Our friends Shan and Desmond were inspired the other day. Let's do a gourmet kayaking trip, they suggested. That is, load our kayaks full of provisions and drinks, and paddle from Singapore to Pulau Ubin, and cook up a storm there. Desmond, a professional cook by training, was more than up for the challenge. His …
(Mostly) virtual explorations in 2020
I barely took any photographs with my cameras this year except on my phone. Once Covid shut down all travel, we mostly just hunkered down at home. So since March, all our exploration has been local, or virtually, via books and movies and TV shows. I managed to read 61 books to date this year …
Kayaking: Exploring Sungei Khatib Bongsu
My company gave us Friday the 13th off, as one of the 6 "wellness" days they'd designated for the remainder of the year, as a response to the burnout some of us was feeling from the extended global lockdown courtesy of Covid-19. We made the most of it - 8 of us got together to …
Kayaking: Singapore Southern Islands
We've plenty of days off to clear, since we are still stuck in Singapore, so last Friday, we took it off to explore the Southern Islands of Singapore by kayak. The Southern Islands, comprising St John's, Kusu, Lazarus, and Deringer, are just a short hop away from Sentosa. We used to row to them weekly …
Kayaking: Pasir Ris to Ubin
With Covid cases flaring back up in countries that had already eased restrictions, we are resigned to the fact that for the foreseeable future, we will be stuck here in Singapore. A friend reminded us the other day though, that it's important to find pleasures where we can, otherwise life will be miserable. True that. …
Kayaking: Exploring the Rivers of Pulau Ubin
Waning moon phase with a high tide at 940am. With mild currents predicted, we were in a good place to launch off from Pasir Ris at 730am to leisurely explore the mangroves in Pulau Ubin. Unlike the stormy conditions from a couple of weeks before, the air was still and the water glassy. It made …
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Kayaking: Exploring the mangroves of Pulau Ubin
When we launched early Friday morning from Pasir Ris, the water was still. The air hung, weighty and heavy and silent. Dark clouds filled the sky, ominous. But it was a holiday weekend (Hari Raya Haji), so our spirits were high. We just needed to make that 2+km crossing over to Pulau Ubin. Given that …
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Finding peace and contentment in the present
The Singapore Minister of National Development, Lawrence Wong, came out this past weekend to advise us not to expect to travel this side of 2020. 😦 I guess it's no big surprise, but still a somewhat depressing to hear. That said, we had a blast this weekend. If every weekend went down like that, we …
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2020 – the year of appreciating life
Despite the government's best efforts, the number of Covid cases in Singapore continues to rise, now driven overwhelmingly by outbreaks in the foreign workers' dormitories. As such, the government has instituted ever tighter restrictions on our movements. I had been primarily working from home already, ever since I returned from LA on March 8. But …
Weekend camping in Joshua Tree
What a surreal first quarter! I feel like we've been playing dodge ball with the fast spreading Corona virus; been incredibly lucky to date. As I write this, the US government has just announced a 30 day ban on travel to Europe; the Indian government has also put a stop on foreigners traveling to India …