KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 ― “It's amazing how perspectives change when the tables are turned.
It was to be a tough challenge making sure I had enough to eat during the 36 hours I was homeless. I only had RM5.50 which is hardly enough for even one meal nowadays.
Thanks to the soup kitchens, that amount turned out to be a princely sum. I managed to ration the food so I had dinner and breakfast covered.
It was my lucky day as lunch was also covered because the FT Religious Department hands out food to the poor every Wednesday.
It meant I had all of RM5.50 and did not need to spend a sen.
But then I decided to splurge because I could afford it.
On Wednesday, I walked to the Central Market area, found a mamak shop and ordered roti canai and coffee for RM2.40, something most homeless people can only dream of.
Earlier, I had paid 20 sen to use a public toilet as it was cleaner. I could have used the toilet at the mosque for free, but hey, I had the money.
Again, you will never see those living in the streets doing this. Every sen is precious to them.
The next morning, I was craving for teh tarik. I walked over to the restaurant at the railway station and sat myself down. I looked dishevelled and worse than a tramp. The owner gave me a glare, as if thinking to himself, “Can this guy pay for his drink?”
I was not upset or angry. I felt good that I would prove this man wrong. I took my time to finish the teh tarik, walked up to the counter and proudly paid RM1.40 and walked out after saying thank you.
By the end of my homeless stint, I still had a massive RM1.50 in my pocket. When my friend Sam Lim came to get me, we went for breakfast in Bangsar. And suddenly RM1.50 was almost worthless.
