COVID-19 has changed the way we live. We have to accept the new normal now whereby our usual daily activities are more restrictive in a sense as mentioned by our Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Countless efforts have been taken to curb this ongoing pandemic. Our competent government and healthcare services have been battling to beat the number of cases down to ground zero. With the ongoing Movement Control Order (MCO), many festive activities are postponed, cancelled or delayed. The authorities have banned bazaars from happening in Malaysia to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Many are disappointed or afraid of not being able to celebrate Ramadan like how they are used to. Ramadan is celebrated with ‘Tarawih’ prayers at mosques. To top it, Ramadan Bazaar has always played a huge part of Ramadan whereby it does not only allow small businesses to make profits but also to be able to purchase food and ‘berbuka puasa’ together with family members. Thus, instead of feeling down and unmotivated about the coming Ramadan, one should view this situation positively and be more creative to come up with ideas to still make Ramadan a fun one!
So, how to celebrate Ramadan?
One positive way to look at this situation is that during this Movement Control Order (MCO) period, individuals don’t have to rush to ‘balik kampung’ and experience hours of getting stuck in traffic. While some may also perceive this as a good time to save up some money by dining at home much more frequently. Busy working adults that do not get the chance to spend time with their family members can now have the privilege to do so now. Although you are stuck at home now, there are many things that you can do from the comfort of your own home.
1. Online Bazaar
Due to the cancellation of bazaars recently, there has been a surge on online bazaars surfacing over the Internet. Many vendors are slowly digitalising their business nature through platforms as such. We have launched our very own online bazaar on our Direct Lending website which is Platform Jualan Peniaga Tempatan. On other website platforms itself, we have partnered with Bazaar Rakyat as their official finance partner. While on Facebook, there are tons of groups dedicated to online bazaars. Among the few are Bazar Ramadhan & Food Delivery Bangi/Kajang/Serdang/Putrajaya, Bazaar Ramadhan Shah Alam Online Official 2020, Bazaar Ramadhan Online Subang Jaya and more.
Users can now have the option to ‘berbuka puasa’ with their favourite food. Moreover, one disadvantage of purchasing items offline at bazaars, some of us tend to overbuy food. So now with e-bazaar or online bazaar, we can now preview our cart before placing orders. This would allow us to practice a more conscious spending.
2. Surprise Food Delivery
Who doesn’t like surprises? This Ramadan, why not surprise your family members or even friends with food deliveries. Great food always puts up a smile on anyone. After all, Ramadan is all about sharing. Make use of food applications like Foodpanda, Grab Food, dahmakan, and more. These food apps tend to offer great discounts from time to time. Don’t forget to plan and place your orders in advance to avoid late deliveries.
3. DIY Raya Cards
Make full use of your time at home during Ramadan to start DIY Raya cards. Once its nearing Raya, you can start sending them out to your friends and family. While e-cards may work too, it would be a good idea to add some personal touch. And it is also a fun activity to do with your spouse or kids. Try checking out Pinterest for more ideas and inspirations.
4. Video Chat Party
What is a better way to reconnect, virtually? Video chat plays a huge role during this pandemic regardless of whether to keep in touch for work or with your loved ones. You can even ‘berbuka puasa’ with your loved ones via video call even if they are far away.
While everyone has been raving about Zoom about its flexibility of joining a chat session without an account, there are also other alternatives to video call applications for you to use with all your friends and family. Good old Skype allows video calls to be made up to 50 participants with no sign-in needed with the requirement of using Chrome or Edge as your browser. Google Hangout, on the other hand, limits their video call to 25 participants. Users can easily join via Gmail, Hangouts app or Chrome itself.
5. Online Religious Classes
Besides learning a new language or skill, during Ramadan especially you can contribute by staying connected to the Qur’an through reciting, understanding it and contemplating over its Ayaat. There are tons of free resources for you to start with. One of them is by Fahm Al-Qu’ran. To register click on https://bit.ly/2JKFcKl. Don’t limit yourself to learning. Invite your family members to join you as well.
In general, we understand that this coming Ramadan for the year 2020 would be different and challenging. Just because you are far apart and unable to see your family and friends does not mean that the spirit or the feel of the festivity should die down too. It is important to remember all the moments shared previously and be grateful of each other despite the distance. So when the MCO is lifted and life resumed as normal, we should be more appreciative of all the small favours and blessings in life that we once took for granted.
We would like you to know that this Ramadan can still be meaningful. These are some of the tips or ways that we find to be useful. Remember to get creative and step out of your comfort zone. If you do have other suggestions, please don’t hesitate to share them with the rest of our viewers. Feel free to share your comments and thoughts on our Facebook page.
This article is written by Direct Lending, an online personal lending platform that provides easy, safe and affordable financing. Our personal loan comes with an attractive rate from as low as 3.90% or as fast as 2 working days. Apply with us for free today!
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