The 'Simple Life' that was KL

june 4, 08 wednesday
At midnight tonight, Malaysians will have to pay RM2.70 per litre for petrol. That's a 40% increase from the last hike (which naturally kicked up a stink).

It can't be helped. Petrol prices around the world has shot up. It's only a matter of time the hike will hit home. So I reckon there will be massive lines at petrol stations tonight around the country. I'm not about to go deep on world issues, though I am not totally removed from it. But the petrol hike really hit home for me. My Getz is a bit of a guzzler. At RM70 full tank, I can stretch it to 410 km. On a good day. Sometimes, I notice when I spent the week mostly stuck in a jam, or been hitting the gas pedal a little more, that RM70 will only take me at 380km.

Sigh.

At RM2.70 per liter, am I supposed to stop driving so much now?? I was listening to Capital FM on my way back from the gym. The DJ was talking about how now's the best time to adopt a simpler life. With the food crisis, energy crisis etc. I guess I have to be a little bit more aware now. What with me not working come July, I really need to change my spending habits. Which by the way, I am starting to. Small steps.

The food crisis is a little removed from me, I admit. So did the energy crisis. And then the petrol hike. That really did it for me. We're all affected in one way or another. I am affected! How am I going to live worrying about things I can't control??

And trust me, after this petrol hike, everything else will go up. And soon, KL will be just like the other cities in the world...

Expensive and hard to live in.

Maybe I should move to ....hang on. Where else can I go to live cheap??

Hmm...