SUMMER FRIDAYS

25 January 2021 | I used to think it was funny when Singaporeans talked about seasons here since it's virtually on the equator and the temp doesn't vary much but, indeed, they do have a summer and winter. They certainly do not have the temperature variations that the US gets but it does get cooler here in the winter.

I remember shortly after I arrived in 2019 when NBCU announced in May that we were getting 'summer Friday's.' I laughed at the time because I thought, "Wait a second... isn't every day summer here in Singapore?" It's like 31 degrees Celsius here every day. It really took me until 2020 to better understand the concept of summer in Singapore when COVID and lockdown forced us to actually be here every single day. Only in being here did I realise that the weather actually does change from season to season. It gets cooler and rainier (monsoon season causes some of this) in the winter from about December through January. At that time, the sun is a little lower on the horizon casting different shadows and seemingly making the city-state a bit cooler. And then add in breezier weather and you've got a slightly cooler Singapore. To me, it's still mostly still hot all of the time but there have been a few evenings where I've thought... "hmmm... am I just getting wimpy or am I a bit cold?"

All in all, the variations in temperature are very small compared to what you get in the US between winter and summer. And they don't really have a Spring because, frankly, flowers and trees and bushes bloom all year long. And Fall, nope, not really a thing. Trees and plants continuously shed their leaves and die. But seasons... as slight as they may be, do exist.