The start to very happy days is now here. Well, a stupid idiotic smile is again plastered on my face.

On a not-personal note:

Over a year ago, I was approached on Rapid KL Bus by a man that I could've easily called an uncle. He was actually in Semenanjung on a holiday.

I was carrying tons of plastic bags with foods inside. Well, being a student back then, it's the best that I can ferry as many food as I can back to Cyberjaya. The first thing that he said was:
'Jangan biar makanan kena matahari, nanti cepat rosak,' I remembered obliging to his words and moved it away somewhere.

And then, he started talking. He was actually a Sabahan, came to KL for a holiday. He was alone and he not too frail but.. ok I guess so-so. For some reason, that conversation etched permanently in my head.

He was telling me about his state, the poorest state in Malaysia. I was about to retort since we have so many donation programmes to help people all over the world, how can that be?

He was agitated. He felt left out. Somehow, he felt like an outsider although he was actually a legal Malaysian. They were suffering from high prices of goods and yet, he said that there was like no effort was given to them.

I was dumbfounded. My eyes were transfixed. I'm here sitting in a bus, laden with food products that I dare not count the amount and yet this uncle, eating jambu batu, is telling me everything about his state. He was sad but there were no anger. He was just sad.

'Why do we have to help people out of Malaysia when people in Malaysia itself needs help?'. I was lost for words. I can't say anything. Up until this very moment, I can picture him saying those words, with regret filling his eyes. I choked on something like hot liquid rushiing out of my throat. I don't know what to believe but I do believe he was telling the truth because he didn't beg for money. If he did, I knew he was trying to take advantage of me.

Apparently, what he said was true. Today, front page of The Sun stated 'Sabah Bombshell'. Words like poorest state, no efforts, no plans and etc were peppered across the page. And I stare at it, knowing that what he said back then, was so very true.

But I am unable to do anything. I don't have any power. I have no title (except shopaholic) and I have no money (except this RM2 in my wallet for today's LRT fare). I think it's unfair. And the belief that political talks are more-or-less crap is beginning to thicken in my mind.

I mean, how can this be? We are not a poor country. I mean, we have countries coming to our KLCC every now and then, with the HALAL showcase and whatnot (meaning that on the global level, other nations actually know us) so how there be cases like this?

I have to say I believe what was said in the newspaper. And please government, I plea, these are the people that make up this country, isn't there a way out for this?

5 hours after I looked at the newspaper, the uncle's face still etched in my head. And I hate this powerless feeling.