Kuala Lumpur During Covid 疫情马来西亚吉隆玻 2020/2021

2020/2021. We were going about our daily chores, just like any other day, and the days before them. About 12 months ago, we were still partying in the streets to usher in the New Year. Two months later, the Chinese New Year came. The lions were in the malls, dancing and prancing to the deafening drumbeats and the thunderous cheers of the crowd. About that time, I was enjoying a nostalgic return visit to Penang (see post on Penang), my first visit after many years.

2020/2021 大约一年前的今天，一如既往，一切如常；新年到，烟花炮竹爆声中，我们紧挨在街上，欢庆新年。 两个月后又到农历新年，又一轮喜庆；广场里，紧锣密鼓声中，狮子起舞，连蹦带跳；围观老少人群，气氛沸腾，喜气洋洋。大约那时候我时还乘机重游隔别多年的槟城（读槟城帖子），看着水平线，一帆风顺，一切美好

Then, everything came to a screeching halt. Covid had caused a pandemic. Handshakes and hugs gave way to elbow bumps or just a nod of the head. People started fighting over toilet paper in the stores, the butt of our jokes at the dinner table. Could they not just rinse, then drip-dry or blow-dry, like their dishes? It is likely to be more hygienic and does not leave any skid marks. And I started to bake. My old yeast died on me when I summoned her to rise to the occasion. I then ran into the mall, but the yeast had run out; so had the flour. All of a sudden, we were all united by the love of baking. It was very weird, because we are not exactly a bread-eating nation. We desperately needed a recipe for boredom.

One day, I received a message from my doctor informing me he had tested positive and advised that I get tested too. He was breathing down my neck for a good half an hour, trying to manipulate me, my head and my bones. He was close, his mask was struggling to hang onto his nose, all the time during the consultation. I then had myself tested and it came back positively negative. Phew! That was close! Mom passed away during this time. Though not due to Covid, it made caring that much more difficult, a regret that much deeper.

The world has been under siege for the past year. Malaysia is no exception. Our wings have been clipped and our feet shackled. During this time, as soon as the authorities relaxed the movement restrictions, I seized the opportunity to tour around a few states for two weeks (see my other posts on Malaysia).

I also made do with just cycling around the city center. On an already quiet Sunday, the city looked like a ghost town in broad daylight. Kuala Lumpur should be best suited for cycling, being flat and warm. Instead, cyclists are banished to the sidewalks, jostle with the cars on the roads, cycle on weekends, or when covid has cleared the roads. It is kind of pathetic but excusable because our cars have a special place in our lives. They are our status symbol. The planners think so too.

谁知这一切都要天翻地覆；一切突如其来，疫情来袭，我猪朋狗友都婉拒拥抱，谢绝握手，热情变无情；商场里为了抢购卫生纸大打出手，使人啼笑不得。以其干洗，水洗后风干晒干吹干或滴干不留胎轮痕迹不也是个后备计划吗？公寓的泳池和健身房也封了；困在家里，除了吃喝，无处发泄，我也开始自制面包，但旧酵母已不争气，百呼不醒，后来才了解酵母也会死；我冲到商场，酵母也断货，连面粉也售罄了好几周，情况看来不妙。有一天，医生来讯他被测出阳性，劝我也去检测；真险！老妈这期间病逝，新冠使护理难上加难，这样离去，这样失去，心怀难赦。整个世界就是那么绝望，那么无助。

世界被疫情肆虐一年了，马来西亚也没幸免，只能躲在家里，与世隔绝。趁政府稍松懈限行，我抓紧机会两周内快快国内转一圈 （读马来西亚帖子）。其他日子只能市中心骑自行车乱闯。周末本来就冷清，疫情笼罩下，市中心人去楼空，变成空城；平时神气的高大尚摩天楼，晴天下显得毫无生气，死气沉沉。

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A quiet Sunday downtown made more eerily lifeless by Covid. It was a nice ride along the regenerated and restored rivers, and the riverbank concretized to look more like a monsoon drain. It was, nevertheless, a good ride in the concrete jungle, weaving in and out among the surrounding buildings: the low-rise colonial, traditional Malay and old Chinese structures contrasting with the tall modern buildings looking down on them with patronizing eyes. Kuala Lumpur has some of the tallest buildings in the world. Back in 1996, the Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest. Actually, we were number 1 and 2, because we had two of these sticks. They are truly iconic; day and night, they shine like beacons.

沿河岸骑自行车很赏心悦目；近期经过改造风味不错，虽然河岸铺了水泥看来更像大阴沟；但在高楼大厦中悠闲穿梭使人目不暇接；摩登高楼居高临下傲视矮小的殖民时期建筑，马来风格房子，和华人的老商铺楼，像大巫看小巫。吉隆坡高楼林立，有世界屈指可数的世界最高楼；双子塔1996年是世界第一，有两根，因此该是两个第一， 一枝独秀对我们来说还不够；无论白天夜晚都那么耀眼，是瞩目地标。

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As Covid rampaged on, we hunkered down in our bunkers, barricading ourselves indoors. We had to be anti-social; we had to keep our distance. Eating out is out, eating in is in. Cooped up at home, there was nothing to do except binge and bulge. Eating is our national hobby. Food delivery was cheap and good in Malaysia compared to the West. Malaysia was also lucky to be multicultural, so, on one table, a meal could be a mixture and fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Western all at once. Eating is our religion, second only to our religion.

疫情高发时，餐厅拒人门外，大家宅在家里闷骚，无所事事，只能爆吃爆喝，大男人也得亲自下厨，或点外卖。幸好外卖近来普及，服务费也大众化；且马来西亚饮食文化多样，一桌上就混搭东西南北好东西：中式， 西式， 马来，印度，应有尽有，就看胃口多大了。

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To date, 12 months later, the worldwide death toll reached 2.7 million, with 120 million infected and counting. It reached right to the very top, even Kings and presidents are not immune, threatening to wipe out an entire cabinet of ministers. The whole world was paralyzed and almost totally shut down. Who would have guessed?

We think we are wise and powerful, but we are not invincible. Let this be the alarm bell. Live simply, live meaningfully, do no harm, come what may.

12个月后，目前全世受染人数达1.2亿，死亡人数120万，还在攀升。多国领导也中毒，病毒甚至威胁整个国家领导层；几乎全世界瘫痪，整个国家停顿，各家各户乖乖呆在家安分守己，这还是史无前例。

我们有智慧，强大，但不是无敌；这就是警钟。活得简单，活得有意义, 于心无愧，其他顺其自然。