It Was 2020

 ~ Mom's Journal ~

Coronavirus or Covid-19 has reached Malaysia in 2020 and it is still here. We have been under the Movement Control Order since Wednesday, 18 March 2020. It was equivalent to a lockdown. Stay home.

We stayed home and watched as the number of cases increased. We learned about R naught and we prayed that everybody adhered to the Standard Operating Procedures in order to reduce and eliminate the virus. Despite all the precautionary measures taken by many countries around the world, the virus spread, and many people were infected. It was soon declared a pandemic.

Security measures were implemented in our country, among them was tracking our movements. As we enter any outlet, we have to scan using the MySejahtera application or write our names and contact numbers in the register book provided by the outlet. This is for the purpose of contact tracing, in case of need, by the relevant authority. The outlet also checked our temperature, people with normal temperature are permitted to enter. 

We were also advised to wash our hands with soap and water and carry hand sanitizer. 

Our government implemented measures to ease the burden of the people as some of us were retrenched or faced with a cut in salary as non-essential services were closed or they were not operating in full capacity. Some of the schemes were cash handouts and also the i-Lestari withdrawal of RM500 per month for eligible contributors.

In the early days, there was not much information about the transmission of the virus, so after shopping, we came back and washed and rinsed our goods, we even washed our money and put them to dry under the sun as we feared the unknown. Thankfully after that many outlets adopted and accepted cashless transactions via cards.

The economic activities almost came to a standstill. The prices of petrol dropped, but traveling was prohibited except for essential services like courier services or food deliveries, so it did not benefit us much. There were roadblocks in many areas.

Our lifestyles have also changed.

No visitors allowed

A busy street turned quiet at 10 p.m.

The children could not go to school or attend an outdoor event like birthday parties or a visit to the Zoo Negara.

"We cannot go to the zoo so mummy brings the zoo to us 😉"

School goes towards Online Learning.

Home. There is so much to do...

For adults, Dalgona Coffee was the craze but apparently, it was not for everyone. Afterward, their attention turned to gardening.

Gardening then was taken up by many as a newfound hobby.

On 1st July 2020, our country recorded zero locally transmitted covid-19 cases. We were elated because the situation had improved. We went back to work.

It did not last long because cases started to increase in October. We went back to a lockdown.

We knew the drill.

Always wear a mask in a public place. Three things to avoid: crowded places, confined spaces and close conversation.

As for the children, they were back to pursuing their hobby online.

And resumed indoor activities at home.

The adults had also found a new hobby.

An aesthetic way of recording activities, they called it "Bullet journal".

Bullet Journal

Inter-district travel was not allowed. We need to apply for a police permit in order to travel for a specific purpose, for example, an emergency case or to sit for an examination to be held in a different district.

A police permit from Cyberjaya, Sepang

Students queued at an examination centre in Kuala Lumpur

The office meetings were held via Zoom:

Waiting for the others to show up...

Also, the plastic chair was upgraded to an ergonomic chair as another directive to work from home again, was issued.

Shopping online also became the norm. At Mail Boxes center in Damansara, Selangor, the outlet was flooded with goods to be delivered to customers. Every precaution was taken to ensure safe delivery.

People were living with the new norm, even a small child knew the importance of practicing good hygiene.

We must take every precaution to ensure the safety of ourselves and the people around us but as mentioned by our DG of the Ministry of Health the virus is already in the community. Hence, it is possible for any one of us to get infected.

 

2021...

An insight sharing of experience at MAEPS Serdang, just to instill awareness and also some advice on self-preparation in case anybody had to be quarantined.

On another note, more offices or buildings have requested for regular cleaning and sanitization services.

Again, as the situation improves, we get to go out with conscious compliance to the Standard Operating Procedure. Social distancing is for everybody.

The children are going back to school under the new norm. They are now wearing face masks and face shields as part of their school uniform.

The forms of birthday celebrations have changed in terms of gifting.

