Happy National & Liberation Day!

The National Day (February 25th) and the Liberation Day (February 26) are upon us! I still can’t believe it’s been 19 years since the invasion. Seems like only yesterday, huh?

Anyways! These days are a celebration of life more than they are days of reminiscing over lives lost. These are the two most important and significant days in Kuwait. Days in which an annual festival is held in commemoration of our independence, which is blended with somber reflection.

Please raise your glasses (or, if you’re like me, your coffee mugs ;p) with me in celebration of Kuwait becoming a nation in 1961, but let us not forget to salute the hundreds of brave souls lost and still missing from the Iraqi invasion and occupation. Our thoughts and prayer still, and forever will be, with them and their families.

Take care and stay safe everyone ;D
Have a great long weekend!

P.S. If you’re planning on going out today, please make sure that your doors are locked and windows secured. ;p

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Feb 25, 2003

Happy Valentimes!

So, it’s that time of the year again. The dreaded Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, which means that thousands, if not millions, of dimwitted people (no offense) will be scouring about in search for the perfect gift for that “special someone”. Now, I’m not trying to be cynical, but can’t everyone see that it’s all just a scam devised by blood-thirsty chocolate and card corporations to feed on helpless love-struck individuals?

Ok, now that I’ve gotten all that out, let’s dive into the good stuff!!! ;p What are you getting your significant other for Valentine’s Day?

I, for one, will be spending Valentine’s Day working out at the gym with a friend, then probably have lunch somewhere, and after that I’ll be spending the rest of the evening alone with a box of Godiva Chocolates and a cup of coffee, flipping through the pages of a good book.

Take care and stay safe guys
And according to a message from one of my friends: To all the single people this Valentine’s… HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Bow n Arrow > Phawaz Merger

I’ve successfully (I think! I hope! :S) merged one of my old blogs with this one. I decided to move from Bow n Arrow and start fresh with Phawaz. But, unfortunately, getting a new URL address doesn’t seem to be doing the trick. Maybe it’s the generic theme I’ve chosen, or maybe I just don’t have something to say anymore(which is a shock if you know me personally ;p).

Almost every blogger initiates a blog while having a specific topic or subject matter in mind. In other words, they know what they want to say and how they want to say it. At this point, I don’t really know what I want to say.

I’m gonna drop the whole “I’ve decided” part and just start doing something. I’m leaving the blogosphere for a while and taking some time off to reflect; time to rearrange my thoughts and regain my strength.

Hopefully this merger will remind me why I started blogging in the first place.

Till then, take care and stay safe everyone!

Happy 3rd Birthday Buzberry!

I’ve been an avid follower of Buzberry for a while now, and if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that the Buzberry group are one of the nicest and most down to earth group of people I know. Although we haven’t really met outside of cyberspace, I find myself absorbed by their insights, engrossed by their goodwill, and proud of their friendship.

At this moment of celebration, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Buzberry, and their dedicated efforts to bring us information, as it is, unbiased and uninfluenced by prejudices. Their contribution to the blogosphere is priceless. The Buzberry team have been committed to delivering us updates, from the kooky to the profound. Their collaborative efforts have worked to knit together the Kuwaiti blogging/cyber community.

In closing, I would like to thank the Buzberry team their commitment as bloggers. Through such kind efforts, we will all be able continue to develop even stronger relationships, friendships, and bonds.

Happy 3rd Birthday Buzberry!

Take care and stay safe everyone

The iPad: Is it worth it?

When I first heard the rumors that Apple were planning on releasing a Tablet in 2010, I was really expecting an ACTUAL tablet computer, running Mac OS X 10.6! Instead, we got a big ass iPod Touch with optional 3G.

Of course, Jobs did his usual Hocus Pocus and made the iPad (I still can’t get over the name! :S) sound “magical”. And to be honest, I did, and still kind of do, want one. But now I’m not so sure. Wouldn’t it be like buying a crippled Tablet? It’s features are just so LIMITED to be considered a Tablet!

No camera, no multitasking, no LED notification, no Adobe Flash support, no Mac OS X 10.6, no actual desktop, and no actual access to notebook applications (just second grade iPhone, iPod Touch apps).

This is the problem with the Apple Rumormill. We all get hyped up about all the possible things the mystery device might be able to do, and what we want it to do, and then it’s kind of a let down when it doesn’t live up to the hype. Although, for some people, the iPad meets and exceeds their expectations. I, for one, believe that a Tablet should be no smaller than 12-inches (15-inches ideally). That’s why I choose not to consider the iPad a Tablet, but an entirely different product with it’s own category.

So, what now?

• Will the iPad (worst name ever! ;p) take off? I don’t know.
• Is it a good buy? You decide. It all depends on your needs.
• Should you wait for the next revision*? Probably.

* The 2nd revision might be due in August along with the next MacBooks and MacBook Pros. But most probably, the next revision will be announced at an Apple event next January.

Apple’s iPad

Click on the image to enlarge

So Apple finally unveiled their new tablet, conveniently called the iPad. It’s a cross between a MacBook and an iPhone. Its User Interface has been tweaked and improved, and a lot more applications have been introduced because of that.

