1. Tour: Virtual exhibitions at the Singapore Philatelic Museum
The Singapore Philatelic Museum is closed for renovation, but there are 13 virtual tours of past exhibitions that you can go on from the comfort of your home.
They include exhibitions such as Collecting Magic: From Stamps To Wands; The Little Prince: Behind The Story; All About Dogs; Shaking It With Shakespeare; and The League Against Evil: A DC Super Heroes Exhibition.
Those interested in history can visit Room Of Rarities to examine ancient stamps and dispensing machines, or explore the evolution of stamps in the Republic with The Singapore Journey: 50 Years Through Stamps.
The exhibitions, which are suitable for both young and old, have been captured in 360-degree virtual views, which make for an immersive experience.
Info: Go to the museum’s website
2. Watch: Animals in their natural habitats
Get a virtual front-row seat to wildlife around the world through the live streams of explore.org, from observing marine animals in the Pacific Ocean to watching bears fish for salmon at the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Besides watching the critters, visit the section on frequently asked questions to learn more about particular species of animals, the best hours to catch them in action and the exact location of the cameras.
You can also take part in discussions with other viewers of the live stream via a chat function on the website.
Info: Go to this website
3. Do: Create your own mandala
Colouring the intricate designs of a pattern and making sure to keep within the lines can be satisfying. It can also help you feel relaxed yet energised.
But before you begin colouring, have a go at designing your own geometric pattern, known as a mandala, at colormandala.com. Then colour it digitally.
Alternatively, if you prefer picking up a colour pencil for the activity, you can print out the designs with black-and-white outlines from the website and colour them, or simply buy colouring books at bookstores.
Info: Go to this website
4. Tar Pau Nation: Mala xiang guo from Ang Mo Kio MRT cooked just right
I like the spicy and numbing sensation of mala, the flavour that Sichuan cuisine is famously known for, the result of cooking with copious amounts of tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorn and fiery chillies.
Whenever I pass a mala xiang guo stall which lets you pick from a variety of ingredients to be cooked with mala sauce, I am tempted – except that I find it hard to order the dish for one person.
Taking my pick from the choices of meat, seafood and vegetables is easy, but I am often taken aback when the stallholder quotes a startlingly high price after counting, or in some cases weighing, my selections.
READ MORE HERE
5. Shelf Care: Enchanting fairy tales in Joanne M. Harris’ Honeycomb
“There is a story the bees used to tell, which makes it hard to disbelieve.” So begins this book of 100 gossamer tales, which flit through fairy realms.
Anglo-French author Harris is best known for her novel Chocolat (1999), but has in recent years plumbed a rich vein of mythology and folklore, from Norse legends in The Gospel Of Loki (2014) to Orfeia (2020), which gender-bends the Greek tale of Orpheus.
Honeycomb is constructed from short stories she began telling some years ago on Twitter.
READ MORE HERE
