While I'm sure there's a mechanical solution, my preferred solution (in terms of implementation time) would be to simply buy two hourglasses - one that measures 25 minutes and one that measures 5 minutes - and alternate between them.
Was hoping to see Singapore on the list of countries. Guess I'll have to wait for it to come out on Amazon.
I've had similar experiences with my parents and some of my colleagues. Often people will ask me how to do something related to work that can usually be solved with a quick google. When I discussed with my partner about this, she said she could think of a few reasons why it maybe better to ask people around you first.
1. Since people around you are in the same environment as you, you can usually get a lot more specific advice.
2. It's possible that they are asking you questions because they enjoy interacting with you and want to use it as an opportunity to learn something and interact with you at the same time.