RMCO Day 8 ~ Wednesday, 18 June 2020

Ms M, Cass' private Mandarin tutor finally resumed tuition lessons at our home today.  After a hiatus of more than 3 months in proper face-to-face lessons, Cass' brain seems to have gone real rusty!  She forgot how to do many Math questions and how to write many Chinese words.  Now I am starting to get really worried as to how she's going to catch up with all the remaining syllabus when school reopens. As she's in the elite class, the speed at which the teachers teach is faster than other classes. She already has trouble coping with Chinese language, which is her weakest subject. I am so glad that the MoE has scraped off the UPSR exam for Primary 6 students this year.  Nonetheless, I am certain that they will still have to sit for a year-end exam.

Ms M teaching with a face mask on.



Our baking queen made a small batch of chocolate and caramel tarts that are mind-blowingly good! The caramel is whipped up by her too. She makes really toothsome caramel which I totally can't resist, which goes well with anything - bread, pancakes, crackers, plain yoghurt, tart shells, swirl it on ice-cream or simply eat it on its own.   Tomorrow she's going to make lemon curd as filling for the next batch of tart shells.

This very determined 15-year old of mine with a very entrepreneur mind is very adamant she wants to sell her tarts, cookies, cakes, caramel, lemon curd and other products. I'm not too keen in her starting a business as I have no time to help her manage her online store. And school may start soon. She assured me that she will handle everything herself as she wants to earn enough moolah to fund her studies overseas 🤨🤔 I'll see...








Dual-flavored sugar-reduced tarts with filling of homemade caramel and 70% dark chocolate + cream. First layer is caramel, topped with dark chocolate cream.

RMCO Day 4 ~ Saturday, 13 June 2020

Hubs brought back a gargantuan gunny sack (almost as tall as Cass) filled to its brim with red sweet and juicy Rambutans today. The Rambutans are from his friend's orchard and it's the peak of Rambutan season now.  Sherilyn and her grandma spent over an hour cutting the twigs from the Rambutans and packed the fruits into bags for give-away to our guards, cleaners,  neighbors and our relative who stays two floors below our unit.  I even brought a bag for Maria, our beloved part-time helper whom I've not seen for 3 months.   When we met at the nearby shops, it felt like meeting a good friend whom I've not met for a long time 😍   It's not going to be easy for her to come back immediately to work for us due to various reasons:

The mil does not feel at ease having a foreign maid coming into the house as most of the Covid-19 cases now are contributed by foreign workers.  She's super paranoid of all foreign workers now as we do not know who they mingle with.  The mil is categorized under the high-risk group.

The condo management, in following the SOP by the government, prohibits foreign workers from coming in UNLESS he/she has proof of a clean bill of health with a Covid-19 swab test. 

With the condition set by the condo Management, I have to bring Maria to the nearby hospital to do a Covid-19 swab test, which costs RM370.  When I told Maria that I will be footing the swab test bill, she volunteered to pay half the cost. Of course I will pay in full for her as her income has been greatly impacted throughout the MCO.   She even volunteered to receive a pay cut, as long as she can return to work for us.  She's by far the most honest, reliable and loyal helper that I've had 💓

Perhaps the biggest hurdle now is to remove the mil's paranoia and it's  not going to be easy as long as there are still new cases of Covid-19 from foreign workers. 😢😢I've been praying that Maria can return to our homes as soon as possible.





Instant ramen adorned with cheesy sausages, pan-fried minced pork and fried egg, cooked by our in-house chef  Sherilyn:



Dinner tonight is takeaway black vinegar pork trotters and leftover dishes from the previous night.

Cheap Maxi Dresses

Now that the Movement Control Order restrictions have eased a little, parks, museums and beaches are opened again to the public.  Inter-state traveling is allowed and people are slowly but surely traveling again. While clothing stores and boutiques in malls are reopened, it's a pity that patrons are not allowed to try on the clothes, as a precautionary measure.  There's not much difference from buying clothes online if trying is not allowed yet.  I might as well find the cheap maxi dresses that I want from online stores like Prestarrs as they are cheaper than those sold at brick-and-mortar stores.  Plus point of buying clothes online is that it's safer in perilous times like now.   People are starting to crowd the shopping malls again and there are long queues outside shops.  I was at the shopping mall last weekend to shop for groceries and the crowd I saw was unbelievable, as if the Covid-19 pandemic was over. We still have a long way to go and the war is far from over.  Just because the Government has opened up almost all economic sectors does not mean that we can let our guards down.



