almost 10 years ago, after graduating from university I wanted to apply my theoretical and academic knowledge to real life, practical and day to day marketing operations but fortunately for me that was not the case in the market. I had to start from scratch and learn the practicality of marketing operations.

I love marketing and in my modest opinion, marketing is the back bone and very substantial factor for any company or establishment (private or public) in order to succeed, be profitable and maintain its market share. Unfortunately, in Kuwait marketing is almost limited to advertising and promotions or sales, people have the misunderstanding concept that marketing is all about advertising or

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promotion which is not the case, marketing has a very wide range of subunits that is very important in the marketing plan. In all the sectors that I have worked in, we used more than one of the marketing components or rudiments, for example: -Event Management - marketing mix is involved e.g. you use PR, sales and marketing operations.

-Financial sector - you use marketing research and marketing analysis to introduce new funds and see why certain investors are investing in a certain fund rather than others. Also it will enable you to introduce new mutual funds based on your market research for asset allocation in the stock market.

-Retail sector focuses more on advertising (media) and promotions in order to generate sales, forecast during the year and increase footfall.

-Health Care sector - it will depend more on your product target market either B2B or B2C and based on that you choose your marketing tool and it is mainly between 3 types (Direct Marketing, Cooperate Marketing or Mass Marketing).

Also online marketing is on the rise especially in the MENA region as well in the rest of the world. Depending on your product target market you will choose between: -Digital media (web and Search Engine Optimization) in other words the banners and the pop-up ads you see on your digital screen all the time.

-Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc...)

What or who inspired you to the world of media and marketing?

I am a very active guy and I love challenges.

Marketing and media provided me with the platform where I can always challenge myself. Marketing is not a normal profession and it will not allow you to sit behind your desk, it will make you move and interact with different mentalities and backgrounds and that will teach you to interact with people. At the same time, it will allow you to understand the project in hand better and have better judgment which eventually helps you in the decision making process and creates product knowledge experience for future projects.

What part of your job do you love the most?

My job is 30% paper work and 70% practical; I love the practicality of my job. Leaving the comfort of your desk, get down and real 38

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personality and taught me a lot of key factors which I am still using in my job nowadays.

with projects, I love the creative aspect of delivering the marketing message to the customers.

How do you balance your work and life?

I am very bad in this part, sometimes work takes so much time from your day that it will leave you only with time to sleep. It also depends on how busy you are, in our work sometimes you are so busy with events, projects or expos that you don’t have time to think other times you are free like a bird which will allow the paper work aspect to take over.

What are some of your hobbies?

My hobbies are different from football, basketball, swimming to reading and music.

Shooting also is one my favorite hobbies, it is a stress relief mechanism. I love to do fun activities stuff that keeps me entertained during my free time.

What do you do for fun?

Well, fun for me depends on the company but I always try to have fun regardless of what I am doing. Skydiving is one of the things that bring joy and fun to me but unfortunately there is no such thing in Kuwait, however, whenever time allows I take a quick trip to Dubai.

Tell us about your proudest moment so far: It was in 2008, Kuwait Boat Show, that was held in Al Kout mall and I was one of the organizers. The project was very big and needed a lot of preparation, time, and work and I am proud of the work we had done and the fact that I was a part of this project.

What one event or circumstance in your life did more to make you into who you are than any other and why?

I would have to say, it is working in the States in one of the advertising agencies in Miami / Florida during my university years. I was fresh, still studying, and didn’t have any idea about the world of media and advertising. I learnt a lot and this experience shaped my

What would you like to ultimately achieve?

I still consider myself new and very eager to learn more and more especially in this field because it is ever changing and new marketing concepts are being introduced every day, so I always try to be up to date.

Ultimately, I hope to reach a point that I will be able to start my own business and take it globally one day. It is a dream and if there is anything I know about life is “Never stop chasing your dreams you might not get there but you will learn in the process nevertheless”.

What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to all types of music, like country, rock, hip-hop, R&B, opera music, classic, and of course Arabic music. I don’t have a particular type, only lyrics and music should be good and tells a story. In my opinion, you have to relate to the music you listen to and you will enjoy it more.

What are your favorite books?

I like books about history like Islamic, American & European history attracts me the most. I have a wide range of book collection such as, Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Audacity of Hope by the President of United States, Barack Obama. Also novels like, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka, Panchatantra or as we know it in the Arabic culture Kalīlah wa Dimnah by Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa, and many others.

What are the 3 keys to success according to you?

Hard work … Plan for the worst case scenarios... Expect the unexpected.

Your favorite quote(s): “Plan for the worst, hope for the best” “Marketing is best guesses”

What’s your favorite stress release?

Gun shooting is a very effective way to release your stress, it works for me.

Your message for our readers: I say continue reading CityPages, it will give you a new take on Kuwait.

“Where city life comes to pages”

May, 2014

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Creating a Birth Plan That’s Right for You When it comes to the big event, the birth of your baby, you and your baby are the Stars of the Show. Your preferences and wishes for labor, birth, and your early postpartum care for you and your baby are important. While you have placed your confidence in your care providers to ultimately be responsible for you and your baby’s well being, they can do so while also honoring and respecting what is important to you. Writing a “Birth Plan” allows you to 1) think through the process of birth so that you are aware of what needs to be considered, 2) use the birth planning worksheets as a tool to communicate with your partner and your birth team about what is important to you, 3) picture your ideal birth in addition to contingency plans if birth doesn’t go the way you originally planned.

1.The process of writing your birth plan encourages you to learn about your different options, including: how labor begins, different comfort measures and pain relief, labor support (your partner, family member or a doula), different methods of augmenting a slow labor, positions for birthing/pushing, common medical interventions, common newborn procedures, benefits and tips for successful breastfeeding, postpartum care options, and much more. You can learn 40

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about these options by reading books about childbirth, attending a childbirth education class, asking your doctor, midwife, or doula, or searching online. Be careful where you get your information. While the Internet seems easily accessible, it is not always extensive or based on current research. A childbirth class is the best way to learn about your options, ask questions in an open format, and discuss concerns and thoughts with other parents who are considering the

same issues. If a class is not available in your area, perhaps consider private mini-classes with your doula or a midwife. While your care provider is available to answer specific questions, they do not always have the time to provide you with thorough childbirth education.

2.While you are learning about all of your different options and deciding what is important to you, be sure to consult and discuss with your partner. He will likely

3.As you think through all of your different options and possibilities, a “perfect birth scenario” begins to take shape in our mind.

This is normal and perfectly fine. However, take time to consider “what-if” scenarios as well so that you have contingency plans in place. For example, what will you do if your labor is unusually long- what pain relief options would you prefer? Or what if you end up needing a cesarean delivery- how might that change your preferences for immediate postpartum time with your baby?

Remember that your birth plan is not a check-list for what will happen during your birth. It is a plan that includes your wishes and preferences so that your labor support team can tailor their care for you. I like to encourage the students in my childbirth education classes to:

one or one that includes back labor. Allow yourself to change your mind. Be open to your birth teams advice.

Above all, appreciate your personal birth experience as perfect for you and your baby.

It is a time of growth, a time of learning, and a beautiful rite of passage, whether this is your first or tenth baby. Savor each unique birth experience and remember that our plans and wishes are not necessarily our babies. Allow your birth plan to help your learn, process, communicate, and prepare.

And then sit back and allow your birth to unfold.

HEALTHY BIRTH YOUR WAY

have questions that need to be answered and preferences that need to be considered as well, and the birth plan is a great tool to get the ball rolling on these discussions.

You can also use the birth plan to red flag any unanswered questions you might need to bring up to your care provider. As you move through your birth plan with your care provider, be open to discuss why something is particularly important to you and share that with your care provider, while also assuring your care provider that you are open to changes as the need arises.

Birth Planning Worksheet Name: ________________________________________

Date: ___________________________

I have prepared myself for a birth that is as safe and healthy as possible and prefer that interventions be used as a last resort, if at all. I plan to be actively involved in all decisions related to my labor and birth and request clear and open communication between myself and all medical support staff. While I know that I may need to respond to unexpected situations, this birth plan reflects my current intentions. Thank you for helping me have a safe, healthy, and satisfying birth.

I would like my labor to begin on its own, unless there is a medical reason why induction would be safer.

I plan to walk, move around, and change positions throughout my labor.

Other comfort techniques I would like to use:

I plan to have continuous labor support from a loved one, friend, or doula.

Names and roles of people I would like to have at my labor: I would like my labor room to be quiet and calm.

Other environment requests:

1)Keep it positive. Long lists of “don’t” and “I don’t want” are not very helpful. Instead keep your phrases positive and open ended.

“I would like a natural birth with as few interventions as possible.” Or, “I would like to know what all my pain relief options are throughout my labor.” Or, “We would like to keep our baby with us throughout our hospital stay. We would appreciate your support.”

I plan to minimize interventions during my labor and birth. I would like to have no routine interventions and intend to avoid the following interventions unless there is a medical reason and assurance that they are safer than the lowtech alternative or doing nothing:

2)Keep it brief. What are the 3-4 most important things to you? Can you summarize them into brief phrases? Sometimes we need more detail to explain something specific, but your birth support team is much more likely to refer to a birth plan that is brief. “We have prepared for a natural birth. Thank you for helping us reach our goal.”

Other intervention requests:

3)Personalize it. Use pictures, drawings, photos, or colorful writing to help personalize your birth plan. Perhaps you can hang it outside your hospital door or distribute it to the nursing staff when you arrive in addition to leaving a copy with your doctor or midwife.

4)Be open. We never know exactly how birth will unfold. Your wishes and preferences might change if you were expecting a short labor and ended up with a particularly long

Continuous electronic fetal monitoring (I prefer intermittent monitoring) Artificial rupture of the membranes (I would like my waters to break on their own) Pitocin (I am comfortable with letting labor progress at its own rhythm, and I prefer non-drug methods to help labor progress) An intravenous line (I prefer to eat and drink, but if it is the hospital's policy to start an IV, I would like a saline lock so I can stay mobile.)

Epidural analgesia (I plan to use non-drug methods of pain relief) An episiotomy (I prefer to let my perineum stretch on its own, and I realize I may experience a natural tear)

I don't want to give birth on my back, and I will follow my body's urges to push.

Other pushing support I would like to have:

I want to keep my baby with me after birth, allowing us to have as much skin-to-skin contact as possible and unlimited opportunities for breastfeeding.

Other requests for newborn care:

a s e r v i c e o f I n J o y B i r t h & Pa re n t i n g E d u c a t i o n

www.MothersAdvocate.org

www.Lamaze.org

Copyright © 2009. InJoy Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

Permission to copy granted.

This information is adapted from material developed by Lamaze International, Inc., and is used under license.

Sarah Paksima

Sarah Paksima is a Board Member of BirthKuwait and a Doula, Childbirth Educator.

BirthKuwait is a non-profit organization operating as part of The Voluntary Health Association.For more information, visit their website: www.birthkuwait.com or Instagram: @birthkuwait

May, 2014

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Glaucoma

are seeing halos around lights, dilated pupils, nausea and vomiting. These signs can recur every few hours and each attack can cause progressively more vision loss. In this type of glaucoma, the trabecular meshwork is blocked preventing the drainage of excess aqueous. The resulting sudden and severe rise in pressure inside the eye is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention to reduce pressure and prevent permanent damage to the retina and optic nerve fibers.

Other variations of glaucoma cover normaltension glaucoma, pigmentary glaucoma, secondary glaucoma and congenital glaucoma.

G

laucoma is an ocular disorder which causes irreversible damage to the delicate nerve fibers and the optic nerve that sends information to the brain. It is often associated with ocular hypertension, a build-up of pressure inside the eye. If left untreated or uncontrolled, glaucoma first causes peripheral vision loss and can eventually lead to blindness. Glaucoma tends to be hereditary and may not show up until later in life. According to the World Health Organization, after cataracts, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.

Often referred to as the “silent thief of sight” and commonly known as “mai aswad” in Arabic, glaucoma usually presents few or no initial symptoms or pain. For this reason, glaucoma often progresses undetected. By the time noticeable vision loss occurs, the optic nerve has already been irreversibly damaged, with varying degrees of partial permanent blindness. Only acute closedangle glaucoma shows sudden symptoms that include abrupt blurred vision, intense eye pain and headaches.

Erika Habig Erika Habig is an optometrist and contact lens specialist at International Optique. She studied at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, Germany and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Optometry and Dispensing Optics.

For more information contact International Optique.

Tel: 25714007 – 97234787, www.intoptic.com – info@intoptic.com, Instagram: @intoptique

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The inside of the eye continuously produces and drains away a fluid called aqueous humor. In order to uphold the balance of inner pressure, an amount equal to the fresh aqueous produced must exit through a drainage canal called the trabecular meshwork. If the channel becomes blocked, the aqueous humor cannot circulate normally and the intraocular pressure (IOP) begins to increase. The increased pressure damages the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. Without treatment, abnormally high IOP and continued damage to the optic nerve will lead to vision loss and ultimately to permanent blindness.

Less common causes of glaucoma can include blunt injury to the eye, severe eye infection, and blockage of blood vessels inside the eye. Although glaucoma usually occurs in both eyes, each eye may be affected to a different extent.

Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma. The "angle" refers to the drainage angle inside the eye that controls the outflow of aqueous.

This type of glaucoma generally appears in the middle age and often has a genetic component. The structures of the eye appear normal, but the aqueous does not drain properly. The glaucoma gradually reduces peripheral vision without showing any early signs or symptoms.

Acute closed-angle glaucoma is less common and occurs suddenly with blurred vision and severe eye pain. Other symptoms

Glaucoma tests are painless and take very little time. During routine eye exams, a procedure called tonometry is used to measure the intraocular pressure. A visual field test can help to determine whether there is a loss of peripheral vision. Glaucoma is also monitored by sophisticated imaging technology such as scanning laser polimetry (SLP) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). These methods create baseline images and measurements of the eye's optic nerve and internal structures.

Initially, eye drops with medication aimed at lowering the IOP are used to control the formation and outflow of aqueous. Because glaucoma is painless, people often become careless about strict and continuous use of these eye drops. In fact, non-compliance with a program of prescribed medication is a leading reason for blindness caused by glaucoma.

Laser surgery helps to increase the drainage of aqueous in primary open-angle glaucoma or prevent the blockage in acute closedangle glaucoma. Types of laser surgery include trabeculoplasty, in which a laser is used to pull open the trabecular meshwork; iridotomy, in which a tiny hole is made in the iris, allowing better fluid circulation; and cyclophotocoagulation, in which lasers treat areas if the middle of the eye, reducing fluid production. In a microsurgery called trabeculectomy, a new channel is created to drain excess aqueous.

At this time, glaucoma cannot be prevented and vision loss caused by glaucoma is irreversible. However, if diagnosed and treated early, the disease can be controlled and further vision loss can be prevented.

Therefore, yearly glaucoma screenings after the age of 40 are recommended, especially if a history of glaucoma runs in the family.

In addition, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is an effective way to reduce the risk of glaucoma. Regular exercise, refraining from smoking and eating a healthy varied diet is also recommended.

Dr. Akhil KumarTcare of your Taking care of your heart from prevention to intervention

It is not always common for a child to know what they want to spend their adulthood pursuing. But that was the case for Dr. Akhil Kumar, Consultant & Head of Cardiology and Internal Medicine department at Taiba Hospital – one of the leading private hospitals in Kuwait, who had known he wanted to be a cardiologist since very young. So without wasting anytime, he completed his basic medical education in India and proceeded to UK for higher education; where he received his membership and fellowship degrees.

With an extensive experience of 29 years, he is a true leader in his field. Dr. Akhil Kumar recently took time to discuss a wide range of topics including the risks and warning signs for heart disease, recent advances in the field and what individuals can do to prevent cardiovascular disease.

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Please introduce yourself to our readers: I am Dr. Akhil Kumar, working at Taiba Hospital as Consultant & Head of Cardiology and Internal Medicine department.

probability group.

Based on these probabilities patient is subjected to the investigation to confirm or rule out the presence of any disease. The tests include: -Complete blood profile

Where school?

did

you

attend

medical

I received my graduation and post graduation degrees from India and completed my membership and fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, UK.

Why did you decide to choose Cardiology as your specialization?

The subject of Cardiology as such is very interesting, challenging and at the same time most rewarding in terms of the outcome. The heart is a dynamic organ and sustains ones life. The cardiac diseases are best assessed and prevented but when needed, the modern technology is used for treatment.

How long have you been practicing cardiovascular and internal medicine?

I have been in practice for more than 29yrs after completing my education in India and UK. I have worked in the Middle East, Dubai and Saudi Arabia before coming to Kuwait.

What are the most common symptoms or complications that cause new patients to visit?

The most common symptoms that bring first time patients to see us are chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and chronic fatigue. A good portion of our patients have a bad family history of heart disease and other cardiac problems, and they are concerned that they are at higher risk and want to make sure they are doing everything they can to stay healthy.

Can you please describe what a typical initial visit to your office entails?

On a typical first visit, the patients are usually apprehensive and worried. The most important thing is that we assess the symptoms by taking a detailed, precise & complete medical history and performing clinical examination. After that, we subject the patient to required investigation.

Based on the symptoms we evaluate its severity and by the presence of any prior medical illness like diabetes or hypertension etc., family history of cardiac disease and patients personal habits like smoking or drug intake etc., we assess the pre-clinical probability of presence of the cardiac disease in the patient and classify them into three categories- low, intermediate & high

-Resting ECG -Chest x-ray -Cardiac stress test -Echocardiography -CT angiography -Radionuclide study (Thallium perfusion scan) -Coronary angiography With results of these investigations and the preclinical probability, we can, with fair degree of certainty, confirm or rule out the diagnosis of cardiac ailment.

What procedures are you capable of doing in the hospital and are there procedures that you are not able to do that you must refer to a different hospital/doctor depending on the patient's situation?

We have a state-of-the-art non-invasive cardiac laboratory, which includes: Resting ECG, Cardiac Stress Test, Color Doppler Echocardiography, Stress Echocardiography, Trans Esophageal Echocardiography, 24hr Ambulatory ECG (Holter ECG) and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor.

If the patient is in need of further investigation then we refer them to other hospital having facilities that we don’t have.

With regards to Internal Medicine, which diseases are more prevalent in Kuwait?

We see most commonly, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bronchial asthma, chronic gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome etc. Among the infective diseases, we see respiratory tract infection and gastrointestinal infections. Allergic disorders are not uncommon.

What can an individual do in their daily life to help prevent the risk of developing heart disease or other cardiac health problems?

The daily life style changes that can help patients reducing their risk or preventing the disease to progress with whatever risk they carry are as follows:

in tobacco get into the bloodstream from the lungs. They damage the blood vessels (arteries) and other parts of the body. Your risk of having a stroke and developing other diseases such as lung cancer are also increased. Stopping smoking is often the single most effective thing that a person can do to reduce their health risk. The increased risk falls rapidly after stopping smoking (although it takes a few years before the excess risk reduces completely).

Lack of physical activity - a sedentary lifestyle People who are physically active have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared to inactive people. To gain health benefits you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, on most days (at least five days per week).

30 minutes in a day is probably the minimum to gain health benefits. However, you do not have to do this all at once. For example, cycling to work and back 15 minutes each way adds up to the total of 30 minutes.

Moderate physical activity means that you get warm, mildly out of breath, and mildly sweaty. For example, brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc. However, research studies do suggest that the more vigorous the exercise, the better for health particularly for preventing heart disease.

Being overweight If you are overweight, you are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or certain cancers. The increased health risk of obesity is most marked when the excess fat is mainly in the tummy (abdomen) rather than on the hips and thighs. As a rule, a waist measurement of 102 cm or above for men (92 cm for Asian men) and 88 cm or above for women (78 cm for Asian women) is a significant health risk.

Diet Eating healthy helps to control obesity, and lower your cholesterol level. Both of these help to reduce your health risk. Also, there is some evidence that eating oily fish (herring, sardines, mackerel, salmon, kippers, pilchards, fresh tuna, etc) helps to protect against heart disease. It is probably the omega-3 fatty acids in the fish oil that help to reduce the build-up of small fatty lumps called atheroma. Also, fruit and vegetables, as well as being low in fat, also contain antioxidants and vitamins which may help to prevent atheroma from building up. Briefly, a healthy diet means: AT LEAST five portions, ideally more, of a variety of fruit and vegetables per day.

Smoking

THE BULK OF MOST MEALS should be starch-based foods (such as cereals, wholegrain bread, potatoes, rice, pasta), plus fruits and vegetables.

Lifetime smoking roughly doubles your risk of developing heart disease. The chemicals

NOT MUCH fatty food such as fatty meats, cheeses, full-cream milk, fried food, butter, May, 2014

45

etc. Use low-fat, mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated spreads.

INCLUDE 2-3 portions of fish per week, at least one of which should be oily (such as herring, mackerel, sardines, kippers, salmon, or fresh tuna).

If you eat meat, it is best to eat lean meat, or poultry such as chicken.

If you do fry, choose a vegetable oil such as sunflower, rapeseed or olive.

LESS SALT INTAKE - Adults should eat no more than 5 g of salt a day (even less for children). This is about a teaspoon of salt. Even a modest reduction in intake can make quite a big difference.

Other treatable or partially treatable risk factors: High blood pressure (hypertension) You should have your blood pressure checked at least every 3-5 years. High blood pressure usually causes no symptoms, so you will not know if it is high unless you have it checked. However, over the years, high blood pressure may do some damage to the blood vessels (arteries) and put a strain on your heart.

Sometimes high blood pressure can be lowered by losing weight if you are overweight, regular physical activity and eating healthily.

Medication may be advised if your blood pressure remains high.

Cholesterol and other lipids In general, the higher the blood cholesterol level, the greater the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Having a high cholesterol level is more risky if you also have other risk factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure. As a rule, no matter what your cholesterol level is, lowering the level reduces your risk. This is why people at high risk of developing a cardiovascular disease are offered medication to lower their cholesterol level.

Calculating your cardiovascular health risk A 'risk factor calculator' is commonly used by GPs and practice nurses. This can assess your cardiovascular health risk. A score is calculated which takes into account all your risk factors such as age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure, cholesterol level, etc. The calculator has been devised after a lot of research that monitored thousands of people over a number of years. The score gives a fairly accurate indication of your risk of developing a cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years.

Who should have their cardiovascular health risk assessed?

Current guidelines advise that the following people should be assessed to find their cardiovascular health risk: •All adults aged 40 or more.

•Adults of any age who have: •A strong family history of early cardiovascular disease; this means if you have a father or brother who developed heart disease or a stroke before they were aged 55; or, if you have a mother or sister who developed heart disease or a stroke before they were aged 65.

•A first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister, or child) with a serious hereditary lipid disorder, for example, familial hypercholesterolemia or familial combined hyperlipidaemia. These diseases are uncommon.

If you already have a cardiovascular disease or diabetes then your risk does not need to be assessed. This is because you are already known to be in the high-risk group.

What does the assessment involve?

A doctor or nurse will: •Do a blood test to check your cholesterol and blood sugar (glucose) level. Measure your blood pressure and your weight.

•Ask you if you smoke.

•Ask if there is a history of cardiovascular diseases in your family

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(your blood relations); if so, at what age the diseases started in the affected family members.

A score is calculated based on these factors plus your age and your sex. An adjustment to the score is made for certain other factors such as strong family history and ethnic origin.

What treatments are available to reduce the risk?

•If you are at high risk - If you are at high risk of developing a cardiovascular disease then treatment with medicines is usually advised along with advice to tackle any lifestyle issues.

This usually means: Treatment with medication, usually with a statin medicine, to lower your cholesterol level. No matter what your current cholesterol level, treatment with medicines is advised. In terms of targets, your level of cholesterol has to be viewed as part of your overall cardiovascular health risk. The cardiovascular health risk from any given level of cholesterol can vary, depending on the level of your HDL cholesterol, and on other health risk factors that you may have.

Treatment with medication to lower blood pressure if it is high. This is even if your blood pressure is just mildly high.

Where relevant, to encourage you even more to tackle lifestyle risk factors. This means to: Stop smoking if you smoke.

Eat a healthy diet - including keeping your salt intake to under 5 g a day.

Keep your weight and waist in check.

Take regular physical activity.

If available, and if required, you may be offered a referral to a specialist service. For example, to a dietician to help you to lose weight and eat a healthy diet, to a specialized stop smoking clinic, or to a supervised exercise program.

•If you are at moderate or low risk - If you are not in the highrisk category, it does not mean you have no risk - just a lesser risk.

Treatment with medicines is not usually prescribed. However, you may be able to reduce whatever risk you do have even further by any relevant changes in lifestyle.

What recent advancements in cardiac medicine are you adapting in your treatment of patients?

The recent advancements we imply are as follows: •Primary prevention - For preventing the disease process from beginning, we insist and stress the need of life style changes in ones daily routine.

•Treatment of the acute events - Once the person gets an acute heart attack, as per the recent guidelines, we have to provide him the earliest reperfusion therapy, preferably primary coronary intervention (immediate coronary angiography & opening of the vessels) within 120 minutes of the onset of chest pain, if not possible then pharmacological reperfusion should immediately be applied.

•Newer medications - With continued medical research and studies, we have now a good number of safe, effective and potent medication we use to stop progression, better recovery and long term control of the underlying path physiology.

•Secondary prevention - As we do for the primary prevention, we apply the same strategy with more strict criteria to control the risk factors.

•Follow up plan - Each patient should have individualized plan of care and timely check up, lab investigation and evaluation of the cardiac status periodically.

SEAFOOD

RESTAURANT

May, 2014

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It’s PFD not PDF!!!

Yes, I know at first glance it looks like I’m going to talk to you about PDF files but actually its PFD (Pelvic Floor Disorder). So what’s the deal with it? It seems that we have all at one point gone through some form of this disorder, now don’t freak out it's not a disease, it's just a malfunction that can be fixed.

T

his issue is mostly seen in women, and the statistics are crazy! In the US alone, the number of women with PFD in 2010 was 28.1 Million, and by the year 2050 it will increase to 43.8 Million! What’s going on? Why are all these women having so many pelvic floor issues? There are a wide range of pelvic floor issues, but I wont get into the gory details of what they look and feel like, but anyone who’s had one or knows someone that does knows exactly what I’m talking about. And for those who have never had PFD I don’t wish it on anyone, but now is your chance to take control of your pelvis and do what you need to do to prevent things from going wrong. Most women with pelvic floor

Maha AlRashed

Maha AlRashed is a CHEK Certified Exercise Coach and a regular contributor for CityPages magazine.

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problems are usually mis recruiting, and are replacing the muscles doing all the work with ligaments that are doing things they aren’t necessarily supposed to do. There is nothing wrong with using your ligaments to keep your insides in tact, but the thing that you need to know is that your ligaments aren’t going to shrink back into place, kinda like those stretch marks that you can’t get rid of.

Once stretched (because they’ve carried the burden of the weight for too long of a time), they remain that way; so basically you’re better off learning how to use your muscles to begin with.

