Perception

The bar for my perception of normalcy has been lowered to a new level. I have been keeping up with my weekend errands throughout this period, just with a different level of caution. I could therefore feel the level of tension in the air of quiet for the past three weeks, and behavioural change too. As a perception of part of the mass population, I can vouch that government education and reassurance does help alot in instilling “correct” behaviour.

This week – wow oh wow – the malls are crowded again. Not the peacetime kind of crowded, but enough people to have me concerned about safety distance. Not sure whether it is because of the people who are out now, or just because of the sheer numbers, I start to hear people coughing again. (In the past weeks, no one dared cough in public!!! Or you can hear only muffled stifled ones underneath the layers of mask). It is rather annoying. Are people starting to get careless? Complacent? Or are they just inconsiderate to begin with and have now been let out of their houses to invade public space? That sounds mean, hehe, but okay, that is my little surges of annoyance when I was out. They were mostly the young people. So much education, so little civic-mindedness. Tsk. Or maybe that is just their pubescent rebelliousness. Shrugs.

I am starting to sound like a grumpy old lady. Even if these surges only in a matter of nano-seconds.

Happier things. Peacetime is back! Or rather, I can see the positive turn towards this idea of peacetime. Never thought I would use this word, but this has been a very frequently used word in our daily conversation during this period as we relinquish the desire for those good ol’ days or compare with whatever in those better days.

I was still welcomed by the usual Out-of-Stock signs of whateverwhateverwhatever on the doors and the counters, but they are unsurprising anymore. What caught me by surprise in the pleasant-est of ways was that as I shopped, I start to see Wet Wipes! Oh my! I have not seen them in a long time! Stacks of boxes of Wet Wipes. When I got to the payment counter, OH MY!!! SANITISERS!!! Gasp!!! “Peacetime is back!!! Life is normal again!” That was my immediate thought! 😀 They are smarter now, we are only allowed to buy one bottle (60ml). It makes perfect sense to me to have a quota now… Definitely a change in perception on my part: sounds communist in a way, but it makes perfect perfect sense. For each trip that I make to Phnom Penh, I use about 15-20ml, which means this one bottle can easily last me for 3-4 weeks, if I be a good person and just stay home for the rest of the time. Even if a person has to go out alot, it means each person will take at least a week or two to finish that one 60ml bottle. So if people are considerate and do not hoard, it is likely to have enough to go around? Or at least stock can be replenished at a more reasonable speed? I had reorganised all my toiletries so I could release all the teenyweeny 12ml bottles from their normal duty of holding shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, etc etc, so that they can be used to now hold sanitisers for my parents and the babies. Nothing beats hand washing with soap and water though, but these hand sanitisers really come in useful when out and about.

So yes, it is a glorious day here. 😀 I also made another cutesy bag for babyO.

I wanted to make another one for myself but the craftsyshop has run out of interfacing supply. There was an abundant collection of different types earlier this week! But today, all the iron-on interfacing are gone. The staff showed me a dwindling stash at a secret corner, “you better buy these before they are gone too.” And the funnier part of the conversation was, “there is still elastic though, you better buy them now.”

I was like, “err, I don’t need elastic for my bag.”

OoooooooooOooh. “You are not making masks? Gosh, people have been coming in to buy them by the 20metres and 30metres.”

Normally, I buy them by the metre or half-metre, because I only make teenyweeny bags and pouches. The secret stash was not the quality I was looking for, so … nope, better to leave them for more important uses at this time.

Peacetime… maybe still a while to go.

For people all around the world, please take care in the meantime. Good luck and good health to everyone. ❤