My message to Digi Roadshow’s Person-in-Charge:
Hey, Tuesday already. Can you resolve this issue with the vendor Dyna Communications. This is embarassing!
The Reply:
Fully agree… My team has stopped all other work and are concentrating on fixing these issues. I am working out an appropriate compensation plan for all parties affected. Really sorry about this. This turnaround time is completely unacceptable.
I called Dyna Communications, a Digi vendor, but was told to leave my Digi number and my contact number. He promised to call me back but obviously, he didn’t. And why should I be the one chasing this? Shouldn’t this be part of Digi’s service? Why do I have to call the vendor and beg them to activate my service? As far as I am concern, I have paid RM 550 in cash to Dyna Communications. I do not know what happened to my application form. It is not my responsibility if they lost it or something.
I then decided to contact Digi Roadshow’s person-in-charge. Was told about some “compensation”. To tell you the truth, I do not care about some compensation and whatever that offer might be. All I want is my line and BIS.
Enough said.
Ok, this is weird.
1) Called Digi’s Customer Service again and was told to go to a Digi store/centre as I can only activate it there. Why wasn’t I told this earlier? It makes my life easier. But then again, this could very well be another excuse. So I called the Digi360 store at SOHO. Luckily I called them. They told me they can’t activate as I have to contact the vendor that sold the phone to me i.e. even though the roadshow was organized by Digi, the ones responsible were the respective vendors.
2) So I called the vendor. They have my details now and they will call me back. I wonder when. I am still waiting.
From www.twitter.com/DiGi_Telco:
To all customers who subscribed 2 our Blackberry services over the weekend, we’re working to resolve all the issues. Apologies for the delay!
I am tired of excuses. I need a solution. All I want is my Digi line and BIS! That’s it. I subscribed to the service March 7th. You have apologized several times, but can that activate my line and BIS right now?
No line, No BIS until now (Tuesday, March 9)
Written on Monday, March 8th.
I attended Digi’s BlackBerry Bold 9700: Crazy Deals Roadshow on Wednesday (March 3) at MidValley Megamall and bought a Blackberry Bold2 for RM 1299 and paid (in cash) an advance payment of RM 550 to subscribe to the Digi/Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) plan. I was told that my line would be activated within 24 hours. After the 24-hour waiting period, I can’t even make calls or SMS, let alone use BIS. After my 26th hour of wait, I called Digi and was told that my name and IC number is not even in the system and was told to go back to the roadshow as I registered by application there.
I then decided to go to a Digi centre at Mont Kiara hoping that the issue can be resolved without having me to drive all the way to MidValley Megamall but they too insisted I return to the roadshow as they can’t do anything much. I went to the roadshow and was told that it is actually a standard practice to tell customers to wait for 24 hours, although the wait could be longer because there were many new subscribers during the roadshow. I was told to wait, yet again.
This is Monday evening (March 8th) and I still have the same problem with my BlackBerry: no line and no BIS activation. For the past few days, I have been in touch with a personnel via Twitter (www.twitter.com/digi_telco) and was given the usual response of asking me to wait. Despite being told that they are looking into the matter seriously, how much longer do I need to wait? After more than a few days, an apology and “please wait” are no longer the responses that I am looking for. I need an immediate solution. I need my line and BIS services activated immediately.
My main concerns: 1) What happened to my registration? Why am I not in the system? 2) Is it that difficult to register a new customer and provide him/her with a new line? Forget about the BIS activation, at least provide me with a Digi line so I can make calls and SMS.
We are living in a high-tech digital world, yet it’s funny that I have to wait for a few days for a simple services such as line and BIS activation. With my first BlackBerry from Maxis, I was told that my BIS would be activated within 24 hours but in actual fact, it was activated within 10 minutes. Digi, congratulations on the roadshow and providing Malaysians with the best deal on Bold2, but if you can’t provide an efficient service, why bother?
A couple of days ago, I read an article saying that local radio stations must play songs from a local singers’ new albums or singles as a precondition to have their radio licences renewed. I was reading it from a Malay tabloid so of course they had pictures of several artistes (including Malaysia’s No. 1 songstress, Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza) with a pull-out quote congratulating the government’s move so that it is easier for them to ‘cari makan’ now that local radio stations are forced to play their latest releases. I didn’t really pay much attention to the article as I only listen to the radio on my way to work from home and on my way home from work. That is approximately a total listening time of two hours. By the time the radio DJs do their talking, I can only listen to a few songs (blame it on the countless advertisements as well!). But of course, whenever I’m driving elsewhere I would still be listening to the radio or play something good from the CD.
