Lockdown Life

Few days ago, the government has decided to extend the MCO for another two weeks until 14th of April. This decision is expected because Hubei went into a nearly two-month long lockdown to stop the spread. Even after 14th of April, it is still unclear that whether the epidemic in Malaysia would be tamed successfully. The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) has even recommended for the MCO to be extended until end of April to (hopefully) ensure a sustained zero COVID-19 cases in Malaysia.

Staying at home for few weeks isn't challenging for me because I'm really in need for a short break! Unlike working adults who need to work from home and attend numerous conference calls, I could just duduk diam-diam kat rumah and do whatever things I want! Taking time to unplug and recharge ourselves is essential, not to mention it would further boost my productivity. Hence, I view MCO as a chance to enjoy a slower pace of life. No more rushing to catch the bus or attend classes. (Valid reasons to skip classes!) No more spending hours to travel or stuck in traffic jam. 

So, how did this lazy girl spend her time during MCO, which makes her feel occupied?

1. Cooking

I am a good girl who follow our Prime Minister's recommendation to try out different recipes at home. My mother always views dining out as evil and unhealthy, and now she is prohibiting us from ordering any food delivery to minimize contact. My survival rule at home is never convince my parents on any issues. NEVER. So I gave up on talking to her about this. Assuming that we are going to cook ourselves for two weeks (now it's extended to four weeks), I can foresee my mother cooking porridge everyday as our lunch. To prevent myself from being phobia of porridge, I have decided to cook myself! I also want to take this chance to improve my bad cooking skills. 

Racking my brains to come up with different menus by using limited ingredients and cooking tools is my daily challenge during lockdown. It is difficult to satisfy my picky siblings' appetite and to ensure that we don't eat a boring lunch (lockdown lives are torturing these two kids whom one wants to go shopping and dine out; whilst one wants to play sports). I have faced numerous hiccups during the process of cooking, luckily I'm dating a chef! He has been complaining that I'm worse than his Bangladesh subordinates, but thankfully he is still willing to help me to resolve the cooking problems. Not burning down my kitchen would be my proudest achievement during the lockdown! I sincerely hope that my dishes would not traumatize my siblings. 

2. Home Workout

Shelter-in-place restrictions pose challenge to stay active and healthy. Staying at home makes it easier to sit for long periods of time, especially when you are so close to your bed! I insist to cook at least one meal daily so I could move around a bit in the kitchen. However, neither spring cleaning nor cooking could provide the adequate levels of physical activity needed. To stay physically healthy, I try out some home workout recommended by my sister. I find following the workout videos more exhausting than outdoor activities such as swimming or playing badminton! (I know I'm weak >.<) I prefer to follow the workout routines by a former TVB artist, Coffee Lam 林芊妤. Now, she has reinvented herself as a successful yoga instructor. Her workout videos are very intensive and difficult to handle at first attempt, but completing the full routine would give you a great sense of achievement! Hopefully I am disciplined enough to continue my home workout routine throughout the full lockdown period.

Be like Thor!

Source from: Facebook

3. Sleeping

Sleeping is life's greatest little pleasure after we grow up. Lockdown life has been so awesome for not having to set alarm for the next day and able to take a nap everyday without worrying much about deadlines (Perks of completing all assignments and presentations before lockdown?) I couldn't recall when was the last time I get 7 to 8 hours of high quality sleep on a regular schedule. Now it's time to repay my sleep debt! However, having too much sleep could be detrimental and draining, therefore I am trying to reset my body internal clock by fixing my sleeping schedule (apparently it's just an "attempt" because this girl is still awake at 1a.m. to write her blog post).

4. Playing Online Games with Friends

Despite unable to meet up with our friends, the Internet accessibility has offered us various alternatives to bond with each other, such as online games or Netflix party! I'm not a big fan of gaming because my parents are typical strict Asian parents that view gaming as a sin. After I grow up, I realize gaming could provide our brain with meaningful stimulation, but high degree of self-control is essential. I have been playing skribbl.io with my friends, which is a simple multiplayer drawing and guessing game. I like this game because it tests our English vocabulary and also flexes our creative imagination, which are something that I lack of. I am still exploring online games that are friendly to non-gamers like me. (I am too stupid for some games!) 

5. Social Media

Normally I would restrict my time spent on social media because I reckon social media is as addictive as gambling. However, MCO has got me to engage in social media for long hours and neglect my studies! I have been mindlessly scrolling Facebook and Instagram as these social medias' content has become so expansive that makes it very easy to get stuck in. 

