Sad to say, there are people who are still hanging around on the streets despite the MCO - I always see foreign workers chatting with their friends and playing with their mobile phones by the roadside / outside closed shops whenever I go out to buy something. Wonder why they like to hang around - maybe they need some privacy probably because there are too many of them living in one house! I even saw a couple sitting together in front of a closed shop when I went out to get my groceries two days ago - the worst place for a date. To kill boredom, some Malaysians resorted to jogging, playing football and even fishing to pass their time (and were arrested for breaching the MCO). And of course there are those who organize secret gatherings in their house probably because human beings are by nature social creatures. The reality is those who stay at home are complaining that they have nothing to do. One of my friends told me that she was so bored that she even ironed her handkerchiefs and scrubbed her toilet until it was so clean that she could eat her food there. Some even bring their children along to visit their neighbors forgetting that their neighbors may transmit the virus to them and vice versa. According to the New Straits Times, 24 extremely bored people in Seberang Prai Utara were detained for flouting the MCO today. 8 of them were nabbed for drinking alcohol near a temple, 4 others were caught drinking 'air ketum' at a field, whilst the rest were arrested for assembling without valid reasons. To date, 7759 people have been detained for violating the MCO. Surely staying at home is not as scary and boring as many people might think! Life at home can be a paradise on earth if you know how to pass your time meaningfully in a healthy way. If everyone has self-discipline and is playing their part well in the fight against the novel coronavirus, Malaysia will certainly be able to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
As a homely person, the MCO does not have much effect on me as it is okay for me to stay in the house the whole day. I only leave my house once a week to get my groceries and even that is done as quickly as possible because I do not like the idea of going out during this pandemic. I am the kind of person who never leaves the house after 7 p.m. whether I am at home or overseas. Frankly speaking, I find life very peaceful at home during the MCO even though I would not deny the fact that I am deeply saddened by the deaths of 87 priests in Italy (as of 23 March 2020) who had to pay the price with their lives in trying to comfort the dying coronavirus victims. As what Bishop Nicolas Brouwet says, "The Heart of a Priest Is Made for Love." These heroes will never be forgotten - may their souls rest in peace. Since sex and money are so important, it is not easy to find someone who can give up marriage and material things to become a priest. That is why our priests are so precious - my heart aches each time I think of those who sacrificed their precious life to help the coronavirus victims.
During these hard times, I spend a lot of time praying. To me, praying can go on for hours, first the French rosary (9.30 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.) followed by the Croatian rosary (11.00 p.m. to 12 midnight) and Croatian mass (12 midnight to 1.00 a.m.). This has always been my routine. Let us pray for all those who are affected by the new coronavirus disease (coronavirus victims, frontline health workers, and priests) and ask God to stop this pandemic.
Feeling lonely and bored at home? There are lot of things that you can do during the MCO. Do you know that this is the best time to declutter your home, clean up the house and put everything in order? That was the first thing I did. As I have been away in Pahang for three years and was busy with my Ph.D. thesis at that time, I did not have much time to clean my house and arrange my things properly. My situation was so desperate to the extent that I did not know where to find my things when I needed them. Since I came back to Kuala Lumpur only during the weekends and holidays, things have piled up all these years and I finally managed to declutter my home and arrange my things properly. My decluttering project was a meaningful one as there were lots of old clothes, shoes, handbags, books, and CDs / VCDs /DVDs that were still new that I wanted to give away - it took me some time to choose before I put them in plastic bags to be given to people in need. What is even more important is that I can feel that my life is in order now that my things are in order. With more than 1000 books and more than 1000 CDs, VCDs, and DVDs in my collection, it used to be very difficult for me to find what I wanted and I am glad that I could have the chance to arrange them according to alphabetical order / specific categories on the shelves. I also typed out a list of the books, movies, and dramas in my collection in order to avoid buying multiples of the same exact items.
My Feng Shui Collection
This is also the best time to enjoy the luxury of watching movies. Watching movies at home is a luxury that I seldom have so I will capture moments as rare as this to watch my favorite movies. Some of these movies have been with me for more than 20 years but I did not have the time to watch them until recently. Can't blame myself for the delay in watching my favorite movies because I have to work and study throughout my teaching career! I also have the best collection of English, Mandarin and Cantonese songs so it is only fair that I listen to these songs now instead of just keeping the CDs on the shelves. Listening to songs / music is not only relaxing but can also benefit our mental health.