Now when you have PFD you need to realize that you shouldn’t be adding to the pressure that your pelvic floor has, so stop jumping around! Secondly, the one thing that women love and find the hardest to give up, heels.

Why you ask? Simple, your biomechanics are totally off when you start adding to your height with heels, and it all starts with the hips. Only two more things to think about and then you should be all set to get your biomechanics and PFD in order. Walking,

it's common to hear people say I walk for an hour on the treadmill everyday; really?

So basically you’re marching in place for an hour everyday are you? I’m not sure what that’s supposed to do for you but it doesn’t sound too good. Try walking on the floor, when you’re walking on a treadmill you are not recruiting the correct muscles to generate the force needed to move forward.

Basically you are using your quadriceps and not your hamstrings whereas when walking outside, you are using both leading to better mechanics. With the correct recruitment you are strengthening your pelvis and relieving the pressure from it. Finally, it’s all in how you sit! Not only do your pelvic floor muscles keep your organs in place, but your ligaments do the same. Just know that one major ligament to the uterus is attached to the sacrum, so if the sacrum is pushed into your pelvic bowl, your uterus starts to move down. So when you’re going to sit down, think about rolling your pelvis forward. Be sure to contact a professional if you are not sure.

May, 2014

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2nd IHRSA Gulf Conference Showcases International Panel of Fitness Keynote Speakers

C

onfucius once lamented, was named as IHRSA’s strategic partner for “Wherever you go, go with Kuwait and in the U.A.E. as of November 2013. your heart.”

Says Hans Muench, Director of Europe, Tis obvious the late Chinese “IHRSA is pleased to work with a strong teacher, editor, politician and partner (MultiWorks) in one of the fastest philosopher extraordinaire growing markets. We share best practices, facilitate networking, listen and learn from has never set foot in Shaikh Saad Terminal, at other leaders in our (fitness) industry, who 3am catching a flight to Dubai with no coffee are contributing to the business that we are so to soothe his grumpy nerves. passionate about.”

It’s the dead of the night and here I am, armed Set at the Warehouse Gym (http://whgym. with my passport and excited on adrenaline com), it was amazing to see familiar fit about to embark on my daytrip to Dubai to faces from various GCC countries including catch the 2nd IHRSA Gulf Conference being CityPages’ own regular contributor Maha Al held at the Warehouse Gym. Rashed, who’s a CHEK Exercise Practitioner IHRSA, an acronym for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association is a not-for-profit trade association. With over 10,000 health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and supplier members worldwide, IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and activity promotion. All IHRSA approved establishments must adhere to its benchmark standards of protocol thus ensuring quality at all affiliated clubs are maintained.

On the nutrition and supplement side of things, guests were then treated to a keynote session by Sean Torbati, founder and owner of High Performance Nutrition Supplements who also owns Wholistic Health (http:// (http://www.HPNSupplements.com).

Torbati’s take quality control measures used wholistic-health.org). in manufacturing supplements were insightful Attendees at the 2nd IHRSA Gulf Conference indeed! were privy to a varied selection of keynote speakers who had travelled to Dubai just for My 2 favorite keynotes were by Brendan Cosso, President of the World Calisthenics the conference.

Organization (http://www.worldcalisthenics.

We were enthralled by Hans Muench whom org) who spoke about the history and inaugurated the conference with the current evolution of calisthenics and Marco Montanez, trends in health and fitness occurring Managing Director of Bareformance (http:// worldwide including the change in the bareformance.de) and his humorous take on evolution of fitness and mentioned highlights sports and athletic performance being vastly from the recent FIBO convention in Cologne, improved in a state where the athlete is bare Germany. feet.

In the Middle East, I’m proud to say that Multi Works’ General Manager, Yves Preissler, Ben Gittus, who is the Technical Director for REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) Reshmi Revi Certified Professional Trainer UAE then gave a short summary of REPs and its role in the UAE. If you’re not in the know, REPs is a public register which recognizes Reshmi Revi is the Deputy General Manager for the qualifications and expertise of fitness MultiWorks Personal Training. She is also an IFBB professionals worldwide. Each country Bikini Competitor and passionate about fitness!

Follow her on Instagram @Q8MissFit usually has a REPs affiliation of its own (for 50

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example when I was a personal trainer in New Zealand and in London, I was on the register for the NZ and UK affiliation). In my personal opinion, Kuwait could use such a governance as for a trainer; one of the key components in ensuring your registration with REPs is maintained is through continuous program development courses. In short, it motivates you to constantly develop your skill set as a trainer. This not only benefits the trainer but also the client in the long haul.

All in all, my day trip to Dubai sans the initial coffee consumption was well worth it. In the Middle East quality keynote speakers and seminars especially in fitness are always quite challenging to come by hence it was a great opportunity being able to witness and listen to the myriad of speakers share their personal wealth of knowledge and experience.

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Nutrition to Relieve Your Seasonal Allergies The colorful season has finally arrived to glitter our gardens and dazzle our mornings. While most of us salute spring with joy, few are horrified from allergens that come along with the season. Modern investigations advise to increase the daily intake of fruits and vegetables in order to ease the harmful effects of seasonal allergies. Three easy steps that can help you enjoy spring:

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1. Increase Water Consumption

raw as possible.

The better hydrated we are the easier it is for our bodies to rid themselves of excess mucous and sinus drainage. Water intake will also help the nasal secretions to eliminate excess mucus.

Drink 8 – 12 cups per day!

3. Get Flavonoids Every Day

2. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods

Red Grapes, Onion, Kale, Apples, Broccoli, Oranges, and Parsley: are extremely rich in Flavonoids particularly quercetin, which is shown to stabilize immune cells and prevent the release histamine.

Mango, Pumpkin and Carrots: High amounts of the remarkable antioxidant beta carotene (Vitamin A) have a beneficial effect on lung health. It is preferred to consume it daily.

Quercetin helps your body get rid of toxins found in the blood stream.

Kiwi, Berries, Strawberries and Tomato: Our soldier, Vitamin C naturally lowers histamine levels. Histamine is a part of the immune system which gets elevated during sinus infections.

Vitamin C must be taken through fresh fruits and vegetables.

On the other hand, if patients suffer from high levels of pollution, vitamin C supplementation must be advised by your doctor.

Nuts:These beloved munchies are rich in magnesium, manganese, selenium and vitamin E that mainly decrease the incidence of seasonal allergy along with asthma events. Make sure you eat nuts raw or unsalted.

Walnuts, Flaxseed and Fish: Ensure essential fatty acids consumption like Omega 3 fatty acids to fight inflammation accompanied by an allergic reaction. You can acquire these compounds from dietary sources such as salmon, mackerel, walnuts, and flaxseeds or chia seeds. Eat your fat sources as

What could worsen my spring allergy?

Tobacco: Tobacco can increase the release of histamine, which is already elevated during an allergic response.

Supplementation: Natural food contain mixtures of nutrients that are far more beneficial during spring season than supplements Sodium: A high sodium intake may be associated with increased airway sensitivity. Limit your sodium intake by eating less junk, fast, canned and preserved food items.

In conclusion, nutrients that augment our immunity and aid in prevention of many respiratory responses are found in our daily food routine. Make sure to include fruits, vegetable, nuts and seeds in your diet along with fatty fish at least twice a week.

Nadine Hilal

Community and Clinical Dietitian at Diet Care

Nadine is a Community and Clinical Dietitian at Diet Care. She completed in Lebanese Colloquium for Clinical Practice from Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Health, Beirut – Lebanon. Nadine completed her BS in Nutrition and Dietetics from Notre Dame University / NDU, Zouk Mosbeh, Keserwan Lebanon and completed a Bachelor of Life Sciences from Saint Anthony, Hammana.

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Nora AlHathran Fashion designer and owner of Nora Boutique When Nora AlHathran, creator Nora Boutique, began designing training suits, even she could not predict the massive success that would soon sweep her way. What started out as a hobby quickly morphed into a full-scale business with a brand identity and launch collection. With overwhelming feedback from friends, and family, Nora decided to take the leap and regard her hobby as a business and she has never stopped designing since. Nora’s unique designs combine traditional elements with a modern twist; arabesque patterns are given a contemporary flair, resulting in original and authentic designs with modern appeal. CityPages sat down with Nora AlHathran for an exclusive interview. Read on to know more about this fashionable and talented designer.

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Photograph by: Hassan Younes @hasan_younes

idea with lots of people to feel the ultimate vision which I translate into designs.

How much does travel influence your designs?

Traveling is a must for every designer to learn from different cultures and it has in fact made me known not only in Kuwait but also internationally.

What makes your label different?

I never repeat my design as I always come with new ideas to cope with fashion developments worldwide.

What are your plans of expansion for your label?

To do more solo exhibitions, open branches in the Gulf and then expand internationally.

What is Morni AlTilal and what has made it a big success?

Photograph by: Hassan Younes @hasan_younes

Morni alTilal has become an event that many people wait for mainly because of its unique presentation accompanied with live music plus I select well-known designers to cater upper class crowd.

How would you describe personal fashion style?

I try to satisfy all tastes from wedding designs to evening dresses not leaving the casual daily without a piece of my style.

The piece of clothing every woman should have in her wardrobe‌ I urge every woman to own 3 types of dresses, dressy outfits for weddings, social gatherings and casual daily dress.

Who is Nora AlHathran?

A Kuwaiti in love with fashion.

Tell us about your education: I am pursuing a Master's degree in Management Studies.

How did you get into fashion designing?

I was fascinated by fashion even as a young child, but my interest really escalated when my designed training suits became an instant hit with many people.

How did you come to start your own line and store?

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I started in 2005 and my customers orders got increased as I couldn't stop or delay my work so I recruited more tailors, got sales point around the gulf and started my own store where I can design not only for local but international market as well.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

I execute the traditional concepts in a modern way to appeal to the new fashionsavvy market that is always on the lookout for new concepts and designs.

Where do you take inspiration from?

I take my inspirations from everything around me, but mainly the color, print and texture of the fabric I use. Then I discuss my

How do you recover from a long day at work?

A nice dinner with family and friends plus reading useful books.

The best career advice you have ever received‌ Never look back when you do good and you must do better.

Your message for us at CityPages magazine: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about my brand and my passion for fashion designing. I love your magazine.

Keep up the good work and support more Kuwaitis entrepreneurs.

Nora AlHathran Collection 2014

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Salad in a Jar Lovely readers: Did you know the month of May is actually celebrated as National Salad Month in the United States? This month is dedicated to promoting and encouraging people to be creative when incorporating salads into their healthy meal plans.

The first thing that generally comes to mind when people hear the word salad is either tasteless or super boring. It only is tasteless or boring if you make it. Just a few tips and tricks can greatly enhance the flavour, texture and appearance of salad.

Salads even though served as a side have the potential of being your main meal if you put a little thought into the combinations of the ingredients you use.

Recently the blogosphere has been swamped with plenty of creative Mason jar salads. They are not just pretty to look at, they are practical too. You can prepare up to a three to four days worth of salads for Sanaa Abdul Hamid Sanaa holds Masters of Clinical Dietetics from University of Queensland, Australia and is a Clinical dietitian at Hadi Hospital. Sanaa is a also a blogger and very active on Instagram. Read more from Sanaa at: Blog: www.fit-n-fancy.com , Instagram: Sanaa_dietitian

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yourself saving you time later on during the week. Mason jar salads are more popular among people who have a busy schedule where time is precious and eating healthy is not just a choice.

Layering your salad in a certain way allows it to remains crisp and fresh. Here are some helpful tips.

Steps to prepare your very own Mason Jar salad: 1.Your dressing goes right at the bottom. So add that first. This can be a mixture of olive oil, fresh lemon juice and couple of drops of balsamic vinegar. Any light dressing would also work.

2.Then add your hearty/ heavier/tougher bits like cucumber, beans, carrots, bell pepper, radishes, chickpeas, and green beans.

3.Then add your lighter bits like quinoa, mung beans, seeds, walnuts, mandarins, tomatoes, red onion, corn, peas, broccoli, and strawberries.

4.And right on the top, you add your salad spinach, lettuce, and cabbage. Basically your firmer vegetables are added to the bottom of the jar and lighter / fluffier / fragile ingredients are at the top.

When you are ready to eat you can either transfer the ingredients into a bowl or just toss around the ingredients in the jar gently and eat out of it. Make sure the jar in not completely filled up; otherwise it gets a little challenging to mix the ingredients when you are ready to eat.

Benefits of using Mason jar: 1. Dishwasher / Oven safe 2. Easy to transport – Not messy 3. Keeps your salad crisp and fresh 4. Environment friendly 5. Perfect for practicing portion control

and Nicolas Hulot

France’s champion ecologist and ‘green’ vice-president

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his century’s most noble cause is that of protecting the health of our environment, and anyone who adopts this issue as their life’s work is by all means has our full attention at CityPages. So, we were thrilled when invited by the French Embassy to a round table press conference

with Nicolas Hulot, President of the Nicolas Hulot foundation; an organization aimed solely at creating awareness of the negative impact of environmental pollution and climate change and on the world’s ecology.

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Nicolas, regularly named as one of France’s top ten personalities is not a new comer to this issue, he has been an active campaigner in France for many years, and has been able to grasp the attention of the French government via his firm commitment to the issue. In 2007, he successfully managed to garner the support of five of France’s presidential candidates, including Nicolas Sarkozy via a signed agreement to make the environmental crisis a major issue of priority on the country’s agenda for the newly elected president government to support and promote. Nicolas is known for his documentaries, most notably the one entitled ‘Ushuaia’ nature documentary series

and ‘The Titanic Syndrome’ a feature length film.

problem is becoming significant enough to address on government He left his job a year and a half ago to fully dedicate his time to driving agendas. the environmental crisis issue to the forefront of major countries I asked him the most obvious, yet hardest to answer question which agendas, such as China and Africa where the situation is quite dire is ‘why is it that although the health of our environment is such a and potentially disastrous either due to severe pollution (China) or concern, do most governments sideline the urgent need to remedy environmental havoc affecting large parts of the population due to the problem head on?’ his simple reply was that he wakes up every climate change (Africa). His efforts are paying off, especially now morning asking himself the same question. However, he also states ahead of the next Climate Change Conference that will be taking that this is why he has made it his sole aim, and life’s work to drive place in his home country of France in 2015. the cause until we all in unison are helping to solve the problem, on His visit to Kuwait was done as part of his tour leading up to a fundamental level. Nicolas is a firm believer that this is everyone’s the conference where his hope is to garner support and raise issue, everyone’s cause and that everyone has to contribute further awareness regarding new developments at the forefront of daily toward ensuring the turning of the tide towards a healthier environmental safety. He discussed the issue of C02 carbon in great environment for the next generation to inherit. Nicolas believes that detail, since the discovery of potential methods of the disposal of the media is his strongest support medium, and we at CityPages are this harmful gas which is the root source of many environmental glad to be of help. concerns. He informed the panel of the on-going research to find solutions to the re-use, recycling and eco-friendly methods of disposal that is underway in France and other countries where the To learn more about Nicolas log on to www.fondation-nicolas-hulot.org May, 2014

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Moudi

AlMahmoud Building long-term business relationships Uncommonly smart, proficient and passionate – these words may not hold much significance, but when used to describe the very capable Moudi AlMahmoud, their vibrancy becomes apparent. She is Client Relations Manager at TwentyTwo11 - a Kuwait based public relations and brand marketing company founded in 2013. Very lively and sociable Moudi AlMahmoud could make friends and communicate with a brick wall if necessary. That’s why public relations is a perfect fit for her. As a Client Relations Manager, Moudi loves her three Cs: her company, her clients and her colleagues. CityPages talks to Moudi AlMahmoud about her inspirations, challenges at work, and the working environment at 2211.

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Photograph by: Shereen @cherrysphotography

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Please introduce yourself to our readers: I am Moudi AlMahmoud and I have recently joined TwentyTwo11 as a Client Relations Manager. I previously worked as a Procedures Documentation Officer in 2 of the Kuwait’s most exalted banks for 5 consecutive years. I shifted my career this year to pursue a career in Public Relations.

Tell us about your education: I studied at the American University of Paris – France for four years. I majored in International Communications – Corporate Track. I acquired my bachelor’s degree in 2008. I am also aiming to obtain a Master’s degree in Media and Communications from one of the prestigious universities in the region.

I was lucky enough to live in a cosmopolitan capital city; a multi-national community with different backgrounds and cultures.

I learned to acclimate to changes and develop a comparative perspective whereas it enhanced my personal growth.

What does your role as the Client Relations Manager entail?

My role as a Client Relations Manager involves building and managing a vibrant long-term relationship with clients, assisting in major business decisions, negotiating and managing agreements through business contracts, identifying problems and resolving issues following the recommended methodologies.

How would you describe the working environment at TwentyTwo11?

The working environment at 2211 is very easygoing and flexible. We believe in transparency, open flow communication and thinking outside the box. We have a strong team spirit and we promote creativity and independent thinking.

How would you define team work and communication skills in the context of account management?

Teamwork is where we tend to breakdown

the project into smaller chunks of tasks and delegate these tasks to a team member to save time/effort and to share the experience, the knowledge and the joy of success.

Communication skills are vital in our area of work, we are sellers of an idea; we invest and develop in our communication skills (written/ verbal/non-verbal). We use every available channel to communicate our information.

What would you say are your most important qualities that make you a perfect fit for this role?

I have acquired the right qualification in terms of a bachelor’s degree; I believe that what makes me a perfect fit is that I do have good writing skills with an outgoing personality. I am highly organized and I have a skill in time management and planning.

How do you cope with pressure and deadlines?

I work excellently under pressure and deadlines; they bring out the best in me as I do have a “Challenge Stress” that makes me want to prove myself to myself and to display professionalism in front of my client.

What do you think are the most difficult decisions to make by a Client Relations Manager?

I’ve often found decisions that seem difficult and need careful consideration are the ones that involve personal relations at the work place; trying to differentiate business from interpersonal relations is a tough situation.

Yes, you are my friend but business is business.

What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?

The steps I follow to resolve a problem is as follows: •Identify the problem and the root cause of it.

•Research similar issues and problems & talk to subject matter experts.

•List suggested solutions.

•Minimize the list after assessing the pros and cons of each solution.

What are some of the challenges that you face?

The first challenge I faced was to represent a new blooming company in the market. Other challenges that I face are, when the client communicates the information and neglects an essential part of it or to get all the parties to commit to their proposed deadlines.

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Who inspires you at work?

My boss Dana Mado, the owner and founder of 2211, is my work inspiration. She represents the valid way of practicing Public Relations career; she is the role model of a “built on self success” person.

What are some of your hobbies?

I am a DIY (do it yourself) person; I developed a passion for gardening, flower arrangement, event management as well as gift wrapping.

What sports do you play?

I ride my bike on Saturday mornings because it clears my brain and organizes my thoughts.

Your message for us at CityPages magazine: Work hard … and even if things fall apart, just remember that you’ll do it better the next time around. Thank you CityPages!

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ARTronauts Create Art Live!

CREATE.SHARE.INSPIRE

The Seven-Meter Plastic Bag Whale, BHCK, EN.V, and Zain collaborate to celebrate Earth Day at the Scientific Center!

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n 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. United States Senator Gaylord Nelson founded, a month later, a separate Earth Day as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in recognition of his work.

While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, it became international in 1990 and events were held in 141 nations.

Numerous communities now celebrate Earth Week; an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues, making people aware of them and challenges them to think of creative solutions for the environmental issues that threaten earth everyday.

In the spirit of the time, it was a consciousnessraising, New Age experience, and most activities were organized at the grass roots level, mostly for children. In recent years, Earth Day has provided an opportunity to shed light on environmental issues and to stress on communities and nations to have environmental responsibility.

In celebration of Earth Day, en.v – an organization dedicated to promoting social responsibility and environmental sustainability in the Arab world – and telecom company Zain, have developed an interactive art installation to be displayed at The Scientific Center as part of the

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organization’s REUSE program.

The interactive art installation, constructed with a steel frame and wire mesh material, encouraged participants to weave used and unwanted plastic bags into the frame, creating a seven meter life-size whale. The giant blue and white whale with an outer layer of plastic, sends a message to society to think twice before discarding a plastic bag in the ocean or the beach, endangering the wildlife in the sea. This ‘crowd-sourced’ activity targeted students who visited the Scientific Center from private and public schools in Kuwait and visitors from the general public to raise awareness on the effects of consumer waste on Kuwait’s marine environment in a collaborative and fun way.

The ARTronauts – a group of artists and art enthusiasts, mentored by Lecturer Roma Soni (BHCK), strive to make change through cultural, social and environmental art showed their support for the cause by visiting the REUSE whale at The Scientific Center and volunteering by applying the plastic bags on the whale and assisting others as well. ARTronaut and BHCK Instructor Alaa Khalifa displayed her own and student work, said, “the event was a great success. People of all ages were collaborated”. ARTronaut Nouraiz Arshad, and ARTronaut and BHCK student Fatemah Ghamloush worked passionately to create the abandoned plastic bags Whale for 3 days at a stretch.

Nouraiz also enjoyed his experience, “connecting with people and the children was fantastic.” ARTronaut Khuram Bhatti

captured the memories of the project with his photographic lens. The event included an environmental fair with engaging activities from a number of local environmental and educational initiatives, as well as live music in the evenings. ARTronauts and BHCK students Hajer Al Azmi, Rawaan Abdullah, and Zahra Akbari displayed upcycled art and helped with the event. REUSE is a program initiated by en.v in partnership with Zain Telecommunications to promote environmental sustainability and community participation in Kuwait supported by environmental art and art workshops by the ARTronauts. We ARTronauts celebrated Earth Day in full swing in collaboration with Env, Zain and the Scientific Center Kuwait.

The collaboration resulted in interactive and fun learning and sharing. The whale will continue to live the memories of the Earth Day event in a very special way by spreading environmental awareness amongst the residents of Kuwait and facilitating resolution of solutions.

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Arielle Ford “In the world of self-help and spiritual thinking, Arielle Ford is making a big name for herself.” – USA TODAY

Recently vortex events, one of the leading events management company, had organized a fun and interactive workshop “Manifesting Love with the Soulmate Secret” led by the best-selling author Arielle Ford. Arielle Ford is a pioneer in the personal growth and contemporary spirituality movement. For the past 25 years she has been living, teaching, and promoting consciousness through all forms of media. Her stellar career includes years as a prominent book publicist, author, literary agent, TV lifestyle reporter, television producer, Sirius radio host, publishing consultant, relationship expert, speaker, columnist and blogger for the Huffington Post.

Arielle is a gifted writer and the author of eight books including the international bestseller, THE SOULMATE SECRET: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction. Don’t miss our exclusive interview with the “The Fairy Godmother of Love”, Arielle Ford and find out what she told CityPages.

First of all we would like to welcome you to Kuwait. This is your physically, emotionally, and spiritually – to attract the man or woman first visit to Kuwait. How has been your experience so far? of our dreams.

Yes, this is my first visit to Kuwait. I am really enjoying my stay here, people are friendly and it’s definitely a place I can recommend to my You write, “This wonderful universe of ours is set up to deliver friends back home. to us the people and experiences that are consistent with our personal belief systems.” Can you explain this? What if our belief Since this is your first experience in the Middle East have you system comes from hurtful experiences or perhaps a childhood that told us we deserve nothing, we are worthless, and we should customized your presentation? be ashamed of ourselves?

Yes, as each country has different social norms and culture and I think we should respect that. Keeping that in mind, I have added Well, I think you’ve just described 99% of the population! The fact is, few components which were more relevant to Kuwaiti culture and at most of us operate from limiting beliefs we picked up unconsciously same time removed some points which were slightly inappropriate. in childhood… and nowhere do these beliefs become more apparent than in our intimate relationships. In the book, I show people how to begin to dismantle their negative beliefs about themselves and about The Soulmate Secret is about how to take control of your relationships and replace them with beliefs that affirm their inherent romantic destiny by using the Law of Attraction. Please tell us lovability. As we make this shift, our new beliefs act like a magnet that about the Law of Attraction? Why does a person who is looking pulls in greater love and appreciation into our lives. for their soulmate need to understand how this law works as they go about searching for that one special person?

Can you share with us your own experience in finding your The Law of Attraction is a universal principle which states that we soulmate? How did you prepare yourself to meet your soulmate draw to people, events and circumstances in the outer world that and what did you learn about attracting great love along the way? match our inner state of being. It’s important to understand this law because if we approach the process of finding a soulmate with The period of time right before I met Brian was incredibly productive a feeling of resignation or desperation, we unwittingly send out and fertile. I had spent that time practicing all the techniques I share a signal that repels the very thing we are seeking. The Soulmate in the book: I clarified exactly what I wanted in a husband, I made my Secret provides a proven formula to ready ourselves on all levels – Soulmate List and released it to the Universe, and I made space in 70

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my home and in my heart for another person.

As I fell more in love with myself and my life, I attracted love from every possible source: friendships were deeper and more fulfilling, business opportunities came with greater ease, and I experienced more success on every level. The way Brian and I actually met was so magical that it could never have been planned – I tell the whole story in the book.

It’s worth the read because it highlights how many clues the Universe gave me along the way … clues that I could have easily missed if I hadn’t done all the work to prepare myself ahead of time.

How did learning on Oprah that Barbra Streisand had found her soulmate solidify your belief that your soulmate was somewhere out there?

I happened to be watching the show one day, just after Barbra Streisand and James Brolin had fallen in love. I remember thinking, here is this super-wealthy, ultra famous diva who is “reputedly difficult” and practically inaccessible. How many men could be a match for her? Then I realized, if the Universe could find somebody for her, then I’ll be a piece of cake! That moment was truly a state of grace. It reminded me of something my grandmother had always told me: “There’s a lid for every pot.” Somehow, seeing that even Barbra Streisand’s pot came with a good fitting lid strengthened my belief.

What can block a person from finding their soulmate? How can one remove these blocks from their life?

There are a lot of things that people do to unconsciously block love. In my own case, I realized that there were several issues that were preventing me from manifesting the love I desired. First, I didn’t believe I deserved a great relationship; second, I didn’t love myself; and third, I had a lot of emotional baggage. I began using everything I had ever learned about manifestation, psychology, spirituality, and the Law of Attraction and applied it to my love life. Whatever blocks you may have to receiving love – whether it be physical, emotional or energetic – The Soumate Secret formula will help you to dissolve it.

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You wrote, “Finding true love is possible for anyone at any age if you’re willing to prepare yourself, on all levels, to become an energetic match for the love you’re seeking.” Do you really believe any woman, at any age, can find true love if she truly applies the principles in this book? How can a person prepare themselves to be an energetic match for the love they are seeking?

I absolutely believe that finding true love is possible for all of us – regardless of our body type, our past history, or our financial status. I also believe that to find our match, we have to be willing to work on ourselves – to unhook from the past, to clear the clutter from our hearts and our home, and to invest the time in discovering the qualities that are really important to us. This book offers practical techniques, rituals and processes that readers can begin doing right now to ready themselves for BIG LOVE. What words of advice do you have for a woman who is in her 40s or 50s, and has gone through a lot of hurt and disappointments in her life, who feels that it isn’t in the cards for her to have true love?

