bazaar march issue 2014

March 2014 | Issue # 180 www.bazaar-magazine.com

PORS

SCHE

2014 Ford Trucks

Designed for Durability.

Get into a Ford truck and you will instantly realize why it is ideal for your rugged lifestyle. It handles smoothly both on the road and in the desert. It has ample payload and towing capacity for whatever you need to haul. Test drive a Ford truck and you'll discover why America's best-selling truck for 37 years has been a Ford truck.

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F-150 RAPTOR

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TRUE OUTFITTERS MODERN AMERICAN STYLE The

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Simplify your life

Intr Smartphones. Dumbpeople. Yes, I know that’s quite a controversial statement to make, but to be honest, I’ve had it. Peoples’ mobile phones are literally glued to their hands and everyone walks around not even looking at where they are going anymore. I went to Dubai recently for work, alone, without the wife and kids, so had the perfect opportunity to people-watch, since I wasn’t running around chasing my own little people. Every single person in the airport lounge in Kuwait, and on the plane before they were ordered to turn them off, and in Dubai airport, and on the metro, was doing the same thing. Last weekend, here in Kuwait, on Gulf Road, I swear I saw a guy on his Harley with his iPad mounted in front of him, driving around while watching what appears to be a movie.

And of course all of us have admired the oft-suggested but rarely implemented policy of turning our mobiles off, or placing them face down on the middle of the table when we go out for dinner, and whoever caves in and checks their phone has to pay the bill.

How many times have you actually done that? The other day I went to the doctor and he checked his smartphone at least six times during my consultation. At one point I feared he might be checking my symptoms using Google. And don’t even get me started on selfies. I honestly don’t give a damn what you look like when you pout into your rear view mirror acting all coy. C’mon people. I think we all need to make a lot more effort to actually look around us, strike up conversations with other human beings, and to at least be a little more aware of our immediate surroundings instead of just frantically trying to keep up with timelines and pictures of the latest food craze.

The bazaar team...

Speaking of the latest food craze, in this issue we feature some of the delicious new eateries that have popped up in Kuwait this year. One which has the town buzzing is Gia, with fresh, guilt-free Mediterranean cuisine, we were instantly addicted. We also divulge the location of a hidden gem, Pizzeria Amami situated in Symphony Mall in Salmiya. If, like us, you cannot get enough cheesy goodness in your life, you just have to try their take on authentic Italian pizza and pastas.

Communications

Foodie quests aside, our March cover doubles as a collectible piece of art as we celebrate the unique work of visionaries Ahmad Al-Ghanim and Bader Alhejailan. What once began as a boutique publication unfolded into a distinctive household brand name that is synonymous with style. In this edition of up close and personal, we meet the original Thouqers—they are trendsters, jetsetters, creatives who enjoy the finer things in life with inimitable flair. Above all, they value and celebrate the importance of home and country through every aspect of their work.

Things are not only heating up outside, but inside bazaar as well! You may have heard about Kuwait Riders Fourth Annual Bike Show where the bike parade rumbled past you last month.

In this issue, we get behind the scenes of the largest event of its kind in the Middle East to give you an inside look at the different clubs, riders and their one unified message.

Lastly, we would like to give a huge shout out to all the moms out there! We hope all moms find time this month to sit with their hot drink of choice and their copy of bazaar, for some uninterrupted relaxation.

Happy Mother’s Day and happy reading!

Boss

Syndicates and Sources

Ahmed El-Adly

Yasmine El Charif

Details LA Times MCT International MIT Review Fast Company Mr Magazine The Japan News Tribune Media Services USA Today Slate Washington Post Variety News Service

Staff Writer

Printing

Brook McClurg

British Industries for Printing and Packaging

Operations Rebecca Sweetman

Business Development Ihab Mokalled

Design Padmini Chandrasekaran

Staff Writer/Social Media

Online Media/Staff Writer Sarah O. Wali

Staff Writer

members of:

Amira Haroun Hala Y. Sharara

Editor A. Al-Duaij

Contributing Writers

w w w. b p aw w. c o m The views expressed in bazaar magazine are those of the respective contributors and not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff (but sometimes they are).

No one likes to be dumped;

recycle me, please.

Ashraf Abdalla Ayman Nassar Carmen Loren Craig Loomis Dr. Susannah J. Schuilenberg Frances Hernandez Heena Parkar Loaay Ahmed Lujain Al-Mulla Mike Campbell Purva Grover Reshmi Revi Sumayyah Meehan Zainab Mirza

Photographers Kulsum Kunwa Padmini Chandrasekaran Sarah O. Wali

Cover Ahmad Al-Ghanim

Ahmed El-Adly

facebook.com/bazaarmagazine

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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

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INDEX MARCH '14

38

32

CAVEBOY GRUBS

A NIGHT OUT WITH…

Put together two avid foodies with a Paleo buff that makes grain, gluten and dairy-free chocolates, cakes, breads and treats, and you have a modern day Caveman menu that is truly delectable. Join us as we meet the amazing team behind the Paleolithic sensation that is Caveboy Grubs.

In this new feature, our correspondent in New York gets to encounter awesome people in what we’ve coined as the bazaar Diwaniya: The US Chapter. We meet web-behemoth Buzzfeed’s editor-in-chief, Ben E. Smith and we explore the ins and outs of managing a website where gifs, jokes, and kittens, reign supreme.

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30

56

OCHO

DESIGN DIWAN

THE FRESHNESS OF GIA

We truly live amongst a generation of trendsetters! Meet business partners and fashionistas Fatema and Yussra as they unveil how it’s the chain, and not the shades, that make a powerful fashion statement. Check out our interview with OCHO designers and founders, and prepare to be inspired to follow your dream.

Developed by the people, for the people. Design Diwan embodies a generation of doers who are looking to change how we view and interact with Kuwait’s ignored public spaces. We meet with founder Shahad Bishara, as she tells us about the monthly Design Diwan talks.

We felt right at home at Gia, the latest eatery that’s got the entire town buzzing with positive reviews. We met with founder and owner Mariam Al-Qatami as she tells us all about how she is building a community of diners that truly appreciates the flavors of rustic, hearty dishes prepared with affection.

64

74 WHEN ARABS UNITE

FYUNKA

In this installation of our musiccentric column, Inside/Out, we catch up with Bahrain’s Mohammed Hasan, a.k.a. DJ Outlaw as he tells us about his latest release, Middle East Invasion: When Arabs Unite.

Throughout his work, he pays homage to the Hip Hop ethos of bringing up those around you and giving talent a voice.

In this month’s fashionality feature, Jeddah-based designer Alaa Balkhy shows us how she puts the ‘funk’ in Fyunka, the quirky fashion accessories line that’s captured the hearts of women across the Middle East. A homegrown brand that emulates fun and femininity, make sure you check out our take on Fyunka’s latest collection.

Gia pg 56

72 THE DARK SIDE OF ENLIGHTENMENT Thuraya Lynn goes underneath her huge smile, thick-rimmed glasses and positivity to explore the darkest parts of her inner soul, and present it on paper. She has found the courage to love everything about herself and the ability to translate it into childlike drawings that pack a punch.

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52

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TRUTH OR DARE

ARTSHOT

Tired of sitting at home, yelling at the kids to be quiet, settle down and stop fighting? Worried that they are becoming zombies with all the hours in front of a screen? We met up with Gemma Burgess, author of the blog Expat Family Q8 who has made it her mission to keep her two year-old entertained and creative.

Got Art? If you can draw or paint there’s a new place to showcase your talent, ArtShot magazine.

Started by students in Kuwait University’s architecture department to showcase hidden talents, it is filled with incredible artwork, tutorials and a passion for all things creative.

THE STORY OF MOTOR BIKING IN KUWAIT

28

We catch up with the guys that organized last month’s Kuwait Bike show to get behind the scenes and find out what biker groups are all about. You may be surprised at how they will change your preconceived notion on riding, motorcycles and your relationship with the road.

90 BAZAAR GOES CRUISING In this beautiful weather, what is better than driving with the top down? Enter the newest Porsche 911, the first Targa to feature Porsche’s state of the art roof technology. With a simple push of a button and punch of the throttle, you are on your way to summer bliss.

MINI

bazaar connect Freedom to find us

30,000 readers

With a bilingual audience of both English and Arabic, we cover everything from what’s on, to the bizarre. We print and distribute 10,000 copies of bazaar every month; each issue is read by an average of 3 people, giving us a total readership of over 30,000. bazaar is published every month (except August), delivered free of charge to a large subscriber database, and also distributed free of charge in all of the following locations: Cafés & Eateries

- Breadz - Burger Hub, Gulf Road - Café Supreme - Al Kout Mall, Al Bustan Mall, Al Safat Mall, Sheikh Saed Aviation Terminal - Cafe November, Kipco Tower, Shuwaikh Market - Casper & Gambini, Kuwait City, Marina Crescent - Chocolate Bar, Al Bida’a - Container 75, Jabriya - Crumbs, Shaab - Dunkin Donuts, Salem Al-Mubarak - Elevation Burger - Haagen Dazs - Souk Sharq, Eureka, Arraya - Jade Garden Restaurant, Gulf Hotel - Johnny Rockets- Opp. Salhiya Complex, - Marina, Salmiya, The Avenues, Alia & Ghalia Complex - Living Room Lounge - Opao - Organica Fish & Chips, Jabriya - P.Q. - The Palms, Marina Mall - November Bakery, Al-Tilal - Hilton Kuwait Resort, The Avenues - Prime & Toast - Al Bida’a, Seif Strip - Scoop-A-Cone - Egaila, Al Kout, Fahaheel - Someday Café - The Early Bird - Fahaheel, Jabriya - Upper Crust - The Village Starbucks Outlets: - Adeliya

-

Airport Mall Al Mowasat Hospital Al Muhalab Al Shaya Head Office Al Zahra Aliya & Ghalia Complex Andalouse Coop AUK Bairaq Mall Baitak Tower Behbehani Complex Bida’a Complex BMW Showroom Daiya Co-op Dar Al Awadi Divonne, Abu Hasaniya Fashion Way Salmiya Hilton Resort Jabriya Jabriya Land Kaifan Khalifa Resort Kout Mall Marina Crescent Marina Mall Mishref NBK Nuzha Co-op Plaza Hawalli Rosa Castle Salhiya Salmiya, Salem Al-Mubarak Salwa Co-op Scientific Center Seif Hospital

members of: www.bpaww.com

-

Shaab Shamiya Co-op Sharq Co-op Sheikha Complex Sheikh Saed Al Abdullah Terminal Shuwaikh Zain Headquarters Souk Salmiya Souk Sharq The Avenues The Palms Hotel

Clinics & Hospitals

- Al Mubarakiya Dental Clinic - Egaila, Salmiya - Al Safat American Hospital - Boushahri Clinic - Dasman Diabetes Institute - Diet Care Center - International Clinic - Maidan Clinic - Fahaheel, Farwaniya, Hawalli, Sharq, Subah Al Salem - Kaizen - Salam Hospital - Seif Hospital - Soor Center - Taiba Clinic - The Cosmetic Surgery Clinic

Hotels & Health Clubs -

Al Corniche Club Crowne Plaza, Farwaniya Hilton Kuwait Resort & Spa Holiday Inn, Salmiya, Fawaniya Inspire Pure Fitness Pilates & More - Salmiya, Mahboula Spaloon

- The Palms Beach Hotel - The Yoga Center

Malls

Arraya - Haagen Dazs Marina Mall/Crescent - Casper & Gambini - Chocolate Bar - Johnny Rockets - P.Q. - Paul Souq Sharq - Starbucks - Haagen Dazs - Breadz The Avenues - Johnny Rockets - Paul - Starbucks Airport Mall - Starbucks Dar Al Awadi - I.O. Center Spoons - Chocolate Bar Salhiya Complex - Starbucks

Stand Alones

- Brush Salon - Dar Al Funoon - Gallery Tilal - Jacques Dessange Salon, Shaab - Kuwait Airport Business Class Lounges - Landmark - Al Rai café, Fahaheel, Salmiya - London Limos - N Style Nail Lounge - Pink Moon Boutique - Sultan Gallery - That AlSalasil Bookstore - Airport, Marina, Salhiya, The Avenues - THE One - TIES Center - TXP Window Tints

Schools & Universities -

American University of Kuwait Australian College Kuwait Boxhill College BSK - British School of Kuwait Universal American School

Kuwait University -

Starbucks Starbucks Starbucks Starbucks

Khaldiya Adeliya Jabriya Shuwaikh

- 4 Boutique - Alghanim Marine - Alghanim Showrooms - Safat Al Rai, Shuweikh, Sharq, Fahaheel - Beautylicious

bazaar magazine has been a member of BPA Worldwide since June 2010, ensuring complete transparency, verifying bazaar as an audited publication which distributes 10,000 copies on a monthly basis. To access our BPA report, please visit: www.bpaww.com or log onto our website www.bazaar-magazine.com for a downloadable pdf version.

Freedom to surf us

28,000 monthly visitors

www.bazaar-magazine.com

In addition to our monthly magazine, our free-access website gives us the ability to reach an even broader audience, with an average number of 28,000 unique visitors. Packed with our articles covering entertainment, art, local happenings, music, movies, fashion, interiors, health, and interviews with the people responsible for said genres, bazaar‘s website will not disappoint.

Freedom to share us

10,000 fans and followers twitter.com/bazaartweets

facebook.com/bazaarmagazine

instagram.com/bazaargram

We get even closer to our readers by taking advantage of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels on a daily basis. With more than 8,000 fans and followers, we love starting different conversations with our readers, sharing music, jokes, photos, competitions, and much more. Twitter gives us the ability to tweet live from the many fun and exciting events that we cover, giving our readers minute by minute coverage and commentary, and allowing us to follow the people and brands that we like too, of which there are so many.

Freedom to flip us

40,000 monthly readers

issuu.com/bazaarmagazine

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

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GSTAR

G-Star Raw Store Kuwait City - The Avenues Mall Groundfloor Unit 201, 5th Ring Road, Al Rai Area Operated by Al Mutawa & Al Khatib

what’s on?

ONE WORLD ACTORS CENTER: Presents 3rd Annual Shakespeare Festival production of: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING written by William Shakespeare WHEN: March 13 and March 14, 2014 BOOKINGS AND INQUIRIES: Phone 6091 1712 or email: bookings@oneworldactorscentre.com.

GALLERY TILAL EXHIBITION: By artist Mohamad Al Ameri DATES: March 2 – 13, 2014 Color has a tune, like music; it can be both seen and heard. Jordanian artist Mohamad Al Ameri is fascinated by colors, their brightness and hues. He has adopted abstract-expressionism as his style.

This approach surpasses the natural boundaries and the physical reality in pursuit of infinity and absolute.

Since 1983, Ameri has held 15 solo exhibitions in Jordan and abroad (In Germany and Dubai).

Gallery Tilal is located in Shuwaikh, Jahra Road, Tilal Complex, M3-M4, Gallery Tilal. For more information call 2225 6101 or visit www.gallerytilal.com. You can also follow them on Instagram or Twitter @gallerytilal.

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THE SULTAN GALLERY EXHIBITION: L’ESPIRIT DU MUR - The Walls by KRM DATES: Exhibition runs March 26, 2014 until April, 24, 2014 10am - 4pm. Opens March 25.

L’ESPRIT DU MUR is a concept and style of painting created by KRM, the French-German artist duo Chérif and Geza.

Together KRM create imaginary walls on wood. Their concept and style ESPRIT DU MUR is a rebel, urban art, based on human tragedy and the complexity of existence. The ESPRIT DU MUR reveals a portrait of city-life and freely expresses interior contradictions, suffering and joy. Their work is iconoclast, based on overlapping images, words and impulsive gests. Working with four hands on the same piece defines the duo’s working process and makes their confrontation authentic. The sacred art doesn’t exist; they overlap each other until fragility is stabilized. The final result is an assembly of color, emotions and different techniques. The work witnesses a contemporary actuality and treats social-political subjects and questions.

For more information on KRM, visit: www.geza-cherif.com. The Sultan Gallery is located in South Sabhan, Block 8, Street 105, Building No. 168. You can contact them on + 965 24714325 Ext. 110 ; or 60970001; sultangallery1969@gmail.com or visit their website: www.sultangallery.com.

CAP GALLERY EXHIBITION: KEEP AN EYE ON THE WALL DATES: Opening March 12, 2014, 7-9pm. Runs March 13, 2014 – April 17, 2014 A little over ten years ago, the Israeli state began erecting the Separation Wall. Since then, the lives of Palestinians has further deteriorated: international law has been violated, and free movement has been refused to the entire population, intensifying suspicion, hatred and bitterness between Israelis and Palestinians, who were already profoundly isolated from one another.

It is therefore urgent to ‘keep an eye on the wall’.

In this exhibition, five photographers look at the wall in unexpected ways. Their views decipher the wall, circumvent it; even shift it, imparting it with another presence in order to resist it. We are convinced that aesthetic subjectivity can lead to new forms of political action. Taysir Batniji, Rula Halawani, Raeda Saadeh, Steve Sabella, and Kai Wiedenhöfer visually interpret the wall in its complexity and its violence, real and symbolic.

With acuity of vision, their multiple viewpoints, which transcend the wall’s simple physical presence, question the economic, geographical, social and cultural consequences of the wall.

Whether they are exploring the layers and textures of a wall in Gaza, closed gates around Jerusalem or a using the wall in a dream-like setting, the photographers open a space here for debate.

Contemporary Art Platform (CAP) is located in Kuwait Industrial Shuwaikh Block 2, St. 28, Life Center. Ph 2492 5636.

+ 965 2530 9618

360 MALL, LEVEL 1

ELIETAHARI.COM

ELIE TAHARI

what’s trending As much as we work our hardest to give you one rocking print issue after the other, we’re socially active (or try our best to be, we are bazaar humans after all) and we love it!

Find us online: It makes our day when we see your tweets/mentions/likes/comments/shares about your favorite features and more. facebook.com/bazaarmagazine

what: muttbombing.com info: Photo initiative that promotes pet adoption editor’s note: Surprise a friend with a #muttbombing!

twitter.com/bazaartweets

pinterest.com/bazaarmagazine

what: Ecru Online info: Local lifestyle brand launches online portal editor’s note: Artisanal hand-made goodies for the home.

instagram.com/bazaargram

what: @fashiliciousKW info: Monthly subscription of beauty samples editor’s note: Check out the hashtag #fashboxkw for more samples!

START READING! Scan to read full digital issue. what: @nagsha_ info: Design initiative bringing Middle Eastern crafts to NY editor’s note: Visit danahabdal.com for more info.

what: @JourneyKitchen info: Food & Lifestyle photographer- journeykitchen.com editor’s note: Did we mention she’s an awesome cook?

26

issuu.com/bazaarmagazine

what: @BonMr info: Professional Kuwaiti photographer delivers quirky photos editor’s note: Imaginative photos with social commentary.

what: @amatraveller info: Follow this extraordinary travel blogger editor’s note: Amazing for inspiring travel locations.

what: @infusionskw info: Homemade infused butter spreads and dry rubs editor’s note: The lemon infused butter is our latest #addiction.

The Avenues Tel: 22597563 - 360 Mall Tel: 25309989

LA MARTINA

KUWAIT - MILANO - ROMA - ST. TROPEZ - SANTO DOMINGO - LAS VEGAS - BUENOS AIRES

truth or dare

NO MORE BORED CHILDREN Gemma Burgess channels her child’s energy into her blog: ExpatFamilyq8 by bazaar staff

At the start of Ramadan last year, Gemma Burgess found herself seven months pregnant and stuck at home with a very energetic toddler.

The summer heat prevented her from enjoying outdoor activities, and the month’s shortened business hours left her family with few options for air-conditioned outings.

New mothers will be quick to tell you that finding creative ways to entertain your child is very difficult. The easy way out is to employ an electronic babysitter, and have them sit quietly in front of the iPad or television for hours. Yet, as a former KG teacher, Gemma knew Oscar needed stimulating activities that encourage good behavior, get creative juices flowing or teach him something new.

So, in late July Gemma posted a welcome message to the site expatfamilyq8.com that would be the start of an inspirational project for parents in Kuwait and around the world. Over eight months Gemma has provided a plethora of activities to do with children including easy to make recipes, craft projects as well as providing reviews of the best playgrounds in Kuwait.

We met up with Gemma for a chat in a local Starbucks. Oscar quickly realized that the stranger was about to take up much of his mommy’s time.

Rather than get bored and complain, he turned a simple coffee napkin into a world of possibilities as he placed it on the floor to play magic carpet, and happily entertained himself.

For the new mom in Kuwait Gemma’s blog is a great directory of the best places to go for art supplies, a day out in the park or an indoor play area. For every mom stuck at home around the world, there is a plethora of creative activities you can engage your child in. With her background in child education, Gemma guides you on the best activities to improve your child’s sensory skills, coordination and vocabulary.

How would your mother describe you in one word?

Hmm...I don’t know. Maybe determined? If I want something I will try my best or work hard to get it.

How would you describe your mother in one word?

Outgoing. She will talk to anyone she meets!

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

This is probably the most insanely difficult question to answer that I have been asked!

What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?

Moving to Kuwait!

What is your theme song?

Bob Marley - Three Little Birds. ‘Cause every little thing is gonna be alright.

What word in the English or Arabic language do you wish you had invented?

Happiness or Love.

Where would you like to live? What is your dream retirement location?

I would love to live in America for a little while some 28

point in the next 10 years. And my ideal retirement location would be somewhere in Europe - maybe Italy or Spain. The pace of life is nice and relaxed, the food is delicious and the people are friendly.

And of course the beautiful sunny weather!

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

‘Enjoy the little things in life ...for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things’ What animal best describes the kind of partner you’d be interested in?

Probably a dog - fun, playful and loyal.

What do you miss about your childhood?

Having no worries and being carefree. Days were all about playing and having fun!

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

I wouldn’t change it. I used to hate my name when I was younger but it has grown on me as I have gotten older.

How would you describe your handshake in one word?

Friendly.

What is the toughest part of your character?

Having two young children I have learnt to

survive and get by on VERY little sleep!

Who is your favorite historical figure?

Princess Diana.

What in the world do you least desire?

I really dislike it when people expect that things or money should be handed to them without having actually worked for it.

What do you think is lacking in the world, which if there was more of would make the world a better place?

Acceptance. People accepting that we are all different and have different likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and beliefs.

Why do you think most girls/guys like you?

I don’t know...I would say that I am friendly and approachable?

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

Children. Watching your children laugh, love and enjoy themselves brings happiness that cannot be described.

For more information visit expatfamilyq8.com, or connect with them on Facebook or Instagram @expatfamilyq8.

GAP

Lina Scheynius, photographer. Lives in the white shirt. facebook.com/gap

DESIGN DIWAN

By the people, for the people by bazaar staff

We are a generation of doers. Rather than choosing complacency, we see the youth taking control of their destinies, environments and more importantly the future that they see for Kuwait.

That’s what Shahad Bishara, founder of Design Diwan, is looking to do. An arts and design fiend, she couldn’t help but notice the shroud of negativity that surrounds the local arts and design scene. Instead of embracing the negative, she’d rather build, and invites us all to do the same by participating in a monthly Design Diwan talk.

Diwan translates from Arabic into council, and that is essentially what Design Diwan is, a diwaniya in the traditional sense and a covenant where art lovers discuss matters pertaining to the local arts scene in a positive and constructive manner. Shahad tells bazaar, “Rather than criticize Kuwait, we are tired of pessimism. We are here to make a difference, taking an aspect of our society that is essentially always criticized, and turning it around into an amazing project.” Coordinated with the assistance of Abdullah Al Harmi from Kuwait’s National Council, the initiative came to life after a long period of wait on Shahad’s end. She’s had her proposal for Design Diwan ready for years, and was waiting for an opportunity to arise.

With a background in graphic design, and a career that merged between fashion, design and marketing, Shahad knew that she belonged in the realms of art and design. Currently working at Kuwait’s beloved art institution, Dar Al Funoon, she organizes the monthly Design Diwan meetings at Kuwait’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). With regular guest speakers such as Amira Behbehani and Abdullah Al Awadhi, Shahad invites pivotal characters in Kuwait’s art society to participate in the discussions. The Modern Art Museum is an ideal choice as Shahad also hopes to revive the destination by attracting a younger generation of visitors to the location. Design Diwan is a forum that is open to everyone, and attendees vary from the creative, architectural and even business industry. Discussions are set up in a circular format to serve a dual purpose; first, to encourage eye contact between the attendees, and secondly to create a cozy setting that is stimulating when the guest speakers are presenting their views to the group. Upon attending a meeting, you will notice that the chosen topics will beckon you to participate. From the highly debatable topic of graffiti, the involvement of artists in society to the importance of utilizing public spaces by engaging viewers via art, Design Diwan is constructing an impactful path toward change.

Positively influenced by art, she also manages an initiative that combines the formats of a website, blog, online gallery and art store entitled Visual Therapy. The online initiative not only supports the 30

local art scene, Shahad goes above and beyond in constantly updating the website with regional and international art news, as well as participating in various expos that encourage the participation of passersby to create public art. She further explains that her aunt was once an extremely active artist, and serves as an inspiration that reminds her that Kuwait always deserves more.

The ambition behind creating Design Diwan goes beyond the notion of a casual art salon.

Shahad stresses that it is important to achieve a feasible outcome and to elicit change. “At the end of all the diwaniyas, we hope to bring together a dedicated group of individuals and create an outdoor project that speaks to the public spaces we have here in Kuwait.” All of the chosen topics discussed at Design Diwan revolve around public

art, humanizing public spaces, and how we can take back these spaces so that the local population could enjoy them more often. She adds, “We’d love to make these spaces more walkable, more active.

People forgot about these places. We wish to bring this back. One positive way in which we could achieve this is through these talks.” The topics are cohesive; chosen with care to result in a uniform direction that would lead the group toward creating and executing an empowering project by the people for the people.

For more information, follow @DesignDiwan on Instagram, and visit www.visualtherapyonline.com to see Shahad Bishara’s work with the local art community. Want to get involved? Email designdiwan@gmail.com.

YACOB BEHBEHANI

Al Fanar Mall: 25731077 Baitak Tower: 22257908 Behbehani Complex: 22403

a night out with...

BUZZFEED’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BEN E. SMITH bazaar Diwaniya: U.S Chapter by bazaar staff

On a recent winter night, your bazaar correspondent found himself sitting in a crowded hall awaiting Buzzfeed’s Editor-in-Chief, Ben E. Smith, to give an address to a small group of entrepreneurs. Skewing perhaps deliberately as young as their audience, the general tenor seemed to be the anticipation of an Oz-like pulling-back of the grand curtain for some deeper reveal into the cultural web-behemoth that Buzzfeed has become in the last few years.

Your correspondent, envisioning himself as the Toto of this scenario (i.e., actual curtain-puller) vacillated between a decision to do the funniest action he could, on repeat, in an attempt to feign a gif-like resemblance, or ask the final question at the podium in the form of a Top Ten Recap of Ben’s best quotes of the night—with kittens— really, I had brought them just in case!

Either way though, there was a revolt afoot, and you could hear it through the variety of chatter and banter in the audience, all to some degree with a want, it seemed, to look down on the website for their ubiquitous low-brow lists, gifs, jokes and –yes, kittens. Simultaneously, there was an unspoken awareness that in the age of new media, there was something to be learned—even emulated—from it.

So, with the anticipatory sting of Schadenfreude, and the frenzied energy of an elevator pitch (Hire me! Hire me!), the naysayers and the yeah!-sayers, intermingled to the point of anonymity.

Unfortunately for those hoping to have their bloodlust satisfied, Ben turned out to be likable, affable even and nice to boot, plus his parents were there too so I guess we had to be on our best behavior. A clever rouse you say? Perhaps!

With a mostly convivial spirit though, there seemed little to do but delve into the ins and outs of their business. But alas, not, apparently before a detractor or two got a couple of questions in of the trolling variety. However, to his credit, Smith’s responses, either earnestly optimistic or perhaps more just reflecting the practiced messaging of a seasoned politician, stayed on point, agreed to disagree and deftly moved on. Apparently Ben’s days spent on the political beat at Politico have served him well.

Since joining the company in January 2012, Smith has built a newsroom of over 150 reporters and editors, led expansion of over 20 content verticals (think basically different departments divided by type of media or area of focus) and built teams across the world. Under his leadership, BuzzFeed’s coverage has grown to include politics, business, investigative reporting, 32

long form journalism and entertainment. They now have offices in France, Spain, Great Britain, Brazil, and—as of the day of this recent event— Australia as well.

As for Buzzfeed itself, the site numbers are staggering: currently they garner 130 million unique monthly visitors, with a key demographic aimed at 18-34-year-olds. A deeper analysis of the numbers though shows the true spark from wherein all that fire comes: three quarters of all of the traffic that comes to their site, is coming via shares from people like you or I, most often on Twitter and Facebook. Given the previous mention of statistics that means they are getting 97.5 million shares per month, and only 32.5 million organic hits to the site. While that last number would certainly be amazing for almost any website out there, it only goes to show the proof behind the answer that Smith offers for the company’s success. He says essentially that there is nothing particularly special about what they do, no algorithm for success that they have, when it comes to creating content. They simply

create content that they feel people will be proud to share. To this point he adds, “you may go check out a story at the Daily Mail, but you won’t necessarily share it.” The place, however, where they do put more effort than your average other company likely, is that once they see something is gaining traction, they do what they can to make sure it continues to do so.

Smith thinks their key to success is that they look obsessively at data. “Why was one thing shared, and why was another thing not?” These are the analytics that drive them. Whatever algorithms or tricks they have, though, are based about promotion of something that already starts to get legs, as opposed to having that dictate what they actually create to begin with.

By keeping these concerns separate, they feel it allows the content to stay true to the value of creating what they think you will want to share— kittens and all!

You can find them online at www.buzzfeed.com.

Ben E. Smith can be reached on Twitter @buzzfeedben.

MANGO

up close and personal

THOUQ Where art, fashion & design effortlessly collide.

With a bazaar cover that doubles as a collectible piece of art; our March issue celebrates the astounding work of visionaries Ahmad Al-Ghanim and Bader Alhejailan. What once began as a boutique publication unfolded into a distinctive household brand name that is synonymous with style. In this edition of up close and personal, we meet the original Thouqersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they are trendsters, jetsetters, creatives who enjoy the finer things in life with inimitable flair. Above all, they value and celebrate the importance of home and country through every aspect of their work.

34

The art collector becomes the artist Ahmad Al-Ghanim has considered himself an art hobbyist since an early age, and his passion for collecting art preceded his foray into creating remarkable pieces available at the bespoke Thouq store in the old Al-Mubarakiya Souq. From portraits to calligraphy, he was consumed with acquiring art pieces out of sheer amazement. With his savings, he amassed a collection filled with works by established regional and international artists, old manuscripts, and even early sketches by various artists as an investment. In doing so, Ahmad noticed that the art world is not for the thrifty. As an avid museumgoer, he realized the following: Why not create art that is accessible to everyone, with the same caliber of a limited edition, one-of-a-kind art piece? He stated, “Imagine the Zara version of art. It’s beautiful and affordable.”

As an established professional in the creative industry, it was only a natural extension of his vision to create art pieces for Thouq—a brand that, alongside business partner and best friend Bader Alhejailan, he personally invested his

creative energies and passion toward when it came to Thouq magazine, the creative agency and the store. Working closely with a group of friends, Ahmad arrived at creating a huge collection of pop art pieces that spoke to our region. East meets west seamlessly, with iconic stars from both sides of the Atlantic clad in traditional Ghutras, Abayas, Burqas and countless cultural symbols that are purely inherent to our region. Adding a calligraphic spin with humorous statements, the Abaya is once again as highly coveted as an elusive Chanel purse, Coco Chanel fights the evil eye with the palm of her hand (Hassad), Liz Taylor is an oriental princess, and we even see George Clooney sporting the traditional Ghutra.

These are all but samples of a wide-spanning collection that leaves the viewer wanting more, only to find that these pieces are all produced in a limited quantity, which makes Ahmad’s work both distinctive and affordable.

On ‘Cool’ publishing Bader Alhejailan always saw Thouq as a creative platform, yet his vision finally materialized when he

first met Ahmad. Once upon a time the publisher and the artist were only acquaintances, long before serendipity, and a business transaction, brought them together as business partners. Bader said that he’s been in love with the publishing world for as long as he can remember; from interesting fonts, the types of paper employed, to even writing content himself. The young publisher saw amazing potential when Ahmad arrived as a client representative that, not only wanted to advertise in one of Thouq’s quarterly editions, but also believed in what Bader was trying to create at a time when publications looked to the West for inspiration. In choosing the name ‘Thouq’, which translates into ‘taste’ in Arabic, Bader saw that the name transcended the notion of brands, effectively merging the realms of fashion, art and design. He explains, “I felt like our culture needed a conceptual shift. I wanted a name that doesn’t ring with a certain brand, yet echoes with style. I always saw something bigger for Thouq, and I deeply believe that what brought us together was a combined vision.” To this statement, Ahmad replied. “Thouq continued on next page...

