This week, I finally managed to get into my stride and was slightly more productive than I had been for a while. I hope this reignites my productive streak and I can do more without getting distracted as I have been the past few weeks.

GG has been working in her internship for two weeks now and though she finds it very tiring, she is enjoying herself. She is still not sure if she will do what she is doing during the internship as her career, but while she figures it out, she is enjoying the process.

It’s been a month now since R went back to India and we have now learnt to live without her. I am involving both BB & GG in cooking and other house chores and it’s been fun to teach them everything. Both are learning to cook and clean and as time goes on, it’s easier to pull them into the kitchen. These are essential life skills and I am glad I can teach them.

Today’s quote is from James Arthur Ray who reminds us that often what would seem to others as a detour is the best and most direct way to our destination. And this is a quote that spoke to me this week as BB and I had many conversations on his path in life. This quote told me that my path is not his path and what I see as a detour maybe his direct path.

And on that note, stay safe everyone!

This week has passed by in a haze as I was sick pretty much the whole week with gastric flu. After trying to ride it out on my own for almost five days, I finally gave in and went to see my doctor who confirmed that it was stomach flu. So I just went through the motions this week and don’t have much to report. The medicines worked and I am much better now, though I am still taking it a bit easy for a few more days.

GG’s internship is going on well and the good news is that she does not have to go into the office every day. She is happy to work home so she can sleep a little earlier and need not dress up. BB is enjoying his holidays and catching up with his friends to watch the new Spiderman movie. He was especially happy to meet his best friend who recently enlisted for his National Service and I understand that the boys all grilled the NS recruit during lunch.

Today’s quote is attributed to Ted Murphy, the founder, CEO and Chairman of IZEA. He tells us that if something is safe and comfortable and not a bit scary, it’s not worth our time. Doing something scary helps us grow and makes us get out of our comfort zone. Fear serves a real and important purpose, that of keeping us out of harm’s way and so the directive to frighten ourselves on purpose is scary in itself. So go ahead and do something that scares you.

Have a wonderful week and stay safe!

In the last two years of walking, February 2022 has been my worst month. I walked more even in January 2021 when I first started. I need to get off this malaise that has affected me and start walking anew. Doing this monthly update is good because today after I realised how much behind I am, I am determined to finish my daily quota. I am in Nagaland now and on the outskirts of its capital city, Kohima. I am hoping to walk through Nagaland this month and enter the largest of the northeastern states Assam. Then it’s past the chicken neck in West Bengal and I will soon reach the state of Bihar.

I have been reading a fair bit this month and am at about 15% of my annual target. I am hoping to read at least one non-fiction a month this year and so far I am on course for that. I am also feeling a tad bit overwhelmed because in addition to the housework, cooking and work, I have to read and write and sometimes this becomes hard and I end up dropping one, which usually happens to be my walking. I need to figure out how to do it all and when I do so, I will update you.

GG starts her internship tomorrow and she will be at a big 4 company doing something she is currently interested in. The internship will let her figure out if this is indeed what she wants to do in the future or if she needs to move to something else.

Today’s quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Emerson exhorts us to not be pushed by our problems but to let our dreams lead us to where we want to and need to be. This is a lesson I need to learn, so this quote is very timely.

And on that note, stay safe and see you all next week!

It’s been a week now since R has gone back to India and I am slowly getting into a routine of managing the housework, cooking, work and writing. But in all this, my meditation and walking seem to have suffered the most. This month, I have not walked as much as I usually do, so I am sure my steps this month will be highly impacted. But next week is a new month and the chance to redo things, so that will be my restart for my steps and my meditation.

My parents are now more or less settled in their new home and say they are far busier here than they were in Mumbai. With the stress of cooking and cleaning taken care of, they can focus more on making my father better. Also, our previous flat was on the third floor of a walk-up building and so my father, who has Parkinson’s, was unable to walk which is now easily possible because they are on the second floor of a building which has a lift. They have a nurse on-site and any potential medical problems will be easily dealt with. This is such a huge relief for my sister and me.

Singapore is firmly in the grip of the Omicron wave and all we can do is stay masked and sanitise our hands whenever we go out. But if fingers crossed, we do get infected, we know now that since we are all triple vaccinated, we will not be impacted so much. It will be, hopefully, as bad as a bad cold, and we will come out of this healthy.

Today’s quote comes from the American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey who is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. She says the greatest lesson of life is that you are responsible for your life. When we think about it, this is so true and resonates with me. I know I am responsible for everything that happens, both good and bad, and so I need to work to make sure that more good things are happening in my life as opposed to the bad.

So, signing off this week with the usual caution of staying safe, staying masked and getting vaccinated if you are not already.

I’ve been back in Singapore for a week now and this week, R, my helper went to India. She had already planned on the trip, but because her father suddenly took a turn for the worse, she decided to leave as soon as she could. But unfortunately for her, the day after she booked her ticket, he father suddenly passed away. She was distraught, but could not leave earlier because the airline didn’t fly daily and she needed to do PCR tests and other formalities before she leaves.

Luckily for her, when some of her relatives wanted to cremate her father immediately, her son, cousin and brother-in-law took a stand and kept the body in a morgue till she reached and the cremation took place the day after she landed in India. I felt sorry for her because she so wanted to meet her father and get her son married in his presence, but life had other goals for her. Now, she will come back after a couple of months once she gets her son married and settled. Until then, we are on our own. It’s a good learning period for all of us, especially GG & BB as they will learn valuable life skills in this period.

Speaking of whom, they are currently having their end of the semester exams which should end by the end of the month. GG will have a week’s break and then start her internship while BB gets to enjoy his holiday. His industrial attachment will be in his last semester before he gets called up to do his National Service. He has also gotten called up for his NS medical exam which will happen soon.

This week’s quote is about utilising opportunities and is credited to the American actor and comedian, Milton Berle. He reminds us that if opportunity doesn’t knock, we should build a door and do all that we can to ensure that we are available when the opportunity comes calling.

Stay safe everyone and talk soon!