Pretty and affordable maxi dresses and summer dresses from Prestarrs, all priced under $40.






With such beautiful weather at this time of the year now, I really wish that we were holidaying at a beautiful beach resort and not being stuck at home for months.  It is during this time of the year that our girls are usually on their 2-week term break and in previous years, we would be holidaying with my parents.  My wish is that a year on from now, we would be vacationing at a scenic beach resort - with me lollygagging around the beach resort or sipping Piña colada by the beach with my loved ones.  But for now where vacationing is still without a doubt out of question, I  will find my solace and pleasure shopping for some pretty and cheap summer clothes at Prestarrs! 😉

RMCO Day 3 ~ Friday, 12 June 2020

I learned to admire the colors of sunrise and sunset during my camping days when I was a teenager.  During the best times of my life spent camping in Pangkor Island and Pulau Kapas in Terengganu, my besties and I slept on a towel on the beach and we were often awoken by the freezing cold wind or the waves beating on our feet.  The first thing that would greet us was the awesome view of sunrise spread right in front of us happy campers, like a 3D picture on a TV with an infinity screen.  And then these excited crazy teens would scamper to our backpack inside the tent to fish out our bulky cameras for some camwhoring before going to the stream to freshen up  in the super cold crystal clear water.  Then we would gather in a group to find the perfect spot to do our business in the jungle! 😬  Next, we would wait under a big shady tree where Mr Lee, our camping guide who is a teacher, would have already cooked breakfast of hot yummy porridge for us.  How I miss those days terribly 💓💓

Since the start of the MCO 3 months ago, I've had the opportunity to witness the different stages of sunrise from our balcony on the 5th floor.  Today's sunrise was exceptionally beautiful!!☀️









Lunch is Nasi Kerabu from hubby's shop again. Nasi Kerabu is the girls and my favorite and it's quite unbelievable that after more than a month of eating it every Friday, we still haven't gotten bored of it yet!  The chicken is non-spicy and the spiced curry fish is mildly spicy.




Today I bought some ice-creams for the girls as the afternoons have been extremely hot and humid lately.  We saw Tealive Boba-licious at 99 Speedmart and I bought one to try.  It tastes nothing close to Tealive milk tea and is quite a disappointment.  But I can't set too high an expectation on a RM2.20 ice-cream, kan? No more 2nd time for us. 😁

RMCO Day 1 ~ Wednesday, 10 June 2020 (Fish Head Curry From Catermate)

Today is the first day of the Recovery Movement Control Order, which is scheduled to end on 31 Aug 2020.  Don't you just wish that on 31 Aug 2020, our PM can greet the Nation a very happy Independence day to celebrate two occasions-- for 63 years of achieving our independence from the British empire as well as achieving a Covid19-free status?   It's not impossible. Today our country recorded only 2 new cases of Covid-19 and that's something to rejoice but let's not let our guards down just yet.  We must continue with following strictly the SOPs imposed by the Government to curb the Virus from being activated again.💪😷

Today the mil followed me to the pharmacy and supermarket.  It's her second time out of the house since the MCO started almost 3 months ago.  Her first outing  with us was on Sunday and she's still very paranoid of going out as she's categorized in the high-risk group.  After shopping, we dropped by hubby's shop to collect Nasi Briyani and fish head curry.  Soon, fish head curry will be included in his menu for Bento Box For Delivery! 

Sherilyn waiting for daddy's staff to pack the food for us:



The huge tote bag slung on her shoulder is mine. I've got a bad achy right shoulder and hand since the start of the MCO and can't carry heavy stuff on my right hand. I think I'm going to follow hubs to the physiotherapist to get my right hand treated while he gets his frozen shoulder treated. The both of us have overworked our hands and shoulders this MCO😢

Staff at work.  A BIG THANK YOU to all those who have been giving hubby repeat orders ever since he rolled out Catermate's daily bento boxes for delivery.  Because of your continued support, hubby doesn't have to be forced to lay off his staff 🙌




Super droolicious fish head curry that tastes almost 100% similar to the ones at the famous overly-rated Jalan Kg Attap fish head curry that can cost you a big bomb.  I prefer Catermate's as the spiciness level is just right for me.