35

and I belonged together.”

From there, they went on to accomplish a series of firsts as a quarterly publication.

Stemming from their desire to focus on local talent, they localized every aspect of the magazine such as cover shoots created by locals that highlighted everything that Kuwait and the region had to offer, advertorials organized with Kuwaiti models, designers, photographers and even make up artists. Besides all of that, their ideas were considered crazy and unheard of. Pairing a couture gown with a high street t-shirt, addressing the ‘habba’ obsession that pertains to Kuwait, in a publication, was unseemly to many.

As for the Thouqers, they’ve decided to shed the shackles of the norm and embrace the style of the future. What makes Thouq all the more fascinating is that Bader and Ahmad accomplished this feat ten years ago, sending a powerful message to a budding generation that, today, is changing the face of Kuwait’s arts and fashion scene. On Thouq’s print editions Bader concludes that whatever they brought to the table, 36

...continued from previous page

was a result of Kuwait’s raw talent, “Everyone we featured, and anyone we worked with showed a profound sense of eagerness to simply produce a local idea that delivered ‘coolness’. Thouq, as a magazine, then became a creative platform that we needed to expand beyond print.” Suddenly, it was cool to work in media, be a Kuwaiti model, or even a make up artist.

Thouq; a platform, store and legacy “If anything, Thouq as a publication was a stepping stone. But I have to say, Thouq will always be Thouq,” remarked Ahmad. The ideology shared between these two visionaries never changed.

Whether they communicated this notion via print, retail or even creative consulting, we can definitely state that Thouq today has found its resting place in the old Al-Mubarakiya Souq. As a concept store, Thouq embodies everything that Bader and Ahmad stand for: an artistic vessel that showcases the finest talents in Kuwait and the region, with new items and concepts arriving in store on a weekly basis. Even though many questioned the location desicion of the old marketplace, both Bader and

Ahmad zealously defend their choice with an unwavering conviction: Al-Mubrakiya will once again become a thriving hub for arts, culture, and fashion. They have made this belief their sole mission, and they are making it happen.

Located in South Mubarakiya, or SoMo as the creative duo put it, the Thouq concept store stands amongst an entitled, ‘Thouq square.’ Standing strong for more than a hundred years, the area still echoes with remnants of a bygone era where locals toiled, engaged in commerce, and more importantly met with individuals from all parts of the world. Al-Mubarakiya was once a thriving hub, and it still is, yet it seems that the youth have forgotten about it, instead opting for modern malls and chic outlets. In order to take back the area, Ahmad and Bader actually purchased what will be called Thouq Square, and partnered with a group of young individuals in an effort to revive the area.

Bader commented, “We’ve let out the neighboring stores to different vendors in an effort to bring back that connection between the youth and Al-Mubarakiya.

People need this change, and we wish to celebrate

the area with all of its glory. ‘Cool’ things are going to happen at SoMo, thanks to an amazing generation of young minds.” Essentially, the generation of Thouqers is harnessed by a sense of pride and nostalgia on behalf of Ahmad and Bader.

We see them aspiring for a better future through Ahmad’s artwork, and this twosome’s dream for AlMubarakiya. A shared vision that echoes with class, elegance and inimitable cool in the simplest of ways.

There you have it. You can shop from the High

street, or you could stop by the Thouq store in SoMo for some awesome CASH by Thouq merchandise or an art piece by Ahmad Al-Ghanim amongst many other chic offerings. The concept store embodies everything that Thouq stands for: a home to all things cool and distinguished. When we asked these Thouqers about their fashion line, CASH

by Thouq, Bader responded with laughter, “It’s a humorous twist to what is normally not talked about. Why do people wear brands, it’s because

of cash. So why not just buy something with the word CASH sprawled across it?” Ahmad wickedly added, “After all, cash is the soul’s companion.”

Like everything at Thouq, the merchandise is also produced in limited numbers, but sold at affordable prices. It’s easy to pair a CASH hat with a preppy polo shirt in the mornings and dress up a blazer with a CASH T-shirt in the afternoon. After all, it’s this desire to constantly mix and match that elicits a sense of cool with Thouq.

questionnaire What do you most value in your friends?

Bader: Kindness and their sense of humor.

Ahmad: Love and honesty.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Bader: A sunny day at the beach with a glass of iced tea.

Ahmad: Good health and serenity.

What is your greatest fear?

Ahmad: To lose hope and confidence.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Bader: Prejudice and arrogance.

Ahmad: Lying and deception.

Which living person do you most admire?

Ahmad: My mother.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Bader: Sunglasses and swim shorts.

Ahmad: Work, work, work.

AHMAD

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Bader: Be you. And smile!

Ahmad: CASH! What is it that you most dislike?

Bader: War. Ahmad: Being dull and repetitive.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Bader: Time management.

What would you consider your greatest achievement?

Bader: Thouq.

Ahmad: Art and design.

What is your most treasured possession?

Bader: My beloved limited-edition watch collection.

Ahmad: My art collection.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Bader: My laughter, I guess.

Ahmad: Positivity Where would you most like to live?

Bader: Kuwait in winter. Southern California in the summer.

Ahmad: Santorini Aldhahia.

What are your favorite words to live by?

Bader: Work hard. Look great.

Ahmad: In God I trust.

BADER

Thouq is located in Al-Mubarakiya Souq in Kuwait City. For more information please call 6565 6560 or visit www.thouq.com, and follow @Thouq on Instagram.

37

CAVEBOY GRUBS

Let’s get back to basics by bazaar staff

You’re enjoying a leisurely stroll between the stalls of fresh produce and homemade goodies at Qout Market, only to find yourself suddenly drawn to a swarm of people waiting in line to get into one particular attraction. Decked out in stones and bricks, old pieces of wood and strands of hay streaming from the ceiling, this attraction actually serves as a food hall for Caveboy Grubs, the latest dairy, gluten and grain-free Paleolithic (or Paleo) foodie concept to hit the scene.

Before we quickly move on past the stall while thinking to ourselves, ‘who wants to eat like a caveman?’ we couldn’t help but notice the bliss on people’s faces as they sampled cakes, breads and chocolates. At that very moment, we wanted to be like them and wondered how could dairyfree chocolate exist?

That’s what the Caveboy Grubs team aims to achieve. With gourmands Fadhel Husain, Aziz Ali Almawash and Rami Obeid on hand, Caveboy Grubs is changing the meaning of a Paleo lifestyle, one delectable, yet alternative, dish at a time. Caveboy Grubs’ creations include Paleo Falafel wraps, pizza, carrot cakes, bagels, breads in different kinds, chocolates and much more.

When Fadhel discovered the Paleo lifestyle about two years ago, he threw out all his preconceived notions about dieting, and chose to eat clean for a variety of reasons.

He experienced certain food allergies, and met many more people with even more severe reactions to various ingredients. So he decided to take a closer look at the food he consumed, 38

and came to the conclusion that everything we consume today on a regular basis is severely over processed and is simply bad for us. Never proclaiming himself a preacher, as Fadhel loves food just like the average Joe does if not more, he wished to emulate all of his favorite foods yet in a healthier manner, the Paleo way. He explains, “Paleo food isn’t really a diet, it is a lifestyle and a choice. You don’t follow a program; you simply consume the foods your body is naturally built to handle. This means, no grains, no gluten and even in certain cases, dairy can be problematic to many. I tried it, and noticed a huge difference in my health and experienced a general sense of wellness that I had never enjoyed before.”

Essentially, customers will notice that most of Fadhel’s recipes revolve around incorporating simple ingredients from organic meats, veggies, and even eggs in certain instances.

To all food allergy sufferers, Caveboy Grubs is here to tell you that you are not alone. Getting that sense of fulfillment from food is not reserved to an esteemed few, as food is glorious and should be enjoyed by everyone. Whether or not you keep to a Paleo lifestyle, Caveboy Grubs constantly impresses us with inventive recipes like Chestnut and Tangerine cake. That effort, in and of itself, is one worthy of our admiration.

When we asked the Caveboy Grubs team about their creative booth design, Aziz explains that they take inspiration from nomads, or hunters and gatherers, from all parts of the world. “I took inspiration first from the name, and the type

of food Fadhel offers. Before my involvement, I actually had no idea what Paleo was all about, let alone who our primal grandfathers were!” However, once Aziz tried Fadhel’s recipes, he knew that he’d encountered something completely different and swiftly developed and maintained all the branding elements pertaining to Caveboy Grubs. Fellow team member Rami, shares his sentiment. Responsible for raising awareness about this homegrown brand through the use of social media, Rami equally experienced a drastic change in his lifestyle once he embarked on this foodie journey. He no longer experienced a constant sense of bloating after each meal, and he managed to drop a whopping 15 Kg. We asked Rami about how long it took him to notice a difference in his health and general sense of wellness. “A week.” He stated, “That’s all it takes. Within one week, they way you taste food becomes entirely different and enhanced.”

To ensure that the items offered by Caveboy Grubs are constantly available, Fadhel ensures all of his ingredients are locally sourced, and he’s always up for accepting a challenge to recreate a local favorite in a Paleolithic light.

Supported by his companions and a loving family, as Fadhel’s wife happens to be an amazing cook when it comes to traditional recipes, Caveboy Grubs strives to make Paleo a regular part of everyone’s diets.

For more information about Caveboy Grubs, find them on Instagram @Caveboy_grubs. Call or Whatsapp 9668 7475 for your orders and delivery.

GO SPORT

bazaar health

PROTECTING THE BRAIN

by Dr. Susannah J. Schuilenberg

Many people don’t remember Puddleglum (a Marshwiggle) from The Silver Chair, which is, I think, #6 of the Chronicles of Narnia. I think he’s hilarious. Every time Puddleglum says something, it’s a prediction of doom, an expectation of disaster, or a complaint.

“Good morning, Guests,” he said. “Though when I say good I don’t mean it won’t probably turn to rain or it might be snow, or fog, or thunder. You didn’t get any sleep, I daresay.”

Eeyore, of A.A. Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh series isn’t much better.

The small, blue donkey is like a wet, wool blanket ready to be thrown on any hint of fun, excitement, or adventure; particularly if Tigger is involved.

“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.

“So it is.”

“And freezing.”

“Is it?”

“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”

Literary complainers can be very funny. Real life complainers—not so much. People who gripe, whine, complain, or as my British friends say, ‘whinge,’ are difficult to be around, particularly when this seems to be the only thing they do. Their response to anything is to point out flaws, mistakes, or impossibilities. Some take it even further and develop the habit of making ‘conversation’ by speaking of life as one, big, unsolvable problem.

I’m talking about those people who seem negative by nature, and when solutions are offered in response to a complaint, there is always a reason why nothing will work to resolve the problem. These people are “help-rejecting complainers,” and they are bad for our health.

According to research, being unable to get away from a chronic complainer impacts quality of life and actually begins to “…peel away neurons in the hippocampus.” (Help! My brain is dying!) Furthermore, if we are continually exposed to complaining, e.g., work, school, home, etc., we are much more likely to pick up the behavior ourselves. Not cool.

Most chronic complainers are not interested in solutions. It is the act of complaining itself that is the goal. In that case, other solutions are needed.

1. Give the complaint back. Ask, “What are you going to do about it?”

This puts the responsibility for a solution back on the complainer. Either s/he will respond with possible solutions, which generates a real, productive 40

conversation, or s/he will stalk off in a huff because your response cut off the opportunity to continue complaining.

2. Remove yourself from the conversation. When someone begins complaining, simply excuse yourself. Just like that. Say, “I’m sorry. You’ll have to excuse me, I need to run.” Then do it (not literally. Just walk away). Someone I know often responds to complainers by saying, “All complaints must be in writing and the deadline for submission was last Tuesday.” Then he grins. If the complainer continues, he says, “No, really,” and walks away.

3. Activate your ‘Happy Bubble’ (or “Shields up!”). When it’s absolutely impossible to get away from a complainer, save your neurons and mentally retreat. I imagine myself in a bubble no one else can see and the complainer’s words are hitting the bubble wall and falling on the floor. I nod, and smile politely, (which puzzles the complainer because a complaint is always negative) and as soon as possible, change the subject or excuse myself from the complainer’s presence (see #2).

After reading The Silver Chair to my daughters, they picked up the habit of responding to complainers by repeating Puddleglum’s mantra, (in a laughably sad voice) “And we’re all going to die, I shouldn’t wonder.” Twentyplus years later, in our family, this response is an instant cue that someone is complaining.

“Aversive interpersonal behavior” is a problem for many because a culturally mandated social framework conditions us to “be polite.” Think about it - the rules we learn about being polite will keep us engaged with someone who is breaking those very same rules about politeness!

Complaining is not a socially acceptable behavior; therefore you are not bound by social conventions. Be kind as you extricate yourself from the complainer’s brain-killing clutches - that’s all that’s required.

I don’t know about you, but I like my brain and I want to keep all the neurons I have. Life is too short to listen to complaining.

A Canadian psychologist traveling the world on a busman’s holiday, Dr. Susannah writes about anything that catches her attention. Bossy from birth, compassionate by choice, and funny by accident. You can visit: www. soorcenter.com or follow her on Twitter: @drsusannah.

DAR AL SHIFA

bazaar love/hate

OUR TOP 5 CONFLICTS ABOUT THE GYM by bazaar staff

In Kuwait, the gym is more than just a place you go to get fit: it is a lifestyle. It is a spa retreat; it is your recreation time. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there I supposed you are supposed to workout. In between the traffic to get there, and at the various machines, hangs the balance of your entire health: what is a person to do?

So, here they are, your top 5 irks and worries about the place that is the most lovable hateable, occasionally loath-able and simultaneously fulfilling of them all – your local gym! #5 The Cost – Nobody minds paying for their gym membership when they are successful in their fitness goals; there is practically no price you wouldn’t pay to guarantee that you look and feel great. But when it comes time to renew that annual contract and you are sitting on your couch eating Cheetos from your overweight, bloated bellybutton, it is hard to justify spending money on anything other than potential lipo and a crane to pull you up off the couch. Ahhhh, but the promise! So you renew, because you just know: this is your year. 6-pack abs are just around the corner….and you love that feeling when you do. #4 The Fashion/Image – Your Gym-age – These days, keeping up with all the styles of 42

workout clothes can be exhausting: when did the tattered shirt, headband and cutoff shorts go out of style? Oops, my bad! Girls go in make-up; some guys go with gel in their hair. Seriously, if your pre-workout routine is the same one you use to go out on a Thursday night, you may be guilty of this. Also, as a general rule if you want to go – need to go – but don’t feel fit enough, skinny enough or color coordinated enough, to even get to the gym that will actually allow you to become same, well then you are in the Gym-age worm hole: that bizarre intersection where the gym and image meld into one – oh, the irony! #3 Music – Everybody loves their choice of music. Nobody likes yours. So turn it down buddy.

We get it. You’re into it, congrats. Turn it down! Our only solace in this regard is that you are making yourself go deaf every moment you continue, so in a few years time, when we see you at the gym, all pumped and yoked and music still blaring, I will promise to whisper to you a secret so low that you cannot hear what is said! #win. #2 “I see naked people” – in the changing room. Speaks for itself. Please people, do us all a favor, and cover up. #1 Lack of gym etiquette – Whether you are

not wiping machines down, staying on the cardio machines too long, leaving equipment out, or just having your latest little Algonquin table meeting of the minds around the machine that you are currently not using (while keeping others from being able to), nothing irks more than the lack of etiquette at the gym. It must be so hard to think proper-smart with all that blood rushing away from your brain and into your swollen muscles – we get it! Should you be the one with the lack of etiquette though, you no doubt love it, as you are just you, in a you world where the time is always you-thirty! From the hate of the grunting crowd, to the love, when it is you yelling out for that last rep – perhaps the real love/hate here is just how self aware we are of what we are doing. Ouch!

FREE BONUS: Co-ed gyms – For some of us it is great being around all of the different people… except sometimes just that one creepy guy ruins everything! Here is a hint: if you look around at the gym, and you can’t find him…IT IS YOU! Love/Hate is brought to you by self-loathing gym rats, mid-deadlift, post-sauna, pre-post-pizza celebration! See you there! Next month look out more Love/Hate: Social Media.

‫أكثر رياضية‪.‬‬ ‫سرع‪ .‬أكثر جرأة‪.‬‬ ‫أذكى‪ .‬أ‬

‫‪AUDI‬‬

‫‪ Audi‬سيدان‬

‫مألوف وتتفوق عل‬

‫‪www.audi-ku‬‬ ‫‪w‬‬ ‫معلومات‪ ،‬تفضل بزيارة ‪ ait/a3‬على ‪1811118‬‬ ‫لمزيد من ال‬ ‫لتجربة القيادة‬ ‫ت لحجز موعدك‬ ‫وأوالده للسيارا‬

‫‪A3‬‬ ‫ممت لتتخطى ال‬ ‫لجديدة كليًا‪ ...‬ص‬ ‫‪ Audi A3‬سيدان ا‬ ‫ضورها الرياضي‪.‬‬ ‫يلها التي تعزز ح‬ ‫سبق عصرك مع‬ ‫ألكثر جرأة وتفاص‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ضل تصميمها ا‬ ‫‪ 180( 40‬حصانًا)‪.‬‬ ‫في فئتها بف‬ ‫‪TFSI quattro‬‬ ‫(‪ 180‬حصانًا) و‬ ‫صانًا)‪40 TFSI ،‬‬ ‫‪ 122( 30 TFSI‬ح‬ ‫كة فؤاد الغانم‬ ‫متوفرة مع محرك‬ ‫أو اتصل بشر‬

‫الجديدة كليًا‪.‬‬

‫ى جميع السيارات‬

by bazaar staff

A young man, perched on his motorcycle, came up from behind the car without a helmet. He prepared to do another stunt and the vehicle driver clenched his fist on the steering wheel, heart in throat. In the lane next to him a young lady focused on her phone instead of the road. All it would take is a slight slip of the two wheels or a careless move by the young girl, and the driver could very possibly be part of a fatal accident.

But, for four days in February, a very different type of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts from around the Middle East began to pull into the gravel parking lot adjacent to the Safir International Hotel. The four-day event was coming to an end with a group ride around the city and a final bike show. Hundreds of participants polished their Harley Davidsons, Hondas, Ducatis and BMWs. Everyone wore an armor of leather, and a shiny helmet rested on his or her bike or in their arms while they checked their engines. Road captains and safety officers donned their fluorescent yellow apparel and group members in their clubsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; logo printed vests lined up behind them. They were excited about the ride, but safety was their main concern.

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Mubarak Al Malik of Qatarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eagle riders showcases his customized Harley Davidson and matching helmet with calligraphy-inspired artwork at the Fourth Annual Kuwait Bike Show.

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Customized Harley Davidson Softail submitted by Qatar Riders

Members of the Pharaoh Bikers Club gather around the stage.

Club Presidents gather on stage on the final day of the Kuwait Bike Show “We have to have safety gear, and respect speed limits, traffic lights and junction rules,” said Muhannad Al-Mansouri, founder of Kuwait Riders, who were the main organizers of the event. “If we don’t respect the road the road won’t respect us.”

This is their fourth annual bike show, and the biggest of its kind in the Middle East. Over four days, the group honors riders from all over the region with events, competitions and, of course, the Friday morning parade. Motorcycle riders around the country have gained the support of local businesses, international judges and the Ministry of Interior. With highly organized events, charity work and a unified heightened concern for safety, they are changing the perception of riders across the Middle East.

“We have a rider network from Oman to Jordan,” said Al-Mansouri. “The riders come from all over the Middle East and we’ve got international judges from Europe who organize the European Bike Week.

We want people to go out and enjoy the riding time and enjoy the riding season and come back safely at the end of the day to their families.”

The 3,000+ attendees in the event share a deep love for the ride itself. They treat their bikes like they were second children, and truly only feel free when they are on the road. We asked riders how they would describe riding in one word and most responded with: freedom, love or passion.

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Riding in a group isn’t just about having a great time though. It’s about saving lives. For Jafar Behbehani, owner of TriStar Motors and Academy, and founder of the first biking group in Kuwait, safety is the driving force behind his business.

“All of my customers are like my children,” he said. “You will always have people that misuse equipment. But, the safe riders are the community that set the standard, and it is really stupid to not protect yourself on a bike. Simple as that.”

Behbehani started riding in Kuwait after he completed his university studies in the United States, and eventually was able to turn his hobby and passion for motorcycles into a business that is now the authorized dealer for both BMW and Ducati bikes and the largest supplier of safety and gear with the biggest service center for motorcycle riders.

At first, TriStar was a dealer that provided training services for a few of their customers.

However, by 1997 the demand had grown enough for Behbehani to start TriStar Academy, the country’s biggest bike operation school.

Today, a prospective customer can attend a 10 session training course with the TriStar trainers that will teach them how to handle a bike, the importance of safety gear, maneuvers to avoid road hazards and help the rider obtain a motorcycle license. The team takes great pride in their ability to pair customers with the perfect bike, and their

on-road preventive training. Behbehani personally addresses every bike sale from his dealership and has sometimes even refused customers.

“I have stopped fathers from buying bikes for their sons,” he said. “If he isn’t willing to go out with him and ensure his safety, I will not sell him the bike. It is a responsibility to buy a bike, and the owner has to be up to it.”

Behbehani has personally trained all his children. When he took his son out at 4 years old for his first lesson, he had him padded in safety gear from top to bottom. His son said to him, “Daddy you are dressing me as if I am going to fall.” Seconds after his first pull out, the young rider was indeed, on the floor, thankful for the caution of his father.

Behbehani also focused on improving official road safety. His dealership has been providing the Ministry of Interior with BMW bikes since 1994, and he personally handles safety training for the officers. One of the most pressing safety issues for officers, is catching reckless drivers who don’t adhere to laws and regulations in this country.

“Motorcycles can be confiscated and the driver’s license can be revoked if they don’t wear their helmets,” said Salem Al Rumaid, TriStar operations manager.

According to Al Rumaid, one of the difficulties traffic cops have is stopping the young men on

bikes without helmets, without risking their safety.

Often times those bikes travel at incredibly high speeds to evade the cops. Chasing helmetless could result in a fatal accident. Their heightened level of caution often means perpetrators are able to get away.

One of Behbehani’s greatest contributions to motorcycling in Kuwait is to establish a community that works hard to raise awareness on these issues, and show how fun riding can be. He remembers clearly on March 7, 1992, the Friday after the end of the invasion, when he headed out with his bike to the Radisson SAS, for breakfast, before a morning ride. There, coincidentally, he found a bike he had recently sold, sitting in the parking lot, as the new owner, Ron Jack was also inside having breakfast.

They met and decided to ride together afterwards.

The tradition of breakfast at The Radisson SAS followed by a ride has continued for more than 20 years. It is what Behbehani now considers his Friday morning diwaniya and their most recent breakfast hosted more than 400 riders.

In 1992 Behbehani created the first official bike club in Kuwait, the Desert Stars, and by the next year they made international trips to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf nations.

Before the turn of the century most of the riders were middle-aged men who were very concerned with safety. However as the group grew, so did the variety of bike owners. For younger riders, Ducati bikes, an Italian brand with a focus on racing, were extremely popular. While the motorcycle industry encourages racing on controlled tracks, finding an outlet for their need for speed was difficult.

However after they established the Ducati Club Kuwait in 2006, they could visit tracks in Dubai and now Qatar for high speed thrills on world class tracks.

For roads in the Arabian Gulf, the most popular bike choice is Harley Davidson for which TriStar was a reseller until 2006. By 2000, half of the group owned Harleys because the low seated design is ideal for the straight desert roads of Kuwait and the Gulf. When the company opened its official showroom in 2006, they created the Kuwait chapter of the Harley Owners Group. The international organization, known as HOGS, was established in 1983 in the United States to create brand loyalty, and distinguish the majority of law-abiding bike riders from the rambunctious groups, known as the one-percenters to raise fledging sales.

“There is a difference between the one percenter outlaw bikers and the rest of bikers,” said Hady El Khodary, president of the Egyptian rider group Pharaoh Bikers. “Biking here is for doctors, bankers and businessmen, and safety is our big issue and our main concern.”

While bikers all over the world have left spectators in awe at the awesome power they emit as a group riding down the street, they have also suffered from a stigma brought upon by sensational press and media coverage.

The bad boy reputation was born in the west, and started after World War II when veterans returned home to the US, bored of the monotony of

A 2000 Honda Cb 600 customized to a cafe racer by Tamer Hozayen sits in the Pharaoh Bikers Club’s booth continued on next page...

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The Lebanese-centric Phoenician Club gathers for a group photo in their booth at the Kuwait Bike Show.

A member of Bahrain Riders give his bike a final polish before judging begins.

civilian life. Many had learned to drive motorcycles for use in combat, others had ridden recreationally to relieve the stressful days. By the time they returned home in the late 40s bike racing was a huge sport that attracted more spectators than any other, including the American favorite of baseball.

One city in particular, Hollister, was a hotspot for bike racing. In the summer of 1947, the California town was host to the annual Gypsy Race (comparable with today’s Nascar races). Bikers from around the country were in attendance, and some of the more rowdy bikers took to the town to drink, drag race and cause a disturbance.

According to the International Journal of Motorcycle Studies, “the ruckus did result in some minor storefront damage and at least one misdemeanor arrest for public indecency, but did 48

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Members of the Ducati, BMW and Moto Lady Club gather at the Gulf Hotel for breakfast and a morning ride

not begin to approach the siege that Life magazine portrayed.” The article, titled “Cyclist’s Holiday: He and Friends Terrorize Town” sensationalized the event and left a lasting mark that even today’s riders in Kuwait are now battling against. Ironically, the groups that now continue to project the biker as a rebel image were encouraged by the article to form motorcycle clubs like Hell’s Angels.

Today, the Harley Owners Group boasts of over one million members in 1,400 countries. Their members participate in local and international events, and are connected with Harley riders when they travel. The local chapter boasts of 460 members and is involved with charity organizations, participates in rides around the region and organizes safety seminars.

The comrade established among riders of

similar bikes grew to strong bonds of friendship.

Naturally, similar nationalities broke off into their own group. The first to do this was the Phoenicians, a Lebanese group. According to the group’s current president, Mazen Abdelsamad, it started with just five members who would meet casually for rides outside of those organized by the larger HOG group.

Eventually, more and more Lebanese riders, and a few Egyptians became their own entity.

“Our group is not open, and it is open for everyone,” said Abdelsamad. “We don’t ask for applications, we ask members to go out with us and see us. We have rules for safety and organization that we strictly adhere to.”

Many of the riders in the Phoenician group learned to ride on Lebanese terrain. With a landscape that can go from beach to mountain in less than 30

A Campagana T-Rex, a cyclecar motorcycle made in Canada from Dubai pulls into the Safir parking lot to prepare for judging at the Kuwait Bike Show.

A rider pulls up to the Royale Hayat Hospital for a blood drive where the combined groups collected 90 bags of blood. minutes, the country offers an unparalleled variety of scenes for bikers, at a price. The roads make sharp turns and wind heavily in the steep upward slopes.

“Not everyone can ride in Lebanon,” said Abdelsamad. “Many riders who have only ridden in Kuwait find it very difficult when they first ride in Lebanon. But, the HOG group makes you feel very safe and able to enjoy it.”

The group has tapped into their roots to improve the safety precautions in their rides. Last year they flew in a certified instructor from the HOG Lebanon chapter to train 16 of their members. Besides leisure rides around the country (the group once did a 960 KM ride all over Kuwait, without going on the same road twice), the Phoenicians have been major participants in blood donation events, special needs institutes and the animal shelter PAWS.

Motorcycles hit mainstream in 2003 with the creation of the Euro. Suddenly, countries all over the Middle East were approving vehicles from Europe that were once impossible to find due to taxation and currency complications. As the number of riders increased, so did the interest in joining a group. For Al-Mansouri, creating a Kuwait centered group became paramount.

“I was in other groups, so I thought to myself: Why am I doing publicity for other people?” he said.

“If it weren’t for the people of Kuwait we wouldn’t have any of this. The government has given us everything, and the country is for Kuwaitis and non Kuwaitis that live in and respect the country.”

Today the Kuwait Riders group boasts of more than 500 members. They have secured sponsorships from the Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum

in Kuwait, Al Watan TV, Al Ghanim Industries, Honda and Safir International Hotel. While the funding aids them in creating major events like the Annual Kuwait Bike Show, they remain fiercely loyal to the country.

“It’s all about the Kuwaiti flag,” said AlMansouri. “That is why the only thing you see on our vest is the Kuwaiti flag. No sponsors or anything.”

The group has also been instrumental in organizing international rides. The most memorable of which was a two-week tour of six European countries during the annual European Bike Week in Lake Faak, Austria. Kuwait Riders was joined by members of various groups including the Phoenicians and the Egyptian group the Pharaoh Bikers.

Hady El-Khodary, safety officer for the Egyptian group was one of two members that joined the Kuwait Riders Euro trip with his wife riding as a passenger. He has been riding for years, and decided to form an Egypt-centric club after experiencing the success of the Phoenicians and meeting with the HOG Egypt group. They made their debut at last year’s bike show, and this year they were present in a big way with music, traditional sufi dancers and paper motorcycle models for the kids.

“We are a big family, we are Egyptians, we are totally into bikes and we like to enjoy ourselves,” he said. “This [riding] is the way we like to enjoy ourselves.”

For him, motorcycle groups create a community that truly enriches every part of his life. He notes that for many of the members, having time to talk off the bike creates both personal and professional relationships. Entrepreneur riders are able to find a bank representative to help fund their idea, a connection in the government to assist with licensing and even a real estate manager who can help them find an office space.

“I can totally depend on my biker family,” he said. “The rides with all the groups are particularly fun because you get to meet riders from all over the country.”

At the end of the day though, it is about getting on your bike and feeling the freedom of an unobstructed view as you ride through town. It is impossible to use any of the every day distractions like text messaging or Facebook, and conversations are limited to those within your bluetooth range.

“You have the same passion and concern. The same concern of safety and the same passion for motorbikes,” said El-Khodary. “If you put attitude and personality aside you are similar. What is important to me is when we ride together we ride safe. You won’t expect the attitude or personality to affect you when you are riding. It’s just two things when you are on a bike: passion and safety.”

While he and most of the other riders continue to improve their groups’ safety regulations, they hope that events like the bike show, morning rides and community service events will garner the respect of drivers. Then perhaps the next time someone picks up their phone to text and drive they will remember the danger that they are unwittingly putting themselves in, and the fatal risk they pose to legitimate motorcycle riders.

Contact information continued on next page...

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BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB

Open to all BMW bike riders Facebook: Search Kuwait BMW Motorcycles Club Instagram: q8_bmw_club Website: kuwaitbmwmotoclub.com

KUWAIT DUCATI CLUB Open to all Ducati bike riders Facebook: Search Kuwait Ducati Club Instagram: q8_ducati_club

HONDA RIDERS GROUP

Open to all Honda bike riders Visit the Honda showroom in Shuwaikh or call: 1822 777

HARLEY OWNERS GROUP Open to all Harley Davidson bike riders Facebook: HOG.Kuwait Instagram: hog_kuwait_chapter Website: www.hog-kw.com

KUWAIT RIDERS

Open to all riders in Kuwait Facebook: kuwaitriders Instagram: kuwaitriders Website: www.KuwaitRiders.com

PHOENICIAN CLUB

Lebanese-centric Facebook: Search Phoenician Riders - Kuwait Instagram: phoenician_riders

PHARAOH BIKERS MOTORCYCLE CLUB Egyptian-centric Facebook: pharaohbikers Instagram: pharaohbikers

MOTO LADY CLUB For Women Facebook: ladymotoclubq8 Instagram: motoladyclub

FOR TRAINING CONTACT TRISTAR ACADEMY: Phone: 2240 5194 Email: info@tristarkw.com

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...continued from previous page

FIAT

ARTSHOT MAGAZINE

A new space for unknown artists by bazaar staff

In the last two months of her senior year, Nijem Nijem was preparing to head out into the world with a degree in architecture. Her field required practical art, that was no less creative than that developed by her Fine Arts colleagues. Yet, the abundant talent in her department seemed to go unnoticed by all, even the artists themselves.

Nijem was frustrated that so much raw talent in her university, and the country, was being disregarded as a hobby or past time. She wanted to give back to her school by creating a space in which the artists display their pieces, get feedback on their work, information about creating art and general encouragement to continue in their art.

