Frustration of a cyclist

"Wah....potential 'activist' huh?"

That was one of the many replies that I received after my email was sent out yesterday. I don't think one needs to be a cyclist in order to understand the frustration I am feeling.

I never missed an opportunity to cycle when I travelled overseas. I could take a nap by the river in Nikko, and don't have to worry about my bike which was parked unlocked by the roadside. Not to mention the countless times that I left it unlocked outside the supermarkets while I was inside shopping. One may argue that Japan is one of the most civilised society - one will be able to retrieve his/her belongings should you leave your things behind, as nobody will take it.

But what about the time when I parked my bicycle outside the museum in Luang Prabang while I spent three hours inside the museum, and next to the padi fields in Borobudur. Laos and Indonesia are hardly affluent and developed countries yet I don't have to worry about thefts of my rental bikes. It is an irony that I cannot take similar comfort in my home country.

Now, I dare not park my bike in a public area and will try to hide my bicycle behind a table or boxes even after I have locked it. Overly suspicious? Maybe. But I do have a good reason to do so.

"I have lost 3 bikes in past 10 years. My family does not learn. Best is not to own one if it is hardly used as you end up losing it," emailed M.

Does avoiding the issue solve the problem? Maybe just your own, and just as far as bicycles are concerned. For all you know, it may be a bike now, metal bars too, street lights next? And who knows what else after that.

"I'm still waiting to see my many many umbrellas lost after leaving them overnight outside office. Sighed...." shared N. That probably sums up the civics at the moment.

PI

Never realised that it was so hard to be a private investigator.

After much consideration, I decided to re-visit Sungei road. It was no surprise that the stall was vacant when we arrived. But we decided to search the whole area in case they had shifted their stalls.

There was an Indian lady with a child who was manning a bicycle stall. The bicycles were coated with dirt and dust, obviously stolen from someone else. Cousin W asked how much one was and she answered S$100.

Finally, I found the gentlemen in the next lane.

I pointed out the man in black and the boy in green to Cousin W. To avoid their suspicions, she pretended to make a phone call and took a video of them discreetly. Worried that our little act would be discovered, we took off hurriedly once the videos were taken.

If not for the theft of my bike, I would not have been known how prevalent bike thefts are in Singapore. These are the comments that I received when I related my encounter to them.

"I lost my dark blue Garyfisher too,"said LW." I went to Sungei Road and asked them whether they have good bikes cos the beter bikes are usually kept separately, but they said no."

"Aiyah, what's new. Even bikes parked outside Bishan MRT station can be stolen, what's more area like Lavender," said GC.

"It is useless to chain the bike, they can open it with multi-purpose key. If you use a number lock, they will just cut the chain. Sometimes, the lorry just came and lifted the locked bike onto the lorry. People saw but nobody stopped them."

"I almost bought a bike from Sungei road, it was brand new and was selling for only $35. It was a real bargain but I didn't buy 'cos your aunt said no."


The man who RETURNED my bike.


The boy who cleaned my bike.

Assuming that the cyclist has the common sense to park and lock the bike at a place where it is crowded, why are bike thefts so prevalent? I can think of only a few possiblities.

1) Bike thefts are riskfree as the thefts are not reported to the police. People don't report the thefts as they either think that there is no hope in retrieving the bikes or the bikes are not expensive. Hence nothing has been done to prevent the thefts.

2)Bike thefts are riskfree as nobody will stop you. Singaporeans are either shy about speaking up, afraid of a case of mistaken identify or totally indifferent since the bikes do not belong to them.

3)There are simply too many people who are buying in the black market, that made it worth while for the thieves to take the risk.

The experience had left me a little jittery about parking my bike in public places. Isn't it time Singaporeans unite to make our home a safer place to live in? Are we so preoccupied with our own affairs that we are so insensitive to what is happening around us? Are we so busy that we don't have time to spare in making that police report? Do we need to stoop so low to buy stolen goods to get that good bargain?

Beijing 2008

I had never enjoyed an olympic game as much as Beijing 2008. For the past two weeks, I had stayed up to watch the basketball games, and woke up to tune into the swimming events. I was impressed with the finess and skills of both the Indonesian and Malaysian badminton teams and the tenacity of the Korean table-tennis players.

It is truly one of the best Olympic games because the athletes put up a good fight and a good game. It is not just about the number of medals won or the records broken. It is not about winners or losers. It had been a feast for my eyes because of the sportsmenship that they had displayed and knowing that everyone was putting in their best.

When I thought that physique matters in swimming events, the Japanese proved me wrong by being in the top three places. When competition was so intense, and every point matters, the players will question the judges but they will respect the decision and not throw their tantrums. Despite the intensity of the competition, you could tell that the players enjoyed the game and respect that their opponents are giving them a hard run for their games.