Healing your heart from wounds of the past is an essential step toward manifesting your soulmate. You have to be gentle with yourself and take all the time you need to recover from a bad breakup. Once you’re ready to move on, you can use the emotional release techniques outlined in The Soulmate Secret to forgive yourself AND the other person. When you are no longer harboring resentments or disappointments from the past, you send out a signal of readiness and clear the way for love to find you.

What is ‘feelingization”? How does it differ from visualization, and how can it be used to manifest a soulmate?

Feelingizations are processes to put you into the “feeling” state of already being, doing or having whatever it is that you want to manifest. If you want more love, you first need to evoke from within you the experience of love. It is from that feeling space that you manifest more love into your life.

How can a person get themselves to actually believe there is plenty of love in the world, and that they are worthy of love, if perhaps they’ve lived a long time without love or they have gone through many painful rejections?

Belief is an important first step on the journey of meeting your soulmate. As we release some of the disappointments and heartaches from the past, it becomes easier to nurture the belief that we deserve to be cherished, seen, and adored. In the same way we trust that there is enough air for us to breathe and enough water for us to drink, we

can learn to trust that there is enough love in the world for everyone. As we make this shift in our core belief system, we begin to accumulate evidence that supports it.

What are some affirmations and rituals a person can do to make themselves into a magnet for love and bring their soulmate to them?

I share dozens of them in the book, but one of my favorite exercises to practice beaming love at everyone I meet. I like to imagine that within the space of my heart there is a light – like a torch or a flame or a GPS switch – that grows brighter as I place my attention on it. Place your awareness around the area of your heart and imagining this light growing brighter and brighter, broadcasting your lovability to every man, woman, child, and sentient being on the planet. This is a fun practice, not only because it feels great and makes us incredibly attractive, but because somewhere deep within his or her being, your beloved can feel the energy you are sending out and this, I believe, draws him or her to you at some primordial level.

What if a person is still carrying some great hurt from a broken marriage or relationship, how can they let this pain go so that they are able and ready to welcome a soulmate?

We first have to fall in love with ourselves before we open the door to receiving love from anyone else. There are plenty of great processes out there, including therapy and personal growth workshops that support people in overcoming the pain of the past so they can let new love in. Anything we do to find more love, compassion, and excitement about ourselves is well worth the time and energy.

How can one prepare their home for their future soulmate? Why is this type of physical preparation important?

Well, imagine for just a moment that you were planning to move to a new city. Think of all the planning, preparation and research you would likely invest in the move. Making space in your life for your soulmate requires at least as much preparation as moving to a new city. By taking the time to transform your home into a haven where you feel cozy and sensual, you are rolling out a cosmic welcome mat that sends out an undeniable signal that you are ready for him or her to enter your life. When I was preparing to meet Brian, I enlisted the help of several Feng Shui experts, all of whom taught me a great deal about rearranging my space so it was a conduit for attracting love. The very best of their advice is outlined in the book.

How can a person change from feeling desperate and hopeless about meeting their soulmate, to living as if their

soulmate is about to arrive with certainty and conviction? Can you explain the principle of ‘living as if’?

“Living as if” basically means deciding not to postpone your happiness until after your soulmate arrives. Whatever you dream that you’ll be, do, have, or feel once you meet the love of your life, begin being and doing that now. It’s easy to fantasize about how great we’ll feel, how good we’ll look, and what excellent choices we’ll make once we have someone to share our lives with. But this approach is all backward! By looking for things to appreciate about ourselves and our lives right now, we generate the feeling state that we are loved and adored. This is the perfect state of being for love to find us.

What are your best five tips for those who have prepared themselves emotionally, spiritually and physically for their soulmate and are now ready to take action? What actions are appropriate for someone to take to find his or her soulmate?

Jack Canfield, who wrote the afterword for The Soulmate Secret, points out that there are really two types of action. The first he calls “obvious actions,” which operate under the common sense principle that in order to succeed in any area of life, we first have to put ourselves onto the playing field. Obvious actions for finding your soulmate include regularly putting yourself in the types of environments where you are likely to meet people with similar interests. The second type of action is what Jack calls “inspired actions.” These are impulses that arise within you that don’t appear to logically or directly correlate with the goal of falling in love – yet they are as important to follow through with as obvious actions. There are countless stories in the book about people who followed an intuitive hunch to go to a certain event because they had a gut feeling that they should – and ended up meeting the love of their life. It’s the combination of the two – obvious actions and inspired actions – that will win you the big prize!

This is truly a beautiful book on finding one’s soulmate. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I loved hearing from people who used these manifestation techniques to attract BIG LOVE into their lives. I also loved the ease with which the message seemed to flow through me. The whole premise of the book is that by preparing ourselves inside to receive love, our inevitable rendezvous with our soulmate is spontaneous and effortless. Spontaneous and effortless also describes the writing of this book. It feels like a message I was meant to share.

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By Tamara Qabazard

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e are on an endless quest to find our unicorn: that special reason that motivates us to survive. For some people it could be another person to join hands with and share/ create a life together; for others it could be a career path. I am a little envious of those that prefer the former because my obvious disinterest in starting a family has proved to be hazardous to my relationships. Veterinary medicine is a full time career peppered with at least eight years total of devoting yourself to academia. I’m starting my fourth semester and I am convinced that my brain is already fully saturated and I still have two years left. My friends and I often joke that stuffing information for school in your head makes you forget other things: like your bank account pin or what year it is.

A decade from now I would ideally be flying between the Middle East working with horses and East Asia working with elephants and other zoo life. Growing up in Kuwait, I had a few issues explaining to people that I wanted to work with animals. I was met with responses like “Oh but you’re so smart! Why won’t you study dentistry?” The job market in the Middle East is overflowing with people who want to work with other people. I think we often forget that we aren’t the only living beings. The value of a life shouldn’t have a hierarchy - we should all be working together.

There is something about the human animal bond that is incomparable to that between people. I was quite an angry child and a little bit of a manipulative bully until I started riding horses. I am a neurotic perfectionist and being around intuitive animals placated my thoughts. Horses look into your soul and see you for who you really are. Being around them is the only time I ever feel comfortable enough to confront feelings that I shove in the back of my psyche: I usually feel an 74

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I met Malek and Dalal when I started working at the Kuwait Zoo in 2012. I had always wanted to work with elephants but had never had hands on experience with them.

After all, elephants were the reason I wanted to be a veterinarian in the first place. Their enclosure is a disaster (about 25% the size of what it should be by international standards), naturally making them more aggressive especially Malek. I started to create a bond with the both of them, but the one with Malek grew stronger. Dalal is a sweetheart who readily takes misdirected abuse from her life partner. I blame us: the caretakers of these animals. We should be standing up for them and helping them but instead we are keeping them locked up in cages too small.

Elephants are intelligent and emotional creatures that need constant stimulation, which isn’t provided for them currently. They are able to build social bonds. So far, from what researchers know, they have a working memory up to 25 years. Females that went to a watering hole when they were youngsters, who are now grandmothers, were able to recollect and go back to the same watering hole. Sometimes I don’t remember what I eat for breakfast. They are quick learners. I once saw some teenage boys throwing rocks at Malek to which he promptly picked one back up and threw it back at the boy. I wish it cracked that kids skull open.

would be expanded. There was a council meeting and we walked out the approved blue print. Two months after I left I heard they pulled the funding, which meant we only had money I had raised through a campaign to add enrichment to the area to use for the enclosure. The money is not enough to break down walls and enlarge the space. How can the people higher up stand by while an animal smashes its head into the wall out of boredom and watch so disconnectedly? Where was the allotted funding placed specifically for these animals reallocated to (did someone buy a new car)? Why do we have a zoo if we fail to meet international standards? I think we as a country suffer some sense of schadenfreude. We must look upon the lives of these animals and feel some sort of satisfaction that our lives are better. We must not grasp the concept of “a life is a life” if we are able to walk around the zoo and not feel some sense of shame or despair. Let’s take this a step further: we must be molding serial killers if we condone the shooting and torture of animals in Kuwait. We must be elitist and heartless if we teach children that it is okay to give animals cigarettes or throw rocks at them. The people in granted power in high standings should be advocates for change in Kuwait, not just handling management issues. We should be the voice for these animals. We should understand that the human animal bond involves no words, just actions, which means that empty promises are just that: empty.

I was in Kuwait recently and went to check on my son Malek. He has grown even more aggressive. Mousa, their handler who came with them from Algeria supposedly fell ill and had to leave the country so any stability they knew of thus far had disappeared. They were both very attached to Mousa. Furthermore, the weather is starting to warm up and the enclosure isn’t equipped with a watering hole or mud bath. Before I left for vet school over a year ago, we were promised that the area

I know that the funding I raised for the elephants has still not been effectively put forth and this is a public apology. I left too soon after the money was raised but it has been handed over to trusted people with plans that have been already set in motion.

Sadly, I don’t think anything will happen from anyone higher up until Malek ends up killing someone, in which case, they will end up putting him down, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

overwhelming desire to cry. Quite cathartic.

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FRENCH POLYNESIA, A Tropical Paradise snorkeling through the Tiputa Pass.

Where to Stay

From five-star resorts offering luxurious services and comfort to glamorous villas, French Polynesia has countless gorgeous resorts to choose from. A 10-minute boat ride from airport, Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa offers 50 exquisite over-water bungalows and 30 Garden or Beach Suites.

And Paradise on earth is what Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora is all about. Relax and restore your body with a spa treatment in the privacy of your bungalow or villa. Wrapped by a majestic view, Kia Ora Sauvage is the ultimate escape, reached only by a bumpy, hour-long boat trip from Rangiroa.

JUS DE FRUITS DE MOOREA

Savour a range of delicious fruit punches while visiting Jus de Fruits de Moorea’s small distillery.

SKYDIVE

Are you ready to experience the thrill of free fall in the heart of an amazing landscape?

Jump above Polynesia and enjoy the ride of your life with Skydive Tahiti.

What To Do SAILING

The Ti’a Moana guarantees an unforgettable experience, sailing around Bora Bora, Taha’a, Raitea and Huahine.

Where To Eat MILITARY CANNONS

Uncover history by visiting the military cannons that guarded the island during World War II when the island was an American stronghold.

MAEVA MARAE ARCHAELOGICAL SITE

Home to the largest prehistoric habitation site in the Pacific with the densest concentration of Marae in Polynesia, this site has been beautifully restored. A jungle walk takes you to a magnificent overgrown hilltop ruin.

Idyllic location overlooking the thousand shades of turquoise of the Bora Bora lagoon, sip cocktails watching the sunset on the terrace of the Lagoon by Jean-Georges restaurant offering a menu that is as unique and fabulous as the setting. Aside from its thatched-roof, Tere Nui, located in the Four Seasons Resort, is the perfect place to enjoy a copious breakfast buffet and delicious freshbaked goods. The fine-dining restaurant at Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort and Spa, Fare Ambrosia, offers an authentic Italian experience coupled with Polynesian flavors and local seafood.

When To Go WATER SPORTS

Challenge your body with invigorating water sports such as paddle boating, kayaking, swimming with electric rays and dolphin snorkel. A popular activity is feeding reef sharks, and a great adventure is drift 76

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South of the equator, the Society Islands experience high temperatures and humidity all year round. The best time to visit is May, when there is seven hours of sunshine per day and temperatures range from 21-31 degrees Celsius.

Bon voyage!

MARINO MAGANTO Creating a connected and engaged organization

Marino Maganto is the newly appointed CEO of AlHomaizi group. Before moving to Kuwait he was Deputy Country Manager for IKEA Germany, which is IKEA’s biggest market globally with 48 stores. Who isn’t aware of IKEA, the Swedish ‘Do-It-Yourself’ furniture company. What began as a small store with the idea of providing a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them, has become one of the most successful businesses today, with 346 stores in 43 countries. Its Kuwait location, opened in 1984, and has become a trendsetter among retailers. Marino Maganto is an integral component of the IKEA’s history with a strong association of over 17 years. He started as a co-worker in the Food and Beverage department and risen through the ranks by the sheer dint of hard work and dedication.

CityPages caught up with Marino at IKEA store in The Avenues. He gave us a little Tour de IKEA, while greeting and cheering everyone and anyone he met on the way.

After meeting this 41-years-old, down-to-earth, dedicated and hardworking CEO with strong business ethics, it’s easy to see why he has achieved so much in so little time. Read his interview to know his recipe for success, the changes he would like to bring in the company and his future plans for IKEA.

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I have grown and “developed thanks to the many mistakes I have made, we

encourage our people to learn continuously from their mistakes, when someone makes a mistake the first questions we ask is, What did you learn? What could you have done differently? What actions have you put in place to avoid making the same mistake again? This leads to constructive feedback and allows individual reflections.

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“I would love to see a vital IKEA where customers feel inspired and welcomed and co-workers are proud of . belonging

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How comp would y ared t o IKEou compa I thin A cus k tomerre your c throug people a u s else wherestomers releva hout their ll over the in Ku ? n w l t i v orld e here a in Kuwa es, if I wait xperie w n i t d a t s h t h n a Kuwa t e o c n e e i s n x a th pe y other it than count that somee same ne in oth ctation from r i er par e s t , h servic thing is m eds e cust ts of t o m h e wor ers is es are cr ore How b ld. u much ig is t highe cial he IK We p r in E r A team peopl ovide job in Ku s dire e. w ait? ctly a nd in direct ly to Wha more Kuwa t new cha than nges it in t 1000 o he ne r d e At pre v a e r l o f pmen uture in 2 m sent, we ar ? ts can we ex while ajor phase e remodeli pect a the se n s t IKEA cond ; the first o g the whol one w e n s e t o w r ill e ill be r eady i be ready b. This will b We kn e n spri o w What ng201efore Septe done are yothat you h mber 5. ave re ur oth We ha c e e r nt expan 18 mo ve been gr sion ply opened lans f a marke nths the fi anted the r or the store in J ordan regio functi t allowing rst IKEA stights for Mo . n? will beonal produ more peoore will be rocco and within cts at ple to opene able t o affo p t rd the rices that benefit frod in the Mo he next m. as ma rocca m we n l ny pe Will I ople al designed KEA K s pos uwait IKEA sible be the our exKuwait will suppo d i rt cen we ca sting and efinitely ter fo r the r Kuwa ll our centr future sto play a key r egion r a i o t e l ? be cru with thei office) is s. The Se le in the d r high rvice locate evelop cial fo Office energ r our s d here m ent y, mo ucces tivatio and thus th(that is wh of s. at n e and c t How ompe eam from some is IKEA e t e nce w of you m ill r new bracing t A new h p e l a d n i w g s i e for di tal te possi b pla gital m ch link thbilities for tform has edia? nology? W i n a b t t e e hat ar t r o e a web p n lau mobi ction e or tab age at homle technolo with IKEA nched, it let in t o g , e ff t y h , e c e s r a o s n be a n he sto New 3 ccess a shopping ext level w endless re. ed thr be ab D planning ough list createdill be to your s way thle to acces tools are a mart pon the l s IKE ey pre hone A howso now ava fer. il ever, wheneable, custo me ver an Are d in wrs should custo there any hiche mer lo ver yalty plans to IKEA m p r o o f d a g i m r f a y ily pro m? custo your g curre we aremers, they ram is und ntly d e c e existi r r s r e e e at autum r v ng n2014ing a pack ve much mision, these a ore th . ge of a r e our a benefi ts tha n we are d most loya t will b o l So, ho e rela ing today, w do unche you a I hav d in ddres s mis I havee grown a t a n k d m e s by e ade, w develo from mploy e quest their mista encouragped thank ees? i k s o e e n t s o s o the , when ur pe we as done o m k p d s makin ifferently is; What omeone le to lear any mist feedb g the sam? What actdid you leamakes a mn continuoakes ack an io u r is e d allo mistake ans have yon? What co take the fi sly ws ind r u u g l a ividua in? This put in pla d you havst e l refle c l e e a ctions ds to co to avoid . nstruc tive 82

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Caring for details and “having analytical skills allows me to look at the business from a different perspective.

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ime? ars t e y e in 10 ly, th , say tical has e a m m re ho d dra ome , futu lope d, the h e a v relax e e y b e d e i e r h e p t c s s hav y high s le, here ture will u de ome h ld yo eop r, ver e fu r u u o w at a r many p me of th ey playe so r a g e n i How y k o v o f l w h a o e e fe e c d a ev last t pla rest. Th y will be ill provi s is n e u a h t t r d g e w o n how o In arou t imp of cours technol ure that an ever, s d o l r t m are i d h n wo e the ialize an on, agai ent furn ronger t how we c m o t i c g t s li d be soc direc intel n an r. ome safe, that will see also bec sumptio than eve n feel i e n l t e l u o i n c w in w eleva cont ve soon nability ergy e en e more r i e c a i l t u s e d Ib , su ll b , re r life ome et wi my bette ycle at h and plan lin is to o c i s e v r r e c pe we lose ectri t our ies? he el alent is c t b , b c abou i o ur h cal t mus and my musi of yo e r e u t m , so litera ately t are bout unfortun a Wha e t a e? t al lif ssion ment bu n a o p s r nd e I am e instru ive a nd p t a r t i o k r p r nd p o favo xistent. ur w ry su gether, a r o e y v e s n i o non wife ty time to y need f twee e be , my i e l r c h a a n t l l u a i t l q u ba ppor ant p end port o yo to sp s and su d m t i s w e y Ho a ver do our b the focu ly is i m get , we a My f t woman children ? a r r gths a gre that ou nt. ethe tren s e t e e tog r s l u e p m s t o p n a e e lo gre ng p deve your o bri t e t their r o a s u ok a e, to lo eopl oing. to yo p e g h n m t i ord g wi lows ove d t acc lls al orkin thing I l i a w k h s d l W e le an som ytica anal ctive. peop goals is e g v n i o v e Il eve d ha ersp achi ils an ifferent p a and t e d rd om a ng fo Cari siness fr ive. u suas r e the b p ry be ve s? cces I can u s o ys t cus ur ke o y er fo e k r r a o t Wha Co-w tial and r e oten m p o r t i l i s Cu e the deta imiz n to x o i a t n m Atte le to ny peop e r mpa i ne: o i c z r a Insp g ou ced s ma e of alan r e n b o g o i l a l m s P e Pas re w City le bit s at a litt k, you a u e r r a o wor ge f to sh essa g us fantastic m n i r w u Yo allo the u for keep up o y k Than rselves, ou and spiring. in and

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IKEA Kuwait was well “established, respected and

my predecessor had done a fantastic job, our main task now is to continue investing in the development of our people, to continue developing competence and empowering our team members.

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Flowers Used in Perfume Making

Aside from providing an aesthetic appeal, which contributes to the overall pleasure and feeling of well-being, roses have a genuine practical use in our regimens of good health. Rose oil and rose water are derived from the flowers and rose hips have many valuable properties.

Although many flowers are fragrant, some flowers gained popularity because of them having exceptional fragrances. Some of those flowers with high fragrances, in fact unique fragrances are dealt with here.

Rose

One of the most valuable elements of a fine perfume is provided by the rose, known as the "queen of flowers". Rose perfumes were very popular with the Romans and the Greeks.

Rose flowers are gathered at night since they carry fragrance before sunrise. The two main species of roses used in perfume are the Rosa Centifolia, found in the South of France, and the Rosa Damascena (Damask Rose) located primarily in Arab countries. The Damask Rose is most widely grown for perfumery.

Jasmine

Jasmine, another "absolute," or pure essence, gives a perfume a well-rounded, finished quality. Jasmine flowers are harvested when their fragrance is at its peak just before dawn.

The flowers must be processed immediately before their freshness and fragrances fade away. The jasmine must also be placed in special baskets to prevent the flowers from bruising, and unbalancing the flower's natural bouquet.

Violets

of essential oils, and are rarely used today.

Violets have been used in perfumes A synthetic replacement for violet is most throughout the ages because of their varied commonly used, along with other essential fragrances. They used violets in both oils resembling the violet. perfumes and medicines. There are two varieties of violets most commonly used in Lily perfumes, the Victoria Violet and the Parma The Lily (Lillium) is a hearty bulb that can Violet. Violets only produce a scant amount be planted in fall or spring. In the whole lily spectrum, there is something for everyone, ASAMA Perfumes from easy-to-grow, long-lived garden plants to the more difficult and rare species. Their The creative method gave ASAMA Perfumes summer blooms are the highlight of the the time and the opportunity to craft fragrances while working with the highest garden, and they are long-lasting as cut quality ingredients in a bottle and using Arabic flowers. Most lilies bloom between June and Western scents as a unique concept point for the fragrances. They welcome your and August, and the large, trumpet shaped comments at PR@ASAMAPerfumes.com flowers feature a variety of colors, designs Follow them on Instagram and Twitter @ ASAMAPerfumes and fragrances.

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AK EU P M

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The Summer Bride As per our promise, we make sure to deliver exceptional and excellent services, especially for brides.

by:

Your wedding day is an everlasting memory, do not settle for less than what you deserve.

W

e adopt renovation and change in order to emphasize the facial expressions, without changing the bride’s identity.

The essential point to obtain perfect bride make up is the contouring by using light and dark reflection.

Hydro tense, soft and fluid foundation from Layla Cosmetics: We can use this kind of foundation daily as moisturizer and for lifting effect.

Gold reflection powder: Very delicate loose powder to modify and fix with silky result from Make Up Studio.

Eye shadow lumiere: Contrary to the classic type this shadow is baked instead of pressed. As a result, these very intensive and super shining powders are not dusty at all and also give amazing results when applied wet.

Lip colored tube: Semi permanent 18 hours lasting It is only removable with a special make up remover.

Comfortable feeling, waterproof, smudge proof, kiss proof, lip fluids including pleasant feeling gloss.

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Photograph by: Layla Harmony

Mother Nature’s Herbs

Are you yearning for a break from the stress of daily life? Do you value relaxing and pampering beauty treatments based on only natural ingredients? If so, our new nature-inspired HERBAL BEAUTY TREATMENTS is a pure natural bliss!

T

hese skincare rituals are purely herbal - plant based experience that are fine-tuned to the needs of your skin. Depending on your skin analysis, the cosmetician chooses from the three HERBAL BEAUTY MASK that is targeted to offer you either a rejuvenating - regenerating, soothing calming or normalizing - rebalancing effect.

The effect results purely from the selected, precious plant extracts,” explains Dr. med.

Christine Schrammek-Drusio. Since the masks are made of a pure herbal mixture, dried and ground and then freshly applied, no preservatives are necessary. Dyes and fragrances are also avoided. It is a purely natural treatment method with a high level of pampering, “says the better-aging expert.

First the skin is cleansed, followed by an enzyme peel to prepare the skin and toned as the traditional routine. Then the skin is covered with a paper-thin layer of gauze that is draped over the face and neck. Next, the herbs are freshly mixed along with a foam

and the freshly prepared HERBAL BEAUTY MASK is applied over the gauze and left to stay on for about fifteen minutes for optimal active ingredients absorption and to gain maximum benefit. After the herbs have been given enough time to take effect onto the skin, the gauze is removed carefully along with any herbal residue. Finally, the pampering process is completed with a soothing relaxing massage with Green Peel® Herbal Active concentrates and rounded off with exclusive beauty power product.

HERBAL BEAUTY “VITAL” treatment

Regenerative and rejuvenating treatment for demanding, mature and dry skin. VITAL mask stimulates the skin’s circulation and hydrates the skin to its optimal level from the ffect of horsetail, thyme, ginko leaf, brown seaweed, grape seed, red clover and oat straw. The skin is left feeling taut, soft and supple.

HERBAL BEAUTY “PURE” treatment

Cleansing and clarifying treatment targeting to balance the skin from its oily, impure and blemished state of skin condition. Pansy, chamomile flower, willow bark, liquorice root, yarrow, lemon bath, fenugreek and sage have an inflammatory effect on the skin giving it more of a velvety smooth, clear skin with a matte complexion.

HERBAL BEAUTY “RELAX” treatment

The three HERBAL BEAUTY TREATMENTS offers an experience that is in complete harmony with nature. The plant complexes are like small miracles – a treat for skin and soul.

Anisaa

Soothing, calming treatment for irritated, stressed and sensitive skin.

Liquorice root, gingko leaves, aloe vera, lemon bath, oat straw and pansy create a balancing, moisturizing and soothing effect while stimulating the skin’s natural resistance for pleasant skin sensation and even complexion.

To ensure maximum benefit from the treatment, it is important to follow a skin care routine with the natural skin care series based on plant intelligence formulated for any skin type.

Herbs are best of what MOTHER NATURE has to offer and are beneficial for us inside out, making us beautiful, healthy and happy. So apart from the GREEN’s for your Skin here is something GREEN for a healthy you.

New LaFem Salon & Beauty Co.

Anisaa is an Aesthetic Consultant and Trainer with New Lafem Salon & Beauty Co. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram at: @lafemsalonq8

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The GREEN Smoothie Blend in the Greens from 3 carrots (organic), 150 grams of cos lettuce, 1 orange, 1 mango and 1 banana. Then add a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and 400 ml of water.

HERBAL BEAUTY TREATMENTS NATURAL, HARMONISING AND EFFECTIVE “The effect results purely from the selected, precious plant extracts,�

Dr. med. Christine Schrammek-Drusio.

VITAL

Regenerates demanding, mature & dry skin

PURE

Normalizes impure, oily & blemished skin

RELAX

Calms sensitive, irritated, stressed skin

3 POWERFUL HERBAL MASKS with the power of individually blended combination of active herbal ingredients that support, stimulate and calm the skin's cells.

Revitalizing, normalizing or soothing, the combination of plant extracts is balanced for every individual skin needs. Free from preservatives, dyes and artificial fragrances, this treatment is a true boost for the skin and soul. Treat yourself to a harmonizing treatment of pure herbs that will unfold on your skin.

Let your skin be nourished by nature. Your skin will thank you for it.

Exclusive Distributor & Trainer - Kuwait & UAE

New LAFEM Salon & Beauty Co.

Salmiya - Hamad AlMubarak Street, Block 9, Bldg. 33, 1st Floor

Tel.: 25722507 / 8 - 66733222 - 66711140

www.lafemkuwait.com

lafemsalonq8

info@lafemkuwait.com

lafemsalonq8

www.schrammek.com

Danah Alfares

A polishaholic creating miniature works of art People have painted their nails for thousands of years as a way to express themselves and to easily accessorize any outfit, but the definition of manicure has been changed completely in the last few years. Nails have never been so high profile in fashion and in popular culture and a new generation of young women are using nail polish to express their individuality, their fashion savvy, creativity and even their humour. Thanks to new inventions and more accessible tools, nail art has become a hobby for many people. But there are only few, who take their hobby to the next level and Danah Alfares is one of those. The incredibly talented, nail art megastar believes in hard working and keeping herself updated with the latest trends and techniques. She creates visually tantalizing complex, multi-layered designs. When it comes to creative manicure, nail artist Dana Alfares has a steady hand and an eye for details.

