Issue 20

WE LOVE

The Monthly Key to Your City

Where to find us?

info@thecitym.com @thecitymagazine @thecitymags theCity Magazine

Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa

Al Raya Mall

2

www.thecitym.com

‫ا‬

‫وز‬

‫ﺔ‬

‫ﺟﻴ‬

‫رة اﻟ ﺨ ﺎر‬

99 KUWAITI EMBASSIES WORLDWIDE

thecitym.com HOME | ABOUT US | OUR WRITERS | DISTRIBUTION POINTS | ARCHIVE | CONTACT

from Kuwaitis to the world!

All issues, one website!

More news, more events on our instagram account

@thecitymagazine www.thecitym.com

3

At theCITY, we believe that we have the power to shape the vision for Kuwait's future. We think that even the smallest, simplest choices we all make are the building blocks of this beautiful country. We believe that how we spend our time and our money is a vote for the future Kuwait we want to see. In our future Kuwait, we move forward together, with each citizen and resident working hand in hand. In our future Kuwait, our definition of giving is more about sharing stories and talents, than about opening our wallets. In our future Kuwait, we pay it forward. In our future Kuwait, community, not currency, wins.

In our future Kuwait, the people, not their positions, are what count.

In our future Kuwait, we see a better tomorrow.

Khaled Al-Qahtani, Editor-in-Chief

In theCITY, with every issue and every page, we are working to build this vision of Kuwait in our own humble and special way.

That’s because, at theCITY, our love for Kuwait and it’s people is the driving force behind what we do—and that sentiment couldn’t be truer than in our dearest, most heartwarming issue of the year: our ‘We Love’ issue.

In this issue we had a strong yet simple idea in mind: connecting you to the deep truths that have defined and sustained the Kuwaiti spirit from generation to generation and across every sensibility. We’ve brought heritage to modernity; memory to the contemporary. We remember the Kuwaiti, striving passion for progress and growth in Sink or Swim and 3rd Wave. We revisit our vigorous and remote heritage in The Eagle’s Eye. We reinterpret our own identity in the modern world with features like O Ya Mal! and Food for Humanity. Finally, our February fashion spread tells you the story of an essential Kuwaiti girl, both in body and soul; the story of a girl named Shaikha.

Lana Al-Resheed, Managing Director

As a general rule, we usually don’t show faces on our covers but, for our February issue, we couldn’t think of a better symbol to personify the start of Kuwait’s glory than the father of the Kuwaiti independence and constitution: HRH Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, may God rest his soul. On our cover he is pictured in a rare image, decorated by British officer Robert Hait with the K. C. M. G. seal on February 25th, 1950, to mark and commemorate the independence of Kuwait as a proudly sovereign nation, for the very first time. This is the moment Kuwait was born in all her endless splendor.

So happy National Day, Independence Day, and every single day, our beautiful Kuwait! May you remain forever higher, brighter, and dearer than anywhere else.

Shaza Ayesh, General Manager

MEET OUR FAMILY Anmar Al-Aldarmi

Dana Al-Tuwarish

Jinan Mohammad

Rawan Al-Sharif

Ali Al-Khudari

Farah Al-Humaidhi

Jenny Wright

Rawan Elabd

Bashayer Al-Osaimi

Haneen Al Rashed

Khalil Al-Hamar

Ramez A.Sabawi

Dalal Al-Janaie

Hisham Al-Sumaiew

Mohammed Al-Rasheed

Shabari Al-Qahtani

Doha Al-Mutawa

Jumana Al-Awadhi

Noor Al-Nafisi

Yousef Al-Neemah

Khaled Al-Qahtani Editor-in-Chief

Lana Al-Resheed Managing Director

Shaza Ayesh General Manager

Ziad Al-Obaid

Sales Director

Dana Baluch Content Editor

Hussain Al-Qatari

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Graphic Designer

Hussain Kuwala Design Intern

Muneera Al-Hendi Head of Photography

Abdulrhman Al-Yousef Published and Distributed By:

Ebrahim Al-Awadi

Hussain Shamo

Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

@eaPhotology

@hussaingram

@GoldenVisionQ8

GREAT KUWAIT MEDIA FOR ADVERTISING & PUBLISHING

@awadi85

@hshamo_q8

@GoldenVisionQ8

For General Enquiries:

info@thecitym.com For Advertising, contact:

sales@thecitym.com 22390518 - 65558679 For Media and Press Invitations:

events@thecitym.com Address:

Salmiya, Salem Al-Mubarak St. Al Fanar Mall 1st Floor, Office No: F21

Press:

Somood Faris @Q8poet271

Essa Shukri Blacckpeper7

Eman Jamal @eman_jamal Statement of Copyright: theCITY™ is owned and published by GREAT KUWAIT MEDIA. Copyright 2012.

All rights reserved. ÂŽ the CITY logo is owned by GREAT KUWAIT MEDIA. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any format without the written consent of the publisher.

DISCLAIMER Our cover picture was kindly provided courtesy of Bader Al-Mutairi's personal archive collection.

Reasonable care is taken to ensure that theCITY Magazine articles and other information in the magazine are up-to-date and as accurate as possible as of the time of publication. No responsibility can be taken by theCITY Magazine for any errors or omissions contained herein. Furthermore, responsibility for any losses, damages or distress resulting from adherence to any information made available through this magazine is not the responsibility of theCITY Magazine. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of theCITY Magazine.

48

18 LIFE 10 What It Means To Love Kuwait 12 the Land of the Free 16 Kuwait: In Our Hearts & Souls 18 Sunny Side Up 22 Be the Change 24 THey Live Where They Love 29 ‫نتحاور بالحب‬ 30 O YA MAL! 34 Career Path Crossroads 36 Ali Asks: Mohammad Al-Munaikh 38 ARE YOU enLIGHTENED?

WELLNESS 40 42 47

The Smile Makers The Right Spark thePHARMACIST

FOOD 48

Chef's Choice

52

Food for Humanity

BEAUTY & FASHION 56

A Spirit of Couture

62 Shaikha

SSue ART & CULTURE

78 For the Love of Kuwait...

80 theVISIT 86 Old is Gold 90 3rd Wave 96 The House Muse 100 Director's Cut 104 theCITY Kids 106 The Falcon's Eye

TECH & SPORTS 110 Gadgets 112 Sink or Swim 116 theAUTO

theVIBE 120 Veneers 21

56

80 62

24

Ramez A.Sabawi ramez.sabawi@viva.com.kw

What It Means To Love Kuwait

February celebrations of the National Day & Liberation day present a unique opportunity for everyone in Kuwait to take a moment, step back, and think about the meaning and the importance of such occasions to all those who live on this great land: how Kuwait has shaped our lives in the past and probably our future as well.

Many individuals in Kuwait have sacrificed everything they have, even their lives, to protect their dream and hope of a prosperous Kuwaiti future. In that spirit, it’s important to understand and always remember that, despite it’s small size, Kuwait is rich with bigger hopes and aspirations. Kuwait has never lacked the character to be one of the most wellknown countries in the world and this is an apparent trait that Kuwait has carried throughout it’s history.

This time of year—the time of great celebration and jubilee— is a great and important opportunity for the youth of the country to try to understand how and why they should make a difference to their present and their future in Kuwait. Based on each individual’s abilities and talents, each person can make a real, lasting difference towards creating a better future both for themselves and for the betterment of Kuwait.

10 www.thecitym.com

So, what are some ways we can both celebrate and build Kuwait during these special occasions and every other day?

Be an active member of society - Show your love in a pro-active way; contribute to one of the many volunteer work events organized across the country; take part in all the activities, communities, and initiatives that Kuwait has to offer. This could be in the form of protecting our environment or by encouraging and taking part in clean-up campaigns; educate ourselves and others of positive social awareness campaigns about the critical issues which must be addressed to develop and enhance our society.

Learn your history – There are actually many resources available in Kuwait to help us learn and gain a better understanding about the history of Kuwait, the culture, and the social events that created and shape this nation. The more you learn about Kuwait’s illustrious history and her defining characteristics, the more you will have a different approach to appreciating the hard work done by the older generations that came before you and who built and developed Kuwait with much less resources than we have now. Let that inspire you to build on their achievement and grow from the seeds that they sowed for you.

Focus on the now – Make sure to stay informed about all the programs available to you to help develop and enhance the quality of living in Kuwait both on a specific and national scale. Use these facilities to improve your productivity as opposed to letting you get complacent. Get involved in the many government run programs and activities available for the youth to both take part in the local community and gain some valuable knowledge.

Read books by old Kuwaiti writers – Only benefit can ever come from reading, so why not use that benefit to immerse yourself in the lives and tales which made Kuwait great? So many beautiful, old Kuwaiti stories recite legendary tales, which form a part of your identity. I recommend you read poetry written by the older generation; read about the history of arts and theatre in Kuwait which was actually a pioneer in the GCC region more than 50 years ago.

Look up your local heroes - Whether they are historic characters, remarkable athletes, or successful entrepreneurs, learn as much as you can about their achievements and what made them great. Keep track of their steps and use them as guidelines and motivation for your own growth and success.

Show your love – Whether that is by wearing the patriotic flag colors in the form of clothing and accessories, raising a flag, or singing patriotic songs, share the love of your country with your friends and family during these special times. These occasions only come around once a year so why not celebrate them and make them count? Let it be a chance to show pride in your unique culture and traditions; let it be a chance to reflect on the cohesive love we all have for our beautiful Kuwait; let it be a sign of all the hope and strength of many more years to come!

www.thecitym.com 11

12 www.thecitym.com

@USEmbassyQ8

the Land o f

t h e

Free

A conversation about one of Kuwait's most prized and time-honored international relationships. We talk to Kuwait's ambassador to the USA, Ambassador Tueller, about the beautiful, liberating, and www.thecitym.com 13 prosperously ongoing Kuwaiti-American history.

B R O U G H T TO YO U BY

hat are the main duties of an Ambassador?

The U.S. Ambassador is the President’s official representative to a specific nation or international organization abroad. The Ambassador is responsible for coordinating and implementing activities in a country to advance U.S. foreign policy goals established by the President and to protect U.S. interests and is responsible for the protection and safety of U.S. citizens abroad.

14 www.thecitym.com

What do you think are the values and cornerstones that define the KuwaitiAmerican relationship?

The United States and Kuwait share a long and special history of cooperation, and a longstanding commitment to regional stability. The Government of Kuwait is a valuable partner, stalwart friend and key regional ally. We share many common interests and our partnership has roots that go back over a century. U.S.Kuwait relations are rooted not only in ensuring regional peace and security, but also in pursuing regional prosperity in the fields of education, health, trade, and the development of Kuwait's economy.

What would you say has been your biggest achievement as the American Ambassador to Kuwait?

We achieved success on many fronts by advancing the bilateral relationship between the United States and Kuwait in the education, health, tourism, trade and security fields. I am pleased with the increase in both regular defense consultations and joint training and exercises between U.S. and Kuwaiti forces. The

improved relationship between Kuwait and Iraq, a product of the Amir’s leadership, will have a lasting positive effect on regional security.

Turning to education, tourism, and health, we are seeing increased numbers of Kuwaitis studying in the United States and traveling for tourism and medical treatment. The U.S. Embassy team is committed to facilitating travel for Kuwaitis through our consular section.

What do you still have on your to-do list?

Our U.S. Embassy mission is always busy and I look forward to continuing our work in expanding U.S.-Kuwaiti economic ties, supporting entrepreneurship development in this country, working hand in hand with Kuwaitis to expand the level of health cooperation, and encouraging educational opportunities in the U.S. What are the cross-cultural areas in which Kuwait and the USA meet?

Higher education is an important field where there is a great deal of cross-cultural interaction.

Kuwaitis have been studying in U.S. colleges and universities for over five generations and this is an important bond between our two

countries, not only for the enduring relationship between Kuwait and the United States, but also for increased investment into Kuwait’s future through the education and training of its citizens.

What has been your most discovery about Kuwait so far?

surprising

This is my third assignment to Kuwait and I have seen the country rebuilt following the liberation. I am always pleased by the energy and innovation from Kuwait’s youth during my time here. Kuwait has a dynamic youth population with incredible opportunities. I look forward to returning in the future to see the accomplishments of some of the young Kuwaitis I have met during my time here.

What do you wish more Americans knew about Kuwait and the Gulf region in general?

My hope is that any U.S. citizen visiting Kuwait has the chance to meet Kuwaitis and experience Kuwait’s tradition of hospitality first-hand. My colleagues at the U.S. Embassy agree that when one interacts with Kuwaitis, especially when being invited into their homes, and hears their

experiences, many of whom have traveled to the United States, one comes away with the sense that we have common core values and many shared experiences.

How do you see the Kuwaiti-American relationship expanding and growing within the next 5 years?

Kuwait and the United States have an enduring partnership, rooted in generations of collaboration. I look forward to seeing increased cooperation between the United States and Kuwait in many areas. I see particular potential for continued growth in the health and education sectors. Both these areas already occupy special place in the history of U.S.-Kuwaiti relations, but I see the potential for more students and more successful projects in the years ahead. the future in the areas of health and education. It is my hope that our work towards increasing the number of Kuwaiti students studying in the United States continues and we work towards greater number of projects and cooperation in the health and environmental sector for a healthier and sustainable Kuwait.

www.thecitym.com 15

Haneen Al Rashed

Kuwait: In Our Hearts & Souls Every Kuwaiti endeavors to show their love for our motherland, Kuwait, through his or her own way. Either by helping in the economic development of our beloved country or simply refusing to litter on this beautiful land; from the big astonishing spectacles to the tiniest, most minute of details, every Kuwaiti passionately and personally shows their love to and for Kuwait by all means.

Kuwait’s celebrations are not merely kept inside hearts and minds of the Kuwaiti people, but is also shown by our affectionate actions towards this truly precious home of ours. For example, we express our love through creative exhibitions and events that not only help in the economic development of Kuwait, but also try to make a difference in the way Kuwait is represented in what we always hope are the highest standards in the eyes of the on-looking world.

Whilst studying in Madrid, Spain, to complete my masters, I have witnessed various Kuwaiti celebrations during my stay. The biggest celebration, of course, was the Kuwaiti National and Liberation day, which was held in the Intercontinental hotel Madrid by the

16 www.thecitym.com

Embassy of Kuwait in Spain. This made me think of how, due to Kuwait’s prestigious foreign affair representations, it doesn’t matter where we are—we will always celebrate, love and represent our country regardless on which soil of land we are walking on. The whole world, on the 25th and 26th of February, celebrates these magnificent days that hold so much meaningful sentiment in every Kuwaiti’s heart.

These feelings are not only present on the National and Liberation days, but a lot of Kuwaiti students abroad represent their adored Kuwaiti identity in global, public exhibitions as well. During my studies in Madrid, there was an exhibition by the title of “The Global Village,” where students from different nationalities would represent their countries voluntarily. On that day, the Scottish wore their kilts; Indians wore their saris and sherwani; the Lebanese wore their sherwal and labbade; and us Kuwaitis wore our Deshdasha and Thoub with pride. We had set up a Kuwaiti booth, which showed our beautiful cultural heritage, offered delicious traditional Kuwaiti dishes and a stream of pictures and books that told the stories our historic lives up until today.

On that day we were not only contributing and taking part in a university exhibition, we were also expressing our love and pride to our beautiful Pearl of the Gulf.