For someone who doesn't like carbs especially rice, I find it really  hard to resist the chef's fragrant steamed coconut milk rice (for Nasi Lemak), aromatic super long grain Basmati herbs, spice and ghee rainbow rice (for Nasi Hujan Panas) and fluffy blue rice (for Nasi Kerabu):


One Red Snapper fish head is so not enough for the 5 of us at home!  I told hubs to use Red Snapper fish slices next time! I can't wait to dig into this fish head curry again soon!!  We used Sherilyn's homemade Brioche to soak up all the flavorful fish curry sauce. It goes well with Roti Canai, noodles and anything. 




To place order, please Whatsapp 019-266 4297. Thank you💓

NEWCHIC Summer Sale 2020 - The Best Products Recommended

I heard that New Chic is having the Newchic Summer Sale 2020 soon!  Here are the details:

Timeline:

Pre-sale >> 6th July -- 13th July

Crazy Shopping >> 13th July -- 18th July

Thank and Reward >> 20th July -- 27th July


Now that the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have eased in most parts of the world, people have started to return to work.  Malls, parks, museums, schools and almost all economic sectors have reopened and people are starting to go out again after quarantining at home for more than two months.   Some people are still wary about going to malls due to the crowd.  If you're still being very skeptical about going to crowded malls and need to shop for clothes, bags and shoes, you can shop for them online,  where choices are aplenty for just about any item that you need.  New Chic is a complete online fashion platform for all things fashionable from women's clothing to men's clothing, bags, shoes, maternity wear, kids wear, accessories and much more.

I don't know about you but I have a long list of things to shop for after having not gone shopping for almost three months! First of all, I definitely need to get at least half a dozen to a dozen of cotton printed masks for our girls to wear as schools will be reopened soon.  As long as a vaccine for Covid-19 is not found, donning a face mask will be a new norm.  I don't like disposable face masks as I have an allergic reaction to the chemicals used in the masks. My nose will itch and I will start sneezing and this allergy will last several hours after I'm exposed to the chemicals in the face mask. Sherilyn has the same allergy to disposable face masks. New Chic has such a neat range of lovely cotton printed face masks for both him and her.  The masks are fitted with adjustable cords at the earbands, thus even older kids can wear them.





With unemployment rate surging resulting from companies and shops closing down during the lockdown, crime rate is expected to increase. There may be more theft and robbery cases in the weeks and months to come as more people will be laid off. When you're out at crowded places, be extra vigilant of hoodlums and petty thieves. I've recently removed my gold necklace and bracelet and intend to get an anti theft sling bag as a precautionary measure. New Chic has such a cool range of anti theft bags for both the genders at affordable prices that you'll want to get one too!





As pre-sale starts from 6 - 13 July 2020, we have almost a month to browse the New Chic website leisurely to see what we need.  Besides printed cotton face masks which are a must-buy item now and an anti theft bag, I am eyeing some Roman sandals and fitness smart watches too!

MCO Day 82 ~ Sunday, 7 June 2020

So today is the day that the entire nation waited with bated breath for Mr PM's announcement on whether the CMCO will be extended or lifted.   I just couldn't wait to hear when school will be reopened!

The CMCO will be replaced with a recovery movement control order (RMCO) with further relaxations beginning June 10 2020.  Under the RMCO, more relaxations will be given to Malaysians to conduct their daily activities while adhering to existing standard operating procedures (SOP).

Here's a recap of our PM's speech on 7 June 2020 @ 3pm:

1. CMCO will end on June 9. This will be replaced with the recovery phase of MCO from June 10 until August 31 2020.

2. You are now allowed to make interstate travel. Stay clean, stay safe.

3. Many sectors and activities will be opened or allowed. They are as follows:

- Open markets, morning markets, night markets, tamu markets, bazaars, food courts, hawker centres, food trucks, regular food stalls.

