The Paper Dump

"Ever thrown away a brochure, a leaflet, or a take-away menu thinking you wouldn’t need it again and ended up regretting it later on? The Paper Dump is exactly what the name suggests: a place where scraps of paper can be stored digitally so that you or anybody else can resort to them for or reference or information"

I am loving this idea a lot ;-)

Parody of Shopping at HEMA

Try "Online winkelen" and bizarre parody of a shopping page of HEMA (HEMA is a large Dutch department store)

Click here.

Way To Go FCC

With the new traffic law banning the use of cellular phones while driving I find it hard sometimes to reach our driver! Apparently he did not get a headset (according to MOI, a fine will be charged for those who violate this order unless using a hands-free or headset). So I told him, the driver, that I will be getting him a headset.

A lot of stores have raised their headset prices like there is no tomorrow! Its insane! Some of which have doubled their prices! Other stores are completely out of headsets. I decided to head to a NOKIA - FCC branch which is so close to where I work (Remember my FCC gift? I decided why not check their branch!)

To my surprise, the headset suitable for the driver's phone was for ONLY KD 5.000!!! (other places were selling it for KD 10.000!!!!!!!!!)

I really am happy with FCC! First they did some sort of cooperation with the MOI going around colleges giving lectures on car accidents and alternatives available to use your phone while driving. Second the FCC press conference held for that same purpose where they clearly stated that they did not increase their prices and also promoted their products available to use -that are in compliance with the new traffic law-, and best of all when they started to hand in free headsets to random drivers on the roads on May 1st!

WAY TO GO FCC :-)

Must Be Gift Giving Week For Me ;-)

My friend who works in Future Communications Company - FCC sent me a gift earlier today at work.... Just in time with the new traffic law that dont permit using cellular phones while driving in an effort to minimize road accidents... A bluetooth/headset.

Thank You Razan, and FCC :-)

ZAMZAR

I have recieved an email some time ago from a friend about an interesting site called ZAMZAR. It helps you to convert the format of a file without having the actual software.

It supports conversions between a large variety of different kinds of file formats..... be it document, image, music, video, compressed....

Check it out, click here.

Thanks R.H.

Lexus Face

Received by email.

Thanks Dr. A

-Ansam

*****************

Giving Up Control

Commentaries on Economics, Leadership and the Inner-Journey

Lexus Face

July 10th, 2007

All of us are familiar with the derogatory term “two-faced.” This refers to somebody who falsely presents themselves.

A new idiom may be about to enter the lexicon. That idiom is “Lexus Face.” According to The Wall Street Journal “Lexus Face” is “a peaceful Ogasawara-style closed mouth smile said to put customers at ease.”

Ogasawara refers to the Ogasawara Ryu Reihou institute in Japan. This institute is an etiquette school which teaches samurai etiquette which has been handed down since the 1300s.

In Japan, Toyota is sending all Lexus employees for samurai etiquette training under the belief that this will help sell more cars. Besides “Lexus Face”employees are learning how to stand idly with “fingers together and thumbs interlocked” as well as how many arm lengths to stand away from the customer.

To read the whole article, visit Giving Up Control

The Unhealthy Health System

I got a bit sick earlier at around 10:30pm and decided to go to the ER of Mowasat or International Clinic... The street was JAMMED! I changed destinations and decided to seek free health from a near by governmental clinic.

I got there at 10:40pm.. my number was 93, and the number on the screen was reading 86 or 87... I thought about it for a moment and decided to wait a while.. I really did not want to drive all the way to Salmiya.... and guess what???? I got to see the doctor an hour later!!!! Not because he was taking too long treating others, but because irresponsible patients come and barge in because they cant wait and they are or with someone who is sick!! I mean come on!! Aren't we all!!

What I dont get is why the doctor accept to jump between numbers and give those losers priority over us! It is so annoying! and guess what I got for medication? Panadol and some other Chlorophena-something!

