The root of all evil.

Money.

The thing everyone’s chasing! Because with money, we can chase other things that satisfy our desires. It’s horrible, really. I don’t know ‘bout the rest of the scholars, but ever since getting back here I can’t help but feel a lost of financial freedom. What a powerful word--financial freedom! But it sounds chim and high class so deal with it.

I miss the days where I can just drop by Coronation Plaza, (undeniably the most happening place in the Asian Pacific region), to have a quick cash withdrawl from the POSBank ATM. I miss the days where I can NETs my way out of an empty wallet. I miss the days I lived in denial; thinking I’m a bloody millionaire bachelor with all the financial freedom a prince could only dream of. Princes around the globe do not usually have a 200 dollar monthly budget but that’s another issue. I miss Casa Roma, I miss The Cellar Door Honey Fig Ice Cream, I miss Topman and Esprit. But, oh, worst of all, I miss Red Wine, Champagne, Tequila Shots, Chocolate Whisky, Absolut Vodka, Long Island Tea, Kami Kaze, Bloody Mary (*yuck), Splitzer, …..oh God help me!

But in KL, ah, in KL I’d have to stoop down to lower levels.

“Ma, can give me some money pleaseeee?”

“Go work lah.”

Ah, shit.
The loss of that freedom hit me like a truck today. After jogging with my parents, we stopped over the local market for some food. I dug deep into my pockets, grasping my leather wallet and peered inside. I gasped so forcefully my mother thought I was choking on the jerebu around Ampang. Well, it wasn’t the haze mom. Trust me, having one red portrait of a friggin’ Sultan staring blankly back at you will whip the ass off any jerebu, and I can bet ya my money on it. One RM10 note will make you feel so insecure you’ll shiver. Let’s not even think about the fact that the probability of being mugged by a biker on the streets is like 9999.99 to 10000. If that happens then well you’re just plain unlucky to be left with a mouldy 10 cents coin staring back at ‘cha. Hey, at least it has a nice engraving of an ancient Malay artefact.

Die la die la. The absence of the NETs system in Malaysia will deprive me of the fantasy world of being a rich kid! What in the world could be worse?! I need to get more cash and I need it soon! I just busted 150 Ringgit buying the Lost, Desperate Housewives and a couple of brainless computer games. All of them are pirated, no less. Beli yang Ori, bang! Hah! Let us consider my options. I could apply for a subsidiary Credit Card with my mom or dad, oh YEAH RIGHT! I could leech of my working sister. YEAH SURE~! I could withdraw from my own account….TAK NAK!

Ah shit.

“Go work lah.”