Malaysians have a thing for convenience, I suppose. It partly explains the variety of choices of 3-in-1 concoctions that line the shelves of hyper, super and mini marts alike. Me, I am a connosseiur of the uber-tasty Milo 3-in-1. Supply is scarce in my corner of Britain, so if I get sent some, I categorise you as those I would consider leaving my worldly riches to. And in tribute to the beverage that keeps me warm during the chilly days and awake during the long nights of Lancastrian winter, here's a 3-in-1 article... a jambalaya of thoughts, if you will, all dreamt up on the very generous floors of a KL hospital.

Convenience at a price and for whom?

Over the past week or so, I have been renewing my intimate one-to-one relationships with floors of various locations. In this particular case, hospital floors, but with my track record I am never choosy. And because of the nature of the circumstances of this particular relationship, I have had to figure out the best way to travel from point A to B, circumnavigating the oft-infested highways and byways of Kuala Lumpur City Center. And through this I have discovered the new highways within KL. The Ampang Elevated Highway, the New Klang Valley Expressway, the New Pantai Expressway, Penchala Link - all paperwork when I left my job, now a reality.

What I love the most about these highways are the clear roads, the convenience of knowing that if I leave Point A at a certain hour, Point B should be within reach in a predictable range of time. Still, all this convenience comes at a price. I could potentially do Sunway to Bangi in approximately 45 minutes, but that comes at a price of RM4.80. Similarly, Bangi to Ampang within about 35 minutes is do-able too, but that, priced at RM3.30. (Obviously there are cheaper alternatives, but the price for that would be payable in the currency of time when hospitals are involved, time is a rather pricey commodity).

Let's say, on average, then, someone who lives on the outskirts of KL or on the KL-Selangor border and goes to work in the City every day, and spends on average RM3.00 in premium tolls a day; works a five day week, four weeks a month. Mathematically that should work out to about an extra RM60 a month. Given the clear roads I have faced day after day for the past week, though, it seems that not many are willing to pay for this convenience. Why? After all, these highways were built using taxpayers' money; it should only be fair that all taxpayers, regardless of income bracket, should feel at ease and not at all inconvenienced when using these facilities. We didn't build these roads for the convenience of overpaid expats, did we?

Discounts, anyone?

I, of course, like all insolent observers from abroad, armchair politicians and taxi drivers alike, have an idea on how make Malaysia better and coming from a finance background, it of course has to do with the pricing structure. Specifically, to do with the rather dodgily named Touch-and-Go service (my apologies, but Touch-and-Go seems to be what perverts in crowded LRT carriages tend to do, to me).

I've come to notice that in Malaysia, there is no advantage when buying a return ticket it is priced at a single times two. Ditto for users of T'n'G and SmartTag there is nothing much more than the lack of queues at certain points, and again, this is not a certainty. Well, why not charge a premium for cash payers who use these roads? Bear with me.. hear me out.

Let's say that at the next toll increase, the toll fare between Sungai Besi and Kajang would go up by 10 cents. Why not charge the extra 20 cents to the cash payers, but only hike 10 cents for T n' G and SmartTag users? After a while more people would use tags based on what is a perceived discount, while the costs are covered anyway, and the cronies running the tag devices would then also record a profit? Once the initial bitching ceases, psychologically people would start thinking that the use of tags are cheaper, and because no cash really changes hands at the toll booths, this will soften the blow, not unlike what you feel after you've bought a particularly expensive item using a debit card. Better still, when most of the country all possess one tag or the other, you can hike the premium to say, 50 cents for cash payers, thereby taking full advantage of tourists, infrequent users and students on holiday like myself.

So in the long run, the toll collections will increase, and there is a win-win situation for the government while the people can happily be taken for a ride thinking they are paying less toll charges. Am I not a great consultant? Yes, powers that be. Employ me! (On second thoughts, maybe not).

Not about the money

I think that living in Malaysia generally and the Klang Valley specifically, is very, very expensive. Having come home very lightly packed, with about five t-shirts and three pairs of trousers (all colour coordinated, of course, like the true woman that I am), being holed up in hospital does not allow me much space to do laundry. Which means I have had to shop. Again, not a major issue given my female inclinations, but I must admit, decent clothes are... pricey. A decent pair of jeans would set me back RM70; a long sleeve t-shirt about RM50; the latest in local hijaab fare (if I am offered a tudung (scarf) Mawi one more time, I will scream. Who on earth is Mawi? Isn't he a guy? Why is a tudung named after him?), another RM30. That's RM150. If I were still earning in ringgits at the rate of my last job, that's a little over 5% of my total salary pre-tax and KWSP. Not a lot, if I were to live on clothes alone, but that is hardly a monthly expenditure.

Monthly expenditures such as car loan repayments, rent, petrol costs and groceries take up a much larger chunk. Again at the rate of my previous pay, my car loan already makes up 25% of my salary; petrol and toll charges (excluding premium tolls) works out to about RM30 every two days, which comes up to a little over 15%. Groceries and food, let's say, RM10 per day, 10% approximately. Phone bills and all other little luxurious necessities books, magazines, movies, the odd meal out; having a bottomless pit for a stomach.. another 15%. That leaves me with.. 35% spare. Take away about 15% for tax and KWSP, that leaves me with 20% - and if I have credit card bills to pay, that's another 10% gone. At the end of the day, I am left with 10% to spare for savings and unforeseen emergency expenses: that is, provided I lived at home and did not have to pay for rent.

Let's contrast that with how much I would have left over earning a living with a similar job function in Britain. About 30% for tax, 5% for car loan payment, about 3% for groceries (I live alone), another 3% for credit car bills, no toll charges, 10% for petrol, 8% for entertainment expenses (I don't drink or club), another 5% for books, mags and my gadgets fetish (which I wouldn't have the budget for working at home). Should I choose to live outside London, I could expect to spend approximately 20% of my salary on rent cheaper if I house share. Add to that, another 5% for phone bills, internet and Sky (how else am I to watch the football?). That leaves me with 19% for savings and emergency expenses.

In terms of percentages, the numbers are not too far apart, but remember, if I live in Malaysia I live at home, which in itself has its limitations and if I saved 19% of my pay in Britain for two months, I could already purchase a return ticket back to Malaysia with change to spare. Is it a surprise that Britain is more and more multicultural these days? If money was what it was all about, America may well be the land of the free, but it is the streets of the UK that are paved with the metaphorical gold.

One of the most common unsolicited advice I get given to me, only second to the one where I am told to 'get married quick', is that I should stay in Britain and work there. If it were all about the money, I would be there with the bat of an eyelid. But there is always more than money that comes into play.

There is family filial piety is ripe and aplenty in these here parts, and I am no exception. Someone has to see to my parents, and my younger siblings too. There is quality of life time for family and leisure pursuits; the acknowledgment of one's accomplishment; outlets for development above and beyond one's career needs. There is spiritual development, if that is what you want, within the confines of what you have grown up with and have become familiar. Money can only buy you so much. If Malaysia can offer all of the above, why would I ever want to live elsewhere?

IDLAN ZAKARIA is a PhD student in the UK, and is back home on a break. She really wants to be a rockstar postman in England.