I will no longer tolerate this inconvenience

I took my car out of service last week and I had some notes regarding the CD changer, it seems to have a problem with the anti-shock sensor where it keeps interrupting playback every time I run over a road bump or crack.

The guy who works at Nissan Al-Babtain told me they don't have a technician, instead they will send my CD changer to some store to fix it and I will have to come back later to collect it. I was worried yet I said OK.

Today, after a whole week, I called 804888 to inquire about my CD changer. A girl from their customer care department answers. I gave her my info and she said she'll call back after she speaks to Al-Ahmadi branch where I had my car service and CD changer removed for repairs.

Few hours later I get a call from the girl telling me that she spoke to Al-Ahmadi branch and they told her they never took any CD changer saying I have collected the car intact including the CD changer! WTF?! Well attached with this blog entry is a small proof. I would never dare to remove it by myself because I do care about the warranty.

Tomorrow will be trouble day.

UPDATE: Finally, after two weeks. [link]

Road Trip | Saudi Arabia

3 hours inside Saudi borders.
Lost in the middle of nowhere.

One of my Saudi relatives had a surgery so me and my brothers planned to go on a road trip to check in on him and man I wish I never went on that road trip.

We started our journey at 2:30pm and by 3:30pm we were already in Saudi soil. We stopped once for grocery then off on our way to get lost in the middle of nowhere until we reached our destination at 7:30pm. Our other Saudi cousin took us on his van and rushed to the hospital, Aramco Hospital, because visitation ends at 8pm, we managed to reach there at 7:55 and as soon as we got inside and met our patient we heard them asking all visitors to leave.

After that we went to our cousin's house for dinner and as soon as we finished we left heading back to Kuwait. We reached safe land at around 2am.

Heading back to Kuwait.

Now if you think Kuwaiti drivers suck then wait till you see Saudi drivers. We were doing 180kph and those grubby 3agad pass by like thunder. You'd be impressed how fast they can pull in a 4-cylinders Toyota Camry! Their roads suck, their water tastes like rust (not that I know what rust tastes like but that's the only thing I can relate to), no speed limit, and absolutely no traffic rules. Their emergency lane is just another, well, normal lane! A lane for the insane that is.

All that aside, Aramco's place is something different. It doesn't even look like it's in Saudi. It's a city inside a city owned by a company with all its facilities and services. 24 hours security, paved roads, lots of parking lots, grass everywhere... It's just amazing. Not even KNPC can pull all this in Al-Ahmadi if you know what I mean.

I wonder how a government owned corporation can be this good where the surroundings are showing the ugly face of the country.

Leopard | Bluetooth Sharing

I got this email today...

"hi
i bought leopard for my macbook recently and i can't send files from my mobile to it. do you know how to fix it? thanks"

Just in case anyone else is facing the same problem,
here's how to fix it...

• Go to System Preferences
  
• Click on Sharing icon [pic]
  
• Check Bluetooth Sharing box [pic]

It should be working properly now.

Review | Tamron 70-300mm AF lens for Minolta/Sony DSLR

Taken with Sony SAL18200

Thanks to my friend Q817 at Q8speed.com I got my hands on a new lens for my Sony A100 DSLR. It may not be the best lens in the market but it's a good add-on to my fresh collection alongside my trusty 18-200mm Sony lens.

The casing quality is good with a mix of solid plastic and metal mount. It has a tele-macro switch to enable macro focus between 180-300mm but it's quite inconvenient without tripod. It weighs nothing compared to metal lenses so the weight is good.

The only downside is when using auto-focus, it's a bit slow but that shouldn't be a problem for someone who uses manual focus.

Lens Price: 7 KD!! (90% sale)

Some pictures I managed to take using the lens...

For the love of GOD, Stop Breathing!

Today I've had it with people who have bad breath. I got stuck at Al-Sabah hospital waiting to get an appointment for my mom from 8am till 11am but that wasn't the problem.

It all started at around 9am when the crowds started to flood the hospital, all seats were taken except one right next to me. I was sitting there minding my own business when this guy who happens to have the stinkiest breath in the whole universe came and sat next to me. I didn't have a problem with that until he opened his mouth to start a conversation, everything started to look blurry and I felt dizzy from his breath!

Few minutes later I couldn't resist so I took a walk in the hall to catch my breath and when I came back my seat was taken, I was so relieved. I waited for a while and I got another seat far from him. The moment I thought I was safe the guy next to me got called by the Dr. and Mr. Skunk Mouth took the opportunity to come and sit next to me again so he can continue on chatting! Everything went from blurry to dark!

I kept breathing from my mouth just to avoid the smell of his breath hoping my name is next but no, for two hours neither I got called for nor he closed his mouth. I don't even remember what the hell he was talking about, all my concentration was on how to keep avoiding that sewer hole!

Finally I got called up. I have no idea how I survived two hours. His breath stinks so damn bad it even has a sound of it's own! Imagine a smell that has a sound of impact! Yes, that's how bad it was.

Next time I'll make sure I bring some fruit flavored candy/gum to offer for such people.