How to lose a Lamborghini

People mislay the darndest things

A YOUNG PROPERTY TYCOON mislaid his Lamborghini. Glenn Knowles, 35, drove the US$300,000 car to several bars in the UK one night, and then came home by taxi, having left it somewhere.

As one does.

On an earlier occasion, he lost a Mercedes-Benz convertible the same way.

The newspapers say his insurance company is not very happy with him.

But I bet his neighbors ADORE him.

If I was them, I’d quit my job and spend my life watching him over the fence to see what he might lose next. “Oops, I’ve lost a Ferrari. Never mind, I’ll just get a new one.”
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I could do with a Ferrrari. It’s almost 120 meters from my house to the nearest supermarket, which will be an impossible distance to walk in the summer heat.
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But Knowles’ amazing-but-true tale made me think. What sort of person carelessly loses objects equal to the GDP of a medium-sized celebrity?

People in property and banking, I reckon. Take my friend Richard.

True story. This stockbroker went out to a New Year’s Eve party with a client. Richard drank himself into a stupor. The client heaved him into his car and went back to get someone else. Richard woke up, found himself in a car in front of the Mandarin Oriental in Central and drove home.

The next morning, the client phoned in a panic. “Someone’s stolen my car. Do you know anything about it?”

Richard pleaded ignorance.

Later, he found the client’s car in front of his apartment. He phoned the guy. “I know who stole your car. It was me.”

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I related the story above in a bar and got an irate reaction from a banker.

“There are people worse than us,” he said. “What about the military?”

The armed forces of the world often lose vehicles. Evidence of this comes in a newspaper clipping sent recently to me by a reader, which I posted last Wednesday:

It’s only a matter of time before someone in the forces loses an aircraft carrier. The CVN-78 super-carrrier costs US$8 billion. I phoned a friend whose father is in the army. “I don’t think anyone has lost one of these yet,” he said. “But what about rocket scientists? They’re always losing stuff.”

Good point. These guys spend their lives blasting ludicrously expensive objects into space, and a good number of them get lost. They’d better be really careful with the International Space Station for example. It cost USS157 billion. If whoever is in charge of keeping an eye on that costly baby from Houston Control loses it, can you imagine what his bosses will say? “We’re going to take US$157 billion out of your salary.”

If the guy earns US$100,000 a year, it will take him 1.5 million years to pay it off. I’d like to see him build that into his household budget. “Remember to turn off the lights when you leave the room, kids. We’re going to need to start economizing.”
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ON UNRELATED MATTERS:

Thanks for the feedback on the “God of booze and smokes” posting yesterday – really helpful.
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Karuna, apologies if you thought the post was anti-Hindu. Not at all! It starts off by saying "now that's a religion in tune with modern society". My family are passionate followers of the Mahatma, who was of course, an enthusiastic Hindu.  My grandfather was at the temple walking next to Gandhi when he was assassinated. (Gandhi, not my grandfather!)
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As for Jesus, I know he drank wine and hung out with prostitutes, but I think that was really cool of him. These days I am anti-fanaticism but generally look with a kindly eye on non-fanatical people of all faiths, including Atheism. I think it’s good for people to have beliefs which encourage them to think deeply and behave better----but of course we should at the same time be genuinely interested in what others believe, too.
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Kanina, you're right, the pic at the top of yesterday’s post shows Shiva; and Ram is correct too: Muneshwara is said to be one of the incarnations of Shiva.I just wanted a pic that made him look cool and relaxed and hip. Thanks for the news about alcohol-loving “Guardian Spirits”, Ram – there’s a pun waiting to happen! 
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Big thanks to Liza for her input and to Paul for the photo of the god of booze in the comments column yesterday, which really fits the story!!!
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As for the comments by TS, Sej, Angela, Chamin, Jason, fardel etc, thanks -- you guys never fail to make me smile!
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Technorati Tags: lost,lamborghini

Comments

[Dancer]

A volunteer cab driver for the Sydney Olympics went to the information centre where I worked one day and announced: I'm lost my cab and I don't know where I parked it.

