10/18: Okay, my job caught up on me, need to work even on weekends. Well, let me continue blogging on my trip. Sorry guys!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Ah Long

Around one week ago, a hometown friend called me up when I was still working. This friend usually never contacts me or even looks me up to catch up on old times. So when I heard his voice over the phone, I could sense that he would need some favor. It turned out that I was right, he wanted to borrow some money. He asked for RM1500, but I only offered RM500. He eventually accepted.

My dad has always taught us to put our heart into helping people, so that was why I didn’t ask for reason or even terms and conditions.

After that I found out from friends that he owed loan shark (we refer them as “Ah Long”) some gambling debts; and he had been looking for favor among all his friends. I was truly disappointed because all the while I thought a person who gambles regularly would know how to control oneself and never get carried away. When I gamble, I always know my limit, I would not get frustrated or angry when I lost because I always set my budget to not affect my life.

Lately I realized that “Ah Long” has become smarter in advertising their illegal “business”.

They used English word to fool authorities into believing their advertisement as just for home tuition; but the Chinese words are saying otherwise.

They even have a city license printed at the bottom.

I’m wondering for those who don’t understand mandarin and are desperate for tuition, will they be calling this number and being convinced to take some debt? Who knows Ah Long might be the best person to teach Maths, Finance, and no doubt Risk Management!

Anyway, do you know that in India, they have a sophisticated way of calling loan shark – Recovery Agent! I guess if “Ah Long” has such a name why not others? So I was thinking…

Begger = Street Warming Specialist / Financial Dependent Agent
Thief = Stealth Assets Extraction Experts
Con-man = Illusion Artist
Murderer = Life Diminishing Engineer

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

i don't mind helping a friend in financial problem... but i really would appreciate if the borrower returns my money back... and my friend who borrowed my money didn't return my money and changed his handphone number.

AsX said...

If I'm in your situation, i shall be telling myself at least I've helped him. He will be the one who will have sleepless nights and feeling uneasy all the time.

In other word, if my friend tries to avoid me and change his phone number because of this, i shall take it as our friendship only worth that much. And using that much money to see the true-self of so-called-friend, i think it's really worth it!

RealGunners said...

the above 2 comments clearly depicts an ordinary fella and a fella with lots of $$ and nowhere to spend =.="

AsX said...

The above depicts another fella with lots of money and pretending to be poor...

By the way, he is refering me as the ordinary one :P...

Renaye, he borrowed a lot from you? Hopefully is not an ex-bf who pretend to love u at first..( assuming u r a gal from the way u wrote ur blog)