The moment I found out, I immediately called my cousin's son, Jowie, who was staying in the house with me.
To my horror, Jowie told me that my laptop and DVD player were gone. The laptop was barely two years old, and was a gift from my parents. The DVD player, on the other hand, was from Kelvin, more than two years ago.
When I got home, this was what greeted me:
This is my main bedroom, where I sleep and watch TV. This picture was taken from the landing of the second floor.
Right by the door was my dad's black bag filled with clothes, hats and an assortment of stuff from my bedroom. I was very certain this wasn't there when I left for Batangas last Friday. I didn't even know where that bag originally was.
Inside the bag were Kelvin's clothes and mine, a box of coffee, my fedora hat, and the leash that I bought for Yoda. As soon as I saw these, I realized that the thieves thought of taking my clothes and all the other stuff but changed their mind. I'm not sure why, but my hunch is the bag was too big and heavy that it might draw attention once the thieves left my house.
After surveying the contents of the bag, I went further inside my bedroom and looked around.
On my bed were some of my bags, clothes, even the pack of nose strips that I bought just before leaving for Batangas. The thieves even took each of the packets out - to check if there was money, I guess. One of the drawers was also on the bed, with some of its contents, strewn on the floor. The rest of the drawers, with their contents scattered and taken out, were piled on one side. Gone was my laptop which I left sitting on the stool right beside my bed. Along with it, were my speakers and the mouse that Kelvin gave me.
On the other side of my room were my cabinets - where I kept my bags - and an old computer table -where I kept my CDs, books and other odds and ends. Both cabinets were open, with their contents scattered on the floor. My CDs and books suffered the same fate.
My TV was not taken; my DVD player, however, was nowhere to be found. What pains me even more is that my latest Big Bang Theory (Season 6) CD was in it.
With a heavy heart, I forced myself to walk into the other room. I was horrified by the sight; it was worse than the main bedroom.
This was the smaller room which I use to keep my clothes. This room used to be my parents' room, but since they moved to Batangas, I have been using this as my spare bedroom/walk-in closet.
I was heartbroken to see the damage that the thieves had done. All of my clothes were taken out of the cabinets and drawers, and were scattered on the bed and floor. All of the drawers were taken out of the cabinets and their contents were everywhere, all in disarray.
After five frozen minutes, I looked around and started picking things up. I decided to take all my clothes to the laundry, I couldn't bear to wear them knowing that some men's filthy hands touched them.
After two hours of sorting my things out, I have made a mental list of the things that were stolen:
- Lenovo IdeaPad
- CDR King speakers
- computer mouse
- My cousin Mico's Casio watch
- Hon's old Nokia mobile phone
- my pearl necklace from SM
- DVD player
- mom Guy Laroche watch
- my old Casio digicam (a gift from my sister)
- my TV's remote control
- 2gb memory card
I am extremely outraged over what happened. I have been trying to live an honest life. I have worked hard and long to provide for my family and loved ones. Yet, this nightmarish event has befallen me. Those men did not just steal my possessions, they also took my peace of mind and my sense of security with them.
It has been more than a week since those men broke into my house. I am desperately missing my laptop and my DVD player; and find myself constantly looking over my shoulder. But now that the shock has worn off, I have come to realize a number of things.
- My possessions may have been taken, but not my life, or anyone else's for that matter. Thank God no one was home when it happened.
- The things that were taken were just that - things. They can be replaced, and I can beef up my house's security and locks.
- I may be bereft of my laptop and other things but I still have my family, their love and support. I will learn and move on from this episode of my life.