The next day, another volunteer bus driver went to the information centre and announced: I'm lost my bus and I don't know where I parked it.

In the end, we had to alert the Sydney police to go look for it.

These incidents really happen much more common than one thinks.

[Karuna]

Nury,
The picture of Siva posted yesterday adorns altars in most Hindus homes. Also, this form of Siva is the deity at our main Hindu temple in Happy valley, where He is with his wife Sakthi.
Just as it is not cool to portray a drunken Jesus with prostitutes, it is not cool to portray Siva they way you did it.
For pictures of Lord Muneshwara, google "Muneeswaran". But, none show him drinking.
If you wish to learn about the outer physical forms/rituals of Hinduism, feel free to ask.
Or if you wish to learn about the inner spiritual aspects, you are welcome to come for the meditation programs we organize every Thursday evening.
End of story. Apology accepted. :-)

[Hazrul D. Nizam]

Aha! This is a post Malaysians can relate to.

This year we have been entertained by our amazingly incompetent yet remain obnoxiously powerful government with various episodes of "The Lost and Stolen Jet Engines". Apparently, we mysteriously lost two jet engines and somebody has stolen another two.

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/26506-two-more-rmaf-jet-engines-lost

Of course, the Prime Minister has promised no cover up....

[JS]

A woman drives to her office everyday. One day after work, she went to the multi-storey car park to get her car. After a long search (as usual), she couldn't find it. This time she knew that the car must have been stolen. She sadly rushed to the nearest police station to make a report. After giving all the details of her car etc. to the policeman, she suddenly realized something and said: "I'm sorry officer! I now remember. I didn't drive to work today. I took the bus this morning."

[Paul]

I was told I lost my marbles once... and I have been trying to find myself ever since.

Happy Friday folks. :)

[peter]

I have done that too. I once took a taxi home one night instead of driving because I way over the top, and then when I went down to get my car next morning I found it was missing. I had actually started to call the police when it occurred to me that ...just maybe .. it was in the company carpark - as indeed it was.

[peter]

You whole aticle reminds me of a funny story. A man was painting the outside of his wooden bungalow when an Irishman passed by and offered to finish the job for a very modest fee. It being a hot day and the man being tired he accepted the offer and went down to the pub, having first reminded the Irishman to make sure he painted not just the walls, but also the window frames , the garage and the porch. A couple of hours later he was suprised to get a call on his mobile from the Irishman to say that the work was done and could he come home to pay . He was about to say said " OK" but then the Irishman asked : " Why did you call it a porch when it is actually a Ferrari ? "

[Ram]

Well, its possible to lose movable properties. But how about immovable ones?... There is a funny story about a farmer losing his "well". I am not sure whether this incident really happened, but this is to show how corrupted some government officials are...
The story is as follows... A farmer interested in digging a well visits the bank to get a loan... The officer asks him for so many documents and after few visits and providing all the documents asked by the officer, the farmer understands that the officer expects some bribe... So, he pays the bribe and the officer allots the money for digging a well...
Now, the farmer uses the money to buy new things for his family and not dig a well... He pays bribe again and the sincere officer provides documents saying that the well is dug (Without verifying whether the well is really dug)... Now, the farmer gets back and after few weeks, goes to the nearby police station and complain that his well is lost (Shows the document given by the officer as proof)...

[adrian]

Hi Nury，on a similar note, Malaysia's military has just lost 2 of its fighter jet engines.
Subsequent tracing found the engines lying somewhere in South America

[Christy]

Every time I can't find my mobile phone, I panic and think I've lost it. The more I panic the more I can't seem to find it...so I usually ask someone to call me and if it rings I calm down and eventually find it. :)

[peter]

Hi Christy, Me too ! PANIC ! But you could use your home fixed line phone to call your mobile ... or maybe you don't use a fixed line phone anymore :-)

[Mike]

If you lost your cellphone and no one is around but you have internet try this site.

http://www.wheresmycellphone.com/

it will call your cell for you.

[TommyC]

It occurs to me that the worst memory lapse is not to remember where you left your memory. Or am I going in circle ...what was I saying again? I have to go back to the beginning of this comment to be reminded what I am trying to say.

