The 2013 January edition

COVER January 2013 - issue # 167 b a z a a r - m a g a z i n e. c om

SOOR CE

CENTER

MEN

NBUR

MERCED

DES-BENZ

TED B

BAKER

AU

UDI

VA VA VOO

VOOM

SOOQ S

SHARQ

PINKB

BERRY

ATHLET'

'S FOOT

IKE

EA

Intr

The bazaar team...

Boss Ahmed El-Adly

Yusra Ahmad

Business Development I hab M ok alled

Depressing world news aside, let’s kick this New Year in full gear with yet another fabulous installation of more local gems! After all of that dining guide feasting, we still managed to sneak in a couple of restaurant reviews, go figure! Start your day with a proper Lebanese tarwe’a from Zeitouna, or feast like a king at Red Lobster!

Deepa Pant

We love seeing bazaarites succeed further in their careers; our resident fashionista, Bibi Al-Falah, has launched her much-anticipated online jewelry boutique, The Velvet Pouch, bringing sought-after pieces from all over the world, right to your doorstep. We get up close and personal with Pretty Little Thing Noaf Hussein, and we’ve got a super-special surprise that awaits in Truth or Dare with the allfunny IMPROVengers. If you hadn’t entered our Puma competition in December, then flip over to truth or dare to check it out what we have planned for you! And, it wouldn’t be an issue of bazaar without a stunning Goji Boutique photo shoot, where creativity and fashion merge into the art of cool!

Shabana H. Shaikh

Have a very Happy New Year and may all your resolutions come true this time!

Ahmed El-Adly

Design Sumaiya AL-Shar han

Staff Writer/Social Media Yasmine El Char if

Staff Writer Kevin Smith

Communications Consultant Hala Y. Sharara

Editor A. Al-Duaij

Contributing Writers Bibi Al-Falah

Jaye Sonia Loaay Ahmed Samar Tahoun

Sumayyah Meehan Yara Al-Wazir

Photographers Bader Al Bassam Kevin Smith Sumaiya AL Sharhan Yousef Abdul-Husain

Printing

British Industries for Printing and Packaging

LA Times Daily Star USA Today MTC International MIT Review Travel Times Hollywood Watch Slate Tribune Media Services

bazaar can be found at the following locations:

Operations

If you’re reading this, then the Mayans were wrong and the world didn’t end in December 2012, and all our hard work wasn’t in vain! What does that mean? More revolutions? More civil wars? More unrest as unhappy Arabs try to figure out what they want and what they need (and what they don’t want).It’s been a difficult year, to say the least. The situation in Syria is dire. The situation in Egypt is very unstable.

There is lots of trouble in lots of other countries in the region, too. I must admit it has all made me appreciate my job at bazaar a lot more than I used to. To be able to come to the office, get away from the news on TV, write about new restaurants, cool new brands, interesting artsy people, play with colors, designs, textures, and layouts, and simply immerse myself in the total opposite of what’s going on in the ‘real world’ has become a welcome treat. The last two months, especially, flew by as we raced against time to complete our annual dining guide which we like to think of as the one and only guide in Kuwait that properly covers the restaurant scene.

We tried our best to include every new restaurant possible, but even as we were closing the guide and going to print, there were new restaurants literally opening their doors. Don’t worry, if your favorite restaurant isn’t in the dining guide, we will be sure to review it in 2013. All you have to do is drop us an email mentioning why you love it so much and we’ll take care of the rest. If you would like extra copies of the dining guide to distribute to friends and colleagues at work, the same applies.

Send us an email stating how many copies you need, and your address, and we’ll do our best to send them over as soon as possible.

Syndicates and Sources

Starbucks Coffee (65 branches) BSK - Britsh School of Kuwait Cozmo - 4 branches Topshop Galleria Complex The Video Club Souk Sharq Energie Costa Café H&M Bredz Jacques Dessange Miss Sixty Airport Mall Häagen Dasz The One Café ACK (Australian College of Kuwait) AUK (American University of Kuwait) AUM (American University of Middle East) Boxhill College Marble Slab D’Lush Early Bird Café Harley Davidson Al-Kout Mall Centrepoint Café Johnny Rockets Pizza Express Al Corniche Club Kuwait Airways Oasis Club Shay W Nanaa Le PQ Cafe Boushahri Clinic Al Salam Hospital 4 x 4 Customs Ligne Roset Hard Rock Café Pilates & More Mowasat Hospital Camille Albane Dar Al Funoon I.O. Centers Cutting Edge Salon Dasman Diabetic Centre The Burger Hub Dunkin Donuts Waterlemon Café Supreme International Clinic Casper & Gambini’s Segafredo Cafe O Pao Cafe

The views expressed in bazaar magazine are those of the respective contributors and not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff (but sometimes they are).

No one likes to be dumped;

recycle me, please.

facebook.com/bazaarmagazine twitter.com/bazaartweets

tel. 24610017 - fax 24610018 info@bazaar-magazine.com www.bazaar-magazine.com

members of: www.bpaww.com

LA MARTINA

INDEX JAN ' 1 3

60

38

34

64

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KUWAIT WEBBERS

I AM JESTER

RED LOBSTER

STAY COOL WITH GOJI

TRUTH OR DARE SPECIAL

Part of Mawaqaa National Web Solutions Company, Kuwait Webbers is the initiative that will make your online dreams a reality. Fancy turning that genius small business idea into a website? Read on for details about how you can participate.

Mshari Al Onaizy, a young social entrepreneur, wants you to play more. Get to know the man behind I Am Jester, and you’ll put down that iPhone and pick up those scrabble tiles. Old School? Maybe, but we think board games still rock!

The Grand Avenue, a hub for the world’s finest cuisines, is now home to Red Lobster, so add it to your list of must visit destinations! Check out our review of seafood at its finest, from tasty starters, sumptuous mains to heavenly desserts.

The temperatures might be dropping, but the cool factor keeps rising at Goji Boutique! Start the year in style with a lesson in the art of cool from Goji Boutique.

Make this photo shoot your ultimate guide to staying cool this winter.

We’re starting the New Year with a huge laugh, and want you guys to laugh along with us! Check out our Truth or Dare special with the IMPROVengers, play a game of improv comedy and win two tickets to their show!

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NOAF HUSSEIN

THE STYLEMAKER

We like to call her Ms. Pretty Little Thing; others believe she’s a branding guru.

Get up close and personal with Noaf Hussein as she discusses her progression, career path, her passion for the local orphanage and all the pretty little things.

Young, cutting edge, and a trendsetter, it comes as no surprise that Taylor Tomasi Hill, the red-haired maven, is the artistic director at online luxury retailer, Moda Operandi. Check out this special style interview, along with Hill’s season’s picks!

Q and Art, p.58

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ZEITOUNA

3 6 5 PICS

WHAT’S TRENDING?

FROM QUEENS TO CAIRO

GEEKS AND GAMERS

In the heart of Kuwait City, behind the church, lies a little gem called Zeitouna. This oasis of calm offers delectable Lebanese delicacies that make for the perfect gathering spot for an early Tarwe’a, lunch or dinner. Or chill out with a shisha and coffee, the choice is yours.

Interested in starting your 365 pics project but don’t know how to begin? Take a photographic journey with Tootie Al-Sabah, who showed us how she did it. Turns out, it’s no easy endeavor, but worth every snap. Tips and tricks included!

Too many social media accounts and not enough time?

Check out our brand new page to show you what’s on, online: we’re liking, tweeting, pinning and sharing, so don’t waste an instant and start sharing with us, you might get a mention next month!

The return home after a lengthy absence abroad can be quite the battle of wits, or a journey of rediscovery. Sherif Sadek’s story is a return to roots while documenting Cairo in the post-revolution era, delivering a reality of change untarnished by today’s media.

Since escaping the end of the world in 2012, Jaye Sonia thought it best to celebrate with his roundup of the best gadget and tech releases coming up in 2013. From a MySpace comeback to smart cars, we couldn’t agree more!

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G-STAR

bazaar connect Freedom to touch us

40,000 readers

With a bilingual audience, our articles are in English and Arabic, and 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 4 people, giving us a total readership of over 40,000 bazaar is published every month (except August) and delivered free of charge to a large subscriber database, as well as distributed free of charge in all of the following locations: Cafés & Eateries

Breadz Burger Hub, Gulf Road Casper & Gambini, Kuwait City Chocolate Bar, Al Bida'a Crumbs, Shaab Dunkin Donuts, Salem Al-Mubarak Haagen Dazs - Souq Sharq, Arraya Hard Rock Café Jade Garden Restaurant, Gulf Hotel, Salmiya Johnny Rockets - Opposite Salhiya Complex, Salmiya, Alia & Ghalia Complex Living Room Lounge MILK, Sief Strip Opao Organica Fish & Chips, Jabriya P.Q. - The Palms Pizza Express - Dhahia, Bida'a Complex, Hilton Kuwait Resort Prime & Toast - Al Bida'a, Seif Strip The Early Bird - Fahaheel, Jabriya Starbucks Adeliya Airport Mall Alghanim Al Rai Al Mowasat Hospital Al Muhalab Al Shaya Head Office Aliya & Ghalia Complex AUK

Awtad Kuwait City Bairaq Mall Baitak Tower Behbehani Complex Bida’a Complex BMW Showroom Daiya Co-op Dar Al Awadi Fashion World Salmiya Hilton Resort Jabriya Jabriya Land Keifan Khalifa Resort Kout Mall Marina Crescent Marina Mall Mishref NBK Nuwaiseeb Nuzha Co-op Plaza Hawalli Rosa Castle Salhiya Salmiya, Salem Al-Mubarak Salmiya Co-op Salwa Co-op Scientific Center Seif Hospital Shaab

members of: www.bpaww.com

Shamiya Co-op Sharq Co-op Sheikha Complex Souk Salmiya Souk Sharq The Avenues The Palms Hotel Zain Headquarters Clinics & Hospitals Al Safat American Hospital Boushahri Clinic Dasman Diabetes Institute Diet Care Center International Clinic Kaizen Seif Hospital Soor Clinic Hotels & Health Clubs Al Corniche Club Crowne Plaza, Farwaniya Flex Hilton Kuwait Resort & Spa Holiday Inn, Salmiya Pilates & More - Salmiya, Mahboula The Palms Beach Hotel Malls 360 Mall Dunkin Donuts Arraya Haagen Dazs

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

Stand Alones 4 Boutique A.W.A.R.E. Center Alghanim Marine

Beautylicious Brush Salon Cozmo Bowling - Salmiya, Kaifan, Discovery Mall, Mahboula Dar Al Funoon Gallery Tilal Goji Boutique Jacques Dessange Salon, Shaab Karizma Kuwait 4X4 Landmark - Al Rai café, Fahaheel, Salmiya London Limos N Bar N Style Pink Moon Boutique Sultan Gallery THE One The Video Club TIES Center Schools & Universities American International School American University of Kuwait Australian College Kuwait Boxhill College BSK - Britsh School of Kuwait Universal American School Kuwait University Starbucks Khaldiya Starbucks Adeliya Starbucks Jabriya Starbucks Shuwaikh

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

Freedom to surf us

28,000 monthly visitors

www.bazaar-magazine.com

As well our monthly magazine, our free-access website gives us the ability to reach an even broader audience, with an average number of 28,000 unique visitors.

Packed with our articles covering entertainment, art, local happenings, music, movies, fashion, interiors, health, and interviews with the people responsible for said genres, bazaar‘s website will not disappoint.

Freedom to share us +5,000 fans and followers facebook.com/bazaarmagazine

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We get even closer to our readers by taking advantage of both our Facebook and twitter channels on a daily basis. With more than 5,000 fans and followers, we love starting different conversations with our readers, sharing music, jokes, competitions, and much more. Twitter gives us the ability to tweet live from the many fun and exciting events that we cover, giving our readers minute by minute coverage and commentary, and allowing us to follow the people and brands that we like too, of which there are so many.

Freedom to flip us

+15,000 readers

issuu.com/bazaarmagazine

Too lazy to go pick up bazaar from your local café, now you can browse through the complete physical magazine online via issuu.com. Featuring our in-depth interviews, reviews, stellar photography, and the latest ads showcasing what 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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POSTA PLUS

what's on?

HORECA KUWAIT Meet key players at Kuwait’s largest event for the Hospitality & Food industries

HORECA Kuwait, the Hospitality and Food Exhibition, is a comprehensive event covering the hospitality, catering & food industry sectors in Kuwait and the region. In 2012 more than 3500 professionals and decision makers visited the show.

Venue: Arraya Ballroom – Courtyard Marriott Hotel Date: From Monday, 28 January

to Wednesday, 30 January 2013 Opening Hours: 9:30am - 1:30pm

4:30pm - 9:30pm HORECA Kuwait, operates under a license granted to “Leaders Group for Consulting & Development” by ”Hospitality Services s.a.r.l” “Leaders Group” is keen to provide excellence to its customers by offering an innovative and specialized consultation and providing integrated solutions for the development of institutional performance. It makes use of the experience of its specialized and professional team and their regional and international relations to organize conventions, conferences and exhibitions with high quality services.

Time: 4-9pm Price: 50KD per day Location: Dar Al Funoon and various desert locations.

Dates: 6th -10th January 2013 Name of the Exhibition: Fine and Antique Carpets Exhibition By: Aydah Merz Aydah Merza proudly exhibits the fruit of her research, efforts and passion. She traveled the four corners of the globe to create the perfect carpet collection of renowned names in the world of carpet- making such as Seirafian, Mehdee, Haqeeqi and Dardashti.

This exhibition which includes Persian and Turkish carpets marks the third collaboration between Gallery Tilal & Aydah Merza in which both sides add to the other resulting in an exhibition worthy of those with escalated sense of Art & high appreciation to this beautiful craft.

Gallery Tilal is located in Shuwaikh, Jahra Road, Tilal Complex, M3-M4, Gallery Tilal. For more information please call 2225 6101 or log onto www.gallerytilal.com.

DAR AL FUNOON

About the Workshop In this workshop we plan to teach students to appreciate photography with more depth and develop an understanding of aesthetics in photography.

We plan to lightly discuss the technical aspects of photography, but primarily will concentrate on the forms of the photograph and elements of composition.

Artistic use of different lenses will be discussed. Macrophotography will be discussed also.

The workshop will help fill the gap between shooting and pushing your artistic boundaries, while developing your eyes to see aesthetically pleasing compositions. The beauty of the desert will be one focus of our discussion.

Methods will include lectures, discussions, assignments, and critiques. The course will be somewhat flexible and open to feedback and requests throughout.

Equipment (Recommended but not mandatory) Camera, minimum 500-speed aperture/DSLR preferred Lens(s) – f/4.5 or lower preferred.

Notepads/writing utensils are a good idea!

Registration deadline: 7th January 2013, call 22433138 for inquiry.

All attendees will receive a certificate upon completion of the workshop (signed by Dar Al Funoon and Bret Webster).

Dar Al Funoon is located in Al-Watiah, Behbehani Compound, House No.28. For more information please call 2243 3138 or log onto www.daralfunoon-kw.com

GALLERY TILAL The IMPROVengers in "Battle of the IMPROVengers!"

2013 ‫ يناير‬31 ‫ إلى‬20 :‫االتاريخ‬ ‫ علي النعمان‬:‫إسم املعرض‬ ‫واللعب فن ( بابلو بيكاسو‬.... ‫)الفن لعب‬ ‫تنطوي أعمال الفنان على نعمان حتت سيطرة ذاتية ونفسية واضحة‬ ‫االجتاه وشخصانية منفردة في األسلوب فهو اليستطيع اإلستغناء عن‬ ‫الشخوص ألنها محور اإلرتكاز للعمل كعنصر مهم لديه رغم إنه حاول في‬ . ‫بعض األحيان االجتهاد لألستغناء عنها إال إنه وبغصب يفضل إظهارها‬ ‫كما إنه يبحث عن مصادر الطاقة في العمل ويسعى إلكتشافها‬ ‫ويتعمق في خفاياها من خالل الضوء كما لو كان يسعى إلكتشاف نفسه‬ ‫ فيتكون‬،‫لذلك جند مناطق الضوء في العمل تصرخ لتعلن عن وجودها‬.. ‫حوله كل خواطره وأحاسيسه وأفكاره ومشاعره فتتحد العناصر اللونية‬ ‫في إجتاهه أو تتفرق منه لينشر عليها ضيائه وكأنه يعيد بعث الكائنات‬ ،‫ فتتحول في بعض األحيان ألشكال مرئية مادية واضحة املعالم‬،‫من جديد‬ ‫وأحيانا أحرى أطياف وهمية تتصارع داخل رحم األلوان ملولود جديد يتشوق‬ ‫وفناننا أيضا يبحث في أعماله عن توازن بني الروح متمثلة في‬. ‫للخروج‬ ‫ فأنتج‬،‫ وبني العقل بألوانه الداكنة وهرمونيتها‬،‫األلوان الفاحتة بطهارتها‬ ‫تفاعل طبيعي بني الواقعي وفوق الواقعي مؤكدا استعمال السكني مبهارة‬ ‫وحرفية بتوظيفها في اجتاه حركة اللون بسحر يجذب املتلقي ويأسره‬ ،‫فلطشاته القوية واجلريئة باستعمال األلوان بكثافتها تدغدغ مشاعرك‬ .‫وتظهر وجود لم يكن موجود فهي جتربة تستحق التأمل‬ 26

Exhibition: Photography by Brett Webster Date & Time: Opening at 6-8pm on Sunday 13th January and continuing through to Thursday 17th January, 2013 Bret's images have become globally popular, particularly in the American Southwest, because of his unique angles and ability to press advanced equipment to the very edge of its capability in gathering the light of natural beauty. His images have been used and recognized in all media (print/electronic) and by publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Discover, New Scientist, Travel & Leisure, Islands magazine, the US Geological Society and many, many others and numerous galleries and other outlets particularly in and near Utah. He has numerous recognitions and occasionally is "corralled" into being a judge in regional, Utah State and other photo competitions.

Bret Webster Photography Workshop at Dar Al Funoon Date: 14th January 2013 & 15th January 2013

January 17 and 18, 2013, 8:00pm at the Live Theatre in Discovery Mall Tickets: KD 10 - VIP Seats KD.7.5 - Stalls KD 5 - Regular Seats Online booking available at: www.stagedinkuwait.com An evening of off the wall, unscripted comedy from Kuwait’s first Improv troupe, The IMPROVengers.

In the traditions of Whose Line Is It Anyway, The IMPROVengers take on the Comedy Olympics in a show that you get to control. It’s like having your own comedians on a remote. Stand by for something completely different.

GANT

up close and personal NOAF HUSSEIN By bazaar staff

At bazaar, we like to keep our eyes on people we’ve previously covered, particularly those with a special talent for turning beautiful ideas into in-spiring realities. Noaf Hussein previously appeared in our pages as a fun, self-employed creative in truth or dare. Today, her visionary progression alone, merited this special feature, and we couldn’t wait to catch up with her latest developments as we’ve watched the scintillating world of Pretty Little Things materialize, carrying along with it hopes of change and innovation in this distinct gathering of creatives.

Besides her myriad of projects, including branding new projects, art directing and styling photo shoots for print publications and individual brands, and hosting brand launches, Noaf started a show called Pretty Little Things. “Pretty Little Things is something I started in December of 2011 as a way for creatives, the curious, and those who appreciate the smallest of nuances to get together, shop, chat, and network with the media and each other in a beautiful setting. It initially started as a way to promote my clients (I freelance in marketing and branding) but when I saw the way people reacted to it, I decided to use it as a platform to promote regional brands and do some good along the way.”

Channeling this good towards none other than the locally based charity, Khair AL Kuwait Charity Foundation, Noaf took on the mission of assisting in the renovation process of the orphanage compound including all of its facilities. “That is where the PLT charitable cause came together. With every Pretty Little Things show, I try to gather pledges for all the building materials I need to rebuild one of the houses within the compound. The first house I managed to gather building materials for is currently under construction, and the materials list for the second house 28

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Being barefoot and carefree.

What is your greatest fear?

To not have absorbed enough of the world around me—being focused sometimes robs me of the moment.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Impatience What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Entitlement Which living person do you most admire?

My mother, something I am very vocal about What is your greatest extravagance?

Eating what I want, when I want.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Don't judge me, but I'm hungry again!” should be coming together very soon. I plan to keep going until the larger project is complete, and then find a new cause!” Not only so, Noaf hand selects brands that represent the title of show, regional and local alike, then goes on to ensure that their needs are met in terms of exposure and most importantly, building a relationship with the local market. She adds, “It's about the small details, the ones that make you smile the pretty little things.”

