I Spent Two Months Plus Doing These Things During Singapore's Circuit Breaker

Now that Singapore’s Circuit Breaker has entered Phase 2, with limited openings of certain establishments, I suppose we could say that we are starting to get back to some sense of ‘normal’.

Perhaps this is a time to take stock of what I’ve done over the past 2 months or so.

The main achievement?

I produced 4 sets of curriculum/content.

Namely,

1) Forensic Investigative Skills

The original purpose for this one is for the school market, of course. This will be put to use in July, as long as schools remain open.

That said, I think that it will be both useful and fun for adults as well. The skills, after all, are used in our everyday lives - information gathering, observation, problem solving, and so on.

I’ll have to see who I can talk to to get this started.

2) Health Science

Again, this was made for the school market, but can be useful for those who have aged parents and/or children to take care of.

3) Harnessing Your Quiet Strengths

Now, this one has a little story behind it. It was originally developed for Introverts Network Asia (INA), but things have tapered off for this, so I never finished it, leaving it half done.

I decided to just finish it up. At least I now have a set of curriculum ready to go should I need it, either live or, perhaps, as an online course.

It is, as expected, aimed at introverts and helping them to make use of the strengths that they perhaps regard as insignificant, but are actually highly valuable.

I see this as an accompaniment to The Introvert Teacher, and intend to have them linked together.

4) 4D Your Message

This is my take on communication skills, slightly angled towards newer educators/trainers, but can definitely be used by anyone who wants to get their message out.

This, too, has a story behind it. It was originally conceived for online delivery as part of an initiative by an organisation. But, as with the previous set of content, this, too, fizzled out.

I decided to just have it finished up.

My main thought at the moment is figuring out how to bring these things to more people once Circuit Breaker properly ends.

I've considered online training, but the activities, especially for the first two, are best done live. I could potentially redesign them, but it’s A LOT of work.

Alternatively, I could have them converted to videos and sell an online course. I’m not sure yet.

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I’m also finishing up a project I started 2 years or so ago - my book on gem buying, titled A Gem of a Deal.

The good news is:

A Gem of a Deal is NEARLY finished! Yay!

Here’s a cover I designed for it. It may not be the final version, but I’ll use it for now.

I’ll put more information up on Loupin Jewels.

Yes, I designed it myself. Photoshop and Illustrator. ;)

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Photographing gems!

It’s quite a long story behind this, but I’ve started to photograph gems again. This time, the results look pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

Sapphire Crystal

Garnet Crystal

Prehnite Cabochon

Emerald Piece

And, of course, I’ve been collating some of my old photos.

It’s been a fairly productive couple of months, I’d say.

Here’s to an even more productive 2 months ahead!

I Took Some Pictures of Normally Crowded Places in Singapore During the Circuit Breaker Period

This was at the start of the Circuit Breaker period

Beaches were cordoned off

Normally crowded, central areas were seeing very little foot traffic

No dine-in was allowed, hence the taped tables and chairs

Playgrounds and Exercise Corners were similarly cordoned off

Seating areas in shopping malls cannot be used by customers

Larger or more established food outlets had areas for food delivery personnel to pick orders up, each delivery service getting its own dedicated space

It’s a little odd to see the atrium so devoid of activity

At least the lighting still looks a little cheery

My 8 Predictions for 2020 - As COVID-19 Progresses

There’s been A LOT of news flying around, not all of which are very encouraging. I’d really rather not add to the gloom, but certain things seem inevitable.

So here are my predictions for the rest of the year, 2020:

1) Singapore will have its elections, and the current party will win by a significant margin.

2) Singapore’s total COVID-19 cases will go up to 50,000 - 100,000 before Dec 31, 2020. This will occur due to a second / third surge of cases. I really hope I’m wrong about this one.

3) Air travel in and out of Singapore will be partially re-instated by July, and there will be an initial surge in demand.

4) New initiatives will be put in place, either by MOM or some other body, that elevate the status of freelancers / contract workers and make things easier for them in situations when they need what is typically quite easy for employed workers - e.g. bank loans, credit card signups, etc.

5) Video conferencing will see a sharp drop in demand once workplaces start having their employees back, and people start moving around again. It will, however, still go back up to a level of use that is higher than it ever was before.

6) China will experience a drop in prestige, but will continue to expand and exert its power over and through ASEAN, Near East, and African nations that are currently still friendly with it.

7) Trump will remain President of the USA after 2020.

8) World markets will have a downturn through the 2nd half of the year, though I’m not yet sure if it will ‘properly’ crash. I’ll probably have to update this when I see more signs.

Opportunities Amidst the Current Microbiological Climate

Unless you are somehow isolated from the world and its happenings, this is a period of constant daily news about the latest disease outbreak - that of COVID-19.

Almost like a throwback to the days of SARS, temperature taking and travel declarations are the norm again.

And thus, invariably, comes the economic downturn. What else would we expect from cancelled travel, delayed shipments, and affected trade?

And yet, within all of this, there appears to be vast opportunity.

The question is, can you spot it?

Depending on your location, expertise, and station in life, you may be in a unique position to take advantage of the sudden slowdown.

For some of you, this is the perfect time to start developing that area of business that you never had the time to do earlier because you have been constantly swamped with work.

For others, this is your opportunity to just take a step back and recover from all the stresses that you have been placing upon your body and your relationships.

And for still others, this may be a chance to explore new markets and clients that never existed before now.

What I’m trying to say is that sitting around, merely reading the news, and having a pity party for yourself is not going to get you very far. Take this unprecedented opportunity to do something. You will be glad you did.