Singapore—One way that the Covid pandemic has upended life as we know it is that travellers have been forced to spend time in hotels all over the world, or as one Singaporean travel vlogger calls it, “5-star jail.”
Forty-four-year-old Jason Ng hasn’t been to Singapore for 17 years but arrived on November 23 and was promptly billeted at the Carlton Hotel.
What makes Mr Ng’s experience truly unique is that he’s sharing it with everyone on the planet, not just during the more eventual hours of the day but all the time, 24/7, via livestream on his YouTube channel, called Singaporean In Korea / America / Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E06edlXnIg8
Yes, you read that correctly, anyone who wants to can watch the blogger eat, exercise, work, and sleep. And people can type in questions as well, which he happily answers.
On “Surviving 14 Days Quarantine In Singapore” Mr Ng provided his daily schedule. From the time he wakes up (7.00 am) till he does his ‘US market work’ in the evening (8.00pm onwards) Mr Ng is in front of a camera, with “focused interaction times” at “8am, 12 noon and 6pm.”
And while some may feel that it’s self-indulgent to expose the minutiae of one’s life while under quarantine, it must certainly help Mr Ng while away the required two weeks while confined to the four walls of his hotel room.
The outgoing vlogger certainly engages viewers, inviting them to join him for meals or workouts, and keeping them abreast of his weight-loss journey as he tries out the keto diet for the first time. He shared that his goal is to have only of 12 per cent body fat within the two weeks of his quarantine, and has kept followers updated with weigh-ins and body measurements.
Additionally, as if one social media platform isn’t enough, Mr Ng keeps followers updated via his Facebook page as well, writing on the day he arrived, “Great to be back in Singapore. Big bag of mixed feelings as I find myself talking and looking like a foreigner… a foreigner in my own country and indeed treated like a foreigner and placed in a hotel is pretty… unreal. 17 yrs away is a long time.”
But it’s obvious that Mr Ng likes being with people and found a way to be with them even during his quarantine, and it’s equally obvious that people like him back.
The day after arriving in Singapore he received a traditional breakfast set from a fan. And even if the meal was not part of his keto diet, he wrote, “I am going to eat this cos this is from your heart to my belly!!!”
On day 4 of his quarantine, he wrote, “I have been so busy with my live streaming I never had time for games nor TV! Lol! I am really touched by loyal fans who came on the stream to chat me up EVERY SINGLE DAY! I never knew it would be this way and I am so grateful! Cant wait to meet u fantastic people in real life!”
Indeed, people have continued to send him gifts, including food and coffee. One day he mentioned that he had forgotten to include vitamin B and someone immediately sent him a bottle.
It seems that even the staff at the Carlton Hotel is watching his livestream. In his latest Facebook post, Mr Ng said his laptop had died and that he “desperately needed an USB recovery drive.”
When he had given up hope, the hotel sent him a recovery usb from their IT department without him even asking for it. —/TISG