So I am reading prominent New Straits Times columnist Syed Nazri’s response to the issue in his column titled A Sure Way To Kill Radio Station (NST, March 2).
He writes, “But the ga-ga over radio is being disturbed by the static arising from the announcement last week that from this month, all radio stations are required to air songs from local singers’ new albums or singles. In most cases, that means the latest Malay hits. And all stations – whether Malay, Chinese, English, or Tamil, government or private, easy listening or classic rock – must play them.”
Okay, let me get this right: with this new ruling, there is a possibility that one of those jiwang-jiwang Malay songs might be played on Hitz FM or Fly FM? Although I have nothing against those jiwang-jiwang Malay songs, but it would be rather an odd song choice since each radio stations have their vision and branding that they must adhere to. Syed Nazri sums it well and I couldn’t agree more: “…[it] is like asking Hallmark TV channel to air the Raja Lawak programme (now shown on Astro) at least once a day…”
From the government and the artistes’ side, I understand why we need such ruling. Correct me if I am wrong but English stations usually play music from the west (read: America) and Malay stations such as Era FM, Suria FM and Hot FM tend to play a mix of both local music as well as regional music (Read: Indonesian music. Dewa, Kris Dayanti, Ungu, Anang, Samsons… familiar names?). We have our own local musicians and they should be heard too. Why are radio stations playing international / regional songs when we have our own local talent to groom? They deserve a fair chance too. On the other hand, as a listener, we prefer to listen to international and regional acts.(Hello? Aren’t we living in a globalized world? Besides, foreign artistes know how to brand themselves well and they have their PR strategies. With so many options available (local, regional and internaitonal music), it is a matter of preference, really.
In my humble opinion (since I am not a broadcasting expert, radio DJ, musician, etc.), this new ruling will support established and up-and-coming musicians. On the other hand, the type of songs played will have to fit the radio station’s branding (I do not want to listen to a song from Dato’ Siti on Hitz!! If it’s Hot FM then that’s fine!). Also a note to the musicians: if your songs are good, there is no need for the government’s assistance to push for your songs, people will enjoy it and demand for the radio DJs to play your songs. Create something fresh and worth listening to. I’ll listen to your songs on the radio. Heck, I will even buy your album, too!
Question: What songs do you want to listen to on the radio?
It was just another fabulous morning at Bali until I switched on the television and on the screen: “Breaking News: Earthquake in Bali.” On February 12 at 2.43 a.m., an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit Bali. A tsunami warning could only be issued if it reached 7 on the Richter scale.
Now, I wish I could compose a dramatic blog entry, sharing my personal musing experiencing the quake. Unfortunately I was in dreamland when the earthquake happened. My brother could feel his bed shaking, thinking that it was me playing a prank. When he saw me snoaring away, he knew that it was an earthquake. Later in the morning, I went for breakfast but I was very sure that most of the tourists didn’t know about the earthquake. No one seemed to be talking about it. I was expecting a group of tourists chit-chatting over coffee regarding the earthquake’s “aftermath” but nothing. Maybe most were still clubbing at that hour! Didn’t feel the ground shaking!
I then went to the Business Centre and read about the earthquake from various online portals and realized that 6.6 on the Richter scale is major! I did receive a few SMS and messages via Facebook and Twitter asking about me and all I could say was, “I was already dreaming about God knows what!!… Didn’t ‘experience’ it.” Even my bro Raz, who was in India at the time, called and we had a great laugh about my ’shaky’ Bali escapade.
After reading the news, I was a little scared to go out so after spending sometime at the hotel, we decided to go shopping. Asked the taxi driver about the earthquake, and as usual, taxi drivers have something fascinating to say.
“According to a folklore, below Bali island lies a gigantic turtle, ‘protected’ by a dragon. The ground will shake if the turtle moves,” explains the taxi driver. “That is why in Bali, if an earthquake happens, we would shout, Hidup!! Hidup!!! Hidup!!!! and hopefully the ground will stop shaking.”
The earthquake certainly made the trip more memorable.
Further reading: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/02/13/bali-rattled-six-consecutive-earthquakes.html
To be continued… more posts on Bali soon.
