How to Enjoy Delicious Healthy Meals at Home and Save Money

When I was a little girl, I used to sit on the balcony to read. Since my flat was facing a restaurant kitchen, the restaurant workers tasting soup from a soup ladle and stirring the pot of soup with the same was a familiar sight to me. It was also nothing unusual to see big fat rats running in and out of the restaurant kitchen especially at night. My mom saw the rats too and she knew how the restaurant workers were doing their taste-test but she did not mind and we continued to buy food from that restaurant. Although I did not like it, I had no choice but to conform to the social norm because I had no money to buy my own food. My mother also liked to buy fried noodles and porridge at the morning market, tau foo far (soy bean pudding) and curry noodles at the nearby stalls, coconut tarts, curry puffs, and fried bananas at the weekly night market. These were my favorite foods and I have enjoyed eating them for years until my mom fell ill and I had to buy these foods myself. That was when I began to understand the meaning of food hygiene and food safety. 

At the morning market, I got the shock of my life when I saw how the fried noodles were served. The hawker put the noodles on a layer of plastic which was on top of a layer of newspaper and wrapped them. Well, using newspaper as the second layer in wrapping food was fine but under that layer of newspaper was another layer of plastic followed by another layer of newspaper and so on. In other words, the hawker has arranged the plastic and newspaper alternately, one on top of  the other, and it was obvious that the plastic coming into contact with the newspaper on top of it and below it would have been contaminated. Can anyone imagine how many people have read these newspapers? What if one of them had skin disease or TB? Next, the hawker put her hand into a plastic bag to open it before she put the porridge in it. Did she wash her hands before that? No, she has just collected money from one of her customers. From that day onwards, I never ate her fried noodles and porridge again even though I still bought them for my family members.

Like the porridge seller, the tau foo far seller also put his hand into the plastic bag to open it before putting the tau foo far in it. Well, I did not eat his tau foo far that day but took it home and gave it to my brother. He ate the tau foo far and said, "big germs eat small germs" which meant that he was the big germ that ate the small germs in the tau foo far. The next time I went to buy tau foo far, I brought my Corning Ware with me and asked the seller to put the tau foo far in it. With his thumb sticking in my Corning Ware, the tau foo far really washed his thumb clean for him that day. So, again I gave the tau foo far to my brother who ate it happily. He did not mind when I told him that the hawker washed his thumb with the tau foo far. As for the curry noodles, the same thing happened because it seemed that the hawkers could not open the plastic bags without putting their hands into these bags first. 

Similarly, when I went to the night market to buy food for the family for the first time, I was shocked to see the hawker taking the coconut tarts with his bare hands and putting them in a plastic bag. And he has just collected money before that! The curry puff / fried banana seller was even worse. Instead of using plastic bags, she just took the curry puffs and fried bananas with her bare hands and wrapped them in a newspaper. 

My first set of recipe books (Family Meals, One-course Meals, Curried and Spiced, Vegetarian Food, Healthy Asian food, Oriental Banquets, Quick Meals in a Wok, Oriental Seafood, Asian Cooking for Beginners & Snacks and Party Food) by Charmaine Solomon, the Queen of Asian Cooking in Australia

After these unpleasant experiences, I became very particular about food cleanliness. I started to cook my own food after coming back from the Teachers' Training College and have been eating only the food that I cook myself since then. I can still remember the day I bought my first set of recipe books (above), non-stick wok and stove. During those days, Charmaine Solomon's recipe books were like a Bible to me. At that time, I could not cook very well but after years of cooking various kinds of dishes through trial and error, I have become a super chef now. And with all the cooking videos on the internet today, I am having the time of my life trying out new recipes every day. The meals that I cook are not only tasty and nutritious but also very fresh and hygienic. They are also much cheaper compared to restaurant meals. Who says that you cannot eat a luxurious meal at home? You certainly can have five-star meals at home if you have good mentors and are willing to learn. Who are my mentors? Marion Grasby @ Marion's Kitchen, Natasha Kravchuk @ Natasha's Kitchen, N'Oven, and Yummy's Kitchen. These are really five-star mentors who make life more colorful for me with their mouth-watering videos and I love all their recipes. Not to forget my first cooking mentor, Charmaine Solomon, who inspired me to cook through her wonderful recipes. Although I am not a millionaire, I can still enjoy good food and I consider this a great blessing. Eating five-star foods in the comfort of my home while watching my favorite videos is really heavenly! "To eat is a necessity but to eat intelligently is an art" (Francois de la Rochefoucauld). I am glad that I have learnt the art of enjoying life to the fullest. 