She searched artists in her class that had experience creating a buzz for their work. Through social media outlets, she was able to gather a team that became the first editorial team for the magazine ArtShot.

“I wanted to create a space to get to know these artists, because they were disappearing out of school. Not even their professors knew that they were artists or could draw,” she said. “There is a lot of hidden talent in the country, and no one really knows about it.”

The team sent out requests to the students of Kuwait University’s Architectural department for submissions under the theme vibrancy. Students were encouraged to use their medium of choice, as long as it was drawn, and used color in an integral way. They received a Picasso inspired portrait titled Distorted Winnie the Pooh, a water 52

color of a girl with headphones titled Marley and me and a scene from an old market titled Kuwait Merchant, among others.

The artwork is stunningly detailed and demonstrates incredible ability by the young students. Nijem and her team chose to use a minimalist approach when designing the layout.

Their goal was to let the work shine through, and so with a theme like that, vibrant white space became integral. They gave each of the submissions two pages. They placed the artist’s picture, social media connect information and previous artwork on the right, and the picture submission on the left.

While the submissions were a big part of the magazine’s content, Nijem also wanted the publication to be something that inspired people to try different things. She commissioned a graffiti artist Abdullah Bukhamseen to write an article about can control when using spray paint. He gives a short description on how to use different types of spray cans to develop the kind of details you can find in his pieces.

The publication also includes an article on looking and seeing from Waleed Shaalan, who, at the time worked as the Design Principal at the regionally recognized firm SSH and a visiting critic to the Architecture department at Kuwait University. Shaalan explains to readers the importance of letting preconceived perceptions go, in order to create something new. His article is accompanied by brainstorming photos he had posted on Instagram in which a screwdriver with a bit of sketching around it, easily becomes a

squid, pliers a tortoise, and measuring tape a feeding iguana.

“We wanted to promote their work and style,” said Nijem. “We also wanted to give the readers how-to guides. We looked for people who have developed special techniques to give the up coming artists inspiration for their work.”

At the finish of the magazine’s publication, amidst the flurry of graduation, Nijem and her team were invited to The Avenues to distribute their magazine at the Annual Exhibition of the Kuwait Architecture Student Association. The magazine was so popular, they quickly ran out of copies to distribute. After many requests to distribute outside of the university’s buildings, Nijem and her team decided to do that with the second issue.

Now, just a couple weeks before the publication of the second edition, the team is excited about it’s new layout, and popularity. With the theme entitled Mono, they have taken their readers and participants to the other end of the color scale, forcing each piece to shine with only one color. The March edition will include more than 30 artists and doubles the number of tips and tutorial pieces. It has also gained the interest of advertisers and sponsors.

So keep on the lookout in March for the magazine with a bulls-eye logo. It’s sure to bring out your creative side, and surprise you with its abundance of talent.

To submit your work to ArtShot email them at artshot.mag@gmail.com, and follow them on Instagram @artshot_ku.

MILLY

GROUND FLOOR, ARRAYA CENTER, AL SHUHADA STREET GATE, SHARQ TEL #22997739

SHIFT MOVIE NIGHT

by Heena Parkar

The idea was to arrange for an entertaining and unique evening. While browsing through various options, I had little idea that it would lead me to attending one of Kuwait’s most awaited events of the year.

Shift Kuwait Film Night for Charity, an event known for presenting short films, was being conducted in an open air setting. The idea is to screen films made by Kuwaiti directors which were internationally acclaimed, but never screened within the country. It also provided an opportunity to encourage charity by donating all proceeds to Kuwait’s orphanage.

It was impossible to pass by such an event and not be a part of it. I quickly booked tickets for the first night of the event. The show was scheduled for two consecutive days, each projecting a different set and genre of movies at the historical Musical Fountain of Kuwait City.

I arrived at the venue a little early and caught a glimpse of the busy organizers - members of Kuwait Healthy Living (KHL) – who were beaming with delight as the night promised to make ‘Shift’ an unforgettable experience, yet again.

In a discussion with one of the organizers, I was informed about the success of the first-ever ‘Shift’ event. “We got a fantastic response from our first Shift event in 2012. When we talk to people about it, they still remember it and want more,” said organizer Shaikha Al Othman. “We are not a normal film festival. The idea is to bring Kuwaiti films to a casual, average Kuwaiti person and not to people in the film industry. It’s aimed at those who would be interested in films but would not proactively go to a film festival. So we are not a film festival, rather a movie night. That’s what we are and that’s why it’s different.”

As the screenings began, I was flabbergasted by the efforts and talent that was demonstrated by the Kuwaiti film-makers. Themes, storyline, cinematography, actors and all elements that make an award winning short film, were executed beautifully. If allowed to be biased, then I would pick Saloon Rijal by Meshal Al-Hulail, as my favorite. This comical drama revolves around a man trying to escape from his barber but is filled with guilt while he tries to do so.

This particular movie won the best short film award at Ajial Youth Film Festival 2013. However, another movie worth acknowledging, was Khalid Al-Siddiq’s Alia & Essam. It was the first film made in Kuwait and the region - filmed in 1964. More surprising, it was being screened for the first time that night. “We are honored to have earned the rights for the first screening of the film since it was made,” said Shaikha.

Some of the other movies screened included Just like You Imagined (Zeyad AlHusaini), Sneeze (Meqdad Al-Kout), Once Upon A Time (Abdulrahman Al-Khaliifi), Impurity (Ahmed Al Terkait), Heaven’s 54

Water (Abdullah Boushahri), I Wish We Were Dancers (Mohammed Walid Ayyad), and The Detective (Dawood Shuail).

“All of the films (apart from Alia & Essam) were made in the past 6 years and have been screened in the Gulf Film Festival, the Dubai Film Festival and in various other events, but never in Kuwait,” added Shaikha.

Every movie was followed by light murmurs from the audience. With comments made, I could sense a change of perception towards Kuwaiti cinema. Though movies demanded prime focus of the audience, the comforting atmosphere and accompanying refreshing cuisine made the event more desirable. I enjoyed

sprawling and snuggling into beanie bags while sipping my freshly brewed coffee.

‘Shift’ was a success in all ways – an event I look forward to attending every year. It was one of those rare occasions which ended up exceeding my expectations. It had every aspect covered – from entertainment, to charity, the art of reviving an old place like the Musical Fountain, as well as promoting social well-being. Like organizer Bibi Salem Al-Sabah said, “Health is much more than fitness and losing weight, it’s mental, social and emotional. So this month we decided to make a team and conduct ‘Shift’.”

GANT

The Avenues, 360 Mall, Al Kout Mall and Salmiya.

Opening Soon In Gate Mall.

bazaar goes dining

THE FRESHNESS OF GIA Feel right at home, eat as you please by bazaar staff

When it comes to my choice of food, I find that I’m always reminded by an old Middle Eastern saying: “eat what pleases you, and wear what pleases others.” Still, one can only do that when they are comfortable with what they choose to eat, where they consume their meal, and more importantly, how they would devour their favorite foods. When at Gia, the latest restaurant-cafémeets-deli hybrid located in Al-Khaled complex in Salmiya, this saying yet again rings true. For concept founder and owner, Mariam Al-Qatami, Gia arrives as an opportunity to build a community of diners that truly appreciates the flavors of rustic, hearty dishes prepared with affection.

Upon arriving at Gia’s cozy setting, we couldn’t help but notice the revival this area is undergoing.

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Kitschy stores, cafés, catering companies and even the local drycleaner’s are witnessing a renaissance where both an older and younger generation of clientele frequent the area once again. Mariam believes it’s the sense of ease and comfort that keeps bringing people back here, hence her choice of making this location home to her restaurant even before the area became popular again. Gia comes alive with rustic references that liken this café restaurant to a neighborhood eatery in a Mediterranean Europe. The black and white floor tiles, colorful flowerpots from local florist Desert Bloom, an appetizing display of salads, sandwiches and small dishes along with a dizzying arrangement of delectable cakes instantly make you want to belong to the Gia family. Seating is available inside

and outside the restaurant, but don’t be surprised to find people queuing up behind the counter ordering some of Mariam’s famed salad recipes for takeout.

Before we went on an ordering frenzy, we sat down with Mariam as she told us more about what, or in her case, who, inspired her to materialize the Gia concept. She explained that her mother, who happens to be an amazing cook, played a huge part in making Gia a reality. “My mother was involved in every aspect of Gia, from the collectible art pieces on display that she’s saved for me ever since I was little, to putting out fresh flowers, and helping our chefs perfect all of our recipes which are originally based on her cooking.” These small and quirky, albeit meaningful, details make Gia all the more personal to Mariam as well as her growing followers

of customers who simply can’t get enough of their addictive dishes. “I see perfection in little quirks.

To immediately make our customers feel at home, Gia needs to feel like one, before I attempt to serve any type of cuisine.” At this home away from home, the personal touch is key, and we experienced this throughout the décor, and more importantly, the food. Freshly prepared on a daily basis, you will firstly peruse the menu du jour displayed behind the glass counters. From salads, sandwiches prepared upon request, small dishes of stuffed eggplants and artichokes to homemade savory tarts and desserts, anything you choose to eat at Gia is made with love.

Rather than a redundant list of appetizers, mains and desserts, the best part about Gia is your ability to mix and match between all of the dining options on offer.

We began our foray with a selection of salads, also considered as a signature offering at Gia, as the myriad of salad options makes this resto-café highly distinguished from other eateries. The colors of the fresh vegetables incorporated with white or red quinoa make for a beautiful sight for the health conscious. Whether you consider yourself a salad buff or not, prepare to turn into one! For the ingredients, simply selected and locally sourced, shine through with their powerful tastes and textures.

We immediately noticed that the implementation of quinoa successfully complements the salad creations in many instances so that the final dish is balanced rather than bland. We tried the red quinoa salad with grilled corn, avocado, feta cheese and chargrilled veggies and a pesto pasta salad with

chopped avocado and roasted pine nuts. We even attempted the adventurous pesto-infused couscous with peppery rocca leaves and pistachios alongside what we called a mean green quinoa salad, with asparagus, green beans, peas and avocado in a fragrant and full-bodied olive oil dressing. Mind you, we loved mixing the different salad combinations together as we felt right at home. That’s the beauty of dining here, one instantly feels comfortable to eat as they please. We even tried a recipe gifted to Mariam by a friend—Fahad’s Quinoa Salad, a distinctive recipe that successfully delivers the Lebanese tabouleh finished with dried cranberries rather than tomatoes to add a surprising burst of sweetness that offset the lemon-infused quinoa and coriander.

We couldn’t help but notice the generous, and innovative, infusion of quinoa in many of the salads, and to this Mariam commented that she loves two things: Avocado and Quinoa. Both are amazingly nutritious foods that, if successfully incorporated, make for excellent foodie habits.

Although Mariam doesn’t claim that Gia is only for the health conscious, she rather sees the food here for anyone looking for a wholesome meal that is neither too heavy or light, but simply filling and homey. Moving on to the a la carte sandwiches, we tried an incredibly prepared fried catfish rendition with light peppery rocket leaves and homemade Tartar sauce, whereas its grilled chicken counterpart is drizzled in a flavorful sauce. We also learned that the sandwiches are all prepared upon request as none of the ingredients are precooked.

Other warm dishes included the chicken potato pie, Spanish chicken, stuffed vegetables with lean mince and roasted pine nuts. These small dishes make for perfect salad compliments, along with a selection of savory tarts that are not to be missed; from soft and succulent grilled pumpkin, caramelized onions with goat’s cheese, and a medley of roasted vegetable toppings.

Dessert at Gia is an affair to remember, so make sure you order a strong coffee to accompany your choices between an ever-so-creamy strawberry cheesecake that melts in the mouth, or a slice of the chocolate crack cake that is divinely rich, a gorgeous almond topped coffee cake or the signature house biscuit cake.

Gia is located in Al-Khaled complex in Salmiya.

Please call 2564 0257 for pick up orders or for more information find Gia on Instagram, @Giakwt. Images courtesy of Kulsum Kunwa and bazaar magazine.

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THE ESSENCE OF TRAVEL

by Zainab Mirza

The essence of travel might take different forms for different people. For me it’s about history and culture, while taking the opportunity to sample cuisines from all over the world. I’m not a foodie to the extent that I would blog about the last meal I ate, or post pictures of it on Instagram, but I live for new and varied experiences, including gastronomical ones. I visited a school friend in Germany and stayed with her for a few memorable days in October. Besides the trail blazing and urban walking, a significant—and at times unfortunate—part of our European adventures revolved around food.

Our first stop was Karlsruhe, a beautiful and serene city being developed into the cycling city of Germany. We walked through the magnificent Botanical Gardens, home to exotic plants and trees from all over the world. The trees had just begun to change color and the garden was a glorious mixture of hues.

Having worked up quite an appetite, we decided it was time to eat. My friend had been longing to have thali at an Indian vegetarian restaurant there.

The thali is Hindi for ‘steel plate’ on which a variety of dishes are served in small bowls with chapatti (Indian flatbread) and dessert. Before you brand me a hypocrite for preaching on indulging in international cuisines and then having that of my own country’s, do keep in mind that India is very diverse and dishes differ from state to state. I agreed with her suggestion since I’d had it only once before.

We had a mild heart attack however, on seeing the price - 18 Euro=7 KD=over 1,500 Indian Rupees! I calculated the opportunity cost of the meal—in Kuwait I could probably have had lobster, and in Mumbai at least four or five thalis at a popular restaurant. As Indians, we were outraged at the thought of eating an Indian meal—a vegetarian one at that—at such a mind-numbingly exorbitant price. While I wouldn’t have had any qualms about walking out in indignation, we were accompanied by a German friend who was horrified at the idea. So we stayed put and ate. I felt cheated, but in retrospect I’ve realized that the things we take for granted just because we’re familiar with them can be of so much more value to others. To the European owner and her customers, the thali was a classic Indian dish which was worth what it cost.

The following day we took the train to Wissembourg, a little French village close to the Franco-German border. We spent a lovely afternoon walking through it. The houses there seemed to have come straight out of children’s books I’d grown up with; there were beautiful floral paintings adorning them and hearts carved out on the shutters. Some houses had vines creeping across them, bunched with grapes ripe for plucking. We walked right across town and hiked up a small hill whose paths were lined with apple and plum trees and tried to dislodge 58

some of the juicier fruit, which was always dangling out of reach a few feet above us.

My friend somehow talked me into ordering escargots (snails) at a French restaurant in the village square; it just seemed logical considering we were in France. Here, every stereotype I’d ever heard about the French turned out to be true, what with the waiter dressed in tight pants and a full-sleeve striped t-shirt with a scarf around his neck, refusing to acknowledge me when I spoke in English or even broken French.

When the snails arrived, swimming in oil, we stared at them in silence for a full minute and then proceeded to eat them together at the count of three. My jaw twitched involuntarily as I chewed on the rubbery, greasy muck. I felt bile rise up to my throat; it took some self-control not to throw up the darned thing.

More culinary adventures followed; we dabbled

with German, Moroccan, Chinese, Greek and Indian cuisines and on the last day of my stay, were invited over for lunch by a Brazilian family that only spoke Portuguese and German. Our host exhausted her entire English vocabulary while greeting me with “Hello. How are you? The book is on the table”, which had us all in splits. The table was laden with nothing short of a banquet: fried chicken, Portuguese fish, vegetables in gravy, roast beef, finished off with German cheesecake and pastries, the aroma playing havoc with our olfactory receptors. It was a delectable, hilarious and heart-warming experience, proof that good food transcends language barriers.

A word to those who are cautious about stepping out of their comfort zone, exercise prudence but be open to new cultural experiences.

As Confucius so wisely said, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

VOLKSWAGEN

bazaar movie night The latest from the big screen playing in cinemas across Kuwait in March

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (3D) (IMAX)

ANCHORMAN 2

DIVERGENT

Release Date: March 6 Theaters: Grand Cinema and Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Drama Cast: Sullivan Stapleton/Rodrigo Santoro/Eva Green

Release Date: March 6 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Comedy Cast: Will Ferrell/Steve Carell/Paul Rudd/Christina Applegate

Release Date: March 20 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy Cast: Shailene Woodley/Theo James/Kate Winslet

Synopsis: Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes and told in the breath-taking visual style of the blockbuster 300, this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield – on the sea – as Greek General Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemisia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian Navy.

Synopsis: With the 70s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

In this sequel, Ron comes up with a radical new idea to transform the news which puts him at the top of the game once again. Also back for more are Ron’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) - All of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy – while taking the nation’s first 24-hour news channel by storm.

Synopsis: A thrilling adventure, directed by Neil Burger (Limitless) set in a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene Woodley), a teenager with a special mind, is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group.

When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy her and all other Divergents and seize control of their divided society, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it’s too late. The first installment in a trilogy based on the best-selling novels by Veronica Roth.

NEED FOR SPEED

STRETCH

NOAH

Release Date: March 20 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Crime, Drama Cast: Aaron Paul/Dominic Cooper/Imogen Poots/Scott Mescudi

Release Date: March 27 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller Cast: Chris Pine/Jessica Alba/Brooklyn Decker

Release Date: March 27 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins

Synopsis: Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever, Need for Speed captures the thrills of the game in a real-world setting. An exciting return to the great car-culture films of the 1960s and 70s, the story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time – one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. In a last attempt to save his struggling garage, blue-collar mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) – who with his team skillfully builds and races muscle cars on the side – reluctantly partners with wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster.

Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet looks like it will save the business, a disastrous, unsanctioned race results in Dino framing Tobey for manslaughter.

Synopsis: In this Action-Comedy-Thriller, Patrick Wilson plays Stretch, a down-on-his-luck limo driver, who is in debt to some dangerous people and struggling to go straight. To earn money, he agrees to drive an eccentric and crazed billionaire played by Chris Pine of Star Trek fame, around for a whole night. Besides making increasingly bizarre special requests as the night wears on, the billionaire also has criminal connections and puts their lives in danger by selling off his list of underworld contacts. The cast also includes Jessica Alba, David Hasselhoff, Ray Liota and Brooklyn Decker, and directed by Joe Carnahan, also known for movies Smokin’ Aces, The A Team, and The Grey.

Synopsis: Based on the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark, Noah is a man chosen by God to perform a great task, before an apocalyptic flood destroys the world. He takes measures to protect his family and many others, from the coming flood.

Starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe.

Also starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter series), Logan Lerman (Perks of Being a Wallflower), Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Ray Winstone, and directed by Daren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Pi, The Wrestler). Aronofsky had previously offered the role of Noah to Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender, both of whom declined.

Bale went on to star as Moses in Ridley Scott’s upcoming religious epic film Exodus.

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For more details on movie timings and the cinema nearest you, visit: Cinescape: www.cinescape.com.kw or Facebook: Cinescape – Kuwait National Cinema Company, Grand Cinemas: kw.grandcinemas.com or Facebook: Grand Cinemas Kuwait.

ADOLFO

ASK

Aunty Yaz

Do you have a problem that needs solving? In need of some tough love or hard hitting life advice from a lovingly nagging know-it-all? Write to bazaar’s very own agony aunt, Aunty Yaz! Aunty Yaz can be found wandering the streets of Salmiya dishing out unsolicited life lessons to random passersby. If you’ve heard the gruff shout of “Tuck your shirt in, you slob!” or “Someone get me something to sit on,” or even overheard her incoherent ramblings, you have probably encountered her wrath before. While Aunty Yaz is neither a psychologist nor certified life coach, you would still be wise to address her as Aunty or Dr. Yaz.

Dear Aunty Yaz, I am the youngest of 3 children. My brother is a big shot banker and my sister was a runner-up in a world-wide beauty contest but I am not very bright or beautiful. How can I find a way to shine?

Feeling sad, Baby Dear Baby, Baby, Baby, Ohhhhhh, How to shine? Have you considered lots of tanning oil and a day by the beach? This is a difficult question for me, because, as you know, unlike you, I am beautiful, and extremely intelligent (which is why you are asking for my advice, of course). It seems your sister is only runner-up (first loser) leaving no room for doubt as to who should be first – you dahhhling! I suggest you head over to Make up Forever and get yourself some of the powder from their Luminizer line, and buy a flashlight. Disregard all makeup rules and apply as much as you can on your face and body. When you want to be as bright as a star, shine the light in your face.

Remember, as my old pool boy Patrick Swayze once said, “nobody puts baby in a corner”; so chin up, project confidence, and swing by the bank on your way to the beach for lunch, courtesy of your brother.

– Aunty Yaz

Dear Aunty Yaz, After reading the advice you gave Blogger Extraordinaire last month, I felt as though I could come to you with my problem. I want to become famous on YouTube but so far, my videos of a cat jumping over my friend’s head hasn’t generated a lot of views – do you have any tips?

– Cat-person, Shuwaikh Dear Crazy Cat-Lady, So your video of a cat is not getting the views you want? Have you considered 2 cats? I know, crazy right? Yes, in the age of digital one-upsmanship, one simply cannot rely on last-week’s craze. You must double down on your cat usage. Perhaps start a cat circus even. When I was posting videos of me playing with my cheetah as my friend sticks their head in my lion’s mouth I get quite a lot of views. Perhaps you just need to get a bigger cat? Or is your friend not attractive? I’m pretty sure most people are watching my videos because they are captivated by my amazing camera presence.

If none of that works, you should take a page from bazaar’s YouTube channel, bazaarTube. Just some good lookin’ ladies having a blast. Get your cat to partake in whatever YouTube promotion bazaar currently has going on; cat lip-synching to Total Eclipse of the Heart—Priceless!

– Aunty Yaz

Dear Aunty Yaz, My husband loves to play golf. He is always off to the golf course on weekends and I never see him! I am starting to worry that he loves his birdies more than he loves me. What should I do? I really don’t want to lose my husband to such a boring game.

Thanks, Golf-Widow Dear Desperate Golf-Wife, I have to agree with you, golf is a horribly boring game. If your husband would rather spend his afternoons in that tedious game than with you, I think maybe that means you are the boring one. I suggest you liven things up a bit: tell him you wish to take up golf too, and start going with him. I promise, he will stop golfing quicker than you can yell fore!

If that doesn’t work, I suggest you ‘borrow’ his credit card and head over to the mall while he is out on the green. Buy a couple of designer bags and that new Chanel suit you’ve been eyeing. Trust me, by the end of the month your life will be anything but boring. As you can see in my portrait above, Chanel was made for me and I suppose you’ll look pretty good too.

– Aunty Yaz Dear ‘Aunty’ Yaz, I have spent the entire month planning and carrying out various Mother’s Day surprises for my dear mom. But she’s very busy and doesn’t seem to notice my efforts at all. All I want is for her to appreciate the flash mob I spontaneously put together at The Avenues, the 4000 KD bouquet of flowers I sent to her office, and the 50 foot collage of our pictures that I engraved into the sand so that it can be seen from space. Why won’t she notice my love?

Love, You Know Who Dear Lord Voldemort, You must have a lot of money to waste! I bet your mother is cringing inside because she has raised a son that is frivolous with his money, and not in a good way. If you are going to spend that much on your mom, it should be something she can use and appreciate: a 62-inch television so she can catch up on all her favorite Turkish soap operas, for example.

You should take a page out of my son’s book. He’s handsome, attractive (and single for all you sexy ladies) but is sadly unemployed.

Instead of wasting money on elaborate schemes, he spends his time taking me to The Avenues so I can shop for stuff, and when a dance troop tries to block my way he helps me get around them by pointing at them, but walking in the other direction. He doesn’t waste time with flowers, although come to think of it… I have noticed the bouquet shaped hole in my credit-card bill. And a collage?! Who does….. wait a minute…. Honey, is that you?

– Aunty Yaz

Send your questions to Aunty Yaz at auntyyaz@bazaar-magazine.com. Any advice given is strictly opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of bazaar. But it might—just sayin!

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SENSOO

FYUNKA

Alaa Balkhy puts the ‘funk’ in Fyunka by bazaar staff

Breaking into the fashion scene with her first line of witty totes covered with drawings of Chanel, Hermes, and other high-end designer bags, Fyunka is a brand that celebrates fun coupled with personal charm. Created by Jeddah-based designer Alaa Balkhy, the fashion accessories line is influenced by pop culture inspired by Middle Eastern insights. Whether using symbols in our culture such as the musthave designer bag or phone, or anything for that matter, Alaa delivers a homegrown brand that’s captured the hearts and minds of young women across the GCC. Prepare to fall in love with quirky chic, where, for a change, it’s okay to wear a bag 64

that’s actually a piece of printed canvas. That, above all, is one of the main reasons why we instantly fell in love with Fyunka.

Defined as a ‘ribbon bow’ in Arabic, Fyunka emulates feminine fun, and in her latest collection Alaa continues to design with a modern approach to cultural references in the Middle East. By pushing boundaries in a lighthearted fashion, she successfully merges tradition with current trends embraced by fashionistas across the region like floral accents and stripes. In her latest collections, we see PVC cross-body bags that are both functional and light in pastel colors and stripes that make

for easy breezy wardrobe options that work for the every-day woman. Alongside these bags, we see the designer speaking to every woman’s reliance on technology through her new phone cover collection inspired by quirky Saudi quotes.

Consider this a modern approach to the burqa and niqab, as style speaks beyond what we wear, and how we essentially carry ourselves. Instead of a dull, functional phone cover, most women prefer a bright and eye-catching case. With a graphic design background, Alaa Balkhy illustrates the designs herself. Whether you carry the latest iPhone or Samsung, these covers arrive in an exclusive format that makes them highly coveted.

fashionality

DESIGNER INTERVIEW bazaar: Does fashion ‘make’ the person or does the person ‘make’ fashion?

Alaa Balkhy: The person makes the fashion definitely. It’s about how you put the pieces together to create your own style. bazaar: How would you describe your style?

Alaa Balkhy: My style is very safe with cuts and patterns and a bit fun with accessories and colors. bazaar: How do you get inspiration for your style?

Alaa Balkhy: Inspiration comes from everywhere from food to traveling but a huge part of it is traveling and moving between cities. bazaar: What does it take to become a style innovator?

Alaa Balkhy: It takes courage and an open mind to become a style innovator. bazaar: What’s exciting right now in fashion?

Alaa Balkhy: The most exciting thing is that fashion is constantly evolving! bazaar: Who or what has been your greatest fashion influence?

Alaa Balkhy: Miraduma Slova from Buro47 bazaar: Who are your favorite emerging designers, and what is it that you love about them?

Alaa Balkhy: Charlotte Olympia, I love the fun element in her designs and how it’s playful. bazaar: What is the highlight of your ‘style’ career so far?

Alaa Balkhy: Being featured in bazaar Magazine ;) bazaar: Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve designed? If so, why is that piece so special to you?

Alaa Balkhy: The new bags from my latest collection—from designing totes to an actual bag is a huge deal and I’m proud that I was able to accomplish that. bazaar: Every fashionality has as a style obsession, what’s yours?

Alaa Balkhy: I’m obsessed with statement necklaces. bazaar: Do you follow any fashion blogs? If so, what are they and which would you recommend?

Alaa Balkhy: I follow fashion bloggers on Instagram and my favorite is Winnie Detwa at the moment. bazaar: What item of clothing (if any) do you wish that people wore more often?

Alaa Balkhy: People should wear more hats! bazaar: To be stylish is to be fashionable. True or False and why?

Alaa Balkhy: I think style is timeless and fashion has its seasons. bazaar: What’s next for Fyunka?

Alaa Balkhy: Hopefully more bags! We’re going into home accessories so pillows and teacups. We might also go into apparel very soon! Wish us luck!

Find Fyunka on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @Fyunka.

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FASTE

ELCO

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

Q

Why do we feel that something is missing when we shop at any international brand store represented in Kuwait?

The first impression that might come to the minds of many readers is that the staff is under-qualified. Often the perception is that showroom workers demonstrate uninteresting personalities and attitudes and are less knowledgeable than the customers in the products they sell, which gives the impression of a lifeless service.

While this could be true to a great degree, we need to pay attention to the mindset of customers when shopping in Kuwait vs. abroad.

The mood of travelers is more pleasant and open to interactions.

When people are on vacation they could be more forgiving or less analytical. In contrast, when routine kicks in and life adds a bit of pressure, stress, bad news, bad weather, and so on, shoppers tend to be less tolerant in general. So, let’s remember that it takes two to tango.

Employees and customers aside, most employers are not working hard enough to hire the right staff and designing employees’ retention roadmaps. To hire the caliber of employees that customers would be delighted with, employers have to pay more salaries and benefits and to provide a better working environment. That means prices of the products and services would increase; and that’s something many customers won’t be happy about. So, when employers shape up and customers are willing to pay for positive memorable experiences generated by engaged employees balance will be restored in the local retail therapy scene...and that’s just my two cents.

Q

A good acquaintance of mine is in need of a job. He asked me to hire him in my company. I asked him to give me time to see what I can do.

Should I hire him for the sake of all the favors he did for me in the past or be blunt and tell him that there’s no suitable job for him at the moment?

Can you put a price on relationships? Sometimes you can, but that’s not the right question when assessing whether to keep or damage a business relationship when a risky situation like this arises.

A more relevant question is ‘What’s the value of the relationship to me and to my business?’ The favors you mentioned in your email were all business related and did your business good. Therefore, when considering such a request keep in mind that this is a professional acquaintance and not a friend. That means there has to be a value for the business for accepting to hire this associate. This value could be something positive the business would benefit from or something negative that the business may avoid. Otherwise, you’re just helping out a friend, which is not the case here.

Having said that, there’s another layer of complexity that you need to be alert to with matters like this one. If you give him a job in the company just to keep him happy or because you want to protect your image of being someone who knows how to return favors in 68

the market, don’t give him any job. It has to be something he can be good at; otherwise, employees in the company will question the standards by which performances are rewarded. Also, make sure that the position isn’t denied to someone internally who’s been waiting for it, as nothing can be more demotivating. If you don’t want to offer him a job, find him a suitable job through your network and explain to him how this is a better a fit for him, for his career and for your relationship. This way, you didn’t burn your bridges...and that’s just my two cents.

Q

Following up with existing customers on new purchases is a pain. They’re always busy or they get relaxed and don’t answer me quickly because we’ve known each other for so long. Why is this happening to me all the time?

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. From the way you wrote your question I can tell that you’re getting closer and closer to frying your brain cells. You know how in countless comedy movies and TV shows when one person wants to break up a relationship with another somehow the line, “…it’s not you, it’s me” comes up?

Well, if lack of response or slow ones are happening to you all the time then I must say ‘it’s not them, it’s you.’ Any given working day for any of your customers’ will most likely have meetings followed by more meetings–that’s not counting unplanned short meetings. What about the few minutes in between? They’re usually filled with phone calls and text from their own teams, clients, family, the kids’ school, friends, the vet, you name it.

Professional, nonetheless mindless, dry and mechanical, sales follow-ups are the last thing your customers want. Can you blame them? It’s time to spice things up. Nothing evokes a response like a sense of humor. Send them a text writing something unexpected that will brighten up their day and put a smile on their face. I don’t mean silly knock-knock jokes, but something that will encourage a response. For example, if you emailed, called and are not getting any response from a client you know very well, text them something like, “Call me back, I know what you did last summer” or “Call me back on your way home or I’ll kidnap you and you won’t get any work done this week ;)” Using humor increases your chances of getting a faster response. However, if you abuse it, the joke will be on you... and that’s just my two cents.

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

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

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THE GLASS HALF FULL

by Ayman Nassar

The internet is a cumbersome contraption, which brings as much chaos as it does comfort to our lives. For many, the fact that information of any shape and form is readily available is the internet’s crowning achievement. However, if one finger of blame can be assigned to the internet, it would be the guilt of oversharing.

The mantra of “ignorance is bliss” has been heavily diluted due to the emergence of the internet. No longer are we forced to have to memorize dates or capitals or locations, for with the simple (almost instantaneous) click of a button (or touch on a screen as the case is now), the information is called forth from the annals of the internet, dusted off, and presented to us on a screen-lit platter. Common knowledge is no longer common anymore.

Take for example the rising tide of, “are you happy with yourself?’’ A very simple question raising a very complex query that leads to an even more complex answer. More often than not, we come across memes and inspirational quotes online every day, shared through social media platforms bombarding us from every angle, denoting how mankind is in a race against oblivion by keeping track of time, how everyone should be their own boss, how you should strive and dream and reach for the stars in order to be happy, how people with humble beginnings have spurred multi-million dollar organizations. And more often than not we find ourselves thinking, well what have I done in comparison? And more often than not our answer is, nil. So we deny ourselves happiness.

The simple answer is: happiness is relative.

It differs significantly from one person to another.

As is our nature, no person is ever truly content; those with curly hair want straight hair, the short wish to be taller, the millionaires wish to be billionaires. There is no ceiling for happiness. We create it ourselves; it is up to us to determine when we are content. And that unfortunately is the one lesson no one will teach you and the internet will not provide.

