Here we go again in 2021 we’re all back to the pandemic lockdown in Malaysia. Not sure when it going to be lifted but for sure it’s going to take a few months. Here I have compiled a list of 9 things you can do at home during the MCO / lockdown and I’m sure lots of people are getting really BORED right now.
The ideas below can at least fill your time and might also be beneficial to us in terms of health, mental, and new knowledge after the lockdown is lifted. Without procrastinating, why not learn something new during this hard time? There are many ways to learn new things, there are Youtube and many online classes out there available.
Table of Contents
- Zoom With Friends & Family
- Aquascape
- Garage Sales
- Meditate
- Learn Photography
- Build A Website
- Learn New Cooking Recipes
- Tidy Up Your House Or Room
- Self Care
- Financial Planning & Management
- Rent A Room (After Lockdown Lifted)
The easiest way to learn new things during MCO lockdown is to watch and learn from Youtube because there are many useful and informative tutorials available there! From handcrafting, cooking, entertainment, photography, aquascape, meditation tutorial, all these are FREE to learn from Youtube!
Bored at home during the lockdown or movement control order, and don’t know what to do? We have come to your rescue!
Other than learning new things during the MCO / lockdown, there are also many tutorial videos about how to improve business online, how to become a social influencer and many more that you can learn to improve your business and skills during this time. The things to do during MCO can also help maintain your mental and physical health as you know, one can get stressed or depressed during this difficult time.
Let’s find out what are the 9 things to do during the MCO period, specially compiled to ease your boredom at home. Malaysian are advised to stay at home and follow the SOPs during the MCO to break the pandemic chain.
1. Zoom With Friends & Family
It is good to stay connected with friends as you won’t feel lonely during the MCO. With a zoom meeting video conference, you can keep in touch with your friends in other states and from afar. Now is the best time to start planning for what to come next, discussing, or just chill chit-chat with friends.
2. Aquascape
Aquascaping is a type of new hobby you can try if you want to build your own aquarium. The most popular aquascape hobby in Malaysia is the nano aquascape which required only a small aquarium tank. There are a few well-known aquascape shops in Kuala Lumpur, and they offer the aquascape equipment and accessories you need.
If you are still new to this hobby, there are many tutorials you can find on Youtube on how to build your own aquascape. Aquascape hobby needs the basic aquascape equipments and ingredients including an aquarium tank, substrate, soils, plants, and driftwoods.
There are many types of plants and driftwoods and it is all up to your creativity on how to decorate the aquarium. Usually, aquascape enthusiasts built their tank to look like landscapes, rainforest, mountains, or natural river habitat which is suitable for betta fishes.
3. Garage Sales
It’s time to do a cleanup and look for any items that you don’t need. You can do garage sales via live stream or selling on social media such as on the Facebook marketplace. Cleaning up your house, room, closets, or storeroom can also help you live in a more comfortable home during this pandemic lockdown.
You might find something that you don’t need anymore but can be useful for others. Other than that you can get some pocket money from selling the used items. You can also learn how to do streaming online, sell products online, and interact with your friends and audiences.
4. Meditate
Staying healthy and calm during this pandemic movement control order can be helpful for our mental health. Meditating can help the body and mind to stay calm from all the stress. Besides mindfulness meditation, yoga is also suitable to do at home. Most of the fitness centres in Malaysia are closed during the MCO 3.0, we can still work out at home, meditate, and do yoga.
Here I have compiled a list of chakra chants, mantra chants, and a guided meditation playlist. There are different types of meditation to practice including vipassana meditation, mindfulness meditation, grounding meditation, gratitude meditation, and so on.
You can get started with the sleep and guided meditation app called Calm Sleep or watch the Headspace Guide to Meditation on Netflix. It is easy to use and has tons of free meditations and sleep sounds. This free app is able to help you to improve sleep quality, self-improvement, and reduce stress of anxiety.
For weightlifting and bodybuilding, why not set up a mini gym at home? The training equipment such as the dumbbells and workout bench is quite cheap and affordable and can be purchased online. By workout at home, we can still stay fit and healthy by doing workout planning without going to the gymnasium or fitness centers.
If you are not planning to get the equipment but want something simple yet effective, planks and pushups at home will do, and of course, maintain a good diet.
5. Learn Photography
Saw a full moon glowing so bright in the sky at night? Take your camera out and get the shot! Why not take this opportunity to learn some new skills and knowledge during this pandemic period? Be it a hobby or business, photography skills can be learned online as there are many online photography courses, portrait ideas and tutorials found on Youtube, and are some of the things you can do at home during the MCO.
From the most basic how to use a camera, photography equipment settings to advanced photography techniques such as lighting, it is time to learn new skills for self-improvement or future planning. There are many types of photography from portraits, landscapes, fashion, food photography, pet photography, street photography, boudoir… (oooh, it’s NSFW, but if you’re a photographer then it’s an artwork, of course,), and many more.
First of all, you need a mirrorless camera (there are many camera brands out there from Sony, Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon) or a vintage film camera to get started with basic photography. You might find it interesting and exciting throughout the learning process. The most basic of photography for beginners is to understand how to use and control the camera’s exposure, shutter speed, and ISO.