Of course I do eat out but this is an extremely rare occasion. When was the last time I ate out? Well, that was somewhere in December 2019 (today is 30 January 2021) when my former colleague, Geraldine, drove me and two other friends to see her new house. I brought my tupperware, spoon and fork that day because the sight of food particles sticking to the plate, spoon, and fork in the restaurant can make me vomit. I thought of going to a mixed rice restaurant and "tapau" some dishes in my tupperware but Geraldine brought us to a restaurant selling all kinds of noodles. I had no choice but to order curry noodles since that was my favorite. OMG! I nearly fainted when I saw the seller picking the yellow noodles with his hands after collecting money from one of his customers. His curry noodles were not cheap either - I had to pay RM9 for a small bowl of yellow noodles which I did not eat. The problem was - I just couldn't put the noodles in my mouth because the way he kept picking the noodles using his hands was really nauseating. Deep in my mind, I was thinking of my home-cooked purple potato curry pan mee and I felt like crying. I quarreled with Geraldine because of that. What a terrible day!

My favorite beetroot, kelp seaweed, and purple potato pan mee

In the photo above, you can see my favorite beetroot, kelp seaweed, and purple potato noodles. They are very nutritious and do not contain preservatives and coloring. At RM9.20, I can get the whole packet, not just a small bowl of yellow noodles. I don't like to eat yellow noodles because of their high levels of boric acid and benzoic acid which can cause cancer and kidney failure. 

During the early days of my teaching career, I always volunteered to teach in the afternoon session so that I could cook and eat first before going to school. Since the afternoon session started at 1.00 p.m., I always had ample time to cook and enjoy my meals those days. Fridays were the best because school started at 2.45 p.m. and by 7.00 p.m., I was already on my way home to cook a delicious five-star dinner. But, since I started teaching in the morning session, I have to get up a little bit earlier to cook. I usually have noodles for brunch because I don't have much time to cook in the morning. However, I never get tired of eating noodles because my mentors have shared their best noodles recipes with me. Some of these recipes include Spicy Garlic Prawn Spaghetti, Rice Vermicelli with Prawns, Singapore Stir-fried Rice Noodles, Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken with Noodles, Korean Kimchi Vegetable Noodles, Steamed Fish with Noodles, Vegetable Hakka Noodles, Special Hokkien Noodles, Rice Vermicelli with Chicken and Potato, and Creamy Miso Mushroom Spaghetti. Cooking is an art and much would depend on our creativity. I have also  invented lots of new noodles recipes myself using my favorite pan mee. I like to add lots of vegetables, meat, and prawns to the noodles. To save time, I prepare my ingredients the night before and put them in the fridge. Recently, I have been baking lots of cakes and cookies. My favorite cakes / cookies include Eggless Chocolate Steam Cake, Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, Chocolate Semolina Cake, Eggless Chocolate Poke Cake, Chocolate Sponge Cake, Mango Cake, No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake, Chocolate Pound Cake, Chocolate Banana Steam Cake, Oreo Biscuits Cake, Peanut Cookies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Do you know that a 1kg chocolate cake costs at least RM69 in Kuala Lumpur? But how much do the ingredients cost? If you bake it yourself, you can save a lot of money). I have been making biscuits and puddings too. Since I don't have the time to eat at home in the mornings, I bring my noodles, cakes. cookies, biscuits, and puddings to school where I can eat when I am free 