Do we really need to be informed about so many things? Are all the info that we receive daily are coming from credible sources? I find it important to trim the Facebook/Instagram pages we are following. Reading a heavily clogged Facebook/Instagram feeds could take way too much time, yet we are just receiving worthless information. Now, it's time to STOP and focus on my utmost priority, which is STUDY! 

On a side note, I am impressed by the creative memes or marketing strategy during lockdown, especially the viral Makcik Kiah memes. And also all the bingo templates or creative (weird?) drawing/writing challenges at Instagram.

6. Studying

Shame on me because I have only studied for eight hours since the lockdown! MCO is definitely a great opportunity for me to catch up on my studies because I have been skipping all lecture classes (shame on me again) throughout the whole semester. After slacking for one whole week, I finally opened my AAA workbook to attempt few questions! My lecturers didn't conduct any online classes because they strongly believed that physical classes could be conducted in April before the announcement of MCO extension. Besides, communications between lecturers and university management are messy and there are a lot of changes happening but still many things are not confirmed. For example, we are not yet informed on how to sit for e-assessment. It's time for me to buck up and spend more time on studying instead!

7. Binge Watching Drama

As a drama lover, lockdown is the golden opportunity to binge watch dramas and clear my to watch list! When you would have a considerably large chunk of time to binge watching if not now? (Wait, isn't now the best chance to focus on my studies? Wrong priorities!) I have started to watch few Korean and Hong Kong dramas before the lockdown is announced HAHAHA. 

So far, the best drama that I have watched during the lockdown is Kingdom. It is Netflix's first original Korean series which consists of 3 seasons. Some finds the contagious zombie virus in the drama identical to the current pandemic COVID-19 outbreak, while I am attracted by the news that the famous South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun is going to play central role in the upcoming season. With only six episodes per season, the story plot is exciting, dense and suspenseful. The zombie plague in "Kingdom" is more interesting than the movie "Train to Busan", and I am impressed by the acting skills of the "zombies". I like the comedic moments in the drama, which improves my watching experience. I prefer Season 1 over Season 2 because the Season 2 is less refreshing, but the ending of Season 2 is so dramatic and has gone viral at social media! Can't wait for the final season.

Conclusion

In short, I believe that staying at home could be as productive and fulfilling as non lockdown period. (Apologies to the extroverts who desperately want to hang out with their friends hahaha!) Anyway I feel we should be grateful for being able to stay at home safely, because the healthcare workers are risking their lives at the front line to fight the virus. Now staying at home could be the least thing we could do for the nation! I also hope that the lockdown could be eased as soon as possible so everything could be back to normal and I could meet up with the people I miss badly.

"You are not stuck at home. You are SAFE at home."

Best food in Setapak: Part 4

I have stopped blogging for two weeks because MCO has disrupted my plans to visit few more nice restaurants in Setapak. I was planning to take some pictures so I could share more at my blog, but now I can only duduk diam-diam kat rumah. Yesterday, I decided to clear my phone storage and deleted unwanted photos, then I discovered some photos taken previously which are suitable to be used for blogging!

Hence, the lazy girl is here to continue writing.

6. Uncle Stinky Tofu@Desa Setapak/Uncle 臭豆腐

Not a big fan of stinky tofu because I don't like the strong odor emitting from the fermented tofu, but this stall has changed my view of this "smelly" street food. Without a brick-and-mortar store, Uncle Stinky Tofu is merely a motor booth in Desa Setapak which have operated since 2002 (means around 18 years if I do the Maths correctly). I couldn't recall any signboard shown at his booth, so it is named "Uncle Stinky Tofu" because it is sold by an old uncle. 

The stall is located 5 to 10 minutes walking distance from LRT Wangsa Maju. Since it is a mobile stall, the exact location might change from time to time, but I believe the heavy smell of stinky tofu would draw you to the stall. Besides, there is always a long queue before uncle begins to fry the tofu. The queue could be a useful guide too. I have once visited the shop in a rainy day before 10 pm, but I am not the first customer! I heard that sometimes uncle would decide to not open his stall if it rains heavily, so you really need to try your luck sometimes! Besides, it is ridiculously difficult to find a parking at Wangsa Maju area. I'm gonna wish you luck here hehe.

Although you need to queue, the waiting time for the food to be served is reasonable. Uncle has an amazing memory power to remember who reach first and the amount of stinky food ordered. The stinky tofu sold is served hot and fresh, and the smell makes it appetizing after adding chili sauce on it. Uncle said the fermented source is natto and the chili sauce is imported from Taiwan, which explains the unique smell of his stinky tofu. It also comes with cabbage, which serves perfectly with the tofu! The cabbage might be sold out if you visit the stall at late midnight. 

