Google Kuwait Logo

Google.kw logo as seen today in commemoration of the State's 50th National Day, 20th Anniversary of the Liberation and 5th Anniversary of HH the Amir's honorable rule...Mabrook ya Kuwait!

Lady Gaga/Madonna Mash Up

So much has been said and written lately about Lady Gaga's current hit "Born this Way" being a rip-off of Madonna's hits particularly "Express Yourself" and "Vogue". While browsing in YouTube for any video comparison between these two, I stumbled on this very, very brilliant cover by a male artist named Omar Afuni- a half-Jordanian, half-Lebanese singer who is incidentally born, raised and is still based here in Kuwait.



Yes, he is a guy singing  two "girl" songs but hey, you can't deny the fact, HE IS GOOD! I ended up subscribing to his site where he has a lot of cool covers of other hits like this newest mash up of Jessie J's Price Tag and Black Eyed Peas' Where is the Love?.

If you like his songs, you can visit his official website, become a fan at Facebook or follow him on Twitter and show your support on his dreams.

Win LunaTik watchband plus iPod Nano

For my Kuwait based friends, the local blog Tidbit du Jour is giving away the newly released LunaTik Watch band along with a 8gb iPod Nano to one lucky reader. To be eligible, one must do the following:

1. Become a fan of Tidbit du Jour on Facebook or a follow them on Twitter.
2. Promote the giveaway by blogging, tweeting or by liking the post in Facebook.
3. Leave a comment on their website with a link back to your mention.

Note: Please include @tidbitdujour to  your tweets. The more you promote, the more you increase your chance of winning..so keep posting and Good Luck!

Branded Perfumes for Sale

This is for all my Kuwait-based friends who are fond of perfumes and a good bargain. I just discovered a place where you can buy perfumes from such name brands as Armani, Versace, Calvin Klein and Chanel among others at, unimaginably, very low prices..

As referred by a friend, we went to check out this place located somewhere at the Ardiya Industrial Area.
My wife got a 100ml Versace Woman for KD 10 (about US$35) only and I got for myself a 100 ml CK Man for the same price. That's almost 50% off from their regular mall prices! We also bought some perfume sets like Guess, Versace and Britney Spears' Fantasy all at discounted prices.

I am not sure where the goods are from, maybe old stocks from malls or what but they are all in good conditions..And before I go, I want to add, the owner- a not so old Kuwaiti-is very easy to bargain with. While paying for your goods, you can still ask for further discounts and most certainly, he will give you with a smile.

The Great Philippine Flag Hunt

Kuwait, as I mentioned before, will be celebrating its 50th National Day, 20th Liberation Day and 5th Anniversary of the Ascension of HH the Amir to power next week. As part of the preparations, government premises, office buildings and even houses everywhere are being decorated with the national colors, lights and even images of HH the Amir and HH the Crown Prince.

Major streets and intersections are also being adorned with lights and flags in time for the celebrations. Not only Kuwaiti flags but also flags of different countries which had helped during the Gulf War or with whom Kuwait has maintained friendly relations throughout its history. I think its really a nice gesture by Kuwait.

One of the countries represented in the streets of Kuwait is our very own, the Philippines. While driving the other day and looking at the various flags hanging from the streetlights, I thought I could use a little fun--why not try and look for as much Philippine flags as I can!

Today I started my hunt..These are all I can find for now. Hopefully I will be able to locate some more before the celebrations are over :))

Parking Issues Part 2

I talked about some parking issues in my previous post. Later in the same day, we went to X-Cite in The Avenues to buy Cianna's Wii. I chose to park at the basement next to IKEA because it's nearer X-Cite. That time, even the parking areas reserved for families were full so I just parked on the side of the driveway, like the other cars did. Anyway, we won't be staying for long or so I thought.

When we came back just a few minutes later, we found this:

The mall guard manning the parking areas put No Parking Stickers on my car *hides head in shame* and all other cars in front of me..Thank goodness that it was the mall guard only. Had it happened somewhere else, I could be holding a yellow parking ticket already and shaking my head with regrets..

Moral of the story: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH..

Road Scenes: Parking Issues

I was at the Dai'ya Coop area the other day when I noticed this Jeep parked in the middle of the parking entrance/exit. As a result, cars going in and out had to drive around it. Now if you'd notice the white markings next to the two cars on the left, that's supposed to be the end of the demarcation lines. Ridiculous huh?