Each Kuwaiti, either living in Kuwait or abroad, is on a journey of knowledge and learning to help build the future of Kuwait and help take part in the enhancement of it’s economic development. All Kuwaitis should respectfully and proudly put Kuwait first before themselves. If we want to develop Kuwait to progress at the levels of other developing and developed countries, we should give more than we take.

Think of it like a love story between two individuals. Their love and passion cultivates them to make sacrifices for each other in order to nurture their love and build a better life for the two of them. That kind of relationship should be between each Kuwaiti and Kuwait.

Sacrificing, loving, contributing, giving, positively changing and doing so much more to enhance our treasured Pearl and to make it strive in competition to be the best it can be.

Its natural beauty and rich resources have been given to us to recuperate with and to grow for the better in the coming years. We are getting there. The openness of Small and Medium enterprises that have risen the last couple of years has shed a hopeful light on our homeland, but let us not let this astounding progress make us sluggish with complacency.

Let us continue to give more to a Mother that shelters us while we play, unconditionally expecting her to give us more. Let’s all try to turn our spoken love for Kuwait to actions and strive to make it shine, to provide Kuwait with the best that it deserves. Let us hold her name up high and love it endlessly as she has loved us unconditionally.

www.thecitym.com 17

By Rawan Al Sharif

18 www.thecitym.com

There's a certain joy in the simplicity of children's play and hearing the innocence of their wild thoughts and dreams. If you have a second, take some time to watch how children play. Eavesdrop on one of their conversations.

Listen to how they speak of love, dreams, hope, and how everything feels possible and real to them. www.thecitym.com 19 Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

Observe how children’s minds are free of all mental barriers and how everything seems so new and exciting to them. Anything they want to do or grow up to be feels realistic and achievable in their minds. They take boring moments, turn them into imaginary castles, and live the lives of kings, queens, and princesses. They go to the moon and back, play dress up to fit the roles they want, and put happiness into everything they’re doing.

If you think you’re not capable of changing your life or achieving your dreams, it might as well be true. If you feel like your life is in the gutters and down right boring, then it will be. What you think, and how you feel both affect your reality. Give yourself the gift of self love, and do yourself

20 www.thecitym.com

a favor and let your inner child out.

Put some genuine belief in your self and what you are capable of, and put some genuine joy into the situations life puts you in. You will soon find the magical, youthful feeling of positive possibilities coming into focus. Energize your life; make your moments wondrous beyond all imagining. Live life like that of a child who treads joyfully and enthusiastically. Your soul only ages when you don’t invest in what makes you enrich it with joy. I’m not asking you to dress up in costumes and walk around with fairy wands… By all means, live in the real world. But, while you’re in the real world, live with the feeling that miracles can happen, live with the enthusiastic, full-hearted belief that you are capable of making your wildest dreams come true—and always believe in the overpowering

surge of possibility. Be realistic and joyful at the same time, and your reality will keep getting better.

We're not the same person we were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago.

We're constantly changing. Experiences never stop but that doesn’t mean our self belief and love of living should.

Adults and children alike both live in the same world, but see it in very different ways. “Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90… time is a concept that humans created,” says Yoko Ono. Growing up doesn’t mean losing hope in yourself or your dreams, and growing old doesn’t mean enjoying life any less than you can or should.

@SunshineKuwait

www.thecitym.com 21

Dalal Al-Janaie dalal@marsvenuscoaching.com www.marsvenuscoachdalal.com @marsvenuskuwait @marsvenuskuwait

Be the Change!

Hello dearest readers and happy February to all! I love this month. To many of us, February is definitely the month of love. Valentine’s Day; filled with flowers, hearts, and chocolate makes it so very difficult to escape the tug of love during February. Here in Kuwait, we are blessed with another set of amazing occasions: Liberation Day and Independence Day. How lucky are we to share so much love, in so many forms during this month?

The 25th and the 26th of February are reminders of another year of prosperity in Kuwait.

As the lights go up for these occasions, many thoughts may go through our minds. So, what crosses your mind when I say Kuwait? Traffic?

Tourism deficiency? Slow ministries? Violence?

Social Divisions? Divorce? Cheating? The list could go on and on with all the things that are wrong with the current situation here in Kuwait. And you know what? I have heard this all and it’s basically old, boring news at this point.

I refuse to play the victim card and live in that dead end perspective pointlessly and endlessly.

What about you? Will you play the victim card or will you do something about it?

Dearest residents of Kuwait, here’s the catch: if you live here then that means you have a responsibility to make this a better place and to be a better person. So, what have you chosen to focus on? What you focus on grows and if

22 www.thecitym.com

you focus on the deficiency here in Kuwait then this will also grow not only in your mind but also in your tone to others. Negativity is truly a disease that deflates ambition and all hope. Whining and complaining will not benefit anyone and will probably pull us all down.

Stop it!

Sadly, over the years I have met some members of society who don’t know the value of their lives and don’t realize how much Kuwait needs them. Some people seem to have checked out of life. They seem to believe that it’s all gloom and doom here in Kuwait. Unhappy marriages or unfulfilled jobs have affected a large proportion of those who have checked out. For those of you who have chosen to surrender to life, are you stuck? Are you waiting for a miracle?

Do you think you don’t have any options? Or is it that you want to play the victim? Believe it or not, this is not about you. Kuwait needs you and you need to give back today.

Some of you may be thinking, everyone here is the same and there is no hope. To those of you who may be harboring these thoughts I am so happy to tell you ‘no!’ I am honored to say that there are people in Kuwait who have contributed truly humbling acts of giving to this amazing country through for-profit or non-profit projects which have created a more enlightened and civil society. Look around and

begin to notice these projects and businesses.

Just a few examples include: • The Oasis Project where trees are being planted in the desert to lessen the sandstorms and purify the air here in Kuwait.

• The 99, an internationally acclaimed comic series spreading a peaceful message of Islam to the world.

I am so proud to call them Kuwaiti.

Dearest readers, let us look for hope and action. I am reminded of the famous quote by the departed US president John F. Kennedy, “… Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” You have amazing potential and are living in the land of opportunity. The choices you make will affect your life and the lives of others.

Every action has a specific reaction. Change your action to get a different reaction. Take a moment to think of how you can give back to this country. Even just one little step today can make a big difference tomorrow. Enough grumbling about what should be and what the country ought to do and get up and do it yourself. You are very blessed to be a part of this country and it’s time you gave back. Kuwait needs you. Your society needs you. Be the change!

www.thecitym.com 23

Terri Alexander is an American booming business owner, wife, mother, and grandmother—all roles in which she has blossomed in her loving, 30-plus-year stay in her beloved home: Kuwait.

They Live Where They 24 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 25 Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

Where are you from?

Why did you choose Kuwait as your home?

West Chester Pennsylvania, USA

Well, the short story is that I married a Kuwaiti and I have children.

When did you come to Kuwait?

I moved to Kuwait in 1982, that's 32 years ago.

What do you love most about Kuwait?

What do you do?

The people and the traditions. I was very young when I arrived here at 20 years old. The people here immediately helped me feel a deep sense of love and belonging.

I am the Creative Director and Founder of the First Yoga Studio in Kuwait. I've been practicing Yoga (self-taught) for over 32 years and teaching for a little over 12 years. Then I felt the need to Major in Structural Alignment and Yoga as therapy so I became a Registered Yoga Teacher. I took my 200-H Training Certificate at the Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco, USA and now I also have a RYT 200H with the US Yoga Alliance.

I have regular Beginner and Intermediate Workshops available in my Home Studio.

And since I am a Registered Yoga Teacher, I felt strongly about giving back to my students who helped me so much along my journey and my path. Currently, I am in the process of launching a Yoga Teacher Training Program in Kuwait. This is the way to do it, to support those aspiring Yoga Teachers.

26 www.thecitym.com

What do you think of the Kuwaiti lifestyle and culture?

I embraced the faith, culture, and lifestyle as my own and I consider them a guide for raising my children, so as to ensure their sense of identity and connection to their Kuwaiti roots. This upbringing also ensures a stronger and better future for them as Kuwaitis.

How much of an impact has Kuwait had on your life?

I am the mother of 8 beautiful children and 2 of my children have blessed me with 5 grandchildren so far. This alone is the most beneficial impact Kuwait has had on me as an American.

What have you gained from Kuwait and given Kuwait?

I’ve gained the opportunity to create a business that, in turn, helps women in Kuwait live healthy and happy lives through the application of Yoga.

What does Kuwait mean to you on a personal level?

You can't predict how much of a sacrifice it is to leave your country and familiar traditions as an American to live and raise your family in a country which is not your own, but somehow Kuwait is and has become my home where I will now raise my grandchildren. Kuwait is where I am meant to be and I am grateful.

What words would you like to say to Kuwait if you could?

What I would love to say to Kuwait if I had the opportunity is to convey my deep sense of gratitude. I am thankful and at peace. I'm at home.

@TerriLAlexander www.yogakw.com

www.thecitym.com 27

28 www.thecitym.com

Ground Floor, G27 - TEL 2571 3088

‫‪Yousef Al-Neemah‬‬

‫نتحاور بالحب‬ ‫نتحاور ولم نعرف عمق أثر الحوار‪!..‬‬ ‫نتحاور هل بنية الحب أم البحث عن األخطاء‪!..‬‬ ‫نتحاور هل لنصل إلى الحل أم تعزيز الخالف‪!...‬‬ ‫نتحاور هل ألجل التعالي و ألجل "األنا"‪...‬أم ألجل نية‬ ‫الحب والمصداقية في البحث عن مصلحة "نحن"‪..‬؟‬ ‫لست أغالي إن كنت أقول أن أساس أي حضارة ونجاح‬ ‫وتطور وحب صادق يبدأ بالحوار الذي يهدف الى فهم‬ ‫األطراف المختلفة ليس لتكون متوحدة في آرائها‬ ‫ولكن لكي نفهم أن األصل بالبشرية هو اإلختالف‬ ‫وليس الموافقة‪,‬فكم منا يرى اليوم أن اإلختالف‬ ‫بالرأي يفسد للود ألف قضية ! وهدفي هنا في هذا‬ ‫المقال أن نتحاور بالحب بعدت طرق تأملت فيها‬ ‫بحياتي ممن تعلمت منهم ومما علمتني الحياة‪.‬‬ ‫مفاتيح التحاور بالحب‪:‬‬ ‫الحوار مع اآلخرين اليكون بهدف التحدي أو المجاراة‬‫أو التعالي ‪,‬ولكن هو وسيلة أبين بها بمصداقية‬ ‫نواياي بأفكاري وآرائي بقضية معينة وتبيين أن‬ ‫الود وحب مساعدة الطرف اآلخر هو الهدف وليس‬ ‫اإلنفعال وتعزيز التهويل ما نهدف إليه‪.‬‬ ‫اليجتمع أي شخصين على كل شيء في هذه‬‫الحياة إال السذج‪,‬فما من إنسان إال وقد يتفق معك‬ ‫بإمور ويخالفك بأخرى‪,‬ومن أهم إستراتيجيات الحوار‬ ‫بالحب أن أبدأ مع الطرف اآلخر بنقاط اإلتفاق لتعزيز‬ ‫مشاعر وأفكار الود‪.‬‬ ‫البعد عن التعصب والغضب والتهجم والسخرية‬‫بالقول أو الفعل على الطرف اآلخر‪,‬فلكل إنسان‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 29‬‬

‫إحترامه وتقديره فلم الخوض في أمور من شأنها‬ ‫فتح باب للخالف‪,‬كما يجب تجنب الجدل والخوض‬ ‫في نفس النقاط وتكرارها‪,‬فالجدل دليل على عدم‬ ‫مصداقية أحد الطرفين أو كالهما في تحقيق الحوار‬ ‫بالحب‪.‬‬ ‫تقديم العذر والصبر على من يخالفني‪,‬فيجب‬‫تحقيق اإلنصات الفعال والمتابعة من الطرف اآلخر‬ ‫من حيث طلب توضيح بعض النقاط التي يلتبس‬ ‫فهمها علي مهما أختلف معي فيها‪.‬‬ ‫إختيار الوقت المناسب والمكان المناسب والحالة‬‫المناسبة لكل من طرفي الحوار‪,‬فإهمال هذه‬ ‫العناصر من شأنه أن يتسبب في عدم تحقيق‬ ‫مشاعر الحب التي يهدف لها الحوار‪,‬فمن الممكن‬ ‫طلب الوقت أوالمكان المناسب للطرف اآلخر "متى‬ ‫تحب"‪" ....‬مالمكان الذي يناسبك"‪...‬كما أن السؤال‬ ‫عن حالة الطرف اآلخر يضفي نوع من األلفة في‬ ‫تحقيق الهدف من الحوار بالحب‪.‬‬ ‫رتب وخطط ونظم أفكارك للحوار والتجعلها وليدة‬‫اللحظة‪,‬علمتني الحياة بأن الحوار الذي اليأتي بأدلة‬ ‫وبترتيب فكري منظم من حيث اإلنتقال من فكره‬ ‫ونقطه الى أخرى يكون حوار ضعيف في غالب‬ ‫األحيان‪.‬‬ ‫أعرف من تحاور‪,‬فال بد من معرفة الطرف اآلخر لكي‬‫تحقق المراد من الحوار بالحب‪,‬فيجب اإلبتعاد عن‬ ‫المجادلين الجاهلين الذين لن تصل معهم الى‬ ‫نتيجة وقد يأتيك من هذا الصنف من يسئ األدب‬ ‫معك أو ال ينتقي ألفاظه‪ ,‬ومن عالمات الجدل رفع‬ ‫األصوات‪,‬تكرار األدلة والبراهين دون تقديم طرح‬ ‫جديد‪,‬رفض البديهيات والمسلمات وانكارها‪...‬هذه‬ ‫من أهم عالمات الجدل ‪ ,‬فهذا النوع دعك منه وتمنى‬

‫له الخير في قلبك‪.‬‬ ‫ أنصف من أمامك وحتى لو كان ممن يخالفونك‬‫الرأي والفكر بشدة‪ ,‬متى ماوجدت أن الطرف اآلخر‬ ‫ووجدت الدليل والحجة معه‪,‬فاإلعتراف بالخطأ فضيلة‬ ‫وليس ضعف كما يظن بعض الضعفاء‪,‬فمن ذا‬ ‫الذي ال يخطئ (كل بني آدم حطاء وخير الخطائين‬ ‫التوابين) رواه الترمذي‪.‬‬ ‫رأي صواب يحتمل الخطأ ورأي غيري خطأ يحتمل‬ ‫الصواب‪.‬‬ ‫ما أجملها من كلمات ومقولة جميلة لإلمام‬ ‫الشافعي رحمه اهلل والتي أصبحت من شعارات‬ ‫حياتي ألن فيها تهذيبا للنفس ودافعا لها للرجوع‬ ‫للحق وعدم التعالي علي‪,‬ولكن المشكلة عند‬ ‫اإلنسان عندما تطغى األنا "اإليجو" وتكون العبارة‬ ‫"رأيي صواب اليحتمل الخطأ‪ ,‬ورأي غيري خطأ ال يحتمل‬ ‫الصواب" فهنا تكون المصيبة الكبرى عند الدخول‬ ‫في هذه العقلية ‪,‬إذًا لماذا الحوار إذا كانت المسألة‬ ‫محسومة بالنسبة لصاحب " رأيي صواب اليحتمل‬ ‫الخطأ‪"!!..‬‬ ‫هذه كانت مجموعة من نصائح و تكتيكات الحوار‬ ‫بالحب‪,‬ولعلي اتعمق أكثر في مهارات التواصل‬ ‫واإلقناع في المقاالت القادمة‪ ,‬لكم مني كل الحب‬ ‫والتقدير‪.‬‬

O

YA MAL!

