bazaar September 2014

September 2014 | Issue # 185 w w w. b a za a r -m agazine.c om

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C E L E B R AT I N G E L E G A N C E S I N C E 1 8 3 0

BAUME & PROMESSE STEEL, 30 MM, qUARTz dIAMONdS 0.17 CARAT www.baume-et-mercier.com

Al Hamra Luxury Center: 2227 0206, Salhiya: 2242 1945 / 2247 6021, Marina Mall: 22244839 / 2224 4841, Avenues Mall: 2259 7727 / 2259 7728, Souq Sharq: 2243 3770 / 2243 3500

MERCIER

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CHILLI

BEANS

ROYAL

HAYAT

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FASHION

N OUTLET

Int

“Back to life, back to reality,” an infamous song released by the infamous band Soul II Soul many years ago. Check it out if you have time. It’s a classic! Speaking of classics (or rather what’s NOT a classic), I’m assuming you must have seen/heard Nicki Minaj’s new song “Anaconda.” Words cannot describe how much I loathe that song, and how I simply can’t believe the records it’s breaking. It’s a sad, sad day for music lovers around the world. Anyways, I digress! I would like to welcome everyone back, and hope you all had a fantastic summer (if you managed to escape, that is) and are ready for another whirlwind year in K-town with all of its ups and downs, traffic jams, bipolar weather, and of course at least a gazillion new restaurants that are going to open.

In this issue of bazaar we celebrate all things equestrian with the fantastic and always classic fashions of La Martina’s Fall collection as well as getting up close and personal with Kuwaiti show jumper Abrar Almusallam currently representing Kuwait in several prestigious international riding competitions in Europe. Her relentless dedication to show jumping stems from her passion and determination as well as the trust and bond that develops between horse and rider.

Looking for decadent gastronomical dining in Kuwait to impress your friends, romance your partner, or wow your whole family? Look no further than the indulgent seafood restaurant that is Salt at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa. Our recent visit was way more than just a dinner, it was a seafood experience. Read about it further in this issue, and don’t forget to check out our recent entry in our ‘Great Hunts’ series where we have scoped out the best places to get Mexican Tacos around Kuwait. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it!

Back to school and life is a reality this month as thousands return to Kuwait, school and work after spending some time on a stay-cation or abroad. We help you ease back into that good old routine with our love/hate ‘back to school’ edition, keep you entertained with our line up of the new must watch TV shows hitting the ground in September as well as some of bazaar’s favorite reads, and we give you a rundown of who to avoid on your first days back at work…all to avoid that vacation-hangover, while starting to plan the next one. Until next time!

Happy reading!

Ahmed El-Adly

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The bazaar team...

Boss

Photographers

Ahmed El-Adly

Amira Haroun Padmini Chandrasekaran Sarah O. Wali Saud Al-Juwaiyan

Operations Rebecca Sweetman

Business Development Ihab Mokalled

Design Padmini Chandrasekaran

Staff Writer/Social Media Yasmine El Charif

Staff Writer/Online Media Amira Haroun Sarah O. Wali

Staff Writer Brook McClurg

Communications

Syndicates and Sources Fast Company LA Times MCT International Slate The Japan News Tribune Media Services USA Today Variety News Service Washington Post

Printing British Industries for Printing and Packaging

Hala Y. Sharara

Editor

members of:

A. Al-Duaij

Contributing Writers Ashraf Abdalla Ayman Nassar Craig Loomis Deepa Pant Loaay Ahmed Mike Campbell Mohammed El Soukkary Nora Al-Ruwaished Purva Grover Reshmi Revi Sumayyah Meehan Dr. Susannah J. Schuilenberg Zainab Mirza

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;

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recycle me, please.

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

FOSSIL AVAILABLE AT

INDEX SEPTEMBER '14

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ABRAR ALMUSALLAM

TRUTH OR DARE

SALT

THE GREAT TACO HUNT

ICONIC CALI: PART II

For Abrar Almusallam, her equine journey began as a teenage pastime sport. With diligent practice and fervent passion, however, her showjumping skills evolved immensely and led her toward competing on a regional and international arena. Get up close and personal with Abrar, as she tells us all about this challenging sport.

This September, our truth or dare contender Nazem Al-Ghabra, shows us a refreshing new system for getting out of the always dreadful endeavor called ‘getting back into routine’, and he does that by simply taking on each day and challenge with a winning attitude and a charming persona.

If your palate has grown weary of the same traditional seafood routine, then a visit to Salt, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa’s premier seafood establishment, will definitely change your mind. Celebrate their contemporary flavors, enjoy the magnificent views, and be sure to save room for dessert!

We took one day, yes, one day, to try all the taco places in Kuwait that we could find to prove the statement “there’s no good Mexican in Kuwait” WRONG. From Kuwait City to Abu Halifa, we bring you all the tacos you can eat, and then some, in our great epic taco hunt.

After a beautiful tour of Southern California, our road trip takes us to the north. From inland San Francisco to the coastal Route 1, we’re taken on a marvellous excursion of all the sights, sounds, and tastes of California.

And yes, you get to drive through a Redwood!

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FAY’S CORNER

BOOKWORMS, UNITE!

Fay Al Salem’s art is full of hidden treasures, thoughts and expressions. We talk to this versatile artist about her journey into colors with pastels and chalk paintings. Her work may seem dark, but we discover the real meaning behind the bold expression, and the inner workings of Al Salem.

Books, books, and more books!

Read all about one bazaarite’s top three must-reads for this month.

Doom’s Day children, star-crossed lovers, and geeks uniting across the US, these books will have you laughing, crying, and utterly curious (in that order). Watch this space for more raves about our favorite reading material.

Up Close and Personal pg 34

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BEIRUT ART FAIR

OXINDIA

LOVE/HATE: BACK TO SCHOOL

FALL IN BOHEMIA AT H&M

FIT FOODS: DOPPIO

The fifth edition of the Beirut Art Fair is back with a bang this month. The world’s leading curators, designers, artists and art fraternities are headed to the city to explore Indian art, expressions on the Arab Spring and some atypical artwork, and we’ve got the exclusive scoop.

Part of an on-going heartfelt adventure, the OXadventure team is currently reporting to us from India. With the help of GUST and Q8Books, OXIndia’s team of volunteers represented the project with grace. Their project was to build an orphanage dormitory and library for at-risk children. Ten days later, the project was a success.

The bell is ringing and class is about to be in session, and you have just about fifteen minutes to drive like a F1 champion to make it to the office on time.

Yes, it’s that time of year again.

So here it is, our dilemma with going back to school.

For the long-awaited launch of the #HMStudioAW14 collection, we’ve fallen in love over and over again with bohemian vibes at the H&M studio. Check out our exclusive images, along with a special interview with Head of Design and new development at H&M, Ann-Sofie Johansson.

From the mastermind behind Solo Pizza, we at K-town are presented a new treat, Doppio Pizzeria E Friggitoria Napulitana. Translating to double, Doppio brings you twice the fun, flavor, and flair of all things Neapolitan. This little gem is located on the M2 level of the Salhiya Mall.

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FOR INFORMATION CALL +965 25309676 . 360 MALL, LEVEL 1 . WWW.VERSACECOLLECTION.COM

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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 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 - Juan Valdez Cafe, Symphony Mall - 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

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Scientific Center Seif Hospital 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, Sharq Inspire Pure Fitness

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Pilates & More - Salmiya, Mahboula Spaloon The Palms Beach Hotel The Yoga Center

Malls

Arraya - Haagen Dazs Marina Mall/Crescent - Casper & Gambini’s - 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

Sharq, Fahaheel - 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

Stand Alones

- 4 Boutique - Alghanim Marine - Alghanim Showrooms - Al Rai, Shuweikh,

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.

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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.

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We get even closer to our readers by taking advantage of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels on a daily basis. With more than 10,000 collective 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.

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Too lazy to go pick up bazaar from your local café? Now you can browse through the complete physical magazine online via issuu.com. Featuring our 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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ACCESSORIZE

what’s on?

STOMP

EVENTmania in association with STOMP Productions and Glynis Henderson Productions presents: “STOMP” Mark your calendar for an event like no other – Eight performers will use everything from Zippo lighters, plastic bags, bin lids and even the kitchen sink to hammer out an explosively feel good rhythm. With new routines, new choreography and new music, expect to be amazed at the Ice Skating Rink from Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 through Saturday, October 25th, 2012.

Tickets for STOMP are now available and may be purchased online at www.eventmania.co.

It doesn’t matter if your taste in music is jazz, classical, dance or pop, STOMP is about rhythm, which is common to all cultures. This multi award-winning phenomenon continues to astound audiences across the world with its universal language!! STOMP HAS NO WORDS – EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND IT… STOMP speaks RHYTHM! The public would be familiar with the beats and rhythms of tap dancing. Make that about a hundred times noisier with the use of everyday objects and body parts instead of special tap shoes. Plug in a bit of humor and a whole lot of attitude. Then you’ll have a STOMP performance.

From beginning to end, this gamut of beats does not fail to draw you into the world of pats, taps, claps, snaps, and everyday noises. You get sucked into a world where no words are uttered but you find joy in the happy movements and synchronized throws, hits, and rolls.

The ensemble is a team – they work together in a way that makes the entire performance a real treat to the eyes and ears. They literally play on the stage. Using sticks, grocery carts, pots and pans, even the kitchen sink, they create rhythms. It is a joy to watch the combat-like choreography of the sticks and the garbage lids… because they work very well together.

STOMP showcases performers who use ordinary objects as musical instruments, i.e. brooms, dust bins, boxes of matches, plumbing fixtures, and supermarket trolleys, among others, while they show off their dance moves and flair for comedy.

Performed in more than 50 countries and before more than 24 million people, the show has won the Olivier Award for Best Choreography, an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a special citation from Best Plays.

Book your tickets on www.eventmania.co or call them on 5599 5511.

ZACH KING LIVE

featuring the Global Impact Competition, an event by Negdar Group Date: 26th of September 2014. 7.00pm – 10.00pm Location: Al Baraka Grand Ballroom Main guest speaker: Zach King “King of the Vine” tells his story of success and reveals some of his secrets.

Negdar Group aims to inspire people to aspire to more than just being famous on social media, but to learn from it, and create their own path of success, by providing real life examples of people who followed their dream and succeeded in doing what they love and got to be known for that.

Negdar Goals: •Getting young people to follow their actual dreams, not what the media promotes, despite how people will react toward them.

•Show you how to find the storyteller in you, so you can showcase your dreams, needs, beliefs, and most of all, successes.

•Showing you how to utilize the challenging circumstances toward achieving your own successes.

•Launching the 1st virtual academy that teaches real life challenges, and how to overcome them.

•Launching the first activity in the academy’s agenda, ‘Global Impact Competition’, from the heart of the Silicon Valley, an international competition launched in more than 18 other countries around the world. Bringing the competition for the first time to the Arab world.

Negdar Group will help you discover and realize your ideas that will impact the lives of at least one million people.

•Help you create a chain of mentors who have overcome their fears and life obstacles and thus created their own success story.

What is the Negdar Academy?

From mindfulness to well-being, health and social living, discover knowledge that can help elevate your human potential, so you lead an epic life.

Because they believe that in order to achieve actual change we need to start from within, they will create a change chain that will help every individual to achieve excellence in their lives.

The activities of the academy will be revealed during this event and more than 98% of it will be free of charge and open to the public, with the 2% remaining being affordable to all, so that the knowledge is spread to the maximum percentage of the population.

The Academy will contain live and virtual lectures, which anyone can view on the website and app, absolutely free.

Why launch Negdar Academy?

The aim is to establish the largest learning network in the ME. Countries in the Middle East are full of brilliant minds awaiting the right chance, the perfect opportunity. The aim is to shed light on these people, to discover them and to share all the ideas that are worth sharing.

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ELIE TAHARI +965 2530 9618

360 Mall, level 1

elietahari.coM

what’s trending Get back in gear in style with these MUST-follow accounts 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: @Madame_Mantis info: Beautiful home furnishings store in Shuwaikh. editor’s note: We love this store’s quirky collection!

twitter.com/bazaartweets

pinterest.com/bazaarmagazine

what: @TheFoundrykw (opening soon!) info: This #Qoutmarket sensation delivers awesome sandwiches. editor’s note: : The roast beef is a must-try.

instagram.com/bazaargram

what: @Art_Kw info: Arts Center offering training classes for the little ones. editor’s note: From ballet to painting, this center has it all.

START READING! Scan to read full digital issue. what: @3boutiqueKw info: Gorgeous shades to change up your style. editor’s note: The prices are extremely wallet-friendly.

what: @SokoonQ8 info: Revamp your living space with recycled furniture! editor’s note: We’re totally crushing on this clock.

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issuu.com/bazaarmagazine

what: @CraftandCompany info: Virtual lifestyle store. editor’s note: We love this felt handbag organizer.

what: @Letshelp_Kwt info: New charity initiative with monthly projects. editor’s note: You also get a cute bracelet when you help out!

what: @St_almakan (opening soon!) info: An original underground streetfood eatery. editor’s note: Part of the latest @almakan_kw concept space.

MCDONALDS

truth or dare

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED Nazem Al-Ghabra by bazaar staff

As you read this piece, a part of you is probably still pining over that summer holiday where you traveled and explored somewhere completely new – all while you’re in your office at work, dreading that boring routine. Well, stop that nonsense and open up your mind to the possibilities offered to you by living in the now, as life is what you make of it! Here to show us the way is the fun loving, easy going and challenge-seeking Nazem Al-Ghabra.

This thirty-year-old Kuwaiti currently works as a Communications Executive in the ever-so-hectic telecom industry. He loves what he does for a living by accepting the challenges he faces at his job, with the attitude: “it feels good to face them everyday!” Instead of dreading that daily routine, as it is a tricky trap to fall in to, Nazem positively tackles challenges at work, and then moves on to the next step. On a personal note, for instance, he’s always pushing himself to try new things, and his desire to make fitness a part of his lifestyle completely changed the way he looks at how he spends his time. He explained, “If I’m not at the gym, working on improving and challenging my fitness levels, then I spend my time reading, catching up with friends, going to the beach and even traveling when I can. There’s no point in life if you can’t enjoy it.” Greatly inspired by travel, Nazem carries certain cities close to his heart, and these include London, Beirut, Barcelona and Dubai. He said, “London because it feels like home. Beirut is a favorite of mine for its wild vibe, which you can’t get anywhere else in the world. Barcelona I love because I have amazing memories there. As for Dubai, I am amazed by the city’s constant state of evolution toward the better, that city never ceases to amaze me.”

On living in Kuwait, Nazem sees that there are positive changes happening around him, but it is still young, and that it’s up to us to make that change come about. He said, “I would love to see Kuwait regain its title of ‘Pearl of the Gulf’ and see it surpass its neighbors not only in skyscrapers, but also in education and social reform.”

So, instead of wallowing over going back to work or school, and getting back into a boring routine, make sure you take a page out of Nazem’s book and do something different. He’s always looking forward, thinking of a constructive next path for his life. In the future, he aims to indulge his passion for aviation, as the field has always fascinated him since he was young. Nazem concluded, “My aim is to work for an international and renowned airline which I love and respect so much such as Emirates Airlines. They’ve 28

created a solid brand for themselves, and they are present all over the world.”

How would your mother describe you in one word?

Stubborn.

How would you describe your mother in one word?

Everything.

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

How are you Kuwaiti?

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

Pierced my ear back when I was in university.

What is your theme song?

“Rise Up” by Yves Larock.

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

By the way.

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

I would like to live in Dubai, yet my dream retirement location is Croatia.

What is the first famous quote that comes to mind?

“One day, you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now. – Paulo Coelho.

What do you miss about your childhood?

Simplicity and innocence.

What animal best describes the kind of partner you’d be interested in?

Deer.

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

Fahed Describe your handshake in one word?

Inviting.

What is the toughest part of your character?

I’m too stubborn.

Who is your favorite historical figure?

Martin Luther King.

What in the world do you least desire?

Lies and Liars.

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

This world lacks peace. We are all here for less than a 100 years, so lets make it worthwhile!

Why do you think most girls/guys like you?

I’m approachable and easy to talk to.

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

Success.

You can follow Nazem Al-Ghabra on Instagram @nazemalghabra.

LOVISA

INSPIRE YOUR STYLE

Fashion Forward On Trend Accessories NOW in Store!

Gate Mall Mezzanine floor Tel. No. 22056151 Salam Mall (Opening Soon)

bazaar love/hate

BACK TO SCHOOL by bazaar staff

It’s that time of year again – back to school!

And though many of us have been out of school for years (or minutes) it is amazing how the pace of the entire city changes because of edu-macation-ing. We get it – school’s important. Fine.

Just stay out of my way on the way to the chalet!

So here they are, your top 5 conflicts about that time of year that is…back to school! #5 The back to school shopping – OK, admittedly if you don’t have kids you might not care about this one much, but you should. What about all the deals on pencils and paper? I jest. Still, if you are the type to get all of your bespoke specialty goods from certain London proprietors of leather bound wonderment; you are going to need to plan early. And you probably didn’t. At least I didn’t. And now I need to explain that to El Nino! #4 Turning your brain back on – Let’s start with the basics kids: No, your parents don’t know algebra! Or if they did, they forgot it exactly ten 30

minutes after the test. Or they lost it in the club or on a beach in Ibiza in a bottle of fruit punch.

So when we look at your homework, we are trying to piece back a story that sounds familiar but is long forgotten. So be patient. We want to help. We want to feel smart and stuff. Your ridicule doesn’t help kiddo! #3 The Thursday afternoon on the 30 and 40 – Nothing screams “the kids are back in school so we can only do fun stuff on the weekends now” quite as loudly as the roar of the engine as it heads out of town. For us locals, that means high speeds and shoulder driving down the 30 and 40 in a beeline to the chalet. The cars all packed up, it’s getting later by the minute, and…”what do you mean you need to use the bathroom before we go?” Still, once you are out there and relaxing by the beach or on the farm, there is nothing like that. You soak up all full two days of family, friends, and sun, only to see the clock tick back towards homework and Sunday.

#2 The Free Time – We love, love, love, the idea of free time, and whether you are in your first September out of Uni or parents of a herd of kids, this is the ideal life. There is scarcely a line at the coffee shop, and you can relax at the beach in style. You may even make a mid-week unheard of run to the chalet. But truth is, we get bored. After about 3 weeks of this we start talking to our own hands for a little company. #1 The Traffic – Like calendric clockwork, there are huge sections of town that must be avoided at all costs, twice a day. School pick-up traffic makes construction traffic look like a casual stroll in the proverbial park. There is no true conflict – I hate it.

Please start sending a private plane to pick up my little ones. Isn’t that included in tuition? That is all I have to say about this.

This love/hate message was brought to you while the kids were still at their Bibi and Baba Auod’s house and before Baba left the chalet.

GAP black is a

color

BOUTIQUE T’ART

Eco-friendly fashion starts here! by bazaar staff

Women’s Collection

Kid’s Collection

Men’s Collection When brother and sister duo, Haya and Yaqoub Al Refai, decided to start their own project, they looked into their shared passion for travel and enjoying locally produced items to find inspiration.

They both believe that fashion is art, and the rarer the product is, the more value it holds in their minds. With the conception of t’ART, a name that is also inspired by Yaqoub’s daughter, Tala, the boutique located at Souq 15 in Shuwaikh’s Lily Center holds an eclectic mix of hard-to-come-by brands for men, women and children, along with amazing accessories.

Haya, who also happens to be a banker by day, always loved socially conscious and eco-friendly fashion brands. She doesn’t look for the over the top, she prefers simpler things in life and fashionable items that hold meaning. Yaqoub, who works in their family business of Al Nazaer printing press, decided to join Haya in this venture due to his interest in retail. They took their time developing the concept, from selecting the brands, the store’s location, and finally, the look of the boutique. Admitting that it 32

wasn’t an easy process, Haya states, “Starting with a positive attitude and enjoying what you are doing makes it all worthwhile.” Since they’ve opened, we’ve seen t’ART at many different exhibitions, and the feedback so far has been nothing but positive, with Haya and Yaqoub constantly looking for ways to improve their selection and responding to customers’ tastes.

At t’ART, expect a mix of brands from Greece, the United States, France, Cyprus and Italy.

From men, women and children’s apparel, to accessories, footwear and sunglasses, t’ART will satisfy your artistic craving for something different.

If you’re always on the lookout for pieces that are created with thought, then this boutique will easily become your go-to destination. What we loved the most about our visit to this special boutique is that most of the brands at t’ART are eco-friendly. The collections are extremely unique, distinguished with an artistic touch and only available in limited quantities at affordable prices. Haya adds, “We also make sure that most of our products are

produced using eco-friendly material, meaning we try as much as possible to avoid fabrics that contain materials that are extremely harmful to the environment such as nylon, polyester and acrylic.

The majority of our pieces consist of 90% cotton, of which 50% is certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100, linen and organic silk, yet another natural material, added to our range of products.” These selected items differentiate t’ART from other boutiques, and the variety in selection for men, women and kids ensures that you will leave the store with something for everyone. With the added touch of funky bamboo shades and cool accessories, bags and even a small home collection, your inner stylist will leave t’ART feeling creatively exhilarated. For their future plans, they hope to open more branches locally, regionally and hopefully internationally! t’ART is located in Souq 15 in Lilly Center in Shuwaikh. For more information, follow them on Instagram @Tartkw or email info@boutiquetart.com or call 9600 4434.

EASTPAK

EQUINE PASSION up close and personal

Abrar Almusallam shares her inspiring journey toward showjumping stardom by bazaar staff For Abrar Almusallam, what began as a teenage pastime sport evolved into what she considers as a defining part of her personality. The locally renowned show jumper truly finds peace in this highly intense and extremely competitive sport, ever since she joined the Kuwait Riding Center when she was only sixteen years old alongside her siblings. The making of a successful equestrian, however, employs two certain realities: an unwavering commitment to training, and passion for the sport. With her relentless dedication, however, Abrar portrays these realities through the progression of her showjumping skills and talent by competing in one tournament after the other.

If maintaining and improving her showjumping skills doesn’t count as enough of a challenge, Abrar also works at a contracting company by day and is also a freelance graphic designer. We were more than amazed that she was able to speak to bazaar about her equine journey, taking the time out of her insanely busy schedule between several tournaments in the Netherlands. Normally, when we ask anyone about how they’ve spent their weekend, we expect a succinct description of how beautiful the beach was at their chalet, or how that Orange Is The New Black marathon was mind-blowing. Instead, Abrar blissfully recounted how she “managed to get top rankings at a local show in the Netherlands.”

Achieving top rankings or let alone 2nd place out of a total of 96 riders and 3rd place out of 102 riders is no easy feat. At the time of writing this feature, we also learned that Abrar is additionally training for another 3-day show and an international show in Belgium representing Kuwait. Last May, she competed at yet another two-day international show in the Netherlands, securing a place among the top 6 competitors and in October of 2013 she ranked 4th place twice and 3rd place once with two different horses at a different international show.

Training with Rob Ehrens, ranked as one of the top 3 trainers in the world, in the southern part of the Netherlands, Abrar is working with one of the world’s most accomplished equestrians, to say the least. Now that’s a summer well spent!

Abrar describes the experience of competing with much happiness; especially knowing that not only is she representing Kuwait, yet she is able to secure top 34

rankings at these shows. She said, “I am very happy and satisfied and I have much more to prove with all the hard work and training that I undertook in the Netherlands.” Kuwait does have an established riding center, The Kuwait Riding Center or KRC, and Abrar together with many other fellow equestrians engage in weekly competitions and train regularly; there isn’t an established federation for riders. She explains, “The Kuwait Riding Center has supported me throughout all my years of training. The fact that the KRC is a private entity, and not funded by the government as what we would see in an organized federation for riders, they certainly have succeeded in supporting me along with many other talented riders to the best of their efforts. If we had a well-organized federation to rely upon, such as we see in Qatar or the UAE, then perhaps us riders wouldn’t need to seek additional support to further our skills.”

Outside of the support of family, friends and the Kuwait Riding Center, it is the norm that local riders would seek sponsorship from other private entities to further their careers. For instance, Abrar is currently sponsored by Agility, where she is receiving support for her summer training in the Netherlands, as well as competing regularly on an international scale. Abrar stated, “I am so proud that I am representing Kuwait, and Agility, abroad. I feel blessed to have been given this opportunity and am thankful for every moment.” It is indeed a positive sign to see local organizations supporting the youth, and Abrar seconds our sentiments in wishing for more and more companies to do

the same in adopting promising athletes, and becoming more involved with the youth in the sports arena. She’s never felt any pressure, being a Kuwaiti female rider, yet she does feel that the general support for the showjumping sport and other equestrian activities is still underwhelming. Abrar understands the importance of an organization that supports and gives back to Kuwait’s equestrians, “I dream of a federation—a single independent body that caters to the riders of Kuwait without favoring a club over another. Each talented and passionate, local riders have sought after private sponsors and achieved goals nobody thought possible. With government support, a unified team, and a proper federation, we can dominate the riding world.” Kuwait does enjoy a promising equestrian culture, where Abrar looks to her colleagues in the field with much admiration and respect. Abrar has always looked up to riders like Noaf Bin Essa and Ali AlKhorafi and is inspired by their journeys.

A typical day for Abrar involves work during the daytime, making time for the gym whenever that is feasible, and then you’d typically find her at the stables from 6 p.m. onwards. Weekends involve competitions at the Kuwait Riding Center, with some shows taking place on both Fridays and Saturdays.

This rigorous routine, one that requires the desire to dedicate, leaves very little downtime. In Abrar’s case, making the decision to turn a hobby that gave her a place to unwind into a lifestyle is a choice above everything else. She said, “It became a lifestyle because it requires serious commitment, dedication, and

discipline in order to be a better rider. I ride everyday, and train 5 days a week, and compete once or twice a week depending on the show. Instead of traveling in the summer for a summer vacation, I travel to the Netherlands to continue training and competing. I practically don’t have a social life in Kuwait as the riding hours are in the evenings due to the weather, but it is all worth every second of it.” Abrar always knew that she wished to compete regionally. In fact, this came as a natural desire as her training progressed. Riders would train all week to compete at a weekend tournament or show to prove what they’ve learnt week after week. Competing at an intense level, moreover, comes with the commitment to the sport.

Throughout that time, her mare is her companion, amongst other horses, as Abrar does believe in the bond between a horse and its rider. Even though Abrar is trained to be able to ride different horses at any given time, she does enjoy the time spent training with her mare. “I am lucky to have a very smart mare, who always wants to do her best and give her all in competitions. She is a dream come true, I’ve had my ups and downs to getting to where I am with her now, but we both have come a long way proving that a rider and a horse can truly bond, evolve, and progress after a relationship is established between the pair.” If she can squeeze in the time to play with her dogs at the beach during the weekends, as Abrar actually loves all animals for that matter, then she’s beyond content. [continued...]

35

questionnaire

What do you most value in your friends?

Honesty and loyalty.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A combination of the sun and beach, my dogs and winning shows.

What is your greatest fear?

Death.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I trust easily.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Fakeness, and judgmental people.

Which living person do you most admire?

My grandmother and mother.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My health.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Madri”, or “can’t remember”.

What is it that you most dislike?

Annoying flies!

Which talent would you most like to have?

The ability to sing!

If you could have any job, what would it be?

A yacht interior designer.

What would you consider your greatest achievement?

Where I am now right now in terms of my riding ability.

What is your most treasured possession?

My necklace.

What is your most marked characteristic?

I’m very positive towards other people’s wants or ambitions.

Where would you most like to live?

Spain.

What are your favorite words to live by?

Care less, smile more.

For more information about Abrar please email abrarfm@gmail.com, or follow her on Instagram @abrar13.

36

STOMP

BOOKWORMS, UNITE!

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway by bazaar staff

We at bazaar love ourselves a great book to temporarily block out the madness around us. With summer coming to an end, too soon if you ask me, and the back-to-school buzz settling in, we all need a good literary escape. Read on to discover what this bazaarite thinks everyone should read at least once!

From my virtual Goodreads “library” to the pages of bazaar, prepare to find your new favorite book.

This book is a personal favorite of mine, with two copies in my ‘library’ and still counting. A cult classic first published in 1990, Good Omens is written by two incredibly talented British authors. Collaborating to give you the epic battle between good and evil, but with a twist, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett concocted the perfect amount of drama, wit, and dark humor.

Paying homage to The Omen, the fantasy novel Good Omens follows a little boy whose birth is supposed to mean the end of the world. The story progresses in accordance to some fairly accurate prophecies featuring angels, demons, apocalyptic horsemen, and the most adorable hellhound imaginable. As legend states, this book features chapters that neither Gaiman nor Pratchett recall actually writing!

The classic tale of Romeo and Juliette is one that we’ve all grown weary of. But Erin Morgenstien’s The Night Circus, is an exception. Star-crossed lovers on opposing sides; yes, this is the basis this story is built on. But shifting timelines through space and time, back and forth, while we follow this story slowly unfold is what I didn’t expect. Throw in some illusionists and an actual cirque des rêves (circus of dreams) kept alive with one illusion over the other, and you’ve found yourself a real page-turner. Intricate clockwork is a prominent feature and you’ll crave a masterpiece of your own! Prepare for some sleepless nights and an inexplicable hankering for copious amounts of tea all while donning a minimalistic black and white wardrobe, attire that is surely befitting of this must-read, with just a dash of red.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore happens to be the new geek favorite, or it should be. A book about books, fonts, and the debate between paperbacks versus Kindles amongst many other things; Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore can only be described using one word, meta. What do a secret society, Google, and an independent bookstore have in common? To crack the most intricate code known to man of course! Set in modern day San Francisco, Robin Sloan takes us on a journey of friendship and loyalty that spans across the country and back. We also get to venture into the inner workings of the Google offices and relearn how powerful technology can be.

Clever and entertaining, this book has channeled the ideal amount of geek to engage most reading palates.

This September, immerse yourselves into one of these literary gems. There’s nothing quite like beautifully written fiction, and we hope you enjoy this month’s selection. And remember, Ex Libris, Ad Libris; from books, to books. Enjoy!

38

TRIWA

FAY’S CORNER

A bold artist’s adventure with color by bazaar staff

When Fay Al Salem started painting at the young age of seven, she was entranced by the way different patterns and brush methods worked together. After some exploration, she fell in love with pastel and chalk painting, and the versatility they allowed in her work. Now, more than 20 years later Al Salem has made a mark for herself by participating in more than a dozen Kuwaitcentered galleries.

“My art has gone through phases,” she said.

“In some I am looking for the simpler things in life, others I am attempting to capture innocence. In others I’m looking for the seductress in me.”

Born and raised in Kuwait, Al Salem was enriched with the sense of exploration and the need of a hobby. During the day, she can be found biking around the city, or playing squash or tennis.

She completed her studies in accounting at the Gulf University for Science in Technology and has, for the past five years, worked in the financial sector.

But, when everyone else heads to bed, Al Salem’s creativity comes to life.

“I love to work late at night, preferably after 11pm when it’s a little quiet,” she said. “I put on some 40

music and enjoy going crazy with some colors.”

