HalaBahrain - June 2009

HalaBahrain Magazine | June 2009 1

HalaBahrainHalaBahrain MagazineMagazine

Your Local Bahraini Guide!

June 2009 - Volume 1 - Issue 12

Elham Arts Elham Arts

FestivalFestival We cover the 4 day We cover the 4 day

event of music, event of music,

poetry and art!poetry and art!

Bahrain’s Best Bahrain’s Best

ShawarmaShawarma

We search for the best!

Places to Go

Things to Do

Events

Tradition

And much more!


HalaBahrainHalaBahrain MagazineMagazine Lifestyle - Technology -

Entertainment - Events ©

Hot.. Hot..Hot.. Hot.. Dear Readers,

We don’t know what to make of last month; a whopping heat-

wave brought Bahrain to it’s knees, following by another sand-

storm. That sort of ruined most outdoor events, and we wonder

what to make of June, July and August!

It’s that time of year to start planning your escapes, so we’ve

put down a couple of suggestions for travel. And since the

delayed effect of the global credit crunch is starting to hit

Bahrain, we’ve run around Bahrain looking for Bahrain’s top

Shawarma; food you can still enjoy without going broke. We’ve

also covered last month’s Elham Festival which was a great

coming-together of music, poetry, photography, and all sorts of

other arts.

Again, we would love to hear from you about anything; send us

your emails with thoughts about the magazine, letters, ideas,

and let us know what you’re thinking!

Till next time,

Ammar Al-Aradi

Editor In-Chief [email protected]

The Team

Editor-in-Chief

Ammar Al-Aradi

Creative Director

Fardan Raffi

Public Relations

Amal Fareed

Copyright Information © All Rights reserved. This

publication may not be

reproduced or transmitted in

any form in whole or in part

without the written permission

of the publisher. Liability: While

every care has been taken in

the preparation of this

magazine, the publishers

cannot be held responsible for

the accuracy of the

information herein, or any

consequence arising it.

HalaBahrain is a fully registered

online publication with the

Bahrain Ministry of Information,

under registration number

EQHBH210

HalaBahrain is published

monthly; to view the magazine,

for a free subscription, or to

download a copy, please visit

www.halabahrain.com. For

advertising and all enquiries,

please contact

[email protected]

www.HalaBahrain.com

[email protected]

Editorial


Models Night

Location: Aqua Fuego

Timing: 10:00pm-2:00am

Contact: +973 - 36110200

[email protected]

News, Events News, Events

& Happenings& Happenings As the summer sets in, most of Bahrain

seems to grind to a halt. 40+ degree

weather makes it a bit silly to go out, so

most people hang out indoors. And you

wondered why Bahrain has so many shopping

malls! By mid-June, Bahrain City Center hits off with it’s summer sale, and if you want to bring the

kids along, make sure to visit just after the 17th, when the mall hosts it’s Monster Creepy Crawlies

exhibition; a magnified garden world where children can interact and enjoy a fun day full of

education, while you go out and shop!

For party goers, the clubbing scene is up and buzzing, but if you’re looking for a little something

special, check out models night at Aqua Fuego, or The Select Few’s Jalouse party at the Ritz. For

those looking for music and arts in a calmer setting, be sure to check out the Fete de la Musique

(French Music Day), where a concert is held to celebrate music in all its forms. For those interested in

Arabic poetry, the Traditional Poetry Society is holding an evening with poets from Bahrain, Kuwait,

and more.

Finally, a quick prayer to wish that our National Team actually makes it to the World Cup next year!

We have two qualifying games this month, with Bahrain vs Australia in Sydney on the 10th, and then

vs Uzbekistan on the 17th here in Bahrain! Make sure to get down to the game to support the team,

and hope to see them win the World Cup for 2010 (okay that’s a bit of a far stretch, but still, let’s

hope they win!).

Upcoming

12 June

Creepy Crawlies & Summer Sale!

