24 May 2020

We did not go anywhere this Eid obviously because of the MCO. We bought a couple of new clothes for the kids. My wife and I are content to wear last year(s) dress. Since we are not going anywhere anyway, what’s the point. On the first day of Eid, Linda cooked ketupat palas, rendang and chicken rice. All simple menus just for the family. For lunch, we bought McDonald’s in Putrajaya and stopped by Taman Putra Perdana nearby, meaning to have a little picnic there. Before long though, the security personnel politely told us it’s forbidden to do so at the moment. That’s pretty much what we did on the first day of Eid-al fitr this year.

Do I miss going back to my hometown this year? A little bit. At least I’m thankful I don’t have to go through the exhausting long drive and terrible traffic jam usually associated with the holiday season. I did video call my mom and grandma at home, joined by siblings. We just transferred all our raya money to niece and nephews online this year. I wish the MCO would end soon and I get to bring my family for a nice holiday somewhere. The cabin fever is real.

9 May 2020

My whole life, I have never had any air-conditioning installed in my home. Whether in my home town in Pasir Mas or my own home when I’m grown up. We just can’t afford it. Even later when we can afford to install some air-cond, I’m still hesitant about ponying up a hundred ringgit or more to pay for the associated electricity bill.

Serene Heights in spite of the name, is not very hilly or high. The top floor of our home can be steaming hot in the afternoon and sometimes, depending on the weather, hot at night too. It is not uncommon for me to be lying on my bed reading a book or just looking at my phone and having my pillow sprinkled with sweat. At times like that, how I wish I had some air-conditioning at home.

My wish came true when my wife bought us not one but three set of air-conditioners this month. She had a generous bonus pay from her employer this year so she decided to splurge on that. We bought two units of Mitsubishi and one Hitachi inverter from Onking store in nearby Bangi. Two days later the installer came and we finally had air-conditioning in our homes. The girls are delighted of course. Just like me, they never lived in an air-conditioned home before. We we go on a vacation, they always look forward to staying in a homestay or hotel with full-blown air-conditioning. Even just being in the car is a minor treat for them.

I know this does not really sounds like a big deal for many but it is for us. Still, I am actively limiting their air-conditioner usage to about 6 hours per day. Turn on at 9:00PM at night and the timer will automatically shut down at 3:00AM. I haven’t got my first post air-cond electricity bill yet so I’m anxious to see how much more I will be paying for this luxury. At least my family and I don’t have to sleep in the heat and humidity again at night.

Remember the price quoted at the store with installation does not include the optional casing to cover up the ugly wiring and piping for the unit. I had to fork out an extra 70 ringgit each for that.