What's more ridiculous is when another car came in a few minutes later and parked next to it.

Ridiculous because just a few steps away is a large open parking area with a lot of vacant spaces! Tsk tsk, sometimes I really can't understand the mentality of these people.

Where to go and what to do these coming Kuwait holidays

Patriotic songs on the radio, colorful streetlights, flags and national colors everywhere, Kuwait is definitely on a festive mood these days and rightfully so. Next week, the State will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary of the National Day (Feb. 25), 20th Anniversary of the Liberation Day (Feb.26) and 5th Anniversary of the Ascendance of HH The Amir to the Leadership of Kuwait.

 A lot of  things will happen everywhere and I am sure everyone would love to take part in these momentous occasions. The only problem it seems is proper information dissemination, not everyone is aware of the schedule of various events and activities..Good thing I found  this post by Mark.

So for those searching for photo/video opportunities (if permitted), you can check the schedule here or visit the Official Website here. Other private company-sponsored events and shows can be checked on ads and newspapers.

Fellow photogs, prepare your gears...

30. Buy a Wii..or PS3 with all accessories?..Which one is better I am still debating.

Last January, on my 39th birthday, I wrote a list of the 40 things I want to do or accomplish before I turn 40. This is number 30 from that list.

Well, the choice was obvious..I bought a Wii as a gift to my daughter Cianna on her 6th birthday..actually I already promised it to her long time before that if she do well in her class, she will get her birthday wish. And she actually did so I have to fulfill my end of the bargain.

I chose to buy the Wii even though the competition in the market  is becoming even tougher, what with the launching of PS Move for Playstation 3 and the Xbox's Kinect..I chose Wii because of its family entertainment value and for ease of use...it's primarily meant to be for my daughters' use anyway-- not for a graphics-hungry, hard core gamer like I wanted to be....LOL!

Happy 6th Valentine's Birthday, our Cianna

6 Valentines Day ago, my wife gave me the best gift a wife could ever give--she gave birth to our beloved daughter, Cianna..

Thank you Mommy for the gift of love and life...and now, as our little valentine turns another year older, I can't help but realize how fast time flies..she's growing up so fast and before we know it, she will already be celebrating her Valentine birthday with her own date! argh, it hurts to even think about it..

To Cianna, you being born on St. Valentine's Day is a constant reminder of your Mom's love..you are a source of pride and joy to us and your siblings..You know how much we love you..I thank God for  you and I pray that you continue to grow as a loving and sweet child and sister..May you also spread love to the people around  you..

Happy Valentine's Birthday our little princess Cianna....We love you this much..You will always be my little girl.

Democracy protests bring down Egypt's Mubarak

CAIRO – Fireworks burst over Tahrir Square and Egypt exploded with joy and tears of relief after pro-democracy protesters brought downPresident Hosni Mubarak with a momentous march on his palaces and state TV. Mubarak, who until the end seemed unable to grasp the depth of resentment over his three decades of authoritarian rule, finally resigned Friday and handed power to the military.

"The people ousted the regime," rang out chants from crowds of hundreds of thousands massed in Cairo's central Tahrir, or Liberation, Square and outside Mubarak's main palace several miles away in a northern district of the capital.

The crowds in Cairo, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and other cities around the country erupted into a pandemonium of cheers and waving flags. They danced, hugged and raised their hands in prayer after Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement on national TV just after nightfall. Some fell to kiss the ground, and others chanted, "Goodbye, goodbye" and "put your heads up high, you're Egyptian."

"Finally we are free," said Safwan Abou Stat, a 60-year-old protester. "From now on anyone who is going to rule will know that these people are great."

The success of the biggest popular uprising ever seen in the Arab world had stunning implications for the region, the United States and the West, and Israel.

Mubarak was the symbol of the implicit decades-old deal the United States made in the Middle East: Support for autocratic leaders in return for their guarantee of stability, a bulwark against Islamic militants and peace — or at least an effort at peace — with Israel.

The United States at times seemed overwhelmed throughout the 18 days of upheaval, fumbling to juggle its advocacy of democracy and the right to protest, its loyalty to longtime ally Mubarak and its fears Muslim fundamentalists could gain a foothold. Those issues will only grow in significance as Egypt takes the next steps towards what the protest movement hopes will be a true democracy — in which the Muslim Brotherhoodwill likely to be a significant political player.