A firm believer that business is indeed a personal matter; Noaf finds it difficult, or actually impossible, to separate business relationships from personal ones. After all, Noaf ’s career is all about building relationships, and combine that with a fervent passion for her many projects, behold a force of nature willing to persevere against all odds, from political rallies interrupting last November’s show, to

surviving a cold and raining evening that briefly interrupted Pretty Little Things’s outdoor anniversary show at Salhiya Plaza last December. She recounts her career developments last year as interesting, to say the least, “The past year was an especially intense one. 2012 was a winding road of trials, tribulations, soaring highs and soul crushing lows, all without guidance or the use of a safety net because, alas, there cannot be one when the road leads to unexplored territory. I never understood people who caution that business and personal matters should be kept separate. To me, there's nothing more personal than business. Everything I do comes with my fingerprint and I cannot function any other way.”

Mind you, being different when it comes to running your business doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing.

When you consider how successful

Noaf ’s projects turned out to be, maybe that personal touch is what we need after all. Even if it sometimes drives you to madness, and moments of sanity seem to be so rare, Noaf doesn’t despair over trying to stay sane, “I don't, which is what keeps things interesting. The best ideas come from a place of madness.”

So what’s in store for this sanebut-not lover of all the pretty little things? She might not know it yet, as she prefers to ride the tide, adjust her sails, bending with adversity and carving out a path to follow. She concludes, “I’m not on a traditional career path so there's no sense in trying to apply structure!”

bazaar questionnaire:

When were you happiest?

My childhood, when everything was scintillating and brand new.

Which talent would you most like to have?

It would be great if my singing voice could bring people to the good kind of tears. I shall refrain from inflicting my voice on others until that day comes.

What would you consider your greatest achievement?

Being driven, and never using any of my achievements as an excuse to rest on my laurels Where would you most like to live?

Kuwait, I couldn't fathom living anywhere else.

Follow Noaf Hussein on Twitter and Instagram, @PLTQ8.

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

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

facebook.com/bazaarmagazine

twitter.com/bazaartweets

pinterest.com/bazaarmagazine

START READING!

issuu.com/bazaarmagazine

what: Gulf for Good type: FB fan page-organization editor’s note: challenge yourself while making a difference.

who: Nitin Mirani type: Tweep, comedian extraordinaire editor’s note: Founder of Komic Sutra, laugh let laugh—Amen!

what: Non-profit Organization, Omniaty Kuwait type: twitter account, @ominiatykuwait editor’s note: granting wishes of children w/life threatening diseases

what: Graphic Designer, Ahmad Alrashid type: IG account, @ahmadalrashid editor’s note: IG auctions, illustrations on everyday items

what: Instake type: iPhone App editor’s note: SAVE your favorite images from Instagram.

what: Q8 Wedding type: iPhone App editor’s note: plan your wedding in Kuwait, hassle free!

what: Un peu de Kil Shi type: Blog-website by Sahar Ghazale editor’s note: Interior architect blogging a little bit of everything!

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PB TEEN

FROM QUEENS TO CAIRO A return to roots By bazaar staff

The story of From Queens to Cairo revolves around Sherif Sadek, an Egyptian-American, who takes his family back to Cairo one year after the start of the Egyptian revolution. Unable to leave his family and work to go to Tahrir Square and join the revolution in 2011, he joined other EgyptianAmericans standing in Times Square in solidarity with the revolutionaries.

Sherif Sadek was born in Cairo in 1975 and moved to New York in 1994 to study film. After college, he was quickly drawn to documentary films. In 2000, he went to Egypt to work on a project to document the lives of Bisharin, an Afro-Arab tribe that calls the region around the Egypt-Sudan border home. He also directed a documentary on the Id el Adha and how it’s celebrated in Egypt, called Feast of Sacrifice.

After September 11th, he moved back to New York, and shot a documentary about Arab Americans after September 11th, called From Heart to Heart.

His career then moved to post-production when he started working for Technicolor Creative Services in New York. That led to more post-production jobs 32

until he started working at Assimilate, Inc. That job gave him the freedom to work from home, which was instrumental in his ability to make his latest film, From Queens to Cairo.

One year after the revolution, he was determined not to miss the anniversary, but also saw it as a chance to show his family his country of origin. The family flies out to Egypt, and he starts a journey to find out what the challenges are that will face this country as it starts the long and difficult road to becoming a modern democracy. His travels land him not only in Tahrir Square, but also in other squares around the city, where he talks to protestors standing silently, cab drivers who complain about lack of work, unplanned neighborhoods that lack basic services such as water and sanitation. He also talks to activists about their missions and what they are doing to fight the counter-revolution. As the journey goes on, a few people recount events that happened in the past year, and you get to see footage of the struggle between the regime and those demanding change.

“Making this film was really an eye opener for me, as an Egyptian living abroad,” says Sadek. “There is so much misinformation and disinformation flying around in the media that it’s hard to believe what you read. Whether through lack of professional journalistic practices, intentional deception, or honest mistakes, it is close to impossible to find out what the truth is.

I wanted to show the viewers, especially Egyptians living abroad, like myself, a more nuanced view on what’s happening in the country right now. If you’re not Egyptian, but interested in the Arab Spring, this film should provide you with more information than you would see on CNN or Aljazeera. As with all documentaries, as much as we try to stay neutral when addressing subjects, it is also infused with my opinions and readings of the situation. After all, I am human, and I do have an opinion on what’s going on. What I try to do, is make sure that, while you understand my opinion, another point of view is presented.”

For more information visit: www.facebook.com/fromqueenstocairo.

I'M WATCH

bazaar goes dining RED LOBSTER Seafood at its finest By bazaar staff

With the opening of Grand Avenue at The Avenues also comes an onslaught of new restaurants that has had us at bazaar struggling to catch up. Luckily for us the opening coincided with our annual dining guide, which I’m sure by now you’ve devoured, and so we were able to cover a lot of those new places. We were disappointed to not squeeze Red Lobster in but are delighted to 34

have been able to check it out finally and get it in our January issue alongside our dining guide.

Red Lobster was founded in 1968 in Lakeland Florida by Bill Darden, a man with a passion for seafood and a focus on quality and service. Today there are more than 680 Red Lobster restaurants in the US and Canada, but more importantly there is now one in Kuwait. There’ll be two kinds of people

heading down to Red Lobster at Grand Avenue; those who know and love the place from time spent in America, and those looking to find out what all the fuss is being made by those already know and love it.

I fall firmly into the latter category, and being a fan of seafood couldn’t wait to check it out. Especially after I heard that Red Lobster is the place where popcorn shrimp was invented!

Red Lobster is located in the cluster of new restaurants that greet you as you head into Grand Avenue from Phase II, just on the right side. It occupies one of the first floor spots which can be accessed by stairs or elevator between the ground floor restaurants. The cool thing about these first floor locations is that you can sit out in the terrace, watching the whole world go by and you enjoy your meal. Looking down on the throngs of shoppers strolling down the thoroughfare that is Grand Avenue, you get a sense of being in a grand old high street.

The restaurant itself has a heavy nautical theme inside but done in a very subtle and classy way.

Think dark wood and portholes. One wall features International signal flags that ships used to use to communicate with each other, each flag a different letter. The ones at Red Lobster spell out the word ‘fresh’, which is very fitting. They also have a private room in the back known as the Captain’s Room which has enough space for ten people.

We took a seat outside and ordered some drinks.

You’ll be spoiled for choice at Red Lobster and we conquered this by ordering a lot; non-alcoholic Margarita and Mojito are refreshing and tasty, and for those with a sweet tooth we’d recommend the Bahama Mama, a blend of mango passion fruit mix syrup, or the less sweet Mud Slide, which is a chocolate laced avalanche of coffee flavour syrup and ice cream, and was my favourite.

Then we moved onto the starters. We took Lobster Nachos, tortilla chips topped with lobster meat, cheese, fresh pico de gallo, jalapeno and sour cream which are every bit as tasty as they sound. We also took the Crispy Calamari Salad and Lobster-Artichoke-And-Seafood Dip. The New England Sampler is great for sharing, featuring lobster, crab, and seafood stuffed mushrooms, breaded clam strips, and a skewer of wood-grilled, beef-bacon wrapped sea scallops. All three dishes in this sampler were delicious but it was the clam strips that had us fighting.

Next came the NY Strip and Rock Lobster Tail as we moved onto the main course. This dish is typical surf and turf territory with a lightly seasoned, wood-

skewered jumbo shrimp and sea scallops finished off a fantastic dish, served with a buttery garlic finish.

For dessert we went all out. Cheesecake with Strawberry was exactly as advertised, rich and creamy and topped with fresh strawberries. We also couldn’t resist Chocolate Wave, a warm, rich chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. But when there is an item on the menu called Chocolate Lava Cookie what are you going to do? You’re going to order it and devour it, that’s what! This is a warm thick cookie, almost like a mini pie, topped with vanilla ice cream, and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The key here is that word ‘lava’ though; when you break into this thick cookie, a molten chocolate centre will ooze out and, when mixed with the ice cream, will send you to warm cookie heaven.

If you’re looking for a fantastic seafood place or simply a great all-round restaurant Red Lobster should be on your list of destinations to check out amongst all the new openings at Grand Avenue. From tasty starters, to sumptuous mains, and heavenly desserts, Red Lobster certainly has something for everybody’s taste. grilled 12oz NY Strip and an oven-roasted rock lobster tail, served with steamed broccoli. We then tried the Seaside Shrimp Trio which, as the name suggests, is a feat of shrimp variations – a generous sampling of Walt’s Favourite Shrimp (breaded shrimp), savoury

garlic shrimp scampi and shrimp linguini Alfredo.

This being Red Lobster we had to sample some more of their fine eponymous shellfish and so we took an order of Wood-Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops.

The split Maine Lobster tail was perfect and the

Red Lobster is located at Grand Avenue, The Avenues, to the right side on the first floor. For more information visit www.facebook.com/pages/Redlobster-kuwait or call 2220 0534/5.

35

An Arab abroad

THE PACKING (TO VISIT HOME) DILEMMA

By Yara Al-Wazir

One of the greatest things about living abroad is the shopping. But like a vintage 24carat gold coin, all great things have two sides.

The downside is that the entire family, including extended relatives you only see at Eid gatherings, know how amazing shopping in the Western world is. Cue endless orders to your flat of brands that are staples in Kuwaitis’ closets (Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, etc) even though these brands don’t actually have any stores in Kuwait.

Worse yet, you may be asked to go into neighbouring cities to pick up specific things that aren’t available at the store’s online website.

Before you know it, you’ll be packing your bag only to realize that either due to the size of your bag, or to the weight limit, you’ll be limited to fewer clothes than you ever thought was humanly possible to survive a trip home.

I flew home three times during my first year, and for one of my trips, I stopped in London for a week, then in New York for 10 days before making my way back home to the desert. Needless to say, packing for 3 different climates, including all the gifts I was bringing back taught me plenty– I had to pack for a holiday, a conference, and formal dinner receptions. Although I hated it at the time, this taught me how to manoeuvre my way around everyone’s shopping needs. After all, nothing is harder than to deny family the joy 36

of shopping. It’s the equivalent of stealing candy from a baby.

Regardless, flying home this Christmas somewhat shocked my system: instead of flying to Kuwait to see my family, I flew to see my brother leaving me with the freedom to use my entire luggage allowance. Needless to say, I over packed. Did I really need 7 pairs of jeans, 2 skirts and chinos for a 10-day holiday? Probably not. But it sure felt good to have the option to carry them with me.

Less is more: Do you really need dark blue, light blue, and patterned blue jeans? One is enough. My rule of thumb when it comes to a situation like this is to take the edgiest piece you have to wear on your bottom half, and to dress it down with your top half – staple times like white buttondown shirts work in so many different ways, especially since the introduction of collars and accessories this past summer, they barely take up any space and weigh less than a penny.

Layers: Everything from tank tops with t-shirts, topped with sweaters and then a coat – don’t worry, people can tell you’re skinny and it’s just the layers making you look big. Traditional winter clothes such as woollen coats and sweaters are heavy and take up a lot of space. Admittedly, Kuwait’s winters can get chilly, but rather than opting for a 5 Kg coat to wear on top of your t-shirt, go for Merino or Angora wool sweaters.

These are lightweight but serve equally well as coats, and so leave you (well,

your parents), with more room for their shopping.

Understand, accept, and move on: Understand that your family wouldn’t be ordering something unless they absolutely needed it. It may not always be life-or-death medication that they’re ordering, but it’s difficult to keep up with the social circles and cliques in Kuwait; if your sister wants the Juicy Couture sweatpants in a specific shade of pink that’s not offered in the Kuwait branch of the store, just get it for her. Otherwise you’ll have to take care of her when she’s the only girl in her group of friends who’s in marshmallow-pink sweatpants rather than baby pink. Put yourself in her situation – remember when Pokemon was at its hype and we all had to have that specific backpack for school, coupled with the Digimon lunchbox? Sweatpants and Uggs are this generation’s Pokemon.

Fly an airline that lets you add a bag, rather than charges you per kilo: This is the go-to solution for a dire situation, usually around April time when the Spring/Summer collections come out. I don’t necessarily understand this phenomenon since it always feels like Spring/Summer in Kuwait, but what do I know?

Adding another bag makes everything easier, both for you and for the sake of arguments with your family. If you’re anything like me, this means you’ll be able to carry 7 pairs of jeans with you and a ridiculous amount of shirts and sweaters. Make sure you plan your route to the airport if you go with this option though as carrying two suitcases in the subway can be slightly difficult.

Enjoy the shopping, don’t resent it: The best therapy is retail therapy when you’re not blowing your own money. Use this as an opportunity to go to different cities, check out all the outlet malls, and buy yourself something nice. After all, one of the greatest feelings is when you see your cousin wearing an outfit that you got and looking amazing, right?

Make the most of your space: Make the most of every opportunity, in general, but space especially. Stuff your shoes with your socks, your handbags with clothes, and for the love of god, unbox the shoes. Use the corners of your suitcase wisely, Leave the clothes hangers at home and don’t roll our clothes, as that takes up more space. Put the heavier or thicker stuff on top so that the cover of the suitcase squishes them. You’ll figure it out once you start packing.

Put your books first: At the end of the day, you moved abroad for an education, not just for the clothes. My paranoia about losing luggage kicks in at this point, and so I usually choose to put my books in my carry-on luggage rather than my actual suitcase. This lets me read and do some work during long stop-overs, and gives me the perfect excuse to go shopping on the occasion that my clothes do get lost.

Leave your favourite pieces in Kuwait: Easier said than done, admittedly. You want to show up to class in your favorite jeans on the first day of the semester – not only do they look great; they’re ridiculously comfortable and are a warm reminder of home. That ketchup stain on your right thigh probably tells the story of an outing with your best friend, I’ve been there. But that’s why you buy two pairs!

Leave one in Kuwait, and take one with you to school. It goes for your favorite shirts and shoes. If done properly, this should mean that you’d never have to sacrifice your luggage space for gifts.

Look at the bright side: following the agony of packing and the long flight home, you’ll get to see your family. It’s all worth it in the end.

Yara Al Wazir is an activist and student currently based in the UK her monthly column reflects on her experience of moving away from the familiarity and comfort of Kuwait, to the UK in pursuit of a university degree. She can be reached via twitter on @YaraWazir.

MAIS ALGHANIM

I AM JESTER Putting the social back into games By bazaar staff

who would rather sit right next to each other and play on their own phones or tablets than socialize. I thought this was a real shame, and I have many great memories as a child playing Monopoly or Uno with my family and friends, so I decided to promote those same things again but in a new and fresh way.

How does the process work?

It’s simple: you go onto the website where you can see Jester’s collection of board games, read the reviews and make a purchase and have it delivered within 2 hours. To help you choose, you can filter games by age, number of players, game duration or genre.

And what about you, the man behind IAmJester.Com? Tell us a little about yourself.

I moved back to Kuwait just over 3 years ago after getting my Masters in Entrepreneurship from the UK, to start working on my business ideas. I’ve worked in start-ups from the beginning of my career which has made me really passionate about promoting entrepreneurship in Kuwait.

Mshari Al Onaizy is a young social entrepreneur who wants you to play. It is his goal to get people to put down their technology and interact. How? Through playing board games.

Introduce us to IAmJester.com and tell us why you chose such a unique name?

IAmJester.com is an online board game store. The story behind the name revolves around a character named Jester: a character from a far away land (you can find his full story on the website). I chose the name because I wanted to make visiting the website an experience, you are not only visiting a website, you are visiting the Jester whose sole purpose is to entertain and bring joy to people.

Where did the idea come from?

The idea came when I saw how disconnected we had become as a people.

Whether we are at a family gathering, the diwaniya or out with friends; we are more connected with our phones and iPads than we are with the people sitting right there with us. This is especially true of the younger generation 38

How do you see board games in relation to newer forms of entertainment?

Newer forms of entertainment are more about immersion and convenience, but this tends to lead to isolation as well. Board games are more interactive, you have to gather people and play together.

What is your favorite board game, and why?

I would have to say ‘Settlers of Catan’ because it is simple yet requires strategy, and I’ve managed to get my friends addicted to it.

We heard IAmJester.Com is throwing game nights, what is that about?

We have thrown two already, one for our launch and the other for charity in collaboration with Kuwait Healthy Living and we’ve got great feedback so far. It’s a great way to meet new people and have some fun playing games too.

Anyone interested in joining an event should check our website for updates!

For more information visit www.iamjester.com or call 96952595. Follow them on twitter or instagram @hello_jester.

THE CHOCOLATE CAFE

FIND A MOMENT How recording one second every day could change your life

By Sarah Kessler

When Cesar Kuriyama started selecting one second of video to represent each day, it changed his life. Now he's building an app he hopes will change yours.

Two days after launching a Kickstarter project, Cesar Kuriyama found himself bombarded with questions and requests. It was tempting to work around the clock. But at 6 p.m., he got up from his desk and went for a bike ride. Because he needed to find a moment worth recording.

Kuriyama is fundraising for an app that makes it easy for anyone to record one second each day of their lives. It’s based on an experiment he has been conducting on his own life since February 20, 2011, when after saving for years, he quit his job to take a year off from work. To chronicle what he assumed would be the most adventurous year of his life, he started selecting one second of video footage from each day. His plan was to compile the moments into a sixminute memento. Soon, however, he found the project was doing more than documenting his life--it was changing the decisions he made about how to spend time. “[The project has] made me realize I need to do one interesting thing to make today count,” he says. “It’s been an incalculably positive influence on my life. The reason that I’ve really decided to stop everything and try to build this thing is that I genuinely think it can have that same influence on others." Here’s how he believes chronicling a life in one-second chunks can change it.

Remembering The Good Times Initially, Kuriyama started his one-second-a-day project in order to chronicle the adventure of his year off. Others have put the method to similar use. Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, for instance, recorded one second each day during his two-month vacation in Asia in order to create a 90-second video.

Remembering The Bad Times During Kuriyama’s year off, his sister-in-law became severely ill, and many of the moments in his video for that year document the two months she spent in the hospital.

“It was horrible to record those seconds,” he says. “I hated doing it. It made me miserable. But looking back on it I’m glad I forced myself to record those hard times… In order to appreciate the good times, you have to be aware of 40 00

the bad times. We always want to take our cameras out and record awesome moments. But we don’t even remotely think about doing that when there’s a bad day, obviously.”

Even if the day is gloomy for reasons less severe than the life-threatening sickness of a loved one, having a documentation of it can provide some perspective in the long run. “You realize those days are far less often than the good ones,” Kuriyama says. “And I think that’s really good information to have on your own life.

Detecting And Correcting Patterns Before taking off on a 95-day road trip, Kuriyama spent the first weeks of his year off working on freelance projects. When many of the most representative moments of his days involved sitting in front of the computer, he noticed.

“It’s really difficult for me to just close my eyes and say, what has your past year been like,” he says. “Up until now, that was extraordinarily difficult to do.

Now, all the sudden it’s like, wow, if I just take this one moment every day to record something that signifies what the day has been like and be able to easily replay that, I see the patterns in my life. You can say, oh, how much time am I spending at work? And you can see how many times you decided that work was the most meaningful moment of that day.”

Not everyone approaches the one-second-a-day project the same way. The woman in the video above, who recorded her life in 2011, set the video to music, and it has an artistic quality to it. Another woman records a self-portrait every day. But the opportunity for reflection is constant.

Putting Yourself In Someone Else’s Shoes In partnership with development studio Alchemy50, Kuriyama plans to release a $1 iPhone app within the coming months. The app will remind users to record video clips every day and make it easy to stitch them together into a movie like the one created by David Chen above. But Kuriyama's ultimate goal for the app goes a step further. In addition to allowing users to look back at their own lives, he wants to give them some capability to look into others’ lives as well.

