Getting Fleeced
I'd never thought that a conversation about getting fleeced will led to a parking ticket subsequently and this delightful trio of episodes to follow...
Tuesday 1 July
Over a decadent bowl of ice kachang with gula melaka and evaporated milk drizzled liberally, Mr Y casually mentioned that he had clients who did not pay him his fees for work done. There was this particular chap who refused to pay the whole construction team and chose to move into an uncompleted house, without the requisite approvals. Not that he could not afford to, with a fleet of Lamborghinis in tow. He also acquired a bad reputation of being a lousy paymaster.
Wednesday 2 July
I suddenly recalled that some years ago, I got fleeced too, in work and in investments, by once-upon-a-time friends and partners. Funny how it has not cropped up before as I had totally written off the figures and the trust that came before that.
What got me through were promises and scriptures that I had camped on and lived by. Now my mind drew a blank. I vaguely remembered that the thief had to repay more than what he stole. The bible student in me got down to work. Thanks to IT and google, the key words "restoration" and "restitution" came back with a slew of results.
Zech 9:12
" Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today, I declare I will restore double to you. "
Mal 3:11
" And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the Lord of Hosts. "
Joel 2:25
" So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust...you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of The Lord your God."
Prov 28:8
" One who increases his possessions by ursury and extortion gathers it for him who will pity the poor"
( yay, I qualify! )
Ps 37
- A Psalm of David on the heritage of the righteous and the calamity of the wicked
Prov 6:31
"...yet when ( the thief ) is found, he must restore sevenfold."
Job 42:10
God restored to Job double for all his losses
Ex 22:1; 22:4; Lev 6:5; 22:4
God restores by increase and multiplication. This is a spiritual law.
Ex 22:9 ( my favourite )
" For any kind of trespass...or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor."
Claim what is mine ( which I did! )
And so the story begins
Thursday 3 July
Getting a good bargain at outlet sales always gives me a buzz and I wasn't going to let this one pass by. Arriving on site before the lunch hour vultures descend, I was able to get into an empty space along the road not far from the warehouse. There were designated parking lots which were few and far between. Eager to jump right into the scavenging, I did not check whether there were prohibited markings along the road.
Two and one half hours later, after braving the heat and the crowds, with the acumen of a seasoned shopper, I returned to the car to find this sticking out from the windscreen. Bummer!
The euphoria of shopping heaven was short-lived, to be replaced by a sense of being entrapped and caught. To add insult to injury, my car was the only one with the ticket. Fuming and ranting, I behaved badly, taking it out on the innocent security guard manning traffic outside the warehouse, as if it was all his fault. It was not a pretty sight!
Friday 4 July
Curiosity about how to use an induction cooker and feeding the senior citizens in an old HDB estate got me to tag along Mr Y to see how he goes about cooking for these people in a voluntary feeding programme run by the Presbyterian Welfare Services ( or something of that ilk. )
The food was simple but tasty, the equipment lacking. A once costly and non-stick wok had been poorly handled by other volunteers, resulting in deep scratches in the coating. It performed its last rites serving the elderly today before being written off as trash.
I had the opportunity to talk to Mr Y about restoration, restitution and claiming back " what is mine".
I had planned to return to the warehouse for Round 2 to make up for the unexpected surcharge incurred yesterday, which I did, true to form. I thought that if I could find a replacement for that sad shadow of a wok at the warehouse, I would get it.
Managed to pick up more miscellaneous items that were more impulse than functional. At first, I did not come across cooking utensils that fitted the bill. Experience has taught me that one last sweep usually produces results, and it sure did.
I found this lying in a pile away from the madd(en)ing crowd. They were going for a fraction of their original price. I picked up one for the old folks home, and returned for a second, for myself.
My car was now parked in a "safe" place where there were no single white line or double yellow lines. I made sure of that. A thought occurred to me and I texted the SS to ascertain some parking rules. I looked around and saw that in some areas, the single white line has been " broken" up into faint dotted lines and even disappeared altogether. The SS was not available to explain parking rules to me and I drove off, feeling consoled that had it not been for the parking ticket, I would not have returned today and found the latest bargains.
In the evening, after dinner, the SS was cornered and we discussed my chances of appealing against the parking ticket. If I could show that I was parked in a spot where there were no distinguishable features or lines showing that parking was prohibited, I may get a shot at it.
Sat 5 July
Full of anticipation, I set off for Round 3, wondering what new bargains I can suss out today. More impulse buys followed, and then I spotted the prize.
Each one going for a sterling price of $20. Ever feel happy to get a parking ticket? This is the one occasion.
There was another warehouse sale of plastic containers in the next street so I made a stop there. Snapped up all their available see-through containers, a grand total of 14, for getting my life and stuff in order. It turned out to be just the right size for the shelving being constructed in Project House. I never had much of an instinct for measurements and spatial estimations but this time it was spot-on!
Restoration and Restitution
I have a spring in my gait and a silly grin across my cheeks all day. 3 rounds, 3 reminders of the goodness of my Abba Father. I picture Him winking and looking down at me. I don't know how to classify the type of "locust" URA falls under, but I have been blessed far far more than what the parking ticket has cost me. It was instrumental in bringing on the blessings of unbelievable bargains and a heady buzz in my entire being. I am greatly blessed, highly favoured and deeply loved.
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