Day 14: Movement Control Order

Today mark two weeks of MOC and tomorrow will start the second phase of MOC. 1st until 14th April will become the second phase of MOC. Working from home is challenging because I need some information from my file in the office. I have to 'fill in the blanks' in my report when I return to the office.

As usual my daily routine is make sure my dad clean and eat his meals, house chores, feed our pets and gardening. So, total time for my 'work from home' after deduction of all the above will be four hours.

O Lord, have mercy on us. 

Day 13: Movement Control Order

This is Gabby. She is my companion during this MCO. She act like a dog but she is a cat. Hmmm.. Always follow me around as if she doesn't want to be left by me.

Nothing much today except that I cut my dad's hair, clean his feet thoroughly and shower him as clean as I can. I thank God that I still have a chance to do this for my aging parents. Taking care both of them never been easy but I believe love conquers all. Thank you Mama Mary.

I also take a chance to run a few small rounds with my dog. He is sick but we manage to slowly run around the house. I hope Simba will recover soon. 

May this pandemic over soon and all of us persevere till then. God have mercy on us all.

Day 12: Movement Control Order

After return to my village on 25th March, I did not have network to continue updating my blog. Today, I try to post something if this can pass through.

The MOC for Malaysia has been extended for another 14 days starting from 1st April until 14th April. With this new instruction by the government, I will continue to stay at home until then.

I have mixed feelings when I decided to drive 10 hours to reach my village, but I am glad that i can make it. I pass through seven road blocks along the way and only questioned twice. I believed that my journey was bless and protected by my Lord. It was smooth trip and I arrived safely. Praise and glory be to God. 

May the good Lord continue to protect us and this outbreak will over soon. Have mercy on us all Lord. 

Day 7: Movement Control Order

It has been a week of MCO. However, the number of infected people is not decreasing but there is still new cases detected. Day two of a new week!

I am thinking to myself, how am i able to pass another 7 days of MCO with so much stress and bad news from all around me. Even though i lock myself at home but with this technologies, i receive new updates frequently, every hours there will be new cases reported. Our ministers will  make a press conferences at certain hours to keep us updated on the current status and measures taken to prevent the spreading of this infections.

I am fully understand that it is important for me to keep myself updated and aware of things happening outside there. However, the negativity remarks from netizens and condemning each others is not going to help us staying positive on fighting this outbreak. I need a break from all that negativity so i can keep giving words of encouragement to my sisters and friends that work as a frontliners. 

Frontliners, you are our soldiers at this time. I will continue to pray for all of you and may God intervention came in various ways and give you His grace to face your days. 

I make a decision to deactivate my Facebook account once again today. I deactivate my account on Ash Wednesday because i want to reduce my time on social media and replace it with readings and reflections this Lent. When the MCO announced, i am kind of out of place because i don't know what is happening around me and i was told masses will be closed, churches also closed for visitors. So, with these reasons, i decided to reactivate my account.

Bad habits returned. I figure out, i can not control myself from spending hours scrolling through the newsfeed and reading or watch videos. Overwhelming by the stories shared and of course comments section give me bad vibes and i can say i increase my anxiety these past few days just by keep scrolling my FB newsfeed a few hours a day. This did not give me any good. I have to stop.

I will continue with my personal prayers even though i will not be able to follow the live stream via Facebook page of our Archdiocese or other dioceses. I need to keep my feet on the ground and keep my faith firm on the promise of my Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Have mercy on us all, o Lord. 

Day 6: Movement Control Order

It's a new week! My heart broke, i am in tears whenever i received or read news updated on my Facebook, Telegram, Twitter and WhatsApp. But, life must goes on. Fighting!

Around 3.30pm today, I went to my friend's pharmacy, Willy Pharmacy at Tabuan Jaya shopping centre to pick up some supplies that i ordered from him. When i met him at the pharmacy, he look tired even though i only can see his eyes because we are using face masks. His staffs also doing their work and served us with smile behind the face masks. Hang on there my friend, this will pass.

Then, i continue to refill my tank at Shell Tabuan Tranquility before i went for a McDonald's drive thru. I return home, check my car's engine, enter my house and taking shower and wash my clothes. Cleanliness is priority at this time. Having my double cheese burger with iced coffee latte is never like before. I hope all the people i encounter today at the pharmacy, Shell station and McDonald restaurant will be protected and console by our God. May they still have joy in their heart.

God have mercy on us all.

Day 5: Movement Control Order

Staying home is the best choice for everyone which is not in need to go to the office during this outbreak crisis. Oh, it's Sunday!

We have a lot of live streaming mass services from different dioceses in Malaysia. So, i decide to 'attend' my Sunday mass from our own church, the Archdiocese of Kuching. The mass was celebrated by Msgr William Sabang and concelebrated by Fr Francis Dakun.

