am I making a difference to others with whatever that I do?

I sat here in the same room with G and heard him saying over his Zoom session.

Profound.

I woke up on this day, just before dawn. Still groggy from the late night of cooking several types of dishes. I was readying the home to receive special guests for today – The Girl, Khai, their 2 kids and my sister.

And for once, we will be under one roof to celebrate the Eidil Fitri.

I cooked 2 types of rendang – rendang Padang and Rendang hijau. I have ordered a half kilo of ketupat palas kacang, an all time favourite of ours. There are a good pile of nasi impit (pressed rice) and peanut sauce to go with. G cooked his famous beef chili, to be served with nacho chips. A bit of western touch makes the celebration colourful.

Due to the restricted movement, we are not allowed to cross state borders. Therefore, no travelling back to kampung. Just days before, I posted in the family WA group to announce that our home will not be receiving any guests except for immediate family member. And, we will not be visiting too.

Never in my life that I would ever think we will experience something like this. Ever since 18th March 2020, I realized that I have not really been anywhere more than 30 KM away from home (and that is about 30 minutes drive) especially during the first month of RMO.

What will the future hold within the next few months?

I do not know.

Ramadhan is just around the corner. 3 days away to be exact. And it will be a quiet starting of Ramadhan too. Most likely the stay at home will go on till over Eidil Fitri, just to be safe.

It has been a strange start to the year.

Feeling a bit blues.

I can feel it gently nudging in, trying to find a comfortable spot somewhere.

It looks like I will be celebrating my birthday while under the lockdown. Not as how I had planned.

G kicked off his morning with Facebook video call with the kids and grandkids back in Canada. It was so good to see everyone got online and exchange stories and the weather. It is -15C at where Richard is. Gina’s lawn is white with snow, and so is Adrian’s.

G showed them the sunshiny view from our windows. High 34C with the probability of rain later part of the day.

D-Day

At 4.00 pm later today, the PM will make an announcement whether this RMO will be extended, or ends on 14th April 2020.

I have a good feeling that it will be Digital Eidil Fitri this year….which I supposed is the best all things considered.

I also read that Malaysia has one of the lowest mortality rate for Corvid 19 – 1.58%. Read the news here.

I am starting to feel drown and claustrophobic on Day 24. I have been actively structuring my days so the mornings are filled with work-related activities. I speak to at least 5 people on a daily basis. Speak as in literally speak to them on Zoom or WA video. Afternoons are packed with domestic activities and gardening. By the time the evening comes, I will be too exhausted to do anything else.

And the day just slide by. Just like that.

I think I need a haircut. And a good mani/pedi. And massage.

Gosh….

Day 23 of Restricted Movement Order.

And this is my very post after a very long while.

23 days of not being able to leave home further than 10 KM unless in an emergency situation. Buying bread it seems, is not classified as an emergency. So is getting Australian beef right across in Bukit Jelutong at our favorite grocery store. If only it is nearer than it’s 33 KM distance from where we are.

People have been instructed to work from home, which obviously is not meant for everyone. I think human beings are designed to interact with each other. I know for a fact that a few friends have started to display some signs of depressions, or cabin fever. Working parents are not getting it any easier as many are not as productive especially with small kids.

I think I am quite done attending the gazillion Zoom sessions from Day 1 of RMO. The first week was interesting and exciting. I tried to attend most of it but when the second week comes, it becomes a challenge to fulfill all of the invites.

According to Wikipedia, “Laylat al-Qadr (from Arabic: لیلة القدر‎), variously rendered in English as the Night of Decree, or Night of Measures, is, in Islamic belief, the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It is one of the nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. Muslims believe that on this night the blessings and mercy of God are abundant, sins are forgiven, supplications are accepted, and that the annual decree is revealed to the angels who also descend to earth, specially the Angel Gabriel, referred to as “the Spirit”, to perform every and any errand decreed by God.”

I am grateful for a good Ramadhan so far. There was no shortage of blessings from Him in bestowing us abundance of rezeki. I do not have to worry where the next meals coming from, or whether the cats have their kibbles at least for a while.

Blessed.

HRB

My mom’s picture was probably taken on the day she remarried to my step dad, Syed Van Dalen, a Dutch. Maybe circa 1987/88.

The picture of my great grandfather most probably was taken during the second world war.

How can a strong person be feeling so vulnerable, you might ask? They just do. Just like machines and systems, human brains and bodies are susceptible to overloading and virus.

The scary part is, you know where to go but have no faith in trust and/or the journey itself. Sometimes past experience may make or break you by teaching your brain on what is the next course of action…