One Week Of Bliss in K.L.

Tonight marks a one week anniversary of my arrival to K.L. It has been a week of mere functional work, while I attempt to get my body accustomed to a 16 hour time difference. It has been a lot of 9 PM sleepy and sore eyes and much 5:35 AM wake-up calls. It is Sunday, and I finally feel on-target with energy. Don’t get me wrong – I could always use a great cup of “American” coffee…. Not this instant coffee stuff! I am headed to the “Sunday Night Market” in my area of the city. I have promised pictures, so I PROMISE to bring the camera with me!

On Wednesday, I was a victim of a pick-pocket attempt. As I headed to the office on the LRT (light rail transit) I had my computer, which I carry to and from work every day, my camera, phone, wallet, the works – but someone told me long ago to never have anything of importance in your pocket (unless you’re in Missoula, Montana). I got off at my stop, Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque), went to swipe my transit card to get out of the system, when a lovely gentleman (who shall remain race-less for my Malaysian friends) decided, at that point to follow me in the escalator. It wouldn’t have flagged me if he was part of the herd getting off the train to head out of the station, but he was waiting, reading a newspaper, looked up, saw me, AND THEN decided to get onto the escalator. My radar was tripped. I moved my messenger-type bag from the back to the front and proceeded up the escalator. It was not 10 seconds later I felt a flitter by my left side. Being super paranoid of lizards and large biting spiders, I looked. Lo and behold, there was a hand – FROZEN- right where my pocket was. As I continued to look over my shoulder, the man quickly looked to his left, BUT KEPT HIS HAND THERE. What he was staring at, I don’t know, because his eyes did not follow anything as we were going up the escalator. This is what followed:

Me: looking at the man. “Excuse me. Please stop.”

Man: Frozen, still, hand mid air, not making eye contact.

Me: “EXCUSE ME ( in the strongest – ‘are you kidding me type voice’). You NEED to STOP IT.

Man: A bit shocked, looked at me, smiled, tilted his head a bit “Ok, sorry.” And scurried past me on the escalator.

When I arrived to work and explained the hilarity of the frozen thief, one of my co-workers was surprised. Apparently, people here do not confront their perpetrators! It seems that, evidently, I shocked the thief more than he, I. According to Daniel, my coworker, “You rightly ruined HIS day!”

The best part of the story?

I saw him in the 7/11 on the corner of my office building block the next morning! He looked at me, I looked at him. And we both kind of smiled at each other, seemingly to say – “Huh – as the fates would have it.”