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I moved to Selangor in 2019 to further Master of Architecture at the University of Malaya. For your information, Petaling Jaya is the second-highest living cost of the city in Malaysia, which the cost of living index is 40.18 based on the analysis by numbeo.com. While considering this, I need to think about three primary concerns, the rental fees, cost of meals and public transportation to university every day.

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As a not so young student to further master, I did not want to burden my parents with the high living costs within these two years of study. I was scrolling the room rental website, rooms with a clean arrangement or accessible public transportation cost higher than expected.  Until one day, I found a people housing unit open for rent which I asked my parents to check for the unit conditions because the unit is very affordable for me. After the house tour, my parents do not allow me to rent it as the house had been abandoned for years. But it didn't stop me from saying yes to the house owner for agreeing to rent this unit because it is a few stones away from LRT Station and nearby to few food stalls that sell a lot of delicious Malaysia food.

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Move into this unit spend some time to analyze a comfortable and easy living. I moved to different cities since 2012 from Ipoh, Penang, Taipei, Johor, back to Penang again and Kuala Lumpur. To make the travel and carry out convenient, I try to have less stuff as it shortens the time for daily cleaning. I asked myself few questions before coming out to buy these kinds of stuff to prevent wastage.

1.    How long am I going to stay in this unit? (Answer: 2 years)

2.    How often do I cook? (Answer: Every day, I prefer to bring my lunch box)

3.    What is the primary cooking appliances that I need? (Answer: Rice cooker, Air Fryer, Induction Cooker, Kettle and Refrigerator)

4.    What is the essential furniture I need to have if the unit does not provide furniture? (Answer: Study table, chair, clothes storage, mattress, a small table for dining)

 

Making life simple was influenced by a Netflix series- Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, and a book – Zero Waste Home, by Bea Johnson. I learned about the KonMari Method, which tidying by category and only keep things that spark joy. Checking my family home for stuff that I do not need to buy so much stuff as expected. I purchased a mini-refrigerator and bought fresh ingredients every week to prevent food waste. I bought a study table, chair, and clothes storage from Ikea for my bedroom, which do not cost more than RM200. Zero-waste thinking is vital in the housing project which to reduce trash and make the environment friendly.

 

Ended up I didn't manage to stay here for two years due to the pandemic of COVID-19. All classes are conducted online, so I move back to my hometown. But living in a people's housing unit has given me many beautiful memories, helpful neighbours, delicious street food and children playing along the corridor every day.