As for dinner, I will cook one or two dishes and eat without rice. Most of the time, I only cook one dish but I cook a lot because I don't eat rice. If it is a meat dish, I will eat it with lettuce and tomatoes. If I have the mood to cook two dishes, I will cook one meat dish and one vegetable dish. What do I normally cook for dinner? Steamed Soy & Ginger Fish, Steamed Fish with Walnuts, Crispy Fried Fish with Sweet Sour Sauce, Poached Fish with Peanuts, Stir-fried Fish with Mustard Cabbage, Stir-fried Chicken and Capsicums, Chicken with Corn and Cashews, Chicken and Pineapple, Creamy Herb Mushroom Chicken, Chicken with Almonds and Broccoli, Thai Chicken with Snow Peas, Stir-fried Chicken Broccoli Mushroom, Stir-fried Prawns with Vegetables and Oyster Sauce, Green Beans with Prawns, Prawns with Asparagus Tips, Mapo Tofu, Stir-fried Eggs with Vegetables, Braised Shiitake Mushrooms, Steamed Potatoes, Potato Curry with Tamarind, Braised Bean Curd and Vegetables, Spinach and Pumpkin, Chinese Garlic Broccoli, Spicy Cauliflower, Cabbage / Green Peas in Coconut Milk, Thai Eggplant Curry, Stir-fried Snake Beans and Cashews, and Bean Curd with Peanuts / Peas. These are just some of my favorite dishes. There are a lot more and the list is unending (Do you know that these dishes can cost you a fortune in the restaurants?). If I am on diet, I will eat salads. Some of my favorite salads are Vietnamese Salmon Salad, Avocado Corn Salad, Avocado Tuna Salad, Broccoli Cauliflower Salad, Creamy Broccoli Apple Salad, Chicken and Cucumber / Cabbage Salad, Red Cabbage Salad with Apple, and Hot and Sour Prawn Salad. I love good food but I suppose I am the only food connoisseur who seldom eats in restaurants. Why?

I am sure many of us still remember what happened nearly two years ago when the workers at Raj's Banana Leaf restaurant in Bangsar used dirty pothole water to wash dishes. Or perhaps Malaysians forgive and forget easily. Well, three months ago, a chef at a cafe was filmed using his fingers to taste-test a dish in the kitchen. On 2 June 2018, a video illustrating rats swarming food ingredients in a restaurant kitchen has surfaced on the internet. Did the restaurant owners learn a lesson after that? On 20 February 2020, three dirty restaurants full of rats were ordered to close for 14 days. However, seeing rats running around in the restaurant is nothing compared to eating rats! What about recycled food? What would you do if you find yourselves eating recycled food? Please read Beware mamak shops selling "recycled" curry and Restoran Mamak di Kulai Jaya Basuh Makanan Untuk Dimasak Semula dengan Kuah Baru (which means Mamak Restaurant in Kulai Jaya washed and re-cooked leftovers). Recently, a video entitled lebihan sisa makanan orang tak habis dicuci dicampur dimasak semula, kedai mamak (which means "mamak restaurant cooking recycled food from customers' plates") has gone viral and I find this video very disturbing. You can watch this video here. These are just some of the more recent dirty restaurant cases in Malaysia. You can always find more on the internet.

A crow infested outdoor kitchen of a mamak restaurant in Kuala Lumpur (Photo source: Miscellaneous Information Website). Luckily bird flu is not so common nowadays.

I thought that only the poorest people in the Philippines eat pagpag but it seems that Malaysians are also eating this Filipino delicacy in the restaurants. What is pagpag? Pagpag, in Tagalog, means leftover food from restaurants scavenged from dumps and garbage. The food is then washed, cooked and sold to the poor. It is okay if the customers choose to eat pagpag because they want to save money but serving them pagpag without their knowledge and charging exorbitant prices for the recycled food is really too much. It should be noted that eating pagpag is bad for health as it can lead to stunted growth in children, food poisoning, and diseases such as Hepatitis A, cholera, and typhoid.