- Museum visits, indoor busking, laundromats, recreational fishing, filming, meetings, workshops (with tight SOPs)

- Sports such as bowling, badminton, archery, shooting are allowed; group activities such as group cycling and motorcycle convoys are allowed.

- What is NOT allowed are sports that may lead to mass gathering and contact sports such as stadium sports, swimming, rugby, wrestling, boxing, football, basketball and hockey.

- Sports tournaments are also NOT allowed yet.

4. Domestic travel is allowed. NO international travel allowed yet (borders are still closed).

5. You can celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha and Ibadah Korban with strict SOP. More information will be released about this soon.

6. As for schooling, wait for announcements from the Ministry of Education. Schools will be opened in stages during this Recovery phase.

7. The following are NOT allowed to operate: night clubs, pubs, entertainment centres, reflexology centres, karaoke centres, theme parks, mass gathering for religious activities, kenduri, open house, and any other activities that will lead to mass gatherings.

If we Malaysians are obedient and follow the SOPs strictly, then after August 31 2020 we will enter the normalisation phase until a vaccine is found.  EMCOs (Enhanced Movement Control Order) are still enforceable.


Our next eagerly awaited announcement from the Ministry of Education / PM will be on when schools will be reopened.

Though relaxations are now allowed under the RMCO, the fact remains that social gatherings are still NOT permitted yet. This means hubby's catering events will still be constricted, which means restricted earnings. 😓  This said, I always believe that if one door is closed, another door will be opened. We must remain optimistic and keep looking out for opportunities, which are aplenty out there, if you just care enough to look for them.

Brunch is Wanpaku sandwich / Japanese Sando, prepped by our Baking Queen.  Fillings for the Sando today are composed of smoked salmon, egg roll and lots of thinly sliced cool cucumber, which makes this Sando a very flavorful, meaty and juicy sandwich, yumssss!

A Complete Guide For Parents To Find Private Tutors In Malaysia

These days, it is very common for students to have tuition for additional knowledge and guidance outside of school. In Malaysia, especially in large cities such as Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, parents are always on the look out for the best tutors for their children so that they can learn and perform academically well. Students usually face problems in subjects such as Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Higher level Mathematics and language subjects such as English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin.

With the advancement of technology these days, it is easy to look for private home tutors through a Google search. In Malaysia, one of the most popular home/online tuition providers is My Quality Tutor Malaysia. The website, www.myqualitytutor.com has a database of more than 10,000 qualified and experienced tutors across Malaysia. The tuition provider will match the right private tutors for you and this is usually free-of-charge. Parents or students will first submit their home tuition requests on their website, which will then be received by the tuition provider.  Following this, suitable and qualified tutors’ profiles will be sent to the parents/students for review. Then, parents or students can pick their private home tutors based on the qualifications and experience in the subjects. Usually, experienced private tutors in Malaysia would be able to teach syllabus such as PT3, SPM, STPM, IGCSE, IB & A-level. In addition, the website also consistently uploads free learning resources for the students via t.me/myqualitytutorparents.



Another way to source for home tutor in Malaysia is through word-of-mouth such as school teachers, neighbours, friends’ parents and so on. In Malaysia, it is a norm for parents of students in both government and international schools to create Whatsapp chat groups and Facebook groups as a platform to discuss anything about educational information. Through these groups, parents or students would be able to source for top and experienced tutors in the subject that they wish to have tuition for.



After you have picked your private tutors at My Quality Tutor, the next step is to get prepared. Students should first prepare the topics that they have problems with and send them to home tutors before the private tuition class starts. For instance,  if a student has an English essay for his assignment, the student can notify the private tutor about the topic in advance.  The first class is usually a trial class; after the first lesson, if the student likes the private tutors’ teaching, then he or she may continue, else a change of tutor is also possible with the tuition provider.



In conclusion, finding private tuition classes in Malaysia via online means has become a norm due to the convenience of not having to leave the house. Online tuition started to gain popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. By having tuition classes consistently, students are expected to learn and study better, thus perform better in school.