Birthday gifts now came by post! This year's birthday feels longer than just a day, the gifts kept coming every other day via delivery.

Smart scale

As time passes, more employees are allowed to be back working at the office. A celebration at the office was held under the new norm. Individually packed food to be eaten at your own table!

And so we continue to carry on with life under the new norm. 

Even though people are getting used to this new lifestyle, many are still hoping for days to return to normal. Scientists around the world are actively searching for a cure to handle the widespread disease. Recently, vaccinations are being made available to all adults.  Let’s stay positive (and that too is an equally amusing reference for this happening), better days are still ahead of us!

#StaySafe! 

#Lindung diri, Lindung semua, an official tagline from the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

2019

~ Mom's Journal ~

The year 2020 is almost here.

Malaysians who were born prior to 1980's would very well remember the much talked about "Vision 2020" or "Wawasan 2020". It is the long-term guide to Malaysia's development. The 1980's and 1990's kids would be approaching their 30's and 40's. Perhaps they remember singing the song "Wawasan 2020" during their school days. Many articles have since been written about it.

The car I am driving now has a "Wawasan 2020" sticker. It has been there since our late mother placed it on the rear windshield way back in 1995. The sticker has faded over the years but the car is still road-worthy and able to cruise reasonably well on the highway.

As we enter the year 2020, I am reminded of a Land Office title document dated 29 June 1921 that belonged to our grandfather. It was later distributed among his children and as the years went by, to his grandchildren. The Land Office title was first granted almost a hundred years ago. Our ancestors must have come to Malaya prior to the year 1921. The document is an "EMR" or an “Entry / Extract from Mukim Register” of the district of Temerloh, Pahang.

Let us indulge in a bit of history.

Pahang was one of the four protected states in the Malay Peninsula. The other three states are Selangor, Perak and Negeri Sembilan. These four states are called The Federated Malay States (FMS). It was established by the British government in 1895 and lasted until 1946.

The British Administration established the Land Offices at the district levels of the Federated Malay States (FMS) to govern the country land. Lands that are located in a rather remote areas are governed by the Local Chieftains or the Penghulu Mukim. A few Mukims will make up a District. A register was maintained at the Land Office for purpose of land administration. An entry is made in the register for any transaction involving the country land. A Land Office title denoted by the description EMR or The Entry Mukim Register means that the land is located in a place far from the city centre. In our case the land is in the Mukim of Kerdau in the district of Temerloh, Pahang. Location wise it is quite near the river. Again I am curious to know which route did our ancestors journeyed to enable them to reach the said land and what were the circumstances. I suppose we will never know but the document of land title is a proof that we have a place to call kampung.

The law that govern the issuance of the Land Office title was the Federated Malay States (FMS) Land Code Cap 138 1926. The FMS Land Code was still practiced even when Malaya got its independence in 1957. It was only in 1965 that the FMS Land Code was substituted to the National Land Code 1965.

Few generations have passed.

As we welcome the new decade, new history will be created.

“ Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see "

Quote : John F Kennedy, 35th President of the United States.

We prepare the children to be responsible, to be independent, to care for one another, to embrace humanity and all the good attributes in life in the hope they will always have a better future for generations to come, In Shaa Allah.

Siblings love

Reaching for excellence

A spiritual reflection

Welcome 2020.

Postcards

~ Mom's Journal ~

A postcard is a popular means of communication pending a letter. Normally it carries short and sweet messages.

When was the last time you heard someone said “send us a postcard! “  A rare phrase indeed! The phrase indicates someone is going on a holiday…or work. Soon a postcard or a series of postcards will be delivered to us, the recipients. As we read we get to share the experiences and places visited by our senders.

The space to write at the back of the postcard is very limited so it is actually a good way to polish our skills in writing. Of course, the picture or scenery on the postcard will guide us of the things to write and to share with the recipient of our postcards.

Sometimes a son would keep his father informed of his whereabouts by sending a postcard. The son would address his father as “ayahanda” and refer to himself as “anakanda”. As the son undertook a business travel, he would post the postcards from the designated places and would write short notes of the dates of arrivals and departures to the next destination.

