A Very Bad and Sad Day for me…

Acknowledgements

I thank my Dad for correcting the document and rephrasing it. I am most indebted to my Dad without his help this document would have not been this readable.

A Very Bad and Sad Day for me…..

March 04, 2002

This day (March 04 2002) was a black day for me after coming down to Singapore. My first bad experience, in an alien land. Got up at 7.00 AM and finished my daily chores and was ready for office.

Vaidy, my friend asked me if I would like to have Idly for breakfast, I refused as I was running short of time and had to catch SBS bus (Service No 154) to my office (NUS) at Clementi. As I came out of my home I took the Farecard from my purse (wallet) and put it back in my trousers pocket. As our house is in the 10^th floor, I, as usual took lift to reach the ground floor and from there walked down to the bus stop.

The bus usually reaches the stop by 8.10 AM, but on that fateful day it reached late and added spice to my Monday chores, had to rush to office as I had some important work that had to be completed and sent for testing to the users.

Finally the bus reached at 8.20 AM and I boarded it. Surprisingly the bus was packed and I had to travel standing for few minutes. Some how, I could get hold of a free seat and sat there. To add additional heat to my morning tension, the Captain (Bus Driver as called in Singapore) was driving the bus in a snail’s pace and I was worried as I would reach the office late because I have to change busses to reach NUS (switch to Service number 96) at Clementi Road. Finally the bus reached the stop (where I normally used to get down) at 9.10 and I jumped out of the bus and crossed the road to catch another bus. .

As I was waiting for the bus Service number 96 I realized that my wallet was missing.

I was totally upset and immediately hired a cab and apprised the cab driver of the crisis. He chased the bus and tried to catch it. Unfortunately we could not trace the bus route and finally went to Boon Lay Bus Interchange at about 9.25 AM.

In the mean time I called up Mr.Sunder who had applied leave on that fateful day and briefed him of the events and asked him to first block the Diner’s Club Credit Card. He saw to that the card is immediately blocked and ensured that no transactions took place after I lost the card.

At the terminus I found a nice official (another captain) who took pains to wait till the bus reached the Interchange. We searched the bus and asked the bus captain if any one had given him the lost wallet. The answer was negative and I lost all hopes of getting it. Then I lodged a complaint at the Interchange and came back to the cab that was waiting for me outside.

It was very nice of the Cab driver to have waited for me all through the ordeal of inquiry at the terminus and lodging compliant etc. The nice thing is that I did not bother to notice the cab number nor did venture to learn even his name. This nice guy finally dropped me at NUS where my colleague Mr.Kannan was waiting outside office to pay for the cab.

Meanwhile another good friend of mine Mr.Sababathi called me up on my mobile (Hand Phone or Cell phone whatever you call it) and informed me to lodge a Police complaint immediately as to facilitate in getting my EP and also asked me inform the respective offices about the loss of the plastic they have been issued on my name. I totally forgot about the Access Card, it is he who reminded me about that and instructed me to inform the client immediately so that they can deactivate it.

On my way back to NUS I informed my office that I had lost the wallet and subsequently lost all the plastic in it along with my Employment Pass ( EP ) and asked them what my next move should be. They had no ready reply but to say that they will get back to me.

I informed my client NUS that I had lost the Access Card they had provided me. (Unfortunately I do not remember the card number and the PIN too, its long time since I used the card as we were shifted to a different block few months ago). Later Mrs.Ammudavally, an employee of NUS and a good friend of mine managed to trace the card number and deactivate it. I thank her for helping me that day. Meantime I started listing out the cards that I had in my wallet and traced the telephone numbers of the respective offices and asked them to deactivate the cards I lost.

All the way I used to tell myself the proverb which my dad used to tell me if something goes wrong, “Everything is for Good” and would try to calm my self so that I can think of the next move.

Later I decided to lodge a formal complaint at the Police post. Kannan was all thru with me till I lodged the complaint at the police post at NUH (National University Hospital). The police at the post were very friendly unlike in my home country and provided me with a copy if the FIR (First Information Report). I took it and by that time I was ravenously hungry and had some grub on my way back to office

I met my coordinator and apprised her of the day’s events and left to SIR (immigration office) to apply for the duplicate EP. Appraising my office of the mishap, I took a Cab and reached office at 3.00PM. I took the letter from my office and had to reach home to collect my passport that is required to obtain the duplicate EP. I reached SIR at 4.00 PM due to heavy traffic which took me half hour when other time it would have taken half the time.

As I reached the counter I found that no more queue tickets are being issued. I found an officer standing there and requested her that I had lost my EP and I have lodged a formal complaint and bought the FIR along with the letter from my office. She too was nice to me. She immediately gave me a queue number and directed me to counter number 55. At the counter I informed the officer about the happenings of the day. Within a few minutes he re-issued my EP.

Mission accomplished I returned home totally exhausted and am left a feeling in myself that after all this (Singapore) is a nice country where things are on a proper track and no one is there to multiply to your owes unlike in my home country.

It assured my belief that to be nice to others is going to pay back eventually since I found every one was nice and kind to me in my day of troubles. The whole point is you get what you give with a multiplication factor and I have convinced myself that I should doubly be nice to others when I am approached.

The very next day I got a new ATM card and other paraphernalia afresh to get along with my daily routine.

I am convinced that this whole episode has taught me two vital lessons in my life.

To be more careful even in the land where crime rate is low
To be more balanced when some difficulty arises and get along with what is to be done in the need of the hour
To be always nice and be appreciative of the difficulties of the others
To make it a point to come to the aid of anyone who approaches u when he/she is down if you are capable of

I feel that I am enriched by this experience.

Please let me know what you think about it?

N Ramesh