The heat in Singapore has been kinda nuts of late.
To the point where it's normal to take a second "shower" seconds after stepping out of the house or abruptly wake up at night drenched in sweat.
Though I've been complaining about the heat, I have been resisting blasting the A/C all day at home for environmental wallet reasons.
Instead, I decided to expand my repertoire of strategies to better cope with the heat.
Here are four things I tried. For science.
1) Wearing attire to beat the heat
The first thing that I tried was changing my attire.
I vaguely remember from a primary school science lesson that black absorbs heat more, so white makes you feel cooler.
Meanwhile, this BBC article states that colour doesn't matter as much as wearing breathable fabrics like cotton, nylon and polyester.
It also said that being naked is the best method of staying cool.
I decided to go with a socially appropriate white T-shirt so I wouldn't get cancelled.
To make myself even cooler, I added some nifty gadgets I picked up online, such as a neck fan and cooling wipes.
Here's the look:
Image by Daniel Seow.
Though I felt noticeably cooler, it did not stop the criticism coming my way.
"You're going out like that?" my wife asked.
Ah, back to the drawing board.
2) Tricking my brain that it's cold
Another method that came to mind was to psych myself into thinking that it's cold.
Apparently, people do this by reading about the snow and cold temperatures to distract themselves from the reality of summer.
I tried this out by pulling up some cold-themed music and wallpaper to set the mood while I did my work.
Image by Daniel Seow.
After about an hour of this, however, I was still sweating.
Also, I realised that songs about the "cold" and "ice" are depressing if played on repeat.
Image via Spotify app / Imgflip website.
Plan C it was then.
3) Eating spicy food
I know this seems odd, but hear me out.
Eating spicy food — though counterintuitive in hot weather — makes sense if you want to sweat more and cool the body down.
That's what “science” claims, anyway.
Ordering in also gave me the chance to indulge my mala cravings (and save the effort of cooking).
Image by Daniel Seow.
After digging into my mala dish, a sticky sheen of sweat promptly formed on my forehead, cheeks and upper lip.
"So are you cooling down yet?" my wife asked.
"Eventually I will," I shot back.
However, as I awaited the promised relief, I found that my sweat didn't evaporate quickly enough.
So I decided to position myself more strategically to help with that.
Image by Daniel Seow.
I certainly discovered a new pleasure that day — it was like free air conditioning on my skin.
However, the lingering taste of mala in my mouth just made me want a cold drink.
Which brings us to...
4) Ordering ice-cold bubble tea
I know, I know, this isn't anything revolutionary.
But there's nothing like a refreshing ice-cold bubble tea (or the drink of your choice) when you're craving it.
"Who wants to join my bubble tea group order?" I asked my colleagues one day.
Here's a summary of what happened next:
Image via foodpanda app / Daniel Seow.
It's nice that I didn't have to step out of the office to get my fix — the S$1.99 delivery was a price I was willing to pay in this weather.
And for a Monday afternoon back in the office, it's definitely great for morale.
Cheers. Image by Daniel Seow.
I guess sometimes, what we really want is an excuse to treat ourselves.
And as a bonus, I got to earn brownie points with my colleagues.
S$1.99 delivery for treats to beat the heat
If the heat is deterring you from stepping outside, why not order something to beat the heat or treat yourself?
foodpanda is offering a deal on delivery fee at S$1.99 for selected restaurants, such as KOI Thé, Gong Yuan Ma La Tang, The Soup Spoon Union, Wingstop and many more.
And if you’re looking to do a grocery run but don't really want to lug your trolley or shopping bags around in the heat, pandamart is available 24/7, and delivers within an hour.
Bulky essentials like toilet paper, milk and bottled water come to mind as items I’d rather not have to carry home.
Or, you could order in fruits to make frozen treats like this:
Image by Daniel Seow.
As an added bonus, pandamart also has other cooling beverages like fresh pre-cut Thai coconut, coconut water and ice available for order - so you can get instant relief from the heat.
Stay cool, everyone.
This sponsored article made this writer cooler (Don't tell my wife I said that).
Top images by Daniel Seow.