What is the formula for happiness? What are its main components? The answer to this question is almost always the memories left behind. Quite often you will endure an event that at the time seemed terrifying and confusing, even scary. Down the line however, you find yourself smiling as you recall that event, telling it to anyone within earshot, completely proud and oblivious to how you felt during the event.

And that is the key to happiness; memories.

Spring is in the air; with it comes tidings of change and pleasantness, of warmth and new beginnings. Who can imagine that we are already a third of the way into the new year? Where does time go? And the answer is; forward. It is unfair to judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, and as such be easier on yourself when comparing your memories 70

to others. Be daring in trying out new things, whether it’s a trip to a foreign land or visiting a different area in a country where you usually travel, you never know where memories will be born.

So this year, discard the comparisons to your co-workers, friends and colleagues regarding who did what and where they did it. Some people might

get their kicks from having a pastry on a busy corner at the Champs-Élysées in Paris, whereas you might get the same kick at a new bakery on a side-street of where you live.

Remember, you are responsible for your happiness, do not let anyone dictate what should make you happy.

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THE DARK SIDE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

A look into artist Thuraya Lynn’s unique style by bazaar staff

It was late November, and inside Bayt Lothan proud participants displayed their work for Kuwait 2, an annual exhibition that gathers artists and crafters. In one room pictures taken by Ahmad Al Shammeri, of a baby doll in nine stages lined the wall. The doll started untouched, except for a few whimsical drawings etched around its head and under the eye. As the images progressed the doll was gradually distorted with stickers, and eventually burned. The etches around its head spin out of control and took the viewer through the stages of life as emotional chaos and stress settle deep into the doll, all done by the young, up and coming artist Thuraya Lynn.

She has created a style for herself that goes beyond the simplicity of beautiful art. Her line drawings stem from deep within her own emotional experiences, and will most probably leave you feeling uncomfortably aware of your own.

“This is like my darkest dreams and fears, my unwanted thing I want to take out,” she said. “For a lot of people my work touches them, and that gives me a push because in a way I am helping them realize what they are actually afraid of.”

Lynn, who calls herself a drawist, is minimalist in her work. She uses a ton of white space and fills spaces with light shading or grey. She distorts the eyes so that they bug out of the subject’s head or even places them on various body parts. Devils emit from other subjects heads, and there are cats everywhere. Her characters often look like children, possessed by some outside force as they imagine a world clearly removed from reality, and the narrative of innocence we have given them.

The shocking nature juxtaposed with such innocence may not be beautiful to look at, but it certainly gets viewers thinking. Lynn remembers a time when, as an English Literature student at Kuwait University she showed one of her drawings to a particularly rambunctious friend. Lynn’s piece was so forthright and honest about her own inner workings, he began to think of what lies deep within himself. He realized he wrongly blamed much of his disruptive behavior on his parents because he was afraid to face his own demons.

“To have a little goodness, you do have to have the other side,” said Lynn. “So there is a little darkness with the light. When you open a book and see a picture that terrifies you, you have to think about what it is that is scaring you and understand that fear.”

Her unique style has managed to offend traditional views by creating an uncomfortable awareness of how people can see themselves.

As a freshman and member of the art club at her university, she was given leeway to use studios around campus. One day, she settled down with her sketchbook and started a drawing. Shortly 72

after, an instructor came by and criticized her work as childish, and immature. She was told she should move into adult art by focusing on reality, not childish line drawings.

Yet, she continued to draw, albeit with a bit of time taken to self explore and develop her own style. She went deep below her fun-loving nature and huge smile, to show her true self, which hasn’t always been easy or accepted. As a child of Kuwaiti and Filippino descent, her full lips, almond eyes and round nose have dictated an exclusionary treatment by the very people she considers her peers.

“I feel like a Kuwaiti, but they want me to feel like an expat,” she said. “Your own people and sometimes your family are against you. If you don’t fit the mould in their minds than you are not part of them. Sometimes I start to feel angry towards them, but then I think why should I stress?”

Lynn chooses to fight the battle against her identity with art that is strong, unapologetic and as dark as her mood may be, however risky. When she was approached for the Out of Kuwait program that

took 13 Kuwaiti artists to the Edge of Arabia gallery in London, she knew she wanted to do something big and creative. That meant she had to bring them to life through animation.

She hit a brick wall when she looked for experienced classic animators. Yet, she persisted and in the end her project came to fruition, under the general theme of landscapes. An animated Lynn walks between tall buildings, much like the ones in Kuwait City, silent, unable to communicate with the stones around her.

“I am between buildings because just like the people, I cannot talk to buildings. I wanted to focus on that,” she said.

Today, Lynn is working on the album cover for Zahed Sultan’s upcoming release in April. We are sure you will see a lot more of this strong willed, talented artist.

Check out more of Thuraya Lynn’s work iamthurayalynn.com and follow her on Instagram or Twitter @thurayalynn

ABS

inside/out

WHEN ARABS UNITE by bazaar staff

In this month’s column we catch up with Bahrain’s Mohammed Hasan, more commonly known as DJ Outlaw, the founding member of Outlaw Productions. Throughout his career, DJ Outlaw has been behind some of the region’s biggest Hip Hop projects including ‘Arab World Unite’ and The Middle East Invasion mix-tape series. He has collaborated with local, regional, and international artists such as the legendary Outlawz, Orlando Jones, DJ Woohie, and G-Unit.

What is most impressive though, is that through his mix-tape series, he is able to pay homage to the Hip Hop ethos of bringing up those around you and helping unseen talent get a voice, all with an aim to specifically help those in the Arab world. The track listing to the latest mixtape reads like a map of Arab nations, and many unique artists, from as many unique genres, are getting heard. We check in with him to see what keeps him motivated.

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How did you first get into music?

I started out as a DJ in private parties back in 1997. It wasn’t enough for me to just stop there and limit my career to DJ-ing; I wanted to branch out. That’s when I decided to get into music production. A couple of years later I created my home studio, and then in 2003, Outlaw Productions came into being.

What/Who inspires your art and why?

Growing up I listened to a lot of old school hip hop which definitely helped shape my art, and I also remember listening to Michael Jackson and feeling inspired by his music and artistry.

Tell us about the project Middle East Invasion When Arabs Unite?

The Middle East Invasion is a mix-tape series that I created after feeling like there are a lot of very talented hip hop artists around the region who were not being given enough attention. I wanted to create a platform for them to be heard.

I get tons of submissions from a wide range of Middle Eastern artists, and I hand pick the best of the best to be featured on each volume. Since the first volume, every year the talent has gotten stronger. Which of course proves to the world how much the Middle East has to offer to the music community.

When will/did it release?

Five volumes have been released each year for the past five years so far. And a new volume will be out on New Year’s Day of every year from now onwards.

Tell me about the various artists involved?

The mix-tape is strictly for artists from the region regardless of where they might live. So far, the artists that have been featured represent most, if not all, of the Arab countries; these include Flipp (Bahrain), Army of One (Kuwait), Vico (Lebanon), Ayzee (KSA), Ghost (UAE), MC Amin (Egypt), Shadia Mansour (Lebanon), and Hell

Fire (Libya) to name a few. I also try to include a variety of styles and as many new and unheard artists featured as I can in every mix-tape.

Where was it recorded?

The tracks submitted to me are all previously recorded by the artists in their home countries.

The submission period is usually two weeks, and the artists send in up to three tracks to be reviewed and considered. Of course after the tracks have all been picked and the list is created, the mix-tape is mixed and mastered which is done in my studio.

What inspired this project?

The main inspiration behind this project is the level of talent in the region that deserves a chance at being heard. It’s also the culture and the concept of Arab unity through music; it’s a tool to bring Arabs together in a new and different way, and that’s hip hop!

In your opinion, what is the hardest challenge

about doing music as a career in the Middle East?

The hardest challenge would probably be dealing with some of society’s attitude towards pursuing an unconventional career choice. It’s tough, but not impossible.

How has the Middle Eastern world reacted to your art?

Considering that when I first started out it was relatively new, I got mixed reactions and many of them were negative. As time went by, more and more people started to understand the art, where it’s coming from, and the message it’s sending out. I’ve been blessed for all the support I’ve been getting in recent years.

Is there a prevailing message you are trying to communicate with your pieces?

Each and every track has a message of its own, but the main message that I—along with my artists—want to communicate is that, if we can do it, so can you. All it takes is the will and

determination to chase after your dream.

What would you like to accomplish with your music in the future?

The ultimate goal is to put Bahrain on the international hip hop map! In everything I do, I represent Bahrain, which I will continue to do in all my future projects. Now that the new Outlaw Productions studio is ready, I’ll be busy working on many projects in plan.

Any shows coming up in Kuwait or elsewhere?

Definitely. There’s a lot planned for this year, and I have a few countries in mind where I’d like to perform. Once the planned shows are confirmed, they’ll be announced on my website where you can subscribe for free, to be on my VIP mailing list to receive all the news exclusively.

For more information on DJ Outlaw and the Middle East Invasion mix-tape series, go to www.djoutlaw.com.

You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter @DJoutlaw.

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MINUS THE MEMORIES

by Sumayyah Meehan

“The richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten” ~ Cesare Pavese

How many times have you gone to an event or an occasion and scrambled to grab your cell phone or camera? Or exhibited obsessive-compulsive behaviors when making sure that your digital imaging device is always charged and at the ready to capture each moment before it fleetingly passes into the distance? If you’re anything like me, then your digital imaging device is like a third arm. It may as well be a whole other member of the family given its importance in preserving some of life’s most precious memories.

It wasn’t until recently that I became concerned with just how big a part of taking pictures is altering the very fabric of daily life and social interactions.

The epiphany did not even hit me until I was taking a stroll at Marina Mall and took on the position of a bystander soaking in the scene. I just so happened to be perched near a group of teenage girls who were busy taking “selfies” with each of their cell phones. As the camera was preparing to snap, each girl burst into a high-watt smile that was 76

positively gleaming. The second each was shot, all three went back to the mundane task of going through each one to determine which was the best to post on their collective social-networking pages.

Instead of enjoying the moment of an afternoon spent with friends, it was degraded by trying to preserve it digitally versus relishing the experience and committing it to memory.

According to a recent study conducted by Fairfield University in the USA, Psychologist Linda Henkel revealed, “We collect photos almost as if they’re trophies, or evidence, but that’s not the same thing as trying to capture the experience.”

It took only a quick glance through my digital photography archive, which stores images from both my cell phone and camera online, to realize the trap that I too had fallen into. I scrolled through image after image of glorious sunsets captured at Al Kout Mall, a litter of kittens nestled beneath the rocks at Sharq Mall and images of my children frolicking near the rough waves on a windy day

in the Persian Gulf. All of the images were taken recently, yet my memory did not recall even half of them better than my camera did.

It’s easy to get caught up in taking pictures and recording life’s moments. In our Digital Age, life moves fast and having a digital imaging device may seem like the only way to capture time before it passes. However, consider the relationships and quality time with those whom you hold dear that is wasted while you fiddle with an imaging device.

While it’s important to preserve your memories, it’s not necessary to do it incessantly and without limits. Take the initiative once in awhile to leave your device at home and instead focus on the moment with one of the most powerful memory tools known to man... your brain.

When it comes to making and preserving memories to last a lifetime, it’s all about balance.

Use the power of technology and an equal measure of your own human abilities to truly immortalize your most prized memories.

Show your mom you love her a bunch.

Ask in store about Mother's Day gifts

WEST ELM

GRAND AVENUE - THE AVENUES TEL: 2228 3072 facebook.com/westelmmena

instagram.com/westelmmena

THE BEST GAMING EXPERIENCE A step-by-step look into how to create a customized PC gaming rig

by Ashraf Abdalla

Last month I gave you my impressions of the two new next-gen consoles. Both are brilliant machines, but ultimately (and you geeks surely know this), consoles can never compete with a decent PC gaming rig. Even the just released PS4 and Xbox One are using significantly dated technology in comparison to what’s available in the PC world.

Understandably some people want the peace of mind that comes with a console. There’s a lion’s share of ready-built PC gaming rigs available, and many like the simplicity of ‘insert disc’, ‘install’, and ‘play’, without the worry of the daunting task of tweaking settings to maximize graphics and performance based on your PC’s capabilities.

Yet, you can build your own for a fraction of the price if you just follow some basics. PC game hardware detection techniques have dramatically improved and taken out a lot of the guesswork.

Kuwait gamers have the additional option of getting it assembled by one of the multitude of workshops in Ibn Khaldoun Street, after you’ve gotten your parts. I strongly advise you do this if you have no clue of how to put it all together or don’t want to spend the time reading one of the many step-bystep guides available on the internet.

Your rig’s components are scalable and will largely depend on your funds. What I intend to do over the next two months is give you a rundown on the importance of each, and where you should put most of your money. As a general rule, always take the time to read online reviews and performance comparisons of the various options within your budget range so you get the most bang for your buck. Keep in mind that you can always upgrade components that you’ve had to make compromises on because of finances when your wallet is a bit more flush with cash.

The two of the most important components in your rig are the CPU and the motherboard. Along with your graphics card, these will determine the performance of your rig with games. I’ve experimented with both AMD and Intel based processors and motherboards in my rigs over the years. Intel processors coupled with a good graphics card always gave me better performance, albeit at a slightly higher price.

You don’t have to go for the fastest and best i7 processor, a mid level core i7 will give you all the performance you need. Processors like Intel’s core i5-4670K which are easily found both locally and online at pretty affordable prices will give you a cost effective alternative without compromising performance. The only difference between it 78

and it’s core i7 brethren is that hyperthreading is disabled. So it won’t perform anywhere near as well when handling multi-threaded workloads.

This isn’t much of a concern for a gamer, the only game that I know for certain used hyperthreading was Crysis 3.

If money is no object, I’d recommend going for a mid-range core i7 like the i7-4770K which will bump up your minimum average frame rate, for much smoother gameplay. With an Intel processor always go for those with a K designator at the end which means they are unlocked and will let you easily overclock (run your processor at a higher rate than the manufacturer intended). Make sure you pick up a good CPU cooler whether fan or liquid cooling based for your CPU to increase its life, and avoid any risk of overheating if you do decide later to put your gaming PC on steroids.

A trickier choice to make is which motherboard to get. The greatest deciding factor here is the size of the case that you will be using: mini form factor, mid tower or full size tower. The motherboard is one of those things you don’t want to skimp on.

Get a good one and your performance is solid and consistent, go for a less-featured model and

it could bottleneck your rig’s performance. Make sure your motherboard’s CPU socket matches your choice of CPU and if you can afford it go for one of the more high-end gaming models (the likes of ASUS’s Republic of Gamer models are available in almost all form factors) and you won’t regret it.

The next component you’re going to need to get is memory, and this is another important one. If you plan on over-clocking you want to get memory that has good quality heatsinks installed. You’re also going to want to make sure you get at least 1600-1800MHZ DDR3 memory. It’s imperative you check which memory your motherboard supports and for any known compatibility issues. For a good gaming rig you’re going to want to get at least 8 GB of RAM. Get as much as you can afford over that once you’ve decided which graphics card you’re going to get (more on that next month). Really anything more than 8GB of RAM is kind of overkill.

Join me again next month when I’ll take you through the single most important, and expensive, decision: the graphics card. We’ll also cover power supplies, hard drives, monitors and peripherals, and soon you will have your own custom made gaming PC!

REEBOK

big boys toys Because grown men still need to play

ADULT-SIZE BIG WHEEL DRIFT TRIKE

EASYBREATH SNORKELING MASK

KILLERSPIN SVR BLACK PING PONG TABLE

Race ready, the High Roller adult-size big wheel drift trike brings it all back! The all-plastic crotch rockets of our youth probably wouldn’t support today’s average middle-aged fellow, so the High Roller has been fashioned with a steel frame and alloy rims for the pneumatic 26-inch front tire.

The trike is rated to carry up to 275 pounds. On the back, the High Roller’s 14-inch high-density polyethylene plastic wheels are five times thicker than the ones on the hog you had as a kid. These back wheels are good for 150 miles of open-road ridin’, skiddin’ and spinnin’ out before you need to replace them. Also includes tassels, because who doesn’t love tassels?!

Snorkeling is a great way to take in the sights and sounds under the sea without the need for bulky scuba equipment or certification. But it does have one big drawback: you either get used to breathing solely through your mouth, and keeping your head high enough that no water comes in, or you deal with water in your mouth and fogged up goggles. Unless you’re wearing the Easybreath Snorkeling Mask. This revolutionary mask fits over your entire face, allowing you to breathe normally underwater without fear of fog, and features a drytop system on the top that plugs the air intake when immersed, preventing water from entering.

It’s easy to go out and buy a ping pong table. But it’s not easy to find one that doesn’t look like a playing surface slapped on top of a metal box. The Killerspin SVR Black Ping Pong Table (KD 1000) is not a surface on a box. Offering tournamentlevel performance, this top-tier table features a playing surface made from 22 millimeter medium density fiberboard for a consistent bounce and with a Repeat Roller Coating for minimal glare.

There’s an Apex net and steel post system, but perhaps the most notable feature is the base — a 2.5-inch thick arched silver metal frame that will look fantastic no matter where you place it.

www.highrollerusa.com

www.uncrate.com

www.uncrate.com

RYNO CYCLE

SOSU BARREL-AGED SRIRACHA

THE PIGGYBACK RIDER

Ever wanted to pop a perpetual wheelie? Well get ready, ‘cause RYNO Motors has released its selfbalancing, single-wheeled, beast of a motorcycle.

Sorta like the Sit-N-Spin but you won’t get dizzy and throw up your animal crackers on the RYNO. It’s a one-wheeled electric vehicle, part bike, part Segway (but cooler looking), and it rolls along at 15kms/hour with a range of about 48kms before a recharge is needed. But RYNO isn’t looking to compete with Ducati. It’s a scooter for men.

A bicycle for professionals who don’t want to show up to work in clothes marked with sweat.

A motorcycle for people who...are maybe kind of afraid of riding a real motorcycle. And, come on, you can’t say it doesn’t look cool.

If you’re like most Sriracha fans, eventually you won’t even need anything to put it on, you’ll enjoy the sauce all by itself. At that point, you’ll want some hot sauce to put on it. You should try this.

Made using fresh, locally sourced ingredients — specifically chili peppers, brown sugar, garlic, and salt — Sosu Barrel-Aged Sriracha is a new take on everyone’s favorite rooster-emblazoned condiment. Aged for one (or in the case of the limited-edition version, three) month(s) in barrels, the pepper mash takes on sweet, fruity, and smoky notes that help balance out the spiciness of the sauce, making it an even more amazing accompaniment for eggs, meat, noodles, or anything else you can imagine.

The Piggyback Rider is an enjoyable, effortless way to carry a child (2.5+ years / up to 60lbs) on your back. Replacing bulky backpack carriers and strollers, you can enjoy long walks without worrying about your toddler getting tired. The Piggyback Rider can be used as the next step after your child outgrows a traditional child carrier backpack. It also features a non-skid foot bar for a child to stand on, a safety harness, and handles for a kid to hold as you walk. It weighs less than 3 pounds, and functions as a standard backpack, distributing the child’s weight at your core enabling a natural upright posture.

www.dudeiwantthat.com

www.uncrate.com

www.werd.com

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NAUTICA KUWAIT I UAE I QATAR I BAHRAIN I OMAN I KSA

NAUTICA Now we are at ground floor in phase-II The Avenues Mall Tel: 22597305

OPENING SOON AT GATE MALL

OCHO

Choose the chain not the glasses, to make a statement by bazaar staff

What began as a friendship between family friends turned into a brilliant business between two best friends. That’s how business owners and partners Fatema and Yussra, who both share an interest in fashion and design, discovered their passion for accessories. Renowned for creating magnificent sunglasses accessories, we sit down with the fashionistas for a quick chat as they tell us more about OCHO. How and when did the idea of OCHO come about?

Fatema: It’s funny how great ideas come to you on an ordinary day. The day was May 1st, and we were hanging out after a long day of university at our favorite café. I was really sad because I had lost my favorite pair of sunglasses. We thought about how useful those thread cords attached to reading glasses must be. How the glasses would just hang from your neck and you wouldn’t have to worry about losing them.

How great it would be if there were chains for sunglasses, we thought. At that moment, a huge 82

light bulb turned on in our heads. Why not reintroduce those old cords and recreate unique chains for sunglasses? We thought it would be really cool if we played around with the whole idea, making eyeglass chains the new statement accessory for everyone to have.

What does the name OCHO mean, or what do the letters represent?

The name OCHO means the number eight in Spanish. We chose this number because it represents a lot of things for the both of us; it’s our lucky number. We also like the way the logo turned out when we turned the eight sideways.

Do you both design the high-end chains and accessories for glasses?

OCHO’s added a great fashionable touch to our look. There’s a reason why the older generation used them. They served a function, but they just lacked style. We design an idea as soon as it comes to us, and love each and every OCHO we make. There’s a great feeling that comes with hand making them because each piece is like our own little masterpiece

and we really enjoy spending our time making them.

Can you tell us about the first chain you ever designed?

We didn’t think it would be possible at first.

We had the initiative, we had the designs, but we didn’t have a clue on how to start. We are both very determined girls. We would stay for hours and hours trying to figure it out. After many failed attempts and broken nails, we finally managed to make our first chain together, it felt like such a great accomplishment! The final outcome was a triple silver chain with baby pink colored beads.

That’s when we realized how passionate we were about making them by hand.

How do you complement one another?

We balance each other out perfectly.

Fatema: I really enjoy working with Yussra because she has a lot to offer when it comes to new designs and ideas, and she’s also quite expressive. Yussra helps me organize and keep my thoughts together. She is an absolute joy to be with and I love that we have the same interests.

Yussra: I can’t imagine someone besides Fatema to work with. She is laid back when we work which is something I admire about her. She has a calming way of dealing with things. This greatly helps when it comes to the business.

It’s also nice to have someone that is a friend, someone I enjoy working with and hanging out with a lot rather than just a business partner.

How did the business begin and what was the initial response?

After having so much fun wearing the chains and showing them off, we wanted to introduce our OCHOs to the rest of Kuwait. We started displaying and selling our chains on Instagram.

To our surprise the Instagram account gained over 1000 followers during the first week alone.

It proved to us how the chains were in demand, and it motivated us to continue working on the chains. We also participated in many expos in the past few months and are looking forward to upcoming expos.

How would an OCHO girl style her shades or

prescription glasses?

It’s a very simple procedure. We have a lot of designs, charms, beads and chains we use but every chain is unique. They can be worn in two ways.

One way is to pull the chain back behind your head, and the other way is to leave the chain to the front.

We have simpler chains and chains with a bolder feel, depending on the outfit you’re wearing for the day and whether you want to dress it up or down.

Can you tell us about your latest collection? How do you find inspiration for the styles that you present?

To be honest, everything around us inspires us. It’s such a beautiful thing that the world is constantly changing, especially the world of fashion. So we just try to look at all the latest trends and try to incorporate them into our designs. For example, one major spring summer trend is floral-themed, so we made a floral chain to match Dolce and Gabbana’s floral sunglasses. We love doing photo-shoots to launch all our newest collections, so we’ll be planning that as well.

What is one piece of advice you would give to individuals like yourself looking to start a design or fashion business?

We would definitely encourage the youth to pursue their dreams and do what they love to do.

Turning your passion into a business is absolutely wonderful, but it’s not for everyone. Be prepared for the ups and downs, and make sure you’re doing it with the right people.

What’s next for OCHO? We have been through so much together, from mental and physical meltdowns to sharing some of the most amazing experiences that we will never forget. We plan on going international with OCHO.

Check out OCHO’s Instagram at @ocho_design.

For more information and orders, call or whatsapp 9752 8981 or 9967 3521 or email ochobyfy@gmail.com. OCHO is also available at Eye Boutique at both Grand Avenue and Mall 360 branches.

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bazaar he said/she said

BOYS WILL BE BOYS (AND MEN WILL TOO) by bazaar staff

In the beginning...there was a him and a her - and nobody’s agreed on anything since. In this column, we present both sides, as if we may eventually come to a conclusion...you decide!

he said...

It is a very well established fact, indeed, that boys mature at a slower rate than girls do. While recent neuroscience suggests that this is much more due to timing of development rather than any implied lack thereof on the former’s part, it is still notable as we attempt to suss out from whence the man-child’s immaturity comes. It is also quite unsurprising that this tendency, inherent in youth, carries on through adolescence and into adulthood. Still, even if that is the case, why is it that we as men just cannot seem to get it together long enough to grow up? Pull my finger and I will tell you!

First I would argue that we do…grow up, I mean…eventually…albeit, begrudgingly. In fact, I would argue that it is the very act of having to be “the grown up man of the family,” with the full weight of the family unit’s success or failure on his shoulders, that in the end often causes him to act so immaturely. But wouldn’t that just be an argument for arguments sake—and as such, further evidence of childlike behavior?

You must allow us to have our immature talk! We are all for serious conversations when it is ‘serious conversation time’, but in order for that to happen we must be able to act with a blatant disregard toward conventions of polite conversations at other times. Be honest, you know the first things that come out of our mouths in the morning, or the quickest to come to mind overall—there is a lot of idle chatter in there.

You must allow us our immature actions! If I had a dime for every time I did some ridiculous thing to which my wife could do nothing but respond with a disapproving head-wag, I would have…well, enough dimes to make a go-kart out of; upon which I would most certainly mount a cannon out of smelted dimes, that would shoot out—you guessed it—rolls of dimes at everyone who told me it couldn’t be done. So, let it happen on guy’s night, when you are not there. Which brings me to my next point…

You must allow us our immature friends! Every guy has several groups of friends. Even the stuffiest amongst us, entrenched in business and the business of family alike, has the group of friends that he can cut loose with. Heck, the golf course is practically made for such shenanigans. You get a group of guys together with a big club and a little ball with next to no women around for miles and we are going to ridicule and heckle each other into little insufferable balls of resilient clay.

Seriously though (and please note here for maturity’s sake that it took me exactly 5 paragraphs to get to a serious point—but I got there!), whether you want to admit it or not, it is precisely our childlike nature that most likely initially attracted you to us (in addition to, of course, our heaps of money, washboard abs and chiseled jaw—obviously!). Our ability to joke, and to make you laugh, is part of our charm and charisma. Our ability to be good with kids and make them laugh as well as keep them entertained too, is a plus.

Sure, you would prefer that it wasn’t because these children were our maturity equals, but aren’t we just splitting hairs now?

...she said

Let’s get one thing straight, this is not about the chores, or the things that need to be done. It’s about being involved in each other’s lives and being keenly aware of what the person wants and needs and how to give it to them. If you go out with your buddy three times a week, but don’t have time to take your lady out for a nice dinner a couple times a month, you’ll get “grow up” shouted at you.

Us women give up just as much as you do. Gone are the girls’ nights out where we can go wild, the impromptu trips to exotic places and the therapeutic designer bags. We realize relationships mean sacrifices, and don’t mind that we have to give those things up. Yet, we are often startled, many times too late in a relationship, that our men are no better than children. They need to be fed, clothed and cleaned, and ushered through much of the turbulence that comes with any relationship.

With a natural born ability to multitask, we’ve been able to easily straddle between the modern working woman and the socially accepted homemaker. As a woman, I take pride in my home and love my kitchen. I want my man and children to be happy and content and wouldn’t dare to let them out of the house with a wrinkled shirt.

As we have evolved, men have held tight to their breadwinner role and even demand higher praise for their ability to have a job. Let me make this clear: Having a job is not an achievement. It’s a requirement. You need to eat your vegetables, you need to shower and you need to have a job. You don’t get a reward for that. That’s not part of growing up, it’s just a natural course of life. Giving your partner the attention she needs, now that’s reward worthy.

My husband and I tried a bit of an experiment over the vacation. I was stressed out from the combination of housework and my career. I was tired of cleaning up all the time, and he could see it. So, we switched roles. He took care of everything in the house for a full two days. He did all the daily chores, and even did some vacuuming.

I was set up with Far Cry 3, a video game where you need to save friends kidnapped by pirates after a vacation went sour. I spent the full two days playing the game. I didn’t lift a finger, and it was absolutely incredible.

But by the end, I missed my husband, and felt completely unproductive.

I missed doing things for him, and instead of them being a chore they became little gifts I give him every day.

This is what we mean when we say grow up. Women need to feel that they are with a man that supports them physically, emotionally and mentally. That’s what makes a man right? Your uncanny ability to support your partner fully without letting all the emotions get in the way. Men are supposed to be the rocks in their women’s lives. So, it’s frustrating when our men become burdens we carry on our shoulders.

Keep adding fuel to the inter-office fire by sending in excerpts from your own battle of the sexes. We will take it from there!

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JEEP

SPOIL HER THIS

MOTHER’S DAY Because she’s earned it

SEPHORA THE COLOR SPECTRUM IT PALETTE This Chic and trendy eye shadow palette comes with the most trendy and wearable colors for any eye and skin color. With fashionable packaging, your palette becomes the ultimate accessory your mother will want to show off. The creamy texture of these brightly colored eye shadows makes it long lasting, and ensures smooth application to your eye lids without fall out. Each color combination comes as a duo with a lid and crease color to brighten and define the eye, finally making it a convenient color to wear.

MAKE UP FOR EVER MAKES MOTHER’S DAY EXTRA FLAWLESS THIS YEAR It is this time of year where mothers deserve to be appreciated and pampered on their special day. What better way to indulge your mother than to offer her beauty products which will make her look flawless and feel good. Catering to the needs of every woman, MAKE UP FOR EVER offers a wide range of professional products which will definitely put a smile on your mother’s face. Among them is the HD range which is a must-have for her if she is looking to get that flawless complexion for any occasion or while posing in front of the camera.

AMOUAGE: THE INTERLUDE COLLECTION Gift the most important woman in your life this Mother’s Day with Amouage’s ‘Interlude’ collection of Fragrance, Candle and Bath & Body products. ‘Interlude’s’ floral chypre reveals sweet Bergamot and bitter Grapefruit creating turbulent tensions in the top notes while Rose, Frankincense and Sandalwood in the intricate heart are masqueraded with an unconventional combination of Nut, Coffee, Kiwi, Honey and Agarwood. Warmth is injected to the fragrance’s contradicting accords with an opulent base of sumptuous Amber and Vanilla. The ‘Interlude’ collection comes with an Extrait de Parfum and an ‘Interlude’ candle which burns for a generous 40 hours, leaving any room with a rich, elegant trail of scent.

SWATCH - BLOSSOMING LOVE Inspired by spring and all change it brings, Swatch has created BLOSSOMING LOVE—just in time for Mother’s Day! Mothers know all about nature and change, because they see their children grow every day.

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TAIBA

bazaar fitness

WORKPLACE WELLNESS

by Mike Campbell

Have you ever been sitting at your work station and felt stressed, low in energy and/or generally just experiencing aches and pains? Then a workplace wellness program might be for you.

It is globally recognized that the workplace environment has a powerful effect on your health.

Placement of your computer, printers, chair position, lighting and view, among many other factors, can affect your job satisfaction. When you’re healthier you tend to be more productive, when you are healthier you tend to be happier.

Stress can be defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. This can result in feelings which include, but are not limited to, anxiety and nervousness. When employees feel the environment at work is negative then they can feel stressed. Stress has a huge impact on an employee’s physical and mental health.

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Employees are the most valuable assets in any company and general workplace wellness should matter to everyone. Wellness programs range from information and education sessions, to a company gym, or subsidized healthy lunches.

Sometimes all you need is a little motivation to get the ball rolling. So let’s take a closer look at why, if they are available to you, that you as an employee should undertake a workplace wellness program.

Firstly, they well make you feel better - plain and simple. Who doesn’t want to feel better? They can improve your health by reducing stress levels and reducing muscle strain/pain when you are at work.

Depending on what is available, they may also help you lower blood pressure, enhance your breathing patterns, improve sleep patterns, reduce body fat (which is tracked when you use biosignature modulation, like the program

available from Inspire Pure Fitness), and can also eventually enable you to reduce your dependence on medication for health-related issues. Using a wellness program, and employing the techniques taught on the courses, can make many small but hugely important positive changes. Imagine improving your productivity at work because you’re happier, more focused and motivated, then returning home to friends and family with more enthusiasm due to higher energy levels.

As an employer, investing in hosting a wellness program strongly demonstrates the idea that the company genuinely care about the well-being of their employees. In the current competitive job market it is becoming more valuable for a company to provide ways to enhance employee’s job satisfaction. The benefits to the employer include some of the following: - Attract and keep employees - Improve morale within the company - Create a happy and supportive environment where teamwork and camaraderie is boosted - Reduce the effects of a stress in the work place - Lower absenteeism Wellness programs boost social support and interaction with staff. The company will have the opportunity to come together to experience activities that aren’t work related. This group environment means that you will have others to give you encouragement when you need it, as well as to hold you accountable for your own personal goals.