The famous stinky tofu stall is just a motor booth

Best stinky tofu in town!

The stinky, watery and spicy stinky tofu would serve as the best supper if you stay around Setapak area. Can't wait to visit the stall again after MCO!

Address:

41, Jalan 1/27b,

Desa Setapak,

53300 Kuala Lumpur.

Business Hours:

2200 - 0000 everyday

Best food in Setapak: Part 3

I have been blogging about delicious food in Setapak that deserves more attention, here's Part 1 and Part 2 if you are keen to know more!

4. AIShiteru 爱芋冰
This is a must-go dessert shop if you visit Setapak! A bowl of refreshing Taiwanese dessert at only RM7! Apart from Yixi's Rice Yogurt, their dessert got the highest exposure at my Instagram story due to its affordable price.

The shop was newly opened last year when I was practicing my internship. I came across this shop through my friend's WeChat moments and I thought Snowflake has opened a new branch in Setapak. The location is difficult to find because the shop is just a small lot beside the market and their shop sign is not obvious. Until now my classmates still refer it as "dessert shop at Prima pasar".

The shop is very small and could only accommodate two tables. 

No fancy interiors but good food is enough!

The photos displayed in their menu are their signatures.

AIShiteru Grass Jelly (From the left) looks and tastes very similar to Snowflake's Bestseller. It comes with grass jelly ice, taro balls, sweet potato balls, grass jelly and milk. I personally feel their grass jelly is slightly bitter, warmer and smoother. My classmates reckon that it is more difficult to control the grass jelly than the basketball. Their milk tastes slightly less sweet, while their taro balls are fresher. The serving portion could be smaller than Snowflake's due to price difference but the portion is suitable to serve for two adults.

AIShiteru Wintermelon

Despite the similarities, they have different options available from the other famous franchise dessert shops, such as AIShiteru Wintermelon and AIShiteru Passion Fruit. AIShiteru Wintermelon is always my top choice because the sweetness of wintermelon ice is moderate, natural and refreshing! It comes with taro balls, tapioca pearls, sweet potato balls and grass jelly. I love their aloe vera the most! Having one bowl of AIShiteru Wintermelon always cheer me up after an exhausting day.

AIShiteru Passion Fruit

On the other hand, AIShiteru Passion Fruit would give you a sweet sensation alongside with a light sourish blend. My boyfriend finds it too sour but most of my female friends like it. Seems like it suits ladies more? Alongside with tangy passion fruit ice, it serves with taro balls, sweet potato balls, mango pudding, aloe vera and tapioca pearls. Having the mango pudding together with passion fruit ice would maximize the sourish taste if you have a sour tooth.

Gonna miss dessert food hunting with classmates badly.

Address:
No. 4
Jalan Prima Setapak 1
Setapak
53300 Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours:
13.00 - 22.30
Closed on Thursday

5. Wei Ji Claypot Chicken Rice 韋吉瓦煲雞飯
The most reasonably priced with hearty serving food in Setapak! The first time my friends and I visited this place, we were overwhelmed by the whole lot of rice because we were not big eaters. Their large claypot dish comes with an abundant amount of flavorful rice, lots of meaty chicken and a generous portion of Chinese sausage! We were expecting it to cost us around RM25, but turned out it is only RM15! In disbelief, I even double confirmed with the boss to ensure that he didn't calculate it wrongly.

The chicken pieces are big!

There is a decent mixture of boneless and boned chickens.

Can you believe this portion is one serving of vegetables?

Everything served in this shop is in large portion and tasty, which is probably the reason why the shop is always full house. I had visited the shop at 7pm and 8pm, ended up waiting one hour for my food because there are too many customers! Making a reservation through phone call is highly recommended to avoid crazily long waiting hours. Finding car park would be another pain and everyone just park by the roadside. As the road is very narrow, having cars parked at both sides would make the two way road to become one way road.

Empty tables are only spotted when I visited the shop at 6pm

Previously there was an open air area beside the shop, which is now covered.

The roof protects us from rain but it is very hot!

Not to forget their soup-of-the-day, which is another must-try in this restaurant! We called it "lou fo tong" （老火汤）in Cantonese. It refers to boiled soup, cooked with simmering meat and other ingredients over a low heat for numerous hours. It is known as a Chinese traditional method to keep body temperature warm and provide essential nutrients to our body. Another reason I like to order their soup is to have something to eat during the long waiting hours. 

Address:
74 Jalan Mawar
Taman P Ramlee
Setapak
53300 Kuala Lumpur

Phone Number for reservation:
016-2527368

Business Hours: 
Everyday 17.00 - 22.30