Blackouts

I was watching TV at my sister's last night when the phone rang.... (The conversation was in Arabic)

Me: Hello

Solicitor: Hello

Me: Yes?

Solicitor: Good evening, how are you?

Me: Fine.. who is this?

Solicitor: Is your mom at home? Or your dad?

Me: No!!! Who is this?

Solicitor: I work along with others on the campaign for rationalizing the consumption of water and electricity.... whos in the house now?

Me: This is my sister's house.. what is it? (I was getting agitated at this point)

Solicitor: OK I will talk to you about it sweetie.... how old are you hun?

Me: 30!!!!!!

Solicitor: OH!! OK!! hahaha (silly laugh).. OK so you tell your sister we call... basically I am going to advice you on the usage of electricity and water at home.. people should start conserving energy, the A/C ideally should be set at 25 C during the day... (blah blah she started giving me statistics... then I had to interrupt her, I was watching a movie and she was annoying me...)

Me: I will let my sister know.. right now I have friends over and I cant be on the phone...

Solicitor: oh.. hmmm ok! thanks anyways

Me: Yeah thanks... bye

Solicitor: Bye

OK so what are they trying to do here... Kuwait is one of the richest countries, and still doing rolling blackouts! This is insane.. and specially during these hot summer months! I am not saying waste energy and leave your lights on or your water running.. I am saying this is Kuwait! We have the money to build a new efficient power plants.. I mean come on!! If not.. the royal bestowal/decree that was given to Kuwaitis twice in the last five years... why not use that money for the good of the people and their country!!! I mean I didnt mind the money at all, I actually liked it, but sometimes when you think of it.. outside the box you wonder why!!

They also can increase the electricity prices (I WOULD LOVE THAT) because its really cheap and people dont care less!! With higher prices, I bet they will be more cautious!

Many options we have, MANY!! But all they think of now is to have rolling blackouts and having people calling you about it!! And 25C during the day!! In June-July-August!! Yeah right!

Kuwait Yellow Pages - Restaurants

OK... this is is my new love.. heehee

Electronic Kuwaiti Yellow Pages - Restaurants

Usually my friends call me to recommend restaurants to go to, or just call me and say: "I am in X restaurant, what is good to order here" I am like their restaurant switch board/Guru ;-)

Sometimes I would be sitting in a restaurant with bunch of people and no one wold hold their menus because they are waiting for my recommendation(s) ;-)

This is one helpful site, I love it!

For the yellow pages main guide, go to..

Electronic Kuwaiti Yellow Pages

Nails 2 U

Most of us like to have our nails done in the most convenient way possible! Nails 2 U offers this to you at your home.. or anywhere you are! How many times did we want to go but didnt want to go through all the hassle of changing and driving.. or looking for a slipper that wont ruin our pedicure! This is amazing... specially for Kuwaiti people! We like to have everything at our doorsteps! LOL

Plus the prices are really not bad for nails-home service! Check it out!

Click on the images above to enlarge ;-)

UPDATE: their official website is Nails2U

Carrefour

I received this by email this morning, and posted it in here for you.

I kinda agree with their parking rule. It would look funny pushing a cart through the mall! Not a very nice sight! But the problem is that they should have announced that or showed it in signs or even let some of their people tell the shoppers about the parking issue. People have the right to know about all this before making their purchases!

I know that the Avenues parking area have designated places for carts.. and when I saw that I knew it was for Carrefour. I think they just dont want people to walk around the mall with carts, unload and leave the carts all over the parking lot!! It would look hideous!

Like in Souk Sharq (Sharq Mall), you never see customers strolling around with Sultan Center carts! Right?

-Ansam
*******



Sir,
I foolishly visited the new Carrefour Hypermarket on Friday and was confronted with a titan of a problem. After I bought my groceries, I was told that it is forbidden to put my groceries in a shopping cart and take them to my car that was parked in Area C. Carrefour only opened on Tuesday — but how could they open without informing customers that all of the bags of food that they purchase must be hand carried out of the Mall entry and not transported in the cart that one pushes around their store?

