5 things to do today: Write a letter to Covid-19, code a basic game and more

Stay in and help fight Covid-19. The Straits Times recommends fun, uplifting things to do each day

PHOTO: PIXIOO FOR DEAR COVID-19, KLOOK, HASIKO, SHAW BROTHERS

1 WRITE: A letter to Covid-19

PHOTO: PIXIOO FOR DEAR COVID-19

If you could write a letter to Covid-19, what would you say?

Pen reflections on the season as part of Dear Covid-19, a memory project by the National Youth Council and integrated marketing agency DSTNCT. It aims to collate snapshots of everyday life when Singapore came to a standstill under the circuit breaker.

Read letters from other Singaporeans, shared alongside photos from virtual shoots by local studio Pixioo.

Hear from couples who have missed honeymoons, parents coping with pregnancy and infants, and business owners struggling to stay afloat.

And buoy your spirits with uplifting accounts of families bonding and newlyweds starting a life together.

"Covid-19, you have brought so much distress and uncertainty, but you made us walk back into our homes, to our families, and realise that we should not take anything for granted. You helped us see the cracks in society where now, flowers are blooming," writes theatre actor Keith Lee.

From now until next Wednesday, share stories on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #DearCovid19SG and stand to win one of four $50 GrabFood vouchers daily.

Info: dearcovid19sg.com

2 DO: Workshops with Klook Home

PHOTO: KLOOK

Keep busy with hands-on workshops, online classes and do-it-yourself meal kits from Klook Home, a home-based experiences initiative launched this week.

Order craft kits and take part in online workshops to pick up skills such as botanical painting, floral arrangement and leather crafting.

Alternatively, unleash your creativity with masterclasses in storytelling or songwriting.

Free virtual tour experiences are also on offer and, unlike most virtual vacations, these weekly livestream sessions offer an interactive element. You can ask questions and chat with guides or animal handlers.

  • Write in

  • We would also like to hear from you, our readers, on how you are coping and keeping busy while at home. Please send us videos, pictures, stories, poems or other contributions at stlife@sph.com.sg or on ST's Facebook and Instagram accounts. We will curate and showcase some of these, including at str.sg/stayhomeST

Upcoming experiences include a tour of Casa Batllo, a modernist museum in Barcelona, Spain; seeing baby komodo dragons in Bali up close; and visiting the Old Royal Naval College in London, which has been used as a backdrop for Hollywood blockbusters such as Thor: The Dark World (2013), Skyfall (2012) and The King's Speech (2011).

Info: klook.com/en-SG/promo/klookhome-sg

3 CALM DOWN: With a stress-relief programme

PHOTO: HASIKO

Banish bad vibes with a seven-day stress remedy programme, offered by home-grown wellness company Hasiko.

The programme, which is free with the code STLIFE, combines workouts, meditation and guided self-reflection to help you build strength and flexibility, recognise stress triggers, improve sleep and build healthy morning rituals.

Info: experiences.hasiko.co/courses/7daystressremedy

4 CODE: A basic game

PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES/YOUTUBE

Coding is an increasingly sought-after skill and even primary school pupils are learning it these days.

Now, you can pick up the basics too. Learn to code a simple game on programming learning tool Scratch with multimedia journalist Kimberly Jow.

How long will she take and will the game eventually work? Watch the video to find out.

Info: Watch it at str.sg/JdPb

5 LOOK BACK: At the works of P. Ramlee

PHOTO: SHAW BROTHERS

On this day in 1973, actor and director Tan Sri P. Ramlee, who was viewed as the father of Malay movies, died at age 44 of a heart attack in Kuala Lumpur.

He wore many hats throughout his career and was also a producer, scriptwriter, composer and singer credited with giving new life to Malay music.

Relive some of his most significant films, such as Penarek Becha (The Trishaw Puller, 1955) and Pendekar Bujang Lapok (The Three Bachelor Warriors, 1959) in this short documentary that walks viewers through the 1950s and 1960s, also known as the golden age of Malay films in Singapore.

Info: Watch it at youtu.be/KUoNJVNTAgk

With input from the SPH Information Resource Centre

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2020, with the headline 5 things to do today: Write a letter to Covid-19, code a basic game and more. Subscribe