When you think Kuwaiti culture, you undoubtedly think fishing culture. In today's fast-paced, modern age, fishing takes us back to those old, historic roots that define us on a deeper level. Abduallah Al-Shalabi is a Kuwaiti man who took that deep, embedded desire to set out to sea and turned it into one of the Gulf's (and possibly the world's!) most promising, inspired, and exciting start-up ventures today: FishFishME. www.fishfishme.com

@FishFish_ME

30 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 31 Photographer: Essa Shukri

When and how did the idea behind FishFishMe come along?

I’ve always loved fishing, but never owned a boat in my life. My uncle used to take me fishing when I was young, but he started to get busy as the years went by and we started going out less. I always searched for trips and asked friends to take me fishing with them whenever I was in Kuwait. I once organized a fishing trip with my friends in Oman back in 2008, which turned out to be a near disaster. I didn't know how or where to start planning the trip: so much so that we ended up going to the fish market to ask fisherman to take us fishing!

I asked myself, “why don't we have a website that combines all fishing charter boats around the world in one place and where you can easily book your fishing trip from wherever you are in the world?"

When I moved to Hong Kong to do my MBA I had the same problem. I was constantly searching for suitable fishing charters online and found nothing! I ended up going fishing with an old Chinese lady that I found in the harbor and, of course, was unable to catch a single fish throughout the trip. After that I moved to Spain and faced the same situation. I still couldn't find anything online neither about fishing trips or how to book them.

That is when the light bulb went off. I asked myself, “why don't we have a website that combines all fishing charter boats around the world in one place and where you can easily book your fishing trip from wherever you are in the world?" This is how the idea behind FishFishME was born.

You've made impressive progress over such a short period of time! How were you able to spread the word about FishFishME so quickly?

Good question. It actually wasn't that easy and I still think we have a lot of work left to do. As you may know, we started out in Kuwait in June 2012 and then we decided to expand and we moved to Dubai in May 2013. In Kuwait, it was much easier to spread the word than in Dubai. In Kuwait, everyone reads blogs and has Instagram, plus most of the people handling these blogs are nice people and are willing to help spread the word about you, especially if you have a novel concept. So that wasn't a big challenge, the real problem was in Dubai.

Dubai is the opposite; unlike Kuwait, it's such a fragmented city. You have all of these expats and tourists who form a huge part of the community, and each one of them has their own things to read and use. Blogs are nearly non-existant in Dubai, with the exception of a few small ones. However, big media corporations are very active in Dubai, but we don't have nearly enough money to pay for these huge media and PR services.

32 www.thecitym.com

What helped me out was the fact that I'm a frequent writer at Wamda.com, so I asked the guys there to do me a favor and feature us on the website, which gets a strong traffic flow. Once the Wamda feature came out, the ball started rolling from there. Upon seeing the feature, a newspaper discovered us and did another feature, then a TV channel, and so on. We’ve now learned many tricks on how to get the exposure we need, but it's never been easy and it definitely takes a lot of work.

Is there a criteria or a categorical process through which you choose the charters that are listed on FishFishME.com?

Yes, the captain or the company running the charter boat should be experienced and in business for a while now. We also only work with charter boats that have a license from their local government to run such a business, which is taking people on fishing trips. Almost all of the charter boats we work with around the world have an insurance policy and operate with a trained crew at hand.

This is actually one of the reasons why we stopped supporting online booking in markets like Kuwait. There are no regulations in place and some of the captains are not professionally licensed. So, in Kuwait charters, when you click on the "Book Now" button at FishFishMe.com, you get the phone number of the trip captain, but we are not responsible for what happens next. Saudi Arabia unfortunately has a similar problem, as well as some local captains in Oman.

What are the specific needs and demands for fishermen which FishFishME fulfills?

Most people want to go fishing, but, like me, they don't know where to start, especially if they are traveling or moving to a new place.

What we do is just help them and guide them to find the best fishing trip based on their needs.

So there are many types of customers and almost 50% of our customers are females trying to book a trip for their family or spouses. The other 50% are either avid fishermen that want to go fishing with their friends or just a group of friends that want to go fishing for fun. When you look into the charter boat profile and reviews, you can get a good idea of what you'll get and which charter service is best suited for you and your needs.

And, if you’re still struggling, then our support team is always ready to help you find the perfect fit and book your dream trip.

What are the characteristics and components which a start-up company must have in order to succeed?

There are essentially four components to start up success: a great team; dedication; passion; and persistence. You need to have a solid team to build your product and great passion for what you are doing to get you through the rough times and make you see the light at the end of that tunnel.

During our journey I’ve had

to face many ups and downs and I was close to giving up many times, especially with the continued pressure from my family urging me to pursue what they perceived as a more normal lifestyle. However, because we have so much passion and belief in what we are doing, we stayed the course and continued to push until we thankfully started seeing good results. So that perseverance is absolutely key to seeing your start-up reach a point of success.

Another good tip to remember is that you should never outsource your core business.

In our case, we are developing a technology that helps people connect and book fishing charters around the world, so outsourcing the development of our website would never work, for example. That’s because we make changes on a daily basis to improve our website, so we need to be very hands-on. This trap of outsourcing core business models is one which most startups in Kuwait fall into. In Kuwait, they just outsource everything. Also, I’ve found that you can’t fully build a startup by working in a part-time job at the same time.

You need to go all in and work 24/7 to gain that level of lasting success.

As a Kuwaiti, do you feel like you represent or personify Kuwait's fishing culture through FishFishME? I'm really proud to be a Kuwaiti and in the early days we were focused just in the Kuwaiti market and the Kuwaiti fishing culture.

However, having a global ambition pushed us to frame our product and our offerings to fulfill a more global audience. That's why our website is all in English at the moment.

There is a difference between the Kuwaiti style of fishing, which is quite basic and involves manual labor more than anything else, and Sport Fishing, which involves different type of fishing techniques and equipment. Most of the charter boats around the world offer sport fishing such as trolling, jigging, big game fishing, fly fishing, and casting. Most of these fishing techniques are not that common to Kuwaiti fishing except for trolling.

Most of our customers are global at the moment, and we are currently serving customers that come from over 15 different worldwide nationalities, with British, Australians and Americans representing the majority. We also have had bookings in more than 20 destinations around the globe, so I think we can already be considered as a global company.

What's next on the horizon for FishFishME? We are currently working on expanding to the US inshallah. As you might have heard, we have just surpassed our funding round and, as one of our investors is from the US, we are currently working with him to plan our coming expansion to the US. We will also continue expanding within the region and keep our operations and offices in Dubai and Spain.

www.thecitym.com 33

Jinan Mohammad @J1nan

Career Path Crossroads: Money or Passion?

Last month I talked about the Quarter Life Crisis and how it’s something that almost every twenty-something is going through right now in their lives. I was pleasantly surprised to receive such positive feedback and managed to reach out to a lot of delightfully confused young adults.

I want you to know that you’re not alone in this journey. Which is why I felt compelled to do somewhat of a follow up to my last article.

This is going to be a tough subject to talk about and, even though this is something I’m going through currently and I’m still in that stage of figuring myself out career-wise, I just thought of shedding light on this dilemma because I know many graduates are collectively going through it right now.

After the joys of the graduation ceremony end and the excitement settles in, you sit there and stare at your degree, all framed and hanged in your living room upon your parents’ request.

At this moment, all that is going through your mind is probably that one nagging question: “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

I know; I’ve been there. I know the feeling all too well. In fact, I still get It every now and then.

You put off job-hunting because you’re running away from the question. But then relatives start nagging you about your CV and applying to companies. And when you tell them that you have no interest in doing such matters, they’re baffled and are almost tempted to commit you to an insane asylum.

34 www.thecitym.com

Family. Can’t do much about that, really.

Naturally speaking, you turn to your parents for guidance. They’ll advise you to go for jobs that will guarantee you a stable source of income, because they understand that life is hard and expensive. They understand the need and the importance of security and stability more than anyone else. That’s because they’ve been playing this game for years. You can’t mess with the experts.

Your parents/guardians just want you to lead a stable and trouble free life, which is not a bad goal in and of itself. In fact, the more responsibilities you start having over time, the more essential it becomes.

On the other hand, however, you’ll have people who will tell you to follow your dreams and to remain resilient in their pursuit. These people will tell you that there’s no point in living unless you’re doing something you love. That life lacks flavor and excitement if you’re not doing the thing you love the most.

And this is the part where I play some Disney inspired music and we all start singing and dancing.

Excuse my cynicism.

Despite all the well-intentioned but contradictory advice, you’re still confused. Let me help you decide, my dear confused young adult.

The 9-5 Job / The Normal Job / The “Hi, welcome to adulthood” Job This is the kind of job you’re all familiar with.

Where you’re occupied doing the same thing (or a few similar things) from 9 AM to 5 PM, from Sunday through Thursday. And for many people, having this type of job is just a normal part of life. Like getting a car or a new smart phone that you don’t really need. It’s just something you do.

With this kind of job, you can still practice your hobbies and passions after work hours or on weekends. This allows you to develop your skills even further, build up work experience and, who knows, you might even get recognized and end up with a job that is closer to your interest as time passes and if you just hang in there.

This is the kind of job that’s all about hard work and motivation (and lots of caffeine). Sure, you might end up hating your job (or at least some parts of your job) and you’ll find yourself relating to every comic/TV Show that centers around office life (yes, I’m in that stage right now) but,

honestly, you can fix your situation by simply applying for other jobs or trying to make the best of what you have now. Sometimes, a job is only as tedious as you allow it to be and there are always other options out there for those of us who care enough to look.

The Freelance Job or The Job that No One Really Understands but They’ll Agree With You Anyways.

This is the kind of job where you just go against the wind and put all your energy and drive into it just to make it work. This job is no easy-cookie and requires a lot of motivation, hard work, patience, and, let’s be honest, a few connections.

Money won’t come by easy and unless you have some sort of a financial support coming in from elsewhere. Otherwise, it’ll be tough to support yourself and keep up with your monthly bills, for example.

But here’s the upside: if you love what you do, truly and madly love it, then it will all be worth it at the end.

So, if you’re a graduate who is still unemployed, how about you look into paid internships or similar part time jobs? Take courses that’ll enrich your CV and your knowledge. You’d be surprised at what kind of job opportunities might come your way and the helpful connections you’ll encounter.

What I’m trying to get at is that it doesn’t matter what type of career decision you make right now because, in the end, you know yourself best. Your parents, relatives, friends and professors will all give you different types of advice, all of which might actually be very useful and give you some great ideas. But when it comes down to it, you’re the one who calls the shots.

As I said in my last article, life is not a race. It’s okay to make mistakes. Many successful people have had many random jobs until they finally settled on something that makes them happy.

In the end, only you have the power to make changes and pursue your passion. The question is, what unique path will you take and what inspiring story will you get to tell?

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication.

Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” - Gail Devers

WE FIX ALL ELECTRONIC GADGETS APPLE , BLACKBERRY, SAMSUNG, NOKIA, SONY, LG, PC

fixaidkw contact us now

@fixaid

@fixaid

90060543 / 60333471 help@fixaid.net

WWW.FIXAID.NET

www.thecitym.com 35

Ali Al-Khudari alialkhudari@hotmail.com @ALIALKHUDARI @alialkhudari

Ali Asks: Mohammad Al-Munaikh Because February is such a special month to me—it’s my birth month, my country’s national festivities month, and National Day month—I decided to interview a very special, young Kuwaiti man who made his name through accomplishments that range in local effect and global representation of his and mine blessed country, Kuwait. Here’s my interview with inspiring entrepreneur and all-around accomplished individual, Mohammad Al-Munaikh: Can you tell us a little about your background?

I am an Accounting graduate from Kuwait University. During my college years, I discovered my passion for social activities, especially when I served as the head of the Freshmen Committee. Following that in my second year of college, I joined the Democratic Circle student union. Democratic Circle’s values require all its members to support numerous social causes that promote equality and freedom of speech. During my membership,

36 www.thecitym.com

we actively supported the movement for Women’s Political Rights. By my senior year, I had co-founded the Entrepreneur Group; a student club in the College of Business Administration that provided the necessary support for students who wanted to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations. These activities formed a solid ground for my desire to add value to the society I belonged to.

During your life as a student, you tapped into many unrelated areas, why is that?

When I joined university, my view of life changed; I looked at it as an experience that I had to learn from. I decided to surf all the waves of life and learn as I go. These experiences along with the activities that I have participated in shortly after graduation are the ones that shaped my character and aided me in finding my passion. In other words, it was a journey that helped me explore my potential and find out what motivates me.

What did all those experiences lead to?

In 2008, soon after graduation I co-founded a new sports company that revolves around a new sport called Bossaball. It was a fun and engaging sport; it combines football, volleyball, and gymnastics and is played on one trampoline court. The challenge was how to promote this new sport into becoming a part of Kuwaiti youth’s life style. And establish a name for Kuwait internationally.

And did you achieve your goal?

I will let you be the judge of that. After working on it for three years, we looked back to measure our progress and found that by that time we had grown into establishing three Bossaball courts out of the one that we originally started with. Another way that we measured our success was that we organized the first international Bossaball tournament in the Middle East, and we got live TV coverage for it along with an audience of about 500 people who were excited and curious about this new sport. Additionally, we have established two official Bossaball teams in Kuwait, and the Kuwait team won 4th place in the Bossaball World Cup 2009 that was held in Turkey. Therefore, we have set high standards both locally and internationally for Kuwait in the eyes of Bossaball fans around the world.

What value have you added through Fitfootball to the Kuwaiti society?

I believe that by providing a high quality of training for both genders between the ages of 5 to late 40s, we are making training available to everyone. Before Fitfootball, it was impossible for a guy in his 20s to experience professional football training, however this has now changed. As for the children, we not only provide them with training, but also with life coaching lessons that encourage them to dream big. Besides that, our official Fitfootball team (for members born in 2001) has won various prizes in local tournaments as well as two of our members signed contracts with local football clubs like Al-Arabi Football Club.

We also received international recognition when our managing partner Rawya AlHajry was asked to give a speech in the One Young World Summit 2013 in South Africa addressing the success of Fitfootball in fighting diabetes in Kuwait. This led to using Fitfootball as a presentation case in the Sport and Leisure Summit in Europe that addressed the significance of football training. Fitfootball also engaged in coaching entrepreneurs from the Far East to start their own football club.

That’s great, you mentioned the One Young World summit, and I remember you have represented Kuwait there. Tell us about that experience.

The One Young World Summit is an annual summit for anyone who is under 30 years of age. They gather for 4 to 5 days to share ideas with each other and with counselors such as Sir Richard Branson, Kofi Annan, and Mohammed Yunis.