When shoppers park their cars in the Avenues Mall parking areas and go inside to shop at the Mall’s merchants and end their shopping at the grocery store, those same shoppers are told that they are forbidden to push their groceries back to their cars past the same Mall shops they just visited on their way to buy groceries. To successfully take one’s groceries out ina cart, one must park only in a special area under Carrefour. If this sounds absurd and confusing, it is because this is absurd and confusing. What Carrefour has failed to announce is that Carrefour shoppers are not allowed to take their carts of groceries through the Mall. Once one has purchased their food items at Carrefour no one is allowed to take the cart into theMall to shop at any other store, to look into any shop window or to sit in the food court. The cart of groceries can only do down to the parking area under Carrefour.

How does one find this special Carrefour parking? I was there and I looked. I did not see any markings or directions into this special Carrefour parking. Carrefour published a two-page ad showing the locationof their store but not the location of their special parking. If one knows to park in this special area, then shopping carts can only go up or down from the store. Carrefour shoppers must keep their filled carts inside Carrefour and not take them into the Mall. After being forbidden to take my cart of groceries to my car, I was shown this special parking where I could take the shopping cart — but no one could show me how to get the cart back to my car in Parking Area C. When shoppers go from shop to shop in the Avenues and then end up at Carrefour to buy their groceries – the customers are told, “Customers at the Avenues are forbidden to push their grocery carts past the Mall stores that they have just visited on their way to buy groceries.” I received this message from a Maraffie security agent, Anwar Hussein, who was standing at Carrefour’s Mall entry and forbidding customers fromtaking their carts of groceries to their cars in parking areas all around the Mall. This same message was confirmed by the management at Carrefour. But, no one bothered to post this ridiculous announcement forcustomers to read.

It would have been wiser to tell customers entering Carrefour’s Mall entry that their purchases must be hand carried into the Mall. Maraffie Security personnel are not proactive in announcing this prohibition to shoppers as they enter the Carrefour. To ascertain this unwritten rule, one would have to be a mind reader and mind readers are not permitted in Kuwait. Because I am not a mind reader, I am curiousas to where this special information has been posted for customers? I have shopped at Carrefour in other countries and I have never encountered such a lack of planning and lack of customer information. This lack of planning in Kuwait has created a titanic problem for Carrefour –but Carrefour needs to remember that no one wanted to be a repeat customer on the Titanic. Because this was my first visit – why should I ever return to Carrefour, or to any merchant in the Avenues Mall, when they show such a rude disregard for their customers?

Wouldn’t it be easier to build a big wall to separate Carrefour from the rest of the Mall shops? The wall would effectively let any customer or family who pushes a cart of groceries, that they are forbidden to pass by or spend money at other Mall merchants as long as they are pushing that forbidden cart. Avenues Mall is there to enforce rules which discourage customers from spending and to limit their access and freedom of movement.

After this epic ordeal, I finally got my purchases into my car in Area C without the help of a shopping cart. Before I could leave, a nice Kuwaiti couple parked next to me asked how to get to Carrefour? I told them how to go through the Mall and how to find the store. Then I told them – Mushkeela Kabeer –because my same experience was about to be repeated. One must stop and think, “Is there something wrong with the customers who can’t read minds or is there something wrong with Mall managers who can’t plan?”

JB

The Tres Chic Pictures

Tres Chic! hint hint!

From the outside you see a beautiful resort... in jet white and red bricks/roof.. You check the website and you see heaven; swimming pools, internet/wifi, restaurants, hair salons, room service, gym...etc..

Well... don't judge a book by its cover, cuz its hell!!

This is a well known resort in Kuwait. During the process of building a lot of people
bought chalets there, it was a private resort with an amazing service and beautiful sea-view.