Celebration before Nyepi Day
If you want to know more about Bali, talk to a cab driver. They have plenty of stories to share.
On our way to Kuta, a taxi driver told us about Hari Nyepi (Day of Silence):
Nyepi is a big celebration here in Bali. There are major events prior to Hari Nyepi but on the actual day, all are expected to stay at home and observe 24 hours of silence. Electricity are to be used to a minimal; if possible not to be used at all (no lights, no fan, etc.) so Bali will be very dark at night. Even the airport is closed on Nyepi Day. Tourists are expected to stay in their hotel rooms. What happens if they go outside? Well, according to the traditional rule, those found loitering around the streets will have to clean the whole village. There are special guards that will make sure no one is on the streets. It is definitely a day of total silence. Everyone is also expected to fast on this day. The older generation might stay in the house but youngsters like me, we like to gamble and play cards. This is a celebration to self-reflect and stay away from doing any daily activities. This celebration is often celebrated in March.
Anyone wants to visit Bali during Hari Nyepi?
***
More information: http://www.indo.com/culture/nyepi.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyepi
Image Credit: http://blog.baliwww.com/bali-news-events/158
To be continued… more posts on Bali soon.
The Balinese are a friendly bunch of people. During my first day there, I went to Bali Collection Nusa Dua, which houses Sogo. As we entered the mall, I notice there were more staffs than shoppers. It was very awkward walking around and to be greeted by so many staffs. As we passed the various sections of Sogo, the staffs would smile at us, put their hands together and bow at us.
“Wow, I feel like royalty! I can definitely get used to this,” I told my brother.
Despite insisting that we were just looking around and not buying the stuffs, one lady kept explaining to us about the products. As I adjourned to the sunglasses area, I told my brother, “Eh, I do not want anyone to “layan” us. Puts more pressure for us to shop and spend money here!!!”
I would definitely give 5 stars for their customer service. If you are in Malaysia, you would have to dress nicely and look like a serious shopper for one of those sales attendant to actually “layan” you. Wear something shabby and don’t expect the salesperson to even look at you. The Bali experience, however, were different. I wore something casual and I didn’t even look like a person who wanted to buy a new pair of jeans or a designer Batik shirt, but the staffs were so accomodating it’s as if I had a personal shopper!
We then went to the Italian-Indian restaurant (what a perfect combination eh?) next door and same thing: the waiter was very polite. The word “Permisi” (translation: Excuse Me) was used every single time he went to us. Example: Permisi, here is the menu… Permisi, here are your drinks… Permisi, here are your food… Permisi, how is the food??… Permisi, do you want to add more curry… Permisi, here is the bill… Permisi, here is your change.
OMG! I felt appreciated. I felt important (sort-off!). If the food wasn’t so pricey, I would actually eat at that restaurant every single meal. Unless you go for fine dining, would you expect a similar service in Malaysia? There might be a few establishments with an entorage of well-trained staffs, but generally, most of our waiters still need to improve. Who am I to say but as a customer/diner, I would certainly expect good service especially I am actually paying for my food and service charge. Here in Malaysia, you literally need to wave to get the attention of the waiters. Over in Bali, a simple eye contact would do the trick and you get to hear, “Ya, mahu apa , Pak?”
It is easy to say that Balinese need to be friendly because Bali depends heavily on tourism but even so, you can definitely sense their warmth and sincerity. Sometimes I do feel that, we here in Malaysia, we treat foreigners better than we treat our fellow Malaysians. We might open the door for a tourist, but not for a local. We might let a tourist enter the elevator first, but not for a local. We might help a lost tourist, but we might just ignore a lost local (those from different states). Although we are not entirely dependable on tourism, we still need to play as good hosts to our visitos. But why extend this kindness towards foreigners only?
When I arrived back in Kuala Lumpur, I encountered several rude people. I cried “I WISH I AM IN BALI AGAIN!!!!”
To be continued… more posts on Bali soon.
Indonesia was my home for three years (1994 – 1997). I was eight years old when I first arrived in Medan, North Sumatra, and I left the country at the tender age of 11.
I arrived in Bali on Wednesday (Feb 10). I couldn’t help compare Bali to Medan. Although I left the country more than a decade, but Bali reminds me a lot of Medan: everyone is so friendly, they try to speak with a fake Malaysian accent to lure you to take their taxi. There are no rules on the road… well there is but most drive as they please. Wearing a seatbelt is optional (you will not be caught for not buckling-up but hey, it’s your life! Most of the houses are very basic and simple, yet life is full of laughter for the villagers.