[sej]

I think it’s good for people to have beliefs which encourage them to think deeply and behave better

Nury, I agree, and I like the sentiment, however I find one of the problems with many religions is they actually encourage people not to think, to believe in "magic", and mostly, they do not allow their followers to question it.

I'm not aware of any religion, certainly the mainstream ones, which openly says... Go and check out other religions, I might be wrong!

[Nury]

You're right, sej, many religions have had a "we're right, everyone else is wrong attitude". Or at least they have had in the past.

But i think this has changed remarkably since the rise of the interfaith movement.

Islam has a offshoot called Subud, which is very tolerant and welcomes people of all faiths. I used to be a member.

Then I discovered an amazing Christian church where the preacher giving the talk that day was a rabbi, the book the members were studying was Buddhist and the usher was gay. I signed up on the spot! The members were definitely Christians but they were really intelligent, tolerant ones.

At interfaith meetings you get all sorts of people including atheists. They are all united by a single thought: Believing only in what you see is dumb.

These sort of people are the most open-minded, tolerant folk on the planet.

But unfortunately the media (and probably 80 per cent of outsiders) portray them as the opposite. They say: you go to some sort of religious meeting therefore you can only be a dogmatic fanatic.

It always takes ages for the image to catch up with reality.

I'll be interested to hear from Karuna, who is an enthusiastic Hindu, whether there is a post-dogmatic branch of his faith, too.

[TS]

I'm an atheist with a leaning towards Pastafarianism , which probably explains my tolerance to religious people.

[Lift Lurker]

@Nury, that is amazing church.

I came across strange church where speaker was Buddhist, the book they study was gay, and the usher was a rabbi.

But why go for 2/3 when 3/3 is available? Lift Lurker does not see contradiction in being dogmatic intelligent and tolerant.

We firmly believe lifts are the best means of transport (dogmatic), we were able to make it safer than that pretender to throne (intelligent), everyone can ride for free (tolerant).

Some people are non-dogmatic, non-intelligent, non-tolerant.

Some are non-dogmatic, non-intelligent, tolerant.

Some are non-dogmatic, intelligent, non-tolerant. (accountant?)

Some are non-dogmatic, intelligent, tolerant. (teachers?, policemen firemen?)

Some are dogmatic, non-intelligent, non-tolerant. (suicide bomber)

Some are dogmatic, non-intelligent, tolerant.

Some are dogmatic, intelligent, tolerant. (ahem).

[Angela]

Discussion religion reminds me of this conversation I had with my neighbor, an accounting student from China.

In front of our apartment building is a famous Buddhist temple and it was a religious holiday so throngs of believers were crowding the temple and people spilled out into the small road, cars honking, residents quarelling with temple visitors that they had no right to park on our lots depriving residents of space. It was a mayhem and somebody called the police.

All the commotion can be heard from our 12th floor units so the curious moi watched through the hall window where the neighbor was also watching. We said Hi! Then she asked me,

Neighbor: "what is that?" pointing at the crowd.

Surprised by her question, I asked back,

Angela: "you're not Buddhist?" I thought she must be coz she's Chinese.

N: No
A: today is Buddhist holiday so these people came to the temple to pray and bring offerings. It's a big ceremony
N: (nods but looks confused)
A: so what's your religion?
N: what's religion?
A: something you believe in, like God. I am Catholic, some people are Moslems, there are Hindus and these people down there are Buddhists.
N: oh! I dont have that
A: really? So you don't believe in God but you must believe in something. Everyone believes in something. Even Atheists believe there's no God and that is a belief same as believing in God but just the opposite. So what do you believe in?
N: (looks thoughtful for a moment) Money! We believe in Money!
A: thats interesting
N: when China was communist we are not allowed to have what you say is religion.

We talked a bit longer but what I found fascinating is that she is right. Some believe in God, some dont, and there are those who believe in currency. Who is to say who is right and who is wrong?

[Mahjuja]

@lift lurker: Did u notice where u used gay and where u used rabbi?

