Hello weekend! If there’s anything I’ve never dreaded in my entire life, it’s absolutely you! 😃 There were rare times I had to work over a weekend but there’d still be moments of non-routine where I could breathe and relax.

A number of things that make each weekend, no matter how ordinary, special.

1) Getting to sleep in until I’ve had enough rest. Something that I can’t do all week, no rush in the morning! I could stay in my sleep clothes until noon time if I don’t have to go anywhere.

2) Breakfast with family. Saturday breakfast is somewhat special, a full meal which falls around brunch time. Sunday breakfast is usually lighter, but I allow myself to eat some tasty processed food like sausages (longganisa or Spanish sausage) or instant stir-fried noodles. The weekend is usually packed with outdoor activities so I try to ignore the calories!

3) Outdoor activities such as going to the park, cycling, or spending a day at the beach. My ideal weekend involves nature, greenery or going to places I’ve never been to before. While Singapore is small, there are still many places to visit and immerse oneself in the local environment and culture. My favorite park is Singapore Botanic Gardens, and beach would usually be Palawan or Tanjong in Sentosa. The farthest we’ve cycled was to Jurong East, which lasted for about 4 hours to and fro. Being outdoors always had a positive effect on my brain, it resets and becomes ready to take in new information again. Aside from taking pictures, I am able to disconnect from the online world and be one with my family and nature.

4) Eating wherever our day trips would take us. Singapore is known for its diverse food choices and even a meal at the food court is tasty, not to mention cheap! We like Thai-style or black pepper chicken chop, Yang Chow fried rice, Yong Tau Foo, Pepper Lunch and Pho Street, among many. I’d personally enjoy Saba Fish with rice, Ban Mian and Fried Dumplings with ginger dipping sauce too. You’ll never go wrong with food at Kopitiam, Koufu or Food Republic. Recently discovered Food Smiths serving western food at Liang Court.

5) Attending Church on Sundays. I must admit that ever since I became a mom, I can hardly count the masses I attended with full attention. Nowadays, I just take it as a real life setting where we can teach our son how to behave (no talking, eating or playing), though we don’t succeed as often as expected. Going to Church gives us an opportunity to occasionally see old friends too.

6) Staying at home. Weekends don’t have to be productive all the time, after all those are the only days to have full day rest. While “rest” does not usually mean lazing around all day, it could mean more time to play with my son (or rather, watch him play), catch up with reading or sorting some stuff. We seldom watch TV nowadays but when we do, we’d watch a Tagalog chick flick or some movie that is “easy on the mind”.

So there you go! The key thing is that you get to do the things you enjoy or the things that you need done. Weekends must be empty spaces that we can unload, slow down or strive to think clearly. ‘Cause it won’t be long that Monday creeps in to start another work week.

How about you, what excites you when weekend approaches? 🙂