Everyone gets motivated when that happens!

The Inspire Pure Fitness Workplace Wellness program is about developing a ‘people first’ approach to conducting business. We aim to educate you on how to improve your systems of taking care of your employees and establishing a positive workplace environment. Your company can visit us, or we can bring our expert facilitators to you. We can teach you how to pay attention to the factors that keep employees both happy and healthy at work.

Our program is intentionally planned to improve posture and breathing, increase mobility, provide measurable improvements using methods such as biosignature modulation and for employees to enjoy themselves through physical activities and games.

We designed our program to have a positive impact on employee’s mental, physical, emotional and social well-being.

For more information on the Inspire Pure Fitness Workplace Wellness program, why and how they do it, please contact mike@inspirekw.com.

THIS MOTHER’S DAY

WILLIAMS-SONOMA

Tel: 22283101

Grand Avenue - The Avenues

bazaar goes cruising

THE PORSCHE 911 TARGA A modern classic by bazaar staff

When it comes to driving a car like the Porsche, what is the point if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put the top down and let your hair blow in the wind? True to the innovations that Porsche has shown for years, they have again raised the bar by refitting some classic style, with their newer models. At the recent North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Porsche unveiled its latest gift to the automotive world by presenting the latest generation of the extravagant 911 model to the public. This model is the first to combine the classic Targa concept with state-of-the-art roof technology that they first debuted in 1965.

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Just like the legendary original Targa model, the new model features the characteristic wide bar in place of the B-pillars, a movable roof section above the front seats and a wraparound rear window with no C-pillar. But unlike the classic models, the roof segment on the new Targa can be opened and closed at the push of a button. Yes, the future has arrived, and it is as automated as we were all promised! At the press of a button, the fully automatic roof system stows the convertible top behind the rear seat system, providing a real spectacle. The rear-weighted design of the PTM allwheel drive fitted as standard, is a typical Porsche

feature, and guarantees that this latest 911 model also offers optimum driving dynamics on all road surfaces and in all weather conditions.

With these features, the new 911 Targa is presenting itself as a high-quality, innovative remake of the classic vehicle from 1965. The model shares a great deal in common with the 911 Carrera 4 cabriolet models, such as the window line and technology. The combination of the wide rear end that is typical of all-wheel drive models, the Targa bar and the dome-shaped rear window gives the latest 911 an extremely sporty appearance and a low-slung profile. There are two

new model variants from which you can choose, both of which come with all-wheel drive.

As with the predecessor model, the new Targa generation comes in two versions available exclusively with all-wheel drive. The 911 Targa 4 is powered by a 3.4-litre, 350 hp flat engine. When equipped with the Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) and Sport Chrono package, this model accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds and boasts a top speed of 282 km/h (did you hear those stats, all you speedsters out there?) and its NEDC fuel consumption figures are between 9.5 and 8.7-liters/100 km, depending on transmission,

which corresponds to a CO2 emissions level of between 223 and 204 g/km. The top model is the 911 Targa 4S, which delivers 400 hp from a displacement of 3.8 liters. This model reaches a top speed of 296 km/h and, when equipped with the PDK and Sport Chrono package, accelerates in 4.4 seconds. Its fuel consumption fluctuates between 10.0 and 9.2 liters per 100 km, depending on transmission, which corresponds to a CO2 level of between 237 and 214 g/km.

With these figures, these newer models are right on par with the high standard set by the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet models in terms of engine

performance, and efficiency. Perhaps the biggest point is this though: to truly enjoy the beauty of this classically designed vehicle you should be driving down the Gulf Road, with the orange setting sun in your rearview as your hair blows in the wind behind youâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that is living!

The all-new Porsche 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S will be available soon from Behbehani Motors Company. Visit their showrooms in Shuwaikh and Al Rai on the Fourth Ring Road. For more information visit www.behbehanimotors.com.

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DAFT PUNK

Inside the helmets

by Chris Lee

To the pop cognoscenti, the French dancemusic duo Daft Punk exists as an ideal, modern musicdom’s most consistent, influential, enigmatic trailblazer, in addition to being crowned the major winner of the 2014 Grammy Awards by scoring record of the year and album of the year trophies.

But to another section of the population — those willfully ignorant of this year’s Coachella lineup, for instance — the question after the Grammys might have been: Who were those masked robots?

Thanks to Daft Punk’s abiding silence at the awards podium, its members’ identities obscured by futuristic helmets straight out of Isaac Asimov’s imagination — not to mention the mystique cultivated by remaining off camera for more than half of their performance of the ubiquitous “Get Lucky” with Nile Rodgers, Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder — the French duo spoke volumes about their selective embrace of the celebrity spotlight.

Contrary to misperceptions, Daft Punk’s 92

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de HomemChristo speak fluent English. And despite rarely granting interviews, the two are hardly shy about expressing themselves. Splitting time between Paris and Los Angeles, they operate their production company, Daft Arts, out of Hollywood’s Jim Henson complex in the shadow of a giant Kermit the Frog sculpture.

Since 2001, however, they have refused to appear in public as Daft Punk without their robot disguises.

Few outside of a core group of collaborators and friends could pick De Homem-Christo and Bangalter, both 39, out of a police lineup.

This correspondent interviewed Daft Punk in 2010, the year the duo abandoned funked-out Big Beat electronica to venture into symphonic music with the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy, and can report on what the men (who collaborator Pharrell simply refers to as “the robots”) look like beneath the helmets.

Bangalter is tall and slim with a head full of corkscrew brown curls and two-days’ growth of stubble. Imagine a hipster version of Michael Richards’ Kramer character from “Seinfeld” — albeit one who can speak impressionistically on the merits of Japanese anime, psych-rock and violin arpeggios — and you’re on the right track.

Half a head shorter, matinee-idol handsome and exuding an air of Byronic melancholy, De HomemChristo is the more intense of the two, all pensive silences and halting remarks.

Refusing to divulge their division of labor, the group members have remained in lock step regarding Daft Punk’s uncompromising artistry — its avoidance of market-driven trends (basically abandoning the EDM sound that spawned a thousand imitators) in favor of pursuing their own quirky agenda (i.e., the labor-intensive, handmade disco aesthetic of their album Random Access Memories), rewriting the rules of mainstream pop in the process.

“We’re interested in the line between fiction and reality, creating fictional personas that exist in real life,” Bangalter told Rolling Stone last year, placing their disguises within a continuum of theatrical pop performers that includes Kraftwerk, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and KISS. “People thought the helmets were marketing or something, but for us it was sci-fi glam.”

A generation older than their non-masked contemporaries in the electronic dance music field — including Skrillex, 26, and Avicii, 24 — Daft Punk’s relative anonymity remains intact in an era of rampant over-sharing and fame for fame’s sake.

“Daft Punk creates music and visuals in a very pure way,” the group’s manager, Paul Hahn, told the Los Angeles Times in October. “It starts with selfidentity. The band doesn’t say to itself, ‘This is avant garde so it should be underground. More, they ask, ‘Why not? Why can’t our music be a big event?’”

After walking off with top Grammys honors, De Homem-Christo and Bangalter finally removed their helmets to host a lavish after-party, taking over two floors at Los Angeles’ venerable club venue the Park Plaza Hotel — Daft Punk’s first public celebration of Random Access Memories since its 2013 pre-release.

Before a celebrity-studded crowd that reportedly included Jay Z and wife Beyonce; Madonna and her teenage daughter, Lourdes; Paul McCartney; Trent Reznor; actress Ellen Page and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman-turned-Oscar nominee Jared Leto, Bangalter — or at least someone several sources identified as “the tall one with gray hair” — ascended to the DJ booth to spin choice tunes including a remix of Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance.”

Was it really a member of Daft Punk? Whoever the disc jockey was, he let the music do the talking.

AL JARRA

THE CONVERSATION FARM A talk with Jon Duschinsky by bazaar staff

Jon Dushinsky’s journey into social change began as a student in the UK, where he was part of a group of student volunteers who would work with charities by taking to the streets to collect canned foods and clothing donations at busy shopping centers. Strange as this activity might sound, he soon found the act of asking 3000 people a day for money and assistance for others, to be a psychologically fulfilling endeavor.

The act of attempting to share a cause in a few seconds, in such a way that is engaging enough that it compels and inspires people to give, began to become bigger than even the individual donations themselves—he began to recognize that he had found his calling; that he learned this while still in his teenage years, is inspiring in itself. We sat down with Jon for an inspiring talk about his business and what keeps him motivated.

What is The Conversation Farm?

The Conversation Farm is an agency that creates ideas to help companies, charities and governments build bigger conversations around their brands. Every brand worth its salt today wants a bigger conversation around its brand. It wants ambassadors, people who champion it, talk about it and encourage others to engage with it. This is what The Conversation Farm delivers. We provide a unique blend of social innovation, creative thinking and deep marketing knowledge to create ideas that make brands worth talking about by demonstrating their benevolence in a way that is authentic, inspiring and which people can join.

Who are some of your biggest / smallest customers?

We work with a very broad range of organizations, from multinationals to governments to grass-roots movements. Our client list includes companies in the cosmetic, fashion and sporting industries, national governments as well as groups that are transforming causes as diverse as Alzheimer’s, Motor Neurone Disease & blindness.

Do you prefer public or private sector clientele?

We are about making change, so we prefer to work with organizations that are keen to move the needle in their particular brand environment. The difficult economic climate has put private sector organizations under increasing pressure to innovate and seek out new ways of doing business. Many of our new clients in the last 12 months have been companies with real incentives to embrace creating a following around their brand in order to drive their market share and retain their clients. It is this kind of drive and vision that we seek with all our clients.

Is there a project you have worked on that you are most proud of?

We are working at the moment on a project that we are all very proud of, even though we can’t say much about it yet! A consortium of cosmetic companies approached us last year to help them think through the future of their engagement in the social good 94

space. As you know, companies in this field have been key champions of the Pink movement to fight breast cancer and have made some truly meaningful contributions to women’s health globally. But as the Pink movement has become increasingly fragmented, these companies are rightly asking what the next stage of their engagement in this space should look like. We will soon be delivering a piece of work that will be a true game changer for both women and cosmetic companies and we are very excited about it.

How many countries have you worked or helped to effect change in?

Over 40: from Alaska to Australia and pretty much everywhere in between. In particular, I spent many years working to help people and companies develop the understanding and the tools to be part of creating civil society in Eastern and Central Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall – a journey that took me to spend large amounts of time in countries like the Ukraine, Georgia, Hungary and many others.

Tell us about your concept of “shared value?”

Shared value in its simplest form is the idea that the more good you do, the more money you will make. The reason for shared value is that in today’s environment, the more good you do, the more you are worth talking about. And the more you are worth talking about, the bigger your following will be. The bigger your

following is, the more value you create, therefore the more money you are going to generate. It is the new paradigm of business and it is revolutionizing the way today’s companies are built and run.

Why are the terms “Remarkable and Authentic”, so important in what you do?

People have access to more information today than ever before, and they are increasingly sophisticated in their abilities to collate sources and form their own opinions rather than believing what they are spoon-fed.

In the past, you could pretty much get people to believe whatever you wanted as long as you had enough of an advertising budget. Today, if companies, charities or governments say or do things that are deemed to be inauthentic or even simply wrong, people will notice, will talk and there will be a backlash.

We see this all the time – companies like United Airlines, McDonalds or Chevron are amongst those who, in just the last few months, have suffered because they did something inauthentic and were called out on it. If a brand wants to engage people to feel goodwill towards it then it has to create a true alignment between what is says it stands for and the actions it carries out. If it says it believes one thing and then does another then people are going to spot it.

Yet, it is not enough to simply be coherent. A brand can be coherent and dull. If brands want to continued on next page...

AUM

be worth talking about, if they want to be invited into the personal conversations of individual people, then they have to do something that is both coherent and that makes them stand out, because whilst the public is increasingly good at spotting dissonance, it is also increasingly good at filtering out things that it has seen before or which don’t capture its attention. So authentic and remarkable are two sides of the same coin, and both key parts of creating a successful following.

How important is branding?

Brand is paramount. Today, in a global economy dominated by choice and by the increasing power of the individual, the focus is no longer on what organizations do, but what they are made of. The brand is the expression of what you are made of.

All the most successful brands have guiding principles, which we like to call “belief systems”, that provide them with direction, culture and the ability to make the right decisions about their future. It is the expression of this belief system that is at the core of being able to show what you stand for as an organization, and become attractive to people who don’t yet know you.

How important is it to shift conversations? / What is “the conversation” as you understand it?

Conversations are shifting all the time. They are, 96

...continued from previous page

by nature, organic and freeform. But we can influence them. Indeed, the power to change the conversation is perhaps the greatest power that any brand can wield today in the marketplace.

To change the conversation you have to help people see an issue in a different way. This is why we focus much of our work at The Conversation Farm on creating ideas that change the way that people look at problems or issues.

We are working at the moment on the issue of childhood obesity in the USA. Our client – a partnership of a children’s hospital and a major food manufacturer – wants to move the needle on this issue. There are hundreds, thousands of initiatives on childhood obesity across the US, some of them from very high profile people like Jamie Oliver or Michele Obama. But none are achieving real, scalable impacts.

To move the needle, our job is not to create yet another initiative. It is to change the conversation around how people look at food and obesity at its most fundamental level. We are focusing on getting people to look at food and how they consume it in a new way, as if the light was being turned on for the first time. Because when you shift a mindset, you have taken the first step to empowering people to change their own behavior patterns. This is the power of the conversation. And this is the power of changing

the conversation. Simply put, it makes it possible to do what was previously thought impossible.

Tell us what it means to be voted 2nd most influential communicator in social innovation (and what it means to come second to former President Bill Clinton)?

It was a very humbling moment, in particular because this was a vote of peers rather than of a panel of experts. I have always tried to work on the cutting edge of social innovation, and to be recognized for this work was both exciting and very inspiring. In particular, it has helped spread our message about the power of the conversation, and helped more companies and charities realize what they have to gain by embracing it.

For more information on Jon Duschinsky and The Conversation Farm, you can find him online at: theconversationfarm.co, Twitter @jonduschinsky or via email: jon@theconversationfarm.co.

The London Speaker Bureau represents some of the world’s leading business and motivational speakers.

If you are interested in booking Jon for your event, or are interested in bringing in other speakers to your corporate events and conferences, please contact tatjana@londonspeakerbureau.com or visit our website www.londonspeakerbureau.com

TONI AND GUY

PIZZERIA AMAMI

You eat with your eyes, your heart and your stomach by bazaar staff

Flour flurries around the counter as the freshly kneaded dough is pulled, rolled and stretched to perfection. The sauce is poured and spread in generous quantities followed by handfuls of cheese. The pizza paddle is dusted with flour, lifts the pizza and transports it into the brick oven. Two minutes pass, the paddle goes back into the oven and the pizza is rotated. A minute later, the paddle goes back in, lifts, and brings the steaming pizza to the serving dish. A swift move here and there, and the pizza is sliced beautifully and ready to be served.

Those that know me know that my number one take-to-a-desert-island item is a pizza. So imagine how I felt when I was given the opportunity to observe the process from a ball of dough to perfect golden slices for me to blissfully devour. It was love, a sentiment truly apt of the restaurant’s name. In Italian, Amami translates to “love me.”

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It is that precise sensation that makes its way into your heart from the moment you enter to the second you find yourself needing to leave.

You’re greeted by friendly staff, and welcomed to the family for the duration of your stay. A truly personal atmosphere and with the dishes made to share with your loved ones (or in regular portions for you to enjoy on your own), this is a place you can call home.

Gone are the days of the just-add-water pasta, Pizzeria Amami makes their pasta in-house, from scratch, for you to enjoy. Nothing comes out of a box or a can. Your pizza, pasta and other doughbased food item consist of flour, eggs, and that’s all we can tell you. The food is healthy, cooked well, is never frozen and is prepared from fresh ingredients on a daily basis. When you order your meal, you’re guaranteed freshness and a mastery of flavor with every bite.

All of their staff members are Italian, from Florence to Sicily you get to experience the full spectrum of Italian flair. Borrowing from the flavors and methods they’ve each grown up with, every cook gives their own personal touch to your dish adding to the authenticity of it all.

The cuisine remains standard Italian at its core, but the regional flavors of Italy appear subtly, giving you a chance to experience it all at once.

Prepared with love, the food portrays that exact emotion as it shines through the essence of your meal.

You find yourself completely immersed into the culture of an actual Italian pizzeria. Simplicity of the dishes prepared for you is notable. As Mr. Franco Picco so eloquently put it, “good food doesn’t have to be difficult. People shouldn’t try to make it an art, into something that it isn’t.” Like the coliseum, Pizzeria Amami’s food is simple, with intricate

layers of flavor. When asked why he opened an Italian restaurant in Kuwait, the owner, Mr. Ghazi Al Kazemi, simply stated “Kuwait has a huge gap in authentic Italian cuisine that needed to be filled.”

With that, a slice of Italy was born in the heart of Kuwait. You can even go and practice speaking in Italian while you eat.

As for the food, there are no words to describe how the food was. Nothing can do it justice. From the perfection of the most basic of pizzas, to the most aromatic pasta I’ve encountered, and the fluffiest dessert I’ve devoured within minutes.

The Pizza Margherita is a classic that has been elevated to the next level. The sauce used was created beautifully. Bursting with flavors, I’ve never had the pleasure to encounter such a delectable sauce. The piping hot pasta was the Chef’s special creation. It was layer after layer of white sauce, breadcrumbs, and fresh tagliatelle

to soak it all up. With discreet hints of chili, this pasta was a masterpiece.

Dessert was the crème de la crème of the meal.

How does one choose from an elegantly structured Tiramisu and a beautifully layered Crepe Cake? I didn’t. I simply dug in armed with nothing but a spoon.

Upon biting into my first spoonful of Tiramisu, I was hooked. Fluffy, dreamy, and the seamless balance between mascarpone and coffee, the Tiramisu was everything I had hoped for and more. The Crepe Cake on the other hand – what’s not to love when you get layer upon layer of alternating crepe, cream and a Nutella topping? The meal was magical, and the dessert divine.

The food is just the way you like it. It weighs on your emotions without being too heavy. It is also budget friendly and caters to everyone’s needs.

You’re given the liberty to choose between the options of meat, depending on your preference,

with no fuss or hassle. They’re even working on a line of products that you can purchase, so you can recreate your very own Italian dishes at home. Once you pick out your pasta of choice, you can ask for advice on the type of sauce to go with it (or the other way around) and they can even give you pointers on how to execute it like a professional. A unique experience from start to finish, you’ll find yourself always coming back for more and therefore will familiarize yourself with the true meaning of Amami.

Immerse yourself in an authentic Italian atmosphere at Pizzeria Amami on the Mezzanine floor of Symphony Mall. For reservations, takeaways or information call the manager, Ms. Francesca Monacelli on 2577 0733, or follow them on Facebook: Pizzeria Amami, Salmiya, or Instagram @pizzeriaamami.

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bazaar music

30TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT by Bob Dylan On October 16, 1992, NYC’s hottest concert ticket was the live gathering of musical legends who’d come to Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s first album. The 4-hour show, performed for a sold-out audience and live-cast around the world, brought together an unprecedented roster of artists and icons including Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Lou Reed, George Harrison and more. Dubbed “Bobfest” on stage by a jubilant Neil Young, it reached a transcendent crescendo with an unforgettable performance and all-star jam featuring the evening’s honoree. That valedictory gathering from more than 20 years ago proved to be a mid-career retrospective of a recording artist who continues to inform and transform the cultural landscape.

LIFT YOUR SPIRIT

by Aloe Blacc

Soul singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc, best known for his international top 10 hit single “I Need a Dollar,” is gearing up for the worldwide release of his third album and debut for XIX Recordings/ Interscope Records, Lift Your Spirit, which doesn’t rely upon the retro-soul sound of “I Need a Dollar” and, instead, embraces modern pop. Lyrically, the emphasis is on love affairs, while “Soldier in the City” is socially conscious. On “Love Is the Answer,” he collaborates with Pharrell Williams.

If there are two consistent themes to the journey of Aloe Blacc it is that socially conscious music need not bore and everything is on the table when it comes to an artist challenging his own boundaries and limitations in an effort to reach for something more, something true.

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DIZZY HEIGHTS

by Neil Finn

GOOD KID, M.A.A.D CITY by Kendrick Lamar

Dizzy Heights is the third solo album from the beloved New Zealand-based singer/songwriter best known for his work with Crowded House and Split Enz. This long-awaited album is his first solo studio album since 2001’s One Nil. Finn recorded the album at his own Roundhead Studio in Auckland and in Upstate New York. It was co-produced with Dave Fridmann (MGMT, Tame Impala, the Flaming Lips).

“I didn’t want to make it a solo record in a stripped back singer-songwriter sort of way,” Finn says. “I had a feeling Dave would be good at adding some odd shapes to the music, which I always welcome - making things a little more expansive. He is good at subverting things, and making things sound a bit messed up and not as obvious, rather than being too tasteful, which is always a temptation.”

Currently signed to Top Dawg, Aftermath and lnterscope. Lamar, the Compton-based hip-hop artist, is a member of hip-hop supergroup Black Hippy, along with fellow West Coast rappers and label mates Jay Rock. Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. He first gained major attention after being mentioned by Dr. Dre resulting in a buzz for the, then upcoming release of his fourth mixtape. Early in his career, Lamar amassed a large Internet following, and had already worked with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Wiz Khalifa, Game, Drake, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Talib Kweli, Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, Busta Rhymes, E-40, Warren G, Bun B, Tech N9ne and Lil Wayne among other popular artists.

HIGH HOPES by Bruce Springsteen

SUPERMODEL by Foster the People

High Hopes finds Bruce Springsteen in a number of different musical settings, and includes the E Street Band members in various large and small combinations as well as guitarist Tom Morello on eight tracks. Besides Morello, the album also includes appearances on several songs by Clarence Clemons, who passed away in 2011, and Danny Federici, who passed away in 2008, on what Springsteen calls “some of our best unreleased material from the past decade.” The album was recorded in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Australia and New York City and marks Springsteen’s 18th studio album. As Bruce writes in the album’s liner notes, “I felt they were among the best of my writing and deserved a proper studio recording.”

Supermodel is the highly anticipated new album from Foster the People featuring first single “Coming of Age” and is the follow-up to the group’s critically acclaimed 2011 debut Torches (which garnered 3 Grammy nominations including Best Alternative Album). Recorded in various locations around the world, Supermodel began as frontman Mark Foster and producer Paul Epworth set up a writing studio in a riad in Essaouira, Morocco at the end of 2012. “We didn’t have any rules. We just created as much as we could in seven days,” Foster recalls, “And in the spirit of wanderlust and discovery we ended up stumbling on the musical identity of what this record was going to feel like.”

source: www.amazon.com

CROCS

HEART, POWER, AND SOUL

Kuwait’s Women’s Basketball Team head to the Arab Women’s Sports Tournament

by Frances Hernandez

Growing up, most children play sports for the aspirations of getting a scholarship, playing professionally or as some say “to make it.” It’s not just a passion, but something they want to do with their lives. When I came to Kuwait back in August to coach basketball, I never thought I’d see the game differently. That is, until I met a group of amazing women from the Al Fatat Women’s Sports Club located in Khaldiya.

The Al Fatat Women’s Basketball program consists of about 20 girls who play this sport in spite of all the odds. There isn’t really an established league for them like they have for the men’s team, and I wasn’t sure how acceptable it was for them to play such a competitive and physical sport. But I was pleasantly surprised when I went to my first practice at Al Fatat, and got to experience firsthand their passion and dedication to the game. They play competitively throughout the year all over the Middle East representing the club and their country. Their love for the game of basketball is shown in their style 102

on and off the court. After meeting them (and in turn, making them my best friends), I could clearly see their love and passion for basketball and all it has to offer.

This was proven back in October and again last month in February, when the team traveled to the United Arab Emirates for two different basketball tournaments with competing clubs from all over the Middle East. It was so inspiring and motivating to watch these ladies prepare for both. This included intense practices at least five days out of the week, with two practices a day closer to each tournament, scrimmages against men teams, not to mention strength and conditioning workouts.

It was serious training! And here is the catch… they all have full time day jobs and school. This is just for fun! Talk about a pure love for something; giving everything you have and expecting nothing in return. It reminded me of why I first started playing basketball - because I loved it, that’s all.

The hard work and dedication paid off in October when they won their first tournament in Abu Dhabi.

The championship was a first for Kuwait in this tournament, who had previously been written off.

Each of the team members took vacation time off work and school to attend. This was their vacation.

And it came with a souvenir trophy.

Not long after coming back from Abu Dhabi, the girls were back in the gym working hard to prepare for their next tournament, the Arab Women’s Sports Tournament held last month in Sharjah. It was back to weeklong practices, scrimmages and conditioning. With seven teams in the tournament, the competition was tougher, and a target was on their back after winning in Abu Dhabi. It was a battle until the end, but unfortunately things didn’t favor Kuwait this time around. They finished first in the preliminary and fourth in the finals, but we were all very proud of their achievements.

So what’s next for them? Well, I’m assuming it’s back to work and then after that, the gym.

Basketball isn’t what they do or who they are…

But it is certainly it something they love. And in the end, isn’t that enough?

RED TAG

bazaar fiction

ODE TO SARA

by Craig Loomis

Sara’s mother wants her to be a doctor. Just listen to this: ‘Yes, it is true, I would very much like to see Sara become a doctor.’ As a rule, Sara’s mother is not picky, any sort of doctor will do: internist, optometrist, gynecologist, psychologist, even dentist. What’s important is the Dr. and the white lab coat and of course the money. Sara’s father is not against her being a doctor but before being a doctor he thinks two other things--in no particular order--should happen first: she needs to learn French and she should find a husband--just in case. If all else fails, French-less with no medical certificate hanging on the wall, Sara, at the very least, needs to marry and have two children: one boy, one girl--in no particular order.

Sara attends a university now, and if you look closely you will find her in front of the library where she has just dropped a psychology book, and if you look even closer you’ll see how she is cautiously bending down to pick it up, double checking to make sure her blouse is neatly tucked in, covering that bare skin between blouse and pants. You would think that a potential doctor would not care about things like this—a flash of flesh—but there you have it.

Sara did pick up that psychology book she dropped in front of the library and she continued on to class, scoring 85% on a pop quiz, and from there went on to earn a final grade of B+, and finally, not once dropping another textbook, two years later graduated to a flurry of photos, hugs, and Mabrooks, wearing a new green dress that since has ended up in the corner of her closet floor.

Of course, in the end, except for the doctor part, all will work out and Sara will find a willing husband and have her nails done once every two weeks, her hair trimmed, sometimes colored, once every eight weeks, with the Filipinas at the salon all knowing her by name, calling out, ‘Miss Sara,’ and this will make her feel good and wanted, and, let’s admit it, special. When they finish with Sara, she may even leave them a bigger than usual tip because feeling special is something we don’t get a chance to feel very often, not anymore.

But back to Sara’s marriage: there will be a son, and a daughter. See how easy that was? And of course now they are renting two Indonesian maids who know all there is to know about somebody else’s children, about washing the dishes and emptying ashtrays and picking up soda cans and clothes because no one else can be bothered, but after all, that’s what maids are for, Sah? Not only that, there is the old Indian driver who everybody calls Al, which is not his name, but nobody cares, not even Al, who has been in the husband’s family 104

since the Invasion, who knows all there is to know about Kuwait, and beyond, although nobody has ever bothered to ask him.

Returning to Sara: married, with children, maids, and Al the driver, Thursday evenings she will visit shisha cafes with her friends and in the winter go to London to shop, and maybe in the summer to Barcelona. And oh, by the way, in case you haven’t noticed, the children are getting older and know all about computers and cellphones and music, but in the meantime losing their Arabic while learning the maids’ English; and one Friday afternoon in May, Sara’s mother and father will announce this as terrible, and something must be done to stop this, Nam? And Sara with husband— now that they think about it-- will agree, tsking the maids, wagging a finger at them. But then the very next day, out of nowhere, Sara will remember how much she used to like playing the piano, and for three weeks practice every day before losing interest because her fingers ache due to all the knuckle-cracking she did when she was younger, going to school, all of those studies making her so nervous. But never mind, because in three, no four days, she will be flying to Dubai and then

on to London, and when the daughter asks, with Indonesian maid leaning in the doorway, “Mama, the school play is next week and I have the best smallest part when I step out from the chorus and say for all to hear, “King Oedipus, my king, do not forsaken us’, and of course you will be there Mommy, right? Be there?” Sara will have no choice but to say, “Lah. Lah, I will be out of town, but have fun,” kissing her on the cheek.

The daughter walking away pretend-sad, only to find the maid and taking her by the hand, asking, ‘What’s for lunch?’

Sara’s mother and father, now happy grandparents, will sometimes think back to when they thought Sara, the stuff of medical doctor…but never mind, because now there are grandchildren to consider--who, by the way, are no longer children-and maids who don’t mind doing whatever they’re told, even though their English continues to be a problem. . . and did I tell you about Sara’s shopping trips to London, and, . . . But back to the dream of having doctors in the family, there is still hope because Sara’s younger brother, Waleed, is doing his duty in Ireland, at medical school, dissecting a cancer-riddled cadaver as we speak.

Authentic Indian Cuisine Treat your taste buds to the ďŹ nest Indian culinary journey Experience the most authentic Indian cuisines as you dine at the Jamawar restaurant that offers its guests an array of traditionally prepared dishes capturing the real essence of the famous Indian spices.

Jamawar Indian Restaurant Located At Holiday Inn Kuwait, Salmiya & Crowne Plaza Kuwait - First Floor

JAMAWAR Call for more information

1847 777 facebook.com/HolidayInn.Kuwait

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@HolidayInnKw

CITY ATTITUDE and Bohemian details

from H&M

H&M goes boho-chic this spring with a collection full of playful pieces and personal style. Embrace a new kind of tomboy attitude by successfully mixing an edgy tough look with playful bohemian pieces. With snug Patchwork jackets of leather and suede to modernize the look and graphic-printed waisted jackets to give a more sculptured silhouette. Frilly blouses add softness, and a long-sleeve top in matte metallics toughens the look. Printed suede leggings bring texture, while skinny jeans have the slightest kick at the ankle. Delicate cotton voile dresses have vintage dreaminess and graphic-print dresses are covered in fortuneteller symbols for a sense of city mysticism.

H&M SS 2014 collection will launch March 6 and will be available at the Grand Avenue and The Avenues Phase 1. Find the hashtag #HMSS14 on Instagram.

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bazaar apps BEATS MUSIC

AM ROUTINE

E-GATE KUWAIT

FACEBOOK PAPER

This new app allows you to check your status with the Ministry/Governmental bodies using only your Civil ID number. You can check your own traffic violations, civil ID status, driving license validity, passport and residency status validity, and whether you have a travel ban, which is very helpful if you are planning a vacation any time soon and need time to sort it out. It also includes a set up for push notifications sent free to your mobile. It remembers your Civil ID so you don’t have to keep entering it every time, and you can even add more than one Civil ID to the app. Currently available for $1.99 for Android and iPhone.

Like it or not, many of us find out about the latest news from our Facebook feed — whether it’s the death of a beloved actor, or the latest civil unrest abroad. In that spirit, this app makes the experience of consuming news on our phones a little more beautiful, with an immersive app that combines your friends’ stories with those coming from sources both established and upcoming.

With intuitive interactions, Flipboard-like panels, full-screen photos and videos, and customizable sources, you may actually find yourself enjoying exploring the news. Also, Paper lets you create your own stories, viewing them as they’ll appear within the app, and within Facebook’s native feed.

CARROT FIT

NOON KEYBOARD (Arabic)

Beats might be a newcomer to app development, but the headphone company knows a thing or two about making music look and sound great. That experience carries over to Beats Music, a streaming app with a strikingly sleek interface and a song library (over 20 million songs from all different genres) that will satisfy even nitpicky audiophiles. Beats is built to help you find the perfect music for any mood, and hardcore music buffs will find plenty to love in the app’s wealth of curated playlists from top producers and music publications, such as Dr. Dre and XXL Magazine. Free for Android and iPhone devices.

Working out has never been so sadistic.

Carrot Fit is a new app that will reward you if you meet your weight-loss goals, but seriously chew you out if you slip up. The brainchild of iOS developer Grailr, Carrot Fit knows more than 2,000 phrases — some kind and some cruel. Users enter their current weight when they download the app, and are given rewards such as workout tips and facts if they shed pounds. If users gain weight back, however, the app gives them a tongue-lashing.