CityPages invites you to know more about the first and only nail art blogger in K-Town Dana Alfares, her inspirations and her working process.

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Hello, my name is Danah Alfares. I'm a Nails/Nail Art Blogger (an Instablogger). As most people must have heard of makeup and beauty bloggers, my blog danahsnails.com is the first and only one in Kuwait that specializes in nails and nail art (a little bit of beauty too). My blog also entertains a wide base of international viewers, this is why I post in English as well as in Arabic.

In addition to that, I do some services in the same field, e.g. tutoring, consultations, reviews and advertising.

I'm passionate about graphic design, arts and all kinds of handicrafts.

One thing I am proud to say about my blog, is that I provide 100% original material by myself. All the nail art, pictures, videos, reviews, articles and experiences are by me alone.

happened about three years ago. So that's around when I first thought “yeah that's interesting!” and it became my “next” art project.

I've been doing arts and crafts for as long as I can remember. Nail art was just a new venture for me.

Especially that it's found its niche in the fashion and lifestyle industry, I thought I might as well blog about it.

Is this your full time career? What is your education and day job?

Nail art and blogging is not my full-time career (though I wish it was).

I have a B.S. in Computer Science and work full-time as a teacher/ trainer in the government sector. It's hard to practice my little hobby and balance it all with the other stuff, but I try my best.

How long have you been doing nail art? How did you What inspired you to start? discover your talent?

One day on Instagram, I saw this nail art picture on popular page. It

Technically, nail art has been around since ancient times (source: was by an artist/blogger named Kaitlin Ferland (of ‘The Daily Polish’ Wikipedia); however, the biggest boom in its worldwide popularity blog). Her flawless, beautiful art inspired me to start. I still have a 92

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Photograph by: Paparazzi Studio @paparazzistudio

post of my earliest Kaitlin-inspired nail art. It wasn’t so perfect but considering the scarce and limited resources at that time, I'm pretty proud of it.

How long does it take to complete a full set?

Nail art demands a great deal of creativity, meticulous manual work, and patience (it will eventually teach you that I can safely say). It's not just “painting nails” as some people might think. Also there's a slice of time cut along for the materials to set.

Photograph by: Paparazzi Studio @paparazzistudio

Let me walk you through my process: First, I think of a design or theme. Next, I doodle (sketch) it on paper (I have this little notebook and pencil that I take with me everywhere, comes handy when sudden

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inspiration strikes). After that, I apply it on my nails wheel (as prototype), and finally, I tweak it to be applied perfect on natural nails.

So it depends mostly on the design and technique(s) and amount of work on each nail. For me, it takes from half an hour up to 2.5 hours.

The hardest and most time consuming thing about nail art design is maintaining “originality”. As for me, I strive to achieve that and try to avoid copying. I'm happy and proud of coming up with even a simple design, as long as I haven't seen it (or its idea) been done before.

What are the tools of the trade that you use the most?

It's a huge list but I could sum it with my detailing brushes (along with my acrylic paints), tiny scissors, tape, orange stick and of course lots and lots of nail polishes.

So where do you find your design inspirations from?

Basically “art” in itself inspires me. In all its manifestations, be it in seasons, nature, literature, special occasions, movies, music, also got to keep track of the fashion world and what's trending.

I do however get “artist’s block”, this is a good time to “copy” a good design I’ve screenshot with my phone. As much as I hate that happening, I do have to keep my art going, and at the same time I ALWAYS give credit to the original art/artist, even if I tweaked it

a little bit.

Inspiration and credit is a big issue in the nail art community and I solemnly pledged to give it where it’s due, sadly this isn’t common in our local instagram.

Which trend do you wish would go away?

I’m so glad you asked that! I’m speaking for myself as a nail artist who plays with and loves color and design...I just can't stand plain “French” manicures.

French manicure makes me *yawn*. As impossible for it to totally disappear, I seriously don’t see its point or purpose.

Sorry!

Is there any trend or technique you want to try but haven't yet?

I’d like to try airbrushing. It’s a well known painting technique that can be applied in nail art. I’ve seen some amazing work done with it. I’ve already purchased the tools, yet a “hose” piece got lost in cargo inspection (thanks to customs) so it remains on my “todo” list.

What is the one product/tool/supply you couldn't live without?

Nail art can simply be done with just good polish so basically, that’s all I need and without it no nail art can be done. All the rest are accessories. Crafty minds are resourceful ones.

What has been your personal key to success?

First thing is God’s blessings, I’m so grateful for being blessed with the passion and talent.

Secondly, many people who know me call me a “perfectionist”. I’d say it humbly because I’m rarely satisfied with my work. I

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keep updating and improving my skills all the time because it’s a fierce competition out there. Another important factor is “practice”.

It does make perfect you know (as the deal with ALL hand craft art) no luck in mastering it at all.

Who is your favorite nail artist?

It’s really hard to pick one. I’m a fan of ALL Japanese nail artists. However, there are a couple of artists that I look up to, such as Phuong Luu (@thenailboss) he made my day once when he “liked” and commented to praise of my work and Lucie of @lucysstash blog, her work is always unique in its simplicity and beauty. I also can't afford to miss mentioning the ultimately talented Ran Kowatari. She owns and runs a Nails Studio in NY. I could safely say her quality in work is inspirational. I would definitely aspire to reach that level.

services to the public?

I do not own a salon/spa. However, I do get hosted on events in major salons and nail spas here in Kuwait where clients can book their appointments with yours truly and get their nails done in a professional environment. I post about these events on my blog and instagram.

Your message for us at CityPages magazine: My ultimate gratitude to you guys! Oh and please follow me on instagram (@ danahsnails)

What are some of your personal and/ or professional goals for the future?

My personal goal is to see nail art on all the girls' nails. I'd like them to believe that nail art is a fashion statement in its own. In the end, they're just polished nails! What on earth could go wrong!

I just wish everyone would appreciate and love it as much as I do. I want girls to get crafty and creative and try it out by themselves (this is one reason why I make and post video tutorials too).

I found Nail Art-ing very self rewarding.

Spending an hour or two, with complete concentration is my getaway from life's strife. I'd even call it therapy.

On another level, I do look forward to the day when people would notice me and say "look! That's Danah, the Nail Artist" *smiles*

What is your favorite nail art technique?

My favorite nail art technique is "Masking"… it's a term used in graphics and painting in which we use layers to temporary cover each other to create complex layered artwork. It's also used in nail art, whether we use masking tape like scotch tape or thin nail art tape or even craft’s glue and binder paper reinforcements … the possibilities are endless.

I like it because its results are extremely neat and clean. However, the process itself requires a lot of creativity and patience.

If there is one piece of advice you can give to other nail artists who want to do this for a living or part-time, what can you tell them?

Practice, practice and more practice, always improve your skills and knowledge and be original and true to the artist in yourself.

How do you offer your nail art May, 2014

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MAY BIRTHSTONE IS the EMERALD By: Oussama T. Hussein Giving a piece of jewelry containing a birthstone gem will bring the wearer with good luck and protection.

Monthly birthstones symbolize the month of birth according to the Gregorian Calendar. What is the Birth stone for May? The following old poem provides the answer!

"Who first beholds the light of day In spring's sweet, flower month of May And wears an Emerald all her life Shall be a loved and a loving wife."

Properties of the Emerald

Zodiac Sign

For those who were born in the month of May the Emerald is the traditional birthstone. The May birthstone poem reflects some of the properties with which the Emerald is associated - loyalty, faithfulness and friendship. The Traditional Metaphysical Properties for the May Birthstone Emerald are memory, clairvoyance and faith. The healing properties of the May birthstone are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to the eyes, fertility, the spine and headaches. The Emerald is also used to enhance mental capabilities.

The twelve Zodiac signs are an astrological version of birthstones in addition to the twelve calendar months. The May birthstone of the Emerald is considered to be the birthstone for Taurus (The sign of the Bull) and relate to those born between April 21 - May 20. The Zodiac sign of Taurus also responds to Sapphire, Garnet Agate, and Diamond.

Color of the Emeralds

The traditional color associated with the Emerald is the deep green color and was strongly favored as a popular gem in Victorian jewelry.

Where are Emaralds found?

The meaning of colors through the ages represented many aspects of life. Social, religious, biblical and Christian symbolism were all Emarald is found in the following countries: Colombia, Brazil, Zambia reflected in the color green! The symbolic meaning of the color green and Zimbabwe. was renewal of life and nature.

Definition of the Emerald: Definition of Emerald, the May birth stone: The word Emerald is derived from the Greek word "Smaragdos" which means "green stone" which reflect the color of the emerald. A precious stone of a rich green color, a variety of beryl that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem. By weight the emerald is the most valuable gemstone in the world. The Emerald is a member of the Beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate) family. The crystal structure of the emerald, the February birthstone, is hexagonal. Elements of chromium in the crystal produce the color, whilst inclusions in the stone create what is called the jardin, or garden, of the emerald.

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Tropical Zodiac Sign

Dates

Stone

Aquarius

21 January – 19 February

Garnet

Pisces

20 February – 21 March

Amethyst

Aries

22 March – 20 April

Heliotrope

Taurus

21 April – 21 May

Sapphire

Gemini

22 May – 21 June

Agate

Cancer

21 June – 22 July

Emerald

Leo

23 July – 22 August

Virgo

23 August – 22 September

Carnelian

Libra

23 September – 23 October

Chrysolite

Scorpio

24 October – 21 November

Beryl

Sagittarius

22 November – 21 December

Topaz

Capricorn

22 December – 21 January

Ruby

Onyx

May, 2014

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Basil AlHadi

Introducing a new music genre - Arabic Reggae In the world of music, new artists come up to the surface as fast as bubbles in the water. Some of them burst, some of them are meant to stay like talented and passionate artist Basil AlHadi – the Rasta Baba of Middle East. He is a musician, songwriter, composer and creator of a new music genre; the Arabic/Eastern Reggae.

Born and raised in Kuwait, Basil is the founder of Karrouhat studio and lead vocalist in Karrouhat band. Basil’s band exhibits diverse musical influences, from traditional Khaleeji rhythm to soft rock and blues, but nonetheless coherent and whole and his song’s lyrics are lovely little day to day observations. Recently, CityPages got a chance to chat with Basil about the beginning and future of his career, Karrouhat studio and much more!

Hi, Please introduce yourself to our readers:

I am, first of all, a human, my roots are in this planet-planet Earth, and my name is Basil AlHadi - The Rasta Baba of Middle East, as they called me  Positive Vibration… I’m a songwriter and an actor graduated from New York Film school, USA. I am on lead vocals in Karrouhat Band; our band exhibits diverse musical influences, from traditional Khaleeji rhythm to soft rock and blues. We have introduced a performance that is totally different and new to Kuwait – Arabic reggae; a first of its kind in the Middle East and represents the alternative scene.

When and how did you get interested into music?

I used to listen to music since childhood but I started thinking seriously about music around 15 years ago. I remember Dad had an Oud and I tried playing it but at that age I didn’t like it as much as western sounds and years later, I remember first guitar I tried was with just three strings G, B, & high E and it caught my attention.

It was then when I first faced problems of being left-handed but I always believed in “when you want something nothing can stop you to achieve it”. With this belief, in the age of no internet and very poor resources I found my way to play up-side-down on a right-handed guitar with just 3 strings and after I started playing the basics, I figured out that I’m good in writing and composing too and can be more than just being a musician who plays instruments only. So yes, I started then.

My story with the reggae thing started in 80’s, when one of my uncles who were visiting us on their summer holidays while studying in Philippine, played that harsh & lovely Heartbeat song on a cassette.

I still remember how I felt at that moment and I kept asking who is 98

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this and from where and you know how kids get curious, the track was Buffalo Soldiers by the legend Bob Marley.

How and when did you land up in Kuwait?

Actually, I was born here in Kuwait and after a while I left somewhere else but I landed up again in Kuwait on Dec 2006 accidentally for a job interview. As I got the offer so I stayed but honestly I kept moving around, I can’t stay in one place  it seems like I may have Romani gypsy roots.

Tell us about your studio. What hardware and software do you use?

My studio or my project was an idea and “ideas never die” as they say. The idea was to support the alternative scene of music and films in Kuwait and Middle East on a bigger scale, especially at that time when the main stream reached a point of being way beyond the reality of our daily life here in Middle East. Then, my idea came to life and I called it KARROUHAT, because Karrouhat is that pattern (argyle pattern) which has many elements to buildup the bigger image, the bigger platform so when you see that pattern from a distance you will see the whole idea but when you get closer & closer you will notice each important little detail that built this image. So the Karrouhat Studio, the factory, as I call it exists and I pay for every single hardware and software because I believed in the idea but of course, with the support of people around me. The hardware we own is MAC machine, Apogee, MIDI, compressors, many Effects pedals, music instruments, and we use Logic Pro software with many plugins and other softwares, but I believe the hardware & softwares are nothing without the human behind it.

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How would you describe your music?

I write songs with lyrics about ordinary life, daily pleasures, and tiny triumphs such as what happened to me on the street, home, with friends, or my job so I write reality. But music wise I’m a big fan of simple theory and straight to the point philosophy. I have learned that the most popular songs in the world were always the simple ones which are readily comprehensible to the general public. Certainly, it does not mean that I don’t appreciate the other music but it’s my flavor you know! Genre wise, our main focus is on reggae though we work with other types of music too. I love roots music & I’m working hard now to create subgenre Arabic Reggae or Eastern Reggae because I get to influence by eastern music all the time. These days, I am in the process of relocating to Istanbul/ Turkey; the city that I love although it’s a big challenge but I like challenges and Istanbul is like a big school of music. As I have performed there many times and I love the place so I want to be based there and make Karrouhat Band – The Turkish Version. It will create eastern reggae with flavor of Turkish and gypsy music. I will keep on coming to Middle East to perform live and still support the music scene here especially in Kuwait, because I feel like me along with other lovely musicians, are the kick starters here for the alternative music scene and we struggled a lot to build up this in an un-musical place.

Honestly, now that I have a lot of friends in Kuwait and I spent a very great time in this lovely country sometimes I feel like it’s my home because I know almost everything here. I know most of the neighborhoods here and I love the downtown, the landscape is touching and sure I’ll always come back and meet my friends, play music live, and on top of all that, support the music. One of my plans is to build a music bridge between Istanbul and Kuwait.

takes like 10 mins and sometimes can take years.

Where do you take inspiration from?

Lyrics wise, from daily life and composing wise, from all experience I ever gained from when my mom used to sing me this moment.

experience my music the year 1 to sleep till

How do you keep your mind focused creatively on each project?

This is the hardest thing for me because I’m a bit messy guy and at the same time very active. I want to experience everything in life because I consider life is a one time opportunity and I have to utilize it to the maximum. And at the end of the day I make things happen, I work hard, I try my best to focus on my projects and I am sure things will get a lot better with the help of good friends and people around me.

What composers or artists do you find inspiring and why?

I listen to everything from Aisha ElMartah, Awad Eldoukhi, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan to the legend Bob Marley but big influences are Bob Marley, Eastern Arabic music and of course Pink Floyd; the most genius band in the music history, to me at least! Why? Because Bob Marley, Pink Floyd & Eastern music were the things I heard the most when I was young and Reggae was the trigger. I believe in that music and I feel it works with the heartbeats and find it very special with the off beats and the one drop concept. I think reggae was a revolutionary concept after the music scene earlier was in high speed tempo like rock n roll and ska; ska was the precursor to rock How would you describe your steady and reggae. Reggae came to chill out creative process? the scene, I simply love it!

Again, simplicity is the key for me. I’m always trying the theory of “take it easy” and my I don't think people realize the creative process is depending on what amount of work that goes into being happens in reality then I get the inspiration to a composer. Do you think people write about it, compose it, & work with other understand what you do? musicians for arranging it and put it on the I totally agree with you, no one really seems right frame that suits my big image. Again, to care about who’s behind the track or the what I mean by reality thing is for example, song or even in a filmmaking job, it’s always I worked once on a song that defined the the same in the creative work. People care existence and what that means, I got the about the one who is in the picture, the inspiration while I was in a friends gathering physical thing that they can touch, smell somewhere and we were talking about or hear, but they don’t understand that existence & life so after that I went home and composing & writing a song is the seed of started writing it. Another story I remember, everything. Actually I feel it’s ok because once I woke up with a very funny dream that people always need to see the star not who is I was eating watermelon on the planet Mars behind it and one day people will notice that so I wrote a song about eating watermelon so be cool  and yes, writing & composing is a on Mars and what else! Once I was in a hippy whole process and takes time, emotions, and trip with friends from Germany, Morocco, it’s like a totally different life style but I love it Oman, & Kuwait in Oman’s desert in 2011 and I’ll keep doing it. and there I found a Bedouin girl chilling in a Tell us about some of your tent and drinking Arabic coffee so I wrote a song about that situation, so yes this is my achievements? creative process  from reality to my mind I played live music at many places in the processor to producing then get the product.

How long does it take you to compose a complete music?

It depends! The creative work is an abstract thing, you can’t measure it. Sometimes it 100

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world and my favorite thing in life is to be on stage and I wish to keep doing it. I feel my big achievement is my involvement with a great movement of art called the Art Salon.

Together we organized, in collaboration with UN Peace one day - Global truce, an event to raise awareness about peace both regionally and globally. I took care of the live music part with Karrouhat Band. Another, one of my big achievements is related to a music video which was a part of a short film. I composed a part of the sound track and a well known TV channel, BBC Arabia, signed a 5 years contract with me and bought that video. But despite all of these achievements, I honestly consider my biggest achievement is the people who I got to know from music, I made friends who are like brothers and sisters to me and this makes me satisfied and happy.

What would you like to achieve in the next ten years?

After creating this new music genre; the Arabic/Eastern Reggae, I want to make a world tour and play live in big music festivals to show the world our music and daily life in Arab world, and keep sending the positive vibration to the people.

Where have you performed so far?

I started at private places in Amman. I played here in Kuwait at a lot of places sometimes as a solo show and sometimes with Karrouhat Band. I have also performed in Germany, Amsterdam, Paris, Turkey, & some open mics in NYC.

What are your future plans?

As I mentioned before, I’m moving to Istanbul and working with the new version of Karrouhat band that has Turkish and Roman members, to create the subgenre and start touring the world with the band and focusing on Arab world for sure. I’m in a process to sign with an agency so that I can keep performing here and around this part of world.

What has moment?

been

your

proudest

I always feel proud whenever I perform on the stage and especially when I see people happy around me but I’m a bit hard on myself to keep myself working hard.

For young people starting out now who want to be composers; what advice do you have for someone who wants to do what you do and is just starting out?

Keep working, working, and working! Believe in yourself, find your goal and create a strategy to achieve it. You have to do it for yourself; no one else is going to do it for you.

So work hard and never stop!

Your message for us at CityPages magazine:

Keep the spirit high and I will repeat, don’t stop working! Cover more about people in the alternative scene not just the mainstream because those are the people who really need your support and want to get acknowledged.

They are the people who are talking about the reality not just taking care of the commercial side of life. Thanks a lot for having me and I hope you enjoyed on board my crazy plane and yes, Love people Be positive.

Basil AlHadi & Karrouhat Band – Arabic Reggae Instagram.com/Karrouhat Facebook.com/Basil.Hadi Facebook.com/KarrouhatStudio Youtube.com/KarrouhatStudio

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MAY Movie Releases NEIGHBORS

LEGENDS OF OZ: DOROTHY'S RETURN

Director: Nicholas StollerFothergill

Director: Dan Guillermo del Toro Director: St. Pierre, Will Finn

Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Jake Johnson

Starring: Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Martin Short, Kelsey, Grammer, Lea Michele, Oliver Platt

Genres: Comedy

Genres: Family, Fantasy, 3D

Synopsis: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose

Synopsis: Back in Kansas, Dorothy Gale

Byrne lead the cast of Neighbors, a comedy about a young couple suffering from arrested development who are forced to live next to a fraternity house after the birth of their newborn baby.

Director: Bryan Singer

WALK OF SHAME

MALEFICENT

Director: Marc Webb

Director:Steven James Brill Wan Director:

Director: Robert Stromberg

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Ethan Suplee, James Marsden, Bill Burr, Liz Carey, Lawrence Gilliard Jr

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning.

Sharlto Copley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Kenneth Cranham

Genres: Adventure, Action, Sequel

Genres: Drama, Comedy

Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Synopsis: For Peter Parker, life is busy.

Synopsis: After losing an audition for her

Synopsis: Untold story of Disney's most

decides to return to Oz in order to help her friends. The plot begins as Dorothy returns to Kansas to find it devastated by the tornado that sent her to Oz. Before she can react to the destruction of her home, she is transported back to Oz, where her three friends (Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man) have disappeared. She meets a charming man made of marshmallows who can’t quite think for himself, a tiny china doll princess whose bossiness is a cover for her fragility, and a tugboat with as many personalities as he has pieces. Dorothy must help this group band together against the Jester, a wicked new villain who believes that all of Oz should be under his control.

Between taking out the bad guys as SpiderMan and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation can’t come quickly enough. Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away, but that’s a promise he just can’t keep.

Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past

BLENDED

MILLION DOLLAR ARM

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

Director: Frank Coraci

Director: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Joel McHale, Bella Thorne, Lauren Lapkus, Terry Crews

Starring: Jon Hamm, Suraj Sharma, Alan Arkin, Aasif Mandvi, Allyn Rachel, Bill Paxton

dream job, an aspiring Los Angeles TV news anchor goes out for an uncharacteristic night of partying. She awakes in a stranger's bed to a phone message from her agent telling her the job is hers, if she can make it across town by 5 pm. Stranded in an unknown area without money, a phone, and a car, she embarks on a series of misadventures as she races to the most important job interview of her life.

MOMS' NIGHT OUT

Director: Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin Starring: Patricia Heaton, Robert Amaya, Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Trace Adkins, David Hunt

beloved villain, Maleficent, from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty.“Maleficent” is the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the 1959 classic “Sleepi ng Beauty.”

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.

GODZILLA

Director: Gareth Edwards Starring: Aaron Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comic

Genres: Comedy, Romantic

Genres: Crime, Action, Thriller

Genres: Comedy

Genres: Action, SciFi, Adventure

Synopsis: The story is partially set in an

Synopsis:

Synopsis: In a last ditch effort to save his

Synopsis: All Allyson and her friends want

Synopsis: The film retells the origin of

is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and

Godzilla in contemporary times as a "terrifying

conversation . . . a long-needed moms' night

force of nature".

alternate future where surviving mutants have been penned in concentration camps, giant robots called Sentinels patrol America, and most of the X-Men have been hunted and killed. In the present day, the X-Men were forced to stop a key event from unfolding in order to keep that future from occurring.

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Explores the growing phenomenon of "blended families." After a disastrous blind date, single parents Lauren (Drew Barrymore) and Jim (Adam Sandler) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week.

career as a sports agent, JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League Baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “Million Dollar Arm.” With the help of a cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout (Alan Arkin) he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma), two 18 year old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train.

out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a paper bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for three hours—what could go wrong?

TOP MUSIC CHARTS DJ Raven 11

Young Girls

12

Pompeii

Problem

13

Fancy

14

Zedd & Hayley Williams Kanye West

All Of Me

1

John Legend

2

Pharrell Williams

3

Ariana Grande & Iggy Azalea

4

Iggy Azalea & Charli XCX

Happy

5

Dark Horse

15

6

Not A Bad Thing

16

7

Turn Down For What

Katy Perry

Justin Timberlake

DJ Snake & Lil Jon

17

21

Birthday

22

A Sky Full Of Stars

The Man

23

Am I Wrong

Stay The Night

24

Counting Stars

Bound 2

25

Bruno Mars

Bastille

Aloe Blacc

Beyonce Knowles

34 35

Partition

Play It Again Luke Bryan

Burn

Ellie Goulding

27

Can't Remember To Forget You

37

Drunk In Love

Sweater Weather

29

20

Mine Would Be You

30

Summer

33

Timber

Magic

Coldplay

19

Calvin Harris

Pitbull & Ke$ha

Let Her Go

Talk Dirty

10

Animals

Martin Garrix

32

36

28

Jason Derulo & 2 Chainz

OneRepublic

Future

Best Day Of My Life

Team

9

Nico & Vinz

Move That Doh

26

Michael Jackson

18

Idina Menzel

Coldplay

31

Love Never Felt So Good

Let It Go

8

Katy Perry

Lorde

Neighbourhood Blake Shelton

American Authors Shakira & Rihanna

Passenger

Beyonce & Jay-Z

Say Something

Love More

38

Give Me Back My Hometown

39

Hold On We're Going Home

La La La

40

She Looks So Perfect

Chris Brown & Nicki Minaj Eric Church

Naughty Boy & Sam Smith

A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera

Drake

5 Seconds Of Summer

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“C

an you hear that?” Ahmed asked Sara. He had a twinkle in his eyes and it melted her heart. After 45 years of marriage, they were still madly in love. “Yes, I can hear my heart beating,” she giggled. “Exactly and I live for that, you are my world,” he whispered. As they walked down Avenues Mall, she held onto his hand tightly and squeezed it. They never went out without each other, wherever she went, he went too.

Ahmed looked at Sara with such love, she was beautiful and Sara was so kind and caring, it was one of the reasons why he wanted to be with her so much. Marriage isn’t easy, they faced difficulties just like other married couples, and sometimes they just had enough. But their fights had never lasted more than a day, they both hated to see each other down. She was the love of his life and her pain, was his pain.

Sara placed her hand on the woman’s hand and said, “You must be happy dear. Find what makes you both happy. Marriage is a gift but sometimes we may jump into things without giving it a second thought. Sometimes, marriages don’t work out but that doesn’t mean you failed. It just means you both want to go on different paths. And, that is okay.

Sometimes, you need to listen to what your heart tells you. Your heart knows best.”

“What’s the secret to keeping your marriage happy?” a woman next to them asked. They both turned to have a look at the woman, she As they sat down at one of the restaurants, was young and pretty. She was sitting alone silence fell upon them as she watched little but she was waiting for somebody with a kids running around. Tears filled her eyes distressed look on her face. but a smile fell across her face too. Ahmed knew the reason for her pain and he hated Sara turned to the woman with a kind smile to see her sad. “Sara, God has a reason for and said, “Love each other and show it. But everything,” he said. She turned to him and most of all, communicate. Communication is the most beautiful gift in this world, but not nodded her head, it was true. a lot people use it. Be there for one another and cherish each other. Ahmed has always cherished me, he has always made me feel Nadia AlHassan like the luckiest and most beautiful woman in the world. He tells me every day. I am now 65 years of age and he still makes me feel like that.”

Before the woman left she turned to Ahmed and said, “You are a very lucky man, I hope your marriage continues to be filled with many blessings. Your children must be very proud to have you both as parents.”

