Domino Effect... Still On

As I was walking out the door towards my car, I saw Isaac (our driver)... I clearly said this to him.

"Isaac, dont make any plans today at around 10:00am. I am dropping my car at the bodyshop in Shuwaikh... So I want you to pick me up from there and drop me to work"

He said ok!

So I went to work and left at around 90:00AM heading to Shuwaikh. I get all the paper work done and call Isaac.

Ansam: Can you please pick me up now.. I am in Shuwaikh?
Isaac: I am in the Coop with your mom
Ansam: WHAT! I told you that I needed you today! I will be late to work!
Isaac: Talk to madam
Ansam: Mom... can you please tell him to pick me up? I dont want to be late for work... Dad can come and get you?
Mom: Sure... we just got in, I will be done by the time hes done with you
Ansam: Thanks :-* OK so let me talk to him please
Mom: OK dear
Isaac: Yes?
Ansam: I am not at the dealership.. I am in the Shuwaikh garage.. OK?
Isaac: Yeah.. I know the place, been there with Sir
Ansam: Perfect.. Thanks
Isaac: You're welcome

15 minutes later... phone rings

Ansam: Are you out?
Isaac: Yeah I am home
Ansam: HOME!?
Isaac: Yes.. where are you?
Ansam: I told you to pick me up from the garage... THE GARAGE ISAAC
Isaac: I did not hear you well I guess
Ansam: I DONT WANT TO BE LATE TO WORK... Come to Shuwaikh NOW!
Isaac: OK

15 minutes later... phone rings

Ansam: Are you out
Isaac: Yes, outside garage #7

I did not pay attention to the numbers, but THANK GOD he came to the right place

Isaac: So you want to go to work?
Ansam: Yes please
Isaac: Which road should I take
Ansam: Any road that leads to Kuwait City
Isaac: Rd 45 or 40?
Ansam: I dont care

*I was not in the mood to talk to him cuz all I was thinking is I wanna choke him*

Isaac: OK

Now I am at work, and the minute I got to my floor...... I threw up :-S

My Car Accident!

I was driving on third ring road last Sunday heading east and waiting at the traffic light on that bridge of Rawda-Nuzha X Hawalli-Qadsiya... The light turns yellow... then red, and after wee seconds it turns green for us to drive forward. I was in the middle lane, a bus to my right, and GMC-brand car on my left. Since I have the smallest car I was a little bit ahead of them when we drove off... another SUV suddenly decides to cross the red light from the opposite lanes and speed off towards South Highway 40.... Everyone starts honking from that side, but to me all I saw is a car in front of me... I slammed on my brakes but I hit the car anyway! I could not avoid it no matter what!

I went deaf for a moment, my mouth felt very dry! I am checking myself... am I OK!? Yes I am I look left and right... where is that SUV that appeared out of nowhere!! There I see it, is he gonna run away... I check his plates, I try to memorize the numbers! Cars are slowly driving by me and looking/staring at me! I gather my strength and drive a bit forward and turn on my flashing lights... I get out of the car, while I look to check the SUV I cant see it anymore... I go to the front and my car is damaged :'-(

I see someone approaching me... running towards me! Its the SUV driver.. I think!!

SUV: I'm so so so sorry! I know its my mistake! I know I run a red light... but are you OK? Are you hurt?
Ansam: I'm fine.... are you OK? What were you thinking?
SUV: Sorry, I wasn't thinking I was on the phone... I wasn't paying attention.
Ansam: Are you for real!!!! On the phone while driving! Thats not even legal!!! (I did not have anything else to say!)
SUV: I know, I know... Sorry! I am calling the police now

I walk back to my car to get my phone and call my dad.... Then I hear someone..

"HELLO?! ARE YOU OK? I SAW THE WHOLE THING!!... HELLO?!"

I look and its a young man on the opposite lane waving at me... he runs towards me, and asks if I was OK? And then tried to calm me down and telling me that he saw the whole thing and that he is furious. He checks my car, asks me to turn it off... and goes to the SUV driver.

I call my dad, and I tell him: "Dad.. I am fine, 100% fine, but I had an accident". My dad is on his way to me. Good!

The other guy who witnessed the whole thing comes back to me with the SUV driver, and gives out his phone number to both of us since he saw the whole thing. His name is HB. He again tries to calm me down and telling me that he will stick around until my father gets here.