I remember receiving a call from Ms. Fatma AlMusawi who nominated my name for the summit. At first I was very excited to attend only, but then I was selected to give a speech about women’s political rights in Kuwait, which shot my excitement to the roof. They chose that topic after learning that I have been supporting the movement for Women’s Political Rights. Although I consider myself an advocate for gender equality, I did not want to speak about this topic because in my mind; equality was practiced everywhere without a problem. I pushed away the idea and argued that speaking about this topic does not have

I would rather be working on finding a solution rather than be treated as a victim and become a passive member of society.

any significance since equality is not an issue anymore in Kuwait. At the time, I would have rather talked about the National Youth Project or The Protégés. However, in the end, we agreed that I would speak about both Women’s Political Rights movement and the National Youth Project.

What did you learn from your experience at the One Young World Summit?

I cannot describe to you my feelings as I stood in front of more than 1300 ambassadors and over 30,000 watching through live streaming. It was an exhilarating feeling of being alive and able to make a difference no matter the size of it. I was really glad that I had taken this opportunity because in the Human Rights session, OYW had selected six speakers and I was the only male among them, and not only that but I was also the only Middle Easterner in that session.

Though this had taken me by surprise at first, I seized the chance to demonstrate to the world how a Middle Eastern young man thinks and acts towards the other gender. I chose to dress in our traditional attire –the dishdashato communicate the message to the audience verbally as well as visually.

I was delighted that after my speech I received many comments from the ambassadors of OYW who come from different countries asking questions about our region and being interested to know more about it. This was the single most greatest moment in my life so Far. I suggest that if you have the chance to attend or participate in the next One Young World Summit then do so because you will not regret this remarkable experience.

You mentioned that during your speech in OYW that you spoke about National Youth Project. Tell us more about that.

The National Youth Project, or as people like to call it “Kuwait Listens”, was an opportunity for us youths to communicate our dreams and the challenges we face directly to the decision maker who is the Amir. I was nominated by Injaz to be one of the 40 selected members of the project. Once I joined, I volunteered in the “Social Integration and Citizenship unit” with Abdullah Boftain, Dalal AlSharhan, and Fajer AlAzmi under the supervision of Ms. Rana AlKhaled.

It was not an easy task at the beginning, we faced a lot of criticism and it was difficult for 40 strangers to have faith in each other and the system, let alone trying to convince the public how important it was for them to participate in NYP events. We tried numerous traditional and non-traditional ways of reaching out to them to gain their trust and get their input to form the ideas and goals of youth.

Additionally, as in everything else I do, I like to add value by utilizing the available resources and knowledge that I possess and that will benefit the project and that what's I would like to believe I achieved in NYP.

We organized a flash mob style play that took place in 360 Mall to promote tolerance and eliminate intolerance in Kuwaiti society.

This idea was effective and the last time I checked, it had more than 170,000 hits on YouTube. We also wrote a petition to support a law that fights hate speech and we managed to collect more than 10,000 signatures.

What made you continue to work? What made you believe that your efforts won’t be wasted?

I did not know whether my efforts will mount up to anything or if they will be realized as a project. However, that was not within the criteria I have put for myself when making the decision whether to participate in the National Youth Project or not. I asked myself two straightforward questions; 1) Will I be a part of the problem or the solution? 2) Can I add value?

I consider these two questions the foundation, which I make my decision based upon before committing to any project.

So, since I have zero tolerance for complaining, I would rather be working on finding a solution rather than be treated as a victim and become a passive member of society. I tend to be in the solution part of equations and always strive to find ways to remedy difficult matters.

www.thecitym.com 37 Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

Farah Al-Humaidhi @interiorart @pa-ia

ARE YOU enLIGHTENED?

course, the effects which natural light has on our overall wellbeing. A few advantages & tips on natural lighting include: 1. Natural light is needed for all humans to thrive spiritually and physically. An abundance of light is necessary to retain both a spiritual and physical glow.

No, I am not on a mission to take you through the spiritual realm. Rather I’m on a quest to know how oriented your space is towards lighting. There are only a handful of factors that can so dynamically impact your mood, your health, the comfort of your home, the color expressions or even the feeling of room better than the interior aesthetic of Lighting. While most of us go about our home development plans trying to locate the coolest furniture designs to gel with our stylish home sensibilities or selecting the best color combo for our living room, we rarely emphasize on the element of natural light that can end up making all the difference. Natural light is the essence from which all color reacts and takes presence. It provides a space with authenticity and a lack of it can not only make a room look dull and dreary, but even repulsive and depressive at times. And, since we know that the best things in life are free, make the most out of the natural light that floods your home.

Lighting is unanimously agreed upon as a very important element of a design, be it artificial or natural. In an age where public concern for global climate change, energy consumption, and the health and well-being of humans is constantly being questioned, we also need to consider the many positive effects of natural light, including the considerable financial savings on energy bills. Not to mention, of

38 www.thecitym.com

of a green household, but it accents the overall serenity of greenery quite well. Give yourself an excuse to open your window shades every day by using greenery around your home and on your windowsills.

Nevertheless, the challenges that natural light presents are identified as namely:

2. The therapeutic benefits of light are countless because of the natural happiness vitamin—Vitamin D.

• Glare control

3. Natural light can kill bacteria that loom in dark and wet spaces in your homes.

• Uniform surrounding or general lighting

4. Natural lights & illuminations can make for some beautiful optical illusions to make the room appear more spacious.

5. In many homes the issue isn’t with the source of light rather the ability to let the light in. Heavy blinds, thick drapery, and layered fabric curtains can curtail the flow of much needed light.

6. Ensure wise placement of window-tofurniture while designing your house to optimize the flood of fresh sunlight into your rooms at all times and to give the furniture a happy, relaxing glow.

7. It may be an option to consider installing a skylight element into your home to maximize the element of daylight in your space or a particular part of your space. It is, however, a luxury addition and could pinch your purse so be prepared to work that into your budget should you decide to go for this option.

8. Greenery hand with in natural only very

and houseplants go hand-inhealthy green living and letting sunlight into your home is not complimentary to the concept

• Flicker-free lighting

• Directing certain light sources to certain visual tasks • Colour rendition, that is, accuracy of colours under light • Balanced and filtered daylight • Addressing overheating by providing appropriate exterior shading, filtering incoming solar radiation, or even using passive control means such as thermal mass.

• Privacy & variability issues that requires creative ways to block or alter light patterns and compensate with other light sources.

There is a lot to consider in the realm of lighting up your home and architects always have to find new and innovative ways to best simulate the effects of natural light on those who will occupy their buildings. Reducing the negative impact of the built environment on the natural environment is the focus of many homeowners, and one of the areas of focus to reduce energy consumption is natural lighting.

There are many things that can be done to utilize natural lighting that will not only save energy, but also enhance the design features of the space without spending excessively.

‫ﻓـﻨـﺘــــﺞ‬

‫‪tig www.thecitym.com 39‬‬

‫‪@vintage55_kw‬‬

‫‪www.tigkw.com‬‬

‫‪@vintage55_kw‬‬

‫ا ﻓﻨﻴﻮز ‪ -‬اﻟﻤﺮﺣﻠﺔ اﻟﺜﺎﻟﺜﺔ ‪ -‬اﻟﻤﻮل ‪ -‬اﻟﻤﻴﺰاﻧﻴﻦ ‪22200832 -‬‬ ‫ﻣـــــﺎرﻳﻨـــــــﺎ وﻳﻔـــــــﺰ ‪ -‬اﻟﻄــﺎﺑــــــﻖ ا رﺿــــــﻲ ‪22244771 -‬‬

The Smile Makers Ethical and professional! He will put your teeth on the right track.

Dr. Ayman Al Ammar D.D.S., MsSci.,Orthodontist

First thing's first! Tell us more about yourself and about your dental specialty.

participating in some researches hat have brought me closer into the field.

My name is Dr. Ayman Abdulrahman AlAmmar. I finished my undergraduate and post graduate studies in the United States (Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Illinois at Chicago, respectively).

I have obtained the dental license of Illinois and practiced orthodontics in Chicago for about a year.

Besides sufficient medical treatment, what values and lessons would you like your patients to take away from you after every appointment?

I love my work and don't like to take chances when it comes to it. I like to be challenged with difficult cases that need some special attention and require more thoughts and thinking. I basically like to treat my patients as I would like to be treated. Since our treatment time usually extends beyond one year, all my patients are considered family.

Did you always know you wanted to be a dentist?

I have always wanted to be in the medical field and was thinking of specializing since before I joined dental school. I knew I wanted to be an orthodontist since my second year in dental school when I had orthodontic treatment at my school in the US. Since then, I have worked hard and focused on the orthodontic field as much as I can by

40 www.thecitym.com

Punctuality, ethics, and professionalism.

I always respect other people’s time so I always like to be on time and punctual with my appointments. Also, ethics is very important when it comes to our field. We have to be honest, understanding and straightforward with our selves as well as with our patients. Professionalism is part of our treatment and daily life as dentists and it means having the skills, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well.

Tell us about your experience at Bayan Clinic. Why do you think it is a special place for both dentists and patients?

Bayan has a group of doctors that are well trained and have the harmony that is necessary in any well-functioning workplace.

In this environment, we can provide the best results possible for our patients who come to us and expect to get the best out of their doctors.

What do you most enjoy about being a dentist?

As an orthodontist, I see the changes and transformations that I make on my patient's life, self-confidence, behavior, and their overall quality of life. This brings me joy and happiness.

Orthodontics is an art form in and of itself.

Arranging the teeth in a way that creates both balance and harmony with the patient's lips and face is delicate, meticulous work. In addition, orthodontic is a science in which the orthodontist must technically know how to move the teeth, in which direction, and at what magnitude in order to achieve the final goals without violating any surrounding structure.

Are there any dental tips you would like to pass on to our readers?

Taking care of your teeth shows how much you take care of yourself. Also, when it comes to orthodontic treatment, never say that it is too late for me because I am old. It is a false belief that orthodontic treatment is only for the youth or for young people. Anyone, regardless of age, can undergo orthodontic treatment and have a beautiful smile as long as their oral health is maintained, Everybody has the right to have the great smile they always wanted.

@bayandentalkw

@Bayandental

www.thecitym.com 41

Photographer: Hussain Shamo Creative Director: Zainab Bahman

The Right Admit it: how many times have you joined a gym, only to laze out of your attendance and squander your membership away? The fact is that we all have those hidden desires to hone our bodies and maintain our health but, sometimes, we just need the right, motivational SPARK. We sat down SPARK Athletic Center owner, Abdulmohsen Al-Babtain, to learn more about what this inspired new fitness centre can offer you. @SPARKAthletic

42 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 43 Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

SPARK LAB is the starting point for every client to identify current health & fitness levels and set real goals. Our tests include: • Functional Screening Test • Body Composition Test • Anaerobic Capacity Test • Full Metabolic Testing • Our testing system is being used at NASA, NIH, U.S. Olympic Training Centers, USARIEM, Cooper Institute, Duke, Harvard, Stanford, Washington, Florida, Tennessee, and Penn State Universities.

SPARK Athletic Center's in-house dietitian can help you sort through the hype and fad diets and provide you with tips that you need to make healthy dietary choices. Working one-on-one with our dietitian, you can design a dietary plan that fits your personal needs and lifestyle.

Lastly, SPARK offers something to those who have the desire and passion to help people lose weight or work with aspiring or professional athletes. Learn how to become one of the finest professional trainers in the world, become certified through SPARK UNIVERSITY. Taught by SPARK strength and conditioning coaches, our Training Specialist course provides an in-depth study of: Exercise Physiology, Anatomy, Kinesiology & Biomechanics, Fitness Assessments, Exercise Techniques & Program Design. SPARK UNIVERSITY is our bridge to produce world-class certified health and fitness coaches and trainers. Finally, you can do what you are passionate about.

What is the range of classes and programs which Spark Athletic makes available to its members?

At Spark we offer a wide variety of programs and packages for one-on-one training with our coaches to help clients reach their goals.

Through world-class assessment tools and highly qualified coaches, the training will be scientifically structured, safe, and will ensure results.

How does Spark Athletic stand out among the many gyms and training facilities in Kuwait?

SPARK Athletic Center is a one of a kind peerless sports performance-training center. The facility boasts over 2,400 square meters of cutting-edge science based technology. Built around a unique exercise and testing laboratory, where our team can gather all sorts of data to better train our clients.

From world-class platforms and racks to 40 Km/h Super Treadmills, over 400 square meters of professional indoor turf, the only indoor training ramp of its kind in the world, 50-meter sprint lanes and then some, SPARK combines all this technology with a professional coaching staff to produce world-class results.

What really separates SPARK from other gyms in Kuwait or the world is our unique approach to sport and training. SPARK LAB is the heart of our facility where everything we do is based on numbers and facts, and that gives us confidence in delivering on our promise and achieving real results for our clients.

44 www.thecitym.com

By using the latest technology to assess the clients individual strengths and weaknesses, there will be no wasted time or effort in their training. Every session will be structured to get you moving better, faster and stronger, in daily life as well as for athletic performance. Nagging pain or injuries, inefficient sport movements and general body weaknesses can be targeted and eliminated through careful planning, so that nothing holds you back.

If you enjoy training in a group environment, SPARK offers packages, which allow for you to train with your friends in a competitive, fun and safe setting. Our coaches can structure workouts for your group’s preferences and collective goals.

As for Group training classes, we base all our training on science. All our classes are geared towards improving clients technique and mechanics, endurance, weight management, speed, power, etc. Group training classes offered include Kettle Bell Training, Olympic Lifting, SAQ

(Speed-Agility-Quickness), Circuit Training, MMA Conditioning, Spinning, Stretching to list some.

Tell us about your staff of training professionals. How does your team of licensed trainers distinguish themselves and what are their various fields?

The coaching team at SPARK represents applied sports science concepts from around the world, with backgrounds from all realms of training.

Our Strength and Conditioning coaches come from a scientific and professional background, where they have worked training professional athletes, rehab clients, professional sport teams as well as entry level clients. We will match you with a coach who specializes in your goals to ensure the greatest results for you.

What do you think are the elements that contribute to a great gym experience?

There are some fundamentals that add up to and contribute to a great gym experience. A professional and friendly staff, safe and clean facility, variety of training options and programs, and cutting edge training equipment are some of the fundamentals. But the most important factor is results. Clients train to see results and reach their training goals, and this will never happen without education.

At SPARK, we have made sure that all our training staff obtain a very high level of academic and scientific training background, to ensure all our clients get that amazing training experience.

Who is Spark Athletic best suited for as a member?

SPARK Athletic Center is suited for everyone.

Whether you want to lose weight, shatter training plateaus, gain lean muscle, work on injury or post surgery rehabilitation, SPARK is for you.

Also, if you want to improve in a specific sport, lean new training techniques, or even aspire to become an Olympic athlete, SPARK is the place for you.

Do you have any special campaigns or exclusive services on the horizon?

SPARK will launch a full calendar of competitive individual and team sport events, which will take place within the SPARK facility and outdoors.

Also, SPARK will soon launch its sister facility "SPARK WOMEN", located in KIPCO Tower, boasting the same training equipment and philosophy of the men’s facility.

What are your larger goals and visions for Spark Athletic in the future?

SPARK Athletic Center is not just for the aspiring athlete, it’s a place where everyone could enjoy the benefits of training under the supervision of a truly professional training staff for general fitness needs, to find a new fitness challenge, or to break fitness plateaus that arise from improper training habits. SPARK is a world-class Olympic Level Training Facility, with all of the needed components to produce homegrown, Kuwaiti, Olympic athletes.