“I think what I’m building is a way to give basically access to anyone who might be interested in what life is like at any particular place at any particular time,” he says. “To be able to see 500 lives in 500 seconds I think would be really interesting and potentially have some really good outcomes."

WATANIYA

41

THE VELVET POUCH By bazaar staff

It all started with a list. A short list that, over time, continued to grow. As resident fashionista, Bibi Al-Falah, came across jewelry brands she liked, their name went on the list; something she, at the time, did for fun. The more she looked at the list and added to it, the more she realized her endeavor should be turned into an online jewelry boutique in Kuwait. From coming up with a name to doodling sketches of the logo, a year and a half later, www.thevelvetpouch.com is finally live.

When did you first become interested in fashion?

Since university I found myself extremely interested in fashion and the retail industry in general.

Luckily, I managed to get an internship with AlOthman Fashion as soon as I got back to Kuwait and it turned into a full-time job offer. After two years at AlOthman I started slowly working on a jewelry website and getting a list of brands together.

Why 'The Velvet Pouch'?

Whenever I think of jewelry I imagine the packaging, which often brings up the image of a velvet pouch. The name actually went through so many different phases that branding guru Noaf Hussein of Pretty Little Things Q8 helped me with!

We finally settled on The Velvet Pouch and the logo and packaging designs followed soon after, also thanks to Noaf.

As a first fashionable business venture, why did you choose accessories?

Personally, I love classic colors and cuts when it comes to clothing. From a styling perspective, accessories are so much easier to play with and change up. Even when it comes to sizing you can’t go wrong unless it’s a ring! I love the special touch that accessories add to personal style and it could be anything from a dainty bracelet to a large pair of statement earrings. By specializing in accessories 42

I have more opportunities to increase brands and styles, keeping the focus on one area of dressing up.

Would you consider expanding your business to include more categories?

At the moment I want to give it a chance to grow as an accessory based website. There is an abundance of local and regional jewelry designers that haven’t even been tapped yet and I would rather have a concentration as a business and give it everything rather than spreading it over different categories.

What should we expect from The Velvet Pouch?

You should expect an expansion of different brands. My next phase will highlight regional and local designers since we have so much talent around us that need an online presence in Kuwait. I also want to add more international brands on my list, all in good time!

What's the hardest part about starting your online boutique?

The hardest part was gaining the courage to actually do it and start. When anyone wants to start a business whether it’s online or not there is always a fear that could easily stop you from just doing it. I read a quote on a basketball poster once that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. This is absolutely true and applies to everything in life, so if something is within your reach you should at least take the shot and see what happens.

Who has influenced your style?

Honestly I am not really influenced when it comes to style, I have always been drawn to basic modern fashion and it is difficult for me to dress too overthe-top or flashy. There are certain celebrities that do have a sense of fashion that I absolutely love and sometimes I will save snapshots of certain outfit combinations they pull off. These include Olivia Palermo and Kate Moss.

In your mind, what's going to be the IT trend in accessories for 2013?

Accessories are now blossoming into more edgy trends and are going beyond the scope of what we used to think of. For example, rings used to be thought of as individual pieces of jewelry but have now merged into a whole new category which includes connected rings, bracelet rings, knuckle rings and so much more. I believe this innovation will continue and we will start seeing more fashionable pieces in the coming year. Elaborate ear cuffs and head pieces will probably take center stage in 2013 as we have already seen on Resort runways.

What's your favorite thing about fashion?

My favorite thing about fashion is how incredibly personal each person makes their own style. You pick and choose which trends you want to follow and make them your own, which prevents us from all looking like clones!

What are your next plans for The Velvet Pouch?

Currently my main goals are to grow the brand base on the website as well as grow the social media following for Instagram (@thevelvetpouch), Facebook (facebook.com/TheVelvetPouch) and Twitter (twitter. com/TheVelvetPouch).

Social media also helps me by giving customers easy communication options to provide useful input; I’m always happy to get new brand suggestions and requests.

Also, there is no feeling quite like a customer being happy with their purchase and sharing a picture of it online.

Last but not least, how soon do we receive our goodies after ordering online?

I work with a local delivery company who take a maximum of 2 business days to deliver orders.

If something needs to be rushed, however, I can easily request a same or next day delivery and will do anything possible to accommodate customers.

Hopefully this business will expand to the region and not just Kuwait.

SWATCH

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE…

By Jaye Sonia

Well, it looks like the Mayans were wrong – the world didn’t end on Dec 21st and we’re all doing pretty well. Of course, if you’re reading this by candlelight in your bomb shelter (because the power grid failed), maybe they were right and I’m just horrible at predicting, one month out, what I should write about for the January issue of bazaar. It’s hard to know, really.

I’m willing to bet, though, that things are just fine. In fact, outside of the obvious not-dying-by-a-giant-spacecomet, I’m pretty excited about what 2013 holds. Rumors (care of Forbes. com) suggest that we’re going to see the next generation of high-definition television this year (labeled UltraHD), although it won’t really be available to anyone in the common consumer market. Well, not unless you want to pay the $20k (KD 5,600) price tag that Samsung is slated to slap on one of these bad boys. I suppose we’ll know more, by the way, this month. The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) runs from January 8th-11th in Las Vegas, NV. Of course, fancy TVs need awesome game consoles and I truly hope 2013 is 44

the year! In June of this year, a leaked document hit the Internet suggesting that we’d see the Xbox 720 “Infinity” (true 108-p output, multiple 3.2 GHz chips, 4GB DDR4?) by Christmas 2013 (just under a year away). Rumors also suggest that we’ll see the PS4 “Orbis” release at roughly the same time, sparking the classic Sony-Microsoft console war. In either case, we’re probably (hopefully) looking at machines that will touch on all the latest technology – including gesture recognition, immersive environments (virtual reality to you kids from Generation X), 3D playback, and full-scale social integration!

Speaking of social integration – let me be the man to tell you that MySpace is back. It’s been a few years (at least six for me) since it was really relevant and I had just assumed that the Mayans had accurately predicted its demise – probably death-by-a-comet. Apparently, however, they did not. Not only is the new social media site much more visually engaging (at least from what I’ve seen), it appears to be built for tablets and similar devices – using what seems to be the same sort of format you might have seen with the Flipboard App.

But yeah, back to the cool things we’ll see this year.

I wanted to talk smart cars in this article (believe me, I really did), but so far, nothing has really excited me.

While I know that, according to Back to the Future II, we’re all supposed to be gearing up for our flying cars (and their accompanying hover-boards), nothing over at Motor Trend came close to suggesting those were in the works. In fact, most of the information on smart cars involved those tiny, boxlike vehicles that the delivery guy from Burger King drives. Sure, they might be efficient and economical, but they look far from smart. In fact, driving one in Kuwait might even qualify as dumb – one water truck away from a steel pancake on the side of the 30. So, we move back to portable tech.

Let’s talk something that is truly cool – flexible phones. Most of the major companies (Samsung, LG, NEC, Philips, Sharpe, and Nokia among them) all report having working prototypes, some that very well may enter production and see release dates in 2013. When they do release, we’ll be looking at phones that we’ll be able to bend, twist, drop, roll up,

and even wear. They’ll be free from a lot of the traditional problems we face now (like broken screens from that short fall off the nightstand) and will likely include a whole new set of cool options for us.

Oh, and they’ll be the genesis for the next big thing – flexible tablets (“hello iPad 9…”). Now, I can’t even begin to comment on those yet, but I’m overjoyed to think I’ll be playing with a tablet that looks like something out of The Minority Report in two to three years. I mean, come on, how cool is that?

I imagine all this will hit Kuwait in its normal waves, with the local telecom companies offering us all sorts of incentives and upgrades! So, when you start signing up for those year-long payment plans on your next phone, keep in mind what might be dropping six months down the road. Sometimes patience pays, especially in a country like Kuwait, where the next big thing is just around the corner.

In closing, 2013 promises to be an exciting year. I’m incredibly pleased with its prospects and I look forward to all of it will offer – minus that comet – which the Mesoamericans can keep until 2112.

IBYALA

truth or dare

HELLO IMPROVENGERS! A truth or dare special By bazaar staff

Here’s a New Year’s resolution we intend to keep: LAUGH more often!

Honestly, in a world where the news keeps getting worse, along with the natural disasters of adulthood and responsibilities—we must learn how to laugh, roll with the punches, and even have the guts to partake in a laugh or two. Take a look at Kuwait’s first Improv comedy troupe, the IMPROVengers, where comedy is on the fly and the laughter rings true.

After all, these are real people looking to instill honest and casual humor in our lives. Firas, one of the members of this special comedy troupe, answers a few questions about improv comedy: Hello IMPROVengers! Can you simply explain to our readers what exactly is Improv Comedy?

Jazz musicians like to say that “Improvisation is just composing on the fly”.

Improv Comedy is similar, except with less sadness and music criticism and way more silliness. What we do is “compose” comedy scenes on the spot, in front of a live audience, with no deliberation whatsoever. And hopefully, by the time we’re done, there’s some harmony, some swing, and some genuine laughs to be had.

Does that mean that two performances are never the same?

We try to have fun and surprise ourselves and the audience every evening.

It seems more enjoyable for the audience that way too. No one has any idea what will happen next and that adds to the sense that, unlike other forms of expression in this age of Youtube, tumblr, Facebook, etc., you’ll only ever have one chance to experience that night’s show and that’s on the night that you’re witnessing it.

How did the idea of creating a comedy troupe come about? Were each of you personally contacted to join the troupe?

I auditioned for my spot. Hassan and Brad were the proactive ones who got the whole thing started. We owe our existence as a group to them. They deserve massive praise for that.

46

Why did you decide to join the IMPROVengers?

I think a lot of comedy fans want to make that leap from person who enjoys comedy to person who performs it. This seemed like an incredible opportunity to accomplish that goal. And this group is a real first of its kind for Kuwait, if not the region, who doesn’t want to be a part of something like that?

Is there anything difficult about Improv Comedy?

Improv is challenging, which is why it’s so attractive and rewarding when it succeeds. We never know what’s going to happen before we perform, so that can create some heavy pre-performance anxiety, but it also makes the show itself feel electric.

What’s the best aspect about experimenting with Improv Comedy?

I love how it fosters relationships. You really have to trust your fellow performers because they are all you have to rely on while you’re on stage with no script and no plan. It encourages a sort of a team sport vibe. The only way to score with the audience (which is getting laughs for us) is for us to play well together. I feel lucky in the respect because everyone in the group is absolutely brilliant and incredibly generous when it comes to playing at the top of their game and giving a real team effort.

Are you actors, performers, or simply Hobbyists?

Well this isn’t a full time job, but it isn’t a hobby either. It’s a happy pursuit. I personally don’t consider myself an actor, although I have great appreciation for it.

Would you recommend other people to join the fun?

The audience’s suggestions are essential to Improv. So we couldn’t ever do a show without audience participation. They complete the group dynamic simply by showing up, making a suggestion, and laughing along. If that sounds like a good time, then yes, I would suggest that people join in the fun.

Because we’ve made the decision to laugh more often in 2013, we want our readers to laugh along with us. We’re giving one reader a chance to win TWO tickets to the upcoming show, “Battle of the IMPROVengers!" The winner gets to enjoy an evening of pure comedy Olympics; it’s like having your own comedians on a remote!

To compete, all you have to do is let us know which celebrity the IMPROVengers are impersonating in our Truth or Dare questionnaire. EASY! Once you’ve made your guess, log on to www.bazaar-magazine.com and post your answer as a comment to this special Truth or Dare article online.

Last day to compete is January 13th, 2013.

Truth or Dare: Guess who!

How would your mother describe you in one word?

Over-achiever

What do you miss about your childhood?

Doesn’t matter. When I’m reincarnated, I can try it all again.

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

Torkmaster Buffman.

How would you describe your handshake in one word?

Eerily masculine.

What is the toughest part of your character?

My rock hard biceps.

How would you describe your mother in one word?

My mother is my best friend and biggest fan. She’s my ROCK (of Ages).

Who is your favourite historical figure?

L. Ron Hubbard.

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

Who’s your favourite? Mimi, Nicole, or Katie?

What in the world do you least desire?

Psychiatry. I’ve never agreed with psychiatry. Here's the problem.

You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.

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

Jumped on a couch.

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

Curry.

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

My own planet.

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

I don’t really read.

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

Something feral. Something wild. Like a Chihuahua.

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

There should be more buildings like Burj Khalifa.

Why do you think most girls/guys like you?

I’m incredibly charming.

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

Suri. No offense, Isabella and Connor.

For more on the IMPROVengers, log on to www.facebook.com/IMPROVengers.

Photos from Laugh for Life Comedy Night are courtesy of the organizers, Kuwait Healthy Living.

47

bazaar music

REFLECTIONS AND ECHOS

UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX

PEOPLE, HELL & ANGELS

The 116-page book is a complete review of the work of the band on stage, on record and on film featuring the reflections of the band themselves, as well as the thoughts of their critics then and now. Also featured are rare photographs and artifacts spanning the entire career of Pink Floyd. The four remarkable DVDs explain the controversial twists and turns of the Floyd story through a unique series of interviews featuring Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and the late Richard Wright.

In October 2012, Mars premiered the first single, "Locked Out of Heaven," from his highly-anticipated sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox. On October 20th, Mars made his comeback to national television when he joined the elite club of hosts and performers for Saturday Night Live alongside the likes of Mick Jagger, Justin Timberlake and Elton John. Mars not only showcased his comedic talent to the millions watching, but also debuted the first live performance of "Locked Out of Heaven" and premiered a brand new song, "Young Girls," from the historic stage in New York City.

People, Hell & Angels is a new album of twelve never before released Jimi Hendrix studio recordings. This special album showcases the legendary guitarist working outside of the original Jimi Hendrix Experience trio.

Beginning in 1968, he grew restless, eager to develop new material with old friends and new ensembles. Outside the view of a massive audience that had established the Experience as rock’s largest grossing concert act and simultaneously placed two of his albums together in the US Top 10 sales chart, Jimi was busy working behind the scenes to craft his next musical statement.

PARADISE

DOOM AND GLOOM

A MESSENGER

2012 eight song mini album from the New Yorkbased singer, songwriter and performer, the followup to her enormously successful Born To Die album.

She has described herself as a "gangsta Nancy Sinatra" and cites Britney Spears, Thomas Newman and Bruce Springsteen as her musical influences.

Lana Del Rey's direct influences were visual as well as musical; David Lynch, soundtracks for `50s black and white movies, the whirring sound of the Ferris at Coney Island, fame itself.

Doom And Gloom marks the first time that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood have been in the studio together for seven years. Taken from the forthcoming album GRRR!, Doom And Gloom was recorded in Paris and produced by longtime Rolling Stones producer Don Was, who has worked with the band on five previous albums (Voodoo Lounge/ Stripped/ Bridges To Babylon/ Live Licks/ A Bigger Bang), with the radio mix produced

by Jeff Bhasker.

A Messenger is the name of the debut studio album of American Idol Season 11 top-10 finalist Colton Dixon. The album is scheduled for release on digital retailers on January 29, 2013 via 19 Recordings, EMI CMG and Sparrow Records.

The album comes preceded by the buzz single: “Never Gone” and the official lead single “You Are” released October 26, 2012.

by Pink Floyd

by Lana Del Ray

48

by Bruno Mars

by The Rolling Stones

by Jimi Hendrix

by Colton Dixon

source: www.amazon.com

JESSICA

DADDIES ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

By Shabana H. Shaikh

It was a Les petits Parisiens advertisement in bazaar, a few issues back, which triggered a childhood memory – of a dress I once had. The lovely child in the photo was wearing a white Bobo Choses's sleeveless Saloupette with orange stripes.

It reminded me of a nightdress I once had some 20-odd years ago, very much her age at the time, although I honestly cannot remember when I had first come to own the dress.

What I do remember, though, is wearing it well past its time, until it was neigh up my ankles and looked utterly shrunken on a growing girl.

Mine had been white with red stripes and would have been insignificant, if not for the bold black letterings printed on it. It read: ‘Daddies Are Girls’ Best Friend’, and for that very reason, it became one of those dresses I was reluctant to part with. I think I had it until the Gulf War of 1990, when life, as we knew it, came to an untimely end.

My dad was very fond of purchasing dresses for me, being his second born and first daughter.

Consequently, I had an inexcusable number of dresses bought for special occasions, for not so-veryimportant times, and for no reason at all. As I recall it, I was a flaunter with a gift of the gab. I would wear each 50

of my dresses (at least the latest additions) and pander around the house when uncles and aunties visited, basking in their praises, their 'ohs' and 'aahs' and all the exaggerated sweet things that grown ups say to little kids. I often concocted stories – where there was none – to go with the show, as along as I had an audience. But this particular nightdress was my own, one the worth and charm of only I could fathom and cared little to share it with others.

Until date, the phrase is stuck in my psyche, as if it some how had been a forerunner of sorts. It comes in flashes (like in this instance); evasive feel-good memory of a time I had been truly happy. My relation with Dad was turbulent over the years – just one of the many interpersonal fall-outs of a post-Gulf War world we were fast-tracked into without preamble. Life as refugees in a homeland that did not feel like home; through a decade of careworn living; his depression, my growing pains – we were witness to each other’s life. It created an unequivocal understanding between us, which earned me the charge of mediator between Dad and the rest of the family. Yet, Dad and I were not friends in the conventional sense of the word.

During one of these most difficult years of my teenage life, I found myself published in a local

newspaper for the first time. My youngest sibling sneaked the cutout to Dad in spite of my protests.

I hid in the other room, while he read it; waiting for the reprimand that was to follow. Done reading, he folded the cutout and without turning to me said, “Don’t write your name – indicating the first and last name that was printed – like that.” My heart sank. “Add my name, too. Otherwise, how would people know whose daughter you are?” Just like that I was a little girl again, glowing in her father’s appreciation. Acknowledged.

About a year back, he was visiting, when I told him one day he would forget me, too, because of his infamous self-imposed isolation. “No,” he said vehemently. “Not you!”

I blinked, taken aback. I remember laughing at the time to ease the suddenly awkward and tense air between us. The solemnity in his voice had evoked emotions I did not want to dwell upon.

Definitely, father and daughter.

But, friends?

The phrase on the nightdress was back again in the present. It then occurred to me that maybe, in picking it so many years ago, my dad had showed me what I would never hear him say out loud.

BOOTS

fashionality THE STYLEMAKER Taylor Tomasi Hill By bazaar staff Street-style bloggers, magazine editors and fashion designers alike idolize the flame-red haired fashion fiend, Taylor Tomasi Hill.

Artistic Director at Moda Operandi, the online luxury retailer curating tomorrow’s runway styles before they are available in the market, Hill’s journey with the fashion world epitomizes what it is like to be a style-maker. As Artistic Director at the innovative Moda Operandi, she is responsible for styling shoots, curating the M’O experience, and integrating the M’O magazine into the e-commerce platform. If the avid fashionista is to ever wonder what’s the IT trend for spring-summer 2013, let alone the forecasted fall fashions, she’ll wish for a hint from Hill.

Prior to joining the M’O dream team, Hill worked as the Style and Accessories director at Marie Claire, where her iconic status took center stage as her fashionable vision took center stage. Instead of the runway shows, audiences admired her style; some even speculate her timeless elegance is muse to Prabal Gurung.

Before Marie Claire, she spent four years as Accessories Director at Teen Vogue. Taylor studied Industrial Design at Pratt Institute and began her career as an accessories assistant at w magazine.

During her most recent visit to Kuwait, we managed to squeeze in a few moments with the red-haired fashionality. Presenting us with her season’s picks for the New Year, here’s Taylor Tomasi Hill.

How would you describe your style?

Describing style is difficult because I never want to pigeonhole myself. I don't want to say that my style isn't feminine because tomorrow I might be in a floral dress and pumps. I don't want to say that I’m edgy because I love preppy staples and basics. At the end of the day, I wear what catches 52

"Peter Pilotto is a print master and this Spring 2013 collection was one of my favorites. The ruffle at the bottom is a great new shape for the season. Its flirty and playful."

"For me, classic black and white grid prints have always been a staple. This Marni tank dress is an updated take on the grid in a very ladylike silhouette."

"Stella Jean is one of my favorite new designers. We discovered her in Milan and right there in the showroom I had to try on these tribal prints. I love the way that the dresses are tailored but still have a relaxed attitude."

my eye, as well as classic basics, and I have an obsession with welltailored jackets.

How do you get inspiration for your style?

I can get inspiration from almost anything; my travels, art, and men and women on the street. Seeing new places and meeting new people is a great way to change your perspective.

Who or what has been your greatest fashion influence?

My first boss at W magazine, Carmen Borgonovo. She taught me to be true to myself and stay focused on my goals. Carmen also happens to be

the chicest and most beautiful woman I have ever known.

