The Great Malaysian Blog List
Sometimes I feel outnumbered in BlogWorld, because there are so many bloggers from the US and I'm the lone voice from Malaysia. (Did I hear someone ask, "Malaysia? Whazzat???" LOL)
So just imagine how pleased I was to discover the Great Malaysian Blog List!
Plus a very interesting blog by another Malaysian: Volume of Interactions. Yesterday, he was wondering what it's really like to be a woman.
I actually like being a woman. The only time I don't like it is when I'm reminded how vulnerable I am. The other day a friend mentioned that rape cases are on the rise and told me to be careful, especially when I get out of the car to unlock and open the gate to the house compound. Scary, really.
No wonder Mom told me never to take God's protection for granted. "Always ask Him to protect you," she said, after I was mugged in March last year by a snatch thief. A motorcyclist zoomed by and the pillion rider grabbed the strap of my handbag. Down I went - and off went the handbag! Arrgh!
Here's the email I sent out after the Mar 12 incident with all the pertinent details:
- I was accosted by a snatch thief at about 4pm yesterday as I was going out for an interview. Was walking along the side of the road and thinking about something (too bad I never took notice when they told me thinking is a dangerous activity!). Along came a motorbike from behind & the pillion rider grabbed the strap of my handbag... and the rest, as they say, is history.
In that split-second I grabbed onto the strap and so as the bike continued to move I fell, thus letting go of the bag, and the culprits promptly zoomed off. Grazed my right knee - I won't have beautiful legs for a while, boo hoo hoo! *grin* plus a knuckle, bruised my right shoulder and arm etc. I now proudly bear battle scars (my colleague said this would sound better if I were a soldier) and gained an "experience" to talk about!
My colleague - the same one - was very kind and drove me to the police station to make a police report, where I felt like a complete fluffy-headed female. I can't believe I studied law and I am a reporter, yet I didn't note the bike's numberplate!!! I can't even remember the colour of the bike, for goodness' sake... can't give a good description of the culprits, can't... well, basically, I am not going to be a great help in apprehending them! *rueful smile*
My boss was very understanding when I asked him if I could take a half-day's leave today to go get my identity card, driving licence and bank ATM cards done - he said I could just come in later instead of taking leave! Other than that, the major loss is the phone - all my contact numbers were in it - and HOUSE KEYS. But my address (rented room) wasn't anywhere in the handbag, so they don't know where I stay.
I thank God that I had just switched to a brand-new notebook (the kind made of paper), so all my notes from my latest interview were not lost. There was only $50 cash in my purse. My tape recorder was gone, but it was one I bought second-hand for $50 and though it worked, it wasn't in tip-top condition. The phone has been giving me problems for quite a while and I had planned to get it changed next month, along with a new line. In fact, the new SIM card is with me already - safe at home - so all I need now is a phone, and I will be contactable again!
You know, I really felt like cursing those fellas, much like David in Psalms: "Let my enemies be fallen!" etc., etc. But really, the major hassle is just replacing identification. I felt naked walking around now with no cash and no ID!!! *laughs* This morning I got my identity card done in Malaysia, every time you fill out an application form for anything: to open a bank account, participate in a contest, apply for a credit card etc., your IC number is required. I now have temporary ID as they process the card; will have to wait 2 months for it to be ready.
I was just thinking last night that its a good thing my glasses were OK. They flew off when I fell, and theyre glass lenses. Im practically blind without my glasses, coz my powers 900 in each eye, so I was groping around on the road for them. Imagine if the lenses had shattered, I wouldnt even have been able to walk back to the office!