Kuwait has provided us with a wealth of talent, all we need is a SPARK.

www.thecitym.com 45

‫اخلطوة األوىل يف احلصول‬ ‫على شعر صحي هي‬ ‫التغذية السليمة وتناول‬ ‫الفيتامينات املناسبة مهم‬ ‫جدا‪ ,‬وتعترب الفيتامينات‬ ‫واملعادن من أكرث العناصر‬ ‫التي حتفز منو الشعر وحتميه‬ ‫من التساقط والتقصف‪.‬‬

‫‪46 www.thecitym.com‬‬

‫‪thePHARMACIST‬‬ ‫‪Shabari Al-Qahtani‬‬

‫‪@dwaa_kwt‬‬

‫‪B R O U G H T TO YO U BY‬‬

‫الحفاظ على شعر صحي وحمايته من التساقط والجفاف‬ ‫مهمة ليست بالبسيطة‪ .‬وتحتاج لعنايه كبيره تبدأ‬ ‫باغذاء الصحي واألساسي ‪ ,‬وقد تنفق السيدات الكثير‬ ‫من األموال على مستحضرات العناية بالشعر دون‬ ‫معرفة نوعيه الشعر أو أن األغذيه الصحيه مثل الخضار‬ ‫والفواكة والحليب في هرمها الغذائي اليومي يكاد‬ ‫يكون معدوم ‪.‬‬ ‫والخطوة األولى في الحصول على شعر صحي هي‬ ‫التغذية السليمة وتناول الفيتامينات المناسبة مهم‬ ‫جدا‪ ,‬وتعتبر الفيتامينات والمعادن من أكثر العناصر‬ ‫التي تحفز نمو الشعر وتحميه من التساقط والتقصف‪.‬‬ ‫موضوعي موجه للرجال والنساء لمن هم مهتمون‬ ‫بعرفة افضل الفيتامينات لتساقط الشعر وكيفيه‬ ‫الحفاط على شعرك من التقصف‬ ‫‪ .1‬برايورين‬ ‫لماذا ‪ priorin‬؟‬ ‫يوفر لجذور الشعر المواد المغذية التي تساهم في نمو‬ ‫الشعر بشكل أفضل و يمنع الشعر اللمعان‬ ‫ثبت تأثير ‪ Priorin‬و استنادا إلى التركيبة الفريدة‬ ‫من استخراج زيت جنين القمح ‪ ،‬فيتامين ب وحامض‬ ‫البانتوثينيك و األحماض األمينية ‪ -L‬سيستين ‪.‬‬ ‫هذه المواد تساهم بطرق مختلفة لتعزيز جذور الشعر‬ ‫وتعزيز نمو الشعر الصحي ‪:‬‬ ‫األحماض األمينية ‪ -L‬السيستين هو مكون من‬ ‫الكيراتين وهو البروتين الذي يتكون معظمها من‬ ‫الشعر ‪ .‬الكيراتين يساعد على جعل الشعر مستقرة ‪،‬‬ ‫وأنه يبقى ناعم وسهل التصفيف‬ ‫حمض البانتوثينيك هو فيتامين ب الضروري أن يلعب‬ ‫دورا هاما في عملية التمثيل الغذائي في األنسجة حيث‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 47‬‬

‫انقسام الخاليا في التقدم‪ ،‬و يكتسي أهمية خاصة‬ ‫لتشكيل أنسجة جديدة ‪.‬‬ ‫يحتوي زيت جنين القمح األحماض الدهنية غير المشبعة‬ ‫التي تعتبر مهمة لل استقالب الخلية و غشاء هيكل ‪.‬‬ ‫وكيف ينبغي أن تستخدم ‪ Priorin‬؟‬ ‫ل مشاكل حادة مع نمو الشعر ‪ ،‬نوصي بأن تأخذ ثالث‬ ‫كبسوالت في اليوم‪ .‬خالل األشهر الثالثة األولى ‪ ،‬وتناول‬ ‫كبسولتين في الصباح و كبسولة واحدة في المساء‪.‬‬ ‫ولمن لديكه مشاكل خفيفة ‪ ،‬نوصي كبسولة واحدة في‬ ‫اليوم لمدة ‪ 3‬إلى ‪ 6‬أشهر‪.‬‬ ‫متى يجب أن تستخدم ‪ Priorin‬؟‬ ‫نظرا ل بطء نمو الشعر ‪ ،‬يجب االلتزام بتناول ‪Priorin‬‬ ‫في ثالثة أشهر على األقل قبل أن يتم تحقيق تأثير مرئي‬ ‫‪ .‬والمقصود ‪ Priorin‬للعالج على المدى الطويل‬ ‫‪ Priorin‬هو تكملة الغذائية ‪ ،‬ويمكن استخدامها يوميا‬ ‫‪Nutrigrow - hair nourishment system .2‬‬ ‫ماهو ‪ Nutrigrow‬؟‬ ‫وهو سيروم يحتوي على ستة انواع ‪ 30‬مل زجاجات‬ ‫مرقمة من ‪ 1‬إلى ‪ .3‬كل زجاجة تحتوي على كمية كافية‬ ‫من المصل لتطبيق لمدة سبعة أيام‪ .‬ومع ذلك‪ ،‬للشعر‬ ‫الطويل‪ ،‬قد تكون زجاجة واحدة كافية لتطبيق على مدى‬ ‫فترة من ‪ 4-5‬أيام‪.‬‬ ‫في ‪ NutriGrow‬سيروم ‪ ,‬بدء التطبيق مع زجاجة رقم ‪1‬‬ ‫واتبع التعليمات‪ .‬عند االنتهاء من الزجاجة األولى‪ ،‬يستمر‬ ‫التطبيق مع زجاجات المسمى رقم ‪ 2‬و ‪ .3‬وبمجرد االنتهاء‬ ‫من هذه الدورة‪ ،‬وبدء التطبيق مرة أخرى مع زجاجة الثاني‬ ‫المسمى ‪ NO.1‬ومواصلة التطبيق مع الزجاجات وصفت‬ ‫‪ NO.2‬و ‪ .3‬بعد هذا التطبيق‪ ،‬تكون قد أكملت أول عالج‬

‫لمدة ‪ 6‬أسابيع باستخدام ‪ NutriGrow‬المصل‬ ‫وهو منتج حصل على براءة اختراع وكأفضل منتج منذ‬ ‫‪ 5‬سنوات ‪ Nutrigrow‬يختلف عن المنتجات المضادة‬ ‫للشعر التقليدية التي تركز كليا على نوع الصلع‬ ‫الموجود لدى الذكور‪.‬‬ ‫جميع منتجات مكافحة فقدان الشعر التقليديه هي‬ ‫مجرد تركيز على خفض مستوى التيستوستيرون‬ ‫ثنائي هيدرو فقط‪ ،‬لكنها تتجاهل استقالب الخلية‬ ‫والدورة الدموية جيدة المطلوبة لتقوية وصحة بصيالت‬ ‫الشعر ‪ ,‬ونمو شعر جديد ‪ Nutrigrow ,‬ليس فقط يقلل‬ ‫من مستوى ‪ ( DHT‬وهو الهرمون يهاجم البصيالت‬ ‫الضعيفة ويمنع نمو المزيد من الشعر) ‪ ،‬مع صيغة فريدة‬ ‫من نوعها وعلى براءة اختراع‪ ،‬ولكن أيضا تسيطر على‬ ‫النشاط الخلوي والدورة الدموية في فروة الرأس التي‬ ‫تعتبر حيوية لمنع تساقط الشعر وتمكين نمو شعر‬ ‫كثيفة وقوية‪.‬‬ ‫وذلك بفضل استخدام في الوقت المناسب وبصورة‬ ‫منتظمة‪ Nutrigrow ،‬يمنع تساقط الشعر‪ ،‬ويساعد‬ ‫على تقوية الشعر الذي ضعفت وضعفت وتمكن من‬ ‫نمو الشعر الجديد وصحية‪.‬‬ ‫تتكون من مواد نشطة طبيعيه‬‫‪ 146٪‬في منع فقدان الشعر في ‪ 14‬يوما‬ ‫‪ 146٪‬يحفز نمو الشعر‬ ‫‪ 121٪‬يسرع نمو الشعر‬ ‫‪ -‬آمن االستخدام وال آثار جانبية تذكر‬

48 www.thecitym.com

@Chef_Ziad_Alobaid

When you're in the mood to indulge in some good old Kuwaiti comfort food with a twist of modern, cultural appeal, there are actually a good number of choices in Kuwait that offer the hearty meals of our heritage in a cool, culturally relevant atmosphere. One of the best eating choices for this kind of mixed bag of culture-meets-atmospere is 'Haleeb O Heil' (or Milk and Cardamon). @HaleebOHeil www.thecitym.com 49 Photographer: Hussain Shamo

I first sat down at Haleeb O Heil and ordered the following mix of drinks and dishes: • • • • • •

Saffron Cardamon Milk Karak Milk The Kuwaiti Platter The Kuwaiti Breakfast Elba A'seeda (AKA Purge)

Now, let's go down the line as far as my overall thoughts on each dish: Saffron Cardamon Milk It's bright yellow color immediately lit up the table once it arrived, but it was such a bright shade that it almost looked like yellow dye than just the natural coloring of the saffron. Not a huge error or anything just made it seem a little less authentic to me. It definitely had that strong, dear smell of saffron to it which I happen to love. I wished the saffron strands themselves were more visible to give it another authentic kick.

Karak Milk Well, on the menu it said that the Karak

50 www.thecitym.com

was made up of cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger but, for some reason, I only tasted the cardamon in mine. Maybe the waiter didn't inform me that it can come in other spices too, which is a failing on their part because I did inquire about it. It was so-so.

The Kuwaiti Platter Okay, so the platter comprised of a slice of cake (or 'Qurs Ouqalye' as it is known in KuwaitiArabic); Khobiz Regag with thyme and saffron; Lissan Al-Thour; and Darabeel. The Qurs Ouqalye was pretty good and moist which is how I usually prefer my cakes, but surprisingly enough, it was missing a very essential ingredient: the saffron. How in the world could an authentic Kuwaiti cake forget about the saffron? That one mishap alone seemed pretty ridiculous to me. The texture and the overall outcome of the cake was, as I said, nice and moist, so no complaints there.

When it comes to the Lissan Al-Thour, the Darabeel, and the Regag I have absolutely zero complaints. Delicious and made with that authentic twist of home-grown Kuwaiti delicacy

down to the very last bite. Amazingly tasty from start to finish. So, when you consider the platter as a whole, I'd still absolutely recommend it to those who might want to indulge in a selection of light Kuwaiti meals.

The Kuwaiti Breakfast Another very good selection of home-inspired, simple Kuwaiti breakfast dishes with truly very little to complain about. The one issue I might have to lightly critique is the fact that the portions were unrealistically small. For example, in the whole breakfast assortment they only served one lonely slice of Halloumi cheese. When I asked the waiter about why this portion was so small he said the Halloumi was only for garnish which didn't make much sense to me. He told me they could offer a few more slices if I wanted so it all went okay in the end, I just think it's an unfortunate oversight on their part and it can confuse and underwhelm the customer quite a bit.

Elba Let me put it to you this way: It was like a flan, except with too much cardamon and not

enough saffron. I didn't necessarily mind it but I found that the cardamon was overpowering the taste a little too much for my liking.

A'seeda (AKA Purge) Unfortunately, I think Haleeb O Heil dropped the ball with this staple Kuwaiti dish. I think it was made with dates and it was quite runny so, in that sense, it did not resemble the way Kuwaiti people makeit at all. Another fault was it's overpowering sweetness. It was much too sweet for me to handle more than a single bite of it.

Overall, the buzzing, energetic crowd and the authentic Kuwaiti vibes that surround the restaurant's atmosphere make it a nice place to visit every couple of months for a nice warm karak, sweet dessert, and pleasant conversation. My service was unfortunately not up to par with the standard service requirements (no one checked in on our table to see if we needed anything or to make sure if the food was to our liking). But, all in all, Haleeb O Heil is a nice place to have a light breakfast and recall some of that good old Kuwaiti charm that we all know and love.

www.thecitym.com 51

In Arabic the word ‘Al-Jood’ means goodness in all its pure, unadulterated forms. Possesing ‘Al-Jood’ doesn’t simply mean being a good person generally; it also means doing and spreading goodwill wherever and whenever you can. That is why, when it came to creating a restaurant concept built entirely and exclusively around the concept of goodwill, no name could suit any better than utter ‘Al-Jood.’ @AlJoodRestaurant 52 www.thecitym.com

Food for Humanity

www.thecitym.com 53

The idea behind Al-Jood is simple: make great food for a great cause. Al-Joud operates within the cyclical effect of literally feeding people by feeding people—letting consumers give to charitable causes while also receiving delicious food for their generosity.

In that sense, the way Al-Jood works like any seeming restaurant, except for the heartwarming fact that all proceeds that come from the restaurant diners go entirely and directly towards the aid of charity campaigns that need it, like the impedingly dire circumstances which many Syrian victims and refugees are currently facing.

However, the admittedly prominent, charitable angle behind Al-Jood’s creation does not in any way take away from the supreme quality of the menu and the food assortments available to the generous restaurant diner. The cuisine offered at AlJood is a by and large a Middle Eastern cuisine which offers all the regular dining fixtures of our beloved Middle Eastern culture, from kebab and shish tawouk prepared with the finest of meat assortments to, Hummus and Tabouleh ground and cut with precision using the freshest ingredients. The kitchen staff at Al-Jood are all well-experienced, highly specialized chefs and sous chefs with a wealth of talented expertise and who

54 www.thecitym.com

operate at the highest levels of hygiene and professional ethics.

Most recently, Al-Jood held a charity fundraiser to aid the Syrian refugees who have been rendered homeless and penniless by the ongoing, devastating turmoil in Syria.

During the cold winter months, many of these refugees (which are now verging on the millions) are left with scarcely a warm blanket to keep them warm at night. To address this dire need, Al-Jood named it’s latest fundraiser ‘Winter’s Warmth’ to help raise enough money to buy thousands of Syrian refugees the necessary clothing and amenities necessary for them to weather the harsh winter safely and warmly.

The campaign was a huge success and gratefully aided a huge number of families with every amenity they could possibly need in their humble encampments, ranging from heavy blankets and food inventories to warm clothing and safe heating sources.

Kuwait has never been a stranger to the call of goodwill and has always been a frontrunner in the humanitarian field, with Al-Jood acting as proud example of this Kuwaiti tradition of endless giving. In our hearts and in our homes, we know that the true meaning of success and peace resides in our power to help all those in need and, in doing so, helping ourselves as well.

www.thecitym.com 55

56 www.thecitym.com

A Spirit Kawthar Ben-Nakhi takes us on a decadent wonder tour of her latest and greatest Diogo Miranda collection, showcasing at her ever sophisticated K-Collection: Kuwait's couturier haven of choice.

of

Couture @kcollection Makeup: Nadia Ramadan @makeupnadia Hair: Zizi @blushkwt Photographer: Hussain Shamo Creative Director: Zainab Bahman 57 www.thecitym.com

Tell us about your latest collection and where your choice inspiration comes from?

The latest collection in the store is a selection of the Fall Winter 13-14 collection of Diogo Miranda, a Portuguese fashion designer.

I try to convey a spirit of couture, sophistication, elegance, and exclusivity in the choices I make for the store.

