Merry Christmas everyone! Though I am a day late, the sentiment is the same. May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path.

This week was the same as last week because the children are still on holiday and so nothing really to talk about. They are going out with friends, especially catching up with those who they haven’t seen in a while and those whom they will not see for a while during this holiday.

On the work front, because almost everyone is in the holiday mood, things are pretty quiet and this means I get more time to write, though I am also in a holiday mood and there are days when I have to force myself to both write and walk.

Singapore is still reporting COVID-19 cases, especially the Omicron variant, most of which seem to come from imported cases which mean travellers entering Singapore. But the Omicron variant is still a cause of concern. Today this variant accounts for 73% of US infections, up from just about 3% last week according to the US CDC. Experts say that a double dose of the vaccine coupled with the booster jab is the key along with safe distancing, masking and having good hygiene habits to combat the variant. Israel is even starting a second booster jab for seniors above 60 as a deterrent against the Omicron variant. According to experts, this variant will become the dominant variant in 2022 as it is a much more transmissible variant. And unless everyone in the world has been double vaccinated and has had the booster jab, more variants are expected until the virus becomes endemic. So it’s quite likely our new normal will continue to be masking outdoors, having regular booster jabs and maintaining hygiene practices, especially in high-risk settings like hospitals, during travel or if new variants emerge where vaccine protection is significantly reduced.

Today’s positivity quote is courtesy of American author, Joyce Meyer who tells us one cannot have a positive life with a negative mindset. So if one has a negative mindset, one keeps thinking negative thoughts and life as being difficult, then life will not be as pleasant as one wishes. Our happiness is within us with the biggest factor of our happiness ourselves. So when one is happy internally and has positive thoughts, it reflects in the way we think, believe and act and this, in turn, reflects in our lives which automatically becomes more enriched.

That’s all from us this week. Take care, stay safe and have a wonderful last week of 2021!

We’re just a couple of weeks to the new year, but Omicron is what is dominating headlines.
Omicron across the world today. A new study now says that Omicron is more likely to reinfect than Delta with the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant more than five times higher and so far, it has shown no sign of being milder than the Delta variant. Depending on the estimates used for vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant, this translates into vaccine effectiveness of between 0 per cent and 20 per cent after two doses, and between 55 per cent and 80 per cent after a booster dose. According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, Omicron has been detected in 77 countries and more countries probably already have it, but it has not yet been detected. Because the variant is spreading so fast, the sheer number of cases could overwhelm health systems. As of yesterday, Singapore has reported 24 confirmed cases, of which only three are locals and 21 are imported cases.

The children are done with their exams and are on their Christmas holidays. They are quite busy catching up with friends, especially BB whose best friend will be enlisting in early January. They have tons of activities planned for the next two weeks, which is good for their social life.

Today’s quote is an exercise in daily affirmation which comes to us courtesy of Ralph Waldo Emerson. All it tells us to do is tell ourselves every day that every day is the best day of our lives. Simple right? But it is hard to do, as I can attest to, but we need to persevere and we will eventually get there.

So in the light of the recent COVID developments, please stay safe, and make sure you are masked and please get vaccinated and if you are eligible for the booster shot, go ahead and get it. It will protect you to a large extent from the virus.

It’s just a couple of weeks till the end of the year. I think we are all waiting to see if 2022 is better than the last two years.

After posting last week’s update I realised I had not updated my walking stats. So I am in the last province of Myanmar before I hit India’s borders. I will most likely not hit the borders by the end of the year but will do so in early January.

This past week has been all about doctor visits for us. GG had an ultrasound which showed up as completely normal, so all her issues are because of her thyroid. So we are still on medication and hope by the next review, she will have better results.

I also had to get a tooth extracted this week because it was quite decayed. I have always prided on having excellent teeth and having the dentist tell me that it is very decayed and even a root canal may not save it was very hard. It took me a while to digest the fact before I could sign the waivers for the extraction.

Today’s quote comes to us from Rhonda Byrne, an Australian television writer and producer, whose best selling book, The Secret and then the film based on the book is based on the law of attraction. She tells us to turn every situation in life into a positive one. This is akin to saying the glass is half full instead of half empty where we look at the positive aspect of a situation and perceive life through an optimistic lens instead of being pessimistic.

And after flipping and flopping, as of this morning, travellers from Singapore need not spend time in a home quarantine when they go to India. So this is really good news for all those wanting to visit family. I am seriously considering making a short trip to Mumbai early next year, and hope and pray that things stay the same, or become better and not take a turn for the worse.

And with that, stay safe, stay masked and get vaccinated!

We are in the last weeks of 2021 and Covid is still not done with us. The newest variety Omicron which has come in just as people are planning their year-end holiday and travel has put a pause or in some cases, a full stop to many travel plans.

The variant has been detected in more than 38 countries, though there are no deaths as yet attributed to this variant. Many countries, including Singapore and India, have increased testing on incoming travellers and have stopped flights to the southern part of Africa. Other countries including Israel, Japan have already started closing their borders to all foreigners, with others probably following suit should the variant prove to be more severe or dangerous. At this point, we can only wait and see how things pan out. I am planning a trip to see my parents in early 2022 and hope things settle down by then.

In other news, the world just got a new country this week. After 396 years of rule by the British, Barbados has gained its independence with Dame Sandra Mason sworn in as president, replacing the British Queen as head of state.

Today’s quote is a very easy one to internalise. Nothing is impossible, because the word impossible itself has the word possible in it, so everything is possible, you just have to do it! This quote is attributed to the gorgeously talented Audrey Hepburn.

GG had her review with her endocrinologist this week and though her numbers are still much better, they are still a way to go before she reaches normal levels. She has another review after six weeks, so I am hoping the numbers get better by then.

That’s all from me this week. Stay safe, stay masked, and get vaccinated!

We finally got more information on the Vaccinated Travel Lane to India and I am super excited to finally be able to meet my parents. And Singapore has also started more such lanes to countries like Thailand, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, just in time for the year-end holidays.

Today’s quote is from Paulo Coelho which is a lesson for all of us. If we really think small, our world will be small, but if we think big, then our world automatically becomes big. This is very important for all of us because when we think beyond our small worlds, the universe opens up for us.

GG & BB are busy with school with their mid-semester exams. GG will start her industrial attachment in early March, so she needs to start working on her resume and accomplishments. BB will have his industrial attachment in his last semester, so this means the two of them will not have a holiday together until the end of their poly life, after which BB will be called up for his national service.

A new COVID-19 variant, this time from Africa has been detected and many countries including Singapore have started to put a stop to travellers coming in many countries Africa, especially Southern Africa.

That’s all from me this week. Take care and stay safe.