I don't understand the implication of having an olympic medal after 48 years. Not because they were not borne in singapore, but because they were not in singapore long enough. With two out of the three members having stayed in Singapore for about a year, we can hardly attribute their finess to our system.

With the setting up of the sports school and by investing our resources into sports, I have confidence that our country will slowly take our stage in the world sports arena. What we are investing and developing is a system that will groom top players and a culture that encourages them to compete against one another and sharpened their skills. Till then, I will wait for the the players, be they born in singapore or not, as long as they are groomed by our system.

I am sure this ending is only a beginning for most sportsmen. They will be sharpening their skills and training themselves, to pit their skills against their friends in the next meet.

Kidnapped

My pink lady was kidnapped this afternoon and I managed to retrieve her only after an amazing turn of events.

Though the name of the road was called French Road, there was nothing French about the place. It is fairly well-located, just one-station away from Bugis, yet too far from the scene of action to warrant a grand interest. Attempts were made to rejuvenate the place with the setting up of the Immigration Department and the new condominium around the corner. But with the competition, it was a poor cousin who had been forgotton by the city. Hardware shops selling metals, tents, paints ruled the place, together with the usual optical, incense, stationery, 4-D shops to serve the residents in the area.

"There are several bicycle thefts around this area," advised S " You should bring the bicycle to the office upstairs."

"But I am leaving it just next to the lift lobby and there are shops around the area. I doubt anyone would dare to steal it in the broad day light," I replied confidently.

Back from lunch one and the half hours later, I had to eat my words. All that was left of my bicyle was the chain, still locked and intact. But my bicycle was no longer there. The thief had kindly picked the lock, took my bike, and returned my lock to the original state, leaving me with the lock as a souvenir.

We asked the shop assistants around the area. Everyone was busy with their own tasks and did not notice anything amiss. The uncle from the shop told me that four of his bikes were stolen when he parked them along the corridor and he never managed to recover the lost bikes. That was no consolation.

Given that the thefts were so frequent, I gathered that the thief must be living nearby. I decided to walk around the area to try my luck.

An uncle was sitting on the floor along a corridor, having lunch with his friends. They sat amidst the cardboxes, and rusty old bicycles. They looked up as I approached.

"Uncle,I just lost my bicycle and trying to search for it. Are there many bicycle thefts in the area?"

The uncle peered at me through his dark squared-rimmed glasses, eyes wrinkling into a frown. "There are many cases of theft around here. They are so daring these days and no one is stopping them. Try asking the bicycle shops behind."

I walked in the direction that he had pointed, and kept asking around for bicyles shops. I was not surprised when my search took me to Sungei Road. There were a couple of bicycle stalls at the start of the street.

A young boy was polishing a black-coloured bicycle. The tear at the seat and the scratches on the frame looked vaguely familiar. I walked over to the bicycle and took a closer look. The rust on the chain, the marks left behind on the handle bar, and finally the word "Trek" inscribed on my bike. My breath stopped for a while in disbelief. As I scanned the stall quickly, I saw my pink rack on the floor beside a wooden crater.

Idignation hit me there and then. I held onto my handle bar and stared at the uncles who were all looking at me.

"Uncle, 这辆脚车是我的!"

"你是哪里被偷的？"

I explained to them what happened and they claimed that an Indian sold the bicycle to them as he was returning to India.

"你拿去吧！"

I was surprised that they returned it to me so readily. I looked at my pinklady who looked so forlorn and no longer pink without her accessories. I picked up my pink rack and requested that they put it back. I was secretly happy that the straps around the pedals have been removed, and I decided not to claim back my other accessories.

"我们给了他五十块。不如你给我二十五块？一人一半？"

He must be joking. Why would I want to pay them $25 for my own bicycle? I told him to get back the $50 from the Indian guy should he sell them another bicycle again.

Then he tried to get me to buy the young man coffee for fixing back my pink rack. I was mulling over that when the young boy finished his task and I mounted on my bike. With a thank you, I rode away.

The whole incident was so bizarre that I wondered whether it had actually took place. There are a few lessons that I came to appreciate and a few points that I am still pondering over.

1) If tne uncles do not buy from the theives, then, there would no need for the supplies, and the theft rates would drop. But, as there are such willing buyers, hence there will always be such thefts.
2) If I have reported the case to the police, would I have been able to recover my bike?

I decided to report the case to the police in any case, and hopefully that will prevent more bikes from being stolen.

I wondered how many people get their bikes back after their bikes were stolen. Maybe one in ten? It was not the first time that my pink lady had such close encounter with theft. But she always managed to escape. I attribute that to the universal law - "do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you." If I do not steal, be it time or in-kinds, my things will not get stolen. By making an effort to live an ethical life and to benefit other people in my ways, I know I am blessed, in many many ways.