1. Exercise: Work out with local fitness instructors
You might grimace your way through these workouts, but nothing beats the post-exercise glow.
For a quick endorphin boost, follow a session by cycling and pilates instructor Tiong Jia En. The fitness trainer uploaded her first video on YouTube channel Sweat with JE about a month ago and has already amassed 1,200 subscribers.
Each video lasts between 10 and 25 minutes and promises to pack a punch. One of them, called 25 Minutes VERY SWEATY Abs And Arms Bodyweight Class, includes exercises such as leg lifts and bicycle crunches with little to no rest in between.
"A lot of moves that we are doing, you can do them well individually. But when you pack them together in a sequence and your muscles don't really get to take a break, that's when it really hurts," says Ms Tiong at the end of one video.
If you complete all 11 videos on her YouTube channel, there are more on her Instagram page under the IGTV tab (@iamjiaen), including stretches tailored to cyclists and desk-bound workers.
For longer workouts lasting between 30 and 50 minutes, check out fitness content creator Natalie Yeo's Instagram page (@nattylifts). She has been live-streaming her home workouts since last year's circuit breaker.
Sessions include high-intensity interval training and strength workouts, and occasionally incorporate equipment such as weights and resistance bands. Yeo's husband Joshua Woo joins some of her workouts.
Info: Go to Tong Jia En's YouTube channel and Instagram page and Natalie Yeo's Instagram page.
2. Play: A game of darts
It may not have made it to the Olympics just yet, but darts are a fun and easy way to get the whole family involved in a new game.
Pick up a child-friendly dart board (these darts have plastic tips, rather than metal ones - go easy on your wallpaper) from sporting goods retailer Decathlon. An entry-level dart board costs $20, while those with electronic scoring systems start at $35.
Beginners can learn the basics - such as the correct throwing stance and how to grip and throw a dart - from the DartCounter YouTube channel. For instance, to balance your throw, align your shoulder, elbow and hand at a 90-degree angle and keep the dart tilted slightly upwards.
More advanced players may enjoy watching trick shot videos on the same channel, such as throwing three darts at the same time and having them all stick on the board. Start practising now, so you can impress your friends once Covid-19 restrictions ease.
Info: Go to the DartCounter YouTube channel.
3. Listen: Coloratura, a new track from Coldplay
British rock band Coldplay's new song Coloratura, from their upcoming ninth album Music Of The Spheres, is a cinematic 10-minute track that carries on the album's intergalactic theme.
In May, the band released the first single from the album, Higher Power, by beaming a video of themselves performing it to French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who was on board the International Space Station.
"When you look up and can see the stars, you'll get a little bit of perspective into how small, and sort of finite, we are here on Earth, and it's a really useful viewpoint to be able to have," drummer Will Champion told The Straits Times in a Zoom interview from London last month. The band were also inspired by science-fiction movies and books.
Music Of The Spheres will be out on Oct 15.
4. Tar Pau Nation: Quality cooking, cafe prices at Mam Mam
Despite hearing positive reviews about the food at Mam Mam, the cafe at National University Hospital (NUH), I have not been able to dine there because it is not open to the public.
But it offers islandwide delivery, so everyone can check out the local fare conceptualised by chef Sebastian Ng, who runs his own restaurant, Venue by Sebastian, in Shenton Way. He opened Mam Mam last year with Edmund Ang, the third-generation owner of Ponggol Nasi Lemak, who heads the operations.
Because it caters to NUH staff, prices are affordable. But there is a minimum order of $50 for delivery (varies according to your address) and that buys enough food for three people. So this works better for families than solo diners, unless you invite two guests to join you.
5. Shelf Care: Nora Ephron's Heartburn is a warm, hilariously witty read
Rachel Samstat writes cookbooks for a living. When she is seven months pregnant, she discovers that her husband, a newspaper columnist, has been cheating on her with a friend.
To deal with the awfulness of it all, she puts pen to paper and what ensues is about 200 pages of hilarious, witty personal observations about love, marriage and divorce - folded in with recipes for bread pudding, cheesecake and other comfort foods.
Nora Ephron's Heartburn was published in 1983. It is heavily autobiographical, drawing on her journalist husband Carl Bernstein's much-publicised affair.