Al Salem’s art is full of hidden treasures of thoughts and expressions that she explores in the dead of the night. In her series titled “Clowns” she made five large pieces that challenged your notion of the crude, sometimes scary, image of the children’s entertainer. In one piece the female is masked with intricate patterns, red lips and given bright blue eyes. Yet, her use of both dark and light colors shows deepness in the subject that is usually difficult to attribute to the comical character.

“The first time I participated with the clown in an art show someone told me it says that I am a very angry person,” she told bazaar. “But, it was the complete opposite because to me it was full of colors, and colors are life.”

Her love for colors shines through in every piece she does. In a portrait of her mother and father gorgeous hues of greens, pinks and yellows create closeness to the subjects. She uses the shades to create emotions that go beyond facial expressions to create a connection between the piece and those viewing it.

Her music pieces, a blue cello and piano

player, are more active and express deep emotions brought to life with different hues of blues. The artwork flows like the notes of an incredible piece of music that captures the listener into silence. The same hues are used in a footsteps piece. The blue legs pound out a plethora of emotions translated into the real world by a multitude of colors and patterns. Each line captures the complexity of every step we take in life.

Al Salem is sometimes misunderstood, but that doesn’t bother her. “Most people do not get it,” she said. “They do not accept the boldness and faces. But I don’t do it to please the world, I do it to express my view of this world.”

Al Salem’s work has been displayed in popular events like the Mubarakiya Expo last February, and in three of the annual Al Qurain Exhibitions. While her original pieces are for sale online through her Instagram account, she has also started selling prints of her pieces on postcards, posters and greeting cards.

Check out @fayartscorner on Instagram to see more of her work and order your prints today!

PRADO

bazaar apps Back to school – educational apps!

42

SKELETON SYSTEM PRO III

KUWAIT SIGNS

Named by Apple as one of the ‘’top 5 medical iPad apps of 2011” this app uses a host of multitouch gestures to guide you through the intricate design of the human skeleton. The user interface is incredibly interactive, and constantly displays several hints regarding how to navigate the app and ultimately get more out of using it. Allows you 360 horizontal degree rotation of any body part - with a swipe of your finger, rotate vertically for inferior and superior views, and contains 94 animations of every movement of each articulation (e.g. flexion, extension, etc). You can zoom-in to identify region, skeletal area or ligament, or use your finger or a ‘scapel’ to cut through connective tissue. This amount of exploration is what makes this app such a good learning tool, even for those with a passing interest in the human body, as well as medical professionals.

Kuwait Signs is an application which assists applicants in Kuwait who are planning to take their driving license test, and experienced professional drivers by providing information about the street sign system in Kuwait, as well as all of the Kuwait traffic laws. It also carries helpful information about how to apply for your driving license. Coming in Arabic and English it also has a quiz to test your knowledge, and through a simple interface anyone can browse and study the contents. The price is $1.99 and it is available for iPhone only.

TED TALKS

LEARN WORLD GEOGRAPHY

TED’s official app presents talks from some of the world’s most fascinating people: education radicals, tech geniuses, medical mavericks, business gurus and music legends. On this app you can find more than 1700 TED Talk videos and audios. Watch TED Talks with subtitles in over 90 languages directly on your device through the new video player, curate your own playlist, or download full videos to your device and watch them when you’re offline. The TED app updates almost every day with new talks from TED events around the world. Sort the featured library by date or popularity, browse talks by tags, themes or language. And then share your favorite talks with your friends.

Embarrassed about how little world geography you know? Brainscape helps you learn them fast using the latest in cognitive science techniques. Rather than creating frivolous games or distracting quizzes, Brainscape provides a scientifically optimized algorithm to repeat flashcards in just the right pattern for your brain’s maximum absorption, based on YOUR confidence. Brainscape makes sure that your study time is used as efficiently as possible, because – let’s face it – you’re busy! It includes over 1,000 flashcards to drill you on maps, flags, capitals, and even major world currencies as well as convenient “browse” and “search” functions that allow you to easily go back to find the cards you want. With ongoing feedback, statistics and visualization tools you can always track your learning progress.

COURSERA

DUOLINGO

Coursera is an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide, to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. Choose from 400+ courses created by the world’s top educational institutions. With this new app it is the perfect pairing to get you through the courses, wherever you are and whenever you want! You can watch short video lectures (available with subtitles), take interactive quizzes to have fun whilst you are learning, and to test your skills, complete peer graded assessments, and connect with classmates and teachers.

Once you finish your class you will also receive recognition for your accomplishments via the app. Happy learning!

Want to learn a new language? This app helps you to learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and English. It is a simple, fun application which can become addictive. Learn as you play at any age. Voted Google Play’s “Best of the Best” 2013 and “Far and away the best free languagelearning app.” by The Wall Street Journal. No fees, no ads, no gimmicks. Earn points for correct answers, lose hearts for answering incorrectly, race against the clock, and advance by completing bite-sized lessons, and track your progress with shiny achievements.

AAW PLAYMAKER RAINMAKER Mario Balotelli Italian Striker. Newspaper Dream.

bazaar health

READ! READ! READ!

by Dr. Susannah J. Schuilenberg

The new school year is upon us again. Families are all out buying school supplies, uniforms, backpacks, and gym shoes. Almost everyone is filled with hope and anticipation, expecting to learn and grow in knowledge over the next ten months.

Well…almost everyone.

Those children who struggled in school last year may not be feeling quite so enthusiastic.

Research tells us that children get the majority of their sense of identity and self-esteem in school.

When the school experience is one of failure or shame, that sense of self is crippled.

One of the common areas where self-esteem and academic success are closely linked is reading. Fluent readers tend to enjoy more success academically in all areas than those students who struggle with this basic skill. When the educational context also includes a second language and issues of fluency, there is real opportunity for disaster.

There is much that parents can do at home to increase fluency, develop reading competency, and facilitate success in school for their children. Studies have shown that parents who encourage reading, and make time every day for their children to read, contribute enormously to their academic success. It’s an easy thing to manage. Here are some ideas: 1) Have books at home. Buy books. Take your children book shopping. There are several excellent bookstores in Kuwait. They carry children’s books, book series, ESL skills books, my fave Dr. Seuss, and a whole host of other reading materials. Make it a family deal to go the bookstore, often.

2) Read to your children daily. My mother used to eat her dinner while she was cooking, then read to us while we ate. We read while traveling in the car, we read while waiting for something. Start small. Pick a book and read to them 15 minutes at night before bed, or while they have breakfast, or at lunch. Make a point of gathering everyone in the sala (living room) and reading. Read in English, read in Arabic, read in Farsi, and read in German.

Whatever languages are in the house. Just read.

3) With school age children, practice paired reading in English until they are completely fluent.

Paired reading instructions can be found online at www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paired_reading.

This website also has other excellent resources for developing reading fluency.

4) Practice sight words with all of your children.

The Dolch Sight Words can be found with a quick Google search, as can the Fry Sight Words. Make it a game. Offer M&Ms or a trip to the movies, or a new book as a reward for learning the sight words to perfection.

5) Have your child assessed if reading problems persist, or your child develops negative behaviors 44

to avoid reading or writing. The earlier a problem is diagnosed, the better for everyone. Proper intervention techniques can be implemented, weaknesses addressed, and fluency supported before your child begins to hate school and learning.

6) Finally, work with your child’s school. If the teacher or counselor suggests that extra help is needed, or that a problem has been identified which requires particular intervention, pay attention. A child who struggles to be successful in school also struggles with self-esteem, identity, and a whole host of other issues can develop.

A quick note about behaviors - almost 80% of the referrals we receive for assessment at the Soor Center are because someone believes the child in question has an attention/focus problem. Kuwait falls within the global average of 5-7% of children who actually meet the criteria for a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - AD/ HD (which also includes ADD). That means that about 75% of the children referred have a different

problem. The diagnostic overlap for many disorders means that simple observation is NOT enough to decide that a child has an attention/focus disorder. These same behaviors can be caused by undiagnosed learning disabilities, anxiety, trauma, family dysfunction, health-related issues… the list is long. Poor language fluency and reading problems are also on that list.

We all want our children to be successful in school for a lot of reasons, all of which matter.

Help your children have the best chance of being successful by helping them develop a reading habit. Read to them and read with them. Just Read! Read! Read!

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.

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30 YEARS DEF

Happy 30th Birthday! by bazaar staff

If you are not familiar with the Def Jam record label, you are almost certainly familiar with their work. As the label that introduced the world to everything from Aerosmith and Run DMC’s collaboration of “Walk this Way”, to Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J’s litany of hits, to more recently Jay-Z’s role as CEO – this has long been the center of hip hop. By the time you get to the individual efforts of the two brains behind this iconic company, you have tentacles that reach into nearly every corner of the music industry. Rick Rubin is arguably the biggest and most influential producer in the world – period.

And he doesn’t even play an instrument. This not arbitrary fact aside, his penchant for creating and recognizing hits has kept him at the top of a changing game, far after his peers fell off. Russell Simmons, also founder and owner of Phat Farm, and 360 Hip Hop, is his partner in crime here.

Eventually Simmons sold Def Jam to Universal Music for a cool USD 120 million. As they now are set to turn 30 – as significant a number you can have when your bread and butter is a genre of music about the same age – bazaar looks back at how it all happened.

In 1984 Rick Rubin is a 20-year-old heavymetal aficionado from a Jewish Long Island neighborhood. He fancies himself a musician and forms a high-school punk band calling themselves The Pricks, but Rubin’s musical skills are notable 46

mostly by their absence. He moves to New York City and studies philosophy at NYU. He becomes friends with Jazzy Jay, a prominent DJ in Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation, who teaches him the basics of hip-hop production. Rubin borrows a little cash from his wealthy parents and together he and Jay produce “It’s Yours” for rapper T La Rock. It’s the first release on Def Jam (though distributed by Arthur Baker’s Streetwise label) and it sells in its thousands from the nascent company’s first office – Rubin’s Greenwich Village dorm room.

Meanwhile, Russell Simmons is a 26-year-old former drug dealer from Queens, turned hip-hop impresario, who has made his name putting on block parties in Harlem and managing Kurtis Blow and Run DMC, the band that included, of course, his younger brother, Joseph “Run” Simmons.

Jay introduces Rubin to Simmons at Danceteria – a now legendary Manhattan nightclub – where rock kids, new wave hipsters and B-boys mix side by side. Simmons is impressed by Rubin’s ear for a hit record, and Rubin by the older man’s evident street smarts and business savvy. Investing a few thousand dollars each, Def Jam proper is born.

The first official release (with a Def Jam catalogue number) is LL Cool J’s “I Need a Beat”, after the 16-year-old mails a demo to the NYU dorm.

It’s written by LL, Rubin and a friend of Rubin’s called Adam Horovitz, then part of a thrash punk ensemble called the Beastie Boys. It sells more

than 100,000 copies and within a year Simmons has cut a distribution deal with major label Columbia (the first of its kind in hip-hop). The rest, as they say, is history.

Of course, Def Jam’s success throughout the rest of the decade owed much to being in the right place at the right time – it didn’t just move hip-hop into mainstream culture, but benefited from that movement, too. Nonetheless, hindsight illuminates a number of clever decisions that didn’t necessarily look so obvious at the time; none more so than pairing Run DMC with Aerosmith on the cover of “Walk This Way”, the video which finally took hiphop on to the notoriously rap-phobic MTV. This fall, the label – now part of the sprawling Universal Music Group – is celebrating its threedecade run with a limited-edition retrospective box, Def Jam 30, to be released on LP and CD on September 16, and a concert that will bring together some of the label’s stars, past and present, at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, on October 16.

The retrospective box, Def Jam 30, will include Selections From the Roots of Def Jam, a 13-track compilation assembled by Mr. Rubin, and including music that inspired him to start the label, and Def Jam Recordings Greatest Hits, a two-disc, 30-song overview of the label, assembled by the producer Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua. The sets also include a booklet with a history of the label by Dan Charnas and a Def Jam T-shirt.

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MULTIPLE NARRATIVES IN BEIRUT

by Deepa Pant

The world’s leading curators, designers, artists and art fraternities are flocking to Beirut as the premier contemporary and modern Beirut Art Fair is back with a bang. The fifth edition of the show opens to the public on September 18 and runs through September 21, and it promises to host the most expansive program of events.

Considered as the region’s must-attend event for art collectors, connoisseurs and professionals, the Beirut Art Fair will showcase almost every artistic medium ranging from paintings, sculptures, works on paper and photography to videos, installations and performance arts.

This month, the Beirut Art Fair will be the place to mingle with artists and art lovers and deep-pocketed collectors from around the world.

50 select galleries and artworks by over 1,500 artists will be complemented by special projects, exhibits, and dynamic cultural offerings.

In recent years, the fair has been established as an incomparable springboard for galleries and artists, for the exciting space it creates for thought-provoking dialogue and events. In a grand new departure from the previous years, the fair is also riding a wave of increased visibility for artists from the sub-continent.

The genius behind bringing India to the Beirut Art Fair is French critic and curator Fabrice Bousteau. The show, entitled “Small Art is Beautiful – Dharma,” will feature small-format works by Indian artists from the likes of heavy weights Subodh Gupta, known as the “Damien Hirst of Delhi” to young emerging artists. “The exhibition presents, through a selection of small format works, the transformations of an artistic scene which is constantly growing, changing and evolving, expressive and lively, strong and fragile, active particle and constituent power of the world of contemporary art at the same time” says Bousteau.

“Body Politics,” a program consisting of a series of art films from the Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia, explores how contemporary artists comment on current political and social issues through the human body or those of others and promises to be a highlight.

For those visitors wanting to learn from the master himself, an engraving workshop by Fadi Mogabgab will be on the offing.

Founded in 2010, Beirut Art Fair has gradually become the region’s most successful fair that provides unique access to the MENASA art market.

Out of 18,000 visitors last year, there were notable collectors from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Asia, and Europe.

Laure d’ Hauteville, Founder and Fair Director acknowledges, “Our motivation is to build avenues between cultures, between the Middle East, Europe and Asia.”

48

Ali Tlais Beirut is gearing up to host some 20,000 visitors and experts and total sales of US 4 million dollars. This is a huge improvement on its first edition, which saw 3,500 footfalls, 30 galleries and sales of US 800,000 dollars.

Among the diverse contingent of galleries, four of the most prestigious galleries, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Lebanon, Bouillon d’Art Gallery in Bordeaux, France, Sana Gallery (Asia’s first Contemporary Middle Eastern Art online platform), Singapore, and Chicago-based Jennifer Norback Fine Art, took time out of their preparations to speak exclusively with bazaar.

Galerie Janine Rubeiz has participated in all the editions of the Beirut Art Fair since 2010 and

this year is representing 16 artists, presenting a selection of the Lebanese contemporary art.

“In spite of the different concerns and approaches that the artists take in their creative research, they all belong to the same bigger art family,” notes Galerie Janine Rubeiz.

“A choice of sculptures, paintings, photography, drawing... and a divergence in the themes but a collective vision arise, similar concerns, a common exclamation by the artists of the gallery unanimously directed to message of peace for a future, of a changing and growing Lebanon.”

Meanwhile, Sana Fine Arts houses Sana Gallery’s private collection and serves as a platform for new images and ideas [continued...]

Elie bourgély LAssassinatDuTaureau Moje Assefjah

Les Nuisibles-The Thieves [...continued] about the Middle East.

“The Middle East is undergoing an era of unprecedented upheaval, often referred to as the Arab Spring. From Morocco to Iran, societies are in the midst of wrenching transformations.

The contemporary art scene has been flourishing in the Middle East, and it is being bolstered by the extraordinary political, social and economic changes under way,” explains Sana Gallery.

“The Arab Spring is young and it is but a phase in a long process of change in the Middle East.

At Sana Gallery, we anticipate that the explosive creativity we are witnessing across the Middle East will endure for decades, as the Arab Spring evolves and metamorphoses.”

Chicago’s Jennifer Norback Fine Art specializes in representing artists from Chicago and Paris with a focus on contemporary art.

“At the Art Fair, we will be representing two artists, South African Vivian van Blerk and Lebanese artist Katya Trablousy – both photographers are debuting new work including two collaborative pieces. But our gallery represents more than two dozen artists in a variety of mediums,” says Jennifer Norback.

Bouillon d’art from Bordeaux, France, was born from the desire to promote young artists to the forefront of the art scene. The gallery stands out for its atypical choices.

“The gallery will exhibit a range of works by

four artists: Amey, Benjamin Carbonne, Clément Loisel and Jean Christophe Fischer, who share a strong identity as a common factor in their work,” notes Sabine Labregere.

Kuwait’s JAMM Art Gallery will also be participating in the fair.

So save the date, and get ready for an art awakening. The fair is bound to be a sensory feast for all art lovers.

Beirut Art Fair runs Sept 18 – 21 at BIEL, Hall 2, Beirut, Lebanon. For more information, please visit www.menasart-fair.com.

Images courtesy: Beirut Art Fair/ galleries 49

KUWAIT’S FOODIE HAVEN

The culinary event of the year: Q8 Food Festival by bazaar staff

The dining experience in Kuwait is one of a kind in the region. Visitors from around the world continue to be impressed by the country’s selection and creativity with food. As a culinary expert once said, even fast food tastes good here.

The country has made its mark in the global dining market by becoming the first stop international destination for expanding restaurants from Europe and America. What’s more, local businesses have delighted foodies with creative concepts, unique eats and bold flavors. Make no mistake, if you want good food in the Gulf, Kuwait is the place to be.

Which is why the organizers at Q8 Production Media & Events have come together to create what will most likely become one of the greatest annual food events in the region, the Q8 Food Festival. They will take over the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref from March fifth to the seventh to bring you the most complete dining event to happen in Kuwait, and bazaar is proud to be their main media sponsor.

With more than 50,000 attendants expected, 50

the fairgrounds will be packed with events, experiences and markets. Organizers have focused on bringing the most interesting food concepts to one place, to give attendees a taste of the best of Kuwait. Approximately 50 restaurants will be featured at the event, and will be given the opportunity to highlight two or three of their most sought-after and signature dishes. Participants will have the chance to taste the best of Kuwait in a fun-filled setting.

On the main stage, artists will feature their amazing musical talents. Local bands will serenade the country’s foodies with live jazz, local and classical music. As we go on our culinary journey through Kuwait’s food establishments we’ll travel around the world with both Arabic and English music.

If you are looking for a taste of something personal, you can head to the Farmer’s Market. Local chefs, bakers and crafters will display their creations, and will have their chance to win your taste buds over.

These homemade bakes and delights will give you the chance to try unique creations straight from the

baker’s home to your palate.

For those that fancy themselves to be more than a foodie, but a creator of your own culinary delights, the Celebrity Chef presentations (available in Arabic or English) are bound to tickle your inner chef. Two tents will feature a full line-up of local regional and internationally renowned celebrity chefs. Enjoy the fruits of the festival in your own kitchen even after the event is over through presentations and participatory cooking demonstrations.

The Q8 Food Festival is designed to entertain both adults and children, with plenty of activities for the young foodie in your family. Bring them to the Kid’s Zone area where they too can taste delights made especially for children. The event will also feature a host of games and activities to keep them entertained while you enjoy the delectable tastes of Kuwait.

For updates on the Q8 Food Festival check out their partner site, www.LivinQ8.com. Stay tuned for their upcoming website q8foodfestival.com.

REFRESH

YOUR BEDROOM

POTTERY BARN A bedroom should be a resting, soothing place. Make it your perfect retreat and choose from a wide range of styles and colors that reflect your personality.

Ask in store about our monogramming service.

1st Avenue - The Avenues, Tel: 2228 3364 /potterybarnmena

inside/out

A STAR IN 6 SECONDS The first Vine artists by bazaar staff

Here at the inside/out desk we like to keep you up to date on the latest in all music trends.

Often, we let them seep like a good tea to see if they are going to get legs or not (read: is it worth your time to even learn about it?). If we reported on everything that came out, we would never get anything done. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce: Vine is here! But Vine has been here, you say incredulously with your questioning tone – and you are right. But with the signing of the first musical artists solely as a result of their work on Vine, it is now necessary to talk about this as a viable outlet for music promotion.

For the uninitiated, Vine is a Twitter-owned application that is largely considered to be ‘the Instagram of Video’ – and we all know how big Instagram is in the region! Vine, purportedly short for vignette and defined as a short impressionistic scene – is growing quickly and whose subscribers are now a quarter of the size of Instagram’s. With 40 million users as of the list figures, it allows users to post videos in 6-second increments. There are features to share privately and publicly (some of the private features are what they were originally critiqued on).

In an age where the amount of data coming at you is bigger and more than ever before, these small 52

digestible increments seem to be the key to engaging consumers in a manner that feels manageable.

In walks Shawn Mendes…

A year ago, Shawn Mendes recorded himself singing a 6 second clip of the Justin Bieber song, “As Long as You Love me.” The 16-year-old then went to sleep. By morning he had 10,000 followers. How is that for immediate response? Quick to respond to what was working, he then started posting covers nearly every day. He became a popular presence on Vine and by the time he showed up to his first Vine convention in Toronto, had a couple of thousand fans waiting to see him. Within weeks he had managers and record labels calling him, eventually signing a deal with Island Records. When they released his self-titled debut EP last month, it went to No. 1 on the iTunes charts in just 37 minutes – yes, that is 37 M-I-N-U-T-E-S-!

Still, this is increasingly looking like it may be the norm and not the exception. Just like labels were looking at YouTube 10 metaphorical minutes ago, this is just the latest in a series of ways for the industry to see if you have a direct connection to an audience and just how big that audience is. Vine is just the latest avenue. Another group, Michael and Carissa Alvarado, a married folk-pop-outfit who

record as Us the Duo, signed a deal with Republic Records last month and is considered the first major label deal from Vine. Michael says that it is not as simple as just posting anything that comes to mind, that they had to strategically think about each post. It makes sense to ask how you can be strategic about such a minimalist medium. Literally, less is more here. The reality is that most of this does not happen by accident. People are vigorously learning the site algorithms and demographics of people so they can plug their new product. Still, that does not mean it cannot be done.

Could this be the cure for all of your music career woes? Of course not. But what it does represent is another tool in your toolbox in order to get your music heard. If you can find a way to shine in the short form, by all means do it. Perhaps covers are the only thing that shine here and original songs need more time. If you think you are better at the longer video, head to YouTube. The reality though is that there are more options then ever to get your music heard.

Inside Out is your guide to all things music related.

From local reviews to changing industry dynamics.

Stay fresh!

© 2014

EXPRESS

2ND AVE NUE - T HE AVE NUE S TEL : 22283294

VISION EXPRESS

Your vision is their mission by bazaar staff

Our eyes are precious, and many say that they are in actuality windows to our soul. In fashion, we embellish them with an array of colors and designs.

With a selection ranging from high street to high end, Vision Express has got you covered, literally.

Spectacles and shades of all shapes and sizes to suit every taste and every face, they even provide you with the latest and hottest of collections.

From the UK to Kuwait, Vision Express leads the way and promises to always be the first to provide you with what you seek.

Upon entering Vision Express’ newest location, I was blown away by the vast selection of glasses.

I was instantly ushered towards the back where they would offer me an eye test. Bear in mind that this bazaarite has an irrational fear of opticians.

Anything and anyone that gets too close to my eyeball scares me, but I was willing to see it through. Now, eye tests anywhere usually take about 10-15 minutes right? Wrong! With Vision Express it takes about up to 30 minutes and it’s as extensive as one you’d get at a clinic. After all, they aim to be the best ophthalmic and retailer in Kuwait. For the first time in any optician in Kuwait, Vision Express offers a Fundus camera eye test.

This camera looks deep into your retina and snaps a photo for the optician to then look at 54

and analyze. This high-end piece of equipment is never found outside a clinic and comes with a hefty price tag. Luckily, Vision Express have not only brought it into their stores, but they also give you the test for free! After this test, you’re taken to the eye pressure test and then you get through the rest of the standard testing. By the time you’re done, you’ll know more about your eye health than you have in the past year! Everything is then saved into the file they’ve created for you which means that you can visit any of their other locations and they’ll know exactly who you are.

Now, most of us forget to go to the optician until our glasses stop working for us. Even then, we can sometimes soldier through it and postpone our visit for a little longer. The solution; they give you a friendly reminder to come back for a visit when it’s been a year or six months, depending on your eye health of course. Vision Express love to pamper their customers and will stop at nothing to ensure full customer satisfaction. From suggestions, tips, and assistance, Vision Express do it all! They even set up a Contact Lens Centre to teach you everything you need to know about contacts and the care of your eyes when wearing contacts.

Being a female, I’ve often found myself in a position where I have had to go to an event with

my glasses on, otherwise grin and bear it as I squint my way through it. Contact lenses were never an option and I’ve over used the excuse “my eyes just reject them.” Now the problem with me is the fear of the actual contact lens.

I soldiered through the tests, but the contacts were my problem. With Vision Express though, not only did I manage to get the contact into my eye, it actually stayed in! The optician was very patient with me and refused to give up.

He explained the process as many times as I needed without wavering once. He didn’t even blink when I dropped the lens (pun intended)!

Instead, he calmly opened up a new package and talked me through it for the hundredth time. After an intense negotiation with my eyes, I managed to successfully place the contact in, remove it, and then put it back in!

The team at Vision Express have proven to me that “if you wear glasses, you can wear contact lenses” is a true statement. The optician has helped me get over my fear and now I have the freedom to mix up my look in any way I please!

Visit Vision Express’ newest location at Grand Avenue – The Avenues or visit any of their other locations and receive a free Fundus Eye Test and full eye exam!

FRANKLIN MARSHALL

KEEP CALM & AVOID COLLEAGUES

People you should avoid meeting on your first day back at work

by Purva Grover

Sunday mornings are grumpy mornings and Sunday mornings just after a vacation are unkind and evil. The coffee tastes bitter, alarm clock rings in too soon, shoes don’t match with the socks, traffic jams get horrific, meetings get postponed, and more. In other words, you want to scream out aloud: Why did I ever come back? Now, we all know the answer to this one, you had no choice but to get back to the routine and the job. But here’s what you can do to make your first day at work, post a holiday, bearable and short: simply avoid bumping into a certain few people. You know the types…

I lost weight If you love your donuts and biryanis then we’re sure you won’t like bumping into those who live on apples and cucumbers. Imagine the horror of running into someone who lost the kilos and inches while on a holiday. Yes, anyone who was out on a wellness tourism break needs to be avoided.

A holiday needs to be spent gorging cupcakes and kebabs, not crunching and squatting. Wonder if the health freak would understand that!

I was updating Facebook Check-in, status updates, selfies and hashtags.

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Stay away from the Facebook obsessed, especially if you haven’t been making your presence felt on their timeline. They’ve been updating the same for your benefit after all: the close-up shots of their drink of choice, the serene sunset cover photos and the million hashtags (read: relax, spa, awesome, beach, shopping…): on the assumption that you have been following their itinerary. They are assuming you know it all and will excitedly join them in re-living their vacation.

Wearing ‘I Love [INSERT DESTINATION] tee-shirt’ If your workplace allows you to wear casual clothes then watch out for the colleagues who’d be flaunting their ‘I love Dubai, Paris, Maldives...’ tees! They’re expecting you to smile and ask them if the beaches were cool and the Eiffel beautiful.

And worse, they have probably got a dozen in their office bags to gift to all of you.

I saw you there!

If any of your colleagues saw you dancing on a table, eating an extra-large pizza or howling on a roller-coaster then you better hide behind the cubicle as soon as he/she walks in to the office. Our guess is that being caught in an embarrassing act would have been awkward

enough. Imagine, the tale being re-told over an office lunch?

I was playing the host Their house was transformed into a holiday home and they were playing the tourist guides. Keep a safe distance from colleagues who were playing hosts. They were trapped at home cooking for the guests. They were probably entertaining the guests by showing them Kuwait and visiting The Scientific Center or Kuwait Towers for the umpteenth time.

And perhaps, have to go back home to them again or clean up the mess they created! You don’t want to hear them moan.

I was stuck at work Your leave got approved but your junior’s leave got cancelled. So while you were paragliding, he was making reports and attending meetings: an encounter best avoided. Even if you have got him a token to make him feel nice or lessen your guilt, we’d say hold on to it for a week or so. Stay Calm and Smile, hopefully he’ll soon get over it.

Avoid these people, and avoid being these people, and everyone can keep calm and get through to the next vacation.

MILLY

ARRAYA CENTER, GROUND FLOOR, SHUHADA STREET ENTRANCE, SHARQ | TEL: 22997739

THE LAST OF ME A summer of gaming and painting

by Ashraf Abdalla

Summertime is coming to an end, all the people who left Kuwait for the summer are slowly trickling back and schools are starting.

It has been a relatively low-key summer for gamers, despite the large amount of exciting announcements at E3.

We’ve only had two good things going for us this summer, the first of which was the release of the re-mastered edition of The Last of Us which I’d highly recommend to anyone, even if you have played the Sony exclusive in its original version on the PS3. For those who haven’t, this is a game that cannot be missed. It is a brilliant and emotionally moving tale about a man’s attempt to escort a young girl through a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal infection that turns infected humans into zombie-like monsters. The various stages of infection represent the different enemies you’ll have to sneak around or fight your way through, and that’s besides the horrible things people do to survive and the bandits and cannibals that will cross your path. The PS4 remastered edition comes with higher definition textures and graphics, and a much more solid frame rate than its original version. Yet it has always been the cinematic play that captures both the player and those watching.

The remastered version enhances the storyline with DLC campaigns to give you the back-stories you may have wondered about, along with multiplayer maps released for the PS3 version. Rarely does a game move me with its amazing storyline. Yet with The Last of Us the cinematic play was so good, my wife watched the plot unfold like she would an amazing television series. Do not pass up on this if you’re looking for something to get you through lazy afternoons in the comfort of your home.

This summer everyone who has pre-ordered Bungie’s Destiny on any console, got two week’s access to the beta test and server stress test. I got my hands on three beta codes which I passed out among friends and gave the Level 8 capped beta a go and my oh my is this game amazing.

Think, the perfect blend of Halo first person shooter gameplay, World of Warcraft-like MMO connectivity, and a simple, yet well fleshed-out, RPG skill system.

This gorgeous game saw me quickly reach the level cap with all three classes on offer, and spend many hours playing co-op missions with my brother-in-law and friends overseas, as well as countless hours in its well balanced competitive multiplayer – which offers all the familiars of deathmatch and capture the flag games. Playing the hero of Guardian of The Last City on Earth is going to be incredible fun when this gem is released to retail on the 9th of 58

September. This is just the beginning for Bungie as they look to revolutionize how we look at our first person shooters in the future. Destiny has also broken the record of the most preordered game in history. If you haven’t gotten a copy yet, I would recommend you do so immediately. It will give you some good progression and weapon bonuses at launch, which will definitely come in handy, and nobody should miss out on what will undoubtedly be a strong contender for game of the year.

Diablo 3’s Ultimate Evil edition is now released on the new consoles for anyone looking for some fun fast paced hack and slash action with their friends. This version will have the recently released Reaper of Souls expansion. And soon enough we’ll start getting swarmed with all the games we’ve been heard about at E3 and more recently at Gamescon in August. Publishers and developers

have released tons of gameplay video of all the upcoming titles which have many a gamer foaming at the mouth. If you haven’t yet seen it, make sure to youtube Gamescom 2014 and start getting excited for the fall and holiday releases this year.

Which brings me to a painful piece of news.

