She lost her wallet in SM Mall of Asia! Argh! And as she was speaking on the other line, she was close to hysterical. She narrated that Pa looked for a place to sit down while she went to nearby Celine. She was just a few minutes inside Celine, picked an item she wanted to buy and proceeded to the counter. She noticed nothing unusual, except that the mall and the boutiques were jampacked with people. It was a weekend sale after all.
At the counter, when she unzipped her bag, she found her long wallet gone! Her cards, cash, senior citizen's ID, everything... gone!
I could feel her anguish. Along with the cash she lost was the cash gift I gave earlier that day for her birthday... I was even joking about it, telling her I couldn't afford to buy her an LV Speedy yet (to replace her Lacoste bag), but the amount could be her 1st installment.... *Sigh*
Sad thing is, this wasn't the first time it happened. Earlier this year, she also lost her wallet from inside her bag while in SM Southmall with Pa. Same story. The thief seemed to have used some "sleight of hand" trick for Ma not to feel anything. Grr.
Let this be a warning to all to please be careful with your bags or wallets. SM is not immune to these petty criminals. Hard times... There's no telling when and where the thieves would strike again.
Ma, enjoying the empty (newly-built) Northwing of the SM City Cebu last January...
At SM City Cebu - Jake (with Pa), Matt, me, Pa and Ma... That's how she normally carries her bag while malling...
That's sad. I was happy to read your 31 hours in Manila post and I'm sure what you did made your Mom happy. Such extremes of emotions in just one day. I hope she feels better now.
ReplyDeleteWe must remember to always be careful and not to let our guard down. A few weeks ago, somebody tried to sit with me at Megamall. Since then, I've been very conscious about where I eat, etc.
By the way, love the new template.
i always dismiss losing things like wallet or cash as if saying that the person who took it must really be hapless and desperate...i just hope it is used for good purposes
ReplyDeletefrom the picture above walking on an empty SM Cebu - (that could only happen in Manila if you were shopping while the mall is under construction,hehehe), i digress, yes, her bag is always on her back side. That's easy prey.
Good thing, my cash gift hasn't been deposited yet. This could be timely :)
(on a side story, I lost my wallet 15 years ago in Paranaque, and with Php 1,000 inside, the Taxi driver who found it, went to the office in Corinthian Plaza to return it, I gave him money for the trouble, parking and gas- he didn't accept it) -
there is hope for the pinoy...and not everyone is desperate. we can still be noble.
Linnor, oh my. It's good wallet lang ang nawala sa mom mo and she was not really hurt.
ReplyDeletePeople really have to be more cautious everytime there is a sale in any mall in the Philippines.
Oh dear, wawa naman si Mamarazzi. It's such a hassle1
ReplyDeletethat was so uncalled,but you know what,i don't know why but maybe it's just me,when i was in Manila and stayed there for more than a year,I never have an itch to go to MOA,i don't know i just don't feel safe maybe.
ReplyDeletesometimes it's not the money that you are worried about,it's all the legal doc that you ned to get it again all over.
all that matters is she's safe...
ReplyDelete3 | linnor
ReplyDeleteSeptember 25, 2008 at 5:51 am | edit
Hi Em Dy!
“Such extremes of emotions in just one day. I hope she feels better now.”
I agree. What would have been a perfect weekend became hellish for 70 year old Ma.
Glad you liked the new template :) . It’s a new theme on wordpress.com.
Hi Junnie!
It’s good to always think of the bright side…. Kaya lang, ako naman, if that happened to me, I think of it as being careless on my part. Because anybody with weak values would most probably be tempted to get something that doesn’t belong to him/her, especially if you make it easy for that person to prey on you.
I believe what happened to Ma wasn’t the working of somebody desperate. It was a professional thief.
Yeah I remember that driver who took pains to return your wallet. I hope he’s living a good life. :)
5 | linnor
September 25, 2008 at 8:27 pm | edit
Hi Leap of Faith!
On hindsight, yes, buti na lang hindi naramdaman ni Ma na may dumukot ng wallet nya. She would have resisted and gotten hurt in the process. May silver lining pa rin sa pangyayari. :)
7 | linnor
September 26, 2008 at 7:52 am | edit
Hi Notsquare!
Yeah, imagine having to deactivate the cards and having to request for replacements… That adds to the loss of the valuables.