21-Day Stay Home Notice in Singapore: How this Mommy Dinosaur Survived in Style!

Tri-some-of-those-Tops (Inspired by Triceratops)

My new “handle” - I barely even know what that means - the first things I think of when I hear the word “handle” are:

1. Love handles (trying to lose those after having had my baby one year ago!)

2. “I’m a little teapot” (I’m a little teapot, short and stout, here is my HANDLE, here is my spout)

How do I fit into Dinosaur Auntie’s world? I too am digitally-challenged and have only been forced to do everything on-line because of the pandemic! Which brings me to my first story: My 21 Day SHN Experience (otherwise known as Tri-some-of-those-Tops’ very VERY delayed entrance into the world of online shopping, instagram, and other things virtual).

21-Day SHN in Singapore

May and June were whirlwind months for this Mommy Dinosaur of 2: I planned for my elderly parents to relocate from the United States to Singapore, to be closer to my husband, kids, and I. Even in normal circumstances this can be a daunting task but during COVID, it was made exceptionally difficult. Some of the challenges I faced?

• Getting approval for them to come into SG (especially with borders closed)

• Buying their plane tickets to match the exact entry dates given by the ICA

• Securing a 2-bedroom apartment for them close to me (and convincing the real estate agent that I was going to be “living apart” from my husband and family, as SG tenancy rules do not allow for Short Term Visitors to rent)

• Hiring a helper with elderly experience (very VERY challenging task with current COVID restrictions limiting supply and with very high demand)

• Seeking approval from ICA to allow us to a) complete SHN in an apartment (not in the designated hotels); and b) with the new helper (who would not have been travelling with us)

• Securing approval to get my vaccine earlier before my flight

• Setting up my parents’ apartment so that it was ready for our SHN

...and miraculously (and by God’s grace) everything went very smoothly. The hardest thing was leaving my two babies (2yr7months, 11 months old) and husband behind, knowing that I wouldn’t see them for 27 days (travel + 21 day SHN).

Which brings me to my 21 day SHN (otherwise known as “the Government is not messing around”)

Can one even begin to imagine not being able to leave your house for almost 3 weeks (with the exception of getting 2 swab tests)? Welcome to my life for the past (almost) 21 days!

The Government is not messing around: 10K penalty Wristband and Gateways

We were given these very attractive black wristbands with unique QR codes and informed that if we try to damage them (ie. cut loose), we would be slapped with a SG10,000 fine. That info was enough for me to keep anything remotely sharp away from the precious band! We were given “gateways” which needed to be plugged in at all times. We were told that we’d need to have 2 swab tests done. And we were checked-up on multiple times - over the phone (ICA facetimed us to see our faces and the wristbands) and in-person (ICA showed up and again, needed to see us all in person as well as the wristbands and gateways). Let’s just say it again: The government here is definitely not messing around. They’ve got their eyes and ears on you!

Other than answering the ICA’s phone and facetime calls, and in-person visits, what did I do?

• Watched a lot of TV (series: Workin’ Moms, Blacklist, Lupin, Fresh off the Boat, Trust; Movies: Nomadland - yawn, Raya and the Last Dragon)

• Tried to walk 10,000 steps everyday (my Fitbit got a lot of mileage!)

• Read 2 books

• Planned our weekly and daily meals (and ordered A LOT of Amazon Fresh groceries)

• Facetimed with my kids and husband

• Spent time with my parents

• Slept a full 8 hours every day (the most I’ve slept in the past 3 years since I’ve had my daughter and son)

...and got myself some “me” time to revisit my favorite fashion blog, finally learn how to use Instagram, and jumped on the very late SHEIN train.

Even though my friends have been shopping online for ages, I refused to go virtual. I loved the actual ACT of visiting a store and touching things - whether that be avocados, apples (I sound like a creep) or tops and trousers. There was something to me about physically being in proximity with the goods that I relished - it was “me time” with my clothes (or groceries). This went out the window in 2018 when I had my daughter and we needed to get goods fast (thank you very much Jeff Bezos and the 2-hour Amazon SG delivery). I still didn’t jump on the online clothing train though...until COVID and SHN. And my, did I jump on that train fast during SHN!

Instagram has been around for eons and yet I’ve refused to even touch it - I barely use facebook, don’t know how to use twitter, and generally prefer meeting people face to face than talking on the phone or texting. A dinosaur? Why yes, I am!

So what have I learned from my foray into online shopping?

First off, apps like SHEIN are amazing in that they truly are SO SO cheap. My husband introduced me to the app a few months ago but I didn’t like it because at first glance, the clothes seem very trashy and slutty, and totally not stylish or fashionable. Until...I discovered that SHEIN’s app has an incredible algorithm where you can click on a product you like and then “recommend,” and the app will then show products that are a similar style. And then there’s the user reviews where you can see the “fit” of each product and the personal rating/recommendation.

So after browsing high-end fashion (something like below):

This is one of my favorite designers that I love but cannot afford…

...I would go into SHEIN and find something like this:

...for the fraction of the price! Let’s just do some math here - SGD995 vs SGD18 - the SHEIN dress is 1.8% the cost of the Johanna Ortiz dress!

Here’s another one:

MIGNONNE GAVIGAN earrings - beautiful but not within Tri-some-of-those-Tops’ budget!

And then I found these on SHEIN:

Similar? I think so! So then I was hooked.

In summary, online shopping can be a whole lot of fun (all the millennials out there are like ‘DUH - welcome to the 21st century, Granny’) and while I can’t actually touch anything, I still get a lot of joy through reading other user reviews, high-fiving myself for getting a good deal, and for (hoping) to look like a million bucks (but on a budget)! Stay tuned for more adventures with Tri-some-of-those-Tops!