A balloon vendor from Kuala Lumpur, known among locals for twisting balloon animals in a Spider-Man suit, shared how he lost RM10,500 in wedding savings that he spent months earning on the streets.
The money slipped out of his bag during a short holiday in the capital last September, forcing him to postpone his wedding that was supposed to take place the same year.
Lost RM10,500 he saved from selling balloons
Mohd Khairul Anwar Ruslan, 28, said the cash was kept in an envelope inside his bag. He believed it fell out somewhere while he was walking around Kuala Lumpur to relax after finally collecting enough for the dowry.
He told Sinar Harian that he had taken the envelope out several times that day and could not pinpoint where the loss happened.
The RM10,500 was supposed to be handed to his fiancée in Johor three days later. All their marriage documents were ready and only needed to be submitted to the kadi.
Because of the loss, the entire plan had to be put on hold. Khairul said he cried for two days.
His story went viral
Khairul is a familiar face around Dataran Nilai and Pantai Bagan Lalang where he earns a living by selling balloon animals. He sometimes dresses up as Spider-Man to attract children.
His story went viral earlier after social media posts showed him working tirelessly to save money for his wedding. Netizens expressed sympathy and praised his determination.
Khairul said the loss hit him hard because the savings came directly from months of street work.
Refused to take loans to avoid repeating his parents’ past
He admitted that he briefly considered taking a loan to keep the wedding going.
However, he decided against it after recalling that his parents divorced due to debts owed to loan sharks.
He said he did not want to repeat the same cycle and chose to rebuild his savings slowly through honest work.
Fiancée stayed loyal and patient
Despite the setback, his fiancée remained supportive.
The couple had planned for only a two year engagement, but the incident pushed them into their third year.
Khairul said he even told her that he would understand if she no longer wanted to wait.
Instead, she reassured him that she was willing to stay.
He said he deeply appreciated her patience.
Working day and night to save again
Khairul has already managed to save about RM5,000 and hopes to collect the remaining RM5,000 by the end of the year so they can finally hold their wedding.
His main source of income is balloon sculpting, a skill he picked up in secondary school. He also does shelf installation work at supermarkets when jobs are available.
On ordinary nights, he sells balloons at Dataran Nilai, sometimes until 2am.
On weekends, he works at Pantai Bagan Lalang in the day before returning to Dataran Nilai at night.
He said his income has increased slightly after his story went viral, with more invitations to school events and birthday parties.
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