Natuarally, these are also the words that best describe Diogo Miranda’s work.

58 www.thecitym.com

Where did you learn or pick up the eye for fashion?

I’ve had some very strong influence from women in my life who have impeccable fashion sense and an eclectic taste. Plus, my mom was always heavily involved in the fashion world, in which I used to accompany her to attend fashion shows and met many designers at quite a young age. My other influence would, of course, be my travels. Traveling to Europe, the States, and Latin America exposed me to

new cultures of fashion that has widened my perspective on fashion and art.

Has fashion always been something you were interested in?

I think the first encounter with any woman is always influenced by the way she dresses. I've always been interested in trends and what’s new in fashion: that’s why I took the chance when I first had the opportunity to run a fashion business.

Who has inspired you most in the fashion world?

Celebrities, fashion designers, and street styles. Small details inspire me. I love women who dress with their own style. You see them in the streets of Europe looking fabulous and distinguished, no matter what age. A fabulous coat, a stylish hair-cut, and a wonderful nail color—these are all tiny but unique details that make the difference between a fashionable woman and a true trend-setter.

What are some of your favorite textiles and materials to feature at K-Collection?

The store offers an original selection of highend fashion clothing and ready-to-wear, accessories, and fashion jewelry to suit a variety of tastes and that accommodate different materials. So I like to include a variety of luxurious materials for customers to choose from.

If you had to describe K-Collection in ten words or less, what would they be?

A high-end women's fashion store. Plain and simple.

Who would you say K-Collection is designed for?

The fashion-conscious women.

www.thecitym.com 59

here would you like to take K-Collection next?

The next step is to launch an online K-collection store.

With the rapid expansion of Internet retail taking over a large portion of the business world nowadays, I think eCommerce services are a must for any budding business.

60 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 61

‫شيخة‬ Shaikha

Creative Directors: Lana Al-Resheed & Eman Jamal Photographer: Eman Jamal @eman_jamal Stylist: Shaimaa Bou Rashed @shaimaab Model: Fadila Madou @fadila82madou Vintage Wardrobe: Model's Own 1966 Ford Mustang: Bader Al-Shaiji @Baderalshaiji 1972 Chevrolet CHEVELLE: @Q8Oldcar_team Hair: Na'eeman Saloon @Naeeman_Saloon Makeup: Na'eeman Saloon @Naeeman_Saloon Location: Kuwait

62 www.thecitym.com

‫في الكويت‬ ...‫كبرت شيخة‬

‫يا متلف الروح ليه ما تنظر لحالي ‪...‬‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 63‬‬

64 www.thecitym.com

‫شفت ما سوى بحالي هواه ‪...‬‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 65‬‬

66 www.thecitym.com

‫مواق في مشيته مواق ‪...‬‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 67‬‬

68 www.thecitym.com

‫عوافي كانه تغير ‪ ...‬عوافي كانه تكبر‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 69‬‬

70 www.thecitym.com

‫ال يقول عذر المسافه ‪ ...‬ترا المسافه قريبه‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 71‬‬

72 www.thecitym.com

‫حبيبي ساكن الفيحاء ‪...‬‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 73‬‬

74 www.thecitym.com

‫قلب ‪ ...‬ما يطيق الصبرا‬ ‫ما يطيق الصبرا ‪ ...‬يا مل‬ ‫ٍ‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 75‬‬

76 www.thecitym.com

‫الناس نامت و أنا عيني سهيره ‪...‬‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 77‬‬

Doha Al-Mutawa

For the Love of Kuwait...

Kuwait is more than words can say, I love it more every single day...

Kuwat is love that can hardly be expressed, Belonging here I feel so blessed...

I’ve heard the story over and over again, To win a battle is unlike a game...

After a trauma Kuwait was reborn, Healthier and stronger than ever before...

It provides more than anywhere else, Giving more and demanding less...

A country that serves the society as a whole, Multiple incentives are provided to all...

Nowhere in the world can compare, To live abroad I wouldn’t dare...

My promise is to always be there, For my loving Kuwait I will forever care...

For Kuwait I shall work hard, With my achievements I will make it proud...

Kuwait is us and we are Kuwait, It’s represented by what we create...

78 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 79

By Noor Al-Nafisi Few places in Kuwait carry the cultural and the historical weight that Al-Mubarakiya does in it's high-hoisted pillars, from which bright and proud Kuwaiti flags gently wave. Growing up, many of us have beloved memories of walking down Al-Mubarakiya's beautiful, kiosk lined allies and conversing with all manner of kind-hearted Kuwaiti street folk, taking in all the energy and essence of the Kuwaiti spirit. It is a center of both our history and our community. In one of this year's most highly praised and culturally relevant events, Al-Mubarakiya Expo, head organizer and brainchild, Dana Taqi sought to bring that well-known feeling of Kuwaiti belonging and community back to Kuwait.

@AlMubarakiya

80 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 81 Photographer: Hussain Shamo

What was the special concept behind AlMubarakiya Expo and how it did come to you?

After HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's words of welcoming initiatives to support Youth Kuwait's and the Small Businesses in Kuwait, we came up with a nonprofit /"Zero Cost" to participate idea for Al-Mubarakiya Expo. The idea was to simply give young, Kuwaiti businesses a chance to flourish and to grow with as much ease and as much accessibility as possible.

We received more than 1862 applicants, with more than 400 who were qualified to take place at the expo. The expo was there for 12 ongoing days, divided into 4 phases. Every phase had its own patch of participants who set new standards for other small businesses.

82 www.thecitym.com

Why did you think Al-Mubarakiya was the ideal place for this kind of expo?

Al-Mubarakiya is one the most traditional areas in Kuwait and which is filled with the essential Kuwaiti feel of community and culture. During the month of National celebration it was an obvious choice as the ideal place. We did it in Al-Mubarakiya to make our great grandfathers proud of us today.

What do you think was the appeal behind the huge success of the expo?

The location, quality of the participants, quality of products and services, and the efforts in organizing from my wonderful team of volunteers. People who attended the expo could feel this great sense of quality and unity which my team and I worked very hard to build and represent throughout the expo.

How did you manage to re-introduce a place of historic heritage, like Al-Mubarakiya, as a cool, modern hangout as well?

Multiple strategies, really. Strong crowd control, branding, advertising, publicity, and public relations strategies had to be put in place just to position the expo in people's minds. And, thankfully, we were able to do it very well which yielded some great results and great feedback in the end.

Do you think there is a craving for authentic Kuwaiti heritage that is missing in our consumer culture today?

Yes. I think there is a serious public need for authenticity and individuality in everything we do today. From what we buy, where we go, how we dress‌ we all want to express and represent our own unique identity. And what could represent us as Kuwaiti people better than our beautiful Kuwaiti heritage?

How were you able to distinguish AlMubarakya Expo from other similar, culturally-themed expos in Kuwait?

Our main objectives were well received by the audience and they really used word of mouth to spread the word about us and the expo, which turned out to be quite a powerful tool in it's own right. We are supporting small businesses through our volunteer work, we are giving them a chance to exhibit and gain revenue and awareness without any cost, and we are giving them our professional direction to enhance their products and services.

How does it all come together? What kind of work goes into organizing an expo of this magnitude?

It's really quite the immense effort and it

takes a lot of different components and skills working cohesively together to make it happen. These components include time management, architecture, marketing, advertising, event management, leadership, public relations, crowd control, team work, communication, positioning and more. It's a real juggling act!

The most difficult part?

What is the most rewarding part of putting together an expo like Al-Mubarakiya Expo?

What role do you think Kuwaiti heritage plays in our modern, day-to-day life?

Seeing the smiles that grace the faces of the crowd, hearing the grateful and encouraging words of participants at the end of each phase telling me how well they did and how much they enjoyed the opportunity.

Those kinds of moments make all the long hours of work truly worth it.

We're a team, and nothing too difficult to overcome can face a strong team. Obviously there are frustrating moments and tricky situations but, at the end of the day, our strong team dynamic gets us through it all and tackles whatever comes our way with ease.

I believe Kuwaiti heritage is the base of our modern , day to day life. We are who we are now, in part, because of who we were then.

We will always go back to our heritage and to those precious roots that define Kuwait on a basic level. We will alway let that respected heritage inspire us as well as inform our modern identities. Its our endless pride and our uniting bond as a Kuwaiti community.

www.thecitym.com 83

84 www.thecitym.com

We will always go back to our heritage and to those precious roots that define Kuwait on a basic level. We will alway let that respected heritage inspire us as well as inform our modern identities.

www.thecitym.com 85

OLD OLD IS IS GOLD GOLD 86 www.thecitym.com

By Bashayer Alosami

@bashayeros

www.thecitym.com 87 Photographer: Hussain Shamo

‫كان الشيخ مبارك يدير الدولة من الكشك هذا واللي يروح يزور الكشك راح يشوف‬ ‫مخاطبات الشيخ مع التجار في البصره وغيرها ‪ ،‬هذا غير ان كان يستقبل الناس‬ ‫اللي يبون يكلمونه عن مشاكلهم او يطلبون نصحه ومساعدته لهم ‪.‬‬ ‫الشيخ مبارك قعد فتره يحكم ويدير شؤون الكويت من هالكشك لحد ما انتقل الى‬ ‫قصر السيف إلدارة امور الدولة من هناك ‪.‬‬ ‫توفى الشيخ مبارك الصباح سابع الحكام في الكويت عام ‪ 1915‬متأثر من مرض‬ ‫تصلب الشرايين ‪.‬‬ ‫في سنة ‪ 1928‬تحول الكشك من مركز حكم الى اول محكمه في الكويت برآسة‬ ‫الشيخ عبداهلل الجابر الصباح وبعدها بفترة تحول الى ادارة البلدية وبعدها مقر‬ ‫للبريد العام ‪ ،‬وعام ‪ 1952‬انشا فيه اول فرع للمكتبة العامة ( ادارة المعارف ) ‪.‬‬ ‫لكل حكاية جانب حلو وجانب سيئ ‪ ،‬كشك الشيخ مبارك شهد احداث مهمة في‬ ‫تاريخ الكويت و منه صدرت قرارات كانت تعتبر مؤثره بتأسيس الدولة ‪ ،‬شي جميل‬ ‫جدا وممتع لما تدخل وتشوف المخاطبات واألدوات اللي كان يستخدمها الشيخ‬ ‫مبارك في ذالك الوقت ‪.‬‬ ‫لكن المحزن او اللي كان محزن هلل الحمد وتداركوه ان في فترة من الفترات اهمل‬ ‫هذا الكشك واستخدم من قبل مستثمرين في السوق استثمار في غير محله وما‬ ‫يرقى الى تاريخ هذا الكشك ‪ ،‬لكن الشيخ صباح االحمد الصباح حاكم الكويت الحالي‬ ‫امر في عام ‪ 2010‬استمالك الكشك وتسليمه الى المجلس الوطني ألنه يعتبر الجهة‬ ‫المعنية والعمل على اعادة ترميمه وترميم الصيدليه اللي موجودة في الجزء االرض‬ ‫الجنوبي واللي مملوكه للسيد عبداهلل القناعي ‪.‬‬

‫‪88 www.thecitym.com‬‬

‫كــشــك‬ ‫الشيخ مبارك‬

‫الشيخ مبارك سابع حكام الكويت تولى الحكم سنة ‪ 1896‬ويعتبر من الحكام‬ ‫المؤثرين في مسيرة الكويت وفي عهده وايد احداث صارت ولقب من البعض اسد‬ ‫الجزيرة ‪.‬‬ ‫بعد ما تولى الحكم بسنة انشأ كشك في منطقه حيوية وحساسة للكويتيين في‬ ‫ذاك الوقت قريبه من سوق الدهن والسوق الداخلي وسوق التناكه وأسواق غيرها‬ ‫والكل في الكويت الزم يمر على هالمكان ‪ .‬طبعا كلمة كشك اصلها تركي و معناها‬ ‫البناء المربع من طابقين وبعد يطلقونه على اماكن الحراسه ‪ ،‬االسم اناخذ منهم‬ ‫وذلك بسبب تأثر الكويت ومناطق الخليج العربي بالدولة العثمانية في ذاك الوقت ‪.‬‬ ‫الطابق االرضي من الكشك كان فيه مكتب مهتم لشؤون الغوص اللي كانت تعتبر‬ ‫المصدر الرئيسي لرزق الكويتيين في ذاك الوقت ‪ ،‬ومكتب للتسجيل العقاري ‪.‬‬ ‫الطابق األول كان عبارة عن جزئيين شرقي وغربي ‪ ،‬وكان الشيخ مبارك يقعد في‬ ‫الجزء الشرقي من بعد صالة الفجر الى العصر ‪ ،‬ويقعد في الجزء الغربي مساءا بعد‬ ‫ما تغيب الشمس ‪.‬‬

‫‪www.thecitym.com 89‬‬

90 www.thecitym.com

rd www.kwtwcss.org

The Women's Cultural and Social Society represents and heralds a history of rights for the Kuwaiti woman. The right to vote; the right to run for office; the right to be full, uncompromising, contributing members of society. These are all markers and milestones of the Kuwaiti women's proud, hard-won struggle for equality that has rivalled and outdone the progress of many other GCC societies today. We celebrate those staggeringly brave steps of Kuwait's past by keeping an eye on three individually different but equally accomplished Kuwaiti women and WCSS members who are promising signifiers of progress and beautiful change to come: Dalal Al-Sharhan, Shamael Al-Sharikh, and Shaikha Al-Julaibi.

www.thecitym.com 91 Photographer: Hussain Shamo

Dala l A l -S har han

works at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she was most recently involved in the humanitarian pledging conference for Syria where Kuwait pledged 500 million dollars for the aid of Syrian refugees and displaced persons.

When and how did your interest in women’s rights start?

When I was growing up my mother was (and still is) a member of the WCSS, as well as some relatives of mine and some very strong women in my family, so seeing these great women in my family so interested in women’s rights encouraged my interest from an early age. Ever since my mother used to bring me to the charity bazaars the WCSS held, I’ve always wanted to get involved in community service and volunteer work. This is actually one of the core values that my parents instilled in me growing up: the need to constantly want to change things for the better and giving back to the community.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that Kuwaiti women face in society today?

Honestly, I think that, in many ways, the challenge is the woman herself. The reality is that a woman can virtually achieve anything in Kuwait. Kuwait is her oyster. However, when women give in to stereotypes and hold themselves back based on nothing but old, implied cultural trappings, they really limit themselves from becoming the productive, vibrant members of society they were always meant to be.

Do you feel like there are areas in Kuwait where women are under-represented?

I believe that women are under-represented in all fields, to be honest. In education; in politics; as decision-makers—there is not nearly enough of that female voice being heard or sufficiently represented. Especially considering the fact that women form and comprise an enormous component of society—literally half of every society is women. Her input—the input of 50% of the population—on how the country operates on every level is crucial.

What are some of the brightest, most hopeful achievements in Kuwaiti women’s rights, according to you?

Women gaining the right to vote and run for elections is a huge achievement on the part of all Kuwaiti women! I remember the day that legislation was made quite clearly. It was my 18th birthday and, even though I still couldn’t vote at the time, I remember how elated and excited I was about the prospect of doing so in the future. It was one of the best birthdays I can remember.

92 www.thecitym.com

S ha m ael A l-Shar ikh Why are women’s rights important?

