Nikon Service

Dear Sir/Madam;

Its almost two weeks since you replied to my email and I have yet to hear any news from Nikon Malaysia. Can you please help. The holiday season is approaching and I am without my D700.

apandi

1854hrs. 23 December 2008.

On Sun, Dec 14, 2008 at 10:48 PM, Nikon Malaysia Tech Support <mysupport@nikon-asia.com> wrote:

Recently you requested personal assistance from our Nikon Asia Technical on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may re-open the case within the next 7 days.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Subject

D700 - one month already...

Discussion Thread

Response (Nikon Malaysia Tech Support)

14/12/2008 10.48 PM

Dear Mr. Noor Apandi,

Thank you for contacting Nikon Asia Technical Support. Your case has been forwarded to us. We will assist you from here.

Your case has been forwarded to Mr. Paul Lee and he will be assisting you on this. He can be reached at 03-78093688 ext. 621 or Paul.Lee@nikonoa.net

Thank you for your support on Nikon Products. We hope we have addressed your concerns. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Dear Paul,

Kindly revert to Mr. Noor Apandi at 01x-xxxx78 or xxx@xxxx.my regarding the status of his camera.

Thanks

Regards
Lee
Sales & Technical Support Executive
+603-78093688 ext. 653

Customer (Noor Apandi Osnin)

14/12/2008 03.42 PM

Dear Paul;

My D700 with faulty Quality/ISO button was sent via J One Camera Service on 13/11/08. It has been a month (was told that it would take about 2 weeks) that I am unable to use it. Can you please expedite the repair/service. The body number is 209xxxx.

Was also told by Jason that there's only one technician able to service the D700 ! If this is true then Nikon need to buck up as either there's too many faulty D700 or the sole technician is working too slowly. I apologise if this sound harsh but the longer I have to wait the more frustrated I am getting.

Your assistance and attention is much appreciated.

Regards;

apandi

To be fair, it was the end of the year, still one and a half month [sent 13/11/08] to repair a brand new camera and a new model to boot is a tad too slooooooowwwwww. However, I was pacified somewhat as this morning [31/12/08] a nice fellow from Nikon - Chong - I believe, finally called with a peace offering, the use of another D700 while mine is being repaired. Have to decline as I am not in Kuala Lumpur.

Am still waiting...

Maal Hijrah 1430

Dusk, my favourite time of day. Also the marker for a new beginning. May the new day be better for all of us. Inshaallah....

Breakfast @ Legend

Some pictures I got from breakfast that we had at the Legend Water Chalet in Port Dickson recently. The service was great so much so that you could sense the sincerity of the service staff trying to please the patrons. However, though the food looks great most of it is rather bland tasteless. The yogurt with fruit and honey was good, but then they are naturally good and tasty.

Have it if it comes with the room package otherwise if you need to have a hotel buffet breakfast the nearest in the vicinity which may be better will be at Avillion. Cost a bomb and to avoid disappointment, don't expect them to be at par with those offered by hotels in the capital.

BFM 89.9 - excellent new radio station.

An excellent new radio station accidentally found as I was fiddling with the car stereo. Its music is really easy to my ears and psyche. Phil Collins, Genesis, Chicago and the likes. Here's how they describe themselves:-

BFM is a 24 hour radio station focused on business news and topics. Think of CNBC or The Edge but on radio. Core programmes include latest business news and stock market reports from Malaysia and other financial centres as well as interviews with business personalities, financial analysts, entrepreneurs, technologists and marketers. BFM also offers business education programmes spanning areas like marketing, finance, technology and business productivity to raise the business proficiency of the Malaysian public.

BFM targets business executives, finance professionals and the investing public. There is no specific age target as the business audience spans all adult age groups. It is their interest in business that defines the listenership, not their age.

Nevertheless, BFM is likely to appeal most to a mature audience. In this respect, those between 35 to 55 of age will be able to identify most with BFM. [hmmmm.... says it all doesn't it ?]

BFM can be received on frequency 89.9 in Wilayah Persekutuan, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and parts of Melaka. BFM will be transmitting in Pulau Pinang and Kedah by September 2008, Johor by March 2009 and Perak by September 2009. Roll-out dates to other states are being finalised.

BFM communicates with its listeners as equals. There is a lot of individual and collective wisdom among the Malaysian business community and BFM’s role is to harness that to raise the game of Malaysian businesses.

BFM has a positive bias towards supporting start-ups, new technology, ethical business practices and equal opportunities.

Check them out the next time you are in the car.

Penang

Symbols and scenes associated with the Pearl of the Orient. Errr, except the first one is for Permata Kedah - Langkawi.

Padang Besar

Not one of my favourite destinations but I oblige as I enjoyed the journey. Cliched but true. Its not the ends but the means. Its a good six hour drive from KL.

The usual knick knacks and stuff that women go crazy over. Since its the holiday seasons, things are a wee bit expensive. A set of kids pyjamas that used to cost RM10 a couple months ago - I was told - now has a price tag of RM25. Haggled down to RM18. Still almost double what it used to be. The thing is, you can get the same or better in KL...

At least I enjoyed the eats. First time for "laksa siam", rice noodles in a gravy akin to thai green curry that is pleasantly spicy and sourish. Very palatable and tasty accompanied with raw sprouts, cashew shoots and cool cucumber. Those colourful bottles contains coloured sugar spiked with artificial flavourings. Commonly known as "oren kampung", pop soda really made by mom and pop in their small facility. Great as a thirst quencher over loads of ice - just don't ponder its health effects.