Nadia Al-Hassan is a student in Ireland, studying Journalism. She is passionate about writing stories and poetry. Nadia loves helping people with her stories. She believes that words are beautiful and powerful.

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Ahmed looked at Sara and then said, “We don’t have children, we were never able to have any. But, we believe that everything happens for a reason. We may not have had that opportunity but God gave us something else, he gave us each other and our love for each other is so strong. Whenever you feel like things aren’t going your way, just remember God has a reason for it. He has better plans waiting for you. Trust in him.

Turn to him. And have faith in him. He will never let you down. Somebody once told me, when you are going through something hard The woman next to her got up and hugged and you start wondering where God is, just Sara, “Thank you Auntie, but what if things remember the teacher is always quiet during still don’t get better?” a test.”.

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The world's movie capital is not Hollywood but Bollywood. Bollywood is the nickname for the Indian film industry located in Bombay (now known as Mumbai, though Mollywood hasn't quite caught on.)

Indians are in love with movies, even though most films follow a similar format called masala (the word for a collection of spices). Movies are three to four hours long including an intermission, dozens of songs and dances (featuring 100 or so choreographed dancers), top stars, the story between the songs of boy meets girl (without any kissing or sexual contact), lots of action (though no bloodshed), and always - a happy ending.

Fourteen million Indians go to the movies on a daily basis (about 1.4% of the population of 1 billion) and pay the equivalent to the average Indian's day's wages (US $1-3) to see any of the over 800 films churned out by Bollywood each year.

T

hat's more than double the number of feature films produced in the United States.

Although American-made films have been edging into India, only the blockbuster Titanic has ever made India's top five list. One hundred and fifty U.S. films arrived in India in 1998. However, Indian films have become somewhat of an international obsession.

Bollywood films are being shown in American and British theaters on a more and more frequent basis. These theaters have become community foci for the South Asian communities around the world. Though

Abdulaziz AlKhamis

Abdulaziz is a Kuwaiti Film Maker, Visual Artist and a Script Writer. He graduated from the UK, with a passion to mix art and visuals.

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separated by a vast distance from home, South Asians have found Bollywood films to be a great way of staying in touch with their culture and their fellow South Asians.

Since India is a country of sixteen official languages and a total of twenty-four languages spoken by over a million people each, some portions of the film industry are fragmented. While Mumbai (Bollywood) leads India in film production, its specialty lies with Hindi movies. Chennai (formerly Madras) produces films in Tamil and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the Bengali movie capital. Neighboring Pakistan's Lahore calls itself Lollywood.

Bollywood's film production center is a government-owned studio facility known as "Film City" in the northern suburbs of Mumbai. Bollywood traces its start to 1911 when the first silent Indian feature film was released by D.P. Phalke. The industry boomed and today there are over 250 theaters in Mumbai alone.

The stars of Bollywood are very popular and

highly paid, considering the budget of the films. The lead star in a film often receives as much as 40% of the US $2 million budget for the typical masala film. Stars may be in such high demand that they're working on ten films at once. Photographs of Bollywood stars grace shop windows and homes throughout the country.

Providing three to four hours of escapism is the primary objective of Bollywood and it's a recipe done well. Indian movies are becoming more and more popular around the world so watch them in theaters .

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‫اﻟﻤﺬاق اﻟﻬﻨﺪي ا ﺻﻴﻞ‬ THE REAL INDIAN TASTE

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Poetry by Nada Faris Permit Me

Office Clerk

that she was not cut out for a nine-to-five.

Permit me to remember in reverse the words neither one of us has uttered or conjured up in fireballs of thoughts, in jolts or sweeping clouds and mist, and yet, you and I know that they are repressed under chests, ordered in darkness and sequences, with dates and barcodes, growing old and fat with neglect.

She had made up her mind long before a peacock waddled into her office, short and prim, blues glowing and greens shining as only old money could coiffure, uttering squeaky insults with nasal superiority, "Hey cow," or "donkey" or better yet, "an ostrich with a brain smaller than the size of its eyes always stuck in the gutter, yeah, you deer in a headlight, you, I'm asking, who is your superior?"

Yes, long before the complaint, and before the neurasthenia, and before, by stroke of fate or calculated destruction of previous credits, the peacock became the new director, and before the radical depletion of her salary, and the bonuses held hostage at whim and fancy – "What's that? You don't like it here?" – and before the erosion of her own expertise (her office files once offspring of professional OCD, now dispersed in locked containers with keys she couldn't even reach, for the files marked in her name, were now stamped 'Confidential') and before her colleague transferred, citing medical reasons, stress-related IBS and migraines, and before the mysophobic friend left, due to physical aggression, she said, though the peacock merely touched her shoulder to caution against conversations in the corridors, and even before three newlyweds had managed to grow with child at the same time and demanded a prolonged leave (God had been kind to them), and before she sat twiddling her thumbs, apologizing to customers – how she could be held accountable for five new committees, when her own was in disarray, she didn't know, – but she knew long before a peacock waddled into her office

Before the Final Ten

Permit me to uncover their features in reverse sans cachets, after all has come to an end and is ready to start again.

May I begin our tale, with "Once beyond the end"?

Don't you want to be saved?

Or would you rather relish the anguish, the territories, the madness, the possibility of final separation and decay?

Nada Faris Nada Faris is a Kuwaiti who writes poetry, articles, and fiction in English. Her latest book, Before Young Adult Fiction, is a collection of short, award-winning articles, poems, and short stories that shaped her writing voice. Reach her at: www.nadafaris.com or @nadafaris

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all year round. Suspicion.

Twists of lips in drizzles followed by Hums and Haas.

And feelings? God. Pain hurts. Ask me this one more time and I am walking out of here. I hear just as well as I feel. You glow.

Then what do I hear?

The sound of your pen smearing inadvertent traces of trauma. You don't cross your breast like a Christian and now I am worried about your faith. I went to Church.

Once. 'Twas great. And? Thank God, I brought my beads with me. One little, two little, three little Indians. Concentrate.

It's change that makes me wear this t-shirt. Not communism. You know Che? I break the spell. Of course you do. No offense. Again. Feelings.

I purse my lips. I'm serious. Wondering what this is meant to alleviate.

Depression is a dirty word?

So is lack of sense of humor.

I dwell in damp corridors, stealing stillness. What if I am nothing more than my brain? What if my body torn asunder, shorn from my memory, belongs to somebody else? Morality? There's that, too.

And Mercy swallowed before sleeping, one pill, two pills, a glass clear of tears and insecurities brimming with innocence lost, tossed in one motion down my esophagus.

Now can we talk about feelings?

Stones, not skeletons, lie dormant in my closet. Ten more on the clock. I nod.

‫حالة حب‬

Love Status

Travel Made Easy Enjoy our

Meet & Assist Service

‫ أمامك‬،‫بهدوء شهي‬ ‫تمر السماء كلها‬ ٍ ُ ‫حين‬ ُ ،‫بفضول‬ ‫فتبحث أنت‬ ٍ ...‫غيمة الرعد والبرق والصعقات العاطفية‬ ‫عن‬ ِ

‫بحر مفعمات‬ ‫برضوخ كحوريات‬ ‫يرقص الصباح‬ ‫حين‬ ُ ٍ ٍ ‫بالرغبة‬ ،‫أنت إال بحضور الليل‬ َ ‫فال تنتشي‬ ...‫بسرمده وحزنه وغروره‬ ِ ٌ َ ‫تغم‬ ‫ياسمينة صيفية‬ ‫برفق‬ ‫رك‬ ٍ ُ ‫حين‬ ،‫فتتجاه ُلها‬ َ ّ ‫بأظافرك الرثةَ ل َت ْج َت‬ ...‫ث ص ّبار َة األلم‬ ‫وتحفر‬ ُ ‫العصافير الصفراء والخضراء‬ ‫حين ترنوا‬ ُ َ ،‫لتحيا‬ ، ‫ك‬ ‫ي‬ ‫كف‬ ‫إلى‬ ‫األبيض‬ ‫الحمام‬ ‫وأسراب‬ ّ ّ ...‫أضلعه الموت‬ ‫ لتخلق من‬،‫فتصطاد أنت نسرًا نهمًا‬ ِ ُ ُ َ ‫الحقول الخضراء‬ ،‫تعتليك ببهجة‬ ‫حين‬ ،‫والغابات الظليلة‬ َ ،‫وحدك الصحراء‬ ‫فتقطن‬ ُ ...‫ وخياناتها الالتنتهي‬،‫ وسرابها‬،‫بسعيرها‬ َ ‫البحر‬ ‫ربط أمواجه إلى صخو ِر الشاطئ‬ ‫حين ُي ْح ِك ُم‬ ُ ،‫لته ُم نفسه‬ ‫خد ُر‬ ِ ‫ و َي‬، ‫المد والجزر‬ ّ ‫حين ُي‬ َ ...‫ لتُ ْبحر‬،‫فتنتظر أنت والدة العاصفة‬ ُ ُ َ ‫شرائط ملونة على‬ ‫النجوم والكواكب‬ ‫تتساقط‬ ‫حين‬ ُ ،‫لي ٍّلك‬ ...‫فال يغريك إال القمر بتشوهاته وثقوبه وعتمته المريبة‬ ،‫حين تكون في الوطن‬ ُ ...‫كجائع إلى أرصفة الغربة‬ ‫وتلهث‬ ٍ ،‫حين تكون في الجنة‬ ...‫وتسير بمحض خيبتك إلى النار‬ ُ Tassnim Hassoun

Tassnim is an accounts specialist. She has been writing poetry and short stories since she was twelve and currently is in the process of writing a book, needless to say she loves reading.

Additionally Tassnim is a gym and nutrition junky.

،‫حينها فقط‬ ‫حينها‬ َ ‫اعلم أن‬ ‫ّك‬ !‫حب مزمن‬ ٍ ‫مصاب بحالة‬ ٌ

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Member of the National

April, 2014 Aviation Services Group 109

MAY Book Releases

From literary masters to the Queen of suspense, there is something for everyone this spring. Two pieces of nonfiction explore life (birth stories) and death (the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide). Which book from this list are you excited to explore?

All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a novel about two lives that converge during World War II. Marie-Laure is a blind French girl who lives with her father and flees occupied Paris. Werner is a smart German orphan boy whose intelligence wins him a place at an academy for Hitler Youth. The novel explores both their childhoods and how their lives eventually intersect.

Cutting Teeth Julia Fierro

U.S.S. George H.W. Bush and writes about his experiences in Another Great Day at Sea. The nonfiction narrative goes into big and small details about life on the ship -- including meals, an interview with the ship's dentist and a look at the routines. This is not, however, a serious book. Dyer is reflective and picks fun at himself and his experiences during his stay.

Save the Date Jen Doll

Jen Doll has written for publications such as The Atlantic, Cosmopolitanand

about a group of 30-something urbanites who spend Labor Day weekend

The New York Times Book Review. In her nonfiction book debut, she

together at a beach house on Long Island. The book is populated with

tells stories from the dozens of weddings she has attended since she was

many unlikable characters and does not shy away from graphic sex scenes.

a child. This is a funny and feeling examination of love, relationships and

It has received mixed reviews but enough praise to make Fierro an author

weddings. Perhaps a good read to prepare for a summer of bachelorette

worth watching.

parties, showers and weddings.

The Snow Queen

Michael Cunningham, who is best known for The Hours, is releasing a new novel this month. The Snow Queen is the story of two brothers experiencing the loss of love. One copes with religion, the other with drugs. The Hours and By Nightfall have been popular with book clubs, and Snow Queen seems as if it will also appeal to that crowd.

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour

Joshua Ferris

Joshua Ferris was named one of the New Yorker's "20 under 40" fiction writers to watch in 2010. His latest novel, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, is a book about a dentist whose identity is taken when someone sets up a website, facebook page and Twitter account in his name. Ferris' work, including this novel, has received mixed reviews. For those who like stories of existential angst and coping with the modern world, it might be worth checking out.

An Untamed State

The Vacationers

Roxane Gay's short stories and essays have gained her attention and made her debut novel, An Untamed State, one of the most buzzed about debuts of early 2014. An Untamed State is billed as a page turner that you won't want to put down, but sounds like it is best for those with thicker skin. This is the story of a Haitian-born woman who returns to Haiti with her American husband and baby. She is kidnapped and sexually tortured for almost two weeks. Much of the novel deals with the psychological aftermath and ways her life falls apart after her release.

The Vacationers starts at the airport and ends with the plane ride home

Roxane Gay

citypageskuwait.com

Journalist Geoff Dyer spent two weeks aboard the aircraft carrier the

Another big debut this month: Julia Fierro's Cutting Teeth. This is a novel

Michael Cunningham

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Another Great Day at Sea

Geoff Dyer

Emma Straub

after two weeks of vacation in Mallorca. During that time, the Post family and some close friends work through family secrets, rivalries and tensions.

Emma Straub keeps the pages turning in this summery story.

BOOK CLUB

The Prince T

he Prince (1532) is a short book written in the 16th century by Italian politician Niccolò Machiavelli, who was named a philosopher at the time when the book came out. The book was originally published in 1513 in Italian then was later translated to English and was published in 1532. The Prince was meant to be a gift to the Prince of Italy at that time. The term “Machiavellian” was created after him, which means to believe or follow the Niccolò Machiavelli way or thinking. The book is still widely read and appreciated by many people in our time as well as the times before that. It was known that Saddam Hussian (former Iraqi President) used to read it, as well as Hitler (former German President); in the matter of the later it was believed that he used to keep it by his bed side and read from it every night.

Niccolò Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. He received the humanistic education customary for young men of the Renaissance middle class. He also spent two years studying business mathematics, and then worked for the next seven years in Rome for a Florentine banker. After returning to Florence in 1494, he witnessed the expulsion of the Medici family, oligarchic despots who had ruled Florence for decades, and the rise of Girolamo Savanorola, a Dominican religious extremist who took control of the region shortly thereafter.

The book is basically many chapters of advices for the Prince of Italy or any person who is in power, or in a leading position. The book discusses variation

of topics, which include: reputation of a Prince, cruelty vs. mercy, fortune, gaining honors and many more. It has examples of many different leaders that came upon this earth, examples such as: Alexander the Great, the Prophet Moses (Peace Be upon Him), Leo X, Cesare Borgia, Hannibal and many more. It doesn’t matter if history saw these leaders as just or unjust; Machiavelli gives his opinion and discusses in details how they used to lead their people.

When discussing the question of, “Is it better to be feared or loved by your people?” he explains: “It is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”

The Prince is believed to be one of the early works or modern philosophy. It is very useful to be read by everyone. It is a timeless guideline to leaders’ strategies all around the world.

Nada Soliman

nada.soliman@citypageskuwait.com

Meet Nada, our team member is simply a book savvy. Every month Nada picks her favourite book and shares with you its review. Please feel free to contact Nada to discuss your opinion or ask her opinion on your favourite book or author.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas Movie Review Intro: The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of Disney's classical kids' movies that is, to this day, loved by many, especially late 80's or early 90's kids. It is a animated musical that holds a lot of meanings for kids as well as it does for adults. And it surely is fun to watch no matter how many times you have seen it before.

As far as animated Disney movies go, this movie outshines them all by a top-notch, featuring the most atmospheric set you might feel in any children's movie; making you breathe the air of Halloween town, and maybe join the mischievous monsters in their fun.

It was released on the 29th of October, 1993, and has been acclaimed as one of the best animated movies ever since. Written by Tim Burton, and directed by Henry Selick; how can this amazing combination not work?!

Story: Jack Skellington, also known as The Pumpkin King, has grown very tired of the frightening aura in Halloween town and the year-afteryear routine of doing his job as a spooky monster in the real world on Halloween. One night, after the celebration of Halloween, Jack wandered through the forest as he expressed his boredom of the event, and as he was walking he saw a few trees forming a circle with a door barked on each tree. The door closest to him, which he was inspecting, was the one that lead to Christmas town, and it opened and sucked him right in. Christmas town was extremely bizarre to him, it showed him things he has never seen before. The lights, the smiles, the snow flakes; inspiration filled his bones, because this joyous sensation was quite extraordinary. After roaming the town, he immediately goes back to his town to plan a change in their holiday — he wants to replace Santa Claus' position as the new Adnan Najeeb Al-Abbar Adnan is studying Theoretical Physics at the college of Sciences and Technology in Kuwait University. His Hobbies include Anime, manga, heavy metal, jazz, gaming, writing, and reading. In Writing field he is into Reviews, critiques, essays, plays, and short short-stories.

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joy-bringer just for the upcoming holiday, and terrible things occur as he implements his terrorizing experiences from Halloween into Christmas‌ Animation and Design: For a movie that was released in '93, this is a masterpiece! You can hardly notice any flaws in the animation, and everything feels so smooth (except for a couple of hiccups here and there). The world looks so beautiful and indulging, sucking you into it and compelling you into its Halloween spirit.

The pallet the artists are using here offer a wide selection of dark colors that will give this movie a romantic melancholic tone. And yet, as sad as it may look like, it's not! It's actually very cheerful, and embodies the warmth of friendship and the zeal of festivities.

The originality in content and story is amazing as well; you'll see all the demons and ghouls you had imagined as a child here, and all the monsters you were afraid made so whimsically friendly, and are brilliantly animated, as well. The sky, the creatures, the little touches everywhere – this movie doesn't disappoint at all!

Music and Sound: For a musical, this movie does its job and more, with over 10 really well-done carols and songs, and the symphonic soundtracks are above par. As I said, this movie is a masterpiece, both musically, and animationwise.

The music is sure to leave a dent on you. It's so great, that you can't help but sing along.

And the symphonic touches in the music add so much to the theatrical greatness of this musical, making this on the top of the musical genre. The lyrics are really easy to memorize, so don't be surprised if you find yourself singing these songs in the shower or whistling the melodies while strolling.

The voice acting is excellent; all characters have a very fitting voice that conveys their personality and makes each one unique.

Addition: There are two ideas here represented very beautifully:

that were

That people are like sponges; they absorb their culture, and then interpret all alien cultures as one befitting them. This is seen when Jack unknowingly mixes Halloween's schemes with jolly Christmas.

That innocent unconditional love can even be found among monsters. This is really lovely, seeing as how Jack and Sallie can become intimate so easily, and without motivation at all. Unaffected by their societal norms nor some people's discontent.

Closure: It's really something when a movie can be seen more than 10 times without you getting bored of it. And with all the lush scenery, the excellent musical performance, the lovely inspired characters, and the energy put into everything, one can easily say that there is NOTHING to be hated in this excellent movie. And I would recommend it to people of all ages.

Score: [9.2/10]

Before taking the Shot!

One of my various hobbies is to create a photo shoot setup! to build a full history, future, vision and direction of a photo shoot, which also named as Art Direction.

To create a successful photo shoot setup, I personally found the following tips very helpful: Specification Specify your photo shoot, find the correct category (fashion, food, still life...etc.).

Direction What’s the point that you want the viewers to see? Try to create a setup around that direction.

(depending on the art direction).

The Model!

The most important element of the whole photo shoot! Train your model on poses and facial expression that serves your art direction, it will make or break your photo project!

Decoration Set up the studio with the suitable decoration and accessories that helps your art direction.

Retouching Final phase, every single image requires a different type of editing to complement the art direction, the concept, tones, composition and expression. Put all that in mind.

Make sure that the set isn’t too busy or too empty!

Happy Shooting!

Try to reflect your style, personality and attitude in there.

Background You can go both ways! Match the background color or mix it with the decoration and accessories you’ve set up.

Also try a busy background! It will add character to the photos

by: Faith AlFahad May, 2014

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to add to your wishlist

An Aquabot aquarium, a 128GB micro SD card, and more amazing must-haves

ike Spike Using your phone’s camera, this laserbased device can capture the height, width, and distance of any object within 2 percent accuracy. With those specs, an app can calculate the volume of the object and then model it in 3-D.

Philips Norelco BeardTrimmer 9100 Meet the first beard trimmer with a laser. You read that correctly. The laser serves as a guide to pre-align the razor for precision and symmetry.

Hexbug Aquabot 2.0 The Aquabot aquarium doesn’t come with a don’t tap the glass! sign. Tapping the bowl is what makes the fish swim; a motion sensor picks up the vibration and wakes the robot from sleep mode.

Callaway Big Bertha Alpha The Big Bertha Alpha is the first driver with a center of gravity that is adjustable horizontally and vertically. That means a golfer can tweak a ball’s spin independently of launch angle— something never before possible.

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Tribord Easybreath Snorkeling Mask

The Insect Cookbook: Food for a Sustainable Planet For better or worse, eating insects for protein is a growing likelihood for us all. So why not develop a taste for them now? This book offers 32 recipes, from grasshopper kabobs to mealworm ravioli.

Contigo Autoseal Pitcher

Unlike other snorkeling masks, the Easybreath won’t fog up. Both the mouth and the nose are connected to the breathing tube, which has separate channels for inhaling and exhaling. These channels help divers breathe normally, dissipating condensation.

128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC

This is the only pitcher that automatically seals its spout between pours. Margarita hour never went so smoothly.

The original micro SD card, released in 2004, was 128MB. A decade later, the highest capacity is 128GB—providing 1,000 times more storage than its progenitor. Designed for Android devices, the removable card can hold 24 hours of HD video.

O-Grill Portable Gas Barbecue Grill This über-portable grill has retractable legs and a larger grill area than most camping models of the same weight: 225 square inches.

Samsung Power Sleep Snorkeling Mask With this Android app, you can contribute to cancer research while sleeping. By taking advantage of the unused processing power of a smartphone or tablet, it decrypts protein sequences provided by scientists at the University of Vienna.

May, 2014

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Project Ara, shape your own phone How about replacing your “5 megapixel” camera in your phone to the latest one “20 megapixel” without replacing your phone, or if you don’t need a bluetooth feature, replace it with an additional memory of 64GB. Or you can remove the unwanted features and add an extra battery pack. That`s how the new “Phonebloks” -as they call it- will work. You take what you need and discard the thing that you don’t need and save some space and of course some money. Its an "open hardware” project from Google so that anyone can build his own modular without a license or paying fees, so there could be hundreds of thousands of developers instead of current big manufactures. It is expected to be available January 2015 with a starting price of 50$. The goal of this project is to be used by 6 billion people.

Yousif Alsaeed

Yousif holds a BSc. in Information Technology & Computing Degree and is a Teacher and Software Developer. He loves sharing the latest technology news and gadgets with people. Yousif believes that behind everything in the tech-world is a great story. He spends most of his time reading technology blogs and self development.

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ّ .‫شكل هاتفك الخاص‬ ،‫مشروع آرا‬ ٢٠“ ‫ ميجابيكسل” إلى‬٥“ ‫ما رأيك باستبدال كاميرا هاتفك الـذكي من‬ ‫ اواذا لم تحتاج لتقنية البلوتوث‬،‫ميجابيكسل” دون استبدال هاتفك‬ ‫ او قم باستبدال‬.‫ جيجابايت كسعة تخزين إضافية‬٦٤ ‫يمكنك استبدالها بـ‬ ‫ هكذا يعمل هاتف “فون‬.‫التقنيات الغير مرغوب فيها ببطارية اضافية‬ ‫ تأخذ ماتريد من تقنيات وتستطيع ان‬.- ‫ كما يطلق عليه‬- ”‫بلوكس‬ ‫ المشروع من قوقل‬.‫تستغني عن األخرى لتوفير المساحة والمال طبعا‬ ‫وهو “اوبن هاردوير” وهذا يعني انه يمكن ألي شخص بناء وتطوير‬ ‫ وبالتالي سيكون‬.‫جزيئات الهاتف دون الحاجة لترخيص او دفع الرسوم‬ .‫هناك مئات اآلالف من المطورين بدال من المصنعين الكبار الحاليين‬ ٥٠ ‫ بسعر رمزي يبدأ بـ‬٢٠١٥ ‫ويتوقع ان يكون الهاتف متوفرا في يناير‬ .‫ مليارات شخص‬٦ ‫ الهدف من المشروع ان يستخدم الهاتف‬.‫دوالر‬

WWDC: Apple`s Worldwide Developer Conference In this conference for the past six years, Apple reinvented the phone, changed the way people knows the tablet with iPad. And re-engineered the workstations with new MacPro and we are sure they are not done yet. WWDC 2014 ( 2-6 June ) will take place In San Francisco. Apple`s CEO Tim Cook usually kick-off the conference with a keynote. The Keynote includes statistic about the App Store, revenues and the upcoming products. In this year we expect a new iPhone, new iPad and a new Mac. We are sure that you won’t be disappointed.

Office For iPad. FINALLY! Better late than never. Microsoft was developing this app for a long long time to add all the features of the regular Office for PC. For free you can read and review your documents and presentations. With a personal subscription ( 7$/month ) you can have the full access (write/ read) for 1PC/Mac and 1 Tablet OR for a Family subscription ( 10$/ month ) you can have access to 5 PCs/Macs and 5 tablets.While your subscription is active, Microsoft will keeps your Office up-to-date and will give you an extra 20 GB online storage.

G3 : LG flagship android phone Super sharp monitor, high-end processor and a camera with optical image stabilisation. LG want to challenge the other high-end smartphones like Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and iPhone. Two third of Samsung revenue from smartphones. Apple still selling iPhone more than anyone excepted. It’s a mobile world these days and Tech giants are fighting each other to get highest marketshare. We think LG will introduce G3 before Apple WWDC (probably 27 May). But with M8 and S5, LG G3 is late to the party!

IFTTT, makes your technology life even easier and manageable If CityPageskw post on facebook, email me and notify me. If i save a note on Evernote, send it to dropbox and every cloud storage i have. If i post a picture on Instagram save it on my dropbox account.

IFTTT means "if this than that", its an amazing web service that allow you to create your own recipes -or choose from a list- of code to communicate with channels and services in your own unique way and let them do whatever you want them to do. And its available as an app for both Android and iOS. Saad Almseikan A burger lover who works as a Computer Technician during the day. Saad has a curious mind that likes to discover everything new that's related to computers, hardware, gadgets and technology. You'll most probably find him holding a burger while playing with a new gadget. He is 27 years old, loves Mixed Martial Arts.

Music is what keeps him going especially Rock & Roll.

