CHARGE TO EXPERIENCE

I was a victim of a pickpocket just two nights ago. My 'five-month-old' cellphone, a birthday gift from my father, was robbed from the left pocket of my pants during the time when I was so engrossed with the racing game I was playing in an arcade whose name I won't mention.

I often heard stories about it before, but for the longest time brushed off the possibility that such felonious act would actually happen to me. I had always maintained an alert stance every time I went to public places. But as the cliche goes, "There's always a first time in everything."

I've been actually ruing about what happened since that day, and the first time I was going to sleep without my dear cellphone by my side was really a mental torture. I could hardly take a shut-eye that night and when I did, I would jump out of bed and think, with a heavy heart, of my stolen mobile phone and of what happened prior to the robbery incident. I keep blaming myself, thinking why I let that lapse in judgment (as I call it for the lack of a 'better' term) occur and make me an easy prey to sneak thieves. I blame myself for my decisions that led to my misfortune that particular night. A friend, though, in a sincere attempt to quell my exaggerated sorrow, even let me compare his similar experience to mine. And I can say, despite the fact that both of us had been victims no matter what, I was objectively speaking the 'more alert' one, haha.

Kidding aside, there are things to learn from this first-time experience:
* Enjoy your time while at public places but never be too at ease with your surroundings. Constant vigilance! (to borrow it from Harry Potter series' Alastor Moody).
Had I handed over my cellphone to my sister who was just right behind me before playing and didn't feel content that something valuable was 'obvious' in my pocket that time, the guy would have no chance to perpetrate the misdemeanor against me (and hopefully against no one, though that was 'hoping against hope').

* It pays to be obnoxious sometimes. That is when strangers bump into you or may it be any ilk of physical connection, whether intentionally or not, react, as if you're puzzled, startled, annoyed, etc. by the unexpected gesture.
I was in fact pestered when the guy started pushing the machine's token slot on my right side and even saw from my right peripheral view that his body bag was already atop my right leg. I actually thought his 'actions' were rude, but preoccupied as I was that very moment, I decided to think that his token must be stuck and he did not deliberately put his bag on top of my right leg. I should have listened at once to the instinctive voice in my head telling me, "Look at him! Look at him!" before it petered out.

* One should not place valuable things together in one place.
To make this story a tad more disappointing on my part, let me tell you that along with my stolen cellphone was my favorite limited-edition pouch (a need to emphasize that eh?), my 'longest-serving' spare SIM card, and P250. In fact my brother teased me for being 'so generous' that I also 'gave' the 'guy' money to buy prepaid load.

* Of course, it's not that it was unworthy of importance, but at any rate be thankful that you were not hurt or physically threatened because any material thing would never equate to your life in the slightest.
Haha...there's nothing more I can add to that, besides to keep a promise to myself that never will I allow such to happen to me again. How I wish I could really keep that one!