Who are your favorite emerging designers, and what is it that you love about them?

I love Patricia Viera, Josh Goot, J.W. Anderson, and the Isolda sisters.

Patricia is a master of her craft and works with leather like nobody's business! Josh Goot is the perfect mix of urbanity and luxury. His silhouettes are chic and edgy, but not too serious. J.W. Anderson is the new kid on the London fashion scene. He designs for a very cool girl; I love his androgynous take on womenswear and playful ideas. The Isolda sisters

create gorgeous hand-painted prints of Brazilian fruits and flowers on feminine silhouettes.

Every fashionality has as a style obsession, what’s yours?

Balenciaga all the way. I am a total junkie.

Do you follow any fashion blogs? If so, what are they and which would you recommend?

I have to be loyal to Tommy Ton's Jak & Jil. He was one of originators of this street-style craze, and I’m always inspired by his images. Now that I've worked with him so often, I'm even more impressed that his site is where it all started!

What item of clothing (if any) do you

"This Ostwald Helgason dress is so wearable. The animal print is abstracted and color treated so its not so obvious. I love that unexpected aspect."

wish that people wore more often?

A harem jean; I really think they are underexposed. Drop crotch, skinny leg—you can't go wrong!

To be stylish is to be fashionable.

True or False and why?

I don't think style has anything to do with fashion. Plenty of very stylish people wear nothing more than a white T-shirt and black jeans everyday. Really, I think it’s relative. You don’t need to wear head-to-toe designer looks to be stylish.

Before I could afford to wear designer clothing, I shopped at The Salvation Army. I know that's not considered "fashionable," but I think it was stylish.

Or at least I thought it was stylish.

53

365 PICS Don’t stress over the small things By bazaar staff

As much as one can train to become a practiced photographer, at the end of the day it is an art form that is embraced by professionals and amateurs alike. What started as a hobby, being the designated family photographer and videographer, turned into a fully-fledged passion in 2008 when Tootie Al-Sabah, along with her mom, came upon the work of Hamad Darwish. At the time, Darwish made the news for his pictures being selected for Windows Vista desktop photos, and upon meeting the talented photographer personally, Al-Sabah’s perception of photography shifted to one that is artistic rather than a tool to capture those memorable family celebrations.

Starting off with a small compact Canon camera, she began to consider the world in a different light, and then came Flickr, where her equipment shifted to a Canon G7 followed by a DSLR. “I finally found an outlet for my creativity. I have always admired art in all its forms but 54

was simply never able to draw or paint anything beyond stick figures and very basic trees. With photography, I just have to capture the moment.” We know our wonderful readers are familiar with the photo-a-day challenges taking place on Instagram, Flickr, and other social media channels. For some, perhaps the journey is more personal, as the process unveils hidden talent, passion, and more importantly, the ability to commit. For Tootie, she considers the process as exploring the creative in an unconventional way.

Combine the convenience of a smartphone with a great camera, a few apps here and there, along with a desire to explore a daily element of surprise— That’s all Tootie needed to get started on her 365pics project. “ I wanted to challenge myself, using the help and aids of both my iPhone and the Hisptamatic app. I started on June 29th 2011 and finished on June 27th 2012 (2012 was a leap year but I still did 365”.

Seems easy enough, don’t you think?

You’d be surprised what turning this fun project into a studied routine does to you. The stress of exploring and finding something new and meaningful to shoot can get to you. Tootie learned this the hard way, “I learned to stop panicking about the whole issue. Whatever picture is meant to be for that day will be taken.

Planning a photo almost never works, I sometimes plan on taking a specific photo for that day but I always get a better photo.”

Another useful tip from Tootie: Use your close network of friends and family, they will help you with your finished decision, and more importantly, you’ll create the opportunity of a new bonding experience. She adds, “Another incredible pro was the fact that I was forced to explore my definition of creativity. Since this was a daily project, it became a constant in my life, almost a type of meditation, if you will. The thrill of finding our what my picture was going to be was great! Actually, my biggest worry was what I was going to do after

the project was over. I had a feeling that I would be lost without my daily picture.”

So why not have a go and give this project a try? You never know what you might discover about your own abilities.

For instance, Tootie’s latest obsession, making interesting kaleidoscopes with her pictures, is an idea that stemmed from collaging her images. Having to do take a daily image unlocks a world of interesting apps that simply make the experience all the more enriching. She concludes, “There are so many scenes that can be captured even if I'm home for a week. The biggest lesson has to be that, no matter what; I will always get the shot. I learned to stop panicking about the whole issue. Whatever picture is meant to be for that day will be taken.

Basically stop stressing the little things, and enjoy life.”

You can check out Tootie’s work by looking up #kaleidoscopedby2t on Instagram or follow her @Fatima2t.

MAX

TROLLING? The Internet's latest fad insult

By Farhad Manjoo

The other day I wrote a column criticizing iTunes. It was somewhat harsh. "Each new upgrade brings more suckage into your computer," I argued under the headline "Won't Someone Take iTunes Out Back and Shoot It?" Predictably, the column got some people riled up.

Commenters complained that I was getting unnecessarily overheated, that I didn't have my priorities straight ("first world problem!"), and that my subjective opinion of the software was simply incorrect.

None of these comments bothered me. Well, OK, they bothered me a little bit, because I want everyone to be won over by my genius 56

insights. But there are loads of dissenters on every column I write, so nothing about this situation was particularly unusual.

I was slightly more annoyed, though, by the few comments that suggested I was being disingenuous - that the headline and my stridency were evidence that I didn't actually believe what I'd written. Instead, I was just being controversial for controversy's sake. What if the point of the column wasn't to make any coherent argument about iTunes at all but instead to kick up a hornet's nest - to get Apple fans frothingly riled up for no good reason other than to laugh at their misplaced passion over music

software? In fact, that's probably what I was doing right then - sitting in my big comfy recliner, laptop resting at my feet, and laughing deep, bellypounding, Santa Claus-like laughs at all the stupid readers who were falling for my page-view-hoarding punking.

Because that, you see, is the real goal of writing controversial things online - to see how crazy people become when they mistakenly think you're being genuine, which you never are.

People didn't spell all this out, of course. They didn't have to. Instead they reached for a bit of Internet slang that connotes all these sly intentions in a single, efficient syllable: troll. "Are you just trolling with the iTunes piece?"

Christina Warren, a writer at Mashable and my Internet friend, asked me on Twitter. "Our experiences [with iTunes] are totally opposite."

I was honestly surprised by Warren's and other troll-hurlers' reactions.

Sure, my piece and its headline were hyperbolic - nobody, not even software engineers, gets that fired up about software. But that over-the-top stance was intentional, a rhetorical device to make a point about iTunes' awfulness.

(And iTunes is genuinely, unmitigatedly awful.) This seemed obvious to me. So why had some people misinterpreted my passion as a sign of insincerity?

I'll tell you why: Trolling has been defined down. Not long ago trolls were easy to identify - they were the kids on 4Chan who caused trouble just for the lulz, or the delinquents who disrupted otherwise serious online discussion of folklore with out-of-nowhere, baiting speculation about Tolkien's crossdressing fetish (or something like that). Trolls, these people who picked fights just to pick fights, soon escaped online bulletin boards. Now they're everywhere, and rather than just cause trouble for kids who love Zelda, trolls have put themselves at the center of serious, high-minded discussion.

Trolls now write prestigious opinion columns, edit newsmagazines and land cushy gigs on radio and TV. The thing about trolls is that you never quite know when you're dealing with one; they come in all shapes and sizes, and even if someone seems halfway

genuine about what he's saying, you'd be a fool to buy it. Even someone as anodyne as David Brooks - David Brooks! - is secretly trolling you, and you're an idiot for taking him seriously.

Juan Williams? "Most successful troll in America," says noted troll-hunter Jay Rosen. Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, Fox News, the Daily Caller, the late Andrew Breitbart - troll, troll, troll, troll, troll! The Daily Mail. The New York Times. Donald Trump, obviously.

Cornell students. Henry Blodget.

Glenn Beck. Folks who disagreed with Nate Silver. Slate's Dan Engber, who has always seemed like a really nice guy to me - he's a troll! Katie Roiphe - big, big troll. But why should I be surprised? So too are Slate's William Saletan, contributor Jonah Weiner, and, of course, the late Christopher Hitchens. Even NPR might be a troll.

And then, finally, there's the troll of trolls, the woman who has elevated trolling into an art form - Tina Brown.

On the off chance you have trouble spotting a pattern in that list, let me offer this helpful rule, a definition for troll circa 2012. Anytime you don't like something someone else is saying, or even if you do like what he's saying but think he might be saying it the wrong way, there's a very good chance you're dealing with a troll. This could be true even if the guy is making an argument that purports to bolster your position - in that case, he may be a "concern troll." The corollary to making this identification is that you're free to ignore him, per the universal trollhandling guidelines: Don't feed him!

(Although I should note that no one does this; Google overflows with the phrase "I know I shouldn't feed the troll . . . ") Or, on the other hand, let me suggest something somewhat unconventional, maybe even downright #slatepitchy. What if all these people aren't trolls? What if they're just, you know, disagreeable or stupid or merely wrong? What if, despite holding opinions that you don't like, and despite expressing those opinions in a manner that seems a tad impolite, they came by their views honestly?

QUALITY NET

Q AND ART The art of being Shurooq Amin

By Deepa Pant

Over the past decade, she has risen to international stardom with her creative expressions.

She is one of the most unique voices of today’s art scene who believes in using her art as a narrative tool. Poet, writer, activist, professor, and a highly sought after artist, Dr Shurooq Amin is one of the current rockstars of contemporary art in Kuwait.

In this candid interview Dr Amin touches upon her successes, the art scene in Kuwait, gives us an insight into the process behind her signature style and much more.

Tell us about your workspace and your creative process.

My studio is at home, where I raise my 4 children as a single mother. It has to be at home, close to my children, because I never know when I'm going to be working. There are months on end when I'm in the studio every day for 12 hours, so the kids need to be near me so I can take care of family issues.

As for the creative process, there isn't one. I get inspired, or pissed off, or energized by, or triggered by something I see or read or feel. It can be as simple as an incident that takes place in front of me, to something as profound as a dream in the middle of the night of a 58

complete image of an artwork. I then work on getting this image transferred to canvas. Invariably, while I'm working on that one piece, I start asking myself all sorts of maddening questions about life and society, which inevitably lead to the next series of artworks. And so on.

What are your themes?

Society, hence including men and women; hypocrisy; freedom of expression; censorship; religion; sociopolitics; sex; gender-related issues, eg. homosexuality: all things taboo. If you're afraid to discuss it, I will paint it and force you to at least think about it.

What inspires your art?

I basically “respond” to my society. I am galled by hypocritical people. That's not to say that I'm criticizing people who lead double lives. I'm fully aware that in our conservative and very confused society, we are raised to hide the truth, to

hide our real selves, and to go out there with a game-face on. That's not what upsets me. That's just survival, especially for women in our society. What upsets me are those people who lead those double lives and preach vehemently about issues they don't actually believe in. Live and let live, I say.

Your work makes people reflect on socio-political issues. How do you explore serious issues through your photography collage?

My work aims to tackle taboo topics for the sake of opening a dialogue, enlightening minds and forcing the audience to think about the dormant issues in our society. Every society has problems, but it is only the society that admits to having problems and encourages dealing with and treating these issues that will succeed and progress. Our problem in the Arab

society is that we are raised with the notion that you must sweep problems under the sofa, so to speak. The wife that is abused by her husband stays because he provides for her and she is brainwashed into believing that she has no other options. Her own mother may be against her, too.

What are you working on currently?

My new series Popcornographic, to be exhibited with Ayyam Gallery, Dubai.

How did the ‘Popcornographic’ series come together?

My 12-year-old daughter heard people talking about the shut down of my March show “It's a Man's World”, so she came up to me and asked: “Mama, what does popcornographic mean?” I asked her why, and she said she heard people say my show was shut down because it was “popcornographic.” Of course I immediately knew what she meant. So it stuck. I thought: “This is perfect!”. I decided to use the term against the authorities by using the version my daughter used. This way nobody can censor it. And the series will explore the actual impact of censorship, lack of freedom of expression and all things taboo. Since then, I’ve been working in the studio on the new series, which will eventually be shown with Ayyam Gallery, inshallah.

Your work entitled ‘A Tale of Two Muslims’ (from the ‘Popcornographic’ series) was up for sale at the JAMM’s annual art auction, tell us about it.

Religion should be primarily about spirituality, peace, love, tolerance and compassion. If these elements do not exist, then you are not really religious at all, no matter how many times you pray. I wanted to scream out my anger, but funnily enough the result was not an angry scream but rather a gentle nudge in the form of this artwork. I love this piece. If some clever art critic were to analyze it carefully, they would discover

some gems in it, and they should contact me and let me know if they do. To the average eyes, it's just a pretty image of two girls on a bed in a magical-realism setting. But the secrets I've painted into it are so much more intrinsic and subtle.

If I may borrow the title of your series, ‘It’s A Man’s World,’ what are some of the challenges that you have faced as a female artist? Have you ever felt creatively stifled?

I've never felt any particular challenges as a female artist. I feel challenges as a woman, period. I struggle every day to survive as a single mother of four...financially, emotionally and physically. The multitasking that I undertake on a daily basis is not something a man would be able to handle, with all due respect to the great men out there. I teach in the morning, then I go home, have a bite to eat and start working in the studio before the light goes. Then my kids come home from school and I deal with school

issues, health issues, emotional issues, etc. In the evenings, I work on social media, especially my twitter account.

The reason I like to tweet is because – as a writer and poet – I don't have time right now to write, yet there's so much in my head, so many ideas exploding, that I need to let them escape or else they will choke me, so I tweet. Then I deal with the kids again at bedtime (the 2 little ones) and then I spend more time at the computer writing, reading, jotting down ideas, making calls, organizing, etc. I respond to numerous requests for interviews, like this one, as well as personal live ones, and I answer fan mail on facebook, twitter, and email.

I never ignore anyone, no matter how busy I am, unless they're just attacking me, which has happened frequently, of course. On the weekend and holidays, I have more time to paint and work in the studio, and I fit in my social life (artrelated meetings, short trips to art fairs/ exhibitions, friends, family gatherings,

etc). Throughout it all, I do Pilates almost every day, and am dealing with my sick adolescent son, who may have to be sent abroad for treatment. So...my life is quite full and stressful. And there are days when I can't paint or touch a canvas due to the whirlpool my mind is in, but at night, when I meditate on an image, I wake up with a Eureka moment sent to me like a gift from the heavens, and it makes it all worthwhile, because at that moment, at night in my room in the dark, I know that I'm on the right path and that my role is to be that female artist in Arab society that will make changes. I have no doubt.

You often lament the lack of art schools in Kuwait. How important is art education in schools?

Vital. Without the proper art education, especially without an art university, art will always be looked down upon; it will always be the career choice that NO parent wants for their child. But with a decent art university, you open

up the door for job opportunities, too, and thus expand the art field, creating jobs and careers for budding artists.

How did the YBA (Young British Artists = Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, etc) get their break? Charles Saatchi (one of the top supporters of art in the UK) walked into their graduation exhibition for their MFA (Master of Fine Arts Degree) and he bought everything! That was it! We – in Kuwait – don't have opportunities to be discovered or to grow because we, as a society, don't believe in the validity of art as a career choice. It's sad.

How do you see the visual art scene evolving in the next five years in Kuwait?

It's evolving due to the efforts of the artists themselves and some concerned supportive patrons.

For more information on the artist, please visit www.shurooqamin.com (Images courtesy the artist) 59

KUWAIT WEBBERS Make your digital ambitions come true!

By National Web Solutions Company – Mawaqaa

Do you have an online business idea? KUWAIT WEBBERS will help you take it to THE NEXT LEVEL. Even small online business ideas can achieve big success!

Google started with a garage office with three people, Facebook “Facemash” then, was initially started by a second year college student and three of his classmates… and YOU can visualize your success and turn your idea to be the next online hit store with the support of Kuwait Webbers, where their aim is to turn some of the most intelligent, bright minds in Kuwait into online stars.

Kuwait Webbers is a part of an ambitious, innovative, and imaginative initiative targeting entrepreneurs who are willing to start small, grow gradually and put it all together one step at a time. By operating a website, they offer you one of today’s best routes to independent online business ownership.

Kuwait Webbers aims to provide entrepreneurs with the support they need to make their dreams come true and achieve their goals. One might ask, what type of support is offered? Kuwait Webbers believe that they 60

have all the right tools for this kind of prosperity.

This initiative is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility program at National Web Solutions Company – Mawaqaa where it is an attempt to participate into building a prosperous Kuwaiti Community.

How does it work?

• Interested individuals who have an online

business idea and lack funding or resources

to make it come true can submit their

application to Kuwait Webbers.

• Kuwait Webbers steering committee will

evaluate all received applications and

shortlist the best six projects based on a set

criteria. The criteria will include but not be

limited to: - Sufficient degree of innovation / uniqueness - Risk and Feasibility - Target Market and Business Potential - Owner commitment and dedication • The winning project will be selected by

two methods:

1. Community voting; where Kuwait Webbers will create a community space where members can go and give their opinion, vote, and participate in order to get a feeling for what’s going to be a successful project.

2. Personal interviews and final judgment by the Mawaqaa committee.

The idea which receives the highest points from both methods above will be selected as a winner.

What does the winner get?

The winner’s idea will be receiving the following from Mawaqaa: • Full Implementation of the Project • Technical Support • Consultation • Finance • Monitoring and evaluation

If you are interested in submitting your idea you can register now at www.facebook.com/mawaqaa.online.

TAIBA HOSPITAL

OH, THE GAUL Why the Instagram Privacy uproar is absurd

By Will Oremus

Here we go again. "Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos," writes CNET, in a post that has been shared on Facebook an almost unfathomable 750,000 times and counting in one day. Cue utter, abject freakout from the tech blogosphere. "Instagram has some nerve," fumes ZDNet. "Not cool bro," huffs VentureBeat. Wired publishes a piece of service journalism entitled, How to Download Your Instagram Photos and Kill Your Account. Instagram users start doing exactly that, in droves. One labels the Facebookowned photo-sharing service's new terms of use "Instagram's suicide note."

YouTube Terms of Service: . . . You hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and YouTube's (and its successors' and affiliates') business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels.

Twitter Terms of Service: . . . You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, 62

royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed).

Instagram Terms of Service: . . . You hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use the Content that you post on or through the Service, except that you can control who can view certain of your Content and activities on the Service as described in the Service's Privacy Policy, available here: http://instagram.com/legal/privacy/.

The relevant policies of Facebook, Google and Yahoo, the parent companies of Instagram, YouTube, and Flickr, respectively, are similar. Yes, Instagram's new terms of service also contain a confusingly worded follow-up sentence that could be misread as allowing it to sell your photos to advertisers without compensation to you. But so could all the sentences above - if not for the fact that every single one, including Instagram's, is preceded by a sentence clearly stating that you, and not the site, own all of the content you post to it.

That makes The Verge's reading of Instagram's

new policy much more plausible: namely, that you're allowing advertisers to pay Instagram to display your content as part of sponsored posts within Instagram.

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom released a blog post entitled "Thank you, and we're listening."

In it, Systrom apologizes for any confusion, says Instagram had no intention to sell users' photos or allow them to be used in advertisements, and adds that Instagram will rework the language of its policy to make that more clear.

Systrom is right to apologize for the murky language. It would be fun to see tech blogs apologize in turn for misleading their readers by running with a sensational story before taking the time to make sure it's true, but that's not going to happen. On the bright side, by interpreting the confusing policy in the most alarming possible light, the tech press has forced Instagram to toe the line more carefully than it otherwise might have. That's a win for users - although perhaps not the ones who took time out of their day to download all their photos, delete all their accounts, and switch to another service. Their Instagram account names, photos and followers are never coming back.

SUPREME DELIVERY

stayCOOL thisWINTER

Even though the temperatures are dropping, Gojiboutique shows you how to up your cool factor this January! Disclaimer: the Goji Girl's guide to staying cool includes, but isn’t limited to, mixing prints, borrowing beanies, going Japanese and all around awesomeness.

Step 1: Hang out at cool places—Arabana's warehouse in Alrai is as cool as it gets.

Housing communal offices for creative entities, the space is also used for art galleries, movie screenings and launch events. Created and run by a diverse community of individuals, hanging out at Arabana's warehouse makes you cooler by default! Rocking our amazing line of ‘Blondes Make Better T-shirts’... well, that doesn’t hurt either!

