Over the past few weeks, I've been visiting MHD (Land Rover service center) a lot. I never left that place satisfied. As always, I like to list down points so that my point is clear to all readers.
- Warranty on my father's LR3 ended on September 2010.
- Before the warranty ended, we had numerous complaints about the suspension and transmission, and the dealer fixed some but refused to acknowledge others.
- In these 2 months (Sep to Nov 2010): all these parts got defects: Rear axle/differential, A/C blower, Air suspension compressor, Transmission, and control arm bush. A total amount of R.O 2,300 after discount.
- The dealership stated that Land Rover UK doesn't have goodwill in their policy (huh?!)
- The service manager's reply to our dissatisfaction was: "This is unfortunate, but we can't do anything about it."
I really feel like going to the showroom and make a scene in front of the customers.
End of blog post.
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Monday, 4 October 2010
Marriage stories Chapter 5: Persistence.
Many of my friends/relatives are getting married but it's either a really traditional marriage or I don't have enough details. So this will be my last marriage story till further notice. It's not really interesting but worth mentioning.
I couldn't find photos/drawings/cartoons that suit the story so I'm just gonna throw 2 random funny ones the start telling the story:
Our character in this story is T. S. Al-A. We shall call him T.
I did not live the story with T. He just gave me all the details few weeks before his wedding.
Sheikh T was in his 3rd year in SQU. for the past 2.5 years he has been studying/working closely with one of his female colleagues. He liked her from the beginning but kept his feelings inside. He thought he would get closer then bring up the million Rials question. He later told me that it was a big mistake to follow that approach.
========================================================
Place: Lab 101
Time: 5.05 pm. Right after the lab session was over.
T and his lab partner made a breakthrough in one of the experiments and got the appreciation from the instructor. After everyone left T thought this was the right moment to pop the question. T didn't go into the details but he gave me "El zibda"*. He told the girl that he really likes her and that he's interested in her. She rejected him. Again, T didn't tell me how she did, what she said or even why she rejected him.
=========================================================
T was shocked. I can't imagine how he felt but he said that even he didn't know how he felt exactly. Frustrated? Sad? Disappointed? All of the forth mentioned? All of that and a million ideas went through his head at the same time. Following "the incident", T got a bad taste in his mouth and marriage was something he neither believed in, nor wanted to talk about. He saw marriage as a negative thing. He even saw women as a negative thing. The insensible man inside him kept telling him "If she rejected you, then who would say yes. everything was perfect with her. she gave you all the positive vibes". I met T during that period. I absolutely HATED him because he was always rude to girls. He would insult guys and girls in public if he sees them talking to each other. He was the guy that would publicly tell you that you are doing a wrong thing, and even if everyone knows it's not wrong, the way he says it makes it sound wrong.
My approach with T was "ib3ed 3an el sharr oo '3aneelah"**. I would keep my distant and in any encounter with him, whatever comment he throws at me, I would laugh and walk away. I didn't even pay attention to what he says and would keep doing what I'm doing.
===========================================================
Months passed, activities/events were organized, and as our big annual exhibition was approaching, me and T were getting closer because of all the work we had to do together. I also started noticing that he became a better person. Could it be because he started knowing me better and maybe that made him realize that people usually have good intentions? As much as I wanted to flatter myself, I felt there was something else affecting him. After 2 years of meeting T (That's 4 years after "the incident") we became good friends.
Ok I guess to understand the story; we need to go back 1 year. T's close friend who's married never gave up on him. He kept telling T how marriage is a good thing once you find the right person and how you can't see the word in one way because of ONE bad experience. He finally convinced T to consider marriage again. T friend's wife had a friend who she really admires. The married couple thought of playing cupid and hooking up T with that girl. As much as hesitant T was, he thought he'd give it a try just to please his friend.
T thought the girl was interesting based on what he heard from his friend. There were couple of phone calls here and there and the frosting on the cake was a photo of the girl :P
What do you know? They liked each other! A lot.
===============================================================
T was determined. He told his parents and they were happy about it. They decided to go to the girl's family house to propose. They were from different town and it would take them 3.5 hours by car to reach her house.
Nothing is perfect in this life. Nothing.
T was rejected again. This time it was the family. however, it was no surprise to him.
