The Story

It was my first introduction to computers back in 1989 when my father got me an MSX computer. I remember spending hours playing with its keyboard, learning how to type, painting, or just playing games. I remember it being the most exciting time of my life having something so vague between my hands trying to figure it out. I was fascinated with every bit of it and so it became my most favorite thing.

Soon and in 1991 my father got another computer and that was Macintosh Classic. It was the first 'proper' computer I get to fiddle with and spend many hours trying to figure out what those icons mean. I remember the first day we got it my father had it on the dining table and was trying to figure out how to eject the floppy disk from it as it was showing a window with a 'bomb' on it warning us about something... I really thought if we dont eject the floppy disk the computer will explode! Well, many years I've spent with this computer at home and mostly at the office where it ended up being used by the secretary. It was the only computer I had access too and that did delay some of the secretary's work. I remember around 1993 the whole paper work at the office came to halt because they couldn't figure how to change the language from English to Arabic and the problem was blamed on me, even though I was in a summer vacation abroad!

After that incident my father decided to get a PC for his office which I'll be able to use and keeping me away from the secretary's work. But that was taken by the accountant soon after they learned about accountancy software.

I got my own first desktop in 1995. Before getting the desktop I had my father go through daily routine of begging him to get my an IBM ThinkPad laptop. I remember the ThinkPad 701 was just released and was being advertised in the news papers a lot. I had paperclips of those ads and I was falling in love with it! My father almost purchased it but then my uncle said its too expensive and somehow my father agreed and changed his mind. It was expensive by all means. They were selling it if my memory serves me well for approx $3500... and I was just 12 years old!

Now, and thirteen years later... I'm still trying to get my hands on a ThinkPad. This Lenovo is standing between me and the purchase of the ThinkPad!

In Kuwait, Al Yousifi is the agent of Lenovo and unfortunately they're selling the laptops for triple the price shown online. Over the past year or so I've been trying to place an order online but always ended up having my order declined, here are my attempts:

1. Declined, don't ship to international addressed or P.O. Box.
2. Declined, US shipping address OK, but not international credit cards.
   
3. Declined, US shipping address OK, US billing address OK, but credit card not issued in the US. They did however tell me AMEX is the only card that can be accepted if not issued in the US.
4. This is my fourth and hopefully final attempt. I have US shipping address, US billing address... and AMEX, which is not issued in the US, but they said in one of the previous correspondence that they do accept it. I just hope they didn't change their minds!

It has been really pain to go through each of those. Setting up the US address, billing information, and going through the ordering process and having it then declined is just horrible.

Right now I'm studying in the UK. I've ordered the ThinkPad from the US. If the order goes through smoothly, it should be then forwarded to my home in Kuwait, where I'll be there on Christmas to pick it up.

Wish me luck :)