Marsha Maung: I write. I love. I live

I know everyone still uses Google Chrome as their main browser (so do I, most of the time) but I've been exploring other browsers just because I want to see what they can do and also, I use them differently for work and personal reasons.  In year 2020 alone, it was reported by the University of Maryland that there is one cyber threat every 39 seconds. That's 2,244 attacks per day. 😲 The stat didn't sit too well with me because we are now more dependent on our phones and the internet than ever before. I don't even have much cash on me anymore these days because I use eWallets, debit card, and online transactions for nearly everything.  I mean, a bunch of colleagues went out for lunch and one person pays for the meal. The rest of us split up the bill and started transferring our share of the meal via TouchnGo and Grab. I paid my sister for buying reusable customized face mask she got from her friend with TouchNGo. A work superior borrowed cash from me (even though he is

Experiencing menstrual problems is something that I've always been upfront about with my boys and yet, I have a feeling that they will never, in fact, NO MAN will ever, understand the true shame, (guilt, even - for having it or complaining about it for fear of being shunned or being labeled as whinny ).  But it IS a problem all women go through and we suffer not only monthly pains, everything else related to starting and raising a family is placed solely on the shoulders of women. And we're not permitted to complain about it.  “For example, the homeless do not have access to menstrual products but for students, the school toilets may not be clean or have proper bins in the cubicles, which makes changing pads difficult,” she said. - The Painful Reality of Period Poverty in Malaysia Sometimes, periods get so bad that we reduces us to puddles of misery. And yet, if a woman was to call in sick from work because she knows she is not able to fully function for the day, it is assumed

Pandemic Problems: My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately, that when I pee, it cleans the toilet In a blink of an eye and it's almost the end of the year. Christmas is approaching. Mall decorations and the songs they're playing over the radio airwaves are telling us so but it doesn't quite feel like it, does it?  We entered the year almost in a panic, lumbering our way around a potentially deadly virus while holding onto the hope that it's just another one of those scares that never quite made it to our shores. We kept our ear to the ground and religiously hung onto the words of our Ministers, Health Officials, Government workers, and reporters. We tried to keep calm and most of us did what we had to do to keep ourselves, our family, and our friends safe.  But here it is....this virus. Hitting not just home but the world over the head. Despite how many movies we've seen about viruses and pandemics, reality is so much harder and real.  We've be

Image Credit: Sunyu Kim on Unsplash I saw a post on social media from a friend. It was a time lapse video of foot traffic in a local (relatively popular) mall in the midst of PJ. The sight was a sorry one.  In fact, this family would visit a mall every other day to get our daily essentials. After having dinner, we would pop by the supermarket to grab some stuff.  The after-dinner traffic is really solemn. We are almost always greeted with shuttered stores, closing convenience stores, and even the delis close early, patronized by small groups of peckish shoppers nibbling nonchalantly around barren stores.  I guess we're lucky that, if we went early enough, they were open at all. Even the workers were half-hearted, unconcerned and detached from the possibility of making a sale.  Hence, it is no wonder that people are hopping onto Lazada and Shopee to get things we usually impulse buy while walking past stores in malls.  Simple stuff like light bulbs, nails, extra spoons, or other non

I'll just let this post speak for itself. This is one of those reminders I keep to myself. That those who are loudest may not be the strongest because in silence, there's the power of composure, calm observance and intelligent strength.  Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak Hope you had a good weekend! Note: The number of new Covid-19 cases in the state of Selangor is still not easing off. 😫

There's something about music that I don't think I will not love. When asked what kind of music I like or the kind of songs I like performing, I can't point to one.  All I know is that I love jazz but I can't pull it off. LOL. 🤣 It's sad but true.  I was watching 'Familiar Wife' on Netflix and completely fell in love with this song. I've got a new song with lyrics I barely understand. The meaning behind the song is really meaningful. The song may be sad but the movie is not (oops...spoiler?)

Happy Birthday, Ann! You may no longer be with us here on this planet but your birthday is always remembered by those of us your life has touched.  I said I would post a picture I have of you, be it in digital or printed format, every birthday but, honestly, I don't know it's a good idea. I might one day run our of pictures to post. And that's gonna suck. It would mean that not have you run out of days to live but I have run out of tangible memories of you to hold.  It also means I didn't do enough to collect or make those memories while you were still around to make them with me. Neverthelss, I will try to do as I promised because a promise is a promise.  Happy birthday, you crazy woman. Hope you're doing fantastic wherever you are right now, cousin. Till we meet again,

Photo by  Helena Lopes  on  Unsplash I gave a man RM20 (USD4.80) yesterday during dinner and I still can't stop thinking about him. The look on his face, his hesitancy, his predicament, the look of loss.  At the back of my mind, I keep hearing people (and myself) calling me stupid, naive, innocent, and hopeless. It happens every time I try to do something right, something good. I can hear voices in my head telling me that it is the dumbest thing I've done yet.  It's not how much you give away and how stupid people think of me knowing that I gave money away, but it's how he said 'God bless you' at the end. It's the look of relief. It's the knowing of humanity exists, that human beings still have a side of them that is not riled up by uncertainty, fear, misjudgment, distrust, negativity.  Knowing that another human being understands and trusts you is one of the most powerful emotions on earth. I believe this is what we, as a species, will yearn for the mos

Source:  Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels Notice : This Post contains affiliate links This is the world of Covid-19 we’re living in and the reminders for us to social distance, wear masks, and wash our hands as frequently as we can has become ad nauseam.  Apart from the constant nagging concern about the impact disposal face masks have on the environment now that every human on this planet is required to wear one (and keep a good, healthy supply of them), another crusade seems to be launching off - cloth face masks.  Friends (and relatives) are now messaging me in groups on promoting the use of reusable cloth masks and other alternatives. The problem is: How hygienic are they? How often can we wear them? How do we clean them? Where do we get them? Are they reliable? Do they work the way we need them to? If we buy them online, how do we know they fit? Are cloth face masks a solution to social distancing? How sturdy are these masks? Do cloth face masks work on children? Is it any better