The girl told him her family is the type that will only let the women marry their cousins, no one else, not even relatives that are not direct cousins.
That didn't stop T from trying. His family went again, and again, and again. They were rejected 4 times. T never listened to the people telling him "Why this girl? there are many out there, all of them would agree from the first time". T said: "I want that girl, and I will marry that girl". To go propose the 5th time, T didn't just ask his family to accompany him, he also asked people from other close families. This time they were more than 25 men. All dressed up in full traditional clothes, including the Khanjars*** and the Khaizarans****. They all went to her family's house. They got the approval.
=============================================================
"Wow. I never thought that proposing more than once would actually change people's mind. Specially the families that only believe in cousins' marriage" I said commenting on T's story with a dorky smile on my face. T said the only thought going through his head was marrying that girl. "No" was not an option for him.
T is now married and has a beautiful daughter.
End of Blog Entry...
========================================================
Note: If some of the events don't make sense, it's either because I skipped some details or because I don't remember all the details.
Glossary:
*Zibda: Butter. It's used as "conclusion" in this context.
** a proverb means stay away from problems
***Khanjar: Dagger
**** Khaizaran: A stick made of bamboo wood.
I couldn't find photos/drawings/cartoons that suit the story so I'm just gonna throw 2 random funny ones the start telling the story:
Our character in this story is T. S. Al-A. We shall call him T.
I did not live the story with T. He just gave me all the details few weeks before his wedding.
Sheikh T was in his 3rd year in SQU. for the past 2.5 years he has been studying/working closely with one of his female colleagues. He liked her from the beginning but kept his feelings inside. He thought he would get closer then bring up the million Rials question. He later told me that it was a big mistake to follow that approach.
========================================================
Place: Lab 101
Time: 5.05 pm. Right after the lab session was over.
T and his lab partner made a breakthrough in one of the experiments and got the appreciation from the instructor. After everyone left T thought this was the right moment to pop the question. T didn't go into the details but he gave me "El zibda"*. He told the girl that he really likes her and that he's interested in her. She rejected him. Again, T didn't tell me how she did, what she said or even why she rejected him.
=========================================================
T was shocked. I can't imagine how he felt but he said that even he didn't know how he felt exactly. Frustrated? Sad? Disappointed? All of the forth mentioned? All of that and a million ideas went through his head at the same time. Following "the incident", T got a bad taste in his mouth and marriage was something he neither believed in, nor wanted to talk about. He saw marriage as a negative thing. He even saw women as a negative thing. The insensible man inside him kept telling him "If she rejected you, then who would say yes. everything was perfect with her. she gave you all the positive vibes". I met T during that period. I absolutely HATED him because he was always rude to girls. He would insult guys and girls in public if he sees them talking to each other. He was the guy that would publicly tell you that you are doing a wrong thing, and even if everyone knows it's not wrong, the way he says it makes it sound wrong.
My approach with T was "ib3ed 3an el sharr oo '3aneelah"**. I would keep my distant and in any encounter with him, whatever comment he throws at me, I would laugh and walk away. I didn't even pay attention to what he says and would keep doing what I'm doing.
===========================================================
Months passed, activities/events were organized, and as our big annual exhibition was approaching, me and T were getting closer because of all the work we had to do together. I also started noticing that he became a better person. Could it be because he started knowing me better and maybe that made him realize that people usually have good intentions? As much as I wanted to flatter myself, I felt there was something else affecting him. After 2 years of meeting T (That's 4 years after "the incident") we became good friends.
Ok I guess to understand the story; we need to go back 1 year. T's close friend who's married never gave up on him. He kept telling T how marriage is a good thing once you find the right person and how you can't see the word in one way because of ONE bad experience. He finally convinced T to consider marriage again. T friend's wife had a friend who she really admires. The married couple thought of playing cupid and hooking up T with that girl. As much as hesitant T was, he thought he'd give it a try just to please his friend.
T thought the girl was interesting based on what he heard from his friend. There were couple of phone calls here and there and the frosting on the cake was a photo of the girl :P
What do you know? They liked each other! A lot.
===============================================================
T was determined. He told his parents and they were happy about it. They decided to go to the girl's family house to propose. They were from different town and it would take them 3.5 hours by car to reach her house.
