Amnesty

Interesting...

The government of Kuwait as per the usual practice every year , grants amnesty for a certain period of time to those individuals in Kuwait, who have either stayed beyond their residence permit or have entered the country illegally. Well everyone in Kuwait knows a large number of individuals come to Kuwait to look for a better life. But alas, the life does not end up the way they expected and they are stuck behind the country as a result of either not been able to afford their tickets back(90% of the reasons) or have expired residence permits which would cause a problem if they would try to leave in normal circumstances.

There are many such individuals in Kuwait, half of whom were promised of a better future in comparison to their native countries and the other half just desperate for a chance in life.

The government in providing amnesty to such individuals thereby giving them chance to leave the country without been fined or persecuted is a good thing.

But there is just one problem!!!, The amnesty period comes at the time when you got all the flights in the middle of rush season with the fare been the highest for the year. People who would want to go back to their native countries are first going to face problems getting a ticket, and second not been in a position to pay for their ticket.

So would the amnesty provided fulfill its purpose?

If nothing else is done, I don't think so.

Accident!!!

Prado was hit from behind yesterday.

Fortunately it happened while I was waiting at the signal to take a U Turn. Poor guy behind must have mistakenly pressed on his accelerator and bang. At first when I felt it, I was like shits not again!!! ( I thought I banged the car in front ) Then realized that it was the guy behind who banged into me. For a minute I was like great, Not even one year since I drove the vehicle and my bad luck :). Well as expected, I get out of the vehicle to give the faulting driver a piece of my mind and watch a pale looking old man behind a kinda new Camry. He looked more like some driver for a Kuwaiti (I felt so because of the scare in his face, he looked more worried not about me but on what's gona happen to him later) anyway my heart was in no mood to fire him, Went on and checked the extent of the damage and walla not a scratch on my vehicle. Thanks to the hook behind my vehicle, the pale old man's car who banged me got damaged pretty bad and the Prado never suffered a single scratch. Seeing the kinda comical situation, I looked at the old man and shout "Hey your car is damaged"!!! Kinda funny, I was more worried for his car (after I knew nothing happened to mine of course) :)

Well the signal turned green by the time all this happened and I didn't want to prolong when my vehicle suffered no damage. and went on my way home. :)

I hope the old guy did'nt continue to have a bad day..... :)

Job Hopping :)

Every country talks about their employment problems be it a developed country like the United States or an underdeveloped economy like Africa. But in Kuwait, at least among the Indian people I know, employment is not an issue anymore. I know a lot of guys who love to challenge authority to get what they desire (working conditions and remunerations). This seems to be a good shift from the day and age where Indians were struggling to find jobs and had to struggle hard. Although the fact still remains that a number of Indians are still struggling to get jobs, it is only astonishing to find a rising number actually enjoy job hopping for better prospects :).

Can job hopping be a good thing? Well I know guys who are proud job jumpers and those boasting of not staying for more than a few months in the same company. Mind you, these are not guys who are kicked out of their jobs, but guys who have the capability to play their employers in their court. The BPO industry in India further gave rise to this trend with the industry recording one of the highest attrition rates.

Job attrition affects all levels of the business organization and is not linked to just any one job category. The level of expatriate population has increased in the past few years. But I doubt if this will sustain in the near future. The mentality and options of employees are slowly changing, better options in home countries and elsewhere pulls them out. Many of my friends left the country for better prospects. I suspect, others will be soon follow.

In general, the tide of change has begun; now employees with more options and better understanding of markets are challenging employer’s importance. Employees have reached the point where they won’t take disrespect and non -professional attitudes from employers lightly.


Times are changing :)

Link for Saudi Citizenship News

The link from where I got the news about the Saudi Citizenship on offer..


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Saudi_Arabia_to_grant_citizenship_to_expats/articleshowcnews/2006402.cms

Saudi Citizenship!!!

It seems Saudi Arabia is giving away citizenships to residents who match up as per their standards (Phd's and Specialized jobs related individuals). Reading it made me interested for a minute, but then after thinking about it... Who would want to actually change their citizenship to a Saudi one. It looks more like a good try at buying the brains to run the economy. It reminds me of Qatar nationalizing african and other nations citizens as their own to run in the the Doha games. I know people who would love to have a US or Canadian citizenship, but for a Saudi or a Qatari citizenship,...hmmm... its goto be the flow of money for majority of the cases. My support stands for those who although have been working in another country all their lives, stil retain the citizenship of their original countries. I mean at the end , if you are a Saudi or a Qatari, a change in the paperwork doesnt make u the other.