“Meatbags,” as the app refers to users, can set reminders to avoid missing a weigh-in, share their progress with friends and check their BMI, among other features. The app costs $1.99 in the iTunes store.

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AM Routine takes the guessing out of when to get up in the morning. Whether you need to go to a different office, a different job or just allow for the Thursday traffic, many of our morning routines change from day to day. At night we all do the mental math to figure out how long we need to do everything in the morning and still make it to work on time. AM Routine does that math for you so you get as much sleep as possible while still having enough time to get ready. To use it is simple; set the time you need to be finished with your routine, add the tasks you need to complete and how long each will take and then AM Routine will set the alarm for the correct time. Available for $0.99 at the iTunes store.

This app is the first and only Arabic transliteration keyboard, enabling all users to type in English and get Arabic instead. You just have to write how something sounds in Arabic, using English letters and you will receive it in Arabic script. Noon also understands “3arabeh,” “ba3rif,” “2iktob,” “ta3rib,” “2ana,” “5allas,” “3arab,” “leb,”etc. You can also use it to help you write an SMS, email, tweet on Twitter or comment or write statuses on Facebook. Please note, they also have a Noon Keyboard International which translates Hindi, Chinese, Greek and Russian (look for it under Noon Keyboard International in the app store).

Available free for Android devices only.

THAT AL SALASIL

AL OSTOURA JEWELRY BOUTIQUE

Opens at Thuraya Mall

On February 9, 2014, Al Ostoura launched its new fine jewelry boutique â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Al Ostoura Jewelry at Thuraya Mall. Known for its avant garde take on fashion, Al Ostoura has been bringing the best of glamour and style to Kuwait since 1985. The new and exclusive boutique hosts unique designer bands known for their imaginative designs and craftsmanship, from some of the top brands around the world.

The Al Ostoura Jewelry Boutique will impress its customers at very first look, with its luxurious feel and flawless products. Al Ostouraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trusted service follows to make the customer feel like royalty. With so many gorgeous jewels and gemstones to choose from, you will definitely be spoilt for choice!

Carla Amorim Carla Amorim founded her namesake brand in 1992.

The Brazilian designer is inspired by three major Brazilian elements: Architecture, Nature, and Culture. Contemporary, fresh, feminine, and delicate are words that would be apt to describe the beauty of a Carla Amorim creation. The red carpet favorite has been spotted on Michelle Obama, Sandra Bullock, Sofia Vergara and other trendsetters.

Carlo Barberis Carlo Barberis is a brand of Italian fine jewelry. Since 1929, the label uses established traditions and techniques to create inspirational designs. Every Carlo Barberis piece is handcrafted with great care, making it unique and memorable.

Al Ostoura Jewelry is located at the Thuraya Mall, Salmiya. For information call 2571 7277 / 67.

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bazaar a la mode OCTO CHRONOGRAPH: A SOPHISTICATED CREATION WITH A DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER The new Octo Chronograph presented by Bulgari combines Italian genius with Swiss perfection.

The character of the Octo watch stems from its roots. Embodying the result of an encounter between Italian creativity and Swiss expertise, it draws upon the best of these twin influences to adopt a stance mid-way between voluptuous elegance and rigorous discipline. Octo is best understood as a piece of architecture paying vibrant tribute to Italian creative genius, as well as an emblem brimming with symbolic values. Far more than just a watch, the piece transcends its function to take on a broader dimension filled with aesthetic and emotional meaning.

Beneath its simple formal exterior lies a complex set of contents that it conveys by playing on paradoxes: a sense of inherently immutable balance, perfection, immortality and eternity on the one hand; and on the other, the contribution of human know-how and horological mastery.

By thus marrying formal Italian genius with Swiss watchmaking expertise to channel a blend of charisma and sophistication, Octo offers a whole new take on existing design codes in order to offer a dual interpretation. Embodying the ultimate urban watch, the Octo is dedicated to strong personalities. This refined creation reveals its character at first glance: a distinctive nature, an instantly identifiable signature profile that, together with technical substance, all proclaim exceptional power and style. The Octo Chronograph displays the classic face of this timepiece genre: three sub-dials forming a V shape to endow the dial with pleasing visual balance. The indications are thus harmoniously arranged on an attractive hand-polished black lacquered dial. Make no mistake: this straightforward ‘measuring instrument’ appearance conceals a complex object that conveys a blend of power and elegance in both pink gold or steel versions. This singular architectural demonstration is powered by a mechanism worthy of such an exceptional new model: BVL Calibre 328, an integrated-type high-frequency (36,000 vph) self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement equipped with a silicium escapement.

It is endowed with a 50-hour power reserve. The Octo Chronograph comes in three versions: an 18K pink gold case and alligator strap, a solid steel case with alligator strap, or a steel bracelet.

The Octo line reflects the perfection of Bulgari’s masculine values, imbued with authentic charisma and personality. Like the existing models that, since 2012, have established a new contemporary reference code for men’s watches, the Octo Chronograph asserts itself firmly among the elite in its domain.

REEBOK LAUNCH PINNACLE CROSSFIT SPRING/SUMMER 2014 FOOTWEAR COLLECTION Reebok, the exclusive provider of officially licensed CrossFit footwear and apparel, has introduced the new SS14 Reebok CrossFit Nano 3.0 and Reebok CrossFit Nanossage to the Middle East region. Built through the lens of CrossFit, the CrossFit Nano 3.0 is the ideal functional training shoe designed, for work-out specific comfort and performance needed on all-round training days. The single layer mesh upper increases breathability and flexibility whilst the ETC anti-friction lining helps reduce moisture and heat build-up, both aiding endurance and workout comfort. The full-foot dispersion provides great stability and natural feel whilst the high abrasion rubber outsole means better traction and durability.

The CrossFit Nano V59939 is available GCC wide. The CrossFit Nanossage is designed to make you feel better faster post-workout. The shoe has a unique geometry, comfort and fit and helps to actively massage the foot after a workout with stretch memory foam. The CrossFit Nanossage is available across the GCC. The Reebok CrossFit footwear collection is Reebok’s pinnacle range. Built through the lens of CrossFit and worn by CrossFitters the footwear is highly versatile, and fulfills the needs of an athlete for any WOD whether it contains heavy lifts, running, or rope climbs.

THE MILLY COLLECTION The MILLY collection epitomizes bold, advanced contemporary fashion with a feminine edge. Designer Michelle Smith transforms classic silhouettes by merging American sportswear influences with distinctive Parisian atelier techniques.

Michelle constructs an ultramodern interpretation of traditionally feminine silhouettes with the use of three-dimensional technical fabrics, layered transparency and architectural illusions for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection.

She divulges her favorite looks for spring, straight from the MILLY runway: MILLY Seablossom dress – “I created this print after being inspired by a trip I took to Hawaii—the vibrant colors start spring off on a fresh note. I love the sporty-meets-sexy vibe.”

MILLY Red Tropical bralette, midi skirt and honeycomb tech hoodie – “I love the combination of a midi skirt mixed with a bralette and topped off with this honeycomb tech hoodie. It’s a very modern mix.”

Milly is located on the Ground Floor Arraya Center, Al Shuhada Street Gate, Sharq. For more information phone 2299 7739.

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BHS SPRING SUMMER 2014 LAUNCH Say hello to new season value with the launch of the BHS Spring Summer 2014 collection.

BHS epitomises the key elements to a stylish new wardrobe at a great price. For some of us, BHS is likely to conjure childhood memories of shopping trips with mom. In recent years, BHS has been given a boost, restoring its status as a family favorite. Whilst great value products are at the center of everything they do, a dash of contemporary style adds to the customer experience. 2014 is going to be an exciting year for BHS, with new ventures yet to come. The new Spring/Summer 2014 Collection is epitome of clean and simple, texture and fabric, color and print. Each is beautifully explored this season in womenswear to create a collection of contemporary femininity that is sophisticated and wearable. Prints from far afield, as well as closer to home, offer something for the bold, and something for the traditional. Ikat, zebra and tribal in monochrome juxtapose digital floral prints in watercolor blue on white palettes.

Menswear begins with the launch of “Marina”, a nautical inspired red, white and blue theme, showcasing fresh ginghams, fine stripes, chest stripes and new colors in chinos.

ELIE TAHARI ANNOUNCES PRE-SALE OF “ELIE TAHARI EDITION 1974” STRAIGHT FROM NYFW In celebration of his 40th anniversary Designer Elie Tahari announces the limited edition collection “Elie Tahari Edition 1974”. The select pieces from “Elie Tahari Edition 1974” were shown during the designer’s Spring 2014 presentation. The collection features updated iconic silhouettes from the past four decades and includes a cage mesh swing coat, jumpsuit, a laser cut shift dress, and signature leather pieces. Each piece from the collection is named after an iconic New York landmark, paying homage to the city that’s provided the designer with endless inspiration for over 40 years. Elie Tahari’s unique talent for dressing the modern, sophisticated woman has positioned the brand as a force in the world of fashion for over 40 years. With a presence on five continents and in more than 600 stores worldwide in the US, Europe and Middle East, Elie Tahari shows no signs of slowing down. Elie Tahari’s collections are conceived in his New York City design studio located on 5th Avenue, in the heart of the Garment Center. Meticulous attention to each piece is enhanced by a skilled team of patternmakers, artisans, and collaborators in Europe and the Far East. Through this process, the unique and graceful aesthetic of Elie Tahari is fashioned.

JIMMY CHOO – SPRING/SUMMER 2014 COLLECTION Wild beauty unleashed - the sting of nature, Spring/Summer 2014 at Jimmy Choo explores the vibrant sensuality of the natural world revealing a new, elemental organic aesthetic. Shells, camouflage, aposematic colouration – the defences of nature, are reinterpreted for the urban landscape as shoes take on the armour-like sensibilities, exerting power over their environment.

The Jimmy Choo woman is confident in her skin and the collection exalts the power and lure of femininity. As a butterfly emerges from the cocoon, she is armed with a renewed vivacity this season, as contrast becomes key, countering the vibrancy of color and pattern against the natural exoticism and texture of skin. Camouflage blends in but also steps into the light in jewelled leaf cut-out heels and bright block color patent bags, while an ode to floral plays out in a palette of notice-me shades, with stand-out design details including neon embroidered flowers against mesh and tropical prints splashed over acrylic clutches. After dark, the vivid colors quieten as a deeper intensity pervades. Lacquered jet harness strappy sandals reveal an alluring bondage-style exoskeleton; black stilettos are dressed up with patent piping, while shimmering deepest purple metallic heels introduce new decadence to the night.

UNODE50 - THE JEWELS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SPRING/SUMMER 2014 COLLECTION UNOde50 presents its new Spring/Summer 2014 collection inspired by the landscapes, colors and the experiences of four of the Balearic Islands: Majorca, Formentera, Minorca and Ibiza.

Majorca: Elegance and glamour, the most romantic, sophisticated and brilliant island. The lady of the Mediterranean transformed into designs adorned with pearls, Swarovski crystals, and links forming chains. The clean and elegant lines of its architecture can be seen in the pieces from this island. Formentera: An unspoiled space captured in pieces made from leather and metal with an organic design, like the island itself. We find Murano glass and Swarovski crystals in colors that recall its waters and its sunsets. Minorca: An island of underwater treasures and ancient civilisations. Comprising pieces in green and blue tones like its waters, shaped like fish, to be guarded like treasures. This collection features handcrafted Murano glass in shades of turquoise and tiny rounded crystals inspired by the sun glinting on the Mediterranean. Ibiza: An island where the colors come to life in its waters, in its red earth, and in the flowers that captivated the hippies in the 1960s. The island of light becomes the inspiration for pieces featuring Murano glass, with the color red in pride of place.

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STRATOCASTER TURNS 60

But for its musician fans, it never gets old

by Randy Lewis

Rock guitar hero Jeff Beck remembers falling in love for the first time. “I’d only ever seen Spanish-style or jazz guitars, and then I saw a Stratocaster,” said Beck, 69, of his schoolboy crush. “I was fascinated by the shape, the double cutaways; it was all too cool. It had all these pickups and knobs and controls — it embodied all the excitement of modern living. A few years later I saw one in London hanging in a window, and the guy let me try it on,” said the former member of the Yardbirds. “It fit me like it was made for me.

That was it — we were married. I thought ‘This is it,’ and I never forgot it.”

Virtually all musicians have a similar story surrounding their first high-quality instrument, and for many guitarists, that tender memory revolves around the Stratocaster. The Strat, which was created by electric guitar innovator Leo Fender in his Fullerton, California, workshop, turns 60 this year.

“I don’t think there was ever one soloist or instrumentalist that didn’t at some point have their sights set on a Strat, including me and everybody I knew,” said ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, whose solo on “La Grange” was played on one. “The Strat is really the global cornerstone, the reference point of the perception of the contemporary electric guitar.”

Buddy Holly became the first major rock star to adopt the Strat as his career took off in the mid1950s. It features prominently on the cover of his 1957 debut album, The ‘Chirping’ Crickets, inspiring legions of followers to covet his guitar.

Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Dick Dale, Pete Townshend and Ron Wood are among players closely associated with Stratocasters. “It came out perfected, and ever since then we’ve been trying to copy it, improve it, enhance it,” said Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who admires Strats even though he usually plays Fender Telecasters, the Strat’s older sibling. “Most things get better over time, but not in this case. Leo did it all in one fell swoop, which is amazing.”

The Strat’s main rival for supremacy among rock guitar players is Gibson’s Les Paul, named for, although not designed by, another celebrated technology experimenter. It was introduced by Gibson in 1952, in response to Leo Fender’s success with the Telecaster, which debuted in 1951.

Fender’s genius stroke was creating a quality instrument that could be mass-produced and still be affordable. For that he’s often lauded as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of the musical instrument world.

New Stratocasters manufactured at Fender’s Corona, California, plant retail for about USD 1,300 114

George Harrison’s brightly colored Stratocaster, “Rocky,” (KD 370) and up. Cheaper versions manufactured in Mexico and Asia start around USD 500 (KD 140). Vintage models from the 1950s and early 1960s fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. The Guitar Center paid close to USD 1 million for Clapton’s celebrated “Blackie” Strat a few years ago.

Larry Thomas, Fender’s chief executive since 2010 and former head of the Guitar Center chain of retail stores, has seen that principle in action from two sides of the business. “The whole thing is about aspiration and inspiration,” said Thomas.

“People would come into Guitar Center to buy an instrument because they were in awe of some guy who was their idol. When you sold a Strat, people wanted to sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan, or they wanted to sound like Eric Clapton.”

The same is true for those at the top of the guitar-food chain. “The first time I saw one,” Clapton said, “was in the Jerry Lee Lewis footage from (the 1958 film) High School Confidential! His bass player was playing a Fender Jazz bass or a Tele bass, and I’d never seen anything like a solid-body guitar before. That was it for me. It was the perfect design. It looked like a spaceship. I loved that about it — it was new and exciting and science fiction.

U2 guitarist the Edge, whose given name is Dave Evans, recalled that, “The first guitar I ever bought was a Strat — it was my first decent instrument ever. When we got our record deal, the first thing I did was go out and buy another Strat.

“The black one, that’s the one I recorded a lot of our big important songs with: ‘Pride in the Name of Love,’ ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ — major U2 songs,” Evans said. “With the Strat, you get this plank of wood with a neck stuck into it. Yet it just sings — it’s an incredibly inspiring instrument.”

“There are two kinds of people in the world.

Those that play Stratocasters and those that play Telecasters. ... and the twain rarely meet,” Springsteen wrote, identifying himself as a Tele player “til he dies.” Not veteran blues musician Buddy Guy. Playing anything other than a Stratocaster, he said, “is like putting on a glove that’s too small, then putting one on that you’ve been wearing for five years ... (I)f you see me change from a Strat, it means I done broke a string.”

Beck can relate. “Nothing’s been invented that’s better than the Stratocaster,” he said. “Fender has kept asking me, ‘What could we do to make you a better guitar?’ I always tell them, ‘Give me a 1954 Strat in the box, and I’ll be happy. You had it right from the start.’”

BOOTS

VENI, VIDI AND VICI-ING

Your fit food fears at Va Boca

by Reshmi Revi

British writer Eli Khamarov, sums it up succinctly: “The best things in life are unexpected – because there were no expectations.”

Hence imagine my jubilation when I stumbled across Va Boca. In the craziness that is Salmiya, tucked within one of the offshoot streets of the infamous Shaara Mathaam or “Restaurant Street,” lies this gem of a restaurant.

Established over a year ago, Va Boca Restaurant’s food concept centers around Macedonian/Balkan cuisine. It is also one of the few restaurants in K-town offering a supplement “fitness menu.”

Yup, a 2-in-1 special folks.

You have the option of taking your palate through an exotic epicurean journey which features an array of fantastic dishes such as Macedonian kebabs, Balkan burgers and even most notably, Tavce gravce, which is a white bean dish baked in traditional earthenware and also happens to be the national dish of Macedonia.

Or if you’re new to the whole eating healthy concept, Va Boca is a great eatery to start experimenting, as the meals offered in their fitness menu selection are stupendously delish and very different from the usual fit foods found here.

This foodie journalist isn’t surprised at this revelation though, as owner Omar Al Mulla and his business partner Valentina Trpkovska, go to great lengths to ensure the food standards of both menus are of high quality.

Perusing the fitness menu, one has the option of 35 dishes to choose from. There’s a myriad of appetizers, side dishes, salads, pastas, burgers, sandwiches and main courses.

My personal favorites were: The Fitness Rosemary Steak Imagine 200g of marinated lean beef steak cooked to your liking, served with a baked potato.

You have the option of swapping this potato out with roasted sweet potato fries, roasted pumpkin fries or grilled veggies.

The Fitness Chicken Roll “Uvijach” This dish was utterly divine, especially as a post-workout meal, to help you with weight loss. It features 2 great, sizeable pieces of chicken breast stuffed with a choice of low fat cheese or dates (I opted for the dates as it was post-workout and I needed the sugar boost!), rolled with lean turkey bacon and served with grilled veggies or roasted sweet potato fries (I opted for grilled veggies and an additional serving of roasted pumpkin fries).

The Valentina Burger Named after Omar’s business partner, the staff kindly informed me that this is their most frequently ordered burger. It’s a definite nobrainer as you get a nice, robust, lean meat beef patty grilled to your liking and served on a high fiber brown bun along with grilled mushrooms, 116

caramelized onions, low fat cheese, romaine lettuce, served with a side of sweet potato fries and a special spicy guacamole sauce.

Moreover, the fitness menu here has oodles of creativity, showcasing Omar’s playfulness and his Kuwaiti-heritage with such dishes as the Fitness “Taouk Wrap,” the Hammour Amoor Fitness and the Chicken Machboos Quinoa.

If you think eating healthy also means skipping dessert, then you’re in for a sweet treat. One of my favorite healthy desserts here at Va Boca is the protein truffles. Available in 5 different varieties, these truffles are a must-try. Made from quality ingredients; such as Dymatize’s Iso-100 protein powder (a whey isolate protein powder which has been filtered twice and as such, has on average 25g protein, 2g carbs and 0.5g fat), L-Carnitine powder (L-carnitine is an amino acid which helps the body metabolize food into energy), dried fruit and nut butters, you can actually choose your protein truffles to suit your fitness goals. So if your aim is to burn fat, I would suggest trying the truffle which has the L-Carnitine in them.

Conquering your fit food fears at Va Boca is a much easier feat than Caesar in his war against

Pharnaces II of Pontus. Aside from the variety of dishes and the helpful staff members, I loved the casual and comforting ambiance of the eatery.

Unlike the chaos of having to wait for your food in the car like one would on Restaurant Street, Va Boca has a generous serving of tables and comfy booths to relax and chill out in while comfortably enjoying your healthy grub.

Bonus tip: Research has shown that eating slowly and in a relaxed state, helps lower your cortisol levels. Cortisol when elevated repeatedly can lead to weight gain, storing triglycerides into your visceral fat cells #justsaying.

Va Boca Restaurant is located in Salmiya behind Platinum Gym Club. Follow them on Instagram @vaboca. Contact them on 2573 1448, 2573 1442. Operating hours 9am-12midnight 7 days a week, and also available on Talabat.com.

Reshmi Revi is the Deputy General Manager for MultiWorks Personal Training. She is also an IFBB Bikini Competitor and an avid foodie! Follow her on Instagram @Q8MissFit.

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Under the supervision of USA Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa Clinical Director Dr. Susannah J. Schuilenberg Clinical Coordinator

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AARON PAUL

by Howie Kahn

Beyond Breaking Bad 118

Blessed with looks, innate charm, and a deep well of talent, the 34-year-old actor conquered the small screen, making his character Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad a pop-culture icon and an indelible part of the greatest show ever on TV. So why shouldn’t he be the movies’ first made-oncable leading man?

“I don’t know how fast these things go,” says Aaron Paul, clutching a black-and-white-striped racing helmet, assertively flipping up the Plexiglas face shield. “I hope they go fast. Oh, yeah. I bet we can get these things going.” Paul earnestly sizes up his ride: the freshly detailed No. 14 go-kart on the track at Karting Almería in Andalucía, Spain. It’s not exactly the souped-up Mustang he throttles cross-country in the recently released street-racing revenge drama Need for Speed, but Paul nevertheless looks pumped.

“Are the laps timed?” he asks the course keeper. Si. “Great,” says Paul, his sky-blue eyes widening. “I like that. I like to see the progress. I like to see if I can beat my best effort.”

That might be easier said than done for Paul.

For someone who spent five seasons on Breaking Bad, playing Jesse Pinkman—a huggable murderer, a heartbreaking and heartbroken addict, the evermanipulated pawn of a master’s mastermind who grappled for 62 episodes to get a handle on his own free will, all while spouting pithy memes (Yeah, b**ch; Yeah, science; Yeah, b**ch. Magnets!; Yo!) and heavy, haunting tears—progress, career-wise, is hard to measure. As a character, Jesse evolved, moving along a continuum that ranged from shiftless screw-up to morally complex mensch. He entered the picture as a wigga naïf, dressed like an extra in an Insane Clown Posse video, cooking product laced with chili pepper. He left scarred and bruised, having been tested like Job. It was the kind of role, on the kind of show, that could retool the conventional Hollywood star machine, one that makes a case for television as the superior character-minting medium of our time, and one that also sends Paul into movies as something more than just a hungry call-up from the minor leagues. At 34, he is a four-time Emmy nominee and a two-time winner who’s a virtual lock for a third statue later this year. But the transition from premium-cable royalty to bona fide bigscreen stud is hardly a given. Still, Breaking Bad’s creator, Vince Gilligan, views Paul’s ascension as an inevitability. “Aaron is going to be one of the all-time greats,” he says. “Forty years from now he’ll be picking up his lifetime-achievement award at the Oscars.”

Before Paul can reach the promised land Gilligan foresees, he must wander in the desert.

For 40 years. He is in Almería filming Ridley Scott’s 2014 holiday tentpole, the biblical epic Exodus. He has been filming for over a month now, working with the famously intense Christian Bale (Paul calls him “funny,” then “hilarious”) and the demanding Scott (“the greatest guy”) while living with his 26-yearold wife, Lauren, in a walk-up flat on a narrow Renaissance-era street. Inside, jasmine-scented candles burn low and a Bose speaker plays the ongoing indie-folk love theme of the Pauls’ perpetual honeymoon. They married last May and have just returned from Paris a few hours ago, after a quick jaunt to revisit the site of their engagement and to see their friends The Lumineers perform.

The Pauls met at Coachella in 2010, became friends, and, a year later, coupled up at the same festival. Arcade Fire belted out their anthemic finale.

A mass of white balloons floated into the starry desert sky. Paul says. “We were just so distracted with the high that was happening between us. It’s unexplainable. I told her that night I was going to marry her. I did. I told her that. I knew what she was all about. I mean, come on, she runs an antibullying non-profit called Kind Campaign.” They had their first kiss on a Ferris wheel, and their first official post-Coachella date involved flying to Vegas and driving the 1965 Shelby Cobra Paul bought on eBay back to Los Angeles, top down.

Grand, breathless gestures—from the romantic to the absurd—are very much Paul’s thing. The 1920s Parisian-carnival-themed wedding with music by Foster the People and John Mayer? “My idea,” he says. So was e-mailing the entire guest list the song “Beauty,” by the Shivers (sample lyrics: “I live off love, I feed off love, I breathe off love”), and asking everyone to learn the words. “I tracked down the lead singer in Brooklyn,” Paul says. “He’s afraid to fly, so he drove all the way to Malibu. When he got to the song and everybody else joined in, Lauren just started weeping in the most beautiful way ever.” Paul grabs a black peacoat from the closet and kisses his wife goodbye. “It’s all about embracing those moments,” he says, “throwing in surprises whenever you can.”

For his part, Paul comes from humble beginnings. “My mother gave birth to me on our bathroom floor,” he says, making his way across one of the Alcazaba’s wide-open and vacant plazas.

“My dad was out of town. My family never owned a home. We leased.” Paul—born Aaron Paul Sturtevant in Emmett, Idaho—grew up mostly in the Boise area. Before he graduated from high school, already intent on moving to Los Angeles, he held up to five jobs at a time. “Pizza Hut delivery boy,” Paul says, “the cookie stand at the mall, delivering flyers for a local contractor, and I was a big tookiebird mascot for a top-40 station and a giant frog for a country station.” After graduation, in 1998, he drove out with his mom, Darla, in his ‘82 Toyota Corolla. “I had $6,000 saved, which was so much money for me.”

For the next decade, Paul did what young, struggling actors do: He hustled, he auditioned, he waited, hoping for something big. “My first gig was a Corn Pops commercial,” he says. “I did the first Vanilla Coke campaign. A Juicy Fruit commercial paid my bills for years.” He appeared on 26 different TV shows as a day player, everything from Melrose Place to The X-Files to ER, before finally landing a semi-regular role as Amanda Seyfried’s husband on HBO’s Big Love in 2007—a monogamous foil to all the polygamy, though still at day-player rates (USD 600 per episode). “That’s when I started doing stuff on a regular basis that I was really, really proud of,” Paul says. Breaking Bad began shooting the next year.

At first Paul couldn’t get an audition, and once he finally did, the executives producing the show at AMC and Sony had their doubts. “They thought I was too old,” Paul says. “They thought he might be too handsome,” Vince Gilligan says. But Gilligan insisted on casting him. “Ultimately,” Gilligan says, continued on next page...

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“Aaron’s talent and charisma won them over.”

Paul credits Gilligan with giving him the role of a lifetime. “I don’t know if a role that detailed is ever going to come to me again,” he says. Still, Jesse Pinkman was originally meant to die in some undecided way during the show’s first season. “My spine started to hurt when they told me that,” Paul says. His gripping, grueling, bug-eyed, and adrenalized performance, however—coupled with his extraordinary onscreen chemistry with his costar Bryan Cranston—made Jesse essential. “I didn’t foresee what the character would become at first,” Gilligan says. “Over the years, Jesse became more likable than I originally intended, because Aaron himself is so easy to relate to. He deepened my understanding of the character, and that deepened the meaning of the show.”

When Paul speaks about Breaking Bad, a line of conversation he weaves in and out of through the course of our 10-hour day, he does so with both surprising detachment and intimacy. “I don’t think I’m ready to move on yet,” he says. But there’s also a sense that Paul can hardly believe he got to do the show at all. “I think he’s always aware of his good fortune,” Cranston says. “He’s a guy who’s very capable of counting his blessings, a very sweet man. Much sweeter than I am. And, also, a damn fine actor.”

Despite his easy going, indie-folk ways, Paul possesses such intense empathy for Jesse that he in fact feels as if he’s gone through everything Jesse has: waking up next to a dead, overdosed girlfriend; seeing another one murdered in front of his eyes; pulling the trigger on an innocent man; being shackled, beaten, hunted; feeling terminally alone and serially betrayed. “Aaron’s willing to pay for his character’s actions,” Cranston says. “He’s willing to sit in that vastness of uncomfortability. He stays in 120

...continued from previous page

it, wallows, ruminates, paces around set, screaming in the corner of the room.” Paul admits he even dreams as Jesse Pinkman and not as himself.

And when it came down to deciding Jesse’s ultimate fate, Paul couldn’t help but weigh in. “I wrote an e-mail to Vince before we started shooting the final eight episodes—a plea for Jesse, a love letter,” he says. “I never give my two cents when it comes to Breaking Bad, because why would I? I’m just the actor, and what they’re doing is perfect, you know? But I just felt like I would always regret it if I didn’t at least throw them a pitch on how I wanted Jesse to go out. So I gave a few different ideas of how I thought he would kill himself. I didn’t want anybody else taking his life.” Paul heads into one of the Alcazaba’s fortified passages. “The letter was awful,” he says, seemingly rattled at the idea of Jesse’s dying and, also, at having had a hand in killing off an alter ego he can scarcely separate himself from. “It was very morbid, and I’m so happy they didn’t listen. I’d rather Jesse just kind of ride off into the sunset like he did.”

Aaron Paul calls his role in Need for Speed a “business move” and stands by the merits of taking a part like this—the movie is based on the video-game franchise of the same name, and Paul plays the lead—for the sake of unadulterated fun. “Running around, driving like a maniac in really expensive, fast cars?” Paul says. “Why not? After six long, intense years on Breaking Bad, this was perfect.”

The movie’s director, Scott Waugh, however, suggests that Paul brings back into the big-budget fray a sorely missed kind of triple threat. “When we were trying to find our lead,” he says, “I kept preaching that we needed to find the next Steve McQueen: the guy who has charm, who’s likable but who’s also dangerous. Aaron has all that and

those acting chops, too. I mean, that man ba-rings it on screens. He’s incredible.” Paul’s co-star Dakota Johnson agrees. “You can feel his lines,” she says.

“It’s tangible energy. He speaks with his entire body, his entire soul.” Still, Paul intends to stay close to heavier material. “I just want to do special projects,” he says. “I would rather not work than work on just okay stuff. The things that really excite me are the things that make you feel.”

Since the success of Breaking Bad, the movie roles have come easily to Paul so far. “Exodus came out of nowhere,” he says. “I was just like, ‘Really?

Do you want me to audition, maybe? You want me to fight for this, fight for the role?’ I’m just so used to clawing and fighting.” For Paul, Exodus carries the desired urgency. As does Hellion, a film Paul executive-produced and stars in, which competed in the drama category at Sundance (in January).

Paul plays a deadbeat dad forced to mature and raise his two troubled sons after the death of his wife. “I gravitate toward edgy, intense, dark films that just grab you by the throat,” he says.

Also, television—and even Jesse Pinkman—could remain part of the equation, with the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul going into production later this year. “Both Bryan and I want to be a part of that,” Paul says. “If they’ll have us.”

Out on the track, as night falls and the temperature drops, the surface grows slick and visibility decreases: blacktop blending into the blackening sky. When Paul removes his helmet, he’s all smiles, immediately calling for the course keeper, who presents him with the printout of his splits. “Look at that,” he says, still buzzing as he runs his fingers over the numbers. “I got faster. I did better every time.”

Source: details.com

MAIS ALGHANIM

stylelights

CALL OF THE COLLAR

by Purva Grover

M&Co

Debenhams

Trending this season is the collar and the collarless. Yes, the big fashion news is hidden in the often ignored element, the collar.

The Fashion Weeks have come and gone, the sun has finished playing its peek-a-boo game, the stores have jumped on the re-stocking bandwagon, the fashion gurus have spoken their minds and the fashion devotees have emptied their drawers to make space for the latest. All this noise is about a simple, humble fashion element, the collar. Yes, what’s trending this season is no big, fat fashion element but the often ignored collar. Skipping the coats and hopping on to the dresses and blouses it has defined this season as that of the ‘collar and the collarless.’

122

Lame as it may sound, collar fashion is one trend that is always in vogue, it just keeps inventing and re-inventing itself. A spread collar gives way to a rounded button-down collar or a short collar to an extreme spread collar, et al.

Once found only on men’s shirts the collar has now discovered its happy feminine avatar. A sequin embellished collar can dress up a plaid outfit just like a peter pan collar in a solid color can add spark to a printed blouse. A plain work shirt with a medium round collar is staple work wear, team it up either with a pair of palazzo trousers or pencil skirt. Oversized masculine shirts in soft pastels with peter pan collars are a favorite with the androgynous lovers just as

blouses with large lace collars (high or low) and short sleeves are favorites with the feminine lovers. Fur and beaded collars are another of our loves. If you have a weakness for pretty colors then you would fall in love with the shirtdresses in hues like baby pink, mint green, sky blue, lemon yellow and more. The shirtdress, which has borrowed details like the collar and button front from the men’s shirts, is the informal and comfortable wear for work and fun. The most adorable dress shirts come with feminine details like ruffles, puffed sleeve, bib pleats and belted waist. When hunting for collar dresses don’t forget to check out what’s ruling the shelves of Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana and Givenchy. And yes, the adventurous could go for dresses with contrasting collar and cuffs, especially the ones in velvet.