Postcards from a son:

A postcard dated 17/10/1975 posted from Hamburg, West Germany. The message read: arrived from Milan, Italy on 16/10/1975 will stay until 19/10/1975.

Incidentally, the West and East Germany were reunited in 1990.

A postcard dated 21/10/1975 posted from Bremen, West Germany. The group arrived in Bremen on 19/10/1975. The postcard was posted prior to their departure to Amsterdam in the evening.

Apparently, the group stopped at Rotterdam on 22/10/1975 and left for Amsterdam in the evening of 24/10/1975.

A postcard posted from Amsterdam, a city of canals and bridges. Amsterdam was 700 years old in 1975. The group departed for Antwerp on 26/10/1975.

On 2/11/1975 a postcard posted from Paris, France. It said: Dear father, I am in Paris 29/10/1975 until 3/11/1975.

And they came home…at intervals the son would travel back home to Kuala Lipis, Pahang to visit his elderly father.

Sometimes a sister would get a postcard from her brother. The brother was still studying and the sister was employed in a FELDA scheme. Sometimes she got transferred to another office in a different FELDA scheme and in different parts of the country hence the need to confirm her address by her dear brother.

My brother sent me a postcard while he was studying in the UK. There must have been others which I must have misplaced. It was quite a long time ago in the 1970s. As siblings, we wrote letters and sent photographs and bought souvenirs for special occasions.

My brother (left) with his friends.

Another brother shared his holiday of “touring Europe” while waiting for his exam result.

A postcard dated 16/7/1980 posted from Hamburg, West Germany. My brother wrote quite a long message about his preparation and his plan of touring Europe and he managed to squeeze all the information in that small space. At that time he and his friends already covered 5 countries in 10 days! Awesome!

A postcard of Luxembourg dated 18/7/1980. The landscape seems to be filled with old buildings from the medieval period.

21/7/1980 my brother arrived in Austria unintentionally as a result of jumping onto the wrong train at Munich.

30/7/1980 he was back at home in Birkenhead. He was doing his A-Levels then. He described Birkenhead as a small town that nobody knows but it is adjacent to Liverpool that everybody knows. Traveling for 22 days in Europe at 11 countries… to be young and adventurous.

Postcards are mementos of your travel.

Each postcard is special because it is a package of memories of sharing notes and experiences of the time and place of travel.

The Pangkin

~ Mom's Journal ~

It`s time for spring cleaning. This picture of a “pangkin” fell off from one of the books. It`s beautiful. “Pangkin” is a Malay word that describes a low-raised platform of planks. It can be a place to rest and relax. The Malaysian garden version of a pangkin is naturally more beautiful than the ordinary-looking pangkin that we find in the villages. In a landscaped garden, the pangkin is built from a more expensive wood and looks glossy with varnish finishing.

The ordinary-looking pangkin that we find in kampong or village would have been built under a shady tree where one can enjoy the light breeze. In the garden, we may find blooming flowers such as bunga cempaka (white champaca flower), bunga melati (jasmine flower) amongst other plants.

Photo of Bunga Cempaka credit to PixCove

Photo of Bunga Melati credit to beautyhealthtips.in

Bunga Melati reminds me of an old song “Melati ditaman”. It was recorded in the 1950s.

The Champaca and Jasmine flowers have a sweet smell and relaxing scents, they are just perfect to soothe the tired mind.

The pangkin is actually an important platform for a “gotong-royong”. In the Malay society, where guests are invited for a special function or celebration, the host will prepare food for guests with the help from families, friends, and relatives. This is the concept of “gotong-royong”. The preparation can start at night until all the dishes are cooked at dawn. This is a great time for bonding and updates! J

The ladies preparing meat and vegetables



The men will cook

Food tasting



The ladies sitting at the pangkin will scoop dishes from the big pots on to the plates




Food is served as the guests arrived




Watching from a safe distance