1st day of the month :)

Was just thinking….What’s so special about the 1st of every month!

Pointers

Good point
I get to withdraw cash (Salary)
Oh I feel Richhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I get to help someone out who is in need of cash

Not so good points
I got to pay the guy who washes my car
I got to pay the guy in office whose fridge I ransack every other day
I got to pay my car loans
I got to pay my other loans
I got to pay my mobile bills
I get to fill my vehicle to full tank
I get screwed if the guy I helped doesn’t repay back bahhhhhh

Hmm summing it up, first day of the month ain’t that great a day for me is it??? :) ;)

Service Call.. a little too late :)

Got a call from the Toyota service representative today, asking about the online booking I had did for servicing the Prado, She said I had to do the full service and not just the oil and filter change. By the way the oil and filter change was 8 bucks :) and the fiull service as I was told was 150 KD!!! Oh man since I got the second hand vehicle it has been only 5,000 kms and I already have to do a full service.!!! Well I was trying to tell her I din't know the history of the vehicle but it was supposed to have been fully serviced before I had got it from the Authorised AlSayer dealer. Well the lady goes on to say that the car should be fully serviced at either 70,000 kms or 80,000 kms and because she said that she had no record of the major service in the service history...I had to get my car on the major service. so as a result I agreed and fixed a service date. I went on to call up my dad and tell him the news, He gets suprised it was not serviced by the dealer in the first place. Well after the chit chat with dad I decided to call her up again and to find out for sure if the vehicle was not serviced. But this time got another guy on the line this time and explain to him of the situation. He in fact tells me that I didn't need to do the major service as its completely serviced before being sold by the Al Sayer authorised dealer. I asked him to cancel my appointment and he goes like "you can just forget about it and when they call to remind you to come for service to tell them the reason then" :) Well its a good thing to forget as I get to save 150 bucks :) and an unnecessary vehicle service.

Well just to be sure, I would have to get some contact to check up the vehicle and make sure it was really fully serviced before being given to me in the first place :).

Vehicle Service Day

So with this in mind got up early in the morning (Yes I can) and make a rush to the Toyota service center at 6:50. I think, I reached at around 7:15am or so and saw the service guys were all there. I mean the service guys all ready for the work!!! That was pretty shocking and couldn’t believe these guys start so early in the morning. I just came early so as to make sure I get though the service rush. At the time there was only one vehicle been serviced and mine was the second. I went ahead to the reception and with the formalities got the vehicle serviced. It barely took 10 minutes and I was out of the place and heading to Office. Coming to think of it, I took more time traveling to the Toyota service station than servicing my vehicle. A great job which was well done. My next service won’t be short as I later found out. It would take 4-5 hours. The road back to the office was packed with vehicles from all directions. Coming to think of it, all this while staying in the city, I never really got the feeling of road rush for longer than half hour. It was a good start considering my new home wouldn’t be in the city anymore. But that all said I ended up in office earlier than usual and back to work.

Time for Vehicle Service

Damm…Went over the required service mileage by over 50 Kms for the Prado. Did a check with colleagues if it was okay to go beyond the required service time, and these were the comments I got:

First Guy: “The lady calling from Toyota asked me why I never came for service at 8000 Kms, and said that she would book my appointment next as soon as possible.” (This guys had a Prado which was driven close to 10,000kms when the call was made to him)

Second Guy: Its okay to go beyond the required service kilometers but its SAFER to get it serviced by the NEXT TWO REQUIRED SERVICE KMS!!!

Third Guy = ME: Am going as soon as I can to get it serviced!!! No unwanted risk’s for me and warranty is based on proper service been performed (I thought of all this later of course)

With all this in mind I was wondering how long the service would take, Went on to the Al Sayar Toyota website and found a surprising new feature…an online booking system where we could book the preferred date and time for servicing individual’s vehicle. Went ahead and booked for a 7:30am slot. After the booking it was mentioned that a customer service representative would get back to me. But considering the time right now is 11:30pm and the service date being tomorrow early morning, I figured the call wouldn’t be required. So it’s the bed for me now, got to get up early.

New Setup :)

Finally done finalizing for a new place to stay in. Will be pushing out of Sharq in a few days, Should say the new place is one level better than the present place of stay.

