May 1, 2020

The 'new normal'

After my last post, MCO was announced to be extended until 12th May 2020. There were mixed feelings. And then after today, it was announced by our Prime Minister that most sectors can start work starting 4th May 2020, one week before MCO was supposed to end. Again, there are mixed feelings. At one end, if MCO is uplifted too early, will there be a new wave after this? Then again, if MCO continues to be in place, it will be harder for the economy to revive. So many questions, vagueness, but yet life has to go on. 

I guess there are some things we have to get accustomed to when we go out to work starting next week:

1. Wearing face masks
Face masks is the new normal now. Without it, I now feel a bit 'naked'. Without it, I feel like the virus can easily attack me. Without it, it feels like our immune system is vulnerable. That did not use to be the case. In fact, people only wore face masks when they were sick. Now, it's like every single human is wearing it. It's part of our fashion already! It's uncomfortable, makes my ears painful after a while and quite suffocating. But then again, we must always protect ourselves, so don't leave home without a face mask! And I guess lipstick has to take a break for the time being.

2. Queuing up almost everywhere
Queuing up is like the new norm now. Every marketing errand is to start off with a queue =.= Every bank you visit starts with a queue. Even taking food away need to queue up. Quite fed up actually because it's a waste of time but no choice. Social distancing is a must to curb the spreading of the virus.

3. Standing 1 meter from each other
Any place you go, any queue you join in, you are always advised to maintain your distance. Even post offices, clinics, etc have chairs covered in between so that people sit in alternates. No more hugs, hand shakes, gathering with your friends in public or large gatherings. I don't know how long this will last though? We're growing more distant from actual humans these days and closer in the digital world.

4. Constant use of sanitizers
Goodbye smooth hands! With the paranoia of virus, everything is cleansed with a sanitizer first. Before going in to a supermarket, spray with sanitizer, before eating, apply sanitizer, after shopping, spray shopping bags with sanitizers LOL With the alcohol content, it makes hands rough so we must moisturise, moisturise, moisturise.

Since we will no longer be in quarantine due to the leeway given in the conditional MCO, I just want to wrap up my MCO posts with what I accomplished during this MCO.

1. Definitely learnt so many new dishes since I have been cooking almost every day. Trying out new recipes have been fun but it's time to go back to my day job hahaha

2. Learnt beginner's meditation. Have been meditating almost every morning and I feel so much better and more positive. Hope to continue the same when I start work.

3. Learnt more Mandarin. I have been bad in the Mandarin language and since some online learning have decided to give free lessons, I have been learning new words, sentences and can understand the Mandarin language a bit better. Can communicate with clients better now-hopefully!

4. Sleeping late which means I can incorporate a lot more readings in my daily life. I love reading but I love reading before sleep and sometimes when I have to wake up early the next day, I have to cut short my reading time. But since I have more time during the MCO, I even bought more books from Book Excess and have finished reading 4 books! Super productive =)

5. Healthier diet. Eating more at home means having a healthier diet. I have incorporated a lot of vegetables, fruits, and meat in our daily meals and cut carbs. My husband has surprisingly lost weight during the MCO. Me? Well, I maintained my weight but didn't lose any hahaha Still, I can feel better bowel movement (must be all the smoothie I have been making) and better skin!

This experience is something which will be remembered for life! At one week during phase 3 of the MCO, I was unwell and had sore throat and fever. Never became more paranoid. Just for that, had to rush to the clinic, get checked and doctor cleared me (didn't even give me antibiotics because it was mild). If it was last time, I would have popped 2 panadols, rest and get back on with life. Not rush to see doctor on the first day and get all paranoid =.= What have we become? >.<

But it also teaches us how valuable our life is. We need to treasure the time we have with our family and loved ones. Treat them properly. It also teaches us how to use our time wisely. We can either complain about the situation and be angry with the world or we can use the times we have to channel positive experiences. There are also so many things to be grateful for despite the situation. I'm truly grateful for the roofs over our heads and be near my loved ones and not stranded somewhere else alone. I'm also grateful I do not have to worry about putting food on our table.

Lastly, I pray that we can be free again and not be restricted with the virus lingering around waiting to infect strangers. I also pray that those who have been infected will recover soon and that a vaccine will be produced ASAP. To all those lost souls who have had a very difficult time during this MCO, I also pray that you will hang on and hopefully in time, things will get better.

Enjoy out of your quarantine starting 4th May 2020, and may we always stay safe wherever we are!

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