Then management changed... and well, it changed again, and again.... AND AGAIN! I wouldn't be surprised if they change is again tomorrow! This amazing resort changed into a commercial project, that would only seek MONEY! BIG MONEY! Regardless of the original contracts signed by the owners of the chalets.

The beautiful sea view is blocked now by a ridiculous looking restaurant, instead of the small cafe with its friendly staff. People now would pay around 2KWD to get in! Yeah people from the outside! They come in with excess baggage! Noise and all... and they're too loud! They come in to use the facilities available (restaurant and pool... and gym too) invading the privacy of the chalets' owners.

The under-ground parking lot is a disaster now! Some spots are already used for storage! I will try and post some pictures if I can. Old furniture is all around the place with some parking spot taken for other purposes (such as storage and changing rooms). They dont care about the owners anymore.. The underground parking is for the owners, whereas the one on the top is for everyone's use! So their strategy is like "Screw the owners, we just want to make money". Its really bad, because they are able to do things hidden and under-cover... no one from the outsiders can see this mess! not even the State Municipality!

For example, there is a new complex being built next door.. and the underground garage saved a place for employees to come and change their clothes... so at some point it would be full with male-workers... and its not very comfortable for females to be around them! Specially in our culture!!!

Also, for the purpose of making money, they do so so SO MANY special offers for chalets rental. A lot of noisy, loud, careless, party-animals, and some of them also litter and make it a big waste.... they would just come and disturb the peace. And no matter how many times you talk to security guards or management, there is nothing that you can really do about it! Business is business!

They also take money for services... yeah services! whatever! They take so much money for providing "services"... services promised but never met THE standards!

Welcome to Hell! The Tre Chic Hell!

Air Raid Sirens

I received an email at work from the PR dept. stating that there will be testing of the air raid sirens by the civil defense.

As usual... the wail of those sirens brings me into a huge discomfort. Its not like I am scared of the sound or anything... but its annoying!

I mean Kuwait's been through a number of crises, and those tests well hmmm they are good, but would they ever be effective and used right in case of emergency or crisis??

We have been hearing them during the American-Iraqi war numerous times. They go on indicating that danger is approaching or already happened and then within few minutes another one goes on indicating that the coast is clear and the danger has passed!! Come on!!

I mean a lot of air raid siren kept us on the edge during that time, until people here got so used to them that if they were shopping in mall or walking in the street.. They just go on normally when the sirens wail... and would not really run to near-by shelters!

I know that some people in the beginning would jump and freak each time the sirens go on... they'd run to the shelter with their gas masks and protection gears! And sometimes don't even get to the shelters because the danger siren is followed shortly by an "all-clear" siren!!

And when real danger occurs, you don't get the warning! Actually we never get an "in-advance" or "approaching danger" sirens.. Usually they're like the danger occurred already... people! Your on your own.. You're screwed!! LOL... even better NO SIREN at all when REAL DANGER had occurred!!

I still remember the CNN reporters joking about it at the time, once there was this reporter talking about the air raid siren system in Kuwait when a siren went on while he was on air and he was like: "see, its supposed to indicate danger.. but no serious danger had actually occur" and he just didn't move or run to a shelter.. and also when a missile did really hit Soug Sharg, a popular shopping mall in Kuwait, late at night! No sirens went on, but I remember I was watching a movie at home with my sister and brother in-law.. When a loud crashing/explosion- sound accompanied by the house windows shaking and rocking, which terrified the hell outta me! I was like WHAT WAS THAT!

We kept switching channels to find out more about it... but No! No! No!
No air raid sirens no nothing just a crashing loud explosion noise!

So to conclude it all... the actual air raids in Kuwait tend to be very brief and useless in actual crisis and annoying/disturbing when they're tested!

Viva Koweit! (I don't know why I said that in French... but what the hey! its my blog and I will cry if I want to :-p)