Location: Bahrain City Center

Timing: All Day

Jalouse

Location: Al Noor, Ritz Carlton

Timing: 9:00pm-3:00am

Contact: +973-17310407

[email protected]

11 June

National Karting Championship

Location: Bahrain Int’l Circuit

Timing: 6:00pm-9:30pm

Contact: +973-17450000

French Music Festival

Location: Alliance Francais


Contact: +973-17683295

[email protected]

19 June

18 June

Traditional Poetry Night

Location: Culture Hall


Contact: +973-17761000

[email protected]

17 June

Bahrain vs Uzbekistan

Location: Bahrain National Stadium


Elham Arts Festival Elham Arts Festival Elham hosted their 4-day arts festival on May 13-16,

and brought arts to the people; covering everything

from music, photography, painting, movie screenings

and more, the festival was a great place to harness

your creative skills. Based in the Bahrain Fort Museum,

like-minded creative individuals gathered to

produce all kinds of art.

The activities featured everything form live painting,

building a tower from just recycled materials, to

improvised music sessions, and creating a magazine

within 24 hours. A whole lot of fun for all involved,

and a great way to spark out the creativity inside!

Events


Events


Events



Elham Music ConcertElham Music Concert As part of the Elham Arts Festival, a music concert

featuring some of the best local bands around was

held. The performers included the well known La

Movida, Na Der, The Tryout, Cody, Ala Ghawas and

Silverlake. An amazing night at the Culture Hall,

once again proving the amazing talent hidden in

Bahrain!

Events



Summer is here! And with the heat comes the very

attractive option of staying indoors! Not to worry

though, City Center has you covered, and besides

just the shopping and restaurants, they’ve got

enough live performances to keep you entertained!

This month, Kirr Deluxe kept crowds on their feet with

their porcelain plate juggling, thrilling acts and

comedy shows. And not a single plate was broken!

Keep an eye out for a lot more this month too!

Events

City Center EntCity Center Entertainmentertainment


Red Bull

Music Academy

Think you’ve got music

skills? Are you a DJ,

singer, producer, but feel

you haven’t been given

a real chance to show your skills? Well the RedBull Music

Academy is now here in Bahrain! Apply now for a

chance to get with the best in the World, and win a trip

to the RBMA in London! For details on how to apply call

the official Bahrain Rep Karim Miknas on 17717370, or

check out BahrainTalent.com

Hot…..

After a month of dust in

April, the storm clears

away and we get, heat!

Lots of it! Yup, with every-

one’s air conditioner

pushed to the max, it still

felt like we were living in a

furnace. We were actually

looking at 53 degrees during

some afternoons, which is pretty close to the hottest temp

ever recorded on earth which was 57 degrees. Uh oh.

News

Bahrain NewsBahrain News


Food

Bahrain’s Top ShawarmaBahrain’s Top Shawarma

Yup, you read right! We’ve looked at some of

the other friendly publications around Bahrain

sporting competitions featuring Bahrain’s Top

Whatever, and we felt a little jealous. So here,

we bring you a similar sort of thing, but

obviously more relevant to all of us since, come

on, who doesn’t eat Shawarmas?

If you don’t already know what a Shawarma is,

it’s Bahrain’s very own fast food, and it comes

pretty cheap too! Armed with a research budget

of BD10, the HalaBahrain team went looking for

the best Shawarma out there...


Food SurajSuraj

Wildley popular on the corner of Adliya Road is ‘Wadi Al Siraj’

currently known just as Suraj. In operation for at least a good

20 years means anyone and everyone whose had a good

shawarma actually knows this place, and their shawarmas are

still some of the best valued out there. 300 fils for a meat

sandwich still makes a lot of sense, although their food

somehow isn’t as great as it used to be. Still good enough to

satisfy a hungry stomach!

Taste: 2 out of 5 (not as good as it used to be)

Value: 4 out of 5

Location: 4 out of 5 (easily accessible, but parking is a

headache sometimes, although they will come to your car

and get your order while you drive around)

Lebanese RestaurantLebanese Restaurant

A classic well-known joint, hiding near Awal Cinema, the

Lebanese Restaurant has weathered the years and is still as busy

and popular as ever. Reason? A great Shawarma, and great

service. Getting there isn’t the easiest task in the world, but the

food sure is worth it!

Taste: 4 out of 5

Value: 5 out of 5 (probably the cheapest around)

Location: 1 out of 5 (just trying to get into the area is a nightmare)


Food

Al CatcootAl Catcoot

Al Catcoot is another popular classic Shawarma restaurant.