This month’s column will sadly be my last. The missus and I have undertaken a huge project to paint more than 300 miniatures from the board games we’ve purchased at Good Games. Not to mention the additional 400 that will be arriving in February thanks to a highly successful Zombiecide Kickstarter campaign. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t also be occupying quite a bit of my time with all the games that will be landing on our console and pc hard drives soon, mmm... Far Cry 4. Got to get to the controller before my wife does.

Remember, play nice and stay geeky!

OASIS

AUTUMN/WINTER COLLECTION 2014

bazaar goes dining

SALT Contemporary seafood dining at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa by bazaar staff

We’ve all had our fair share of traditional seafood dining. You love it, but sometimes you crave something different, creative and indulgent.

If your palate has grown weary of the same seafood flavors, then a visit to Salt at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa will change your perspective when it comes to seafood dining. With inventive menu options that celebrate traditional seafood in a contemporary light, and a stunning setting to complete your dining experience, Salt will take you on a decadent gastronomic journey.

You’re instantly transported into a different realm when you walk through the doors at Salt. The live lobster and seafood tanks filled with different types of fish will command your attention, and more importantly serve as a delicious reminder of what freshness is in store. Before going to Salt, we recommend that you book in advance so that you’re guaranteed seating in the area of your choice. You may choose to dine in the softly lit booth area, creatively framed by beautiful shapes of waves made with crystal and glass.

You could also choose to dine under the bespoke glass chandeliers, shaped to resemble bubbles in gorgeous shades of blue, located toward the right side of the restaurant. Let the bubbles dazzle you as you stare upwards, you’ll instantly feel like you’re under the sea, or you may also shift your attention here to the stunning views of the outside gardens of the hotel. If it’s a special occasion that you intend to celebrate, then the VIP ‘Lobster Table’ is perfect, as the team at Salt will prepare a customized menu for your party, and a striking floor to ceiling mural that emulates the seaside, would serve as the backdrop to this prestigious table.

After we had taken in our beautiful surroundings, we started off our meal with a delicate amuse bouche of Gratinated Mussels, Provençal butter and tomato alongside freshly baked breads. We were also served The Passion Sour, a welcome drink that delivered a striking mélange of passion fruit, lemon and pineapple juice – this drink will serve as the perfect accompaniment to all of your seafood choices. To make sure that you’re spoilt for choice, the Salt team also has an array of refreshing cocktails for you to try. The Rose Delight, a scintillating infusion of berries, Messilah Sunrise, or the ginger and lime infused Pearl Of The Ocean will leave your taste buds dancing with joy.

At Salt, you should expect nothing short of luxurious service. One that, simply after setting foot inside the restaurant, is not easily forgotten.

The host, along with the entire team, is extremely 60

friendly and will accommodate any request that you might have. We were also delighted when we learned that Salt’s head chef Indika Bandara has created a special menu for us to try. We started off with the King Crab Rillettes, made with basilinfused gelatin with delicious crab filling and a smoked trout endive salad with fresh herbs. We also loved how the rillettes were placed atop a slice of yellow watermelon, as this lifted the flavors of the entire dish by perfectly balancing the seafood elements. This was followed by the Cold Seafood Platter, which arrived in its very own glitzy display on ice, with four different sauces including tuna tapenade, salmon caviar, saffron infused aioli and minty yoghurt dip. Don’t get greedy, as this

platter offer copious amounts of lobster, king crab, scallops, mussels, prawns and marinated salmon to share with a group of loved ones, giving you a taste of what togetherness is like.

Then what followed was one of our favorite moments of the evening, the soup. When it comes to Lobster Bisque, traditional always wins in our books. The best part about the creamy, saffron-infused concoction with shellfish oil is its magnificent presentation! Your dish arrives with juicy medallions of poached lobster, sans the soup.

Before you wonder where your soup has gone, the waiter arrives with a small soup boat, if you may, and you get to observe a theatric presentation that makes bisque both delicious and enjoyable.

For our main courses, we were given an option to choose from locally sourced, and beautifully grilled, Fillet of Hammour (Grouper) or freshly imported Crispy Skin Norwegian Salmon. For the salmon option, the presentation was once again flawless. The crisped salmon skin is masterfully placed atop the perfectly cooked fillet, and the accompanying side of aromatic rosemary potato tart, asparagus and lobster béarnaise made the salmon sing. As for the Grouper Fillet, the flavors of the hammour are balanced out with a pea purée, king crab thermidor and a tomato and thyme sauce vierge.

What I personally love the most about indulging in a soirée filled with scrumptious seafood is that I

am never overly full afterwards. It’s that ‘just-right’ amount of full, where you crave something sweet yet light, or if you’re sharing with more people, you can dare to go bolder in the realm of dessert.

At Salt, the team is always ready to not only satiate those sweet cravings, but also surprise you with completely unexpected creations. From the Vahlrona Trilogy, a trio of chocolate desserts that includes a rich and fudgy tart, a light and airy chocolate sorbet with pieces of chocolate crunch, along with a dainty Tanariva mousse. If this cocoabean infusion doesn’t hit the spot, then the gooey goodness that is the Molten Chocolate Cake with raspberry sauce will surely please the senses.

Finally, if you’re in the mood for something on the

fruity side, then you may ask the chef to whip up the Coconut Passion and Strawberry Dome; this crispy coconut meringue with light hints of orange and passion fruit will absolutely refresh your taste buds. Give your luxury dining experience an uplifting ending and order some tea or coffee, and the team at Salt will also provide you with the tastiest Petit Fours.

Salt is located in the west wing of the lower level lobby of the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa. Dinner is served from 7 p.m.– midnight, Mon-Sat. Please call 2226 9666 for reservations or email JumeirahRestaurant@jumeirah.com, and follow @JumeirahMessilahBeach on Instagram.

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THE BEST OF THE FALL TV LINEUP by bazaar staff

Fall TV time is our favorite unofficial holiday season here at bazaar HQ. It is like watching previews at a theater – everything is good in the beginning. Then, after a couple months, we get to see who is good enough to have staying power and keep us laughing, or crying, or laugh/crying.

This season however, there is simply too much good stuff to mention. We had to cut out quite a few to make our highlights list here and even get rid of some that may turn out to be interesting.

A to Z sounded good in its documentation of an entire relationship, as did the Flash for its comic book knowhow, but there were other similarly themed better models. The new Grace Point sounds amazing and is based off the UK drama Broad Church that many of us already love. NCIS New Orleans sounds like a good twist on a current TV staple, but do we really need another one of these? Even Utopia, a reality show that has people starting a new society, sounded amazing but was ultimately cut for space.

So these represent the best of the best out of the gate. The ones that look like they have the best chance for staying power as of press time.

Choose wisely!

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Black-ish / ABC Created by and starring comedian Anthony Anderson, Black-ish explores one man’s efforts to establish a cultural identity for his family after he discovers his children don’t have one. Anderson stars as man-ofthe-house Dre, and Tracee Ellis Ross plays his biracial wife Rainbow; they’ve got their hands full working and raising kids Zoey, Andre (who prefers to be called Andy and really, really wants a bar mitzvah despite the fact they’re not Jewish), and twins Jack and Diane. Hannibal’s Laurence Fishburne appears as Dre’s father, Pops, and wears velour tracksuits, because he’s Laurence freaking Fishburne.

Bad Judge / NBC Another October arrival: This single-camera comedy stars Kate Walsh (Fargo) as Rebecca Wright, one of L.A.’s most respected criminal court judges. But here’s the (overused and kind-of-boring) catch: While Rebecca totally and completely has it together in her work life, her personal life is the exact definition of a hot mess. She’s flaky, she sleeps around without a care in the world, and she parties like she’s still in college (so we’re guessing she has the world’s worst hangovers). She does drive a sweet van, though!

Forever / ABC Ioan Gruffudd stars as New York City medical examiner Henry Morgan, who harbors an unusual secret – he can’t die. Working alongside his new partner, Det. Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza), Morgan studies the dead in an effort to discover the mystery of his own immortality. Also, the ladies in the crowd might want to take note: When Morgan dies (and he dies semi-often for some reason), he always comes back naked.

Judd Hirsch, Donnie Keshawarz, and Joel David Moore also star.

Madam Secretary / CBS Tea Leoni plays a former CIA agent whose former boss, now the president of the United States (Keith Carradine), asks her to take on the role of Secretary of State after an accident claims the life of the office’s previous occupant. Using her no-nonsense, unconventional attitude toward politics, she shakes things up in Washington, D.C. while also juggling her home life as a wife and a mother. Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth also star.

Marry Me / NBC Happy Endings’ David Caspe is the writer behind this rom-com about a couple (played by Ken Marino and Caspe’s real-life wife Casey Wilson) who are well on their way to tying the knot. There’s just one problem: They can’t get the marriage proposal right! Is it a sign that they aren’t supposed to be together? Or do they need to just stop screwing up their overly inventive attempts to get engaged?

Sarah Wright and John Gemberling also star. [continued...]

MONSOON

Gotham / Fox Described as the origin story of future Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon, Gotham is Fox’s effort to get in on TV’s comic-book craze. Southland and The O.C. alum Ben McKenzie stars as Gordon, a fresh-faced police detective whose life begins to change when he and his partner, the brash Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), start investigating the murder of the parents of none other than a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz). However, the noir crime drama isn’t just about Gordon’s rise through the ranks of Gotham City’s PD; it also promises to tell the origin stories of several DC Comics’ villains, including Catwoman (Camren Bicondova), the Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), and the Riddler (Cory Michael Smith).

Manhattan Love Story / ABC This new comedy uses the power of voiceover to broadcast the internal monologues of a New York City dude (Jake McDorman) and a Midwestern transplant chick (Analeigh Tipton) as they navigate an awkward first date and subsequent budding romance. What you’ll learn early on from the voices in their heads is that guys like getting frisky and women like their purses; but as the series – and their relationship progresses, we expect things will get a bit more complicated than that.

Mulaney / FOX What’s the deal with this show? Stand-up comic and former SNL writer John Mulaney does his best Jerry Seinfeld impression as a comedian who lives and works in New York City and whose pals (Nasim Pedrad and Seaton Smith) and wacky neighbor (Elliot Gould) like to butt into his life. But John will have a more regular gig than Jerry ever did: He writes jokes for a game-show host and comedian played by Martin Short. Yada, yada, yada...

Scorpion / CBS Based on the experiences of real-world genius Walter O’Brien, Scorpion is about a bunch of nerds who form a team to solve some of the world’s most complex problems (It’s like if the Justice League of America traded their superpowers for supersmarts, computer wizardry and hacking skills). And to give the show a Big Bang Theory-esque twist, Katharine McPhee plays the diner waitress who glues them all together. Elyes Gabel, Robert Patrick, and Eddie Kaye Thomas also star.

Selfie / ABC Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) drops her adorable Scottish accent to star in this modern spin on Pygmalion that takes place in today’s social media-driven world. Gillan’s Eliza Dooley is obsessed with becoming Internet famous, but her constant Instagramming and Facebooking has left her devoid of any real friends – not to mention the social skills required to make any. Desperate for a fix, Eliza hires marketer Henry Higenbottam (John Cho) to help her rebuild her image and put down her damn phone for once.

This list of the best of the newest Television Series is brought to you via the help of the insiders at tvguide.com.

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MANGO

GO COCO!

Hydrating you naturally by bazaar staff

Imagine with me, if you will, you’re at the gym. You’ve been working out for what feels like an eternity, and no amount of water you guzzle down is quenching enough. Temples pulsing, face glowing red, you feel the sweat making its way down your back. You’re exhausted, but you’ve still got one last set before you can call it a day. Just as you’re about to give up, a flash of green. You slow down on the rowing machine and let your eyes focus on said color. Salvation has come in a beautifully packaged 500ml bottle. Go Coco, 100% pure coconut water, is the answer to your sweltering daze. You rehydrate and that last set doesn’t seem as daunting as you thought…

Taking the world by storm, coconut water is deemed as the healthiest alternative to a sports drink, and we can see why. As the most effective, and need I say natural, form of isotonic hydration, coconut water contains no artificial coloring, flavor, or fat! Nowadays, you can’t flip through a single 66

glossy magazine without finding an A-lister’s image snapped with a bottle of coconut water - gyms and health clubs promote it, celebrities swear by it, and we love it! Go Coco has become an instant addiction in our offices. We’ve since thought of all the different ways we can incorporate this naturally sweet water into our everyday routine and the results were amazing. Adding it to our smoothies, taking it along to the gym, and even generally scoffing it down on its own, with natural coconut water, the options are endless with this creamy lush liquid.

This liquid is harvested from the very sterile center of the young green coconut and brought forth for your enjoyment. The water you drink is only harvested from the young coconuts that are grown in accordance to Free Trade agreements. This means you’re not only being healthy, but supporting Free Trade as well! Sold worldwide, it’s brought to us here in Kuwait by a company that originated in gluten free catering. pure, by RED Catering Kuwait is currently

the sole distributor of Go Coco. Saveco currently has them in stock or you can order it via their Instagram account @purebyredkuwait. Still not convinced?

Coconut water is not just packed with electrolytes containing 5 types of naturally occurring electrolytes - but vitamins and minerals as well. A great source of fiber, potassium and calcium, this drink packs a punch. It’s also an excellent source of antioxidants, is perfect for improving digestion and does wonders for your cardiac health.

So go out and get yourself some refreshingly healthy hydration! We know you’ll love it!

Go Coco can be found at Training For Warriors (@tfwkuwait), Wholistic Health (@wholistichealthkw), One Stop Mini Kuwait (@onestopkw) and Saveco (@saveco). You can also order it by ringing 5556 6676 or visiting pure Catering through their Instagram account @purebyredkuwait or their website www.redcateringkuwait.com.

GANT

NOW in GATE MALL 22056150.

The Avenues Mall 25309811, 360 Mall 25309811, Al Kout Mall 23930906, Al Fanar Mall 25712430/31

SOCIAL MEDIA ME

The Sociallogical and Kilma collaboration by bazaar staff

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Snapchat, are just a few social networking tools that people have accounts with. Social media has taken the world by storm and it turns out, we’ve been doing it all wrong! If you are one of the people that believe that the number of followers you have on an account measures your success, then you’re in for a surprise. Sociallogical has landed in Kuwait all the way from Canada, and collaborated with Alkilma to help you connect strategically.

In 2009, Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri quit his day job and started his very own media company called Alkilma. With their main focus on advertising and media services, Al-Anjeri concentrates on the customer. “The customer comes first,” he states. He aims to provide a service that is not only quick, but also effective. Quality and speed are rare services and Alkilma strives to provide its customer base with both. Believing that social media is an effective service and not “just product placement,” Alkilma has teamed up with Canadian based Sociallogical to bring Kuwait a whole new level of connectivity.

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Sociallogical’s very own Jeff Roach knows exactly what to do in terms of social media.

Training, mentoring, and strategizing are just a few of services his company provides. So let’s say your social media department is lacking in the skills needed to flourish, you contact Sociallogical and they’ll help you out. Tailoring the services to meet your exact needs, your employees will learn all the tricks in order to expand your online presence.

Much like elephants, Sociallogical aims to make your company social.

“The elephant is a uniquely social creature,” Jeff explains, “and social media is the elephant in every boardroom.” He claims that even aimed with the knowledge that social media is extremely important to them, they never quite know what to do with it. Jeff says that it’s all about the influencers and the ability to reach the right kind of people.

Even if your follower rate is low, if a handful of them are influencers, then you’re on the right track. Like many other things, social media works by word-ofmouth. If one person likes your photo or message, then they’ll pass it on to their followers and the

message will spread.

According to Jeff, social media is an everchanging platform. We went from publishing things online privately; to everyone having a voice that’s heard by millions, even if it’s in 140 characters or less. This alone is the proof behind the lasting power of social media. We as a people went from having one-on-one discussions to what Jeff calls the “big soup of conversation.”

Sociallogical and Alkilma have teamed up to bring to you the best service possible. Training two members of the Alkilma team, Sociallogical have prepared them to shake up the face of social media in Kuwait. The service they provide you is a social influence audit which basically tells you what your reach is. So check them out and see what they can do to help your company’s online presence grow.

Because after all, it is “a share thing.”

Check out the social media collaboration of the year and you can log on to www.alkilma.com or www.sociallogical.com for more information on their services.

RIVER ISLAND

MORE SMART, LESS PHONE

by Will Oremus

Smartphones don’t get people excited like they used to. Every Apple event these days brings fresh calls for “new product categories” and fresh disappointment when they don’t materialize. Yet bolder companies like Google and Samsung have introduced new types of futuristic mobile gadgets, and it turns out they don’t work very well. As much as the tech press has tried to hype smart glasses and smartwatches, they’re just too small to do very much at this point. They might develop into nifty peripherals for your smartphone, but they’re not going to replace it anytime soon.

We may be stuck with our trusty old pocketcomputers for years to come. The good news is that they’re still evolving, probably more rapidly than we tend to give them credit for. I’m not talking about marginally faster processors, better cameras, curved glass, bigger screens or 3-D displays. I’m talking about new functionalities.

If there was an overarching takeaway from Apple’s annual developer conference in June, it’s that smartphones are becoming more than communications and entertainment devices.

They’re becoming the mobile command centers of our lives. And far from pushing them aside, the next wave of consumer technologies is likely to make smartphones more essential than ever.

Today our iPhones and Android phones serve as messaging devices, cameras, Web browsers, music players, gaming and social networking platforms, and yes, sometimes even phones. They’re also starting to become artificial personal assistants. Here are three more things that smartphones are likely to become in the next few years — all of which involve communications between your apps and devices rather than between you and other people.

1. A universal remote control for your appliances Thermostats are just the beginning. Like it or not, everything from door locks to light bulbs to refrigerators is starting to come equipped with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. The idea is that you can monitor and control them remotely with your smartphone.

In some cases, these “smart” appliances are designed to learn from your behavior and adapt on their own. Even so, you’ll almost inevitably find yourself reaching for your smartphone when your thermostat’s rudimentary machine intelligence clashes with your unpredictable human needs.

The major smartphone-makers have already put up big stakes in the fledgling “connected home” sector. Samsung has been making connected appliances for some time now, and earlier this year it launched “Smart Home” software for Android phones that lets you control them all from one app.

In January, Google got into the game by splashing $3 billion on Nest. And in June, Apple announced HomeKit, a bid to bring the controls for a wide range of third-party connected devices together in a simple native iOS app.

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If it works as advertised, you’ll be able to group related appliances into “suites,” so that you can say something like, “Get ready for bed,” and your phone will know to turn off the downstairs lights, adjust the thermostat, and lock the doors.

2. A hub for your personal health data Smartphones will remain the best way to store, integrate and analyze health data.

Third-party developers have been working for a few years now on smartphone apps or addons that can monitor and track your well-being in various ways. Early efforts included pedometers, medication reminders, nutrition trackers and even breathalyzers. And while smartwatches designed for things like email and text messages have been a bust so far, fitness bands that monitor your workouts and sync with your smartphone via Bluetooth are already quite popular.

As with smart appliances, the smartphonemakers are starting to realize that they can take the health-tracking trend mainstream by building native hardware and software for it. Samsung took the early lead with its S Health suite, and its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S5, comes with a built-in heart-rate monitor. In June it announced a prototype of a new wearable health tracker called

Simband along with an open software platform.

Apple’s answer on the software side is a new platform called HealthKit. On the hardware side, the focus of rumors about the iWatch has shifted from communications apps to biometrics, perhaps including sleep-tracking functions.

3. A portable computer that you can control with other devices Not only will your smartphone be a remote control for your other appliances, it will be another appliance that you can control remotely. That’s not as confusing as it sounds, I promise. Today, if you want to use your smartphone, you usually have to pull it out of your pocket and control it directly.

But there are times when that’s particularly inconvenient — like when you’re cooking, driving, or playing with your kids. In those cases, increasingly, you’ll be able to operate basic functions of your phone through other interfaces.

For instance, Google, Microsoft, BlackBerry and Apple are all working on software that will let you control your phone from your car’s dashboard, and several major car companies have already developed similar capabilities. You’ll be able to make hands-free calls, check your email, or stream songs on Pandora without touching the phone itself.

The Legend Is Back.

The All-New 2015 Beetle.

VW Be one of the first to drive it.

ICONIC CALIFORNIA A PLANNING GUIDE, PART TWO: by bazaar staff

THENORTH In the first part of our two-part series on California, we started with the South, primarily because it is what people most often think of when they envision California. One trip up to the Northern part of the state however, just might change your mind entirely. With the beauty of the Marin headlands as the fog rolls in to the Coastal drive along the 1 Highway past cliffs and conifers, Northern California is arguably home to some of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the world. If you are going to go, you will need a plan.

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Chinatown

Lake Tahoe

Alcatraz

Old Town Sacramento

SAN FRANCISCO

As one of the most famous cities in the world it is easy to think that you already know this place. Known as much for the hill-filled streets and cable cars as for the cold weather in the summer, the place evokes a mood like no other.

It is basically New York City made smaller and nicer – but don’t tell people from either place that I said that. From the waterside walks through the Presidio to the legendary historical area around Haight and Ashbury, there is something here for everyone. With wonderful bookstores, great cafés, shopping, and enough highcaliber street food to keep you stuffed the whole time, you will never be bored. And all that is before you even get to see Alcatraz, the infamous – now closed – prison on an island that once housed some of the most notorious of American criminals.

Additionally, Chinatown here is better than almost anywhere in the Western world due to the legacy of many who emigrated during the gold rush over 100 years ago.

The Legion of Honor museum gets a special shout out for having some of the best views around. Oh, and did I mention the Earthquake Sundae at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Marketplace? Yum!

SACRAMENTO

Though not a city as cosmopolitan as San Francisco, Sacramento has a lot to offer in its own right. As the state’s capital it is where their biggest government houses are, as well as evidence of a long and storied history with the state as a whole. In addition, places like Old Town Folsom, feel more authentically western than many places in Texas. If you want to feel like you walked back in time, Folsom’s Old Town section is the place for you. A little known attraction is the American River that runs through Sacramento offering many swimming areas and white water rafting. The California Delta, also nearby, offers over 1000 miles of waterways for you to navigate by boats of different sizes. You can rent a houseboat for a week or go out on a jet ski for the day, but beware, this place is huge and you can easily want to get lost here.

One more option that is great in this part of the state is the Lake Tahoe area.

While full of more water recreation options for the summer months, it is also a high enough elevation for skiing in the winter. A good stop all year round. [continued...]

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Yosemite Falls

INLAND

[...continued] Heading directly East from San Francisco inland, almost to the border, you get to the famous Yosemite National Park, a place of amazing outdoor views and adventures. You can hike the legendary half dome if you are the adventurous type, or stay in Curry Village where you can sleep beneath the stars in tents. For those less inclined to rough it, there is also the famous Yosemite Falls Lodge. At the lodge, you see Yosemite Falls itself, which is the highest measured waterfall in North America. While you could try to do a drive-through in a day, if you are at all outdoorsy, you are going to want to stay for a lot longer. An average stay in this park alone can range from a few days to a week.

Route 1

Fallen Redwood

THE COAST

If you had one week left to live and could only do one more road trip, I would highly recommend Route 1 on the Northern California Coastline. From San Francisco north you have the land of the Redwoods, the biggest trees in the world. These coastal Redwoods, the highest of which measure in at 320 feet high and 24 feet wide at the base, have been around for 2000 years. To put this in perspective, that is taller than a 30 story skyscraper and nearly older than there are years on our calendar. There are even one or two of these Redwood trees in the park where you can drive your car through the tunnel that has been carved into them. Heading south from San Francisco any local will tell you that the coast is the long way around (as if you are just passing through you would take a different highway, as this way would take nearly three times as long), but for the leisurely traveler, the result is well worth it.

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From Monterey Bay and its famed aquarium, to lesser-known towns of Big Sir and Cambria, each stop has its own unique charm. There is even a town called Pacific Grove that is along the route of the annual butterfly migration due to its unique microclimate. Thousands upon thousands of butterflies come through from mid-October to mid-February and make for an amazing site. Drive down Route 1, preferably in a convertible or on a motorcycle, with the wind blowing through your hair as you look out upon miles and miles of undulating coastline – it gets no better. If you feel like stopping and seeing beauty and wealth of the manmade sort – check out old newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst’s 165-room mansion in San Simeon. The 127 acres of gardens are nothing to scoff at either; nor are its private airport and zoo.

Plan another day for this trip!

It would take several more pages to tell you about all the wonderful surprises that await you in a visit to California. No matter where you go, you are likely to have an amazing experience, but if you hit the stops mentioned in these two articles – you are guaranteed it!

This has been part two of two on California. Do yourself a favour and visit before there is an earthquake big enough to sink it into the ocean!

SUITE BLANCO

LA MARTINA FALL/WINTER 2014 by bazaar staff

As far as La Martina is concerned, the game of Polo goes beyond expertly crafted saddles, helmets and boots. With La Martina, the game of Polo is an absolute lifestyle and an undeniable tradition. For Fall/Winter 2014, get ready to experience the ultimate in Polo chic with pieces that effortlessly work both on and off the field.

This season, La Martina’s “Coleccion Privada” capsule collection innovatively captures the historic Anglo-Saxon and Argentinian encounter. This stylish mélange is further embodied by the royalty inspired tartan “Royal Box”, a capsule collection dedicated to the style of those invited to attend polo matches by the Royal Family, and draws inspiration from the tartan kilt worn by none other than Prince Charles and iconic British military references.

Finally, La Martina’s Fall-Winter showcase cannot be complete without mentioning the La Martina for Maserati Collection. With a musthave Polo Shirt created to mark 100 years of the House of the Trident, the collection comes as a celebration of the partnership between La Martina and Maserati.

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COLECCION

PRIVADA

ENGLAND MEETS ARGENTINA Get your fix of South American vitality as bright colors invade the emblematically English tailoring tradition. Designed as a result of the metamorphosis of both Anglo-saxon and Argentinian styles, the La Martina “Coleccion Privada” capsule collection delivers the formality of Savile Row tailoring traditions in an array of revitalizing South American colors to celebrate both cultures’ unifying love for the game of Polo. Expect formal jackets mellowed out by Latin styles, straight lines making way for vivid floral textures, that speak to the spirit of Abierto the Argentine Polo Open Championship marked as a celebration for all.

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ROYAL

BOX

THE TARTANS TAKE OVER

This special capsule collection is dedicated to those who truly want to dress to impress.

Inspired by a dress code designated for the Royal Family, the “Royal Box” capsule collection

by La Martina celebrates the tartan kilt in all of its glory. Imagine a fresh palette of natural colors set off against a Scottish tartan while stylistically referencing the military flavor that takes over the entire collection – all designed for the prestigious Guards Polo Club Collection.

Traditional English navy blues are replaced by a mélange of natural shades of camel to gray.

Buttons and graphics beautifully represent the English rose that appears on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.

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LA MARTINA

FOR MASERATI This stylish pairing couldn’t be more perfect.

Today, the partnership between La Martina and Maserati is instantly recognizable, with both brands being protagonists in the greatest polo events in the world. With the launch of this latest capsule collection, a special shirt was produced to mark the 100th anniversary of the House of the Trident. Emphasizing Maserati’s sporty personality with its ‘tecno-race’ ID, the La Martina capsule collection for Maserati selects materials that heighten the aerodynamics of the shapes, such as soft-shell or breathable neoprene or technical sweaters with water repellent properties, for instance. The collection is also made from Pima, a Peruvian variety of cotton with extra long flock, which makes the collection even more absorbent and durable.

The absolute must-have from this capsule collection includes the polo-zip with a medallion logo in embossed silicone, commemorating the centenary of the House of the Trident.

La Martina is located at The Avenues (2259 7563) and 360 Mall (2530 9989).

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bazaar fitness

GREASING THE GROOVE You cannot change what you refuse to confront

by Mike Campbell

If you’re not good at something and you want to get better at it, then you need to do that thing every day.

I’ve recently decided to take my own advice, and start using a relatively unknown and unconventional training technique to get better at my least enjoyed exercise, the ‘Back Squat.’

It is an exercise in which I have good movement patterns but I just don’t enjoy. I had to ask myself why I didn’t enjoy it when I like to train the pullup, bench, deadlift and front squat. The answer was simple and personally embarrassing. I just didn’t like it because the weight I was lifting was below average in terms of my own standards.

For those of you who avoid a certain exercise because you’re not good at it, stuck in a rut with their training or trying to break through a plateau, then I suggest the following technique. The technique is known as ‘greasing the groove’, or if you prefer the more technical term, synaptic facilitation.

The man responsible for pioneering the ‘grease the groove’ technique is Pavel Tsatsouline, one of the world’s premier strength and conditioning coaches and former trainer of the Russian Special Forces. Some of you might be familiar with his work with the kettlebell and even more recently with the combination of the TRX and Kettlebell circuit training program. Many of the usual gym-goers will see his techniques as a little unconventional, or perhaps even defiant of conventional strength training wisdom. However it is a method that will succeed and give you excellent results in a very short time period.

So it began. On the evening just prior to Ramadan I moved a couple of squat stands into my room at the foot of my bed with a bar and some plates, and decided to keep it simple. I would squat at least once every single day of Ramadan. Thirtyone days of back squatting. I had no excuses. The bar was right there.

Now for those of you familiar with strength training, there are many excellent programs to employ to improve an exercise load or the weight that you’re moving. However in order to get better at something I didn’t like, I decided to just “shut up and squat.”

The premise of this training technique revolves around the simple equation Pavel came up with to explain the technique: Specificity + Frequent Practice = Success. To me, I believed that lifting more in an exercise that I was weak in, would improve my confidence and therefore provide me with my interpretation of success. The Russian philosophy is rather different to the traditional 80

Western view that strength is somewhat correlated to muscle size, with the added belief that strength is also a skill. World class coaches such as Charles Poliquin picked up on this decades ago and have employed it in their training methodologies with huge success.

Like with any other skill, the ‘skill of strength’ should be practiced, because as we all know, practice makes perfect. It works because by performing the movement so frequently, your nervous system develops and becomes more proficient at getting your body, nerves and muscles to work in sync to perform the movement more efficiently. Over time, the movement gradually becomes easier and more natural. I could squat well but I couldn’t move a lot of weight because I didn’t perform the movement pattern under load often enough. As the movement becomes easier and more natural, you will be able to do more and more reps. You can then gradually start adding more weight/resistance to keep the exercise challenging. Over time, this process of gradually becoming more efficient or ‘more skilled’ at an exercise will allow you to handle bigger loads for more reps.

There are some key rules to this type of training that include the following: • Do it 1 or 2 exercises at a time (I was tempted to go for 3 prior to starting but am glad I kept it to 1).

• Do 50-80% of your maximum. NEVER go until failure (Okay, so I got close to breaking this rule on several occasions as I wanted to constantly check my progress. Keep the ego in check).

• Grease the groove only when feeling fresh. If you feel weak or sore, then you have over-reached your recovery abilities. (Despite knowing this I did push the boundaries, often hitting heavy back

to back sessions, but I knew that the rest of my training load was reduced and that this program was only for a month’s duration).

• ‘Greasing the groove’ is in addition to your existing workouts. You are replacing the way you do one specific exercise, not your entire workout for the rest of your body.

• I used a mixture of lots of volume such as 10 sets of 10, heavier 5 by 5, pause squats, clusters and 3 rep max efforts. Regardless, I just squatted.

