SF diaries, #02/2022 – About amazing sunsets, air pollution, and hanging out with new old friends

Another week started low. I actually had planned to kick off the second week of the year with a new sports routine, healthy food, and less wine, but instead ended up planning a trip to California’s Wine Country for the holiday weekend, which unfortunately also seduced me to start the tastings a little earlier, oopsie.

I also didn’t feel that well, yet (or again?), and since Covid cases are going through the roof in San Francisco and the state has just recently extended its indoor mask mandate that also applies to gyms, I didn’t feel like going to Bootcamp classes, either. Instead, I booked a few online yoga classes through Yoga Movement, the yoga brand I would always go to while living in Singapore. Since we left the city-state, we had called our home for two years quite abruptly (and during another lockdown that triggered gym/studio closures), I have a few courses left still, and I am grateful that they up to this day offer online courses that I can join from the other side of the world. In fact, it’s quite funny: I usually book their 7.15 am class, which for me happens to be on the afternoon of the day before. Whenever I sign in and see the group’s sleepy faces and hear the teacher say “Good Morning, I am grateful for everyone who made it to their mat that early”; I always have to giggle a little to myself. Oh Singapore, I have to admit I miss you. Sometimes, anyway.

By the end of the week, I realized the reason for my having respiratory issues wasn’t another actual sickness, but a result of the bad air quality that San Francisco encountered during the week. It was so bad that even my weather app told me it was unhealthy for sensitive groups to go outside. On the other hand, the high pressure that brought in sunny skies but also trapped sea spray, dust, and pollution, created stunning sunrises and sunsets that Daniel was able to capture during his daily ferry commute.

I still didn’t really leave the house until Saturday. That’s when we finally saw our friends whom we met in Singapore and who moved to the Bay Area recently. It was just as always, as it is with good friends, no matter how long you haven’t seen each other, it’ll still feel the same. But it was nonetheless so fun to catch up and hang out on the other side of the world.

For Monday, we have a fun trip planned to Napa Valley. I’ll tell you all about it next week.

Until then! xx