AKINN TO YOU STAYING HOME, STAYING SANE
AKINN launched in Sept 2019, and we were on such a positive trajectory, we were all very excited and optimistic about the coming year of the Rat. Then I read something about a novel flu virus in China in January, I thought nothing of it, after all, there were a number of labelled flu strains after SARS and we hardly broke our stride in our daily routine. By the time CNY came, the whole situation felt more ominous.
What a difference a couple of months make, now we are in April and the start of our version of a ‘Lockdown’ in Singapore. I have brought my work home (you know you’re committed to working from home when you have to bring your printer back) and we have our vid-cons all scheduled. But it still feels surreal and sometimes anxiety does creep in.
And we need different states of mind and a few methods to stay calm and purposeful to get us through this unprecedented time.
For me to get through the day and not have an urge to go out and be with people, starts with my music, to keep me motivated to do my work, whether it is designing, merchandising, or just administrative, good music keeps me focused. So here are some selection. Mostly from Soundcloud, mostly electronic, house music, a good beat to keep your heart going at a steady pace.
So this track goes on loop, it is my Circuit Breaker track that will take me through the month. I just have these guys in the background, a Taipei cool radio, mix of soul, electronic, house, Taiwanese and international, check them out.
Have your exercise and workouts planned. They are something to look forward to, whether it is at the start of the day, at teatime, or end of the day to mark the end of the work day. If yoga is your thing, there are a lot of yoga studios airing, I just follow Ziva or CorePower Yoga.
And when you run, do not go too close to the runner in front of you, just in case, be mindful of the slipstream.
Planning my next meal is a big thing for me. I live alone so I don’t stock much perishables. Mostly simple dishes. I usually cook too much when I do cook, whether it is a pasta dish or just fried rice, so I have my leftover the next day. I live in Sunset Way so there are plenty of choices;
I know I will be getting in the best roast chicken that will last me for a week, from Summerhill.
Best place to get my local dishes would be Sunset Railway Café and everything else in between, all accessible from Stay Home Makan SG.
I know I will be finishing that pastel drawing I have had on my easel for more than 2 years. So whether it is starting a new hobby or just finishing off an old project, there is no better time than now. Apart from our Skillsfuture fund just sitting there waiting for us to use, there are literally millions of How to do videos online, you just have to pick one.
When you feel like there should be more to be done to help others, well you can start by giving here.
We will be looking at various ways AKINN can contribute to the cause of fighting COVID19, like free facemasks, donating laptops, there are a lot of people less fortunate, in a much less comfortable space than we are in, so please spare a much-needed action for them.
Lastly, if you live alone like me, the isolation can get to you. Friends and family are most important for my sanity. My cat also gives me solace in that I have to take care of it and I get to squeeze it from time to time.
But our quarantine of consumption is also a time for me to reflect on what has happened and how it has presented an opportunity for all of us to reset and reboot our lifestyle, the way we work, the way we interact with each other and all creatures big and small, it is an opportunity to reassess the values by which we measure our actions. And I look forward to more purposeful collaborations, happier colours and sustainable actions. But for now, I look out of my window and think there is just so much that is beautiful in this world for us to look forward to.
Stay safe, Stay home.