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‫أفضل تصنيف لتطبيقات‬ ‫االجهزة الذكية‬ ‫تولد كل يوم تقريبًا عشرات التطبيقات للهواتف الذكية واألجهزة الكفية "اآليباد و التابلت‬ ‫" وكلهم يتنافسوا للوصول الى الصدارة لذلك أردت أن يكون موضوع اليوم مختلفًا نوعًا‬ ‫ما حتى أفيدكم بأفضل التطبيقات التي حصلت على الصدارة في الفترة األخيرة‪.‬‬

‫أفضل تطبيق لرجال األعمال‬ ‫حاليًا هو"‪Tripit Travel‬‬ ‫‪، "Organizer‬حيث رجال األعمال‬ ‫دائمًا ما يكون لديهم العديد من‬ ‫الواجبات للقيام بها‪ ،‬سواء السفر‬ ‫أو إستئجار سيارة أو غيرها من‬ ‫األشياء‪ .‬ما يقوم به التطبيق هو‬ ‫ترتيبها و وضعها بشكل مرتب‬ ‫و عملي‪ ،‬و أيضًا من مميزاته انه‬ ‫يقوم بتنبيهك حول األشياء التي‬ ‫يجب أن تفعلها‪ .‬كما أن التطبيق‬ ‫سيعطيك أماكن هذه األعمال‪،‬‬ ‫على سبيل المثال إذا كنت تريد‬ ‫السفر‪ ،‬سيقوم التطبيق بوضعها‬ ‫في القائمة و تنبيهك عن جميع‬ ‫األشياء المتعلقةمث ً‬ ‫ال وقت اإلقالع و‬ ‫الوصول‪ .‬حيث التطبيق سيسهل‬ ‫من عمل رجال األعمال كثيرًا‪ ،‬أو‬ ‫الذين يمرون بمرحلة عليهم إنجاز‬ ‫الكثير من األشياء ‪.‬‬ ‫أفضل تطبيق اقتصادي هو‬ ‫"‪ ، "Intuit‬كلنا نريد السيطرة على‬ ‫رواتبنا واجادة صرف النقود حيث‬ ‫معظم الموظفين أو المبعوثين‬ ‫تنتهي أموالهم قبل نهاية‬ ‫الشهر‪ ،‬وال يعملون أين صرفوهم‪.‬‬ ‫هذا التطبيق هو أفضل حل على‬ ‫اإلطالق‪ ،‬حيث سيقوم بترتيب جميع‬ ‫مصروفاتك الشهرية‪ ،‬مع إخبارك‬ ‫بما هي أكثر األشياء التي دفعتها‪،‬‬ ‫مث ً‬ ‫ال أقساط المنزل أو الطعام أو‬ ‫غيره‪ .‬التطبيق سيعطيك جدول‬

‫ليعرفك كيف تصرف أموالك و بأي‬ ‫درجة مقارنة باألشهر الماضية‪ ،‬كما‬ ‫سينبهك إذا ما قمت بدفع الكثير‬ ‫من األموال مقابل المرتب الذي‬ ‫وضعته‪ .‬يتميز التطبيق بتصميمه‬ ‫الخفيف و الجميل‪ ،‬باإلضافة لقدراته‬ ‫اإلستيعابية و دراسة مصروفاتك ‪.‬‬ ‫افضل تطبيق أخباري هو‬ ‫"نبض" ‪ ،‬كثيرون من الناس يحبون‬ ‫متابعة األخبار بشكل مباشر من‬ ‫أهم المواقع الموثوقة‪ ،‬لكن يجب‬ ‫عليهم زيارة هذه المواقع واحد‬ ‫تلو األخر‪ .‬تطبيق نبض سهل نقل‬ ‫األخبار سواءًا كانت أخبار عامة أو‬ ‫إقتصادية أو سياسة أو رياضية و‬ ‫غيره من األخبار‪ ،‬وجمعها في مكان‬ ‫واحد حتى يمكنكم متابعة أخر‬ ‫األخبار بسهولة منه‪ .‬التطبيق رائع‬ ‫جدًا‪ ،‬و يأتي بواجهة جيدة و إستحق‬ ‫أن يكون أفضل تطبيق لهذا العام‬ ‫من نوعه‪.‬‬ ‫افضل تطبيق يشابه برنامج‬ ‫مايكروسوفت اوفيس هو‬ ‫"‪"Kingsoft Office + PDF‬‬ ‫التطبيق يدعم جميع صيغ‬ ‫مايكروسوفت أوفيس‪ ،‬لتتمكن‬ ‫من التعديل عليها في هاتفك أو‬ ‫جهازك اللوحي‪ .‬التطبيق ليس‬ ‫مجرد كتابة كالـ ‪ Word‬مث ً‬ ‫ال‪ ،‬بل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إنه يعطيك خصائص أكثر‪ ،‬مثال اذا‬

‫كنت تريد عمل إحصائية و نسبة‬ ‫معينة‪ ،‬سيمكنك التطبيق من‬ ‫عمل دائرة تنقسم لعدة مجموعات‬ ‫حسب النسب‪ .‬باالضافة أن التطبيق‬ ‫سيسمح لك أيضًا بعمل نسخ‬ ‫‪ ،PDF‬و يدعم عملية الطباعة‪،‬‬ ‫وتصليح كلماتك الخاطئة‪ ،‬دعم‬ ‫الرسم و معظم المسائل الرياضية‬ ‫و الفيزيائية ‪ .‬التطبيق يقدم مميزات‬ ‫كثيرة وال حصر لها‪ ،‬مصحوبًا‬ ‫بتصميم جميل و بسيط باالضافة‬ ‫الى كونه مجاني‪.‬‬ ‫أفضل تطبيق تعليمي لغوي‬ ‫"‪"Duolingo‬‬ ‫يتيح البرنامج لتعلم جميع اللغات‬ ‫األخرى‪ ،‬حيث نال التطبيق نال على‬ ‫شهرة واسعة بفضل ما يقدمه من‬ ‫مميزات ‪ ،‬فهو يعتبر بمثاية معلم‬ ‫خاص بك‪ ،‬حيث يشمل تعليم‬ ‫الكلمات والقواعد واألفعال ويمكنك‬ ‫بعدها بعمل اختبار لمعرفة المهارات‬ ‫التي اكتسبتها‬

‫‪Faisal Ben Dhofari‬‬ ‫‪General manager / Owner‬‬ ‫‪Click integrated Media Solutions‬‬ ‫‪Faisal Ben Dhofari‬‬

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Mustafa Mansour Creative and imaginative marketing strategist

Mustafa Mansour, Group Marketing and Communications Manager at D&H International, is an exceptional strategist and a gifted communicator who infuses fresh ideas and sound strategies into just about everything. He puts these talents to work for identifying market opportunities and realize them with smart strategy and impactful marketing solutions. Through years of diversified work experience, he can now successfully manage people, projects, brands and organizations. He kindly took some time out from his busy schedule to speak exclusively to us at CityPages…

Hi! Please introduce yourself to our readers: My name is Mustafa Mansour and I am working as Group Marketing and Communications Manager at D&H International.

Tell us about your educational background: After high school I studied Electronics Engineering in Lebanon, the reason behind choosing that as my major is my interest in this field as well as it being one of my favorite hobbies.

I see you are an Electrical Engineer, what inspired you towards marketing and creative field?

Finding a job after a degree in engineering is very hard in this era of globalization and competition. So when I got back to Kuwait after my graduation, I didn’t find much career opportunities in that field and I 120

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accepted the first job offer I received, which was from NBK. I started as clerk but with sheer hard work and determination I worked my way up the corporate ladder. Through the years, I got interesting job offers from various companies and now here I am; Group Marketing and Communications Manager at D&H.

Tell us about your first job at NBK, How was the experience?

As I didn’t find much career opportunities in the field of my studies, I decided to take first good job offer which was from NBK. There, I started as a clerk and then I worked my way up and became the Unit Head at the Credit Cards Authorization department. I had good time working at NBK.

Please tell us about your other work experiences?

After 5 years of excellent work at NBK, I got a great job offer and

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Photograph by: Hassan Younes @hasan_younes

an opportunity to change my field and join Salhia Real Estate as the mall PR & Marketing Officer, this was the beginning of gaining the marketing and communication experience.

There, I was involved in organizing events, exhibitions and developing new services procedures. After working for some time, I was promoted to become Marketing Manager and handled Salhia Mall and Arraya Mall opening at that time. After another 5 years of learning and building good connections with the media, tenants, investors, and suppliers, I was discovered by my tutor Louay Al Asfahani from Paragon Marketing Communication. He stated that I have a great marketing spirit and by his encouragement I moved from the client side to the service side of the organization. By all means, this is where I gained all the training and practices to be a good marketer, there I was given the responsibility of handling all the daily work at the agency, from client servicing, pitching, presentations, media planning, media booking, to production, operation and designing. This experience connected me with many organization owners, CEOs and reputed business names. Then, I was called by the CEO of Kuwait Hotels Company and joined the organization as PR & Marketing Manager. Here was the real challenge, I had to build a whole department with procedures and processes and I started the development of all the brands owned by the company. With my advertising agency experience, I was able to create a professional in-house agency within the company to cater all the brands of the company and I was able to turn it into a profit center. With my good relationship with many companies and organization, we handled and served them as their marketing & media consultant. I have received many training and awards in my career path and the most important ones are KIPCO award; Employee of the Year and Counselor Sales Trainee; I am authorized by Wilson Learning USA to train for sales.

What is a typical day like at your job?

At present, I am the Group Marketing Manager of one of the largest retail companies in Kuwait and the Middle East, Dagher & Hinnawi and Dagher & Co. A typical day will be one with lots of planning, reporting, documenting all the work and execution by delegation, simply busy! And this is how I like my work to be.

Do you ever take work home with you?

Well, as a marketing manager sometimes you need to take work home, especially if I am working on new ideas and presentation.

I believe, I can focus more and be more creative at home.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy challenges and adding value to the department I am in, and I enjoy seeing a smile on the staff when I assist them and educate them to handle work problems and

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What are some of your hobbies?

Swimming, camping, shooting, karting, and horse riding. finally, seeing them succeed.

What are your future plans?

To have my own marketing & communication

Which are some of the brands that agency. you are currently handling at D&H? Currently in Kuwait, we are handling several international brands such as, PINKO, KAREN MILLEN, TOM TAILOR, CAROLL, ETAM, WOMEN’SECRET, ROSA CLARA, BEBE, PRONOVIAS, BIMBA Y LOLA, LA VIE EN ROSE, SECOND CUP, and SEGUE.

Are you planning to include personal shopping for any of your brands?

Well, at the moment we are working on an application that merge all our brands under one umbrella to give our customers the privilege to look at our collection, like and share them through our social media. We are also in the process of providing exclusive offers and promos to our app customers, and we will be activating on-line purchase as soon as we cover a good app reach.

What according to you are your greatest strengths?

I think my biggest strength is honesty at work and to give it all you got. I also think it is very important to listen to others, not only to yourself. And I have this saying I always use, "Act smart but not hard”.

So what are the biggest challenges you see fashion brands are facing?

Fashion in Kuwait is facing many challenges, such as increased competition: both from competitors (several new mega malls are opening and adopting many international brands, everyday we hear a new store is opening), and changes in customers’ buying-patterns, as Kuwait is a non-touristic destination and the customer has become very smart; he knows what he wants and looking for the best service and the best price. This is where my role comes in, which is to work hard to provide the customer a remarkable shopping experience at our stores by introducing new way of customer service and satisfaction (hope that this will be noticed soon).

What is your advice to someone starting a fresh career in Marketing and PR?

What has been your proudest moment My advice to new marketers is to: so far?

I cannot specifically point out any one single moment but I would like to mention that I am proud of every moment spent with my family; I am blessed with a wonderful family who always supports me and gives me the push necessary to reach my goals.

Tell us about your achievements?

My greatest achievement is that today I am ready to give development and marketing consultation to organizations and individuals.

I have great communication skills and that by itself is the most satisfactory self achievement.

What are your 3 keys to success?

Listen, learn, and believe in yourself.

• Read • Research • Follow up • Document all your work • Listen • Learn from your mistakes and others mistakes • Be flexible • Do not copy others

Your message for us at CityPages magazine: At the end, I would like to thank CityPages for this wonderful opportunity to share my experiences and achievements with the readers. I wish everyone a successful life!

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Photograph by: Hassan Younes @hasan_younes

Abeer AlAbdulJaleel is wearing: "By Bliss" By Haya AlFassam - @blisskwt Accessories by: @samarish Art Director: Fatma AlNasser @fatoumalnasser Makeup and Hair by: @Rola_Mallah Photographer: @FaithAlFahad Location: @lavickaKW

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Haya AlFassam & Baby Munira AlAsfour is wearing: "By Bliss" By Haya AlFassam - @blisskwt Accessories by: @samarish Art Director: Fatma AlNasser @fatoumalnasser Makeup and Hair by: @Rola_Mallah Photographer: @FaithAlFahad Location: @lavickaKW

Haya AlFassam is wearing "By Bliss" By Haya AlFassam - @blisskwt Accessories by: @samarish Art Director: Fatma AlNasser @fatoumalnasser Makeup and Hair by: @Rola_Mallah Photographer: @FaithAlFahad Location: @lavickaKW

Haya AlFassam is wearing "By Bliss" By Haya AlFassam @blisskwt Accessories by: @samarish Art Director: Fatma AlNasser @fatoumalnasser Hair by: Cameo Salon Photographer: @FaithAlFahad Location: @lavickaKW

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2 TONE OUTFIT 3

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1.Burberry blazer 230k.d 2.Givenchy leather pouch 195k.d 3.Jil Sander blazer 515k.d 4.Alexander Wang tee 75k.d 5.Lanvin tee 195k.d 6. Alexander Wang trousers 225k.d 7.Alexander Wang shorts 55k.d 8.J Brand jeans 65k.d 9.Valentino sandals 185k.d 10.Christian Louboutin trainers 270k.d 11.Saint Laurent trainers 170k.d 130

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DIFFERENT OUTFITS = DIFFERENT STYLES 1

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OUTFIT 1: Zegna suit 500k.d, Alexander Wang baseball tee 65k.d, Y-3 trainers 100k.d OUTFIT 2: Steven Alan shirt 55k.d, Jean Machine jeans 80k.d, Christian Louboutin trainers 230k.d OUTFIT 3: Maison Martin Margiela cardigan 180k.d, James perse henley tee 90k.d, Moncler sweat shorts 50k.d, Balenciaga trainers 140 OUTFIT 4: A.P.C sweatshirt 45k.d, PRPS jeans 180k.d, Saint Laurent trainers 200k.d, Golden Goose Deluxe Brand trainers 115k.d Zouch is about men's fashion, giving insight on what, how and when to wear. Think of Zouch as your personal fashion consultant. This page relates to all men of all ages as a helping tool to dress with style and edge. Find your own individual style as we push boundaries for you. Rest assured we will keep you updated with all the latest fashion news, men's trends and lots more.

Instagram: @zouchfashion Twitter: @zouchfashion Facebook: Facebook.com/zouchfashion May, 2014

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Wear Denim and Denim will be worn a lot for this spring/summer season, and it has emerged as a new and exciting trend from the runways of Paris to Milan. Many fashion brands such as Balmain, Isabel Marant, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel used denim as a main fabric in their collections.

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Walk the Fashion Tips on how to wear denim for this summer: 1. If you are wearing a lot of denim, try to wear different shades.

2. To look classy try to wear a white jeans with a dark denim shirt.

3. Pattern Denim is recommended for this summer, so try to wear a nice patterned jeans with a solid shirt.

4. Look for a cute maxi denim dress for a sunny day in summer.

5. The jeans skirts are back for this summer, so be sure your wardrobe has one.

6. Flared jeans are also back, so try to buy you one.

7. Overall denim is one of the nice things that you can wear for this summer.

Here are some online shopping sites where you can buy some denim styles for this summer: - www.mih-jeans.com - www.siwydenim.com - www.rag-bone.com - www.jcrew.com

Dalal Marafie

is a young Fashion Designer and always seeking new challenges in the world of fashion, PR and Social Media.

She is also an online shopping expert, so get your shopping list ready and keep up with latest fashion trends.

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Crazy for W

ith Ramadan being just around the corner, the craze for Daraa’as, or as we call them in the fashion world, Kaftan’s, are here.

Kaftan’s are so in for summer 2014, as we saw some cool Kaftan looks grace the runways of fashion weeks, This time braver and bolder than ever.

Kaftans and breezy tunics are the perfect “go-to” outfits for hot summer weather. Gorgio Armani, Naeem Khan, David Jones, and Dolce and Gabbana all featured fun, flowy, and printed tunics for their spring summer 2014 collections. Pair a tunic with cool sandals or gladiators, a bright clutch, and Smokey eye make up for the perfect hippy-chic Ramadan look.

For those who favor to rock the Kaftan look by the beach or pool, keeping it simple is a must. Have a “no-fuss” up do and a large beach bag with your favorite music and a magazine, and you are ready to go!

As for the runway looks, my personal favorite Kaftans were by Naeem Khan, and Roberto Cavalli. Cavalli, of course, kept his signature animal print fabrics.

The cuts he used were circular and very flowy, which I absolutely fell in love with. Models had loose hair and minimal

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Kaftans

make up. Naeem Khan’s use of color on the other hand, was kept minimal. Khan’s collections seemed more luxurious with the straight cuts and single strip embroidery down the middle of the pieces. Models here had their hair slicked back and make up was also minimal. As for Giorgio Armani, kaftans were flowy with layers of silky sheer fabric, with asymmetrical cuts. Colors were lavender and pink hues that were almost dusty and very sheer. Dolce and Gabbana had a different take on the Tunic and Kaftan this season, with rounded shoulders, boxy cuts, and shorter lengths. They also went for a sparklier and “blinged out” theme through out the collection. Lastly, another designer that caught my eye was David Jones. Some of his kaftans featured two pieces and extremely loud colors and prints, with a tribal feel. Jones’s collections reminded me of previous Mary Katrantzou collections.

Whatever theme or look you want to go for when it comes to Kaftans, keep in mind that less is more so as to keep it as chic and sophisticated as possible, especially because of the summer trend’s loud colors and prints. Nothing is more fashion forward than a polished Kaftan look with simple matching hair and make up to compliment it!

Talah Al Abdulaaly Talah is a 23 years young and an avid fashion lover.

Her heart lies in fashion, and everything that comes with it. She enjoys writing about it, buying it, styling it, and the list goes on. Living in London, one of the worlds fashion hot spots, for around 5 years gave her the chance to channel her passion even more.

She met people from the industry, worked closely with a designer, gained some styling experience, and most importantly, got to be inspired from the ever so urban street style almost everywhere she went.

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Ted Baker SS14 GET IN ON THE ACT

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PRONOVIAS IS 50 YEARS OLD FOUNDED IN 1964 AS PART OF THE "EL SUIZO" LACE STORE, The world’s leading bridal firm is commemorating 50 years dressing millions of brides around the world World leading bridal firm PRONOVIAS is commemorating its 50th anniversary with its “50 Years Dressing Dreams” concept, paying homage to Pronovias brides around the world.

The firm will celebrate this important date throughout the year with the: LA MAISON PRONOVIAS: RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION For 50 years, Pronovias has been working with great designers such as Pedro Rodríguez in the seventies, Francesco Arenas in the eighties, Manuel Mota who joined in the nineties, Emanuel Ungaro, Valentino and Badgley Mischka represented in 2000, the current Elie by Elie Saab collection and the company's top-of-the-range line developed by the Atelier Pronovias creative team.

The firm has put together a collection of dresses and representative pieces from its history, which will soon be exhibited in Barcelona and will then travel to other fashion capitals such as New York and Milan.

FASHION SHOW: CELEBRATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY This year, coinciding with Pronovias and Atelier Pronovias 2015 collection presentation, the company will celebrate, its 50 years of history with a fashion show and a unique staging. A Fashion Show that, year after year, welcomes many national and international wellknown faces of society, film and fashion industries. On previous occasions Stacey Kiebler, Francesca Eastwood, Petra Nemocova, Margaret y Rainey Qualley, Amanda Hearst, Lauren Remington Platt, Federica Pellegrini, Isabel Preysler, Tamara Falcó, Ana Boyer, Charisse Verhaert and Genoveva Casanova, among other celebrities and socialites, have sat in the front row.

This year, to coincide with the presentation of the Atelier Pronovias and Pronovias 2015 collections, the firm will celebrate the occasion in a manner befitting its 50-year history.

This year, 2014, represents the dream, excitement, love and passion for a profession that has enabled us to dress the dreams of brides around the world for half a century. The company is committed to continuing to dress those dreams for at least another 50 years.

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At The Foodetory Event 2014

At 'Artists for K'S PATH 2014' Event

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At #BlissfulRamadan - Bliss Boutique's Ramadan Collection Launch

At The KidZania Kuwait's 'Environment & Recycling Exhibition'

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#ThatComedyShow Vol. 4 By AlGas Events and MAD Stand

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At The Workshop on Manifesting Love with Soulmate Secret by Arielle Ford. Organized by @vortex_events

At The 2nd “Friends of Dasman� Annual Gala Dinner by Dasman Diabetes Institute

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At the Launch of Porsche Macan 2014

At The Mahrani Restaurant's New Branch Opening at Hawally

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At The New Mini Hatchback Launch Event

Ted Baker SS14 Collection Presentation

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CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SNOWDRIFT

For more details please visit any of our stores or contact us on @Caribou_social 146

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At AlHamra Steet Show by AlGas Events

At the Korloff Gossip Launch Event at 360 Mall

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At The DownTown Expo 2014

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At Thira Boutique Ramadan Collection Launch

At #TheBocciniOpera - A Night of Fashion and Opera

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Diet Care celebrates its Annual Staff Party

FROM THE PRESS

Fragrance HouseAjmal Perfumes Surges Ahead With Middle East Expansion Plans

New Continental Gt V8 S Set For Regional Arrival In Q3 2014

The latest addition to the world’s most stylish, luxury grand tourer range, the new sporting Continental GT V8 S, is set for a Q3 arrival in the Middle East. Available as both a coupe and convertible, a select number of the new GT V8 S models were given their maiden outings by media and customers during an exclusive trip to Muscat, ahead of the official arrival date.

The new GT V8 S brings added excitement to the Continental range with lowered and retuned sports suspension, sharper steering, dramatic ‘S’ signature styling cues and a distinctive soundtrack from the uprated V8 engine.

These two new models expand the Continental family and provide an even more engaging driving experience from Bentley’s already renowned 4-litre twin-turbo V8 powertrain.

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As part of its commitment to enhance cohesion and the organizational cross-relationships among the employees and the management; Diet Care held its annual staff party. The event was held recently at Zumerida ballroom and was filled with fun, excitement and individuality which gave everyone the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy.

Diet Care management appreciated the team spirit, they praised the efforts exerted by the employees and thanked them for their dedication throughout the year of 2013 and encouraged them to aim higher and strive to excel. Management also unveiled some of the future plans for development and growth.

The interesting program lined up included prizes for the various activities organised in addition to valuable gifts being distributed during the raffle draw. Employees and team members were recognized for their outstanding efforts and great accomplishments attained throughout the years.

The event concluded with a lavish dinner buffet.

Employees and management were glad to be a part of the celebration.

With a legacy dating back over six decades, Ajmal Perfumes, the region’s foremost fragrance house opened their 151st store in UAE. This milestone boutique opened at Deerfields Townsquare, in the capital Abu Dhabi, is an extension of Ajmal’s promise to continue offering the best fragrances to the consumers in the region.

With over 62 years of heritage and expertise in the fragrance industry, Ajmal Perfumes has established a formidable presence in GCC as one of the region’s most premier fragrance houses.

With its progressive philosophy and nose for latest trends and developments in the world of perfumery, Ajmal Perfumes ploughs ahead with their Middle East expansion plans. The first quarter saw the opening of their landmark 151st store in the vibrant capital of Abu Dhabi. Based on the brand’s philosophy, ‘Crafting Memories’ this 1,518 sq. ft. Deerfields Townsquare store is resplendent with subtle ambient lighting, absence of enclosed areas complete with an over whelming array of Ajmal’s finest fragrances, Agarwood and Concentrated Pure Perfume.

Their clientele, which have long included the region’s royalty and the tasteful Arabs who expect the highest quality of fragrances and oils synonymous with the Ajmal brand.

Commenting on this achievement Abdulla Ajmal, General Manager, Ajmal Perfumes said, “Our perfumes reflect a perfect blend of the oriental and western fragrances, especially developed to suit the distinct tastes and personalities of our regional customers. UAE is a strategic market for Ajmal within the region, and holds a special significance for us because of its dynamic consumer mix and high consumer spending power. The retail landscape in the region is seeing a steady and overzealous expansion in the demand for luxury and premium brands and has become a major world tourist destination. The new boutique in the uber-stylish Deerfields Townsquare in the capital will draw the brand closer to our consumers,” he added.

Vigorously following on their expansion plans for year 2014, Ajmal Perfumes opened a couple of other new stores at various locations in the region. The Lamcy Plaza store in Dubai among others is a firm testament of Ajmal’s sizeable presence in the UAE. Alongside exclusive showrooms and several distributor agreements, the brand continues to set up special perfume counters in select locations across the United Arab Emirates.

The Hyundai Genesis 2015 Stuns Guests in a Ceremony Organized by “Northern Gulf Trading Co”

Sheikh Hmoud Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Northern Gulf Trading Company, launched the all-new Hyundai-Genesis 2015 in a dignified ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel in Manqaf in the Durra Ballroom on the 16th of April, 2014.

The ceremony began with the arrival of the guests who were first received in the Reception Hall and later invited to enter the ballroom, where Mr. Raed Turjuman gave a speech announcing the launch of the new Hyundai-Genesis 2015. Mr. Turjuman stated: “Hyundai is proud to announce the launch of Genesis 2015 featuring a distinctive design, an upscale appearance, a unique performance and advanced technologies. We hope to be able to continuously offer our clients what best suits their needs and aspirations.”

Mr. Turjuman’s speech was followed by a performance by the famous Korean stand-up comedian and host, Wonho Chung. Guests were also entertained by a duo playing the cello and violin, arriving from the UK especially for the occasion. The ceremony also included a fancy dinner along with a sand art show. Finally, a number of videos were shown before finally revealing the all-new Hyundai-Genesis 2015.

The sleek and elegant design, as well as the advanced specifications stunned the guests.

Hyundai-Genesis 2015 comes with three V engines featuring a rear wheel drive layout and a high pressure direct injection system. The first engine is a 3.3-liter V6 engine producing 282 horsepower which accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h within 7.5 seconds. The second engine is a 3.8-liter V6 engine producing 315 horsepower which accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h within 6.5 seconds. The third engine is a 5-liter V8 engine producing 413 horsepower which accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h within 5.4 seconds. The Hyundai-Genesis 2015 is equipped with an 8-speed sports automatic transmission providing better acceleration, shifting smoothness and transmission efficiency.

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa hosts key media personalities to launch the Arabic Nights

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa hosted Kuwait’s leading media personalities and professionals to the launch of the Arabic Nights at the Garden Café restaurant. Guests were treated to an authentic cuisine and culinary traditions of the Middle East, including local Kuwaiti dishes. Arabic Nights at the Garden Café are organized every Thursday from 10 April until 8 May from 7 pm until 11:30 pm.

‫حتت رعاية إنفينيتي البابطني‬ ‫جناح باهر الستعراض " إنفينيتي ريد‬ ‫ شو ران‬1 ‫"بول فورموال‬

MEPI Sponsors INJAZ Kuwait’s ‘Steer Your Career’ and ‘Company’ Programs

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI); operating under the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, announced its sponsorship of INJAZ-Kuwait’s ‘Steer Your Career’ and ‘Company’ programs that are implemented across universities in Kuwait through 14 classes.

