Today are the festivals of Avani Avittam and Raksha Bandhan. As it happens every year, since they were about nine months old, GG will tie the rakhi to her brother. BB usually hates wearing it, but he has grown better at this over the years and since it’s on a Sunday this time, GG has already told him that he needs to keep it on for atleast 24 hours. His gifts to her are small ones because this comes out of his pocket money, but he has promised her that once he starts earning, he will gift her something special.

Last weekend, the world watched in horror as the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul and the ensuring chaos has shaken everyone. Like me, I am sure many of you have seen the viral videos of people clamouring to get into planes and even climbing on them and how some people have fallen to their deaths when the planes eventually took off, such was their desperation to escape the new regime. I also saw parents passing their babies to strangers and throwing them over barbed wire to the departing soldiers and those who were lucky enough to escape just so their babies have a shot at a better life.

In Singapore, in the month of August, 10 people have died because of COVID and in the past almost twenty months, this is the first time I am seeing this many people die in a short period of time. And this is very scary. Of the 10, I think one was fully vaccinated, with the others unvaccinated, all were 60ish and had other complications. 77% of Singapore’s population is currently fully vaccinated or completed the full regime which means either both doses of the vaccine or one dose if they have recovered from a previous infection of COVID.

GG & BB are in full examination mode! BB has started his already and is one down with four more to go while GG, who only has two this semester has both this week. BB is slightly miffed that GG finishes a weekend before him so while she chills next weekend, he has to continue studying. And then they will go on a semester break before going back to school for their fourth semester.

I’ve had a serious case of writer’s block this week and so barely did anything. I am hoping that next week is much better and things go back to normal as I do not like this period of not writing.

And this week’s quote is very simple – people either inspire you or they drain you. We should therefore choose very wisely whom we interact with and choose to hang out with, the implication being to choose those who inspire us to be and do great and let go of those who drain us of energies.

That’s all from us this week. Stay safe everyone!