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In light of […]","datePublished":"2021-05-21","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Maisie%20Leong\/#Person","name":"Maisie Leong","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Maisie%20Leong\/","identifier":227,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f5c852853ba8ed19bedc5417be7db8166064cfcb8857f5ec40bb516fab94b2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f5c852853ba8ed19bedc5417be7db8166064cfcb8857f5ec40bb516fab94b2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1621574720502_Annual_Leave_Featured_Image_1280x626.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1621574720502_Annual_Leave_Featured_Image_1280x626.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/can-we-truly-relax-in-a-pandemic\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bA_DQHoxj34#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bA_DQHoxj34","name":"Draw On My Back Challenge","description":"Mistakes were made...\n\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/brookeandjeffrey\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/BrookeandJeffy\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/brookeandjeffrey\/ \nhttps:\/\/www.brookeandjeffrey.com\/","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/bA_DQHoxj34\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/bA_DQHoxj34\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/bA_DQHoxj34\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/bA_DQHoxj34\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/bA_DQHoxj34\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2020-05-18T14:18:41+00:00","duration":"PT2M39S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bA_DQHoxj34","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCYmx9c2je1hEZL1iguPyvUg#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCYmx9c2je1hEZL1iguPyvUg","name":"Brooke and Jeffrey In The Morning","description":"Home of the 2nd Date Update! 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Due to the recent spike in Covid-19 cases, until 13 June, community measures have been limited to group sizes of two, as well as social gatherings capped at two and visitors at two unique households per day. In light of these latest measures, how are people in Singapore approaching leave and leisure, and what are some ways in which they choose to destress and unwind?Having the SingapoRediscovers vouchers (SRV), a S$100 (US$75) voucher given to Singapore Citizens aged 18 years and above to boost support for the local tourism industry, gave Anna Yeo, 28, and her fianc\u00e9 Gregory Lim, 32, new motivation to discover alternative ways to spend their leave together.\u00a0The couple are two of over 760,000 Singaporeans, as of 28 March, who have utilised the SRV scheme to book Singapore hotels, attractions and tours, amounting to more than S$108 million being spent in redemptions and out-of-pocket payments. But it seems they are the minority, since according to reports in April, about three-quarters of adults (2.2 million) have not redeemed their vouchers that expire on 30 June.\u00a0The vouchers came in handy for Miss Yeo and Mr Lim, who started exploring new leisure options and experiences, such as taking a cable car ride \u2013 something they would not have otherwise considered.\u00a0\u201cBoth of us went on a cable car experience, just to sit in a [cable] car from Harbourfront to Sentosa. It [was] not so memorable but at least I saw the scenery that I needed. We did [it] to not only use the vouchers that we had but also to spend a bit more time outdoors [rather] than just at home,\u201d shares Miss Yeo.\u00a0The couple also attended a virtual reality (VR) experience at HeadRock VR in Resorts World Sentosa, which Mr Lim had always wanted to try. \u201cWe had fun because we [got to] kill zombies,\u201d Miss Yeo laughs.\u00a0Immersing in alternate realities through the world of games is another way that some, like Mr Lim, unwind. While he used to spend his leave overseas, travel restrictions have redirected his focus to activities like gaming.\u00a0Anna Yeo with her fianc\u00e9 Gregory Lim at Lorong Halus Wetland. (Photo courtesy of Anna Yeo)Elizabeth (not her real name), 37, found a novel way to approach leisure with her husband and nine-month old daughter: Creating their very own holiday.\u00a0\u201cSingapore is very small, but you can make it very big. You can drive around with family… [even] incorporate a staycation. You make a holiday where you are. That was our plan,\u201d she says.