Now if you don’t wish to romance the collar then you can flirt with the collarless. Coats that were once defined by the shape and size of the collar are now oozing style sans the collar. The collarless coats are loved for their neat, elegant and clean look. For the first time we don’t have to wait for it to snow to slip into a coat. Wear it over a cardigan in the winter and bring it out in April again to wear over a ruffled blouse. Yes, the best bit about the collarless coat lies in the fact that it lets you play with the neckline of what you wear underneath and flaunt the jewels! We’d say wrap a scarf around your neck to keep the wind at bay and bring out the diamonds on the days when the sun shines. Take the silk collarless coat with you to a formal dinner or wear one in a neon orange with a pair of denims for a day out of shopping. If you want to keep the look really clean and simple then wear a beige-colored, long sleeved, A-line shaped coat over a summer dress. We tried on the white collarless coat from Chloé and teamed it up with an apple green dress and a pearl string and felt our vintage best. Of course, there are enough options for instant glam like a wool-silk coat with pockets, a crepe coat with a zipper or a chenille coat with embroidered cuffs. The grunge lovers can always try on the coats in colors like dove gray, chocolate brown, sunshine yellow and popcorn white over leather pants.

Yes, so irrespective of whether you are going back to school or not, you got to flirt with the collar just as you have to slip into collarless wonders. Both the styles have enough character and flamboyance. Just in case you were wondering if there was a way out between the collar and the collarless, there is, the detachable collar!

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bazaar checks it out ETOILE “LA BOUTIQUE” OPENED ITS DOORS AT THE AVENUES IN STYLE Etoile “La Boutique” officially opened its doors to the stylish and exclusive customers at The Avenues in Kuwait. During the “Love is in the air” event, a photo-booth generated excitement as customers chose their favorite Valentine’s Day look and had pictures taken. VIPs and guests participated in selecting looks for the models in a fashion show, showcasing their personal favorite in a perfect setting. Prior to leaving the party, guests were given a note along with a red long-stemmed rose and a box of exquisite branded chocolates. Etoile “La Boutique” presently houses prestigious brands including Christian Dior, Antonio Marras, Roksanda Ilincic, Richard Nicoll & INGIE Paris. Also, exclusive brands to Etoile “La Boutique” Kuwait include Amanda Wakeley, CELANO Jewels, Forte Forte, Greta Constantine, Matthew Williamson, MUA MUA, Paul Andrew, Raoul, Si-Jay, J.Mendel, Jay Ahr, Jo No Fui and Thomas Wylde. The interior design enhances the luxurious DNA of the brand developing it into a new retail concept featuring shiny surfaces, white padded niches and jewelry display-tables. As in the other Etoile “La boutique” stores in the UAE and KSA, the opulent accessory walls made of real gold leaves and the lavish burgundy sofa take the stage in the space and enrich the atmosphere. Etoile “La boutique” is the leading multibrand store in the Region, with presence in UAE, KSA and KWT. Founded

by Ingie Chalhoub, CEO of Etoile Group, trendsetter and innovative luxury ambassador in the Middle East, Etoile “La boutique” offers the hottest mix of global fashion for the local and international woman. The blend of brands on display covers the most covetable pieces from contemporary to highluxury designers, with exclusive names from France, Italy and US. Etoile “La boutique” has won many awards since its opening, including The RetailME Awards for ‘Store Design of the Year’ for its Mall of the Emirates store, the Gulf Connoisseur award for ‘Best Fashion Boutique’ and the MENA Film Crystal Awards for the TV commercial “I have an affair with fashion”.

For a luxury experience, visit them at: the Grand Avenue - The Avenues, ph 2220 0524, online www.etoilelaboutique.com or Facebook: Etoile “La Boutique,” Pinterest etoilelaboutique/ or follow them on Instagram @etoilelaboutique.

‫قسم جراحة المخ واألعصاب في مستشفى دار‬ ‫الشفاء يحقق نجاحات بارزة‬ ‫ أن قسم جراحة المخ واألعصاب يواصل تسجيل عدداً من النجاحات المتالحقة‬،‫أعلن مستشفى دار الشفاء‬ .‫ويعتبر هذا القسم من العيادات التخصصية البارزة التي تقدم أفضل خدمات الرعاية الصحية والطبية‬ ‫ إستشاري ورئيس قسم جراحة المخ واألعصاب بتسليط الضوء على أحدث‬،‫ حسن خاجة‬.‫ قام د‬،‫وفي هذا الصدد‬ ً ‫ قائ‬،‫اإلنجازات والعمليات الجراحية في المستشفى‬ ‫ «إن فريق جراحة األعصاب في المستشفى قامً بإجراء‬:‫ال‬ ‫ وقد‬.‫ بعد حالة من الغيبوبة الكاملة التي استمرت مدة ثالثة أشهر‬،‫ عام ًا من العمر‬15 ‫إنعاشا ناجح ًا لصبي يبلغ‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى جراحة أخرى تم‬.»‫عانى المريض نزيفاً بالمخ بسبب إصابة شديدة في الرأس إثر حادث مروري‬ ‫ «إن تسليط الضوء على مثل هذه العمليات الجراحية‬:‫ وقال‬.‫ غراما‬240 ‫خاللها استخراج ورم من المخ وزنه‬ ‫ من خالل توفير خدمات الرعاية الصحية‬،ً‫يدل بشكل واضح على مواصلة المستشفى دوره البارز محلي ًا وإقليميا‬ ‫ «إن تخطيط كهربية األعصاب في‬:‫ أخصائي جراحة المخ واألعصاب‬،‫ طارق درويش‬.‫ قال د‬،‫ ومن جهته‬.»‫المثلى‬ ‫ ودراسات التوصيل العصبي وأجهزة تخطيط كهربية الدماغ تعطي قيمة مضافة لعملية تشخيص‬،‫المستشفى‬ ‫ و أيضا‬،‫ والمستشفى يستخدم أحدث األجهزة الخاصة بتقييم وظائف الدماغ واألعصاب والعضالت‬.‫المرضى‬ ‫ وتحدث‬.»‫ الجديد واألول في الكويت على مستوى القطاع الخاص‬3T MRI ‫تصوير الرنين المغناطيسي الدقيق‬ ً ‫ قائ‬EEG/EMG/NCS ‫ عن أجهزة‬،‫ إختصاصي أمراض الجهاز العصبي‬،‫ عبدالعزيز أشكناني‬.‫د‬ ‫ «تعتمد خدمات‬:‫ال‬ ‫ وهي في األساس عملية اختبار‬.‫) على قياس الموجات الكهربائية للدماغ‬EEG( ‫التخطيط الكهربائي للدماغ‬ ‫) فيعمل على الكشف عن‬EMG( ‫ أما الكشف الكهربائي‬.‫وتشخيص للصرع لتحديد كيفية أداء وظائف الدماغ‬ ،‫ كما يساعد هذا الجهاز على تحديد سبب الضعف‬.‫األمراض التي تتلف أو تضر باألنسجة العضلية واألعصاب‬ ‫) فإن هذا الجهاز يساعد على‬NCS( ‫ وفيما يتعلق بالتوصيل العصبي‬.‫ العجز أو حتى إرتعاش العضالت‬،‫الشلل‬ ‫ ماهر منصور الى أن المستشفى يوفر كافة اإلمكانيات‬.‫» كما اشار ايضاً د‬.‫اكتشاف الجهاز العصبي الكلي‬ ،)Deep brain stimulation( ‫الضرورية وذلك بهدف إجراء كافة العمليات المتعلقة بالمحاكاة الدماغية العميقة‬ ‫ وتعتبر مثل هذه‬،‫) أو الديستونيا‬Parkinson( ‫حيث تجرى للمريض الذي يعاني من مرض الشلل الرعاشي‬ ‫ وتتصدر مستشفى دار الشفاء المركز األول‬.‫العمليات الجراحية أكثر العمليات تطوراً في مجال جراحة المخ‬ ‫ صرح إستشاري ورئيس قسم األشعة التشخيصية‬،‫» ومن جانبه‬.‫في الكويت في تنفيذ واقامة هذه العمليات‬ ‫محمد اسماعيل أن المستشفى يوفر أحدث األجهزة في مجال الرنين المغناطيسي واألشعة المقطعية ذات‬.‫د‬ ‫ يحافظ مستشفى دار‬.‫األبعاد الثالثية والدقيقة في تشخيص أورام المخ والنخاع الشوكي واألعصاب الطرفية‬ ‫ وتطور بشكل مستمر وثابت ليصل إلى‬1963 ‫الشفاء على مكانته الطبية والعالجية الرائدة منذ تأسيسه عام‬ .‫ما هو عليه اليوم كأحد أبرز المستشفيات الخاصة في الكويت‬ 124

LANDMARK GROUP ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF “ART OLYMPIAD VII” Amidst all the buzz and excitement that took place during the seventh Art Olympiad competition, Landmark Group awarded the artistic talents of eight students. With each passing year the competition which took place for students between the ages of 9–11 years and 12-14 years got an overwhelming response from the fifteen participating schools. Landmark Group organized the event for the seventh consecutive year, as it falls in line with the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy to uplift the capabilities and skills of youth in Kuwait. The event was seen as a grooming platform for these students by helping them improvise their flair and encourage their innovative ability through art. The paintings were judged by famous Kuwaiti artists Mr. Asad Bunashi and Mrs. Maha Al Mansoor. A total of eight winners were selected at the end of the Olympiad competition on the basis of creativity, workmanship, overall impression and relevance to the theme. The paintings of the young talented artists were presented and the judges had to choose the best of the best. This year’s competition themes which the students could select from were; my family, nature and dream for the 9-11 years category. For the 12-14 years category it was design your room, festival of Kuwait and Kuwait in 2050. There were also two special prizes for the most colorful painting and the most creative painting. All themes brought out the unique talents and skills of the participants. Mr. Saibal Basu, Chief Operating Officer of Landmark Group Kuwait said, “The artworks of these talented children impressed us with their outlook towards things around them. Once again we are proud of the number of participating students. Every year the Olympiad proves to be a great accomplishment; it only gets bigger and better..” As always, Landmark Group is keen to maintain an excellent rapport and create awareness about relevant issues among the youth with constant activities and events, while setting a platform for approx 120 students from reputable schools across Kuwait. Children were provided with a craft pack that included a drawing sheet and a variety of art materials such as paints, pencils and crayons. The winners received a prize, certificates and trophies.

The schools were given a plaque of appreciation. All students who participated in the Olympiad were provided with gifts and participating certificates.

For more information please visit, www.landmarkgroup.com. You can also connect with the group on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram – LandmarkQ8

THE BEETLE IS COMING - A NEW DAWN FOR THE VOLKSWAGEN ICON It’s official. It’s coming: the next generation of the Volkswagen automotive classic, the Beetle, is set to arrive in the Middle East this June. Motoring fans of every age have a treat in store when the bolder, more dynamic and more masculine Beetle, reaches the regions shores this year. As one of the most successful models ever built, the success story of the Volkswagen Beetle has played no small role in making it an icon of automotive history. The new generation now bridges the gap from old and familiar to new and modern lifestyles. With a new design and a series of new technologies, the new Beetle reveals itself as a car of the 21st Century. The latest version of this legendary compact car, which has been revered by motoring enthusiasts for over seven decades, is powered by an all-new 2.0L turbo and 155 kW/210 hp engine. The latest generation Beetle breaks free of the geometry of the previous model and displays impressive sports appeal; primarily in its extended bonnet, sharply swept-back windscreen and a longer wheelbase.

The next generation Beetle will be available at Volkswagen dealers in Kuwait from June 2014.

GERARD DUREL Long distance traveling - Spring/Summer 2014 This is a singular nomad who makes a stopover inside the spring/summer 2014 collection in keeping with her appetite for far-flung destinations. Resolutely modern, her taste for exoticism leads her to Africa for a revisited safari, sewn with warm hues such as chocolate and tobacco, shaken up with black and white accents. This chic nomad trend is conveyed by natural fabrics, cotton, silk and raffia. A little closer to the Tropics, the contagious balmy heat of Hawaii diffuses its greenhouse effect and warm style: opulent palm trees print for an escapade amidst the urban jungle. A garden of Eden like an invitation to a refreshing dive into the water – boarding a season that renews the Darel elegance, both racy and timeless. The leather goods of Darel have become more daring than ever: the Divine and mini-Divine models, as well as the Dolly, are also going into summer mode. The almost sugary quality of the colors (nude, linden tree etc) is awakened by the use of zippers and materials with strong character such as water snake. The tribal chic spirit of the ready-to-wear is echoed in certain models – the famous ‘24 heures’ in natural raffia, with red or blue stripes. More urban, pieces in perforated leather fly their bright colors high as well as their edgy lines.

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

KEECKER

SINGTRIX

What mobile music lovers need are wireless speakers that can charge in minutes, and then last for hours. An impossible dream? Sam Beck from Portland’s Blueshift doesn’t think so. He’s developed mono and stereo portable Bluetooth speakers powered by supercapacitors. Helium users can look forward to a super quick charge time (5mins), (6) hours of full volume playback and years of recharge cycles. The look of the speaker is great too, built from bamboo, a renewable material that is great for acoustics. As a forwardthinking company, Blueshift is making their specs, blueprints and creation processes completely open source with hopes toward developing more supercapacitor-powered products worldwide.

Thanks to an ex-Googler, traditional butlers are becoming, simply put, so yesterday. The Keecker is essentially a cordless Android-based projector robot, which will follow you around the house, ready to transform any wall into a screen for watching movies, checking email and more. And since it can sync with your smartphone and respond to your voice, the currently 16-inch by 25-inch Roomba-like device almost seems worth the estimated USD 5,000 (KD 1,400) it will cost you when it hits the market late this year. But that’s not all, it will also be able to offer six speakers worth of sound, measure the house’s CO2 levels and temperature, and alert homeowners to unusual activity when they aren’t home. Just awesome.

What’s the worst thing about karaoke? Well, depending on the company, it’s typically your friends’ voices. Give them a much needed boost with the Singtrix. This all-in-one karaoke solution is powered by advanced audio technology that can strip/lower the vocals in any song and then let you sing over top using one of 350 effects.

A special “Hit” effect button on the main unit and custom mic provides on-demand 4-part vocal harmonies, and an included 2.1 stereo speaker makes sure everyone can hear you loud and clear. And while it can work with pretty much any audio source with a headphone output, it’s best when paired with the Singtrix app.

www.werd.com

www.werd.com

www.uncrate.com

FISHHUNTER SONAR

ZOOM Q4 CAMERA FOR MUSICIANS

DECIMATOR STAFF LIGHTSABER

If fishing for you is more about pulling the most catches out of a lake—instead of simply using your wits to outsmart nature—then the more gear the better. And while fish finders have been around for decades, the Fish Hunter is the first to turn your smartphone into a window to what lies below the water’s surface. The FishHunter is small enough to float on the water’s surface, letting you simply tether it with fishing line so it doesn’t drift out of range of your smartphone’s Bluetooth connection. FishHunter will scan up to 120 feet below the water’s surface for up to nine hours, and it reports back what it finds to your iPhone or Android device.

Most video cameras focus on the visuals, the Zoom Q4 camera is billed as the camera for musicians.

The creators state the Q4 “delivers audio nuance and quality that far surpass that of any other video camera.” It combines high-definition video (Full HD 1920x1080/30P) with high-resolution audio, enabling you to shoot amazing videos with incredible sound. Its built-in X/Y microphone allows you to create stunning stereo recordings that cover a wide area while still capturing sound sources in the center with clarity and definition. The ultra-compact camera can stream a live performance, record band rehearsals, and capture live concerts with a creative edge that other cameras simply cannot deliver.

This is not just a lightsaber, but a lighted Decimator Staff. It blazes power and commands submission from both ends. Kind of like a bad fish taco, but much, much cooler. An implement fit for the darkest of Dark Lords, the Decimator staff’s hilt has been machined by a professional bladesmith, oven-cured with a matte black firearm coating, and spiral-wrapped with a black leather grip. Along the handle are 4 recessed AV switches that each glow the color of the blade they output. The Decimator Staff has been fitted with both red and blue beams, as well as Spark Dual Phase battle sound effects that erupt during various switch and hilt impacts.

www.gizmodo.com

www.blessthisstuff.com

www.dudeiwantthat.com

BLUESHIFT HELIUM: SUPERCAPACITORPOWERED PORTABLE SPEAKER

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KITCHENAID

THE CONSCIOUS IGNORANT

by Lujain Al Mulla

It was Day 4 of Kuwait University’s annual Film Week and we’d just viewed the astonishing God Grew Tired of Us, a heart-wrenching documentary so appropriately selected by Dr. Mai Al Nakib, the event’s faithful organizer. Dr. Al Nakib fittingly included this film in this year’s roster to compliment the theme of “Diaspora.” The documentary follows 3 young South Sudanese men who have lived a life of sheer struggle, being torn from their families at a very young age, forced to immigrate by foot, first to Ethiopia and then to Kenya, in fear of persecution in their home country. These young men are part of a bigger group of refugees who were later granted the opportunity of starting afresh in the United States—facing yet another struggle of adaptation.

During the post-screening discussion, someone from the audience mentioned something about standing up in respect of the refugees and the lessons they’d supposedly learned—within that hour and a half, mind—and I rolled my eyes in cynicism. I don’t mean to question the person’s sincerity, but it seemed such a futile thing to say. I felt it condescending, how easy it must be to stand up from one’s cushioned seat in an air-conditioned venue and salute people who’d seen death at a young age, lived through famine, experienced forced separation from their families and hardship their entire life, and who were not present at the hall then. The gesture seemed so banal. I left the theatre with a heaviness in my chest.

Later that night, I felt like a spoiled parcel of guilt tied with a bow of all that I take for granted.

Everything I did seemed so meaningless all of a sudden. The frivolity of it all was sickening. My dinner was a disgusting squander, as I saw it, but I still ate it. I was disgusted by my warm bed, but I still slept in it. I resented the fact that I had it easy growing up, but was also thankful I didn’t have to have it any other way—glad but resentful. The dichotomy was eating at me.

I have watched documentaries that expose other calamities in this world and attended seminars set up to raise awareness of such issues. They always leave me feeling the same way; I feel an ardent urge to do something about fixing the situation, but then this feeling gradually dies down in a number of days into a lump of apathy, not because I lose interest in the cause, but because the infinitude of all concurrent causes worth involving oneself in becomes overwhelming, and I digress.

Almost two years ago, I decided to become a pesco-vegan. I cut out factory farmed meat, dairy and eggs from my diet. It was a decision I had made after long-thought triggered by—surprise, surprise—expository documentaries I had watched.

Yet, still, I feel like a hypocrite whenever I chip in for a non-vegan birthday cake for a co-worker—even 128

though I turn a piece of it down when passed to me—or order a vegan dish at a restaurant that serves factory-farmed meat and, therefore, am still contributing to the industry.

I wish I could feel good about myself whenever I spare some change for a boy selling glow-sticks at a traffic light, but I don’t. I feel petty and little.

I feel ashamed of the pretense of it all—me, on my high horse, giving out my miserly change. Even when I do contribute more to a cause, I still feel guilty. A part inside me wants to devote my life to the betterment of others’ lives but a bigger part of me is a coward, too afraid of losing what it is that I have in mine: my home, my family, a well-off living.

My excuse is how busy I am—getting on with my own life. I wonder if I truly am too consumed in the future I am building for myself or if I use it as a fallacious argument to avoid devoting my time to aiding those less fortunate.

The defense mechanism so many of us have managed to cocoon ourselves in is conscious ignorance, as paradoxical as the term may sound.

We realize we have been unfairly endowed with luxuries that the greater population of this world have not, and often choose not to dwell upon

this fact. The way many of us deal with such guilt is by donating money or, like the lady in the screening-hall, by extending a gesture of respect and recognition, and, ultimately, recoiling back to a consciously ignorant state. Still, I curl my lip in cynicism at the plasticity of it all. I am ever jealous of those who have managed to leave so much, if not everything, behind and spend all their time and effort in fighting an injustice.

I wish I could conclude this article with a philosophy that makes everything ok, but I can’t.

I find myself going on and on, hoping to come by an epiphany that helps me realize that it’s ok to just be grateful for what I have, but it hasn’t hit me yet, and I know that as soon as I stop typing, put my laptop away and curl up under my covers, the shadows in my room will smother me with feelings of shame. I’ll leave you with this note, though: love your family, appreciate the luxuries and always be thankful to the greater power you believe has blessed you with what you have. But always, always, leave room for bursts of selfloathing and self-deprecation, so that I can at least deal with those bursts knowing I’m not having them alone.

ELEMENT EIGHT

ROMANCING

THE STONE

Upon arriving in Wadi Musa, Jordan, I am faced with a choice: to hike or not to hike to Petra in the dark? Despite the chill and my weariness, I opt for the former and spend the next few hours in a state somewhere between awe and bliss.

As I follow a winding candle-lined path all the way to the famous Treasury, with nothing but the 1500 flickering flames to light the way, I am overwhelmed by how surreally beautiful the towering rocks look at night: They reflect the light of the moon and the stars, taking on an almost phosphorescent quality and

by Carmen Loren lending an air of deep mystery to everything around them. Despite our guideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warning to the contrary, I spend a significant part of the walk with my eyes trained on the sky, marveling at the multitude of clearly visible constellations and at the silver silhouettes of the rock formations towering above me.

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After years of yearning to see the rose-red marvel that is the Treasury, I am not disappointed. While at night it lacks the translucent glow for which it is famous, the Treasury, bathed in the golden light of hundreds of candles, takes my breath away. Its graceful columns and sheer size do not fail to impress, even in near darkness, and as I sit on my straw mat, listening to the haunting strains of Bedouin music, I feel very small, very young, and very insignificant. Yet my soul feels fuller somehow, and I am certain that I will never forget just how beautiful and devastatingly romantic this night is.

The next morning, as I pass through the gate for the second time in less than twelve hours, I find myself wondering how the Nabataeans came to choose this particular location for their city.

Was it merely a convenient spot, or were people 2000 years ago just as stunned by the dramatic rock formations as their modern counterparts?

Did desert wanderers look at the play of light and shadow on the reddish stone and feel irresistibly drawn to the place? Were they as fascinated as I am by the way the moving sun seems to change the very shape of the surrounding cliffs?

As it turns out, one can hire a horse and ride it to the Siq’s entrance. The Indiana Jones in me perks up; I hire a gorgeous chestnut and gallop happily all the way to the Siq, eager to get to the Treasury before the 09:00 magic hour (who doesn’t want perfect light when photo ops abound?). As I proceed, the Siq seems to narrow. At last, just when I begin to get used to the twists and turns, one final bend reveals what looks like a pink gash in the rock.

The Treasury itself (the locals call it Al Khazna) is, to put it mildly, magnificent. I stand in the crowded courtyard, mouth agape, and stare at what can only be described as an exquisite work of art of gargantuan proportions. I take a few pictures, but mostly I just stand and try to take in every inch of the beautiful monument before me. My eyes drink in every detail as I’m jostled and bumped by the clusters of tourists, guides, and animals that mill around.

To me, the Treasury seems to be carved out of porcelain - or maybe out of the delicate peachy-pink inside layer of a seashell. In the sunlight, every elegant curve in the stone seems to possess a soft, golden, translucent glow - a warmth more often associated with living creatures than with solid rock.

I walk past the camels, who pace gently, swaying from side to side, and continue down the slope, passing majestic tombs and an ancient theater fit for kings. The acoustics are still amazing, and I think that you could easily fit a few thousand people on the surviving stone seats. Today, however, the only performer is a very friendly stray dog.

The road continues to slope down toward the bottom of the valley, where it levels out into the Colonnaded Street. As the ground gradually changes from sand to white cobblestones, I stop in front of the Temenos Gate for a rest. It is noticeably cooler in the shade of the ancient columns and I inhale deeply the history-tainted air.

I pass a section of the Byzantine city walls, and pause just long enough to snap a picture of the donkeys waiting patiently for their next customers. The plan is to climb up past the Lion Triclinium to Ad Dayr - the Monastery. Incidentally, this particular trail has

the greatest difficulty rating and involves nearly 1000 steps, several steep and slippery slopes, an infinite variety of sheer drops, and a constant stream of twoway traffic (both humans and donkeys are forced to share the same narrow path).

At first, when I see the sign warning hikers to not venture up without a guide, I laugh. How hard could this be? But about halfway up the mountain, as I begin to die a painful and excruciatingly slow death, I realize why everyone in their right mind takes the donkey to the Monastery, and then descends on foot. On more than one occasion I lose my footing on the sandy rock path and come very close to going over the edge -

there are no railings, no banisters, no ropes to hold on to... just tired, trembling leg muscles, and vertical drops to the rock floor below.

In the end, however, the grueling and dangerous climb is worth it. While the Monastery lacks the Treasury’s aura, it possesses its own kind of beauty, and I thoroughly enjoy sitting on a bench and sipping hot (and very sweet) mint tea while taking in the delightful view. I can honestly say that I have never associated love with ancient architecture, but somewhere along the way Petra has managed to steal my heart.

Images courtesy of Carmen Loren.

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bazaar industry

PRINT IN THE DIGITAL AGE 14 reasons why there is still room for it

by Mr Magazine

As we have waved goodbye to 2013, the banner year where the persistent mantra that print is dead finally subsided, the focus of the 2014 manifesto demands the attention of the one thing I have no problem adhering to: the amplification of print in a digital age.

The 14 truths may be preaching to the choir for some, but hopefully they are still appreciated and valued as truisms that merit the time and consideration of our faithful congregation. And for those agnostics out there, maybe there will be a dawning of print spirituality they failed to consider until now.

1. Print is trending.

What do allrecipes.com, style.com, pitchfork.com, etc., share in common? They were all conceived in the womb of the Internet, but discovered their power in the mother’s milk of print. Nourishment that can neither be denied, nor ignored as the proof is in the growth of the infant.

2. Print – old and new – has value.

Whether it’s the first ever printed book or the premiere issue of Time Magazine, the value of these collectible treasures could send your children to college, never mind the enrichment they bring to your life and consciousness. I wonder how much the first online edition of slate.com will fetch 60 years from now.

3. Print’s bragging power.

How often does your iPad lying on the coffee table start a conversation? I would hazard to say, almost never. Unless one of your guests knocks it off and breaks it and you realize just how much money you’re out. But my magazines fanned out across the table, with their colorful and interesting covers never fail to initiate a discussion. Oh, and if they get knocked off during the debate… so what?

4. Print is ownership.

If all my belongings are up in the “clouds,” what do I have? Without physicality, human beings are obsolete. And I can safely say that anyone reading this absolutely does not want that.

5. Print is ad-friendly.

When I open a magazine and see those magnificent ads that are sometimes as entertaining as the articles, I realize once again why print brings in the revenue and must be preserved. When a digital ad pops in, uninvited, for a seemingly interminable 15 seconds (or more), my first step is the escape key.

6. Print still generates the profits.

As stated, print still brings in the revenues, there’s just no disputing that fact.

7. Romancing print.

After years of having a digital love affair, there 132

is nothing wrong with coming home and apologizing and confessing your unfaithfulness to your lovely print spouse. After all, we’re all human and make mistakes.

8. Print keeps history alive.

On a personal note, I have ink on paper letters from my late father that I can show my kids anytime I want. What will my children have to show their kids when it comes to memories? My texts or emails?

9. Print is the brand propeller.

Ink on paper is the marketing tool that moves the brand in front of the customer. From the newsstands to direct mail, print is the mechanism behind any real movement. It takes the product and puts it in-your-face without apology.

10. Print is relevant.

When you have a print product it can take you places – real places and give you customers – real customers – and form those all-important relationships within a community. An audience in China has absolutely no value to an advertiser in the United States. You have to target your community

and form that real bond. And print can do that.

11. Print is a detective.

Ink on paper can find you no matter where you are. Whether it’s on the newsstands or in your mailbox or gracing your coffee table, print “calls you by name.” No buttons to push, no mouse to click and no screen to scroll. You – not the machine – are the “person of interest.”

12. Print is integrated.

Think about print as the foundation of your brand in which you can build many, many platforms.

Without a solid foundation, those platforms will displace and you could lose everything.

13. Print deals with humans.

More than 60% of Internet usage is machine-driven and generated. While print is 100% human-generated and driven. Can digital compete with that?

14. Print is the future of digital.

Media’s destiny starts, continues and ends with print. It’s just common sense. source: Mr Magazine

DIVAS

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED THE WORLD

by Vivek Wadhwa

When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com in February 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would unleash.

His intent was to connect college students.

Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world.

To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound — as were previous generations of humans — by what they were taught. They are limited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers and friends. If you were privileged and had access to a library or an encyclopedia, you could learn a little more. You surely couldn’t follow and reach out to the people that you read about; learn what people all over the world had to say; or ask the difficult, uncomfortable, questions.

With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips and encouragement from each other, today’s children are rising above the fears and biases of their parents. That is why youth in the Middle East are fermenting revolutions and the Chinese are getting restless.

Adults are also participating in this revolution.

India’s normally docile middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards.

Political leaders, such as President Barack Obama, are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors unleashed.

As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and provides a tool for stalking children. Social media is used by extremists to solicit and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to unsavory spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals who may want to rob us exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail us.

Governments don’t need informers any more.

Social media allows government agencies to spy on their political masters, their own citizens, in a way that would make Big Brother jealous. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them. We tell governments our friends’ names, email addresses and contact numbers, and we tag photographs of them. And as computers become more powerful, they will be able to analyze our social-media information and correlate it with what our friends 134

and acquaintances say about us.

The marketers are also seeing big opportunities.

Amazon is trying to predict what we will order.

Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles; it wants to be our personal assistant. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to mitigate the dangers.

Getting back to the bright side, major changes are happening in fields such as health care because of social media. Already, by analyzing Google searches, researchers can track the spread of disease across the world. Patients are able to converse with others who have had the same ailment as they now have and learn which remedies or methods worked for others and which didn’t. People all over the world are providing each other with advice and moral support.

The might of social media already has the Chinese government trembling. Its people are informing each other of local government officials’ atrocities and their abuses of power. In New Delhi, we witnessed a political revolution happen as an anti-corruption party came out of nowhere to gain power in the state elections. Political scandals in the United States have become more common because people speak up immediately.

There is no greater force for democracy than

social media, and this will empower the masses.

So far, only about 2 billion of the world’s 7 billion people have come on line. During this decade, another 3 billion will gain connectivity through cheap tablets. Devices that have capabilities similar to iPads will be available for less than USD 50 (KD 14).

It is likely that the majority of the rising billion will use social media. But the winner won’t necessarily be Facebook. People will use social networks that are special purpose, geared toward local communities, and in local languages. In parts of New Delhi, for example, localcircles.com is gaining popularity. It connects neighborhoods by allowing them to exchange information about water availability and domestic help; find blood donors; and report corruption.

Regardless of what social media people use and whether we celebrate Facebook’s next 10year anniversary, one thing is certain: we are in a period of exponential change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.

AL TAHADI

bazaar around town CHALLENGER CONTINUES TO EXCITE CAR LOVERS With record sales last year, including the best sales months since the reintroduction of the Challenger in 2008, the Dodge brand’s performance icon continues to deliver exactly what muscle car enthusiasts want - a powerful and efficient engine line up and iconic muscle-car design, all executed with quality and precision. The Dodge Challenger SE’s standard awardwinning 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine features a cold-air induction system and dual exhausts from the headers back to the exhaust tips for maximum output. The result is 305 track-ready hp at 6,350 rpm and a responsive 268 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,800 rpm. The engine’s torque exceeds 90% of its peak value from 1,800 to 6,400 rpm, which provides outstanding drivability and responsiveness. Thanks to its all-aluminium design, the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine, linked to a five-speed AutoStick automatic transmission, provides the Dodge Challenger with a 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution for improved balance and handling. For the performance enthusiast, the 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T features the legendary 5.7-litre HEMI V8 engine, again linked to a five-speed AutoStick automatic transmission, which delivers up to 375 hp and 410 lb.-ft. of torque and gets up to 25 miles per gallon (9.41 L/100km) and includes innovative Fuel Saver Technology to seamlessly transition to high-fuel-economy four-cylinder mode when less power is needed and V8 mode when more power is in demand. The Dodge Challenger features more than 45 safety and security features, including the addition of ParkSense rear park assist system standard on the Challenger R/T. The innovative Uconnect radios integrate a 6.5-inch (165.1 mm) touchscreen display. Uconnect media centers also offer a single navigation option with clean and crisp graphics. Uconnect radios enable Dodge Challenger passengers to create a personalised in-vehicle media experience with its available USB port with iPod control, auxiliary jack for MP3 player input and DVD playback (in Park). To make long cruises more comfortable, the Dodge Challenger features highly cushioned and comfortably contoured seating, while maintaining large bolsters to hold passengers in place during performance driving. Dodge Challenger offers exceptional rear seating for a two-door coupe, achieving best-in-class rear headroom (37.4 inches / 949.96 mm) and legroom (32.6 inches / 828.04 mm) compared with its competition. With class-exclusive seating for five, coupled with best-in-class cargo space (16.2 cu. ft.), the Dodge Challenger is the segment’s best day-to-day pony-car choice, offering maximum comfort and functionality to go with its legendary iconic styling and sought-after performance.

