This article first appeared in Capital, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 2, 2020 - November 8, 2020

It’s just so difficult to work from home, especially during this time when there is so much going on in politics. You see, as both our paper and news portal cover mostly business and related matters, we often turn to other news portals to get the latest in the political realm.

With the recent deluge of news — what with Covid-19, the election in Sabah and other fascinating fiascos, which we shall not delve into — we’ve had to follow so many news portals, all from the comfort of our own home.

And here is where the problem starts. Is it just me or is everyone else distracted by the news stories and advertisements that appear at the bottom of the web pages while we are surfing for news?

While I’m getting the lowdown on the budget and important cabinet decisions, these distractions will inevitably pop up. It usually starts off with something trivial like what has happened to some famous person from the past and his living conditions now. One such name is Shaun Cassidy, the 1970s/80s singer and one half of the Hardy Boys in the old television series.

Another theme is some famous personality’s home — Al Pacino’s or Sean Connery’s, for example. The picture will be of an exotic-looking mansion, with a huge pool to boot.

There are also some pieces on how some heart-throbs or femmes fatales of yesteryear look like now. Think actresses like Jo Raquel Tejada, better known as Raquel Welch, or Mary Kathleen Collins aka Bo Derek.

And it’s also easy to be lulled into fantasising about how you can reduce your pudgy stomach after reading an ad with an attractive headline, usually accompanied by a picture of a dude with a 10-pack where others only have a six-pack, or a stunning beauty with an hourglass figure and ripped abs.

A typical workday would begin at, say, 10.15am. The plan is to spend 15 minutes browsing the internet before getting down to work at 10.30am — after all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

But one after the other, the websites distract you, and suddenly, it’s 12.30pm … lunchtime! And lunch is usually unhealthy, fattening food. Yes, forget about the 10-pack.

It’s strange how so many things can distract you when you’re browsing online at home, unlike when you are at work.

Now imagine if the cameras in the office zoomed in on our computers and yours truly was caught casually browsing. Perhaps the subject of the ensuing letter from our HR department could be material for another Coffee Break.

There is also the temptation of the bed. It seems particularly nice and inviting after lunch somehow. The trick is to give your bed a name, say PWTC, so that when your bosses ask what you are doing, just say “PWTC”, like you are going to meet an Umno contact.

On second thought, perhaps it’s not such a good idea to pen all these things down … so, I think I am going to end here.

Let’s defeat Covid-19 and get back to work.

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