For more information about online/home tuition:

Whatsapp: +60195698912
Website: www.myqualitytutor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/myqualitytutor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/myqualitytutor
Free learning resources for parents: t.me/myqualitytutorparents

MCO Day 79 ~ Thursday, 4 June 2020

Today is the first time in over 3 months that Cass step foot into a mall.  It's her bi-annual eye check-up at ISEC International Specialist Eye Center @ Mid Valley.  Just a quick recap, Cass was found to have mild Lazy Eye exactly a year ago during an unplanned eye checkup at our neighborhood optician. The sharp increase in power was only on her right eye and the optician urged me to bring Cass to an optometrist / ophthalmologist for a diagnosis and treatment, which was then confirmed that she has mild Lazy Eye. I brought her to ISEC to see Dr Choong YF as he's the ophthalmologist who performed a Chalazion surgery on Cass' eye when she was almost 2 years old.  To curb the power on the right eye from shooting up rapidly, Dr Choong prescribed Myopine eye drop - Cass needs to put one drop on the right eye every night before bedtime for years, with a review on her eyes bi-annually.  A bottle of 5ml Myopine costs a whopping RM95 and this can only last 6 weeks! I can't get this eye drop from any other pharmacy except from ISEC.






With an overload of screen time for over two months throughout the MCO and most times, this girl forgets to wear her glasses until I realize it and nag her, I was beyond belief that there is NO increase in power on both Cass' eyes. Praise God!  The expensive Myopine eye drop is working and credit needs to be given to Super Lutein as well.  Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, Cass has been popping 2 Super Lutein daily.  She's more worried of being infected by Covid19 than I am, and has been secretly popping an extra Super Lutein everyday to safeguard her health until she told me recently. Super Lutein is a supplement for eyes and an antioxidant for our general health.  We've been consuming Super Lutein and Izumio for 5 years now.

The Covid19 SOP at Mid Valley City are pretty impressive.  At the escalator entrance of Centrepoint South for ISEC patients, temperature was taken, bar code scanned and I had to fill out a detailed online declaration form for Cass and myself for submission before we were allowed to go up the escalator and then take the elevator to ISEC.



All these are necessary for easy contact tracing, should the need arise.


After Cass' appointment at ISEC, we segued into Mid Valley Megamall. This time we were scanned by a Face Recognition Thermometry Terminal, which looks like a tablet / mobile phone.  Bar code was again scanned with an app on my phone and details filled out before we were allowed into the mall.



Cass scanned by the Face Recognition Thermometry Terminal:


The bar code scanning on my phone, filling out of online form, temperature taking and hands sanitizing SOP are now compulsory at each individual shop inside the mall, which is applaudable but this repels me from entering a shop as it's too time consuming. Hubs who's in a hurry to go back to his shop waited for us at AK Noodles House @ Gardens Mall for lunch.

While we waited for hubs to arrive at the mall to join us for lunch and fetch us home, Cass dragged me to her most favorite place on the earth - the book store! We walked to MPH, which is the nearest book store on the floor that we were on and Cass quickly chose her latest favorite series - novels by Karen M. McManus and she bought two books by this author. She's a very very happy camper today!





Our quick lunch with hubs at AK Noodles House:

MCO Day 76 ~ 1 June 2020 (Monday)

Hello second half of 2020!   As we journey through the second half of 2020, I pray that the ride will be smoother and less bumpy not only for me and my family but for you as well. Hopefully we will ride out the stormy weather and come out unscathed.  The pandemic curve is flattening in our country and I hope the same is seen in your country too.

Yesterday I was mad as hops with the littlest brat again. This home-quarantining is driving the both of us bonkers.  She spent close to 14 hours hooked to the screens again.  I didn't give her the password to her desktop computer but she has her alternatives - she took her grandma's iPad and mobile phone whenever she wasn't using them. And again, she's hooked on an addictive online game called Roblox. If school does not reopen anytime soon, I think the brat and I will have to book an appointment to see a psychologist, I kid you not.  The effects of this lockdown on a child's mental health (and adult's too!) are detrimental to the point I think there is no turning back if the MCO is extended and school continues to be closed.