Do Malaysians mind eating dirty foods? Well, they do not care about the things that they cannot see. Perhaps, they don't mind as long as they have a place to lepak (hang around). When they see a rat scurrying by, they will put their feet up and squeal but after a few minutes, they cannot remember the cute little rodent anymore. That is why the restaurant business is a lucrative business. Many mamak restaurants open as early as 5.30 a.m. and operate until midnight. Sometimes I do wonder why there are so many people hanging around at the eateries late at night when they are supposed to be at home, sleep early, and prepare for work the next day. Is this a healthy habit? Eating a late night dinner is bad for health as it can lead to poor digestion and other gastric issues because the body's metabolism slows down at night. But why do Malaysians love to lepak mamak (hang around in mamak restaurants) until late at night? Perhaps it's not just the food alone as it seems more likely that they are looking for a place to meet up with friends and chat. It is no wonder the eateries have become Covid-19 infection hotspots. The more they interact with each other and the longer the interaction, the higher the risk of Covid-19.

Since the coronavirus outbreak began, I have developed a phobia about restaurants. Why? According to the US health authorities, going to restaurants is much more dangerous than working in an office, shopping, or taking public transport. Restaurants are Covid-19 superspreaders because social distancing is almost impossible in the restaurants with the people sitting so close to each other without masks. Even before their food is ready, they have already taken off their masks and are busy chatting with each other. Once they start chatting, they tend to forget about social distancing. As though 4 people per small table are not enough, they have to combine the tables and chat in groups. Under such circumstances, a social distance of 1m is not possible - 0.5m or less is more likely. That is one reason why the Covid-19 cases are soaring. Each time I see people eating and chatting happily in the restaurants, I feel very worried about Covid-19. To stop restaurants from driving Covid-19 infections, indoor dining should be banned  and only takeaway food allowed not only during the Movement Control Order (MCO) but until the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

With 5,728 new Covid-19 cases today, perhaps it's time to prioritize home-cooked meals as it is the world's healthiest, safest, and most hygienic meals. Studies have indicated that those who eat home-cooked meals regularly tend to be happier and healthier than those who eat out. They also live longer. Eating home-cooked meals can also boost our immunity and help to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Those on a tight budget will agree that cooking is an important skill for saving money as it helps to cut food spending since restaurant foods are not cheap nowadays. But most of all, there is no need to worry about getting Covid-19 because home is the safest place on earth. With so many new covid cases emerging each day, let us do our part to protect ourselves from the pandemic. Stay safe!

You may also like to read Cutting Your Own Hair at Home is Easy, Fun, and More Hygienic - Stay Safe and How to Enjoy a Meaningful and Healthy Lifestyle at Home during the Coronavirus Pandemic. To view the content page of this blog, please click here.

Cutting Your Own Hair at Home is Easy, Fun, and More Hygienic - Stay Safe

Whilst on my way to the hair salon one day prior to the movement control order (MCO), I kept wondering how I could practise social and physical distancing there. I was quite reluctant to go to the hair salon that day because I did not want to have physical contact with anyone during the coronavirus pandemic. I was wondering what would happen if the hairdresser and / or his clients had the virus. After all, there are many people who have been infected without knowing it as they do not start coughing immediately. What about those who do not show any symptoms at all? And the towel, hairbrush, comb, and chair - all these have been used by many people. Even the hairdresser himself is in contact with many people. Surely, anyone who comes in contact with an infected person will be infected too! I changed my mind although I was almost there and decided to wait until the coronavirus pandemic is completely over. But when would that be? No one can answer this question but the most important thing is to stay safe. Some of us may have read about the Missouri hairstylist  who attended to customers while experiencing symptoms. According to The Guardian, she may have exposed 91 people to Covid-19.