The results speak for themselves. Within 15 days of squatting my back squat had improved by 15kgs and my front squat increased by 16kgs (without even completing front squat training).

I have around 15 days left and will update you on that in the next article next month.

Most importantly my self confidence in back squatting dramatically increased and I was surprised when I really started to enjoy the challenge. Why? Simple. I wasn’t concerned anymore, because I was applying myself 100% to an area that I was weak in and the hard work was paying off.

Let me leave you with the definition of work ethic: It is a belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its inherent ability to strengthen character.

For more information on squatting technique and programming please feel free to contact us at Inspire Pure Fitness.

Mike Campbell is the GM and Co Founder of Inspire Pure Fitness. For further information email: info@inspirekw.com or nooriya@inspirekw.com or you can visit www.inspirekw.com.

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

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

IF I STAY

NO GOOD DEED

Release Date: September 4 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Cast: Megan Fox/Will Arnett/William Fichtner

Release Date: September 4 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Drama Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz/Mireille Enos

Release Date: September 11 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Thriller Cast: Taraji P. Henson/Idris Elba/Leslie Bibb

Synopsis: The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil and her cameraman Vern Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan. Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman and produced by Michael Bay (Transformers franchise).

Synopsis: : Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate. If I Stay is based on the best-selling novel of the same name.

Synopsis: Terri is a devoted wife and mother of two, living an ideal suburban life in Atlanta when Colin, a charming but dangerous escaped convict, shows up at her door claiming car trouble. Terri offers her phone to help him but soon learns that no good deed goes unpunished as she finds herself fighting for survival when he invades her home and terrorizes her family. Colin is played by Idris Elba best known for his role on Pacific Rim, and Terri is played by Taraji P. Henson who some might know best from the popular CBS drama Person of Interest.

THE MAZE RUNNER

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

THE EQUALIZER

Release Date: September 18 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi Cast: Dylan O’Brien/Kaya Scodelario/Will Poulter

Release Date: September 18 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery Cast: Liam Neeson/Boyd Holbrook/Dan Stevens

Release Date: September 25 Theaters: Cinescape Kuwait-wide Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller Cast: Denzel Washington/Chloë Grace Moretz/Dan Bilzerian

Synopsis: When Thomas wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze, and joining forces with fellow ‘runners’, can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape. Based upon the best-selling novel by James Dashner and also starring Thomas Sangster whom some might remember as Sam in British movie Love Actually.

Synopsis: Matt Scudder (Neeson) was an NYPD cop having a quiet drink in a bar when a pair of armed robbers came in. Giving chase, Scudder guns down the robbers in the street, though a stray bullet turns a heroic moment tragic. Devastated, Scudder subsequently goes to work as an unlicensed private detective, working just outside of the law. Now, tasked with rooting out the sadistic thugs who brutally murdered the wife of a wealthy drug dealer, Scudder scours the bars and back alleys of NYC in search of his elusive targets - and the closer he gets, the more apparent it becomes that they are something much more sinister than your typical kidnappers.

Synopsis: Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri, a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by - he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is…The Equalizer.

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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.

*Above programs are subject to change without prior notice.

SPRINKLES

FALL IN BOHEMIA #HMStudioAW14 by bazaar staff Whether you’ve embraced your inner bohemian goddess during those summer days and nights in carefree flowy fabrics, or you’ve adopted this playful look all year round, H&M has redefined the meaning of boho-chic. The playful, sophisticated spirit of the 21st century bohemian woman epitomizes the H&M Studio collection for this autumn/winter, delivering our wardrobes with looks that are effortless, charming and always ready for fun.

Since its first appearance during Paris Fashion Week, we’ve been obsessing over feminine meets masculine looks, with men’s blazers, biker and aviator jackets worn over draped tops and dresses.

This, after all, is bohemia. Your style is built upon

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the freedom of choice to wear feminine pieces with sophistication, fun and attitude. Ann-Sofie Johansson, head of design and new development at H&M, envisioned this collection for free-spirited fashionistas looking to create looks that emulate their personality.

In this autumn/winter collection we see the return of the slip dress, simplistic at the core, yet the ultimate wardrobe staple to be worn on its own or for layering, paired with pieces adopted from menswear through tailored blazers or fierce leather biker jackets. A draped top with matching trousers is the new suit. Meanwhile the exposed shoulder is a focus that communicates attitude, both with off-theshoulder and one-shoulder looks. We’re even more

excited about a new width in trousers that is evident in this collection, often trimmed with tuxedo details for permanent nighttime elegance. Feminine fabrics, like silk crepe and chiffon, add to the bohemian look, while leather, either patent with a glossy shine, distressed and worn-looking, or metallic, make for the perfect wardrobe compliment. Velvet takes center stage for closet essentials, from tops, dresses to the most wanted evening track pant. As the weather cools down, warm up with fine cashmere, to give you both softness and transparency to layer as you please with tanks, sweaters and dresses. The dominating colors of the collection include black, navy, khaki, off-white, beige and gray with accents of bubblegum pink and bold zebra patterns.

ANN-SOFIE JOHANSSON Head of design and new development at H&M

Hi Ann-Sofie! Tell us about your inspiration behind the H&M Studio AW14 collection.

For the Studio collection we felt for a lot of different influences: we looked to the 90s and a young Kate Moss, we talked about Charlotte Gainsbourg and her tomboy look, we also felt for sporty references and we wanted it all to be a collection that you can mix in many different ways and it should feel cool and effortless. We worked with tactile fabrics like leather, velvet, faux fur, mohair and silk in black, navy, khaki green and off-white with a warm red as accent. The menswear inspiration could be seen in baggy men’s style trousers and tuxedo blazers.

What are the highlights of this collection?

The off-white A-line jacket – worn with wide trousers for a wide-on-wide silhouette that feels new and exciting.

The velvet boiler suit – styled more casual with sneakers or more dressed up with heels and belted to achieve an accentuated waist.

The red boots – wear with anything for an instant kick.

What are some of your favorite pieces from the collection?

You always need stylish accessories to finish off a look, it’s like the icing on the cake.

We have our high boots in suede and patent leather that are key, especially the ones in red.

They can make any outfit look cool.

When did you first become interested in fashion?

I always wanted to work with fashion. My mother made almost all my clothes and I made clothes for my Barbie-dolls. Dressing them up in various outfits was the best thing I knew.

Who are some of your favorite style icons?

Right now one of my favorites is Dree Hemmingway.

What do see yourself doing for H&M in the future?

I believe I actually got the greatest job on earth. I’m still going to be with H&M, that’s for certain.

The H&M Studio A/W 2014 will launch on September 4, 2014 and will be available at H&M stores in The Avenues. For more information, please visit www.hm.com/kw and make sure to check out the #HMStudioAW14 on Instagram.

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LEARNING LIFE SKILLS FROM CHILDREN

by Zainab Mirza

Parents and teachers have mixed feelings about this month. Some look forward to it, some look at it with relief, while some sigh with resignation to the inevitable. Come September, it’s time for children to go back to school.

Working with children for the past few months has made me realize that if we just listened to them, they could teach us more about life than we could ever hope to teach them. While each child differs from the other, there are certain elements that are present in each in varying degrees. It can be exhausting trying to keep up with kids, but at the end of every class I marvel at their creativity, intelligence or innocence. In the process of teaching them, they taught me important life skills, some of which I’d lost touch with: Ask questions: Ever since I started teaching English, I maintained that adults are more motivated to learn since they’re in class by choice, while children aren’t, since they’re put there by their parents. I couldn’t be more wrong. Children are or can be motivated to learn purely by their desire to learn.

They’ve a thirst for knowledge so intense it just can’t be satiated. Somehow while completing the metamorphosis to adulthood we stop asking questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’, and begin taking the world around us for granted. Adults often treat children with contempt, secure in the arrogance that only they can impart knowledge. Perhaps it’s this attitude that stifles a child’s curiosity while growing up.

Dream: When asking a group of 5-11 year-olds what they were going to be when they grew up, I was bombarded with the following responses.

The ambitious one: “I’m going to be an interior designer, a teacher and an artist!”

The altruist: “I’m going to be a doctor for heart surgery!”

The dreamer: “I’m going to be an explorer and go to Mars!”

The five-year-old realist: “I’m going to be NINE!” Dream big, but stay in touch with reality at the same time.

Be imaginative: This 7-year-old boy’s gift for storytelling blew my mind to smithereens.

“Miss, I’m sending an email to my parents.

They live on another planet.”

“Are you sure they’ll get your email then?”

“Yes, because I’m sending it on a shooting star.

You can visit them on a shooting star too, if you want.”

I was speechless. This kid had a writer in him. At what point do we begin suppressing our imagination or our children’s? Why would we deny the world such wonder?

Care about the world: While discussing endangered animals during a summer program, a group of 9-12 year olds was 86

visibly upset and nearly moved to tears when informed of how many pandas and tigers were left in the wild (1,000 and 3,000 respectively, according to National Geographic). “Miss, that’s not fair! I want to see them before I die!”

Scorn defeatist attitudes: Children don’t allow something as insignificant as a problem to hold them back. I’ve observed that every group of students I’ve taught, work together to come up with practical solutions to overcome any difficulties they’d encounter. They never failed.

Unleash your creative side: While counseling at a summer camp, I always anticipated the art sessions just to observe how each child would bring out his/her creativity and resourcefulness while making the same thing.

Most of them could work on their art projects for hours if they’d been allowed to.

Creativity could also run free in a different way.

During a craft activity, an 11 year-old who was too lazy to paint the lizard he cut out justified it by

explaining: “It’s camouflaging.”

Have a sense of humour: Children are effortlessly funny. A bad day goes straight out the window with their exuberance and hilarity. I’ve been told for years that I look much younger than I am. Not to children apparently, as a bright 9-year-old once asked me: “Miss, are you from Ancient Iraq?” My age must have caught up with me two hundred fold.

In another instance, I caught hold of a hyperactive 4-year-old that couldn’t stay put and carried her back to her seat. Her ensuing statement made me let go for fear I’d drop her from laughing: “Miss, you’re giving me wedgie!”

Working with kids is definitely no picnic. But at the end of a long day, when a child tells you something like: “Miss, did you have fun with us?” or “Miss Zainab, I made this heart for you because I love you,” the exhaustion dissipates and you go through the rest of the day with nothing but a song in your heart and a smile on your face.

CAMRY

AMERICAN EAGLE

OUTFITTERS

Reinvent your back-to-school look with street and heritage styles by bazaar staff

AEO Owl Graphic T-shirt KD6

It’s that time of year again, when the lazy days of summer are over, the evenings are just beginning to cool down and we are all headed back to our daily routines. Be it school, work or even university, getting back into your daily groove is never a boring affair with American Eagle Outfitters.

America’s favorite Jeans brand gives us a new collection to jazz up our daily wardrobes in style, with tops that are perfect for layering and give every wardrobe an updated on-trend look. New staples have been introduced to the collection, inspired by street classics for both the AEO girl and AEO guy.

This season, it’s all about street styles as the main inspiration for the AEO girl. Think casual jogger pants to glamorous body–con skirts, foil appliqué graphics and electric printed beanies. Animal print and neon pops round out this fun on-trend capsule.

Throwback styles rooted in heritage continue to be updated for amazing back-to-school looks paired with acid wash and colored denim all coming together in a 90s spin on heritage styles. Grounded in denim, AEO’s newest style is a hi-rise jegging that is perfect for layering into every girl’s wardrobe for a modern stylish look. For a soft feel, pair easy-to-wear ditsy florals, intricate lace tops and delicate lace dresses 88

with back to basics borrowed from the boys such as destroyed boyfriend jeans and cargo elements.

The Aerie girl this season has a packed calendar.

New joggers and leggings are in, so slip on those heels and get ready for a girls’ evening in a super chic look. Easy silhouettes, soft fabrics, pretty details and daily wearability, Aerie is back to basics, with clothing made for real life.

For the guys, brushed Navajo print wovens and new vintage denim take the AEO classics to new heights, with choices from the new collection.

Rich colors infuse the collection with hints of deep navy blues, rich maroons, bold mustards, and smart emerald greens. Throwback styles in fresh new ways are seen with the colorblock polos offering a modern take on 90s dressing.

Grounded in denim, these items are perfect for layering. The Street Style has inspired new staples with the new jogger pant, waxed denim jackets, updated trend graphics, and washed out plaids.

American Eagle Outfitters is located at 1st Avenue – The Avenues, The Mall – The Avenues, as well as Marina Mall. For further information please call 182 1212.

AEO Maxi Kate Dress KD12

AEO Leaves Icon Sunglasses KD5

MAS

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

What is an effective way to deal with an upset customer when you just can’t give them what they want?

Whoever is facing the customers must be empowered to solve their problems or at least have direct access to someone who can.

If the latter is an option for you and assuming you don’t have your own procedure on how to handle such situations, keep the following steps in mind: (1) Genuinely apologize for not being able to solve their issue. Pay close attention to your tone and your choice of words. Customers can’t read your face over the phone. (2) Explain to the customer honestly why the other person is more suited to solve their issue. (3) Assure the customer that they won’t need to repeat themselves to the other person by making sure that you explain the customer’s needs to your colleague or manager. Let them know that this is what you will do when you put them on hold. (4) Before transferring the customer to your colleague, ask if they prefer or feel more comfortable if you follow up with them at a later time so you can chase it internally from your end and update them in case it wasn’t solved. (5) Talk to your management to see how to avoid a similar problem from happening again to you or to other colleagues. Make suggestions when you approach management; it shows initiative. By using this approach, you show empathy for their situation and focus on ways moving forward even if you personally can’t solve their problem directly. This is much better than apologizing and hoping that the customer ends the call without proceeding to give your business negative publicity. Remember, you can’t stop people from getting angry but you can control how you handle it...and that’s just my two cents.

Q

We regularly receive complaints about our restaurant’s delivery staff. We can’t hire university graduates to deliver food so that customers are impressed and happy. How can we improve customers’ experiences without breaking our budget?

One of the basketball teams has an opening for one more player before the NBA season is about to start and for some reason they hired you. If you’ve never played the game except maybe in a video game, chances are your performance will be lousy and the fans will boo you off the court. Not much fun, is it? If the delivery staff you hire is not suitable for the job, it’s not entirely their fault. The best way to avoid employees making terrible mistakes is to hire the right people.

If your new delivery hire is not familiar with the areas you send him to or if he just got his driving license and is uncomfortable on the road, it’s not much of a surprise when customers call to complain about delivery delays. So the key here is to establish a standard of who fits and who doesn’t. That’s more important than affordability.

To become a taxi driver in London one must learn by heart all the ins and outs of 25,000 streets. Your standard may include area knowledge tests; physical shadowing while driving to see driving 90

style; language assessments; money handling techniques; health and safety; basic communication training about common situations, the brand, menus, and promos; and a business mobile phone line with a package so it doesn’t cost you much – there are good telecom deals; shop around. Find ways to pass all that information to your staff using pictures and recorded in-house videos in their languages.

Why? Because while it might be only food delivery, your customers see your entire business through that interaction, which will impact their decision on whether or not to order from you again...and that’s just my two cents.

Q

Since my daughter’s birth six years ago I’ve been out of touch with the corporate world. I now feel the need to work again but I don’t know where and how to start. Any tips?

The concerns for many employers hiring someone who’s not been working for a few years are mainly about issues like market knowledge, awareness of new technologies, connections, and the mental sharpness to pursue objectives. Your first goal is to show that you have all those areas under control. Once that’s done, call your old business contacts, friends, and family members to ask them for advice on where you can apply and to open doors if possible, but no matter what you say to them, don’t ask for a job where they work unless they offer. This is important for the sake of keeping your relationships strong and to avoid the awkwardness of being ‘nicely’ rejected by someone you know. It’s probably best not to work closely with friends or family; many people don’t know how to separate between work and private life.

If you have good experience in any field, shortlist a few companies you’re interested in and talk to HR about their current employees’ training needs. If any of it falls under your area of expertise, put together the material for a two-hour workshop and offer it to them as free training. The benefit of this approach is that it will gain you some new contacts and gives management a chance to see you in action or at least know of you. It’s also a good mental exercise for getting back into a working mood and momentum. Many shark species constantly move (even when sleeping) to breathe. When you spread the word about your comeback, update your knowledge, network, follow industry news and put yourself out there you will create enough energy to be considered for an interview...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.

BOSSINI

big boys toys Because grown men still need to play

ICYBREEZE AIR CONDITIONER COOLER

GARMIN APPROACH S6 GOLF WATCH

MEGA HAMMOCK

When it’s hot outside, coolers are a must-have to keep your drinks and fruit cold. But what about keeping yourself cooled off? The Icy Breeze Air Conditioner Cooler does both. Thanks to a builtin rechargeable battery and a powerful 3-speed fan, this ingenious invention takes cool air from inside the cooler and sends it in your direction using a stay-put hose and integrated vent. It also offers standard features like dual lift handles, a pull handle and large wheels for dragging it behind you, two cup holders built into the lid, and a drain. Whether you’re at the pool, the beach or the club, it’s an ideal summer companion.

Garmin, the brand best known for its in-car mapping systems, is set to make another major inroad into the wearable technology space with the introduction of a new golf analytics device. The new Approach S6 Golf watch by Garmin is like having a professional caddie on your wrist. The lightweight GPS watch will help you improve your swing and your handicap, the hi-resolution color touchscreen shows you your swing metrics such as tempo and speed, shows you full-color course views for over 30,000 International Courses, shows you shot distances, your score, and lets you know the pin’s location even if you can’t see it.

Hammocks are great – no one’s arguing against that – but when you try to pile a bunch of people into one, you start to run into some limitations: weight restrictions, friends flopping on top of each other. But the Mega Hammock is made for sharing with friends, capable of comfortably holding as many as three people. It’s made by an FAA-certified parachute rigger, and constructed from coated ripstop nylon, nylon thread, and durable webbing, so you know it’s made to hold plenty of weight. Each handmade hammock comes made-to-order, and can be customized in a range of sizes and colors.

Summer lounging may never be the same.

www.uncrate.com

www.werd.com

www.uncrate.com

ORBITKEY

ALEN 55 YACHT

LEGO BATMAN TUMBLER

After a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2013, the Orbitkey is now available for purchase. The stylish accessory, transforms your cluster of keys into a neatly organized stack, in your order of preference, allowing you to find the key needed without hassle. The clutter free key holder won’t rattle (it is truly silent), and protects your belongings such as smartphones from key scratches. Orbitkey caters for both minimalist and traditionalists, whether you have 3 keys or 9 keys, it will stay compact and organized and your keys will fit comfortably into any pocket or bag! Several styles are available to choose from and an optional USB key, screwdriver, and bottle opener are also available for purchase at the Orbitkey online store.

Spend your summer in style aboard the Alen 55 Yacht. Boasting a full composite body with an Airex core, this luxury boat is powered by a pair of 800hp Volvo engines, enough power to give it a cruising speed of 30 knots and a top speed of 35. On board, you’ll find a walk-around deck and deep bulwarks, an extending table that can seat up to 8, an open kitchen, a hidden, custom-made anchor mechanism, an aftersun bed, a hydraulic gangway, and an interior that can be customized to your requirements, including a large lounge area or a roomy master bedroom – but no matter what, you’ll find details like teak flooring, leather wall panels, and lacquered surfaces that give it a warm feeling even if you’re in cold waters.

As with any release in their Ultimate Collector Series, the Lego Batman Tumbler has been eagerly anticipated by Lego fanatics – fueled by rumors and plenty of speculation – but now the wait is (almost) over. Set for release this month, this massive set is made up of nearly 2,000 pieces, making it far bigger than any Tumbler set we’ve seen to date, measuring in at a staggering 15 by nine inches. In addition to this beautifully-realistic model, the lucky few who get their hands on one of these sets will also get two minifigs, Batman and The Joker, both modeled after the characters from the Dark Knight franchise. Big kids rejoice!

www.blessthisstuff.com

www.uncrate.com

www.uncrate.com

92

SOUK SHARQ

PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND OUR FUTURE

by Mohammed El Soukkary

My daughter is at that age where I am now being dragged along to her social events. Most recently, I was attending an iftar organized by her school to give the parents an opportunity to interact. The meal was as uneventful as one could hope, followed by coffee and dessert. Then all hell broke loose. The children, having consumed their fill of food drinks and sugar (although by the grace of God no caffeine), were unleashed upon the playground.

Watching the kids interact in the playground was the first time I can say that I witnessed the embodiment of the phrase “children are our future.” (It also gave me visual aids for the story Lord of the Flies).

The children, once they ascertained that the parents would be playing the role of observers and would not be interfering, hesitantly at first, began commandeering the plastic cars scattered about the playground and promptly proceeded to form a traffic jam. Arguments ensued, and it was quite fascinating to watch children ranging in age from three to six arguing about who had the right of way; at one point things heated up and one of the children kicked a car and was subsequently chased by two of the other kids, one of whom was wielding a plastic fork.

The sense of déjà vu was intense; I bear witness to variances of this scene between two to three times daily on the streets. The similarities in behavior were uncanny; no one teaches their children how to get into an argument, and the exact angle at which to lean forward order for the spittle to splatter the current antagonist’s face for instance, yet the children replicated the arguments I witness 94

on the street to a tee, down to the body language.

Children internalize and adopt our habits, and make them their own, and then grow with them.

It becomes an iterative process, which explains why each generation seems to become a more extreme version of the preceding one; more than our words it’s our behavior that ends up forming their behavioral patterns and molding them into the adults they will become.

As if that were not enough, we do not give teachers enough credit. The teachers of the youngest classes are those who lay the foundations of our children’s attitudes towards education. They deal with extremely curious, highly energized, absorbent, minds that have no prior experience with discipline or educational patterns. The children are easily distracted, quickly bored, and require constant attention. The teachers have to compete with highly interactive forms of entertainment that are specially designed to release dopamine into their little systems, whereas the lagging syllabi and educational systems across the globe still have trouble understanding why children get bored of staring at a blackboard all day.

It is a difficult job. Transmitting ideas, embedding a desire for education and nurturing a budding thirst for knowledge in a child, is no walk in the park. Doing the same thing for a class of children is exponentially more difficult. In comparison, university professors teach students who are there of their own free will, and who understand (theoretically) the importance and the value of the education they are receiving, but they would have a far more difficult time of it if those tasked with building the educational foundation did not perform their jobs.

In the professional world, we deal with a vast array of human beings, some of whom do not grasp the basics of social interaction. Teachers of young children however deal almost exclusively with mini human beings whose grasp of social dynamics is tenuous at best, and a large part of their job description is (allegedly) is to teach them these basic social skills, so they are not allowed to walk away in a huff and hide in their office.

We, as a society, need to realize the extent of the role that these early years have on our children’s future; psychologists have gone hoarse with shouting about being careful about what we teach our children in their early developmental years, and yet we stubbornly cling on to old fashioned educational tools that limit our teachers’ ability to engage with our children.

On the macro level, we should strive to attract highly skilled, highly qualified individuals to the position of educators of our youngest, and once they are there, provide them with the opportunity to contribute to the development of the field; succeeding in educational reform will strengthen the foundations of our developmental future.

On the micro level, each one of us should adopt behavioral patterns worthy of emulation instead of repeating packaged phrases that bear no weight on how we behave, for instance repeating the axiom ‘treat others as you would wish to be treated’ shortly before cutting off someone and wishing their entire family an unhappy afterlife.

The tandem approach might just help us raise a generation that will not only be more technologically developed than us, but also more socially advanced.

ATHLETE’S FOOT

THE GREAT

TACO HUNT by bazaar staff

It’s the shawarma of Mexico. A delicious nighttime snack found in many food carts around the world, but also served as a delicacy in the most elegant of restaurants. It is the taco. While the origins of this delightful treat are unknown, the word taco comes from Mexican miners who used to wrap dynamite in paper used to access the minerals below the surface. The actual history of the taco is a mystery, but the modern day version definitely makes a bang!

While many will tell you that the Middle East is wanting for Mexican food, we at bazaar beg to differ. We took one day to try all of the taco places in Kuwait we could find. We ordered a beef and chicken taco at six taco establishments, and our conclusion: a good taco is not hard to find. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen...the tacos of Kuwait.

SOLO TACOS

The name says it all, Solo (only) Tacos. This latest concept from the creators of Solo Pizza Napulitana focuses on bringing you a completely homemade taco, from meat to guacamole to tortilla. Every taco comes with deliciously seasoned meats (fish, chicken or beef) or even vegetables, a generous helping of guacamole and pico de gallo on a homemade tortilla. You can make your taco as you like it with their El “Blanco” Misterio sour cream sauce, or spice it up with their El “Mild” Macho, El “Spicy” Devil or El “Essa” Demon sauces. Careful with the last one, as fires in your mouth can ensue. At Solo Taco messiness is encouraged with an outdoor sink for customers.

Solo Tacos is located at Abdul Munum Riyyad St. AlHashimiya Building, Shop Number 10. For more information contact them at 2247 4748. check out their website at solotacoskuwait.com or follow them on Instagram and Twitter @solotacoskuwait.

EN MÉXICO

Situated just off the fourth ring road this cozy little Mexican joint, is fast gaining a reputation as the go-to place for Mexican cuisine in Kuwait. Their menu screams passion and experience in serving Latin American cuisine in a comfortable, yet chic atmosphere. The sit down atmosphere begs for a large party that shares the sides, but be warned, when going for tacos, make sure you get your own order.

The brisket taco is slow-cooked for hours until it’s falling apart, served up with caramelized onions and cheese in fresh corn tortillas and accompanied by rice and homemade frijoles (refried beans). The chicken taco was fresh and given an interesting twist with a topping of purple cabbage. Choose how you want it with delicious salsa and guacamole on the side.

En Mexico is located on Street 6, Block 1a in Jabriya. Phone 2535 3265, order through Talabat.com and connect with them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @enmexicokw.

96

MAMA LITA

Mama Lita is the brainchild of a Kuwaiti Mexican and a Mexican chef. The Mahboula restaurant is everything you could want in your local taco joint. Homemade crispy taco shells are just the beginning of their authentic taco experience. Both the chicken and beef tacos are made with shredded meat, a unique method in Kuwait, and at Mama Lita’s it’s all about the meat. It is always perfectly spiced, with no overpowering flavors.

Their tacos are simply garnished with incredible pico de gallo and a perfect spritz of lemon, and you can make them as spicy as you like with their side of taco sauce. Best of all, their night hours make them the perfect late night snack.

Mama Lita is located on Street 10, Block 1 in Mahboula. Contact them on 9696 8333, order through Talabat.com or connect with them on Instagram @litamexicanfood.

AZTECA

At AZTECA, as in Mexico, they only use soft corn tortillas, they come with a choice of red or green salsa, and have a filling to suit everybody – marinated beef tenderloin, house made beef chorizo, cheese, beer-battered fish or shrimp, to name a few. Our team tried the beef and chicken tacos, and we were not disappointed. The meat was deliciously spiced. So much so, we were picking falling meat off the plate.

The soft tacos come with two kinds of garnish onions. The delicious pickled onions give an amazing kick to any type of taco, while the caramelized onions give it a wonderful balance of sweet and savory. Every taco comes with a side of rice with tomato sauce and vegetables.

AZTECA is located in The Village, Abu Hassaniah. For more information visit their website www.restaurant-azteca.com or call 2390 7546 for reservations.

ROWDY TACO

The first thing you will notice about Rowdy Taco, is their commitment to a fun atmosphere and overall cheeky-playfulness that is no doubt synonymous with the brand itself.

For their classic tacos they offer 13 different versions of which you can mix and match until your heart’s content. From ground beef, shredded beef, brisket and lamb (both of which are slow roasted for 18 hours!), chicken, fish, shrimp, and vegetarian options, you will have enough to switch it up with each visit. The Baja shrimp was a delicious take, with its creamy Baja sauce as well as fresh cut cabbage for texture. The fish taco as well deserves some attention here for the Baja-feel.

Rowdy Taco is currently closed and moving to a new location soon. Keep updated on Facebook: RowdyQ8 and on Twitter and Instagram @Rowdytacoq8.

TACO BELL

It is the largest taco based restaurant in the world, yet when Glen Bell decided to start the little taco stand Taco Tia, he didn’t know it would become a global icon for the Mexican favorite. The franchise started in 1962 in California and has now exploded with more than 6,500 locations and over 2 billion customers around the world. The franchise has gained popularity with their hard shell taco filled with delicious meats, melted chedder cheese and fresh lettuce and tomatoes. Taco Bell has also made its mark with four types of hard taco shells. Their ranch, cheddar and fiery shells offer a special kick to the old favorite.

Taco Bell can be found in The Avenues Mall, Al Shaab, Abu Halifa and Kaifan Mall. Call 183 4040, order through Talabat.com or visit en.tacobell.com.kw. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @TacoBellKuwait.

97

Q&A: JERRY SEINFELD

On ‘Single Shots,’ ‘Seinfeld’ and more!

by Whitney Matheson

Sometimes one cup of coffee isn’t enough.

That’s the thinking behind Jerry Seinfeld’s new project, a spinoff of his popular web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Single Shots, at comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com and on Crackle, offers previously unseen footage in fastpaced, one- to three-minute nuggets.

Tina Fey, Larry David, Chris Rock, Mel Brooks and Howard Stern are among the funny folks who pop up in the Single Shots mini-sodes, which debuted last month in the US. Recently Jerry called me from his Long Island, N.Y., home to talk about “Single Shots.” I also asked him about Seinfeld’s 25th anniversary, Comic-Con and, frankly, whether it’s OK to use an iPad on the toilet.

Q. I like the description of Single Shots, which is, “You asked for more, we give you less!” Why did you decide to do these mini-episodes?

A. Somebody convinced me — actually, it was Barry Sonnenfeld, who has directed the commercials that are attached to Comedians in Cars. We were sitting around one night having a 98

cigar, and he said, “So how much material do you have of these interviews? It was many, many hours.

Obviously, the shows are short, so I have all this other stuff that I don’t include, mostly because I’m trying to get a certain flow to each little episode.

So he says, “Why don’t you do something with that?” We came up with this, and we’ll see if it’s something that people like. It was kind of fun to suddenly realize, “Hey, I’ve kind of accumulated a big vault of good stuff that no one has ever seen.”

We’re just playing with it.

Q. How much do you prepare for these conversations? Do you have certain topics you want to touch upon?

A. Oh, no. I don’t prepare anything. That would be like a real interview. I’m not looking for an interview on these things, you know? I’m kind of trying to see if I can make something happen that feels authentic.

Somebody once said that you feel like you’re hanging out with friends (while watching). You never feel that when you watch a talk show because all the artifice.

The less preparation, the better.

It is really what it is – which is an expression I

hate – it is me, just picking someone up and going for a cup of coffee.

Q. Since so many people watch your series on phones or iPads, I’m curious: What is your stance on using mobile devices in the bathroom?

A. I would say it’s not OK if other people are also going to be using that device. And I would also say it’s not OK if there’s going to be any sound coming out of the device from behind a closed bathroom door; I think that’s creepy.