Photographer: Bader Al Bassam Art Direction: Sama Al Wasmi Styling: Hawazen Al Buaijan Hair and Makeup: Toni&Guy Al Corniche Model: Shahad Bishara All shots taken at Arabana's Warehouse, many thanks to this fantastic space in Al Rai and its incredible team.

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Step 2: Mix it up! Don't be afraid to mix it up and do the unexpected. Take a super feminine look and reinvent it, incorporating print-onprint toughness, an A-line skirt and blouse combo with a grunge beanie seals the deal.

The whole look will ooze confidence, and everyone knows there is nothing cooler than that. Except, perhaps, the print of a Tucker Navajo skirt.

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Step 3: Go Japanese! Take a cue from the masters of cool, Japanese teenyboppers often apply their make up while in public whether they are standing up, sitting down at the subway, or slurping down ramen. They can pull off a seamless face almost anywhere!

It doesn't hurt that they’re also known for rewriting fashion rules, including mixing prints like these super KAWAII tucker pants and rocking top knots!

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Step 4: Wear local, think global –Support local artists and talents, like this special edition Abdulla Al Awadhi for Sarah's Bag clutch which combines awesome graphic prints, the likes of Muneera Al Sharhan’s wonderfully beautiful and simple jewelry and Experiment 1’s architecture-inspired bags are all amazing local talents that will up your coolness factor for sure.

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closet Bibi

NEW YEAR, NEW ROOM

By Bibi Al-Falah

It all started with my mother pointing out how horrible my carpet looks.

“You’ve had it for years. It’s a disaster. You need to change it now.” Thanks to her efforts, a few days later I found several square selections in my room to choose from and made my decision, but that was only the beginning. After coming home from work one day, once again, my mother had another revelation about my room. “I am imagining your room completely differently. I want to work on it and change everything.” EVERYTHING? If you know me you know I am not change’s biggest fan.

“Your bed needs to go.” I love my bed! There’s nothing wrong with my couch! What’s the matter with my coffee table?! I didn’t realize what was wrong with them until I met my new bed, my new couch, and my new coffee table (which were all found on a random Saturday trip to The One). As soon as I entered the Marina branch, there it was, my new bed. “It’s lovely but you haven’t even seen the other ones!” My mother protested. Fair enough, we went around to see the other ones. We saw every last bed in the whole place and I just knew the first one was it. One bedside table, carpet, dresser chair, and couch later we had found all the missing pieces of my new room. Three days later the carpet was changed and the furniture was delivered and now I never want to leave my bedroom when I’m at home.

Changing your room really changes the comfort you feel at home and in your own space. It is a whole new take on design and inspires you to keep everything in it impeccably clean. This includes perfecting and organizing the closet! Needless to say, the following Friday was spent taking every summer clothing article and packing it away into the upper closet space. You guessed what follows next, organizing by categories and color. This sounds like SUCH a drag but after two hours on a lazy Friday 68

afternoon it’s amazing what you can do for your room. This in turn changes your whole week and how easily you can pick outfits out. Organizing my room and closet space to such an extreme extent, forced upon me by my new carpeting, turned out to be the best gift. As tedious as it was going through old boxes, pictures, cards, and random useless belongings I had hoarded for so long, the end result was fantastic. Now I can’t stand seeing a tiny mess in this new spotless room. Even when all I want to do is fall asleep I see a jacket on the couch and just have to put it back into the closet before giving in to my drooping eyes.

This is not to say that you have to get a whole new room to be this motivated, but that’s what gave me the push! I recommend that everyone take a day on the weekend when there’s nothing else to do and go though your entire room, corner by corner and drawer by drawer with a large black trash bag at your side. There will be things of sentimental value that you could never throw away, so just put these into a box and store it somewhere safe. Not EVERYTHING has to stay in your room. I think I threw out every last CD since, let’s be honest, who uses CDs anymore? This goes for DVD boxes, too (all DVDs stored in a case). I can’t stress how important it is to get rid of shoes, bags, and clothes that you don’t wear anymore. Make sure you spend a good amount of time doing a clean sweep of your wardrobe and accessories. This goes for jewelry, too…no need to keep that heart necklace from the 7th grade! Take the time to do this and it will change the feeling that your room is a mess, as well as push you to keep it clean. If you do this, you can just add a few new pillows and bed case into the mix, giving your room that ‘evolved’ feeling. Go for a new painting or carpet and enjoy your lovely new and improved budoir. Happy first month of the year everyone!

HOME CENTRE

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY FACT: 70% of animal abusers also have records of other crimes.

By Sumayyah Meehan

We often hear about crimes against humanity on the news and in the media.

Acts of violence, ethnic cleansing and unjust wars are just a few of the ways in which aggressors turn on the weaker members of society. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

And despite the efforts of the global arena, there continue to be mass crimes against humanity being committed even today.

One would think that the great advances humanity has made in medicine, science and technology would have a detrimental effect on such crimes. However, while our technological prowess has helped to uncover such crimes and shed light on their occurrences, the remedies to putting an end to such atrocities are as elusive as ever.

The question that begs to be asked is, “What makes someone, anyone, feel that they are superior to another living being?” Without watering down the crimes that humans commit against one another, there are countless 70

heinous crimes some humans commit against nature. These types of crimes chip away at our humanity faster than a jackhammer. One of those is the crime of animal abuse. After living in Kuwait for well over a decade, I have seen several cases of animals being abused.

Some times I have been able to intervene and other times I have been a tormented bystander unable to do anything at all.

One of the places that animal abuse is most blatant is around the seaside parks and beaches. It’s no secret that the stray pet population is evident in these areas. Cats are often seen lounging on rocks overlooking the sea while kittens run in between pedestrians looking for a place to hide. And hide they should. It’s unfortunate that many misguided parents let their children turn these living creatures into mere playthings. On several occasions I have seen children grabbing kittens by their tails and sliding them hard across the ground. Other times I have seen children

throwing rocks or sand in the faces of innocent kittens. Most recently, I saw a young boy dump a full super-sized soda on top of a weeks-old kitten. It scampered away to somehow dry off in the cold winter night.

Treating animals with respect and kindness is one of the first lessons a child should be taught when he is of the age to understand the differences between right and wrong. It is the ultimate shared responsibility of parents and educators to teach children, at an early age, to respect all living creatures. Thankfully, we also have organizations in Kuwait that do their utmost to preserve the sanctity of animal life in Kuwait. Thanks to organizations like PAWS and K’s Path, animals in Kuwait have a fighting chance to survive and find a loving home.

For information on how to adopt a pet or make a donation to K’s Path or PAWS, please visit each of their sites respectively: www.kspath.org & www.PAWS-Kuwait.org.

MAWAQAA

ZEITOUNA Authentic Lebanese cuisine in a traditional setting By bazaar staff

In the heart of Kuwait City, you can find an old, traditional building offering an oasis of calm amongst the traffic and skyscrapers. Not only is it calm that they offer, but also traditional 72

Lebanese cuisine of the finest calibre. Zeitouna is the restaurant where you can drop in for breakfast, swing by for lunch, stop by for dinner, or simply chill with a shisha and coffee.

As you walk down the steps that lead to the restaurant the first thing you’ll encounter is the outdoors seating area. This, like the other restaurants surrounding Zeitouna, seems more important than the inside and is certainly bigger. Here you’ll find regular tables and chairs but also some more comfortable seating in the form of outdoor sofas and armchairs for those looking to hang out. This is all concealed from other restaurants by hedges lining the perimeter of the garden.

The inside is traditional in design and all that you are looking for in a Lebanese restaurant.

They have an open section into the kitchen where you can see the shawarma spinning and the meats grilling.

It being a glorious December morning when we visited we sat outside and basked in the sun.

Perusing the menu brings up all the favorites of Lebanese cuisine. They’re not trying to be innovative at Zeitouna and that’s a good thing.

They know what they are cooking and they cook it well.

We went there in the morning so we could also try a little breakfast. Zeitouna opens at seven-thirty in the morning for those early risers and breakfast lovers. We opted for the Terweea Jabaliyeh breakfast, which is manousheh zaatar with labneh, foul, egg qawarma (gently scrambled eggs with minced lamb), Saj bread, olives, freshly squeezed orange juice and your choice of tea or coffee. This breakfast is made

for two and is more than enough although we did fight a little over the egg qawarma, but only because it was so good rather than there not being enough.

But of course it doesn’t even seem like Lebanese food if the word Mezza isn’t involved.

Is there really anything better than having a table full of small plates topped with food that delivers big flavors? That pick and choose way of eating is perfect for any social occasion and means you get to sample so many different flavor combinations. We went for Lentil Soup, Tabouleh (of course), Fatoush Salad, Plain Hommos (again, of course!) and Labneh, plain with olive oil, that was so creamy and delicious I ended up simply spooning it into my mouth!

At Zeitouna they also offer daily meal specials. Each day, at lunch, they offer three different meals at a set price. Perfect for those looking for a good restaurant they can keep going back to for lunch and not get bored.

When we there the main meal for the day was chicken stuffed with spinach, topped with a tomato based sauce and served with spicy potatoes – I would go back to Zeitouna for these potatoes alone!

Sadly feeling a little full after eating breakfast, mezza, and lunch in one sitting we didn’t get to explore the menu further. But next time we go back to Zeitouna there’ll be plenty for us to choose from. Grill platters of

Kebab, Striploin Skewers, Taouk, and Lamb Chops to name a few. Take them wrapped up in bread and you’ve got their Grill Sandwiches.

They also offer Shawarma Platters or Shawarma Sandwiches. If that’s not enough for you, then you can always go for the Saj. From spinach, to four cheeses, to minced beef and lamb, or minced sausages, there are fillings to suit everybody’s appetites.

The bread they serve at Zeitouna is exceptional and what better way to get some more in before we left than to take a dessert built on it. Chocoba is Lebanese bread, spread liberally with Nutella, slices of sliced banana and crushed nuts. We paired this tasty indulgence with a fruit salad and this created a perfect balance between the decadent Chocoba and the freshness of the fruit salad.

Sitting sipping my Turkish coffee, looking up at the skyscrapers shimmering in the sunlight was the perfect ending to our dining experience at Zeitouna. Sitting in the traditional, admiring the modern; this seems like a great way to dine in contemporary Kuwait. If you’re so inclined you could enjoy a shisha around this time.

If we can drag ourselves out of bed early enough we’ll be heading back to Zeitouna to experience an early morning breakfast. If we sleep in we’ll head down for lunch or dinner, the food will be great either way.

Zeitouna is located in Kuwait City, next to Bayt 7, behind the Catholic Church. For more information visit www.facebook.com/zeitounakuwait or call 22497833/44 for reservations. You can also find them on talabat for delivery and they offer catering services too.

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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

Having strategic team and plans is essential, but how can we evaluate the quality of Strategic Planners’ contributions?

LA: Michelin inspectors look for quality, originality and consistency to grant a restaurant one of their stars. If you follow their route you’ll be in good shape in evaluating your planners performance. The quality of their work is measured by how close or far they are in helping your business or department reach its goals. Originality of their work is measured by how creative and resourceful their suggested strategies and tactics are in achieving those targets. Consistency of their deliverables is measured by the benchmark of the first two categories. If they’re always on target, creative and resourceful, then they’re consistent.

Having said that, the world’s greatest planners miss sometimes – the key word here is ‘sometimes’. If your business is too small to have your team of strategic planners, hire someone or a company on a project basis to help you put one together. Businesses that think they can’t afford to pay for effective plans, can’t afford to be in business...and that's just my two cents.

Q

I really HATE preparing slide-presentations. And when it involves a sales pitch my stress level shoots up to the moon. What can I do to turn this experience to a positive one for me during preparation and for prospects during meetings?

LA: You come across as a Librarian who hates books. Slide presentations can be a lot more enjoyable than what most managers torture their audience with. Many managers think mistakenly that their slides contain what they’re trying to convey. What they don’t realize is that they are the presentation and the slides are nothing but a tool to help them set the scene. A storyteller can excite an audience without the use of any slides, but a group of slides can’t generate the same impact and emotional connection on their own.

Stories can be emotional, convincing, or even suspenseful. However, the common three qualities that exist in all great live presentations are creative, short and attention grabbing. To keep it short, if you’re presenting live, your slides should not repeat what you’re saying. People will either listen or read; you want them to listen. So, stick to big pictures, big words, and/or numbers – think ‘magazine covers’. How do you know if you’re on track? If someone views your slides without you, they should not be able to get the full picture.

To grab the attention of your audience start with a nice hook or intro.

This doesn’t have to be on a slide – remember, you are the presentation; not everything you say should be on the slides. Also, you shouldn’t present

any sales pitch without creating enough interest and desire in your prospects’ minds about you and your brand. Therefore, drop all the boring slides about your company. Highlight the problem or challenge (there’s always one in every story), knock them out with a great solution, and finish with a few strong reminders. Be prepared to show some slides showing key details and justifications, if, and only if, you’re asked for them. If all of the above still sounds like a nightmare, then presenting is not for you...and that's just my two cents.

Q

As if trying to beat the competition isn’t hard enough, we’re seeing more riots, shootings, and stabbing in malls, while the impact of financial crisis is still lingering. How can any retailer survive in such market conditions?

LA: First, I hope you’re speaking metaphorically when it comes to beating the competition. Everybody needs to chill out these days; which reminds me of a friend who booked a short getaway with his wife to an Indonesian island during a season known for its good weather. Upon their arrival, the couple kept repeating to themselves, “When it rains it pours.” The couple cancelled their reservation the next morning. Aiming to help, the concierge recommended a nearby island equipped with adventurous activities where bad weather makes them only more fun. Out of desperation and with the concierge pulling some strings, the couple got their new reservation. In just three days, they met new friends, experienced events they only saw in the movies, and started an adventure-based travel program for couples.

The moral of the story is when stuff happens going with the flow and looking for the silver lining is the best strategy. Allow me to lend you a special pair of silver-lining-detection glasses. If you’re in a business that could benefit from delivering straight to customers and you haven’t done it yet, now is a good time to start since some customers might prefer to stay at home, be safe and follow up on the news. Maybe it’s time to consider expanding your customer base by selling to companies to diversify your income. There will always be a challenge in business. What matters is that you are focused on your goals while thinking of new ways to reach them and keeping an open mind for new journeys that might improve your business beyond your plans. Whenever things that may seem to be bad at first happen, remember Eric Idle’s song from Monty Python’s Life Of Brian: Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life...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. Please note that only the questions chosen for publishing will be answered.

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

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COSMODOME

THE KUWAIT MUSIC ACADEMY Kuwait and Poland musically unite

By Samar Tahoun

When we think of music, we tend to be reminded of festivities, driving around in the car, and fun events. Would a wedding even be possible without music? However, music has not always been associated with academia. The fact is, music has a major impact on our lives in more ways than we actually realize.

If life was without music things would be a little strange. French poet Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which impossible to be silent.� Not only is music enriching to the soul and heart; but its benefits also extend to an intellectual level. Research has shown that music is an excellent way of enhancing motion, memory, intellectual and mental development, as well as coordination.

A young Kuwaiti woman, Fajer Al Mazidi, and her Piano teacher, Ph.D.Prof. Cezary Owerkowicz from Poland, understood the power of music and came together with a shared goal in mind: to reach out to their society through music. This goal was translated into reality with their combined efforts to successfully open the Kuwait Music Academy, which officially opened in September of this year.

Mazidi and Owerkowicz truly appreciate the art of music and they are hoping to reach out to society through this passionate appreciation. When asked 76

about the rather odd union of former student from Kuwait and teacher from Poland allying to start the first official music academy in Kuwait, Owerkowicz said, "Music is a magical and universal language."

The Kuwait Music Academy is open for enrollment to Kuwaitis and expats of all age groups. While the oldest student is 65 years of age, the youngest student is only four years old!

The academy offers classes in piano and vocals; however they intend to expand to offer a broader range of classes in music. The academy caters to individuals who are interested in pursuing music professionally, as well as to those who are simply practicing it for pleasure.

Those who are looking to follow music on a professional level have come to the right place, as the academy is very selective of the music teachers they hire - something they take pride in. The academy also offers certifications that allow their students to easily apply to prestigious music schools around the world. The certificates are obtained after students have gone through the required courses and have successfully completed international examinations held from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music based in London, United Kingdom. Many former students of the Academy have gone to study in

famous music schools like the Conservatoire in Paris, France.

The academy believes that the element of competition can prove to be a rather useful tool for driving students into harnessing their talent up to its maximum potential. Staying true to that belief, the academy encourages their students to join music competitions in Kuwait and the Gulf region.

Heui Sung Kim, a student of the academy, has won several music competitions that were held on a local and regional level.

This is a great effort for Kuwait as the academy is the first, and only, institution solely dedicated to musical education and nurturing the talents of people in Kuwait. Many people ask around and try to find places in Kuwait that offer any form of musical education; let it be violin, vocal, or dance lessons, all of which are not easy to come by in Kuwait. The academy will be a great gateway to many individuals who share the same goals as the founders of this invaluable institution but never took the first steps towards implementation.

The Kuwait Music Academy has reached a major milestone by taking such an initiative.

For more information please visit: www.kuwaitma.com.

CROCS

bazaar goes cruising MERCEDES-BENZ GL 500 The new SUV lineup is now complete

At an exclusive A.R. Albisher and Z. Alkazemi Co. unveiling event, VIP guests and media were welcomed to an exclusive lounge in the Shuwaikh showroom to witness the country launch of Mercedes-Benz’ new SUV flagship, the GL 500. The award winning large size SUV occupies the top position amongst luxury off-road vehicles and is built around the modern Arab family with its seven seats, best in class engines, powerful performance, space, refinement and cutting edge technologies.

With excellent driving dynamics and high levels of ride comfort – both on the road and on difficult terrain – the GL 500 pampers its occupants with the first-class comfort of a luxury saloon. Up to seven passengers enjoy an excellent amount of space and standard ON&OFFROAD package for the new GL 500 has six driving programs for optimising driving dynamics and handling safety, as the optimum drive system control is provided for an extremely wide range of on-road and off-road operating conditions. With the ability to travel almost 900 kms on just a single tank of fuel, numerous measures significantly increase the energy efficiency in the powerful V8 Biturbo 435 hp GL 500 4MATIC petrol model, with fuel consumption cut by about 18 percent.

While unveiling the new GL 500 along with other management personnel, Senior Manager - Sales and Operations, Ashraf Tamim; said: “Mercedes-Benz and Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co.’s 2012 Year of the SUV strategy has been an overwhelming success, with three exciting launches each achieving huge popularity amongst customers.

The flagship seven seater GL 500: Built around the modern Arab family Comfort, safety, elegance, efficiency – the new GL 500 from MercedesBenz demonstrates leadership qualities in all the decisive SUV disciplines, boasting value that makes it an easy choice for those wishing to invest in the very best for their families. Innovations such as the Crosswind Assist, the STEER CONTROL steering assistance system, the load recognition and the COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST (CPA) increase the active safety.

Other new features available on the new GL500 are assistance systems such as Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist, together with a parking package incorporating an automatic function for entering 78

and exiting parking spaces. In 2013 a 360° camera will also be available.

Even at first glance the 2013 GL 500 is recognisable as a characteristic representative of the Mercedes-Benz Sports Utility Vehicle family.. In the front area the hallmark GL 500 upright radiator grille with its central star and the clear, high-quality design of the headlamps with an LED flare dominate.

The daytime running lamps featuring LED technology are integrated in a chrome insert in the bumper, and beneath the radiator grille the generously sized chrome-look underguard completes the self-confident appearance of the front.

With its balanced proportions and the large wheelbase the side view underlines the vehicle’s on-road emphasis. At the same time the short body overhangs at the front and rear, together with the large ground clearance, point to its off-road suitability. The hallmark-SUV high beltline with its highquality trim, the feature line which rises dynamically and the chrome edging

on the window surfaces highlight the vehicle’s effortlessly superior look.

For GL 500 customers who place particular importance on a sporty, dynamic appearance, an extensive AMG Exterior Sports package is now available for the first time as standard in Kuwait. In addition to the hallmark-AMG front and rear apron, it also offers special wheel-arch flarings, which span over the 21-inch AMG 5 twin-spoke light-alloy wheels. Illuminated aluminium-look running boards also form part of the scope of supply, as do perforated brake discs and brake calliper covers with Mercedes-Benz lettering and V8 Biturbo badging on the side flanks and rear.

Inner values: the GL 500 offers automotive first class Powerfully dynamic and elegant interior design, fine materials and lovingly crafted details, optimum ergonomics and a generous amount of space accentuated by a panoramic glass roof – the interior of the GL 500 oozes the ambience of wellbeing so characteristic of Mercedes-Benz. Generously sized trim in various wood or aluminium variants, controls in silver chrome and the upholstery with the breathable premium grade leather and the stitching in a contrasting colour underline the high-quality overall impression. Ambient interior cabin lighting is available in three colours.