Known for being one of the very few Shawarma places still

open when people stumble out of Adliya nightclubs at 2am,

this place has earned itself a loyal customer base. Serving for

years and years, Shawarmas aren’t the only thing they’ve

mastered; they’ve also got amazing Lambchops, great juices,

and an overall amazing menu. If you haven’t eaten here

before, you’re definitely missing out!

Taste: 5 out of 5 (Great Shawarmas, and if you’re

feeling really hungry, go for a malghoom!)

Value: 4 out of 5

Location: 4 out of 5 (again, accessible in the

center of Adliya, but parking can be a headache

because there’s always two or three cars out

infront ordering!)


Food IskenderoonIskenderoon

The Turks have always been great at food; Iskenderoon is just

further proof that you can’t go wrong with their restaurants.

Away from the regular Lebanese bread, Iskenderoon’s

Shawarmas are heavier and meatier than usual, and are so

good they usually run out by 9:30pm. Meaning that if you

want some, get there early! No worries though, even if they

do run out, you’ve got a menu full of lots of other great types

of food to choose from!

Taste: 5 out of 5

Value: 4 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5 (just on the edge of Exhibition Road, near

McDonalds. Weekends are a headache to get it and out)

Hidden away in the City Center (the original one deep in

Manama Souq, not the new one), Tarbouche supposedly

serves up a pretty good shawarma, and actually a good

lunch buffet if you’re interested. We weren’t impressed with

the taste however; too many mixed spices and herbs lost

the taste of the actual sandwich.

Taste: 2 out of 5

Value: 3 out of 5

Location: 2 out of 5 (Try and find parking in the middle of

Manama Souq without pulling your hair out)

TarboucheTarbouche


Food Shawarma XpressShawarma Xpress

Turning a very authentic experience into your regular modern

fast food joint type venture is Shawarma Xpress. This has

allowed it to go everywhere from popular streets to shopping

malls. The taste is a little fake though, with new weird sauces

for each Shawarma you order; everything from Chinese to

Mexican, which isn’t really what Shawarmas are all about.

Taste: 3 out of 5

Value: 3 out of 5

Location: 5 out of 5 (anywhere and everywhere!)

Definite addiction, although their sandwiches are tiny! This

means your average person can probably finish 3 or 4 in

one sitting easily. Easily one of the best tasting here, and we

vote for the restaurant to be called ShawarmaLand

instead. For a bonus try their hummus.

Taste: 5 out of 5

Value: 2 out of 5 (400 fils? For that tiny thing?!)

Location: 4 out of 5 (Adliya, Muharraq, Riffa, Budiya. It’s

always nearby!)

BurgerLandBurgerLand


Food AND THE WINNER IS:AND THE WINNER IS:

Catcoot! With a great location, open hours enough to satisfy

your late night cravings, and a great sandwich, Catcoot is

Bahrain’s Top Shawarma place! Grab a malghoom

sandwich and a mix banana-mango juice and you’re all set!

Shawarma’s aren’t loved in Bahrain only! Check out pix of

Shawarma lovers from around the world:

(The Suraj Boys not too impressed

with our final choice)


Travel DubaiDubai Although everyone’s screaming of doom and gloom and the

recent market crash and how it’s affected Dubai, that’s

actually a good thing for all you travelers. With so many

people leaving Dubai, traffic is actually normal now, hotels a

lot cheaper, and prices of everything else reasonable! Your

average hotel is about half the price it was a year ago, and

most 5 star hotels at about a third of the cost! And with

budget airfare from Al Jazeera, Bahrain Air etc, you can easily

sort out a trip to Dubai without spending too much. True, the

weather isn’t much cooler than it is here, but they’ve got

more air conditioned malls than you can shake a stick at,

skiing and snowing to get away from the heat, and not-as-

humid nights so going out during the evenings is actually a

possibility.


Travel

Where to go in Dubai? Well, anywhere from the massive Dubai Mall (make sure

you remember where you parked, otherwise it’s going to be a long search),

swimming with dolphins in Atlantis, skiing in Ski Dubai; Emirates Mall, or taking a

nice walk down, err, The Walk in Jumeriah. Sure, it’s a slump, but Dubai isn’t going

to run out of things to do anytime soon, so if you just want a quick weekend

getaway, it’s a definite choice!