Q. Do you do it yourself?

A. No, I do not.

Q. I’m sorry, that’s kind of a personal question.

A. That’s OK, I like personal questions. (Laughs) Q. Is it too early to know who the guests will be for season five?

A. I do know some of them, but I haven’t told them yet, so I can’t really tell you.

Q. That’s fair. Part of the reason I’m asking is because I know Woody Allen just did a podcast.

I’m hoping that means there’s an increased likelihood he could be on your show.

A. Yeah, that’s a possibility. I don’t know if he knows about it or would like to do it, but maybe.

(Pauses) What do you think about me having people on the show that are not technically comedians?

Q. I like that idea.

A. You like that idea?

Q. I do. I think if you have an interest in the person, then I’m interested in watching. I mean, I don’t want you to bring on some idiot pop star that you don’t care about. But anybody you do – well, what do you think about it?

A. I don’t know. I mean, the way a series works is you have to constantly alter the formula, but you also have to constantly respect certain things in the formula of the show. For example, we would never have let you see really what Kramer’s apartment looked like. But we knew that we could take you in there and show you him having set up the Merv Griffin set. We knew we could get away with that.

So you make up these rules, you know? But you’ve gotta know which rules to break and which rules to respect. That’s kind of the puzzle of doing a series.

Q. I’ve read several stories in the last few weeks about the 25th anniversary of Seinfeld. Does that milestone mean anything to you?

A. No. You could make up any number of anniversaries. It’s a good excuse to write stuff, and I was very flattered that people wrote so many nice things.

Q. Are there any past Comedians in Cars guests you’d like to have on again?

A. We did have a discussion the other day of doing Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee “all-stars” and going back to revisit a few of our favorites.

There are certain people – Larry David, Alec Baldwin – every time I’m with them, it’s an episode.

UP TO

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1st Avenue – The Avenues

OBNOXIOUS PASSENGERS

by Ayman Nassar

Choice is a figment of our imagination. As humans we are born to believe that we have the power to choose whatever we wish. The difficult reality to accept however is that our lives are predetermined, we do not have as much control over our lives as we think we do.

With the travel season and summer behind us, we dream of future exotic destinations, both amazing and breathtaking! However, take heed that choice plays an important factor in travel and leisure.

These days you can often choose your seat prior to check in. Most people prefer window, some people prefer aisle, and the indifferent ones are stuck in the middle, literally! (Remember it is common courtesy to offer these unfortunate souls both arm rests given their precarious placement!).

However, what you cannot choose, and what is most often forced upon you as a solo traveler in a stroke of abysmal luck, is your neighbor for the duration of your flight.

Picture if you will the following; on a regular flight on a regular day, a most irregular event took place. It started off normally, with the aisle and middle seats occupied (with me on the aisle) and passenger X in the middle. We awaited the coming of the window seat passenger; the last toe in our row of tic-tac.

It started off innocently enough, with a how do you do and are you heading home for business or 100

pleasure. However within minutes the conversation became invasive, intrusive and down-right appalling.

At first I was his tech support, as he had a few inquiries regarding Instagram and likes. Later I was his business advisor as he attempted to comprehend the ins-and-outs of starting up a business (which took me 4 years to understand) on a 3 hour flight.

The usual question of what do you do for a living was followed by how much do you make? A question I would not answer if the inquirer were my best friend, let alone a stranger! It did not get any better after that, the next barrage of questions turned out even more violating than the previous; with questions such as if you are taking a leave of 3 weeks that must mean you are dispensable to your company, correct? Upon hearing I was heading to get married, he further inquired, well why do you need 3 weeks? You should be done in 2 days. I looked the other way and took to typing up this strange encounter furiously on my phone. “And why are you typing on your phone in English? You should be typing in Arabic,” as he read over my shoulder! The act of plugging in my earphones led to even more questions, more so followed when I pretended to sleep! “Why are you sleeping? Are you tired?”

For the duration of the flight, he took turns exercising his neck and vocal cords by asking

me questions to his left, and the window-seat passenger questions on his right. I had to subtly get rid of him. But I liked my seat too much as I always selected it for sentimental value. A quick scan of the seats behind us revealed several open options, and I was able to cleverly get him to move.

Having thought I’d seen the last of him, I rejoiced with the window passenger, who was a step away from tossing him out of her window.

Upon landing however, and as the plane was taxiing (with the fasten your seat belt sign ON) he decided to move back to his original seat, as the plane was still moving!

By that time, all sense of civility was lost on me, as I was hitting back with the most ruthless responses I could think of. He again pried into who me and the other passenger were calling, she responded by berating him. He asked who I was calling and whether I needed a ride home, I told him I would much rather walk to my house than spend another minute in his presence.

At immigration, after finally managing to give him the slip, I was consoled by several passengers that took pity on my plight.

Therefore, be cautious as you board the plane to your future vacation destinations; perform a quick survey of empty seats for escape routes, and pack a pair of ear plugs (or a mouth gag just in case)!

SOCIETY

bazaar industry

HOW TO DO YOUR OWN PR

by Dave Llorens and Ashley Seashore

There’s a lot of misinformation surrounding public relations. Yes, it can be expensive, timeconsuming, and it can all go horribly wrong if you’re not smart about it. But, if you do it right, more people will learn about your company, and those folks are more likely to buy your products or services. PR is something anyone can do, you just have to keep your head on straight and use your common sense. If you have news to tell, there’s no reason you can’t tell it yourself.

Here’s everything you need to know about PR to do the basics yourself: Public relations is a term that gets tossed around often with different assumed meanings, so let’s take a second to clarify what we mean

by PR. To us, PR is the active maintenance of the perception and relationship between your company and the public. To further clarify what we mean, here are some examples of when a business should use PR as a strategy: You have recently opened a cute, fancy cupcake place and you want to get the word out. You could pass out some flyers and hope from a few good reviews, or you could invite a reporter for the lifestyle section of your local paper to drop by for a tour and a tasting. Or, even better, you can wrangle a local news crew to film a local business story at your mediagenic shop.

You have a software company and your product is finally ready for launch. You want publicity so that you can get some users to download what you’ve worked so hard on.

A competitor opens up next door and they’re getting all the attention. You need to make sure that any mention of them includes a mention of you as well.

GROUND RULES If you want to get press for the sake of getting press, you’re going to have a hard time. Reporters need news. Why? Because that’s what their readers need.

First rule: Have news.

Second rule: Don’t assume you’re going to get an article a week. Reporters are busy, no matter what publication they write for. They will write about you if you have a good story and if it supports their area of focus, but many won’t, or can’t, actually write about you every time you want them to.

Pick your best feature and pick the best timing.

Your grand opening, company milestones, a huge customer win, funding, and launches are all good news hooks, but you need to be able to follow each of those up with a full narrative. You’re opening a gym? Great! Why? Is there a positive impact on the community? Do you have a great flab-to-fit story?

Use it, love it and own it.

Third rule: PR means potentially opening yourself up to attention and opinions you have no control 102

over, and you need to be ready for that.

There are plenty more rules to consider like spell checking your emails and press releases, scoping out your network for people who know people in media, and being respectful of everyone’s time.

But if you keep the previous three in mind, you will be off to a good start. And you can always default to the golden rule: put yourself in the reporters’ shoes and things will go more smoothly.

BE YOUR OWN PR AGENT If DIY is your destiny, here’s what to do: First, consider what the news is. Write down, very simply, what your news is and a very short (three to five bullets) list of the specific points you want to communicate to support your news.

This list should include: - Why the news matters to anyone reading a story about your business - What makes you the best option?

- Why anyone should care?

The hidden purpose of this short list is to be your guide through a conversation with a reporter.

You don’t get to write the articles yourself or choose the quotes that will be used. This is all done through the ears and mind of another person, so you’ll only have a few opportunities to get your talking points and quotes to stick in their head.

Next, use your list to write your pitch. Don’t put all the information in it, just enough to tease the reporter to take an interview with you. Don’t market to the media – they hate that.

The best qualities in a pitch are: it’s humble, accessible, relevant, to the point/concise, and, most importantly, it’s informative. Once you have your pitch, you need to figure out who the relevant journalists are and get their contact info. Finding out who is relevant is actually easy, but it does take some time and effort. Read, read, read, and then read some more. After a while, you’ll see who the major players are in the conversation – those are your reporters.

Now you need their contact info, and you can find this in a couple of ways. First, you can check the online masthead for contact info or call the main number to see if they will provide an email address.

Alternatively, find a friend in PR and ask them if they have contact info. Or check Google or LinkedIn. Finally, send out your pitch. Chances are you’ll need to follow up. The best way is to reply to the original pitch with added detail or insight – essentially, another valuable piece of information that might pique the reporter’s interest. It’s a delicate juggle of being persistent and polite, but not pushy.

A FEW CAUTIONARY NOTES IF YOU DECIDE TO TACKLE THIS YOURSELF Always assume you are on the record, even if someone says this is off the record. Never, ever say something with a journalist in the room that you would not want written in print. This is a simple rule of thumb that will serve you well. If you tend to choke in situations when asked direct or difficult questions or you just don’t perform well in front of the camera, consider having another person in the company who performs better take the interview, or pay someone specifically for media training for yourself.

Be interesting and be engaged. Let your excitement about your own business flow through and be palpably felt by the journalist. No need to jump on couches or anything – keep your energy at the same level as you would if you were talking to a customer.

Lastly, maintain your relationship with any reporters you talk to, whether they write about you or not. Don’t be annoying, but forward them relevant and interesting information in your space so they know that they can call you if they need a quote. Coverage tends to turn into more coverage if you do this properly.

Writers: Dave Llorens is a co-founder and CEO of 60-Day MBA, an online boot-camp that teaches everyday folks how to start a small business. Ashley Seashore is a director at Nectar Communications.

BHS

DOPPIO

Why your fit fine self should try these fit fine pizzas…

Reshmi Revi

French poet Joseph Delteil once deliciously quipped, “Eat with the fingers, drink with the nose.” There’s nothing more rustic than partaking in a lush food fare with your sensory receptors yummily aware of the feast in front of you. This was fortunately the case for me when I visited Doppio, an Italian Pizzeria and Friggitoria housed in the exclusive M2 Level at Salhiya Complex in downtown Kuwait City.

The brainchild of Amr Al-Refai who’s also responsible for Solo Pizza Napolitana, ‘Doppio’ means double in Italian, a double entendre on this establishment which not only serves up signature pizzas, but also unique street food found only at ‘friggitoria’ shops in Napoli.

The layout of Doppio, like the other stylish restaurants in the Mezzanine 2 Level of Salhiya, nostalgically conjures up memories of sampling awesome grub on my many travels (yes, us fitness geeks do love our food!). Closing my eyes and listening to the din of chatter with mouthwatering smells wafting amidst the chaos, it brought back fond memories of the food markets of El Campello in Alicante, Spain but with a hint of panache thrown in the mix (it is Salhiya after all).

As the restaurant is still in its third month softopening phase, the menu is small (I was assured by our maître d’ that more items will be added soon) yet every dish has been elegantly designed to stimulate one’s tastebuds.

I know what you’re thinking. How can one eat clean at a pizzeria?

As a personal trainer, I do advocate to my clients that they should eat carbohydrates. Not just the leafy kind but also some good ol’ starch.

Consuming less than 50g of carbohydrates a day tends to stress your adrenal system, tax your liver if you’re eating habits aren’t on point, and doesn’t give you the mental focus one needs. Sure, in the short run, a low-carb diet might work wonders, but your body at the end of the day needs glucose to function, to control your appetite, to enhance your athletic performance and to basically put you in a happy state of mind. According to caloriecount.com, an average slice of pizza will give you about 21.3g of carbs per slice. So mabrook, you can have that in moderation and preferably post workout!

Coming back to Doppio, to be honest, I’m not a big fan of pizza, however a couple of things I loved about this restaurant and would come back for seconds were: • The dough was soft, light to the touch with a hint of “chew” factor to it. I didn’t feel heavy or lethargic after consuming it and ended up hitting my second workout with much gusto later on that night.

• The ingredients are sourced fresh directly from Italy; from the San Marzano tomatoes to their buffalo mozzarella. Why, even their pizza oven is an authentic wood-fired brick oven all the way from, 104

you guessed it, Napoli.

• The staff are super accommodating in helping you with your food choices and modifying them to suit your lifestyle. The pizzas here are light, crisp and tasty, but bear in mind when this review went down, I was 7 weeks out from competing from the Arnold Amateur Europe in Spain and hence my nutrition is somewhat strict and killing.

My personal favorites at Doppio were: The Caprese salad. Layers of thickly sliced Italian buffalo mozzarella adorn this dish with baby cherry tomatoes drizzled in a basil pesto. Because buffalo mozzarella has quite a bit of fat, I was able to swap out the basil pesto (pesto is usually made from pine nuts and olive oil so this dish for a salad can be quite high in fat especially for a salad) for a drizzle of balsamic vinegar instead (balsamic is lower in calories and helps stabilize blood pressure and cholesterol).

Via Tribunali. A garlic bread appetizer, the bread in this dish was light and spongy with fior di latte mozzarella, fresh garlic, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil (evoo) laden in-between. Fior di latte, is one of the most sought-after mozzarella cheeses which, in Italian, brings forth the meaning ‘the flower of milk’ and made surprisingly from fresh cow’s milk and not buffalo. Again as a health tip, you can always ask the staff to kindly omit the parmesan and to go easy on the oil.

Amadeo. Now when it comes to wood fire pizzas, I opted for their daily special as opposed to the six yummy ones they currently feature on their menu. Dubbed the Amadeo, my pizza was a white based pizza (again you can ask them to go easy on the sauce and cheese) with caramelized onions, fresh basil and scrumptious shavings of lean turkey on top. Starchy carbs and lean protein.

Simple and oh-so gratifying.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Doppio. Made with basic fresh ingredients and a whole lot of love, Doppio’s culinary concoctions are a definite hit with Ktowners as this dining establishment is often packed with people. As a side note, I would advocate either calling ahead to see if it’s possible to book a table, or coming at not so peak-times cause you could end up waiting a while before sampling a bite. #wellworthitiassureyou Doppio Pizzeria E Friggitoria Napulitana is located on the Mezzanine 2 Level at Salhiya Complex, Kuwait City. Opening hours are 1pm-10.30pm. You can follow them on Instagram @doppiopfn, phone 2245 1511 or visit their website: www.doppiopfn.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.

TAIBA

KITESTRING

Could this app save your life?

by Sarah Griffiths

In an age where more people live on their own and it’s normal to meet total strangers for a date, it can be reassuring to be checked up on.

Instead of relying on friends or protective parents to check up on your whereabouts, a new service can send you with a text message to check you are safe instead.

Kitestring sends a user’s emergency contacts a text message if they do not reply to a ‘check in’ message on their phone.

The free service uses text messages so it can be used by people without a smartphone and in areas without an internet connection.

It was invented by Stephan Boyer, in San Francisco to keep his girlfriend safe.

The 23-year old MIT computer science graduate told Elle.com: ‘My girlfriend, who lives in a dangerous neighborhood in San Francisco, called to ask me to check up on her as she was walking home from work one day.

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‘I wondered if there might be an app or service that could offer a little extra safety for her when she goes out at night.’

Anyone wanting to use the service can set up an account on Kitestring’s website, where they enter their phone number plus an emergency contact, as well as writing an alert message which will be sent to their chosen contact when needed.

To use the service, people schedule a time and date for when they plan to be out and estimate how long they will be.

They can text Kitestring a duration like ‘45m’ to start a trip, for example, or click on options on the company’s website.

When that time has passed, Kitestring sends a text message asking for confirmation that the person is safe.

Users can extend a trip by testing ‘ETA 15m’ for example, to receive another text 15 minutes later, or can start another new trip if they expect to later

than an hour after they originally said.

Their emergency contact or contacts are alerted with a distress message if the service doesn’t hear back from a user within five minutes of checking up on them with a text message.

This time frame can be altered by premium users who pay an extra fee for multiple emergency contacts and other extras. But if someone’s phone battery runs flat, contacts will still be notified, which could cause unnecessary panic.

This is because the ‘notifications system runs on our servers and does not depend on your phone being available,’ the company says.

Because the service works using text messages, it makes itself useable by more people than previous ‘safecall’ apps for smartphones, which often rely on an internet connection and GPS. Kitestring works in 217 countries, which could also make it handy for backpackers and other holidaymakers exploring a new area on their own.

Source: The Daily Mail

CENTREPOINT

HEART MATTERS Continuing the ‘giving’ journey with OXIndia

by Nora Al-Ruwaished

“Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same – with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead.”

– Mother Theresa.

Every now and then in life, your heart screams so loudly that your brain cannot ignore what it asks of you. An inner voice you may not even know you had, becomes so loud that it drowns out the noise of other’s doubts, criticism, and disapproval. It shakes you from your sleep and consumes you while you are awake, seeming to guide you relentlessly in the direction it seeks. You begin to think you may be going crazy, and just when that happens, you come to the conclusion that this is the path you are meant to follow, risky or not. Try as you may, but it is usually impossible to understand what is driving this desire or dream, though some may call it destiny, fate or passion. At this time in life, there are two choices.

Either you listen and take a chance, or silence it and 108

become forever haunted by the worst question of all in life – “What if?”

The voice of humanity, the call to make a change, the desire to seek all that this world has to offer while sharing the gifts we have been blessed with, others that do not have anything at all – these are the building blocks of OXadventure. The Kuwaiti based non-profit organization, OXadventure, removes the youth from their comfort zones to complete charitable works abroad and experience adventures of a lifetime while gaining college credits or creating opportunities to meet new friends with a similar mindset.

The founders are a duo: an ex-engineer turnedtravel-photographer and filmmaker who found his passion, and a travel writer with a degree in Mass Communications who always knew that she would find a way to follow her heart. It was one of those heart’s desires that could not and should not have been ignored, and though the battle was emotional

and exhausting, the product was life changing, inspirational and rewarding. It was so for the founders, the participants, the followers and the beneficiaries of the cause.

This summer in Bangalore, India, the OXadventure vision and dream became a reality that shook humans of the world in different ways on entirely different continents. More importantly, it left a mark on the souls of those who were involved in the project – both beneficiaries and volunteers, and it changed the world and improved the lives for generations of children to come who may have never received better living conditions otherwise.

The OXIndia project consisted of a team of ten volunteers, two staff members from Gulf University of Science and Technology (GUST) and two staff members from OXadventure. While the project was the first of its kind for GUST, the feedback was just as positive from the organizers in GUST as the volunteers. “We wanted the students to step

out of the classroom and gain some valuable life experience. This trip was a great opportunity for them to develop their teamwork skills, produce media materials, and gain confidence. Most importantly they were able to give back something to society by helping others,” commented Dr. Fahed Al-Summait who runs the Mass Communications and Media Department at GUST. “Our students and volunteers worked extremely hard in the short time they were in India and they came back with fresh perspectives on the world. They even continued to do charity work as soon as they returned to Kuwait and we hope that they will do even more in the future. They are certainly worthy ambassadors of our university, our country, and their generation,” said Dr. Summait.

The goal of the project was to complete the construction of an orphanage dormitory for atrisk children in an Eco-Residential school in rural Bangalore. After ten days of sweat, no air

conditioning, Internet or hot showers and a diet full of white rice, the dormitory was complete and the hard work paid off. What the volunteers left behind was a shelter for years to come for children who in most cases do not have families or even a decent pair of shoes. Also, a library was built in collaboration with Q8 Books and a tree planting ceremony was commenced, along with purchasing a cow for the community. What they walked away with was “Not just eye-opening, it was life changing,” according to volunteer Ahmed Al-Refai.

Ahmed, a recent graduate, did not come for the three-credit internship, but for a different reason entirely. “I believe that we, as citizens of this world, don’t have to be part of a country, place or race to help others and share. I believe that as long as we have, then we must share; a little or a lot.

Once we do that, I assure you, this world will be a better place,” said Ahmed. He has admitted to finding himself through his travels, especially

OXindia, and has hopes to follow in the footsteps of the OXadventure founders and enter the world of humanitarian work himself.

To hear about poverty on an intellectual level and through media is entirely different than living the reality of an impoverished life. Not only does it open your eyes, it opens your heart to the reality that there are people smiling all around the world even though they may not have shoes or fresh drinking water. When you see it yourself, you cannot help but wonder what the secret is. Living in a society such as Kuwait, we often replace greed and desire for monetary value and tangible things instead of simplicity and appreciation, which leads to ultimate happiness. Once given a taste of happiness that giving can produce, it is difficult to comprehend how you ever sought it in any other way.

Nasser Al-Naama is one of the international volunteers from Qatar who did not want to fall for the all too familiar trap of going on a [continued...]

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[...continued] selfish vacation. “This trip was very much about self-introspection and learning as much as it was about doing good – I wanted to see the lengths I would go to help others without expecting anything in return or stroking my own ego,” said Nasser. He believes that only when one is physically present then they can truly understand the gravity of poverty, and he was humbled by how, instead of seeing misery and anguish on their faces, he saw pure joy and contentment that is not attributed to material wealth.

Venturing out of one’s comfort zone can be terrifying, but Lujain Al-Hasawi took the risk. She admitted to being unsure she would be mentally or physically cut out for the trip, but she went anyways.

“I went on an unexpected trip with complete strangers and I came back a different person with a new perspective on life. The things that keep a smile on my face now are not the tangible things but the joy of creating another person’s happiness – the smile on the kids’ faces, the kind-hearted locals, they all made me realize how much I have mistaken my own happiness,” said Lujain. Lujain speaks to all of us when she mentions mistaken 110

happiness, and this enlightenment is one of the main goals of OXadventure projects.

Since I can remember, I have always heard the phrase, “Life isn’t fair.” To accept that without trying everything in your power to make it false is giving up on being a decent human being. There is so much to be done in the world, and I urge those who have the capability to do so, to get their hands dirty and do their part. If the roles were reversed, you would hope that those in your position had the heart to share something, even something as small as a smile.

“Volunteerism is no longer an option but rather an ongoing process of eradicating the disproportionate ratio of wealth in the world,” said Nasser.

OXadventure will continue their journey with a new team to Rwanda (OXRwanda), in which the team will restore four homes for families who survived the tragic genocide in 1994. They will build a library in a primary school in a village in collaboration with Q8 Books, and they will deliver 22 laptops in which they collected and repaired to give to less-fortunate university students. Travel to give, my friends, and you will find the greatest adventure and joy this world has to offer.

Special thanks to Dr. Fahed Alsummait, Dr. Raghad Alkathmi and Dr. Osama Alhares from GUST University for making this happen so quickly and perfectly. Of course, we are eternally grateful to our annual partners, Ooredoo, who have made our projects and sustainability possible. You are all believers in the dreamers and OXindia proves that the dreamers are now doers. Finally, thank you Q8 Books, for the donation of the books and the shelves.

Oxadventure is accepting applications for OXNepal which will take place from October 2-12, 2014. It involves two days restoring a school and putting together a library, while the rest of the trip will be spent trekking and camping in the Himalayas and doing yoga each morning and evening. For details and prices visit www.oxadventure.com/oxnepal.

For more details about Oxadventure you can visit their website, www.oxadventure.com, Facebook: Oxadventure or Instagram @oxadventure or alternatively phone them on 9607 8844.

Images courtesy of Saud Al-Juwaiyan.

FANTASY WORLD

TORY BURCH

How she built a USD 1billion brand so quickly

by Jeff Chu

“This is so nerve-racking,” Tory Burch said as she waited to deliver her commencement address at Babson College in May. As she stood in a saunalike dance studio-turned-dressing room that stank of accumulated sweat – it could have used a Tory Burch candle or two – she fiddled with the hair clips holding her mortarboard in place, and she flipped through cards containing her speech. “Did you see the size of that tent?”

A few minutes later, in the tent where the commencement ceremony was held, Burch spoke to the graduates about a virtue that her late father, Buddy Robinson, emphasized: patience. “We may live in an age of instant messaging, instant gratification, and Instagram,” she said. “There are many things you can do overnight. You can write a decent paper. You can put the finishing touches on a runway show. I hear you can even have a pretty good time at Roger’s Pub,” a famed watering hole among Babson undergrads. “But there is no such thing as an overnight success. It’s a myth that glosses over what being an entrepreneur is all about.”

Tory Burch has blossomed into a global lifestyle brand more quickly than any other in the last decade. This year, it will pass USD 1 billion in revenue for the first time. Burch has built her empire so quickly by shrewdly focusing on going slow, with patience as a surprising, core company value. “We have a long-term vision,” she says. “It’s not as if everything came so easy. It’s been years of successes – and sometimes not.”

Burch has always had big ambitions, but she didn’t have a master plan at the brand’s genesis.

“It’s not like I said I wanted to do a lifestyle brand immediately. It was organic. It became that. I just knew I wanted it all to be different from what was on the market. And when I was personally missing things, it wasn’t just one category. It was the ballet flats. It was a caftan. It was a bathing suit. So it became a lifestyle concept. Back then, the term wasn’t being used a lot – or maybe it was, and I didn’t know,” Burch says. “Now I don’t like it, in fact.”

Burch mapped out 12 categories that would eventually form the universe of her brand. The company has systematically expanded into them, but even today, several categories remain underdeveloped, including jewelry, swimwear, and home. Burch says she’ll get to them all someday. “I often say it’s like a lab,” she says of her company. “We test.” When she’s prepared to try a new category, she’ll usually tiptoe in with a few products. “That gives us the opportunity to learn,” Tory Burch president Brigitte Kleine explains.

“We apply our patient mentality – and then eventually we launch.”

Or sometimes they don’t. Eight years ago, Burch designed onesies and kid-size tunics, testing the childrenswear market. Customers wanted it, she says, “and I like kids!” Her design team quickly learned how much they didn’t know. “We were 112

taking some of our adult styles and scaling them down, and we were having fun,” Kleine says. “But there are a lot of restrictions on kids, because of all the safety regulations. You really need a team that understands everything from the design to the merchandising to the production.” Still, she adds, “we will go back into children’s one day.”

Often, patience means declining potentially lucrative opportunities. For instance, “we’ve said no to a lot of stores internationally, especially in China,” says Lydia Forstmann, who oversees the company’s Asian business. “We could have gone for store count, but we’ve waited for the right brand adjacencies, the malls in what we consider the right locations, and the good landlords. Some people have said, ‘You’re late to the market!’ And maybe we have: Sometimes it feels like we’re playing catch-up. But it takes time to build the right relationships.”

That’s true, too, with Burch’s philanthropy, which was always part of her business plan. (Her brother, Robert Isen, recalls Burch saying years ago, “I want to start a company so that we can one day start a foundation.”) She’s candid enough to confess that, at first, she just wanted her work to help somebody; she didn’t know who or where or how.

She thought about poor children. She considered -and visited – Haiti. Finally, she settled on what she knew – women entrepreneurs – and their struggles with access to capital, mentoring, and networks.

Since starting the Tory Burch Foundation five years ago, Burch has systematically sought out like-minded partners to amplify the work, including the not-for-profit Accion and Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Women initiative. Earlier this year, her foundation announced a joint venture with Bank of America called Elizabeth Street Capital. It will

offer education, financing, and networking support to aspiring Tory Burches in various sectors. Most importantly, it will provide scale that Burch’s company couldn’t quickly build on its own.

“Tory was never one to look at the clock,” Hayley Boesky, a close friend who was also one of her college roommates at Penn, says. “It’s always been about the optimal output, not about the time.”

“We’re not in a rush,” Burch told me. “I really do feel like we’re just starting out. It’s not about achieving a particular goal. I love this journey.”

At a recent staff town-hall meeting, she offered context for that. One sign of the company’s success: There’s no longer a space at headquarters large enough for everyone to gather. So she bused everyone to Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History. The auditorium had been Tory-fied: Waist-high Chinese-porcelain vases overflowed with branches heavy with white blossoms – from the orange tree, of course.

It’s typically Tory to put a new spin on an old inspiration. Toward the end of the town hall, after thanking everyone for their contributions, she shared her favorite poem, “Ithaka,” by the Greek-Egyptian writer Constantine Cavafy. In “Ithaka,” an unnamed narrator offers perspective to the Homeric warrior Odysseus, as he continues his long, homeward journey.

It seems an appropriate choice: grandly ambitious yet deeply personal. Odysseus, of course, battled unexpected foes and suffered betrayals. But he was also canny. He benefited from a little magic and the occasional divine blessing. History remembers him as a hero. “But do not hurry the voyage/It is better to let it last for long years,” the poem says. “And even to anchor at the isle when you are old, rich with all that you have gained on the way.”

‫‪CANNON‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﺘﺠﺎﺕ " ﻛﺎﻧﻮﻥ" )ﺍﻟﻌﻼﻣﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﺠﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ( ﺗﻀﻴﻒ ﻟﻤﺴﺔ ﺃﻧﻴﻘﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﻨﺎﺯﻟﻜﻢ ﻣﻤﺰﻭﺟﺔ ﺑﺠﻮﺩﺓ ﺗﻤﻴﺰ ﺃﺟﻤﻞ ﻟﺤﻈﺎﺕ ﺍﻷﺳﺮﺓ‪.‬‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺪﻳﺒﺎﺟﺎﺕ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﺒﻄﺎﻧﻴﺎﺕ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﺸﺮﺍﺷﻒ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﻔﻮﻁ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﻤﺨﺪﺍﺕ‪ ،‬ﺍﻛﺴﺴﻮﺍﺭﺍﺕ ﺍﻟﺤﻤﺎﻡ‪ ،‬ﺍﻷﺭﻭﺍﺏ ﻭﻏﻴﺮﻫﺎ ﺍﻟﻜﺜﻴﺮ ﺳﺘﺠﺪﻭﻧﻪ ﺗﺤﺖ ﺳﻘﻒ ﺍﻟﻌﻼﻣﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﺠﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﻳﺜﻖ ﺑﻬﺎ ﺁﻻﻑ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﻴﻦ‪.‬‬

‘BOYHOOD’

Linklater’s crowning achievement as a filmmaker

by Roger Moore

It started as “a narrative problem,” writerdirector Richard Linklater says. “How do you tell a story, with actors, over a long period of time? You can’t recast it when you’re catching up with somebody, year by year. The change in appearance would be too abrupt.”

He wanted to follow a child from first grade to college enrollment, “and I was stuck with the limitation of the physical appearance of whatever young actor I had.”

His solution is Boyhood, the most acclaimed film of the year, a movie that uses the same actors – children and adults – over 12 years of filming just a few days each year, telling a story of one Texas family and one boy. “It may be years before anyone works up the gumption to match its achievement,” critic A.A. Dowd said of Boyhood. And that’s almost certainly true.

Linklater, who turned 54 last July, is best known for such talky and thoughtful films as Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, another long-term project following a couple (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) through a budding romance, a courtship and eventually years into a marriage that’s in trouble. To say the filmmaker, who got his start as an indie classic Slacker, is a patient man would be an understatement.

“Cinema makes you patient,” he says.

“Sometimes it takes 10 years for a film you want to make to come together. That’s not unusual. But in this case, it was fun to have a life project that was taking just a chunk of time every year. I had to have my artistic antenna out, thinking about this movie, all year long, every year. Parenting, growing up, all these things that are part of life I was paying more attention to, because of this film I was making.”

And he would be taking a sensitive, introspective little boy along for the ride. Ellar Coltrane, now 19, went through “multiple auditions” as a 6-year-old, trying to land this role. He, and his director, got lucky.