For years I have been wondering where to find a good and honest hairdresser. I found one more than ten years ago but after he left the salon, I had no idea where he had gone. The one I used to go to for the past few years has been pestering me to perm my hair or do rebonding and did not seem to be very happy when I told him that I preferred my hair to look natural. He kept denying the fact that the perm and rebonding process could cause split ends and damage my hair and offered to give me a discount but I declined his offer - not because I could not afford to pay but I did not like to do anything unnatural and chemical treatments were totally unacceptable. In December 2018, I went to him for a haircut and he totally ignored me even though I had made an appointment with him earlier because he had so many customers at that time. His assistant defended him, saying that I did not make any appointment that day even though she was the one who picked up my call. I wasn't furious at all because his services were not free and could be considered as quite expensive. I smiled and said that it was okay and I would see him another day but in my heart I was saying that what I meant by 'another day' was 'never again'. I should have realized earlier that he wasn't interested in giving haircuts because he could make more money doing perms and rebonding.

It is not difficult to find another hairdresser as there are so many of them in Kuala Lumpur but a good one is hard to find. The new one was better as he did not force me to perm my hair or do rebonding. But the problem with him was each time I asked him to cut 2 inches he ended up cutting 1 cm. Even after not seeing him for 2 or 3 months, he still did not want to cut more than 1 cm and therefore it did not make any difference whether I went to him for a haircut or not. I won't deny the fact that I have not been getting a proper haircut for some time already. So the MCO came at a time when I desperately needed a haircut. I remembered some close friends of mine telling me that they have been cutting their own hair since their secondary school days and began to wonder whether I could do the same. Although I did not believe in cutting my own hair, I had no choice but to try and find out how this could be done professionally. After all, it might take months or even years before I dare to go to the hair salon again.

My MCO Haircut Kit

Although I had no confidence at all initially after reading some articles about quarantine haircuts that have gone wrong, I decided to give it a try. I started my coronavirus haircut with the haircut tutorial videos at Youtube and it did not take me long before I learnt this new skill. I have watched several videos and found this video particularly helpful as this was the kind of hairstyle I wanted. I would like to thank Patry Jordan English for sharing this beautiful video with us. Option 2 worked perfectly well for me. Since my hair was so long, it was not difficult to cut because I could see what I was cutting. Although it was my first attempt, my coronavirus haircut turned out to be a successful one. I was so happy because I did not believe I could do it so well. And what hair cutting tools did I use during the MCO? A pair of kitchen scissors, a comb, and a rubber band, that was all. So my dear readers, have confidence in yourselves and stay safe with your coronavirus haircut - it is possible to cut your own hair at home in a safe and hygienic environment. Remember to start with small cuts (1 cm) as you can always cut more after you have mastered the skill. Stay safe, stay healthy.

There are many haircut tutorial videos that you can easily find on the Internet depending on your needs and you will surely be able to find a suitable video or combination of videos that fit your requirements irrespective of whether your hair is long or short. Have confidence in yourself and ignore negative advice which says you cannot cut your own hair. If schoolchildren can do it, there is no reason why you can't. There is also no reason why your haircut should go wrong if you follow instructions and do it carefully. Believe me, you will feel proud of yourself when you do it right and come out with a successful haircut. I called my friends one by one the day I cut my hair for the first time and told them proudly of my successful endeavor. And here I am sharing this beautiful experience with my readers.