My father arrived and rushed to my car... checked if I was OK, and then went to talk to the SUV driver and HB. The traffic police arrived shortly after to draw a little sketch of the accident. Listen to both, the SUV driver and HB... So he got the story that when he came to me he just asked me if I was fine! I answered: "I am OK" and smiled!

I guess they were all waiting for me to cry LOL!

We had to drive to a nearby police station... HB came to say bye, and again told us to just give him a call if we needed a witness. He was really nice.

At the police station... a place I hate to be in "JUST HATE" to be in... Remember my previous accident post? I just dont get the system or how insurance works, even if you are fully covered. Well... anyway, while we had to wait for the investigator I was asked to wait in a room... and right there, when I was alone I broke into tears! My dad came in and calmed me down, gave me some tissues... I did calm down after a minute! I guess I just needed to let out some!

We go in and the police take the SUV driver side of the story... I must say again he is one decent and honest man. They did not even ask me to speak out! The story was well said. In this case, that SUV driver is in serious trouble.. Red light? Phone? Accident? I really feel bad but I am too angry to just let it go! Being polite and nice doesnt give you the right to #### up somene's day! So the best we could do is do it on personal level rather than going to court and such! He told us that he was willing to pay for the damages. My insurance was full coverage, his was liability! My rights with the police station to file a case were reserved for few days in case he fails to pay.

Next day we go to the workshop and guess what!? They estimation was high... a KD1,930 high! Yeah yeah! My car is 2009, brand new, and all parts are expensive!

So yesterday we go to the police station and turn out the amount is too high for him to afford :-( and so we have to go through our awesome systems and bureaucracies. One thing that I will add to the corrupted police system we have in Kuwait was the investigator's suggestion... That is to sign on a paper that says Mr. SUV driver did not cross the red light to save him from the major consequences of that act... Which will automatically make the whole accident my fault since he was driving and "did NOT cross the red light" and I just BANG! Beautiful! Ain't it? Ahhhh and lets not just say that I did not make a big deal of mentioning that he was talking on the phone!!! Whatta system!!

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 :-)

Disappearing Car Door

Sexy Car Wash

OK so my sister woke up one day earlier than her usual time, looked into the window and guess what? She took this snap from her mobile... its our driver washing my car LOL

Why car keys - duplicates - cost you an arm and a leg?

I dropped my car keys, and the plastic cover got broken! (same happend to my spare key some time ago), and when I called the Lexus service to inquire about making a duplicate, my heart got broken too! It would cost me KWD 70.000 without programming.. and that will require them to have my car for a whole day or two! I checked prices on the net and they are in the same range! So WHY!!!! Why that expensive??

Apparently that is the price of technology! Keys are no longer just a piece of metal that can work the whole thing out by its own, there are more things to take into consideration to unlock your door and turn on your car!!! we have now electronic access systems and computrized chips.

The head/tip of the key contains a tiny robot radio that enables some sort of radio communication with the car! HUH! The password can include 19 digits, which means that it will allow A LOT of combinations! Interesting!!!

This all helped slash the theft rate on some models by 90 percent!!!

To read further, check out this site

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

Go Lexus

GO LEXUS GO!

Click on the image below

After Work!

I was heading to my car in the parking after work, and from a distance I saw an orange cone behind my car and the security guard standing next to it with some papers! When I reached my spot, I saw my car! IT WAS HIT FROM THE LEFT CORNER! The car next to me was even in a worse condition! Damaged from the back, owner is Egyptian.. Then the security guard explained the accident to us;

"A Pakistani guy came and hit both cars, the blue car and then the green (mine)! Let me go get his information for you!"

I was so upset! Then came SS, my colleague, who insisted to help me out (Thanks a million buddy, I really appreciate it) and then came MB, who also wanted to stay but I told her to go home, that its already been taken care of cuz I called OT -my long lost brother ;-)- (Thanks a whole bunch, you dont know how much your help meant to me)

Imagine with the police system in Kuwait, you have to do some paper work at one station and finish up in the other, OT and SS did everything for me while I waited in the car (HOW SWEET) and I only had to go in to talk to the inspector and sign some papers.. (This all took over 2 long hours).. let alone that OT had to stay longer to wait for the papers.

I am so upset though!!! I love my car!
This is such a bad start for my week :-(