Money's Only Shiny In A Rich Man's World

It is unfortunate, really. I'm fast running out of $ and I won't be able to fund myself very soon. With rent increasing and the prices of everything being hiked up by the day, how do I survive? No, I mean, really.

The numbers in my bank account are steadily but surely decreasing by the day. I have to take into account the cash I spend on food (at least RM10 to RM20 per day), petrol (at least RM160 to RM200 per month), parking in college (RM2 per entry/day), rent + bills (about RM350 per month), and medical fees, since I'm always sick. Realistically speaking, I need a rough estimation of at least RM1,200 to survive, and this is just to survive. There will no room for excess luxuries, like watching movies or catching a play, or shopping or good food. Or that dance class I'd really like to enrol for. But I'm willing to live with that for another 4 years or so of my life. The major problem right now is in finding a simple job that pays, and even less so in finding a job that pays well.

I've tried almost everything I can think of, really. With a degree in Media Studies, one would assume that I'd be able to do freelance writing. But NO. I've e-mailed plenty of editors out there. Some have replied, some did not. Those who replied would like me to work on article ideas and proposals, etc. And let's not even talk about payment. The truth is, freelance writing can earn you enough to survive IF and only IF you are somebody in the publishing world, i.e. you have been around long enough, or you know somebody in this industry, to propel you to a certain status. It's quite similar to photography, really. There are too many writers and photographers to go around.

So I thought I could do some teaching. But NO. No vacancy around town, and even if there are any, they are further away from where I live, so if I were to throw in the transportation costs, it would mean earning so much less. Most part time jobs pay you a maximum wage of RM500 per month. I'd be damned.

Events, you say? Yes, you could earn up to RM120 per day, I know. But you'd be required to clock in every day to earn enough to survive. If I were to work only on weekends, the calculations would still be inadequate: RM120 x 4 = RM480. How do I work every day when I have classes on?

I've asked around, asking if anyone needs someone to work part-time in their office. Of course, I'd like to be able to utilise my degree, or to watch it go to waste, but at this rate, I would even make coffee for you every day if you'd pay me enough to survive in a month. But who the heck would pay you at least RM1200 just to make coffee? In terms of human resource, it would be even more resourceful (and money-saving, so to speak) if they hired a full-time staff.

I'm so depressed I'd rather die right now. What's the point of going after your dreams when you're left with nothing to even survive?