Hubs has a good friend who was an online game addict. He's from an affluent family and both the parents held senior management positions in banks. His friend is a very smart dude who did very well academically until he went to high school and got hooked on computer games. The addiction got so bad that he burnt his school books when he was reprimanded by his parents. His action scared the living daylights out of his parents who thought that he'd gone kooky! They stopped putting pressure on him academically ever since that fateful day where he burnt his books. He continued with his online gaming addiction until he passed out one day. His terrified parents called hubs (who was like a big brother to this teenager) and they accompanied him on an ambulance to the hospital.   This boy used to work as a part-time waiter for hubby during his schooldays.  He went to college and university but never graduated.  That was over 20 years ago.

Fast forward many years later, this dude finally turned over a new leaf and became repentant.  He finally grew up and was serious in being financially independent.  He finally realized his past follies. He tried his luck in getting a job in China and was incredibly lucky to clinch a lecturer job at a college, teaching English to Chinese nationals.  Fortunately he possesses an excellent command of English and has a sunny disposition, thus he soared at his job. He has been an English lecturer in China for many years now and has even found the love of his life and got married several years ago.  This is a happy ending to an online game addict and he's lucky that he didn't lose his life to it.  I certainly do not wish for this to happen to Cass and I can only pray hard that she will soon get tired of online games and when school reopens, she will be too busy with homework and extra curricular activities once again.

This morning I needn't drag Cass out of the house for a walk. She got up at 9 a.m. and asked if we're going for a walk to the shops. Although I wanted to run at the jogging treks at our condo, I quickly agreed to walk with her to the shops to get breakfast and snacks.  Our stroll to the shops and back home chalked up almost 4,000 steps.  Tomorrow I will take a longer route to the shops so that we hit more steps 😬.  I'm targeting for Cass to walk at least 6,000 steps a day, sweat more and be more active for the remaining days of this MCO.





Sunrise today:







Our lunch today - scrumptious Nasi Lemak with chicken rendang drumstick, otak-otak and the usual condiments from Catermate. The sambal sotong is add-on.   A bento box of Nasi Lemak costs RM15.






Drooling already? 😆  You can satiate your craving too!  Just Whatsapp Alan at 019-266 4297 for a pre-order lunch or dinner, sit back and relax and have your warm bento box delivered to you the next day.

MCO Day 74 ~ Saturday, 30 May 2020

When I got back from my morning jog at 11 a.m., Sherilyn had already prepped breakfast of Tamago Nigiri sushi, no-frills version. What I mean by no-frills is that the sushi rice is not seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, salt and konbu.  Sherilyn assembled this delight in a rush as she had an online class to attend at 11 a.m. Plus she made this in a whim and we don't have rice vinegar and konbu in our pantry. She put in quite a bit of time on the tamagoyaki, which, to me is quite a daunting and time-consuming task.  Kudos to her as her maiden master piece was almost impeccable. I should stock up on rice vinegar soon so that she could dish out more varieties of sushi during our sheltering in place.

I would give her a rating of 7/10 despite this being her very first time making these pretty 'gift parcels' that are not only aesthetically done but taste delightful as well. The seaweed sheets are organic.







Lunch was chicken chop in bento box from hubby's shop.







Dinner was Raya dishes from hubby's shop (catered for a client's board meeting) from yesterday, which still taste yummy today.  Thankfully our girls love Malay food and have no complaints eating spicy food almost daily ever since hubs starting churning out food boxes for delivery during the MCO.  To prevent heatiness, we drink good quality Matcha green tea powder everyday.



If you're craving to dig into some authentic halal Malay food, do give Catermate's daily bento boxes a try.  There's a different item on the menu everyday from their kitchen to your doorstep, delivered via food delivery service.  To order, kindly Whatsapp Alan at 019-266 4297.

MCO Day 71 & 72 ~ 27 & 28 May 2020 (Wednesday & Thursday)

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

My head was pounding the entire night, no thanks to PMS and I didn't sleep well last night. I went for my usual MCO-style workout at 10 a.m. with a nagging headache anyway as I really needed my daily 40 minutes of exercise under the morning sun surrounded by lush greenery around our condo compound.  My daily outdoor workout is very essential to me and I always get an instant mood boost from an endorphin high after the workout. No matter how busy I am, no matter how tired I may be, I try not to skip my morning outdoor exercise.  On days when I can't exude enough stamina for a sweaty run, a brisk walk with deep breathing works just as magical. I can't stress enough how important exercise is to everyone and if you haven't already started on an exercise regimen, there is no better time to start than now! All you need are two things to get started - discipline and sacrifice and you'll be promised with plenty of health promoting benefits.

