This week was super productive for me in terms of writing and I managed to write something almost every day. But I also fell sick this week which was a bummer. After almost two years, I finally succumbed to a bout of a bad cough, cold and headache and that was enough to make me drowsy and lethargic towards the end of the week. Any one of the three is bad, but when you are hit with the triumvirate, it pulls you down and really makes you just want to rest till you are better. Anyway, I know that a cold will get better on its own and there’s nothing much you can do except rest and hydrate yourself, which is what I am doing.

This week’s quote does not seem to have an author, but it’s a very profound one. The quote says that someone who is truly happy is one who enjoys the scenery while on a detour. What this means is that even when things do not go our way, we should enjoy what comes to us and not grumble and gripe about the situation. Something to think about, right?

We’ve reached the halfway point in the year and the second half beckons us. This month, I have been reading quite a bit and am slowly, but steadily I am inching toward my annual reading goals. I am in West Bengal, in the city of Jalpaiguri, in the chicken neck that separates India and Bangladesh. I have about 100 km to reach the state of Bihar and then the Gangetic plains before I move south to Madhya Pradesh and finally Maharashtra.

BB and GG are busy with their school and internship respectively and that is going on well. GG will soon start her applications to university and this proves to be a high-stress situation. BB will go on to enlist in his National Service and after that, he will decide if he wants to go on to university or start working.

COVID-19 cases have exploded in Singapore and in many places in the world, so we need to be careful. After more than two years, we have COVID fatigue and wonder when and if we will ever go back to a sense of normalcy.

On that note, please still maintain hygiene and stay masked as much as you can. Be safe and see you next week.

Today’s quote is from Maya Angelou, the poet, writer and civil rights activist who exhorts us to try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. What this quote means is that we should be willing to just listen when people want to vent, we should acknowledge what they are feeling and maybe help them work through their feelings and concerns. Where there is hope, there is light and we all know that behind every cloudy and rainy day there is a rainbow waiting to emerge and so let us be that rainbow when someone has a cloudy day.

BB’s new term starts tomorrow and it will be his last one in school before his internship and then the end of his course. He has also applied for some internships, but we haven’t heard back yet about the results. If the internship does not pan out, he will end up doing a final year project mentored by one of his teachers. GG is still busy with her internship which will end sometime in August and after that, she will go back to school for her last semester. During the last semester, she also needs to start working on her university applications.

As usual, the weather has been hot and humid with some rain here and there and the heat is crazy. The rains make it worse because when the rains stop, the heat becomes unbearable. Because of the resumption of travel, COVID-19 have begun to rise in Singapore. This was expected but is still worrying. We’ve all been vaccinated and had our booster shot almost six months back, so I am worried if our vaccinations are even effective now. S is now eligible for his second booster and will take it soon and I am waiting for the government to announce my turn for the second booster.

That’s all from me this week. Take care and remain vigilant. Covid is still amongst us, so we should continue to practice the good hygiene habits we’ve learnt so far.  

Today’s quote from the American civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr resonated with me because King tells us that it’s only in the darkness can someone see the stars. What it means is that when you are at your lowest and when all seems lost, that’s when we see small slivers of hope and the light at the end of the tunnel and this can help us get back on course. So let’s all look for the stars in our lives when all seems hopeless.

Other than that, things have been the usual. GG is busy with her internship work and BB just applied for his semester of internship. However, his school only offers limited internship opportunities, so about half, of the cohort, will have to do a final year project. Let’s see what BB lands up with. Because he is in the aviation sector, if he gets an internship, he will have a super long commute daily, from one end of Singapore to the other!

It’s been super hot this week, though we did see some rains to give us respite. But even then, fans have to be switched on 24/7. I am trying to reduce the usage of air conditioning, but I do give in some days during the day and at night. I guess this is our new reality and this is something we have to learn to live with.

And on that note, have a wonderful week and talk soon!

It’s the end of another week, but I was not very happy this week. I have been pitching for new business, but got rejected from one place and ghosted from the other. This from what I thought was a sure-shot yes, which made me feel down for a couple of days. But I am better now. I moped for a couple of days and then have shrugged it off and will keep trying for new opportunities.

And this segues perfectly to today’s quote which is from the celebrated English author and social critic, Charles Dickens. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. Dickens reminds us that when the sun rises, it is weak and only gathers strength and becomes more powerful as the day gets on. This means that we may seem weak and ineffectual in the beginning, but as we grow, so will our strengths and convictions and we will overcome all hurdles and difficulties in the end.

BB and GG are busy, GG with her internship and BB with his holidays. He has been working on his resume and LinkedIn profile in anticipation of applying for his internship which should be soon.

The heat is really bad and the worse part of the heat is the humidity that comes with living in a tropical country. Sometimes the humidity is so bad that even taking a breath is difficult. But that’s fodder for a new post that will come soon.

That’s all folks for this week. Take care and talk soon!

We’re almost halfway through 2022 and life has gone back to some form of normalcy for most of us. Because it’s the school holidays, many here are on a holiday finally after more than two years of being cooped up. We can’t go on a holiday yet because while BB is in his school holidays, GG can’t take leave from her internship. And when she starts school after the internship, BB will be working on his internship and so we can’t go on a holiday until both are done, which means except for short trips to Malaysia, we can only travel in early 2023.

Today’s quote comes from Yolanda Gail Devers, the two-time American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. Devers reminds us that any accomplishment that we have starts with the decision to try. If we don’t even try and start something, then how do we become adept at it and how do we feel a sense of accomplishment in it? Something to think about right?

As of the end of May, I have walked about 4200 km and am still in the state of Assam, but am within spitting distance of the Assam-West Bengal border. Hopefully, by the end of next month, I will traverse the chicken neck in the state of West Bengal and which is that small stretch of India that lies between Bangladesh and Nepal.

I am reading, but not enough, so my resolve for June is to read more, especially at night when I am mindlessly scrolling social media. I hope that by the time I report next month, I would have caught up with my reading goals for the year.

And with that, let me go and read a book. Keep safe and catch up with you all next week!