It's confession time.
Curiosity is a slippery slope; Eve was the first to know and over the weekend you've also learned that all it takes is one small push and inquisitiveness becomes blatant iniquity. The way you saw it, it was only right that you went through the contents of the purse you found for any trace of identifiable information to contact its owner. But this is where the moral line is drawn so fine, and to overstep it becomes a simple matter of erring on the side of purported samaritanism; a defense you'd conjure up now to quell any aspersions of questionable character on your part.
And before you know it, the deed is set into motion.
You've lined up the contents of your serendipitous find; her name cards, credit cards, identity card, $500 cash and two months worth of receipts on your desk. With a certain manic compulsion, the assiduous task of reconstructing her lifestyle, her social circle, her likes and dislikes, basically her entire person, has begun.
First stop; the internet. In these modern times, technology has become a pot of gold for stalkers. You eyeball your ex-es on Facebook, you stalk the blogs of strangers and their friends, you subscribe to the photostreams of your acquaintances on Flickr, you sniff out corporate linkages of your colleagues at LinkedIn; the possibilities for voyeurism are limitless, and we're all guilty in this game of e-dirt digging.
Starting off with Google, a quick search with her corporate email account yields her educational background and portfolio. She's a law graduate from a relatively prestigious Australian university, currently employed as a transfer pricing manager at a reputable auditing firm specializing in tax services. She's twenty seven, a Malaysian on an extensive work permit here in Singapore, but she has astutely used her office address in lieu of her apartment's on the ID to fend off would-be voyeurs like yourself.
The two credit cards are both highly indicative of a fat paycheck, and her Amex Krisflyer platinum card seems to be a company charge card used for entertainment expenses. This is of course, corroborated by the numerous receipts you've keenly tabulated to map out her consumption habits.
Food and Beverage (total: $4,842.42)
Grand Hyatt - $829.80
The Universal at Duxton Hill - $749.16
Braise Restaurant at Palawan Beach Walk, Sentosa - $423.75
Asuki Thai - $405.10
White Rabbit at Harding Road - $389.55
Botan Japanese Restaurant - $373.11
Ricotti at China Square - $324.00
Coca Restaurant - $205.40
Hot Stones Restaurant at Clarke Quay - $135.35
Spizza at Club Street - $129.70
Wood Restaurant at Vivocity - $125.40
Brussel Sprouts - $122.40
Viet Lang at Old Parliament House - $115.35
My Humble House - $108.15
Shamus O' Donnell's Irish Pub - $98.50
Prive Restaurant - $77.60
EM Studio - $68.00
Soup Restaurant at Seah Street - $61.95
Harry's - $42.50
Max Brenner - $39.65
Clothing and Electronics (total: $2,224.80)
South Asia Computer - $857.00, $80.80 (All in one printer and ink refills)
Her Glass Slipper - $722.30 (One pair of heels!)
Singtel Hello @ Comcentre - $268.00 (Sony Ericson c902)
Giordano originals - $165.00, $45.10 (lots of polo tees in different sizes, probably for some company team building event)
Prints - $86.60 (5 photo albums and gift wrapping, presumably a farewell gift for departing colleagues)
Groceries (total: $776.64)
Cold Storage supermarket at Kallang - $253.60, $126.40, $271.64
My BBQ Place - $45.30 (BBQ on National Day)
Watsons - $21.40, $46.70, $11.60 (snacks, mints and toiletries)
Transport (total: $75.10)
Taxi rides - $14.60, $11.50, $10.90, $11.60, $12.90, $13.60
She spent a total of $7,918.96 for July and the first two weeks of August. That's almost $8,000 in less than six weeks. Her groceries express a love for fruits, vegetables and pasta, and she should be staying around Kallang. She also has a voracious appetite for champagne and white wine, evident from her typical order of Moet and/or Chardonnay on her extravagant nights out.
If there were lessons to be drawn from the above exercise, you'd learn that (a) your life is worthless (see previous post) judging by other's enormous spending power, (b) never leave receipts in your purse so other creeps may piece your life together in an exercise of futile boredom, and (c) that the road to Hell is often paved with good intentions, like this one.
Oh, if there's any redemption left in this, the purse has been rightfully returned with all contents intact.
The price of altruism is, ironically in this case, self-serving curiosity.