\u00a0The domestic holiday was meant to last a full week, but her husband only managed to take a few days off, which the couple spent with their daughter. They rented a car to explore Singapore, treated themselves to a good meal and went on a staycation. She spent her remaining leave days catching up with friends and running errands.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a good recharge… I think it was a necessary break,\u201d she notes.\u00a0Staycations have become a popular choice for Singaporeans looking to reclaim some semblance of an overseas holiday, that is until the latest restrictions were announced. Take 24-year old Rochelle and her partner Kenneth (not their real names), 25, who say that they might not have done it if not for being stuck in Singapore.\u00a0The couple also plan to visit local attractions, such as the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park. Their original plans to visit the S.E.A. Aquarium have been put on hold, as they decided to wait and see if the attraction would impose new rules for visitors.\u00a0\u201cWe were originally planning on going to S.E.A. Aquarium. We were gonna book the [tickets]… Then the new measures were announced,\u201d Rochelle says, referring to when the size of social gatherings were reduced from eight to five people, and facilities such as gyms were ordered to shut. These restrictions have since been further enhanced.\u00a0\u201cWe ended up not booking the tickets yet, and [we\u2019re] seeing what new measures [S.E.A. Aquarium is] going to implement,\u201d she concludes.Staycations have become increasingly popular with couples such as Rochelle and Kenneth, as they look for new leisure alternatives. (Source: Albert Vincent Wu \/ Unsplash)For some, the pandemic has also introduced new routines at home, with many starting to cook and bake for leisure. Diora Henson, general manager at Tickled Media, challenged herself to \u201clevel up\u201d her skills as a home chef during the lockdown period, last year.\u00a0\u201c[I] whipped up all [kinds of] cuisines from Western, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, [to] Middle East[ern]! Even baked a whole array of cookies and experimented with several different recipes to discover which is best,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0Cooking soon proved to be a meaningful, bonding activity with her 12-year-old son, Ethan, who discovered his passion through recipes for ‘quick cook hacks’, such as baking a cake in a mug, and making oreo brownies in a microwave. \u201cHe even mastered the art of making Dalgona coffee!\u201d Mrs Henson quips.Diora Henson\u2019s son Ethan whipping up bak kwa fried rice, one of the dishes he picked up after discovering a passion for cooking last year. (Photo courtesy of Diora Henson)To curb their boredom, Mrs Henson also embarked on a fitness regime with Ethan during the circuit breaker, which she gamely admits was \u201clost\u201d when the restrictions eased up. In a bid to look for new ways to entertain themselves, they also turned to board and card games, and drew inspiration from \u2018lockdown\u2019 games they found online, such as the Draw On My Back challenge, which involves a person trying to replicate a drawing based on what they feel is being drawn on their back.\u00a0Mrs Henson enjoyed the \u201csilliness\u201d of the game, and seeing her family laugh: \u201cWe ended up with a few tee shirts with marker marks, of course coupled with screams [as] what was drawn compared to the output were way different!\u201dShe adds that her family has been spending much less on entertainment and leisure due to the lack of travel, and have been shopping online more.\u00a0The importance of taking leaveKenneth, who works in management consulting, says that the public\u2019s attitude toward taking leave has changed after the rise of work-from-home arrangements.\u00a0\u201cI think people just cherish leave more… Last time you have to go to [the] office and always be on point for extended periods of time, which can be draining,\u201d he explains, adding that people are more deliberate about taking leave. Before the pandemic, and when telecommuting was less common, he thinks that going on leave was a way to escape the office. \u201cNow you can take shorter breaks, so you don’t [have to]… It\u2019s not that it\u2019s more precious, but if you want to take it, you will think more carefully,\u201d he explains.\u00a0\u00a0Miss Yeo adds that working from home has led to the blurring of boundaries between one\u2019s work and life, as she finds that it is harder to detach mentally from work.\u00a0\u201cWith the Covid situation it kind of makes leave not like leave. Because even when you\u2019re having leave, my mind still gets to thinking about work,\u201d she says. \u201cI also sometimes have to be on the phone during my leave days… it affects your work-life balance structure.