The seats offer seven people a generous amount of space and follow the 2-3-2 system. Compared with the predecessor the occupants on all three rows of seats have more shoulder room, elbow room, headroom and 4 Zone Climate Control. As part of the standard specification the third seat row can be operated electrically. Another new feature is the EASY-ENTRY system on both sides – also available with electric operation on request – for access to the third row of seats.

The control and display concept impresses with excellent userfriendliness: infotainment, navigation and communication alike can be intuitively and very easily operated via the metal Controller on the centre console. Bluetooth connectivity allows for effortless wireless media and music enjoyment. As standard a multifunction steering wheel in nappa leather with steering-wheel gearshift paddles and 12 function keys is included on board.

Assistance systems take the GL 500 to the top of its market segment It is above all the numerous assistance systems which ensure enhanced handling safety and driver-fitness safety in the new GL. As part of its standard specification the new GL 500 has some impressive new features alongside the usual dynamic handling control systems ESP®, ASR, ABS and the anticipatory safety concept PRE-SAFE®: on board for the first time are the ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection system and the optional COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST (CPA) collision warning system. The new standard-fit Crosswind Assist, which helps the motorist if the car is affected by strong crosswinds. It does so through targeted brake actuations, therefore ensuring an enhanced feeling of safety.

Powerful V8 Biturbo engine The new powerful GL 500 4MATIC V8 Biturbo engine produces 435 hp, roughly 12 percent more power than its predecessor 388 hp. At the same time, torque has been increased from 530 to 700 newton metres – a 32-percent increase. As the high maximum torque is already available at only 1,800 revs, the new V8 produces superior power even at low engine speeds and provides a smoothness of performance that is exemplary for an eight-cylinder engine. The driver will thus notice no turbo lag, instead perceiving the new V8 as pleasant and powerful.

The GL 500 has an NEDC consumption of 11.3-11.6 l/ 100 km, making it the most fuel-efficient V8 petrol model in its class. A charged 4.6-litre BlueDIRECT engine is used here.

Emerging from the Mercedes-Benz Affalterbach performance division as the globe’s most powerful SUV, a GL 63 AMG version will arrive in A.R. Albisher and Z. Alkazemi Co. showroom in Q1 2013.

For more information on Mercedes-Benz products and services in Kuwait, please visit: www.mercedes-benz.com.kw. Facebook:www.facebook.com/MercedesBenzKuwait Twitter and Instagram: @MercedesBenzKWT. The iPhone application for Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co. can be downloaded for free by searching for ‘MB Kuwait’ in the Apple online app store.

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bazaar snap

Title: Stone Seller Girl Photographed by: Yousef Abdul-Husain Location: Petra, Jordan Description: It was my first visit to Petra and I was surprised by the sheer amount of Bedouins in the area; including Bedouin children. Many of them try to sell you maps, snacks, and this little girl was trying to sell carved stones which is a Bedouin tradition. She was so cute and happy and as she was handing a stone to my friend I snapped this photo.

Taken with a D3100 with a 35mm AF-S 1.8G lens.

For your snap submissions, please send an email including the photo with its title, location, and description to snap@bazaar-magazine.com

freedom to express 80

LABEL. M

BIRDS OF KUWAIT All of Kuwait’s birds in one book By bazaar staff

A monument of world class bird photography that combines scientific accuracy in a largeformat, luxurious presentation, “Birds of Kuwait: A Comprehensive Visual Guide”, was presented last month by its sponsors, the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Company (KUFPEC).

Its quality reflects the personal and dedicated involvement in its production of KUFPEC Chairman, Mr Nizar Al-Adsani.

Conceived, approved and published in a record time frame of only 9 months, this book aspires to educate Kuwaitis and the international community on the abundant wealth of bird species living in or passing through its territory. 391 species are 82

featured in the book, with 95% of the photographs taken within country limits, by 18 very talented and dedicated Kuwaiti or Kuwait-based amateur birdwatchers and photographers. 36 photographers have participated in total. The book was put together and produced by Biodiversity East and the Kuwait Ornithological Rarities Committee (KORC).

An elaborate introduction on the country’s birding sites and general birding information precedes the species pages. Consecutively, the individual species plates comprise photos accompanied by a concise and precise description together with English, Arabic and Scientific names, as well as IUCN status for each species.

Not available for retail, the book is currently freely distributed to interested stakeholders, such as public authorities and educational facilities. It aspires to increase awareness and promote respect of avian diversity, proactive conservation measures and improved legislative frameworks discouraging uncontrolled hunting and illegal trade, which interfere with natural processes and may lead to severe threats to the survival of some species.

To find out more about Biodiversity East visit: www.bio-e.org For more information on the book contact: Nancy Papathanasopoulou at nancy@bio-e.org.

RED

AHMED’S JOURNEY Towards a hopeful future

By Great Ormond Street Hospital

Ahmed was an active little boy who enjoyed playing football, taking the centre forward position in his school football team.

At the beginning of 2012, Ahmed started to feel more tired than usual, and found he was having difficulty moving and keeping his energy up. He developed a fever and swollen tonsils, and was eventually taken to his local hospital in Kuwait. At first, doctors thought he might have an underactive thyroid, but further 84

tests revealed the devastating news that he had leukaemia. A low dose of chemotherapy was immediately started while Ahmed waited for arrangements to be made for his transfer to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of the world’s leading centres for treating sick children in London, is recognised as one of the few truly world-class hospitals for children. As a global leader, GOSH has top clinical and research

experts working every day to find new and better ways to treat children. While breakthroughs and medical expertise are essential to the treatment of patients, GOSH also places great emphasis on the support and care provided for children by nurturing an open and supportive atmosphere, ensuring that both parents and patients are wellinformed and closely involved in the treatment process. Children receive the highest standards of care and attention from the expert team of medical and support staff during their stay at GOSH and are always treated with respect, trust, concern and openness.

Ahmed arrived at GOSH as a brave young boy facing a difficult journey ahead of him. He started chemotherapy again straight away, but unfortunately subsequent tests showed that the cancer was resistant to the treatment and therefore the disease was not abating. The decision was taken for Ahmed to undergo a bone marrow transplant, which would mean finding a suitable donor who could provide matching healthy bone marrow stem cells to replace Ahmed’s damaged bone marrow. Luckily, a suitable match was found quickly and Ahmed started treatment in July. The treatment consisted of high dose chemotherapy drugs which wiped out the functioning bone marrow, including the blood stem cells within the bone marrow, in order to eradicate the underlying disease. The donor’s bone marrow was then transplanted into Ahmed, replacing all his unhealthy cells with healthy cells.

Ahmed said: “I like all the nurses and the patient advocates; they are friendly and make me laugh. Everyone’s been nice to me here, but I miss my family, especially my brother Mohammed.

While he was visiting me here we used to walk down to the London Eye, and I took pictures of Big Ben. I think I will want to come back to London when I am older.

“In the hospital I’ve made friends with another boy on the ward and my nurse, Michael, who plays football with me in my hospital room.

He’s helping me to train so that when I return to Kuwait, I can rejoin my school sports club and start playing football again.”

Claudia Tomlin Butterfly, Ward Manager, said: “Rehabilitation is equally as important to patients as treatment. We try to maintain normality where possible for all patients, which helps their recovery and keeps them in touch with activities they like doing. In Ahmed’s case, he loved football, so it was important that Ahmed was able to kick and play around with a ball on the ward. He would never have been allowed to play football outside as it would have meant mixing

with too many members of the public and would have put Ahmed at risk of catching an infection.”

Ahmed is a keen footballer and is a dedicated supporter of Chelsea football club, who are the current European champions and one of the leading clubs in England and in Europe. “My favourite player at Chelsea is the number 9 central striker Fernando Torres; he scores lots of goals like me when I play back in Kuwait”.

Chelsea and England footballer Frank Lampard sent Ahmed a signed photo, with a ‘get well’ message for him. Ahmed was thrilled to receive the signed photo and expressed his gratitude for having a ‘get well soon’ message from one of his football heroes. The photo now takes pride of place in his room with his Chelsea shirt, which he tries to wear every day.

At GOSH, great importance is placed on play and education as part of the overall treatment and care given to the children. Play areas can be found on each ward and these, along with the hospital’s own school, are essential components of the hospital's facilities. Ahmed said: “I especially like the playrooms here – my favourite toys are the remote-controlled cars. The teacher from the hospital school comes up to my room to help me with my schoolwork sometimes.”

Hospital school teacher Alice Dehl describes Ahmed as a “polite and friendly student who is keen to learn even when he is feeling unwell.”

Not only so, GOSH is renowned for celebrating annual festivals and birthdays, and important national occasions such as the Olympic games which were held in London in the summer of 2012. The hospital held its own GOSH games to celebrate the Olympics, and patients and their families got to hold the Olympic torch as well as participate in the games. Ahmed said: “I watched the Olympic games on TV and liked all the sports, everything was great. I was really excited to be able to hold the Olympic Torch. I think I will remember that forever!”

Befitting the spirit of togetherness and harmony that marks Eid celebrations, GOSH celebrates Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al Adha every year with patients and their families. The wards are filled with decorations, as the children celebrate together with hospital staff. However, during the celebrations Ahmed had to be kept in isolation in order to protect him from contracting infections from other people and the general environment.

His treatment supressed his immune system; being immunosuppressed can make patients extremely susceptible to infections of all types.

“During Eid celebrations I was in isolation, because I’d just had the bone marrow transplant so was unfortunately unable to join in the party to mark the end of Ramadan and celebrate Eid alFitr on the ward, but I did receive presents, which was nice.”

Ahmed has been supported by his two brothers whilst he has been at GOSH and his older brother feels “he has received good care, and good treatment, with cooperative doctors and nurses, and he has been lucky to be in GOSH because it has given him a better chance of curing his disease.”

Paul Veys, Ahmed’s consultant, said: “We are delighted with Ahmed’s progress so far.

Although he has had a prolonged hospital stay, the bone marrow transplant appears to have got rid of a difficult leukaemia. Throughout the whole transplant process Ahmed has remained positive and accepting of every treatment. It takes considerable courage to be away from friends and family, in a foreign country and unfamiliar language. Some of the medical and nursing teams share his passion for football and used to play after the ward rounds. Sadly we no longer have time to do this, but we are delighted that Ahmed manages to escape his room to keep fit in the corridors. Sometimes he’s so quickly out of his room we think he has his own secret entrance!”

Ahmed is now doing well and is expected to make a full recovery.

For more information about GOSH, and to know more about the International and Private Patients services, its latest medical news, updates and to meet the team, please visit www.gosh.com.kw.

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

WARM BODIES

GANGSTER SQUAD

DJANGO UNCHAINED

Genre: Comedy, Horror Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama Cast: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

Genre: Drama, Western Cast: Jamie Foxx, Don Leonardo DiCaprio

Synopsis: A tormented zombie (Nicholas Hoult) experiences a profound transformation after entering into an unusual relationship with the daughter (Teresa Palmer) of a military leader charged with eradicating the walking dead. As the unlikely pair builds a tenuous bridge between the living and the dead, those on both sides of the battle begin to sense that nothing in their world will ever be the same again. Warm Bodies is based on the novel by Isaac Marion. Rob Corddry and John Malkovich round out the starring cast.

Synopsis: Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and-if he has his way-every wire bet placed west of Chicago. He does it all with the protection of not only his own goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, cop...except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling).

Synopsis: Set in the South two years before the Civil War, Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.

STAND UP GUYS Genre: Comedy, Crime Cast: Al Pacino, Alan Arkin and Christopher Walken

HANSEL AND GRETEL WITCH HUNTERS Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror Cast: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton and Peter Stormare

BROKEN CITY

Synopsis: After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches...their past.

Synopsis: An ex-cop-turned-private eye (Mark Wahlberg) is thrown headfirst into a hotbed of trouble after a mayor (Russell Crowe) hires him to look into his cheating wife. Book of Eli's Allen Hughes directs from a script by Brian Tucker.

Synopsis: Val (Al Pacino) is released from prison after serving twenty-eight years for refusing to give up one of his close criminal associates. His best friend Doc (Christopher Walken) is there to pick him up, and the two soon re-team with another old pal, Hirsch (Alan Arkin). Their position becomes more and more desperate and they finally confront their past.

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Johnson

and

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones

For more details on movie timings and the cinema nearest you, log on to www.cinescape.com.kw

OXYGENIZER

BY 2062

Your nurse will be a robot and your shirt will clean itself

By Alyssa Rosenberg

To celebrate its 110th anniversary, the magazine Popular Mechanics has published a fascinating list of 110 predictions for the next 110 years, divided up by the decades in which they will occur.

For instance, within the next 10 years, PM believes that translation technology will become so sophisticated and cheap that smart phones will turn into universal translators so "people will be fluent in every language."

The whole list is worth a read, but here are some of our favorites that could have a real impact on women's lives: Nanoparticles will make chemotherapy far more effective. By delivering tiny doses of cisplatin and docetaxel right to cancerous cells, the mini messengers will significantly reduce the pain and side effects of today's treatments.

In recent years, guidelines on breast cancer treatment have changed so that fewer women have courses of chemotherapy after surgery, in part because the side effects are so traumatic, and because of findings that suggest chemotherapy is helpful to only 15 percent of patients who receive it as a follow-up. But if chemotherapy could be more targeted and less toxic, it could help make breast cancer treatment a less intimidating prospect. PM predicts this could be reality by 2022.

Your genome will be sequenced before you are born. Researchers led by Jay Shendure of the 88

University of Washington recently reconstructed the genome of a fetus using saliva from the father and a blood sample from the mother (which yielded free-floating DNA from the child). Blood from the umbilical cord later confirmed that the sequencing was 98 percent accurate. Once the price declines, this procedure will allow us to do noninvasive prenatal testing.

Right now, adults can send in saliva samples and have their own DNA sequenced by genetic testing services like 23 And Me. But the new tests will allow parents to know the actual DNA profile of the fetus they just created. This is not without its downsides: As Harriet A. Washington wrote in Slate earlier this fall, the availability of such testing could also move up unnerving conversations about whether to terminate a pregnancy, or how to care for a potentially disabled child, even as they don't provide absolute certainty about the outcome of a pregnancy. PM forecasts that these tests will be normal procedure in the next 10 years.

Your clothes will clean themselves too. Engineers in China have developed a titanium dioxide coating that helps cotton shed stains and eliminate odorproducing bacteria. To revive your lucky shirt after a night of poker, you need only step into the sun.

Now if only this technology could be extended to the kitchen sink as well as the laundry room.

The housework gap between women and men continues to close, but it hasn't been eliminated yet

- the Bureau of Labor Statistics found earlier this year that American women do 2.6 hours of housework per day while men do 2.1 hours. If technology could cut down on the minutes we need to spend on household tasks period, it might be easier to split them equitably, and for partners to spend more time on each other, or on other pursuits. The self-cleaning clothes part, at least, could be a reality by 2022.

Nurse Jackie will be a robot. By 2045, when seniors (60-plus) outnumber the planet's youth (15 and under) for the first time in history, hospitals will use robots to solve chronic staffing issues. Expect to find the new Nightingales lifting patients and pushing food carts. Engineers at Purdue University are thinking even bolder designing mechanical scrub nurses that respond to hand gestures during surgery.

Though the number of men in nursing professions is increasing, it remains a field dominated by women, as is also the case with home health aides. Just as mechanization (as well as outsourcing) hurt male employment in manufacturing, the rise of robotic nurses could push down employment in a sector where women have long been dominant. It's always fun to think that the future will open up new and exciting employment fields. But it'll make other kinds of jobs obsolete, and women should learn from the decimation of some male-dominated fields as we make our career plans for the future. PM thinks Nurse Jackie will be delivering your post-op meal by 2062.

PEI WEI

bazaar around town KERASTRAIGHT An Evolution in Straightening and Repair.

KeraStraight has set the benchmark in the industry for beautifully conditioned, frizz free hair.

This amazing same-day-wash Keratin Treatment has been available in Kuwait since March.

Not only can you now wash your hair the same day but it's an Aldehyde and Formaldehyde free product that has three variants to benefit all hair types. KeraStraight is suitable for all hair types from virgin, untreated hair to highly damaged and weak.

KeraStraight works by fortifying the hair with the power of white clay, Keratin and 22 carat gold. Keratin is a natural compound found in hair, skin and nails and this protein is what gives the hair its strength. The effectiveness is all thanks to the nano particles of Keratin which are fortified via the addition of 22 carat gold.

In addition, keep an eye out for KeraStraight’s amazing new Protein & Moisture Masks which are available as an in-salon service or can be used at home. Moisture Mask is a lightweight nutrient rich treatment that nourishes dry, dehydrated and brittle hair, while the Protein Mask is a powerful concentration of low weight proteins that form a fortifying net to reconstruct and revitalize extremely damaged hair.

KeraStraight recommends using the KeraStraight Straight Maintain Shampoo and Conditioner. These products are Sodium Chloride and Sulphate free and have been developed to maximize the longevity of the KS Complex Treatment. They also contain special KS Complex to support and maintain the hair treatment and protect against daily environmental stresses.

KeraStraight is available in TONI&GUY AlCorniche club Salon and other selected Salons: Strands, Top to Toe, Brush, Emmanuelle, Casa Del Belleza, Blush Salons, Cutting Edge, Gloss, Crystal Palace, Hermosa, Tulips, Anjelous, Chic Beaute, Donna Carina, Charisma, Plaza Athenaa and Shady Salon for men. Exclusively distributed by beau-tique cosmetics intl. 2225 1285.

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOHEMIA FOR WOMEN THIS SPRING AT H&M Bohemian style for the 21st century takes the scene at H&M for spring 2013, with embellishment and trims on modern shapes that are both sporty and relaxed. The emphasis is on new forms of decoration, with piping on sweatshirts, dresses and leggings, tasselled or fringed skirts, and embossed leather jackets. A new sporty volume comes from a billowing draped shirt or an oversized draped blazer, which contrast with pieces of high decoration, such as a patchwork brocade sculpted jacket, or a flouncy one-shouldered frill dress. Colours are sun-bleached, and pieces such as the decorated-front sweatshirt and the white wide-leg pants are wardrobe staples to wear all season long. Accessories continue the handcrafted feel, with tassel bags and earrings, a pineapple charm bracelet and a bolo tie necklace. Cowboy booties complete the look, as well as espadrilles and flat sandals with chunky buckles.

“I really like the new bohemian look at H&M. It feels fresh again thanks to the sporty shapes, sun-bleached colours and the new forms of embellishment. These pieces can be worn in so many different ways, mixing decoration with something more minimal, and using volume to create whole new outfits,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s head of design.

ZAFRAN LAUNCHES ‘THE ULTIMATE KEBAB SIZZLER FESTIVAL’ As part of its tradition to showcase India’s culinary heritage with a contemporary twist, Zafran has launched its ultimate kebab sizzler festival featuring an extensive range of mouthwatering kebabs from across India Cooked in a traditional coal fired clay oven, pan fried, deep fried or marinated the menu will offer kebabs on a sizzler. Savor the rich and tender taste of vegetarian and non-vegetarian Kebabs sizzlers that Zafran’s master chefs have put together. The unique feast brings together an authentic taste of legendary kebabs complemented by an exotic array of popular dishes on the menu. Zafran’s Chef Mohit Dhingra and the Concept Manager Chef Ankur Chakraborty will bring forth an impressive presentation of kebab sizzlers including “Sikandari Raan Tandoor” (roasted whole leg of lamb with tandoori spices and malt vinegar), “Murgh Angaara Tikka” (Kashmiri red chili and lime marinated chicken leg boneless with peppers) and “Samundari Ratan Anari” (Baked whole lobster with cheddar and pomegranate, fresh water prawns, and white fish tikka). For vegetarian lovers an exciting variety of kebab sizzlers are prepared with the season’s best selections.

Zafran, located in Salmiya, is known for its vibrant and modern setting, and is a warm and welcoming retreat for friends and family who wish to relax and enjoy good high quality food at purse-friendly prices. To make a reservation, please call: 2575 0647.

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NEW YORK’S MAGNOLIA BAKERY OPENS IN KUWAIT Magnolia Bakery Kuwait is operated by Unifoods, A partnership between Acquire & Zantout Family. New York City’s Magnolia Bakery, renowned for its classic American desserts, recently opened its first store in Kuwait, and its third in the Middle East, at the Al-Hamra Mall located in Sharq. Magnolia Bakery, credited with launching the “cupcake craze,” serves over 120 varieties of handmade baked goods, including cupcakes, cakes, pies, cheesecakes, icebox desserts, muffins and its world famous banana pudding. The brand is cherished for their freshly baked desserts, all of which are made from scratch in small batches throughout the day, using only the finest ingredients. In addition to their comprehensive dessert menu, Magnolia will offer a savory menu at their Middle East locations. Magnolia currently has several locations in the Middle East, including stores in Lebanon and Dubai.

