Article written by Shobha J
“The moment it is lifted, what will your first thought be?” asks someone on her FB post in big white letters on a backdrop of lethal Covid-19 comets for effect. Replies from FB contacts included a few trolling responders who are obviously wearing underwear on their heads as they typed. Among sordid, silly or mindless responses (though thoroughly trite), were “Visit my grandparents”, “visit my hairstylist” and “Go Starbucks lor”.
Finally, one comment stood out and I stopped scrolling. It was deep; “I will wonder if it is truly over.” Something had to be done to learn the psyche of this user. It was imperative that I stalked this person immediately, as there was.
Literally.
Nothing.
Else.
For me to do. Hey, it’s MCO time, right?
Turns out, my ‘stalkee’ (cos I am the stalker!) had acquired a hobby in gardening and would miss her plants when she went back out into planet post-Covid19. This was a person, who back in December, posted she would never stay home on a holiday, giving some staycation-advocate the third degree. I wondered how many other extroverts would have, in the journey to remaining sane through the MCO, acquired little routines and affinities; Just so that they could clock in another day, without pulling their hair out.
After in-depth research on dozens of individuals using direct physical observation, face-to-face interviews and numerous house visits to those in quarantine…
.
.
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Gotcha! (I stayed at home and wrote this on my bed), here is my list of “top 5 of things we’ll miss when the MCO is lifted – like really lifted… not these partial thingymajiggies”.
1. Memes about washing your hands, sanitizer use, creative masks, cooking – and Doraemon voices and shuffling to government announcements.
2. Binging on Netflix. Don’t lie – you watched Money Heist in one sitting and are now convincing yourself that you’ll never do it again.
Except after you get through Caliphate.
And Hi Bye, Mama! – and maybe You.
And Once Upon A Time?
And a few more series that you deserve to watch! Because This MCO business is tough and you have to survive. You do what you can and no one ever has the right to judge you for what you had to endure. So, there, world!
3. Those government announcements we all huddle around the TV to watch with the family.
We are so done with people who say so much as leaders and do nothing. Here’s our hero finally – a man who could leap tall buildings over a single bound and take use where no one else has taken us before.
Dr. Noor Hisham, the household name is who we wait to hear from every day, will some day go back to being another announcement on TV1 we never wanted to know about.
4. Dolgona coffee
Ok, that dolgona coffee had more Tik Tok fans than a Malaysian home with no ventilation during midday! But yes, it was your friend, and you will always associate it with being all dressed up and no café to go to. A bitter sweet experience, fit for any masochist coffee lover.
5. Crazy for grocery options
…because the one you chose had no delivery slots and you were literally going to starve if you didn’t suck it up and walk to the supermarket 1 KM away. Before this, walking from the office carpark to the office lobby was strategized in such a way you would get the last available carparking spot that is considered close-by, so that you don’t look loser-ish for having arrived so late at work that you had to park 300 metres away after all those early bird employees.
Yes, 300 metres was your threshold to Loserville. And now, you were walking 3 times that, WITH a bag of groceries. So, yes, post Covid-19 you may have withdrawal symptoms from not scrolling through grocery options featuring a poster from Mak Cik Kiah who sells pisang rastali and daun pandan online!
6. Just underwear, truly is for any occasion
Watch TV, eat a meal, wash the dishes, a spot of house-mopping or a Zoom call for work (off cam!)? No problem. This brief garment was named by its one quality for a reason, and we all know how important ventilation to the body is, when you live in 36 degrees Celcius. Once the MCO is lifted, it is back to full coverage and laundry loads which contain now-obscure words like pants!
The author is a Content Development Specialist i.e. passionate developer of video content concepts and an avid thought-spinner turned writer. She also happens to also have a voice sought-after in radio/tv commercials, corporate videos and podcasts. Powered by one small daily latte and the thirst for knowledge on a broad range of topics, she has certified herself as ‘a perpetual student of writing, music and voicing’.
Also read: 12 Things Every Malaysian Who Lives in Cheras Can Definitely Understand
