SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

[lobojohn]

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. you either have it or you dont and if you dont have it in the fils , then you may want to keep your head very very low and not cause any problems with the locals and in doing business in general. 

i wrote this post after reading about the young man" Notright" who felt he was robbed and wronged on his way to see the whale sharks,  i missed it and im happy i did. wherever he is right now i do hope he has managed to keep his head on his shoulders, though it doesnt appear that is his main concern. his rights seem to out way his appreciation for breathing and he obviously is devoid of any SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.  

I have seen this kind of behavior . its not as rare as one might imagine no matter what country you live in , but to behave this way in the fils is more along the lines of suicidal imo . 

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS is an instinct imo and not so easily learned until youve been dragged off and throttled or at least hopefully you learned it if you survived. 

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS PARAMOUNT TO SURVIVAL.. ANYWHERE. 

 

[JDDavao II]

I wrote a post about this on my blog. I'm cautious by nature and losing my hearing has meant that my head is on a permanent swivel. I read body language, faces, traffic, everything. It's part of the reason that going out is mentally exhausting for me sometimes.

I go into a store like S&R and look up at the shelves with their stacks of inventory that have no safety rail in front of them and think: "What happens in an earthquake?" There are only three of four places to go on each side of the store to avoid being crushed by falling pallets of soup or mayo.

As I shop in stores, I purposely look for fire exits. I am appalled by how many of them have padlocks on the doors to prevent someone fleeing the store with a package of underwear or a box of nails. I think about the thirty-odd people who perished in the NCCC Mall fire because they couldn't get out of the top floor call center (I'm betting the fire door was locked but the official word was "inadequate" or some such). Got to have a plan, man. Got to be aware of what's happening and what might happen around you.

[JJReyes]

My wife and I try to keep a low profile starting with our appearance. No watches, no jewelry, no expensive clothes. Our attire maybe described as something you can purchase at Walmart. We both carry day bags that look ordinary, but they each cost over $100 to purchase. They have anti-theft features. Someone from behind might use a razor blade to cut and steal. There is embedded steel mesh that can't be cut. You can't unzip unless you know how and it takes longer. Sophisticated thieves purchase readers that can collect data from your credit card if you keep them in a wallet in your back pocket. The bag has a feature that counters these readers.

We seldom go out at night and keep away from higher risk areas. 

[Capa]

On 5/26/2018 at 11:43 AM, lobojohn said:

 

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS PARAMOUNT TO SURVIVAL.. ANYWHERE. 

 

When walking down the street, I never, ever make eye contact with anyone. If someone says, "sir" to me, I ignore that. I do watch the position of people's arms and their body movements, and react accordingly. I doubly ignore street beggars, and walk much faster if they approach and follow me, and I make sure my hand is on my wallet. This policy has kept anyone from getting any advantage on me as I walk down these streets.

[Capa]

Oh and go to Ace Hardware and buy the smallest can of Black Flag roach spray, smallest so you can conceal it. One shot of that into a bad guy's eyes pretty much disables him temporarily, giving you enough time to get out of there fast!

[Old55]

9 minutes ago, Capa said:

Oh and go to Ace Hardware and buy the smallest can of Black Flag roach spray, smallest so you can conceal it. One shot of that into a bad guy's eyes pretty much disables him temporarily, giving you enough time to get out of there fast!

This forum does not condone violence. 

Spraying chemicals into someone’s eyes could cause permanent damage even blindness.

Capa, I know you’re just picking fun but if ever an Expat were to do that the retribution would be fast and extreme. Best that you stay safe deep in your bunker.  

[Capa]

3 minutes ago, Old55 said:

This forum does not condone violence. 

Spraying chemicals into someone’s eyes could cause permanent damage even blindness.

Capa, I know you’re just picking fun but if ever an Expat were to do that the retribution would be fast and extreme. Best that you stay safe deep in your bunker.  

OK Old55, yes I am glad you took it in the spirit that I meant it to be. No I do not carry Roach spray around and it is just best to avoid certain places at certain times to avoid confrontation.

[Old55]

Yes I know. 🎯

But on a serious note you do bring up a good point. Begging children who are playing with a pick pocketing syndicate. They know you can’t do much of anything the system is rigged against foreigners. Twice now I’ve had children check my pockets on the outside. Clearly they were well trained trying to feel for a wallet and my reaction.  I cover both front pockets on the outside with my hand while calling out loudly Hoy Pick-Pocket! I don’t know how exactly best defend when this happens.

 

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

On 7/6/2018 at 4:27 PM, Capa said:

When walking down the street, I never, ever make eye contact with anyone. If someone says, "sir" to me, I ignore that. I do watch the position of people's arms and their body movements, and react accordingly.

Yeah you live in a home which is a fort from your description so why would you be walking the street without at least a trained police dog or security guard?  Can't look at someone? No eye contact and I bet you have a beard to hide behind? Really?? 

[Dave Hounddriver]

6 hours ago, Old55 said:

I don’t know how exactly best defend when this happens.

I know what you mean.

In small town, Biiran, where I lived 5 years ago, a young street urchin accosted my partner who was walking beside me.  He was trying to snatch her purse and her food and anything else she was not holding tight enough. We were also being watched by "witnesses" in convenient spots nearby. I had fore-knowledge that a few urchins were trying to get foreigners to grab them or hit them so they could pull some kind of scam to get the foreigner to pay money.  We are not allowed to touch these little brats, I was told.

My response was to push between my partner and the boy, stand like a bear, and growl "AYAW"

  The boy's eyes grew wide and he ran away.  He was probably about 10 years old.  The onlookers looked at me like I was a lunatic and I may have looked like one but it worked.  I did not want to take a chance on the justice system by touching that kid in any way and then having him drop to the ground and say he was hurt and it was the big bad foreigner's fault.  We really must be cautious and at the same time think and act quickly.