Nothing is perfect in this life. Nothing.
T was rejected again. This time it was the family. however, it was no surprise to him.
The girl told him her family is the type that will only let the women marry their cousins, no one else, not even relatives that are not direct cousins.
That didn't stop T from trying. His family went again, and again, and again. They were rejected 4 times. T never listened to the people telling him "Why this girl? there are many out there, all of them would agree from the first time". T said: "I want that girl, and I will marry that girl". To go propose the 5th time, T didn't just ask his family to accompany him, he also asked people from other close families. This time they were more than 25 men. All dressed up in full traditional clothes, including the Khanjars*** and the Khaizarans****. They all went to her family's house. They got the approval.
=============================================================
"Wow. I never thought that proposing more than once would actually change people's mind. Specially the families that only believe in cousins' marriage" I said commenting on T's story with a dorky smile on my face. T said the only thought going through his head was marrying that girl. "No" was not an option for him.
T is now married and has a beautiful daughter.
End of Blog Entry...
========================================================
Note: If some of the events don't make sense, it's either because I skipped some details or because I don't remember all the details.
Glossary:
*Zibda: Butter. It's used as "conclusion" in this context.
** a proverb means stay away from problems
***Khanjar: Dagger
**** Khaizaran: A stick made of bamboo wood.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Dealerships criticism part 1: MHD
New Series. (I always start a series but then stop posting about it).
I decided to be like any other frustrated Omani in the Sabla and start bitching about the crappy cars dealerships here in Oman. I used to take it because I didn't face big problems but it reached a limit where I have to speak about it. I will mention my own experience with the dealerships and the bad things I've been through.
I will start the series with an average post about Mohsin Haidar Darweesh (MHD), which is the dealership for Land Rover, Volvo and Jaguar. (God I thought this was going to be a short post. It's not!)
Encounter one: Volvo S40 accident.
My sister got into a small accident in her Volvo S40. So I took it to MHD get an estimate of the total damage and a quotation of the needed parts/labor for the job.
- I went twice without the ability to meet the concerned person. One time because I went at 5.25 PM and they close at 5.30. The other time because he had a meeting and nobody knew when he was gonna finish.
- After I met the concerned person, I had to wait for around a week to get the quotation. And that is with me pushing them to finish it. They never called to update me. I had to call every single time to check whether it was done or not.
- Once I got the quotation, it was so high I didn't even want to bargain about the price, even though the omani employee wanted to set me a meeting with the body shop manager to discuss the quotation.
- Parts were expensive as hell. and I thought BMW parts were expensive. A really tiny piece of plastic (the hook cover, 5x5 cm) costs around 16 rials.
- They told me it will take 2 days to get the part. it took them 2 weeks to get it (and I'm not exaggerating).
=====================================================
Encounter 2: Jaguar XF test drive.
- Simply put: I took the XF for a test drive and I couldn't start it in the morning because it had a gear fault. The salesman was so cold and after the dealer truck took the car, I never heard from him again.
=============================================================
Encounter 3: Land Rover LR3 technical issues.
- Any person with a good amount of general cars knowledge knows that Land Rovers (including the Range Rover) are cars that suffer from technical problems.They would be the most amazing SUVs if it wasn't for these problems because everything else is great about them.
I won't write every single problem we had with MHD regarding the LR3 because they are endless. The staff there know us well but still the treatment wasn't good. They are always late, the car goes in for the same problem several times, and only 2 out of the thousand times our LR3 went there, we got a courtesy car.
The MHD staff we know are very helpful. I really don't know who to blame for all of these problems.
End of Blog Entry...
I decided to be like any other frustrated Omani in the Sabla and start bitching about the crappy cars dealerships here in Oman. I used to take it because I didn't face big problems but it reached a limit where I have to speak about it. I will mention my own experience with the dealerships and the bad things I've been through.
I will start the series with an average post about Mohsin Haidar Darweesh (MHD), which is the dealership for Land Rover, Volvo and Jaguar. (God I thought this was going to be a short post. It's not!)
Encounter one: Volvo S40 accident.
My sister got into a small accident in her Volvo S40. So I took it to MHD get an estimate of the total damage and a quotation of the needed parts/labor for the job.
