Who says money is hard to find

As I was walking along the road today, I came across a 20 sen coin. Its the 6th coin I've picked up this year.

I've lost count of all the coins I've found this way. Many years ago I picked up a Rm50 note crumpled with two Rm1 notes. That was my biggest haul. Most of the time I would find 10 or 20 sen coins. At one time, it was mostly 1 sen coins. To come across one or two every week is normal for me.

When I tell people about my finds, I always get two kinds of reactions. The first one is that I'm a very lucky person, money comes easily to me and so on. The second one is a gasp of alarm. Be careful, they say. People use these coins in a black magic ritual to get rid of bad luck. They curse these coins, throw them to the streets hoping that their bad luck will be passed on to whoever picks up the money. (Sounds more like a theory coined up by jealous people, ha ha.)

My explanation about this unusual "hit rate" of mine is somewhat simpler. Sometimes people are just careless with their change. When they take out their wallet or keys, does anyone notice their coins tumbling out of their pockets? Sometimes little children drop their coins. Sometimes people have holes in their pockets, literally.

And what leads me to spot these coins on the road? Its not luck. Its my habit of keeping an eye on the ground I walk on which many people don't do.

Here's a secret. The best place to stumble on coins is at pasar malam sites, hawker centres or near wherever people buy things.

What do I do with my haul? I've enjoyed a few glasses of teh tarik with them but mostly, they go into a tin can at home which I give to charity every month.