Happy August Holidays! Double Celebration Year - DirectAsia
This year, Singaporeans get to celebrate 7 long weekends, one of which is coming up in August. Hari Raya Puasa falls on Thursday, August 8, and National day is on Friday, August 9.
This means without having to apply for leave, Singaporeans get Thursday thru to Sunday off from work. For those forward thinkers who had applied for leave earlier on in the year, this could possibly mean getting time off from August 3-11!
Unfortunately, Canada doesn't celebrate Hari Raya Puasa, nor does it recognize Singapore's National day as a statutory holiday, so I won't be getting any days off from work. But if I had been in Singapore, I can only think of two things I would be doing.
Heading Underwater ?
First and foremost... Diving. I was introduced to diving in 2006, and have been in love with it ever since. I've seen manta rays, whale sharks, mantis shrimps, nudibranchs (my personal favourite!), mola molas, a cuttlefish mating dance, balls of fish being penetrated by hunting barracudas... The list can go on.
But what makes each dive trip even more enjoyable, would be the company that I go diving with. Divers that do their memorable 100/500/1000th dive in the nude, throwing people off the deck of a two story boat, aiding someone's jellyfish stings by getting them pinned down on the deck and covering them with... uh... a bodily fluid that contains ammonia.
So diving would be high on my list of to-do's, even though I get the worst sinus barotrauma ever. Just make sure you get a good travel insurance so your medical bills (if you do need it) are covered when you get back. This way, your mind is at ease as you have a blast both on land, and in the water.
Not Your "Regular" Card Game
The other thing that would steal my holiday time? Mahjong.
Its been awhile since I played 4 rounds of mahjong at one sitting, but I do miss those days! In Canada, its so rare to find 3 other Singaporeans who 1) play fast enough, 2) want to play at least 2 rounds 3) take the game as seriously as I do!
Yes, I am aware of how much a Mahjong addict I sound like, but at least the first step of knowing you have a problem, is acknowledging it. And I definitely have a problem here. Unfortunately, I have the terrible problem of… not having good mahjong kakis!
What are some of the activities you have planned for the holidays? Would love to hear from you peeps. In any case, wishing you in advance “Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri” to all our Muslim friends in Singapore, and Happy 48th Birthday Singapore!