Just last Sunday, I had a not-everyday-you-get experience and it was somewhat unpleasant for me.
Have you seen the video on stomp of the lady in bikini getting openly molested?
I'll tell you what I would do at the end of this entry.
Long story short, Dear & I decided to go bowling at Marina Square on a Sunday evening after we were with her friends for lunch, celebrating her birthday about a week ago.
Just as we were about to leave, a chinese PRC couple settled down the lane beside us. Before taking off my shoes, I saw some middle aged man clad in bright yellow shirt walking past us. Then when I put on my slippers, the same guy was walking away suspiciously, turning his head back towards my general direction several times.
At first I figured he was the guy of the PRC couple, but then I was shocked to see the actual guy coming back to his lane with a bowling ball. So me being English orientated asked them whether they were missing something, and them being the opposite replied in Mandrian.
It was confusion for a minute.
Then I realise my suspicion was right, that guy just took off with the girl's handback. I told the guy to run after him, giving 'bright yellow' as a very good guide. I left dear to return the shoes and pay up and I subsequently gave chase to search for that man.
So at Marina Square, from the bowling alley, then toilet, then Waraku, then Action City, then Crocs then I spotted the man on the first level heading towards the exit at the other starbucks. So I was sprinting from Crocs to Times Bookshop, down the escalator and I confronted the guy just outside Starbucks.
He slinged the handbag on his shoulder, so from his back I grabbed the bag and shouted in Chinese like "Is this your bag you thief?" What happened here, kinda happened so fast that I myself couldn't remember exactly what I said. Then he started to take off where I shouted "Da Qiang" aka Robber/Thief in Chinese and I tackled him American Football style. (I lost my right slippers in the process)
Together with some nice passer-bys, we subdued the man, cornering him at the door. Then there was this girl who is actually with him, I recognise her from outside the arcade started to plea me not to call the police.
So like I was sweating from the running and I had one hand on him and the other on the hangbag, although he did try to run away one more time but there were simply too many guys around for him to do that.
I called Jocelyn and asked her to bring the PRC couple over to claim ownership of the handbag and also got another guy to call the police. The theif couple started to look all pathetic and begged not to call the police and for a moment it felt bad. I just kept saying "Sorry, but you should have thought of it before you commit a crime." in really bad chinese.
So when the PRC guy came, he thanked me like a zillion times and later consulted me what I should do with the theif, then I was kinda afraid that the guy would remember me or Jocelyn for that matter of fact so I decided that we should just leave the area asap.
So instead of having a nice dinner at Marina Square, we deemed that place to be not safe anymore and decided a nice safe place to have dinner, and it was airport! Haha.
Anyway that night I couldn't really sleep at all, I kept thinking about the incident from the moment I confronted him till the PRC guy came, just keep replaying in my head. I don't exactly know how I should feel. =(
Anyway for the question I asked at the start, I would get help and arrest those guys. I believe Singaporean have the morales to do the right thing, just like how I got help subduing the thief, helping to call the police and someone helping to retrieve my slippers. =)
1:45 am;