My True Malaysian Idol

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Rain or shine, they will make their rounds in the housing estates. Under the rain they get drenched and under the sun they get scorched by the heat. And yet they will peddle on, some with their rickety bicycles, from one housing estate to another. Once, on my way home, I passed by one of them and after a while when I have reached home, I was astonished to see the same person in my housing estate: a distance of about 15 to 20km!

I am sure many of you must have seen these ice-cream sellers in your vicinity, whose sight will bring joy to the children. My wife's friend had once witnessed one of them being robbed in broad daylight and how the ice-cream seller cried with so much sadness and anger as he had lost all his 'sweat' money.

I wouldn't really know how much they earn a day, but the hardship that they endured to survive has my greatest admiration. It has given me a sense of hope and inspiration when things are getting tough for me.

If the ice-cream sellers can earn a living under such harsh and difficult conditions, how about others then?

Will they be able to survive or 'melt' like the ice-cream in a tough working environment?

Can those who have been retrenched adapt to survive under the current economic downturn and do they have the gumption to seek alternatives?

Unlike those artificially and highly commercialized created idols from the American Idols and a host of many other reality shows, my idols have added values to my life.