The best defense against the coronavirus pandemic is to make health and nutrition a priority. To be healthy, we need to eat nutritious home cooked meals and of course this is the best time to try out new recipes and eat well. Since many of us are not working now, we can have lots of time to plan and cook our meals. I am the kind of person who eats 100% home cooked meals - so I cannot tell my readers where to find the best restaurants in town. I can only advise them to get some good recipe books and cook for the family. Youtube also provides lots of inspirational cooking lessons and delicious recipes. Eating well boosts your immunity and this is one way to fight against virus infections. Do you know that you can also boost your immunity by practicing yoga? And don't forget to exercise - I normally do that in front of the TV thus killing two birds with one stone.
My Yoga VCDs
Those who really have nothing to do at home can give their home an instant makeover with wallpaper. The best place to buy affordable wallpaper is DIY. I like wallpapers because they can change the feel and look of my room and pink is my favourite color! Well, if I don't give my room a makeover now, I may not have the time to do so in the future. I have already bought the wallpapers 2 years ago (after I returned from Pahang) but did not get the chance to touch them. So this is the time for me to make use of them creatively. And of course, playing musical instruments can also help you to pass time during the coronavirus shutdown. For years, I did not touch my guitar and I guess this is the right time to take it out from the dusty guitar bag. It would certainly be great to play the guitar and sing my favorite songs again! Maybe I should also learn to play the piano - I bought the piano books when I was still a temporary teacher but due to time constraints, I am still a beginner today. Oh yes, I need to practise speaking French too so that I won't forget what I have learnt and an hour per day should be fine. I am also considering whether I should learn German, Spanish and Italian as learning a new language is always fun.
My dictionaries and beading books
What about the six new magnetic/sticky photo albums that I bought in 2010? I recently removed the photos from the old magnetic/sticky albums of more than 20 years (that have turned yellowish) and put them in these new albums. I have been trying to do that for 10 years but did not get the chance to do so until now. Knowing that the magnetic pages could damage the photos, I wrapped the photos with plastic before putting them in the sticky albums more than 20 years ago. Therefore, removing these photos from the old albums and putting them in the new ones did not give me any problems.
Know something? It has never occurred to me that I can also be a professional hairdresser. One day prior to the MCO, I thought of having a haircut but changed my mind on the way to the hair salon to avoid physical contact as it would be impossible to practice social and physical distancing there. Do you know that coronavirus can be found in air samples up to 4 meters from patients? Do you know that Covid-19 can be transmitted by people who don't have symptoms? As I needed a haircut desperately, I had no choice but to learn a new trade and make myself a professional hairdresser. Some of my close friends have been cutting their own hair since their schooldays and although I did not believe in cutting my own hair all these years, the MCO has provided me with the opportunity to find out how this can be done professionally. Experience has taught me that it is not difficult to cut my own hair. I started with the haircut tutorial videos at Youtube and it did not take me long before I learnt this new trade. Since my hair is so long, it's not difficult to cut because I can see what I am cutting. One advantage of cutting my own hair is - I am in control of the outcome. And I don't think I need to go to the hair salon again - at least not until the pandemic has ended and life gets back to normal again. Why not learn to cut your own hair during the MCO? Apart from saving money, maybe you can open a successful hair salon one day! (You may also like to read Cutting Your Own Hair at Home is Easy, Fun, and More Hygienic - Stay Safe).
My Rose Beads
There's never been a better time to take up a new hobby. Or should I revive my old hobby - beading? I used to be a good beader but I have not done any beadwork for years because it is very time consuming. I remember spending the whole night just to make one rose necklace. Since I have already spent a fortune on good beading materials, I should be able to come out with something good one of these days. Wow, there are so many things to do during the MCO that I don't know what to do first. I do wonder why some people keep saying that staying at home is boring and prefer to find excuses to leave the house thus putting their own lives at risk. If we do not want to get stuck in the house forever, let us do our part well to end the coronavirus pandemic. How can this be done? You don't have to be a frontliner - just stay at home and enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime holidays. Fill your lockdown days with rewarding experiences that can make you a better person. Remember, if you are not a teacher, you will never have so many holidays again in your life [In Malaysia, the 2020 school holidays are split into Term 1 Holidays (14/3 - 22/3), Mid Year Holidays (23/5 - 7/6), Term 2 Holidays (25/7 - 2/8), and End of Year Holidays (21/11 - 31/12)]. And if you really can't find anything to do, do you know that sleeping can also turn out to be a very exciting hobby if you know how to enjoy it? It can also boost your health and immune system.