The programs are currently being implemented at the Australian College of Kuwait, Boxhill College of Kuwait, Kuwait University and GUST. Both programs were initiated in March, 2014 and will be concluded in May, 2014.

Commenting on these programs and sponsorship, Rana Al-Nibari, CEO of INJAZKuwait said, “These programs are two of the most exciting programs INJAZ Kuwait offers.

They allow students to perceive the work environment from a more realistic view and engage in a ‘first-hand’ experience.”

“I would like to thank MEPI for their support.

It is wonderful to receive the support of companies and organizations that share the same passion and vision. Only with these common ingredients will we witness the changes we aspire to achieve” she added.

The ‘Steer Your Career’ program is an all-new program that targets university students with the aim to teach them the skills required to find a job and in turn, operate effectively in a competitive job environment. The different sessions of this program cover aspects of leadership, time management, communications, team dynamics and job search skills.

‫ الوكيل احلصري‬،‫حتت رعاية مجموعة البابطني‬ ‫ أقيمت يوم‬،‫لسيارات إنفينيتي في الكويت‬ ‫ فعاليات احلدث األبرز في‬2014 ‫ مارس‬28 ‫اجلمعة‬ ‫مجال رياضة احملركات بالكويت " إنفينيتي ريد‬ ‫ شو ران" والذي استمتع احلضور‬1 ‫بول فورموال‬ ‫الكبير خالله مبشاهدة العرض املبهر الذي قدمه‬ ‫فريق “إنفينيتي ريد بُل رايسينغ” في طريق اخلليج‬ 4 ‫ بآخر‬1 ‫بالسيارة الفائزة بلقب الفورموال‬ .‫سنوات‬ ‫وقد أتاحت "إنفينيتي البابطني" من خالل رعايتها‬ ‫للعرض فرصة غير مسبوقة لكل عشاق السيارات‬ ‫ بصفة خاصة‬1 ‫ومحبي سباقات فورموال‬ ‫ليعيشوا عن قرب أجواء السباق األشهر واألعرق‬ ‫في العالم من خالل االستعراضات التي قامت بها‬ ‫السيارة “إنفينيتي ريد بُل رايسينغ” بقيادة احملترف‬ ‫األسباني كارلوس ساينز جونيور والتي اشتملت‬ ‫على اجنرافات ودوران في املكان أبهرت املشاهدين‬ ‫تصحبها الدوي املميز لهذا النوع من السيارات‬ ‫فائقة السرعة واحتراق لإلطارات يعشق رائحته‬ .‫كل محب لرياضات السيارات‬ ‫وكانت مجموعة البابطني قد أقامت حفل‬ ”‫استقبال لفريق “إنفينيتي ريد بُل رايسينغ‬ ‫وجميع املشاركني في االستعراض يوم اخلميس‬ ‫ في صالة إنفينيتي البابطني‬2014 ‫ مارس‬27 ‫ الرئيس‬،‫ صالح البابطني‬/‫وقد حضر احلفل السيد‬ ‫ ناصر‬/‫ والسيد‬،‫التنفيذي جملموعة البابطني‬ ‫البابطني عضو مجلس إدارة مجموعة البابطني‬ ‫ محمد شلبي رئيس عمليات اجملموعة‬/‫والسيد‬ ‫ولفيف من قيادات ومدراء وموظفي مجموعة‬ ‫البابطني هذا باإلضافة جملموعة مدراء نيسان‬ ‫اخلليج السيد "ناصر وتار" الرئيس التنفيذي‬ ‫ والسيد "كامرون كوين" مديرعام‬،‫لنيسان اخلليج‬ ‫تسويق ومبيعات نيسان اخلليج والسيد "سام‬ ، ‫قباني" مديرأول تسويق ومبيعات نيسان اخلليج‬ ‫وقد مت خالل احلفل الترحيب بالفريق الضيف ومتنوا‬ .‫له التوفيق في عرض اليوم التالي‬ ‫ومن جهتهم أعرب أعضاء الفريق عن سعادتهم‬ ‫بالتواجد ألول مرة في الكويت نظرا ً للشعبية‬ ‫ فيها والتي سمعوا‬1‫الكبيرة لسباقات الفورموال‬ ‫ كما تقدموا بالشكر إلدارة‬،‫بها قبل وصولهم‬ ‫مجموعة البابطني على الترحاب الذي قوبلوا به‬ .‫إلى جانب حسن الضيافة والتنظيم‬

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‫شركة أوتوماك وشركة نفط‬ ‫عالقة راسخة ومتجددة‬..‫الكويت‬ ‫شركة أوتوماك تشارك في املعرض‬ 2014 ‫واملؤمتر العاملي للنفط والغاز‬

Volkswagen Behbehani sponsors the Third Annual Junior Masters Tournament Two Kuwait teams qualify as 1st & 2nd place

Volkswagen Behbehani, recently held the third annual Volkswagen Junior Masters Middle East Championship in Kuwait. Organized on an annual basis since three years, the Junior Masters Tournament is a Volkswagen group initiative through which Volkswagen Behbehani sponsors and supports a youth tournament boys under the age of 13 who compete in regional qualification rounds in GCC. Local Clubs teams and Kuwait sport academies took part in the first local football round. Kuwait club won first place for the second year in a row and Tadamon club won second place. The qualifying teams will be heading to Dubai to compete in the regional championship where the first and second place teams from Kuwait will be competing against the other first and second teams in GCC countries.

Commenting on the Volkswagen Junior Master Tournament, Mr. Abdullah Ali, Volkswagen Behbehani General Manager, Kuwait, said: “The Volkswagen Junior Masters tournament is now in its third year in the Middle East and aims to bring together talented players, under the age of 13, who are passionate about football and enjoy being part of the team. The tournament is one of the largest of its kind organized worldwide and Volkswagen Behbehani is proud to present to our younger generation with a platform where they can exhibit and practice their favorite sport skills amongst other talented young athletes from all over the world. We wish the Kuwait team best of luck as they proceed to Dubai for the set of next rounds” The objective of the Junior Masters Tournament falls in line with Volkswagen Behbehani’s commitment to the society as it continuously strives to promote initiatives designed for the well-being of younger generation. Volkswagen Behbehani encourages and supports youngsters interested in “people’s sport”, football to participate in up-coming matches held in an exciting and competitive environment.

The team qualifying as the Middle East winner will represent the region at the Junior Masters World Championships in a friendly match, taking place in Italy.

Big Bang Unico BiRetrograde Chrono Official Watch Of The Royale Hayat Hospital 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil™ Joins Forces with American Heart Association to Save Lives

With the support of the American Heart Association, Royale Hayat Hospital launched ”Mass CPR Training” on April 16, 2014 at AlJurri Hall.

According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death around the world and CPR could decrease death rates by educating and training individuals to perform it and save lives.

Organized by Dr. Nesrin El Khatib, Consultant Pediatrician and Head of Department & Neonatal Intensive Care, the event consisted of 3 separate sessions to allow proper participation.

CPR training session participants received certificates from American Heart Association along with an inflatable manikin and DVD to raise awareness among individuals and families to be part of Royale Hayat’s life saving campaign.

It's the Official Watch of this year's FIFA World Cup™. It's also the first Big Bang Unico BiRetrograde Chrono. It's a first for Hublot, who has never before produced a bi-retrograde function, along with a central chrono, a movement with patent pending.

The engineers and watchmakers at Hublot were initially inspired to develop a watch movement specifically for the world of football, to pay homage to the prestigious 2014 FIFA World Cup™ for which Hublot is the Official timekeeper and the Official Watch.

The UNICO Manufacture calibre – unique in the industry, with its column wheel and dual coupling on the dial side – was chosen to serve as the basis for the development of this watch, here embodying a very current example of its extraordinary flexibility.

The fruit of 18 months of research and development, the new automatic HUB1260 manufacture movement has arrived: a biretrograde movement with central chrono comprising 385 components (Frequency 4 Hz, 28,800 Vib/Hour), patent pending. It is also one of the only movements of its type in the watchmaking industry today.

It is the first time Hublot has unveiled a watch with a bi-retrograde display (the hands return to their starting points at lightning speed). How does it work in this particular case? When the chronograph is started, the chrono's second hand and minute hand move from left to right in a circular arc of 45 minutes (one half of a football match), with an area for 15 minutes' added time up to 60 minutes. There are two push-buttons on either side of the crown for START, STOP and RESET; the push-button at 2 o'clock is also used to show the period of time selected from the following 4 options: 1st half, half time, 2nd half and end of match, indicated by a window in the centre at 12 o'clock.

‫شاركت شركة أوتوماك الرائدة في مجال‬ ‫السيارات في املعرض واملؤمتر العاملي للنفط‬ ‫ والذي مت تنظيمه‬2014 ‫والغاز‬KOC‫) خالل شهر‬ ( ‫وإعداده من قبل شركة نفط الكويت‬ .2014 ‫مارس‬ ‫تنظم شركة نفط الكويت هذا النوع من املعارض‬ ‫ حيث يكون حضور ومشاركة‬،ً‫الهامة سنويا‬ ‫شركة أوتوماك بصفة حصرية كل سنة في‬ ‫معرض شركة نفط الكويت تعبيرا ً عن العالقة‬ ‫ حيث تزود‬،‫املميزة والراسخة بني كال الطرفني‬ ‫شركة أوتوماك في الكويت شركات القطاع‬ ‫النفطي بأفضل خدمات تأجير السيارات وأفضل‬ ‫األسعار وصيانة السيارات املستأجرة في مراكز‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى‬،‫صيانة مملوكة لشركة أوتوماك‬ .‫ ساعة‬24 ‫مركز خدمة عمالء يعمل على مدار‬ ‫وتأتي مشاركة أوتوماك في هذا املعرض واملؤمتر‬ ‫العاملي بناء على عمق العالقة بني شركة أوتوماك‬ ‫وشركات القطاع النفطي التي تتميز بتاريخ‬ ‫حافل من اإلجنازات الهامة في خدمة هذا القطاع‬ ‫حيث يجسد مركز صيانة أوتوماك األحمدي والذي‬ ‫ مدى‬،‫يقع في قلب مراكز عمل املنشآت النفطية‬ ‫إلتزام شركة أوتوماك لتقدمي أفضل خدمات‬ .‫الصيانة بأسرع األوقات وأقل التكاليف‬ ً ‫ تقدم شركة أوتوماك أيضا‬،‫إلى جانب ذلك‬ ‫مجموعة من اخلدمات األخرى في الكويت التي‬ ‫تلبي كافة إحتياجات شركات القطاع النفطي‬ ‫واملؤسسات احلكومية والشركات بصفة عامة‬ ‫فيما يتعلق بخدمة وصيانة السيارات املستأجرة‬ ،‫في مراكز صيانة مملوكة لشركة أوتوماك‬ 24 ‫باإلضافة إلى توفير خدمة اإلتصال على مدار‬ ‫ساعة وتوفير أفضل العروض والصفقات على‬ ‫السيارات املستعملة في معرض "الصفقة" وبيع‬ ‫ كما أن شركة أوتوماك هي الوكيل‬،‫قطع الغيار‬ ‫احلصري لزيوت أدنوك اإلماراتية ذات اجلودة العالية‬ ‫ إضافة إلى كون‬،‫وإطارات هركوليز األمريكية‬ ‫شركة أوتوماك الوكيل احلصري للعالمة التجارية‬ ‫"هايجر" في الكويت ومصر والتي تشمل الوانيت‬ ‫ عالوة على توفير خدمة التأجير‬،‫وامليني باص‬ ‫ بلد في دول مجلس التعاون‬15 ‫الدولي في‬ .‫اخلليجي وعدد من الدول العربية واألوروبية‬ ‫تقوم شركة أوتوماك بإدارة وتشغيل أسطول‬ ‫كبير من السيارات واملركبات في مقرها الرئيسي‬ ‫في الكويت أو في أفرعها اإلقليمية والدولية في‬ ‫ حيث أن عمليات التوسع‬،‫ مصر والصني‬،‫قطر‬ ‫سارية على قدم وساق في كل من أفرع مصر‬ .‫وقطر في مجال تأجير السيارات وتوزيعها‬ ‫ عرفت شركة‬،2002 ‫ومنذ تأسيسها في العام‬ ‫أوتوماك بتركيزها على جودة املنتجات واخلدمات‬ ،‫وفي اخلدمات املتكاملة التي توفرها لعمالئها‬ ‫وبنت سمعة طيبة جدا ً كواحدة من الشركات‬ .‫الرائدة مجال السيارات‬

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Dagher-Hinnawi International Company makes its presence stronger in Kuwait Opens Etam at Dasman Diabetes Institute Held its 2nd the Fanar Mall “Friends of Dasman” Annual Gala Dinner

Ford Demonstrates Truck Leadership with Ranger as it Transforms Compact Pickup Experience with Unmatched Toughness, Capability, Safety and Comfort

Dasman Diabetes Institute, which was established by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), held its 2nd “Friends of Dasman” Annual Gala Dinner on April 26th in an effort fundraise for its “Student Ambassadors” program and thank the “Friends of Dasman” for their continuous support to its mission of combating the diabetes epidemic in Kuwait.

The event was held at the Dasman Diabetes Institute and was attended by H.E. the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Mr. Matthew Tueller, and Cuba’s Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Mr. Andes González, Ms. Shaikha Al-Bahar, Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait, Dr. Kazem Behbehani, Director General of the Dasman Diabetes Institute, as well as other distinguished guests and members of the Kuwaiti community.

The event highlighted the achievements of the Institute for the past year. The keynote speech of the evening was delivered by the honorary guest, Ms. Sheikha Al-Bahar, who spoke about the vital role that Dasman Diabetes Institute plays in the society and its continuous efforts to combat the epidemiology of diabetes through raising awareness and promoting health education amongst school students and the public. Ms. Al-Bahar reiterated that Dasman Diabetes Institute has become a regionally and internationally recognized Institute for diabetes in less than a decade.

The “Friends of Dasman” foundation is a group of individuals who support the initiatives and activities of the Dasman Diabetes Institute. Dr. Kazem Behbehani commented, “Through all the initiatives and programs of the Dasman Diabetes Institute and support of the “Friends of Dasman,” collectively we are all working towards finding innovative ways to reversing the diabetes epidemic in Kuwait. The Annual Gala brought together all the individuals and organizations whose support and contributions are integral to the success of the endeavor.“ Dr. Bahareh Azizi, Director of Business Development and Communications, spoke about the long-term impact of all the outreach and awareness programs in the Kuwaiti community and said,“ We believe in this program and know that it can make a difference because the Kuwaiti youth are the agents of change in the country. It is our responsibility to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to build a healthier society for themselves and the future generations of Kuwait.”

Built Ford Tough compact pickup, the Ford Ranger, combines the toughness and capability of a pickup truck with smart technology, outstanding safety and the highest standards of quality and comfort. And this is exactly what Ford Middle East and Arabian Motors Group (AMG), the Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer in Kuwait, presented recently to key media and VIP customers as part of its Built Ford Tough Ranger ride and drive event.

Ford Ranger was designed and developed to be best-in-class in every area important to customers, especially those who use it for both work and leisure purposes. Ranger delivers more payload and class-leading towing capability than its previous models and, at the same time, is fitted out with innovative and comfort features that a dual user has come to want and value.

And as testament to its leadership of its class on all fronts, Ranger has registered an impressive 197 per cent growth in sales around the Middle East, as more and more customers and businesses recognise the tremendous value this Built Ford Tough model presents while leading its segment in capability, performance, safety, comfort and fuel economy.

The Ford Ranger is a perfect example of how our ‘One Ford’ global strategy works,” said Paul Anderson, director of Marketing at Ford Middle East. “Far from producing a vehicle that is compromised by the need to serve different market requirements, it was developed by drawing on resources, facilities and expertise from Ford locations around the world to deliver an excellent product that will satisfy customers everywhere.

“The range of qualities pickup customers demand from their vehicle is far greater than the differences in conditions from country to country. The real challenge has been to build a Ranger that is tough and yet comfortable, rugged yet stylish, safe, technologically advanced and powerful, yet remaining affordable. We believe the team has succeeded in every goal. There is no compromise here,” Anderson added.

Ian Partridge, Sales Operations manager of AMG, said: “Ranger’s rugged capability was purposefully engineered and carefully crafted into the pickup and we are very pleased to highlight the leadership of this compact pick up here in Kuwait. We want to give customers a tough truck that they can truly rely on whether on rugged road, tricky sand, high waters, other challenging terrains, or just commuting to work.”

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As part of its strategy to strengthen the brands position in Kuwait, Dagher & Hinnawi International Company W.L.L. officially opened the doors of French lingerie leader Etam at The Fanar Mall.

A Wide new Spring Summer 2014 collections are characterised by attention to detail, perfect fit and extraordinary colour precision. The product range is also supplemented by a wide selection of accessories reflecting feminism and vibrancy.

“The launch of the new Etam showroom reflects the continued commitment to provide fashion conscious customers world-class premium collections with the highest standards of service in a spacious and trendy location. We now have 3 Etam stores in Kuwait. We will continue with such extensive expansions in the coming years and try to serve our customers in every possible manner” Shopping at Etam is an experience in itself, where it offers women a wide range of stylish and innovative lingerie in exceptional quality with pretty detailing at great prices, even more the stores are designed for easy browsing and colorful display areas.

Axalta launches its new brand Cromax® in Kuwait

Al- Bahar Industries, the exclusive distributor of Cromax® brand in Kuwait, announced Cromax® as the new brand name for “DuPont Refinish”, a leading global brand of automotive refinish systems. Along with a bold new logo that visually conveys the spirit of the brand, the launch of Cromax® is part of Axalta’s on-going commitment to its customers to be built for performance, and provide the best products.

During the event that was held at Crown Plaza Hotel for a number of its client's, Al Bahar Company stated that presenting the new brand 'Cromax' aims at offering an entirely new line to the 'Axalta' company products which specializes in paint. Axalta enjoys an excellent reputation among thousands of its clients, customers and corporations through its official distributors and dealers around the world.

Today Axalta Coating Systems is delighted to announce the new logo and portfolio for a strongly established and famous product name in the key markets, Cromax®. The company strongly believes such step shall elevate the Cromax® brand to embrace a portfolio of products that together will empower their customers with a diversity of choices from the front of the body shop to the back.

The Cromax® name and vibrant logo provide a fresh, new and remarkable identity to a superb line of refinish products that already enjoy tremendous loyalty among thousands of body shop customers, distributors and importers involved in the refinish business around the world. therefore, it is only right that the product lines enjoy an equally distinct fresh label design too.

The Cromax® family of brands promises improved productivity, backed by products engineered for easy, quick and accurate application. Cromax® includes an array of renowned product lines that are part of the DuPont Refinish franchise today such as Cromax® Pro, Cromax® Basecoat, Imron® Fleet Line and Centari®. All products lines will remain the same – the same quality, formulations and technology will continue to provide customers with innovative solutions.

Address of Hospitality and Original Taste

24747789 - 24747798 :‫ تلفون‬.‫ الدور السابع‬- ‫ برج امللتقى‬,‫ دوار املخفر‬:‫الفروانية‬

Farwaniya: Police Station Roundabout, AlMultaqa Tower, 7th Floor. Tel: 24847789 - 24747798

@aghakuwait

www.6alabat.com

agha kuwait

@agha_kuwait May, 2014

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IKEA celebrates 30 years of furnishing Kuwait’s homes SIRBB Circuit now open to public

Gulf Bank Holds a Memorable Open Day Event at Hilton Mangaf

Gulf Bank held its Annual Staff Open Day at Hilton Mangaf on 27 March 2014, organizing a memorable daylong event for the Bank's employees and their families to enjoy a variety of activities, competitions and great prizes in a carnival like day. The Open Day theme was T.E.A. which revolves around the Bank’s people centric working values of Trust, Empathy and Agility.

The event was an enormous success by all accounts and everyone involved enjoyed an exceptional day with their friends, families and co-workers. A variety of activities took place to make sure everyone got involved in the fun including a 'Treasure Hunt’, Magic Show and sports competitions for valuable prizes. The prizes presented included 2 Qatar Airways tickets to any destination, 4 tickets to Dubai provided by Marwa Travel, 3 tickets to Dubai provided by Alghanim Travel, 4 free weeklong meal plans provided by Diet Slim, chalet accommodations from Hilton Mangaf and vouchers from Missoni Hotel.

Wrapping up the event was the Bank's annual raffle draw for the grand prize of a Ford Focus Sport 2013, which was won by Elie Hajj, who was presented with his car keys by Mrs. Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager, Human Resources at Gulf Bank.

The Bank thanked Hamad Mohammed Al Wazzan and Partners (Ford) for their participation in this year’s prize draw. Gulf Bank and Ford have maintained close business ties for many years and the Bank looks forward to continuing this special relationship in years to come.

Gulf Bank values the dedication of its employees, and expresses its appreciation for their hard work and loyalty by regularly holding various events throughout the year, as well as creating numerous exclusive Gulf Bank employee offers for staff to enjoy.

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citypageskuwait.com

IKEA held a press conference at their store in The Avenues to celebrate their 30th anniversary in Kuwait.

The Anniversary event was hosted by Mr. Marino Maganto, CEO of SYH Retail and Mr. Ahmad Al Humaidhi, Store Manager of IKEA Kuwait. Both of them highlighted the importance of the 30th year milestone.

Since opening its doors on April 24, 1984, IKEA Kuwait has provided well designed, good quality home furnishing solutions to Kuwaiti homes.

For 30 years, IKEA has helped the many people of Kuwait to make a better everyday life at affordable prices.

Commenting on IKEA’s history in Kuwait, Mr. Marino Maganto, CEO of SYH Retail said: “For the last 30 years, we have offered our customers a fun day for the whole family, with more than 25 million visitors, and we will continue to welcome them for many years to come. At IKEA we are proud of the long and rich relationship we have with the local community. Since 1984 to today, we continue to support different social initiatives.

As an important part of our values, sustainability is always considered in everything we do. Two good examples: we recycle all the cartons we use and very soon all the light bulbs we sell will be LED. These lights use 80% less energy than normal light bulbs.”

IKEA refurbished the original showroom to reopen in 1995 and launched an even bigger store in The Avenues in 2007, with a showroom that more than doubled the number of room settings from 20 to 42.

“Over the years IKEA has grown to play an important role inspiring the many people in Kuwait by providing functional, good quality home furnishing solutions,” said Mr. Al Humaidhi, “we continuously work to understand the needs of the Kuwait market to be able to offer solutions that are relevant to our local customers,” he continued.

Following the success of its soft launch in October - where hundreds of people attended to witness some of the largest car, motorbike, and drifting parades seen in Kuwait – SIRBB Circuit finally opens its gates for public bookings and walk-ins.

In the few months since its launch, SIRBB Circuit has become Kuwait’s premier motorsports destination and gathering point, and the center to most major motor-related events and activities. In under 4 months, SIRBB was host to Road Rush 2013 - a women’s only kart racing event – in addition to Gulf Run’s 2013 24-Hour Karting Endurance Race, the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro launch, the Lamborghini Huracan private viewing, the Porsche Open Day, the Classic Car Festival, the Classic Pickup Festival, as well as a multitude of corporate events and weekly local car club meetings and gatherings.

SIRBB Circuit is the GCC’s newest karting facility, built on modern, state-of-the-art grounds. A truly unique spot in Kuwait, SIRBB Circuit lies at the heart of motor city in Shuwaikh Industrial, right next to the Historical Vintage & Classic Cars Museum and opposite Alghanim Motors – at the intersection of the Jahra and Airport Roads. Under the auspices and generous support of His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al Mohamad Al Sabah, SIRBB Circuit is hoping to become the new hub for automobile enthusiasts and thrill-seekers, and to celebrate all things motor, with a host of experiences already in motion like karting, drift rides and the exclusive Ariel Atom. With more surprises to be rolled out over the course of the year, SIRBB Circuit is a place where Kuwaitis and expats alike can finally live their love for motorsports, right here in their hometown.

For more information and bookings, visit www. sirbbcircuit.com.

Toyota Racing Makes a Perfect Start with 1st & 2nd Place Finish at Silverstone

TOYOTA Racing made the perfect start to the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship season with a 1st & 2nd place finish from pole position in the Six Hours of Silverstone race in Britain. The 1000PS, four-wheel-drive TS040 HYBRID won its very first race in convincing fashion thanks to the #8 of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi who take an early lead in the eightrace World Championship. The #7 of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima completed TOYOTA Racing’s first-ever onetwo finish, with a fine second place despite changing weather.

According to Nobuyuki Negishi, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, TOYOTA Motor Corporation, “It’s a great result for the TOYOTA Racing team and I congratulate the team and drivers for this commanding victory. It’s also a significant victory for the new TS040 Hybrid car which represents the most advanced hybrid technology in modern racing.

Our participation in these championships and the motorsport technology we adopt play a pivotal role in the development of the next generation hybrid road cars at Toyota.”

On this occasion, Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President said: “That was the perfect start to the season and I would like to thank everyone on the team for achieving this 1st & 2nd place victory for TOYOTA Racing. We have worked extremely hard over the winter to prepare the TS040 HYBRID and this is a great reward.

The weather was a real challenge but the team stayed alert and took the right decisions on strategy.”

Anthony Davidson said: “It has been a fantastic weekend and it is brilliant to win my home race.

The team did a fantastic job all weekend. We knew the rain was coming and we had set our car up for wet conditions. We made the right call on tyres, the strategy was just perfect; that’s how you win races. It is particularly special to also win the Tourist Trophy and the Richard Lloyd Trophy. It is a fantastic achievement and I couldn’t have wished for a better weekend.”

Track conditions varied from completely dry to torrential rain, which ultimately saw the race red flagged less than 30 minutes before the chequered flag. Alex started from pole and held the advantage during an exciting opening lap which saw Sébastien move from fifth to third.

The TS040 HYBRIDs were at the heart of the action with several position changes before rain came around the 40-minute mark. Both cars pitted for new tyres, the #7 taking wets and the #8 hybrid intermediates.

