Have you ever dealt with pick pocket? I just had it yesterday. After paying some bills through ATM, I went to Superindo – a supermarket in Bogor – to buy some soap for washing dishes. The shelf for those stuffs is located somewhere at the back of the room and only a few people walking around. When I was observing the ones that I wanted to buy – as normal I always buy things with an extra gift – somebody pushed me from behind. I looked back, a nice lady walked behind me. I ignored her. Again another push. The same lady, but now she walked away from me. At the cashier, I was shock. I found my bag had a big hole. Somebody cut it off and my wallet – for sure – had gone.
It must be that woman ! I ran to the shelf hoping to find her. I walked around the supermarket showing people my bag with a big hole - hoping that people would not as stupid as me - tried to find her. Hopeless, she had gone into a thin air. Fortunately, I have a few thousand rupiah at my jeans for public transportation going back home. Unfortunately, I lost so many things, my money, 2 ATM cards, 3 credit cards, ID card, student card, health insurance card, diving license card, employee’s card, and my beloved old currency of Checks Republic as the country uses euro at the moment. A few minutes later, I was in a police station reporting my losses.
How on earth such a beautiful lady became a pick pocket? She has a nice hair, nice face and a nice black bag. Perhaps, this material world has changed everything. Pick pockets now are not just guys in the crowds or buses or trains - they work in team - but has already a nice beautiful lady in a super market. They also have so many strategies to get people’s belongings. From cutting the bags – I had it twice – to hypnotizing the victims – I had this one as well. Several years ago, I went to visit a friend by train and in a train I was standing and watching things through the window. Felt like dreaming, suddenly, I realised the train ran through a tunnel. I should have been stopped at a station before this one. I got off the train immediately, grabbed my wallet and – for sure – it was not in my bag anymore. I took a cab and let my friend paid the bill at her place. Sorry pal J It was a time as well, in a bus, someone pointed my toes wondering that something was on it. I bowed, looked at the toes and saw nothing – not realizing that my bag was unattended behind me. After I got off from the bus, I wanted to call a friend, grabbed my cell phone and – for sure – it was not in my bag again.
Losing cell phones are my favourite ones as I have it too many times. Perhaps, I had it about 10 times. I dropped it in a cab, left it at telephone box or public toilet, pick pocket at a train, buses and in a crowd, bugler into my rented room, and I dropped it into the sea water. Ups ! To date, my cell phone is the oldest model and the cheapest you can get. Hoping that the pick pockets have no intention to take it off. They can’t sell it anyway. It is too cheap. Note : my friend has a car driver with his cell phone was similar to my own. Feel embarrass ? Not at all. I had lost a sophisticated cell phone and felt so bad. If I lose it again, it must be the cheap ones. A friend suggested, I may use an implant cell phone in my palm as if I lose it, I lose my palm as well. Perhaps, have an implant one in the head is a better idea as I have no intention to lose my head.
Tough it is bad when your wallet is stolen, but still better to have it in our own country instead of in another country. I lost my wallet with money and passport in Kositche, Slovakia. I spelled it Ko”shit”che as I had a bad experience in the city. It was early in the morning in a coffee shop. I left my bag on the chair and took my coffee. Only in a few second, two gypsies took my wallet. It was crowded that day as they had a marathon game to celebrate the city’s anniversary. The gypsies blended into the crowd. No hope to catch them. Fortunately, Emma my good friend was so nice as she paid all my expenses during my stay including the train bill to the Indonesian Embassy – about 120 km away – to get my new passport. I definitely needed a passport to leave that country as that year – in 2002 – walking around armies with big guns at the airport is a normal view in Slovakia. Even the Indonesian ambassador, felt so sorry and gave me US$ 150 for living in the country.
Oh well, I remember my losing big brown wallet. I loved that wallet. I lost it twice and it returned back to me. Once in the bus, but the pick pocket dropped it. I grabbed my wallet, and ran as fast as I could. The second one was in Seoul, Korea. On the way go to New York, with Korean Airline, at the Seoul airport, I fell in love with a nice key ring. I bought it and so happy to have it without realizing that I left my wallet at the handicraft shop. Fortunately I had all my cards in a different wallet to support my life in New York - I was smart at that time, not like yesterday. Two weeks later, on the way back home, I went to the same shop. Surprisingly, they kept my wallet and not even a penny was gone – there was US$ 800 in the wallet. What a Korean people !! I was told that the Japanese do the same. You can leave a big box of money, and no one will take it. Even in Europe, you can return it back or have a discount price for a damage you find in the good that you have purchased. They trust you - tough sometime an Indonesian student walked with a cutter in a store to make a damage on the goods, to get a discount price. Sometime I’m wondering, perhaps God gives those people fortunes as they are honest people. They trust to each other. Only bad guys take other people’s belongings and everyone wants to be a good guy. What about us, Indonesians ? Are there any trusted people here ? Yes, but perhaps only one between ten million people. Are they any good guys here? A few, but no one cares whether you are bad guys or good guys as long as you are wealthy and in power. In another word, social values had gone and people have no shame anymore. No wonder, our country become poorer and poorer now.
What had gone, just let it gone. Like old bad memories, let them evaporate to the sky. Perhaps, this lost is a start for something better, something new. New wallet, new life, new luck and hopefully new boy friend - although scientifically there is no relation between losing a wallet and having a new boy friend. You never know.
