CMCO Day 133 ~ Tuesday, 19 October 2020

What I learned from this shitty pandemic is that everyone must have a stash of substantial savings in their bank(s) for rainy days and unexpected misevents like Covid-19.  Most business owners (including hubs) whom I know who are impacted financially by this unexpected black swan event are now surviving on their savings. But how much can you have in your coffer to stay afloat for almost a year of severe interruption in your business?  And we're not even certain if the pandemic will get any better or worse next year.  We all know that money can be exhausted in a blink of an eye and recouping it may take ages.

The pandemic and partial lockdown started in March this year and we're now 8 months into this pandemic and economic fallout.  A couple of months ago, we saw some light and thought it was nearing the end of the tunnel but the light faded away leaving us groping in the dark again. We're back to square one again. Back to ground zero.  Many businesses built over the decades crumbled almost overnight under the weight of economic hardship brought on by the shitty pandemic. I've seen almost a dozen of businesses in our residential area fold  during the MCO, including my friend's eatery.  Today when I brought Sherilyn to a nearby gadget shop to get new earphones (for online classes), I saw a few more shops shuttered for good 😓

This pandemic is deja vu. I used to have recurring nightmares of running away in fear and trepidation in a war or some kind of unrest in my dreams. And now we're really in a war, which I call  World War III, fighting an invisible enemy.  

If you still have a full-time job with no pay cut, you are considered the lucky few and you really have to give thanks to God everyday for the blessings.  This shitty pandemic has really been horrible for a lot of businesses and employees.  It's been so bad that a lot of Malaysians out there are reportedly negatively affected.   A Jobstreet survey has shown that nine out of 10 Malaysians have been impacted by the pandemic, with 48 per cent of employees saying that they have experienced negative impact on remuneration and salary 😢

During this time of uncertainty, losing a job hits harder because the world doesn’t even know what the next step is going to be. You won't even know if you're going to be the next positive case.  The mental and emotional effects of losing a job or having your income slashed considerably can feel very similar to the grief process.  But like I've mentioned before, when one door is closed, try to seek another door and when you find it, open it and seek opportunities. Never give up and feel dejected. And I am reminding myself and hubs everyday, although we both feel crushed.   Look at each day as an opportunity and foster the mindset to continue moving toward your goal of finding a job or seeking new opportunities in tough times amidst the pandemic.

My baby brother came on Friday last week to pass me Cass' eye drops. Cass has finished her bottle of atropine eye drops for her myopia for almost two months.  With shopping malls around the Klang Valley hit badly by Covid-19, I've been avoiding shopping malls. As my brother had to meet doctors at ISEC @ Mid Valley, he helped me get the eye drops and refused to accept payment from me.   That's what siblings are for.  Thanks baby 💓.  This is what we call him as he's the baby of the family and at 43, we still call him baby 😁

My brother was worried of passing any Virus to me as he'd been to several hospitals including ISEC, so he left the bag of eye drop on the granite slab and told me to keep a distance from him 💓