Travel TurkeyTurkey Definitely an underrated tourist attraction, Turkey’s beauty

doesn’t really come out to light much. In Bahrain, the most we

get to see of it is posters hung up on the walls of Turkish

restaurants, and on those recently popular Turkish TV shows.

Turkey has a lot to offer, with everything from green forests

and golden sandy beaches, to natural waterfalls and snow

topped mountains. It’s location is quite unique; influences

from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have given the

country a unique flavor, with something to please everyone.


Travel In certain areas of Turkey, you can actually go skiing early in

the morning, and come back and lay down by the beach in

the afternoon, during the same day. Nuts eh? But that’s not

all; if you like sailing, Turkey offers you a great chance to go

out there and face the seas. Or maybe you’re into history and

want to discover secrets from the past? Yup, all there.

A great place to visit, coupled with ridiculously amazing food,

makes this a popular tourist destination. A word of advice

though; it’s advisable to learn a few words of Turkish before

going; besides hotels and major tourist areas, English is not

commonly spoken. So make sure you learn the basics,

otherwise you might have problems when you really need to

go and want to ask for directions to the nearest toilet!




Drugs addiction is the spectre that enters homes and

destroys the happiness of any family. It is the faster and

the shorter way to death. Drug addiction is one of the

most serious social problems of our time around the world

and there are many reasons that push towards the

addiction. The most important ones are being distant

from religion, bad companions, and over-spoiling

children or neglecting them.

Some signs that an individual may have drug addiction:

1- The person wants to be alone more than usual. He or

she spends inordinate amounts of time isolated from the

rest of the family. Excessive need for privacy; keeps door

locked or closed, won't let people in.

2- Drop in school or work performance; skips or is late to

school or work.

3- Receiving telephone calls at odd hours and using

some strange and suspicious vocabulary.

4- Neglect of religious duties like prayers.

5- Increase or decrease in appetite; changes in eating

habits, unexplained weight loss or gain.

6- Cycles of excessive sleep.

7- Violent temper or bizarre behaviour.

8- Unexplained need for money; can't explain where

money goes; stealing.

9- Abnormally slow movements, speech or reaction time,

confusion and disorientation.

A Public Service Message; A Public Service Message;

DrugsDrugs


If you find that there a drug addict in your family, be calm:

1- When dealing with a drug addict, we should act in a very wise and tranquil way away from cruelty, violence or

intimidation.

2- We should be very secretive.

3- Choose the appropriate time to speak to the addict and give him the chance to express his feeling, then start

advising him.

4- A lot of drug addicts lose their battle against despair, so try your best to renew their hopes in life.

5- Search for the reasons behind the addiction wither social or psychological and try to tackle them.

6- Never give money to the drug addict.

7- The family members should understand the nature of the drug-addiction treatment and how to deal with the addict.

8- Ex drug-addicts can be very helpful in the treatment.

9- Reward the patient and encourage him whenever he/she achieves any improvement.

10- When treated, the patient should be welcomed and accepted by all of his family members.

11- It’s very important to follow up and keep an aye on the patient to spot the emergence of any negative signs or indi-

cators that show any relapse.

In conclusion, I’d like to send a call to the international community to appeal to every State that is not a member of the

International Drug Control Conventions to ask them to implement its provisions, and to provide a financial assistance to

those countries that are countries suffering from problems related to drug trafficking across their borders.

I’d like also to appeal to all ministries, governmental and private bodies to adopt a vision of an

comprehensive and integrated strategy to combat drug addiction and to coordinate to produce

films and programs to address this phenomenon on television, radio and Internet sites. I also wound

like to appeal to the clerks to spread the awareness of the dangers of drugs among people.

I can not help but pay tribute to and thank all the police officers and workers in the Ministry of the

Interior for their great effort to address and prevent the entry of drugs into our beloved kingdom. I

would also like to express my gratitude to the Anonymous Addicts Community for their great efforts

in helping addicts.

Mohammed Sadiq

[email protected]

Documents

HalaBahrain - June 2009