The new bakery is located in the Al-Hamra Mall, located in Sharq on the mezzanine floor. For more information, visit www.magnoliabakery.com.

No7 AT BOOTS No7 skincare and cosmetics relaunched with new look and feel No7 skincare and cosmetics that has been rewriting beauty history for 77 years with high quality products at affordable prices, is celebrating this milestone anniversary with a complete refresh of the brand which was first launched in Britain in 1935. They have recently repackaged our award winning anti-ageing ranges No7 Protect and Perfect for 25-35 year olds, No7 Protect and Perfect Intense for 35-45 year olds, No7 Lift and Luminate for 45-55 year olds and No7 Restore and Renew for 60+ women. Relaunched in chic new packaging, they are designed to bring a fresh and modern look to the range. The revamp continues with the relaunch of No7 cosmetics. Featuring a vast selection of fabulous textures and stunning shades, designed and created by No7’s Creative Consultant Lisa Eldrige, you will find everything you need for perfect makeup, from gorgeous lip colours to long-lasting foundations. In store, their No7 consultants are always on hand to provide you with beauty makeovers for every occasion and with all the information you need to look beautiful every single day.

For more information log on to www.me.boots.com.

STARBUCKS RESERVE ULTRA PREMIUM COFFEE LINE LAUNCHES IN KUWAIT A new high-end destination to experience rare & exquisite single-origin coffees at the Grand Avenues The world’s leading coffee retail chain has launched the Middle East’s first Starbucks Reserve at the glasscovered, cobble-stoned Grand Avenue – The Avenues, opening an entirely new chapter for Starbucks in the region. At almost 5,000 square feet, one of the largest ever Starbucks stores, this super-premium outlet is a game changer for the Middle East. The Grand Avenue store offers connoisseurs an opportunity to enjoy the range of specially selected, rare & exquisite, single-origin coffees. It is also home to the unique Clover brewing system which is being used for the first time in the region. Introducing a new quintessential Starbucks experience, the new Reserve store is a stunning environment filled with the tempting aromas of some of the world’s finest coffees, accompanied by high-end gourmet foods. In addition to Starbucks Reserve™ coffee, the store features a sophisticated interior design inspired by Arab motifs and a range of delicious snack and dessert offerings which will be supplied freshly every day to accompany the amazing beverages on offer.

More information on the Starbucks Reserve™ range can be found at www.starbucksstore.com.

Landmark Group’s ‘Beat Diabetes’ Walkathon witnessed an extensive participation of over six thousand supporters Landmark Group the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, witnessed a positive response for ‘Beat Diabetes’ Walkathon from its supporters, sponsors and residents of Kuwait as thousands turned up to show their support and care towards the cause. The event, which was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and Dasman Diabetes Institute, marked a successful completion of its second consecutive walkathon. The walkathon took place on Saturday, 17th November 2012.

The ‘Beat Diabetes’ Walkathon was well received by the residents, a few commented by saying: “I participated in the walkathon last year and am happy to say that it was organized even better this year.

I am proud to be a part of this noble cause.” “It is good to know Landmark Group is raising awareness for a very important cause and is always involved in doing such good community welfare events. They should hold such campaigns more often.” Landmark’s Group Beat Diabetes campaign is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, which conducted tests for over three thousand people in Kuwait.

The event took place not only in Kuwait but the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and India.

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

LEATHER TOUCHSCREEN GLOVES

KOHLER MOXIE SPEAKER SHOWERHEAD

ELECTREE

Maintaining the ability to use your phone doesn't mean losing the ability to look fashionable. These Leather Touchscreen Gloves (€130; roughly $170) offer the best of both worlds. Made from fine Ethiopian lambskin that's treated for wind and water resistance, they feature nanotechnology integrated into the leather to make them touchscreen compatible, as well as a leather strap on the heel to tighten them around your wrist and the ability to use all five fingers instead of just a couple. Hello, iPad multitouch gestures, goodbye cold hands.

Don't try to hide your addiction to singing in the shower — embrace it with the Kohler Moxie Speaker Showerhead ($200). This clever piece of bathroom hardware embeds a speaker in the middle of a full-spray showerhead. And not just any speaker — a Bluetooth-compatible speaker that lets you recharge it on the counter, snap it back into the showerhead using the embedded magnets, and play music wirelessly from your phone or tablet. Just don't forget to clean yourself up while you're at it.

Some new product ideas are cool, and some are downright crazy — but it's the ones that are a little of both that often turn out the best. Take the Electree ($200 and up) for example. This sculpture/ gadget is shaped after a bonsai tree, but instead of leaves it sports solar panels on its branches. And what does it do with all the energy it collects? It charges an internal battery that you can then use to charge your phone or tablet. Wirelessly, even, if you'd like. It surely beats the "garden" of wires you deal with now.

www.mujjo.com

www.amazon.com

www.kickstarter.com

ORA IPAD SOUND SYSTEM

WHOOZ

Yes, you read that correctly. The Puzzlebox BrainControlled Helicopter ($250) lets you control a floating orb using nothing but your brain power. The package includes a NeuroSky MindWave Mobile EEG headset, a Pryamid that serves as a home base and remote control, and the Orbit helicopter/orb itself.

Simply select a flight path, slide on the headset, and focus — the software in the Pyramid will interpret your levels of concentration and relaxation and move the helicopter appropriately. A perfect gift for the sci-fi geek on your list.

Ever try holding your iPad funny at one end so you could aim the sound back at you? Us too. That's why they're making the Ora iPad Sound System ($150). Designed by a team that has created products for the likes of TDK, Intel, Vizio, and Nike, the aluminum case/stand packs eight front-spacing speakers (tuned by the former engineer lead of Bose) into the space surrounding the screen, giving you a far more immersive sound experience than you're used to from your tablet. You might not even notice when you're getting blown away by audio from apps you used to consider "tinny".

Apple's iPhones, iPads, and iPods are seemingly everywhere these days — which means there are just as many, if not more, chargers and charging cables hanging around. Personalize yours with Whooz ($10).

These removable vinyl labels are designed to cover your iDevice power adapters and USB cables with fun designs that make it easy to tell which ones are yours.

www.kickstarter.com

www.kickstarter.com

www.kickstarter.com

PUZZLEBOX ELICOPTER

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BRAIN-CONTROLLED

GULF NET

GIFT ADVICE Facebook has revolutionized gift-giving on the Web

By Farhad Manjoo

The Web is terrible at offering gift advice.

Consider this scenario: It's your sister-in-law's birthday in a couple of days. She's one of those super people who's always sending you gifts and cards. Wouldn't it be nice to get her something nice, too?

Yeah, but it's such a hassle. First, what does she like? You have no idea. You've heard she likes to read, but you're not sure what sort of books she's into.

Well, maybe you could get her something you like?

You love Curb Your Enthusiasm - what about getting her the first-season DVD set? But wait a second; lots of people can't stand Larry David. Or maybe she's a huge fan and already has the DVDs. You realize there are also social red lines here, too. She's your sisterin-law, so you want something friendly but not too intimate. You love The League, too, but that show's raunchy, sexist banter might offend her‌ Maybe you're overthinking this. How about a nice box of chocolates? (She's probably not allergic, right?)

OK, but second problem. Do you have her address?

You have an address - but that was from a year ago. Is it still good? OK, maybe you can call your mom to ask.

But then you'd have to talk to your mom. And anyway, her birthday is in two days; you'd have to spring for express shipping to get it there on time. This is becoming costly. Just then you get a call from a client and completely forget about the gift. (Epilogue: Your sister-in-law wins the Powerball and shortly thereafter dies from an allergic reaction to a Snickers bar. You are conspicuously absent from her will.)

Notice that none of this is quite the Web's fault.

It's better to call it a first-world social problem - the problem of giving nice gifts in a society where people are far-flung and loosely connected. But this is a problem that the Web, which exists to both sell things 94

and connect people, should have solved long ago.

Yet gift-giving has improved very little in the Web era.

Amazon's Wish Lists, which were launched in 1999, are the biggest innovation I can think of, but they're only useful if your giftee is an Amazon shopper who maintains a list, which is a rare combination. The other major recent innovation is electronic gift cards, which are basically just another way to give cash.

Earlier this year, though, a startup called Karma launched a mobile app that I considered a breakthrough for gifting. The app alerted you to your friends' special occasions, recommended gifts they might like, took care of all the pesky gifting logistics, and, best of all, gave the giftee a sense of joy even before the thing arrived. Karma did a lot of this by plugging into the world's most-comprehensive repository of social relationships - Facebook. It wasn't much of a surprise, then, when Facebook announced that it had acquired the small firm last spring.

The Karma team began working at Facebook on May 18, 2012 - which happened to be the day that Facebook's stock went public. Lee Linden, Karma's 30-year-old co-founder, told me that the group skipped Facebook Bootcamp, a six-week orientation program that new engineers at the firm take to get up to speed with Facebook's technology. Instead, they got right to work on a new service, called Facebook Gifts, which is a version of Karma that's built into Facebook's mobile and desktop sites.

That service launched in September, and it's slowly rolling out to Facebook's users. Facebook Gifts is a work in progress, but in my experience, it's the best way to give gifts on the Web today. It's also a perfect synthesis of Facebook's grander business aims - to combine social relationships and commerce in a way that's profitable for the company and not

annoying for users. It has the potential to become something more, too: a solution to the world's gifting woes, a way to quickly, easily, and thoughtfully make the people around you feel like you care.

Last week, I bought a gift for my wife using the service. I cajoled her into buying me one, too, so that I could experience Facebook Gifts from both sides of the transaction. I found the whole thing fantastically easy. More than that, though, it felt special - even though the situation was self-engineered, when I got the gift in the mail, I felt like my wife had put a lot of thought into the process.

If you have access to Gifts, you'll see small links for it all over Facebook - for instance, under announcements of your friend's birthday, you can click, "Give him a gift." You can also just go to anyone's page and click the gift button. Do that and you'll see a pop-up menu of potential presents for your giftee. Facebook has signed up more than 200 large and small merchants to source its gifts. They range from the generic (Starbucks and iTunes gift cards) to the helpful (a ride in an Uber cab) to the artisanal (my wife bought me Grady's Cold Brew icedcoffee concentrate, made by a small Brooklyn firm) to the quirky (a kitchen apron you can doodle on). Gifts range from $5 all the way to hundreds, not including shipping and tax.

The service recommends a handful of gifts that your recipient might like, but it also lets you choose anything from its catalogue. Choose something, pick a digital greeting card to go along with your gift, and then add a nice note. If you've never given a gift on Facebook before, you've got to enter your payment details, too. You can also decide whether you'd like your gift to be announced on your recipient's Facebook Timeline. Then press send.

EDIBLE

ARRANGEMENTS

bazaar investigates GAP LAUNCHES HOLIDAY 2012 COLLECTION The new Holiday 2012 collection from Gap continues with the Icons redefined campaign featuring signature Gap pieces with a modern twist showcased by today’s influencers and modern icons who are inventive, creative and optimistic and include a mix of well-known and upcoming-and-coming talent. Perfect for the season of gifting, the selection from Gap for Holiday 2012 is cozy yet trendy and promises to take you through the winter months in style. Expect to see a lot of colour, cowl neck cable knit sweaters and colorful jackets.

The collection includes the continuation of the academy blazer and oxford shirt updated to seasonal colors. Skinny still dominates as a fit and Gap introduces a wide range of coloured denim as part of this collection.This season Gap moves towards a new premium fabrication knit called ‘Super Soft’, a great layering style that offers a smooth look and fine feel of texture. The Men’s line continues its focus on key icon pieces. Layering is added with knits including waffle which is outfitted back to sleeveless puffers, an ideal Outerwear piece for the warm winter.

The collection is available across all Gap stores in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

KURT GEIGER AUTUMN WINTER’12 COLLECTION With punk in mind, classic styles are customized and trimmed to various extremes with studding, buckles, straps and jewels.

Flaunting with masculinity, chunky loafers, brothel creepers and brogues sit pretty with regal elegant styles, brocades, lace and laser-cut detailing. Restraining the season with classic minimalism is the knee-high boot, the cut-out court and the chunkier mini heeled Mary-Janes, which are newly proposed and perfectly untouched. Black and white, rose and gold, oxblood, scarlet, fuchsia and electric blue, stilettos, Mary-Janes, wedges, super platforms, sneakers and motorcycle boots.

Silhouettes without compromise change from high-rise to flat, exploring details that often identify classic British design including the chelsea, brogue and military boot. Also introducing unexpected British combinations- the chelsea and hightop wellingtons. And the slipper on a stiletto “Slipetto”! KG Kurt Geiger reworks a traditional palette including rich burgundy, navy, emerald, brown and grey whilst exploring details that often identify classic British design including the chelsea, brogue and military boot. Trimmed with statement studs and contrast soles, traditional treads find new unexpected personalities.

Technology accessories take more structured shapes for AW12. Clean, minimalist soft embossed snakes in red, nude, teal and black sit with chunky statement knitwear.

LACOSTE AGORA CONCEPT STORE IN AVENUES MALL- THE GRAND AVENUE LACOSTE, the unconventional chic brand, has added another store to its impressive network of distribution channels. Located in the latest expansion of Avenues III in Kuwait, the Lacoste boutique extends over 150 square meters. This new retail establishment is situated in The Grand Avenue- one of the five districts that make the Avenues III a distinguished shopping experience. In all this grandeur, Lacoste has also initiated the Agora concept to the new store. Agora- “the center of all public life in ancient Greece, a place to meet and exchange”. It is from this definition that Lacoste has based the foundations of its new concept store. Presently, in store, the Lacoste FW12 collection offers a wide range of styles from casual and smart wear, to sportswear and vibrant accessories.

With ready to wear and footwear articles that include Men, Women, and an adorable assortment of kids wear, the collection is an extension of the brand’s DNA and rich heritage. The ready to wear in particular draws inspiration from the Lacoste archives and history, while adapting these themes to modern day needs. Not to mention the effortless elegance with a relaxed edge that defines the footwear collection as well!

AL KOUT MALL ‘SHOP & WIN” FESTIVAL WINNERS WALK AWAY WITH 2 CARS AL KOUT MALL is happy to announce the winners of their winter “Shop & Win” Promotion held from Nov 1st - 30th. The Grand prizes, 2 Nissan Jukes, have been won by a local resident and an American expatriate. In addition 8 other winners won exciting prizes including laptops, Smart Phones and LED TV’s and iPads. 77,000 people participated in the promotion which was a grand success and helped drive sales of retail stores in the mall. Al Kout Mall, Fahaheel Waterfront is a beautiful waterfront property with a modern shopping mall offering a mix of approx 100 international, regional and local brands and a fresh foods market which includes a vegetable, fish and meat market. The property also includes a 154 berth marina for large boats, visitor’s marina, fisherman’s marina and a 3 km beach front for the enjoyment of visitors. The centre of attraction of the property is a performing musical fountain surrounded by cafes offering visitors a unique leisure experience.

For Further information e-mail Mishleen Al Kazzi, Marketing Manager, AL KOUT MALL on: mishleen.alkazzi@gla.ae, +965 2393 0100 ext. 1273.

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BANANA REPUBLIC LAUNCHES HOLIDAY COLLECTION 2012 As we slip from Fall into Holiday, the warm feeling deepens across the collection with the richness of the autumnal mood becoming stronger. Like the oncoming of any season, there is not a flick of a switch, from one month to the next but a smooth transition into flannels and tweeds that mark the onset of Holiday offering a fashion mix of sweaters, separates, elegant dresses and statement outerwear.

The soft warmth of the country is captured through a mix of tweeds and a colour palette dominated by warm camels and browns.

While the sophistication of a captivating city is reflected by Grey flannels, sharp tailoring and overcoats with sartorial smartness, that are quintessentially Banana Republic. Touches of country eccentricity influence details such as colour pops under collars, cuffs, linings or unexpectedly found in accessories.

The collection embraces the festive spirit of the season : the colours, the cheerful mood, the joy, the magic of giving and the simple happiness of being together with the ones you love. Warm and happy but clean and graphic define the classic themes for the season with a 21st century Banana Republic twist that offer a modern take on traditional moments that surround the holidays.

MINDSHARE MEDIA SUMMIT PROVIDES PUSH FORWARD FOR INDUSTRY Mindshare, an agency dedicated to innovative brand development for its clients, recently concluded its 3rd annual Media Summit, held on November 20th at the Address Dubai Marina in the United Arab Emirates. The unique event brought together some of the brightest minds in technology and marketing, focusing on the theme, “Generation Multi-Screen”.

Through a number of engaging presentations, the summit took a winding journey of discovery into the potential future of our 'multi-screened' world in which smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, and televisions have taken a dominant role in daily life. Over 300 attendees from a range of industries, from marketing professionals to business leaders and media, participated in the event. The summit featured some of the foremost thinkers on the intersection of social behavior and consumer electronics, including keynote speaker Mike Walsh, a best-selling author on trends in technology. Also giving remarks were Olivier Van Duuren from Microsoft's Solutions & Innovations team, and Jeff Cole from the Center for the Digital Future. Mindshare Global Digital Leader Norm Johnston gave a presentation on the effect of the multi-screen lifestyle on human social behavior, and Robbie Douek, Head of Mobile Product Solutions SEEMEA at Google, talked about how our electronic ‘smart’ devices are getting intuitive with each passing day.

TISSOT T-TOUCH CLASSIC Touch screen meets classic style No one likes to compromise and with the Tissot T-Touch Classic you won’t have to! It combines both high-technology and all-time classic style. It is “The” watch for the sporty gentleman. This timepiece offers multi-functionality that will provide its wearer with 11 tactile functions, from chronograph to compass, while allying it with a stunning exterior, portraying a sophisticated and classy look. This watch is made to be worn at any occasion, whether on a golf course or at a cocktail party.

The Elegant Mask The smooth case and its simple dial provides it with utmost elegance while the digital time display adds a touch of modernity to its appearance. Its elegant and classic style serves as a disguise for the watch’s technology and functions, making it the perfect watch for any sophisticated occasion. You never know when you might need to find your way back, but a compass is always useful and so is a tide indicator if ever you find yourself stranded after a long night. You may choose between a leather strap or a stainless steel bracelet depending on your own preference.

WATANIYA SPONSORED GULFRUN- KART 24 HOURS For the 2nd consecutive year, Wataniya Telecom sponsored GulfRun- Kart Race – 24 hours which was held at Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref from Dec 14-15. Wataniya’s initiative in sponsoring this event comes in line with its endeavor to fulfill its social responsibility program by raising awareness about the importance of applying the rules of safety driving to avoid severe accidents. Many of professionals and beginners participated and competed in this race continuously for 24 hours which help greatly in testing their ability to stand the long time driving and perseverance. The winning teams awarded with Medals and many other valuable prizes. On this occasion, Public Relations Manager at Wataniya Telecom Fatima Dashti stated the fact that this sponsorship is “a great event which the company is keen to take part in for the 2nd year, especially after the great success it has witnessed in 2011. GulfRun’s main role is to raise the awareness on the importance of the driving laws and safety driving to reduce the accidents, as well as to maintain the youth safety.

For more information on Watanyia Telecom sport events, please visit www.wataniya.com or follow the latest news on Twitter www.twitter.com/wataniyatelecom or on facebook www.facebook.com/wataniya or on www.wataniya.com/blog.

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OBSCENELY EXPENSIVE SHOES The allure and the anxiety

By Katie Roiphe

You have stumbled into the hushed, expensive interior of a high-end Midtown department store. The shoes in front of you are red patent leather 4 1/2 -inch platforms of near perfect design, and, you know before you casually turn them over, vertiginous price.

You have read Adorno. You are able to think critically about your desire for the shoes. Furthermore, you have a healthy class hatred for people who dress habitually in clothes from this store, and have a sense that it is wrong for things to cost this much in a world where people can't afford a bowl of rice.

You do not, in some basic way, condone the store and its airs and gorgeousness and museum-like awe; in certain ways you think people are not supposed to look this curated, this lushly perfect, your aesthetic in fact inclines toward scruffiness, toward accident, toward carelessness, but you are unable to, say, walk out of the store.

You do not entirely believe that the shoes will transform you into someone else, or a better version of yourself. You are able to understand that you will just be you in the shoes, and there will be no magical solving of your problems, no special radiance cast off by the shoes. (Actually, you are a little unclear about the special radiance. You suspect that there might be some special radiance.)

You are aware that the women you admire most in the world would not be standing here, subtly condescended to by this particular salesman, exquisite and high level and nearly indistinguishable from compliment as that condescension is.