@Mr. Jam: I think Angela just gave you excellent fodder for a new post. :-)

[Angela]

I think the biggest THREAT to any faith are the believers themselves, NOT the non-believers.

You represent your faith so your words,your actions, shapes how non-believers will perceive your faith.

My neighbor who believes in money is one of the nicest people I met.

[TS]

Angela,

To say that Atheists have a belief is like calling "not collecting stamps" for a hobby (to use a cliché).

As an Atheists I would turn to whatever religion that can provide conclusive evidence that their god is for real.

I know that people's threshold for what constitutes proof is different and that the problem could be that I'm setting the bar to high. In that case, see you in Hell!

Most of the time I don't have a problem with other people's beliefs. Except if someone's religion begin to affect other people in a negative way, I lose all respect for the people involved, but not necessarily their religion.

[Ram]

Religion is like a road which takes us to the destination(God)... There can be many roads that can take you to the destination... Its not important which road you prefer to travel but is the destination... But, the truth is that people spend most of their life convincing others that the road they want to follow is the one which will take them to the destination...
The rituals followed in each religion is like the vehicle used to reach the destination... But, most of us fall in love with the vehicle we travel and never put attention on the real path we follow and get lost completely... Advice given by people who have experience (In the form of rituals and stories) are like maps in our hand (Well GPS nowadays)...But, its us who should understand the map in a right way and with the help of the vehicle reach the destination...
And what we are seeking is not elsewhere but just in us...
So, Get Out of the Dark (Expansion of GOD)...

[Karuna]

@Nury, unlike the monotheistic Abrahamic religion, Hinduism is free of the dogmas that forces all Hindus to follow one path. It would be best to define Hinduism as a collage or a collective name of the philosophies and schools of thoughts that have evolved over many thousands of years in the Indian subcontinent. Sej & TS may find it interesting to know that atheism is an established school of thought within Hinduism. Since, we have this wide choice of philosophies to choose from, most Hindus are tolerant towards other religions. But....we do "sometimes" get upset....like when you vandalized Siva's picture :-)

I personally follow a mystical path called Oneness. The main philosophy being that there is only being and that we are all part of that one same being. Focus is on helping the individual set right their personal relationships, most important being with their parents.

[sej]

Nury,

Then I discovered an amazing Christian church where the preacher giving the talk that day was a rabbi, the book the members were studying was Buddhist and the usher was gay. I signed up on the spot! The members were definitely Christians but they were really intelligent, tolerant ones.

I've heard of something like this several times, but each time, it has been because a group of people were kicked out of their respective churches for violating the laws of those churches - it sounds like these guys are still trying to work out what their religion really is. So it doesn't really give me any confidence the idea of "we're right, everyone else is wrong" has gone away, just this group is trying to work out what the "right" is...

As Angela pointed out:

I think the biggest THREAT to any faith are the believers themselves, NOT the non-believers.

It does however, point out another problem to me, about religion and beliefs in general...

No religion has a single source. As I understand it, every religion started as a conglomeration of local beliefs and customs, and the longer the religion survived, it absorbed other beliefs and traditions from neighboring regions as it spread, keeping those that blended well, and discarding those that didn't.

There can then, be no such thing as a pure religion, or indeed any single "true" religion, as they are all polluted to some degree by one another. This says to me, either religion is completely and utterly bogus, or alternatively, it is such a personal thing, it is relevant to you and you only, and cannot be espoused to anyone else.

Karuna,

Is Hinduism then, a single religion, or a broad group of religions?

Lurker,

We firmly believe lifts are the best means of transport (dogmatic), we were able to make it safer than that pretender to throne (intelligent), everyone can ride for free (tolerant).

Have you seen the maintenance bill for the lifts in my building? We most definitely do not ride for free. Indeed, I could buy a small aircraft for what they're costing me.

[Lift Lurker]

@sej, that is bill for living in the building, not for riding my lifts. Mathematical Proof: stop using the lift and use the stairs. You still get the same bill.

Lift rides will always be free, or Mr Otis will come back from dead.

But interesting notion on religion pollution. I disagree with conclusion but give me something to think while I meditate in my lift.

