Don't be heisty

Sunday 12.30 pm. I was getting ready to fetch my sister in law at the airport when the phone rings.

Lady: Hello, is this Mr. Agustus?
Agus: Speaking.
Lady: Uh, this is your office neighbor, our office is below yours. You’re a staff of *edited* right?
Agus: Yes, that’s right.
Lady: Yeah, there’s been a break in at our block. All three levels were burglarized. The police are here investigating. You should call a representative to handle the situation at your place.
Agus: Oh, ok.

I hung up. My heart plunged in disbelief. I wished it was just a dream. The conversation sounded faint. It was a good minute before I called my boss and relayed the bad news. He lives nearby and was the most logical person to be expected at the scene. Imagine that… I told my boss to get his ass to the office asap!

He called back asking “Agus, where are you now?”

“I’m going to the airport to fetch my sister in law. I plan to get there after that, in three hours time” I told him.

“Oh, ok then. I guess I’ll get there now.” Said the boss.

My thoughts were focused on the incident throughout the journey. My mind was multi tasking while driving and having a conversation with my sister in law. She must be exhausted from the flight and she must have loads to say so I kept the bad news to myself.

When we got to the Swiss Inn at Petaling Street, I told her that we would be going to the mall for some weekend shopping, if she wasn’t so tired that is.

“The mall is near my office. I’m gonna have to drop by the office for a while to check on stuff. There was a break in last night and I need to know what’s missing. After that we go to One Utama Shopping Mall.” I told her.

Here’s the good news. I’m so glad I bring my lap top home everyday. Some asked me why I need to carry the laptop around when I meet them after work. And why I must bring it back home everyday. I don’t really do my work at home. I just have personal stuff in my laptop and it’s sort of an extension of my brain. Plus there’s a huge entertainment value in there that I must have access to all the time.

“Do you have to watch it everyday?” Bert once asked me.
“Not really, but yeah.” I replied.

And now I have another solid reason. This laptop is my own and there’s nothing I can do about it if it gets stolen at the workplace.

Two CPUs were also taken, one each from accounts and marketing department. Some 500 bucks were taken from the petty cash box. And worst of all, my boss’s new Dell Laptop. Yikes! That’d make any man cry.

The rest of the CPUs were already disconnected and ready to go. It seemed to be a grand heist kind of plan. In the end however, they were left hanging. The burglars were interrupted somehow. They left in a hurry but not without making a mess. Drawers, cabinets, boxes and briefcases were ransacked. They must be searching for small valuables and stacks of cash.

Oh well, at least I still have my lap top. Oh, and I’m so glad I didn’t forget my digital camera in the drawers.

“What else is valuable on my table.
Oh sheet! My coffee grinder. My hand cranked grinder was on the table!
And sheet! My DeLonghi electric burr grinder was in the pantry!
Arghhhh! I sure hope they missed those…
Now I really need to get there. Otherwise I won’t be sleeping tonight. Sure they’re not that expensive. But they’re not cheap either!”

When I got there a few hours later, boy was I glad to see my coffee grinder still on my desk. And its electric cousin was still in the pantry. *Joy* The damage is minimal to me.

This morning I was rushed to set up two spare CPU for my colleagues and one old laptop for my boss. Now that everything is in order, I blog.