When I got back from my 40-minute exercise, the headache was miraculously GONE!  Next time if you have a headache,  instead of reaching out for a pain-killer, try going out for a stroll. But not under the scorching afternoon sun yeah 😁 The best time to exercise is in the morning (5am - 10am) or anytime in the evening when the sun has gone down. I used to jog at 5:30 a.m. with a stick in my hand (to ward off muggers) before going to work and again jogged in the evening when I am back from the office. On wet mornings, I would jog down the wet roads with an umbrella. This was before the girls came along and dominated my world.

Sherilyn attended her tri-weekly online taekwondo class today. This will be her last month attending taekwondo classes.  The gym owners have been forced to shutter the gym for good during this pandemic 😭   I hope that they will be able to set up a new gym in another rented shop when the situation improves.  Sherilyn still hopes to get her black belt one day.
   

The moment she realized that the paparazzi mom was secretly stealing a photo of her, she dodged and went after me demanding that I deleted the photo, thus the shaky photo 😔. What happened to the cheeky girl who would give me her sweetest dimpled smile whenever I asked her for a photo to be snapped? 😭


Thursday, 28 May 2020
Today I managed to drag Cass the lazybones out of the house to exercise. She got hooked on some addictive silly computer games called Roblox throughout the MCO and wouldn't want to exercise. I had to resort to all sorts of  threats and bribes any concerned mom would be forced to think of just to stop this dopamine frazzled zombie from being zombified by a brainless gadget. Can you see how serious the problem is, that a person with a brain can be controlled by a brainless machine?  I can't wait for school to reopen so that this merciless and damaging addiction can be broken! Cass misses her friends and school a lot and prefers to spend all her time in school than at home.

Besides her class teacher, no other teachers are conducting online lessons for her class. This is unbelievable, coming from a supposedly High Prestige School (Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi) that is famed in the Klang Valley! The least the teachers could do if they do not own a computer is to borrow one from the computer lab. I am wondering how the students are going to catch up on their studies when school reopens and our next guess is when will school ever reopen? There's really hell a lot of catching up to do and I don't think that there is ample time to finish the syllabus by this year.

For Alycia's high school, as it's a private school, online classes are conducted from Monday through Friday, from 8am through 3pm. Classes are sometimes conducted on public holidays and even in the late evening.

Today we walked to the nearby shops to buy breakfast and snacks and this managed to 'lure' this girl out of the house to partake in some exercise while she gets a much-needed dose of Sunshine Vitamin from the 10 a.m. sun.  I guess I'll have to continue luring her with snacks from the shops just to get her to walk out to the shops with me for a short 30-minute exercise 😪

MCO Day 69 ~ 25 May 2020 (Monday)

Today yet another restaurant at our neighborhood shuttered for good. It's one of our favorite Thai eateries. The food was authentic and really delicious and they served really nice Thai milk tea too. I've always wanted to dine in this restaurant again to satiate my Thai cravings but this will never be possible anymore. It's really heartbreaking to see our favorite eateries and shops forced to belly up one after another during this pandemic.

Many of us learned that we were not as prepared for the unexpected as we thought. So many things we took for granted in the past now look like quaint relics or worst, have now become history, just like the eateries that have shuttered.  The gym that Sherilyn used to go to for her mixed martial arts classes has also just shuttered. A Facebook friend of mine who owns a diving resort in the East Coast of Malaysia with her husband are facing dire times now as business has been reduced to zilch. They have two young kids.  And only God knows when they will have customers again to their resort.  My heart bleeds for all those whose businesses have been impacted badly by the global pandemic.

Amidst all the negativity happening around us, there is always hope.  Hope is a powerful force in these difficult times. Our world is facing the war on Coronavirus, a pandemic that has changed life for millions of people.  In such bleak times, hope is our powerful source of reassurance.

This beautiful shot was taken on my cheap Oppo phone at 7:29 p.m. today and I was really awed at how beautifully it has captured the colors of the sky and the skyscrapers against the beautiful backdrop of the darkening sky.





“Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.” - Barbara Kingsolver, Novelist

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller, Author