Dubbed the largest quarantine in history, life under isolation has not been easy.
With our freedom curtailed and movement scrutinised, never did I imagine that sitting at home could be both challenging and exhausting.
In Malaysia, the lockdown or Movement Control Order (MCO), kicked in on March 18.
There were already 790 Covid-19 cases when the MCO began. The figure hit 900 the next day. It was at 6,894 yesterday with a total of 113 deaths recorded, and keeping track of the numbers alone proved nerve-wracking.
It has not been easy. The stress, anxiety and fear are real.
As we cross the two-month mark, I am taking a moment to reflect on the lessons learnt.
1) A.M. to P.M. in a blink
You wake up at 7am and the next thing you know it’s already midnight and work is still not complete.
Having to work from home, prepare meals and look after a three-year-old (and other chores in between), my better half and I ended up taking turns to work with our day ending only at 2am.
Lesson learnt: Never take your support system and family for granted. The job of a homemaker never ends.
2) Shop wisely
Having an office just above a supermarket can save you a lot of time. But during the MCO, shopping for essentials was tiring as I tried my best to shop as fast while practising physical distancing. And as the authorities ruled in the early days that only one representative from a household could go out to shop, we saw many struggling – some struggled to carry heavy items into the car while others struggled to find the items on their shopping list.
Lesson learnt: Don’t panic-buy and do support your neighbourhood grocers. They may be smaller compared to hypermarkets but imagine the time you save from all that walking around and having to put up with long lines at the entrance and checkout counter.
3) Inner master chef
This may sound a little crazy, but after a month of the MCO and being deprived of a good banana leaf rice meal, I attempted an eight-course meal (banana leaf included). It was a long four-hour affair in the kitchen, but truly worth the time. Other experiments included Wan Tan Mee, Garlic Naan and Yau Char Kwai. Even the hubs who has never cooked in his life jumped on the bandwagon with his first two offerings being Chicken Briyani and Lemony Salmon Piccatta.
Lesson learnt: We can cook almost anything if we put our hearts and minds to it. All you need is some inspiration and the right ingredients to get started.
4) An act of kindness goes a long way
I paid our part-time helper in advance upon learning her family had been surviving on rice and hardboiled eggs in the first week of the MCO. There were others in a similar situation and thankfully there were many good Samaritans – individuals and groups – who went around providing food to those in need. We saw cops feeding strays and Malaysians donating to Zoo Negara. Some also volunteered to sew personal protective equipment for our frontliners.
Lesson learnt: If there is a silver lining to the pandemic, it is that it has brought us together despite keeping us apart.
5) Gratitude
We read reports of people sleeping on the streets, at bus stops, markets and community shelters. Sometimes we take for granted the basic things in life like a roof over our heads, a bed to sleep on and food on the table while many have absolutely nothing.
Lesson learnt: Be thankful and grateful despite how little you have.
6) Nature heals
With the hustle and bustle of everyday life prior to the lockdown, we may have also taken nature for granted. Did the sound of a chirping bird, the sight of the blue sky and a blooming flower make your day during the lockdown? It certainly made mine.
Lesson learnt: Nature impacts our well-being. We should take a moment to reflect what we are doing to make peace with Mother Nature.
7) Human connection
No handshakes, kisses and hugs. It has been a difficult period not meeting our parents, grandparents, relatives and friends. According to studies, the human touch signals safety and trust and the lack of this touch has been difficult for all of us. When all this is over, it will be good if we can detox from our gadgets at least once a week and spend quality moments with our loved ones.
Lesson learnt: Our gadgets may give the illusion of being connected, but nothing will ever beat real human connection.
8) Materialism means nothing
I have friends who admit the fancy watches they once slapped on their wrists and the luxury vehicles they drove to work are now among the “most useless” items at home. There are those who realise that money can’t buy everything and the cheapest and simple things in life can bring a smile on your face.
Lesson learnt: Wealth means nothing without health.
9) Be compassionate, stay strong
Twentytwo13 conceptualised and produced a video called ‘We’ll Get Through This’ to show gratitude to all Malaysians, including our frontliners. We are also standing shoulder to shoulder with our friends and partners throughout these trying times. The economy is going to be gloomy no doubt, and we need to support each other to stay afloat and make it through.
Lesson learnt: If you have the means, do support friends who are in need of assistance. They may have been forced to start a home-based business for survival and they need your support more than anything else right now.
10) Determination goes a long way
While some rules and standard operating procedures of the ‘new normal’ still need to be fine-tuned, we don’t need everything to be spelt out. By now, we already know what we need to do to stay safe. The coming weeks are still going to be difficult but if we have managed to survive 60 days, we can do this together for 60 more!
Lesson learnt: Just stay at home if you have nothing urgent to do outdoors. Play your part to protect your loved ones and fellow Malaysians. We must be in this together.