\u201dMr Lim agrees and believes that it is more important than ever to set aside time for self-care, when one is unable to use one\u2019s leave for holidays overseas. He suggests changing the focus on taking leave to incorporating \u201cmaybe less of new experiences but more of rest and reflection.\u201dBut taking leave is still important, maintains Mrs Henson, who emphasises the importance of taking the time to rest. Her husband and her need close to four to five days to \u201ctotally relax and get work out of our systems\u201d, and hence usually avoid planning for vacations that are less than a week in duration, so as to \u201cfully rest, recharge and come back to work fresh.\u201dShe notes, however, that treading the line between her work and home commitments can prove to be tricky, especially when it comes to setting aside quality time with her loved ones.\u00a0She explains, \u201cEven if I were to use [my leave] and current measures dictate \u2018no travel\u2019 or \u2018stay at home\u2019, chances are I will be required to attend to work-related matters.\u201dDespite this, she remains optimistic, adding that she still has plans to explore Singapore with her family: \u201cI do want to see how I can utilise my leave to perhaps be tourists in our own country \u2013 exploring Singapore once regulations are lifted, or just chilling and relaxing with them.\u201dDiora Henson with her husband Chris and their son Ethan. (Photo courtesy of Diora Henson)Elizabeth thinks that it is important to take at least one longer period of leave every year, on top of regular breaks. \u201cEvery month [or] every other month, you should take some time off for yourself to settle things. Even if it’s half a day. It helps. It’s like something to look forward to, to recharge,\u201d she says.\u00a0Hope for the future and cherishing time spent with loved onesTaking her family away, though, is what Mrs Henson truly misses.\u00a0\u201cThis is a big gap in our lives now,\u201d she admits, but adds that it is still possible to spend quality time together. \u201cWe spend time in the swimming pool, or just cuddling as a family binging on movies or music. This is a fine opportunity for families to strengthen bonds and build resilience in crisis as a family unit.\u201dElizabeth misses the days of large family gatherings.\u00a0\u201cWe’ve not been able to meet together for the longest time… Last time family gatherings are like, every other week, you can gather 10, 15 people together. But now you have to do so much planning, [and consider factors such as whether gatherings] hit the quota,\u201d she says.While she took to playing online games with her nieces through Zoom to connect with them, she soon realised that her family still prefers face-to-face meetups.\u00a0\u201cAt the start it was quite fun, my nieces would play games with us over Zoom, like hangman. After a while it’s like \u2018you wanna play hangman again?\u2019\u201d she quips. \u201cThe other things that kids like to play, it’s not a Zoom thing. Our family didn\u2019t really quite catch on to that culture.\u201dThe new restrictions have also limited Mr Lim and Miss Yeo\u2019s chances to connect over a meal with their loved ones.\u00a0\u201cOne thing that we have in common [is that] we love eating with our friends and family. So with the restrictions on a max of two [people], pretty much is just us already, unless we go and meet people individually,\u201d he explains.\u00a0Miss Yeo adds that she looks forward to engaging in sports activities with her friends after restrictions ease up, such as playing tennis and going bowling. She also misses karaoke.\u00a0\u201cThese are things that I would love to use my leisure [time] for, I haven\u2019t gone singing for quite a while,\u201d she reveals.\u00a0 \u201cWhen Covid happened, I realised that I don\u2019t actually have much time to spend with my friends.\u201dShe and Mr Lim wish to visit Taiwan for their honeymoon after getting married but feel a tinge of regret wondering if they might experience a different Taiwan than prior to the pandemic.\u00a0\u201cIt might have changed post-pandemic… Some things might have been lost forever,\u201d explains Mr Lim.\u00a0Miss Yeo agrees, \u201cLife, traditions there might have changed… So it’s gonna be something that we won’t get to see and experience. The most regretful part of it [is] we won’t get to see the original.\u201d\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Can we truly relax in a pandemic?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/can-we-truly-relax-in-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]