What are the benefits of cutting my own hair at home? It seems that my regular RM45 haircut is not a necessity anymore as I can easily do it myself now. With RM45, I can get 9 kg of mangoes and that's a lot. The good news is I don't have to waste time going to the hair salon as I can do it in the comfort of my home whenever I want. No more sitting for hours in the salon waiting for my turn in the queue - I really hate waiting. Apart from saving money and time, cutting my own hair also gives me a sense of satisfaction because the do-it-yourself version is safer, free of charge, and even better. Further, I don't have to tolerate the rude and irresponsible hairdressers' bad attitude anymore. Throughout the years, there have been countless times when I came back  from the hair salon with a bad haircut that had one side longer than the other and I had to fix it myself. The hairdressers were often reluctant to do anything with a completed haircut no matter how bad it turned out to be because they were just too busy with too many customers. Some would just do some tricks with the hair dryer to make both sides look as if they had the exact same length but after washing my hair it was obvious that they looked different. It was a terrible thing to pay so much for such shitty services and I am glad that this will not happen again. The most important thing is - I am in control of the outcome now.

What are the lessons that I have learnt from my coronavirus haircut? At certain times in our lives we may feel that certain things, people, or activities are indispensable and we cannot live without them. But if they are no longer there, do not feel sad because life has to go on and we will someday come across someone or something that is even better. Our lives change with time and we have to reshape our lives to adapt to these changes. Do not let the images of people with bad quarantine haircuts on social media scare us as these are intended to entertain the public! If we never try, we'll never know. If we really want to do something, we'll find a way. But, if our intention is to snap some photos of our disastrous quarantine haircuts and post them on social media to entertain the public, then we'll never find a way to do the right thing.

How to Enjoy a Meaningful and Healthy Lifestyle at Home during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Today is the 23rd day of the movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia. Also known as the 'Malaysia Partial Lockdown' the MCO was implemented on 18 Mac 2020 as a preventive measure towards the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and scheduled to expire on 28 April 2020.  The offices, kindergartens, schools as well as public and private universities will remain closed throughout the MCO. Non-essential industries and businesses are closed too. All businesses can only operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Only a limited number of people are allowed inside supermarkets, grocery stores, and wet markets. Restaurants are restricted to take-away services only as no dine-in customers are allowed. The operating hours for public transportation are from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. daily. Taxis and e-hailing services are only available from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. every day. All sports events, concerts, tours, festivals, gatherings, wedding celebrations are cancelled. There will be no more masses as all religious activities are suspended. The PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) and military forces conduct road blocks throughout the country to ensure that Malaysians stay at home. Those who flout the control measures are subjected to a penalty of RM1000 and / or six months imprisonment. In actual fact, our PDRM and military forces are doing a good job to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and break the chain of transmission. However, despite their tireless efforts to make Malaysians stay at home, many were charged with violating the MCO.

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.

Although I love book fairs and have bought lots of books, I seldom have the time to read all these years. So, this is the best time to do some reading. What about reading / learning something interesting such as Feng Shui? And, who knows, you might end up being a Feng Shui consultant!

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.

QUOTES ABOUT NECKLACES

Necklaces have always played an essential role in enhancing our looks, as such, they have become indispensable in our daily routine. Today, more and more women are wearing necklaces to compliment their looks and create a stunning impression. In my previous article entitled THE ADVANTAGES OF WEARING FASHION JEWELLERY, I have shared photos of my latest batch of pendant necklaces with my readers. In this article, I would like to share some photos of the necklaces in my collection which I hope that my readers would like to see. You can also read the quotes about necklaces that accompany these photos to get inspired. I've collected 43 quotes on necklaces for this article. Buying, wearing, and collecting necklaces can be a very interesting hobby - much more interesting than collecting stamps and coins. Necklaces can improve your beauty and self image and make you feel more confident with yourself, so why not try out this new hobby? I'm sure you will enjoy it.

The necklace is the anchor; it's the classification of jewelry that says what the whole idea is about (Robert Lee Morris).

Colour is what gives jewels their worth. They light up and enhance the face. Nothing is more elegant than a black skirt and sweater worn with a sparkling multi-stoned necklace (Christian Dior).

It is true that in France, women put on less things. If they have a necklace, they don't put on earrings; if they have nail polish, they don't put on their rings and all their bracelets (Ines de la Fressange).

Impressions are like pearls; ideas are like the string that turns the pearls into a necklace. The string is invisible, but it is not dispensable and cannot be broken (Mu Xin).

