MONEY....OR COMPANY

I just got off the phone with my sister in Malaysia and came up with a dilemma in life which striked us these recent years without us realising. The dilemma happens due to 2 elements.....

MONEY??

&

COMPANIONS...

Back in those days while I was still in Malaysia, we used to go shopping, karaoke, movies, concerts or dinners together. There never was prior long discussions about the outing besides a simple question of "You wanna go XXXX?" If the answer was a positive one, *BAM* book table/ticket/room and off we go. We never need to worry about companionship because we had each other.

There was never worries of winning a pair of tickets and had no one to go with. Usually the situation was much more simple if we only had 2 tickets because that would mean that we would go with each other, no questions about it. It was always difficult when we got more than 2 premiere tickets because then we would be stuck in a situation where we have to decide who we want to invite and risk the chance of losing a friend or two whom we had to give up on. But regardless, we always have each other's company.

Only issue back then was more to the financial & transportation factor: the price and the means of transport. That would all come down to the approval of our parents. But 90% of the time....no, rephrase....100% of the time my parents will end up being our ATM and cab driver because they would rather go through all the hassles of getting stuck in jams and wandering around the mall while we carried on with our activities, for worries that we might face danger taking public transport or accepting offers from so-called friends whom we barely know.

Rewind a few years and a few decisions along the way, I drifted off the rough sea and land, settling down in the Land Down Under while my sis remained back in Malaysia. Since then, we hardly ever go for any concerts, and if we do, it's usually after a loooong series of persuasion and asking around. We are old enough now, I've entered the materialistic world of work and career while my sis earned some extra bits through her scholorships. Yet, we both are still facing the devilish factor of money and companionship.

Most of the time, sis got stuck in situation where she had no one to go with. Even the last concert she went was with my mum, and that was for Jacky Cheung in Genting. And the reason she manage to persuade mum to go was because mum likes Jacky and mum only go for concerts in Genting Arena of Stars.

Over the other side of the world, I was slightly a little over the lucky side. I had a friend who liked Jacky Cheung so he tagged his girlfriend along, and then our girlfriends decided to come along as well, regarding it as a group outing rather than having admiration towards the singer. But not all the time you had such luck. Just like the situation I had now. I manage to set hands on a pair of Eason's $98 tickets for just $68! Good, financial part settled. The concert was at Darling Harbour, within walkable distance from my house....transportation was settled as well. Only missing was the companionship. I had no one to go with. No one to scream with, no one to discuss the concert with.

Eason's going to KL on 14th June as well...and my sis, though wants to go, but might have to keep the enthusiasm level down to the minimum because, high chances, she might not find someone to go with. Plus, concert ticket prices have soar up high within the last few years. 6 years back, we could enjoy a front row concert for RM120....(I watched absoule front row of Nic Tse for just RM99)......now, RM120 might score u the cheapest seat IF you are lucky. Jacky Cheung's concert in Genting...the ticket price soared up to RM700 for the most expensive section! She is faced with an even bigger problem.....financially AND companionship!

Aihhhh....since I left, she hardly go karaoke, or had impromptu dinner of 'har gau' 'siew mai', seldom to the cinema to watch movies of her choice unless her bf was free to accompany her. As for me, ever since I've been here, I had to search for my own source of income, find friends every single time I want to go somewhere or do something abnormal......But anyhow, like what old folks say, there is no solution that benefits every criteria, you just have to make-do with whatever you can get.