We’re in the last few weeks of 2020 and everyone is praying that 2021 is a better year for all of us.

Many countries starting with the United Kingdom have started ordering COVID-19 vaccines for their citizens and residents and hopefully by the middle of next year, all of us are vaccinated against this disease. I wonder when countries start vaccinations, who gets priority? And will they vaccinate not just their own citizens, but also those living and working in those countries, both legally and illegally? Afterall, it would take just one person with the virus to start a new wave in these countries. These are questions what probably will be answered sooner or later.

The children are busy with school and BB has exam week this week which is his mid-semester exams. According to him, it has a 20% value to his final semester grade and over the weekend, he got a big round of scolding from everyone, including his sister on playing games instead of studying. He is someone who does not really give importance to exams and tests in the middle of the term, and instead likes to focus on the big final exam. But poly is different from school as here every single test, quiz and project counts, not just the final exam, so the nagging and explanations continue.

Life is pretty quiet, so I am taking this opportunity to go through each room in my house and see how best I can clear clutter. As I go older, I am realising I am a minimalist at heart. This discarding things that doesn’t appeal to me now is so cathartic, I am thinking I should be on an annual basis.

Have a wonderful week people!

This week Singapore had a mixed bag with regard to the COVID-19 situation. On the plus side, there are no more active clusters since February 03 with the closure of the last cluster and on the minus side, after two weeks of no community cases, on Thursday, we broke the streak with one locally transmitted case. But I think Singapore is still much better off than most other countries and hopefully this one case does not lead to full blown community cases. Contact tracing is very strong here and everytime we enter a new place (not residences), we have to scan a QR code with a government mandated app which will allow the ministry of health to get in touch with us in case someone with COVID-19 symptoms was in the same place as us. In fact inside malls, other than scanning the app when you enter the mall, you also have to scan the QR code each time you enter and exit and the store to register your presence. It may seem a bit 1984ish, but if it keeps us safe, then I am all for it.

Worldwide, we have reached nearly 62 million cases with the United States as usual leading the pack. This is the Thanksgiving weekend in the States and seeing how many people have travelled to be with family, I think we can all safely assume that an explosion of cases from the country can be expected in a couple of weeks, just in time for Christmas! Mumbai has started testing those who arrive from certain states upon arrival at train and bus stations as well as the domestic airport and there was a video circulating in Whatsapp groups about the huge crowd that one could see at one of the terminus stations and the common refrain was that this was a disaster waiting to happen. Again let’s see what happens in my city a couple of weeks from now.

The children are busy with school work and projects and will probably go through some mid-term exams before they go on a two week break for Christmas. As for me, work-wise, I have entered the quiet period which usually characterises this time of the year. I am also missing my parents as it is exactly a year since I last saw them. It’s been a year since we have left the house for anything other than errands and I am feeling it. But to be safe, we have to be inside and I realise this, but I can whine about it, right?

As you head into the holidays, please stay safe and masked and if you have the elderly, vulnerable and immunocompromised living with you, please spare some thought to their safety as well. They may not be able to fight off the disease as easily as you can, should you give it to them.

This week has been not as productive as I hoped it would be. I have been sitting on something for more than two weeks now, but because of the week leading to Diwali and then me not being as productive as I would have loved to be this week, the end is near, but I have not yet gotten there! Hopefully, I am able to pull up my straps this week and get things done.

While the world is watching the real reality show that is the US Presidential elections, the number of cases have exceeded 57 million with no real end in sight. Many countries and regions are reporting second, third or even fourth waves and I am sure everyone is waiting with bated breaths about the news of the vaccines by many pharma companies.

The United States has crossed the 12 million mark in cases and India is in spitting distance of the 10 million mark leaving the third highest hit country Brazil far behind with just abouve 6 million cases. In Singapore, yesterday, for the 11^th day in a row, we have not had any local community cases. All reported cases, mostly in the single digits, have been imported cases from travellers into Singapore. Also the travel bubble which is supposed to start from today between Singapore and Hong Kong has been hit because of the new wave that has hit Hong Kong. As per the news yesterday, the two governments have postponed the first flight which was supposed to start today by two weeks to early December because of the new escalation of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. This is certainly bad news for those who booked tickets to Hong Kong during the school holidays. Though I seriously wonder what they will do there since the situation is not that good and there are high chances they are just replacing their home for a tiny hotel room since HK real estate is so bad and room sizes are really small.

This was our update for the week, so be very careful especially in those places which are heading into the festive season. Be mindful of the elderly, the vlnerable and the immunocompromised in your family and stay safe! Remember to use masks to protect youself and those around you.

It’s the Diwali weekend and to everyone who is celebrating the festival, here’s wishing you all a very Happy Diwali! Hope the festival of lights brings your way bright sparkles of peace, contentment, joy, and happiness which stays with you throughout this year and also in the years to come. May the lamp of joy remain illuminated in your life now and forever.

I was super busy this week making sweets and savouries for the festival and by the time Friday came around, I was exhausted. I wonder if this is because I split it across the whole week or if it is because I am getting old! Previously when I used to do it across one weekend, it didn’t seem so hectic, so I guess it’s age catching up with me! Anyway, other than this and doing some deep cleaning in the house, we didn’t do much. The children are busy with school, assignments and project work.

Because this weekend is the beautiful festival of lights, lets spread some positivity. I turned to my favourite source and here are some feel good quotes from Pinterest.

Stay safe people and enjoy the festive weekend!

Its Diwali this Saturday and we are starting our Diwali prep. I have planned to make some sweets and savouries, doing a bit each day, so that I don’t get overwhelmed and don’t have to do everything on one day.

Most households also do spring cleaning during this time and though it is not technically spring, but more of a winter cleaning, this is to get everyone ready for the dark winter months. Other than a cursory cleaning, I am postponing my deep and intensive cleaning for December when things are more quet at work and I have more time.

I woke up this morning to see that news agencies have called the US elections. I am glad that Americans have voted for hope and stability and the world can breathe easy. I remember back in 2016 when I was so invested in the election outcome that I was so anxious about it and was so upset when the outcome I was hoping you didn’t materialise. This year, I am not so anxious, maybe because like millions of other people, I hope that Americans take the correct decision and make the right choice, which they have done.

Singapore is continuing to post single digit positive cases with the bulk of the cases coming in from those who enter the country as opposed to local and community transmissions. We currently have about 50 plus active cases in total in the country of which less than 35 are in hospitals and the others in community isolation facilities.

Positive cases around the world now has reached the 50 million mark with the United States leading with more than 10 million cases, India in the second position with about 8.5 million cases and Brazil in third place with more than 5.6 million cases.

Stay safe and masked people!