2020 has proven to be a unique year. Being an 80s baby, I feel like my generation has really gone through a slew of enriching experiences in our lifetime. We were around during the pre-digital age, went through the transition into digital, and now immersed in digital and tech.
We also experienced climate change. I remember a time when I was younger when the day temperature averaged at 27C and nights 20C. I distinctly remembered this because as a child, I was obsessed with general knowledge and one of the info in the book I read at the time included the average temperature of Malaysia. And yes, I verified this with a thermometer. It was a time when I used to hear stories of Mount Kinabalu having snow (recently there is news that snow has returned!). Now the average day temperature is 31C and nights at 24C.
Our generation had the privilege to grow up enjoying exercising our imagination through play. Some were more outdoorsy and sporty, while some were more on the what-can-we-make-and-do-at-home crowd. Being in the latter group, I remember doing a lot of crafting with my mum, playing make believe with my brother -- building forts with blankets in the living room, playing Christmas day with a vase as the "Christmas tree" with our toys wrapped in newspaper at its base, pretending the bathroom was a swimming pool, paying pretend storefront with pretend money. Then we bridged into console and computer games. Haha.
We were the generation when the government started experimenting on changes in the education system. Introducing English, removing subjects, introducing illustrated history books, elective SPM subjects, meritocracy (students were chasing certificates of participation and taking up co-curricular positions left and right), compulsory "book club" where we had to report on books we read, and more.
We are the generation that had to pivot from old, traditional beliefs of the working environment to a more modern, open, and flexible workflow. A lot of my friends have since migrated from a full time 9-to-5 to being business owners and entrepreneurs. I suppose if we could summarize my generation in 1 word, it'll be "Transitional" or "Adaptable".
Obviously I don't speak for everyone in my generation, just my direct experiences being a person of my generation.
We've gone through economic crises and pandemics. The biggest one is the one we're experiencing now. An amalgamation of both health and economic crises. Since March, when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented here, so many struggled to adjust, there were lay offs, and business closures, on top of the rising number of cases. Then we learned to quickly pivot. Many, regardless of age, were forced to be digital. To be online. I'm grateful for my early immersion in the digital world. I've been living in the digital space since 1995. Hehehe.
Only a month ago from writing this post, we thought we had flatten the curve. For many, work was just regaining momentum and we were embracing staycations. In fact, my family and I were looking forward to having our staycation and chill time early this month. I was also supposed to fly to KL for a work event and a friend's wedding this month. Sadly, the day we were supposed to return from our staycation, was Day 1 of the inter-district movement restriction. Our pool villa staycation immediately turned into a stay-in-cation.
In a matter of weeks, we went from 100+ total active cases to almost total 8,000 active cases. We were doing so well. There has been a political blame game going around that I may comment on in a later post. For now, where do we go from here?
My Facebook feed has been showing friends and acquaintances shifting their schedule again to digital. More grievances on cancelled gigs and events, and suffering in silence. The financial stress of accepting the end of the 6-months moratorium we had in April-September, the heightened imbalance of income and expenses, and steady outflow of savings.
Staying positive and motivated has never been more needed. For me, the key thing now is acceptance of the situation, remembering we're all in this together, and figuring out how to survive and ride this wave. Having passive income has never been more essential. As for my businesses, building a brand and awareness is paramount. For those who knows me know that there's just so many things I want to do, so many ideas to do them, it now just time to light the torch and go.
So where do I go from here? Survive and thrive.
Stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy everyone.
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