Not so good points for the new place

Location far from place of work

No more jogging in the beach side ever (well i did go a few times :))

No more beaches

No more late nights at Souk Sharq / Sultan Center

I have to start paying a portion of Rent!!!!!

Good points for the new place

Next to al the Car Showrooms

Next to biggest mall in Kuwait "Avenues"(just opened 2 days back)

Bigger House

Finally can get a 42" LCD

Finally a OWN room thats only mine :)

FREE swimming pool

FREE Squash Court

FREE Tennis Court

FREE Basketball Court

Guys!!! expect me getting thin in a few months, considering work does'nt stop me from using the FREE facilities!!!!!

Discrimination for Flats

Since we got had to shift out of our old flat (It was going to be demolished) by april end, we were busy searching for new flats in and around Kuwait City area. The other day my folks went to Hawally and cehcked out a few flats and while at one of the flats the "Bangladeshi" haris told my dad that "Indians and Pakistani's" are not allowed to take up residence in the building. Talk about discrimination!!! Well, Dad gave him a piece of his mind but alas the Bangladeshi haris was only doing what his "BOSS" wanted him to do. Anyway he was not the first one of them.. they were actually a few of them who actually had the same views. Considering the area was not the best in Kuwait with a lot of rude kids with no manners around, and the attitude of the people around that particular area, It was best decided to not stay there :)

Still can't believe what happened. Discrimination still exists... big time. Without a change to attitudes, there will never be constructive overall development to a human being. I believe only one thing comes out of discrimination, which is lack of respect for another human being which ends up with lack of respect for the discriminator :)

Let the decisions be made, and the consequences be felt........ WITHOUT ANY KIND OF DISCRIMINATION :)

Blahh

The door knob to my bedroom door was broken, well it happened a long time back when I tried opening the door, the knob just broke offf.. Whats that.. yah its my power hands that did it :) (One of the not needed powers that came upon me at the wrong time :)) Well the mistake here was not the fact that I broke it but the fact that I was not bothered to fix it sooner.

By sooner I meant before this happened:)

That was my Favorite Gap Shirt I had got from the states (Big Time Sale)

Moral: Something you can do today.. Just Do It TODAY!
Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi was where my test was to be held, fairly a two hours drive from the hotel where I was stayin in Dubai(I could not get a free hotel because of the arms fair that was taking place in Abu Dhabi and all the hotels (at least the good ones) were booked one month in advance :). Anyway Dubai was a great place to stay.

Got to stay in a hotel named Avari(Its supposed to be some high end hotel(4 star) with branches in Pakistan and other countries(Source: office collegue). The hotel was booked for the 22nd and I reached Dubai at 12am 22nd early morning(Courtesy:Jazeera Airways). Then the blunder, I forgot that hotel's usually have a check in time and Avari Hotel had a checkin time for 22nd at 12pm!!! Well since I thought money was not a problem I told them go ahead and book me another room. Turned out that there was no other room left..blahhhh. With nowhere to go, I did what I thought I was good at ..thats finding a solution! well the only solution that came out was that I had to take up the last SUITE room which costed like 3 times my booked room pay. Thats when i realised I did have a money problem hehe. Then the magic of the CREDIT CARD. :) But just about then I thought why not call up my friends instead of paying up for a suite for which I really would'nt need, and try my luck, If not then, no choice but an oversized suite for me.

Luckly got a friend whose parent's had shifted back to India a long time back. He was more than willing to let me stay at his place for the nite. The nite went chatting and the next mornign went with the playstation games. Suddenly got back my interest in video games. this is after my last game console being the SEGA(Oh how I loved the machine)

Well then remembered I had an exam the next day so had to get back to the hotel and proberly start studing, yah I said "proberly" because the time I reached the hotel, I was on the TV glued to the Satellite Movies (Maybe more coz I actually dont have satellite at home, Funny nah! but I have only Mallu channels back in Kuwait). Actually thinking about it, I neva had much time to watch TV since I started working and more like since I got my driver's licence(Freedom licence for me) :)

Well I ended up reaching the exam late the next morning, traffic was something new. Now i realised where the word traffic came from, yah its from Dubai's congested roads. Till then I thought okie Dubai to Abu dhabi is the worst(Yah that's then). But after my exam and coming back from Abu Dhabi to Dubai I knew what could be worser!!! 3.5 hours!!!!! and thinking it would be a nice rather than catching the bus and come in these private seven seaters proved to be an idea from the wrong side of the brain. Not only was the vehicle cramped up but the AC was switched off just before the vehicle started moving(very smart move by driver). Well the only consoling fact was that I would have reached much later or proberly missed my flight if I had caught the bus back to Dubai. The fact that the seven seater van driven by a Patan as they were called were cheap which was 10 Dhirams compared to the 50 Dhirams I paid for a private taxi(Camry model) from Dubai to Abu Dhabi (included wasting 45 minutes waiting for co-passengers).

