I’ve never slept as well as I have the past two months. In fact, I’ve never slept in the same bed as long as I have. I’ve traded in my travel apps for productivity and health apps. Goodbye, Tripit. Hello, Notability. Goodbye, Time Lag. Hello Otter.
Otter has improved my life considerably. He helps me make sense of my conversations, he’s quite smart really. He gets about 70% of it right. He keeps me amused with his mistakes. Conversations can be quite funny with Otter’s AI-powered sense of humour.
And no matter what, he still can’t get my name right. I am sometimes Yoshi to him, other times, Susan, often times, Soup Spoon. I forgive him though. Even to humans, my name has been my bane as a traveller. In Germany, even after umpteenth visits, I am still addressed as Mr Huhn (which means chicken in German) when I check into hotels.
Now Otter is integrated with Zoom, which is like a marriage made in virtual heaven. Zoom records, Otter transcribes. Perfect yin-yang of relationships. I wish I could find a mate like Otter, he’s a really good listener and he’s always in the background, not like Zoom which is very much in your face.
But I won’t knock Zoom. I think he’s a good second-choice as an ideal mate. He’s allowed me to have dinners with friends, quiz nights with strangers and deep meaningful conversations with industry colleagues. I think this virus, while it has shut us down in our homes, has freed our mind and opened our hearts.
People are sharing stories like never before – stories of personal sorrows, getting back up after horrific accidents – and we are allowing everyone into our homes. I now know if someone is a book lover and what books they read, whose kids are always banging away in the background, whose dogs are always barking or playing with squeaky toys and what art they love.
Over the weekend, a friend came by to drop off some food. My dog went crazy at the sight of her. I did too but I had to hold back because I couldn’t very well jump on her and bite her hand, much as I yearned to. It dawned upon me then that our dogs miss our friends too, as much as we miss them. It fair made us both cry.
My friend who works at a dog shelter in Singapore tells me enquiries for adoptions are up but because of the restrictions, the adoptions can’t go through. “The process isn’t like ordering a pizza which many seem to think from all the enquiries we are getting. We need them to visit the dogs and bond with them over a period of time and we also have to do house visits.”
In Singapore, from June 1, we will be allowed to visit our family – two family members at a time. No friends yet. No restaurants. We can only look on with envy as our friends in other places – Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Japan, Spain, Portugal, and more – emerge from their lockdowns and send us photos of them eating in cafes.
I feel we are being slowly released from prison and, for most of June, we will be on parole and monitored for good behaviour. We have been told that “if measures work, we will resume more activities before end June”.
I am happy for animals and nature. Singapore’s looking a tad untidy, the grass is longer, the weeds are growing, butterflies are flitting about merrily and caterpillars are flourishing. Trees are not being cut and they are bearing fruits and birds and bees are feeding on them lustily.
I like this version of Singapore – a little wilder, a bit more like a natural home for animals. The other day, I came across a monitor lizard right on the river bank, shedding and eating its own skin, while next to it, a grey heron was fishing. My mind transported me to the Okavango Delta in Bostwana.
The real otters are also having a ball of a time. They have been found wandering the streets, even visiting the 24-hour Mustafa Centre in Little India, only to be disappointed when they found it closed.
This morning, as I was walking, two bicyclists rode past me. A little boy’s voice asked, “Daddy, when can we go to the sea again?” “When borders open,” Daddy said.
Our fundamental right to travel reduced to a throwaway line from a speeding bicycle.
Prior to this, home was our sanctuary, now it’s our asylum. In the “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” book and movie, strong friendships and bonds were formed in the institution between the inmates.
I am sure our friendships and bonds with those we care for will also be stronger as a result of this time. We can only hope ours will be a happier ending than what happened to the protagonist McMurphy played by Jack Nicholson in the Ken Kesey book.
• Featured image credit: bbettina/Getty Images