As we drove to our hotel, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, we had a very interesting conversation with the driver.
Driver (speaking in Bahasa Indoesia): Where are you from?
Us (speaking in our fake Bahasa Indonesia accent): Malaysia.
Driver: Have you guys eaten?
Us: Well, we want to try some local food. It would be pricey if we ate at the hotel. We want to try something local.
Driver: Owh, Bali’s specialty is Babi Guling. But it might be taboo for you guys.
Us: Eeeerrrrr….. yes, it is.
Driver: Well that is our specialty.
Us: Babi Guling is roast pork, right?
Driver: Yep, it is very famous among the Buleks (Caucasians). They would eat that when the come here. You see, the majority of people in Bali are Hindus. However, we live in harmony. It doesn’t matter if you are a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, or a Buddhist…we really live in harmony. Don’t worry about it…
The driver is very right. Babi Guling is a specialty in Bali. You can see “Babi Guling” signboards everywhere. In Medan, I am used to see “Babi Panggang” signboards along the main road heading towards my school. Some of these signboards in Bali are huge and to make it even more attractive, neon lights are also used. Now, can we see a similiar signboard in Malaysia?
Babi Guling. Everywhere. Welcome to Bali!
To be continued… more posts on Bali soon.
It is reported in The Sun today (3rd Feb) that we (civilians) can take snapshots of heavy vehicles committing road offences and forward them to JPJ. Although you may not be rewarded, it is believed that such efforts may reduce the number of road accidents and the Road Safety Department ‘will’ take necessary action on those drivers.
For full article, please visit http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=43058
Although it is also reported that officials have said that there are various issues that need to be ironed out before it can be widely practiced, one cannot help but to wonder if such a move is even worth suggesting or studying. After all, isn’t it ironic if a driver picks up his/her mobile phone just to snap a picture of another vehicle committing a particular road offence when the driver himself has committed a road offence? Of course, the same can’t be said if it’s the passenger who takes the snapshot but who’s the witness to determine if it’s the passenger or the driver who takes the picture?
I can’t say that I have done my research but as a person who constantly reads the papers in the morning, I can presume that most deathly accidents occur late at night or early in the morning hours when the sky is dark. Would it be safe for single drivers to take snapshots of these lorries and busses at that time of the day? Of course, the danger of snapping these shots occurs only when drivers are the ones who take the matter to their own hands, deciding to take a picture of what they deemed to be ‘dangerous driving’.
That being said, it’s quite common to still see people SMS-ing or talking on the phone whilst driving. The excuses? My mobile phone doesn’t come with a free hands-free set; no money to buy hands-free set (but got money to change mobile phone every 1-2 years); too troublesome to use the hands-free set; this is a very important SMS; yadda yadda yadda.
Most of us know that it’s wrong, that it’s somehow dangerous, yet some of us still use mobile phones whilst driving. Why? The challenge? Fearless? Tidak apa attitude? To prove that we can multi-task? Driving by itself is a boring activity? I admit that I’m guilty of it too. Especially when I’m late for an appointment and I’d be panicking when the phone rings. I’d have to pick it up or read the SMS just to assure the person on the other side that I’m on my way. Heck, as a woman, I draw my eyebrows while driving whenever I’m late for work! I’ve also seen people eating as they drive and I’m starting to wonder if it’s even safe to drink water whilst driving. Others use the phone in times of heavy traffic – logging into FB or twitter. With HTC, iPhones and Nokia Xpress touch screen phones, it’s basically even harder for people to SMS (personal opinion!) whilst driving but it doesn’t stop people from doing so – it just means you have to be more careful as you ‘type’ so as not to ‘click’ on the wrong alphabets or numbers without noticing.
I have several close calls SMS-ing and driving at the same time; I almost hit the car in front but as it didn’t happen, I wasn’t deterred to stop my bad habit. I believe that most of us, humans, are guilty of this – we never learn unless it happened to us. So until the day the police summons each and every guilty-as-charged multi-taskers, or until accidents happen, this bad habit will still continue amongst the people in Malaysia. So, will I take picture of a heavy vehicle committing crime? Maybe. Depending on my mood and how serious that crime again. Then again, I’d think twice if the police will summon me for using my mobile phone to snap pictures whilst driving unless I can lie that I’m actually the passenger!