- I went twice without the ability to meet the concerned person. One time because I went at 5.25 PM and they close at 5.30. The other time because he had a meeting and nobody knew when he was gonna finish.
- After I met the concerned person, I had to wait for around a week to get the quotation. And that is with me pushing them to finish it. They never called to update me. I had to call every single time to check whether it was done or not.
- Once I got the quotation, it was so high I didn't even want to bargain about the price, even though the omani employee wanted to set me a meeting with the body shop manager to discuss the quotation.
- Parts were expensive as hell. and I thought BMW parts were expensive. A really tiny piece of plastic (the hook cover, 5x5 cm) costs around 16 rials.
- They told me it will take 2 days to get the part. it took them 2 weeks to get it (and I'm not exaggerating).
=====================================================
Encounter 2: Jaguar XF test drive.
- Simply put: I took the XF for a test drive and I couldn't start it in the morning because it had a gear fault. The salesman was so cold and after the dealer truck took the car, I never heard from him again.
=============================================================
Encounter 3: Land Rover LR3 technical issues.
- Any person with a good amount of general cars knowledge knows that Land Rovers (including the Range Rover) are cars that suffer from technical problems.They would be the most amazing SUVs if it wasn't for these problems because everything else is great about them.
I won't write every single problem we had with MHD regarding the LR3 because they are endless. The staff there know us well but still the treatment wasn't good. They are always late, the car goes in for the same problem several times, and only 2 out of the thousand times our LR3 went there, we got a courtesy car.
The MHD staff we know are very helpful. I really don't know who to blame for all of these problems.
End of Blog Entry...
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
New blog design.
Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3.
I can't seem to find the blog design that I REALLY want. Maybe cuz I'm not bothered.
This one seems ok. The flickr slide show is out of the box but I'm kinda liking it.
This will probably stick for a while till i find a better alternative.
end of blog entry ...
I can't seem to find the blog design that I REALLY want. Maybe cuz I'm not bothered.
This one seems ok. The flickr slide show is out of the box but I'm kinda liking it.
This will probably stick for a while till i find a better alternative.
end of blog entry ...
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Roxy (L)
Monday, 30 August 2010
Masjid's reviews
Masjids I prayed Taraweeh in
Almost three weeks passed since Ramadan started. Wow, feels like everything is passing by so fast.
Here are couple of Masjids (Mosques) I've been to so far this Ramadan and my opinions about them.
1. Assalam Mosque, Al Khwair 33:
- Small mosque
- Closest mosque to my house.
- Women's Praying area: Don't know
- The recitation wasn't that good.
- Time to finish taraweeh prayers: Average
- Heat/atmosphere: Normal
- Parking: crowded
2. Al Rawahi Mosque, Shatti Al Qurm:
- Small mosque.
- Women's praying area: none
- Good recitation.
- Time to finish taraweeh: slightly short.
- Heat/atmosphere: It was kinda hot.
- Parking: crowded
3. Al Salmi mosque, Al Khwair:
- Small-Medium mosque.
- Women's praying area: available but small.
- Very crowded.
- Recitation is ok.
- Time to finish taraweeh: long
- Heat/atmosphere: normal
- Parking: Crowded
===================================================
4. Fatima Al Zahraa, Hayy Al Rahba, MSQ: (My recommendation)
- Big mosque
- Women's praying area: available, very good.
- EXCELLENT recitation (Al Sulaimani is amazing. The other Imam who prays on weekends is also good)
- Time to finish taraweeh: short-medium
- Heat/atmosphere: Excellent. good, cold tempreture and quite atmosphere.
- Parking: plenty available.
===================================================
5. Al Muhallab Mosque, Ilam city:
- Big Mosque.
- Women's praying area: none
- Recitation: good
- Time to finish taraweeh: short
- Heat/atmosphere: great
- Parking: plenty.
- Note: Al Muhallab starts Ishaa prayers early and it's short So you would need to be at least 5 minutes earlier than other mosques.
6. The small mosque near Pizza Hut MSQ:
- very small mosque
- Women's praying area: don't know
- Recitation: really bad
- Time to finish taraweeh: short
- Heat/atmosphere: tempreture is good but the mosque needs more care.
- Parking: almost none. You need to park in Al Fair or Pizza Hut parking.
End of Blog Entry...