‫قال رئيس مجلس اإلدارة والرئيس التنفيذي لشركة أعمال القابضة السيد‪ /‬أحمد صالح العبدلي أن نتائج عام ‪ 2013‬كانت بحمد اهلل متواصله بالنجاح والنمو والتنوع فى أنشطة الشركات التابعة لها‪ ،‬األمر‬ ‫الذى أنعكس ايجابا ً على البيانات املالية للشركة لهذا العام ‪.‬‬ ‫حيث أشار في كلمته خالل عمومية الشركة بنسبة حضور‪ 90.20%‬املنعقدة يوم امس األثنني املوافق ‪ 05/05/2014‬في فندق لو رويال أن صافى أرباح الشركة أرتفعت لتصل مبا يعادل ‪ 24.9%‬من رأس املال‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف أن هذه األرباح هى ارباح تشغيلية وناجته من التنوع البيعى ألنشطة اجملموعة والنجاح املميز لها وحرص الشركة على استمرار سياسة التوسع واألنتشار فى السوق احمللي باألضافة الى تعزيز ثقة عمالئنا‬ ‫املميزين مبنتجات الشركة مثل الدايت كير وكافية بزة وفنادق لو رويال‪ ،‬حيث أن األيرادات التشغيلية لعام ‪ 2013‬أرتفعت بنسبة لتصل الى ‪ 34%‬عن العام ‪ 2012‬باألضافة الى أعادة هيكلة التكاليف التشغيلية مما‬ ‫كان لها األثر على حتسني األداء املالي للشركة واوضح بأنه التوجد اى قروض تذكر على الشركة‪.‬‬ ‫يذكر أنه متت املوافقة على جميع بنود اجلمعية العمومية العادية والغير عادية ومن أبرزها تقرير مجلس األدارة واملوافقة على توصية مجلس األدارة بتوزيع أرباح على املساهمني املسجلني بسجالت الشركة بتاريخ‬ ‫أنعقاد اجلمعية العمومية بنسبة ‪ 15‬في املائة من القيمة األسمية للسهم الواحد‪ ،‬أي بواقع ‪ 15‬فلس للسهم الواحد‪.‬‬ ‫هذا وقد قامت شركة أعمال القابضة بتطوير جميع القطاعات الغذائية لديها من خالل الشركات التابعة لها حيث أضافت الى السوق احمللى أفكار جديدة وغير مسبوقة والتى كان لها األثر في األنتشار الواسع‬ ‫محليا باألضافة الى البدء بدخول السوق اخلليجى متهيدا لألفتتاحات هناك‪.‬‬ ‫وقد اوضح رئيس مجلس اإلدارة والرئيس التنفيذي أحمد صالح العبدلي في كلمته أن أهم القطاعات التشغيلية التى تندرج حتت أنشطة الشركة هى ‪:‬‬ ‫كافة بزة‪( :‬خطة ‪)50/20‬‬ ‫هى عالمة كويتية أصيلة وعصرية وبإطار فريد غير مألوف على اإلطالق لتتنافس مع أشهر الوكاالت العاملية‪ ،‬وحتمل أجواء تراثية جميله وقائمة بزة غنية ومتنوعة من وجبات الطعام الكويتية األصيلة الي يعرفها‬ ‫كل بيت كويتي‪.‬‬ ‫ومنذ افتتاح أول فرع قبل ثالثة سنوات تقريبا حتى تاريخه مت بحمد اهلل افتتاح عدد ‪ 11‬فرع في الكويت وجارى العمل على أجناز باقى الفروع لتصل الى ‪ 16‬فرع مع نهاية العام احلالي لتشمل باقى مناطق الكويت‪.‬‬ ‫هذا وجاري العمل على تصدير ثقافة الكونسبت واألكل الكويتى الى دول اخلليج وأوروبا وحيث مت وضع خطة توسعات سميت خطة (‪ )50/20‬للوصول الى عدد ‪ 50‬فرع بحلول عام ‪ 2020‬على ابعد تقدير بأذن اهلل‪.‬‬ ‫دايت كير ‪:‬‬ ‫هى عالمة كويتية رائدة في اخلدمات الصحية حققت جناح كبير في السوق الكويتى خالل العشر سنوات املاضية لتغطى خدماتها جميع مناطق الكويت سواء من خالل تقدمي اخلدمات االستشارية الغذائية او من‬ ‫خالل قطاع التجزئة الذى يقدم اصناف عديده من االطعمه الصحية (اجلورمية) بسعرات حرارية منخفضة وتتواجد في جميع اجلمعيات التعاونية واالسواق املركزية باإلضافة الى تقدمي اخلدمات اإلحترافية (‪)B2B‬‬ ‫التى تشمل قطاع املستشفيات واجلامعات واملدارس والشركات الكبرى‪.‬‬ ‫دايت كير هى من بني أوائل الشركات في الكويت امللتزمة مبساعدة الناس على التحكم بوزنهم واحلصول على حياة أكثر صحية‪ .‬وبفضل فريقها املتميز من اخلبراء وأخصائيي التغذية املعتمدين دوليا‪ ،‬أصبحت‬ ‫"دايت كير" اآلن الشركة الرائدة في تزويد اخلدمات الصحية‪ ،‬التي تشمل البرامج الغذائية الصحية واملتوازنة التي توصلها يوميا ً لعمالئها‪ ،‬فضالً عن منتجات األغذية الصحية اجلورمية واملتوفرة في أفرع "دايت‬ ‫كير" املنتشرة في أكثر من ‪ 70‬موقع في الكويت‪.‬‬ ‫فنادق لورويال ‪:‬‬ ‫تعتبر فنادق لو رويال من اوائل فنادق البوتيك بالكويت والتى تقدم خدمة اخلمس جنوم واخلدمات الشخصية لضيوفها املستوحاة من عبق التراث العربى العريق للضيافة وتكرس العالمة التجارية املميزة لفنادق لو‬ ‫رويال أعلى معايير اجلودة ومستويات اخلدمة الشخصية حيث نسعى دائما لتطبيق وعودنا بتحقيق القيمة واجلودة من قبل كل شىء‪.‬‬ ‫تغطى مجموعة فنادق لو رويال واملتمثلة فى (فندق لورويال ‪ ،‬فندق لو رويال تاور‪ ،‬فندق لو رويال اكسبريس – الشرق‪ ،‬فندق لو رويال اكسبريس ‪ -‬الساملية ‪ ،‬فندق لو رويال كورنيش ) معظم املناطق احليوية بالكويت‬ ‫حيث ميكن للضيوف التمتع بسهولة الوصول الى مراكز التسوق الراقية واملطاعم واالماكن الترفيهية ‪.‬‬ ‫كما تعتبر فنادق لو رويال االختيار املثالى لرجال األعمال أو املسافرين الباحثني عن الراحة واالستجمام حيث االهتمام بأدق التفاصيل وتقدمي خدمات متميزة بأسلوب عصرى يشعرك وكأنك فى منزلك ‪.‬‬ ‫فندق لو رويال مبوقعه املثالي علي شارع اخلليج العربي ويطل علي أبراج الكويت في واحده من أكثر املناطق السياحيه أناقة في الكويت وتتمتع بإطالله خالبه على مياه اخلليج الزرقاء واألضواء املتأللئه من أبراج‬ ‫الكويت‪ ،‬ويقدم خدمة خمس جنوم مستوحاه من التراث العربي األصيل للضيافة وميكن لنزالء الفندق التمتع بسهوله الوصول إلي املناطق التجارية والسياحية ومناطق اجلذب الرئيسية األخري كما ميكن للضيوف‬ ‫األستمتاع واألسترخاء في راحه إستثنائية من غرفهم واألستمتاع مبنظر الواجهه البحريه للخليج العربي‪.‬‬ ‫الفرنشايز‬ ‫واختتم العبدلي تصريحه بقوله أنه نظرا لألنتشار الواسع لكافي بزة والدايت كير والذي أنتشر على مستوي السوق اخلليجي‪ ،‬قام فريق تطوير األعمال في شركة أعمال القابضة على أتخاذ القرار لألنطالق والتوسع‬ ‫على منط الفرنشايز العاملي باألضافة الى تكوين عالقة شراكة مع مستثمرين أستراتيجيني‪.‬‬

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‫أكادميية برميير چول تقيم مهرجان‬ ‫الربيع لكرة القدم في منتزه بيان‬

‫أقامت أكادميية برميير چول بالتعاون مع نادي‬ ‫ وبرعاية مركز بورشه‬،‫إيڤرتون إف سي لكرة القدم‬ ‫ احلدث اخلاص‬،‫ شركة بهبهاني للسيارات‬،‫الكويت‬ ‫ حتت‬،‫مبهرجان الربيع لكرة القدم في منتزه بيان‬ .‫رعاية سعادة السفير البريطاني فرانك بيكر‬ ‫ في‬18 ‫ و‬3 ‫ العب ما بني سن‬600 ‫شارك أكثر من‬ ‫ مبا في‬،‫احلدث املقام برعاية مركز بورشه الكويت‬ P.G.A ‫ذلك الفرق من الدورات التدريبية إليڤرتون و‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى العديد من‬،‫ومركز إيڤرتون لالمتياز‬ ،‫املدارس اخلاصة وأكادمييات كرة القدم حول الكويت‬ ‫ دون‬،‫ سكيلبس‬،‫من ضمنها فرق أرسنال ساراسينز‬ .‫بوسكو ومدرسة حولي الباكيستانية اإلنكليزية‬ ‫شهد احلدث إقباال ً كبيرا ً من األهالي وحشودا ً من‬ ‫ الذين حظوا بتنظيم‬،‫اجلماهير لتشجيع الالعبني‬ ‫ خالل سلسلة‬،‫وتوجيه عال املستوى من املدربني‬ ‫ وقدم مركز بورشه الكويت‬.‫من املباريات املشوقة‬ ‫ لتوعية‬،‫مدرسة بورشه لتعليم القيادة لألطفال‬ ،‫األطفال املشاركني حول أمن وسالمة الطرقات‬ ،‫بينما قامت بروي بترفيه اجلميع بكرة زورب‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى تقدمي‬،‫ حيوانات الغابة‬،‫ترامبولني‬ .‫الطعام‬ ‫وقام سعادة السفير البريطاني فرانك بيكر وعدد‬ ‫ بتقدمي ميداليات جلميع‬،‫ املتميزين‬VIP ‫من الضيوف‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى شهادات تقدير لرعاة‬،‫املشاركني‬ .‫احلفل والداعمني له‬ ‫كما ع ّبر سعادة السفير البريطاني فرانك بيكر عن‬ ‫تقديره واعترافه باجلهد الرائع الذي بُذل من أجل‬ ‫ وقام بتهنئة‬،‫إجناح هذا احلدث الهام للمجتمع‬ ‫ ”بعيدا ً عن‬:‫ قائال‬،‫الالعبني واملدربني املشاركني‬ ‫ تُعد كرة‬،‫املتعة الكبيرة لهذه الرياضة الرائعة‬ ‫القدم طريقة رائعة لتشجيع الصغار ليكونوا‬ ‫ ولتحسني لياقتهم وتطوير‬،ً‫نشيطني بدنيا‬ ‫ كالتواصل‬،‫املهارات األساسية خالل منوهم‬ ‫فيما بينهم والتعاون وصقل الروح اجلماعية‬ ‫ من املهم جدا ً في يومنا هذا وفي‬.‫للفريق الواحد‬ ‫عصر الترفيه اإللكتروني أن يشارك الصغار في‬ ‫األنشطة الرياضية التي تساهم في احملافظة‬ ‫ ”أود أن أبارك‬:‫“ وأضاف‬.‫على أسلوب حياة صحي‬ ‫ من‬،‫لكل من عمل على إجناح هذا احلدث الرائع‬ ‫املنظمني في أكادميية برميير چول مايك فني وبكر‬ ‫ شركة بهبهاني‬،‫ مركز بورشه الكويت‬،‫الناظر‬ ‫ شركة الكويت‬،‫ بروي‬،‫ سبورت دايركت‬،‫للسيارات‬ ‫ شركة‬،‫ إكسبو تاچ‬،)‫الوطنية للتعبئة (أكوافينا‬ ‫ و باقي‬،)‫سعود العوجان واخوانه (شوبا تشوبس‬ ‫ وجميع املعلمني واملدربني الذين‬،‫كرام املساهمني‬ ‫علموا وشجعوا الالعبني والفرق على اإلرتقاء لهذه‬ “ .‫املعايير االستثنائية العالية‬ ‫ التدريبية خالل شهر‬P.G.A ‫وستعقد دورات‬ ‫ ويسرنا الترحيب باجلميع‬،‫إبريل ومايو في بيان‬ ‫ وسيكون هناك دورات تدريبية متوفرة‬.‫للمشاركة‬ 3 ‫في كرة السلة وكرة القدم للصغار ما بني سن‬ .‫ سنة‬16 ‫و‬

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citypageskuwait.com

Recognition Night 2014 livens up Terrace Grill Steakhouse

KidZania’s Beach Clean-Up Underlines ‘Kids for a Greener World’

OMEGA and Solar Impulse

At a press conference in Payerne, Switzerland on 9 April, Solar Impulse unveiled its second solarpowered airplane, Solar Impulse 2.

The Solar Impulse project, launched by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, has set itself the goal of circumnavigating the globe in an airplane powered day and night using nothing but solar energy by 2015. OMEGA has an active role as one of Solar Impulse’s Main Partners, providing both capital support and key technology to a venture that will contribute to the scientific and ecological development of alternative means of sustainable energy. OMEGA’s significant contributions will continue to be an integral part in the Solar Impulse Project’s success in the coming years.

Solar Impulse 2 has been built to meet the challenge of becoming the first plane to circle the globe using the sun as its only source of energy. The first test flights of this new airplane are scheduled to begin in May in Switzerland. It involves several new and improved technologies developed by OMEGA which have been introduced to make the airplane more energy efficient. These enhancements includes a lighter, more efficient landing light system, an upgraded, lightweight version of the OMEGA Instrument and an energy dispatcher which transfers energy from one engine to another in the event one experiences an energy deficiency. OMEGA has also offered lighter electronics inside the plane’s dashboard.

The JW Marriott Hotel Kuwait City, the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Kuwait City and Arraya Ballroom recently organized a remarkable celebration to recognize and celebrate its loyal and prospective top clients.

The celebration, which was at the renowned Terrace grill steakhouse, included the country’s elite social and corporate leaders, loyal media partners, along with popular international and local personalities.

The theme of the evening was “Your loyalty means the world to us” where the highlight of the event was the speech of George Aoun, Cluster General Manager of Kuwait Marriott Hotels and the presentation of elegant awards to the top companies in Kuwait for their continued loyalty to Kuwait Marriott Hotels over the years. The renowned band from the Terrace Grill steakhouse also engaged the crowd with live jazz performances, following which the international chefs from the hotel presented an array of world foods for dinner.

Ahmad Shaban, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing expressed the hotel’s sincere appreciation to all guests together with the hotel management team and emphasized that the hotel would continuously provide sustainable customer service in order to enhance the business partnership.

“It is of outmost importance to us to engage with our guests, clients and associates and to say Thank You for their continuous patronage towards our hotel,” added Shaban.

KidZania Kuwait, the exciting kid-sized metropolis, recently conducted a clean-up of Al-Salam Beach in Shuwaikh. The event was part of KidZania’s ‘Kids for a Greener World’ initiative that runs at the children’s city until May 10, 2014 and aims to educate children about the importance of caring for the planet.

The clean-up resulted in the removal of hundreds of pieces of plastic, glass, metal, Styrofoam, cigarette filters and food containers.

The items removed, which were sent for recycling, not only had the potential to cause human injury, but also cause injury or death to wildlife.

The clean-up of Kuwait’s beaches was accomplished by KidZania staff, along with the Rightskeeper Vita, one of Kidzania’s characters, who advocates the ‘Right To Care’.

Fernando Medroa, Vice President of Leisure and Entertainment at M.H. Alshaya Co. said, “We involved Vita in the beach clean-up activity to inspire others; she represents the Right to Care. The initiative is aimed to improve children’s understanding of how to care for our planet and how this is an important step in creating a better world.”

KidZania’s ‘Kids for a Greener World’ campaign runs until May 10, 2014. Throughout this period children in Kuwait can enjoy and learn from a wide range of environmentally-friendly activities, thus educating and encouraging future generations to create a greener and cleaner planet.

Coming Soon At the Gate Mall El-Eqaila

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website: www.saycheeez.net email: info@saycheeez.net Twitter & flicker & instagram: @saycheeez_photo phone number (only whats app ): 55062262

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Contact us if you wish to feature your Kids brand in CityPages magazine.

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Jumbled Words

SHAPES QUIZ 1. How many years are there in a millennium?

1. ERD 2. TASY 3. PHSU 4. FGLA 5 . R RWOA 6. WONG 7. UEENQ 8 . LW E O R F 9. AKPR 10. ASGSL 11. AREWT 12. ACTO

2. True or false? The horse is the fastest land animal.

3. The Beatles music band featured how many members?

4. True or false? Scarlet is a bright red color.

5. What galaxy is Earth located in?

6. What is the first element on the periodic table of elements?

7. True or false? Mickey Mouse's middle name is Fauntleroy.

8. How many sides does a triangle have?

9. True or false? Harry Potter's middle name is James.

10. Bees create what sweet substance?

ANSWERS: 1.RED, 2.STAY, 3.PUSH, 4.FLAG, 5.ARROW, 6.GOWN, 7.QUEEN, 8.FLOWER, 9.PARK, 10.GLASS, 11.WATER, 12.COAT

6.Hydrogen,7.False (it is Donald Duck's), 8.3, 9.True, 10.Honey

ANSWERS: 1.1000, 2.False, 3.4, 4.True, 5.The Milky Way,

RIDDLES

Interesting Facts

1. What has a foot but no legs?

• Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.

2. Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die.

• There are only 14 different calendars. They keep repeating.

What is it?

• The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world.

3. What comes down but never goes up?

• The human brain accounts for about 2 % of body weight, but

4. I’m tall when I’m young and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?

it uses about 20 % of the oxygen in our blood and 25 % of the

5. Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is

glucose (sugars) circulating in our bloodstream.

the fifth daughters name?

• Though Nile river is the longest river in the world, Amazon river

6. How can a pants pocket be empty and still have something in it?

is the biggest river by water volume.

7. What goes up when rain comes down?

• Abraham Lincoln was the first President to be assassinated.

8. If I drink, I die. If I eat, I am fine. What am I?

• Potato is the most cultivated vegetable in the world today.

9. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

Crocodiles often eat rocks.

10. What travels around the world but stays in one spot?

• You can tell lions apart by the spots at the base of their whiskers.

11. What has hands but cannot clap?

• A dairy cow produces about 100,000 glasses of milk in it's

12. What can you catch but not throw?

lifetime.

ANSWERS:1.A snail, 2.Nothing, 3.Rain, 4.A candle, 5. If you answered Nunu, you are wrong. It’s Mary!, 6.It can have a hole in it, 7.An umbrella!, 8.A fire!, 9.Short, 10.A stamp!, 11.A clock, 12. A cold.

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• No words in the dictionary rhyme with orange.

• At least 12 rocks from Mars have landed on Earth.

MAY HOROSCOPES The month begins with the Sun and Mercury in the business success sign of Taurus. A Full Moon in powerful and sly Scorpio on May 14 adds its weight to a proposal that has success written all over it. The foot is on the accelerator on May 19 when Mars, the star of action, turns direct. This is the day to close the deal. The good vibrations continue through May 24, when Jupiter and Saturn, the two stars of commerce, bow to each other in recognition of a job well done. On May 28 the month ends with a New Moon in Gemini and the house of assets, and congratulations are in order.

ARIES (March 21 - April 19)

May 3 looks to be sweet, with soft voices and fuzzy affection. You don't usually neglect yourself, but the May 14 Full Moon reminds you to pay more attention to the small, less exciting details of daily life.

Get more organized, find those misplaced documents, and eat more healthfully. The weekend of May 24 could get rocky. Don't get bent out of shape if someone springs a surprise bigger than yours. The New Moon on May 28 is intense. You might get on people's nerves if you expect them to be equally intense. Focus on your own issues and cut others some slack.

TAURUS

VIRGO (March 21 - April 19)

You might be more energized, able to perform better, and thinking more clearly on May 7 and May 8. Don't let this slip away. The May 14 Full Moon could take you places, some very far away. It could be physical or virtual. If you need a serious getaway, this might be the trigger. An old favorite fantasy or bit of wishful thinking may come to an end on May 21. On the May 28 New Moon, expect to spend more time or money with friends, doing entertaining or even educational and uplifting activities. Think art, movies, or music.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)

A lightweight romance could turn super serious at the May 14 Full Moon. Or you might suddenly crave more attention than you've ever wanted before. Keep a grip on your heart and have pity on any partners. May 15 finds you enthusiastic and up for just about anything.

Be safe, though. The weekend of May 24 promises some quality time with people you already enjoy and admire. Live big (but not too big) and have fun. The New Moon on May 28 lets you slip out of the spotlight and into the shadows. It's harder for people to interfere if they can't see you.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)

The Full Moon on May 14 encourages you to get serious about taking better care of yourself. You don't have to be paranoid or timid about it. Be smart and treat yourself better. The weekend of May 17 could be tense, but such anxieties are usually imaginary. Stay calm and real and let it pass.

On the weekend of May 24 you get the respect you deserve but usually feel you don't get. For the May 28 New Moon, you might want to change up or freshen your social crowd, fade out of a stale group, and find livelier, newer voices and opinions.

GEMINI

LIBRA

AQUARIUS

(May 21 - June 20)

(September 23 - October 22)

(January 20 - February 18)

You might feel a little wired as the month starts, but nerves should settle down by the end of May 2. If your mind shifts into overdrive on May 7, stay focused and don't turn into a chatterbox. The May 14 Full Moon shines for you in a secret way. Be prudent, behave well, and respect the positions of others or you could briefly turn into your own worst enemy. The May 28 New Moon is the time to make healthy changes to eat, rest, exercise, and simply be better to yourself in the long term. Look for an "ah ha" moment on May 30.

Your natural diplomatic and peacekeeping talents could come in handy on the weekend of Mother's Day, starting Saturday May 10. At the Full Moon of May 14 you could become involved in the responsibilities of someone else. Remember to respect available resources (like time and energy). Respect boundaries, too, especially your own. On May 19 you might get impatient to start something that's been on hold, but you know how to control yourself. The New Moon on May 28 gives you a fresh look at money matters and any finances that need attention. Don't hesitate to communicate, explain yourself, or ask questions.

The Full Moon on May 14 is your big chance to start doing something you've always wanted to do but have let people talk you out of doing.

You'll find sympathetic friends to play with you. May 19 through May 21 should be more comfortable, with people being less annoying you can get on with your work and the inspiration can flow. The New Moon on May 28 shines on your career or workplace. Stay alert for a new assignment or chance to sound out co-workers about a difficult or confusing situation that is on the verge of being corrected.

CANCER

SCORPIO

PISCES

(June 21 - July 22)

(October 23 - November 21)

(March 21 - April 19)

Emotions could be near the surface during the first weekend of the month. Have fun, be sociable, and don't take everything so personally.

The May 14 Full Moon could rattle your social life or a group or association. Listen and at least pretend to take seriously what people say, even if you know it may all be smoke. The New Moon on May 28 gives you the chance to get more creative and blow off some steam in a flashier way. Do something to make your heart happy.

The next day something puzzling may suddenly begin to make sense. citypageskuwait.com

Cinco de Mayo and May 6 can be as exciting as you wish - or don't wish. People won't need encouragement to follow your lead. The Full Moon on May 14 can light up your workplace or career situation.

Prepare for this and take the opportunity seriously. You have a chance to assume more responsibility and authority. You may be chattier and more willing to try new things after May 20. The New Moon at the end of the month brings things closer to home. Reach out and keep in touch with family and old friends.

(April 20 - May 20)

Mother's Day on May 11 could be a high-energy day. Be gracious, enjoy the good, and let others get hyper. The Full Moon on May 14 impacts your partnerships and love life. Saturn lurking nearby suggests you'll make an effort to respect others and treat them the way you want to be treated. The New Moon on May 28 could affect your finances and possessions. Don't be surprised if people want to give you things. Memorial Day weekend looks to be lavish, with good food, fun, and your favorite companions. Save your best recipes and most charming quips for that day.

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LEO (July 23 - August 22)

Take a deep breath, smile, and let Mother's Day be pleasant for everyone. Be proactive, volunteer to help, and let your family appreciate and love you. The Full Moon on May 14 belongs to you. Do something that deepens and strengthens you, brings you fulfillment, and fine-tunes how you want the world to see and deal with you. May 19 and May 20 are the opening days of a more active period for you. Things will accelerate slowly, so get prepared. Love and romance may blur at the New Moon on May 28 and could make a relationship even more complicated.

The Full Moon on May 14 blazes away on family and home affairs.

Achieve closure in an uncomfortable situation, clear up some longlasting confusion, or finish a big domestic project. May 21 and May 22 are tailored for you to plug in your feelings and do things that mean a lot to you. At the New Moon on May 28 you might want to finally start to learn a new skill, speak a new language, or just dream about buying a ticket to Tahiti. May 31 could be outrageously lucky. Share the good and be grateful no matter what happens.

*All the Illustrations on this page are done by: Sandra Bakhamian @ SandraBakhamian and are Copyrighted

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HOMEWORK FOR GROWN UPS EVERYTHING YOU LEARNED AT SCHOOL... BUT CAN YOU REMEMBER? General Knowledge Quiz 1. Who became president of the USA in 1963?

Test Your Vocabulary On such occasions, the table was spread with a snow-white cloth, and the china cups and silver spoons were taken from the oldfashioned buffet.

2. Who invented the lightning conductor?

3. Which element is coal mainly composed of?

In this sentence, buffet means:

4. In which country was the fashion designer Coco Chanel born?

5. Which vegetable is zucchini better known as?

1. drawer 2. sideboard 3. supply closet 4. hope chest

6. How many rings are there in the Olympic Games symbol?

ANSWER: 2

7. What do the rings on the Olympic Games symbol represent?

8. What is the most popular name for Britain's public houses?

Alphabet Numbers Puzzle

9. In the film 'Meet The Parents' who plays the role of Greg?

Given only one of each letter in the alphabet, what are the smallest and largest numbers that you could write down?

10. In which American state is Harvard University located?

11. What is the name given to a female swan?

12. Which dish is battered deep-fried squid rings known as?

These are the smallest and largest possible numbers.

13. Which jubilee will Queen Elizabeth II celebrate in 2012?

FIVE THOUSAND MINUS FORTY (allowing negative numbers)

14. What is the name of the most sacred river in India?

ZERO or NOUGHT

ANSWER: Using only one of each letter in the alphabet, you can spell:

15. Which famous singer married the movie director Guy Ritchie?

16. What does the computer abbreviation ADSL stand for?

JUMBLED WORDS A T H E W

17. What is the capital of the State of Florida?

18. In the film 'Nanny McPhee', who played the actual role of Nanny McPhee?

19. Where in Britain is St Andrews University located?

20. Which sport is Novak Djokovic famous for playing?

W O R N C D O M E C Y T E I P C o C A F I R B

17.Tallahassee, 18.Emma Thompson, 19.Scotland, 20.Tennis 9.Ben Stiller, 10.Massachusetts, 11.A pen, 12.Calamari, 13.Diamond, 14.Ganges, 15.Madonna, 16.Asymetric Digital Subscriber Line, ANSWERS: 1.Lyndon B. Johnson, 2.Benjamin Franklin, 3.Carbon. 4.France, 5.Courgette, 6.Five, 7.The continents, 8.The Red Lion,

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ANSWERS: WHEAT, CROWN, COMEDY, POETIC, FABRIC

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