Even though we celebrate our mass from home, i know my God, my Living God is presence in the midst of us. The longing for the Eucharist is never fade but the desire become stronger. I am grateful to God that our churches still be able to make this mass live stream, thank you to the technologies.

I pray that we, all of us around the world will persevere in our prayers and keep our faith in God during this trials. May the good Lord have mercy on us and keep us under His protection.

Day 4: Movement Control Order

After four days stay at home, i have to go out today to buy some of essentials things from nearby shops. Before went out, i prepared my shopping lists and which shops i will go so, i will minimize my time outside of my house. I look at my watch and it is about 3.15pm and the weather is a bit cloudy but still a bit warm outside.

My first stop is Watson's at Jalan Song. When i drove there, i notice less cars on the road and at some area, it is only me on the road. At the store, i found out no sign put outside that mentioning about social distancing or how they would want to serve the customers. Okay, i went to the wrong store which have a very low actions on helping the government to flatten the curve. There were about five customers in the store and two staffs at the counter. I straight away, pick up all the things that i listed that available in the store, pay and went back to my car.

Second stop at Unaco's Supermarket, Stutong to buy groceries and other things to bring back home to my parents (if i am able to pass the road block next week). The same scenario and no precautions as advised by the Health Ministry. My assumptions is that the store is not ready or do not know how to take actions as advised by the authority. Their staff is not well prepared to faced this kind of situation. Wrong place again.

Third stop is Choice Daily, KPJ because some item i need i did not found at the previous supermarket. It is also the same situation like the previous supermarket.

My fourth stop is at Mita cake house, KPJ because i want to eat some bread and thank God, finally one shop that take more serious action to comply the authority order. They serve one customer at the time and no customer allowed to enter the premise. They serve customer at the front door and we just tell them which item we want, pay and they will pack it for us. They also put a notice outside the door about their operation during this pandemic and asks customer to not panic and stored bread at home more than we need. They even put a tape for us to practice social distancing. Salute to this cake house.

My fifth stop is Pasar Kampung near my house. This is the last one because i want to find food for my dog at home. The two previous supermarket didn't have it and unfortunately, this last one also didn't have it. This supermarket also just like the other two. I hope all staff that working at these four premises including the cake house will be safe.

This experienced is not nice at all. I pray this pandemic will over soon. God have mercy on us all.

Total death in Malaysia is already 8. May their souls rest in peace and please give strength to the affected families, o Lord.

Day 3: Movement Control Order (MCO)

I feel much better today even though the numbers of positive cases still adding up. I am not going outside since day 1 because my essentials need is still enough but planning to go out tomorrow. I need to buy a few things to bring back home. I received news from my parents's home that they are running out of a few things. Especially for my dad because he is bed ridden and we have to home care him.

I figure out that this MCO makes me more thoughtful of others need and asking if they need any help. This is the time of personal reflections on how i live my life so far. How i can be a better version of myself if i can get through this crisis?

I pray this time will pass and everyone's life will return to normal. God, have mercy on us all.

Day 2: Movement Control Order (MCO)

Staying at home and trying to be positive suddenly feel difficult. My mind keep thinking about my family members especially my parents now at our village. To make it worst when i received message from my sister saying that there is one 'Ustaz' from the nearby village is tested positive COVID19. This ustaz is one of the participant attending the itjimak at Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur end of last month. He didn't went for a screening immediately maybe similar to the other cases which they did not aware of it until the symptoms appear. If only the Brunei case is not gone public, they will still not sure if they are infected or not. Thanks God that the Brunei case came out early and Health Ministry can trace back some of this 14,000++ participants and get them screening immediately.

It is so easy to get news online but it is so overwhelming and too much to bear. With the numbers of the new cases still adding to the curve, i only can hope and pray this will end soon.

My thoughts and prayers goes to everyone out there especially to the front liners. This morning i heard a dumping truck in my housing compound. I would like to thank them for they also working as usual despite this outbreak crisis. May God have mercy on us all and this will pass. 

COVID19 and Movement Control Order

Today is Day 1 of Movement Control Order (MCO) in my country, Malaysia. My employer order us to work from home and if we need to go to the office we must register our self with the security guard on duty. Let me share how i react and how do i feel about all of this.

Today i feel so helpless and not sure what should i do. Maybe i am get used to wake up and get ready to work when it is weekdays. But, today is different because it feels like holiday but it is not. At the same time, i have been thinking about my parents at home. I wonder how are they doing now and how do they prepare themselves for this. To make it worst, i can not contact my sister whom stay and taking care of our parents. The telecommunications network is weak and limited in our village. I could't get in touch with her since Sunday.

I hope others will just stay at home and let us together combat this virus by contain our self at home and not contribute to spreading it.

Stay safe everyone and take precautions as advise by the Health Ministry. May God continue to protect us and bless us with good health and let's care for each other.