Almost three weeks passed since Ramadan started. Wow, feels like everything is passing by so fast.
Here are couple of Masjids (Mosques) I've been to so far this Ramadan and my opinions about them.
1. Assalam Mosque, Al Khwair 33:
- Small mosque
- Closest mosque to my house.
- Women's Praying area: Don't know
- The recitation wasn't that good.
- Time to finish taraweeh prayers: Average
- Heat/atmosphere: Normal
- Parking: crowded
2. Al Rawahi Mosque, Shatti Al Qurm:
- Small mosque.
- Women's praying area: none
- Good recitation.
- Time to finish taraweeh: slightly short.
- Heat/atmosphere: It was kinda hot.
- Parking: crowded
3. Al Salmi mosque, Al Khwair:
- Small-Medium mosque.
- Women's praying area: available but small.
- Very crowded.
- Recitation is ok.
- Time to finish taraweeh: long
- Heat/atmosphere: normal
- Parking: Crowded
===================================================
4. Fatima Al Zahraa, Hayy Al Rahba, MSQ: (My recommendation)
- Big mosque
- Women's praying area: available, very good.
- EXCELLENT recitation (Al Sulaimani is amazing. The other Imam who prays on weekends is also good)
- Time to finish taraweeh: short-medium
- Heat/atmosphere: Excellent. good, cold tempreture and quite atmosphere.
- Parking: plenty available.
===================================================
5. Al Muhallab Mosque, Ilam city:
- Big Mosque.
- Women's praying area: none
- Recitation: good
- Time to finish taraweeh: short
- Heat/atmosphere: great
- Parking: plenty.
- Note: Al Muhallab starts Ishaa prayers early and it's short So you would need to be at least 5 minutes earlier than other mosques.
6. The small mosque near Pizza Hut MSQ:
- very small mosque
- Women's praying area: don't know
- Recitation: really bad
- Time to finish taraweeh: short
- Heat/atmosphere: tempreture is good but the mosque needs more care.
- Parking: almost none. You need to park in Al Fair or Pizza Hut parking.
End of Blog Entry...
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
The E92 M3
(I couldn't find a photo of a black vorsteiner M3 so this will do)
I 1st saw the new E92 M3 around 2-3 years ago. The car is a master piece and a legend following its predecessors.
Time passed and I saw many M3s on the street. Now whenever I see one I would have a look at it, I like it, aka7al 3aini, and smile, nothing more than that.
Around 2 days ago. I was waiting for my friend in this parking lot when this M3 with a Dubai license plate came driving my way. I noticed there is something different about it and I was lucky the guy pulled right next to me so I can have a better look at the car.
Black exterior, reflective tint and black interior. Those colors might sound normal but on an M3 they were GREAT.The guy left the car so I had my chance to have a closer look at it.
WOW. This was no ordinary M3.
It had a vorsteiner front bumper. I love the look of the standard M3 bumper but this bumper definitely adds a nice touch. Kinda like a hot girl wearing aviators. Looking a bit more inside made me admire the car more. The owner got rid of the luxury black leather seats and replaced them with sporty, light-weight Recaro seats. It's easy for a car to look nice with the normal black seats and they are definitely better for daily use but those recaro seats were awesome. The car was also carrying a high-tech GPS/timer/drag numbers device. I know that device cuz I've seen it somewhere online. That system shows that the owner is well-updated with new technology.
Now are the above modifications the reason I got goosebumps when I saw that M3? Absolutely not.
It's true those modification might have attracted my attention, but they were just sparks that ignited the fire inside me and reminded me why I loved the M3 in the 1st place: why I get goosebumps whenever I hear its sound, why i would get in a better mood if I see one driving by and why I feel proud whenever I see it winning an award or a trophy. The S65 engine which is the beating heart of this car. That Big, beautiful engine which runs this car and the 100 million-info-per-second computer that control the car makes driving this car so sweet. The car charms you with the way it talks to you. Those 2 parts combined were the reason why I like the M3 so much. What's the point of a good-looking car if it doesn't pleases you when you drive it/talk to it??
I wrote this blog post because I felt that M3 needs to be appreciated, and because I needed to let it out. Yes, even though I don't own it, I liked that M3 A LOT.
End of Blog Entry...
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