Neighboring Israel watched with the crisis with unease, worried that their 1979 peace treaty could be in danger. It quickly demanded on Friday that post-Mubarak Egypt continue to adhere to it. Any break seems unlikely in the near term: The military leadership supports the treaty. While anti-Israeli feeling is strong among Egyptians and future ties may be strained, few call for outright abrogating a treaty that has kept peace after three wars in the past half-century.

From the oil-rich Gulf states in the east to Morocco in the west, regimes both pro- and anti-U.S. could not help but worry they could see a similar upheaval. Several of the region's authoritarian rulers have made pre-emptive gestures of democratic reform to avert their own protest movements.

The lesson many took: If it could happen in only three weeks in Egypt, where Mubarak's lock on power had appeared unshakable, it could happen anywhere. Only a month earlier, Tunisia's president was forced to step down in the face of protests.

Perhaps more surprising was the genesis of the force that overthrew Mubarak. The protests were started by a small core of secular, liberal youth activists organizing on the Internet who only a few months earlier struggled to gather more than 100 demonstrators at a time. But their work through Facebook and other social network sites over the past few years built a greater awareness and bitterness among Egyptians over issues like police abuse and corruption.

When the called the first major protest, on Jan. 25, they tapped into a public inspired by Tunisia's revolt and thousands turned out, beyond even the organizers' expectations. From there, protests swelled, drawing hundreds of thousands. The Muslim Brotherhood — Egypt's powerful Islamic fundamentalist movement — joined in. But far from U.S. fears the Brotherhood could co-opt the protests, the movement often seemed to co-opt the Brotherhood, forcing it to set aside its hard-line ideology at least for now to adhere to democratic demands.

Mubarak, a former air force commander came to power after the 1981 assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat by Islamic radicals. Throughout his rule, he showed a near obsession with stability, using rigged elections and a hated police force accused of widespread torture to ensure his control.

He resisted calls for reform even as public bitterness grew over corruption, deteriorating infrastructure and rampant poverty in a country where 40 percent live below or near the poverty line.

Up to the last hours, Mubarak sought to cling to power, handing some of his authorities to Suleiman while keeping his title.

But an explosion of protests Friday rejecting the move appeared to have pushed the military into forcing him out completely. Hundreds of thousands marched throughout the day in cities across the country as soldiers stood by, besieging his palaces in Cairo and Alexandria and the state TV building. A governor of a southern province was forced to flee to safety in the face of protests there.

Mubarak himself flew to his isolated palace in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, 250 miles from the turmoil in Cairo.

His fall came 32 years to the day after the collapse of the shah's government in Iran.

Vice President Suleiman — who appears to have lost his post as well in the military takeover — appeared grim as he delivered the short announcement.

"In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic," he said. "He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor."

Nobel Peace laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, whose young supporters were among the organizers of the protest movement, told The Associated Press, "This is the greatest day of my life."

"The country has been liberated after decades of repression," he said adding that he expects a "beautiful" transition of power.

The question now turned to what happens next after effectively a military coup, albeit one prompted by overwhelming popular pressure. Protesters on Friday had overtly pleaded for the army to oust Mubarak. The country is now ruled by the Armed Forces Supreme Council, the military's top body consisting of its highest ranking generals and headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

After Mubarak's resignation, a military spokesman appeared on state TV and promised the army would not act as a substitute for a government based on the "legitimacy of the people."

He said the military was preparing the next steps needed "to acheive the ambitions of our great nation" and would announce them soon. He praised Mubarak for his contributions ot the country, then expressed the military's condolences for protesters killed in the unrest, standing at attention to give a salute.

Earlier in the day, the council vowed to guide the country to greater democracy. It said was committed "to shepherding the legitimate demands of the people and endeavoring to their implementation within a defined timetable until a peaceful transition to a democratic society aspired to by the people."

Abdel-Rahman Samir, one of the protest organizers, said the movement would now open negotiations with the military over democratic reforms but vowed protests would continue to ensure change is carried out.

"We still don't have any guarantees yet — if we end the whole situation now the it's like we haven't done anything," he said. "So we need to keep sitting in Tahrir until we get all our demands."