[Amanda]

Heck, the wonderful Malaysian government can tell you how to lose a jet engine.

[sej]

Lurker,

Mr Otis had better start turning...

There's a flaw in your mathematical proof... I start using the stairs, I can stop paying the lift maintenece, my personal trainer and my cardiologist.

Further, AUD 25 per person to ascend the lift of Centrepoint Tower here in Sydney...

No such thing as a free lunch.

[Lift Lurker]

@sej,

AUD 25 is very high price to ride a lift. Even I would not pay it! Is it really payment to ride the lift and nothing to see at the top of the ride? Or is the pay for something else?

If the Ozzeys love lifts so much I must move there. They must be great people.

But maybe you can check with your buildings maintenance: does the person who live on ground floor have to pay lift maintenance? Does the blind man have to pay for lighting in the common area?

But now I must try and find my lift. I forgot which floor I parked it.

[sej]

Lurker,

AUD 25 is expensive... really, it's supposed to be for the viewing platform at the top, but you have to pay before you're even allowed to get into the lift, so therefore to me, the cost is as much for the lift as it is for the viewing platform.

As for my home, yes, the guy on the ground floor also pays for lift maintenance, so in effect, he is actually worse off, he is forced into paying for a service he is not recieving.

Further, when we last looked at getting the floor in the lift cars retiled (4 cars, at 3m x 1.5m each), the lift company wanted to bill us something like AUD 20,000. This is extortion.

Lastly, consider a shopping mall... the owners of the shopping mall have to ensure the rent they charge covers all their outgoings, including the costs of maintaining the lifts. Therefore, these costs of running the lifts are built into the rents billed to the shops. The shops then have to factor these rents into the prices they set for their products to you and me, the consumer.

So when we shop at Westfield's in the city, or book ourselves into the Holiday Inn in Nathan Road, or use the lift to get to the departures level of Heathrow Airport, put the car in a shopping centre carpark on Orchard Road, we ultimately have paid for the privilidge, whether we realise it or not.

At the end of the day, running a lift is a cost to business, and the business has to recover that cost in some fashion. At home, it is a cost of living in my building that I must pay for lift maintenance, more or less, directly.

I cannot accept riding a lift is free. Somewhere along the line you have to pay for it. As I have said before, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

[Leo]

I remember watching one episode from , the man showed you how to lose a Lamborghini the coolest way.

That episode is from Season 2 of .

[Lift Lurker]

@sej, I think we going way out of topic.

20K to retile is reasonable even lift people have to eat (luxuriously).

I come back to visit a friend. He did not bill me for riding the lift in his building. So I rode twice.

Maybe you confuse newtons' law (for every action there is equal and opposite reaction). It is not apply to lunches (for every lunch there is equal and opposite bill YOU have to pay?).

Otherwise Nury will not able to live by his principle: "I prefer to be fooled than to be suspicious"

Proof of free lunch: Nury gets load of free lunches (column materials) from your posts.

[sej]

Leo,

You're not thinking of The Mentalist are you?? Where the guy, Patrick Jane (?), drives the lambo around with a blind fold on, and does alright, but then right at the end, he forgets to put the handbrake on when he gets out of the car, and it starts rolling towards the cliff, and, funnily enough, off into the sea?

Lurker,

I'm happy to leave this argument here, in a position where we agree to disagree.

[Karuna]

@Sej
It is difficult to define Hinduism. Each Hindu's definition would differ, based on their upbringing, culture and region. And importantly the path they have personally chosen for their own individual life.

Found Wikipedia has some interesting thoughts on this. If you have time, check this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

[Chamin]

I used to be only a Buddhist. But then, too many people were coming to my apartments with bibles and starting lengthy discussions on creation of the world. In the end I became a Pastafarian, so that I could make such conversations easier (and shorter :-p)

[Christy]

@ Chamin

Oh you have my symphathies...I always get stopped outside my uni library by bible-waving people.

I used to just run away, but now I just talk gibberish to them and use lots of gestures. :-P

[Erika Earheart]

conspiracy theory here:
could it be possible that this guy intentionally lose his wheels so he could money from his car insurance..just a thought