TELL US A TALE & RECEIVE $200

Here’s your chance to get published – and make some money at the same time. We’re looking for 500-word written contributions on any funny, poignant, practical or even controversial topic that touches on expat life in Singapore. Simply email your stories in a Word document to contribute@expatliving.sg and we’ll consider them for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

We were on our annual trip to Australia to visit family and friends. As usual, we were generously hosted by my in-laws who live in one of Sydney’s typically leafy suburbs, 17km away from the central business district. For us, a day trip into the city starts with a wonderful ferry ride, ending up near the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House with spectacular vistas along the way.

On this particular day, we decided to visit the Sydney Aquarium, where we hadn’t been before. My two daughters, ages three and six, were very excited – and so was I! I love going to the city, and the beautiful ferry ride in itself is a rewarding experience.

While on the ferry, I realised I’d left my phone at home. A moment of panic overtook me. However, since I don’t have a data roaming plan, my phone is effectively just a camera while I’m overseas and without a Wi-Fi connection, so I figured it should be okay. The only issue I foresaw was meeting up with my husband after we visited the aquarium as he was going to meet a friend while the girls and I gazed at the sea life. To solve the problem, my husband googled how long people typically spend at the aquarium. We agreed to meet at the exit once that amount of time had lapsed – 90 minutes.

We said goodbye to my hubby and went our way. At first, I could see the aquarium was quite crowded, but we went at the pace of others and started to admire the sea creatures. One of the best parts was the sea tunnel where manta rays and sharks were swimming all around us. I felt multiple urges to take photos of this or that, only to remember that I didn’t have my phone!

And then it dawned on me: a sense of complete peace and being in the present. I felt liberated by not having to take pictures or thinking about how best to capture the moment. I felt happy. I looked around at all the people with their cameras sticking out, taking photos, staging pictures, telling their children to look at the camera, catching that perfect shot of a manta ray in the background, and I felt so relieved I didn’t have to do that! No pictures, just looking with my own eyes at everything around me.

Then I thought how silly we humans can be; we feel so pressured to capture moments on camera that we completely miss out on being there, mindful and conscious, appreciating the true beauty of what is right before us. Instead of experiencing our surroundings with our own senses, we restrain ourselves voluntarily and experience the world through small screens.

I walked out of the aquarium and told my husband that I felt so at peace and enjoyed the visit so much more than if I’d had my phone with me.

I didn’t plan to forget my phone on this particular trip, but having done so and experienced a sense of liberation that brought me true joy, I’ve decided to “forget my phone” again from time to time in the future!