“Ellar’s a lot like he is at the end of the film,” Linklater says of his star. “That’s Ellar, sitting at the top of a mountain, observing, taking it all in. That wasn’t him – Mason (his character) – at the beginning of the film. But even so, there were days, every year, where I was grateful that I’d cast the perfect kid.”

Boyhood follows Mason, a Texas boy, part of a broken family, as he copes with a stressed, workingclass mother (Patricia Arquette) and sometimesbullying big sister (Lorelei Linklater) and misses his free-spirited, often-absent father (Ethan Hawke).

Coltrane remembers that he was an aspiring child actor, homeschooled, going on “a lot of auditions, at the time I was cast.” He can’t recall much about the early years of filming, but he never lost interest in this lifelong commitment and never minded giving up a chunk of each year to making Boyhood.

“It’s surreal,” he says, looking at the movie now. “There’s parts that are terrifying, or could be embarrassing. It’s also kind of comforting to see 114

those parts of myself kind of magnified – these awkward teenage phases that you go through.

Seeing them years later is a lot different from the way I experienced them. When you’re that age, you don’t feel like a complete person. Everything is this dramatic part of your personality. To see it all together and in context is a beautiful thing and kind of comforting and reassuring, existentially.”

Coltrane says he was always able to treat Mason, his alter ego, “as a character ... As much as I used myself as a reference point, I was taking those personal memories and putting them outside of myself to play Mason, putting them through a different filter.”

Linklater, despite his daughter being in the film, felt far enough removed from the world of the kids that he would give Coltrane assignments – pick his brain for what he was going through each year, and then script accordingly. Ellar’s into Star Wars? So is Mason. Ellar’s about to start dating? “Take notes, remember exactly what you and that first girl you talk to talked about,” Linklater says he told Coltrane.

The result is a movie that’s a lot like life itself – little details, arguments about the most banal things, kids testing boundaries, and a divorced couple trying to do right by their children. A filmmaker

famed for his “gift for spotting the extraordinary in the ordinary” (Film Journal International) has his career-crowning achievement.

But perhaps the real acclaim should go to the way Linklater, for decades a role model to aspiring filmmakers, managed to make a movie without turning his young star into a diva. Coltrane is sensitive, soft-spoken and articulate. Making the movie altered his life, he admits. He idolized the set photographer, who mentored Coltrane’s budding interest in the arts. He is planning on going to college rather than solely pursing an acting career, because of that.

“In the last year of filming, sometimes I’d step back and look at Ellar at a distance and go, ‘WOW. Did I pick the right guy, or what?’” Linklater says.

“He’s smart. He’s 19, he’s a good actor and he’s got options. School, acting, art, whatever.

And no limits, no restrictions. Maybe that’s the message of the movie. Mason learns from his parents, that one great teacher who takes an interest in him, and his own observations. He won’t be limited, like his parents, who had responsibilities – kids – at his age. After Boyhood, the world is his.

The fact that he grew up to look like a rock star didn’t hurt, either”

THE BISTRO

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

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN BITE-SIZED CHUNKS

ELEANOR & PARK

CREATIVITY, INC.

GETTING LIFE

by Rainbow Rowell

by Ed Catmull

by Michael Morton

by Emma Marriott

History is a rich, varied and fascinating subject, so it’s rare to find the whole lot in one book...until now. The History of the World in BiteSized Chunks pulls it all together, from the world’s earliest civilizations in 3500 BC to the founding of the United Nations in 1945, passing by the likes of Charlemagne, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean War, to name a few. Here’s your chance to introduce yourself to the full spectrum of world history, and discover just how the modern world came to be. This book is easy to read because basically each chapter is a minuscule summary of what happened in history. It is perfect for someone who likes history but doesn’t really want to read a long, tedious description of an event and it can even be used as a ‘a quick fact check’ book to confirm world history chronologically.

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IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

by Anthony Doerr

Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”– John Green, The New York Times Book Review. Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two starcrossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love seldom lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Park Sheridan, a biracial boy (half Korean, half white), and Eleanor Douglas, a red-haired girl, are two misfit teenagers living in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1986. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

Winner of several awards including, amongst others, the 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor Book for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2013 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Best Fiction Book, and New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of 2013.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an animation fan looking to gain greater insight into the inner workings of Pixar or a businessman looking for new, fresh ways to lead your troops – Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration is worth the read. Penned by Pixar co-founder, president of Walt Disney Animation, and all-around awesome guy Ed Catmull, this book shares some of the secrets and philosophies that Pixar has used to become so successful – tricks that apply to fields far beyond animation. One of the best business books of the year. For nearly twenty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters, Inc., and WALL-E, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner 30 Academy Awards.

In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired, and so profitable.

Before you read the first page, you know how this one ends, but nonetheless the first-person memoir of an innocent man who spent 25 years locked in prison for the alleged murder of his own wife is an unbelievable tale of injustice, hope, and if you can believe it, forgiveness.

He spent 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, lost his wife, his son and his freedom. Getting Life: An Innocent Man’s 25-year Journey from Prison to Peace is the story of how Michael Morton finally got justice – and a second chance at life.

It would take 25 years before DNA evidence was brought to light that would ultimately set Michael free. The evidence had been collected only days after the murder – but was never investigated. Michael recounts the hidden police reports about an unidentified van parked near his house that were never pursued; the treasure trove of evidence that was never introduced in court; and ultimately, how he battled his way through the darkness to become a free man once again.

Like many ambitious NYC teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school, the right college to get the right job – Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That’s when things start to get crazy. At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn’t brilliant compared to the other kids; he’s just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping – until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. For a novel about depression, it’s definitely a funny story.

source: www.amazon.com

PB KIDS Get kids excited with everything they need to stay organized, comfortable and ready to go. We’ve got everything covered from personalized school bags, lunch bags and accessories to finding the perfect study furniture, making every day truly special.

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bazaar around town REFRESH YOUR BEDROOM WITH POTTERY BARN At Pottery Barn, they believe that your home should be inviting and relaxing — a place to clear your mind and replenish your spirit. Full of furnishing ideas and styling secrets, Pottery Barn bedrooms offer imaginative decorating solutions for master bedrooms, guest rooms, family bedrooms, and other sleeping spaces. Inspired by distinctive design, superior quality, and authentic craftsmanship, the Pottery Barn bedroom collection is chic, elegant and luxurious.

Introducing CHLOE BEDROOM COLLECTION Create an intimate retreat that’s uniquely yours with the Chloe Bed & Dresser Set. It has a familiar farmhouse appeal with its gentle curves and generous proportions. Details like a hand-applied multistep finish, brass drawer pulls and cedar wood construction exemplify its quality craftsmanship.

CHESTERFIELD COLLECTION The Chesterfield Collection is built for superb comfort and is crafted with a kiln-dried hardwood frame in Oatmeal Linen upholstery. The headboard is detailed with deep button tufts and decorative brass nail heads along each side. Made in America by their own master upholsterers.

A bedroom should be a restful, soothing place, starting with the bedding. Pottery Barn’s super soft, stylish bedding sets help create the ultimate retreat. Choose high-quality quilts, bedding and down comforter sets in a range of rich colors, plush textures and a mix of traditionally inspired patterns that will add a sense of warmth to your bedroom. The perfect bedroom is a cozy, stylish space that invites rest and relaxation.

Design Ideas from Pottery Barn: When choosing a bed, be sure to consider width, length & height. For a fresh look all year-round, update your bedding seasonally. To keep things calm, have plenty of storage to tuck essentials away.

Their range includes living room, dining and office furniture, bed and bath, outdoor spaces, lighting, rugs, window treatments, decorative accessories and dinnerware. Pottery Barn home furnishings are exceptional in comfort, style, quality, and value. They offer a wide range of specialty services, their Wedding + Gift Registry makes choosing the perfect gift easy, and through their Design Services, they offer complimentary decorating consultation in stores, in your home or over the phone. Add a personal touch and make every gift extra special with the Monogramming Service also available in stores.

All of these products are exclusive to Pottery Barn. Visit their store at 1st Avenue – The Avenues to see their amazing collection.

TRIWA’S SS14 COLLECTION IS HERE!!

SS14 collection lifestyle shoot – five days in Istanbul TRIWA got the chance to experience the city for a week and discover their favorite Istanbul spots. The city is mind-blowing at first sight, filled with great culture and strong characters. Historic and modern, secular and religious, urban and rural are all mixed up in this multifaceted metropolis which gives character to both the city’s landscape and people. This is a place where you, can find castles, clubs, mosques, mansions side by side. This photo shoot featured well-known names such as Beygü Gölçin, Turkish Artist, Selma Ergeç, Turkish actress of Hareem Al Sultan (the well known series) and Leven Topsakal, former professional Turkish basketball player. 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 to keep it company. LansenChrono is 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. As usual the TRIWA sunglasses have classic silhouettes, beautifully handcrafted in acetate, with contemporary detailing and contrasting temple tips. Each frame is carefully polished and fitted with lenses from Carl Zeiss Vision, optical Class I, and a guarantee of full protection of your eyes.

Yacob Behbehani Sons Company are the official distributors of Triwa Shades and Watches in Kuwait.

CENTREPOINT LAUNCHES ITS TRENDY ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ COLLECTIONS! Getting back to school will be even more fun this year as Centrepoint launches its trendy ‘Back to School’ collection across its various concepts including Splash, Juniors, Shoe Mart & Lifestyle with a wide variety of styles to choose from. With a host of fun and colorful character merchandise, Junior’s has introduced its latest collection featuring over 60 different designs of school essentials from uniforms and bags to water bottles, lunch boxes and stationary pouches. With Splash’s new Back to School collection you will make a stylish and smooth transition from your holiday mood to the everyday grind. Take your pick from funky accessories like backpacks, box files, sippers, coffee mugs, pouches, iPad cases, to name a few, as well as coming in the themes of Barbie or Smiley. At Shoe Mart girls can choose from elegant range of shiny leather bowed and flowered pumps and ballerinas, while boys can choose from a number of comfortable casual styles from the Kangaroos, BAREFEET & Start Rite collection. What’s more, Centrepoint is giving away a cool lifetime chance of sailing on to a Mediterranean Cruise for a family of four!

Head to the nearest Centrepoint store and let your children go wild and create their new and improved ‘Back to School’ super look.

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COME FALL IN LOVE WITH THE NEW BABYGAP AND GAP KIDS FALL COLLECTION! Gap launches a lightweight kids and babies collection in soft colors that your little ones can wear as the weather transitions from summer to winter. For Fall 2014, Gap kicks off the season with ‘Urban Uniform’ denim. The collection is all about key item basics with a touch of modern newness such as a popover sweatshirt in printed floral, the denim dress with clean blocking and a range of sweaters. For babies the focus is elevated logo, layering and tonal color bottoms. As the summer temperatures tumble, ‘End of Summer’ is the perfect nod to fall’s beginning. Fashion denim and sweetly printed woven play nicely with cool tomboy pieces such as the bomber jacket. For outdoorsy offerings the ‘Late Summer’ assortment provides casual non- denim bottoms, vintage washed knits with surplus outer wear options with detailed surplus. For light blues, warm neutrals and pastel pallets ‘Collegial Folk’ has an array of choices. While American authentic is filled with country fair colors and new style Americana based with modern tartans.

The authentic trend continues into ‘Last Surf’ where layering of Pendleton inspired patterns, rugby strips and lived in plaids in tobacco, olive and copper colors are great for the latter months of the year.

The new kids and baby collection is available from August 2014 at all Gap stores in Kuwait.

FUNKY PRINTS AT AL OSTOURA Quirky patterns and bold colors are your friends this season. The cool outfits get a glam makeover with sleek silhouettes and fancy details like sequins and beads.

A classic bag and high heels will complement the rest of the outfit nicely.

All these brands are available in Al Ostoura. For more information call 2571 7277/67.

FANTASY WORLD DEBUTS ITS NEW SECTION OF TOYS, THE EDGE Fantasy World, the renowned Kuwait-based toy store that imports the finest toys from around the world is pleased to announce the launch of its newest section called, The Edge. An exciting and a unique range for people with creative minds, the new section hosts a remarkable collection of innovative and unique toys that are fun to look at as they are to play with. Designed not just for kids, but for grown-ups as well, all toys included in the range have been introduced in the Kuwait market for the very first time and are available exclusively at Fantasy World store in the 2nd Avenue, The Avenues. Inspired by modern art and design, the Edge collection has everything that creative minds need – from fun desk accessories, innovative gifts, mind tickling games to cool stationary for everyone! Some of the best-sellers and musthaves from this range include: the playable art ball, a colorful spectrum that can be played with to create your own art by simply twisting and turning twenty colorful interconnected wooden balls or Adam, the Doodles Man is a bendable action figure handmade of stainless steel with aluminum rivets. Play with him for hours. Then let your kid play with him!

The new section is opened to visitors at the Fantasy World store in the 2nd Avenue, The Avenues.

THE ATHLETE’S FOOT KICKS-OFF NEW SCHOOL YEAR WITH THE “GET COOL FOR BACK TO SCHOOL” CAMPAIGN Parents get a chance to win KD5000 in cash Back to school gets bigger and better this year as The Athlete’s Foot (TAF) announced their “Get Cool for Back To School” campaign, which gives customers the chance to win KD5000 in cash when they spend KD25 in purchases at any of TAF’s stores. All TAF customers who spend a total of KD25 and above at any TAF store are eligible to participate in a lucky draw whereby one winner will receive KD5000 in cash that could potentially go towards the child’s tuition fees and other educational purposes for one year. The “Get Cool for Back To School” campaign runs till September 28th across all TAF stores located in Fanar Mall, Marina Mall, The Avenues Mall, Mall 360, Discovery Mall, Souq Sharq, Al Kout Mall, The Gate Mall, Kuwait International Airport, Mishref Cooperative, Al Corniche Club, and Sama Center. The grand prize winner will be announced via a lucky draw on September 30th in an event organized at Mall 360 by the brand distributor, Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW).

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bazaar checks it out BATH & BODY WORKS BRINGS TO YOU ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES! NEW! Signature Collection “Endless Weekend” Bath & Body Works invites you to sit back, relax and soak up all the fun of its new fragrance collection Endless Weekend! Tap into the excitement and anticipation of those perfect weekends you never want to end. Whatever you love most about the weekend – the beach, a road trip, or a staycation at home – with endless sunshine comes endless possibilities.

Key Fragrance Notes: Top Notes: Raspberry Lychee Sorbet, Sparkling Mandarin, Juicy Nectarine, Apple, Mirabelle Plum Mid Notes: Sun-Kissed Magnolia, Gardenia, Plum Blossom, Fresh Picked Jasmine Sambac Dry Notes: Vanilla Sandalwood, Vanilla Orchid, Blue Coconut Water, Sugared Musk.

Take the full-size Daily Trio for home, but don’t forget our travel-size Daily Trios of Shower Gel, Body Lotion and Fine Fragrance Mist – perfect for your travel bag! There’s also the Triple Moisture Body Cream, Diamond Shimmer Mist and the NEW! Wave & Shine Hair Mist. Time for you to indulge in those perfect Endless Weekends!

PAYLESS SHOESOURCE CELEBRATES 100th STORE OPENING IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Payless ShoeSource is celebrating a milestone event with the opening of its 100th store in the Middle East and North Africa region. The store is located in Kuwait’s newest shopping destination, The Gate Mall in Al-Eqaila. The first Payless ShoeSource store in the region opened in 2009 in Kuwait, and by the end of the first year, eight stores were operating in Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Now, in 2014, the footwear chain has 54 stores in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 14 in Kuwait, 11 in the United Arab Emirates, 10 in Egypt, 5 in Bahrain, and 2 stores each in Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. Payless stores are positioned as the first choice for budget-conscious consumers in the shoes and accessories segment.

The offerings comprise a comprehensive range of shoes and accessories including fashionable sandals, wedges, flats, canvas sneakers, boots and handbags, all at great value prices. Two unique features of Payless stores are their extended and wide width sizing for women and their right-sizing service for children.

HOME CENTRE INTRODUCES ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ DÉCOR SOLUTIONS FOR NEW ACADEMIC YEAR It’s that time of the year again when the excitement of the new academic year is settling in as the children are gearing up to get back to school. Offering interesting reasons for students to make a fresh and inspired start, Home Centre’s ‘Back to School’ collection includes useful and vibrant merchandise in room décor and school paraphernalia. The new collection seeks to capture the attention and tastes of Home Centre’s young target audience with prints, designs, bright colors, and trendy pop-culture themes. Home Centre’s latest solutions feature storage devices, clocks, pillows, bed linen, wall art, photo-frames, rugs, and lamps in varied shapes and sizes. A variety of lunch boxes, fun cutlery and crockery and creative stationery provide children with further motivation to look forward to school.

From young ones to teens, the Home Centre ‘Back to School’ collection aims to please all. The limitless options available make sure parents have it easy and make it fun for their kids by taking them shopping and letting them pick and choose their furniture and room accessories.

Head to the nearest Home Centre stores in Kuwait – Al Rai, Shuwaikh, Awqaf, Fahaheel and The Avenues - Phase 3 for the latest Back to School range.

PORSCHE DRIVER’S SELECTION IS EXPANDING ITS COLLECTION OF GENUINE SPORTS CAR PARTS Porsche Driver’s Selection is expanding its Masterpieces Collection launched in 2013 with an exclusive rim wall clock. Like all products in the collection, the wall clock is also made from a genuine sports car part: a 20-inch Porsche 911 turbo rim. The clock is made in Germany and available now at Porsche Centre Kuwait. The Porsche 911 turbo rim gives the wall clock, which is designed by the Porsche Design Studio, its unique look. Both hands are made of aluminium, painted in the Porsche exterior color “Indian Red”. The Porsche crest is in the center of the rim and rotates with the minute hand, thanks to the integrated quartz watch mechanism from Germany. A steel wall rack guarantees that the clock, which weighs eight kilograms, is securely mounted. The wall clock is a genuine Porsche, right down to the last detail: the clock is even hung on the wall with a faithful recreation of a Porsche valve cap. The rim wall clock goes perfectly with the office chair made from a Porsche 911 sports seat and the GT3 cup shelf made from a Porsche 911 GT3 cup rear spoiler.

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JAMAWAR

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CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE

15 designers reveal their secrets for staying productive

by Carey Dunne

Since April, Samara, Russia-based designer Yevgeny Yermakov has been asking designers a series of five questions – about work habits, favorite books, career challenges, and creativity – and publishing their answers on his website.

The project, “5 Questions for 100 Designers,” is growing into a trove of wisdom from the industry’s leading minds. Forty-four interviews are up so far, with designers from Jessica Hische to Debbie Millman to Michael Bierut.

One of Yermakov’s questions addresses that most elusive and sought-after of virtues: productivity. He asks, “Are there any rules or habits that help you do your job more efficiently?”

The designers’ diverse strategies, which include everything from setting timers to taking nature walks to listening to black metal, show there’s no one formula for productivity – but keeping todo lists might be the most popular practice. Here, we’ve collected 15 of these superhumanly prolific designers’ secrets for getting stuff done.

Debbie Millman: “1. LISTS! 2. A paper calendar I write on with pencil (only). 3. Finish what I start before starting something new.”

Verena Michelitsch: “When I feel stuck with a design, I save versions and start from a fresh blank document instead of constantly seeing a graveyard of design options floating around on your artboards.”

Jessica Walsh: “The obvious answer is todo lists and apps (Evernote, Clear, Sparrow, Text Expander, iCal). Most importantly though, I’d say to choose good clients and coworkers who are nice and open to interesting creative work. If you work with ego-maniacs / lazy people, no to-do list will help you work efficiently.”

Michael Bierut: “About 32 years ago I started carrying a small notebook with me and I’ve done it ever since. I jog three miles every morning and find that time useful for organizing the day in my head.

Finally, I never go in to work on weekends.”

John Newman: “Use a timer. Set it hourly.

Seriously.”

Santiago Carrasquilla: “I prefer to work 7 days a week an equal amount (weekends a bit less) rather than 5 crazy long days. I also know that more than 8 hours in front of a screen per day makes me depressed.”

Jessica Svendsen: “Listening while I design – to music, lectures, white noise – maximizes my efficiency.”

Chuck Anderson: “If you work from home, make sure to get out of the house every single day. It’s really unhealthy to wake up and work in the same place you sleep and never leave. You’ve got to give yourself breaks, whether it’s to go for a walk, get some exercise, go out for lunch, coffee, or even just going out for dinner at night.”

Amanda Jane Jones: “I’ve learned over the years that I do my best work early in the morning.

I’m usually up by 4:30. No one emails me at that 122

time. Everything is quiet. It’s my favorite way to work. In addition, I always take a “nature break.”

Sometimes it’s a walk around the neighborhood, on a busy day, it’s just a sit on my porch. I’ve learned that I’m most productive when I get fresh air.”

Coralie Bickford-Smith: “Spending five minutes in the morning planning what I intend to get done each day and allocating a certain amount of time to each task.”

Tobias van Schneider: “Even though I’m German, I’m actually pretty unorganized compared to others. I don’t keep to-do lists, I don’t have any notes and don’t use my calendar really. My habit is to just work and get things done. Getting things done is highly addictive, so I usually try to keep a good momentum as a constant habit in order to keep the energy flowing and do things right away instead of letting them wait for too long. There are no right or wrong habits/rules.”

Matteo Bologna: “Never complain that there is not enough time. Often a tight deadline and a good dose of adrenaline will make your design awesome.”

Alix Land: “As part of my work is typesetting, I have a list of things I check are correct throughout the document (typographer’s quotes, small caps, etc). Time management apps are extremely useful, 30/30 has helped me enormously with structuring my day. Lists, lists, lists!”

Jillian Adel: “I’ve learned that I have to fight for my time away from work. Taking care of the things in your life that matter, be it family, friends, exercise, meditation, things that make you happy, are vitally important to make your time with your work exponentially more lush. And no one will fight that battle for you. It’s your responsibility.”

Wade Jeffree: “What is happening sonically is important. I listen to music that has a lot of repetition, i.e. drone, doom and black metal and the many genres of techno. On the flip side I also love to listen to talks, interviews and podcasts – why not be learning whilst working?”

For more information on this project go to www.5questionsfor100designers.com.

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AUTO-TUNE

A window into modern recording

by Steve Johnson

Starring now on a website near you: Britney Spears, raw. We are not talking about “raw” meaning “in the flesh.” Any of us who cares to has likely already seen plenty of Ms. Spears’ largest bodily organ. And she is showing lots more skin, reports say, during her current Las Vegas musical residency. You don’t compete with Miley Cyrus, Beyonce and Rihanna by layering up in gingham and ribbons.

What’s really raw — and interesting — about Spears is the samizdat recording that’s been released of her singing. You read that correctly: an American pop star, circa 2014, actually singing.

The audio portion of a YouTube video posted anonymously has her warbling “Alien,” the first track from Britney Jean, the album the fading superstar put out in 2013. What’s unique about this recording is that Spears gets no vocal help from her usual good friend, the pitch-correction software Auto-Tune.

It was surely released “in a spirit of unkindness,” as the song’s producer, William Orbit, said in a statement on Facebook that also, indirectly, vouches for the recording’s authenticity.

The vocal track Web gawkers hear, Orbit said, is more “warm-up exercise,” a musical place holder, than attempt at a finished track. None of us, he says, should judge what we hear harshly.

Still. Even granting that she was merely in the on-deck circle, these are some pretty weak swings.

Where you can still find the recording – it seems to have been taken down for copyright violation in most places – you’ll hear that her voice is “pitchy” at times, to use a phrase I think I understand after hearing Randy Jackson use it approximately 9,700 times on American Idol.

She’s flat-out flat most of the time. When Spears hits the big chorus – what is supposed to be the big chorus – she sounds like a bored Valley Girl on karaoke night who knows she doesn’t need to impress vocally. She’s got other charms.

This all reminds me of one of the great underground artifacts of 1980s pop culture, known to some admirers as “The Tape of Only Linda.”

Passed around on cassette tape, it purported to be a soundboard recording of Linda McCartney’s microphone as she sang backup, very badly, during a concert performance of “Hey Jude” by her husband, Paul, and his band Wings. Think a person surely couldn’t screw up the song’s “na-na-nas”?

Think again. I can’t remember how I got hold of the tape, but I know it was one of the treasures of my 20s, right up there with high metabolism and many years ahead of me. I played it for anybody with half an interest, and we all enjoyed this proof, exciting and illicit, that talent wasn’t strictly necessary in big-time show business.

Call the “Alien” track “The Tape of Only Britney.” Listening to it alongside the official “Alien” 124

release provides a fascinating window into modern recording, into the unabashed artificiality that the mass market has come to accept, even expect. This is especially true in the pop realm, where, it seems, no vocal note shall be allowed to sound authentic.

Fans of Spears even extol Auto-Tune, or whichever pitch-correction software her producers choose, as the signature of her sound. This would be like me touting spell check as a signature part of my writing. What do you know: Britney Spears and I both have software that keeps us from sounding stupid.

But here is Kevin Fallon, writing about the raw track in Daily Beast, lauding Britney on AutoTune: “It’s how she gets the supersonic, sort-ofextraterrestrial, almost inhuman sound that’s so interesting and cool and uniquely hers.” Hers, perhaps. But unique? If sounding faintly robotic is unique. If filtering your voice through crushed silicon chips and the bottled tears of Nat King Cole is unique. If doing exactly what Katy Perry and Ke$ha and a big chunk of the rest of the Top 40

do is unique.

I have another related artifact: Miss Fortune, the 2002 LP from the first-rate Americana singer and songwriter Allison Moorer. On it, Moorer had stickers placed that read, “Absolutely no vocal tuning or pitch-correction was used in the making of this record.” It was a winning stance, especially for people already growing tired of robosingers. It was not, alas, an influential stance. But Moorer could (and can) hit the notes. These days you get the feeling that a lot of singers who could also sing on key don’t bother.

Indeed, you wonder if singers who know they’ll get the “benefit” of Auto-Tune even try anymore.

Does the process work better when it starts with something that’s almost there? Or is Britney Spears’ official “Alien” an entirely plausible result of the unofficial version that is now out in the world?

We probably won’t know. In Vegas, according to those who have seen the show, Spears lip-syncs her way through her hits. But we do have this new “Alien,” the one that sounds, at least, human.

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NO MORE AIRLINE SEAT-BACK SCREENS? Here is why that’s a great design move

by Shaunacy Ferro

Grab some extra magazines, frequent flyers.

The seat-back entertainment screen may be going the way of economy-class legroom. Rather than installing TV screens in seats, airlines are moving toward offering the same content via Wi-Fi. Airlines like Delta, US Airways, American Airlines, and United have begun investing in inflight entertainment options that stream straight to personal devices. If you want to watch a movie on Hawaiian Airlines or the French airliner OpenSkies, you can rent a tablet on board. Some of the latest-generation Boeing 737-900 planes flown by United have done away with seat-back screens altogether.

At first, this seems like just another step in the worldwide airline conspiracy to slowly strip passengers of all of their comforts until they go mad and sell their firstborn child for two hours in a first class seat. First, they came for our complimentary drinks and snacks. Next, our legroom. Then, our free carry-on luggage. Now, it’s BYOTV?!

In truth, removing seat-back entertainment is 126

smart design that can benefit both passengers and the airline. Here are a few reasons why: 1. COST They may not look like luxury technology, but because of the safety engineering that has to go into every part of a plane, the average in-flight entertainment screen can cost as much as USD 10,000 (KD 2,800). To outfit an entire plane typically costs around USD 3 million dollars (KD 850,000) 2. WEIGHT In-flight entertainment screens can weigh up to 6kgs per seat. Most people already bring a laptop or tablet with them on the plane, so by getting rid of the redundant seat-back entertainment option, the airline can save not only on the initial costs of installation, but also on the fuel costs associated with dragging the weight of a bunch of extra screens into the sky. Getting rid of screens on a 260-seat Boeing 767 could conserve 80 metric tons of fuel per year, an airline IT provider told the

Wall Street Journal.

3. VIEWING EXPERIENCE Because seat-back screens are so expensive, they don’t get updated very often. “You have to be two years ahead,” an Emirates Airline executive said of in-flight entertainment systems in USA Today.

There’s no way an airline can afford to update them as regularly as newer, better technology comes along – as anyone who’s been stuck jabbing at the dimly lit touch screen in vain can attest. Your iPad or laptop probably has a higher-resolution screen and better viewing experience. Plus, on red-eye flights where people are trying to sleep, personal devices are less intrusive. You don’t have to worry about bright screens facing empty seats in front of you keeping you awake.

Other than the fact that you’re responsible for powering your own device, it’s a win-win. (Some planes currently offer outlets near seats anyway.)

Cash-strapped airlines save money on equipment and fuel, and passengers can get a better entertainment experience.

RIB EYE

SCUBA DIVING OFF SPAIN’S COSTA BRAVA

by Kevin Craft

There are few sensations more disagreeable than donning a black neoprene wet suit as the summer sun beats down upon you. I was reminded of this on a scorching August afternoon as I struggled to stretch a suit over my sunscreenslicked skin. What made this instance particularly unpleasant was that the rented wet suit was wet, saturated with seawater and sweat (and who knows what else) from a prior user.

I was on a boat off the shore of the Spanish coastal town L’Estartit, heading in the direction of the Illes Medes, a series of rocky islands that rise dramatically from the Mediterranean Sea off northeastern Spain’s Costa Brava. Along with 30 or so other scuba divers, I was taking part in an excursion to the waters around this archipelago and, in spite of the annoyance of my wet suit, I could barely contain my excitement. Up to that point in my nascent scuba career, I’d only dived in fresh water, which has none of the colorful coral and diverse marine life that you find in so many ocean scuba sites.

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In my heightened state of anticipation, I assembled my scuba gear backwards. Luckily, a helpful — and clearly more experienced — diver named David saw me struggling with my rig and offered to help me sort out which hoses connected to which valves.

He corrected my mistakes in a matter of minutes, after which we struck up a conversation to pass the time before we reached our dive site. David spoke broken English with a heavy Dutch accent, but he managed to tell me that he typically goes diving at least 40 times a year, a rather astounding figure when you consider how much gear and effort scuba diving requires. He had been diving all over Europe but especially loved coming to the Spanish coast, he said.

I wasn’t surprised. Although sunbathing on rocky beaches and consuming fresh paella and cold drinks at seaside restaurants are the typical activities associated with Spain’s Costa Brava, the section of coastline stretching from the resort town of Blanes all the way to the French border, a

thriving scuba culture exists here. Its popularity can be traced to the postwar era, when tourists from continental Europe and elsewhere began flocking to the region for its pristine beaches and found that the underwater flora and fauna made for good diving.

The waters around the Illes Medes are considered by many to be the Costa Brava’s preeminent dive site. Since the 1980s, the government of Catalonia has worked to preserve the islands’ natural habitat. Partly as a result of these conservation efforts, this stretch of coast has escaped the crass overdevelopment that blights so much of the Iberian Peninsula, while the Illes Medes have become a bona fide marine reserve, attracting scuba divers from all over Europe and beyond.

The chance to dive at the Illes Medes is what had brought me to L’Estartit, a coastal town with a large boat-filled harbor and a handful of dive shops scattered along the main drag downtown.

