Dramatic reenactment
Rule #1: Watch your shadow.
Bridget: 2 3*, Pickpockets: 1
*EDIT: Just prevented another one from happening today.
All posts tagged crime
My school tries to keep me safe by … giving me a second door
Two doors? Why not?
Just a few hours after my iPhone was stolen yesterday, I came back to my dorm to find a man installing a steel-frame door with bars. I’m not sure if this was my school’s way of responding to the incident — I was pickpocketed on the street, after all — but it’s an interesting solution given my dorm already has a metal door with three locks. And bars on all my windows. And a bao an (security guard) that has to buzz me in everytime I come to the building.
Better safe than sorry, I guess.
It is entirely possible to have your iPhone stolen while you are using it
IMG_9198, originally uploaded by Sheryl McKee
Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way today.
I was on my routine 10 minute walk to teach classes and had a lot of bags in my hands. I placed the iPhone in a side pocket of my bag — a different pocket than I normally use (and a mistake I now deeply regret).
I was listening to music at the time when it suddenly stopped. Normally, I would have instantly reacted, but my iPhone has been starting to randomly pause music in the middle of songs. I figured it was just another one of these instances.
I took a moment to set my bags down. When I looked in the pocket to press the play button, the iPhone was gone. My earphones, meanwhile, were still in my ears.
To say I’m devasted would be an understatement, but luckily my contacts and music were synched with my computer. Canceling the service and changing passwords won’t be difficult either.
Moral of the story: even if you’re using your device, nothing will stop a determined pickpocketer from taking it.
About
Bridget O'Donnell, 24, is a designer for the Shanghai Daily. She previously worked for the China Daily and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009. More »