Ever wondered what is like having to start all over again when you are almost approaching the half century mark in you life? That is the thought going through my mind right now as I sit at the dinning table with wife having a bowl of instant noodle as her brunch and my son sitting on the couch right behind me.
As the husband and father of this family the responsibility of providing for this family falls squarely on my shoulder. I used to be able to provide them with a comfortable life before becoming a member of the unemployment club. How I came to this stage? In a nutshell, silly mistakes and greed, all mine, is the cause of my trip down this road I'm presently on. The details? That's a story for another time.
The journey began about two years ago when I decide to resign from my rather well paying job two years ago. Since then, I've tried my hand at running a food stall, two to be exact. Results? Nah... not a happy ending on this one. Our day starts at about 7 in the morning and usually end around midnight. Hardly make enough to make ends meet. Thankfully I had some financial assistance from my aunt which helped to put food on the table. She is like the mother i never had.
In order to save cost we sleep in the hall to reduce electricity consumption. No more enjoying our sleep in the comfort of an air-conditioned room. Not a big deal actually. That's how my wife and I grew up, with minimal luxury and that is how the children sleeps at grandma's house.
Besides that there are other adjustments we have made to accommodate whatever little budget we have. Our priority is putting food on the table. Eating out used to be norm previously but for the past two years or so that became a luxury, even a simple meal at the mamak. There are times when the children wants to dine at fast food joints but of course request was declined most of the time, unless they buy it with their own money which they either saved up from their pocket money, which is not much or given by relatives during visits or festive seasons.
In the early days we had to resort to selling our phone, watches and jeweleries for survival and use it as capital to start our food business. Simply put, whatever that we can sell was sold.
That is when I realise that a phone is just a phone, no matter what brand or model and a watch a just a watch, no matter what brand or model. As long as it performs the function of what it is intended for that's fine albeit some limitations when it comes to phones. The watch taught me something though. My reasonably priced watch around my wrist functions just as well as my previous expensive watch. This experience leads me to conclude that the brand is nothing more than an extension of our ego, unless you're a diver or a hiker/mountain climber. Expensive branded stuff are nothing more than an expansion of our ego.
Two years later our financial situation is still the same. My wife started her own online business whereby she has to attend a 20 days training on the subject of selling on social media. This course is quite something. Relaxed and light hearted interaction is the key to gain exposure on social media. We are really excited about this new venture. We want to see how far we can stretch our mind to adapt to this fluid era of social media. Brings to mind a mind expanding book titled 'Who moved my cheese'. I strongly suggest everyone to read it.
This is where my journey begins. You are welcome to join me.
Wing
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