Culture Vulture

Embracing self-isolation

Solitude is a luxury, a time to look within and think

ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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Some time before the Chinese New Year, I stopped going out.

I have always tended towards paranoia and extremes. News of the spreading coronavirus outbreak was enough to send me into voluntary self-isolation. I skipped reunion dinner with my parents and every invitation for lo hei. I even dropped off the face of social media - why not go the whole hog?

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 17, 2020, with the headline Embracing self-isolation. Subscribe