Because things like human equality are important. It means everything to a society. Equality in terms of employment; equality in terms of political rights; equality in terms of pay; equality in terms of legal rights; equality in terms of social and cultural perception—these are all basic human rights which women deserve but, unfortunately, don’t have in equality to men.

is currently serving her second term as an official board member of the WCSS. She is part of the executive team that runs the daily activities and that plans the events and initiatives, which the WCSS works on. She is also involved in the recruitment of younger women in the society, as well as increasing the WCSS’ overall media profile.

What do Kuwaiti women need to do more of in order to continue growing and to Keeping women confined at home or to a very miniensure their rights? mal number of life-paths, both directly and indirectly, Two things: they need to be aware and they need to strive. Kuwaiti women need to be is objectification not respect. When you respect someaware of their responsibility, their obligation, and their ability as mature, equal citizens one you respect their independent decisions; respectof this country. The reality is that women form a huge part of the Kuwaiti workforce ing their full human value in every field not just one and are outdoing men in many academic fields—they are actively structuring the Kuwaiti or two; you respect their potential and their own deeconomy and society for the better just by taking part in it. So more and more women clared identity, not the one you force on them instead. need to be aware of this massive input they have and they need to strive towards being How can women in Kuwait start taking steps toa part of the decision-making process in every field in Kuwait, because that’s where their wards breaking the glass ceiling? education and their voice counts the most.

Well, I think women in Kuwait specifically aren’t doing How can traditions and progress co-exist, in respect to women’s rights? too badly for themselves, for the most part. I think Well, you don’t have to stray away from tradition to respect woman. You can be tradition- women in Kuwait are present everywhere with the al when traditions make sense and when they bolster the national identity in a healthy exception of the military and armed forces perhaps. and inclusive way, and you can stray away from tradition when they are deliberately of- But I think that, as I said before, we need to strive and fensive, racist, and sexist. You can be a full, proud Kuwaiti, Arab, and Muslim and still be encouraged to be a part of the decision-making respect women and seek for the progress of your society through the progress of its process in Kuwait, based on our merit and our value.

Women can add great value in places where comwomen. The two terms do not have to be mutually exclusive for any society. plexity management and mediation are required, not Do you feel like there are different definitions of ‘respect’ in that way? merely as token women but as actual, contributing It’s important to understand that respect and objectification are not the same things. team members.

www.thecitym.com 93

What is ‘Waraqati’ and how does it aim to enhance women’s rights?

‘Waraqati’ was a joint venture between the WCSS and the UNDP. It was a project that was initiated in order to promote the social awareness of women’s rights in Kuwait, both at the level of making women more aware of the full spectrum of their current rights, as well as seeking to amend the laws which conflict with the impending rights of women.

Legally speaking, what do women’s rights require and entail?

According to article 29 of the Kuwaiti constitution, men and women are entirely equal to one another. Women’s rights are about manifesting that level of complete legal equality between both genders. On some occasions, women’s rights address a legal right or need that is specific to women by their own situational natures (like maternity leave), but generally speaking women’s rights aspire to complete equality between men and women in all spheres not just legally, as it should be between all humans.

What do you think the Kuwaiti woman needs to be most aware of in today’s day and age?

Unfortunately, in spite of her high levels of education and her worldly perspective, the Kuwaiti woman is, for the most part, blithely unaware of many rights which the law has made available to her. The law actually ensures a number of rights for Kuwaiti women. The Kuwaiti woman is not only unaware of the rights that the law does not give her; she is also unaware of the rights the law does give her. Through our research and studies in the ‘Waraqati’ project we’ve discovered that the women themselves are negligent about their own current rights, which is one of the main hindrances to us progressing towards gaining more future rights.

How do you envision the progress of Kuwaiti women in the future?

Kuwaiti women have, generally speaking, come a long way in comparison to other neighboring countries in the Gulf. There is absolutely no doubt about that. However, we have made very slow progress in recent years so this could impact us quite negatively in the future. On the other hand, if women make an effort to spread awareness and educate themselves on their rights, which is the role of all responsible, civil societies, I don’t see why we can’t head towards a brighter, more progressive future instead.

Sha ikha Al-Julaibi is a prominent lawyer; a member of the WCSS and the Kuwait Lawyers Association; Vice Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights; and helped spearhead the ‘Waraqati’ project.

94 www.thecitym.com

What are you proudest of, as a Kuwaiti woman?

As a Kuwaiti woman, I am proudest of our survival skills. Kuwaiti women have a history of survival. We survived the treacherous pearldiving era when men would go to the sea and leave us alone to man the city, guard our homes, our children, and our honor along with theirs; we survived modernity and came out on the other side of that massive cultural and economic change; we survived the invasion; we are survivors in every way.

When I see and look back on the long road to progress and equality that Kuwaiti women have traversed I am immensely proud to be both a product and a member of this trailblazing legacy. Looking back at those historic, great first steps gives me the pride and the courage I need to believe in Kuwait and believe in a better future.

I am most proud of the goodness I see in Kuwaiti people. The diversity and the overall goodness of people is always inspiring.

Getting caught up in all the politics and all the issues can sometimes get you down, but when I see Kuwait at the forefront of humanitarian aid and always ready to lend a helping hand, I’m proud of my country.

www.thecitym.com 95

96 www.thecitym.com

When did you Know? 'A house is not a home.' Or so the

old adage goes. So what does it take, we wonder, to turn a house into a home. Warmth? Beauty?

Serenity? To take those spiritual elements and conceptualize them in interior form and function is no easy task, but it is a task that interior designer extrodinaire, and amusingly eclectic dreamer Loulwa Al-Radwan was always meant to follow.

www.thecitym.com 97 Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

Since I was a child, I used to go with my parents to furniture shops and factories around Europe and I loved it. I never wanted to leave those shops and I still remember what items I liked most. I loved the whole atmosphere of these kinds of places. I was drawn to the furniture and specifically to the way they were displayed. Before I even knew that interior design was my calling, I took up a project as a teenager—and of course my first client (no surprise here!) was myself!

I re-designed my bedroom with the help of my mother, who in my opinion is a great artist with the greatest taste and from whom I have actually learned so much about my field of work. What I loved most about this first project and what encouraged me to develop myself further in this field was the great amount of positive feedback and reactions I got from a lot of my friends. I'll never forget what one of my closest friends once said to me upon entering my room: “Wow! You are going to be a great designer one day.”

That’s when the light bulb went on and I realized my ambitious future was in interior design.

After studying art and interior design in university, I worked in a design firm for a short period of time where I gained the basic experience of the trade and mostly how to deal with clients, suppliers and contractors. After gaining the experience I needed, I decided to open my own business. In 2006 I established my dream and “Interia” was born. I started out by build-

Before I even knew that interior design was my calling, I took up a project as a teenager—and of course my first client (no surprise here!) was myself!

98 www.thecitym.com

ing a strong client-base mainly through connections and word-of-mouth. I started taking a variety of projects from private residentials to commercial projects. The business was booming, but I still felt like I wasn’t getting the exposure I wanted. So in 2011, I started a blog to market myself and show those who are interested a sense of what I do along with my style of work.

Thanks to the thriving social-media activities in Kuwait, I was able to reach a wide range of audience through this method of public interaction.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for furniture design. I've always envisioned myself going in that direction in the future.

I started small by designing some furniture pieces for clients here and there. It then grew into collaboration with my talented designer cousin, Najla Al-Radwan, who makes hand-made ceramics from scratch. I usually take her pieces and incorporate them within the framework of the furniture and accessories in my projects.

This collaboration blossomed into a side business called “Khazaf� and what I love about it is that my design aesthetic and my cousin's design aesthetic compliment each other quite perfectly. Our work actually completes one another. So my obsession with interior and furniture design has been growing and expanding as far as I can remember, and I still see myself as hopefully having a vibrant furniture and accessories shop in the future as one that sells my own designs as well as hand-picked pieces from around the globe.

@InteriaKW

www.thecitym.com 99

Director's T

he Kuwaiti film industry has seen a lot great moments in it's illustrious past. In many ways, we were among the pioneers of the Gulf silver-screen. Since those glory days, however, we've been a little complacent.

Thankfully, Bader Al-Hussainan, co-founder and director at Kuwait Films, has a plan to re-inspire Kuwait through the screen once more.

100 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 101 Photographer: Hussain Shamo

Tell us a little about the start of Kuwait Films and what inspired you to take the plunge into film production?

Kuwait Films was established in 2010 by myself, Bader Al-Hussainan, and my partners, Abdulrahman Al-Terkait and Khalifah AlGhanim. We created Kuwait Films as a production company exclusively concerned with the realm of cinema and film in Kuwait in its entirety. This entails screenwriting, editing, shooting, workshopping, and all the necessary components that go into a successful film production. We’ve uploaded several ‘Making Of’ movies to our Youtube account so that fellow film-lovers in Kuwait might learn and interact with the local film culture. We’ve done this with our first short film, ‘The Passage,’ in which we’ve upload three 30-minute ‘Making Of’ videos to detail the whole process.

This is because we believe in the power of cinema and we are passionate about making authentic Kuwaiti films, which boast of international technical standards and strive to join the highest ranks of craftsmanship.

102 www.thecitym.com

Currently in Kuwait, the Gulf, and the Arab world (with the exception of Egypt), the bar is set quite low as far as film production is concerned. Can we create a film that is technologically and stylistically up to par with Hollywood? That is definitely a very daring and difficult challenge for any filmmaker or film producer to take on. However, I think we’re up to the challenge and can produce some great results aided with a strong belief in the cinematic art form and guided by the wise experience of those who came before us.

What are the services which Kuwait Films offers?

Pure film and cinema production—nothing more, nothing less. We only make exceptions in the case of national or volunteer commercials, in which case we offer our services to the best of our abilities.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in creating and managing a film production company?

Well, as far as creating the company, it was not much of a challenge at all. That’s because my

partners and I strongly believe in the ambition and the field the company is pursuing. When it comes to managing, however, it can be a different matter.

I’ve learned that managing any company— not just a film production company—requires the ability to maximize the performance level while minimizing the time, effort, and cost. It is about producing the best product you can while exerting as little time, effort, or money as possible. Of course, these criteria can be difficult to apply to a project as ambitious and time-consuming as a high-quality feature film, for example. A Hollywood film, for instance, can take up to 2 years to complete and can require a huge staff of producers, technicians, actors, and artists in order to bring the whole vision of the film together. Moneywise, most of the US top box office hits can reach anywhere between 150 to 250 million dollars in production costs. Now, imagine having all those impediments placed on you in an environment that does not believe in the filmmaking industry altogether, neither intellectually nor commercially, with the

exception of an audience who are actually very desperate to see a film which aptly represents them. All of these combined factors of the nature of the film business and its surrounding culture of negativity make it very difficult to manage a film production company. It is also increasingly challenging to find people who are technically capable and who have enough experience in this specific field to produce the result you need.

But, generally speaking, I abide by those three guidelines: minimum time, effort, and cost for maximum production value.

What is the most positive side to owning and running a film production company?

The best part is all the valuable experience that comes with it. In ‘The Passage,’ for example, we tried creating a life-size model of the monster in the film like Terminator 2, and we employed the help of the talented Meshari Al-Urooj to do so. In the end, however, we ended up scrapping the idea and using visual effects instead. It was our first time incorporating animation so heavily in our work

and we learned a lot about that process during this time. At the end, we learned our lesson in both experiences and now we have the ability to discern which options work best in which films in the future.

Another great aspect is getting to work with young, ambitious Kuwaitis. My Assistant Director on ‘The Passage’ was 15-year-old Mohammad Qassem. Our décor setup was designed and provided by Kuwait University freshmen Omar Al-Theferi and Abdulrahman Al-Hamli. Working with, witnessing, and supporting these bright, young, Kuwaiti talents is always a pleasure.

In your opinion, what does the Kuwaiti viewer most desire in a cinematic experience?

The Kuwaiti viewer desires what any other cinematic viewer desires: entertainment and beauty. There is no one particular scene or genre, but the viewer looks for beauty in the direction, in the shooting, in the color schemes, in the locations, in the storylines, and several other components. These elements of beauty

and entertainment are what, I believe, every film viewer most desires to watch in their cinema experience.

What is your favorite film?

Terminator 2, with the addition of all James Cameron movies.

What are your brightest and most promising future projects?

Unfortunately, I can’t divulge much of that information just yet, but I promise theCITY and it’s readers that the wheel of motion will begin really turning in the Kuwaiti film industry come 2016 and 2017, and they will not stop. You might even see some hints of this coming change through Kuwait Films during 2015 inshallah.

www.kuwaitfilms.net youtube.com/user/KuwaitFilms

www.thecitym.com 103

104 www.thecitym.com

@latifamadouh

By Latifa Madouh

CITY KIDS

the

www.thecitym.com 105

The Falcon's Eye Kuwait's revered heritage and our ancient identity as heatlorn, desert dewellers surviving the harsh elements with pride, composure, and unutteruble dignity is perhaps no better personified than in the regal hunting tradition of our ancestors; the cultural hobby-sport of falconry. Seasoned falconer and wise desert sage, Bader Al-Muhareb talks to us about his own tender journey with this tenacious, ethereal bird.

106 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 107 Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef

In the falconry community, we say ‘you’ve lost your arm’ to those who have lost their falcons. It’s that close and emotional of a relationship.

Why did you decide to become a falconer and to breed rare falcons?

I was always very interested in hunting and birds at a very young age, and I used to observe and accompany falconers as I grew up as well so it was always an interest of mine. In 1987, I caught my first female falcon so I kept her and trained her to hunt well and, from that point on, I took up falconry as a hobby and my interest in it has grown and expanded in many ways since then.

What is the connection between falconry and Kuwaiti heritage?

Falconry is a very ancient sport that defines a part of our most authentic, rural heritage, which our fathers and forefathers before them used to practice in precision and used to sustain them in different ways.

In fact, it is a symbol of a revered Arab heritage that actually exceeds Kuwait and stretches as far back as the Persian Empire. It defines our cultural roots and the inherited roots of our ancestors as well.

108 www.thecitym.com

Tell us about the different breeds of falcon that you keep and their various hunting capabilities.

I have a first-grade Lanner Falcon; a Shami Falcon; a Persian Falcon; a regular Northern Falcon—these are all terms which are wellknown among the falconry community for different breeds of falcon, each of which has a specific, unique set of hunting talents that are optimized for different prey and hunting methods.

How do you train your falcons to become hunters and what are your best general techniques?

Well, in the first stages it’s important for the falconer to develop a relationship with the falcon and for the falcon to be tamed out of it’s wild inclinations to attack and to escape. So, I start with that introductory process and build a relationship with my falcons which eventually becomes so intimate that they will happily and comfortably eat food right out of my hand.

The next step is to train the falcon on a bustard mock-up called a ‘milwah’ which is a string tied

with a pair of bustard wings to help the falcon identify and remember what ‘food’ looks like when he sees it. Then I use small, livestock prey like pigeons and chicken so as to strengthen the falcon enough to eventually land a full bustard, which is considered the heaviest, most prized prey for a falcon.

The best falconers know how to read their falcons and know when they are capable of providing the best game and when they are not. It is a communicative relationship between the falconer and his falcon that usually yields the best result. In order to master the sport of falconry, the falconer must live within his falcon’s eye.

