New Mundane in New Normal

These are – to borrow the most used phrase of the present day – unprecedented times. A virus that was purported to have originated in a farmer’s market in central China has found its way across every corner of the globe, affected scores of humans, and visibly changed the way we correspond and behave in all things quotidian and with each other. It’s also disrupted many an inner state – can we each admit we will be the same person we were before COVID-19 attacked?

It’s no large claim then to state that Ho Mei Kei’s New Mundane debuts at a very important juncture in human history. To date, approximately 5.3 million people have been infected by the virus. In Malaysia, that number stands at over seven thousand, and at time of writing, people across the country are still operating under MCO-decreed measures and social distancing. Aidilfitri or Hari Raya can only be celebrated with gatherings of twenty people or less.

This is symbolic of life today – a ‘new normal’, where we’ve all been forced to adapt in some way or another. To many, the greatest challenge has been the forced quarantines and long hours indoors. Others are separated from loved ones, or find themselves troubled by fresh mental and emotional burdens. Some, are struggling to supply themselves with the bare necessities – medicine, food on the table, shelter.

These are, as has been aptly described, unprecedented times.