INFINITI RED BULL RACING FORMULA ONE SHOW RUN ON THE STREETS OF KUWAIT It’s not every day you get to see a Formula One car, never mind a World Championship winning one. That’s exactly what the people of Kuwait will see when the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One Show Run Team visits Kuwait on Friday March 28, 2014 between 2pm and 5pm. The Quadruple Constructors’ Championship winning machine will be driven by Red Bull Junior Driver Carlos Sainz Jr. who will perform a full repertoire of donuts, burnouts and speed stretches in front of an expected 25,000 racing fans that will line the streets next to the Kuwait Towers. Fans will welcome the Infiniti Red Bull Racing World Champion Car on an 800-meter long urban track stretching from Bneid El Gar signal light to the Kuwait Towers. The car which accelerates from 0-100km/h in 2.4 seconds will reach speeds of 250km/h and above and will also be displayed and fired up around various locations in Kuwait. In addition to the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One Show Run, Kuwait will get a glimpse of Chris Pfeiffer, a four-time World Stunt Riding Champion.

TRIWA SPRING/SUMMER 14 COLLECTION Yacob Behbehani Sons Co. is proud to have officially launched Swedish watch brand TRIWA in Kuwait. TRIWA was created in 2007 when four friends decided to quit their jobs to follow a long-held dream. Without any formal watch background the four of them set out to create unconventional watches, thus choosing the TRIWA acronym, which stands for Transforming the Industry of Watches.This season TRIWA focused on extending their assortment of stainless steel watches, by adding two new Lansen watches in shiny gold and brushed gun metal. They also felt that the Lansen needed a sibling, so they created the LansenChrono which is a neat, sophisticated chronograph, with signature round hour indexes and date fiction at 4h. It comes in four colors, all with radially brushed dials and sub dials, and a large variety of straps ranging from dressier link bracelet to a sporty canvas strap. But TRIWA wouldn’t be TRIWA without some colorful additions to the collection. The brightest shining star might be a golden Niben with bright purple detailing and a double wrap strap in vibrant purple canvas and organic tan leather.

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WORLD ORAL HYGIENE DAY March 20th has been marked and approved by the World Dental Federation as “World Oral Hygiene Day”. It is marked as an international day that highlights the importance of oral hygiene, and to promote all issues that involve oral health for both adults and children. WOHD is important because 90% of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime. Many of them can be avoided with increased governmental, health association and society support and funding for awareness, prevention, detection and treatment programs. Until today, many people lack the knowledge of how importance it is to maintain a healthy oral hygiene and what procedures need to be done to achieve it. As a result, AlMubarakiya dental centers are offering free dental checkups as well as free scaling for all new patients. This special offer is to help educate those who neglect their oral hygiene and hopefully make them aware of how important it is to have healthy teeth and gums. Many people nowadays still lack such information and awareness, and one of the reasons is due to their fear of dentists. As a dental center, Al-Mubarikya aims to develop and maintain a strong doctor/patient relationship because they are aware of how people fear dentists. Their goal for the month is to provide as much awareness as they can by using different social media platforms as an example to reach as many people as they can. They have decided to provide free checkups and scaling for all new patients as a way to spread the message of WOHD. Patients can call and book their appointments and take advantage of their special offer. This offer is valid for the whole month of March on behalf of WOHD and is available in both the Salmiya and Egaila Branch.

For more information visit www.mubarakiya-dc.com

NAUTICA – SPRING 2014 SPORTSWEAR COLLECTION What began as a collection of outerwear almost thirty years ago has become a leading global lifestyle brand representing the finest in men’s, women’s and kid’s apparel and accessories, as well as a complete home collection. Over the past three decades, Nautica has become one of the most important and most recognized brands throughout the world. The Nautica Men’s Sportswear Spring 2014 Collection is inspired by the iconic Mediterranean coastline. From the deep blue waters and bright colors of the shore, to the lush flora patterns and quintessential stripes, this season is taking classic nautical style to a new level. Spring launches with The Med delivery. Shades of blues and turquoise are layered with corals, reds and yellows creating a rich level of color to really get you in the mood for the warmer season.

Swimwear makes its mark in a variety of prints, from mosaics and graphic geometric patterns to photographic images inspired by scenes from the Mediterranean. As we enter March, the palette becomes a little more muted with softer blues, neutrals and corals. Fabrics become a little more lightweight, like chambray shirts, textured cardigans, and linen cotton shirts and blazers. Paisley and flora prints inspired by the rich Italian heritage of the coast are seen all over, from swim trunks and short sleeve shirts, to polos and flat front shorts. Performance apparel makes an appearance in the Mid Sea Regatta delivery. Colors are grounded in navy and white and prints are abstract and colorblocked. There are hybrid mixes of knits with nylon piecing, nylon and cotton tech shirts, pieced performance polos and engineered performance polos. Special features like wicking, odor control and quick dry are incorporated into hoodies and mock neck zip ups to allow for extra functionality. The South Pacific delivery continues to take you to the water as summer approaches.

Colors still pop with names like Flame Red, Aruba Blue and Beach Plum. Fabrics remain light, with linen and cottons mixed throughout. Nautical stripes stake their claim on polos and wovens, while seersucker crops up in blazers and shorts. It’s a spring collection that will take you across the world to the Mediterranean and one you will never forget.

You can now find Nautica exclusive stores located in Kuwait at The Avenues (2259 7305), Al-Kout Mall and Al Fanar Mall and soon to open at Gate Mall and Boulevard.

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FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS

Proof dogs can help you to find the perfect mate

by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

When Melanie met a man she really liked, she wanted to get to know him better, but he was really shy. “I didn’t know how he would feel about a woman taking the lead and asking him out,” says Melanie. “So I just kept asking him to do dog activities with me and my dog.”

Not long after, Melanie’s new man plucked up the courage and asked her on a real date. They’ve been together for 28 years, and they still have dogs.

Melanie was part of a survey within our citizen science project Dognition, which aims to help us understand the dog-human relationship.

According to the survey, 82 percent of people would feel more confident approaching an attractive person if they had their dog with them.

This is somewhat surprising. There has been a lot of research into the beneficial roles dogs play in promoting an active lifestyle, improving productivity at work, and even decreasing the risks of stress, heart attacks, and strokes — but our love lives?

On the idyllic coast of Brittany, France, a 138

handsome Frenchman called Antoine spent the warm days of summer picking up women. His usual line was: “Hello. My name’s Antoine. I just want to say that I think you’re really pretty. I have to go to work this afternoon, but I was wondering if you would give me your phone number. I’ll phone you later and we can have a drink together someplace.”

Research has shown that it’s notoriously difficult to get phone numbers from women this way. But Antoine found a sure-fire way to improve his chances — he brought along a dog, a lovable black mutt with undeniable charisma.

The difference between Antoine and other Frenchmen fishing for phone numbers was that Antoine was part of a study by Nicolas Gueguen and Serge Ciccotti from the University of Bretange Sud in France exploring how dogs facilitated social interactions.

Antoine approached 240 women over the course of the study. When he was alone, his success rate was around 1 in 10. But when the dog was present, his chances jumped to 1 in 3.

Not bad at all.

This puzzling phenomenon is present even in the 2-D world. One study asked participants to rate photos of people with or without a dog. The same photo models were judged as looking more relaxed, approachable and happy when they appeared with a dog (all desirable characteristics for a profile picture for those on match.com).

The research in this area is fairly conclusive.

Random strangers, homeless people and people in wheelchairs all find that when they have a dog with them, they are approached more and experience more positive interactions. Having a dog with you is more important for first impressions than what you wear.

The kind of dog does make a difference — a Labrador on the end of your leash is more likely to get you more attention than a Rottweiler. (Unjust as this may be, someone ran the numbers and that’s just how it is.) In fact, if you’re really out to get attention, nothing does the job like a Labrador puppy.

STARBUCKS

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

FIND IT IN EVERYTHING

THE SIXTH EXTINCTION

by Drew Barrymore

by Elizabeth Kolbert

Photographs taken by Drew Barrymore reveal hearts found in everyday situations.

“I have always loved hearts,” writes acclaimed actress Drew Barrymore in the foreword to this heart-warming gift book.

“The way that continuous line accomplishes the most extraordinary thing – it conveys love.” In Find It In Everything, Drew Barrymore shares the photographs she has taken of heart-shaped objects and patterns she has come across over the past ten years. Some are obvious and others barely discernible. A discarded straw wrapper, a hole in a T-shirt, a scallion in a bowl of miso soup -- seemingly everywhere she turns her lens a heart reveals itself. A very personal collection of images, many of them accompanied by brief captions that reflect on beauty in the everyday, Find It In Everything is a delightful book from the beloved actress and director, who now adds photographer to her long list of credentials.

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A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes. Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions.

Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, amongst others. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind’s most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

GEORGE ORWELL: ENGLISH REBEL

THE ANTELOPE IN THE LIVING ROOM

A SHORT GUIDE TO A LONG LIFE

by Robert Colls

by Melanie Shankle

by David B. Angus M.D.

Author of 1984 & Animal Farm, George Orwell is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and a man who defined Englishness in his era. An intellectual who did not like intellectuals, a socialist who did not trust the state, a liberal who was against free markets, a fierce opponent of nationalism who defined Englishness for a generation. George Orwell: English Rebel takes us through the many twists and turns of Orwell’s life and thoughts, from precocious, public school satirist at Eton and imperial policeman in Burma, through his early years as a rather dour documentary writer, and his formative experiences as a volunteer soldier in the Spanish Civil War. Robert Colls traces, in particular, Orwell’s complex relationship with his country, from the alienated intellectual of the mid-1930s through a gradual reconciliation, to the exhilarating peaks of his wartime writing. He explores the mistakes and contradictions, the lucky escapes and near misses, and what they tell us about Orwell as man and author.

Welcome to the story of a real marriage. Marriage is simultaneously the biggest blessing and the greatest challenge two people can ever take on. It is the joy of knowing there is someone to share in your joys and sorrows, and the challenge of living with someone who thinks it’s a good idea to hang a giant antelope head on your living room wall. In The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life, New York Times best-selling author and blogger Melanie Shankle does for marriage what Sparkly Green Earrings did for motherhood—makes us laugh out loud and smile through tears as she shares the holy and the hilarity of that magical and mysterious union called marriage. “We are in this thing together. For the rest of our lives. Not just for better or for worse,

In his #1 New York Times bestselling book, The End of Illness, Dr. David B. Agus shared what he has learned from his work as a pioneering cancer doctor and researcher, revealing the innovative steps he takes to prolong the lives of not only cancer patients but all those hoping to enjoy a vigorous, lengthy life. Now Dr. Agus has turned his analysis into a practical and concise illustrated handbook for everyday living. He believes optimal health begins with our daily habits. Divided into three sections (What to Do, What to Avoid, and Doctor’s Orders) the book provides definitive answers to many common and not-so-common questions: Are flu shots safe?

What constitutes “healthy” foods? Why is it important to protect your senses? Are airport scanners hazardous? Dr. Agus will help you develop new patterns of personal health care using inexpensive and widely accessible tools that are based on the latest and most reliable science. Now go live life!

source: www.amazon.com

HYPOXI

bazaar investigates CELEBRATING DIAMOND JUBILEE OF WEST END WATCHES IN KUWAIT Yacob Behbehani Sons Company and West End Watch Company collaborated to proudly produce the latest model of West End watches. Called Kuwait, named after the State of Kuwait, it is in celebration of West End being in this country for more than 75 years (since 1938). This model is a celebration of heritage and Kuwaiti nationalism that is still in touch with its old Kuwaiti traditions that include wearing a West End watch. The Late Mr. Yacob Behbehani acquired the brand to his company as the first one when he started his watch business at the age of 22. West End has a rich history with the Kuwaiti community; it is still one of the most popular watch brands in Kuwait as well as the GCC. The Kuwait model by West End has features that include: automatic chronograph with 2 counters, stainless steel case, diameter 42 mm, water resistant to 50m., sapphire crystal, luminesce Arabic numbers and black dial. The company is going to celebrate this event later this month with the attendance of the current CEO of West End Watch Company Mr. Jerome Monnat Jr. and selection of Kuwait’s West End lovers. Born in 1916, Mr. Yacob Yousuf Behebehani purchased his first lot of West End Watches in 1938. In 1946 he obtained the official representation of West End watches for the state of Kuwait, and in the following years, for several other countries in the Middle East. With the entry in the oil era and the dynamism and seriousness of Mr. Yacob Yousuf Behbehani, the sales soon started to boom. With nearly 1 million pieces distributed a year at the end of the 1970’s, Mr. Yacob Yousuf Behbehani became one of the greatest watch agents in the world. Mr. Yacob Behbehani passed away in 2004. A tremendously successful chapter, not only in the West End Brand’s history but also in the relations between the State of Kuwait and Switzerland, has been returned. In 2005, the legacy of the distribution of West End Watches in Kuwait has been let to Mr. Yacob Yousuf’s son, Mr. Aqeel Yacob Behbehani. Great projects around the West End brand are now under development, with the launch of several new watch lines placing a stronger accent on today’s lifestyles and tastes.

MERCEDES-AMG PERFORMANCE CENTER OPENS IN KUWAIT A.R. Albisher and Z. Alkazemi Co. – the exclusive general distributor for MercedesBenz in Kuwait – has opened a dedicated AMG performance center to display and cater for the latest range of Mercedes-AMG vehicles. The performance center, which is an extension of Albisher and Alkazemi’s Mercedes-Benz showroom in Shuwaikh, was launched during a special event that included AMG customers, Daimler Middle East and Levant (DMEL) representatives, Albisher and Alkazemi management, and the media. “We’re seeing a noticeable increase in demand for AMG vehicles in Kuwait, at about 50% year-on-year and establishing an exclusive AMG showroom was our answer to this demand,” said Michael Ruehle, CEO, Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co. “Mercedes-AMG vehicles deserve to be highlighted because the design and engineering aspects go beyond what is imaginable in the automobile industry today. Our customers appreciate what owning a Mercedes-AMG means and we want to further extend that to the sales experience as well.” The 550 square meters AMG Performance Center is the first facility catering exclusively for Mercedes-AMG vehicles in Kuwait and is designed with the latest signature AMG furniture and displays. The center can also showcase up to 12 AMG vehicles, including a dedicated stand for the latest models, as well as an area for pre-owned AMG vehicles. While the AMG Performance Center is still linked to the Mercedes-Benz showroom, the center has a separate waiting and consultation area designed with the AMG’s customers’ needs in mind and a dedicated AMG sales team. The AMG Performance Center launch event featured special presentations and videos about Mercedes-AMG as well as speeches

by Albisher and Alkazemi Co.’s Director- Mohammed Albisher, CEO - Michael Ruehle, and Dirk Fetzer, Director Sales & Marketing, Daimler Middle East and Levant Dubai.

These were followed by a light and laser show and the ribbon cutting ceremony. All guests were taken on a tour of the AMG showroom and were presented with the latest AMG models on display, which included the SLS AMG Black series, A 45 AMG, E 63 AMG S Edition, C 63 AMG – 507 Edition, S63 AMG & G63 AMG 6x6.

For more information on Mercedes-Benz products and services in Kuwait, please visit them online at www.mercedes-benz.com.kw or join them on Facebook: MercedesBenzKuwait or on Twitter and Instagram @MercedesBenzKWT. 142

‫مستشفى طيبة تحصل على شهادة اإلعتماد الدولي في مجال الرعاية الصحية ‪JCIA‬‬ ‫حصلت مستشفى طيبة على شهادة اإلعتماد الدولي ‪ JCIA‬من اللجنة األمريكية الدولية المشتركة في‬ ‫مجال الرعاية الصحية للمرة الثانية على التوالي وذلك بعد تطبيق المستشفى لجميع متطلبات اللجنة فيما‬ ‫يتعلق بالجودة والمعايير الدولية في مجال الرعاية الصحية‪ ،‬حيث قام فريق من أعضاء اللجنة األمريكية‬ ‫الدولية المشتركة ‪ JCIA‬بزيارة إلى مستشفى طيبة تم خاللها إجراء تقييم شامل على جميع الخدمات‬ ‫الصحية في المستشفى‪ .‬إن شهادة اإلعتماد الدولي في مجال الرعاية الصحية ‪ JCIA‬تعتبر من أهم وأكثر‬ ‫اإلعتمادات تميزاً في مجال جودة الرعاية الصحية وسالمة المرضى‪ ،‬حيث تتمحور المعايير الدولية حول‬ ‫المريض وطرق الرعاية والعالج والسالمة‪ ،‬كما تركز على الجانب اإلداري والطرق المتبعة لتسهيل خدمات‬ ‫الرعاية والعالج‪ .‬ويتم اإلعتماد من قبل استشاريين وخبراء معتمدين لديهم خبرة واسعة في الرعاية‬ ‫الصحية من حول العالم كما يقدمون اإلرشاد في المواضيع الرئيسية الخاصة بسالمة المرضى والجودة‬ ‫وكيفية االستمرار في تحسين عمليات ونتائج الرعاية الصحية السليمة‪ .‬يضاف أيض ًا على مزايا اإلعتماد‬ ‫ومنح الشهادة من قبل اللجنة الدولية المشتركة جوانب عدة منها تحسين الثقة العامة في المستشفى‬ ‫التي تقدر الجودة وسالمة المرضى‪ ،‬وإشراك المرضى وعائالتهم كشركاء في عملية الرعاية‪ ،‬وضمان بيئة‬ ‫عمل آمنة وفعّالة تساهم في إرضاء الموظفين ورفع مستواهم المهني ‪ .‬وقد عبر الدكتور سند الفضالة‬ ‫الرئيس التنفيذي في مستشفى طيبة عن مدى سعادته وفخره بإمكانيات المستشفى والموظفين التي‬ ‫ساهمت في وصول طيبة إلى أعلى المستويات في دولة الكويت والخليج العربي‪ .‬حيث تزامن هذا اإلنجاز‬ ‫مع حلول الذكرى العاشرة على إنشاء مستشفى طيبة والتي بدأت مشوارها الطبي كعيادات اليوم الواحد‬ ‫في سنة ‪ .2002‬كما أكد الدكتور سند الفضاله أن مستشفى طيبة يعتبر أول مستشفى كويتي حاصل‬ ‫على شهادة اإلعتماد الدولية في عام ‪ 2010‬وبأعلى تصنيف حيث تم اآلن وهلل الحمد تجديدها لمدة ‪3‬‬ ‫سنوات أخرى‪ .‬كما أضاف راشد الفضاله رئيس قطاع التشغيل‪ ،‬أن حصول مستشفى طيبة على اإلعتماد‬ ‫الدولي هو تأكيد للوفاء واإللتزام بالعهد الذي قطعته إدارة المستشفى لمراجعيها باإلستمرار في العمل‬ ‫الجاد لخدمتهم ورعايتهم وتحقيق كل ما يمكن لضمان خدمات ذات كفاءه عالية وفق ًا للمعايير الدولية‪.‬‬ ‫كما أكد على عزم المستشفى لإلرتقاء بكافة خدماته العالجيه وما قد يعكسه من تحسين مستمر لخدمات‬ ‫الرعاية الصحية‪ .‬كما صرحت الدكتورة عائشة جون مديرة الجودة‪ ،‬أن نسبة مجموع النقاط التي حصدتها‬ ‫طيبة تزيد عن ‪ ٪98‬والتي تعتبر من أعلى النسب في معايير الجودة‪ .‬وأضافت أن الحصول على اإلعتماد‬ ‫الدولي ما هو إال انعكاس للعمل الجاد والجهود المستمرة التي يبذلها الطاقم الطبي واإلدارات المتخصصة‬ ‫والموظفين ذوي اإلختصاص ‪ ،‬وإن اهتمامنا بالجودة والعناية بالمراجعين ال ينتهي بحصولنا على شهادة‬ ‫اإلعتماد‪ ،‬بل هي بداية مرحلة جديدة نحو التقدم والتطور في مجال الرعاية الطبية‪.‬‬

‫‪LABEL.M THERAPY AGE-DEFYING RANGE - FOR YOUNGER LOOKING HAIR.‬‬ ‫‪Your hair ages just like your skin, despite the fact that it isn’t a living organ. Following extensive research,‬‬ ‫‪label.m Professional Haircare launched its ‘first’ prescriptive, luxury sub-range called label.m Therapy Age‬‬‫‪Defying. Compromising four essential, restorative products - label.m Therapy Age-Defying is formulated‬‬ ‫‪using expert knowledge to deliver youth-enhancing results. An Intensively tested combination of ingredients‬‬ ‫‪that are infused with renowned White Caviar, to create the exclusive Rejunivation-8 Complex is what makes‬‬ ‫‪the efficacy unique. Therapy Age-Defying counters the Five Signs of Hair-Ageing: Coarseness, Thinness,‬‬ ‫‪Dryness, Weakness and Dullness. Technologically advanced, this Sulphate-free range works to rehabilitate‬‬ ‫‪age-challenged hair by helping to deliver a look of youthful restoration, replenish loss of hydration, as well‬‬ ‫‪as working to rejuvenate hair which has become seriously brittle and lackluster. This range includes a‬‬ ‫‪Shampoo, Conditioner, Mask, Protein Cream, and now their latest addition a Luxury Oil.‬‬ ‫‪label.m is exclusively distributed in Kuwait by beau-tique cosmetics international. For more information‬‬ ‫‪please call them on 2225 1285.‬‬

‫شركة وهران التجارية تطلق عطر «الحب الكبير» بحضور الفنان راغب عالمة‬ ‫بحضور الفنان الكبير راغب عالمة‪ ،‬أطلقت شركة وهران التجارية ممثلة بالسيد «عبد العزيز أبو شنب» عطر «‪»Le Grand Amour‬‬ ‫وذلك خالل حفل كبير أقيم في فندق شيراتون‪ .‬وللمرة الثانية‪ ،‬كان المجتمع الكويتي على موعد مع عطر جديد أضيف الى مجموعة‬ ‫“‪ ”Le Grand Amour‬أي الحبّ الكبير والذي تقوم شركة وهران التجارية الرائدة في عالم‬ ‫عطور راغب عالمة يحمل اسم‬ ‫العطور والتجميل بتسويقه محليا‪ .‬بدأ الحفل بمؤتمر صحفي حاور خالله راغب عالمة الحشد الذي ضمّ أهل االعالم والصحافة المحلية‬ ‫والعربية تاله غذاء في احدى قاعات الفندق‪ .‬بعد النجاح العظيم والشهرة التي حققها في الغناء قرر عالمة ان يجسد كل أحاسيسه‬ ‫وشغفه في عالم جديد عالم تعبق منه رائحة األطياب وتتعانق فيه شذا االعشاب العطرية والفاكهة الغنية لتخلق رحيقا فاخرا مسكوبا‬ ‫داخل زجاجات عطرية‪ .‬وألن العطور هي التواقيع غير المرئية التي تحدد شخصياتنا وتعكس معالمها وضع عالمة بصماته المعطرة‬ ‫الفريدة من نوعها لتعكس عالمه الذي أبدعه وصقله بكل أناقة ليتجسد واقعا ملموسا في عطره الخاص األوّل “‪ ”Note d’amour‬الذي‬ ‫القى نجاحا باهرا‪ ،‬فقرر أن يستكمل نجاحاته وذلك من خالل ابتكارعطره الثاني الذي يجسّد شخصية المرأة كما يراها هو فابتكر عطر‬ ‫نسائي جذاب وساحر‪ .‬ويحكي “‪ ”Le Grand Amour‬قصّة الحبّ الكبير الذي يحرّك المشاعرويعبر حدود الشرق والغرب‪ .‬بكل بساطة‪،‬‬ ‫انّه عطر مهدى الى المرأة العاطفية‪ .‬عطر “‪ ”Le Grand Amour‬متوفّر في جميع مراكز العطور لشركة وهران التجارية‪.‬‬ ‫‪143‬‬

bazaar scopes what’s your sign?

ARIES MAR 21 – APR 19

This month predicts that the planetary positions will be favorable for asserting your freedom to forge ahead in life the way you want. You will bulldoze all resistance coming across your way and by nature you will sustain your ambition. Financially the month will be highly profitable and opportunities for investment will present themselves. Health astrology predictions are excellent and Arian sportsmen will have a highly successful period.

TAURUS APR 20 – MAY 20

This month expect to assert and act decisively on objectives in life. This is the period when you should decide your priorities and exert yourself to achieve those, but all this has to be done without unnecessary haste and with due caution.

March 2014 will be excellent and peaceful for professionals and your superiors will be supportive.

Love forecasts ask for enough caution in making new advances. Allow love to bloom slowly. There is enough romance in your love life.

GEMINI MAY 21 – JUN 21

March 2014 sees accomplishment and growth for Gemini born people. You will have control over your life during the month, and will try to assess and redefine your goals. However, career takes precedence over family during this month and therefore you will not have enough time and vigor to pay attention to your family members. This may lead to frustration and disappointment for both family and yourself. Ride the wave, and make it up to them tenfold in April.

CANCER JUN 22 – JULY 22

Concentrate on using your social contacts and personal charm this month. Focus on your profession and avoid unnecessary stress and effort. On the family front, you might face some serious issues with younger members of your family. Be prepared to deal diplomatically with delicate situations. Love zodiac predictions for Cancers this month suggests culmination of marriage for singles. Love life will be extremely good and will grow throughout the month.

LEO JUL 23 – AUG 22

There are indications this month that your attention should be more on professional matters rather than family problems. Finances should be monitored closely and heavy spending should be postponed during the month. Still the momentum will be good for personal growth and success because of your friends and social circle. This month also sees you shouldering more responsibilities. Be open to present your ideas to your management. Family and domestic life will be peaceful and happy this month - expect reasons to celebrate.

VIRGO AUG 23 – SEP 22

The forecast for Virgo suggests that you should focus on your strategies for future development in professional and overall life. Emphasis should be

on friends and social partners who will contribute to your success during the month. Finances will be provided by others including your family members. Monetary status will improve beyond your expectations. Health will be superb with some rest and leisure, particularly during the second half of the month.

LIBRA SEP 23 – OCT 22

This month’s forecasts point to plenty of social activities and enjoyment with domestic concerns remaining in the background. Foreign travel and educational affairs require proper scrutiny and confirmation. Your main attention should be on professional and community matters. Family and home affairs will involve a review of your relationship with close family members, and the second half will be better for money matters.

SCORPIO OCT 23 – NOV 22

Predictions for the month of March foretell that Scorpio born people should concentrate on emotional stability. Stress should be kept away and conflicts with others are not advisable.

Romance and societal activities will be prominent during the month but focus will be more about domestic challenges. On the health front, you should focus on mental health which will also lead to financial health.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 – DEC 21

This month will be a time for development and accomplishments and life will move ahead.

Domestic issues will be at center stage and emotional aspect will dominate. The month is ideal for improving your relations with past social contacts. Family and relatives will also get the attention they deserve this month, but as far as love goes, it is time to forget about past love affairs and move ahead.

PISCES

FEB 19 – MAR 20

Pisces people indicate domestic concerns and emotional matters will dominate during this month. You will see growth in all your projects. Planetary positions will make sure that you will follow your goals in life with full force and dynamism. Family relations will be very harmonious and the air of love is present all over the house. Overall, things will happen as per your plan this month.

CAPRICORN DEC 22 – JAN 19

Forecasts this month show that speed in your life will be hectic with too many changes and actions. However, you will forge ahead relentlessly.

The main spotlight will be on your family while professional matters will go on as usual. You will have to induce a sense of harmony with others and take them along in your journey of life. Your career will be directed toward improving your business by using innovative ways of marketing your product.

The results will definitely raise the bar.

AQUARIUS JAN 20 – FEB 18

March is a good time for Aquarius born people to chase their goals in life. Only the pace will be less hectic than previous months. More attention will be required toward development of domestic and spiritual matters. The Aquarius career forecast points to a calm and uneventful period in your profession. The month will also be frustrating for job seekers. Health will not be robust in March, and you should devote your time and energy for essential matters. source: www.mysticscripts.com

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‫ﺗﺤﺮﺭﻱ ﻣﻦ ﻗﻴﻮﺩﻙ‬ ‫ﻟﻴﺰﺭ ﻹﺯﺍﻟﺔ ﺷﻌﺮ ﺍﻟﺠﺴﻢ ﺍﻟﻜﺎﻣﻞ *‬ ‫ﺑﺪﻭﻥ ﺃﻟﻢ‬

‫‪NOOR CLINIC 138‬‬

‫*‬

‫ﺑﺪﻭﻥ ﺑﻄﻦ ﻭ ﻇﻬﺮ‬

‫ﺧﺪﻣﺎﺕ ﻗﺴﻢ ﺍﻟﺠﻠﺪﻳﺔ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻠﻴﺰﺭ ‪:‬‬ ‫إزاﻟﺔ ﺷﻌﺮ اﳉﺴﻢ ﳉﻤﻴﻊ أﻧﻮاع اﻟﺒﺸﺮة ‪.‬‬‫ ﻧﺤﺖ اﳉﺴﻢ و ﻧﻘﻞ اﻟﺪﻫﻮن ‪.‬‬‫ ﺗﺼﻐﻴﺮ ﺣﺠﻢ اﻷﻧﻒ ورﺳﻤﻪ ﻣﻦ دون ﺟﺮاﺣﻪ ‪.‬‬‫ ﻋﻼج ﺗﺸﻘﻘﺎت ﻣﺎ ﺑﻌﺪ اﻟﻮﻻدة ‪.‬‬‫ ﻋﻼج ﺗﺸﻘﻘﺎت اﻟـ‪ Stretch Marks‬ﺑﺈﺳﺘﺨﺪام‬‫اﻟﻜﺎرﺑﻮﻛﺴﻲ ﺛﻴﺮاﺑﻲ ‪.‬‬

‫ ﺗﻮﺣﻴﺪ ﻟﻮن اﻟﺒﺸﺮة و ﻛﺎﻣﻞ اﳉﺴﻢ ‪.‬‬‫ ﺗﻘﻨﻴﺔ اﳌﻴﺰو ﺛﻴﺮاﺑﻲ ﻟﻠﻨﻀﺎرة و ﺷﺪ اﳉﻠﺪ وﺣﺮق اﻟﺪﻫﻮن ‪.‬‬‫ ﺟﻠﺴﺎت اﻟـ ‪ VillaShape II‬ﻟﺘﻨﺴﻴﻖ اﻟﻘﻮام‬‫وﺷﺪ اﻟﺘﺮﻫﻼت ‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -‬ﻋﻼج آﺛﺎر اﳊﺒﻮب واﻟﻨﺪﺑﺎت ‪.‬‬

‫ اﻟﺘﺨﻠﺺ ﻣﻦ ﺣﺐ اﻟﺸﺒﺎب ﺑﺸﻜﻞ داﺋﻢ ‪.‬‬‫ ﻋﻼﺟﺎت ﺗﺴﺎﻗﻂ اﻟﺸﻌﺮ و ﺗﻜﺜﻴﻔﻪ و زراﻋﺔ اﻟﺸﻌﺮ ‪.‬‬‫ﻋﻼج اﻟﺜﻌﻠﺒﺔ ‪.‬‬‫ إﺑﺮ اﻟﺒﻮﺗﻮﻛﺲ ﻟﺸﺪ اﻟﺒﺸﺮة ‪.‬‬‫‪ -‬إﺑﺮ اﻟﻔﻴﻠﻴﺮ )رﺳﻢ اﻟﺸﻔﺎﻳﻒ( ‪.‬‬

‫اﳉﻠﺪﻳﺔ واﻟﺘﻨﺎﺳﻠﻴﺔ ‪ -‬اﻟﻠﻴﺰر واﻟﺘﺠﻤﻴﻞ ‪ -‬ﻃﺐ اﻷﺳﻨﺎن ‪ -‬اﻟﻨﺴﺎء واﻟﻮﻻدة ‪ -‬ﻃﺐ اﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠﺔ ‪ -‬اﻟﻔﺤﻮﺻﺎت اﺨﻤﻟﺒﺮﻳﺔ‬

‫ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﻔﻨﻄﺎس اﻟﺘﺠﺎري‬

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