I’d only been scuba diving once before this trip, and as I stood on a wooden dock and gazed out

at the beckoning Mediterranean waters, I couldn’t help thinking about those rare yet alarming stories in which some vacationer goes diving in an exotic location only to be mistakenly left at sea. I’d failed to persuade my wife to join me — she’d opted for a day at the spa — and so by embarking on this excursion I would be breaking the first rule of scuba diving: Always dive with a buddy. In spite of the nervousness that tends to precede any first-time experience, I knew that there was no turning back.

Our dive site was next to Meda Xica, one of the larger of the Illes Medes. As the boat came to a stop,

we divers formed two single files on each side of the boat and hopped into the water two at a time before pairing off into groups ranging from four to 10 people.

The ship’s first mate led my group; he had apparently been tasked with supervising the novice divers like me and several friendly Germans.

On the count of three, we submerged to a depth of 25 feet, where I came face to face with an underwater landscape of multicolored coral swaying back and forth to the unknowable rhythm of the ocean’s ebbs and flows. The Costa Brava, which gets its nickname of “wild” or “rugged” coast from

the tree-covered mountains that hug the shores, is home to some of the most breathtaking natural scenery in Europe. The underwater topography at the Illes Medes is no less spectacular. Marked by dramatic cliffs and coral mazes, it offers no shortage of objects to behold.

Paddling past one stretch of rocks, I extended my hand and touched a piece of white gorgonian, a coral best described as a group of faintly connected white tentacles. Patches of it speckled the rocks.

The piece I touched felt like an oversized grain of al dente rice. I ran my hand along another part of the

coral-covered rock and felt the texture of a worn-out Brillo pad. A blue fish the length of my arm swam lazily by, not at all fazed by the group of bubbleemitting humans floating about its habitat.

I continued to swim along as our dive leader occasionally used an underwater flashlight to point out a particularly bright patch of coral or a fish. At one point, he shone his light on what looked like a rock.

I stared blankly at it until it started blinking back at me. Fooled by this particular fish’s camouflage trick, I continued paddling about, looking for the elusive red coral, a beautiful species valued by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any, so I contented myself with observing the various species of fish, some quite large, others much smaller, swimming all around me, and the countless starfish dotting the rocks.

The joy of scuba diving comes from the way life slows down once you get a few feet below the waves.

The constant noise of busy, trapped modern life disappears, replaced by an all-encompassing quiet.

This is why scuba diving is sometimes referred to as the “lazy man’s sport” — because the object, unlike in other physical pastimes, is not to exert yourself, but to stay calm, move slowly, and observe the environment around you, principles I tried to remember as adrenaline coursed through my body.

After 45 minutes of paddling back and forth, it was time to head back to the ship. As our group resurfaced, the captain greeted us in a little red dinghy that he used to pick up divers and ferry them back to the main boat. While floating in the dense Mediterranean saltwater, I removed my dive mask and turned it around, so that the strap ran across my forehead and the enclosed part hugged the back of my head, where it wouldn’t impede my breathing or vision. It was a trick I’d learned from the instructor who’d administered my certification course several months earlier.

As I climbed into the dinghy, mask on backwards, the captain looked at me and asked, “Where did you learn that Navy SEALs technique?”

“Excuse me?” I replied.

“Navy SEALs put their masks on backwards when they resurface,” he said. “It’s silly and dangerous. The only place a mask should go is where it’s designed to be. And I should know, since I train the British Special Forces.”

His tone of voice suggested that he didn’t take this matter lightly, and I had to suppress a smile. Although scuba diving is not an inherently competitive activity, its devotees, like those of many extreme sports, approach it with a strange and intense form of ownership. They display extreme attention to detail, and disagreements over even the slightest nuances often turn into contests of one-upmanship.

But the chastising didn’t dampen my mood.

The Illes Medes had delivered a scuba experience that was relaxing, intriguing and breathtaking (in a metaphorical sense). Now I was ready to return to shore and enjoy some of that renowned Spanish paella.

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VESSYL

A cup that knows what you’re drinking

by Mark Wilson

We have piles of fitness and health trackers in our lives…Fitbits, Nike+ Fuelbands, Jawbone Ups. They’re all pretty good at measuring the calories we’ve burned and the hours we’ve slept, but they miss a huge chunk of the health equation: what we’ve consumed.

Vessyl – USD 199 (KD 56), but USD 99 (KD 28) on introductory pre-order – is the first step in filling that gap. It’s an electronic cup that can identify the precise amount of virtually any liquid poured inside, which allows it to monitor hydration, calories consumed, and even protein intake with incredible specificity.

Designed by Yves Behar’s Fuseproject, Vessyl shares hints of the same minimalist but slightly faceted aesthetic you might equate with their Jawbone headsets or Jambox. But it’s also recognizably influenced from the Nike+ Fuelband-when you tilt the cup, a built-in LED display brings the stark cup to life, highlighting a single line that estimates your current level of hydration while including numbers (say, calories consumed) and what you’re drinking (i.e., “soda”) to supplement the visualization.

“We wanted the feedback to be really really quick,” CEO Justin Leetells Co.Design, “because we want to make sure we empower consumers to make healthier choices in real time.” So Vessyl understands that you drank 20 ounces of Red Bull or half a can of cola, and displays that information right on the outside of the cup. (In a perfect world, you adjust your exercise intake accordingly.)

“While there’s the mobile app, and that provides information with respect to how I am doing today, phones are typically in our pockets. We wanted to make sure there was something right in front of you,” Lee says.

That display is also customizable. In addition to calories, you can track, say, caffeine – and make sure you’re not ODing in the morning, but instead are optimizing your intake throughout the day for maximum sharpness.

“We designed the Vessyl to be about what’s important to you, and that changes,” Lee said.

“For some people, that’s losing weight, so they might want to be mindful of calories. For me, I’m lifting weights, so I’m mindful of the protein in my beverages.”

That said, none of this real-time monitoring would matter if Vessyl’s beverage detection doesn’t work as seamlessly as it does. At its core lives a molecular sensor, the specifics of which Lee refused to provide for competitive reasons, but we’re told its scans are of high enough fidelity to distinguish, not just milk from orange juice, but Coke from Pepsi.

Over a Skype demo, Lee let me choose from maybe 60 different beverages he had on the table.

Colas, fruit sodas, energy drinks, protein shakes, beers, orange juices with pulp, orange juices with no pulp, and everything in-between. We pointed 130

him to the old Pepsi Challenge, and asked him to pour Coke and then Pepsi into the Vessyl. The first analysis, Coke, took roughly 20 to 30 seconds, but the Vessyl got it right. The analysis of Pepsi took more like three to five seconds – which we were told was more the target, typical range – and again, Vessyl was right.

Presumably, this analysis time is of little concern to the user. It’s certainly neat to watch as a machine reverse-engineers the liquid poured into it, but any longtime user of the Vessyl should, theoretically, forget that the Vessyl is doing anything special at all. You pour mindlessly. It tracks meticulously. That’s the real value of a device like Vessyl: It fits into your life. Vessyl remains special if when it no longer feels special to use it.

And in that regard, Vessyl as it is now – a USD 199

(KD 56) glowing electronic device that you wash by hand and charge on a bundled coaster (for five to seven days of run time) – will probably only make sense to a small pool of early adopters. They’ll want to have a literal first taste of the future of personal tracking devices. But think about what Vessyl could be down the line, as it and other technologies are integrated into our dishes and glassware to help us keep tabs on our diets. Maybe it will continue to demand nothing from us and we’ll eat and drink as we normally do (guilty feelings included). But maybe, instead, it’s poised to fill the biggest gap in health and weight-loss technologies today.

You can order one from the U.S. on www.myvessyl.com (and arrange your own delivery to Kuwait). Shipping looks to begin near the end of 2014.

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bazaar music “Music can change the world because it can change people.” ~ Bono

MANDATORY FUN

IT’S ABOUT US

RYAN ADAMS

by Weird Al Yankovic

by Alex & Sierra

by Ryan Adams

This is the 14th studio album from the American musician. Recorded from 2012 to 2014, the album contains 12 songs, which include parodies of songs

by Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Iggy Azalea, Lorde and Imagine Dragons. It also features original songs in the form of pastiche, imitating the styles of the Pixies, Cat Stevens, Foo Fighters, Crosby, amongst others.

After 32 years being under contract, Mandatory Fun marks Yankovic’s first number one album in the US. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Yankovic chose not to release a lead single and instead arranged to launch eight music videos online during the first week of the album release through different video content portals, a strategy that helped to draw attention to the album. This could be his last album release, but only time will tell.

It’s About Us, is the highly anticipated debut album from The X Factor U.S.A. winners, Alex & Sierra. Alex Kinsey and Sierra Deaton met while still in high school. After wowing all of America on The X Factor U.S.A.’s third and final season, with their covers of A Great Big World’s ‘Say Something,’ and Sara Bareilles’ ‘Gravity,’ the group inked their album deal with Columbia Records and Syco Music. Alex & Sierra have already sold more than a million units of their X Factor repertoire, garnering over 2 million online fans and 85 million overall YouTube views during their ascent as one of the most buzzed-about pop duos in years. The hard working duo collaborated with multiple noted producers and songwriters on the new album, including Toby Gad (Beyonce), John Legend, and Julian Bunetta (One Direction), among others.

It’s taken Ryan Adams three years to announce a follow-up to his last album which would not be a long time for most artists, but for Adams – who put out a record a year for most of the 2000s and three (!) in 2005 alone – it’s long enough to warrant a self-titled record. Produced by Adams himself at his own Pax Am Studios in LA, the new record is the NC-born singer/songwriter’s first fulllength since 2011’s acclaimed Ashes & Fire. The record will come out September 9th, and if “Gimme Something Good” – the lead single, streaming on Spotify – is any indication, the album will contain more of the blues-tinged, post-college rock that earned him fans in the first place. “He doesn’t seem to have lost a songwriting step. This thing is a total knockout.” – Stereogum.

STRUT

V

TYRANNY

by Lenny Kravitz

by Maroon 5

by Julian Casablancas + The Voidz

This is the tenth studio album, released September 23 through his own Roxie Records imprint. He has signed a worldwide agreement with Kobalt Label Services to release and promote the album. An upcoming Kravitz tour is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The four-time Grammy winner has sold more than 38 million records worldwide and was signed to his first label, Virgin Records, for over 20 years. Kravitz described the album as a more minimal, stripped-down take on his rock styles. Kravitz’s pursuits beyond music include acting (The Hunger Games films) and design.

In 2003 he launched Kravitz Design Inc. which offers commercial and residential design services, product development and branding.

V (Roman numeral 5) is the fifth studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5, released August 29, 2014, by Interscope Records. The album will be the first to be released through Interscope after the band’s previous label, A&M Octone Records, transferred them, along with most of its artists, to Interscope. The album also sees the return of keyboardist Jesse Carmichael after his absence from the band’s previous album. V also features a collaboration with Gwen Stefani for “My Heart is Open”, co-written with Sia. James Valentine stated that they have known her for a long time and that working together was really cool.

Julian Casablancas and The Voidz’s much hyped new album (debut under this new moniker) is titled Tyranny, and will be released on September 23rd via Casablancas’ own label, Cult Records. Most of you would know Julian Casablancas as lead vocalist of The Strokes. The album will combine “world underground music from the Seventies and Eighties, hardcore/ punk and modern harmonies.” Regarding the title, Casablancas says “Tyranny has come in many forms throughout history. Now, the good of business is put above anything else, as corporations have become the new ruling body. Most decisions seem to be made like ones of a medieval king: whatever makes profit while ignoring and repressing the truth about whatever suffering it may cause (like pop music, for that matter).”

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DIGI-STALKER

by Sumayyah Meehan

“There is a fine line between serendipity and stalking” – David Coleman.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve engaged in a little digi-stalking every now and then. Social networks like Facebook, make it easier than ever to check up on all those people from your past. You know, “those” people - the high school bully who made your every waking teenage moment a living hell. Or how about the friend in college who marched to his own drummer and never really fit in? The Internet makes it tempting to track down all those people that make up the very fabric of your past. And it can be quite addictive.

Thanks to the power of the Internet, there is new meaning to the phrase “Keeping up with the Jones’s.” Back in the day, many people only felt a need to keep up with the people in their own neighborhood. If your neighbor bought a new car, you followed suit with a better car. If your neighbor bought a duck-billed platypus, you followed suit with an equally exotic creature. However, the sheer girth of online social networks has many of us competing to be better than dozens of our friends and even hundreds of theirs.

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Within a matter of seconds, you can quickly determine just how well your friend’s have “done” in their lives up until the present. Let’s face it, new cars and beautiful houses are par for the course when it comes to sharing your lives online. Kids, jobs, houses and cars are amongst the very first things that we share with one another. It’s almost like you haven’t done anything with your life unless you can prove it on a social network.

For this reason, it is easy to become absorbed in the lives of those faces from the past and turn into a digi-stalker. I once thought I was too sophisticated to spy on someone’s life. Granted, I kept up with the status feeds of friends and family members on Facebook, but I certainly did not dig or delve any further, even though the information was probably somewhere within my grasp.

This all changed one day recently when I stumbled on a friend’s feed that was celebrating the wedding anniversary of the nerdiest guy in my high school and the homecoming queen. Say what?

How could a decade pass without my knowing this information? I immediately felt an urgency to stop by their pages, which just so happened to be public.

I searched both feverishly and with great passion. I

had to find what rhyme or reason brought these two polar opposites together.

I spent the greater part of two hours unraveling their professions, scouring their photo albums and just taking in every ounce of information I could find. When all was said and done, I was satiated and totally annoyed with myself. I had indulged in an activity that countless people around the world do every day. I mean, what’s the point of being part of a social network if you are not “social,” right? Truth be told, there is nothing social about being a digi-stalker. In fact, it’s downright scary. After learning just how easy it was to stalk someone online, I realized that perhaps I had been a bit too liberal in the information I shared about my family online. And I took immediate steps to rectify that.

Mine was a short foray into the world of digistalking. These days, I stick to my status feed and do my utmost to avoid snooping. Of course, most people WANT their friends to check out all of those things that they’ve worked so hard to achieve. But, in the end, they are just things, and not worthy of pause unless they hold some special meaning in your life.

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bazaar a la mode CHILLI BEANS LAUNCHES THE “OFF THE RUNWAY COLLECTION,” SIGNED BY LEADING BRAZILIAN DESIGNERS. Glasses and watches were shown in the last SPFW and Fashion Rio editions.

Chilli Beans, a brand that invests in the democratization of fashion in the country, announced the launch of its first “Off the Runway” Collection. In partnership with top Brazilian designers, the brand presents itself with exclusivity, with pieces showcased during the last fashion season. “The best thing about Chilli Beans’ partnership with national designers is showing that it is possible to unite creativity, fashion trends and know-how in manufacturing accessories. The “Off The Runway” Collection allows access for all consumers to what has been shown at the main fashion week events in the country by the most important national designers, at affordable prices,” says Caito Maia, CEO of Chilli Beans. Democratization starts with the brands in São Paulo Fashion Week: glasses and watches signed by Alexandre Herchcovitch (with models from his men’s and women’s collections), Amapô, and Vitorino Campos. “The greatest challenge of a collection like this is to ‘transport’ ideas from the catwalk to our day-to-day lives,” says Alexandre Herchcovitch. “We always try to create pieces within the boundaries of the fashion show life and reality for everyday life; something that looks incredible on the catwalk, but also something people can identify with and want to have and wear every day in their normal lives,” completes Carô, designer at Amapô. Fashion Rio is represented by the brand Aüslander. Along with the fashion week designers, additional participants of the Catwalk Project are Amir Slama, Blue Man, Espaço Fashion and Lorenzo Merlino.

Ausländer: Founded in 2004, Ausländer signs for the first time with Chilli Beans, with creative direction of Ricardo Bräutigam, the Rio-based brand has developed pieces with Chilli Beans for Fashion Rio since 2011.

Blue Man: Blue Man was created by David Azulay in 1972, investing in beachwear as a typical “Brazilian, Ipanema brand” (Ipanema is a very famous beach neighborhood in Rio).

Vitorino Campos: This brand was created in 2008, and in 2012 it launched one of its first collections at SPFW. Vitorino’s pieces are known for his attention to detail and finishing, along with the dedication to the accessories produced in partnership with Chilli Beans.

Alexandre Herchcovitch: Herchcovitch signed his first eyewear line for Chilli Beans in August of 2010, and has been a partner since then. With him, they have launched some of the greatest successes of the brand.

Amapô: Amapô has been in the market since 2004, when Carolina Gold and Pitty Taliani decided to join their ideas and create their first collection, with focus on exclusive prints.

Lorenzo Merlino: Lorenzo Merlino signs the brand that bears his name since 1997, his brand has been presented in Paris and now he displays his first collection in partnership with Chilli Beans. “This concept of multiple glasses, with removable arms, is an idea that has been in my mind for ages. Now, Chilli has helped me to make this project real”, says the designer. Celebrities like Madonna have used his pieces.

Espaço Fashion: The Rio-based brand started its operations in 1996, when sisters Bianca and Camila Bastos joined their talents. The first collection with Chilli Beans was launched last year.

Amir Slama: Bikinis of Rosa Chá, a brand created by Slama in 1993, have become nationally and internationally famous, with sales points in Europe, Africa and Asia. For his collection with Chilli Beans, he invested in leather as the basis for the frames.

Trendy and autonomous, the Off the Runway Collection arrives to all Chilli Beans sales points in September.

BANANA REPUBLIC AND ROLAND MOURET ANNOUNCE LIMITED-EDITION CAPSULE COLLECTION FOR FALL 2014 Banana Republic and celebrated designer Roland Mouret are pleased to announce the Roland Mouret for Banana Republic Collection – a limited-edition, covetable capsule highlighting Mouret’s keen understanding of fit and the female form through the use of Banana Republic’s signature Sloan fabric. Banana Republic’s Sloan Collection of dresses, skirts and pants has gained acclaim for the use of contour stretch fabric. The foundation of the Roland Mouret for Banana Republic Collection – the Banana Republic Sloan fabric – is a unique blend of rich, bi-stretch fabric, which creates a “magic” fit that shapes through figure-flattering silhouettes. Mouret, famous for his exceptional skills in draping, structure and style, naturally gravitated toward this signature material, which he hand-draped, cut and pinned on the body to create this iconic capsule.

The nearly 25-piece collection shines a light on Mouret’s craftsmanship talents through the use of this dynamic fabric.

Mouret is best known for his feminine, hourglass fitted dresses, which have become a favorite among Hollywood stars.

“Partnering with Banana Republic on this project was such an adventure for me,” says Roland Mouret, founder and designer of his namesake label. “The common goal for this collection is to offer incredible fit through an assortment of hourglass silhouettes using Banana Republic’s Sloan fabric, extending my love of structure into accessible prices.”

The collection is available now in Banana Republic stores.

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ACHIEVE STUNNING EYES WITH MAKE UP FOR EVER A complete black eyeliner range to offer your eyes any look you desire Start this Fall/Winter season with an impactful fashion statement with MAKE UP FOR EVER’s widest range of black eyeliners designed to complete your look in any style you desire! Black eyeliner is a sure way of looking irresistible; it adds that essential and attractive touch to your overall look.

MAKE UP FOR EVER offers 8 kinds of black eyeliners with different textures, intensities and finishes to offer women any end result they are looking for. Gel, liquid, pencil, cream, or powder eyeliner… you name it and it is available; each with its own unique traits and results to dress up your eyes and bring out their beauty. It is no secret that the eyes are the most important facial features; they are the most expressive part of the face. They play a key role in first impressions, non-verbal communication, and give away how we feel. This is why it is essential for every woman to highlight them in a distinguished manner. Become a beauty icon and get your signature look with your eyeliner, it is all about choosing the right one and learning how best to wear it!

PRINTED BLISS AT AL OSTOURA Prints are in this season! Wear head-to-toe print or pair with solid color separates to create an interesting effect. Contrast colors for an amazing outfit.

Carry bright colored bags to add drama to your look!

All these brands are available in Al Ostoura. For more information call 2571 7277/67.

TED BAKER AW14: TAKE THE LEAD 5, 6, 7, 8…

From the Mambo and Tango right through to Fandango, Ted can out-Fred the nimblest Astaire and to celebrate, his Menswear and Womenswear collections are dancing cheek to cheek to create a thrilling display of rhythm and electric blues. Ted has choreographed a luxurious womenswear clothing and accessories collection for AW14, effortlessly combining vintage-inspired floral prints (such as Opulent Bloom and Botanical Bloom) in a layered and lavish palette of pinks. His continued love affair with the 1950s has also created an ultra-feminine look to ensure all ladies become belles of the (mirror) ball. In contrast, sportswear influences up the tempo with an urban, futuristic feel, and this ultra-modern look moves across neoprene sweat shapes, lux joggers and bomber jacket silhouettes. Engineered prints, such as Ted’s Road to Nowhere, are themed around reflected landscapes, and colors (body) pop in electric blues, acid yellows and fresh neon pinks. Contrasting texture is also key: from embossed snakeskin and sparkling sequins to metallic graphic jacquards.

Embellishment adorns nearly every piece; coats with jeweled collars and heavily encrusted tunic style dresses add a rich, beguiling touch to the collection. It takes two to tango in Argentina but only one to belly dance in Cairo… and so, inspired by a recent boat trip along the Nile and other exotic destinations, Ted’s menswear is full of thrilling precision and rhythmic wit this season. Alive with jewel tones of burgundy, teal, emerald green and vibrant orange on knitwear, jersey and chinos, the collection also features exciting, contemporary textures – including enlarged Birds Eye and Royal Oxford knits. Fresh detailing and modern finishes add classic touches to a robust collection of prints and jacquards. Color blocking takes a bow on blazers with contrast lapels, pockets and sleeves, and on knitwear’s bold blocks of aubergine, burnt orange and green. Renowned for his charming prints, Ted’s geos, dogtooth and paisleys stand out across the collection. Available on everything from pocket squares and ties to jersey and even Ted’s classic brogue, camouflage and leopard prints also provide an easy way to add exotic flair to your outfit. So let Ted take the lead this AW14 for a strikingly stylish showcase that just goes to prove that when you’re in the spotlight, you’ve got to dance like everybody’s watching.

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bazaar explores WIN WITH RIVER ISLAND How would you like to win your new Autumn Wardrobe from River Island? To celebrate the launch of their fabulous autumn collection – River Island is giving 3 lucky customers the chance to win a whole new wardrobe worth KD 400. Simply spend 40 KD in store and enter the prize draw for your chance to win. There are 5 runner up prizes too so don’t miss out.

The promotion starts on September 11th and ends on October 10th.

‫التشكيلة اإلسكندينافية المبتكرة للمفروشات العصرية من صفاة هوم‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى التصاميم المبتكرة واألثاث واألكسسوارات المستقدمة من‬،‫تأكيداً على التزامها المتواصل بتوفير أحدث المنتجات لعمالئها‬ ‫ تعتبر هذه التشكيلة‬.‫ تفخر صفاة هوم بتقديم التشكيلة اإلسكندينافية الجديدة اآلن داخل معارضها في الكويت‬،‫عالم التصاميم العريقة‬ ‫ تعود هذه المهارة واألصالة‬.‫ السويد وفنلندا‬،‫ النرويج‬،‫الحديثة من األثاث نتاج لإلبداع وجرأة المصممين وحرفيّة النجارين في الدنمارك‬ ‫ والتي كانت بمثابة حركة إبداعية جريئة تميّزت بالبساطة‬،1950 ‫في التصميم إلى تقاليد قديمة لفلسفة الفن اإلسكندينافي من العام‬ ‫ وتعتبر الجودة في‬،‫ يجمع األثاث االسكندينافي بين الجاذبية الدائمة للتصميم الكالسيكي والمواصفات التي تنسجم مع العصر‬.‫والعمليّة‬ ‫ تتميّز منتجات هذه التشكيلة بشخصية فريدة تضفيها‬.‫النوعية والعمليّة إحدى المزايا الخاصة التي تنفرد بها التشكيلة اإلسكندينافية‬ ‫تمزجالمفروشاتواألكسسوراتاإلسكندينافية‬،‫إلىجانبخصائصهاالعصريةوالمريحة‬.‫التفاصيلالدقيقةواألشكالالصارخةلكلمنتج‬ ً ‫ التصميم والمواد المستخدمة فض‬،‫بين الفخامة والنوعية‬ ‫ اإلحساس‬،‫ مثال على ذلك‬.ً‫ال عن توفير ما يناسب ذوقك الشخصي وميزانيتك معا‬ ‫ التنوع في‬،‫ كذلك‬.‫ األشكال المنحنية والخطوط الناعمة‬،‫الكالسيكي الذي تجده في الصوفا اإلسكندينافية التي تمتاز بالتفاصيل األنيقة‬ ‫ سطحها الناعم ومظهرها الفاخر إلى جانب تعدّد استخدامها ومالئمتها‬،‫ الرفوف والطاوالت التي تعرف بتصميمها النقي‬،‫تجهيزات الجدران‬ ‫ يمكنك أن تجد هذه‬.‫ أشكال وأحجام‬،‫ الكراسي والمقاعد العالية المتوفرة بعدة ألوان‬،‫باإلضافة إلى طاوالت الطعام‬.‫لكل حاجات التخزين‬ .‫ العنوان األول إللهام العمالء وتوفير جميع متطلباتهم تحت سقف واحد‬،‫المنتجات وأكثر حصرياً لدى صفاة هوم‬ www.safathome.com‫الموقع اإللكتروني‬ SWATCH - WINTER COLLECTION 2014 Let it shine Glitz, glam and pizzazz are center-stage as dazzling designs beckon for a second glance. These models light up the city with an element of brilliance that’s fit for a queen. LIGHTS ON (SFM128), a disco ball diva of the most elegant nature, combines impeccable style with a vivid sparkle ready for a night out on the town.

HIGH-LANDS MIX Patterns take their inspiration from the allure of optical illusions. High-Lands Mix takes a stand against the ordinary and proves that a walk on the wild side needs a good accessory. Cozy patterns give cool a new name with head-turning style that boldly proclaims winter has arrived.

SUMMER SOCKS (SUON110) and COLOR-KILT (SUON109) look warm to the touch and heat up the scene with a realistic printed pattern. MCPATTERN (SUOB114), a palette of plaid, is anything but uniform and stands out with its Scottish roots. RUBY SILVER (LK342), set with appealing printed precious gems, makes it possible to look like royalty but party at the pub. Fancy with just the right amount of fun, ROSE EXPLOSION (SUOW110) knows how to enhance any outfit with a bang. Never-ending flower power adorns your wrist with ROMANTIC BUZZ (SUBB126A/B), alive with eye-catching style and bursts of color.

HOLLYWOOD LIVING AT ‘THE ONE’ Bring some 1920s silver screen glamor to your living room with THE One’s opulently feminine So Hollywood style. Featuring an elegantly neutral color palette of cream, beige and gold with powder blue accents, this romantic look is all about lux fabrics, sumptuously buttoned furniture, reflective surfaces and making you feel like a star! Kick-start your home fashion production by casting a classic, beautifully buttoned creamy velvet sofa and armchair in the lead roles. Co-star them alongside delicate coffee and side tables, grand gold velvet curtains, lush leather floor cushions and a glitzy mirrored pedestal, topped with a fabulous bouquet of white lilies. Introduce the powder blue storyline by way of a fashionably faded hand woven rug, curvaceous vase and wall art of 1950s bathing beauties. Now create some drama in the lighting department with a stunning Art Deco-inspired crystal chandelier and matching wall sconce plus a pair of glazed ceramic table lamps. Once set, drape yourself diva-like over the sofa and get ready for your 15 minutes of fame!

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ALGHANIM

bazaar fiction

KHALID IN LOVE

by Craig Loomis

Khalid is in love. Go ahead, ask him. “Yes it’s true. I am in love. Sad to say, it has me by the throat,” placing both hands around his neck, showing what choking-love looks like. “But, . . .” shrugging, “. . . but what can I do? That’s how it works,” ending with an old-man chuckle.

This is more information than I bargained for, and I look away, into the sunny harbor, showing him that the harbor with bobbing yachts and assorted garbage from last night’s tide is more important than his love. Yet he refuses to pay attention, continuing, “She’s not only beautiful, but thoughtful. Can you imagine such a combination?”

And of course I can but look back at him as if he is right. “Imagine.”

“We have an agreement: she calls me three times a day, I call her four. She wants me to know what she is doing every day, all the time, and I want to 142

know. This is what love is – knowing and caring about one another all the time, every day, Sah?” Almost immediately Khalid has made me tired, and I can’t help but yawn, saying, “Excuse me.”

But he continues, “Would you like to see her photo? Three weeks ago at the mall.” My saying nothing does not stop him from un-walleting her photo, pulling it out from behind a plastic window: thin pale lips, staring startledlike into the camera, a hint of dimples, a mole neatly planted above her left eyebrow. He waits for me to say something, and when I do, “Very nice,” he nods. “Yes, very nice. You can see the intelligence in her face, my Sasha. My grandmother says you can tell if someone is smart by the wide forehead.” I squint to look closer at her forehead, and it is smooth and wide and except for the mole, it reminds me of that part of the school map in northern Russia, white, flawless and unexplored. I hand back the photo. Before he slips it back behind the plastic window in his wallet, he gazes at it one last time.

“Well, there you have it, my Sasha: three months, one week, three days.”

This, he thinks, is funny and laughs, slipping his wallet back into his pocket.

Khalid is a good friend, but not a best friend; sometimes we smoke shisha together, and trade tales of wasta – some good, some not, almost all funny. He works for a car company. That’s all I know: works for a car company. In fact, that, he confesses, is where he first met her.

“One quiet Tuesday morning that was turning into nothing more than cigarettes and cellphones and thumbing through the newspaper, she came walking in, not even that, more like marching, as if her real destination was beyond our building, and we were simply something to walk through to get to the other side. But never mind, because like some kind of fate, with all five of us at our desks, she came straight to me, my desk, the third in line, saying, ‘I want a new car’. When I stood up to greet her, my tea jumped across the desktop, and she said, ‘Sorry, but I still need a new car.’ And that, as they say, was the beginning,” ending yet again with an old-man chuckle.

Khalid is twenty-seven and a half years old, lives in Salmiya with his father and mother and two younger sisters, both, he tells me, star volleyball players. As a rule, Khalid knows what it’s all about to be with women. Just ask him.

“I’m pretty sure I know what it means to be around females. After all, they’ve surrounded me my entire life, right?” Laughing at this as if he’s told a joke and in case I missed it, it’s funny and I should be laughing too. I smile.

That’s when his phone rings and he grabs it, as if it ringing twice would be all wrong. “Habibti, where are you?” I can only guess that it is his Sasha and she tells him what he wants to know, and once she tells him he smiles, laughs, smiles. Meanwhile I move my head from side to side, as if I know something about loosening stiff neck muscles but of course I don’t. Even though Khalid is looking directly at me, I can see that he isn’t, and he turns to speak to her in private.

It is time to leave Khalid and Sasha, to go back home, and I will once he says goodbye. Finally, his private talk all done, he slips the cellphone into his shirt pocket, and says, “Well, there you have it, 3:00 on the dot. Imagine.” I am not against punctuality and my yes is genuine. Still, it is time to leave, and we hug good-bye and he says, “See you soon.” “Inshallah.”