But, he added, "I feel fantastic. .... I feel like we have worked so hard, we planted a seed for a year and a half and now we are now finally sowing the fruits."

Sally Toma, another of the organizers, said she did not expect the military would try to clear the square. "We still have to sit and talk. We have to hear the army first," she said.

For the moment, concerns over the next step were overwhelmed by the wave of joy and disbelief.

Outside the Oruba presidential palace in northern Cairo, where tens of thousands had marched during the day, one man sprawled on the grass, saying he couldn't believe it. Protesters began to form a march toward Tahrir in a sea of Egyptian flags.

Thousands from across the capital of 18 million streamed into Tahrir, where protesters hugged, kissed and wept. Whole families took pictures of each other posing with Egyptian flags with their mobile phones as bridges over the Nile jammed with throngs more flowing into the square.

Abdul-Rahman Ayyash, an online activist born eight years after Mubarak came to office, said he would be celebrating all night, then remain in the square to ensure the military "won't steal the revolution."

"I'm 21 years old," he said. "This is the first time in my life I feel free."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com

Ray Allen breaks Reggie Miller record

Ray Allen's 2,561st Three Pointer

Watch as Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics becomes the NBA All Time Leader for 3-Points Shot Made by breaking Reggie Miller's record with his 2, 561st Three Pointer.

Hosni Mubarak refuses to step down

BBC News - Egypt protests: Hosni Mubarak refuses to step down

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has said he will stay in office and transfer all power only after September's presidential election.

His comments in a national TV address confounded earlier reports that he was preparing to stand down immediately.

Mr Mubarak said he would delegate some powers to Vice-President Omar Suleiman, but the details of this remain unclear.

Thousands of anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square reacted angrily to his announcement.

Optical Illusions and Mindfuck

There is optical illusions and there is mind fuck..two different terms, two different things interrelated to each other, both being the manner we see or perceive things around us.

Optical Illusions are visually perceived images that are misleading or deceptive..I am fan of these illusions, like these examples below found in this website.

Mindfuck, meanwhile, is anything that messes or screws the mind. It can be a movie that uses misdirection that leads to an unexpected ending or twists, like the movie " Sixth Sense" "The Usual Suspects" or "The Others".

It can also be a normal, sometimes funny, looking photo with a discreet message, like the ones below. More mindfuck images can be found here.

Either way we look at things, it is always healthy to stimulate our eyes..and brains every now and then, right?

Kobe vs. Jordan: Tale of the Tape at 1072 games

Kobe Bryant is now tied with Michael Jordan for the number of NBA regular season games played at 1,072. Kobe is on his 15th season, Jordan played for a total of 15 seasons over a 19 year period.

CAREER STATS COMPARISON AT 1072 REGULAR SEASON GAMES


Games Played (GP)
Bryant has played 15 consecutive seasons and played 1,072 career games (age 18 to 32).

Jordan played until age 30 then he came back from age 32 to 35, and then he came back from age 38 to 40. In total, he played in 15 different seasons and ended up with 1,072 career games (age 21 to 40).

Advantage: Bryant—Since he has never retired, Bryant will obviously play more career games.

Games Started (GS)

After 1,072 games played, Bryant started 924 games for the Lakers (86 percent).
After 1,072 games played, Jordan started 1,039 games for the Bulls and Wizards (97 percent).

Advantage: Jordan—He was a starter from his first game ever, all the way to his last (except for a few times when he was 40 years old on the Wizards).

Minutes Played (MP) 

After 1,072 games, Bryant totaled 39,088 minutes played (36.5 minutes per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan totaled 41,010 minutes played (38.3 minutes per game).

Advantage: Jordan—Jordan played over 3,000 minutes as a rookie and over 3,000 minutes at age 40. Bryant averaged 15 minutes a game as a rookie and 34 minutes a game at age 32.

Field Goals Made (FGM)

After 1,072 games, Bryant hit 9,432 field goals (8.8 per game).

After 1,072 games, Jordan hit 12,192 field goals (11.4 per game).

Advantage: Jordan

Field Goals Attempted (FGA)

After 1,072 games, Bryant attempted 20,728 field goals (19.3 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan attempted 24,537 field goals (22.9 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—He shot way more and made way more as we previously saw. Are you a gunner if you shoot 50 percent for your career or just the greatest scorer ever?

