Int
About The Cover Zaina Al-Humaidhi, a local shutterbug, has an amazing habit of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, and our December cover, which was shot from her travels in Jaipur, India, is a prime example. Zaina confesses it was “just a random shot” and says, “I had just bought the umbrella from one of the people selling them at the old palace we were visiting, and I was in love with the vibrant colors.” We love it as well, and you can read more about her and see more of her inspiring work in this issue!
Seems like only yesterday I was planning my summer vacation. Yet here we are, suddenly in December, with 2015 right around the corner. In what has become a yearly ritual (sort of a comedy of the absurd), it’s time to discuss and plan one’s new year resolutions, which are almost always the best way to set oneself up for failure and disappointment with grand promises and ideas that are almost guaranteed to fail. If they were easy or achievable, why put them off until January of the next year? Besides, who the hell wants to start anything new and difficult while it’s cold and rainy and it gets dark quickly? I can honestly think of nothing more depressing than trudging off to the gym while it’s cold and dark, whether it’s early in the morning before going to work (can you imagine stepping out into the cold after that post-workout shower?), or after work on the way home, when you’re tired and all you want to do is remain comatose on your couch going through the menus on Talabat.com. What other resolutions are amongst the more popular ones I hear (or commit to) every January? “I’m going to stop smoking on the first of January.” Sure you are. While you’re grumpy, hungover, and depressed that you just got back from another over-expensive holiday that changed nothing in your life whatsoever, and still need to pay an outrageous roaming bill, since they got you once again.
The bazaar team...
Before we get depressed over those failed resolutions, us bazaar peeps would much rather end this year with a bang! Firstly, we interview some of Kuwait’s captivating stars: Mai Al Nakib, who truly made Kuwait proud when she recently won the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s First Book Award for her moving collection of short stories, The Hidden Light of Objects, and the always hilarious George Tarabay, an engineer, standup comedian, poet, voice-over artist, and blogger, but you may know him best as MC and star on the radio in Kuwait.
Staff Writer
We never seem to run out of creatives in Kuwait to feature, and this month we spotlight some more inspiring women such as Zaina Al-Humaidhi, the local shutterbug, who captured our vibrant amazing cover for this issue, and who showcases her skill of turning everyday mundane items/situations into a piece of artistic beauty, and Leah Khalil, whose mesmerizing henna designs meld the traditional with her imagination to give them a unique and modern twist. bazaar is nothing if not a fan of the mighty burger, and this month we give some more great options for the other burgaholics among us when we visit and taste the delights at Humble Burger, Dukkan Burger, and also the new home of Junkyard and Elevation Burger… but don’t stop at their burgers – we were spoiled for choice, and believe us when we say that when it comes to these places, there is never too much of a good thing! This month, we have also bowed to the masses and decided to end 2014 by taking the cake – the cupcake of course – when we took to the streets of Kuwait for our Great Cupcake Hunt! Speaking of food, don’t forget that the annual infamous bazaar Dining and Delivery Guide 2015 is coming out soon, and will be available all over Kuwait from January onwards. Be sure to grab a copy as quickly as possible, since they literally fly off the shelves, or if you prefer, you can download it onto your smartphone or tablet for even more convenience. And on that final note for 2015, from bazaar to you all, Happy Festivus, for the rest of us!
Ahmed El-Adly
Boss
Syndicates and Sources
Ahmed El-Adly
Fast Company LA Times MCT International Slate The Japan News Tribune Media Services USA Today Variety News Service Washington Post
Operations Rebecca Sweetman
Business Development Ihab Mokalled
Design Padmini Chandrasekaran
Staff Writer/Social Media Yasmine El Charif
Staff Writer/Online Media Amira Haroun Sarah O. Wali Brook McClurg Kiko Al-Zaidan
Communications Hala Y. Sharara
Editor
Printing British Industries for Printing and Packaging members of:
w w w. b p aw w. c o m No one likes to be dumped;
recycle me, please.
The views expressed in bazaar magazine are those of the respective contributors and not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff (but sometimes they are).
A. Al-Duaij
Contributing Writers Ayman Nassar Bibi Al-Falah Deepa Pant Heena Parkar Jamie Etheridge Liltera R. Williams Loaay Ahmed Lulua Al-Osaimi Michelle Johnson Mike Campbell Mohammed El Soukkary Omar Khalil Patrick Makhoul Reshmi Revi Strawberry Girl Dr. Susannah J. Schuilenberg
Photographers Celeste Altamiranda Chris Close Timothy Carr
tel. 24610017 – fax 24610018 info@bazaar-magazine.com w w w. b a z a a r - m a g a z i n e . c o m facebook.com/bazaarmagazine t w i t t e r. c o m / b a z a a r t w e e t s instagram.com/bazaargram