Click on the following links to be redirected to their pages:

Features - Design – App Store – Gallery – Tech Specs – Pricing – Video

Here’s a little overview:

specifications:

• Display: 9.7 inch LED-backlit, IPS Display
• Weight: 1.5 lbs
• 0.5 inches thin
• Battery life: 10 hours / 30 day standby time
• Accelerometer and Compass
• Speaker, Microphone, and 30-pin connector
• WiFi 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
• Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 chip
• Storage: 16-64GB Flash
• Full capacative multi-touch screen
• All iPhone and iPod Touch Applications will be compatible with the iPad

iBooks:

Now this, I LOVE. Thank God I didn’t go for a Kindle! The new iBooks app is a great, new way to read and buy books.1 Just download the app for free from the App Store, and you’ll be able to buy everything from classics to bestsellers from the built-in iBookstore. Once you’ve bought a book, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. To read it, all you have to do is tap on it and it opens up. The high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displays everything in sharp, rich, color, so it’s very easy to read, even in low light.

Availability & Pricing (Kuwaiti Dinars*):

I think that the iPad is very well-priced. And considering the fact that it’s not tied to a specific region-limited data plan, I’m finding the iPad even more appealing. There are two models, a Wi-fi-only model and a Wi-Fi+3G model. The Wi-Fi models will start shipping in late March (In 60 days), and the Wi-fi+3G** models will begin shipping in April (In 90 days).

*Tax not included
** 3G data plan sold separately.

So there you have it, the iPad. I was disappointed that it was the only product unveiled today. No new iPhone 4G not even iLife 2010. I hated how the event lacked Ol’ Jobso’s signature “one more thing” moment *sigh*

Ah, well! ;p What do you guys think? I’m kind og counting the days till this thing comes out!

Take care and stay safe guys!

Ready to meet Apple’s “latest creation”?

So, we’re just about 10 minutes away from the new Apple event titled “Come see out latest creation”, which is being held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, California.

Just a quick overview of what is expected to be unvelied at the event this evening:

1. iPhone 4.0 + iPhone OS 4.0 preview.

2. Apple MacBook Pros running in Intel’s Core i7.

3. iLife 2010.

4. Apple Tablet (iTablet, iSlate, Slate, MacBook Slate) running Mac OS X + iPhone OS hybrid.

5. iPhone for Verizon.

To follow Engadget’s live coverage of the event, please click here.

08:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow, Kuwait
03:00AM – Tokyo (January 28th)

Take care and stay safe guys,
Get those credit cards ready! ;p

Honor Students Graduation Ceramony at Kuwait University

I graduated from Kuwait University on June 25th 2009, but haven’t truly felt that I had graduated until today!

Under the patronage of his highness the Amir Al-Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait University organized the annual Graduation Ceramony for Honor Students (Class 39) for the academic year 2008/2009 at 10:30 this morning.

I was deeply moved by the speech of Prof. Abdullah Suliman Al-Fuhaid, the President of Kuwait University. His words of encouragement were inspiring. I literally can’t find the words to describe how I felt, and continue to feel this very minute! :p

The ceremony was progressing flawlessly, that is until a student tripped on the legs of one of the towering spotlights, sending it diving head first towards the unexacting guests in the audience. You could actually here the ascending gasps of the horrified guests who witnessed the incident. Thankfully the team that was responsible for the lighting, as well as several staff members, were able to gain control of the spotlight as it lost its balance, and the audience members managed to escape unscathed by the homicidal spotlight. Il7imdillah, no one was hurt and the ceremony continued gracefully and cheerfully.

The University also planned a special gift for the Emir, which was a portrait composed of porcelain squares which was assembled one by one by the students. The portrait also had the names of all the honor students carved into its golden frame. A very thoughtful and sentimental gift.

I would like to congratulate my fellow students and peers on their achievements, and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors. Congratulations class of 2009! WOOHOO!!!

Side note: the graduation ceramony for the enitre graduated student body will be held later this March, God willing.

Take care and stay safe

The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®

I finally got around to fixing my sleeping patterns. Went to sleep at 7:30 pm last night and woke up around 4:30 am. Yippe. ;p I decided to check out the Screen Actors Guild Awards. I caught the last 20 minutes of the live broadcast on TNT’s live broadcast through Justin.tv. The award ceremony was more laid-back, relaxed, and not as elaborate as the Golden Globes or the Oscars.

For information about who won on the button to be
redirected to the official website of the Screen Actors Guild Award.

Take care and stay safe
Have a great day everyone!

Apple Jan. 27th Event: Come see our latest creation.

As most of you probably know by now, Apple’s hosting an event on January 27th. Conveniently and conspicuously titled “Come see our latest creation”, the event will focus the iPhone 4.0 OS (and probably iPhone 4G preview), iLife 2010, and possibly the rumored iTablet/iSlate!

Click here to checkout a “Rumor Roundup” post over at Engadget.

Here’s just a little taste of what the sizzling rumors include: a 9.7 inch Kindle DX sized tablet will be unveiled, a 22-inch touchscreen iMac is said to be planned, and rumors of a redesigned, more eco-friendly aluminum iPhone 4G are also flying around.

Til then, take care and stay safe guys
Have a good one

P.S. this post is dedicated to applemaniac! ;p