There once was a time when he would have walked me to my car but now as I turn to leave, he only lifts his cellphone out of his shirt pocket. When I get in my car I just sit, and what comes next is something like jealousy, anger and disappointment; if there is one word for all of that I would use it. It all has to do with something all wrong, between me and Khalid, a friend but not a best friend. Still...just ask me. “Yes, something is all wrong and not funny but I don’t know what to call it.”

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

ELECTRIC OBJECTS EO1 ART COMPUTER

ULTRAPAK

SENSE SLEEP MONITOR

The Internet is full of digital art – made by welland little-known artists alike – but looking at it on your laptop is hardly an appropriate way to appreciate good work. With the Electric Objects EO1 Art Computer, you can free art from your lap and display it the way it’s meant to be seen.

Working much like a picture frame, you can rest it on a shelf or hang it from the wall, while it wirelessly pulls art from the internet. There’s no keyboard, and no mouse, just an app for your phone that lets you choose and share the art you display.

UNU’s Ultrapak is a battery pack for smartphones and tablets that can deliver a full charge to devices after just 15 minutes of charging itself up. Carry this and you’ll never have to worry about running out of power again. In comparison, an iPhone 5S can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to charge from a wall socket (according to user reports). Ultrapak’s super-fast charging is due to “Ultra-X” charging technology, a special type of A+ lithium polymer battery that uses proprietary additives, which increases the normal battery charging speed by 8 times. This makes the device “the world’s fastest self-charging battery pack,” according to UNU.

We spend a huge portion of our lives in bed – so maximizing that experience can have huge benefits. The Sense Sleep Monitor is designed to do exactly that. This new system tracks not just your movement during sleep – which it does with a small sensor that clips onto your pillow – but the environment in which you sleep, thanks to an ambient light sensor, high-sensitivity microphone, thermometer and humidity sensor. In addition to giving you more knowledge about your sleep patterns, it also acts as a smart alarm, waking you at just the right moment to give you the best possible start to your day.

www.uncrate.com

www.mashable.com

www.uncrate.com

GTAR

KOHLER MOXIE RAINHEAD SPEAKER

WATERPROOFED KINDLE PAPERWHITE

Learning to play a musical instrument can be a real pain – especially if you haven’t already spent most of your life practicing – but with Gtar, you can make learning to play the guitar just a little bit easier. Made to work with your iPhone, this guitar features a multi-touch LED fretboard that lights up, showing you exactly what to play. Best yet, it’s built exactly like a guitar, with genuine strings and working frets, so anything you learn translates directly to the real thing. And with multiple purpose-built apps, you can learn more, create music, and play existing songs, learning to play a guitar has never been so easy.

Initially introduced in 2013, the Moxie from Kohler combines a traditional shower-head and wireless speaker. Now, to make the experience even better, Kohler recently introduced the Moxie Rainhead, a larger version with 80 nozzles using air-induction technology to create a precise combination of air and water for optimal water dispersion. The Rainhead is impressive addition to the Moxie system. With seven hours of run time, the water-resistant wireless speaker can sync with devices from up to 32 feet away – meaning you can turn on your favorite tunes while still in bed, before jumping in the shower. The magnetic speaker is also removable, for easy charging and is great for siblings, friends or roommates who share a bathroom.

If reading really is all you’re in for, the Kindle Paperwhite is hands-down the best little e-reader around. But how do you improve on (near) perfection? Apparently, you waterproof it! Gadget-waterproofing aficionados, Waterfi, have gone and answered every beach- and pool-side reading enthusiast’s prayers with a custom waterproof Paperwhite. Since the treatment process is (supposedly) invisible, you won’t be dealing with any of the annoying screen impediments you’d see with the waterproof cases currently out there. But it’s not just the casual splash you no longer have to worry about. You can actually submerge this thing up to 210 ft under water. Will you ever need to? Probably not. But it’s always nice to have options.

www.uncrate.com

www.coolhunting.com

www.gizmodo.com

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GO COCO

For more information call us on 55566676

email: info@redcateringkuwait.com

THE SCALES OF INJUSTICE

Weight loss differs between men and women

by Jennifer Van Allen

You’re not imagining it: There really are differences between the way men and women diet, lose weight and respond to exercise.

Some of the differences stem from biology; other differences are behavioral. But though many of these seem to give men a head start, they shouldn’t be taken to imply that guys have it easy. No matter who you are or where you’re starting, the road to your ideal weight is difficult at best, and confusing for most.

But the information that researchers are unearthing about the differences in the way that men and women lose weight inspires hope that the next generation of weight-loss advice will be more tailored and effective than the generic tips that have gotten people no closer to sliding into their dream jeans. Although experts have long insisted that losing weight is simply a matter of burning more calories than you consume, they now say that it’s much more complicated than that.

First, there is the matter of muscles and metabolism. Men tend to have more muscle than women, and because muscle burns more calories than fat, men tend to have a faster metabolism, too – anywhere between 3 to 10 percent higher than women, studies have shown.

And at the gym, that difference just gets exacerbated. Women, worried about bulking up, tend to lift lighter weights and focus more on cardiovascular fitness, while men tend to gravitate toward the kind of heavy lifting that boosts muscle composition and metabolic rate, says Jim White, a Virginia Beach-based nutrition expert and certified personal trainer.

When it comes to food, there is evidence that men and women’s brains are wired differently. In a study published in the January 2009 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, even though women said they weren’t hungry when asked to smell, taste and observe treats such as pizza, cinnamon buns and chocolate cake, brain scans showed activity in the regions that control the drive to eat (not the case for men).

Then, there’s biochemistry. In women, ghrelin – the “I’m hungry” hormone – spikes after a workout, while leptin – which tells the brain ‘I’m full!’ – plummets, according to a 2009 study in the American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integral and Comparable Physiology. Not so in men. So post-workout, women tend to eat more, which puts them at risk to gain weight. Men don’t experience this same hormonal fluctuation.

Researchers speculate that this is basically a Darwinian issue, in that it’s the female body’s natural way of fighting energy deficits in order to preserve fertility and perpetuate the species. When women aren’t getting enough calories, ovulation and hormones that make reproduction possible get suppressed.

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But there’s more than just biology at work here.

A motley complex of emotional and behavioral issues have a powerful impact on the way men and women approach weight loss.

Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian and coauthor of The Flat Belly Diet!, says she has seen many women gain weight as soon as they get into a relationship with men because they start eating as much and as often as their male partners. “That turns out to be too much,” she says.

And then there’s the question of what drives men and women to eat: hunger for food, or some more profound craving. A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition established that women are more commonly emotional eaters than men.

And some emotional eaters, in an effort to feel better, are prone to reach for foods that will ignite the reward center of the brain, which tend to be the sugary, fatty, salty, hyper-palatable foods that can lead to weight gain, says Pamela Peeke, author of the The Hunger Fix: The Three-Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction.

“They’re not bingeing on arugula,” says Peeke, who is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland. But a sugar high is shortlived, of course. Shame quickly floods in as food wrappers pile up.

Both men and women are prone to an all-ornothing approach to weight loss (for example, after a binge, figuring, “Well, I blew it. I might as well go all out!”). But Sass says she sees more women take extreme measures to get back on track, with tactics such as juice cleanses, skipping meals or extreme dieting – not the most sustainable methods. “Most but not all men tend to just try to get back on track with the original plan, or build in a little more exercise,” she says. That is, they take a more balanced approach to getting back on track, just trying to regroup and get back on the diet, or build in a little more exercise.

One area where women get a boost, however, is in support systems: Men tend to “go it alone,” Peeke says, which could lead them to give up in times of stress. Women are more likely to reach out to friends, family, a dietitian or a group such as Weight Watchers.

So what can we do with all this knowledge?

Tempting as it is to get discouraged, we can actually find it encouraging. Biology is not destiny, after all.

“Lifestyle choices are immensely powerful,” Peeke says. And on the heels of any tidal wave of new research is sure to come a trickle of weight-loss advice that can be more customized and more effective to help men and women with their weightloss obstacles, no matter what they are.

SOOR CENTER

bazaar investigates

MAS INTERNATIONAL CO. LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE AND EXPANDED SOCIAL MEDIA Mas International Co. has launched a new website and social media channels, with improved functionality, design, and navigation. Mas International has become one of the most trusted real estate marketing companies internationally and played an important role in creating value to real estate developers and investors in different countries, and the new website has been designed to best reflect this public profile.

The new website features an improved homepage design allowing customers to make payments, search for a property, contact customer service, read the latest news and subscribe to Mas e-newsletter, all with ease. It is also accessible through a wider range of web browsers and devices, including mobiles and tablets, and has been designed to meet all relevant accessibility standards.

Furthermore, Mas international have fully integrated its website with the most popular social media channels so that you can easily find valuable content, new launches, projects information, special offers and travel tips.

You can contact MAS International on 1820111, visit their website www.mas.net.kw or follow their Instagram @masintc or on Facebook: MASINTC.

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‫متربعا على قمة مراكز األسنان في الكويت‬ ‫مركز دار الشفاء لألسنان يقدم خدماته الشاملة والمتكاملة بأفضل الخبرات والتقنيات‬ ‫يعدّ مركز دار الشفاء لألسنان أحد المراكز الرائدة على مستوى دولة الكويت في مجال طب األسنان حيث‬ ‫يقدم المركز خدمة متكاملة وشاملة في مجال العناية باألسنان‪ ،‬بدءاً من إرشادات الرعاية الصحية المنزلية‬ ‫ومروراً بطب األسنان الخاص باألطفال‪ ،‬وزراعة األسنان‪ ،‬وعالج لب األسنان وأمراض اللثة‪ ،‬وانتهاءاً بتقويم‬ ‫األسنان‪.‬‬ ‫ونظراً للتطور الذي يشهده طب األسنان فإن المركز قام بتوفير أرقى التقنيات المستخدمة في المعالجات‬ ‫الفموية والسنية والفكية والتي يقوم بها اإلستشاريون واإلختصاصيون ذوي الخبرة والكفاءة وفق أعلى‬ ‫معايير الجودة المعتمدة دوليا مدعمين بأحدث االجهزة والمعدات الطبية المتداوله عالميا‪.‬‬ ‫يضم فريق العمل بالمركز د‪ .‬هاني المزيدي استشاري تجميل وتركيبات األسنان وزراعتها والحاصل على‬ ‫البورد األمريكي بنفس اإلختصاص‪ .‬باإلضافة إلى د‪ .‬يوسف بهبهاني استشاري التركيبات الثابتة والمتحركة‬ ‫وزراعة األسنان والحاصل على البورد األمريكي في اإلستعاضة الصناعية‪.‬‬ ‫وحول الخدمات التي يقدمها المركز صرح د‪ .‬عالء الموسوي استشاري جراحة الفم والفكين والوجه والحاصل‬ ‫على البورد األمريكي بنفس اإلختصاص‪ « :‬يقدم المركز خدمات زراعة األسنان‪ ،‬الجراحات التقويمية ‪،‬‬ ‫عمليات األورام والتكيس في الفم والرأس والرقبة وعالج أمراض الفك الصدعي»‪.‬‬ ‫مركز دار الشفاء لألسنان يوفر خدمات خاصة ومتميزة في مجال طب أسنان األطفال مدعم بفريق طبي‬ ‫خاص يدرك تماما المخاوف التي يواجهها األطفال عند التعامل مع أطباء األسنان ومدرب للتعامل مع حاالت‬ ‫الهلعوالخوف‪.‬‬ ‫وفي هذا الصدد تشير د‪ .‬روشيال جورج أخصائي طب أسنان األطفال والحاصلة على شهادة تخصص في طب‬ ‫أسنان االطفال إلى أن القسم يعتمد أحدث الوسائل العلمية في مجال عالج أسنان األطفال ويقدم الرعاية‬ ‫األولية والشاملة لألسنان حتى عمر التقويم والمعالجة المبكرة لألسنان اللبنية‪ .‬كما يقدم المركز خدمات‬ ‫التخدير العام لألطفال أثناء المعالجة عند الحاجة والقدرة على عالج حاالت األطفال ذوي اإلحتياجات الخاصة‪.‬‬ ‫أما في مجال عالج أعصاب األسنان فإن المركز يضم اثنين من أفضل مقدمي الرعاية الصحية في هذا المجال‬ ‫وهما د‪ .‬جايا دانيال أخصائية طب وجراحة االسنان و د‪ .‬محمد السيد عبد اللطيف الحاصل على ماجستير عالج‬ ‫العصب‪ ،‬ويقدم الفريق خدمات تشخيص وعالج آالم وعصب األسنان‪.‬‬ ‫ونظرا لدخول عالم التجميل إلى مجال طب األسنان وسعى المريض للحصول على ابتسامه أنيقه وصحية‬ ‫فيوفر مركز دار الشفاء لألسنان فريق متميز في مجال تجميل األسنان مثل د‪ .‬محمد عايش و د‪ .‬سهى سامي‬ ‫اللذان يتخصصان في تقديم خدمات الحشوات التحفظية والتجميلية ‪ ،‬تبيض األسنان والتبيض المنزلي‬ ‫باإلضافه إلى عالج اللثة وخلع األسنان وتركيب الحافظ لمنعها من التآكل وعالج جميع حاالت األسنان الطارئة‪.‬‬ ‫مركز دار الشفاء لألسنان تم إنشاؤه كجزء من دار الشفاء كلينيك بشارع بغداد في ميدان حولي‪.‬‬

‫‪LUSH MENA LAUNCHES ‘ERASE BULLYING’ CAMPAIGN‬‬ ‫‪Too often individuals are made to feel inferior or not good enough by the harsh and cruel‬‬ ‫‪words and actions of others. What people say, and do to one another can leave a deep and‬‬ ‫‪lasting impact not everyone can see. By launching its ‘Erase Bullying’ campaign, Lush is‬‬ ‫‪recognizing and acknowledging these injustices, and urging people to come together as‬‬ ‫‪one to erase bullying, spread compassion and realize that the solution is in each person’s‬‬ ‫‪hands. Lush is transforming its shops across MENA into ‘compassion centers’ where the‬‬ ‫‪public can drop in to literally ‘erase bullying’, and are asking the public, customers and‬‬ ‫‪staff to stand together and take a more compassionate approach to their interactions‬‬ ‫‪with others. The campaign, which coincides with the ‘Back to School’ season, calls‬‬ ‫‪upon everyone to be more compassionate and join together to erase bullying. Lush is‬‬ ‫‪passionate about making the world a better place for everyone. By opening up its shops‬‬ ‫‪to the conversation around bullying, its hope is people will understand that they are not‬‬ ‫‪alone and be empowered to show kindness when interacting with others.‬‬

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WILL ROBOTS CREATE UNEMPLOYABLE MASSES?

by Jena McGregor

The good news, according to a study released last month in the US, is that a majority of tech experts canvassed by the Pew Research Center Internet Project don’t think robots are going to displace too many jobs by 2025. The bad news is that this majority – 52 percent – is ever so slight.

Forty-eight percent of the nearly 1,900 industry experts, Internet analysts and tech enthusiasts queried by the research organization imagine a more dystopian future, one in which robots and “digital agents” have displaced many jobs and where there are “vast increases in income inequality, masses of people who are effectively unemployable, and breakdowns in the social order,” according to the report. Yikes.

“There was a group of people who took the economic view – technology has been shifting and changing jobs since the Industrial Revolution, and there’s no reason to think this will change with the new wave of advances,” says Aaron Smith, a senior researcher at Pew and a co-author of the report. “On the other hand, we saw people say: Maybe that’s true, but this next wave of change will be hitting people in ways it hasn’t hit them in the past.”

Smith added that experts in this second camp say change will happen particularly quickly, making it hard for people to retrain and adjust, leading to even greater disparities among the economy’s winners and losers.

The new report is part of a Pew series marking the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web. Rather than asking a random sample of the population, it canvassed 12,000 tech experts, Internet analysts and members of the public who closely follow technology trends about eight different questions.

One of the open-ended questions, about the impact of robotics and artificial intelligence on the future of work, generated nearly 1,900 answers and formed the basis of the report.

Some of the tech experts, many of whom Pew quoted in the report, were hopeful about the impact of artificial intelligence. Vint Cerf, the chief Internet evangelist at Google, argued that all these robots would need caretakers. “Someone has to make and service all these advanced devices,” the report quotes him as saying. Tiffany Shlain, a filmmaker and host of the AOL Series The Future Starts Here, responded that robots would help to take away drudge work, “thus allowing humans to use their intelligence in new ways, freeing us up from menial tasks.” Economist Michael Kende told Pew that “every wave of automation and computerization has increased productivity without depressing employment, and there is no reason to think the same will not be true this time.”

Others see disruption, but nothing so dramatic right away. Jari Arkko, chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force, said “there are only 12 years to 2025” and that “some of these 150

technologies will take a long time to deploy in significant scale.”

If that’s not exactly heartwarming, others were downright alarming in some of their statements.

Jerry Michalski, founder of a think tank on the future of the economy, made a reference to the Harry Potter villain, telling Pew, “automation is Voldemort: The terrifying force nobody is willing to name.” Judith Donath, a fellow with Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, foresaw a world of chronic unemployment, one where “live, human salespeople, nurses, doctors, actors will be symbols of luxury, the silk of human interaction as opposed to the polyester of simulated human contact.”

Her colleague Justin Reich responded that “I’m not sure that jobs will disappear altogether, though

that seems possible, but the jobs that are left will be lower paying and less secure than those that exist now. The middle is moving to the bottom.”

While robotics may sound like a problem for a distant generation, many companies are already focused on their impact in the workforce, Garry Mathiason said in an interview. Mathiason cochairs the global employment law firm Littler Mendelson’s practice group on robotics. The problem, he says, is that they, too, are “struggling with the same problem demonstrated by the Pew study. They’re getting hit by both sides and aren’t sure which direction to turn.” While some clients of his assert that technology is coming fast and they want to outpace it, Mathiason says, others are less concerned and think it will be slower than the predictions.

SUPERIORLEADERS

ROBIN WILLIAMS

Frenetic, fearless actor and comedian, dies at 63.

by Adam Bernstein

Robin Williams, the Juilliard-trained actor and uncontainably exhibitionist comic who became one of the most dazzling all-around talents in show business, winning an Academy Award for a dramatic role in Good Will Hunting and an Emmy for his standup work, was found dead Monday 12th August at his home in Tiburon, California. He was 63.

The official cause of death has been stated as a suicide due to asphyxia. His media agent said he had been battling severe depression.

Long fueled by an alcohol and cocaine addiction, Williams was a motor-mouthed and unpredictable entertainer in whatever medium he was working, whether movies, television, Broadway, or gala performances before Prince Charles of England. “In England, if you commit a crime, the police don’t own a gun and you don’t have a gun,” he told an audience, referring to the tactics of London police toward criminals. “So it’s stop . . . or I’ll say stop again.”

He was a satirist, an Oscar-winning dramatic actor and mimic of everyone from Carol Channing to Jack Nicholson, from a British actor rendering Hamlet to a ghetto tough to Henry Kissinger channeling the morgue-voiced actor Peter Lorre.

Williams once said he took a crash course in Russian and was so good that he fooled real Russians into thinking he was one of them, “or else Czech or Polish.”

Audiences gravitated to his unprintably profane comic riffs on guns, drugs, religion and politics. Of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former bodybuilder and Hollywood-action-star-turned-California-governor, Williams equated his branding as a moderate Republican to “a Volvo with a gun rack – you don’t see a lot of them.”

Of the lackluster economy toward the end of President George W. Bush’s administration, Williams pointed out: “They say the economy is essentially sound because people are considering buying things.

That’s like saying fat people are healthy because they might exercise.” Once, upon spotting a man carrying a poster from Alcatraz prison, he shouted, “A gift shop at Alcatraz!” and in a child’s voice pleaded, “Daddy, get me the electric chair.” It was nearly impossible to harness his style – although, when under skilled direction, he was able to offer restrained and surprisingly deft dramatic portraits.

Williams won an Oscar as best supporting actor as a therapist in Good Will Hunting (1997) after having been nominated for leading roles three times, for his roles as an irreverent disc jockey in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), an inspirational boarding school teacher in Dead Poets Society (1989) and a distraught widower in The Fisher King (1991).

As a Hollywood actor, he was almost always compelling but uneven in his choice of roles, which shifted dramatically between riveting 152

(Awakenings) and maudlin (Patch Adams) and in the comic realm between the expertly served (Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage) and thuddingly mediocre (Night at the Museum).

He also became a sitcom star as an eccentric extraterrestrial in Boulder, Colorado, on ABC’s Mork and Mindy (1978 to 1982) and always brought an unpredictable presence to cameo roles on television series or interview programs.

Robin McLaurin Williams was born July 21, 1951, in Chicago and raised in a 30-room mansion in the affluent Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigen. His father, Robert, was a sales executive at Ford Motor, and his mother, Laurie, was a former model her son would later call a “Christian Dior scientist.” Each parent brought a much older child from a previous marriage into the family, leaving Robin to play by himself with 2,000 toy soldiers – giving each a different voice.

As a child, Robin developed a sharp humor to attract attention from his parents. To his father, who liked to be called “sir,” he instead used the honorific “Lord Stokesbury, Viceroy of India.” He said his earliest comic influences were his mother, who enjoyed reciting funny poems, and Jonathan Winters, an absurdist improvisational comic of film and TV. In a remembrance of Winters after his death in 2013, Williams wrote in The New York Times that he was entranced by Winters’s effect on his normally staid father as the comedian played a series of more lunatic characters. And Winters’ tools were simple. By donning a pith helmet, he morphed into a “great white hunter” whose

conception of wild game is squirrel. “I am for their little nuts,” Winters said. Williams wrote, “My dad and I lost it. Seeing my father laugh like that made me think, ‘Who is this guy and what’s he on?’ . . . Each transformation was a cameo with characters and sound effects. He was performing comedic alchemy. The world was his laboratory. I was hooked.”

Williams’s father retired and moved the family to Marin County, just north of San Francisco, during Robin’s senior year of high school. There, classmates voted him the funniest and least likely to succeed. While studying political science at Claremont Men’s College, he took a class in improvisational comedy that changed the course of his life. He won admission to the Juilliard School in New York on a scholarship and trained under John Houseman, among other prominent stage actors and directors. His classmates included Christopher Reeve, William Hurt and Mandy Patinkin. He left in his third year to work in comedy clubs in San Francisco and, in 1978, married Valerie Velardi, a dancer. They had a son before divorcing. He married Marsha Garces in 1989 and had two children with her before they divorced. Survivors include his third wife, Susan Schneider.

“I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken,” Schneider said in a statement. “As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.” [continued...]

STARBUCKS

[...continued] It was his first wife who suggested Williams move to Los Angeles and direct his talents at television. His routines at prominent clubs – including a skit playing the chain-gang escapees portrayed by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier in the 1958 drama The Defiant Ones – won him the attention of TV producers in the audience. This led to guest appearances on shows, including ABC’s sitcom Happy Days as the alien Mork.

The show’s producers had turned down 50 performers for the role before Williams auditioned for Mork. “About five o’clock, in walked this boy with rainbow suspenders,” producer Jerry Paris told The New York Times. “When he sat down, I asked if he would sit a little differently, the way an alien might. Immediately, he sat on his head.

We hired him.”

Audience reaction was so swiftly positive that the network gave Williams his own show as Mork in 1978. Mork and Mindy was about an alien from planet Ork sent to Earth in a giant egg to learn the mystifying habits of its people. Besides sitting on his head, Mork’s quirky tendencies include getting drunk on soda and falling hopelessly enamored of mannequins. His catchphrase: “Nanu nanu.”

The sitcom co-starred Pam Dawber as a human love interest and, eventually, Winters as Mork’s extraterrestrial baby, Mearth, who ages in reverse.

Critics found the show tiresome in its formula, but they were near-unanimous in their praise of Williams, who was afforded the rare freedom on network television to improvise on the set.

He continued to perform on the comedy circuit while starring on TV, and he created a menagerie of profane and ridiculous characters such as the 154

French-born conservationist Jacques Cousteau shilling for an oil company and the classically trained actor Laurence Olivier filming a commercial for Ripple, the low-budget plonk.

His success as a TV star helped make one of his first comedy albums, “Reality . . . What a Concept” (1979), a million-seller, and propelled his work in movies.

Williams made his leading man debut as the title sailor in Popeye (1980), a part he took because the critically esteemed Robert Altman was the director. However, the live-action film, based on the cartoon character, was a debacle that sunk at the box office.

For the remainder of his career, Williams selected a wide range of parts in the hope that audiences would not only forget Popeye but see the dramatic potential behind the comic. This led to starring roles in The World According to Garp (1982), an oddly meshed comedy drama based on the John Irving novel, and Moscow on the Hudson, director Paul Mazursky’s comedy about as a Soviet musician who defects at Bloomingdale’s and makes an uneasy adjustment to American life.

With the Harold Ramis comedy Club Paradise (1986), Williams said he made a stab at the blatantly commercial, much to his regret. “Club Paradise was a sheer effort of greed,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “I just went for the cash and went, ‘Great, now make a commercial movie,’ and I got creamed.” He dove next into Seize the Day, a 1986 drama that aired on PBS and was based on a Saul Bellow novel about a man whose life is a series of work and family distresses. Williams told the Times he took actor’s scale wages and

regarded the performance as one of his finest.

The film that made Williams a bona fide star was Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), as the looselipped DJ Adrian Cronauer on Armed Forces Radio in Saigon. The film, which reportedly made more than USD 120 million domestically, was best remembered for Williams one-liners amid the raging Vietnam War. In one scene, he is teaching New York-style insults to an English class filled with Vietnamese. He says he is from Queens. “What are Queens?” one student asks. “Tall, thin men who like show tunes,” he replies.

If Good Morning, Vietnam proved Williams’s commercial potential on-screen, it took Dead Poets Society (1989) to transform him into a believably dramatic performer in the minds of mass audiences. The film critic Pauline Kael praised his “astonishingly empathetic performance as an eager, dedicated prep-school teacher in the late ‘50s” who tries to liberate the minds of his students by urging them to “seize the day.”

From there, came a run of more serious-minded films such as Awakenings (1990), based on Oliver Sacks book about a doctor (played by Williams) who tries to use a new drug on seemingly catatonic patients at a Bronx psychiatric hospital (one is portrayed by Robert De Niro). In director Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King (1991), Williams was a homeless schizophrenic and onetime medieval scholar – the sort of injured innocent he liked to play at that stage of his career.

The next several years were a run of massappeal comedies: Hook, Toys, Jumanji and Aladdin, the latter was the Disney comedy in which he voiced the role of the genie.

HYPOXI

bazaar scopes what’s your sign?

LIBRA SEP 23 – OCT 22 Driving could be worse than you’ve ever experienced. Working with others could be just as bad. The day-to-day situation of relentless working with relentless workers could prove to be just too much. Accomplish as much as you can at home, take long walks in twilight, and know that eventually a brilliance will befall you. Like an unexpected star.

SCORPIO OCT 23 – NOV 22 You’ll move back and forth from the business world to groups of friends trying to be social and yet professionally responsible. You’ll have to walk around with a scale in your hands in order to balance both. What you’re attempting to do is unite all the facets of your life and unite others too. This is a good humanitarian intention but may mean you end up the worst off.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 – DEC 21 It’s as if you became a Gemini this Month, handling multiple calls, emails, technical situations, businesses deals, contracts, and corporate logos.

As each message seems to blur into the next, take the time to walk a bit, talk a bit less, and synthesize what you’re learning here. Contact siblings this month, they need you.

CAPRICORN DEC 22 – JAN 19 Don’t doubt yourself or your dreams or wishes for successful group endeavors. In the next three months, recapitulate and redefine your goals and then refine them. Perhaps you’re moving into a new direction for greater freedom. In love matters, you’ll find yourself selfless. This is good, charitable and gratifying. If unresolved situations surface, work with them.

AQUARIUS JAN 20 – FEB 18 The theme of the month is communication.

This may be to your peers, your partner or even yourself. Now is not the time to bottle up. Admit defeat and start communicating. It may be one of the hardest things you do, but thinks will improve and ultimately it will be the right decision.

PISCES FEB 19 – MAR 20 The past shows up and presents you with pictures and feelings that cause grief. Each memory has a message that has bearing on the future. You’ve become your past which makes you very sensitive

to your previous unskillful ways. Hold these thoughts close, allow them to gather strength, to gestate, and offer your insights to the world. They will be magnetic.

ARIES MAR 21 – APR 19 Something someone says to you, a partner, a child, a friend, even a group, has a piece of the truth in it. At first you may not understand, and you might even be upset or irritated. So much at home, so many ideas, and too much communication going on. Set yourself a creative task, ponder their words, and ask for goodwill. Remember to give back the goodwill too.

TAURUS APR 20 – MAY 20 Unusual things occur both at home and with work.

These may create frustration, even arguments that distort your usual placid demeanor. Walking will disperse some of the contained energy. Walking with a friend is even better in neighborhoods neither of you know about. You may even discover more than just a new environment.

GEMINI MAY 21 – JUN 21 Constant thoughts of travel, or perhaps a compelling need to leave the reality you’re in, impels you to change something, seek the unusual and bring it home, and/or bring a new level of thought to a limited belief. Communication of the esoteric type will save you. Seek inspiration and it will be worth it.

CANCER JUN 22 – JUN 22

VIRGO

AUG 23 – SEP 22 How is your health? Is something unusual, undefined, and unexpected occurring? It’s good to seek a professional to ease the symptoms.

This will help the changes you’re also experiencing in the home. Someone you care about from a group can help.

They are intelligent and will soothe your fears. Call upon them.

First you’ll chat about money and resources, and then you’ll just chat. Trying to make any sense, especially where your resources are going, may be impossible. The situation is such that you’ll have to delve into another’s state of finances to understand your own. Not easy. It’s time to take a long drive.

LEO JUL 23 – AUG 22 This is the month to get creative and get into that hobby that you have been thinking about for months. This will help you not only get some perspective, reduce stress and gain more happiness in your life, but all of these will mean your relationships will all ultimately improve.

Have fun and everyone’s happy…what have you got to lose?

source: www.2014horoscope.com 156

‫‪NOOR CLINIC‬‬ ‫ﻋﺮض اﻟﻤﻮﺳﻢ اﻟﺠﺪﻳﺪ ‪ ،‬ﺧﺼﻮﻣﺎت ﻋﻠﻰ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﺟﻠﺴﺎت اﻟﻠﻴﺰر‬ ‫ زاﻟﺔ اﻟﺸﻌﺮ‬

‫ﻟﻴﺰر اﻟﻴﺪﻳﻦ‬ ‫‪ 50‬د‪.‬ك‬

‫ﻳﻮﺟﺪ ﻟﺪﻳﻨﺎ دﻛﺘﻮرة ﺟﻠﺪﻳﻪ‬

‫ﻟﻴﺰر ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ ا ﺑﻂ‬ ‫‪ ٢٠‬د‪.‬ك‬

‫ﻟﻴﺰر اﻟﺴﺎﻗﻴﻦ‬ ‫‪ ٩٠‬د‪.‬ك‬

‫ﻟﻴﺰر ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ اﻟﺒﻴﻜﻴﻨﻲ‬ ‫‪ ٤٠‬د‪.‬ك‬

‫ﻟﻴﺰر اﻟﻮﺟﻪ‬ ‫‪ ٣٥‬د‪.‬ك‬

PORSCHE