My Perfect Weekend with Museum of Ice Cream’s Pirakash T

Who: Mr Pirakash T, 33, is the Asia-Pacific head for the Museum of Ice Cream and its parent company, Figure8. The Singaporean is in a relationship and lives in Yio Chu Kang with his five-month-old golden retriever puppy, Isla.

“Weekends are when I catch up with family and friends, and clock in some exercise and relaxation time.

I am often up by 5am on Saturdays to go cycling. The early start allows me to avoid road traffic and Singapore’s blazing heat.

I discovered road cycling as a teenager doing triathlons, and picked it up again during the Covid-19 pandemic.

My Saturday morning rides are done with various groups of friends, and we typically chalk up between 100km and 120km each ride. Taking an islandwide loop from east to west, we cover Tanah Merah Coast Road, East Coast Park, all the way to Lim Chu Kang through to Mandai.

The rigorous exercise gives me an excuse to indulge in a hearty breakfast, such as Sin Ming Roti Prata in Bishan. A set of traditional kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs, plus teh peng siew dai (iced tea with condensed milk and less sugar) always hits the spot.

Then I head back home to wind down and catch up on my reading. I have time to read only the news on weekdays, so I try to read something else over the weekend.

I recently finished SAS: Rogue Heroes (2016) by British writer Ben Macintyre, a fascinating story of how the British Army’s special forces unit, the Special Air Service (SAS), was formed in the early 1940s and its involvement in World War II.

On Saturday afternoons, I take my puppy out and about. Socialisation with other dogs and to new environments is important for puppies, so we usually meet other paw-parent friends at a park or pet-friendly cafes, such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware in Tyrwhitt Road.

I love to try new restaurants with friends at dinner, but as a big fan of hawker food, I never pass up the opportunity to trawl the island for the best Hokkien mee.

Some of my favourite spots include Chia Keng Fried Hokkien Mee at Chomp Chomp Food Centre and Swee Guan Hokkien Mee in Geylang Lorong 29.

Back home, I usually catch a football match or Formula One race before hitting the sack.

Sundays are often just as packed as Saturdays. I play tennis with friends early in the morning and have lunch with my family at my parents’ place in Thomson.

I have a regularly scheduled 11-a-side football match in the afternoon. The pitch location varies week to week.

The rest of the day is usually for winding down and setting my schedule and priorities for the week ahead, so that I am ready to go when Monday rolls around.”