Who knows you might actually unleash some great potential in becoming a personal portrait photographer or filmmaker one day? As we are staying indoors all the time and unable to travel anywhere, you can take some portrait shots of your beloved pet, spouse, or loved ones.
Create A Photobook With Your Photographs
Already have captured quite a number of photographs but am not sure what to do with them? Why not try to get it printed in a photobook? Creating a beautiful memory and experiencing the joy of owning a beautiful book that has your personal touch and signature is no longer a dream. Based on your creativity, you can compile photographs and printed them out in a photobook. It is very easy to use Photobook Malaysia, with its ready-made templates.
By using the Photobook Designer drag and drop, you can easily arrange the pictures in the way you want. The Premium Layflat Photobook comes with high-quality binding and premium Photo Lustre paper for photographs.
One can now capture unforgettable moments and preserve their life journeys in perfect photo print. From engagement and wedding photos, books of personal trips, or one filled full of family pictures, Photobook users can now design and print their wonderful moments conveniently into exquisite handmade photo books. Design and get one today!
6. Build A Website
Why learn to build a website during MCO? Many businesses have gone online after the pandemic hits and for safety purposes, we must comply with the social distancing rules, safety comes first. Having an online business during this pandemic period is beneficial as customers are able to purchase items online without getting in close contact. Customers are now able to inquiry about the services through Whatsapp, social media, and so on.
In the meantime, personal or business websites are easier to build nowadays using Web 2.0 platforms such as Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, Hubspot, and so on. Are you ready to learn and build a website? There are many tutorials and online courses available out there. The easiest way is to learn through Youtube or get a quick hands-on how to use Web 2.0 drag and drop.
7. Learn New Cooking Recipes
If you are into cooking, you can learn new cooking recipes online. If you are creative enough, you can even create own cooking recipes. There are many ways to learn new cooking skills, from watching Youtube, Netflix, cooking shows, and so on.
8. Tidy Up Your House Or Room
Room kind of a mess after years? It’s time to tidy up your room or home for better living or preparing for a celebration. Get rid of any used items that you don’t need, clean the windows, ceiling fans, bathrooms, etc.
9. Self Care
It’s time to take care of our health, mind, and body to stay healthy.
During this moment we can take care of our well-being by frequently exercising at home, doing skincare, meditating, doing yoga, preparing healthy foods, and so on. We are all advised to stay at home and do shopping online because it can also help to improve the country’s economy during this pandemic.
Self-care is all about taking care, pampering yourself, and learning self-love is a great opportunity at this time. We can easily browse some self-care products including facial cleanser, anti-aging, exfoliating body scrub, body wash products for men and women online.
As we are being stuck at home for a long period of time, taking care of our well-being will reduce stress and depression. It will make us look more confident with our healthy minds and body.
Shopping online for self-care products and groceries is a lot easier nowadays with courier services and online shopping platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, Sephora, and so on.
Shopping Tips: Always read the product’s description, reviews, and ratings before making purchasing. Some products might not be suitable for you and the only way is to contact the customer support chat and enquire for more details. Most shopping sites have a floating chat button on the bottom right of the screen.
Financial Planning & Management
Many people have suffered from a financial crisis during this pandemic so it is the best time to do financial planning and management. Get the calculator out and start track of your expenses and never purchase things that are unnecessary. You can cut down expenses by less spending and remove any monthly subscriptions that will add up bills on the credit cards.
Cut down or lower the monthly subscriptions for online streaming services, gaming, mobile services, etc so you can save more while still enjoying the benefits and at least staying at home with some entertainment during this lockdown.
You can search shop online for discounts but don’t overspend. Always buy items in bulk from the same vendors to save up the shipping cost.
Sell any extra gadgets, gears, or items that you are not using to get some extra cash. Financial is crucial so we have to do planning whether it’s for retirement investment, monthly saving, or saving for rainy days like this.
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Rent A Room (After Lockdown Lifted or Quarantine Purpose)
Why not rent a room and stay for a while? There are many condominiums and apartments for long and short-term apartment rentals in Kuala Lumpur. You can take a break and stay for a week or even a month. Most of the luxurious apartments are located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur city centre.
Life can be boring during this pandemic period, staying in a rented apartment can be beneficial and relaxing, or for quarantine purposes, you can do anything you want from working from home, create Youtube content, vlogging, and so on. In the meantime, you can learn how to improve the homestay business by checking out tons of Youtube video tutorials.
It does feel different from staying at your own home. Most of the luxurious apartment rentals in KL are just a walking distance of shopping malls, restaurants, convenience stores, and many more! If you are looking for an apartment with a hotel concept, check out here for the lowest hotels and apartment rentals in Kuala Lumpur.[/sociallocker]
What do you think of our ideas above? Have you tried all the things to do at home during MCO in 2021? As the nightlife in Malaysia is currently lockdown and not able to travel around Malaysia anywhere due to the coronavirus pandemic, we do know how it feels and how bored it is.
We hope the list of things to do will be able to ease your boredom. Feel free to share this post with your friends and family and let them know that there are still many new things to learn when you are stuck at home.
