From Gardening To Learning The Sitar, Malaysians Share How They Find Joy In Everyday Life
These stories will definitely put a smile on your face. :)
Published for foodpanda, 30 Aug 2021, 06:00 PM
A few months ago, foodpanda took the initiative to ask Malaysians to share their joyful moments during the Full Movement Control Order (FMCO)
In just a few weeks, they received an overwhelming amount of comments! :D Many netizens responded by sharing fun activities they tried at home to spark joy, different ways they lent a hand to others, and even the little things they did to help them stay positive.
Read all the inspiring stories on Facebook in two separate posts here and here.
1. "Now, my daily small joy is to wake up, look in the mirror, smile for 10 seconds, and see the small improvements I've been making"
"During this FMCO, I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy – an illness that affects my right facial nerves and makes me unable to control the right side of my face.
"As you can see, I love to snap photos all around, but having this illness made me not want to look at the mirror at all, fearing to see a freak paralysed facial monster. But, slowly I accepted it and did all the exercises as advised by my physio.
"Praying hard that by the time I deliver my second baby in July, I will be able to show her my BIG SWEET SMILE."
- Lae Peng Tan
2. "My wife and I made this cake for our neighbour, so he would know that we care for him and that he is never truly alone"
"Since interstate travel has been prohibited, many senior citizens are left alone as their children cannot visit them. This is especially true in my state of Perak, as many young adults move to Kuala Lumpur or Selangor for better job opportunities.
"I have a neighbour who lives a few minutes away from my house. I see him every morning as I go on my morning walk, and I've known him for a few years, so we are now good friends. He misses his children due to the MCO as they are in KL, and it was recently his birthday, so I thought I'd give him a little surprise to cheer him up!
"We gave him a homemade cake for his birthday, and he was very surprised. He was so excited he took a lot of photos of the cake and shared them with his loved ones! This cake didn't just spark joy in his heart, it sparked joy in our hearts too."
- Raphael Teh
3. "I find joy in caring for my granddaughter, so that her parents have peace of mind and can give their best at work"
"I am a grandmother to a beautiful three-year-old granddaughter. Both her parents, who are frontliners, have been working long hours since the pandemic started.
"Their leave is frozen and they have to be on call during some weekends. They come back tired most days, and there were several occasions when they had to stay away from home after coming into contact with COVID-19 positive patients. It has been a very taxing period for all frontliners, working hard and exposing themselves at the same time.
"I find joy that my granddaughter is growing in a safe and happy environment. She in turn keeps me company, being alone during the FMCO can be depressing. Caring for her gives me a higher purpose for my age and I find joy in living a meaningful life. Little acts of kindness goes a long way! Shared joy is double joy!"
- Ong Joon Gim
4. "I find small joys in my life during FMCO by playing traditional musical instruments like the tabla and sitar with my dad"
"Since we were tired of working on our laptops, my dad and I decided to take online music classes to learn the tabla and sitar as a way to relieve stress after a long day of working.
"Learning a musical instrument certainly boosted our cognitive abilities greatly and helped us to productively spend our free time at home.
"It is also a skill that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives, long after the lockdown is lifted. And let's not forget how it will make us the star of the next party with our awesome performance!"
- Abhijay Menon
5. "The small joy I found during this FMCO is getting to see my daughter grow up in front of me"
"She was born during MCO 1.0, and I have been working from home 'till now. I got to see her first walk, first crawl, and even first word. This is such a blessing. Previously for my other children, the babysitter is the one who would inform me about these special moments.
"I even get to work while taking care of her. It might be challenging and also tiring, but the one thing I will never forget is when she said 'Daddy' for the first time. This is JOY. I feel blessed."
- Faiz Quddin
6. "I would order breakfast, lunch, or dinner sometimes as a surprise for my husband who's working outstation"
"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my husband cannot travel back to me as he used to do during the weekends, as he is in Selangor and I'm in Penang.
"I haven't seen him for almost two months now. To help him cope with the situation there, I would order him breakfast, lunch, or dinner sometimes as a surprise. Thankfully, foodpanda delivery makes it all possible.
"Every time I send him food, it would make him feel better on that day, since I know he misses homecooked meals so much. I love him so much, and I hope that we can reunite soon."
- Irma Isyraf
7. "During FMCO, my daughter and I learnt how to plant"
"During FMCO, my joy is being with my cutie daughter, learning how to plant, and gardening for fun.
"When we see the plant growing, my daughter is always very happy and interested. I think it's also a very good experience for her outside of the classroom.
"As a mother, as long as my cutie is happy, I also feel happy and energised. Just look at the way she's smiling with her beautiful plants, it's so touching!"
- Angie Khow
All in all, we can do our part to find joy or share joy with those around us.
In collaboration with foodpanda, the Joy Squad lent a helping hand to 60-year-old Uncle Jacob, who lost his job during the first MCO.
Watch the video to find out more about his story below:
In addition, foodpanda understands how important it is to be joyful, and wants to continue spreading the joy by delivering yummy food and essential groceries to you
With foodpanda, you won't have to worry about going out to public places. Instead, just relax and stay at home, while they send everything you need right to your doorstep.
From your favourite meals at local hawker stalls, to fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood, foodpanda has got you covered.
To get the most out of your deliveries, foodpanda has also launched pandapro, so you can get more and save even more. This monthly subscription programme allows you to receive exclusive deals and benefits, including 20 free deliveries each month.
