Oh 2020, how badly I want you to end now. Amidst this misery, we can at least take some weird pleasure in witnessing many unusual human behaviours during this season—the supermarket panic buying, the IKEA queues for tables and chairs, and the collective mourning of McDonald’s temporary closure. When it comes to exercising and fitness, this lockdown seems to be more effective than any past New Year resolutions we made. However, for the majority of you who are suddenly buying yoga mats, dumbbells, and kettlebells—when active life before extended CB is literally just walking to and from the nearest hawker…
Author: Nicole Han
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It’s already day 20 of Circuit Breaker but it might as well be two months. I spend so much time at home now that I feel it is necessary for my living quarters to look pleasing. I mean there is nowhere else I can look beside my house, right? So, the only solution is to preen it. Though the inertia to roll up my sleeves is strong, I am relying on these six Netflix home improvement shows for some wise guidance. Hopefully, I get some tips and motivation from the gurus out there—like the legendary KonMari methods, mastering the art…
An overdose of boredom has turned a part of my waking moment to the world of e-commerce but my conscious mind tells me that this is an unsustainable route. Thankfully, A Bathing APE (BAPE) is here to save me from some monotony and of course, to entertain their loyal sneakerhead fans with a BAPESTA kit to make their BAPESTA paper sneakers. Turning paper cuts into 3-dimensional paper sneakers, this BAPESTA Kit is a digital guide to teach you. It looks simple yet fun so I decided to give it a shot. 1. First, print the BAPESTA Kit. You can download…
Nike has a plethora of shoes made for everyone, whether you’re an amateur gym lover or a professional athlete. You name it, and they will have a pair for that sport. Besides promising functionality and world-class athletic quality, Nike never fails to deliver these foot companions in style. Here are a selection of 15 shoes to choose from to match your workout objectives—running, weight lifting, and for those who thrive on a little bit of everything. Your Running Companion 1. Nike Zoom Fly 3 Unlike traditional running shoes, the Nike Zoom Fly series is an excellent balance between lightweight and…
Staying home has bored me to my bare bones. My daily step counts are pathetically bordered to only a 100 or maybe 200 on more exciting days. Rather than lounging in the living room with your family members watching TV, why not break the silence and leverage on this Circuit Breaker to bond with your loved ones over a new card game—one that promotes open sharing and vulnerability. The purpose-driven card game, “We’re Not Really Strangers” (WNRS), is all about building meaningful connections. There are over 150 carefully crafted questions, ranging from levels one to three. One is the easiest…
As a frequent gym-goer, never did it cross my mind that one day, I would use the limited space in my room as my gym spot, and the gym instructor who I look forward to seeing will be giving me cues through my tablet or smartphone. When life gives you a lemon, you either choose to starve or make fresh lemonade with it. That is precisely what gyms are doing these days—conducting virtual classes—to reach their clients while providing a good sweat. However, what makes some of these gyms or sporting communities even more remarkable is that despite being in…
The Circuit Breaker has drastically reduced our overall physical activity. “The world is your oyster” no longer holds and a more befitting saying is “my house is my world”. Thankfully, keeping fit has kept me sane from my cabin fever. When all you need is 15 minutes a day and zero equipment, I guess it’s time to shelve your excuses and get ready for these quick fix to help you start your rumble, so please do not grumble. 1. 15 minute Power Yoga Workout | Sarah Beth Yoga Unlike a traditional yoga practice, Power Yoga is conducted at a faster…
Today, fitness wear is no longer designed only for functionality. In fact, style is given equal weightage in the presentation of fitness wear as athleisure. As a consumer, I feel dignified wearing them on the streets. After all, we all want to look good and feel great when we are working out. A popular sport that surrounds the trending fitness culture is Yoga. Despite its long-standing history of over 5,000 years and its roots deeply planted in sacred soil, this does not prevent the discipline from being raved globally. With the increasing attractiveness of the exercise, its complementing outfits are…
Not all heroes wear capes; and in the case of COVID-19, our healthcare heroes—the frontline warriors—can’t be credited any less. As we’re busy working from home, avoiding the streets, and prayerfully waiting for the numbers to decrease each day, a group of healthcare workers went beyond their medical responsibility to meet the emotional needs of the foreign workers. Doctor Muntasir Mannan Choudhury of Sengkang General Hospital, together with his team, visited an affected dormitory and addressed the Bangladeshi foreign workers. He spoke their language, was culturally sensitive, and expressed his encouragement during this trying time. The video is about 2…
Ran out of ideas to do during your nightly zoom sessions with the crew? Grab your travel buddies and explore the world through Google’s eyes with Google Earth. You can “explore” places with your friends, ignite your adventurous spirit, and continue learning from the comfort and safety of your home. Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3-dimensional representation of the places on Earth through satellite imagery. It uses geographic mapping data, satellite images, and aerial photography. Unlike your airplane tickets, Google Earth is free to launch. All you need is a Chrome browser on your tablet or…
Singaporeans are often seen as Kiasu individuals, but the storm of COVID has further divided citizens into convenient sub-categories. In the face of the vexing virus, we react differently, and that is perfectly fine. After all, we are same-same but different, right? Time to play this game of COVID-19 2020 Edition and see which character you identify with. Are you a hoarder who finds yourself inexplicably drawn to the supermarket before every announcement by the PM? Or are you a Law Abiding Citizen who’s out on a mission (on Facebook. Please stay home and don’t vigilante outside, hor) to educate…
After my editor killed you with the high-intensity workout yesterday, I figured out why not spice up that workout routine with Barre. Barre fitness is a hybrid workout class, which combines ballet, pilates, yoga, and strength training. I was first exposed to barre in 2018 and have been a fervent supporter since then. I love how it promises a good sweat and the by-product—long lean muscles, even Ryan Gosling swears by it! Led by Marnie Alton, the barre workout we chose is 30 minutes long and requires no equipment—ideal for a home exercise during your lunch break. It comprises of…
Dying of boredom during your work-from-home and mourning from the dearth of your social life? Apple is giving you the solution and one more reason to stay home while keeping your boredom at bay with their free 7-day trial on Apple TV+. Starting from 11 April 2020, Apple has made a handful of Apple TV+ shows free and accessible for anyone to stream. The generous catalogue represents about a third of the Apple TV+ shows. It includes television series, kids shows, and documentaries for families who are practising social distancing preventive measures due to COVID-19. For the current Apple TV…
About two months ago, I was catching up with youth lingos my young colleagues were teaching me. I was one of the older interns who pronounced ‘meme’ as me-me, much to my younger comrade’s delight. Two months later, just as I was about to catch up with them, I realised there was another set of buzzwords I needed to pick up. These ever-changing trending words revolve around the battle between the pesky COVID-19 and our nation’s ugly (yet ubiquitous) nature of being characteristically kiasu (fear of missing out). Some terms are very educational, while some are parodies morphed from its…
We often hear of the Yellow Ribbon Project and its annual Yellow Ribbon Run, but the invisible hero behind the multiple meaningful initiatives borne out of the Yellow Ribbon movement is the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE). SCORE is a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs that plays a vital role in the Singapore correctional system through its four main building blocks—training, work, employment assistance, and community engagement. In reality, inmates do not stay as inmates forever. Serving their sentence is just a transitional phase to reflect and turn over a new leaf. What makes this process…