If the fuel price is at standard world market price, I won't be feeling shame when some people say "you malaysian very good, everything also been subsidized. We pay everything with VAT". At the same time, I can have excuse to squeeze myself in the LRT (if no liang lui then wait for next round or 2 :D ).
Yes, fuel price hike made everyone suffered. But we should face it positively. Change our life style doesn't mean downgrading. But to let us have chances to live in different way than previously. We have to face it soon or later, else our next gen suffer it. Just like some people blame the elder gen for selling the crude oil so cheap for japan/some countries. Our next gen will blame us for wasting up the oil resources. They will ask why not use alternative power like solar, nuclear and etc? What we can say? Life very difficult and need oil money to subsidized our living? I think will kena fck more.
Besides saving, we can work harder to generate more income. Like offering some services for neighbors, example tuition for their kids, car wash, or anything that you can do/pro with. I used to fix computer for my neighbors and colleagues after dinner. I also provide lesson on how to write a general report or proposal using the combination of the MS office and some drawing programs. But after I was promoted, I had good money and some more my wife don't understand and keep on bitching I have no time for her, so I stopped doing things like this. But when the time comes, if I need to do it for survive, then I need to do it regardless what. Wife bitching then will ask her to work more and I standby at home 24 hours for her. I also used to ride a bicycle to work. Just need to arrive earlier because need to take bath (the water can clean the toilet at the same time).
All depends on if we wanna do it or not. Every thing happen, must have its good and bad. If we face it positively, we gain. Treat it negatively, we lose. Only different is when we will get it. Example like, if we keep on enjoying the subsidies now, looks like we are benefited with the country's resources. But when we reach 40-50 years old, no more things for subsidize, then we will suffer twice as much, because we don't have much time to start our carrier from the beginning and at the same time, children need money for study. If we turn it around, we suffer now and remove the subsidizing policy, when we are at that age, everything had been settled. Regardless how bad or how good, the shocks toward us will not be as obvious.