Marsha Maung: Write. Cook. Read. Watch. Try. Innovate.

Source: Bella The Brave on Unsplash In living the life of a Covid-19 Lockdown, it seems that the Internet is now not just a luxury. It's almost a necessity. 53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak and a large number of people from the lower-income group are worried about the digital divide and digital homework gap. Whatever 'homework gap' means. We're now talking, working, doing homework, learning, watching, looking for references, read the news, shop, compare prices (...) all completely online. Honestly, I can't imagine life without it right now. I'll admit this much. Before this, I tune out of the internet. There are deep, dark moments when I feel like slamming my head onto my keyboard really hard and just chucking my smartphone out of the window, Instead, I settle for merely silencing it or just putting it out of sight. For some peace of mind, you know. This has earned me the ire of my family members ...

I've honestly been cooking so much at home that I have exhausted all avenues for inspiration. Books, apps, websites, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube videos...everything. On Monday, I threw something together which turned out perfectly fine...which meant nobody complained. Today, I, once again, threw something together based on what was in the fridge, pantry, and what I bought yesterday from the grocery store and came up with a one-pot-solution dinner. Maybe my kids are just angels, so, no complaints still! I am currently experimenting with some video editing software and apps for work as well as some graphics stuff, so, I thought I might as well give filming the cooking thing a go. This is what I figured out - you need bloody good lighting, a good camera and a sidekick. It's hard because I can't cook and film at the same time. It boggles me how those YouTube people manages to do it all the time! Do these camera people get paid or something? Anyway, here's ...

Source: Joshua Tan That's it. I've taken the plunge and cut my own hair. All I know is that I need to get my hair out of my face and I can't take a decent photo regardless of how many times I wash and dry-style my hair. Not that I am going to be meeting anyone any time soon, but still...it was making me feel like shite. I was watching out for news about hair salons opening around my nook but NOPE, it was a fruitless scavenger hunt. The chances are slim. Do I look great? Am I going to be Instagramming or YouTubing it? HAHAHAHA... don't hold your breath .  I look fine  (as far as my low standards are concerned) from the front but I 't have no indication about what looks like on the back. As long as no hairstylist gets to run his/her comb through my hair, it'll do. All I know is that my head is lighter and I don't have annoying strays sticking into my eyes or nose. Am I going to attempt cutting my kids' hair ? I don't know.  It's...

Testing this quiz maker out. All those bullshit ads out there on #Google that pops up when you type free quiz maker are not free...least of all SurveyMonkey and PollDaddy which used to be free. Now, they make you pay through your nose for simple quizzes. We're not major league players, mind you. Create your own user feedback survey

Source: Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash Well....a little update then. I know that came out of nowhere but since we're all in lockdown, things pounce on us for no reason all the time. So, we better get used to this, anyway, right? I've just updated my website with a new article, Becoming Awesome at Copywriting: Differentiating Digital Content Writing from Copywriting  while listening to this, At The Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis on Lite.my . No, I am not an exceptional copywriter or content writer. Despite the years of writing under me, I dare not say I am anything exceptional because the goal posts keep moving. I stand by my mantra of ' The day you think you know everything is the day you'll learn that everything was BS ." I've also gotten quite a number of questions on both Quora and Linkedin about how to get a business online, so I published this article: Here’s How to Get into eCommerce and Sell Products Online . And while I was ...

So....it was announced yesterday that things will be easing up a little bit over here in Malaysia when it comes to the Covid-19 lockdown. We don't know what the situation's going to be like because...we don't really know how to be human anymore. #lol There's been some arguments floating around on the Internet. Some are 'for' the lifting of the Movement Control Order while others...not so much. For : Because we've been locked-up long enough at home and we've GOT to resume life somehow. Things have been at a standstill and it's about time 7-11 returns to being a 24-hours convenience store, for Crissakes. At some point in time, before there is a vaccine, we have to be uncuffed. It feels like being locked up against our will, in all honesty. Come on, don't lie. You feel it too. Against : If things go South again, we're back to square one. Considering the fact that the end of the fasting month is coming right up, I am not so sure, liftin...

Exploring new ways to help people and businesses get online. Part of the job is to explore the many different ways that work We've been in lockdown since...gosh, I don't know anymore. How long has it been? All I know is today is Monday because my messages and emails rudely woke me up and this only usually happens on a Monday when everyone's frantic to get things done. We're hanging in there, in all honesty. My older son is happy that his college assignments and tests are now conducted from the comfort of his tiny room. My younger son has not been able to pop into the gym for his usual routine and is basically displaying signs of boredom that I wish I could help him with. The good news is that: His guitar skills is getting better I think he's still sticking to learning Chinese (and maybe even Japanese) through online videos and classes He's been helping me out during dinner time My boys and I have been more collaborative in keeping the home cl...

It's been more than a month of lockdown here in Malaysia and I am still wondering how we are doing this. When I look outside from the home balcony, there are more cars now than before during the day; it's eerily empty when the sun goes down. Like the tide, we have to do everything during the day or face complete shutdown at night. So, a quick update once again before I have to dash off to get some things done. What we've been doing so far during the lockdown in Malaysia is read, write, exercise as much as we can, paint, video conference or call each other, listen to music, answer emails and pitch projects, keep ourselves busy by cooking together, cleaning up, going shopping for necessities and food as quickly as we can, and dealing with the frustration of being in a situation where we are not permitted to go anywhere without being threatened with jail time. I am quite a homebody so, there's little to complain about. And if the house is a mess, it's a ni...

I've been through some really tough times these past few years. It's not a sad story because I think I came out of it alive and even more motivated. Things I've learned. I've realized that some people are just born shitty Not everyone's going to like me, no matter what I do. It's futile to try, so, I've stopped doing that Time is really short Goals is one thing, achievement is another Shitty people are everywhere, you'll meet them. I did and the only fightback I have is to get up again and stand tall Everyone has a story If not now, when? If I don't try it, I'll never know There's a lesson in everything - good and bad alike Slow and steady is better than fast I have the best family I can ever ask for, considering my personality - LOL I can't hang onto the past. I have a tendency to do that Choosing to be home or work from home is one thing. Being forced to and threatened with prison time to not step out of your house is q...

W.O.W. Photo by  Kelly Sikkema  on  Unsplash Malaysia's been on lockdown since Mar 18th, 2020 and today marks the 10th day we've been unable to leave our homes for any reason other than to purchase necessities or perform essential duties. I can't say it's been easy and some family members have jokingly declared their intentions to book themselves into a psychiatric ward once it is over. For me, I declare that once this lockdown is lifted, the 80s rock hairstyle is going to be an in-thing again. I really should have dragged my boys for a haircut before the lockdown but I wasn't aware that the lockdown was going to be so IMMEDIATE. So far, there are few problems related to getting food and necessary essentials to keep us alive at home but it is a little disconcerting to be screened by the police before we enter a freaking grocery store. It's also a little insane to think that taking my kids out with me, in the car, to go to a convenience store might ge...