You cannot, for instance, see Janet Malcolm or Susan Sontag wasting 40 minutes of their mental energy on these particular shoes.

The fierce and wonderful feminist critic Rebecca West wrote a series of articles critiquing women's desire for what she called "elegance" in the New Republic in 1916. In the midst of her scathing self-examination she wrote, "I would waste on personal ends vitality that I should have conserved for my work." She was talking about a particular purple satin dress. She was talking about the frivolous freelance articles that she would take on to pay for it, rather than focusing on reading and thinking and art.

Now safely ensconced in the next century, you could deliver a very neat and 98

polished speech about how today's women have the luxury of caring about shoes, and also pursuing their intellectual or professional goals. You would argue, very convincingly, that women can choose how much time to spend on their hair, their clothes and that choice is the important thing. At the same time, you are aware that in this polished speech there is a little core of unresolved something. That you are, even at this very moment, with the lipstick-red patent leather shoes in your hand, wasting on personal ends vitality you could have conserved for your work, and you are equally aware that most of the men you know are not wasting the same amount of vitality in the shoe department, or getting highlights, or whatever the 21stcentury New York equivalent of squandering your energy on "elegance" is, even if they are wasting a little more of that vitality than they used to. Rebecca West's 100-year-old complaint against herself, against women, against the culture, is really not all wrong, or antiquated or irrelevant. Why, you might fruitfully ask yourself, are you here frittering away a Wednesday afternoon?

And then of course there is the fact that the shoes are perilously expensive.

They are so perilously expensive that they catapult you into a different world from the one you normally inhabit; it feels as if you are suddenly dealing in Monopoly money, a foreign currency in a country you are about to leave, and are not entirely sure of the exchange rate anyway. The fact that there is no way you can possibly afford or justify the shoes frees you somehow, as if the person calmly holding the box of shoes - and even the box is especially pleasing - could not possibly be you, and anything she does would be the reckless act of a stranger.

This is what's wrong with the world, you are well aware, this culture of credit and fantasy, dangerously intermingled. This seductive, fundamentally consumerist, "Great Gatsby" idea that you can reinvent yourself with stuff.

Here of course, the puritanical and even moderately sensible will point out that this feeling of escape, of anything being possible, is temporary, artificial, shallow, but that is neither the point, nor entirely true.

Do you want to be the kind of person who sacrifices, overreaches, for a pair of shoes, who imbues them with a romantic overlay that a material object cannot possibly sustain? Maybe you do.

TEAVANA

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

BECAUSE I SAID SO!

F IN EXAMS

DAD IS FAT

THE JOY OF HATE

WAGING HEAVY PEACE

by Ken Jennings

by Richard Benson

by Jim Gaffigan

by Greg Gutfeld

by Neil Young

Because I Said So! is the MythBusters of old wives' tales. But beware: it could be a dangerous book if it falls into the wrong hands; namely your kids'. All of us can look back on the cautionary admonitions our parents and grandparents used to shout at us when we were in the middle of fun, and now our suspicions that they were hokum are verified! But we have to keep this to ourselves.

If our kids get a hold of this book, we'll have nothing left to kill their joy with. So buy this book, read it, and then hide it away!

Celebrating the creative side of failure in a way we can all relate to, F in Exams gathers the most hilarious and inventive test answers provided by students who, faced with a question they have no hope of getting right, decide to have a little fun instead. Whether in science (Q: What is the highest frequency noise that a human can register? A: Mariah Carey), the humanities (Q: What did Mahatma Gandhi and Genghis Khan have in common? A: Unusual names), math, or other subjects, these 250 entries prove that while everyone enjoys the spectacle of failure, it's even sweeter to see a FAIL turn into a WIN.

In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who’s best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald's, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children—everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to toddlers’ communication skills (“they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news”), to the eating habits of four year olds (“there is no difference between a four year old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor”).

Reminiscent of Bill Cosby’s Fatherhood, Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.

Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals use the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense. According to the Internet, Mother Teresa once defined Joy as ‘a net of love by which you can catch souls.’ In The Joy of Hate, Greg Gutfeld continues her mission—in a completely different way.

Hilarious, outrageous, and brilliant, this is the best book on how to think about your fellow man since Atlas Shrugged, and the best book on how to deal with your enemies since The Anarchist’s Cookbook.

For the first time, legendary singer, songwriter, and guitarist Neil Young offers a kaleidoscopic view of his personal life and musical creativity. He tells of his childhood in Ontario, where his father instilled in him a love for the written word all the way to leaving Canada on a whim in 1966 to pursue his musical dreams in the boulevards and communal canyons of Los Angeles; the brief but influential life of Buffalo Springfield, which formed almost immediately after his arrival in California.

He recounts their rapid rise to fame and ultimate break-up; going solo and overcoming his fear of singing alone; falling in love with his wife, Pegi, and the birth of his three children; and finally, finding the contemplative paradise of Hawaii. Astoundingly candid, witty, and as uncompromising and true as his music, Waging Heavy Peace is Neil Young’s journey as only he can tell it.

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source: www.amazon.com

AIA

bazaar checks it out SHOE MART INTERNATIONAL ENTERS KUWAIT WITH FOUR NEW BRANDS AT THE MALL, THE AVENUES Staying close to the heart of all fashionistas, Shoe Mart International, the region’s leading retailer in fashion footwear and accessories and a part of Landmark Group Kuwait, has announced the launch of four new international footwear stores Dumond, Carpisa, Steve Madden, and Pablosky at The Avenues.

The new outlets offer shoppers increased choice and variety offering a greater range of styles and fabrications than ever before. With the launch of these four stores Shoe Mart International has established firm footprints spread across 50 plus stores around UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman and Kuwait.

The four outlets exhibit contemporary looks making an exquisite impression; shimmering with an inviting architecture, welcoming to view a wide range of stylish products ranging from footwear, bags and bracelets making shopping a simple and special experience for customers. This opening represents a milestone in the expansion of Shoe Mart International brands globally and signs the growth of Shoe Mart International in the region. The International footwear stores success has been much attributed to innovation, creativity and the pace to adjust to the growing market demands. Its ability to transform runway trends into wearable fashion has enabled the brands to capture a wide market share through strategically located stores in prime shopping districts around the world. Dumond, Carpisa, Steve Madden and Pablosky Autumn Winter 2012 collection is diverse and energetic with strong colours, featuring suede, patent leather, fabrics and proportionate elements among other exciting new designs for men, women and children. Treat yourself to the latest collection of shoes and pamper yourself at Dumond, Carpisa, Steve Madden, and Pablosky at The Avenues Phase III.

BRIGHT COLOR AND VIVID PRINTS FOR MEN AT H&M THIS SPRING A mix of color, print and confidence sets the tone for men at H&M this spring, with a mix of decades and styles coming together to push menswear in a new direction. The suit continues as a key item, updating a traditional smartness with new cuts, colors and textures. It looks great in green and in broken white, especially worn with an ethnic print boxy T-shirt or simply with a decorative shirt for a true modern bohemian feel. The look is brought right up to date when matched with some short shorts in a playful pattern or in a vivid color.

New possibilities come from all-over graphic prints on suit jackets, trousers, shirts and T-shirts, and uniforms are the inspiration for utility garments with epaulettes and functional pockets. A hint of the 1950s comes through in the essential baseball jacket, or biker jacket, while slacks are the new trouser trend, bringing the tailored trouser into the 21st century. Printed scarves finish the look, along with ethnic inspired shoes and espadrilles, with the baseball cap and active trainers adding a new twist, especially when worn with tailoring. “This spring at H&M, we’ve travelled through menswear’s heritage to make something that feels truly contemporary. It’s so exciting that men today are wearing more print and more color, and are confident enough to try something new in order to find their own personal style,” says Andreas Löwenstam, H&M’s head menswear designer.

MINI by PUMA TAKES THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED FOR AUTUMN WINTER 2012 PUMA announced a multi-year license partnership with iconic car brand, MINI. The MINI by PUMA Collection fuses together two fun-loving brands, each with a unique and distinct voice. MINI’s knack for maximizing deceitfully small spaces, together with PUMA’s distinctive footwear, apparel, and accessories, creates a fashionable collection with wearable styles, versatile technology and colorful linings. Featuring British heritage styling, Union Jacks, and bulldogs aplenty, the collection will be sold globally at selected MINI dealerships and PUMA retail and wholesale stores beginning in September 2012. PUMA designed the collection to be simple, lightweight and sporty on the outside but with traditional silhouettes to provide functionality and bold and fun on the inside. The British theme is ever-present throughout the collection. Tailored styling on the apparel is highlighted by surprise pop color in the lining. Shoes and jackets are geared for city-cruising with Union Jacks and iconic MINI bulldogs throughout. Bags have premium materials, seatbelt-inspired straps, and crafty expansion elements. Zippers reveal extra room and tops roll down for multiple looks-in-one. All designs are MINI-esque: good looks on the outside but comfy, clever and roomy on the inside. It’s a collection that departs from the norm, drives on the left, and always has room for one more.

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MINDSHARE LEADS AWARD COUNT AT 2012 GEMAS EFFIE Mindshare, a media agency dedicated to innovative brand development for its clients, was recently honored with nine Awards at the Gemas Effie MENA Awards 2012, making it the most awarded agency not only amongst media agencies but also creative agencies. The ceremony took place on November 21st at the Armani Hotel in Dubai, with the goal of recognizing effective marketing ideas that achieved quantifiable results for clients and met organizational objectives.

The awards earned by Mindshare were in a diverse range of categories, demonstrating both its versatility and impressive client list. Mindshare won the Silver Effie in the Banking, Finance, & Insurance category for its work with HSBC promoting the “Billion Dirham SME Fund”. In the categories of Retail and Shopper Marketing, Mindshare won Silver and Bronze Effies, respectively, for Nike’s “Sticker Wall” campaign. In the Sports Marketing category, Mindshare shared the Bronze Effie with Nike for their “I Run Beirut” campaign and a Silver Effie in Youth Marketing for its “Hatha Filmi” (“This is my film”) campaign for Barbican. In the category of Electronics & Computers, Mindshare was recognized with a Silver Effie for its work with LG in their campaign marketing washing machines to men, and took home a Bronze Effie in the Automotive category working with Nissan’s “Speed Personified” campaign. Finally, in the Travel, Tourism, & Transportation category, Mindshare was awarded the Silver Effie for its “Family Friendly Airline” campaign with Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air.

MILLIONS OF MILKSHAKES LAUNCHES FIRST BRANCH IN KUWAIT “Kuwait’s been so good to me.” – Kim Kardashian Thousands of people flocked to the opening of Kuwait’s first Millions of Milkshakes branch to try and catch a glimpse of the world’s most famous reality star, Kim Kardashian. Al Recardo General Trading brought the franchise to Kuwait and, keeping in tradition with Millions of Milkshakes’ Hollywood style, made sure to mark the opening with a celebrity appearance.

Thousands of fans turned up to the event, resulting in somewhat of a frenzy as the star arrived, with several videos of the crowds quickly going viral. As Kardashian’s appearance grew closer, hoards of fans from across the Middle East crowded around the surrounding vicinity. One detail Al Ghanim would have changed, however, was the security, “Whilst we’re very happy with the event overall, we’d definitely pursue a different security company if we could do it all over again. The company we contracted did not represent our vision of the event accurately whatsoever.”

On her part, Kardashian said of her experience in the small Gulf state, “It’s my first time here in Kuwait and I’ve had the most warm welcome, thank you so much.” She also indicated that she may revisit the country along with her equally famous sisters, Khloe and Kourtney, “I’ve been begging my sisters to come and help open up a Dash here so we can come and spend more time in Kuwait.” Al Ghanim noted that Kardashian is the first of many celebrity appearances planned by Al Recardo, who are asking fans for their suggestions of who to bring next: “We’re open to suggestions.

Who’s it going to be, Kuwait?”

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CHOCOLATE Pulling people out of poverty

By Katharine Gammon

Africa makes a lot of chocolate, but not a lot of chocolate bars, which are assembled in America.

That means the money from selling them stays in America. Brooklyn’s Madecasse is attempting to change that by creating a vibrant chocolate culture in Madagascar.

Africa produces 70% of the world’s chocolate and 60% of the world’s vanilla crop, yet the continent makes just 1% of finished chocolate bars, with very little profit getting back to the farmers themselves. Now, an innovative company is disrupting the market and using limitations to their advantage to make some of the world’s best chocolate--and make a difference in Madagascar.

Madecasse started in 2008 to do just that. It was started by former Peace Corps volunteers who had seen the farmers in action, and who knew the global marketplace brought just a small percentage of the profits from chocolate back to the farms.

The company has recently moved to make the chocolate culture of Madagascar even stronger: It rediscovered species of cocoa that were previously thought to be extinct. The company says that the discovery highlights the plight of the country, which is an environmental hotspot where 80% of flora and fauna are found nowhere else in the world. Cocoa farms can contribute to conservation practices because they provide shade and are often a buffer zone close to protected areas.

“We’ve gotten good at turning disadvantages 104

to our advantage,” explains Tim McCollum, one of Madecasse’s founders. “Our model and our philosophy mandate that everything in our chocolate is going to come from Madagascar.

That has forced us to be more innovative, and seek some innovative flavors that haven’t been done before, like pink pepper and citrus in a chocolate bar.”

Producing a finished product in a country like Madagascar has brought with it unique challenges. McCollum described what it was like to work with rural farmers in Madagascar to get the cocoa. “The chocolate inside the wrapper is as good or better as chocolate made in Europe, but we’re dealing with farmers in the countryside, not a lot of paved roads or electricity, and most are illiterate.”

The company works with them to make the beans, and they have to explain nuances in flavor that come down to protocols in drying the bean.

“We’re trying to explain what a fruity aftertaste is, and why they need to ferment the beans for 6 days, but most of the cocoa farmers have never even tasted chocolate,” he says.

“If you really want to impact, get beyond raw materials,” explains McCollum. “We knew

intuitively, if Africa was producing the raw material, it could make the final product.” When Madecasse’s chocolate bars are sold at Whole Foods or other retailers, 40% of the profits go back to the countries of origin.

It’s a new way of thinking and looking at chocolate, which is an old, established industry.

“It’s a new way of thinking and looking at chocolate, which is an old, established industry.

We want to focus on shaking things up for change, rather than nibbling around the edges,” says McCollum.

Sometimes, creative thinking can turn apparent obstacles into benefits. Madecasse works with a local printing press to make the labels for its chocolate, and then the chocolate is packaged by hand (unlike most big chocolate companies, that use a machine to place each bar in a package).

That machine doesn’t exist in Madagascar, says McCollum, but that hasn’t slowed them down. “Our hand-packaging in little envelopes probably sets us apart in sales and branding.

And the only reason we made that decision was because we didn’t have access to a machine. The fewer options we have, the more creative we are.”

HYPOXI

big boys toys Because grown men still need to play

JAMES DE WULF POOL TABLE

DUCATI DIAVEL STRADA MOTORCYCLE

‘THE ART OF FIXING THINGS’

And you thought your concrete ping pong table was cool. The James De Wulf Pool Table ($16,000$18,000) is the next concrete creation from the artist, measuring 101" x 57" x 32", and built to be both minimalist and within regulation. Thanks to its concrete build, it's suitable for use indoors or out, although be prepared to cough up a little extra dough for the outdoor version, which arrives with rubber pockets, outdoor felt, and four graphite cues.

Street-fighting power and nimbleness meet open-road amenities in the Ducati Diavel Strada Motorcycle ($15,000). Powered by the same Testastretta 11° engine as its stablemates, the Strada comes standard with a number of comfortfocused accessories like side bags, a windshield, a larger seat, and raised handlebars. All of which help to make it ideal for long-distance rides — without giving up any of the performance features that make it a Ducati.

Despite the stereotypes, most guys aren't really that handy. Which is why we need helpers like The Art of Fixing Things ($11). This slim paperback provides you with 150 tips and tricks for doing repairs — it's information that most of us are smart enough to know but never got experience doing. Helping you along are over 175 photo illustrations, so all you need to provide are the problem, the tools, and the brawn.

www.jamesdewulf.com

www.ducatiusa.com

www.amazon.com

THE OBSESSIVE CHEF CUTTING BOARD

LG 84-INCH 4K 3D TV

MINIBRU COFFEE MUG

Do you — or someone you know — have to have each little piece of ingredient perfectly, uniformly chopped before you can proceed with cooking? The Obsessive Chef Cutting Board ($30) was made for you.

This clever 9" x 12" beechwood cutting board features built-in guides for batonnet, allumette, julienne, small and medium dice, brunoise and fine brunoise cuts, as well as guides for cutting on 30º, 45º, and 60º angles.

It might not help your actual cooking, but it should give your presentation a boost.

We don't know where you're going to find content to watch on it, but if you like to be as future-proof as possible with your purchases, it might be time to consider this LG 84-Inch 4K 3D TV ($20,000). Boasting a mammoth 84-inch, 3840 x 2160 4K — oh, sorry, it's "Ultra High Definition" now — panel, it also offers 3D technology, a new Magic Remote, Smart TV capabilities with access to over 1,400 apps, a 2.2 speaker system, and Dual Play, a new feature that lets gamers play head-to-head, full screen, on the same screen.

Enjoy freshly-brewed French press coffee without the hassle of a full-size pot with the Minibru Coffee Mug ($25). Built on the same principles, the Minibru has you add in ground coffee and hot water, let it brew for 2-3 minutes, and then insert the plastic plunger to filter out the grains — leaving you with a perfectly-portioned amount of coffee, no oversized pots or weird-looking single brew contraptions required.

www.amazon.com

www.lg.com

www.thinkgeek.com

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STARBUCKS

bazaar scopes

ARIES

March 21 - April 19

TAU R U S

April 20 - May 20

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21

CANCER

Jan 20 - Feb 18

Don’t let feelings of self-doubt keep you from reaching a new level of success. Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything.

A realistic look at finances will help you plan for the future. Pay attention to details at work, especially if you deal with numbers. Diet plays a role.

June 22 - July 22

Dec 22 - Jan 19

A Q UA R I U S PISCES

Your sense of realism does well for you in all areas of your life this month. You won’t overreact to a surprise at work, making you a pillar of strength for your co-workers. As for your love life, it’s time to take the next step in a relationship. Think about it.

LEO

Nov 22 - Dec 21

C A P R I CO R N

Now is your chance to get ahead at work. Your boss offers you the opportunity to take a commanding role in the company and you’re up to the challenge. Don’t let your stubborn side take control when it comes to friends. You’ll have a good time, even though you didn’t make the plans.

July 23 - Aug 22

S A G I T TA R I U S

Your happy, gregarious nature will be challenged this month as loved ones share a family secret. The news may come as a surprise but don’t let your temper flare. Take it in stride. Your optimism pays off when it comes to romance. That special someone finally will make a move.

VIRGO

S CO R P I O

Oct 23 - Nov 21

Your determination puts you in line for top honors in the workplace. The higher-ups finally recognize all the time and effort you put in. Don’t be shy when it comes to romance this month.

Even though it’s against your nature, let your feelings be known.

They’ll be reciprocated.

Aug 23 - Sept 22

LIBRA

Sept 23 - Oct 22

Your ability to be a good listener will be needed this month as a close friend goes through a rough time. Your pleasant nature will help get him or her back on track. Don’t let a quarrel with your special someone get you down. Your good nature will bring him or her around.

Feb 19 - March 20

what’s your sign?

Winter has given you the urge to clean house when it comes to work. However, don’t let your temper get the best of you this month. Remain calm and think about what’s best for your future before making any rash decisions. Seek advice from a close friend or relative if you’re not sure what to do.

Don’t go against your nature this month. A loved one helps you realize what you want when it comes to your personal life. So, go out and get it. Don’t let others stand in your way. However, when it comes to work, it’s best to hold back your opinions until you know the whole story.

Your ability to think fast on your feet will come in handy during a social outing this month. Don’t let a surprise throw you off guard.

Work will keep you busy during the beginning of the month, so you must focus on the task at hand. Your efforts won’t go unnoticed. A bonus is on the way.

A family situation will put you to the test this month. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Stay strong and use your sense of humor to keep loved ones calm. You’ll be riding high when it comes to romance. An evening with a good friend will turn out to be much more.

Your pride may get you into trouble with a co-worker this month.

Don’t make the situation worse by trying to take control. In your personal life, romantic efforts finally will pay off. That special someone will show you that he or she really cares. Don’t rush in too fast. Take your time.

You’ll have to fight your fear of crowds this month as a meeting at work puts you in the spotlight. Your organization and perfectionism will pull you through with flying colors — and a lot of praise. Don’t be too hard on yourself after a fight with a loved one.

source: www.horoscopessign.com 108

GARRETTE

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