A generation of the unteachable is hanging upon us like a necklace of corpses (George Orwell).

I get more compliments on accessories than anything else. I think they're kind of like herbs and spices. They give zest and zing to an outfit (Iris Apfel).

I see bold accessories as a woman's armor (Rachel Zoe).

I feel underdressed, if I don't have my pearls on. My pearls are my security blanket (Lady Sarah Churchill).

Obama doesn't run around wearing a Carrie Bradshaw-esque nameplate necklace that says 'Socialist.' But his policies, actions, words, background and associations speak louder than any ID necklace ever could (Monica Crowley).

A necklace has the power to be this one little thing that can make you feel unique (Elizabeth Taylor).

Every necklace tells a story (Gem Hunt).

Give a girl the right necklace and she can conquer the world (Marilyn Monroe).

A necklace is a very personal thing... it should tell a story about the person who's wearing it (Garance Dore')

A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls (Coco Chanel).

 Words are beads on the strings of sentences. So make a beautiful necklace (Aneta Cruz).

Pearls are always appropriate (Jackie Kennedy).

Choice by choice, moment by moment, I build the necklace of my day, stringing together the choices that form artful living (Julia Cameron)

When you're on one of the Caribbean islands, sometimes it's hard to picture how they fit in with the rest, but when you see them all joined together like a necklace from space, you see the natural connectedness of them all (Chris Hadfield).

You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks of you by the necklaces he gives you (Audrey Hepburn).

True friends are like necklaces - bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style (Nicole Richie).

I've always thought of accessories as the exclamation point of a woman's outfit (Michael Kors).

The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize (Olympia Dukakis).

Costume jewellery is not  made to give women an aura of wealth, but to make them beautiful (Coco Chanel).

What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language (Miuccia Prada).

A woman makes an outfit her own with accessories (Oscar de la Renta).

Put your money into accessories. You could create a million different looks (Iris Apfel).

Accessories are what, in my opinion, pull the whole look together and make it unique (Yves Saint Laurent)

Elegance is not about being noticed, it's about being remembered (Giorgio Armani).

Colour is what gives jewels their worth. They light up and enhance the face. Nothing is more elegant than a black skirt and sweater worn with a sparkling multi-stoned necklace (Christian Dior).

Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future (Coco Chanel).

White is pure and simple and matches with everything (Christian Dior).

Everyone knows that life is very expensive and you can change, you can turn, you can play with clothes with a lot of accessories (Sonia Rykiel).

You must, if it's possible, be born with a kind of elegance. It's part of you, of yourself (Hubert de Givenchy)

Matching your hat to your shoe to your bag, or your necklace to your earrings, has a tendency to look dated. Mixing your accessories adds interest to an outfit, and can make you look much more modern and polished (Stacy London)

Short stories are like individual jewel stones on a necklace, wonderful in themselves like standalone gleaming entities of semantic intensity (Vera Nazarian).

When a woman wants to look festive, she should add some shine, sheen or sparkle to her outfit, like a metallic clutch, an embellished shoe, or a blingy statement necklace (Clinton Kelly)

A big diamond necklace is noveau riche, really. People who have wealth a long time don't wear such things (Elsa Peretti).

The painful things seemed like knots on a beautiful necklace, necessary for keeping the beads in place (Anita Diament).

True style is not about having a closet full of expensive and beautiful things - it is instead about knowing when, where, and how to utilize your collection (Nina Garcia).

Accessories are like vitamins to fashion - as such, you should use them liberally (Anna Dello Russo).

I've never thought of my jewellery as trophies. I'm here to take care of it and to love it, for we are only temporary custodians of beauty (Elizabeth Taylor).

Jewellery is something that has to do with emotion. That aspect of jewellery really interests me (Ann Demeulemeester).

I always wear my evil eye necklace to ward off bad karma. I always wear one to protect me (Gracie Gold).