No TV Lifestyle

At first it started out as just as a temporary thing when we just got married. It didn’t really matter. I have my laptop, and hubs got his. UNIFI was much more important back then. So that’s how we lived without a tv for the first year. In our second year, an aunt gave us her unwanted tv. You know, just something laying around. We enjoyed that for some time. I think it was like 6 months.

We started a homestay shortly after. Not wanting the homestay to be 18th century, we decided to give up our own tv. So the homestay has a tv, but we don’t. To be honest, it didn’t really matter. We went to the movies, and we had our laptops. Life was good.

Then we had Naila and I officially became a work at home mom. Man, thinking back I don’t know how did I survive the first year without a tv. I was probably too busy and too tired to even care that I didn’t have a tv. It would’ve been a good distraction tool for the baby. Whatever.

I don’t know how, but we ended up not having a tv until now! 4 years! It sounds so draconian.

I promise it wasn’t intentional. Just that we got used to not having a tv at home. I didn’t think it’s weird until people coming to our house started commenting, “NO TV??”. “Oh yeah I forgot to mention. Sorry. Now you would have to use your imagination to survive.”

Even my grandma says my house is quiet(?!?). I think she meant that as a compliment.

Yeah there are many times I almost caved and demand a tv. But to think of all the positive things happening because we had no tv. Naila doesn’t demand for a tv at all, same goes to both of us.

We read books a lot.

We do motor sensory activities.

Hubs have his fish aquarium hobby.

We play with Chanel our cat.

We do fair amounts of outdoor activities maybe 4-5 times a week.

Besides, there’s a lot competing for our attention even without tv. Like phones, and laptops. I’ve read somewhere that people have greater quality life without looking at screens. I hope so. I just feel like it’s a positive thing at the moment--this not having a tv.

Who knows what happens in the future? We might get a 60” inch tv to compensate all the years without it. Haha. Really I don’t know, but right now, this feels good. It’s effortless and we don’t think too much about it.

Everytime I fantasize having a tv, I’ll picture all three of us sitting on the sofa for 2 hours without moving or going anywhere. Or I’ll picture watching a tv series marathon on weekdays, while eating cookies and ice cream and ignoring Naila. No I really don’t want that. I was once a couch potato many many years ago. That ain’t pretty. So, no thank you.

I’m sticking to the no-tv diet for the moment!

On a side note, the other day, we hung out at ioi mall in Putrajaya. I underestimated this mall because the first time we got there, I wasn’t that impressed. It felt like any other big malls. Fast forward a year, we went for a family weekend outing of bowling, ice skating and dinner. I was amazed that the mall was so alive! There’s a lot of things to do with kids or on a date. By that I mean halal date. With the hubs.

We ate at the magnum place for the first time. My verdict? The price is exorbitant for a ‘Magnum’ ice-cream eaten with pricey biscuits. We ordered something that costs RM30, and I expected more.


Well, maybe the view of the water fountain justifies it. But I’m still sticking to Haagen Dazs for a dessert treat after this!