What is the most challenging aspect of training falcons to become master-hunters?

Usually the hatchlings, or the falcons that have been bred domestically as opposed to being caught in the wild, can be very stubborn and it can take a long time to break through to them and build a trustworthy relationship between them and their falconer. Falcons that have been caught in the wild, on the other hand, tend to be a lot easier to train because they already have at least a basic understanding of hunting as they have had to use it to survive in the wilderness already, so it is only a matter of taming that wildness. However, training a hatchling is like

to trying to teach someone a new language or worse yet: trying to teach an illiterate person to read. It can be very frustrating and timeconsuming but, if you do have the patience and the perseverance to break through, the hatchlings usually end up being the most intuitive, most loyal falcons of all.

What are the main differences between ancient falconry and modern-day falconry?

The one main difference would have to be that ancient falconry relied solely on wildly caught falcons which, as I said before, were ready-made hunters who only needed to be tamed and familiarized with their falconer as opposed to being trained in power or precision.

Nowadays, a lot of falcons are domestically bred and undergo selective breeding in order to yield the best hunting results. A lot of times in today’s falconry communities there will be a mixing-and-matching process in the breeding selection so as to hatch a falcon that posses dual capabilities in hunting and, in doing so, makes for a stronger more fully-rounded hunter.

How do you deal with the possibility of losing a falcon during a hunting trip, both emotionally and technically?

Emotionally, it can be very difficult for a falconer to lose track of his falcon during a trip.

In the falconry community, we say ‘you’ve lost your arm’ to those who have lost their falcons.

It’s that close and emotional of a relationship.

When you spend so much time and effort training the bird, caring for it, and familiarizing yourself with it’s unique personality, it’s naturally very difficult to see all that hard work and time spent literally just fly away.

Technically, however, we are very blessed by the use of the latest tracking technologies so that we hardly ever have to encounter such unfortunate occurrences. These tracking devices are now an essential tool of every serious falconer and they greatly minimize the risk of losing your bird.

What does it take to make a truly great falconer?

You might be surprised by my answer but I’ve discovered that the most important trait that a great falconer must have above all other traits is ethics. He must be extremely ethical in dealing with his falcons and in showing them the respect that such a proud and smart animal deserves. Falcons have a unique ability to remember betrayal, so a falconer must make absolute certain to never break that bond of trust between him and his bird. There are a lot of falconers who, unfortunately, believe that they must break their falcons by degrading them or hitting them, which is very wrong and unethical. While these methods may subdue a falcon temporarily (they might also incite attack), they will never be able to build a truly compatible relationship built on trust with their bird. Falconers and falcon breeders are responsible for the well-being of the falcons they hold captive and so they must truly love them and care for them. Those who practice the falconry sport for pure prestige or dominance will never be great falconers by any means.

www.thecitym.com 109

Khalil Al-Hamar khalil.alhamar@edges-kw.com @khalilalhamar

Gadgets More About Moto G Motorola Moto G has been dubbed as the best value smart-phone on the planet. It boasts of a stellar screen quality, good battery life, a colourful array of choices for exterior design, and and interchangeable cases available for those who just can’t make their minds up. Provided with either 16 and 32 GB of storage, the Moto G comes in at some very reasonable prices with a lot of high-quality perks that far outweigh the cost.

GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

CDMA 800 / 1900 - CDMA version

3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - CDMA version Announced 2013, November

Status Available. Released 2013, November DISPLAY Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Size 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.5 inches (~326 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes

Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3

USB Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB Host CAMERA Primary 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality

Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama

Video Yes, 720p@30fps, stereo sound rec., HDR, check quality Secondary Yes, 1.3 MP FEATURES OS Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat) Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 400

CPU Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7

GPU Adreno 305 Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass

Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Browser HTML5

Radio FM radio

GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

Colors Black (front panel), 7 color options (back panel)

APPS:SMOKEE

Smokee is a new photo editing app available in the appstore with some pretty distinguished, nifty capabalites. With more filters like Color Splash, Paint, Draw, and Sketch you can add a bit of texture and original personality to each image. Plus you can also add text and frames to photos to make them look more polished or refined. As with many other photo editing apps, photos can be easily imported from your iCloud, your photo gallery, or captured through the app directly.

Muku Shuttr

Bluetooth Remote Control for Camera Shutter

The Muku Shuttr is a remote control shutter release for your smartphone. To pair the Muku Shuttr with your device is as easy and quick as a couple of clicks. You can use it with the native camera app on you iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and your Samsung S4, S3 and notes 3/2, tab3, 10.1, Nexus 4, 5, 7, LG G2, G Pro, G Max, Sony Xperia Z, HTC New One, One X+. Nevermore will you have to worry about things like photo stability or group selfies. The Muku Shuttr is the perfect device companion whenever you need to take a step back from the shot.

KHALIL’S TIPS

“ONLY RECHARGE YOUR PHONE WHEN IT REACHES TO 1-5%, THIS WILL OPTIMIZE THE CHARGING ABILITY OF THE BATTERY AND MAKE IT LAST OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.”

www.thecitym.com 111

Sink or Swim

Diving into the deep unknown is a concept that frightens and stuns many of us when we face it up close; but diving in is exactly what Faisal Al-Mosawi had to do, both literally and figuratively. Rendered partially paralyzed by an unfortunate car accident that cost him the use of both his legs and his lower-motor skills, Faisal found solace and recovery in the unlikliest of places: the deep, unabiding blue.

112 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 113

To me, every dive that I take is a personal achievement; every time I surge deeper into the water is a victory.

@alm0sawii Photographer:Abdulrhman Al-Yousef Tell us a little about yourself and the nature of your disability.

My name is Faisal Al-Mosawi. I have a B.A. in Finance, a diploma in Network Engineering, as well as a number of certificates in finance, investment, and accounting. My disability was the cause of a car accident that resulted in Hemiplegia or half-bodied paralysis.

When and how did your interest in deep-sea diving really begin?

My interest in diving honestly started at a very young age but I never had the courage to take it up because of my fear of water. My interest in diving re-introduced itself and became much higher after my disability and I became

114 www.thecitym.com

@alm0sawii very adamant about learning it in spite of its difficulty to a disabled person. I worked hard at it and kept working on it until I’ve mastered it and become a professional deep-sea diver.

How has diving helped you to better acclimate with and accept your disability?

One of the most helpful and important tool that anyone with a disability can use to help strengthen their body and begin to lead a normal day to day life is sports and exercise.

It’s important to maintain the size and the suppleness of the muscles, the elasticity of the joints, and to avoid getting overweight.

In that way, diving and swimming has helped me very much both to keep my body fit and healthy, as well as to keep me positive of my

own abilities. It is actually a well-known fact among doctors that swimming and watersports can, in many ways, heal over half of all physical illnesses.

What is your daily exercise routine like?

I go to a regular gym (not one specified for the disabled) and do some intensive weightlifting to strengthen both my upper and lower body, but most importantly my upper body in order to allow me to dive with the most ease and control as possible. I then do some Swedish Exercises followed by some physical therapy exercises which generally follow the Swedish method. Finally, I swim continuously in the pool in order to exercise all of my body’s muscles efficiently then I sit in the Jacuzzi to allow those overworked muscles to relax and loosen.

How does it feel to represent Kuwait, as being the first disabled diver in the Middle East and Asia?

It is an indescribable and beautiful feeling to see your name and your effort recognized the

world over and it is all the more fulfilling to know that I am raising the name and the colors of my country’s flag high with my own modest achievement. It is a true moment of pride and honor that I feel, knowing that I have humbly made a contribution to Kuwait’s illustrious name.

How did you join the Kuwait Dive Team and what have been your athletic achievements both on the national and international level?

Well, I got in contact with the Kuwait Dive Team and I inquired about the possibility of my joining after explaining the nature of my disability. They accepted my application just as they would any able-bodied diver, during which time I underwent both a practical and theoretical examination, both of which I easily passed.

As far as my achievements go, I am the first disabled diver to receive several international diving licenses from PADI: the #1 international diving organization in the world. I am also the first disabled diver to dive in the 5th best, deepest dive-spot in the world on Sipadan Island in Thailand and raise the Kuwaiti flag beneath it’s depths. I have also accumulated enough diving hours to certify me as a fully professional deep-sea diver.

What is your source of inspiration and perseverance in spite of all the difficulties that your disability brings you?

It is a self-taught and self-found feeling of personal challenge to beat all the daunting obstacles which stand before me, and all the disappointing circumstances that my disability brings with it. To me, every dive that I take is a personal achievement; every time I surge deeper into the water is a victory.

Have you come across anyone who has tried to stand in the way of your progress?

Unfortunately, I have. However, this kind of opposition gives success an even sweeter taste for me and is living proof that I am actually heading in the right direction. A lot of my opposition unfortunately comes from other able-bodied deep sea divers who are not disabled and who, in their opposition, prove that I am a worthy competitor of theirs and of other able-bodied divers in spite of my disability. They may not realize it but the more they try to stand in my way the more drive and ambition they give me to achieve and succeed.

Any words of encouragement to all those who seek that final push to follow their dreams?

A rule I live and honor myself by is that the word ‘impossible’ is only a word that the weak believe in. Circumstances are not excuses. You can make the best of every situation and you can find a way to use your weaknesses and turn them into strengths instead. There are no missed opportunities and no closing doors— only better opportunities and greater callings.

You just have to have the will, the patience, and the strength to find them.

www.thecitym.com 115

theAUTO

By Hisham

Take a second to feast your eyes on this stunner. Let your eyes slowly and meticulously go over every seamlessly contour and every enticing detail of the Corvette Stingray C7.

The visual power of this beast alone (made even more powerful when witnessed in reality) is a sight to behold. You know that whenever this thing of beauty rolls through, everyone else just kind of stops and stares. The arrival of the Stingray is, by and large, an event in it’s own right.

116 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 117 Photographer: Ebrahim Al-Awadi

Now, for all that drama and all that fine craftsmanship I’m sure you’re expecting a gigantic, off-the-charts price tag setback.

I mean, this specimen of near-perfect machinery rivals the likes of the highest ranked sports automobiles on earth! This has to be worth 100,000 or 50,000 KD minimum, right?

Wrong. It turns out that, for the low-low price of KD 25,000, you can have your very own Corvette Stingray C7 imported right into Kuwait for a budget half as much as you would expect of some other namebrands. The Corvette Stingray could very well be the number one sports car bargain of 2014!

Now, don’t start thinking that Chevrolet cut around any corners to accommodate that affordable price tag. Absolutely not. The allnew C7 Corvette is still as fiery and smooth as it ever was—perhaps even more. It’s outfitted with the new LT1 V8 engine that produces a heart-thumpingly strong 466hp.

That number easily puts it over the top as the most power-hungry and power-capable Corvette to ever land on the market.

I swear, your passenger will be either screaming from fear; from adrenaline happiness; or a mixture of somewhere

118 www.thecitym.com

between the two. The Corvette Stingray C7 is so fast and powerful that I have serious cause to believe that it could turn the world against it’s axis if it wanted to.

Besides these massive power upgrades, you’re also looking at a state-of-the-art underlying technology system that will be sure to make your life behind the wheel easier in every conceivable way. The feel and look of the interior has also seen a major change for the Corvette which now has the style and the finesse to match even the European automobile royalty.

To get down to the nitty-gritty of the underhood specifics, the new 6.2-litre V8 is truly up to par with the highest make standards. It also boasts of a direct injection and cylinder deactivation for maximum efficiency, continuously variable valve timing, and about 10 million hours of computational analysis in its design.

The real amazing feat of physical genius is the aforementioned 466 hp and the 464lb ft of torque, which this vehicle that weighs less than 1,500 kg can produce! It is a mind-blowingly and pleasantly surprising marriage of agility meets power; of work meets play.

www.thecitym.com 119

the VIBE

The only thing better than an elegant, well-spent night of entertainment and classy company is an equally fulfilling and meaningful night of giving and awareness. In support of Markaz 21's fight against autism, Bayan Dental held a decadent night of impeccable company and entertainment to raise funds for the cause and introduce their new charity offer, Veneers 21, in which 10% of all veneer procedures at Bayan Dental will go towards Markaz 21's valiant cause. Beautiful memories, with beautiful gatherings, for beautiful causes!

120 www.thecitym.com

Veneers 21

www.thecitym.com 121

the VIBE

Armani Jeans Spring/ Summer 2014 The new ‘Made in the World’ project by Armani Jeans is a limited edition collection that celebrates denim as a cross-sectional garment uniting worlds and cultures. The collection is made up of three iconic matching jeans and shirts, sold separately, made respectively in Italy, Japan, and the USA. For each pair, the supply chain may be traced entirely in the country of origin, from weaving to production.

On sale from November in 1981 items per pair, to celebrate the year in which Armani Jeans was first launched, each garment is trimmed with the flag of its country. The Italian shirt is made entirely of selvedged denim and comes with a bandana.

COACH LAUNCHES SPRING 2014 GLOBAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN Coach, Inc., a leading marketer of modern, classic American apparel, shoes and accessories, announced the launch of its Spring 2014 global advertising campaign. The campaign heralds the continued evolution of Coach into a global lifestyle brand and brings a new sense of attitude to the fashion company. Spring ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes and accessories are showcased in a heroic way against the backdrop of Manhattan’s urban landscape—a nod to the brand’s New York roots that provides a stark contrast between the glamorous wares and city street-scape. An expanded cast of globally recognized models is a key component of the spring campaign with new faces offering a fresh take on the modern Coach man and woman. Once again, Coach tapped fashion icons Liu Wen, Karlie Kloss and Will Chalker as well as recognizable newcomer Freja Beja Erichson. Innately cool, Erichson brings a fresh look and edgy energy to the brand’s sophisticated aesthetic, appealing to youthful and more global consumer bases.

122 www.thecitym.com

GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVÉ SPRING/ SUMMER 2014 NOMADE Nomade is a woman who is interested in the world, who is able to see through curious eyes. She’s a woman who has wandering thoughts and memories of adventures in cities and cultures, who desires a constantly renewed beauty.

Giorgio Armani dedicates this most sophisticated of collections to this woman and her search: a surprising combination of the simplicity of typical Armani shapes and decorative richness, which reconstructs the surface of fabric with all-over embroidery employing shimmering Miyuki bugle beads. Men’s necktie fabrics enhance the rigor of embroidery, composing patterns and multiplying them in majolica tile-like designs.

Exclusively made lace crinoline rests on silk embroidered with micropatterns and microdots that are a remarkable feature of the collection. Along with a crest and rosette, applied embroidery featuring elements such as brooches adorns bodices and necklines. Very often sandals reveal the whiteness of the foot and give balance and freshness to long skirts.

GIORGIO ARMANI MENSWEAR Spring/Summer 2014 Opposites interconnect, contrasts find an unprecedented harmony. Genres fuse together to reach a new equilibrium. Sportswear becomes a thread that runs throughout the entire collection, which combines the finest materials with sporty details.

The result: an image of technicality that is mixed throughout the collection with abandon.

A metropolitan feel of rigour is evident in shapes that are sleekly refitted, including slimmer pants that lend freshness to the look. Eccentric intersections of black and white are interrupted by tones that are bright yet not extreme. Armani’s interpretation of colour plays on materials, featuring reticulated effects, jacquard textures and trompe l’oeil.

www.thecitym.com 123

124 www.thecitym.com

www.thecitym.com 125