It has been 48 days since the Singapore government implemented the measures collectively known as 'circuit breaker' to contain the spread of the contagious COVID-19 virus. The measures, similar to a lock-down seen in other countries, require residents would have to try their best to stay at home, where possible.
I have been working from home (WFH) since then and while i crave the return to my office where 'things are within reach'; WFH does provide some benefits. E.g. saving a total of about 150 minutes to get to work and return from it which translates into a later wake-up time and the ability to start jogging immediately after work at 6.00 pm!
These 48 days made me realized that there are a number of things that we often take for granted and when times like the circuit breaker came, it finally dawned on us that we miss doing those stuff and pray things would quickly get back to normal as soon as possible.
Dining In
Part of the CB (short for circuit breaker) measures is to disallow dining in (to prevent congregation) which means eateries could only cater for takeaway. This is a huge blow to the survival of many food and beverage establishments, especially restaurants, pubs etc.
There are some things you can't ask for take away as it's either not possible or freshness might be compromised. I miss buffets, i miss hot pots and i miss omakase; the first thing i would do once dining in is allowed would be to bring my family to the Penang Place buffet at Suntec City Mall.
Travelling Out of Singapore
I am on track to finally completing all my travel backlogs and the upcoming problem is that i would not be travelling anywhere, anytime soon given the travel curbs and this would result in a dearth in postings given the heavy weightage of travel posts.
Aside from blogging about my overseas trips, travelling is also a way for me to get out of the hectic, little red dot and immerse myself in good food, cultural, historical and relaxation activities. Anywhere is good, even to Johore Bahru / Batam. If it's not possible to even step out of Singapore, i would be just as happy with Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island, Saint John's Island etc.
Going Out In General
Entertainment venues like movies, karaokes, theme parks, zoos are also forced to stop operating during this period of time; which means the best to way to have some entertainment is to have it right in the comfort of your own home (think Netflix).
You can still venture to the parks although governmental advice is to only visit those near your home and safe distancing must be adhered to at all times. A bit of a hassle and i should be grateful that i could still go out and take in fresh air during my daily jog.
Meeting Family and Friends
This was left to the last as humans are naturally social animals and i have a close-knitted family; to the extent i even got a flat that's within a 7-minute walk to my parents' place.
In normal circumstances, i would visit my parents at least once or twice a week and the whole family would sometimes came over to my house for get-together lunch like steamboat, birthday celebrations. Jovyn would also sleepover at my house occasionally and darn do i miss her even though she kicks when she sleeps!
I would also play host to my friends; there are three of them who would come over once every one or two months and we would just spend the day baking, binge-watching horror movies or just plain chatting! Those times were so fun and relaxing!
Another group i met very often before CB would be my lunch kakis at work! It's even longer since i last had meals with them as our organisation is split into two teams and mine clashes with them! If the split-team arrangement is going to continue after CB, it shall be even longer before we can have lunch together. 😢
The above is my short list; what's yours?
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