SINGAPORE - Home-grown singer-composer Dick Lee, 64, is a Cultural Medallion recipient who has penned songs for some of Singapore's best-loved stage musicals such as Beauty World (1988) and Fried Rice Paradise (1991). He also composed the all-time favourite National Day theme song Home.

"My work in the past few years has been more consultative so I did not have to deal with a big disruption to my schedule when Covid-19 hit.

Since the pandemic, I have noticed my weekdays blurring into my weekends, and my weeks morphing into months. My average day since early this year hardly differs from my weekend.

I'm up at the crack of dawn by 6.30am, and downstairs for my coffee and reading The Straits Times online by 7.15am (I dilly-dally in the bathroom).

I don't have breakfast as I'm on an intermittent fasting regimen, which means no food from 8pm till noon the next day.

Twice a week, I go for my swim at the Singapore Island Country Club, and Fridays are usually one of those days. My driver picks me up at 10.30am for my 10-lap swim, followed by lunch at the club.

After a light bite, I usually rack my brains for somewhere to go, but always end up at the supermarket. I am a fan of supermarkets. If I were overseas, I would prefer Sainsbury's over the Sistine Chapel. In Singapore, I rotate between Sheng Siong, FairPrice and the fabulous Cold Storage at Great World City.

Having more time on my hands has also prodded me towards my piano. I brushed up on my Bach, having so far learnt a couple of pieces by heart. This newly rekindled pastime has led me to pen a couple of tunes, which have resulted in some new songs - my first in a long time.

The other thing I revisited was my love of drawing. I embarked on a mission to sketch my family members from tiny black-and-white photographs from our family albums, using a magnifying glass.

These are on show at the National Museum's online exhibition #NeverBeforeSG."