Well the building's alongside King Zayed road was amazing, nothing in comparison to that from Kuwait, got to saw Burj Dubai tower under construction . It's supposed to be the tallest building in the world once its completed :)

Once I made it to Dubai, made a quick stopover at the hotel freshened up and taxied to the airport and met up with a friend of my sisters who was in the airport waitin for my sister's arrival. YESS my sister was coming when I was leaving. Considering the 5 days of holidays would be boring in the country she hopped into Dubai to meet up with her friends.

Well soon after my sister arrived, I was dropped off to my terminal by the top Dubai Driver Awardee (my award) i.e. my sister's friend. Well and I was back to my Jazeera flight and in no time back to Kuwait. Reaching Kwuait I realised something.... I was gona be 4 days at home all ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Yipeeeeeee

and so starts my 4 days of Bachelorhood(I refer it to independence)....

2 days in Dubai!!!!!

Well it was supposed to be an exam trip, well yes.. it did turn out to be just an exam trip after all. The day of leaving that's on Wednesday turned out that I had load's of work to finish before it would be ethically right to go. Well the day went pretty fast considering I was trying to complete everything I had in 10 hours. I actually was able to complete the work and right after went home and did the fastest packing I had ever done which was like in 5 minutes. Stuffed the clothes I had to wear for two days and my personnel stuffs. After that made a run to the airport( I always end up running to the airport everytime I leave). Well this was my first Jazeera Flight and guess wat I found it extremely comfortable and pleasent, :) Well it was a little cramped up.. but in comparison to other planes I had travelled in were more or less the same. The good thing about Jazeera was the fact that it had leather seats. The journey was ....well... one of the few I did without watching TV and well forgetting earplugs for my Sony mobile made the trip kinda unentertaining. Other than that the trip was pleasent and I was even offered chewing gum by the middle aged lady sitting next to me. (Sounds funny i know...chewing gum from a middle aged lady!!). By the way was'nt chewing gum or for that matter food or liquid items banned from flight? ??? Well I guess the rules are chaged now.

Well I am blogging from the Dubai Airport which currently provides free wireless services( This was not available the last timeI had visited Dubai which was like 3 months back i guess. (Yah maybe coz I neva tried :)) : )) But am so glad its here..In Kuwait International Airport we too have the Zajil I guess providing free wireless access. But that would always seem to have some problem or the other everytime I would try to access it :)

Well right now goto make a move. will blog about my experiences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and how the two places are very different while every other guy including me from Kuwait would thinking they were like synonyms...

Moving Out

We guys had got the notice from our building Haris that the building would be demolished and a new one would be constructed in its place. As a result of the owner’s intention we vacate, we were able to attain the 6 months free rent policy. As of now I live with my parents and they are glad with the free rent for the 6 month period. But then the difficult part comes when within 6 months we got to shift to a new location. Various options having been said.. we might just end up looking for an affordable place in City itself. I basically take 4 minutes to reach office from home. Hate to think anywhere else where I would have to relocate:

Disadvantages of moving from present location.
1. Will start to hate driving, with at least half an hour of travel one way to office from anywhere else in Kuwait (At present its 3 minutes).

2. Got to get up early for work!!!!

3. Everything I know and want is in City!!!

4. Higher fuel expenditure

5. Beach being more than just a few walking steps!!

6. Dependent on Sultan Center in Souk Sharq for snacks after midnite

7. Would be paying the same rent for a much smaller flat!!Duhhh

8. Would probably end up having to fight for parking spots.

9. No more cheap bowling centers close by

10. No more cheap gyms close by(not that I go but stillll)

11. Strategic locations lost - mobile shops, car accessories shops, co-operative, automatic car wash, Hawally computer shops (7 minutes) etc. all of which are less than 2 minutes drive.

Positive point!
1. It could be worse :)