Curiosity is a slippery slope; Eve was the first to know and over the weekend you've also learned that all it takes is one small push and inquisitiveness becomes blatant iniquity. The way you saw it, it was only right that you went through the contents of the purse you found for any trace of identifiable information to contact its owner. But this is where the moral line is drawn so fine, and to overstep it becomes a simple matter of erring on the side of purported samaritanism; a defense you'd conjure up now to quell any aspersions of questionable character on your part.
And before you know it, the deed is set into motion.
You've lined up the contents of your serendipitous find; her name cards, credit cards, identity card, $500 cash and two months worth of receipts on your desk. With a certain manic compulsion, the assiduous task of reconstructing her lifestyle, her social circle, her likes and dislikes, basically her entire person, has begun.
First stop; the internet. In these modern times, technology has become a pot of gold for stalkers. You eyeball your ex-es on Facebook, you stalk the blogs of strangers and their friends, you subscribe to the photostreams of your acquaintances on Flickr, you sniff out corporate linkages of your colleagues at LinkedIn; the possibilities for voyeurism are limitless, and we're all guilty in this game of e-dirt digging.
Starting off with Google, a quick search with her corporate email account yields her educational background and portfolio. She's a law graduate from a relatively prestigious Australian university, currently employed as a transfer pricing manager at a reputable auditing firm specializing in tax services. She's twenty seven, a Malaysian on an extensive work permit here in Singapore, but she has astutely used her office address in lieu of her apartment's on the ID to fend off would-be voyeurs like yourself.
The two credit cards are both highly indicative of a fat paycheck, and her Amex Krisflyer platinum card seems to be a company charge card used for entertainment expenses. This is of course, corroborated by the numerous receipts you've keenly tabulated to map out her consumption habits.
Food and Beverage (total: $4,842.42)
Grand Hyatt - $829.80
The Universal at Duxton Hill - $749.16
Braise Restaurant at Palawan Beach Walk, Sentosa - $423.75
Asuki Thai - $405.10
White Rabbit at Harding Road - $389.55
Botan Japanese Restaurant - $373.11
Ricotti at China Square - $324.00
Coca Restaurant - $205.40
Hot Stones Restaurant at Clarke Quay - $135.35
Spizza at Club Street - $129.70
Wood Restaurant at Vivocity - $125.40
Brussel Sprouts - $122.40
Viet Lang at Old Parliament House - $115.35
My Humble House - $108.15
Shamus O' Donnell's Irish Pub - $98.50
Prive Restaurant - $77.60
EM Studio - $68.00
Soup Restaurant at Seah Street - $61.95
Harry's - $42.50
Max Brenner - $39.65
Clothing and Electronics (total: $2,224.80)
South Asia Computer - $857.00, $80.80 (All in one printer and ink refills)
Her Glass Slipper - $722.30 (One pair of heels!)
Singtel Hello @ Comcentre - $268.00 (Sony Ericson c902)
Giordano originals - $165.00, $45.10 (lots of polo tees in different sizes, probably for some company team building event)
Prints - $86.60 (5 photo albums and gift wrapping, presumably a farewell gift for departing colleagues)
Groceries (total: $776.64)
Cold Storage supermarket at Kallang - $253.60, $126.40, $271.64
My BBQ Place - $45.30 (BBQ on National Day)
Watsons - $21.40, $46.70, $11.60 (snacks, mints and toiletries)
Transport (total: $75.10)
Taxi rides - $14.60, $11.50, $10.90, $11.60, $12.90, $13.60
She spent a total of $7,918.96 for July and the first two weeks of August. That's almost $8,000 in less than six weeks. Her groceries express a love for fruits, vegetables and pasta, and she should be staying around Kallang. She also has a voracious appetite for champagne and white wine, evident from her typical order of Moet and/or Chardonnay on her extravagant nights out.
If there were lessons to be drawn from the above exercise, you'd learn that (a) your life is worthless (see previous post) judging by other's enormous spending power, (b) never leave receipts in your purse so other creeps may piece your life together in an exercise of futile boredom, and (c) that the road to Hell is often paved with good intentions, like this one.
Oh, if there's any redemption left in this, the purse has been rightfully returned with all contents intact.
The price of altruism is, ironically in this case, self-serving curiosity.