Open top & rain

Open top motoring certainly is fun. The wind in your hair, the wide expanse unhindered from view all around, the different smells as you pass by different areas. A sensorial experience. But...

Just like those bikers, as the cloud darkens and the air gets cooler you sense that soon you will be wet. Decision, decision, do you close the top now or just go through the patch - hopefully it is indeed just a patch of rain. If it is, just raise the side windows and go at considerable speed and the water will be sucked by the turbulence away from you. No problemo. But...

If it was not just a patch, you risk getting wet and looking like a fool by the roadside as you wait for the interminable 25 seconds that it takes for the roof to properly close.

Good one for the times...

Classique ! Financial Crisis explained , how about that?

One day, a plain-looking man came with a pretty-looking OL (Office Lady) to the LV store in Causeway Bay (Hong Kong Island). He chose an LV bag worth HKD 65,000 for the OL. When it came time to pay, the man took out a checkbook and wrote out a check. The salesperson was hesitant because the couple hadn't shopped there before. The man discerned what the salesperson was thinking and he said calmly: "I sense that you are concerned that this check may bounce, right? Today is Saturday and the banks are closed. Let me suggest that I leave the check and the handbag here. When the check clears on Monday, you can deliver the handbag to this lady. How about that?

The salesperson was reassured and gladly accepted the suggestion. In addition, he waived the delivery charges. He promised that he would personally make sure that this gets done. On Monday, the salesperson took the check to the bank. The check bounced! The irate salesperson called up the client, who told him: "What is the big deal? Neither you nor I have suffered any loss. Last Saturday night, I went to bed with that girl already! Oh, by the way, I thank you for your cooperation."

This story reveals the nature of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. When people have high hopes for huge future returns, they lower their guard about the potential risks. This pretty girl thought that the HKD 65,000 LV bag was going to come home on Monday, and so she lowered her guard. Therefore, she believed that her investment in the ONS (one night stand) was worth it even though it was based upon huge and highly uncertain risks. Investment companies are great with packaging high return (but high risk) deals. The stock speculators are like this pretty woman. As such, they deserve to lose money. Without people like these, how are people going to make money from the stock market? As
for the media and the stock analysts, they often play the role of the LV salesperson.

From an email sent by Nesa.

A most colourful house

A most colourful house in its final stages of construction. Bright cheerful (garish ?) colours adorning the walls and floors. Purples, reds, pinks, yellows and orange. Such a gamut for the senses.

Fortunately, it has a lot of potential in its surroundings. Great vistas right out of the balconies and windows, to soothe in contrast to all the warm tones. I'm certain that those who dwell here will be content and happy.

The Mac & I

I had the opportunity to play around with the new 2008 Mac book for about a month or so. Beautifully engineered. The physical construction is excellent and I really liked it. However, personally, I just don't have the time nor patience to switch from Windows to Mac.

It does almost all the things that I have been doing in Windows well except for the part on managing my photos. Basic things done in windows i.e. resizing becomes a chore (my ignorance may be the cause...). Since I don't have the patience, its back to windows. Though quirky, it works for me.

I loved the slot loading media player which caused me to discover VLC - to override the region code restrictions on DVD's - which is a crap policy. The notebook is used to travel, your travel may bring you to different regions of the world. The region code basically says that if you want to view a DVD bought in say region 1 then you need to buy a notebook from region 1 !!! Idiots. BTW, VLC also have a version for windows which so far works well. No need to flash the drive to free your notebook from this stupid policy.

I absolutely adore the mag save power charger, so elegant.

Even the charger is well designed and a thing of beauty. Alas, the Mac is not for me...

Night shots - twin peaks

Twin Peaks Resort, Kuah Langkawi.

Masjid Jalan Othman

Some internal shots of the newly refurbished mosque on Jalan Othman, PJ.

KL - Langkawi by night

The journey from Bukit Jalil began at 2300hrs. The first stop was somewhere in mid point, to pee actually. But then might as well get some coffee and the cold sour sop ice cream perked me up. Probably the only person having ice cream in the wee hours of the wet cold morning.

Another pee stop at one of the petrol stations provide indications that we are fast approaching the end of our drive. Where else would you get offer for "Insurance Thai".

We arrived at the Kuala Perlis jetty at 0530hrs. The coffee shop was just starting its operations. Unload at the jetty, parked the car and rushed for tickets. The first ferry leaves at 0600hrs.

The crowd rushing for the first ferry. About the ferry, if you have to board one of these early morning ones, make sure that you have an extra layer of clothing or a blanket. The air conditioning is freezing. Literally. It felt like being in a cold room.

Ah, finally a breakfast of "putu mayam" on the island itself. Fresh from the steamer. Gorgeous, a pleasant ending to a 500km journey through the night.

Kilim Geoforest Park

The Kilim jetty from where the tour began.

The "guardian", they say if you look closely a human face seems etched on the rocks.

The entrance. Tranquil and pretty as a button.

One of the caves. This is Gua Kelawar or bat cave except Batman wasn't in...

Eagle feeding.

Macaque's...

... another common species to be sighted in the area, errr of course the younger well endowed ones are more pleasant to the eyes he he he

The fish farm & floating restaurant.

All the sightseeing activities takes a lot or energy which should be replenished...

Finally, the person who made the trip a truly pleasant one for us, En. Mohd. Hafiz Abdullah (looking pensive..), the owner of Zuna Travel and Tours. From car rental to island tour to accommodation, the whole works. He does it well too, catering to our every whim and fancies. Highly recommended. If you need his services in Langkawi call +604-9671025, better still get him on his mobile at +6017-4119642.