Field Goals Percentage (FG%)

After 1,072 games, Bryant shot 45.5 percent from the field.
After 1,072 games, Jordan shot 49.7 percent from the field. 

Advantage: Jordan—Those percentage point differences seem small, but over this many games the totals are amazingly different for the two players. In fact, the percentage difference is really big.

Free Throws Made (FTM)

After 1,072 games, Bryant made 6,859 free throws (6.4 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan made 7,327 free throws (6.8 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—He took more shots and was, overall, fouled more too.

Free Throws Attempted (FTA)

After 1,072 games, Bryant took 8,190 free throws (7.6 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan took 8,772 free throws (8.2 per game).

Advantage: Jordan.

Free Throws Percentage (FT%)

After 1,072 games, Bryant made 83.7 percent of his free throws.
After 1,072 games, Jordan made 83.5 percent of his free throws.

Advantage: Bryant—0.2 percent higher.

3-Points Made (3PM)

After 1,072 games, Kobe made 1,370 three-pointers (1.3 per game).
After 1,072 games, Michael made 581 three-pointers (0.5 per game).

Advantage: Bryant—Only 1.3 made per game for his career? WTF? That's it? Seems like more. That is how perception versus reality works

3-Points Attempted (3PA)

After 1,072 games, Bryant took 4,041 three-pointers (3.8 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan took 1,778 three-pointers (1.7 per game).

Advantage: Bryant—Took 3.8 per game and made 1.3 per game. Oh well, not everyone wants to make half of their shots.

3-Points Percentage (3P%)

After 1,072 games, Bryant hit on 33.9 percent of his three-pointers.
After 1,072 games, Jordan hit on 32.7 percent of his three-pointers.

Advantage: Bryant—After all the three-pointers, he tops MJ by 1.2 percent. Wow. Maybe he should've taken less.

Offensive Rebounds (OR)

After 1,072 games, Bryant accumulated 1,266 offensive rebounds (1.2 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan accumulated 1,668 offensive rebounds (1.6 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—Jordan was a tad shorter than Bryant, but he had more hops and followed up on shots more.

Defensive Rebounds (DR)

After 1,072 games, Bryant grabbed 4,406 defensive rebounds (4.1 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan grabbed 5,004 defensive rebounds (4.7 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—He was once Defensive Player of the Year, so defensive rebounds for MJ is also a given.

Total Rebounds (REB)

After 1,072 career games, Kobe grabbed 5,672 total rebounds (5.3 per game).
After 1,072 career games, Michael grabbed 6,672 total rebounds (6.2 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—Exactly 1,000 more rebounds in exactly the same amount of games.

Assists (A)

After 1,072 games, Bryant dished off for 5,020 assists (4.7 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan dished off for 5,633 assists (5.3 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—Career high 8.0 assists per game in 1988-89, to go with eight rebounds and 32.5 PPG.

Steals (S)

After 1,072 games, Bryant recorded 1,617 steals (1.5 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan recorded 2,514 steals (2.3 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—He led the NBA in steals a record (tied with Stockton) three times.

Blocks (B)

After 1,072 games, Bryant blocked 569 shots (0.5 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan blocked 893 shots (0.8 per game).

Advantage: Jordan—Recorded more blocked shots than any guard in NBA history to this very day.

Turnovers (TO)

After 1,072 games, Bryant turned the ball over 3,133 times (2.9 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan turned the ball over 2,924 times (2.7 per game).

Advantage: Jordan

Personal Fouls (PF)

After 1,072 games, Bryant has fouled 2,822 times (2.6 average).
After 1,072 games, Jordan fouled 2,783 times (2.6 average).

Advantage: Jordan

Total Points (PTS)

After 1,072 games, Bryant scored 27,093 points (25.3 per game).
After 1,072 games, Jordan scored 32,292 points (30.1 per game).

Advantage: Jordan

CONCLUSION:

If arguments are to be made based on these numbers alone, Jordan remains the greatest ever. But greatness can't be measured by numbers alone. If Kobe has to match or even surpass his idol, he still has a lot of chances to do it.

The numbers do not include their career playoff stats, but Jordan was six-for-six in the NBA Finals with six NBA Finals MVPs and Bryant was five-for-seven in the NBA Finals with two NBA Finals MVPs.

Credits to source: bleacherreport.com

bleacher report