What does a director do during circuit breaker?
Learn how to cook at home, like plenty of us, apparently.
43-year-old Royston Tan has been "learning a new dish every day", because he misses his parents' cooking.
You may know Tan for his works like "15", "12 Lotus", and "881".
Thanks to technology, Tan's parents have been teaching him their recipes step-by-step through video call.
Tan, who has never made a single dish in his life, appears to be unreasonably talented in the kitchen.
Photo via Royston Tan
Photo via Royston Tan
Photo via Royston Tan
Photo via Royston Tan
Photo via Royston Tan
Photo via Royston Tan
Photo via Royston Tan
Perhaps due to the absence, or the constant communication, Tan feels that he has actually grown closer to his parents.
Besides cooking, the director has also embarked on a new filmmaking project.
Although it has been a "challenging time" for his staff at production house Chuan Pictures, the team has "no choice" but to remain positive.
One of the ways that they are doing so is by releasing two-minute documentaries every week, focused on poignant places in Singapore.
Tan aims to remind viewers of their connections to the larger community, so that they may ride through this crisis with hope and resilience.
"The spaces in themselves are just spaces. But spaces become places when we give meaning to them. They own a special place of our hearts because they represent memories that we treasure, moments that we want to re-live, and times that we don’t want to forget. They represent how we have a connection with others in our community. They represent our way of life in Singapore."
In case you were wondering, the footage for these documentaries were retrieved from Tan's storeroom.
Some of the films are from as far back as 10 years ago, he says.
They documentaries are then overlaid with a fresh interview, which provides a nostalgic and introspective look at the past.
So far, five episodes for have been released. You can watch them here.
Top image via Royston Tan, Rewind Singapore on Facebook