It's Malaysia


Riding the rickety non air conditioned yellow mini bus that charges 80cents to get to Sunway.
One of the few Chinese faces in the midst of clerks, retail sales girls, students, elderly ladies.
Eating in food courts, observing what the man next in line is choosing for his meal; aware that his choice of a huge mount of white rice and vegetable curry plus a red ais sirap is more of an economic decision than a gustatory choice.

Over the past year or so my family has been catching buses and walking because we do not have a car in Subang; and don't really want to spend money on taxis if there's a bus route. Once my mother walked to the dentist in the afternoon, a good 15-20 min walk in the sun, a month or so after she finished her chemo...

It's been a great experience learning to live like how most Malaysians live; different from the middle income lifestyle most of us in IMU/college are used to. And a new understanding in how those with RM1000 a month manage to survive while feeding their families of four or more chidren.